Sludge Wave Coast- Keith's New & Improved Secret Base!

[Missingno. Master]

So Cy had a Buizel as well! Keith didn't look too concerned by the Growl lowering Noxie's Attack power- there were other ways of causing damage than by simple brute force, after all. "We'll see where that gets you!" Keith declared. "Noxie, Poison Fang!"

Noxie barked in response, lunging at Jeffrey, her fangs dripping with a potent venom as she went in for a powerful bite. Maybe not as powerful as would be usual for her, but the poison would be every bit as potent if she managed to luck out with this hit.

If Myrtle noticed Jake and Buizel beside her, she didn't show it at all. She rolled her eyes as Jeffrey went for Growl, but grinned and gave a creepy chuckle as the Mightyena went in for Poison Fang.

[Zorchic]

Jake watched as Cy sent out a Buizel in response to Keith sending out Noxie the Mightyena. "You see that, Buizel?" he said to his own Buizel.

"Bui," Buizel nodded, merely smiling as he observed the Pokémon battling it out. To be honest, he and Jake thought Cy was a bit simplistic in regards to battle strategy. Jake's battle style was much more high-energy and complex. Of course, the battle was just beginning. For all they knew, this could just be a facade.

(Just letting you know, you guys don't have to wait for me to post while you're in a battle.)

[sixdragons_in_atrenchcoat]

Keith didn't seem worried about Growl, and fired back quickly with a Poison Fang. "Get back, Jeffrey! Don't let it hit!" Cy cried. Jeffrey started to run, with Noxie right behind him. Cy tried to think. Jeffrey might be more agile, but he wasn't faster, and he could only stay ahead for so long. He certainly couldn't out-muscle the Mightyena… But how to counter Poison Fang? "Oh!" Cy's eyes widened. "Jeffrey, let that Poison Fang hit you on the tail!" The Buizel turned quickly to the side,and Noxie's jaws came down on his rudder-like tail. It would hurt, but with Growl hopefully not too much. Jeffrey wormed out of the Mightyena's grip and scampered back to his starting position. Cy smiled. "Now, Jeffrey! Aqua Ring!" The Buizel spouted water in a fountain over himself, covering himself in tiny shimmering droplets which would heal him slowly. Even if he were poisoned, it wouldn't hurt them in the long run. "Now, Jeffrey, time for a counter attack! Stay back and use Sonic Boom!" Cy ordered. Jeffrey obliged, sending a blast of damaging sound at their opponent that would ignore its defenses.

[Missingno. Master]

After a bit of a chase, Noxie's jaws clamped down on the Buizel's tail. Keith grinned as the poisoning took hold- while Aqua Ring was going to work well with healing Jeffrey, it wasn't gonna work well enough to counteract the particularly virulent poisoning this move inflicted- Poison Fang was a move executed with potent venom on par with that present in the move Toxic- the damage was gonna start building. "Great, Noxie! Don't let it go!" Keith commanded. Noxie gave a muffled growl in response as she kept a stubborn hold on Jeffrey's tail, even as the Buizel followed up with Sonic Boom.

Next to Jake, Myrtle gave a delighted cackle as the Poison Fang landed.

"Now, Noxie, let's switch it up!" Keith declared. "Thunder Fang, let's go!" And with Noxie still biting stubbornly down on Jeffrey's tail, Keith couldn't see how the Buizel could get out of this one. "And follow up with Play Rough!" Keith added once the Thunder Fang had been executed.

[sixdragons_in_atrenchcoat]

Even with Sonic Boom, Noxie wouldn't let go! As it prepared to unleash a super-effective Thunder Fang, Cy had to think quickly. "Jeffrey, use Sonic Boom again to disorient it, then use Aqua Tail to get out of its grip!" Jeffrey barked another harsh sound wave at the Mightyena holding onto his tail to weaken its grip. His tail glowed with watery energy and he spun quickly, capitalizing on Sonic Boom's damage to wrench his tail out, and kept spinning to deal a sharp blow. "Now get back and use Water Sport!" Jeffrey bounded away from Noxie and stamped his foot, creating puddles of water around the battlefield. If everything was soaked, then another Thunder Fang would be a bad idea. Unfortunately, Water Sport left Jeffrey open to a strong Play Rough, which sent him flying. "Jeffrey! Are you alright?" Cy cried out. Jeffrey shakily stood back up. He wasn't down yet, but with the poison building in strength, they had to take out Mightyena fast.

