The Cloud Garden

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by TheKnightsFury

Missingno. Master- "Oh noooooooooo, I'll regret it? Let's get this straight, I'm battling you for my own amusement." While Kade had spun quite the story, you were still unsure if he was telling the truth. It was really had to tell, what with him being a complete arse and all. Nevertheless, a full battle would reveal all the Pokemon that Kade has on hand and if one of them was a Sharpedo? Well he would certainly appear to be guilty then. If he was concealing a Sharpedo, it would likely be the last Pokemon he uses, meaning you'd have to push him to that point. Decidueye watches closely as Kade hops over some rocks, crossing the river to stand on the opposite bank. The battle would take place across the river, leaving only the banks and the few large rocks jutting out of the river as solid ground. The water would definitely favour Kade, who you'd assume favours Pokemon found in the water due to the Lure Balls on his belt.

"Since you've revealed so many of your Pokemon already, I'll send out first", Kade grins, taking the first Lure Ball from his belt. "I can't say I've used this one for battling, but I always have him on hand when I'm competing. Kade whips the ball forward, releasing the pink Pokemon onto his side of the riverbank. The Slowpoke lets out a lazy yawn, looking around it seems to not care too much about what is going on. "You see it was thanks to Slowpoke that I won today. I used one of its old tails as bait, Magikarp go wild for them!" Kade had revealed his first Pokemon, he claimed it wasn't a regular battler, but you can't really trust what he says, can you?

Willa scoffed wordlessly as Kade made it clear the battle would be for naught but his own amusement. Then, he hopped across the river, going from rock to rock, making it clear the battle would take place over the river. An advantage for Kade, if the balls on his belt were anything to go by, since he was packing nothing but Lure Balls.

Decidueye gave an unimpressed hoot. This was nothing she couldn't fly above, and with Long Reach, the need for her to get into close proximity with her target was nonexistent anyway.

Lapras gave a small smirk. This fool had sealed his fate, picking a fight on the water. Truly this was where she excelled, and she hoped she would soon get to that rematch with Sharpedo. Even with that nice lady's Sitrus Berry helping with the pain, Lapras could still feel that bite mark from the earlier Crunch, and sought to mete out some well-deserved retribution.

Yanmega rumbled in an imposing manner, feeling quite like Decidueye- this battlefield wouldn't stop him.

Even Mawile gave a snicker. Yeah, she'd have to navigate on the rocks, but she wasn't too concerned. She was wily, crafty, resourceful, and so was Willa. Together, surely they could overcome whatever Kade would let loose into that river.

Kade then threw a Lure Ball, sending out his first Pokémon, a lazy pink creature that loafed around on the riverbank. Willa whipped out her Pokédex for information.

"Slowpoke, the Dopey Pokémon. A Water and Psychic-type," droned the device. "Incredibly slow and dopey, Slowpoke will not feel pain until 5 seconds after it has been attacked."

"Hm," Willa murmured. Between her Pokédex's information and Kade's statement that he didn't even use Slowpoke for battling, it seemed this would be an easy victory. And that's exactly what had her worried- it seemed too easy. Nothing Kade said was worth placing any trust in, not at this point, and Willa was not about to just take it for granted that this Slowpoke was as slow and dopey as was considered normal for its kind There were exceptions to every rule.

"Spew! Spewpa!" Spewpa exclaimed from her perch on Willa's shoulder.

Willa turned to face the Bug-type. "Are you certain?" she murmured. "I'm not so sure this will be as easy as it seems."

"Spewp!" Spewpa insisted.

At this, Willa could only smile and nod. "Then give it your best shot, my friend," she said.

"Spewpaaaa!" Spewpa responded, leaping down and stubbornly making her way onto one of the rocks.

"Spewpa! Harden!" Willa commanded. "Then use Poison Powder and bind it with String Shot!"

[TheKnightsFury]

Missingno. Master- Spewpa had decided for you, she would face off against the Slowpoke. It was a favourable match-up for the Bug type, who possessed a type advantage over the Psychic typed Slowpoke. That said, Psychic types were crafty and Kade was even craftier, he was bound to have a couple of tricks up his sleeve.

