[PKMN OPEN] Z: A Kalos Journey - Rebirth [M] [IC]

LinearAxel · Feb 23, 2019

A Battle for Mastery Pt 3

Sebastian Allender

Shalour City - Tower of Mastery

"Now use Heat Wave!" Niko calls out. As Pidgeot rises back towards the top of the tower, searing flames burst from its mouth. Despite the rain weakening the flames, they still burn hot enough to warm the railing of the staircase as they sore by, causing both trainers to step away.

"Ukyou, stay behind Ksenia, Ksenia, Surf!"

A flutter of movement as the icy ghost flits above her teammate. The elegant swan begins to glow an ethereal blue as droplets of water form around it, quickly forming into a mighty wave that crashes down against the staircase as it absorbs the flames. The Rain increases the power of the raging swell, while ebbing away at the hot flames, allowing the water to quickly swallow its rival, though the heat is enough to turn the waves into a fine mist before they reach the quickly encroaching bird.

"Let's end this! Ukyou, Ice Beam! Fay, Rock Slide!"

The floating ghost flits down beside its teammates, firing its icy blast from its mouth, a pile of rocks appearing around the blast and falling alongside it.

"Selkie, Psyshock! Hakkai, Aura Sphere! Loki, Dark Pulse!"

It's a sheer onslaught of attacks: Streams of ice blasting between the massive bird's eyes, rocks crashing against its wings, small bullets of psychic energy stabbing into its body, a large, glowing sphere smashing into its head, pulsating darkness washing over its form.

And still, the beast rises. As the smoke from the barrage clears, the Mega flies above and begins to circle the group.

"That's enough. Pidgeot, stand down." Niko calls, and immediately the bird retreats: flying down to perch beside its trainer.

"Wha…" Sebastian mouths, barely audible. Shock evident in his face, along with the faces of his Pokemon.

The pink haired woman lets out a quiet laugh as she strokes her partner's wing. "I've seen all I need to see."

Her words do little to calm the look of confusion from Sebastian. He didn't win-- nor did he lose. The fight needs to continue until one of those outcomes has been met.

Another little laugh. This one sure sees the world in black and white, doesn't he? "This was never about you winning." There was never a chance of that, there were many things she could have done, the least of these was use Roost and Protect to keep this battle going until Sebastian's Pokemon collapses from sheer exhaustion. "This was about me seeing what kind of trainer you are, and if you have what it takes to handle the kind of power that comes with Mega Evolution."

"And…?" Sebastian asks as the gentle fluttering of wings signals Ksenia floating down to their level. Loki is the first to leap from her back, right onto Sebastian's head.

"In terms of sheer power, you've got a long way to go. But...you guys have a real bond. That little guy didn't think, for a second, that you would let him fall." She smiles at Loki. She reaches into her cloak, retrieving a small box, which she opens, to reveal the shimmering key stone.

"This is all I can give you. It's up to you to unlock its real power-- and you won't be able to do that if you hang around in your head so much. If you trust your instincts, like you started to do towards the end of the battle, you might become a champion yet."

Sebastian slowly reaches for the box, clutching the keystone against his palm tightly. "Thank you, Master."

"We'll battle again, once you've figured it out. No holding back next time." She winks. "Good luck out there."

"I'll hold you to that." Sebastian offers a weak smile, and a respectful bow. This is it...the first step to Mega Evolution is, quite literally, in his grasp.

End

Jay · Feb 24, 2019

Current Team - Jackson:

A Good Big Brother

Shalour City - October 3rd - 6:30 PM

Jackson looked at the black Holocaster in his hands and scrolled through the various voice mails he had received. Reading was still a difficulty for him, one he wasn't making any major progress in resolving, so Malorie and the Professor would send him voice mails to make things easier. For you see, it was very important that today he maintain contact with his little sister. Today once again, she was doing her utmost to reach Shalour City, to temporarily catch up with him on his journey. With Kalosian medical treatments her condition had been improving rapidly, thanks to the Professor's efforts and not his own.

It still bothered him greatly that he hadn't been the one providing for her in that sense, but her health was what mattered most, after all. That was, in the end, why he had begun this journey of his. So that he might repay back every last poké spent out of the good Professor's pocket. He had a lot of respect for Sycamore, the man who had essentially rescued them, who found them alone and afraid... after Jackson had done such awful things to secure their passage to Kalos. He had never had a parent, but Augustine had proven himself to be the closest thing comparable.

But alas, his thoughts were going off track, Malorie had not messaged in a while and it was her first time travelling to him without the Professor in tow, he had been called away on business elsewhere. So why was she travelling alone? Why leave when the Professor was out of town? Quite simple really.

Today was Malorie's eighteenth birthday... and Jackson had promised her she would not have to spend it alone. Oh how he had been a fool to not expect her to travel alone so recklessly. "C'mon Mal... send the voice mail already... I'm losin' my damn hair with stress alr-"

"Big bro...?"

Instinctively, Jackson turned around with a sigh of relief at the sound of the voice that called out to him. He hadn't seen Malorie's face since just after Lumiose City which felt like a lifetime ago. For some reason since then she had refused to holo-call and-

"H-HUH?! W-who dahell are you?"

Standing before him was a girl in white and red, her hair cut short to just below shoulder length, not to mention with a vibrant blonde color in it that he barely recognized as similar to his own. It took him a second to look passed the outfit and hair to see the face that wore them, it was slightly longer and more angular than before... more grown up than when he had last seen it. Still, as its cheeks puffed out and the girls arms crossed in mild annoyance it became pretty clear that he was standing in front of none other than Malorie, his little sister suddenly a lot more grown up.

"R-really?! You see me for the first time in forever and that's how you greet me? Jerk move Jackson..." She trailed off, somewhat embarrassed as evidenced by her red flushing cheeks. Only then did Jackson see a pokémon following along behind her, once a Mudsbray under Avril's ownership, Malorie now stood proudly beside a strong and dignified Mudsdale. "E-eh...? So it is you...?!" Jackson exclaimed, still firmly rooted in disbelief.

"W-what did you do?! Your hair?! Its colour?! A-And..." He glanced down with a twitching gaze at her exposed arms and thighs, as well as how her shirt was a little more tight fitting than he would have approved of. "Just... what are you wearing!"

"Tch... idiot..." Malorie pouted, blushing further as she turned her head away for a moment, frowning. "I'm wearing a new outfit I bought with my birthday money from the Professor... I got it at a Lumiose boutique and it was expensive so I'd like to ask you don't make such untoward comments..." She growled a little at the end of her sentence, causing Jackson's eyes to widen further in disbelief. "As for the hair..." She seemed even more embarrassed now, looking to one side and mumbling her words as she twirled a strand of it between her fingers.

"W-well... it was really long and always got in the way and I thought your colour of blonde looked nice so... I went to Santalune and asked for the same brand used by 'Jackson Crane' from the contest and they sold it to me. I just thought it'd be cute for us to match, or whatever, geez..." Her cheeks instinctively puffed out a little bit as she finished speaking, her classic sign of bother, one Jackson knew all to well. She was still Malorie after all.

Gritting his teeth and biting his tongue Jackson stepped forward and placed a hand to her head, causing her to wince before looking up at him with confusion. "It looks... good on you. I swear though, if I catch any guys starin' at your legs I'll bury them." For a moment, Malorie looked incredibly confused as to why any guy would look at her legs at all. This, however, quickly cleared up as understanding of what Jackson was inferring rushed across her face and she started burning red as a Magmar.

"I-I'm sure that won't be an issue... I'm still pretty skinny and pale you know... still quite sickly! Guys wouldn't, ehm... wouldn't look at me like that I think." Jackson cringed as he was pretty sure he sensed a drop of disappointment in her voice as she finished talking. Proceeding this, he sighs deeply and quickly lights a cigarette before the shock of the change sets in for real.

"Well... whatever, damn, I'll just have t'get used to it. I guess." He barks, taking a long drag and turning away. "Anyway let's hurry it up a'ight? I got a few pressin' jobs yet t'do so if we're gonna celebrate lets do it already." He immediately begins to storm off, shoulders hunched slightly as he moves through the streets and Malorie with her Mudsdale following moves as best as she can to keep up, still a little slower than most.

"...can we get cake...?" She asks, almost a little embarrassed at the question.

Jackson however, peeks over his shoulder, glaring at her for a moment, causing her to shrink a little in response. However, after but a moment his mouth curls into a gently smile and he nods. "Well, obviously... as if we wouldn't have cake on your damn birthday, now c'mon, don't fall behind."

Malorie's shyness dissipates and she bursts into a bright and childlike smile, quickly gripping onto her brothers sleeve and following along happily, thoughts of sweets and sights of the city in her mind.

"Thanks, Jackson."

Spoiler:

Stinging Bea · Feb 24, 2019

Avril Morris

Shalour City

Chapter 18-5 | Preliminary Rumble

Current Party:

"Let's see now," the man in charge of registering trainers for the tournament sighed. He began to flip through several papers, ones that both sisters could only assume to be other potential entrants who had yet to engage in their own preliminary battle. "The first thing we need to do is find an opponent for you to battle against in your preliminary battle. Ah, here's a good one! Miss Howlett! Miss Howlett, I think I've found your opponent for your preliminary match!"

"Here!" The blue haired ranger waves energetically as she jogs to the registrar desk. Her eyes widen in surprise and recognition when she lays eyes on Robin. "Oh, hey!" She greets. This is one of the trainers that helped the rangers after the rock slide. "Are we opponents?"

"Who me? Nah, I've already registered and passed my preliminary," Robin explained. She then grabbed Avril by the shoulders, essentially pushing the poor girl forward to properly meet the ranger. "You're gonna be goin' up against my baby sister, yeah? So uh... ya know, go easy on her!"

"Go easy on me...? First you insist I enter and now you're acting like I don't have a chance to get past this match..." Avril thought, rolling her eyes at her sister's comments. Turning her attention back to the blue-haired girl before her, Avril offered up her best smile in an attempt to try and make it look as though she wasn't a complete and total nervous wreck. "H-Hello there, it's nice to meet you... Miss Howlett, right?"

"Just call me Sasha. It's great to meet you--" A sharp pause when she realizes she does not know the young woman's name. "Robin's sister." Phew, saved it. She holds a gloved hand out to shake her opponent's. "Let's do our best." It wouldn't be right to go easy on...Robin's sister; she looks very strong in her own right. This is going to be a great match!

"Right, let's make it a good one," Avril replied quickly, only to get a quick elbow in the side from Robin. The blonde quickly turned, staring at her older sister in annoyance. "W-What now?"

"Are ya just gonna enter the tournament as 'Robin's sister'? Come on and give her your actual name, doofus," Robin replied with a grin.

"Oh, right! My name's Avril," the younger of the Morris sisters resumed. "S-Sorry about that."

Robin stifled a giggle as she took a few steps away, wanting to get a good seat for the battle that was about to unfold. It had been a while since she had witnessed her sister's battling skills. The last match she saw was when she took on Grant back in Cyllage City's gym. The brunette was quite curious to see just how much her little sister had improved just then. There was also the fact that she was battling against a Pokémon Ranger as well. Of course, Avril didn't know that much about her opponent... but was there really a need to tell her every little detail?

Avril and Sasha made their way towards a small area that looked to be reserved for the preliminary battles of the tournament. There, another man was waiting for them, this one seemingly acting as a referee of sorts. He looked over both girls carefully, making sure that they were prepared before he began to speak the rules.

"As you both know, this is a preliminary battle that will be deciding which of you will move on to battle in the tournament proper. The rules are simple. Both of you will battle with one Pokémon each and the trainer to render their opponent's Pokémon unable to continue either through fainting or other such means is the winner," the man explained. He paused, quickly realizing her had forgotten an important detail. "Oh yes, and just in the event that either of you have the means... Mega Evolution is not allowed in this match. Any questions?"

"Understood." Sasha nods, absent-mindedly tugging on her sleeve. Mega Evolution would make this sort of free-for-all tournament pretty unfair. As she steps back to her side of the arena, she takes note of a familiar face striding towards the front row of seats, followed by her entourage of cat Pokemon. Victoria? What happened to not having time for this?

Hours before, the two had come together to sign up for the tournament, only for Victoria to take a glance at the sign up sheet and coyly declare that she had better things to do. As the blonde takes her seat, Sasha shakes her head in order to clear it. She can ask her cousin what she's playing at once this is done. "Let's do this."

"Alright then... which Pokémon should I use...?" Avril questioned, glancing down at the bracelet on her left wrist. "Shino would probably be a safe bet... then again, I've been using him a lot lately. Maybe he could use a bit of a break? Cecil could be a sturdy choice, no pun intended... I bet Marble would do well too..."

Unfortunately for Avril, she didn't get anymore time to decide. Without warning, one of the balls on her bracelet fell off and hit the ground, snapping open to reveal a rather excited and anxious looking Mint. The Jigglypuff took a look around, her eyes shining brightly at the prospect of getting to have a good challenge. When her eyes fell upon Sasha, Mint suddenly puffed out her round cheeks in an attempt to look intimidating. Avril was at a loss for words as she watched her Jigglypuff take center stage. This was definitely not something she had planned.

"Ah... M-Mint, yes! I choose you," the blonde declared trying and most likely failing at looking like this was the Pokémon she had planned to use from the start.

"Not exactly what I'd call a great start..." Robin mused, clearly catching on to Avril's folly. "Still, if this is one of the Pokémon she used to fight Pops, then... I guess it'll work out in the end."

The Ranger seems immediately charmed by the pink puff's attempts to look intimidating. "Aren't you--" She catches herself before she lets the word cute slip. "--a tough one? Right, then, I choose-"

"Nya nya nya!"

Sasha's words are cut off by a cry from the audience. Her eyes quickly cut to where Victoria's sitting, immediately recognizing Marie the Skitty sitting in her lap, waving excitedly towards the arena, but not at her, no, she's waving...to Avril?

The excited kitten's mouth is quickly covered by her trainer, who puts on her trademark smirk and raises her arm in a playful wave. "Excuse us. Carry on."

Sasha brushes the outburst off with a little laugh, then resumes reaching for one of the poké balls strapped to her belt. "Let's go, Toboe!"

A burst of light calls forth a smaller-than-average Rockruff, who takes one look at his surroundings and then to his trainer with a look of uncertainty. He's met with an encouraging smile. "You can do it."

The small Rockruff's tail begins to swish as he looks to his opponent, and hunkers into a battle stance.

A faint blush graced Avril's cheeks at the sight of Victoria and her Skitty. The girl had not been expecting to see either one of them here, or at the very least not here in the audience for the preliminary matches. In a sense, it was a bit nerve wracking. At the same time however, the sight of Victoria and her Skitty only seemed to fire Avril up.

"Right! Let's do it, Mint!" the blonde exclaimed. "Start this battle off with a Gyro Ball!"

Mint smiled in delight as she hit the ground and began to spin about quickly. She quickly built up friction and speed, before launching herself at the Rockruff with great force.

It's hard to see from this far away, but Sash can definitely see a darkening in Avril's skin tone when she sees Victoria. That, and the much more obvious change in her tone begin to paint this picture into life: Before, her opponent came across as mousy, mild, but now she's raring to go, brimming with excitement, and her Jigglypuff's feeding off that.

"Toboe! Block it off with Rock Tomb!" Sasha calls. The wolf pup is visibly intimidated by the dynamo-balloon crashing towards him, but he lets out a meek howl, which summons a circular formation of rocks, which attempt to encase the rolling ball and stop her in her tracks.

Mint bounced up against the rocks that had risen up to ensnare her, quickly disappearing from sight thanks to the quick thinking from the Rockruff's trainer. However despite this, one could easily hear the sounds of Mint's rolling body bouncing back and forth from inside the rock prison. With a sudden cry, Mint suddenly came bounding out as she managed to burst through one of the walls. The Jigglypuff completely missed her target in the process, landing flat on her face a few feet away from the Rockruff. Slowly Mint picked herself off the ground, taking a moment to gather her bearings before turning to face her opponent once more.

"Mint, go for a Disarming Voice," Avril ordered.

Mint gave a quick nod, before the expression her face quickly changed. She looked over at Sasha's Rockruff, giving the pup a somewhat flirtatious look, complete with batting her eyelashes. She suddenly cried out in a charming, rather floaty voice... even going so far as to send a little wink in the Rockruff's direction.

"Toboe, Howl!" Sasha's plan is to block out the damaging vibrations of Jigglypuff's attack with the vibrations from another audio-based move-- and it might work...if the wolf pup wasn't absolutely entranced by the adorable balloon's wink. His wide eyes take on a look of regret as the vibrations hit, sending him flying backwards. He makes several complete rolls before stopping, and leaping back into action, obviously embarrassed by his stumble.

"It's okay! You're still in this! Iron Head!"

Toboe shakes the glaze from his eyes and begins to charge, a steely aura surrounding the top of his head as he darts towards Jigglypuff. Before the Jigglypuff has time to react, she's met with a powerful headbutt of sorts that causes her to go flying up into the air. A look of surprise and pain mixed across Mint's face, but the balloon-like Pokémon was not about to let that stop her. Nor was Avril for that matter.

"Mint, Body Slam him!"

The Jigglypuff glanced down at the Rockruff and grinned before taking a deep breath. Her body grew slightly in size around as she quite suddenly began to drop down towards the pup Pokémon, sticking her belly out as far as she could in the process.

No time to dodge, but that's fine: It's not an incredibly effective move, and it keeps Jigglypuff close enough for a retaliation. "Toboe--" Her words are cut short by a surprised yelp as the wolf pup's body is shoved to the ground via a very heavy balloon. "Fire Fang!"

The Rockruff's exposed fangs quickly ignite as he lifts his head and chomps down on the pink Pokémon's exposed foot. Mint let out a loud cry of pain, the Jigglypuff suddenly flailing about in an attempt to try and fling the Rockruff off of her foot. "Mint, knock him off with a Wake-Up Slap!"

Without a moment of delay, the Jigglypuff quickly reached out and slapped at the rock-type with all of her might.

The slap causes the Rockruff to let go, and leap backward in order to avoid more painful smacks to his exposed face. As he lands, he wavers slightly, though there's a determination in his eyes to keep going.

"That's the spirit! Give it another Iron head!"

Again the wolf pup bows his head, the glow returning to his head as he prepares to launch back for Jigglypuff.

"Mint, use another Gyro Ball!" Avril ordered.

Mint quickly curled up into a ball and began to spin around quickly. The Jigglypuff then shot herself forward, spinning rapidly towards the charging Rockruff.

The attacks collide with a loud smash as metal crashes against metal: Super effective move against super effective move, and while there's a split second where it looks like it could go either way, the rolling ball of destruction soon outweighs Rockruff's metallic head-bang, and the wolf is shot skyward. Seeing his eyes shut, Sasha runs onto the battlefield to catch the flying pup before he collides with the ground.

"Rockruff is unable to battle, the winner is Jigglypuff! Avril will be advancing to the next round!" A referee shouts as he holds up a small green flag.

"Well, I guess that's one way to get this tournament rollin'," Robin said with a smile, also taking the opportunity to ignore several people around her who groaned at the pun she thought was so witty.

Avril seemed to pay it no mind, however. The blonde cheered happily as she quickly made her way towards her Jigglypuff, who seemed to be quite dizzy from spinning around so much. Avril scooped Mint up into her arms, holding her high in the air with glee.

"You did it, Mint! You were so awesome out there!" Avril declared, much to her Jigglypuff's delight.

"That's what you get for bringing such a green Pokemon into a tournament, Sash." Victoria mutters under her breath. While she's pleased as can be that Avril's won, she won't miss a chance to point out that her cousin can be about as bright as a broken bulb.