[Missingno. Master]

This time, the Sonic Boom did its job, giving Jeffrey the opportunity he needed to follow up with the Aqua Tail that got his tail out of Noxie's mouth. They then followed up with Water Sport, drenching the entire battlefield. Keith knew what that was about- Electric moves would be much more dangerous to attempt here now. "Well-played," he nodded. "We're not out just yet, though, are we, Noxie?" he added. The Mightyena gave a confident bark in response. "That's what I like to hear!" Keith grinned. "All right! Noxie, Incinerate, let's go!"

"Incinerate?" Willa repeated dubiously.

Keith nodded and smiled. "Trust me," he replied.

And evidently, Noxie knew exactly what her Trainer was going for here, as she launched several fireballs in quick succession. Not at the Buizel, though, but at the puddles of water all over the battlefield! Each impact caused steam to erupt from the puddle as the Fire move started evaporating the excess water, and the battlefield was blanketed in a warm white haze, which would obscure Jeffrey's vision, but surely also Noxie's, right?

Keith, alas, had thought of this. "Odor Sleuth right now!" he commanded. And from within the steam, loud sniffing sounds could be heard, followed by a sharp bark, confirming that Noxie had Jeffrey's scent.

Willa was not looking doubtful of this strategy anymore, instead watching the battle with interest. "I see," she murmured.

"Let's wrap this up, Noxie!" Keith declared. "Crunch attack!" And the Mightyena was off, her nose guiding her better than her eyes could hope to in all this steam

[Zorchic]

The battle was underway and the first round of opponents was nearing the end. Jake could tell that either Pokémon could be knocked out in the next few moments. The attacks that flew by soon covered the battlefield in a dense steam, which Noxie the Mightyena counteracted with Odor Sleuth.

"I know that the Buizel species can learn Odor Sleuth as well..." Jake remarked quietly. He and his Buizel hadn't gone anywhere; they were still sitting on the sidelines, watching with interest.

"Bui, Bui," Jake's Buizel added. Right now, the Sea Weasel Pokémon hadn't much interest in learning Odor Sleuth, but who knows when it might be useful? Speaking of useful, for all they knew, Jeffrey the Buizel could know Odor Sleuth. It wasn't impossible...Jake and his Buizel wouldn't be surprised if that was the case. That would make for an interesting battle indeed.

[sixdragons_in_atrenchcoat]

So, Ketih had a few tricks up his sleeve as well! Not only had he eliminated the Water Sport's effect, but had created an interesting setup for the fight as well! Cy smiled as Noxie sought Jeffrey out. "Jeffrey, use Odor Sleuth as well!" The little Buizel stuck his nose out, finding Noxie's scent in a flash. "Good, now make sure that Crunch doesn't land! Dodge and weave, and get another Growl while you do!" Bounding into the thickest part of the mist, Jeffrey let out a menacing Growl that was sure to lower Noxie's attack power even more. Then he set off, bounding in a wide circle around his opponent. "Don't hesitate! Sonic Boom!" Cy ordered. Jeffrey sprang into action, firing a blast of sound at Noxie and preparing to fire more. Finally, they weren't playing on defense anymore.

[Missingno. Master]

Keith grinned. "So you can do that, too, I see," he remarked. "Now this is getting interesting!" Sure enough, with each Pokémon able to track the other by scent, Jeffrey was able to avoid Crunch with ease. Keith grinned widely still- with the poisoning from Poison Fang, this battle was still on a timer! And as if realizing this, Cy ordered a Sonic Boom. "Noxie! Snarl!" Keith commanded in return. And as the two moves collided with each other, the resultant blast blew most of the steam away. A little still lingered, but the Mightyena and Buizel were visible once more. "Good job, Noxie!" Keith grinned. "Now keep it up- rapid-fire Snarl attacks!" And Noxie responded with several barks in rapid succession, each one sending a blast of dark energy Jeffrey's way.