Spewpa leaps onto one of the rocks jutting out of the river, hardening her scales as she prepares for battle. "We can boost as well Slowpoke, go for a Curse, then follow with a Water Gun!" The Slowpoke takes a moment to react, but it then clenches its body, slowing itself down but boosting its attack and defence in the process. Spewpa grins, shaking her body she kicks up a cloud of poisonous powder, the spores drift across the river towards Slowpoke. The Water type is slow to react, as is to be expected and soon finds himself inhaling the poison. It retaliates however, firing a powerful Water Gun at Spewpa. The Bug grips to the rock with all its strength, only just managing to hold on. Looking to slow the poke even further, she covers it in a String Shot, the sticky substance further decreasing the Slowpoke's speed. Slowpoke stares across at the Bug, its eyes growing faintly before fading back to normal, it appears to have forgotten what it was planning....

"Time to turn the tide Slowpoke, give us a Trick Room, then knock it around with a Zen Headbutt!" Spewpa had started off strong and the Slowpoke would be suffering continuous damage from the Poison she had inflicted, but it seems Kade has a plan!

[ShadowDRGN]

TKF - Xander leaps directly into the battle without a second's hesitation, his experienced Pokemon pushing forwards with a first blood of varied techniques!

Allan doesn’t seem to be caught entirely off-guard, but he definitely didn’t expect Xander to jump on the idea of a battle quite that quickly. Upon seeing Xander’s Pokemon start rushing from the campsite towards the base of the hill where his own Pokemon are stationed, Allan hurried calls out to them, “Gogh! Ambrosi! Beethovan! Spread out and try to ge-”

Before he can finish his sentence, however, Chimchar has already reached Smeargle, having deftly moved across the grass to start the fight! The monkey Pokemon leaps straight towards Smeargle with his claws bared, causing the Pokemon to put its arms up to block in anticipation of a slash or a cutting attack! Chimchar grins, and instead of striking he climbs right on top of Gogh’s head before vaulting over, his sights set squarely on the Smeargle’s ink-covered tail!

“Gogh! Use Natural Gi-” Allan starts to respond to Chimchar’s trick, but his hurried command is interrupted when the monkey Pokemon lands on Smeargle’s tail with a stomp, causing his foe to yelp loudly in pain. It wasn’t a hard strike, but the sudden pain definitely seems to have discombobulated Gogh as he tries to tug his tail out from under Chimchar’s foot, only to find that he’s stuck!

Gogh attempts to turn around so he can engage the Pokemon keeping his tail pinned, but as he turns around the first thing he sees is the Pokemon cheekily dipping his toes in green ink and using it to messily scrawl on a nearby rock. The sight of such impudent behavior causes Gogh’s face to turn a fiery red, and without even receiving a command he lunges towards his foe with his paws balled into fists, falling for the Taunt!

Seeing this, Chimchar’s grin widens, and keeps one arm at the ready as he prepares to counterattack! The two exchange blows simultaneously, Smeargle throwing out a heavy Pound while Chimchar strikes with a Power-Up Punch! Both Pokemon are flung away from one-another, Chimchar towards Allan and Gogh towards Xander. Despite the power behind each of their attacks, they’re both healthy enough to quickly recover, the former righting himself with a flip and landing on the grass while the latter digs his heels into the dirt as he lands, stopping himself with a skid.

But there are more combatants in this fight than just Chimchar and Smeargle! At the same time, Froakie and Treecko are also closing-in on their opponents. Seeing what’s going on with Gogh, Beethovan quickly spreads his wings wide and takes off from the grass, propelling him high into the air where Froakie shouldn’t have the chance to get in close like Chimchar did.

As the little frog Pokemon runs into battle, however, he keeps his eyes peeled for anything he can use to knock his avian foe out of the air. A single pebble would do, but the plains are so overgrown with grass that he can’t quite find one...

“Beethovan, blow him away with Echoed Voice, then go in for a Steel Wing!” Allan shouts, spurring his Chatot to emit a deafening trill from his beak. The force quickly sends out a shock wave towards Froakie, and with the Pokemon so preoccupied in his search for ammo, the boom smacks right into him and sends Froakie flying backwards right into the ruined campsite!