The Ranger in question holds Toboe against her chest and applauds her opponent. "That was fantastic!" She cheers, steely eyes on Avril. "You two make one heck of a team."

"O-Oh, yeah... Well, you and your Rockruff did really great too," Avril replied with a smile. She glanced down at the Jigglypuff in her arms and grinned. "How about it, Mint? You up for doing this tournament thing a bit longer?" It didn't take Mint long to think over the girl's question. The Jigglypuff's eyes began to shine brightly with excitement as the thought of getting to battle more Pokémon raced through her head. "Glad to have you on board!"

"You two are gonna go far. We'll be rooting for you!" Sasha cheers, hugging the awakened Rockruff gently. In agreement, he offers a quiet woof and a wag of his tail. There's a confidence in the pup's eyes that wasn't there prior to the battle, and that's all the victory the Ranger really wanted from this tournament.

It's then that Sasha's eyes make a very pointed cut to the audience, where Victoria had now risen from her seat. "And I think someone else will be, too."

"Y-You think so...?" Avril questioned, feeling her face heat up again. "I m-mean... I dunno, I'm s-sure there are a lot of people here who will watch again later, you know? It's hard to just point out one, don't you think?"

"Weeeeell, maybe, but I know this one personally." Sasha tilts her head and winks, the crescent moon shaped charm around her neck glimmering in the light; a very similar charm to the sun Victoria wears around her own neck.

Avril suddenly wanted to go hide in some corner in a different town in a different region all together. She honestly wasn't expecting to be called out for this so suddenly. In a way it was kind of embarrassing to have someone call it out so bluntly like this, especially since it wasn't exactly official... or was it...? Come to think of it, Avril really didn't know what to call it. She hadn't exactly been in this kind of relationship before...

"...Maybe I should find out after this whole tournament thing is over. I mean, I really wouldn't be against it.... That is, if she is interested, but... she's probably not, right? I mean, there's no way... right...?" Avril debated mentally.

"Hey, Chatterbox one and two, you're hogging the stage." Victoria calls as she trots to the stage. Marie the Skitty, clearly not listening, and not registering that Victoria wants everyone off the stage, leaps on and rushes her tiny feet towards Avril, quickly perching herself on the trainer's foot.

"Oh, because you're such a stickler for the rules." Sasha smiles brightly at the display. Victoria might be playing it cool, but Marie's definitely a tell.

"She's right though, I guess we should make room for whoever's next," Avril replied, offering a small smile to Victoria's Skitty. She then gestured to the Jigglypuff in her arms. "Besides, I guess I need to get my partner here all fixed up for her next match."

Oddball_ · Feb 24, 2019

-- Profile --

Name: Chris Rodriguez

Pokémon :

Location: Shalour City

Inventory:

Spoiler:

True skater boy
~

"HYA" Chris yelled as he leapt off the ramp and landed sideways on the rails infront of him. Sparks flying as the skates ground against the metal beneath them, the young man was enjoying his time at the Shalour city gym. Of course, it would have been better if people hadn't been staring at him the entire time. He'd only won a couple races, it wasn't like he was famous or anything!

"Bzzzt" The gym's intercom crackled to life. "Chris Rodriguez to the central podium please!" A male announcer called.

"…" Chris mentally sighed and hopped off the rail, swiveling around and skating towards the central podium. He paused for a moment on his way there however, as the rest of the ring seemed to have completely emptied out. Had he been skating for that long?

"HEEYYYYYY Ma-champ in the making!" The male voice called as Chris arrived.

"...what's going on?" He asked the man who was suspiciously not wearing skates, nor protective gear in an area where many people were normally moving at high, hard to control, speeds.

"Your gym match is about to begin! Just so you know! Lady Korrina uses fighti-"

"I'm not taking the gym challenge." Chris responded awkwardly, a little confused as to what the confusion was about.

"Ah… uh… sorry, what?" The guide stuttered, confused as to what he had just heard.

"I'm not interested in a gym battle. I just came to skate." Chris responded truthfully.

"But- but- we cleared out the ring! Lady Korrina-" The guide stammered.

"Makes her appearance!" The female youth calls as she skates up. "Sorry about that Clyde. Technically he's right, but after hearing about him on Alexa's news report on the race winning rookie, and then Grant saying that he got beat twice over by some rookie skater, I knew I had to see what he could do."

"But- we cleared the ring for a gym match!" Clyde protested in confusion. "If the young man doesn't want to battle then what are we going to tell the skaters who are waiting to see a fierce battle!"

"…" Chris shook his head and grinned. "Dirty trick." He scoffed, tossing a glare at Korrina.

"Grant told me you turned down his badge, so I had to make sure you'd fight me somehow." She giggled before waggling her finger. "And don't think I didn't hear about the show you put on earlier up at the tower either! Heck, pretty sure we heard it down here!"

"Fine. I suppose you've left me with no choice but to wipe the floor with you." The boy responds with faux arrogance, turning around and crossing his arms.

"Hah! You don't need to pretend with me, I already know you're a strong Trainer, so let's get this show on the road!"

Clyde the gym guide, still mildly confused shakes his head and shrugs as things seem to have been placed back on track.

"This will be a one on one battle! The normal gym rules apply, however with the additional constraints. Both trainers must rush and skate around the track without stop while the battle rages on, their pokémove moving quickly to keep up. If either trainer stops moving they forfeit the match, though interfering directly with your opponent is disallowed.

If a pokémon stops moving and is left behind during the battle for any reason, then it is considered to be fainted by league rules regardless of its conscious state. The battle itself is a two on two single battle, both trainers selecting their chosen pair of pokémon in secret beforehand. The battle continues until one trainer stops moving or both of a trainers pokémon are considered to be fainted. The winner is the last team standing in battle and endurance both!"

Plotting to himself, Chris reaches for the Pokéball's of Whisper and Aero as he skates over next to Korrina at the start line.

"3. 2. 1… GO!" The gym guide shouted, as two flashes of red released two flying bird Pokémon and the trainers began to speed forward.

"HAWW" A red and green feathered bird calls.

In combat, Hawlucha leaps nimbly about, taking advantage of its opponents' blind spots. It's also skilled at using superb submission holds.

"Interesting…" Chris muttered to himself as he pushed forward, managing to keep pace with Korrina as the two birds trailed neck and neck behind them.

"Hawlucha, let's start things off with a swords dance!" Korrina called as she skated forward, leaping up onto a rail and grinding her way along.

"While it's distracted, take it down with a Thunder Fang!" The Unovan boy whistled as he sped up to be neck and neck beside the rail grinding gym leader of Shalour City.

The two bird like Pokémon collided, as the luchadore bird was caught in the crushing maw of the fossil Pokémon mid dance. Electricity crackled around bird Pokémon as it struggled to break free from the titanic Pokémon's jaws. Thankfully, due to the Pokémon's limber nature it was able to slip free and avoid any paralytic effects that such an attack could have posed.

Chris and Korrina both neared the first turn. Korrina leapt from her rail landing a few feet infront of Chris, only for the boy to kick off the ground and propel himself forward just a fraction faster, closing the gap to less than a foot lead. Looking back and seeing the status of the two Pokémon, and doing some mental calculations as to how to proceed, Korrina let herself slide off to the side as she tossed her second Pokéball out.

"Hawlucha, Baton Pass!" She ordered as the Lucario materialized onto the scene. The small bird clicked its tongue and, in its hand, a shimmering energy based baton appeared, only to rapidly be tossed and caught by the blue canine as the wrestling bird was forced back into its Pokéball.

"Interesting play." Chris muttered as he slowly began to take the lead once again, the second turn appearing in front of them. "Fire fang!" He called to his Aerodactyl who quickly swooped down and clamped onto one of the Lucario's black dreadlocks type appendages with flames billowing from its fangs. The canine whimpered in pain but continued its run forward (albeit somewhat slowed as to not have its appendage torn off by the powerful fangs gripping it).

The second turn approached the two trainers and Korrina spun rapidly around the corner, hugging the inner circle of the ring. Chris on the other hand let himself go wide and he narrowly turned just in time as to not collide with the wall. However, his close proximity to the wall did allow him to shove an arm to the side, sharp pain radiating through him as he managed to push himself off the wall at just enough of an angle to give him a boost in speed.

The Lucario meanwhile, twisted its head to the side and threw its hands out behind him. A beam of white light erupted from his hands as it released its Flash Cannon attack upon the Aerodactyl, whom was blasted off of the canine Pokémon and thrown to the ground, bouncing twice before screeching loudly and rapidly flying forward energy burned but still mobile as it began to hiss and snap its flaming jaws towards the Lucario who was narrowly avoiding them by jumping left and right.

"You can do it! Finish them!" Chris and Korrina yelled in unison, and both Pokémon turned to face each other before the Iron Head of Aerodactly and the Force Palm of Lucario smashed together with a loud ringing noise that sent both Pokémon sprawling to the ground and quickly in the dust.

"…Impressive." The boy grumbled as he drew forth the Pokéball containing his alternate Pokémon and released Whisper onto the scene. Gliding forward, cutting through the air untethered by things such as wings or legs, the dual swords had no trouble keeping pace with Chris and Korrina.

"Hawlucha, let's do this!" Korinna called, the luchadore bird returning to the battlefield. "Swords dance, then use Aerial Ace!"

The small bird quickly did it's dance to raise its attack power, then lashed out at the sword Pokémon with its claws, only to be deflected off with a loud mettalic 'ting'.

"That's not going to work, let's show them how it's done Whisper!" The boy called back, as to swords quickly whipped back and returned an Aerial Ace of their own. The slash leaving several red and green half-feathers floating downwards onto the track behind them as the duo and their Pokémon reached the third turn. Wheezing, the Hawlucha braced itself readying for another attack, launching itself at the sword Pokémon, only to be deflected off once again by the metal body of the Pokémon.

"Heh… alright, alright. You win. I guess there was merit to your previous victories after all. You truly are a worthy trainer." Korrina called out as she slowed to a near stop, her Pokémon heavily breathing and having hardly any energy left to stand up after the multiple super effective moves that Chris' team had played against it.

"You weren't too bad yourself. Tell you what, maybe we should have a rematch sometime." Chris called as he mirrored the Shalour City Gym leader's movement.

"For your victory here at the Shalour City Gym and providing the regular skaters some… half time entertainment, let me offer you this TM containing the move Power-up Punch, as well as the official Kalos Region Pokémon league Rumble Badge." Korrina called out, as she led Chris back to the central platform.

"I'm not interested in taking on the league. Keep your badge gym leader." Chris responded, shaking his head.

"Grant told me you might say that. But… I have to wonder why. You're obviously an extremely powerful trainer. One of the strongest I've faced in a very long time. You were deemed worthy of being a successor and holding a key stone by the guardians at the tower… and your tactics are… well professional to say the least." The girl questioned, still holding out the badge.

"…I've got my reasons why I can't." He sighed. "But if it makes you feel better, I'll take the silly badge."

"Alright, I suppose that's all I can do." She smiled. "Then allow me to officially name you a victor of the Shalour city gym!"

Chris' Museum:

Dragon · Feb 24, 2019

The Emma Kuzunoha Case Files

RESERVE

detective

......

Episode 5: Shalour City "Past Revisited"

[ New Full Body Appearance ]

The tournament that was beginning in Shalour...

It was sure to contain many powerful and experienced trainers. Emma strapped on properly, her long black boots and black gloves. She was setting herself up, preparing to gain more experience in terms of her overall battling abilities with her pokemon. This was also where Jackson, and she was also sure, some of her classmates might be participating as well. A good opportunity doesn't appear like this every so often, so she was sure to take full advantage.

Arriving a the plaza, everyone seemed to be engaged in 1 on 1 battles all around. It seemed to simulate a single battle knockout scenario. A tough series of matches to be sure, but one she is prepared to battle in. It felt odd, battling like this for fun after losing her grandfather, but she remembered her promise to him: to make the most of life. So, off she goes. After a few mere moments, she finally managed to register herself, and a pokemon of her choice.

She eventually found herself upon the plaza square, awaiting for her opponent. After a while of searching and waiting, someone did find their way to the square. Emma's preliminary opponent. She was dressed rather oddly, with ragged, old fashioned clothes, and some sort of mysterious lined markings on her face. She looked like someone who was not native to Kalos, but it was more to that. Something about those markings and the way she was dressed seemed... familiar.

She then stared daggers upon Emma. Whoever she is, Emma could sense the intense feeling of hated, malice, and... sorrow. Who was this woman? Emma could only ponder, but he rthoughts were interrupted by the strange trainer speaking. "You... I finally found you, Kuzunoha!"

"...Huh?" Emma questioned. "Do you know me?"

"The so-called great ace detective Emma Kuzuonha? Of course I do," the woman said in disgust. She spat on the ground. "Look at my face. Do you remember that day? You killed my big sister!"

Emma stood in shock. "What? What did I ever do that?" She demanded. But looking at the trainer's face, she did sense something was familiar about her... she had never met this woman before, but, she did remind her of another... "A-Are you--"

"Well, took you long enough to remember, murderer!" the trainer shouted. "My name is Kagome. I was part of a group known as the Monoke. And my big sister was the leader of it all, but thanks to you, she was arrested and sentenced to sentenced to an unlawful death!"

"Then... you're related to Kikyō..."

"That's correct," Kagome replied. Instead of anger, this time... her response was backed by sorrow. She turned away from Emma, to turn to the ground.

"I.. I loved my sister. She was kind, brave, and strong. She always watched out for my brother, and for myself too, even though we did live in a poor household. That man, Houto, he destroyed our family when our little brother died. She and I hated the upper class system, which was why I believed in her justice. The justice of the Monoke." She then turned back to Emma, with her rage back intact. "Thanks to you, she can't get that justice for our brother. However, I'm going to pick up where she left off! But first, I wanted to see the woman who cost Kikyo's life, so I followed your trail. And now here you are, right in front of me. At last... Kikyo's pain... My brother's pain... Vengeance will soon be mine..." she got out and released a pokeball from her belt. When released, the energy formed an electric type Pokemon. An Electabuzz.

"I'm going to expose you for the black-heart you are, Kuzunoha!!"

Emma closed her eyes, with her usual calm look. "...I should of expected this. In fact, I was prepared for it, The past coming back to me like this." she said. She then reached for her bag, taking out a single pokeball. She threw it upwards, releasing "If you all decide to come after me, then fine. I'm not going to run away from your feelings."

"Kuzunoha..." Kagome said with an unsettled anger. "I'm going to CRUSH you!"

"If that's the strength that drives you, I'll meet it head on," Emma responded. "Come at me!"

"ATTACK!" Kagome ordered. Her Electabuzz released a powerful stream of lightning from it's antennae, right towards Kagura. Kagura managed to evade the attack by jumping in the air as commanded by Emma, but was soon confronted against Electabuzz's Thunderpunch. She managed to block the attack in time by grabbing both it's arms. The two both landed on the ground, locked upon a contest of strength. "THUNDERBOLT!" shouted Kagome. Kagura managed to let go before Electabuzz unleashed it's attack, but was forced to play defensively by barely leaping and dodging out of the way of Electabuzz's onslaught.

Kikyo...
I will accept your emotions.
It was our encounter that helped made me who I am today.

You remind me of who I was back then.
What is true justice?
You had your own answer back then. But I... I had no answers.

Electabuzz then ignited his fist with a bust of flame. It was using it's Fire Punch, with Kagura blocking and countering it with her Bone Rush staff attack. Kagura was finally on the offensive, attacking and engaging Electabuzz with strikes of her staff. Electabuuz then managed to send off another Thunderpunch attack, but Kagura easily managed to evade, striking Electabuzz for more direct damage.

"We're FAR from finished!" Kagome yelled, as Electabuzz stood back up. "Don't underestimate us! The Monoke!!"

*****

"Hah! Do you think anyone in this region gives a damn about us?" Kikyo asked in snide. "Kalos has no room for the poor, like myself and the rest of the Monoke. Don't believe me? Take this victory road. Continued construction means bye-bye to the rest of the unfortunate who made their homes around there. That's why we will stop them, and when I get strong enough to become a champion, I will become it by challenging the pokemon league! Once I've become the champion, I'll make sure that rotten bastard and all the rich demons in this region receive divine punishment for all the evil they did Let's see how it feels once I've taken away everything from them!!"

"But wait!" Emma pleaded. "What about the innocent...? You can't do this to them! What you're doing is no better than those rotten people!"

"There ARE no 'innocent' in this world!" shouted a more enraged Kikyo. "Means and methods are nothing in the eyes of justice!"

"You're wrong!" rebutted Emma. "The end is only justified through fair and honest means! Your very idea 'justice' is wrong! "

"A fool who blindly follows the very same evil she's trying to prevent has no right to preach to me about justice!" Kikyo roared. "Tell then, what is justice? How do you work towards a peace with an endless cycle of hatred?"

****

Even now, I don't know the answer to true justice... true peace.
But I...

Kagura bashed Electabuzz away again with her Bone Rush staff, causing Electabuzz to be knocked back a few feet, but it still stood back up, ready for battle. "That's enough messing around, Electabuzz!" Kagome barked. "Let's show her our TRUE power! Don't hold back!" Electabuzz started to hone electricity by it's antennae, shooting it upwards. The electricity flowed it's way back down, right upon Electabuzz. Electabuzz endured the shock for a brief moment, until the electricity dissipated, as the power was absorbed, becoming part of Electabuzz's body. It laughed forbodingly as the electricity vigorously flowed through its body. Electabuzz then charged right back towards Kagura, sending a powerful Thunderpunch Kagura's way, that not even Kagura manged to block the brunt of the empowered attack.

Deep down... I don't think that was the answer you wanted, Kikyo.
So I promise.. I'll find my own meaning of justice, and for peace.

"It's over, Kuzunoha!" Kagoma shouted. "GIGA IMPACT!" Electabuzz stood in a fierce position, as waves of energy pour through it has it began to charge. The electricity it stored combined with it, rippling through the energy into a fierce all-stakes attack.

"It's time we finished this! AURA SPHERE!" Emma ordered. Kagura charged up her aura, condensing it between her two palms. It then sent it towards her left hand, as it formed into a ball of condensed aura. She then ran forward, and with all her might, engaged Electabuzz's attack with her own. The two attacks collided, remained upon a deadlock, until it eventually caused an explosion, causing everything to go up in smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the two pokemon remained standing, on a stare-down. Eventually, Kagura almost couldn't keep her balance, causing her to kneel. Kagome was so certain she had then won... until her Electabuzz collapse, Electricity still ripping through its body. She had lost. Kagome knelled, slamming her fist on the ground. "Why... Why couldn't I win?!" she asked in shock. "My... my revenge...!"

Emma approached Kagome. "Revenge is too deep a forest to get lost in. "Your pokemon felt the full weight of your anger and your hatred. No one could take such pressure," she explained. "I respect the passion you all had for your relatives and loved ones. But I won't let you pour your hatred on the world. If you need a vassal that you need to put it all on, you can put your anger all on me. I'll accept all of it."

Emma turned to walk away, leaving Kagome behind.

"Kuzunoha..." Kagome called after her.

"Yes?"

"...I'll never forgive you."

"I know."

A Past Revisited...
Case Closed

Daisuke Mitsuharu · Feb 24, 2019

Caius Flynn, 21, ♂ ; Tower of Mastery, Kalos

Memoria - Part 1

There it was, the behemoth of the Kalos region, staring Caius in the face: The Tower of Mastery.

The postcards didn't do it justice.

Even Ryu, who was normally stone-faced, couldn't help but get caught up in the view, his eyes lighting up like some giddy preschooler who's been given extra time at recess.

