Battlegrounds : A Pokémon Role-Play { Closed } - Day Two: On the Road to Jade Forest

[CounterAttack]

Alix briefly consulted her own menu upon hearing Robyn's suggestion. "Hmm... Sure, why not. That plate looks big enough for two." The decision sorted, she turned her attention to her satchel and pulled out the handful of Poké Balls present. She opened the Ball containing her most recent catch: a familiar face from Hoenn popped out. Confused as to her surroundings, the Torchic looked around for a few seconds before chirping and hiding under Alix's chair. "Tor?" She sounded scared.

"Hey there. Remember me?" Alix queried, leaning over to look down at the Fire-type. Jen glanced upwards amid her continuous examination of the area, but didn't say anything. Maybe the idea of having a Trainer was a scary thought. "Jen, meet Matti. Matti, say hi. And don't go running off," Alix introduced the two Pokémon, setting Matti down on the floor.

"Togeh!" Matti promptly ran under the chair and waved hello. Alix heard another "Tor?" before a squeak from the Togepi and a "Rrr... chic chic." She glanced under her seat again to find that Matti had given the Torchic a hug as an introduction, and Jen was making a face and trying to get out of it. Chuckling, she looked back up at Robyn and Nina.

"Apparently Jen's not the type to do hugs," she noted, amused by this development.

[hr]

The interior of Barrett's Gym was drastically different from the ruined outside. In stark contrast to the crumbling and decaying exterior, the Gym itself was pristine and in . A large circular arena - its floor composed of sand and dirt - dominated the open-air Gym, surrounded by seats arranged in a ring around the center. Two platforms, one blue and one red, stood at opposing sides of the arena. They were raised a few feet off the ground below for Trainers to properly conduct their matches.

Barrett was already waiting at the top of the red platform, backed up by a hovering silver machine fitted with several racks of Poké Balls and a few flat-screen monitors built into his side of the arena. While he kept the neon-green mohawk, he had changed into semi-formal attire. "Ah, a handful more come to challenge the local master of Ground-type Pokémon!" he declared, his voice carrying through speakers due to the Gym's size, as Heidi, Eurydice and Russel entered. A bright silver security camera glinted on its wall-mount near the entrance, explaining how he knew they had entered the Gym. "Say... I remember y'all being part of the merry band back at Lake Lapis. Thought I'd see ya again soon enough." A brief chuckle came over the speakers.

"All righty! Let's get down to business! Y'all look like you're set for a challenge. Come on up, and see if you can step to Barrett! Take your first shot at Gensia's Pokémon League!"

Spoiler: Gym Battle - Barrett

[img align=right width=150 height=150 alt=Arena Badge]http://i837.photobucket.com/albums/zz292/CounterAttack11/ArenaBadge.png[/img]
Barrett's match is a two-on-two Single Battle. You are free to conduct your own battle however you wish, as long as your writing ensures that Barrett's personality traits remain consistent. The lists below indicate which Pok&#233mon you may choose for your opposing team.

Opening: Diglett, Trapinch, Drilbur, Sandile, Sandshrew
Second: Hippopotas, Golett, Rhyhorn, Baltoy, Swinub

Note: In case of changes in learnsets between B/W and B2/W2: Apply the B2/W2 learnset before making changes according to BB/VW. - CA

 

[Lambi]

The inside of the Gym looked much better than the outside. Heidi didn't give Eurydice a chance to start as she stepped up first towards the arena. "I'll be your first challenger!" she called to him as she got onto the blue platform. Would've liked to be on the red one, but the color of the platform isn't important. Barrett gave another chuckle and grabbed one of the Pokéballs to the side. "Then lets get this show on the road!"

Heidi grabbed Lewis' ball and both of them threw their Pokéballs towards the arena. Her Surskit popped out, while on Barrett's side a Sandile appeared. A Pokémon that Heidi had never seen or battled. She took out her Pokédex to get quick data on it. Ground/Dark? That's an odd combination. Very interesting and makes me want to get one, but odd nevertheless. If only Lewis knew Bug moves... Even if she hadn't sent out Lewis, her only Pokémon with a Bug move was Daniel, her Metapod, and she was fairly sure he wouldn't be as good as Lewis. He had Bubble, at least, and could actually move, so he had more of a chance to avoid attacks.

"An interesting Pokémon you've got there! Let's see how well it does against my Sandile! Sandile, move in for a Bite!" The little crocodile was faster than it had been at first sight and Lewis didn't have time to avoid the attack. Heidi cursed herself mentally for not being fast enough to get in an order, but she'd make sure not to make that mistake again.

"Lewis! Quick Attack on that Sandile! And watch out for his attacks!" The Surskit traveled quickly over the sand and dirt to attack the Sandile, the hit landing on him. He moved away quickly so as to not get hit again.

That, however, wouldn't be happening just yet. "Sandile, whip up a Sand Tomb for the little water bug!" The Sandile moved around the arena fast to create a small sandstorm that was confined to the arena and the immediate area. Barrett seemed to be used to it, while Heidi had some problem seeing. Lewis was taking hits from the sand storm, his movement hindered because of it.

"Lewis, shake the sandstorm off and hit him with Bubble!" Lewis scouted the arena for the Sandile, ready to use his Bubble attack when he'd see him. Barrett used the sandstorm to his advantage as he gave another command. "Sandile, use Torment to surprise the little fellow!" Sandile, hidden in the sandstorm, managed to sneak up on Lewis and hit him with a Torment attack, biting, tackling and doing whatever he could to make sure that Lewis would get angry towards him. It seemed to work, though in doing that, he had revealed himself to Lewis, who fired off a Bubble at Sandile. The move connected and seemed to hurt the Sandile, but he wasn't about to give up.

"That's it! Now hit him with another Bite!" The Sandile moved in for another Bite, but Lewis was quick enough this time to not get bitten. Heidi was well aware of what Torment did as she gave him an order again. "Lewis, you can't use Bubble again after just using it! Use Quick Attack again, then alternate between that and Bubble!" Lewis nodded internally to himself as he hit the Sandile with another Quick Attack, followed shortly by a Bubble.