Froakie groans as he gets up off the ground, poking his hands around for some solid ground after the crash, only to find himself grasping a damp piece of coal... bingo! Froakie hops to his feet and quickly locks his eyes onto the colorful plumage of Chatot as the Pokemon soars towards him to follow-up. Froakie takes a deep breath and focuses, taking aim towards Beethovan as he quickly approaches. Just as Chatot’s wings begin to glow a metallic grey, Froakie tosses the coal like a ninja star, nailing him just a second later! Chatot chirps in surprise, and the Pokemon wobbles in the air for a moment before careening into the ground, his attack just barely missing Froakie in return!

Very quickly, Froakie backs up towards the firepit and shoots the downed Chatot with an Ice Beam, which coats his wings in a layer of chilling frost, though he can’t quite keep up the output needed to freeze him solid as Beethovan thinks quickly and rolls into a thick patch of grass to escape the stream. Two super-effective strikes in a row seems to have put Chatot on the defensive.

Treecko gathers air in his lungs as he approaches Ambrosi, the Pokemon electing to take a less offensive approach as he disappears into the grass and weaves through the blades, trying to catch his opponent off-guard. At this point, however, Allan has gotten both of his Pokemon out of harm’s way for the time being, and he can turn his attention fully to Floette and Treecko.

“Ambrosi, don’t lose sight of him! Use Magic Coat as soon as he tries anything!” Allan advises his Pokemon. Floette nods and floats up a bit higher to keep survey over the grass, an action that soon pays off as Treecko suddenly leaps up and tries to unleash a shrill screech against his opponent. As instructed, Ambrosi generates a shimmering field around itself, and Treecko quickly finds his own screeching being reflected back at him, causing him to stop and cover his ears in intense discomfort.

“Good job, now let’s set the scene with Sunny Day!” he orders, happy that this exchange seems to be going well, at least. While Treecko is recovering from having his Move reflected back at him, Floette quickly scatters a flurry of yellow petals towards the sky, and within moments the sun seems to grow much brighter and hotter, bathing the hills in heavy sunlight!

Treecko soon recovers, however, and without hesitation he leaps back up towards the foe in front of him, his tails glowing brightly as they become as hard as iron! He quickly spins in mid-air as he flies towards Floette, whipping his tails forwards and smacking them right into his foe! Ambrosi anticipates the attack and holds on tightly to her flower as she’s sent twirling through the air, but even after deflecting Screech, this Iron Tail looks to have hurt as it leaves a red mark on her cheek.

Overall, the three exchanges have come out in Xander’s favor this time. Gogh’s first attack was rudely interrupted by Chimchar’s Fake Out, leaving him with only his Pound to land. Though it was a solid strike, especially for such a weak move, the combination of being struck first and taking a Super-Effective hit from Power-Up Punch a moment later should leave Smeargle at a disadvantage. Though Treecko had to suffer a defense drop thanks to Magic Coat, he did manage to strike Ambrosi first with a Super-Effective Iron Tail, and a little harsh sunlight isn’t going to keep him from dishing out further damage.

Froakie tops them both, however, as both of his attacks were Super-Effective, were boosted by Protean, and managed to help him avoid getting critically strike by a Steel Wing while he was still Rock-type. While the Echoed Voice did land its mark, a weak attack like that isn’t enough to seriously hurt his health, while Chatot seems to be the worst-off of the 6... though, it’s only a guess as the Pokemon has fled under the cover of the tall grass.

Xander's intuition proves itself to be accurate: A triple battle is definitely something else, especially with so many moves flying back-and-forth at once. Keeping track of it all is as much a test of his skills as the opponents in front of him are. He may have the advantage now, but his opponents have only just started, and furthermore they aren’t obligated to keep facing the same Pokemon they are now. What will he do?

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by TheKnightsFury

Missingno. Master- Spewpa had decided for you, she would face off against the Slowpoke. It was a favourable match-up for the Bug type, who possessed a type advantage over the Psychic typed Slowpoke. That said, Psychic types were crafty and Kade was even craftier, he was bound to have a couple of tricks up his sleeve.

