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

[NeoAC]

An old saying goes "There is no such thing as a free lunch." The next best thing though, was buffets of any kind. Robyn was taking full advantage of the one put out by the Pokemon Center, as she took full advantage of the Continental breakfast spread, loading up on carbs like she did pre-injury. On her second batch of pastries, she looked over at her Pokemon, who were enjoying the fine selection of Pokemon chow put out by the staff, although Nina was more interested in the human food and Sauza, well Sauza still wasn't moving. Scout, Natalie and Laila were enjoying it.

"All right team," she said, downing the last bit of her orange juice. "We're rolling out!"

She got a cheer from the group before returning the largely immobile Sauza. Ready to take on the world, she picked up Nina and headed out to the counter. Alix didn't show up in the line up for breakfast, and she didn't seem like the type to oversleep. She asked the attendant, "Hey, have you seen a girl bout this high" holding her hand to her cheek level, "brown and blonde hair? With a Togepi?"

"Alix?" the nurse asked in confirmation. "She left here for the gym half an hour ago."

"WHAT!" Robyn exclaimed. "Damn it! C'mon guys! We gotta go!" Robyn took off as fast as she could comfortably allow herself, which gave the other Pokemon a bit of chance in keeping pace with the trainer.

After a few minutes, Robyn arrived at the Gym, a lineup having already formed out in front. As she stopped to confirm that the mass of people was not a mirage, she stopped to catch her breath, allowing Laila, Scout and finally the hopping Natalie to catch up and wait behind their trainer.

"Sennnntrettt!" Scout gave a sort of weary confirmation that he was there. Laila wasn't near as chipper, as her chirps sounded agitated. "Tor! Chic! Chic!"

"Oops. Sorry guys," Robyn apologized as she returned the three chasers to their Pokeballs. "Got a little carried away there."

"Petilil," Nina agreed.

"Shoot, how am I going to get past this line-up?" Robyn wondered to herself. Then she spotted the familiar hairstyle of her favorite person of the moment in all of the past day.

"Aw Alix!" She exclaimed as she moved up to where here and Erika stood. "Holding my spot for me? You're such a good friend!"

"Nope." Alix wasn't budging for the dark-skinned trainer. "In behind."

Robyn looked like she was just stabbed in the back. "How could you do this to me?" she asked in mock betrayal.

Alix shrugged. "The way I work is, people line up based on the order they get here." She pointed at the Asian-Johtoan. "Erika's first," The finger moved to herself. "Then me," Finally she pointed at Robyn and Nina. "Then you."

Robyn remained defiant in the face of Alix's logic, but was happy this meant she had a spot in the lineup. "Fine! Whatever! Gonna be the quickest one out anyway. Nina's going to clean up!"

"Petipetililllll!" Nina maintained her trainers confidence, even if she didn't really look the part of the imposing battler.

"So what time is this guy opening up, anyway? Didn't realize Gyms had business hours like specialty hat stores."

 

[Lambi]

Heidi congratulated Eurydice on her victory over Barrett, then it seemed they split apart as Eurydice headed towards a hotel to check in. Heidi herself would be staying at the Pokécenter, and after healing her team, she went to bed once the time for that came up.
[hr]
Heidi woke up the next day, probably a little later than the others. After she had a shower and a fresh change of clothes, she saw some of the others from the little group they'd been in eating in the main area of the Pokécenter. She, too, got herself some breakfast and let her Pokémon out so they could eat as well, and once everyone had eaten, she returned everyone but Yani to their Pokéballs and headed out to the gym.

The outside was crowded with trainers, not just the ones she'd been with since they got their Gensia Pokédexes from the Professor. Again, she saw some of the ones from the group, and this time, she managed to notice Eurydice amongst the crowd. "Hey, Eurydice!" she called to her before making her way to her. "I just wanted to say again, great work yesterday against Barrett. Maybe once we're stronger, we can fight each other." She giggled lightly at that. Yani buzzed over her head, anxious to watch gym battles. "Yes, I know, I want to get in too, but we have to wait until they open."

 

[elementsoul]

?Good Morning, Alix. I was planning on it, just waiting for the gym to open. Got here a little late last night and the gym had closed. What about yourself?? Erika asked while thinking about heading back to the center to heal her Pokémon in the meantime; ultimately deciding that she?d wait and see the battle format and determining if Burtha and Aerial would be enough with their typing advantages.

"Yep, I think my team is all set. My Oshawott, Gideon, is probably gonna be doing most of the heavy lifting." Alix slipped into line behind Erika as she answered. "Robyn and I got a practice match in last night to prepare."

?I just kinda got a practice match in too; trying to help another trainer coil her nerves.? Erika replied before an older man approached the pair.

"Hey uh, excuse me. Do either of you know when the gym will open? I'm assuming soon, but I don't think my Pokémon could take a long wait."

Erika quickly checked her Pokégear for the time. ?It should be opening any minute, it won?t be a long wait.?

"Looks like it should be only a few minutes you two," Brandon told his Drilbur and Marill, both cheering in excitement at the news. "Thanks for telling me, and I'm sure these two would thank you if they weren't so overjoyed. I'm Brandon by the way."

?I?m Erika. This is Alix and Robyn.? Erika said indicating the two with her arm before she poked into the end of their conversation that started when Brandon approached them.

?Right, she can clean up the ruins after I?m done with this gym.? Erika said before spotting Eurydice and Heidi over behind Robyn.

Sticking her index and middle fingers into her mouth, Erika let out a loud whistle. ?Eurydice and Heidi over here!? Erika called out, signaling them to join the group.