The sand storm was lessening, but still present. Barrett was quick to order his Sandile to use his Bite repeatedly, throwing in a Sand Attack now and then. When the sand storm lessened, Barrett had him bring it up again. The sand storm was hurting Lewis, but he could hang in there. By the fourth Bubble attack, both Pokémon were getting pretty weak and almost seemed to only need one hit more or so to fall down, but they were both stubbornly holding up, not wanting to give the other one a chance to win.

Lewis moved in for another Quick Attack, which didn't take down the Sandile, who retaliated with another Bite, which left Lewis even weaker than before, but still standing. He didn't seem like he was able to move towards the Sandile, so he stood still where he was, keeping himself up. "Sandile, finish him off with another Bite!" Barrett called to his Pokémon, who quickly went over to Lewis, ready to attack him. But Lewis had other plans for that as he sprayed his opponent with bubbles and moved out of the way as the defeated Pokémon slumped towards the ground after his jump for the bite. Both trainers returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs, and Barrett acknowledged that it was a victory for Heidi as the sand storm dispersed.

"That was pretty good, but now comes the second part!" He grabbed another Pokéball after he'd put Sandile's Pokéball back into its place. Heidi did the same, putting Lewis' Pokéball onto her belt, then grabbing Laura's. Both trainers again threw their balls at the same time, both Pokémon appearing at the same time. For Heidi, it was her Mudkip. For Barrett, it was his Rhyhorn.

This time, there was a considerably more difference in height than earlier. Laura was actually smaller than Lewis, while Rhyhorn was taller than Sandile. However, she was confident that size wasn't all. Maybe he was stronger than her, but somehow, she'd win. Immediately, Heidi ordered Laura. "Use your Mud Slap against him!" She quickly did as Heidi told her and started the battle with a Mud Slap attack to Rhyhorn. While there wasn't any actual mud there, the sand and dirt was good enough for her to use, and the attack had its intended effect as it hit the Rhyhorn.

Heidi knew that Mud Slap was basically like a Sand Attack that did damage, so it was a great move to use against a big brute like Rhyhorn. He'd show how much of a brute he was as Barrett ordered him. "Don't just stand there and take the attack! Answer it with Fury Attack!" Damn, Heidi thought. That was a pretty good move, and if she was unlucky, it would do some serious damage to Laura. Thankfully, due to the Mud Slap, he missed Laura who had also found it easier to dodge his attack and answered with another Mud Slap. A Tackle wouldn't be good against Rhyhorn, but she knew that she couldn't have Laura just use Mud Slap the entire fight.

Barrett was not happy with how Rhyhorn had missed the small Mudkip, but it was to be expected with the combination of Rhyhorn being bigger and slower, and him having been hit by the Mud Slap attack, along with the inaccuracy of Fury Attack. But that wasn't going to stop him or Barrett. "Alright, since Fury Attack isn't working, use Horn Attack instead!" Rhyhorn turned around, horn in position as he charged towards Laura who tried to avoid the attack, but got hit. She got thrown away and the horn had left a small wound on her, but she was tough and hung in there.

"Laura, use Growl, followed by another Mud Slap!" Laura did as she was told and gave the Rhyhorn a growl, which seemed to work, before she Mud Slapped him again, doing a good bit of damage to him. He still stood proud, though, taking the attack like it was nothing. "Try Fury Attack again!" Barrett hoped that the little Mudkip was wounded enough to be hit by the Fury Attack. But alas, she avoided it again. "Fine then, this time, use Bulldoze!" Heidi had no idea what that move was, having never heard it before. The Rhyhorn lifted his front legs up, standing on his hind legs for a few moments before he stomped down, making the earth shake a bit and managed to send Laura flying again, who was now bruised after she landed a bit badly, but she wasn't about to give up.

"Laura, Yawn at him, then do another Mud Slap." She'd have to use that move in order to manage through the rest of the fight. Laura yawned at the Rhyhorn, making him yawn back. Of course, it didn't work just yet, as Barrett told him to attack again with another Horn attack. Laura managed to get off another Mud Slap before she got hit, gaining yet another wound on her small body. Before long, though, the Rhyhorn's eyelids grew heavy and he yawned again before slumping down and falling asleep. "Get up, Rhyhorn! Dreamland ain't gonna help you win!" But he wasn't waking up, making him a prime target for Laura's Mud Slap. She slapped her tail fin against the ground a few times, making a few Mud Slaps hit Rhyhorn before he woke up again, feeling weaker than when he fell asleep.

This had been just the advantage Laura had needed. She now had the upper hand, pretty much, and had a chance to win this for her trainer. She did another Yawn, causing the Rhyhorn to yawn again, then used another Mud Slap, weakening him further. The Rhyhorn wouldn't have that, though, as he charged with another Horn Attack, which hadn't missed so far. However, this time was the exception as Laura avoided the attack, and Rhyhorn fell again prey to the world of dreams, sliding in the sand as he had fallen asleep while running. Laura used the time to use a few more Mud Slaps, and when Rhyhorn woke up again, he barely had the strength to stand up. Barrett admitted defeat and returned Rhyhorn back to his Pokéball before Heidi did the same for Laura. "You did great!" she said to the Pokéball containing her hurt Mudkip. "Both of you." she added as she picked up the Pokéball containing her hurt Surskit. She placed the two Pokéballs back on her belt before turning her attention to Barrett.

He gave a hearty laugh before he began talking again. "Now that was a great battle! Congratulations, you've earned this!" He threw a small bag over to Heidi, which contained what she'd won. She opened it to reveal a badge, some cash and a TM. "That there's the Arena Badge! Go ahead, pin it on yourself where you want and show that you beat the first gym of the Gensia region! The TM in there is for Bulldoze, the attack my Rhyhorn used! It's quite effective, I tell you, though your Mudkip showed that she's a tough little cookie!"

Heidi thanked Barrett before she stepped down off the platform and pinned the badge onto her shirt. It looked pretty good, and marked the start of her journey through the region. She'd need to remember to heal her Pokémon, but first she wanted to see Eurydice battle. "Alright, now that one of you has battled me, how about one of the other two step up and give me another challenge? I'd love to see what you're gonna throw out at me!" He gave a small chuckle, ready for another fight.