[sixdragons_in_atrenchcoat]

Keith was back on the offensive, and the steam had been dissipated. Cy was ready for it, though, and fired back. "Meet it with your own Sonic Booms, and get closer!" Jeffrey shot back a barrage of sound, the resulting shockwaves blasting away the rest of the steam. The Buizel scampered closer with each Sonic Boom until Cy called, "Now, jump and use Aqua Tail!". Jeffrey leaped over the last Snarl and came down swinging, both tails lit with blue energy. Hopefully they would be able to finish this before the poison took them out...

[Missingno. Master]

Cy proved to be ready for the Snarls, and had Jeffrey counter with a barrage of Sonic Booms, getting closer all the while. And then, with the last Snarl, Jeffrey jumped over it, and came hurtling down towards Noxie with an Aqua Tail! "Noxie, quick, dodge it!" Keith exclaimed. Noxie gave an affirmative bark and jumped backwards, just in time for the Buizel to crash-land before her. Between that and the steadily worsening poison, Gavin found he had a call to make.

"Buizel is unable to battle!" he declared. "This match goes to Mightyena!"

"You did it, Noxie!" Keith cheered as the Banette on the sidelines gave a triumphant cackle. Noxie nodded, though was breathing rather heavily at this point. And then, a moment later, the Mightyena toppled over as well!

"...Mightyena is also unable to battle, making the first match a draw!" Gavin exclaimed.

"Whew... wow," Keith chuckled, holding out the Net Ball. "Noxie, come back now!" he said, withdrawing his oddly-colored Mightyena. "Good girl," he smiled. "You take a nice rest, alright?" Then, as he put the Net Ball back on his belt, he grinned at Cy. "Not bad!" he remarked. "You and your Buizel are a pretty good team. But let's see how you fare against my next pick!" he added, reaching for his belt again.

"Aaaaand I'm out-ta here," Myrtle yawned, rolling her eyes and floating away. With her best friend no longer in on the fight, the Banette had lost interest.

"Alright," Keith was saying as he reached for one of the balls on his belt. "I choose-"

"Ooh, ooh, pick me, me want battle!" came a sudden excitable voice. And then, accompanied by the strangest aroma of chocolate chip cookies, a Duskull came zooming in, whose cloak seemed to very adequately explain the aforementioned aroma, especially when one realized that said aroma was coming from him!

Keith chuckled, grinning at the Duskull's good-natured enthusiasm. "Now, how can I say no to that enthusiasm?" he grinned. "Alright, Chip, you're up!"

"Yay~" Chip responded, floating forward onto the battlefield. "You opponent? My name Chip, nice meet you," he called to Cy.

As this took place, more Ghost-types appeared on the sidelines beside Jake and Buizel- this time, ones he'd be familiar with already, for Peeves and Liliana had shown up to see their son in action. "Hey, Jake, nice job with the Colosseum challenge, by the way," Peeves remarked. "We were in the stands, watching."

"It always gets Chip worked up for a good battle," Liliana smiled. "Our son's very skilled, too, so this should be interesting."

[Zorchic]

The first round of battle had finished; after the Snarls, the Buizel fought back with Sonic Boom and Aqua Tail, but was ultimately unable to land a hit, the poison overcoming it. But, the damage on the Mightyena also took its toll, and Noxie collapsed as well, resulting in a tie! Myrtle the Banette then left the scene.

Just then, Chip the Duskull floated in, ready for battle! Along came Peeves and Liliana, the former of which congratulated Jake on the Colosseum Challenge.

"Thanks," Jake replied. "I try my best!"

"Bui?" Buizel looked at Jake, confused.

"Oh, right," Jake answered. "I participated in a battling contest today, and it happened over there." He pointed at the Sludge Wave Colosseum. "It's a Double Battle competition called the (Sludge Wave) Colosseum Challenge! Staravia and Gengar did an excellent job, you should talk to them later about it!"