Hearing the whistle, Heidi turned around, noticing some of the others from the group. "There's some familiar faces. Let's head to them while we wait, shall we?" she said before she walked towards them. "Any of you that haven't taken the gym on? I did so yesterday." she said, showing them her badge.

?Nice,? Erika said with a slight hint of Jealousy. ?The three of us ladies still need to work over Barrett?s Gym for our badges.? With that said the Gym doors opened and people started filing inside.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Gotta do something about Rory's sleeping habits. Can a Pokemon have narcolepsy? Russel wondered to himself, carrying Mera in his arms with Munchie slipping around at his feet. His mind had been roaming after breakfast, still unsure of when he wanted to leave the city. "I'd at least like to wait until the new little guy hatches..." he wait, referring to the egg in his pocket. "If it hasn't hatched by the time we're done at the Gym, we're leaving. Sound good?" Lo Mera nodded, looking uncomfortable as they walked up to the gym.

Russel stopped, looking at her. "Look, we're not fighting that guy again. No need to worry." He sighed Maybe Mera isn't a battler. But she is having fun going with us...

He looked up to see a crowd of familiar trainers gathered at the front of the gym. "Oh hey. Those guys." he smiled, staying off to the side.

"I'm Erika. This is Alix and Robyn."

"So now I know their names... not a bad looking group, either." he muttered to himself. Munchie started wandering over, wanting to meet the Pokemon out and about.

"The three of us ladies still need to work over Barrett's Gym for our badges."

"Well, it's certainly nice of you gals to get up early to fight him. Still, would have served you better to actually challenge him yesterday." He said, pulling out and flashing his badge. "Hope you three put on a good show." He then started looking around for Munchie "Now where did he go...?"

 

[Pm0n3y]

Morgan stirred awake in his cot, rising from his slumber by way of an eager Poochyena licking at his face. "Alright, alright, I'm up, I'm up." He groaned and yawned, sitting up to face the hyperactive pup bouncing in his lap, the rhythmic thumping of his tail slapping at the sailor's leg. Morgan rubbed out his eyes, and performed a few test blinks before putting his glasses on. "So, I guess you're hungry?" Morgan asked the pup, giving him a scratch behind the ears.

"Yenyen!" Spike replied, bounding from the bed. "Okay, okay. Hold on, bud." He stood from the cot and stretched. For the first time since forever, Morgan was able to sleep in late. He almost forgot what it felt like to actually feel rested. Usually not a morning person, the sailor didn't feel like negative Nancy this particular morning.

"Huh, now that you mention it, I could eat something." He said to the Poochyena. Slipping into his sneakers and grabbing his bag, Morgan made his way to the front of the center, in order to feed and heal his party.

[hr]

One balanced breakfast later, Morgan departed from the Pokécenter. "So, now where do I go...?" He meandered up the street, and began to ponder on the next route he'd have to take to get to the next city and gym. "Shouldn't be too hard, just gotta get out my handy dandy map and i'll be-" FWEEEET! a divinely shrill whistle blew out, bringing Morgan's attentions towards the gym. Apparently, it had yet opened, and eager trainers stood outside it's doors. Including the motley crew of rogues that accompanied his travels the day prior.

"Hm. That's convenient." He mumbled over a smirk. "Well, if they haven't left the city yet, then I guess I don't have to either." Morgan headed towards the gang, managing to make out the tail end of Russel's spiel about the upcoming battles.

"Oh, so we're showing off our badges now?" Morgan greeted the girls as Russel began to search for his absent Gulpin. Rummaging through his pockets, he managed to present his own badge as well, as it sat amongst some loose change and pocket lint. "I'm kinda disappointed at how I got it, but, whatever." The more he thought about the badge, the more he realized he hadn't a special place to put it. Not that it concerned him all that much. As far as was concerned, he was in Gensia to be a sailor, not a Pokémon master.

"Oh hey, looks like you guys met Brandon, too." He singled out the miner, also sort of standing among the group. "He watched that embarrassing travesty of a battle go down last night..." Morgan continued through a sigh, making a quick mental recount of the disobedient Squirtle that led the fight. Spike, meanwhile, helped himself to all the familiar scents accumulating around him, happily making his sniffing rounds between Alix and Robyn.

 

[NeoAC]

As they stood around, more people recognizable from the previous day at the lab moved up into the lineup with the girls and the new guy. Some of them were flashing off badges already. It made Robyn quite jealous. Damn it. Already behind. We have to get this done quick then. Nina has to do it quick so we can move on to...wherever the heck we have to move on to.

 

[elementsoul]

The group filed into the gym and were directed towards the stands as someone else was first for the opening battle against Barrett. The rules were explained as two Pokémon, one on one battles. Barrett started out selecting Drilbur and his opponent sent out a Torchic. The battle was underway and not looking like it was going to be pretty for the challenger. Erika turned her head about to ask if anyone who?d beaten Barrett had any tips, but before she got her chance there was ?ooooo? from the crowd as the Torchic was down already.

Well that isn?t good. Erika thought to herself as a Rattata was released next by the trainer. This isn?t going to be pret? Erika didn?t even get to finish her thought as the Rattata was laid out in one hit. This time she audible joined the rest of the crowd as they showed there pain from watching such a beat down.

The trainer withdrew their Rattata and fled from the gym crying. Barrett hadn?t intended to destroy the kid that quickly; the Rattata was clearly under leveled for the gym considering how it went down in one shot. A challenge was issued for the next challenger and a lot of waiting trainers looked nervous due to the display showed. No one was immediately up besides Erika since she was set for first in her group, and knew that it?s easier to follow a poor showing, than a strong one.