 

[NeoAC]

The antics of Alix's Pokemon were somewhat amusing. "I'm not surprised. Doesn't look like she has any arms," Robyn commented. I should probably bring her sister out, let them see each other.

She reached into her carrier bag, fishing out the most recently filled Pokeball. The orange colored Chick Pokemon emerged on the tiled floor of the restaurant, looking around at it's new surroundings. "Chic?" Laila was a bit confused until under Alix's chair she spotted a familiar face. "Torchictor!" The blue feather was barely kept in place as she dashed over to her nestmate. "Torchic!" She rubbed her feathers up against Jen, happy to see her safe.

Robyn looked down at the scene. "Awwww, figured she would be worried about her."

Nina however was not pleased that her trainer's attention had shifted away from her. "LilLIL! Petilil. She bounced over, landing on the plate that had been placed in front of Robyn. "LIL!"

Robyn's attention turned to her starting Pokemon. "Yes Nina, I see you too. Calm down." She pet the Bulb Pokemon's head as the waitress returned with the trays full of Pokemon food, as well as the trainer's drinks.

"All right, here's the chow," she said as she put the food down. "Have any luck on choosing something to eat?"

"Yeah," Robyn answered. "Can we get the nachos, please?" While Robyn's attention was again diverted, Nina took the opportunity to poke at the food placed in front of her, and steal an exploratory bite.

"Of course, I'll put that in right now." She jotted the order down and headed back to the kitchen.

Robyn turned back to Nina. "Hey! You couldn't wait could you?" She pulled Nina away from the main tray and set her down to the side. "Lil!" "Here." Robyn scooped some food onto the provided plate and set it in front of the Grass-type. "You got your own food, OK?" Nina started munching on one of the nuggets as Robyn pulled the other Pokeballs out, ready to get the rest of her team fed.

 

[CounterAttack]

"Tor!" Jen seemed to calm down a bit upon Laila's arrival on the scene. Matti, however, wasn't intending to let go any time soon, as he had found a nice source of warmth in the Fire-type. But he could smell food nearby... up top, where Alix was. Food, or warmth?

"Matti, Jen, food's here," Alix told the Pokémon under her chair. Curious, Jen half-walked, half-dragged Matti out from their spot to investigate. "Torchic?" "Yup, dinner time." Alix dug her packet of baby Pokémon food out of her backpack and set a few cubes on the spare plate she'd requested: it was important to keep Matti's stuff separate from the rest due to differing formulae and ingredients. Once that was sorted, she bent down and picked up her Togepi, sitting him on her lap and giving him one cube at a time.

Jen, however, got a portion of the café's food like the others, whom Alix let out of their own Balls before setting the tray of food on the floor. There were too many Pokémon out at once to have them all at the table, she reasoned. Upon catching sight of Gideon, Jen gave a peep of fright and ran to Laila. Gideon was a mite confused by this, but wasn't about to start a fight when there was food up for grabs. Stana was already digging in... Ludevic, however, was asleep yet again.

"Aww... Gideon won't hurt you, Jen, you're on the same team. Right, Gideon?" Alix queried of her Water-type.

"Oshawo." Gideon's response was one of understanding, thankfully accompanied by a nod. He waved to the two Fire-types before taking some of the café-provided food for himself.

Alix sighed, hoping Jen and Gideon would sort the problem out themselves, before giving Matti another cube of food to occupy him for a while and looking over to Robyn. "While we're waiting... what kind of dancing do you do again? You mentioned a 'crew'?" The term was unfamiliar to her: before she had to cut back a bit to take care of Matti, Alix had been dancing with a studio and instructors. There were specific routines each semester, which the studio's classes learned and mastered before taking them to performance competitions.

 

[elementsoul]

? There's probably one of those Pokemon Centers near the gym, right? Or maybe some place with food...?

?Umm?? Erika lightly said as she pulled out her Pokégear and started to scan through the map of Gensia before finding Kalita City.

?Let?s see there?s two Pokémon Centers. Huh. It looks like the city?s kind of split in two or something and you need to take a tramway between the two. I?ve never seen one of those before. Anyways there?s one Pokémon center on either side of the city and it kind of looks like the gym is on the other side of the tramway, so we?d need to cross it to get there. In terms of food there isn?t much on this side of the city.

Let?s see okay restaurant reviews. Yuck, people actually eat that. Okay here we go this seems more normal. Not bad. Not bad. Pretty good. Well based on online reviews there?s some good cafes and stuff around the gym as well. Could probably grab something to eat at one of them if you?re planning on getting your Pokémon healed as well.? Erika spouted out completely missing the fact that half of what she said could have been found out by reading the signs or looking at the city itself.

Finally Erika put her Pokégear away and looked over to the boy she had more or less been walking beside for a while as they entered the city. He wasn?t much taller than herself, and his clothing seemed a little more thrown together, like something you could damage or wear into without caring. Ultimately the thing that caught her interest was the carabiners on his belt loops.

?I?m not sure I?ve met you before, it?s been crazy so far today you know? I?m Erika. I noticed those carabiners on your belt loops. Do you hike or rock climb or something?? Erika asked after introducing herself.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Over on the side of the gym, Russel had stretched back, watching Heidi and Barrett battle. Once the whole thing was done, Russel whistled, sitting back up. "Good show. And now I got to see Barrett's TM move. Doesn't seem that bad. No need to change the plan too much..." He then turned to see the girl Heidi had come in with. He smiled and waved to her. "Hey, your friend did pretty good! So, are going to challenge him next?"

 

[NeoAC]

As Jen came running back to her, Laila took a defensive stance, ready to go after the perceived threat to her younger sibling, but the Water-type appeared to have no interest in battle. As Gideon moved to attack the food instead, Laila turned back to Jen. "Torchic. Chicchictorchictor." It's fine. I'm gonna eat now. You should too.

Laila headed towards the food as Robyn released the rest of her Pokemon as Alix had done before. Scout quickly went over to the food trough that now lay on the ground near Alix's own, while Natalie hopped in step behind him. Sauza was uninterested in the food, as predicted, laying motionless behind the booth.