The Tower of Mastery was one piece of especially detailed architecture, and against the azure background, this fact was made all the more clear.

There was so much to gush over -- the structural dichotomy between its left and right side, the curved protrusions which it held in place through a ring-like scaffold, and even its layout, which seemed to create a feeling of openness.

It was thoughtful craftsmanship and engineering that kept the tower standing all these years, and Caius -- even in ignorance -- was able to realize that. What his eyes were seeing was all the proof he needed to be convinced.

The tower was practically begging Caius to whip out his phone and take pictures, which he did once he finished taking in the scenery for himself.

Click. Click. Click. He set his camera to burst mode.

That was an oopsie on his part.

Before long, poor Caius found himself with little storage space remaining on his Apple device.

"One more," he muttered under his breath, turning his phone around for a selfie. "Ryu, come over here!"

Caius raised his fingers to make a peace sign; Ryu tried to do the same but ended up just lifting his tail to achieve the same effect. Then the flash came.

After saving the photo on his gallery, he shot a text at Maya.

9:30 AM: Guess where I'm at?
9:32 AM: Attached - Piece_Sign.png

Almost immediately, his phone pinged, signaling that a response had just landed on his inbox.

9:32 AM: you misspelled 'peace' on the file name, you know.

Caius rolled his eyes.

In typical smart aleck fashion, Maya's text oozed pretension. This was obviously just a front Maya put up to annoy him, and Caius picked up on that, so he decided to play along.

Seeing Maya's name displayed on his phone, it dawned on him that he hadn't spoken to her much after he moved to Kalos. It took time for him to get acclimated to his new home in Kalos, and having the one-track mind he did, that meant he neglected to keep in touch with her in the process.

His focus was turned to learning the ropes in unfamiliar territory, and in the midst of that, everything else just faded in the background. He figured an apology for his selfishness was necessary, but he knew Maya would never hold it against him for looking after himself first. So he didn't bother.

Caius couldn't deny that it felt nice he and Maya were still able to joke around like old times, as if nothing changed and they just simply continued where they left off. Though the physical distance between them was great, they couldn't have been any more close.

Click.

He sent two more messages.

9:33 AM: Thank you, o Wise One.
9:33 AM: What could I possibly do without your grammatical guidance?

He was being facetious, of course. And to twist the knife further:

9:34 AM: You forgot to capitalize your sentence, by the way.

Ouch. Maya felt defeated, beaten at her own game. There was only one response she could muster up in that moment:

9:35 AM: touché.

The banter was only the appetizer on the menu. What came next was the full course meal.

Like old friends who'd been separated for a while, the two proceeded to chat up a storm, hoping to get up to speed on what the other had been doing. Their conversation opened with the mundane "how are you" but shifted gradually to more intimate topics regarding their personal lives.

Once their fingers hit a comfortable stride, there was no stopping them. The text messages flew back and forth for what seemed like an eternity until the Tower of Mastery was brought up again by Caius.

10:01 AM: the tower of mastery looks really nice.
10:02 AM: i'm sure you're just itching to go inside.

Maya read him like a book.

10:03 AM: Why wouldn't I be?!
10:04 AM: I mean, mega evolution, hello? That stuff is pretty cool.

Mega evolution was a rare phenomenon which allowed Pokémon to surpass natural limits, and it began as an enigma to Caius. The first time he'd heard of it was years ago, when Maya explained the concept to him. That conversation was still fresh in Caius' mind.

The Tower of Mastery came up in passing then as well.

Seeing it in person, he felt weird, as if he was in a lucid dream with the tower looming over him, just within his reach if he took a few more steps.

...Except that it wasn't a dream, and that the Tower of Mastery was literally ten paces away from him.

Bing.

His phone rang again.

10:08 AM: haha. well, have fun i guess.
10:10 AM: Attached - Togekiss_Misses_You.png

Maya sent him something.

As he clicked the file, her face popped up on the screen with Togekiss poking out from the side.

They were making the funniest expressions they could, which squeezed a laugh out of Caius before he closed the image and turned off his phone.

If she'd only contorted it a bit more, Maya's face then could've certainly passed for Cthulhu.

Ha.

Caius had to let out one final giggle to get the image out of his system.

Once he did, he set out for the entrance of the Tower of Mastery, Ryu trailing behind him.

He didn't know what to expect, but the pitter-patter in his chest told him he was both nervous and excited for what was to come.

Shak · Feb 24, 2019

-Drew Tucker

Minami Haruka

Great Escape - From the Beach

The loud and ever distinctive cries of a whale resonated across the beach front as their battle raged on. Drew, Victor and each of the martial artists ignored the low grumble beneath their feet. The first of that group grit his teeth. His Horsea was tossed aside by yet another Circle Throw, and rather than follow his command of retaliating with a water gun, the pokemon instead chose to rush back in and take yet another counter attack.

"See, look how easy I'm dominating this Horsea! I told you, true strength comes from anticipation, not action!" The man in the blue gi bellowed to his partner.

"So what? You havent even hurt the Rotom yet." The white gi retorted.

In all the commotion, Drew glanced down at Victor, who wore a proud smirk on his face. This idea of using his weakest pokemon was hardly beneficial to anyone. All the decision had done was torture him into listening to these bozos drone on about why their battle technique was better than the other. He wholeheartedly believed that had he been allowed to call upon his starter pokemon, he'd already be peering off the side of a Tower of Mastery balcony.

The rumbling continued, and the cries grew louder. This time far too close to ignore. A tidal wave washed over the far side of the shore and crashed against the beach wall, the raised tide washing at the feet of the battling trainers.

"Holy Wailord..." The blue gi gasped.

"Look at that sis!" Minami looked over to where her little sister had pointed and was shocked at the huge crowd. "There's so many people at the beach!" People were running left and right, grabbing things and letting out Pokémon, panicking.

The groans and whines of the behemoth pokemon demanded the attention of all four battling trainers. Drew and Victor forgave their assumptions of underhanded battle tactics from the martial artist and let their guards down to see what it was the man was reacting to.

"Ugh, woah..." Drew gasped.

"Well..." Even the ever-aloof Victor's jaw dropped at the sight.

"Holy- Is that a Wailord?!" At Hinata's shout, the siblings gapped at the giant Pokémon washed ashore, people staring and gawking at the extraordinary incident. The Wailord was wailing, flapping its fins trying to move.

"We have to help it!" Mina quickly ran onto the beach, toward the crowd. Poppy the Poplio, who was on her shoulders, barked in determination. "Wait for me sis!" Rima ran after her, the little Mimikyu locked tightly in her hold and Dedenne gripping on her shoulder.

"Wha?! Mina! Rima! Wait for me!" Hinata cried as he ran after the two. When the three siblings arrived, they saw people pushed up against the Wailord, Pokémon of all sizes copying their trainers.

"Alright you two, stay here, i'm going to go help them." He commanded before running over and joining the people, pushing the Wailord with all his strength, but no such luck. "****. I thought Wailords were light!"

"Not this one bud." commented one of the trainers beside him. "This one is apparently overweight."

"Sis, will they be able to help the pokemon back home?" asked Rima, holding onto Mina's shirt, looking at the people and watching how hard they are trying to push the Wailord back to the waters. "To be honest Rima, I don't think so. They need Pokemon moves, but why aren't they using them?"
'Must not want to hurt the Wailord, but if they don't do something...'

"It's no use having children here, if we're going to get this thing back into the water, we need our strongest assets pushing. Strong men, and fighting type pokemon." The man in the white gi called out over the crowd. At his arrival, the crowd dispersed. A murmur of quiet anticipation took the air, but he ignored it and calmly began to stretch.

"Who is he calling children...that man..."mumbled Hinata as he looked over his shoulder at the man, not letting up from the Wailord. No way was he gonna let someone bossy him around, especially when it came to grave situations like this.

"I wonder what he's going to do..." commented Mina as she called out Fresca, already having an idea in mind. "Sissy, that man looks weird." Rima tugged at her shirt, pointing at the man in the white gi that burst in minutes ago.

"You idiot, you can't just get behind it and shove the darn thing in the water!" The man in the blue gi challenged, bursting through the crowd. "We gotta let it help us! It's like Judo, use your opponents momentum against them." He stood right in front of the karate practitioner in the white gi, near slapping the mans chest as he berated him.

"Think we should do something?" Drew finally gave in, breaking the silence between him and Victor, who watched on from behind the crowd, arms folded and expressions sunken.

"By all means, if you're capable. There's a pokemon suffering over there. I would act too, though I dont feel they'll have much use for a cripple." Victor responded flatly.

Drew furrowed his brows, unsatisfied with the response. He wanted to say something, but he bit his lip. "Dammit." He grunted, charging into action. He grabbed the pokeball on his side and tossed out his Scrafty. "Brycen, Caesar, I dont suppose you guys back yourself to push this thing?" He asked, the question buried under the pessimistic overtone.

The two pokemon glanced at each other, then smirked. They practically climbed over each other in order to be the first to give it a try. It was the Scrafty who managed to get their first, but the fighting type's effort was over about as soon as it began. Brycen sneered at the futile effort. He shoved Caesar aside and gave it all, heaving himself under the massive whale, but to no avail.

"Hey sis, those two pokemon are funny." commented Rima, smiling at the Scrafty and Quillidan's childish scramble. "Um....Yeah..." Mina sighed. Why would two pokemon compete over something like this. Fresca sat by her trainer's feet, amused by the two pokemon's struggles. Gla! "Hmm? What is it Fresca?"

"Guys this isnt a competition! You're working together here!" Drew spat, the scolding enough for both pokemon to come to their senses.

Fresca calmy walked up to Wailord and looked up at the pokemon before running around the pokemon and surveying the area. As soon as she was finished, she returned to where the two pokemon were. Gla! "I see, so you want to use that plan."concluded Mina as she stepped up beside the pokemon's trainer. "My name is Minami Haruka, nice to meet you. I might have a plan on how to help the Wailord. Do you have a plan in mind just incase mine dosen't work?" Poppy, who was still on Mina's shoulders, quickly waved one of her flippers at the trainer.

"Dammit!" growled Hinata as he continued to try and push the Wailord with no such luck. Rima stood nearby with her pokemon, sweat dropping at her brother's action. "Nii-san, that's not going to work."

Drew furrowed his brows. At first he didn't so much as look at the girl, until she mentioned her name. "Minami Haruka?" He mused. "Geez, am I that easy to forget?" The boy pouted. "Yeah, I remember you from the academy." He added, again his words backed up by the heavy hum of the suffocating whale. "Should probably save the catch up for later though. As far as plans go, I hadnt thought it out much further than strong pokemon push big thing, so I hope yours has got some legs behind it." He sighed.

"Hmmm.... you do sound familiar. Like you said, we can talk later. At the moment, I do have a plan. I was thinking of having Fresca, my Glaceon, freeze the area around Wailord and, if possible, push him over the ice so it can be easier due to the ice's slippery properties." Explained Minami as she waved a hand towards Fresca, who was watching the trainers Pokémon until she heard her name come from her trainers lips, walking over and sitting beside her. "We might need all the help we can get to push the overweight Wailord."

"Sis, I think Nii-san's trying too hard, can you stop him, he looks weird." Rima walked up to her sister, and pulled on her shirt, pointing to Hinata, who was pushing so hard he made a hole underneath him in the sand, buried waist length. His Pidgeot, who he brought out to help in the pushing, stood behind him, burying its face in one of its wings, embarrassed by his trainer.".......Just leave him be...I'm sure Pidge will take him out if he goes too deep... I think..."

"If the ice can even hold its weight, this thing is pretty big." Drew responded flatly. "We could do with a psychic type or something..." He added.

"We'll have to ask one of the trainers here if they have a psychic then." Commented Mina, looking at the crowd of people, hoping one of them has at least a Psychic. What the boy said was true, the ice would give way to the Wailord due to her weight, so they needed a very strong pokemon or a psychic to lighten the load. She looked over to her brother, who was now chest deep, still trying. 'Now that you mention it... doesn't he have her with him?'

Caesar and Brycen continued their efforts, even enlisting the aid of the two martial artists and their Sawk and Throh, but to no avail.

Drew took a moment out to think again. "Victor, you seem like the type to have a psychic type on you? Fair assessment?"

The handicapped man raised a brow. "Unfortunately Mr Tucker, I don't." He rolled up to the beached Pokemon and surveyed the situation. "Perhaps you'd benefit from some kinetic force. A lever, if you will."

"A lever?" Drew glanced over at where his two pokemon were frustratedly poking at the whale.

"A push and a pull. The driving force of something..."

"I got an idea!" Drew interrupted with a smirk. "Although, the psychic type would really help out."

"Hinata! Do you have her with you?" called Mina, casuing the brother to stop and look over, a tired expression from the mention of said pokemon. "Please don't make me use her. Every time she comes out, she's all over me!" Mina blankly stared at her brother's dramatic words before waving over to the Wailord, the trainer's pokemon pokeing said pokemon. "Nii-san, we have no choice. We need a psychic pokemon to move the Wailord."
Hinata stared at Mina with a blank look before looking at the pokeball in his belt. "Do I have to?" Mina stared at her brother with no expression as she re-pointed to the Wailord. He sighed as he used Pidge's offered wing to get out of the hole he unconsciously dug with his feet and pulled himself out, grabbing a pokeball from his belt. He stared at it before sighing, resigning to his fate.

"Come out Foxy." called Hinata as he threw his pokeball, releasing a Delphox. Said pokemon let out a cry before opening her eyes and looking around, the moment her eyes saw Hinata, she flashed towards him, hugging him to death. "Foxy! I'm glad to see you too! But can you let go....Losing....air...." Foxy the Delphox saw her trainer's blue face and retracted, letting him take huge gulps of air before snuggling up to him.

"She's not that bad nii-san, she just very cuddly." commented Mina, watching as Foxy hugged her trainer, but with less force that last time. "She's hugging me 24/7, how is that not bad?"

"Foxy, can you help us with moving the Wailord? You don't have to carry the whole weight, just enough to not crush the ice we are going to make for him to slide on." Mina then turned towards the boy trainer. "I hope that's okay with you......I never did get your name."

"Drew Tucker." Drew responded with a wince. His mind still absent, as he played the plan through in his head. "If Victor's right, then this could work. We need a team pulling, and a team pushing. Brycen's rollout attack can really get some drag behind it, and even though my Horsea is small, he's strong. Between Sawk, Throh and Caesar, we got a pretty good pushing team. Your Poplio's ice will get it sliding toward the ocean...and I guess...hopefully Delphox's confusion attack will be able to stabilise the weight just enough to stop the ice being crushed on impact..." He glanced at Victor for some sort of validation, but the man gave him nothing.

"Drew Tucker.....that does sound familiar. Sorry if I don't remember you." Mina thought over the plan as Drew recited it. "It sounds good. I can bring out my other three pokemon to help as well." She grabbed her three other pokeballs and threw them, releasing Aria the Swablu, Momo the Jangmo-o, and Electra the Pikachu. "Alright guys, we need your help to push and pull the Wailord back into the ocean. Momo, use Headbutt on Wailord and push with all your might. Aria, use Mirror move to copy Momo. Electra....help Horsea." The three pokemon cried out and nodded, quickly getting into position. She then turned to her brother who was still being snuggled by Foxy. "Foxy, are you ready?" The fox pokemon turned to her and nodded, bringing out her wand.

As quickly as it had been delivered, Drew's plan was in action. Brycen had a vine wrapped around the Wailord as a tether. Mustang stood alongside him, eager as ever. Poppy had laid out a sturdy track of ice for the behemoth to slide along, and Hinata's Delphox stood at the ready, wand in hand. At the Wailord's side, what had previously been a crowd of passive onlookers, were now actively ready to push the pokemon back into her home.

At the moment Drew gave the signal, everybody began their jobs. The crowd pushed, Electra and Mustang pulled as hard as their little bodies could, Brycen rolled. With the collective effort, the mass of the overweight Wailord was finally beginning to shift.

As her body turned, the Wailord's stomach was met by the cold hard surface of Poppy's icy slope. The gargantuan Pokemon began to slide, her weight guided by Delphox's psychic power.

Drew watched with a smile as his plan came together. Wailord was now shifting her own weight and angling back into the ocean.

CRACK! A chorus of gasps rang from beneath the Wailord. Those at risk of being crushed hurried out of the way, leaving the ice to bear the full brunt of the impact. If one of the parts weren't doing their job, the operation would fall apart, but Drew was overseeing everything, the only part he couldn't see was...

"Bry, what's goin..." Drew began to enquire, rounding the Wailord with an disciplinary energy. His suspicions were correct, but what he hadn't expected was to see Brycen faced by a army of Huntail and Gorebyss.

Some of the hostile water Pokemon began firing water at Brycen, Mustang and Electra, the rest firing their attacks at the Wailord itself.

"Hey! We just need to get Wailord back in the water, then we'll leave your territory alone!" Drew shouted to the Pokemon. Of course, his pleas fell on deaf ears.

"What the?!" Mina noticed how the Wailord wasn't being pulled, so she rounded the pokemon to follow Drew only to see him pleading to a flock of angry pokemon. "This isn't good... Poppy!" The preppy Brionne cried as she jumped towards her trainer from her spot, seeing the same scene she's watching. "Fresca! Go help the other pokemon with pushing and stablize the ice the best you can." Fresca, who followed Mina, nodded and ran towards the other pokemon on the other side, using her icy breath to create more ice on the broken cracks.

"Poppy, time to dance! Use Disarming Voice!" Poppy jumped in between the two groups and sent out a beam of purple hearts at the Huntail and Gorebyss, causing them to flail back from the suprise attack. "Jump in!" Poppy jumps into the water, swimming around the fish pokemon, slapping some with her tail along the way. "Don't let them near Wailord!" Poppy popped up and let out a cry before diving back in. She used Aqua Ring around herself to heal any wounds she gets from the opposing pokemon and swims around, slapping some Huntail in the face and headbutting others. Gorebyss snuck up and send a bubblebeam at Poppy, pushing her out of teh water and onto the beach.

"Poppy?! You alright?" asked Mina, worried for her pokemon, fighting all those pokemon on her own. Bri! Poppy nodded before jumping back into the water, resuming her fight with the fish army. Mina turned to her other pokemon, realizing she can't have them help Poppy since none of them can battle underwater and they are busy helping with Wailord. "What do I do...." She watched the waves that the moved around due to the battle raging on underneath.

"Brycen! Keep pulling! Mustang, I need you and Electra back on the job as well, alright?" Drew ordered before running to the tongue of the sea. He hadnt seen much use for Nebula, Levi or Zephyr in this scenario. Even Avril's Leafeon was still on his person, but none of the aformentioned pokemon would have been any use to aid Poppy in this battle either. He glanced over to his Horsea, the pokemon practically snapping himself in half in order to shoulder a weight more than ten times his own. The image put a warm smile on his face.

Drew's smile was quickly wiped away as the Sea Horse began to glow a bright white light. Within a moment, the flash of light dissipated to reveal a new and improved Mustang. Bigger, stronger, faster. Everyone involved in moving the Wailord felt a huge push in their efforts. It was clear to him then. If his tiny Sea Horse could do all that, then he could handle it without expecting his pokemon to bail him out.

Spoiler:

Shalour City Beach​

Evily · Feb 24, 2019

^

Minami Haruka | Drew Tucker
Status: Shalour City | Great Escape - From the Beach - Part 2

Inventory

Spoiler:

Poppy shot a bubblebeam at a Huntail, sending it into a rock, before another Huntail slapped her with its tail, pushing her back. She casted Aqua Ring again, the water from the Ring healing her wounds. She looked around, noticing some leaving and heading towards where the Wailord and the other Pokemon are. BRI! Poppy was about to use Sing when a Gorebyss grabbed her tail and slammed her into a rock, Poppy letting out a cry of pain. The remaining fish gathered around, about to fire Bubblebeam at her when she opened her mouth and used Hyper Voice, her ability turning it into a water move and the environment strengthening the move, the blue wave of energy crashing into the Huntail and Gorebyss and sending them into the rocks. Poppy panted before swimming over to where the other group went, grunting in pain from the way the fish Pokemon threw her around.