"Buizel!" The Sea Weasel Pokémon nodded. Double Battles? His battle style wasn't equipped to accommodate for those, so he was okay with the fact that he didn't get to enter. Still, it must have been interesting! Buizel made a mental note to ask Staravia and/or Gengar about the experience later.

So, Chip was to battle now. Jake wondered, what would Cy be sending out next?

[sixdragons_in_atrenchcoat]

Jeffrey crashed as Noxie dodged the Aqua Tail just in time, and he stayed down. However, only a moment later, Noxie fell and fainted too! The two Trainers withdrew their Pokémon, and Keith started to choose another Pokémon before an odd-looking Duskull floated in and immediately took up the position.

"Hi, Chip!" Cy called back, smiling, when it introduced itself. "I'm Cy, nice to meet you too!" Now it was his turn to choose a Pokémon. He stuck out his arm and shouted, "You're up, partner!"Wurmple slithered from his shoulder onto the back of his hand, then leaped onto the battlefield.

'This will be an excellent experiment,' he thought. 'I shall be sure to make note of everything that happens.'

[Zorchic]

And Cy quickly chose a Pokémon, his Wurmple. On the surface, such a Bug may look mediocre, but Jake could pick up a very complex aura coming from the Pokémon. This Wurmple must be more intelligent than most of its kind!

That being said, Ghost-types naturally resist Bug-type moves, so Jake didn't know if a Wurmple would be up for the challenge. Buizel, however, was just excited for more battling! Jake couldn't help but pick up Buizel's aura, which prompted him to just focus and study the battle. Just like...the Wurmple thought.

The young Aura Guardian still couldn't believe that a Wurmple could be such a thinker. I must need to train my aura sensing abilities, he thought to himself. But again...hadn't he seen that Weedle owned by Eddie Starmie use a whole bunch of unnatural moves for its kind? If that wasn't "highly intelligent", then Jake didn't know what was!

Back to the battle, now. Jake had overheard Cy saying that his Wurmple knew Psychic. That would certainly be interesting to see in a battle like this.

[Missingno. Master]

Cy's next choice was his Wyrmple, Not a particularly conventionally strong choice, but Keith knew better than to judge by that alone- he was the one who had raised Hermione, after all! "All right, Chip, let's show 'em what we got!" Keith declared. "And no underestimating this one!"

"Right!" the Duskull agreed.

Keith gestured forward. "Chip! Sweet Scent!" he commanded.

"Scent of cookies!" Chip exclaimed. His eye gleamed brightly as he waved his cloaked hands. The enticing aroma of chocolate chip cookies intensified as the cookie-cloaked Duskull sent said scent wafting right towards Wurmple.

"Nicely done!" Keith grinned. "Now, Chip- Shadow Ball, let's go!"

"Take this!" Chip exclaimed, heaving a spherical lump of shadows right at what should be by this point a very distracted and entranced Wurmple.

[sixdragons_in_atrenchcoat]

And Keith was starting off with a strong Sweet Scent! Wurmple fought to stay in control of his mind, but the aroma was intoxicating.

'Argh!' He thought. 'This is no way for an aspiring scientist to go out! I can barely find the willpower to keep my inner monologue- going- how am I supposed- to take notes- in this environment.... That smells delicious....' He could barely hear the orders coming from Cy, who was shouting for him to collect himself.

"Don't let it distract you, Wurmple! Relax, focus on one thing at a time!"

He tried to find scraps of cohesive thought. 'Must... Think about battle... Cookies... too powerful... He closed his eyes and stopped moving, even as Chip readied a Shadow Ball across from him. 'Notes... Remember your notes.. Gah, the scent is overloading me.... Too strong to think my way around it... He exhaled, flipping through the organized files of his mind even as they shattered and fell away around him. 'If I cannot... think my way out of this... then maybe... I can feel my way out of it!' With this scrap of an idea to hold onto, he summoned memories of when he first hatched, of when he first met Cy, of that first feeling of trust and warmth. A feeling so powerful it drove the effect of the Sweet Scent from his mind, putting him back in control! 'Right!' He snapped his eyes back open to see Chip about to hurl the Shadow Ball. 'Defensive measures. Control the surroundings.' With that, he unleashed a Psychic wave that sought out the offending aroma and redirected it outside the battlefield.