"While we're waiting... what kind of dancing do you do again? You mentioned a 'crew'?"

"Um, yeah," Robyn said, taking a sip of her lemonade as she leaned back. "Well, I was in ballet for the longest time, but it wasn't really getting me anywhere, you know? So I met up with these guys back home, they do crew dancing. It's more athletic than ballet, it's more about speed and that kind of...frenetic movement other than ballet that's more slow and deliberate, and I enjoy doing that more." If I can still do it. "It plays to my strengths and the guys back home, they're like my brothers now. Like I said, it's because of them I'm even here, ready to go after these Gym Leaders. Which is why I have a bit of a problem." She looked over to her team, still at the trough. "Natalie, come here."

"Bluuuueuuuu?" The Swablu looked up from the tray, piece of food still in it's mouth. She quickly swallowed it and hopped back towards the booth.

Robyn sighed. "No Natalie, come up here." She tapped her hand on the table top.

The cottony wings spread out for takeoff, but the pilot didn't seemed to want to heed the lights, instead staying grounded. "Bluuu.....bluuuueuuuu....." Natalie looked down at the ground and shook her head.

A bang on the table was heard as Robyn's head connected with decorated plywood. "See?" She rested her chin on her arms. "Natalie doesn't want to fly, and I can't coax her to do it. I know Nina should just roll over those Ground types in there,"

"Lillil!" Nina was happy to hear her name, but not moved enough to stop eating the food.

"but just in case she comes across one that gets the better of her, I gotta have a back up plan. Sauza can't move, Laila's a liability, and Scout might be able to handle it, but getting a type with immunity in there would be the way to go. But what good is immunity if Natalie won't even use it?"

The waitress arrived back at the table with a large plate of nachos. The cheese didn't look completely melted, like it could have used a few more seconds in the oven, but all the veggies were there and ready to be eaten. Between talking about her lost career and her clipped flyer, some comfort food would be greatly appreciated.

 

[CounterAttack]

Alix took a moment to consider Robyn's commentary on the Gym they had to face. Ground-types... if Matti were a Togetic he'd have the immunity of a Flying-type. But, of course, the baby Pokémon was still in his junior stage, and Alix had no idea when he would change form. Gideon, being a Water-type, was the ideal choice, but it was just like Robyn said. A backup couldn't hurt.

Her entire team was still rather inexperienced, though. Stana didn't have anything except Tackle and thus had the potential to be outmanoeuvred; Ludevic would have to rely on the unpredictable Metronome; Jen was a no-go especially since she needed some one-on-one time before getting her into battles; and Alix didn't like the idea of setting Matti in the arena. He wouldn't understand what was going on... he might even get his shell cracked or chipped. Gym Leaders often had considerably stronger teams than most Trainers or the wild Pokémon on the surrounding routes. Flannery was living proof of that.

Gideon was one of Alix's most recent catches. He'd proven his bravery and accuracy on the way into Kalita... but was that enough to take on one or more Pokémon owned by a Gym Leader?

"Togepi?" Matti poked his inattentive Trainer, hoping for more food. Alix was brought back to reality by the tiny Pokémon, giving him the last half-block she'd broken up before turning her attention to the nachos and helping herself to some.

"Hmm... I might be in a similar situation. For the Gym battle, I mean," she quickly clarified. "I mean, I've got the type advantage thanks to Gideon, but I don't even know how effective he would be against a regular Trainer, let alone a Gym Leader. Maybe I'll head back to Route 3 after dinner, get some extra training in before the Gym." Maybe she would get lucky and run into a Trainer who had similar plans. Or, if Robyn agreed to it, they could stage a practice match.

 

[NeoAC]

"I could do a quick battle if you wanted," Robyn offered as she dug into the nachos. She took a big chunk, making sure a few of the large jalapeno peppers were on there. "If you're just looking for some warm-up action or something, we could do something to get some training in." Maybe Sauza would evolve. That would solve everything. Wouldn't even need Natalie at that point.

Her attention turned back to the Flying type, who returned to the trough with Laila and Scout. I wish I knew what was keeping you down on the ground floor, girl...

 

[Pm0n3y]

Morgan and Brandon continued to converse well after Russell made his departure. Trivial things, mostly. But as the topic floated back to pokémon, Morgan remembered something. "Roll call." He realized that he still had two new 'mons in his disposal that he hadn't acquainted himself with. One of the things he learned in basic was to get in touch with your pokémon on a personal, emotional level. He figured now would be the best time to do it, while things were still and he wasn't moving around.

Reaching for the two, newer pokéballs on his belt, Morgan released the additions to his party, and as the light faded the Weedle and Squirtle began to confusedly scan their surroundings before giving Morgan their attention. "Hey, hi." He started with a quaint wave. "My name, is Morgan. And you two (along with a couple of others), will join me as I traverse this new, uncharted terrain they call the Gensia region." He told the two in a lofty, grandiose tone. The Weedle looked to be along for the ride. The Squirtle looked more peeved than impressed. "Squir squir squirtle..." It mumbled defiantly as it crossed its arms. Morgan pretended not to notice as he continued his spiel. "See the world! Take in the sights! Participate in epic battles! Grow and evolve into bigger and better pokémon!"

Eager to show its readiness, the Weedle began inching onto Morgan's hand. "You'll be Sting. That sound cool to you?" Morgan asked the fuzzy little worm, and received elated chittering in reply as it began standing on it's equally tiny hind legs. "And you, my young Squirtle, from now on you'll be...Bruce. How's that sound?" Bruce rolled his eyes in annoyance. Morgan shrugged in return. "Welp, you're gonna hafta deal with it until I can come up with a better name." And with that, he returned the two to their respective devices. With that done, his attention went back to Brandon. "Next on the agenda (I guess), would be to scope out Barrett's Gym." He began collecting his things as he rose from the seat. "You've already fought 'im, but I won't stop you from tagging along, bro. Hot girls will be a guarantee, if you're looking for any extra encouragement." He added with a smirk.