Still Erika was growing worried as she walked down the stairs and took her spot in the trainers.

?Hey, weren?t you with group at the lake yesterday??

?Umm, ya.?

?Did you watch the first match??

Erika nodded yes.

?Do you need to hear the rules again??

Erika shook her head no as he took a Poké Ball off of her belt. Barrett did the same and both released their Pokémon at the same time.

Erika?s Pidgey and Barrett?s Sandshrew entered the battlefield at the same time.

?Aerial take flight and use Gust!? Erika commanded the instant Aerial fully materialized. The tiny bird Pokémon took to the air and created a strong gust of wind in the direction of the Sandshrew.

?Defense Curl.? Barrett simply responded. His Sandshrew turned into a spherical ball, and rolled back with the gust of wind to the far wall on the other side of the field. Next to no damage was done as the Pokémon made contact with the wall.

?Razor Wind!? Erika shouted. Aerial furiously beat her wings and a small tornado produced in the middle of the battlefield. The Sandshrew had started to roll back to his starting spot as this was happening and a wave of sharp slices of wind started to land around it. Quickly it sped up and started to avoid them, but as it got closer several blasts of wind made contact with the mouse Pokémon.

?Use Poison String.? Barrett said and his Sandshrew exited out of the ball briefly to fire two poison barbs at Erika?s Pidgey.

Hit by both barbs Erika?s Pidgey sank from the sky and struggled to remain in the air; it was clearly poisoned. Before Erika could place another order, the tornado dissipated and Barrett called out his next attack.

?Rollout!?

As a response his Sandshrew returned to his spherical form and rolled at the Pidgey at increasingly high speeds. The first attack hit dead on, and sent the Pidgey skidding along the ground; right to Erika?s feet.

Knowing her Pidgey was unable to continue battling; Erika returned it and pulled out her next Pokémon. ?Go Burtha!? Erika shouted as her Swinub appeared on the battlefield.

The Sandshrew continued its Rollout attack by progressively rolling faster at the pig Pokémon.

?Quick use Powder Snow!? Erika quickly countered. A cool, light blue glow appeared from the Swinub?s mouth as a wave ice crystals shot out. Upon hitting the Sandshrew, it slowed down and eventually collapsed upon its trip towards the Swinub.

?Not bad. It looks like I won?t be disappointed after your performance at the Lake yesterday.? Barrett said as he returned his Sandshrew and released a Rhyhorn onto the battleground.

?Now use Horn Attack.? Barrett commanded as his Rhyhorn lowered its head and charged at Erika?s Swinub.

?Powder Snow again.? Erika countered and a spray of much more condensed ice crystals hit the Rhyhorn and stuck to it. As the stream of snow slowed and stopped, Barrett?s Rhyhorn was left with its legs and body frozen in ice mid-charge. The Rhyhorn, while frozen, wasn?t completely out of the battle. Erika called for an addition Powder Snow attack that quickly pounded the immobile target, knocking it out of the battle.

Barrett was forced to return his Pokémon, and despite it being an anticlimactic win, Erika had won her first Badge. Quietly returning her Swinub, Erika collected her prize for the Victory and made her way back to the stands to sit with the rest of the group.

 

[CounterAttack]

Alix cheered for Erika during her match, trying to pick up a few pointers on how both sides battled. Being a Gym Leader, of course, Barrett had access to a variety of Pokémon, so he wouldn't have the same team lined up to face the next opponent. Which, of course, was herself.

"Well, you can't win 'em all, I guess. All right, who's next?" Barrett called out from his platform.

"That would be me," Alix declared, stepping up to a few cheers from the audience, Gideon's Ball in hand.

"Ah, another of the newcomers from Lake Lapis, eh? Well, let's see what you've got. Trapinch, you're up!" Barrett sent out a small, orange and white Pokémon with stubby legs and a considerably large head, featuring a set of powerful jaws. Alix recognised it as being native to Hoenn's desert, east of Lavaridge. It evolved into the part Dragon-type Flygon, if she remembered correctly.

As it was a pure Ground-type now, however, Alix had the perfect counter. Gideon was released into the sand arena, bouncing on his feet a couple of times before settling into place, one paw on the gem hanging around his neck and the other holding his scalchop ready to fight. "Osha!"

"Faint Attack, Trapinch!" The buglike Pokémon snapped its jaws and charged - albeit slowly - straight at Gideon. He tried to dodge, but was caught when the Trapinch swung its head to catch him in the side. Gideon skidded a short distance before getting a grip on the sandy floor. "Gideon, Water Gun!" At Alix's command the Oshawott spat a spray of water, drenching both the Trapinch and the ground beneath it.

Barrett was grinning now. "Another Faint Attack, little guy!" Trapinch kicked up some speed, ramming Gideon a second time before he had a chance to jump aside. It was faster now... why was that? Trapinch wasn't a species that could have Speed Boost, and Faint Attack wasn't the quickest of moves... Alix told Gideon to fire off another Water Gun to help bring the Trapinch down, and she watched as it flailed under the stream, getting back to its feet when Gideon stopped...

Then it hit her. The sand. Of course. Water hardened it up, making it a bit more solid underfoot and thus making it easier for the Trapinch to charge despite its slow speed. That was the trick to Barrett's arena, Alix figured. Still, it was showing signs of fatigue. A well-placed hit would probably take it out.