Spewpa leaps onto one of the rocks jutting out of the river, hardening her scales as she prepares for battle. "We can boost as well Slowpoke, go for a Curse, then follow with a Water Gun!" The Slowpoke takes a moment to react, but it then clenches its body, slowing itself down but boosting its attack and defence in the process. Spewpa grins, shaking her body she kicks up a cloud of poisonous powder, the spores drift across the river towards Slowpoke. The Water type is slow to react, as is to be expected and soon finds himself inhaling the poison. It retaliates however, firing a powerful Water Gun at Spewpa. The Bug grips to the rock with all its strength, only just managing to hold on. Looking to slow the poke even further, she covers it in a String Shot, the sticky substance further decreasing the Slowpoke's speed. Slowpoke stares across at the Bug, its eyes growing faintly before fading back to normal, it appears to have forgotten what it was planning....

"Time to turn the tide Slowpoke, give us a Trick Room, then knock it around with a Zen Headbutt!" Spewpa had started off strong and the Slowpoke would be suffering continuous damage from the Poison she had inflicted, but it seems Kade has a plan!

"Ha haaa! Yanmega's too fast now, isn't he, Mother?"

"Is he, now? Gardevoir! Trick Room!"

"Wh-what?! No! Yanmega! Quick, use Air Slash!"