 

[tsatoma]

"That is a nice Squirtle you have there," Brandon started after Morgan brought out two of his latest captures to introduce himself to, "I find it quite amazing that Gensia has Pokemon that are considered rare, such as different region's starter Pokemon. Means that building a great team will be simpler; the hardest part will be deciding which Pokemon are on your main team."

At the mention of Morgan heading to the gym, Brandon's three Pokemon seemed to perk up. "No, we're not going back to battle," Brandon elaborated, with two thirds of his team looking down in the dumps at that news. "We can go battle later if you'd like," he added, watching his Drilbur and Marill look excited at the thought. "I almost wish they didn't seem so keen on getting into fights with other Pokemon," he said to Morgan with an exasperated chuckle, paying for his and his company's food as he got up and put on his jacket.

"Pokeball?" he asked his three Pokemon, watching them give him a sad look to indicate their feelings on the matter. "At the rate we're going I won't even need Pokeballs," he told Morgan, picking up his little Drilbur while his other two Pokemon got out of their seats to follow. "I'll show you the way over to the gym. It is pretty easy to find. Looks kinda terrible on the outside, but is nice once you get inside. You'll see what I mean."

 

[SkyeNeko]

Eurydice walked in first, but it looked like Heidi was going to go first. Eurydice didn't mind at all. It meant she got to see this Barrett's pokemon, and come up with her strategy before hand. But gym leaders had to prepare for that right? She assumed he would use a different lineup, or at least a mixed up line up. That was the only way that he could be ready for challengers that came in right after another... she wondered if he was able to properly care for the whole rack of pokemon behind him. If they all had names? She wondered about trainers who wanted to "Catch them all". The way she saw it, you only needed to keep a pokemon while there was a mutual benefit. Sure there were pokemon like Ponyta that were near and dear, but you couldn't possibly have a hundred something pokemon and love them and rain them all individually could you? They would be happier in the wild, she reasoned.

While Heidi and Barrett battled, Eurydice took notes in her notebook, occasionally breaking the monotonous lines with a few quick sketches. Barrett used moves that affected the weather... Sandstorm would make things a little difficult. None of her pokemon had trained with that yet. It would be harder to see and to move around. Ground pokemon wouldn't have any problems with that, giving them the advantage.

The fight wasn't too long. You couldn't clog up the gym with hour long battles after all. "Hey, your friend did pretty good! So, are going to challenge him next?" It was that trainer with the... blobby looking pokemon. She nodded with a determined smile. If Heidi could do it, so could she!

"Alright, now that one of you has battled me, how about one of the other two step up and give me another challenge? I'd love to see what you're gonna throw out at me!" Eurydice gingerly stepped up onto the platform, looking to see which pokeballs he would pick up next. "Ha ha! You going second then missy? Let's go!"

Barrett's first pokemon was... gone in a flash of light. All that remained in the dirt was a hole. Eurydice knit her brows together in confusion. Then a small head popped out. "Diglett Dig! Diglett Dig!" Oh, just a Diglett... From what she remembered, they could get pretty powerful moves, but... yeah hopefully the gym leader wasn't using ultra strong 'mons. She nodded and threw her pokeball. It cracked open to reveal a ruffled Ducklett. She figured since it was part Flying, she'd have an easier time. Not to mention the type advantage. It might have been a one sided fight had it not been for the problem of Ducklett's attitude. Hopefully she wouldn't have to worry too much about that since there didn't seem to be too many attacks that would hit her in the first place.

Barrett lost no time in ordering the Diglett to attack. "Alright Diglett! Let's show that bird how it feels to be grounded! Scratch attack!" It must be frustrating to not be able to use ground attacks. The small Diglett burrowed, she assumed, towards Ducklett, who now waddled over to the hole curiously. Quick as lightning the Diglett popped up under Ducklett and tossed it up. "Waaak!" The "attack" startled the Ducklett more than hurting it. "Lett! Lett lett!"She filled up her cheeks with water. Eurydice was more confident that at least it would fight now, if only for itself. The Ducklett stuck her bill as far in the tunnel as she could and blew a plethora of bubbles through it. There was a panicked "DIGLETT!", and Eurydice could see mounds of dirt where the Diglett must have been zipping back and forth underground to avoid the water. Using a Diglett just seemed like a bad idea altogether.

"OK, OK, you've got some moves." Barrett returned his Diglett, taking out his last pokemon. "But let's see what you do with this! Go Swinub!"

Eurydice had to consult her Pokedex. An Ice/Ground pokemon huh? It was a good thing Ducklett was Water/Flying... "Swinub, use Icicle Spear!" Snow started to solidify into small icicles. The Swinub launched the sharp projectiles at Ducklett, who was getting more and more convinced that this battling thing wasn't where she wanted to be. She ran in circles, pelted by ice. "Lett! Leeettt!" It turned a few times to throw some Bubbles its way, but other than that, it seemed rather discouraged. This wasn't going to go anywhere, Eurydice could already tell. "Remember, only two pokemon little lady! Careful who ya throw out!" Barrett laughed.

Eurydice did a quick mental check of her pokemon. That Ice is going to kill Budew... If it has any ground moves, my Geodude won't help. Ponyta... again ground. Same with Shinx... This was really leaving her in a pickle. It looked like there was only one choice... Ralts appeared in a flash of light, barely a glance at the Swinub before breaking into a small run herself. She knew not to stand in the way of one. "Rrrrralts!" It was easier to train and direct Ralts. Probably because she was Psychic. Growl! Ralts wasn't going to last long against physical attacks, so Eurydice removed that one first. But the same thing applied ot Swinub: it wasn't going to survive Ralts' Confusion for long. It was just a test of endurance now... Swinub abandoned the Ice for a more practical Tackle, catapulting itself at the Ralts any chance it got.

"Why don't ya encourage the poor thing! Tell it how good a job it's doin, or tell it how to attack!" Eurydice glared at Barrett. Her pokemon were perfectly capable of fighting for themselves with what she already taught them. Sure, he was probably just trying to be helpful, but Eurydice made up her mind already. Ralts picked up on her surge in confidence, running a little faster and attacking a little stronger. It was just the edge they needed to tire out the Swinub. It was knocked out as Ralts delivered a final Confusion point blank.