"Wurmple, you're back!" Cy whooped. "Alright! Let's catch that Shadow Ball with an Electroweb!" And with with a flick of his stinging tail, that's exactly what Wurmple did - as Chip threw it, the crafty bug created a web of pure electricity which wrapped it up neatly! "Great job!" Cy called. "Now let's give that Duskull a taste of its own medicine!"

'Ghost is super-effective on Ghost... Excellent idea, Cy!' Wurmple jotted this note down quickly. He speared the captured Shadow Ball on his horn and quickly turned a 360 on the spot, throwing the attack back at Chip along with the Electroweb!

[Missingno. Master]

Sweet Scent seemed to work at first, but Wurmple was able to fight back, using Psychic to repel the enticing aroma of cookies before catching the Shadow Ball in an Electroweb and hurling it right back at Chip! "Whoa! Chip, dodge it!" Keith called out.

"You no hit!" Chip called tauntingly, just before... getting grazed by the attack anyway. The Duskull spun out for a moment, but recovered quickly. "Owieee," he groaned.

"That's alright, Chip, we'll get them now!" Keith encouraged the Duskull. "Leer attack!"

"BOO!" Chip exclaimed, giving a sudden glare with his single red eye, lowering Wurmple's Defense.

"Good," grinned Keith. "Now follow up with Feint Attack!"

"I no miss!" declared Chip, seeming to vanish on the spot, only to reappear moments later, ready to strike Wurmple from an unexpected angle.

[Zorchic]

The battle had an unexpected start, with Chip releasing a Sweet Scent at Wurmple. Jake and Buizel could both feel the mental battle that Wurmple had just there. Eventually, the Bug-type acted by using Psychic to direct away the Sweet Scent, before launching the Ghost-type's own attack back at him. Chip spun as the Shadow Ball barely hit, and retaliated with a Leer followed by a Feint Attack.

"Buizel," Buizel noted, pointing to Wurmple. That Wurmple is strong. Don't Wurmple evolve very early?

"Usually," Jake agreed. "But only time will tell if this Wurmple evolves here. It's smart, too—most Pokémon like this don't know Psychic. I kinda wonder if this Wurmple is like Hermione the Weedle—intelligent but doesn't want to evolve."

The Sea Weasel Pokémon gave Jake a questioning look. Hermione?

"Oh, um," Jake realized that Buizel wasn't there when Staravia and Gengar had faced Hermione and Battery in the first round of the Colosseum Challenge. "Hermione is a Weedle owned by one of Keith's friends, Eddie. He actually lives here, too. Anyway, I saw for myself that Hermione knows lots of moves that her kind can't normally know. Shadow Claw, Blizzard, Ice Beam...just to name a few."

"Bui..." Buizel seemed to be thinking about his Trainer's words.

[Missingno. Master]

As the battle raged on, Jake explained to Buizel who Hermione was. "Heh, you ain't seen the half of it," Peeves chuckled. "Flash, Swift, Hone Claws, Hail, Aurora Veil, Horn Drill, Smart Strike, pretty sure she recently learned Megahorn..."

"Hermione actually used to belong to Keith," Liliana explained. "When Eddie first arrived at Sludge Wave Coast, Hermione found she was interested in helping his research on cryptopokology, and asked to go with him."

"It was a tough choice for Keith to make," Peeves sighed. "Hermione was honestly one of his strongest, not to mention she's got a man and a kid on the team as well. Fortunately, Eddie's got his laboratory basically right next door, so this hardly splits up the family or anything."

[Zorchic]

Jake nodded after hearing the two Dusknoir explain. "That's interesting. Such a Weedle ought to be powerful! And I think I met her kid. Albus the Kakuna, right? Keith and Willa came to my Secret Base and Keith used Albus in a battle against me.
Cryptopokology? Is that the study of…um, glitch Pokémon?" he added questionably.