"Still gotta do something about those damn eels." Drew hissed through gritted teeth, wincing at the pained wails of Mina's Brionne.

Almost on cue, a large wave brushed across the shore. Instead of spitting out a Wailord, this wave came carrying a squadrant of Wailmer. The cavalry wasted no time in flanking the platoon of sea eels. The scene had Drew peering out in awe. Each Wailmer bashed away at the Gorebyss and Huntail, sending them flying with a single attack. In truth, they had no interest in the eels. Their gripe was with the Quilladin, Pikachu and Seadra tugging at their ally.

Drew caught on. He had to get these powerhouses on board if they were to ever make any more progress. "Woah, woah, wait!" He yelled, running between the angry whales and his own Pokemon. By now, they'd moved the behemoth near the water again, it was only a matter of meters before she could be left to swim of her own accord. "Wailmer, we need your help! We're trying to get your friend back into the water, we just-" He was cut off by a water gun to the face, which sent him tumbling into the sand. "I'd have thought not..." He groaned, spitting out a clump of wet sand. As he looked up though, he saw the persistent hustle of Mustang. "Look!" He yelled, getting up once again. "Wild Pokemon or not, you can't mistake that sort of honest effort as someone trying to harm a helpless Pokemon!" Drew spat desperately, pointing at Mustang as the ultimate example.

Again his speech was interrupted. Not by the Wailmer, but by the Gorebyss and Huntail getting their revenge on the Whales.

Drew clenched his fist. He was sick of this whole thing.

Mina watched as Drew tried to persuade the angry mob of Wailmers, but their rage wasn't allowing them to hear any reason, now they were in a fight with the Gorebyss and Huntail. "I have to do something, but what...." At that moment, just as three Huntail were going to gang up on a Wailmer, Poppy jumped out and slapped one back, using Bubblebeam on the second one in the face, and grabbing the third one's tail, twirling her around will all the strength she had before letting go, sending them flying. Poppy barked at the Wailmer before going to help out the other Wailmer, the Wailmer she helped out let out a happy bellow before following. Poppy used all other moves except Sing and Icy Wind, not wanting to accidentally freeze the Wailmer or put everyone in the area to sleep.

"Poppy, use Hyper Voice, full power!" Poppy looked back at her trainer and nodded before diving underwater, seeing the two groups still fighting, and took a deep breath before letting out huge blue rings, the move changed to a water type and amplified by the water, affecting everyone in the area, especially those in the water. Right after Poppy jumped out of the water and barked loud enough for the water Pokemon to hear after regaining their senses.

"Listen! Wailmer! We are trying to help Wailord back into the ocean, so stop fighting our pokemon! It's just making his return more difficult!" Mina the turned to the Huntail and Gorebyss. "Whatever beef you have with Wailord and Wailmer will have to end today! The ocean belongs to everyone, not just to one or two species of Pokemon! Learn to share and cooperate! Fighting will only cause pain and suffering! Are you trying to cause a war?! This fighting could accidentally involve other Pokemon and those Pokemon will think you are fighting them for no reason and will get involved and then the cycle continues until a war between Pokemon breaks out!" Mina took a deep breath before turning to Drew. "You have something to say too, don't you? Say before they start to fight and while we have their attention."

Before Drew could respond, the Gorebyss fired another stream of water at one of the Wailmer, knocking her to shore and almost condemning her to the same fate as the Wailord. "I don't know what more we can say, words aren't gonna work with this one. C'mon." He grumbled, grabbing Mina's hand and practically dragging her to the nearby Wailmer. "We need to lure them away from the Wailord, it's the only way they'll settle down."

He gave Mina a boost, hoisting the girl onto the pokemon's back, without so much as an invitation. "Wailmer, I know it's gonna be tough, but we're gonna need you to leave Wailord a lone for a little. I don't expect the Huntail or Gorebyss to see reason here, but I trust we've at least managed to convince...ugh" Again, before he could finish, he was flicked onto his bum, as the Wailmer began to take off from under his feet. "I need to stop with these speeches." Drew groaned in a daze.

Mina chuckled as she helped Drew up and onto the Wailmer's back with her, "Maybe. But we can talk about that later." She looked over to the raging battle and saw Poppy jump over to them. "Poppy! Are you alright?" Poppy barked in confirmation and pointed to the group. "Yeah, apparently, talking doesn't work. So we need to use Song instead. Miss Wailmer! We need you and the other Wailmer to lure the Huntail and Gorebyss away from Wailord so my Pokemon can defeat them in one blow. Please!" At first, the Wailmer remained silent, but then it gave a low bellow and turned around.

"You'll help? Awesome! Let's go Drew!" She saw Poppy entering the water beside Wailmer, and as the Pokemon started moving, so did Poppy. Wailmer just swam past the battle, bellowing at its comrades. By some miracle, the Wailmers listened to their sister, with some hesitation, and some swam away, following while others stayed in the back and antagonised the stray eels, making sure the Huntail and Gorebyss followed. Said Pokemon were about to return to Wailord when the Wailmers attacked them again, prompting them to follow them out into the open ocean. Mina waited until they were a few meters away from Wailord to stop the Wailmer. "Alright, we are far enough. Poppy, get ready! Drew, cover your ears. Wailmer get your family to round the Huntail and Gorebyss, When I give the signal, swim back to Wailord as fast as possible." Poppy barked as she swam over to the Waimers who managed to corner the Huntail and Gorebyss. "Poppy, use Hyper Voice! Wailmers, swim back!" Just as Poppy used Hyper Voice on the cornered Pokemon, distracting them, the Wailmer they were on let out a loud bellow, rapidly swimming back to Wailord with the family in tow. Once Mina noticed they were close to Wailord, she turned and shouted at Poppy, "Now Poppy!"

Poppy continued to use Hyper Voice until she heard her trainer's signal. She stopped her move, the opposing Pokemon all glaring at her and about to tackle her. Just as a Gorebyss was about to strike her, Poppy opened her mouth and used Sing, releasing musical notes, they wrap around the Pokemon in front and around her, causing them to slowly fall asleep, knocking out all the Huntail and Gorebyss. Poppy stopped once she noticed they were all asleep and nodded to herself, swimming back to her trainer.

Mina and her Pokemon celebrated on the back of the Wailmer. The triumphant glee almost made her forget why they'd came all the way out there. As she looked back at shore, she broke into a beaming grin, watching the Wailord splash into the ocean. "Drew look! They did it!" She cheered, before turning to see the boy sprawled out on the Whale's back, fast asleep. "Did he not cover his ears..." She gasped, sharing a apologetic giggle with Poppy.

The Wailmer they rode in on swam up to shore and allowed for Mina to jump off. "Thank you for your cooperation Wailmer. I gotta go check on Wailord and see that she's okay, I'll leave you with Drew here." Mina giggled again feeling slightly guilty about leaving the sleeping boy on the pokemon's back. She didn't know who she felt more sorry for, Drew when he woke up, or the Wailmer for being stuck with him until he did. She ran over to where their Pokemon were resting and smiled. "Thanks for your help guys, you deserve a good rest."She took out four pokeballs and called back her Pokemon, placing the pokeballs back, and looked at Drew's pokemon. "Go back to Drew, i'm sure he's worried about you guys and will be happy to see that you managed to push Wailord in...or at least he will be." Mina quickly went over to Wailord as close as she can, watching her re-unite with her family, Poppy at her side. She turned to check on Drew only to see him awake with his pokemon. She noticed him looking her way and waved before turning to Poppy. "We did it... This took awhile, but worth it." Bri!

"Woman! Where the hell have you been?!" Mina squealed at the sudden voice behind her and turned, seeing her furious brother with Rima beside him, looking happy and worried. "You just suddenly disappeared and left us alone to push the hugea-" Mina quickly placed a hand on Hinata's mouth before he could continue, making him curse. "Nii-san! Don't curse in front of Rima!" All of a sudden, Foxy appeared and hugged Hinata, making him sigh, Rima to laugh, and Mina to giggle. She heard bellows and turned, seeing the Wailord and Wailmer about to leave.

"Wailord! Wailmer! See you later guys! Hope we can meet again!" cried Mina as she waved, Poppy beside her waving as well. "Sheesh...that Wailord was heavy as fu-"Foxy hugged Hinata tight before he could curse, causing him to gasp for air. "No cursing Nii-san." "I get it! I need air!" Foxy let go and Hinata fell on his knees, gasping for air. Mina giggled before walking over to where Drew, Wailmer, and his Pokemon were.

Drew, Mina Wailmer watched together, as all the other Wailmer circled Wailord, just off the horizon. It wasn't long before several much smaller Wailmer surfaced and the Pokemon happily sunk below the surface. A smile snuck its way onto Drew's face. "I guess if you're not going with them..." He began, his smile turning to a knowing smirk. The Wailmer responded by shaking, splashing just enough to get some water on Drew. "Very funny..." Drew chuckled, his laugh sprinkled with mild irritation.

He glanced down to Mina, then over at her brother and sister. He was grateful that they'd all stuck around this long. Victor and the martial artists had disappeared without a trace, and even his newly evolved Seadra was darting around in the ocean without a care about how his trainer might be doing.

"Hey, uh...thanks." Drew spoke with a smile. He took a moment to think, before reaching into his pocket and pulling a small necklace, enjewlled by a sapphire water droplet. "Have this. I got it from Wailmer, but I feel like her joining my team is all the thanks I need, y'know?" He added, his smile growing into usually awkward smirk, as he tossed it down for her to catch.

"For me? You didn't have to." asked Mina as she caught the jewel, awed by its beauty. "Thanks. I'll repay you someday for this awesome jewelry." She smiled back, giggling at how awkward Drew was. 'I wonder how Nii-san will react when I tell him my first friend is a boy...'

From afar, Hinata suddenly stilled, making Foxy and Rima glance at him. "What's wrong nii-san?" "I have a feeling... and it has to do with Mina and a boy." Rima was confused, so she shook it off.

"Thank you youngsters so much." The voice of one the members of the crowd interrupted their moment. An old man, smiling at them and the people behind him also saying their 'thank you's'. "For helping Wailord, we have an item for the young lady." The old man turned and grabbed a box from one of the men behind him, turning back and opening it, revealing a Lax Incense. "It's our thank you."

"Thank you for the item." thanked Mina, confused why they didn't give Drew an item. The old man noticed her expression and laughed. "The young lad already got his reward, but not from us." Mina looked to where the old man was pointing and saw Drew with Wailmer. She noticed the same thing as the old man and smiled. "Yeah, I guess he did get his own reward in a different form."

forg · Feb 24, 2019

Margarita Fas
Mission 5: Start

The gym towered before the duo. However, on the trek there, Margarita had already broke the news to her small companion; he wasn't going to be fighting in this gym. You are at a huge disadvantage with your dual typing. Better if you sit this one out. He didn't agree. If anything this was an opportunity for him to prove to her he was fully capable of handling his own in such situations. Perhaps he could redeem himself after that horrendous brawl with Oranguru.

Without further ado the pair entered, of course with Pawniard sneaking off to be the first to step inside, only to witness another trainer already amidst a battle. An intense hellfire from the within the gym sent a heatwave towards the newcomers. Margarita coughed in response, fixing her hair that had been blown into a mess. Pawniard admired the show of power, observing the Lucario and Contrail hurled into their defeats.

"Let's wait over here," Margarita spoke, tapping Pawniard's helmet to snap his attention away from the ensuing battle. She turned and left to leave them be in their fun. Not that Margarita ever found battles fun, more of like a job that pays her money. At least, not yet.

"Over here" turned into "way over here" as Pawniard strolled with his trainer throughout the city, who hoped to locate a bakery. Instead a crowd stole Pawniard's attention, who in turn made his trainer aware of it.

Nia!

"Hm?" It was the sign ups for the Festival Tournament. Margarita had pondered the opportunity before, yet after having witnessed the trainers entering the event, she was certain she wouldn't stand a chance were she to get closer to the finals. "You do realize none of us really stand a chance. Heck, some of these guys have fully-evolved Pokémon." Her words bounced right off of Pawniard's helmet as his childish demeanor began to tug at her heart. He pointed and kept giggling in anticipation, always one to jump at the opportunity of a fun time.

She caved in. "Only you and Nana seem to be ready for this. Mentally." Pawniard gleefully smiled, ecstatic. "I don't want Nono or Nunu to meet the harsher Pokémon that will be in this thing." She gradually weaved through the sea of spectators towards the registration booth.

Like a child entering a theme park, Pawniard stuck to Margarita like glue, a goofy smile plastered on his face throughout the entire process. "Since you really want to do this so badly, you'll be the one to fight." Despite Margarita feeling concern for her partner, who was prone to sudden shifts in mood depending on the tide of the battle, Pawniard could care less. He felt overjoyed. Content. Perhaps it was a good thing the gym was occupied.

"Let's get in line." They watched as others took their shot at qualifying for the Tournament. Some demonstrated immense potential and skill, reminding Margarita of the diminutive percentage she holds in obtaining the victor's crown. However, others seemed rather weak and lacking in knowledge, proving to her that she could climb some of the ladder upwards. Who knows, maybe they have rewards for those high enough.

At last came the time for their chance in the spotlight. An audience, feverish from having witnessed dozens of champions-in-the-making, refused to die down during this transition. They awaited for the referee, who nodded to Margarita and stood by for the next opponent. Pawniard held his head high, sharpening his blades during the wait.

Their lucky contender reveals themselves to be a a woman in her early 20s. She sports a tight bun with a few strands of her chestnut, brown hair cascading down to her shoulders. Her olive skin matched with laurel green eyes filled with vigor. To say she was a beauty would be an understatement.

Her magenta, waist-high skirt flowed in the wind as it hugged her white blouse. Cutely enough there was also a red tie to add to her already-boasting charm.

"Mmmmmm, I'm ready señor," she announced. Heck, her velvet voice had a hint of sassy spice. Her Pokémon of choice was then released from their luxury ball. From its rose beam a pink creature emerged.

"Shit I don't know that one." Before the referee could declare the beginning of the match Margarita slipped out her Pokedex.

Clefable, the Fairy Pokémon. Because this rare Pokémon can hear a pin drop from a mile away it hides deep inside the mountains, away from humans and Pokémon.

"Okay. A fairy type. We can still do this." His dark-type moves are going to do jack shit on this though. Luckily we have Metal Claw. I guess. She throws the device back inside her hidden fanny pack. "I'm also ready," she declares, much to Pawniard's delight.

Tension built as both parties waited for the signal. But Margarita noticed Clefable's grimace, ears constantly twitching. If the Pokédex held any truth, then the sound must be overwhelming to the poor creature.

Despite the boisterous audience, the whistle was able to pierce through, clear to Margarita. "You know what to do," she commanded. Every battle began with Embargo, no exception. It was a handy move, one she took advantage of in case her adversary depended on items at their disposal.

"Moonblast~!" the woman ordered, immediately on the offense. Clefable opens its mouth, pink energy compressing into a pink orb. Pawniard began their dash, blades for arms slapped together. Upon the orb fully developed, Margarita spat out her command.

The Clefable fires the sphere. "Slice it with Metal Claw!" As ordered, Pawniard leaps into the incoming attack, blades glowing white before slashing the orb in four. He took minimal damage thanks to the move's typing, catching their opponents off guard.

"Defense Curl! Now!" the woman panicked, pointing as if it would quicken her companion's actions. The pink fairy immediately curled itself into a tight ball, wings sticking upwards like a sore thumb. Pawniard landed with a somersault, blades clicking against the pavement beneath.

I guess I can take advantage if they're not dodging. "Fury Cutter." Pawniard halted before the ball and swiftly bombarded them with slash after slash, each stronger in intensity than the last. But the onslaught didn't last long; Clefable unfurled and thus pushed their attacker, sending them stumbling back.

"Metronome~!" A cute dance takes the scene, captivating the audience. Pawniard ignores the adoring display, instead charging forward once more. But Margarita didn't agree with his actions this time.

"Keep your distance! We don't know what attack they will use," she explained. It was enough to convince her small knight, who grew alert. Regardless, his blades began to glow and extended themselves, ready to strike.

From the dance the Clefable's hands glimmered snow white, their teeth following suit. Suddenly the fairy sprinted towards Pawniard, who refused to budge. He waited until his opponent was inches away, yet right as he slashed in front of him, Clefable leaped above him. You stubborn goose, you should have dodged.

It mattered not that Pawniard was made of knives and metal, Clefable bit down on his shoulder and began to suck the energy out of the steel type. He attempted to jerk his way off, but his smaller frame and light weight prevented him from escaping their jaws.

"Metal Sound!" Margarita ordered after worryingly watching him fail in his tactics. We really need to work on his strength. The Pawniard complied, knives sliding against one another to produce a horribly shrill sound. The crowd and Clefable alike showed great discomfort, enough for the fairy to loosen their hold.

"Take your chance Nene!" Margarita blurted out. He did as he was told, opting out for Metal Claw and landing a critical hit, right on their abdomen. The fairy whined, backtracking until they were near the comfort of their trainer.

"Dat's cute. Flamethrower~!"

"Flamethrower?!" Are you freaking serious? A stream of red-orange fire is released, heat slapping Pawniard before its burning impact. Margarita shielded her eyes with her arms, unable to witness her companion become engulfed in their kryptonite. "Hey! Hey! Are you okay?"

As steel always does, the poor Pokémon not only took immense damage, but was steaming from having its body heated for that instant. He was on his one knee, blades stabbing the pavement beneath to support itself. ....eh. A mediocre answer, but a response all the same. Margarita felt relieved, igniting a flicker of hope knowing they still had some chance.

"Flamethrower~!"

"Nene!" Margarita brought the special attack to his attention. This time he began to run around, forcing the Clefable to move in order to try to direct the stream at their opponent. The fire was hot on his heels, a captivated audience alert for any flames that may get too close for comfort.

Pawniard lost his footing, yet the fairy's stream went over him due to his small form. By the time Clefable realized the Pawniard's absence he had long jumped into a dash. "Use Metal Claw again!" The hellfire stream ceased and Clefable turns. But doing so only allowed Pawniard to land a direct slash to their face. He used their body as an object to jump off of, gaining distance.

Clefable started to snivel, hurt from the last strike. "Ay, you know that didn't hurt," their trainer commented, fingers combing through the few strands. "You want that cupcake, don't you?" The reminder wasn't enough to perk her companion's spirit, rapidly upsetting the sassy woman. "Look, you will win this. You will-"

Pawniard dished out another Metal Claw during the pair's conversation, much to the shock of the opponent. "That was rude, Nene," Margarita admits, sighing. Everybody had watched as Pawniard impatiently slashed, but there was nothing that could be done now.

"What. The hell?" Clefable stumbled, watery eyes closing shut before falling on their back in a rather graceful manner. "Just like that?"

"It was a good fight, if that makes you feel better," Margarita attempted to redeem herself. "Nene can get impatient, my bad."

"B*tch." Margarita shrugged at the insult, satisfied she had at least given it a shot. She retrieved a potion from her fanny pack and threw it at Pawniard, who already knew how to utilize the healing item. Normally Margarita herself applies the medicine, but the first few times Pawniard exhibited embarrassment and irritation.