"Well I'll be... Congratulations! You must really trust your Pokemon. That'll get ya far though. Interesting stategy!" The gym leader had a good laugh as Eurydice climbed down. He clasped her back with a heavy hand that made her hack, handing her the gym's little "you've won" package with the other. "And we have our second winner! I guess that makes you next!" Barrett gave Russel a thumbs up. "Come on, off the bench, time to fight!"

 

[Mr. Omega]

Russel watched Eurydice battle, giving a quick round of applause when she won. "Shine on, freaky little mute kid." he said to himself before Barrett pointed at him. After hearing his challenge, he got up, stretched and started shambling over to the arena. "Right... 'bout time we get this started."

He was taking his time getting up to where the other trainers were, causing Barrett to get impatient. "Could you hurry it up? I'm 0 and 2 since I got back, and I'd like to get a few more matches to try and even that out..." Russel shrugged, pulling out his first pokeball. "Eh, no rush. Just send out your first pokemon and we can get started." Barrett calmed down, reaching to another ball and throwing it onto the field. "Go, Trapinch!" A red, big-mouthed ant emerged from the ball, snapping his jaw. Pinch!

Russel threw his own ball to the center of the arena "Get'm, Mera!" Mera materialized from the white light, looking at her opponent, ready to go. Lotad! "Water Gun, go!" Russel commanded, not even waiting for Barrett to make the first move. Despite being caught off guard, Barrett responded before the water hit "Trapinch, dodge!" Trapinch jumped to the side, still getting grazed be the attack, landing to the left. "Good, now use Sand Attack!" He responded by scooping a large amount of sand in his maw, spitting them at Mera. "Mera! Duck and fire back!" Russel shouted. Mera lowered her head so that the lily pad on her head shielded her eyes. Once it was over, she shot more water at Trapinch, this time hitting it dead-center.

"Come on, Trapinch, get up and charge!" Barrett ordered. Trapinch managed to get up, running towards Mera. Mera kept trying to hit it with water, but Trapinch managed to leap over the stream of water, landing right in front of her. "Faint Attack!" Trapinch stopped, looking calmly at Mera. This caught her off guard, making her stop the Water Gun she was about to fire before Trapinch kicked her in the face. "Now use Bite!" Trapinch opened his jaw, scooping up Mera from the side so she couldn't shoot any more water at him, and biting down on her, jerking his head back and forth.

Russel hastily called out "Mera! Use Water Gun! Try and knock him off balance!" Mera did so, and while Trapinch did get knocked off his side by the force of the water, he quickly regained balance and chomped down on Mera. TAD! "Dammit! Try uh... um... Got it! Use Absorb!" Mera started to glow green, and small green orbs started flying from Trapinch into her. He kept shaking and slamming his head into the ground to hurt Mera, but the damage seemed to be lessened. With each passing second, Trapinch's attacks were less fierce, until he finally let go, dropping Mera on the ground. "Now finish him!" Russel shouted, and Mera's glow intensified, taking a few last bits of energy before Trapinch collapsed.

Barrett shook his head, withdrawing Trapinch. "You did all you could, little buddy." Russel cheered, pumping his fist "Way to go, Mera!" Barrett smirked. "Think you've got me? Well try this! Go, Hippopotas!" Emerging from the flash of light stood a small hippo in various shades of brown. It growled, staring at Mera. Suddenly the sand started to shift, swirling around. Russel decided not to take any chances "Mera, Water Gun!" She obliged, shooting a stream of water, but the sand kept swirling and absorbed some of the impact. "It's a sandstorm! It starts up whenever Hippopotas is out to battle!"

Once the water had stopped, Hippopotas was gone, hidden within the sands. Barret then called out "Tackle!" Hippopotas erupted from the storm, slamming into Mera before vanishing again. Russel kept scanning the field but couldn't see through the sand. "Don't know what else can work... Mera! Try Nature Power!" Mera nodded, this time an aura the color of the sand around her surrounded her, and the ground began to shake. After a few seconds, Hippopotas jumped out of the sand, unsteady on his feet. "Water Gun!" he shouted out now that there was a clear target. "Oh no you don't! Hippopotas, Bite!" Barret shouted in response. Hippopotas took the Water Gun to the face, but bit down on Mera. "Don't let them counter-attack! Throw her across the arena!" Barrett called out. Hippopotas nodded, biting down on Mera again before chucking her away. Mera tried to get up, but fell forward on her face, unable to go on.

"Looks like she's down for the count. So who's next?" Barrett said, calling Hippopotas back to his own side of the arena. Russel took a moment to think. Munchie has a weakness against ground, but that bite would tear Rory to shreds. Munchie could win, but I hope Mera softened him up enough to pull through. He sighed, turning to Munchie, who nodded right before jumping down. "Show'm what for, Munchie!" Munchie gave Mera a reassuring pat on the back before Russel called her back into her ball, and then turned to face Hippopotas.

"Get'em, Munchie!" He took a fighting stance, but then yawned before resuming that stance. Gulp. "Hippopotas, use Sand Attack!" Hippopotas turned around and kicked sand into Munchie's mouth while he was still yawning, causing him to cough and sputter. " Now use Tackle!" Barrett shouted, and the sand began to start swirling around again as it charged at Munchie. "Munchie, dodge and use Smog! As much as possible!" Russel replied. Unfortunately, Munchie was still reeling from the Sand Attack and was tackled, rolling into the center of the arena. He got back on his feet, looked up and started coughing up smoke. The dark green smog was caught up in the sandstorm, and before long then entire arena was covered in a haze.