"Now, Gardevoir- Hyper Beam!"

~~~~~

Willa couldn't help it- Kade's sudden command of Trick Room brought back unpleasant and unwelcome memories of that ill-fated battle she'd had against her mother's Mega Gardevoir as a teenager, a challenge posed out of overconfidence and crushed in the dust in no time flat. Diantha had been in complete control for the entire battle with Willa only realizing this far too late. But no- this wasn't the same thing, she reminded herself.

As though in direct response to this, even though Willa hadn't actually said anything, or even changed her expression, Yanmega hovered above her head. "Yan ya..." he rumbled soothingly.

Willa gave a small nod in response. Yanmega was right- this was no time to dwell on past mistakes. She wasn't that overconfident teenager anymore. It'd take a lot more than Trick Room to trip her up now! And though her face changed very little, if at all, throughout this thought process, her Pokémon knew her well by this point. Yanmega, Decidueye, Lapras, Mawile, they could all see it in her eyes.

"Spew..." Spewpa murmured worriedly as Slowpoke proceeded to twist the dimensions.

"Spewpa, don't let your guard down!" Willa called out. "String Shot again and aim for the head! And follow up with Bug Bite!" Spewpa immediately realized what Willa wanted out of that second String Shot- this one wasn't to slow Slowpoke down, but rather, to wrap up its head to the point where the strands of silk obscured its vision. If it couldn't see, it couldn't aim, and this would surely help them wait out the Trick Room. And Bug Bite... well, that was just super effective common sense. And yeah, Slowpoke was faster than normal thanks to Trick Room, but with it coming in for Headbutt, it'd be coming in headfirst- Spewpa would have a clean shot. Yeah, she'd have to take the Headbutt, but Harden would help with that. At the very least, it would offset the offensive benefit of Curse.

[ShadowDRGN]

CrazyCreeperKid - Liatris watches the two visitors calmly as they answer her questions, though the young woman can’t help but giggle a bit as Pachirisu jumps on the opportunity to stuff her face with goodies, especially ones from someone with as green a thumb as a Ranger.

As they get to talking about Brianna’s reasons for hiking up here, she leads them inside the cabin and walks over towards the kitchen, where she rummages through the cupboards and then the fridge. A little glimpse in her direction shows that she seems to have a healthy store of apricorns, berries and herbs in every part of her kitchen, each of them preserved in labeled jars and bags, “let’s see... Pachirisu typically like...” she mutters to herself as she carefully picks out a small assortment of berries for her.

“Mmm, I see,” she responds to the conclusion of Brianna’s next story as she a plate over towards the coffee table, where several rocking chairs sit between the fire and the couch that Bayleef is resting on blissfully, “it sounds like your friend has had quite a few exciting adventures,” she says, smiling as she gingerly sets down the plate on the table before her.

Pachirisu barely even looks at what’s on it before she leaps off of Brianna’s lap and onto the wooden table, where she finds an assortment of colorful berries arranged for her. She happily gets to chowing down, the Pokemon’s sharp front teeth gnawing at the hard shells until she could get to the juicy flesh inside. As she gobbles them up, Pachirisu saves two of the berries in her cheeks for later, making them bulge out rather conspicuously as she climbs back onto her Trainer’s seat.

“You wanted something more calmer than those stories, though, right?” Liatris asks as she slips next to her Bayleef on the couch, her steady hands rubbing the Grass-Type’s neck soothingly, “hmmm, well, going any further up from here leads into the mountain itself. It’s a bit rough for someone who’s not familiar with the area, especially without any Pokemon that can help you navigate” she explains.

After a few moments of thinking, however, her face lights up for a brief second, “oh. Actually, I think I might know of something. Tomorrow I’ll be going heading into the Cloud Forest for a survey, to see if there’s anything amiss or simply to see if anything new has popped-up since my last time there. I even know of some neat secret spots I could show you. Would assisting us in a survey sound good for an adventure?” she asks with a sweet smile on her face, “of course, you don’t have to say yes. You could always just rest here and take a look around on your own. There’s always plenty of things going on out here, especially the further away you get from town.”

How will Brianna respond to this offer?

[TheKnightsFury]

Originally Posted by ShadowDRGN

TKF - Xander leaps directly into the battle without a second's hesitation, his experienced Pokemon pushing forwards with a first blood of varied techniques!

Allan doesn’t seem to be caught entirely off-guard, but he definitely didn’t expect Xander to jump on the idea of a battle quite that quickly. Upon seeing Xander’s Pokemon start rushing from the campsite towards the base of the hill where his own Pokemon are stationed, Allan hurried calls out to them, “Gogh! Ambrosi! Beethovan! Spread out and try to ge-”

Before he can finish his sentence, however, Chimchar has already reached Smeargle, having deftly moved across the grass to start the fight! The monkey Pokemon leaps straight towards Smeargle with his claws bared, causing the Pokemon to put its arms up to block in anticipation of a slash or a cutting attack! Chimchar grins, and instead of striking he climbs right on top of Gogh’s head before vaulting over, his sights set squarely on the Smeargle’s ink-covered tail!

“Gogh! Use Natural Gi-” Allan starts to respond to Chimchar’s trick, but his hurried command is interrupted when the monkey Pokemon lands on Smeargle’s tail with a stomp, causing his foe to yelp loudly in pain. It wasn’t a hard strike, but the sudden pain definitely seems to have discombobulated Gogh as he tries to tug his tail out from under Chimchar’s foot, only to find that he’s stuck!