Clefable demonstrated no signs of recovering, sprawled out on the cobblestone pavement. "So much for daddy's birthday gift. Wish I got dat bombass Milotic instead."

The audience's vigor refused to die down, ready to feast their eyes on the next contestant. From this crowd a peculiar midget emerged with a box in hand.

"Congratulations winner! I present to you... your rewards." Despite the symbol on the box, its contents were not a mega stone, but a great ball and... a ticket. "This great ball and entry into the Festival Tournament. May luck be on your side."

"Thanks. I already know how it's going to go down though," Margarita replied, fully aware that she'd be lucky if she even made it in tenth place. Pawniard relished the crowd's energy, bowing and imagining himself amongst the top warriors.

Little did he know that reality can be a cruel mistress.

Shak · Feb 25, 2019

-Drew Tucker

​

On your Marks

The gym challenge had become something of an afterthought to Drew on his journey. Santalune had been a challenge in and of itself. Faced with monitoring the wellbeing of the baby Buizel, convincing his hard-headed starter that he was a worthy trainer and of course navigating his 'chance encounter' with Paige. Lumiose didn't make things any easier. Illegal fighting pits, stealing packages, retrieving generator parts to power a gym that wasn't even open, which only added more insult to the already severe ego injury. Having to be saved by Jackson, Emma and Dahlia, embarrassing himself in front of Avril; both events agonizingly far from being isolated incidents. Throughout it all, he had hardly even thought about the gym. Then of course there was Cyllage. The less said about Ambrette and everything in that area, the better. If not for Caesar's evolution, he probably wouldn't even remembered his battle against Grant.

After his talk with Victor, he figured he was prepared to wait a while before topping the tower of mastery. His early catch and new evolution in the town emblazoned the boy with a newfound vigor. Why not hit the gym battle early. He still had time to seek out Avril to give Salad back, and the Eevee egg in his bag wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

So here he was, fresh off saving a beached whale and already about to challenge the gym. All things considered, Shalour was kind to him.
Drew sprung through the stadium doors. He found himself gawking at the impressive gym interior. In many ways it resembled an indoor skate park: ramps, bowls, rails, pipes, it had the works. Now, Drew didn't know the first thing about skating; but watching the kids in the gym perform their tricks and flips was damn impressive. In the center of it all lay a single battlefield. That's where Drew would find himself.

As he stepped foot onto what he could only assume was the challenger's platform, one of the skaters flicked themselves from a ramp and came careening onto the opposing side of the field, skidding as they hit the ground. An athletic blonde, sporting a striking pogo shaped hairstyle. Her trick was mimicked by a Lucario that followed behind her.

Drew raised a brow, but it was obvious to him what this meant. "So, you're the gym leader then?"

"Yuh-huh! Korrina, pleasure to meet you umm...?" The leader smirked, before allowing it to bend into a big cheesy grin.

Drew felt the grin infectious and stifled one of his own, forcing out a chuckle instead. "Drew Tucker. And I'm here to take a gym badge." He smiled, a strange wave of spontaneous confidence washing over him.

Korrina mused for a moment, bobbing her helmet from side to side. "Ohhh, I've heard about you! You're the one that used a wild pokemon against Viola!" She chuckled at the boy's faltering response. The burst of confidence he came in with had all but flown through the open window. "I hope you're not planning to pull any sneaky stuff against me. I won't be quite so lenient." She mocked, even going so far as to wag her finger at him to double down on the statement.

"I've come a long way since then..." Drew began, grabbing Caesar's pokeball. "Besides...how'd you even know about that?"

"I'm not convinced, that Quilladin of yours doesn't seem to have a pokeball." The gym leader continued to jest. "Well, we gym leaders tend to stay in touch every now and then. Viola, in particular, is a good friend of mine." She answered, still breathing out the aftermath of her laughter. Once she gave herself another moment to catch her breath, Korrina finally took the time to scan Drew's person. "Well then, if you're here for a gym battle, you'd best get some straps on ya kid." She smirked again, pointing toward a pristine shelving of rental rollerskates.

"Straps? What do I need those for?"

"You havent done your research have ya?" She sighed, tapping her foot. "The Shalour City gym demands its challengers overcome the gym leader in a momentum battle in order..." She paused, grabbing a badge from her pocket and presenting it like a prize. "...to win this nifty little Rumble Bade. A momentum battle means both trainers must keep moving in order to continue battling. If you stop or can't keep pace anymore, you lose. You could run of course, if you feel you're fast enough." She chirped.

Drew froze. He stared blankly at Korrina for more than a couple of moments. Brycen's intervention came just in time to stop the boy popping a blood vessel.

"Quilladin!" The grass type smirked. He stepped forward, giving his trainer a knowing look.

"Dont stop moving, huh?" Drew mused, staring at the pokeball in his hand. Despite it being Caesar's capsule, in his hand, his mind wandered to his newly evolved Seadra. "What about riding a pokemon?"

"It's all fair game, just don't stop moving." Korrina smiled.

"Hope this works." Drew sighed, tossing Caesar's pokeball, then grabbing Mustangs and doing the same. The Scrafty burst from his ball, landing with a determined glare on his face. His appearance prompting the Quilladin to up his intensity as well.

Drew's attention went straight to Mustang, however. The Seadra, without hesitation began darting around the gym evoking a joyous laughter from the gym leader. "Mustang, come here for a sec!" The pokemon's trainer called out with a sigh. The Seadra did another lap before giving in and returning to his trainer. "I can see that you wanna get strong...faster even. I need you to-" He began, but his drawn-out speech bored the pokemon, so the Seadra once again began darting around the gym.

Again Korrina laughed, this time bursting it a fit of guffawing. "That one's got spunk!"

"That's a way to put it." Drew grumbled under his breath. He glanced at the two he'd chosen to battle. They were far too focused on one upping each other to even take notice. "Mustang! You wanna evolve?" He shouted. Both Brycen and Caesar jolted to look at their trainer as the word evolve came from his mouth. The Seadra came to a grinding halt at the notion. He stared at his trainer curiously for a moment, before darting over to him. "Figured that'd get ya, ya bastard." Drew sighed, stifling another chuckle. He took the Dragon Scale from his bag and held it out for the Pokemon, who near blasted itself into the prize.
Within seconds of a bright blinding light, there he was, Drew's new Kingdra.

Spoiler:

Shalour City - Bridge of Mastery​

Evily · Feb 25, 2019

Minami 'Mina' Haruka
Status: Shalour City |Mission 6 (1/2) - Rare Amana Flower Retrieval Squad!

Inventory

Spoiler:

"Woah…" Mina looked at all the patients, she had come to the Pokémon Center to heal Poppy after the events that occurred in the beach, but came to find the staff running around, panicking even. Hinata went to go sign up for the tournament since he didn't have anything to do after his job was given to someone else, and Rima decided to stay with the older brother, wanting to watch his fight. "Um… Is someone available?" A nearby nurse heard the girl and looked over, seeing her holding an injured Brionne. "Oh dear. I would help, but we are in a rush now. Sorry dearies." Mina blinked as the nurse rushed off, speaking with another nurse in hushed voiced before leaving to enter a patient's room with the nurse she just talked to rush off into the supply room. "I guess potions will have to do…"

~Minutes Later~

After using her potions to heal Poppy, she returned her to her pokeball, allowing her to rest. In exchange, she brought out Aria, who was now perched on her shoulder, looking around. "Um…miss! I was wondering what's going on?" asked Mina a nearby nurse, making her stop and look over at the girl.

"Oh, this? We are in a rush now. You see… Pokémon trainer that travel through Reflection Cave to arrive here have injured Pokémon and we take care of them, but our supplies are running low. We had to transfer most of our patients to the hospital while we handle the ones here. The hospital is very low on supplies and we are barely surviving on ours. We would go and pick some Amana Flowers to help, but the Crabrawlers in the are won't let us, bringing in even more patients. Oh, I have to go." The nurse rushed off after being called, making Mina think about what she was told. 'So, the Crabrawlers don't want to share the Amana Flowers… but why? There must be a reason…'

~Time skip~

Mina stood on the outskirts of the western side of the city, looking into the forest path that lead to the field of Amana Flowers, where the Crabrawlers were. "Alright Aria, time to go investigate!" Briu! Aria ruffled her feathers before nodding, giving her trainer the response, she was waiting for. As Mina walked into the path, she didn't notice a two different sized shadow hiding behind a tree, one floating near the taller one.

~Minutes Later~

"Woah, this place looks beautiful!" commented Mina as she reached the end of the path, arriving at a field of bright yellow flowers, some already in bloom while others are about to bud. "I'm going to guess that these are the Rare Amana Flowers…" Suddenly, Crabrawlers appeared form the forest and field, surround the trainer and her Pokémon. "So many…" One of the Crabrawlers shook its claws at them, making the other do the same. "Um… I don't speak Pokémon… but can we get some Amana Flowers for- "Before she could finish, a Crabrawler rushed in, charging up a Power-Up Punch. "Aria!" Said Pokémon flapped her wings and opened her beak, letting out a Disarming Voice, pushing the charging Crabrawler back and saying the rest to wince in pain. Once Aria stopped the move, a Crabrawler called out to them, shaking one of its claws.

"I don't want to fight! We need the flowers for the injured Pokémon! But why won't you share?!" Another Crabrawler copied the last one's movements, almost as if berating her. "I can't understand you, but…" Mina trailed off when she noticed some of the flowers looked to be squished, almost as if stepped on, and others had the head of the flowers ripped off, leaving the stem behind. "…could it be people tried taking some without permission?" As soon as she asked, the Crabrawlers tensed and looked ready to fight. "W-wait! Like I said! I don't want to fight! I just want to know why?"

"Because, it as you said, human, humans would come and take what's not they're without permission and would even harm us if we neared them." A voice spoke, causing everyone to turn and see an Elgyem float over, stopping front of Mina. "Ann Elgyem? Aren't you usually in Unova? And you can talk?" "Yes, but my trainer abandoned me due to being 'too weak' to defeat Shalour City's gym leader, even though I was psychic, I was too weak, forcing me to fight against Pokémon not my level. So, I live here with the Crabrawlers, watching and analyzing. My ability is Telepathy, this allows me to communicate with you humans. You are the first human to come here and ask to pick flowers without intentionally harming us, why?"

"Isn't that what the usual thing is? Asking for permission? This was their home first and the flowers must be important to them, so asking is the best way." The Elgyem stared before the colors on its hand started to glow, making 'beeping' noises. "So that's your answer… Very well." The Elgyem turned to the Crabrawlers and spoke to them in their Pokémon language before turning back, the Crabrawlers making space for the girl to walk through. She walked through and stopped right in front of the field, as to not accidentally step on any of the flowers.

Before she could grab some, however, a man stepped out of the shadows, right behind Mina. He had slick black hair and ruby red eyes, wearing a weird outfit with a cloak covering most of it. "Asking? What's the use of asking if you can just take them all for yourself?" Everyone turned, seeing the strange man, Mina glared at the man while stretching out her arms a bit, as if protecting the field, Aria flew over Mina, Elgyem floated beside the girl, and the Crabrawler made a circle around the two trainers, glaring at the man.

"Who are you? What do you want with these flowers?" asked Mina, but she had a feeling she already knew…

"What I want with them? Just to take them. Since they're so rare, they'll fetch a good price when I see them. All of them."

"I believe we can't allow you to do that." Interrupted Elgyem, floating in front of Mina and the Crabrawlers moved their claws out, snapping them at the man. "These flowers belong to us and you haven't done a thing to become worthy of gaining them. Leave at once before facing the consequences." The man laughed before bringing out his pokeball and throwing it, releasing a Gliscor. Gli! Said Pokémon floated beside its trainer, smirking at its foes. "I'll leave, once I have these flowers." Suddenly, Gliscor used Acrobatics, striking every Crabrawler in the area and then using Night Slash on Elgyem, sending him flying into the field. "Crabrawlers! Elgyem!"

Shak · Feb 25, 2019

-Drew Tucker

​

Recoil

"Y'know, I'm really starting to like Shalour City." Drew smirked, proudly standing over his newly evolved Kingdra.

"Sounds like someone's getting a postcard in the mail soon." Korrina jibed, planting her hand on her hip impatiently. The gym leader absent-mindedly pulled off a little bit of fancy footwork on her skates.

"Alright, alright, I'm ready. The team I'm going for is my Quilladin and my Scrafty." The younger of the two trainers waved off the leader dismissively as he jumped on the back of his Kingdra, who was still admiring his new form.

"It is supposed to be a two v two, single battle." Korrina sighed, planting her face in her palm. She quickly recollected herself however and grabbed a pokeball of her own. "But since you've already told me what you're going for, I'm not against making this a double battle." At that, Korrina tossed her Hawlucha's pokeball, and readied herself. "On your marks..." She began, waiting for Drew's Kingdra to take its stance. "Go!"

Mustang blasted out the gates. Drew barely managed to find his grip on the towering sea horse. He looked right to Korrina, who was struggling to keep up, all the while a cheeky smirk etched on her face. The Kingdra stayed conscious of his opponent's position, always ensuring he was ahead of her.

The battling pokemon strayed just behind their trainers. Brycen was making ground through the use of his rollout attack, even managing to catch up with the blistering race. Lagging behind, was Caesar. With no technique like the Quilladin's rollout, he was left with few options to keep pace with the others. Even Korrina's pokemon seemed to have little trouble keeping up with just their normal foot speed.

"These rules of yours are seriously slanted, are you even aware that some trainers have slower pokemon?" Drew complained.

"Lucario! That Quilladin's getting too close for comfort, hit it with an Aura Sphere, and Hawlucha, you can just use Agility for now." Korrina's whole demeanour shifted as the battle began. She no longer had patience for Drew's complaints, and who could blame her, just watching her skate was exhausting for him.

The pokemon put their orders into action. While Hawlucha took to the air, the sheen emanating from his wings suggested this battle was only about to get tougher. It did. Brycen's momentum came to a grinding halt as the Aura Sphere blasted him straight out of his rollout. If not for the timely intervention from Caesar, Brycen's battle could've been over then and there. The fighting type grabbed his partner's arm and tossed him, with all his might, toward their opponents.

"Nice! Brycen, hit that Lucario with Needle arm."

"Dont let him touch Lucario, Hawlucha intercept with Ariel Ace!" On command, the much faster pokemon was able to close the distance and knock the bulky grass type out of the sky. "Your pokemon are falling behind." Korrina noted flatly, speeding up.

"Bry!" Drew called out in a panic. He could feel his Kingdra beginning to slow down beneath him aswell. The pokemon was made to be incredibly fast in the water, on land, he was always going to be at a disadvantage. This was going to be impossible. With already Brycen taking heavy damage, both his pokemon being too slow to keep up, at a type disadvantage and Mustang beginning to tire, the battle was threatening to be over as soon as it began. "Dammit...and I thought I had what I needed." Drew grumbled. He watched tentatively as Caesar picked up and practically carried Brycen. He looked down at Mustang, who shook off every bead of sweat that seeped from his forehead. Mustang continued to push, and with all the extra weight on his back, Caesar continued to pull. "We gotta use that! Mustang, use Rain Dance!" He shouted.

Korrina glanced back. "Cheating again Drew?" She called back, trying not to lose her focus. Before she knew it, rain was pouring down onto the field, and Drew and Mustang blasted past her. "Your pokemon are still lagging! If they don't catch up, they'll be counted as fainted by the gym's official rules!" She called forward, almost desperate for the young trainer to hear her as he opened a gap in front of them.

"You guys know what to do!" Drew called back to his team. A smirk crept onto Brycen's face. The Quilladin shot forward, using his rollout attack again.

"Stop him from getting closer! This time use Blaze Kick!" As the Quilladin caught up, Lucario executed his trainer's order, his foot engulfed in flames and destined for the oblivious rolling grass type. Just before the kick landed, Lucario was sent hurtling through the air by a powerful kick from Caesar. "What the hell?" Korrina gasped. As she looked back, she noticed the Scrafty had already grabbed on the vine from the Quilldin and was again being catapulted by the dangerous combination attack. This time, Hawlucha was the potential victim. "Dodge that, then go for Quilladin! Ariel Ace!" On Korrina's command, the pokemon whizzed like a bullet toward the grass type.

The wet surface allowed Brycen to skid and use his momentum to just bypass the attack. He shot a vine toward Caesar, who quickly spun the spinning ball around, aiming to slam him right back into the Hawlucha.

Lucario's force palm collided with Brycen, protecting Hawlucha from what was sure to be a devastating attack.

Both trainers shared a knowing look. With the awesome collision shaking the room, all but Caesar had stopped moving. Hawlucha was certain he would be obliterated by the attack, so braced himself for the pain. The impact of the clash left both Brycen and Lucario faltering to stay on their feet; and the tension left Drew and Korrina stunned. The battle was over.

All the pokemon and their trainers reconvened in the center of the battlefield. It was Drew who broke the silence. "So...technically I won, right? Caesar was the only one who stayed moving." Despite being the only one who didn't partake in any physical activity, Drew was panting just as much as everyone else.

Korrina folded her arms and tilted her head. Her furrowed brows didn't spell good news for Drew. "I'm not sure. You executed a couple of illegal moves back there, and the circumstances of the win were...screwy." She ended with a sigh. "Technically it's my fault, but I'm also not supposed to give you the badge sanctioned under a double battle, given the nature of the battle conditions. Though I have made exceptions for that in the past."

"I'm not crazy, right? You did see Caesar as the last man moving back there?" Drew scoffed, dismissing the gym leaders explanation.

"I'm sorry Drew, but I'm going to have to consult someone, since that Rain Dance did end up directly affecting the battle. Regardless of whether it was intentional, that has to be considered a factor." Korrina cringed, the look of disbelief on the boy's face even too much for her to bare. "Look, I'll talk it over with someone and you can come back tomorrow for the verdict, how's that?" She smiled awkwardly.

Drew didn't even bother to respond. The word 'unbelievable' was muttered under his breath as he walked out the door, but Korrina was given no pleasantries or formalities. With his gym battle a complete waste of time, Drew would go back to what he originally intended to do.

Spoiler:

Shalour City - Bridge of Mastery​

Evily · Feb 25, 2019

Minami 'Mina' Haruka
Status: Shalour City |Mission 6 (2/2) - Protecting and the Aerial Battle!

Inventory

Spoiler:

"No worried dear, I left the best for last." Smirked the man as Gliscor swooped behind Aria, charging up a Night Slash. "Twirl in-between!" Aria turned and folded in her wings, just as the Night Slash was about to strike, she twirled in between his claws and in front of his face. "Disarming Voice!" Aria opened her beak and send a wave of pink hearts right on his face, causing the Gliscor to cry out in pain and be pushed back. "Fury Cutter!" The fang scorpion Pokémon recovered quickly and swiped at Aria with crimson claws, said Pokémon crying out in pain and landing on the field. "Aria! Are you alright?!" Aria stood up before calling to her trainer in confirmation. Briu! "That's good, now use Round and keep using it, dodge the best you can!" Aria flew up and opened her beak, letting out a high-pitched note with red, blue, and green circles to be released and hit Gliscor, causing him to waiver from pain. "Ignore it Gliscor and use Night Slash!" Gliscor's claws glowed as he swooped into slash at the cloud Pokémon, but she twirled out of the way, dodging the move while still playing Round. Gliscor swooped in again, but Aria dodged that as well. The man started to get agitated with the high-pitched noise and his Gliscor's failure. "What are you doing you stupid Pokémon! I said use Night Slash!" Gliscor flinched at its trainer's dark tone before its claws generated the same energy and tried to attack, but, alas, Aria dodged it, stopping Round. "Tch. If I can't hit it, then I'll have to do it the other way." The man glanced around before noticing Mina was distracted with helping Elgyem. "Gliscor! Use Night Slash on the girl!" The fang scorpion Pokémon glided down towards Mina at fast speed, his claws going with red energy. Mina looked up hearing the command and was shocked to see Gliscor coming towards her. Aria, who was still in the sky, quickly swooped down and took the attack, causing her to cry out in pain and land in front of Mina, whimpering at her injured left wing. "Aria!"