"You think that scares me? Hippopotas! Use Bulldoze!" Barrett ordered. However, nothing happened. "Can't you hear me? Use Bulldoze!" Russel grinned from ear to ear. "Yawn seems to have taken effect by now. Muncie! WHALE ON HIM!" Through the smoke, Munchie jumped on top of Hippopotas and began pounding the back of his head repeatedly. "Come on, Hippopotas! Use Bulldoze!" Barrett yelled in frustration. Suddenly, Hippopotas yawned, waking up in the middle of the field. Registering his trainer's command, Hippopotad stood up on his hind legs before slamming down on the ground. The shockwave from the impact dispersed some of the Smog and dislodged Munchie from his back. Now in clear view, Barrett called out "Got him! Now use Bulldoze again!" Hippopotas got back on his hind legs, ready to stomp Munchie before Russel spat out "Gas him and get back in the smokescreen! Now! HIDE!" Munchie shot out a stream of purple gas in Hippopotas' face before jumping back into the smog, less thick than it was before thanks to the smoke being scattered, right before Hippopotas stomped on the ground again, making the smokescreen even less effective. "One more Bulldoze! Get rid of his cover!" Barrett cried as Hippopotas stomped again, clearing the smog the way a fan would. He seemed a little woozy from the gas but was more concerned with the fact that Munchie was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is he?" Barrett asked, looking all over the area. "He must be hiding in the sand stirred up by the sandstorm! Hippopotas, stomp him out!" Hippopotas got to the center of the arena and stomped down. "Check where he ran off to! He didn't have that much time to hide!" Hippopotas used Bullzoe two more times when suddenly the shifting sand showed a yellow stem sticking out of it in the corner. "Aha! There he is! Tackle him out!" Hippopotas charged, knocking the submerged Munchie out of the sand and under the red platform. "Now use Bite!" He leaned over to get a better view. Hippopotas charged at Munchie, his mouth wide open. "Munchie! Smog! Point blank!" Munchie quickly opened his mouth and belched out a stream of smoke into the charging Hippopotas' mouth. Hippopotas started coughing and hacking, bits of purple smoke coming out as well. Poison's almost taken its toll... "Munchie! Pound!" Munchie jumped forward and pounded Hippopotas square on the nose, but it shook him off.

Barrett saw the opportunity and called out "Now! Use Bulldoze!" Russel saw Munchie didn't have time to dodge, commanding Munchie "Brace yourself!" Hippopotas slammed down as Munchie moved to guard. The blow sent Munchie flying towards Russel's platform. He managed to get back up, barely able to stop himself from passing out. "Now finish it! Tackle!" Barrett ordered. Hippopotas started charging, and Munchie stood ready to try and counter. However, as Hippopotas reached the center, it slowed down considerably, and then as it got close to Munchie, it slumped forward and crashed into the ground. It let out an exhausted sighed with purple smoke in its breath, the poison finally overtaking it as it passed out.

Russel and Barrett stood there in silence for a moment before Russel piped up. "Did... did I win?" Munchie looked back, trying to give Russel the closest thing it could to a thumbs-up. Gulp Gulpin! "I won!" He shouted, leaping into the air and extending his arms up. He quickly slouched back once he hit the ground, heading down to Munchie. "Way to go, Munchie! I knew you could do it!" I was hoping to end it while it was still asleep, but having poison to fall back on was a good back-up plan...

Barrett clapped as h approached Russel. "Well done, well done... Perhaps a little more underhanded than your other two friends, but a win is a win. You earned it." he said, handing Russel the Arena Badge and TM. Russel snatched it out of his hands, shaking Barret's one hand with both of his. "Thank you! Good fight, man!" he then turned back to Munchie. "How about we watch one more match or two and then get Mera to the Pokemon center?" Munchie shook his head, pointing at Mera's ball. "Right. Center first, THEN battles." he waved to Barrett before heading out the door.

 

[CounterAttack]

"I could do a quick battle if you wanted. If you're just looking for some warm-up action or something, we could do something to get some training in."

A practice match sounded like a good plan. Of course, the question of a backup Pokémon remained, if Gideon couldn't last against more than one Pokémon. Alix mulled over her options again as she helped herself to half of the remaining nachos. They had vanished pretty quickly: put together, the two Trainers had gone through the plate rather fast.

As had their Pokémon, or Alix's at least. Their tray of food had been picked clean, save for the remnants in Stana's slightly overfilled mouth. Dangit. I forget how much some Pokémon can eat. Jen seemed to have gotten over her fear of the others, as she was looking at Gideon's pendant with her head cocked to one side.

"Sure, I could go for a practice match. Ready when you are," she noted, pulling her wallet from one pocket just in case. Matti, still in Alix's lap, began to fidget. As usual, he wanted to run around right after eating.

[hr]

The stands in Barrett's Gym had a few groups of people watching the battling. It was a common practice to have at least some people in an audience for a Gym battle in most cities: free entertainment was free entertainment, and the Gensia League was still new and therefore awaiting plenty of challengers. Sure enough, a trio of Trainers passed Russel on his way out, one of whom immediately bounded up the stairs to the challenger's platform.

"Ah, looks like Zacharias is back again. With six badges this time!" Barrett noted upon reading the display on his side of the arena. "Come to claim your seventh... or try to?"

"You know it," the challenger declared, opening a Poké Ball. "Hadrian, you're on!" A bipedal, blue and black Pokémon appeared in the arena, forepaws raised.

Barrett laughed it up. "Bringing back the ole faithful, eh? Well, I know just the thing to stop a Lucario in its tracks. Go, Golurk!" The Gym Leader sent out his own Pokémon: a nine-foot-tall blue-green monstrosity met the floor with a crash that shook most of the building, dwarfing the Fighting/Steel challenger and pretty much everything else in its vicinity.

"Oh my."

 

[NeoAC]

"Let's do it up then," Robyn agreed as she reached into her sweatshirt pocket to produce a few Pokedollars to cover the meals of her and her team. There still appeared to be a few morsels left in the tray, but her Pokemon were not making any moves to try and finish the final bits off, as they all looked to be sated. Scout in particular looked to have rounded out a bit after all that food, as the Normal-type laid out on the floor looking up with a smile on his face. Natalie and Laila were still talking while Sauza stood there as usual. The look in it's eyes almost had a hint of depression, probably at the fact that it couldn't get any of the food on offer.

"Lillil!" Nina seemed to sense that the end of the food was coming and cried out in protest to make sure she had time to finish what was on her plate.

"Fine, eat those and lets go Nina."