"Bui! Bui!" Buizel interrupted excitedly, pointing to the battle.

"Oh, yeah!" Jake said. "The battle's about to get exciting. Let's see what Cy will do next—that was quite a lot of attacks Chip used just there."

[sixdragons_in_atrenchcoat]

Leer had lowered their defenses, and soon to come was Feint Attack. A Dark-Type move that could never miss. As the Trainer on the sidelines waited for their next move, Cy and Wurmple stood frozen. Strategy after strategy raced through their heads but none of them would work. Neither Trainer nor Pokémon could think of a way out of their situation. Despite being intelligent for his kind, Wurmple was still lacking in moves. The Ghost-Type could pass right through anything they threw at it...

"Of course!" Cy shouted out loud. "Wurmple, wait until Chip reappears, then Tackle right at him!"

Wurmple's eyes flashed. Yes, that could work... He sat and waited, until Chip came flying at him suddenly from behind. Wurmple twisted and launched himself into the Ghost-Type, passing straight through him! Wurmple's eyes flashed again, triumphant. If you'll allow me to take the reins, Cy... He twisted back to face Chip in midair and lowered his head, aiming his horn and firing a Poison Sting at his foe.

[Missingno. Master]

"That's Albus, alright," Liliana nodded.

Before either Peeves or Liliana could respond to the question about cryptopokology, another voice came from right behind Jake. "Not a term most cryptopokologists would use for them in this day and age, but correct in essentials," Eddie said as he walked around beside Jake and the pair of Dusknoir. He adjusted his glasses, then continued. "Pokémon that tend to operate outside the realm of what we would consider normal, to the point where most leading so-called experts hesitate to even classify them as Pokémon. I saw the rest of your battles, by the way," he added to Jake. "I'm feeling quite less ashamed of having lost in the first round- to have even defeated Terri, Willa, and Keith, that takes considerable skill as a Trainer."

Meanwhile, Keith chuckled as Cy called for a Tackle attack. It was a clever idea, making use of Ghost's immunity to Normal in an attempt to pass through the attack, but right now Chip was charged with Dark energy for the Feint Attack, and thus the Duskull was able to disrupt the Tackle nevertheless. The Poison Sting, though, was quite unexpected, though hardly a hard-hitting move. Even so, Keith could realize right away that his Duskull had been poisoned by it. "Owiee..." Chip groaned.

"Stay strong, Chip!" Keith encouraged the Ghost-type. "Ice Beam, let's go!"

"Beam of ice!" Chip exclaimed, letting loose a powerful beam of frigid energy, hurtling right towards the Wurmple.

[Zorchic]

Jake nodded in response to Liliana confirming his question about Albus. As for Jake's question about cryptopokology, he quickly got an answer when Eddie came up behind the spectators and explained the field of study. Jake turned to face him.

"I see..." Jake replied. "So these Pokémon behave glitch-like, is that what I'm getting? Are they so rare people consider them almost myths?" At Eddie's mention of the rest of Jake's battles, Jake nodded. "Yeah, I get fired up when it comes to battles like these. Although my Pokémon and I did well in the Colosseum challenge, I actually prefer single battles, though double battles aren't something I'd say no to."

"Bui, Buizel," Buizel nodded, before turning back to the battle.

"Speaking of battles," Jake added, "do you want to stay and watch this battle here, Eddie? Keith is battling another Trainer who challenged him to a friendly battle." The Aura Guardian-in-training gestured to the battle.

[sixdragons_in_atrenchcoat]

Poison Sting had found its mark, even if the Tackle strategy hadn't worked out. Cy winced. "Knew it was a long shot... Still, with Poison he only has so long before he's done."

On the field, Wurmple was reeling. He had been able to land Poison Sting, but even with his natural resistance to Dark moves Feint Attack had hit him hard. It was perhaps for this reason that he noticed Chip's Ice Beam a moment too late, and it was a direct hit. Wurmple was blasted across the battlefield by the attack and landed in a heap.