"And that's how its done! Now time to finish this. Gliscor, use X-Scissor!" Gliscor's claws glowed blue and he swooped in, about to slash at Mina and Aria, but Elgyem got up and floated in front of them, taking the hit. "Elgyem?!" "You were the first human to not take one of these flowers by force, you actually asked for permission, respecting our home and our feelings. That is why, I cannot let you end here." Elgyem wobbled for a bit before collapsing, the injury from before and the X-Scissors causing it to faint.

"What was that? That was lame. Now finish the job Gliscor!" Gli! Gliscor charged up another X-Scissor and was about to swoop in, but Aria immediately stood up and used Mirror Move, her wings glowing with the same energy as Gliscor's claws and flew up, ignoring the pain in her left wing. "Aria?!" She twirled in-between Gliscor's X and slashed at his face, pushing him back to the ground. Aria panted before landing in front of Mina, wincing at her wing. "Aria… I see… so Elgyem's words got to you too…" Mina smiled before turning to the man and glared, her smile turning to a frown. "These flowers belong to the Pokémon, you can't just take them! There's something called asking and respect!"

"What's that? Gliscor, Night Slash!" Gliscor winced in pain before hesitantly flying up and swooping in towards Aria. "Leave them alone! Dragon Pulse!" Before Mina could register what she said, Aria charged up a ball of multicolored energy in its mouth, causing the Gliscor to halt and stare in shock and hesitation. "What's the matter with you?! Attack!?" "Launch it!" Aria releases the energy, firing a multicolored dragon-shaped beam of energy from it at Gliscor, causing an explosion and dust to cover the area. A 'thud' was heard and, once the dust settled, everyone saw Gliscor on the ground, weakly flapping its wings, barely able to float, panting.

"Grrrrr… how dare you?!" Before the man could do anything a Crabrawler jumped out of nowhere and used Power-Up Punch on the man's chest, sending him back into a tree. "Waahhh!" The Gliscor turned to its trainer, only to receive a Power-Up Punch in the face and chest from two different Crabrawlers.

"The Crabrawleres, they're ok…" "That man was strong, but our will to protect his place is stronger." Mina, who was holding Aria, turned and saw Elgyem floating beside them, injured, but awake, "You showed us how much you cared and the length you were willing to go to protect this place. That gave us the strength to get up and fight." Mina blinked before turning and seeing the Crabrawlers place the unconscious Gliscor and its injured, tied up, trainer in the center. "Let me go! I'll get you for this!" "Now…Psychic." Elgyem's eyes glowed as the man and his Pokémon also glowed, the cerebral Pokémon lifting them up turn towards Mina. "I believe you humans have an authority for men like this?" "Oh yeah!"

~Time skip~

Mina watched Officer Jenny grabbed the man's pokeball, which was empty due to Gliscor being in the Pokémon Center, and pushed the man into the scooter, cuffing his hands and feet to the vehicle, preventing him from leaving.

"Human, what is your name?" Mina with a still injured aria in her arms, turned towards Elgyem in shock. "Oh! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Minami Haruka, but you can call me Mina." "Mina…" Elgyem's eye glowed as a basket full of Amana Flowers and a shiny, egg-like stone with strange marking also floated over. "You said before you needed these flowers for the injured Pokémon, correct? Tell the humans that work with the injured Pokémon that they are free to come and pick flowers if the ask and respect our wishes. The flowers in this basket are for you to take to the humans who need them. And this stone if for you. It was left behind with me when my trainer abandoned me, but I have no use for it, so I pass it on to you." Mina slowly accepted the items as she placed one of her arms between the basket's base and the handle before grabbing the egg with the same hand, holding it against her body while her other arm held Aria.

"Thank you. But are you sure you want me to have it?" "Yes. You are very much different than my old trainer. I would ask to join your team, but I must stay with the Crabrawler and help protect the flowers from future intruders. So, I give you this stone in exchange." "I'll keep it save and put it to good use, Elgyem, no worries."

~Minutes Later~

"Oh! That's what he said? Don't worry, we will follow their demands. Thank you so much for doing this." Thanked Nurse Joy as she held the basket of Amana Flowers, Aria and Poppy in the pokeballs being healed in the machine behind her, and Mina holding the egg-like stone. "I know this isn't much, but here, have these." Nurse Joy gave Mina about five Full Heals, having Mina thank her and place them in her hip-bag, moving the stone in place and causing Nurse Joy o to notice it. "Is that a Lucky Egg? How lucky of you."

"Huh? A Lucky Egg? Is that what this is?" asked Mina, holding up the egg-like stone. "Yes, I've heard from many different travelers their own definition of what a Lucky Egg can do. One was that it can increase the power of a Pokémon holding it. Some are vague though, saying that it 'promotes healthy growth in a Pokémon'. Another said that it can cause a Pokémon's coat to become shinier, their more active, healthier, and their moves improve. There's so many different descriptions, nobody knows which is the real one."

"A Lucky Egg huh?" Mina stared at the egg before hearing the beeping of the machine. "Oh! Your Brionne and Swablu just finished healing!" "Coming!"

LinearAxel · Feb 26, 2019

Don't Stop Us Now

Sebastian Allender

Shalour Gym

Several hours have passed since Sebastian and his team climbed the Tower of Mastery, and since then they have been recuperating within the Pokemon Center. Sebastian sits on a sofa tucked away in a far corner, his eyes focused intently on the Holocaster on his wrist, and the messages it displayed.

I'm here.

I can't find you.

I can't stay much longer.

Please, wherever you are, be safe, Alice.

Those messages were sent hours apart, back when Sebastian had first reached Ambrette Town, and still not a word from his once best friend. Multiple calls have since been made to her Holocaster, each ringing, ringing...always silence. If they had not communicated before, if she had not agreed to meet him on Ambrette beach, there's a chance he could convince himself that she simply wanted to avoid him due to their...falling out that occured after her graduation. As it is...he can't make himself finish that thought, no matter how evident it seems.

A soft sigh escapes his mouth as he leans back against the couch. The feeling of helplessness is one he's no stranger to, and yet over the past several months it has grown exponentially. He cannot find her, he cannot reach out to her, so far all he's been able to do was tell a ranger about a potential missing person...and hope beyond reason that she chose to go off the grid to avoid the growing threat creeping over the region.

It's then that a cold rush against his chest causes him to jump in his seat, his eyes flying open-- only to see a giggling Froslass standing beside him. This wouldn't be the first time the little ghost had phased through his body in order to get his attention. "Welcome back."

The Froslass trills happily before floating back to the Nurse, who is holding four more Pokeballs in her case. "She was very eager to come see you. Everyone else is fighting fit! As you requested, we'll keep your Swanna in the back a bit longer."

"Thank you." Sebastian bows his head respectfully before standing up, to retrieve his Pokeballs. After flying around that huge tower, and carting the others on her back during such a battle, he felt Ksenia deserved the rest of the day off.

"We hope to see you again!~" The nurse says in a singsong voice before she spins on her toes, and heads back towards the counter.

"I'm sure you will." Sebastian murmurs as he places the Pokeballs back in his bag. They still have a gym to challenge, after all. While Sebastian is busy with his bag, he hears another eager trill from Ukyou. As he turns to see her, she does a small flip in the air, before floating to the window, where she eagerly begins to point towards the distant gym.

"Yes, that's where we're going next. Tomorrow morning we'll--"

"La!" The ghost shakes her head, and then, more pointedly, gesturing towards the gym.

"You want...to go now?" Sebastian asks.

"Fra!" Her head bobs with an eager nod.

"Aren't you tired? You fought so hard at the tower." It's then that a burst of light leaps from his bag, quickly giving Selkie form. The little fox is quick to skip over to Ukyou and assist in her determined pointing.

"...I see I'm outnumbered." The two had known since Sebastian began researching their next opponent that they would be the ones to take on this gym, and it would seem they're feeling very eager to do so-- And to be perfectly honest, he was coming quite close to leaping out of his skin, sitting in the center staring at his wrist. "Is this really what you two want?"

"Fra!"

"Brai!" Both cry happily, and it seems he has no choice.

"Okay. Let's go."

_____________________________________________________________________

With Ksenia recovering, Sebastian decides to take the opportunity to show the newly captured Takumi a gym battle. The tiny owl sits perched atop his shoulder as he opens the door to the gym. Despite having studied the gym, its themes and its layout, he can't help but feel somehow overwhelmed by just how large and...intense it looks. He has little time to take it all in; however, before a thunderous sound accompanies the gym leader herself, blading her way straight towards him. She skids to a stop mere inches from the trainer, energy radiating from her eyes and her smile.

"Wow! Another one! Are you from the academy too?" Korrina asks, excitedly.

"I am. I take it I'm not your first challenger today?" Sebastian asks with a small, hesitant smile.

"Nope! You guys have been coming in all day. But! I've still got plenty of gas in the tank." She's so energetic, Sebastian notes, no wonder her gym challenge involves so much movement. Standing still must be a chore for her. Sebastian opens his mouth to speak, only to shut it when Korrina speaks again. "So! Are you ready?"

"Y-yes. If I may borrow a pair of roller blades." Sebastian attempts to subtly inch back a bit.

"Oh, sure! We've got plenty. Lots of trainers come in without them."

___________________________________________________________________

"Hmm. Yep! Those are a good fit." Korrina says as Sebastian steps out of the fitting room. "Do they feel okay?"

"I...think? I've never worn roller blades before." Sebastian admits hesitantly.

"Never?!" Korrina replies. Never-ever? Oh, gosh, he's going to faceplant at the beginning of their battle, isn't he? Maybe she should tell him to take those, practice and come back? This isn't fair to him.

"No...When I was young, I would ice skate-- I assume similar rules apply?" He keeps the reasoning behind quitting the sport to himself. There's a chance she'll deny his challenge if she becomes aware of how...breakable he is.

"Sorta? Maybe you should take a lap around the ring before we start. Get your balance back. Don't worry! It's just like riding a bicycle, you never really f-- You've never ridden a bicycle before either, have you?"

"Afraid not." His smile has morphed into a very nervous one.

What do they teach kids in school these days?! Okay, this is fine, she'll have him take a lap and from that she'll be able to see if he can survive her gym challenge.

__________________________________________________________________________

Pushing himself into the rink, muscle memory quickly kicks in. While the wheels rolling under him aren't quite as fluid as blades, he finds himself keeping his balance, and being able to retain speed with minimal effort. Turning is more of a challenge, though even that begins to come more easily after a few attempts. As he returns to Korrina, Takumi, who was perched on the rink's railing, claps his wings together in a feathery applause.

Korrina holds back a sigh of relief; that wasn't the horror show she had begun to expect it to be. "What do you think?"

"It's not ideal, though...where's the challenge in an ideal life?"

"I like your attitude." Korrina grins. He deserves a chance to prove himself, right? What's the worst that can happen? When you fall, you learn how to get back up: Important life lessons learned on the rink. "What do you say we get this battle started?"

"I'd like that." Sebastian nods.

"All right, then! Sebastian, I, Gym Leader Korrina, accept your challenge!"

End

Jay · Feb 26, 2019

Current Team - Jackson:

Fast and Furious

Shalour City - October 3rd - 6:50 PM

Malorie stood with a small cake in her hands a little behind Jackson, gazing passed her big brother to the huge and daunting stadium that stood before them. "So... this is what a gym looks like up close..." She mumbled, before taking another small bite of her sweet treat. Jackson in front of her just shrugged a little, before turning beginning to walk towards the door. "They all look different from what I can tell, only the signs and big poké ball symbols give it away..." To which Malorie nodded slowly. "I guess that's true... it's kind of neat though, right? You never know what to expect."

"Unless you do your research..." Jackson mumbled as the automatic doors slid open and he stepped into the well lit and air conditioned dome. The sounds of skaters and battlers rang high throughout the stadium. Pokémon cries and trainer commands were omnipresent across the lengthy track that spanned across the entirety of the stadiums circumference. Within the loop were several smaller battlefields and tracks, with gym trainers battling and toughening up their fighting type pokémons abilities. "Guess that's where you'll be battling, eh bro?"

"I'm afraid not miss!" Jackson turned and Malorie jumped slightly in surprise, turning towards the source of the voice. A young woman in skates and safety gear gave a small salute as she rolled on up to the pair. Jackson recognized her from a few posters around town, Successor Korrina, trainer of mega evolution and gym leader of Shalour City. "From what you just said, seems your big brother here wants a fight? If that's the case then he'll have to learn to keep up on the main track."

"I've heard about you and your momentum battles Korrina, 'always pays t'ask a few questions 'round town..." Jackson mumbles, immediately perturbed by the girls peppy attitude. "Now there's a tone!" Korrina responded, chuckling to herself as she skated around Jackson slowly, examining him head to toe. "I think... I recognize you right? You're that kid who scaled Lumiose Tower! You were on the news and everything!" Korrina had a sparkle in her eye as she said the last part, one that was quickly shared by Malorie. "That's right! That's my bro!"

"Mal!..." Jackson scolded, before turning to glare at Korrina with a pinpoint gaze. She was annoying, but he couldn't deny the overwhelming presence she carried. This girl was a gym leader, through and through, she had a similar feel to Viola, Grant and even Volkner. A confidence and pride that was deserved, but had to be kept in check lest it swing into arrogance. "...and I ain't a kid, kid. How
'bout you respect your elders?"

"Oho! Yes I think your exactly what I needed... someone who needs no explanation or crazy tactics... a good old fashioned one on one with a hothead on the tracks!" She smiled widely, rolling her legs back and forth to warm up, her excitement growing by the second. "Pleeeeaaase tell me you can skate?" To which, Jackson sighs and clicked his heels together, letting the signature Kalosian detachable skates he had earned so long ago, descend from their position at the side of his shoes. Within a few seconds of testing to make sure they were still functional, it became very obvious that he was on wheels and ready to go. "Eeee! This is great! Your fire's a little different to most, it's locked up in a box and almost boiling over... here's hoping this fight lets it burst out onto the battlefield!"

Jackson tutted and shrugged over-dramatically, slowly rolling his way towards the track. "Here's hopin' this'll be quick... Wait up for me Mal, we clear?"

"Crystal!" Malorie exclaimed excitedly, clearly hyped up herself to witness her brother battling the gym leader in question. "Heh, not a bad birthday at all huh? Dinner and a show..."

- - -

"So you know the rules you said? Don't need me to go over the basics for ya?" Korrina taunted with a sarcastic tone, skating backwards away from Jackson towards the starting line. He quickly caught up and slowed to a stop before the white waymarker, still glaring at Korrina intently.

"We keep movin'... if we stop, we lose. If our pokémon stops, their out. Don't interfere directly with the other trainer. Sounds about right?" Jackson rattled off, he'd questioned a few gym trainers earlier in the day about the gyms gimmick, thankfully it had seemed to pay off. "I like a guy who comes prepared!" Korrina teased, before taking a crouching position at the starting line, ready to move at a moments notice. "Leader's privilege! So you choose your pokémon first." She said, still limbering up as Jackson stood statically at the ready. "My Haunter and my Houndoom will be battling today."

"Spooky! If that's the case then my Hawlucha and Lucario will work alongside me!" Jackson sighed in response, was everything this girl said so over the top? "Then let's get this over with..."

"Agreed! Count us in Barlow!" At the gym leaders command a young man stood at the edge of the track and held a blue and orange flag above his head. "Now recognized is the challenge battle between Gym Leader Korrina and Challenger Jackson Crane! The momentum battle will begin when the flag falls and should the challenger win he shall receive a badge signifying his victory!"

Jackson took a deep breath and finally took his starting stance, leaning forward slightly ready to dash, in his hand was Fang's pokéball, Gaspar waited patiently in his shadow.

3!

2!

1!

GO!

The second that Barlow dropped the flag Jackson and Korrina darted forward, moving at the top speed both of them could muster and managing to keep a pretty equal pace. For the most part Jackson matching her speed surprised Korrina, she clearly had much more finesse and skill with her skates, she took every corner better, but this Jackson Crane was a raging Tauros. For every bit of skill she displayed he seemed to match it with brute force, every muscle in his body working overtime to force him forward until his forward momentum became easier to maintain.

"Impressive... but let's see what your pokémon can do! Hawlucha!" With a cry, Korrina tossed a pokéball from her belt, releasing the bright red fighting bird onto the field of battle, it began to follow the trainers immediately, dashing and making short gliding hops to turn corners effectively and quickly. In response Gaspar idly floated from Jackson's shadow... the ghost type made no effort to move along the track whatsoever... and yet it still kept exact pace with Jackson, moving every bit as fast as he did without even facing forward on the track.

"What...? How is it..." Korrina's eyes spiraled downwards to a trail of darkness connecting Gaspar to Jackson's own shadow still. He remained connected to the moving shadow of his trainer, using it like a tether. He could move freely around Jackson, all the while not falling behind on the track. Korrina smiled brightly, she knew this one was going to be exciting. "Pretty dang clever Jackson! I'll hand it to you! But still... don't expect to win just because you subverted part of the challenge! Hawlucha, Flying Press!"

For a second Jackson moved to order Gaspar to dodge, but thinking on the move used and type a little clearer he held back. As expected Hawlucha launched itself at Gaspar and... fell right through? The feathered fiend had to dash to keep up after such a blunder, the fighting type attack having no effect on the ghostly Gaspar. "Ahh... dang it! We have to buff up it seems, if we want to hurt this guy! Hawlucha use Swords Dance!"

Jackson looked on in utter confusion as Hawlucha pranced down the track, spectral blades forming and rolling around his form as his attack increased in strength exponentially. Why was Korrina doing this...? Wasn't she supposed to be a gym leader? How did she not realize that she couldn't hit his ghost type with fighting type attacks?

"Gaspar! Use Will O' Wisp!"

Cackling maniacally, Gaspar snapped his ghostly fingers and balls of purple fire began to form around him, grasping them in his gaseous fingers he began to hurl them with wild eyes at Hawlucha. The bird pokémon dodged one after another, but even he couldn't keep dancing around them forever. Before too long, one of the orbs caught Hawlucha's foot and burning purple flames rapidly wrapped around its body, scorching away bit by bit at the end of its feathers. "Oh no! Hawlucha, we need to be quicker to dodge him! Agility!"

Again Jackson looked on in awed confusion as the Hawlucha quickly side stepped left and right, building up speed as its burn instantly cancelled the attack boost it had received earlier. Was this whole battle a joke? What a waste of her turns.

"Enough! Gaspar, shoot shadow ball after shadow ball!" Jackson cried out and his pokémon readily responded, replacing the purple flames for black, oozing blobs of murky energy. Gaspar rapidly hurled the dark energy orbs at his opponent, Korrina ordering another swords dance and another agility after getting hit by not one, but two of the projectiles. Hawlucha was on its last legs and Korrina had yet to land a hit.

"Are you mockin' me or somethin'! This ain't funny! Gaspar finish it now, Shadow Punch!"

As Jackson called out his move he noticed Korrina smirking. "Aerial Ace now Hawlucha!" What?! She had an attack that could hit the whole time? But why?

As Gaspar's blazing fist collided hard into Hawlucha's jaw, the birds own wing swiftly struck into the gost with flying type energy. Despite the burn, with two swords dances the attack hit hard, pounding Gaspar's HP down to a critical level. Despite that however, the Hawlucha began to tumble backwards, just about knocked unconscious by its burn and Gaspar's multitude of mighty blows.