Nina quickly stuffed the remaining two chunks of food in her mouth, making her look like a failed experiment crossing Patrats and parsley. "Lmmmmmmlmlm."

Robyn laughed. "I figured you had eyes bigger than your mouth, but I guess I was wrong." She returned the rest of her team to their balls and picked up the Petilil. "So, where you want to do this, Alix?"

 

[Fragrance of Mtn Dew]

Alan had just finished writing in his notebook when he heard the nurse calling for him. Finally it was time to head to the gym. He snapped the notebook shut and slid it into his bag before heading to the counter to collect his Pokemon. As he exited the Pokecenter and began walking to the gym he let Mary out of her ball since he could trust her not to run off but figured it would better to keep Samson and Clay from wearing themselves out again.

It was just a short walk from the center to Barrett's gym and soon Alan stood in front of the doors. This would be his first time participating in a gym battle and his third battle against another trainer so he was a bit nervous to say the least. Mary seemed a bit apprehensive as well, slowly backing away from the doors. "Don't worry, you won't be fighting like I said." Alan reassured her with a small smile. "It's all on Clay and Samson from here. And me too I guess." He said before taking a deep breath and opening the door, Mary following hesitantly behind him.

Alan was pleasantly surprised to see that the inside of Barrett's gym was in much better shape than the outside and actually looked like a pretty nice open-air arena with plenty of spectator seating. He wasn't here to watch and he certainly wasn't here to admire the decor though. He was here to fight, although it looked like a battle had just started up. "Guess we'll see what this guys got before we take him on then..." Alan muttered, moving into the stands to get a good view and wait his turn.

He wasn't prepared for the giant Pokemon that Barrett unleashed which shook the entire gym simply from exiting it's Pokeball. Next to him Mary flinched and cowered behind him and for once Alan couldn't blame her. This was on an entirely different level from the battles he had experienced so far. "Well.... I hope he takes it a little easier on us." He said with a nervous chuckle as he watched the battle unfold.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Russel had almost reached the exit of the Gym when a blue colossus of a Pokemon erupted from Barrett's pokeball. "Daaaaaamn." he said, stopping to watch what the challenger would do. However, Munchie prodded Russel's leg. Gulpin. he pointed at the nearby Pokemon Center. "Right, right. Mera. Hope she's ok. That Hippopotas had one hell of a bite..."

He walked in, dropping off Mera and Munchie at the center, giving Munchie a pat on the head as the nurse took him off to be treated. He sighed, reaching into his pocket and sending out Rory. Rory was nodding off, shaking his head when he started leaning forward. Ral? "C'mon, Rory. Let's go for a watch a quick battle at the gym." He lifted Rory onto his shoulder as they walked out the door.

 

[CounterAttack]

"So, where you want to do this, Alix?"

"Um... well, we could see if there's a park or something, or just have a match near the Pokémon Center," Alix suggested as the two Trainers each passed a few notes to the cashier on duty. She had returned everyone on her team to their Balls except Matti and Jen, the latter of which stuck close to Alix's feet and occasionally gave a quiet chirrup. "Near the Center sounds better, based on the time."

"Sounds good to me," Robyn agreed. She had everyone returned to their balls, save for Nina, who got a ride in her arms. "Probably best to do it like that if we're going to be taking on the Gym Leader today too, right?"

"Yup." With their plan sorted, the girls headed for the Pokémon Center at the top of the hill: Barrett's Gym was practically the Center's next-door neighbour. As they walked, Alix tried to think over which would be the best on her team to go up against Robyn. She was likely to use her Grass-type to take down Barrett, while Alix had a Water-type as her best choice against the Gym Leader. Ludevic wasn't likely to see any major combat until he evolved into Kadabra and learned a move that wasn't as unreliable as Metronome.

Once they were standing a short distance from the Center doors, Alix turned to face her practice opponent. "So... I take it you plan on having Nina take on the Gym?" she queried.

[hr]

The match between the Golurk and Lucario was quick and decisive, with the latter releasing a powerful Dark Pulse to knock out the Ground/Ghost Pokémon. Up next came the red-and-black Krookodile, who got a solid hit in with a Bulldoze-Dig combo before falling to a pair of Drain Punches. Third and last on Barrett's team was a hovering Claydol, thrashing the Lucario and taking down the next two Pokémon from the challenger - a Vileplume and a Feraligatr - in a surprise comeback for the Gym Leader.

"Ah, that was a grand battle. But unfortunately for you, Zacharias, I win," Barrett declared, chuckling a little as the audience gave a round of applause for both sides. "Any other takers?"

 

[RBMidknight]

"Do you hike or rock climb or something?"

"Yes, I climb!" Elias replied enthusiastically. "And hike." He nodded and the movement upset the sunglasses on his head so he tugged them down to his neck where they hung by a strap.

"I haven't been on a good climb in a while." Elias suddenly realized. He frowned. He'd been traveling too much. Was there anything in this place he could climb? He shook his head. Probably not.

"I'm Elias." He added. "And I really don't care where we eat." Looking down, Elias noticed his own watch. 'Not a watch. X-transceiver? Cross-transceiver?'. He'd only used the device a few times. The function he used most was the watch part so he forgot it did anything else.

"Hey," Elias held his arm out, turning his wrist to try and angle his screen towards Erika. "Can mine get reviews like yours does?"

 

[elementsoul]

?I?m sure that you could find someplace to climb. I could have sworn I saw a mountain somewhere on the map,? Erika said in a more cheerful tone as the two walked towards the tram station.

When Elias asked about the x-transceiver Erika was a bit embarrassed. ?I umm?I don?t exactly know. I?ve seen x-transceivers before and heard about them, but I?ve never actually used one. I could probably figure it out if you could.? Erika replied in her casual warm tone. Although we could never afford one.

The two had boarded the tram by this point and Erika watched as the sun disappeared and reappeared from beyond the buildings as it moved across the city. It was a sight that would be overlooked by most people who lived in the city, but for her there was something mesmerizing about it.

?So what do you feel like eating?? Erika asked out of nowhere as they neared the station at the other Pokémon Center.