"Gideon, one more before it can charge again! Aim for the feet!" The third stream of pressurised water swept Trapinch's feet out from under it, and it struggled to get back up.

Barrett called back his defeated Trapinch and raised a second Ball. "Well played, but good luck trying the same tactic against this! Go, Baltoy! Psybeam!" A light brown Pokémon that resembled a clay figure materialised a few inches from the ground, hovering in place. Another Pokémon from Hoenn, Baltoy was also part Psychic.

It raised one of its flat arms to point at Gideon, and a crackling beam of purple light shot out of the red ring on its torso. Gideon raised his scalchop to try and block it, but the beam passed straight through, knocking him off his feet and into the arena wall. He struggled to get up, but got back to his feet with narrowed eyes.

"Gideon! Switch tactics! Tail Whip!" Gideon was puzzled by the change, but did as he was told, charging the Baltoy and smacking it with his tail a few times. When he retreated, Alix called him back to his Ball. Barrett raised his eyebrows, but didn't comment. In Gideon's place, Alix sent out Stana, the Pokémon on her team almost entirely immune to Psychic trickery. Gideon's Tail Whip had hopefully softened it up for Stana's physical attacks.

"Ah, clever... Rock Tomb!" Barrett called his attack without warning, and his Baltoy raised one arm again. Chunks of the sand that Gideon had hardened rose out of the arena floor and began to hurl themselves at Stana, who began to leap out of their way, though she growled throughout the endeavour as pieces of sand hit her.

"Stana, get up close! Go for a Tackle!" "Chyen!" Stana rushed the hovering Pokémon, but just as she got within a few feet she let out a loud shout almost like a roar and leaped for the levitating Baltoy. It recoiled as Stana's move, clearly more than a Tackle, connected. It landed on the ground, balanced perfectly on the spike underneath its central body.

Stana, having overshot the leap in her zeal, tried to turn before she too hit the arena wall. She succeeded, but barely. She snapped her jaws at the Psychic-type, which spun once on its spike and kicked up some sand in all directions.

"Whatever that was, Stana, do it again!" Improvising now, Alix hurriedly consulted her Pokédex to get an idea of what had just happened:

[table border=2]
[tr]
[td]Astonish - The user attacks the target while shouting in a startling fashion. This may also make the target flinch.[/td]
[/tr]
[td]Type:

[/td]
[/table]

She stowed the device as Stana rallied. The Dark-type let out another shout as she headbutted the Baltoy, knocking it off-balance. She bit its arm, worrying at it until Barrett called it back, tossing a small package across to Alix. "Well, ya beat me. There's your Arena Badge, plus the TM for Bulldoze." Alix carefully caught the pack, recalled Stana and stepped down from the platform.

One down, seven to go... hopefully the rest would be just as easy to beat.

 

[SkyeNeko]

Eurydice stayed close to Heidi as they went inside the gym. She figured their loose group would be leaving the city as soon as all their matches were done, and it wouldn't do to be left behind.

First to battle was Erika. She went up against a cute Sandshrew, one of Eurydice's favorite pokemon. They were all but absent in the Sevii Islands, but she remembered them from Route 8 outside of Saffron City. They'd tuck their face and ears down and close their carapace over themselves within a few seconds, sealing their soft parts in a hard ball. Pidgeys would come over and peck a few bugs out of their scales, before losing interest and finding amusement elsewhere. An ambitious Growlithe or two would try to gnaw at the hardened shell, but the Sandshrew would just wait patiently until they had tired and gone. Then, slowly at first, they would stick out their nose, then their eyes, then they unfurled, struggling to right themselves before waddling off into the tall grass for more adventure.

Erika did good enough. They weren't given badges based on their performance: all that mattered was whether you won or not. Alix went up next, with a much more straightforward match. She had her "Oshawott" out, but to her surprise, she didn't keep it out the whole match. Halfway through, she switched it out for a "Poochyena". Eurydice was grateful for the Pokedex entries rattling off in her ear while she kept her eye on the match. Alix was done with her match quick, and Robyn looked like she was going next... it was all going to be very nice, no doubt, but she felt like there was more to do outside the gym than in it, at this point.

Going to level pokemon

She stood up and made her way up the aisle, and to the exit. The sun was out and warm: perfect pokemon training weather. Ponyta trot out ahead, excited to start training as well.

 

[Mr. Omega]

Russel walked over to the side and sat along with the other spectators. Munchie had eventually waddled back over to him. "Gettin' bored? Relax, we'll watch 2 or 3, then head out." He reached into his backpack and handed him some berries, taking a few for himself. "A bit of a show to go with breakfast."

Erika was up first, and it seemed to end as soon as it started. "That little piggy packs a punch." Munchie seemed unimpressed, swallowing his meal in a single gulp. "Hey, no need to be jealous. You'll get some harder hitting moves soon. Besides, outsmarting the other guy has been working out well enough." He checked the Pokedex entry for Swinub as the other trainer, Alix went up to battle.

"See, now this one thinks a little more tactically. Still, seems a bit overcomplicated. That Oshawot would have worked just fine." Munchie jabbed Russel, thinking his remarks were rude. "What? It's true!"

He then turned his attention to Robyn, this time calling out. "Hey, good luck! Show'm what for!" he then sunk back into his seat, willing to watch one more battle. "Let's see if we can get the hat trick..." he said, unaware of the shaking in his backpack.