"Now Hawlucha, a baton pass to finish the show!" As the flying type began to fall down it smiled and tossed a glowing orb skyward, the piercing white energy shone above the arena and Jackson looked on in anger as he realized he'd been fooled. "Now, Lucario! Blaze Kick!" In an instant a blue pokémon sprung swiftly from Korrina's other hand, catching the light in the air it took all of the benefits from Hawlucha with none of the pain.

"Move Gaspar!" Jackson cried but the boosted Lucario was far too fast, after leaping to catch the light from Hawlucha, it came down like a bolt of flaming lightning, punting Gaspar with a blazing kick and sending the ghost type sprawling to the floor unconscious in a cloud of black smoke. Unfortunately for Jackson however, he was still connected to the trainers shadow. As Jackson tried to rush forward, his shadow suddenly weighed him down, the spectral connection to Gaspar throwing him off balance and sending him slipping backwards into the smoke. "Sh-Shit!"

"Jackson!" Malorie cried out from the stands nearby, the event occurring as the pair of trainers had looped back around to where she could see.

"Sorry kiddo! But looks like your brothers all... e-eh?!"

Suddenly blasting out of the fog was a black hound-like pokémon. It's eyes were blazing with fire and fury... and attached to it by a collar and chain was Jackson, one of his skates was broken and bent out of shape... but balancing on one foot he was allowing Fang the Houndoom to drag him forward. In the instant he fell Jackson has swapped his pokémon out... and thankfully he had kept the collar and chain from the last time he had pursued someone on skates.

"W-what the heck is with this tenacity?!" Korrina cried out as she noted Jackson's eyes, they burned with the exact same furious nature that the Houndoom's had. Was this the fire she had sought to set free?

"YES!" Malorie near jumped out of her seat as she cried out, standing up quickly with her arms in the air as her big brother pulled through... but the battle wasn't over yet.

"Fang! Use feint attack to get closer!"

"Stop it with Aura Sphere Lucario!"

The dark type howled a positive response and jerked his trainer forward, using its typing natural ferocity to force itself to move forward, keeping pace with Korrina even as he dragged his trainer behind him. The tricksy movement of Feint attack allowed Fang to dart in and out of the way of the barrage of blue projectiles coming from Fang's opponent, each strike splintering some of the polished wood from the raceways flooring. What they didn't have in speed, they'd make up for in finesse... suddenly the roles were reversed, the second Korrina had tricked Jackson into giving up his advantage in brute force, the challenger had shifted to fighting more tactfully.

"Haha! I was right about you for sure! Don't think you've won yet though, I've proven enough today that I hate guys who get too cocky! Lucario if he wants close, give it to him! Bone rush and Mind Reader!"

Rushing forward, Lucario closed in on Fang, forming a bone of Aura he struck into Fang hard. Even as the pokémon tried to dodge the super effective attack he couldn't make it. With its second move, Lucario had perfectly predicted its opponents movements. The smart thing to do now, the aura pokémon thought, was to quickly retreat back a few paces to avoid further blows... and by what Fang was thinking that was exactly-

"Fire Fang!"

"C-Car?!"

The instant Jackson had barked the incredibly reckless command, Fang's entire strategy changed. Without question it abandoned notions of retreat and drove its burning namesake deep into Lucario's arm, causing the other canine to howl in pain... a super effective blow given in return for its own. Without thinking, it hopped away swiftly, creating distance between itself and the pursuing trainer and pokémon combo.

With the boosts to the Lucario's power, even one strike of the multi-hit bone rush had brought Fang down to his last few dregs of HP. The proud pokémon wouldn't let it be obvious, but Jackson knew he was immediately struggling to keep moving. They had no choice, Jackson would have to pull a trick of his own.

"Damn it Fang, we need to get closer! Feint Attack again!" Jackson cried, ripping the chain tighter as Fang lunged forward, using the swift dark type attack to make his movements unpredictable.

"Heh... shouldn't give away too much Jackson! Lucario don't let it draw near, keep shooting off Aura Spheres!" And so it did, bounding with enhanced speed around the swiftly moving battlefield, Lucario struck out as many times as it could with its Aura Spheres. Each time the attack got closer, with less room for error with dodging. At this rate Jackson and Fang didn't have much time left. "Damn it..." Jackson muttered, placing a hand on Fang's side as he pulled himself closer to his pokémon. "We need to make an opening... we're only getting one chance at this boy, are you ready?"

The look in Fang's eyes told Jackson all he needed to know.

"NOW!"

As they began to turn the corner fang flicked his neck and Jackson released the chain, flinging his trainer forward with increased momentum. Jackson took the corner best he could on one foot, crouching down low and drifting around it roughly, sparks from his skate flying up against his legs. "H-Hey! What are you do-" Korrina began, her and her Lucario looking away from the battle for just a moment, the only moment Fang needed.

"Time for our new technique! Now Fang! Flamethrower!"

"W-what?!" Korrina cried out, but it was too late. She too realized she had been fooled, they had had a ranged option all along.

"DOOOOOM!" Rushing up as close as it could with a single bound to the Lucario, Fang opened his maw, gathering the flames produced from his maw and forcing it forward with all of his might. A forced, potent stream of fire that caught the shocked Lucario smack in the chest. With a howl of pain the Lucario fell and tumbled roughly across the track in another blast of thick black smoke... just in time for Jackson's skate to give out and for him to slide along the track for a few feet to an abrupt stop.

The smoke began to dissipate slowly, Malorie watching the scenario on a screen from the stands... it was difficult to see exactly what had happened, but as the smog finally faded away.

Fang stood, haggard and panting, but triumphant, over the now unconscious Lucario.

Barlow quickly ran over and waved his flag twice with fervor. "The battle is over! By League rules the battle is over! The challenger Jackson Crane is victorious!!!"

- - -

"I knew I was right about you." Korrina said smugly, a large grin on her face, Hawlucha and Lucario standing by her side, now fully healed. Jackson sighed and shrugged, but even he was smiling a little now, he had really come to adore the rush of a good fight. "You're hella' irritatin' Leader... but I gotta respect your strength. Y'know what you're doin' out there..."

"Hehehe..." Korrina giggled, positively beaming. Beside her, Lucario caught Fang's gaze and gave an approving nod, to which the fire type bore a toothy grin and nodded back. The two canine's, like their masters, had discovered a profound shared respect on the field of battle.

"I gotta say, I wish I had a fan like you backin' me up all the time." Korrina stated, addressing Malorie now, who proceeded to blush furiously. "W-Well... he is my brother after all, I swear he'd get nowhere without me."

"Hey...!" Jackson interrupted, causing both girls present to giggle, before breaking out into shared laughter. Jackson could only sigh as even Gaspar in his shadow cackled lightly.

"Jackson Crane, it is my great honor to present you with the League recognized Rumble Badge for your efforts here today, along with a TM from the gyms personal collection." Korrina said, handing Jackson a velvet lined box, one now rather familiar to him. As he popped open the lid he grinned at what he saw, a shining badge resembling two fists meeting in combat. The TM too seemed related to punching, which he was glad for. "Now this is my kinda badge..." He sneered, before opening his vest and pinning it alongside the others.

"Five to go! Make sure you don't lose it okay? I could always replace it but Shalour can be kind of outta the way of the other gyms." To which Malorie chimed in. "Hopefully he isn't that scatterbrained..."

"I ain't, damn, what'd I do to deserve this anyway...?"

Korrina swiftly stepped forward and extended a gloved hand, which Jackson noted had a mega stone embedded in the back. So that wasn't even her full power, huh? He gladly accepted the gesture, shaking Korrina's hand happily as the evening sun finally began to set in the distance.

"That stone around your neck..." She nodded to the dormant keystone in Jackson's pendant, something which he had almost expected her to do. "When you learn how to use it, Jackson... battle me again, alright? I want Lucario and Fang to face off at the pique of their potential one day."

Jackson looked down at Fang coyly, the fire type grinning with a fire in its eyes. The same determination Fang had always have, the desire to be the strongest there was. Satisfied, he released Korrina's hand and nodded, smiling warmly in response.

"I'll be lookin' forward to it."

Spoiler:

forg · Feb 26, 2019

Margarita Fas
Mission 2: Start

Outside a coffee shop sat Margarita and her team of four. They huddled around a circular, metal table that sat underneath the shade of an umbrella. Larvesta refused to separate herself from the egg the moment she laid eyes on it, motherly instincts kicking in. String shot had been used to keep it secured against the side of her body. Pawniard sat with crossed legs, a vexed expression planted on his face as he watched Deino and Eelektrik sloppily devour their meals.

The trainer slurped her milk with every bite she ingested. "Pretend they're not there," Margarita suggested to him, noticing his untouched share of Pokémon food. "You're up for the festival so I need you in tip top shape." He grumbled before piercing one of the pieces of food with his blade, only for it to break in two before he could take a nibble.

Vessssss, the bug happily cooed, rubbing against the egg. Her plate was empty, the first to finish out of excitement of being given such a delicate package.

Pawniard attempted once more, yet it remained futile. Eelektrik chuckled at the sight before continuing with his own meal. Nia! Niiiaaaaa! the soldier cried to his trainer, pointing at the eel. A piece of food was still stuck to the blade, to which Deino took the liberty of snatching up himself. Instantaneously he stood, eyes begging Margarita to act. AAAAAA! Niiiiaaaaa!

"I can feed you if you want. I don't care, you know that." Pawniard grimaced at the thought, face flushed out of embarrassment. Nobody could ever witness such a thing, or else Pawniard's dignity could dissipate in that instant. "Or you can keep trying. Nothing wrong with that either."

Out of pity Margarita slid her croissant over to Pawniard, whose curiosity was peaked. "I'll go get another one. I'm sure it won't break apart." He gave it a good stare before poking at it. Both Deino and Eelektrik gasped at Pawniard's gift. Together they glanced over at Margarita, whining and pouting.

Of course she caved in. "You guys are gonna get fat and it's all going to be my fault." Larvesta made herself comfortable inside the string bag that was left on the chair beside her, no longer wanting to get recalled inside her Pokéball. Margarita blinked and glanced at her action, not knowing how to feel about her new behavior. "You may not be getting fat, but you're not exactly like a feather either."

Regardless, Margarita slid the string bag back on her shoulder, Larvesta's head popping out from the opening. The three males stayed behind, basking in the gentle breeze caressing their bodies.

In and out the shop they went. It was quick, for she feared if they dawdled somebody would have stolen her Pokémon. Not that she should have left them alone in the first place, of course.

...which is why she was startled to see a man in an odd suit sitting where she had been moments ago. "-day, right? I bet you really like blueberries. Well, if you took this stone, you could fly and eat blueberries." The table was silent, save for the sneeze Deino released. "That's the spirit!" His blonde hair was slicked back with an overabundance of gel, its musty odor dominating a 20-foot radius. Furthermore it blinded you like a mirror hit by sunlight. If it wasn't for such display one would pay more attention to the multicolored, polka-dotted, yellow dress shirt paired with black pants whose shoulder straps are left hanging, blown by the wind.

"Nunu doesn't like fruit. Just seafood and coffee," Margarita informed the man. Their piercing, emerald eyes immediately darted to her small form.

He grinned, pearly whites glistening with power. "I certainly hope you do not mind my intrusion. I simply wanted to acquaint myself with the lovely people of Shalour City." Margarita didn't respond, each hand carrying pastries for her two energetic bundles of energy. "Aaaaaand I kept your seat warm!" the man continued, leaping out of the seat and adjusting his collar. "No need to thank me, I am fully aware of the struggles you young trainers face on a daily basis."

"I'm sorry, but I don't really feel like making any friends right now. Actually tired really," Margarita responded, exhaustion beginning to crawl up her back. Her sore legs and yawns were enough to convince her of a needed nap.

The man lifted a finger, body turning in response to Margarita, who sat to claim her seat. "A-ah, but you see, I have an offer you cannot refuse! And it will be quick!" Out of the blue a burgundy suitcase had been pulled out, much to the surprise of the trainer.

"I don't have a lot of money. Just used some of it on food," she admits, at last handing out the pastries to Eelektrik and Deino. "Unless it's money you're trying to give away."

"Well this is your lucky day! This is even better than money... it's... keystones and mega stones!" he revealed, opening the suitcase to gush of his merchandise. "Not only can you skip that long trip to Tower of Mastery, but there would be no need to tire yourself more by challenging yourself in such a waste of time... when you caaaaaan reap the rewards right now!" He slaps the suitcase on the table, startling the three Pokémon sitting around it. Meanwhile Larvesta found this a better time than any to take a nap.

"They sound expensive. Can't you get it from the tower for free?" Eelektrik glanced at the suitcase with excitement while Deino with skepticism. To the small dragon it didn't smell like food. Therefore, he snapped his head over to Pawniard's unfinished Pokémon food.

"Not necessarily, you see." He pulls out a trifold white poster board filled to the brim with notes. From inside his sleeve he pulls out a wooden stick. "Trainers go into the Tower of Mastery knowing it's going to be a very, very, very difficult challenge. So what does a reasonable Trainer do? They buy potions. Lots of them." Pawniard pushes his bowl towards the hungry dragon, who thanked his savior with a salivating-mess of licks before digging in. "They also buy healing items to help with poisoning, paralyzing, sleeping, burning, you name it! Some even stock up on revives. Perhaps you would be somebody who also buys stat-boosting items?"

"I'm not." She peeked over at Pawniard, who was currently trying to wipe off the drool dripping off his helmet. It was futile.

"If not you, then definitely the next trainer!" he quickly adds, unable to convince the young woman who now crosses her arms. "Taking all of this into account, it can be very pricey to challenge the Tower of Mastery just for one keystone. One! Why go through the trouble when you can buy them for around the same price you would stocking up! And not only keystones. Mega stones are included!"

"Can you show me how they work?"

"Yeeeee-huh? How they work?" He was caught off guard, having expected to see cash by now.

He clasps his hands together, slightly leaning "Why, have you never seen how a keystone or mega stone work?"

"I know how they work and look like, but I want to know if these work." She hands the steel type several napkins, no longer able to watch him fail miserably.

The man began to panic, voice quickening and rising in pitch. "I promise you these are the real thing. In fact, I have a video that can prove it!"

"Why can't you show me now?"

"Hahaha... haha... unfortunately, I do not carry with me any Pokémon that are capable of mega evolution." He inched closer to his suitcase, hand resting beside it.

"That's okay I guess. Can I see them then?"

"O-of course! Take all the time you need."

It took only a second for Margarita to identify other stones amidst the mix; none of which were mega stones. That thunderstone would really be nice to have though. "How much for the thunderstone?" As Margarita mentally identified the individual stones, Deino also took interest in the iridescent stones. His outstretched neck forced him to hop on to the table, two bowls pushed aside.

"T-thunderstone? You must be confusing Ampharo's mega stone for a thunderstone! But do not worry, everybody makes that mistake."

"No, I'm pretty damn sure that's a thunderstone. I'm not that stupid." The peddler placed the tip of his trembling fingers on the top of the suitcase, unaware the Deino's head was fully inside.

"Why, would you look at that! It's another customer! It was a pleasure to do business with you on such a lovely day."

Margarita's expression changed into that of annoyance. "You're selling fakes... do people actually believe you?"

"You must be mistaking me with-" MMMMMFFFFFPPPPPP! The man slammed the case closed, but instead of feeling the delightful sound of locks coming together he felt an obstacle; Deino's neck was being sandwiched in.

Margarita gasped in shock. "What the hell?! Take your hand off you idiot!" she blurts out, shoving him aside to relieve the suitcase off his body's pressure. Pawniard and Eelektrik immediately leaped to the scene, aiding Margarita by opening the harmful contraption. "Apologize. Now."

Niard!

"A-ah... hahahahaha... HAHAHAHA I AM LATE FOR A MEETING!" he shrieked, both hands scrambling to lift the opened suitcase as he sprinted away. Cash stashed in his pant pockets miraculously slithered out, temporarily leaving a trail.

Eelektrik let out a small hum upon discovering a glimmering stone by Margarita's feet. It must have fallen amidst the man's hasty escape.

"Hey, come here so I can check your neck. He really slammed it hard, didn't he?" Margarita murmured, gingerly gliding the dragon to her embrace. "Let's get that checked out with a nurse. Better safe than sorry."

Sephear · Feb 26, 2019

Kade Andrews & Laurent Hessel
An Eerily Normal Conversation

Kade wandered the streets of Shalour, his eyes directed skywards as he watched for the unmistakable shape of avian Pokemon amongst the clouds. He had six birds already safely tucked away in their balls already, but that was no reason not to keep an eye out for more. Kade's head being in the clouds predictably enough led to him bumping into someone who was similarly distracted.

"My deepest apologies! I really should have been paying more atte - Oh, Kade!" It was Laurent apologizing to the bird lover. "Nice to see you again! It's been a while."

Kade looked up, head tilted to the side for a moment. Recognising Laurent but taking a moment to place him.

"Oh, hello. It's fine, I wasn't really watching where I was going anyway. I was watching the sky for birds. I've seen some really great ones so far so I couldn't help myself. The Wingull over the beach are spectacular and you should have seen the Swanna that flew past during my preliminary battle earlier - "

"Ah, preliminary. So you're entering the tournament then? I just finished signing up, myself. To be honest I was essentially tricked into a preliminary battle of my own." Laurent interrupted. "Some giant, burly, yet uncomfortably childish and effeminate man refused to make way for me to enter the gym without battling him." He pinched his temple at the memory, fighting off a return of the headache it gave him. "Then, after all that fuss he battled me with a juvenile Skitty that went down in a single hit. I think the man was honest-to-goodness just starved for attention and hurt by how his… mannerisms and bulk kept scaring away everyone he challenged."

"Huh," Kade replied, trying and failing to envisage why anyone would be scared away by some guy. What was much more interesting though, was that Laurent was also going to be entering the tournament. "Maybe we'll get to battle against each other. I'm sure we've both come a long way since we battle that Kabutops - back when we got to see Lugia".

Kade's eyes temporarily glazed over as emphasised that last part, his memory flickering back to what was easily a highlight of his life - near death experience be damned.

Laurent nodded, also feeling himself mentally dragged back to that day. "Truly an amazing event to be a part of, once-in-a-lifetime in all likelihood. I also imagine we've both grown quite a lot since then. You might be glad to hear that Metéoré - my Metang - actually tried to evolve in my battle with Korrina! Unfortunately, it tried evolving during the fight and Korrina was quick to take the opportunity for a knockout combination."

"Well that's unfortunate," Kade said flatly, finally finding something that was relatable "That means he'll still be close to evolving though. So it sounds like either way you'll have a Metagross soon. Oh, and I hope you've stopped almost breaking your ankles too, speaking of your Metang."

"Sure enough!" Laurent chuckled. "It only requires some practice and forethought. The only trickiness comes from how robotic its flying is, between its stiff, sterile movements and the fact that its levitation is both magnetic and psychic." Curiosity wormed its way up and he found himself asking Kade. "How are your own pokémon doing? Any interesting developments or good stories since we last met?"

"Yeah," Kade replied, smiling slightly now "Nox took part in his first ever gym battle against Korinna earlier today! He even made the decisive move that got me the win. Earlier in the same battle, Contrail learned Flame Charge too! Now I'm more or less on my way to see if I've earned a third pleasant development."

"Oh, what would that be?"

"I caught a rather… unruly Honchkrow back behind Parfum Palace after the contest," Kade replied "I left him at a bird sanctuary for some rest and relaxation, a friend of mine suggested it. I'm planning to use him during the tournament, so hopefully he'll be more inclined to behave. You should see him, he's a spectacular bird."