"No!" Cy cried out. Had Wurmple been defeated? Was the battle over? It seemed so for a moment, but the little Bug slowly and shakily returned to his feet. Cy breathed a sigh of relief, but the battle wasn't over yet. They were still in a tough spot, as Chip resisted their strongest attack and had the advantage of being able to float, but they could still win. Cy readied his command. "Alright Wurmple, you still able to fight? Then let's go for a String Shot and ground that Ghost!"

Sounds like... Ouch... Sounds like a plan! Wurmple steadied himself and took off running underneath Chip, shooting a thick line of silk up at the Ghost-Type. He stopped and turned on his heel, yanking the line and pulling Chip down to earth. Hopefully, the silk would stick there and put an end to Chip's air superiority.

"Now, follow that up with Electroweb to keep him trapped!" Cy directed, and Wurmple promptly obliged by quickly creating a crackling web of lightning and sending it flying towards Chip with a flick of his tailspines. It would serve double purpose, damaging their opponent and further restricting his mobility. Cy cheered, "Excellent, Wurmple! Now get back and keep your guard up!" Cy knew that Ghost-Types were often tricky, and from what he'd seen from Keith so far, he was sure that trap wouldn't hold Chip for long. It could, however, be just long enough...

[Missingno. Master]

Eddie nodded. "An accurate descriptor of their powers, I would say," he said. "Some of them learn strange and unusual moves, even, that have no rational explanation for why they work the way they work, though in some cases there are good theories. And in many cases, I would consider them to be sufficiently rare as to cultivate the impression of being a myth," he added. "Not in all cases, of course- the eastern coast of Cinnabar Island is well-known as a nest for Missingno. and 'M, and there have been enough sightings around the west side of Lavender Town to gather the attention of those who don't even study cryptopokology. Now, sightings of such Pokémon have historically been confined to Kanto, but instances of them have been reported here in the Fizzytopia region, which prompted me to travel out here in the first place, and seek out that man right there," he said, pointing to Keith. "Keith Masters is a name that is not unknown in the cryptopokology community, and he was able to give me his firsthand accounts of some of what he's seen in this region. At one point, I even encountered a wild .4 in the Fizzytopian Desert, but my attempts at catching it sadly failed." He then nodded as the subject turned to battling. "Single battles are likewise my own personal preference," he stated, adjusting his glasses. "Our battle in the first round was actually my first double battle ever- I wouldn't say no to trying that again, but it's clear I need more practice first," he chuckled sheepishly. Then, at Jake's question, Eddie nodded. "Oh, certainly," he replied, turning his attention to the battlefield. "Ah, I see he's using Chip. Is this one-on-one?"

"Three on three, they're each on their second," Peeves piped up. "Noxie tied against the guy's Buizel."

Meanwhile, Wurmple was reeling from the Feint Attack, moreso than either he or Cy seemed to expect- possibly they erroneously believed Bug resisted Dark moves or something? Whatever the case, this allowed Chip's Ice Beam to land a direct hit. Keith knew better to expect Wurmple to be frozen from this- having raised two different ones himself, he knew good and well that Wurmple could have Shield Dust, which meant side effects of moves weren't happening. Chip was basically relying on brute force here.

Cy and Wurmple, on the other hand, got strategic, executing a nice String Shot to restrict Chip's movement before following up with Electroweb. But Keith grinned- back when he'd first gotten Hermione, moves like String Shot, Poison Sting, and Electroweb were pretty much all she'd been able to work with at the time, so naturally he knew better than to underestimate the utility of moves such as this. But he also knew where the moves' downfalls could lie. "Now, Chip!" he exclaimed as Wurmple prepared for Electroweb. "Fire a Shadow Ball along the string!"

"Take this!" Chip exclaimed, launching a Shadow Ball that flew towards Wurmple, using the strand of String Shot tethering the two together to line up the shot perfectly.

"And be ready," Keith added cautiously. "If it launches Electroweb anyway, shoot it down with Ice Beam!"