 

[NeoAC]

The electricity in the air was...non existent. Fitting for a Ground Gym. The crowd seemed to be craving more of the bigger badder fights that James had offered before, even if he went down in defeat. Seeing the Little Cup matches between common little Pokemon weren't as appetizing. But from the challengers circle, Robyn was watching intently. Both Erika and Alix came through their battles on the type advantages alone, a sign that boded well for the challenger from Castelia.

All right, it looks easy enough. Nina's going to roll through this and I'll be back at the Center for lunch.

"Next up! C'mon now!"

"All right! Let's do it!" Robyn moved quickly but gingerly onto the platform after giving Alix a high five on her way by. There was even a bit of support from the crowd, she could hear it in the shouts. "Castelia City represent!"

"From way out there, now? Well girl, let's me give ya a proper greetin' to Gensia! I'm expectin' a good match here!"

"You'll get one! Ready Nina!"

"Petipetilillllll!" The little Grass-type hopped out of Nina's arms and onto the battlefield. After watching the battle that her teammates got in yesterday, she was ready for a piece of the action.

"Not surprisin'," Barrett commented as yet another type advantage stepped onto the field. "Well, let's see if ya'll can step. Diglett! Time for battle!"

Barret released his first Pokemon, but it was hard to tell from the stands. The tiny little Mole Pokemon materialized on the floor, already half-buried in the dirt. "Digggglett!"

On the giant video screen facing the audience, the Pokemon were lit up underneath their trainers. As the generic photo of Petilil faced on an angle toward it's opponent, underneath her own official trainer photo, that's when it finally hit Robyn. This is really it. It's the big time. Time to get this path to the Championship officially underway.

"Your Diglett's cute, but Nina's going to beat it in looks and battle!" Robyn declared.

"Don't underestimate him, now!" Barrett attested. "Let's start it up! Diglett, lead with a Mud-Slap!"

"Digg!" Diglett quickly popped up and down, sending a spray of dirt that caught Nina in the face.

"Nina, don't take that! Fight back with Absorb!"

The Grass-type shook the dirt off, not pleased that it took that kind of a shot from the tiny Mole Pokemon. "Lillil!" The red beam that connected from the leaves to the Mole left the Ground-type in pain as it shut it's eyes. "Diggggggg!" A lot of fight left with that beam as what poked out of the ground was slumped over, barely able to keep it's head up.

"C'mon now Diglett! Give'm a taste of what they here for! Bulldoze 'em!"

"...Digg..." It took some effort to get in a position just to get the attack off, but the little Diglett was able to send a brown tsunami through the ground that surrounded and smashed into Nina. It wasn't very effective damage-wise, but the Grass-type was moving slower while trying to recover from the hit.

"Nina! Finish that Diglett off before it can hit you again!"

"Peti.....lil!"

Nina provided another Absorb attack, hitting Barrett's opening Pokemon flush. There wasn't much energy left to be taken out of the Diglett, but what little there was quickly left the Pokemon. "Dig..." It fell forward onto it's face, unable to move anymore.

The scoreboard seemed to react before Barrett could, greying out the picture of the Diglett on the screen as the Gym Leader returned Diglett to the ball. "Don't be celebratin' now!" he informed Robyn. "I got tricks for ya 'n the arsenal! Golett! Step up!"

The second Pokemon Barrett chose for this fight was a tiny little rock thing, looked kind of like a robot toy, if it was made by a 10 year old in art class. It still looked more imposing then the Diglett that had been sent out to fight earlier. "

Golett!

" It announced in a monotone voice.

"Oh shoot..." Robyn quickly tried to recall the facts on this Pokemon as it's stony face appeared on the TV screen underneath the greyed out head of it's teammate. I've seen those before. One of Dad's coworkers had one. Got it from the tower near Icirrus. Bulky little thing. Still gotta be a Ground type though, so Nina should take it down. "Whatever! We can beat this one down too! Nina, use your Growth attack! We're going to make sure this thing feels the pain!"

"Lillil!" Nina stood her ground in the face of the much taller Ground type and cut the gap slightly as she readied herself for an attack.

"Whole lotta posturin' for nothin', gurl!" Barrett was quick to inform his challenger. "Golett! Shadow Punch!"

Shadow Punch? It's a Ghost?!?

The Golett reared back as it's fist darkened to a deep black and purple sparks began to shoot around it. It took only a couple of seconds before it fired off a floating fist that found the forehead of it's opponent. Nina flew backwards, thudding on the ground in front of her trainer.

WHAT THE FUCK! "Nina, come on hun you can get up, right?" The question was more an affirmation for Robyn then her Pokemon. I can't lose you! I need you for this!

The young Petilil stood back up, bruised but able to continue despite the hard lick. "Lil.....Peti."

"All right then Nina, get that energy back with an Absorb attack!"

The Grass-type was ready to strike back at the weird mannish thing, but the residual effects of the battle with Diglett made themselves known as Nina tried to line up the beam. Despite clearing most of the dirt away, something was affecting her vision and the Absorb missed the target, wide right.

"WHAT!" Robyn couldn't believe what had just happened. "NO!"

"Guess ya'll are just unlucky," Barrett said as he lifted his hands in a shrug. "Shadow Punch 'er again, Golett!"

"

Go......

" The purple sparks were pooling once again. Nina was still in shock herself about the failure of her Absorb and bent her head forward. Robyn knew what was coming and that there was nothing she could do to stop it. "

lett!

" The punch flew off the Golett's fist and caught Nina at the top of her bulb, knocking her further backwards until she landed almost at the foot of Robyn's podium. There was no getting up from that shot.