"That does sound exciting." Laurent said. "The only one of my pokémon that's been any trouble since I cau-" He stiffened, then squirmed a bit and reached hopelessly around to his back only for his hair to rustle and a self-contained sphere of water to poke up from behind his head, followed by the rest of the Dewpider that wore it. "Eeegh - ahem is a Dewpider I met in a collapsing ship. This is Charlotte." He gestured to the little water spider pokémon on his head and she stretched a little higher and waved both of her front legs at Kade. "She likes to sneak out of her pokéball and scare people or tickle me. Somehow she does it without the ball making any noise or giving off any light, it's a mystery if ever I've encountered one."

"She seems very cute and clever," Kade replied placidly, although despite his sincerity the intense enthusiasm brought on by Pokemon of the feathered variety was noticeably absent. "Will you be using her in the tournament?"

Laurent shook his head with a touch of disappointment. "As much as I would adore more chances to really put her through her paces, she doesn't do all that well with crowds, I believe she's had bad experiences with groups of people before. Probably some sort of hostility brought on by arachnophobia." This time there was an audible click and a small flash of light as one of the pokéballs on Laurent's belt opened itself and a delectably sweet smell suffused the air. An Ivysaur appeared next to the trainer and with almost human poise, shook Kade's hand with a vine. "I'm entering Bernard here. He's my first partner and I find myself really wanting to win this tournament with all I have to give, so he'll be my champion."

Kade couldn't help but chuckle slightly at Bernard's oddly human nature.

"Well, I'd introduce you to Nimbus but I don't have him with me yet," he said "So I should probably go collect him. I'll be looking forward to seeing Bernard in action though."

Bernard closed his eyes and hummed happily at the praise, then waved a goodbye at the bird-loving trainer. "Saur!" Charlotte - who had somehow made her way to that very same vine being waved - swayed and waved her free legs back and forth while she fought to keep her balance.

"I can't wait to see Nimbus and how you battle together!" Laurent said, voice ringing with excitement. "I must be off myself. So until we meet again!" He finished, recalling Charlotte to her ball and beginning to walk away with Bernard trailing behind him.

LinearAxel · Feb 26, 2019

We'll Make it Happen

Sebastian Allender

Shalour Gym

Once the Pokemon are registered, the trainers return to the arena. A flashing light begins to count down: Red. Yellow. Green. GO!

Both trainers begin moving, Takumi once more perched on the railing to watch the two. Korrina quickly moves ahead, and eagerly tosses a Pokeball into the air. "Let's do this, Hawlucha!"

Hawlucha? He had a feeling. She's setting up a Baton Pass strategy, right? Time to see if he can properly hinder it. "Let's go, Ukyou!"

The icy ghost bursts from her Pokeball and glides alongside Sebastian, her calm, yet eager smile reassuring.

A ghost type? Not a good matchup for Hawlucha, Korrina thinks to herself-- but her Ice typing will be a great match for Lucario's Blaze Kick and Flash Canon. She'll build up a few buffs and then swap them out. "Hawlucha, use Swords Dance!" The luchador slows his glide in order to begin his dance.

"Ukyou, Will-o-Wisp!" Sebastian calls out, ghostly flames gliding from the snowy poltergeist towards the masked fighter.

Korrina cringes, though she decides against stopping Hawlucha's dance in order to have him dodge the flames. A burn will make it harder to throw a punch, but the Swords Dance will still give them a boost-- just not as big as usual. "Shake it off, Hawlucha! Use Agility!"

With its dance completed, there is a sharpness to Hawlucha's wings, as well as a scorch marks along its arms where the wisps infected the Pokemon. He takes to the skies (which a cringe, as flames burst from those scorch marks, if only for a split second), and begins to build up speed.

For the moment, she's not worried about attacking, she must be planning to buff Hawlucha up, and then Baton Pass to her next Pokemon. In that case, he won't worry about attacking for the time being, either, instead he'll make switching her Pokemon far more of a risk. "Ukyou, use Spikes!"

Small, pointed objects are shot from the ghost's mouth, coating the center of the rink with sharp projectiles.

"Guess we're stuck on the edges, huh?" Korrina smirks.

"I don't know about you, but I had no intention of swinging into their domain, spikes or no." Sebastian flashes a playful smile-- only to stumble slightly; seems he can't lose focus on his turns, or he'll be face-planting against the gym floor.

"You gotta live life on the edge sometimes!" The blonde encourages as she picks up a bit more speed. "Hawlucha, one more Swords Dance!"

While he was able to (somewhat) hinder one Sword's Dance, Will-O-Wisp is a one trick pony; he can't burn Hawlucha any worse. It's time to get offensive, before she adds any more modifiers to her party. "Ukyou, Ice Beam!"

The beam of ice strikes the dancing bird's chest, shoving him back in the process. While their opponent's body heat had been raised significantly, due to the burn, making it nearly impossible to freeze, it was evident that a good chunk of damage was dealt.

Shoot! She thought Sebastian would take the time to add another layer of spikes to his death trap, and allow her a bit more time to bulk up. Hawlucha won't last long if he's hit with another one of those attacks. Time for the next part of the plan! "Ready, Hawlucha? Baton Pass!"

The Luchador shrinks into a small beam of light, which vanishes back into a Pokeball, a swirling energy, complete with flickering flames, remains in its place. "You're next, Lucario!"

Lucario's feet touch the rink, and instantly the swirling energy vanishes into his body, the scorch marks that previously seared against Hawlucha's feathers now burn into Lucario's fur. It's hardly a second later that several of the Spikes that litter the ground jump forward and latch onto Lucario's fur, much like the briars that latch onto anything that comes close to their home in the wood.

Slow, steady damage and slow, steady strides on these skates, so far this strategy is keeping his head above water. Sebastian grabs Ukyou's Pokeball and points it towards the rink. "You've done an exceptional job. Return, for now."

The Froslass returns to her Pokeball, tucked away and quickly replaced with another. "I'm counting on you, Selkie."

The familiar form of the fire fox takes shape when her light touches the rink. Braixen takes her branch from her tail and breaks into a run, easily passing Sebastian's steady strides.

To Be Continued

Kana · Feb 27, 2019

The Preliminary
Shalour City festival grounds

It was high noon, just about, when Odette traversed the city in search of the festival grounds. She'd caught wind of the tournament set to happen later that day, and with her latest gym victory bolstering her courage, she felt today she should push her limits. Battling many different kinds of trainers, hopefully, should provide her with a lot of experience as well.

Thankfully, decorations were being put up everywhere, so it wasn't hard to find. She passed by a marketplace with many kinds of food and merchandise being set up - this place would definitely get more lively by the evening - and asked a lovely elderly woman and presumably her grandson for directions, which swiftly pointed her towards a smaller plaza just a street further. She thanked them kindly before hurrying along.

Indeed, the next square was home to a sign-up stand, and it seemed many trainers couldn't wait until the actual tournament to start fighting. Noises of Pokémon and their moves filled the space, echoing throughout the rounded plaza. Odette carefully made her way past the battlers to register herself.

"Oh no, the battles taking place here are the preliminaries! Without them, we'd have far too many entrants for one evening, you see," one of the volunteers taking care of registration explained. "You may find an opponent of your own, or we can find one for you. Though, since it doesn't seem like you brought anyone, I believe I'll find you a suitable one, hm?"

"Please." Odette crossed her arms, turning back to look over the battles while the attendant searched through.

"Ah, yes. Excuse me..." They muttered so quietly, Odette could barely hear them at first, but she nearly jumped out of her skin when they suddenly shouted into a megaphone behind her. "CALLING AYANA CANTOR! FOR YOUR PRELIMINARY MATCH, COME TO THE REGISTRATION DESK, PLEASE! I REPEAT, AYANA CANTOR!"

Odette quickly regained her composure as a slightly younger, dark skinned girl approached the desk. Her hair was curly and frizzy, and her body wrapped in a cute bright-colored sundress. Most striking about her however, was unmistakably her radiant smile.

"So, you'll be my first opponent? Nice to meet you!"

"Likewise," Odette said, shaking her hand as they exchanged introductions. "Let's find ourselves a spot, shall we?"

The pair found a place of their own quickly enough, and both trainers prepared themselves to fight. A one-on-one battle, with any Pokémon - not until you officially registered would the Pokémon be set. In that case, Odette knew just who to use. "Come out, Armand!"

The Gligar was released onto the battlefield and curiously looked around the environment. A large plaza with so many people around, this was perfect! He loved nothing more than showing off in front of a crowd. The only thing that could make his day any better was...

"Let's go, Maryan!"

Summoned from the other trainer's Pokéball was a cute, bubbly Grass-type Pokémon. Maryan the Steenee was excitedly hopping around, even greeting her opponent with a wave before the clash would take off. Gligar blatantly gawked at his opponent and made a theatrical bow with its wing in response… worrying Odette immensely.

"Begin!"

Odette had to act fast if she wanted to keep Gligar alert. "Armand, we're off! Use Acrobatics!"

Her Pokémon perked up, but instead of lunging for its foe, Armand winked at Steenee before jumping up into the air. The latter covered her mouth with her hands and giggled as Armand launched itself off its tail, certainly a acrobatic movement - but by the time it landed, Steenee had simply sidestepped the attack.

"What was that? Are you trying to show off?" Ayana spoke, stifling a laugh. "Well, no matter - we can play along. Mary, use Captivate!"

Maryan grinned and placed her hands to her lips once more, but this time she faced towards the Gligar and dramatically blew him a kiss. Armand's eyes widened with excitement, and he practically dove on top of her to return the favor - but that too, Steenee easily sidestepped. Armand fell flat on his face, soliciting another giggle from both the Steenee and her trainer.

Odette covered her mouth in embarrassment, but almost couldn't help grinning a little herself too. She steeled her resolve however: there was no way she was losing this match because of Armand's flirtatiousness. "Alright, that's quite enough, Armand. We need to—"

She was interrupted by the other trainer. "Maryan, use Teeter Dance!"

As Armand slowly got up from the floor, the Steenee in front of him did an adorably wobbly dance. "No, Armand, look away!" Odette yelled, but the Gligar was mesmerized. There was something about that dance that made him… see stars. Armand now too, was wobbly on his feet.

Odette grit her teeth considering her next move, but Ayana wasted no time. "Alright! Now hit him with a Doubleslap!"

Maryan stepped forward and roughly slapped Armand with her leaves several times. Armand seemed to panic in its confusion and began thrashing about, swinging at her with its claw, but the Steenee quickly jumped backward. "Razor Leaf!" its trainer shouted, and she quickly obliged, striking the Gligar with sharpened petals. It barely managed to keep its balance.

Confusion was severely limiting Armand's vision and balance - as if everything was spinning. It was actually scary to him, not at all like the fuzzy kind of dizziness infatuation would have left him with. He tried to look back at his trainer for help, and Odette felt a pang of guilt when she saw his hopeless expression. "Armand… It's okay, we can still do this! Use Screech!"

Armand nodded, and turned back towards the Steenee before unleashing an ear-splitting screeching noise. It hurt the ears of everyone around, but somehow, Armand himself started to see a little clearer again. "Alright, that should leave it weakened! Use Poison Sting!"

The Gligar jumped up into the air and launched a poison needle from its tail right towards the Steenee. She was still recovering from the Screech, the needle hit her right in the side, and she bent over in pain from the surprise.

Seeing Armand was gliding again however, reassured Odette that his confusion had faded. "Now we need to strike back! Use Acrobatics!"

"Not so fast! Counter with Doubleslap, Maryan!"

Armand dove down from the air towards the Steenee, not wasting any time with fluff this time around. It pushed itself off the ground and slashed at its target mercilessly. Maryan tried her best to counter with her Doubleslaps, but having taken several super-effective hits in a row, her blows didn't strike as true.

"Armand, this is it! X-Scissor!"

The Gligar's eyes seemed to glint with the opportunity, and it raised its claws threateningly over Steenee's head. The latter braced itself for the impact that would surely knock it out... but then Armand jumped back and raised its wing-cape as it made another bow.

Odette sighed gently at her Pokémon's lack of follow-through, but was satisfied nonetheless. "It seems Armand has claimed victory." She glared at her opponent, who looked over the battlefield in frustration, but eventually succumbed. Maryan slowly stood up and sadly looked at her feet too.

Armand cried out and walked back up to her, before extending a claw. Steenee returned his gaze in disbelief, but then gingerly shook it in her hands, until both Pokémon were recalled to their Pokéballs.

Odette and Ayana shook hands in turn afterward, thankfully without hard feelings, it seemed. "Nah, you beat me fair and square. Still, I wouldn't use that one for the actual tournament!" Ayana laughed.

"You're probably right," Odette responded plainly. She'd have to be ready for anything when the actual tournament started out.

The two said their goodbyes, and Odette accepted her prize: a Great Ball and her official Festival Tournament Pass.

Jay · Feb 27, 2019

Shalour City - Night

Stage 19

A Night to Remember

After an emotional day of gym battles, reunions, new meetings and mastery's earned... our heroes finally seem to catch a bit of a break. As the sun sets the Shalour City festival explodes into action, trainers and tourists from all around engage in fun and frivolous activities, festival games and stalls are abound along with shops and auctions offering up curiosities from Kalos and even further beyond.

The central plaza of city is now fenced off and surrounded by stands for seating. In the center of the makeshift arena is a stone mosaic of a twisting helix on a prismatic sphere, the symbol of mega evolution. It is here that the Festival tourney is set to be held, with people from all over the world witnessing the event as it is broadcast live across the regions.

For those not participating or looking to spend some time between their matches, the night time fun brings with it new problems and challenges. With so many people around it's only natural some will need a hand. Not to mention the still looming tower of mastery and the gym, which Korrina has elected to keep the gym open for all upcoming challengers.

With streets packed full of people, ceremonial dresses and a whole truckload of activities, whatever activities take your fancy, the Evolution festival is now in full swing!

Wild Pokémon Available this Stage / Level 44-46:

Pokémon available with the use of a Great Ball / Level 48:

Pokémon available to those using a Good Rod / Level 44-46:

Missions:

[NOTE TO PLAYERS:] Due to the tournament taking place for most of the Stage, less missions will be made available, to those players in the tournament, please focus on your tournament posts BEFORE claiming missions. Leave them for those not participating otherwise.

[OPEN] ★ Mission 1:
The Tower of Mastery... the founding site of Mega Evolution. Within these hallowed halls the first pokémon since the great war, hundreds of years ago, attained a Mega-Evolved state. Now, with Mega Evolution being more widespread and well known, this place serves as a place of learning and testing for those who wish to pursue the ancient art. Mega Evolution takes a large physical toll on the bodies of the pokémon and the human both whom wish to attempt it... and thus there is only one test that would be suitable. A battle against one of the successors who attend the tower... and their own Mega-Evolved Pokémon.
Reward: 1 x Deactivated Keystone (The Keystone will only activate fully when a trainer is in a moment of intense stress or has attained a new level of development and strength. Like evolution, you must receive DM approval to activate your Keystone. There will be more opportunities to receive Keystones in time.)

[OPEN] ★ Mission 2:
The gym challenge continues, even in light of recent events. The Kalosian Gym Conference, the tournament to decide who is worthy of challenging for the rank of champion, is swiftly approaching... and only those with all 8 badges can qualify. The gym leader of Shalour City, Korrina, is ready and willing to accept challengers. Can you defeat her and claim the coveted Rumble Badge? (Information on Korrina is available in the stage 18 stage post.)
Reward: Upon defeating Korrina: 1 x Rumble Badge + 1 TM98 Power up Punch

[RESTRICTED] ★ Mission 3:
The Festival tournament is finally underway! With the whole world watching over a televised broadcast, stand up and make a name for yourself in a festival throwdown for the ages... and potentially walk away with a rather exciting prize...
Restriction: Requires 1 x Festival Tourney Pass
Reward:

1st Place: 1500 Poké + 3 x Ultra Ball + 1 Mysterious Blue Egg
2nd Place: 1000 Poké + 2 Ultra Balls
3rd Place: 500 Poké + 1 Ultra Ball
4th Place: 1 x Ultra Ball

Mission 1:
An underwater has broken out of the shore of Shalour, a battle between a large group of Gorebyss and Huntail... but why would these normally co-existing pokémon suddenly begin to fight? Assist Swimmer Richter by donning a set of scuba gear and descending beneath the waves to stop the dispute.
Reward: 1 x Set of Scuba Geat + 1 Deep Sea Scale OR 1 Deep Sea Tooth.

Mission 2:
Emergency Report: A mysterious and violent pokémon has appeared near the gates of Shalour city and aims to threaten the festival and the participants inside. This particular pokémon is not native to these parts and has already injured one young man. Trainers who have pokémon that can exploit the weaknesses of Steel type pokémon are being called to the scene to battle the massive beast.
Reward: 1 x Metal Coat + 1 x Sample of Cloned Aggron Embers

[OPEN] Mission 3:
Come one, come all! To the "Partner and Me" obstacle extravaganza! Come to see our ever changing, ever shifting obstacle course... filled to the brim with different challenges for everyone who enters! The goal? Reach the end alongside one pokémon of your choice before ten minutes have passed! For those successful a fantastical reward awaits!
Reward: 1 x Pokéradar Dex Chip + 1 Ultra Ball

[MULTIPLE REWARD]Mission 4:
A romantic tunnel of love, a swanna shaped boat flowing through a brightly decorated river... what festival would be complete without one? Still isn't it a little embarrassing? You've heard talk that couples participating get a rather valuable souvenir however. The question is, can you convince someone to go in with you?
Reward: 1 x Destiny Knot OR 1 TM Destiny Bond

Mission 5:
Professor Augustine Sycamore has arrived on the scene of Shalour City, searching for a particular student of his... but also to join the Shalour tournament himself?! Having won his preliminary battle just in time he's looking about for one of his students to do him a small favor. His recent research on team cinder's activities has finally bore fruit... and his finding are tied up nice and neatly in a brown parcel. He needs the package delivered to a hotel on the far side of the city, telling to courier to give it to the manager for "a friend of Augustine". What the professor doesn't realize however... is that some Cinder grunts have caught wind of his activity and have infiltrated the city. Whoever brings the parcel may find themselves in more danger than they bargained for.
Reward: 1 x Cinder Ball (Higher catch rate for fire, host and dark types.) + 450 Poké

[OPEN] Mission 6:
A Kantoan designer has arrived to share her culture with the people of Shalour, with needle annd thread she's created various beautiful ceremonial outfits customary in her lands for festivals such as these. However, her latest design needs a new model... and she's just desperate to get it out in the public eye. Help her out to keep the outfit and maybe something more?
Reward: 1 x Kantoan Yukata + 750 Poké

[PKMN OPEN] Z: A Kalos Journey - Rebirth [M] [IC]

That Dream...Make it Come True!

Shalour City - Tower of Mastery

End

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

Magical Senpai and god of the closet.

lover of milotics

Punching Bag

Caius Flynn, 21, ♂ ; Tower of Mastery, Kalos

Memoria - Part 1

Always follow your Dreams ~

ba-dum tssss. [icon]coffee-pot[/icon]

Always follow your Dreams ~

Always follow your Dreams ~

That Dream...Make it Come True!

Shalour Gym

End

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

ba-dum tssss. [icon]coffee-pot[/icon]

Believe in the you that believes in cheese

Kade Andrews & Laurent Hessel An Eerily Normal Conversation

That Dream...Make it Come True!

Shalour Gym

To Be Continued

[font=Brawler][color=#91a8d4][i]Here comes the boi

Kade Andrews & Laurent Hessel
An Eerily Normal Conversation