"Dammit!" Robyn cursed as she jumped off and went to pick up the battered Bulb Pokemon. The sand cushioned her fall so it wasn't as painful as it should have been on her knee, but even if there was blinding pain it wouldn't have mattered as she scooped up the defeated Grass-type. "Nina, I'm sorry. We should have done better. I should have done better."

Nina slowly turned in her trainer's arms, tears streaming from those red eyes as she looked up in disappointment. "[sub]Lilllll.....[/sub]"

"It's OK," she said, smiling to put on a brave face for her Pokemon. "Don't worry about it. You should rest now." Robyn returned Nina to her Pokeball and looked out onto the field as the Petilil's picture went dark on the scoreboard. As she climbed back up the ladder, her mind was racing. FUCK! Fuckfuckfuck! Now what? What am I going to do against that thing? I can't use Leila, she'll get steam-rolled. Sauza can't even move. Scout and Natalie both can avoid Shadow Punch, but Scout will get hit with the Ground moves and Natalie can't even fly! But she's my best chance, even on the ground...

Robyn reached into her pocket and produced the marked ball. "Natalie! It's up to you! Let's do this!"

Materializing on the field, defiantly on the ground, was Robyn's non-flying flyer. Natalie spread her wings upon arrival into the battle and looked around. "Bluuuuuublu..." She didn't sound confident as the picture was lit up on the board.

"I believe in you Natalie! Start with a Peck!"

Natalie hopped towards the Golett at a speed that would make a Torkoal look quick but still leaped and bopped it in the head. It was a glancing blow from the looks of things, and the Swablu quickly tried to back pedal to avoid retribution.

"That sho'nuff ain't gonna do much to Golett!" Barrett boasted. "Time to roll up n' Rollout!"

A look of dread spread across Robyn's face. What! Oh fuck no! No! He can't have a Rock move!

"

Go!

" The Golett lept and curled itself into a ball. It rolled unevenly along the ground, but it was able to brush Natalie aside with a hit. The Swablu seemed more concerned with the dirt that had gotten on it's wing then the actual damage.

"OK Natalie, you're fine!" Robyn tried to shout encouragement. "You can deal with that kind of hit!"

"Not for long, she won't! Gonna have some momentum next time," Barrett reminded the challenger.

"Shit, what can I even do?" the challenger said softly to herself as she pulled out her Pokedex. "What do you even have that can hit this thing Natalie?"

[table border=2]
[tr]
[td rowspan=7]

[/td]
[td]#333: Swablu [color=FF00AA]♀[/color][/td]
[td] Cotton Bird Pokémon[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td colspan=2]

[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Height: 1'04" / 0.4 m.[/td]
[td]Weight: 2.6 lbs. / 1.2 kg.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ability: Cloud Nine[/td]
[td](Prevents the Pokemon from being effected by weather conditions.)[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td colspan=2]Moves: Peck, Roost, Astonish, Sing[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td colspan=2].[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td colspan=2]It can't relax if it or its surroundings are not clean. It wipes off dirt with its wings.[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

"Really? You have a Ghost move..." Robyn looked up with new determination. "Natalie! Astonish it!"

The Swablu perked up hearing this and stared down the rolling Pokemon coming at it. She jumped, making a face akin to a stern ghost mother scolding a child and emitted a noise that sounded like nails on a chalkboard had a baby with a garbage disposal. "BLUUEEEUUUEEEUUUEEEUU!" The rolling boulder was shaken off it's path, but it did not stop rolling, and as Natalie came down from the attack Golett connected again, this time with twice the force of the first hit. Natalie popped up like an infield fly and landed back a few meters away from it's trainer. That blow was noticeably more significant.

"If it ain't gonna get outta the way, then let's go one more time round Golett! Should do tha trick!" Golett heeded it's trainers commands and was set to come around for the final blow.

Damn it! It can't end like this! I can't Roost, he'll just hit me with that Ground move his Diglett used! I can't Sing, that's too unreliable! Astonish barely looks like it did anything to scratch that thing, and that's the best attack! Robyn slumped down in the trainer's box. Why won't you get away Natalie? I know you can...

"Natalie, please! I know I asked you to do this so many times, but I need you to fly more then ever. Please! Just fly! Fly so you can avoid this hit! PLEASE!"

The young Swablu had hopped back onto it's feet at this point, panting and scuffed. She looked back for a moment and spread those cotton ball wings out as Golett came barreling down on her. With a deep breath, and a soft "Blu...", she flapped. It took a couple of strokes but slowly she lifted off the ground.

"Yes," Robyn whispered to herself.

A couple more flaps and Natalie was at the height of Robyn's head. The Golett whooshed past underneath the Cotton Bird Pokemon as Natalie kept climbing.

"Yes!" Robyn exclaimed, fist against the rail of the trainer's box. "Yes!"

"Don't be celebrating too soon now!" Barrett called back out. "You ain't out of this yet! Golett, go vertical!"

Golett popped out of it's ball and planted itself in the sand on the side of the ring. "

Golett!

" Energy appeared to burst out of it's legs as it soon started climbing into the air at a rate to match Natalie.

"What the...." Robyn couldn't even be mad. It was just a sight to see.

Once Golett appeared to have gotten high enough, it rolled into a ball again, energy still propelling it as it hurtled back towards Natalie.

"Dammit! Natalie, quick! Use Astonish again!"

The Swablu turned towards the re-emerging threat and blasted another banshee wail at it. "BLUUEEEUUUEEEUUUEEEUU!"

This time, Golett couldn't fully handle the cry and halted the energy blasts that were propelling it forward to attack. This also had the unsavory effect of ruining any chance it had at remaining airbourne, as it fell to the ground like, well, like a rock. The thud was muffled by the dirt, but the drop did some extra damage in addition to Natalie's attack.

"What tha hell?" It was now Barrett's turn to curse at the change of fortune. Golett wasn't out but it sure was down.

"Natalie! Finish it off! One more time!"

The Flying type swooped down and dropped right on top of it's fallen opponent. Golett tried to move but the fall damage was still too much, and Natalie was able to unleash a close range Astonish right into the oblong-eyed face of Barrett's final Pokemon. "BLUUEEEUUUEEEUUUEEEUU!"

This last Astonish was too much for Golett as it attempted to do something to stop the sound but it couldn't. Eventually those yellow eyes dimmed and as it's picture dimmed on the big screen, the battle was officially over. It was almost hard to believe, but Natalie had sprung the upset.

THE BATTLE IS OVER! THE WINNER IS THE CHALLENGER!

The loudspeaker blared as Barrett's team and picture were overtaken by victorious red light pronouncing Robyn's team the better on this day.

As Barrett solemnly returned his Golett, Robyn couldn't be any happier. "YES! YES! YES! YES! YES!" She was hopping on one leg in celebration. She jumped down of the platform and ran over to the winner, lifting her up. "Natalie! Oh my god! I'm so proud of you! You did it! You did it!"

"Bluuuuu! Bluuubluu! Bluuuu!" It was clear that Natalie was in a joyous mood as well, not showing a care for the dirt and dust that had settled on it's wings during the battle. Between the flight and the happiness Robyn was showing, it was a banner day.

"All right, all right, settle down now." Barrett said as he strolled into the field where Robyn was. Robyn allowed Natalie a perch on top of her head so she could properly address the Gym Leader. Natalie didn't mind, spreading her wings out as she sat, before going back to cleaning them. "I'mma man of my word, so here ya go. This here is the TM for Bulldoze, a bitta prize money, and your shiny new Arena Badge. You earned it girl."

"Thank you so much!" Robyn exclaimed as she happily accepted her prize from Barrett. "Thank you!"

"Bluuubluu!"

"All right now, anyone else think they gotta shot, step up to me!" Barrett announced as he made his way back to the platform.

Robyn dashed off the field, Natalie still on her perch as she still celebrated her win. "Ohmigodohmigodohmigod!"

 

[Mr. Omega]

Russel clapped and laughed as the battle came to a conclusion. "Wonderful! Drama, action, an underdog triumphant! That's what I'm talking about. I think that's a good note to go out on, eh, Munchie?" He looked down to where his Gulpin was, and saw that not only was he gone, but his backpack was open. "Munchie? Where'd ya go?" He got up and went around to try and look for him. [hr]

Munchie had left right around the time that Nina had been taken out by the Gollet, carrying an Oran berry with him. He looked over watching the remainder of the battle, smiling when the Swablu managed to overcome the odds. When Robyn had run off the field and finally stopped moving, Munchie walked up to her and poked her ankle. Once he was sure he had her attention, he started pointing to Nina's pokeball, offering the Oran berry. "Gul? Pipin?"

"Munchie!!" Russel called from a few feet away, running over to him. "Uh, hey. Sorry about him. Don't know what's gotten into him..."

 

[NeoAC]

Robyn was still on Cloud Nine as she came off the field and Natalie was just as happily celebrating now that she was cleaned up a bit. "On our way!" she sang. "On our way to the champ-yon-chip!" She was about to go into another verse of her made up song when she felt something poking at her leg.

"Hmmmm?" She said as she looked down. It was a Gulpin, a friendly Gulpin judging from the berry it held in it's hand. "For me?" Gulpin was pointing at something "....Oh. Ohhhhhh!"

"Munchie!!" Now it made sense. One of the guys from the lab, what was his name...not ringing a bell. "Uh, hey. Sorry about him. Don't know what's gotten into him..."

"Hey, it's no problem," Robyn assured the guy. "He's just being friendly isn't he? Worried about his friend and all?" She bent down as best she could without disturbing Natalie or her knee and mussed around Munchie's feather as a makeshift pat.

She took the offered berry from him and brought out her other fighter's Pokeball. Releasing Nina onto the ground, the Petilil was was still very wobbly from the effects of battle. It had healed a little bit but not much. "Pehhhhhtiiiii...."

"Here Nina, eat this." Robyn popped the berry into Nina's mouth as the Grass type quickly swallowed the offered treat. "Petipeti!"

"I'm glad you're feeling better. We won because of you, you know? You and Natalie did it! You beat Barrett!"

"Bluueeuubluubluu!

"PETI! Petililpetilil! Lillillil!

"Now Nina, we can celebrate after. First you should thank your friend over there for giving you that berry." She pointed towards Munchie.

Nina waddles over to the Poison type and took his arm in hers. "Petipetilil! Petilil!" Thank you so much! It was yummy!

Robyn stood back up. "You've got a very kind Pokemon there...uh...guy? I know I know you, like from the lab and stuff, but I don't know if I got your name or anything..."

 

[Mr. Omega]

Munchie smiled and shook Nina's arm back. Gul ulpin. Pingulpin gulp! No problem. There's more if you want! he said, pointing to Russel's backpack. This action earned him a stern look from his trainer. Munchie slumped and sighed Gulpin... Or not...

Russel kept his eye on Munchie. "Yeah, he's usually nice with other Pokemon. Thinks food could solve everything." he said, chuckling and smiling to let Munchie know he wasn't really mad. He looked up, noting Robyn's leg but declined to comment, introducing himself when she asked his name. "Name's Russel. I vaguely remember you from the lab as well." He extended his hand for her to shake. "That was some impressive battling. I take it you're heading to the next city to get the next badge?"

 

[CounterAttack]

"I'm Robyn," she told him. "And yeah, I guess that's the plan. Keep going til I'm champ right?"

Alix, too, made her way to where Robyn and Russel stood. There was a grand smile on her face, as she remembered how Natalie had had issues the night before in the practice battle with Robyn. "That was brilliant, Robyn," she declared, raising a hand to lightly bump Natalie's beak with a finger. "See? Knew you could do it. Sometimes a little pressure does help," she told the Swablu.

Natalie was enjoying all the attention she was getting from her perch on Robyn's ponytail and spread her wings out to show it. "Bluuueeeeuuuublu!"

Robyn was as well. "I know right? I thought I was in trouble, but Natalie totally rocked it, and yeah super stoked!"

Soon all of the challengers in their group of Trainers left the Gym together. Back at the Pokémon Center, while they waited for the nurses to patch up those who had participated in battles, Alix spread out her map of Gensia over one of the tables and consulted her Xtransceiver a second time, calling up the list of Gym Leaders she had shown Robyn.

[table align=center border=2]
[tr]
[td colspan=3]

Gym Leaders​

[/td][td].[/td][td colspan=2]

Elite Four​

[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Name[/td]
[td]Specialty[/td]
[td]City[/td]
[td].[/td]
[td]Name[/td]
[td]Specialty[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Barrett[/td]
[td]Ground[/td]
[td]Kalita City[/td]
[td].[/td]
[td]Ione[/td]
[td]Electric[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Samantha[/td]
[td]Dark[/td]
[td]Natree City[/td]
[td].[/td]
[td]Pegasus[/td]
[td]Flying[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Virgil[/td]
[td]Poison[/td]
[td]Sugille City[/td]
[td].[/td]
[td]Ralhan[/td]
[td]Normal[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Katrina & Cyndy[/td]
[td]Fire[/td]
[td]Topasa City[/td]
[td]EDGAR[/td]
[td]Florian[/td]
[td]Grass[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Ferryn[/td]
[td]Steel[/td]
[td]South Argenna City[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Adrian[/td]
[td]Psychic[/td]
[td]North Argenna City[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Jenna[/td]
[td]Dragon[/td]
[td]Chalcedon City[/td]
[/tr]
[tr]
[td]Isaac & Natasha[/td]
[td]Fighting[/td]
[td]Palladai City[/td]
[/tr]
[/table]

"So if I've got this right..." Alix mused, studying the city names on the map, "the closest Gyms are the Fire Gym in Topasa City, past Route 9, and the Dark Gym in Natree, in the middle of the Jade Forest. I've definitely got to train up the team some more before taking on a Gym, though, so in theory I'm set for either one. You guys have any thoughts?"

 

[NeoAC]

"Hmmmmmm," Robyn pondered as she looked over the map Alix had provided. I don't really have anyone who can take on fire types right now. Definitely not Nina or Sauza. Guess that narrows it down. "I'm all for going to the Dark one next. Can do a little forest walking and stuff."

 

[elementsoul]

Erika joined in giving her congratulations to the trainers who now stood with her as victorious over the gym.

Upon returning to the Pokémon Center with the rest of the group, Erika has quickly gotten her Pokémon in to be healed before joining the rest of the group discussing where to go next. After Robyn voiced her opinion on going to the Dark Gym first, Erika chimed in to agree.

?I concur. I think that Dark gym would be better since the Bug Pokémon along the way should add to some easy training to increase our Pokémon?s battle experience. It would also allow everyone who doesn?t have a Pokémon or two with a type advantage against Dark Pokémon a chance to catch one as well.?

 

[Pm0n3y]

"Aww, I would've picked the fire gym." Morgan piped up, joining the girls looking over the map. "I mean, I would have to train Chase and Bruce a whole bunch before we got there, but I'd defunitely wipe the floor with their pokémon." He shrugged. "Buuut I'm already the minority vote here, so, yeah. A dark gym should be a easy enough trouncing for my guys." There was a nearby seat at the table, which he sat upon. "Speaking of which, that was some damn good fighting out there today, Robyn. Better than my fight, at least." Spike climbed into his lap as he complimented the girl's battling skills. "Really emotional stuff. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time." He added.

 

[tsatoma]

Brandon congratulated each Trainer after their successful victory, picking up on the names of those he didn't know after listening in on the conversations. "I'd like to join your group on your travel to the next gym if possible, it is about time that we head out of this city," he said aloud once a course of action was being decided upon, looking at his Pokemon for approval. The majority of them were battle-hyped, and seemed eager at the idea of moving on. Grey simply gave an apathetic shrug.

"I'm also fine with either route since I have Pokemon that can take on each gym's type," he started, nodding when a decision was made, "Looks like I'll have to train you up Grey to get you ready to fight some Dark-type Pokemon." His Croagunk gave another shrug as her response, seemingly uninterested in the aspect of battling.

 

[NeoAC]

Robyn smiled back at Morgan after he said that. "Thanks!" she replied, still beaming over the performance in the Gym. "I couldn't have done it without my Pokemon though. They both stepped up big today!"

Nina bounced in Robyn's arms after hearing the praise for her performance today. "Petilil! Lillil!"

"But yeah, no matter where we go, I'm sure they're going to keep being awesome! So yeah, are we going to...Natree City next then? When are we heading out?"