Gogh attempts to turn around so he can engage the Pokemon keeping his tail pinned, but as he turns around the first thing he sees is the Pokemon cheekily dipping his toes in green ink and using it to messily scrawl on a nearby rock. The sight of such impudent behavior causes Gogh’s face to turn a fiery red, and without even receiving a command he lunges towards his foe with his paws balled into fists, falling for the Taunt!

Seeing this, Chimchar’s grin widens, and keeps one arm at the ready as he prepares to counterattack! The two exchange blows simultaneously, Smeargle throwing out a heavy Pound while Chimchar strikes with a Power-Up Punch! Both Pokemon are flung away from one-another, Chimchar towards Allan and Gogh towards Xander. Despite the power behind each of their attacks, they’re both healthy enough to quickly recover, the former righting himself with a flip and landing on the grass while the latter digs his heels into the dirt as he lands, stopping himself with a skid.

But there are more combatants in this fight than just Chimchar and Smeargle! At the same time, Froakie and Treecko are also closing-in on their opponents. Seeing what’s going on with Gogh, Beethovan quickly spreads his wings wide and takes off from the grass, propelling him high into the air where Froakie shouldn’t have the chance to get in close like Chimchar did.

As the little frog Pokemon runs into battle, however, he keeps his eyes peeled for anything he can use to knock his avian foe out of the air. A single pebble would do, but the plains are so overgrown with grass that he can’t quite find one...

“Beethovan, blow him away with Echoed Voice, then go in for a Steel Wing!” Allan shouts, spurring his Chatot to emit a deafening trill from his beak. The force quickly sends out a shock wave towards Froakie, and with the Pokemon so preoccupied in his search for ammo, the boom smacks right into him and sends Froakie flying backwards right into the ruined campsite!

Froakie groans as he gets up off the ground, poking his hands around for some solid ground after the crash, only to find himself grasping a damp piece of coal... bingo! Froakie hops to his feet and quickly locks his eyes onto the colorful plumage of Chatot as the Pokemon soars towards him to follow-up. Froakie takes a deep breath and focuses, taking aim towards Beethovan as he quickly approaches. Just as Chatot’s wings begin to glow a metallic grey, Froakie tosses the coal like a ninja star, nailing him just a second later! Chatot chirps in surprise, and the Pokemon wobbles in the air for a moment before careening into the ground, his attack just barely missing Froakie in return!

Very quickly, Froakie backs up towards the firepit and shoots the downed Chatot with an Ice Beam, which coats his wings in a layer of chilling frost, though he can’t quite keep up the output needed to freeze him solid as Beethovan thinks quickly and rolls into a thick patch of grass to escape the stream. Two super-effective strikes in a row seems to have put Chatot on the defensive.

Treecko gathers air in his lungs as he approaches Ambrosi, the Pokemon electing to take a less offensive approach as he disappears into the grass and weaves through the blades, trying to catch his opponent off-guard. At this point, however, Allan has gotten both of his Pokemon out of harm’s way for the time being, and he can turn his attention fully to Floette and Treecko.

“Ambrosi, don’t lose sight of him! Use Magic Coat as soon as he tries anything!” Allan advises his Pokemon. Floette nods and floats up a bit higher to keep survey over the grass, an action that soon pays off as Treecko suddenly leaps up and tries to unleash a shrill screech against his opponent. As instructed, Ambrosi generates a shimmering field around itself, and Treecko quickly finds his own screeching being reflected back at him, causing him to stop and cover his ears in intense discomfort.

“Good job, now let’s set the scene with Sunny Day!” he orders, happy that this exchange seems to be going well, at least. While Treecko is recovering from having his Move reflected back at him, Floette quickly scatters a flurry of yellow petals towards the sky, and within moments the sun seems to grow much brighter and hotter, bathing the hills in heavy sunlight!

Treecko soon recovers, however, and without hesitation he leaps back up towards the foe in front of him, his tails glowing brightly as they become as hard as iron! He quickly spins in mid-air as he flies towards Floette, whipping his tails forwards and smacking them right into his foe! Ambrosi anticipates the attack and holds on tightly to her flower as she’s sent twirling through the air, but even after deflecting Screech, this Iron Tail looks to have hurt as it leaves a red mark on her cheek.

Overall, the three exchanges have come out in Xander’s favor this time. Gogh’s first attack was rudely interrupted by Chimchar’s Fake Out, leaving him with only his Pound to land. Though it was a solid strike, especially for such a weak move, the combination of being struck first and taking a Super-Effective hit from Power-Up Punch a moment later should leave Smeargle at a disadvantage. Though Treecko had to suffer a defense drop thanks to Magic Coat, he did manage to strike Ambrosi first with a Super-Effective Iron Tail, and a little harsh sunlight isn’t going to keep him from dishing out further damage.

Froakie tops them both, however, as both of his attacks were Super-Effective, were boosted by Protean, and managed to help him avoid getting critically strike by a Steel Wing while he was still Rock-type. While the Echoed Voice did land its mark, a weak attack like that isn’t enough to seriously hurt his health, while Chatot seems to be the worst-off of the 6... though, it’s only a guess as the Pokemon has fled under the cover of the tall grass.

Xander's intuition proves itself to be accurate: A triple battle is definitely something else, especially with so many moves flying back-and-forth at once. Keeping track of it all is as much a test of his skills as the opponents in front of him are. He may have the advantage now, but his opponents have only just started, and furthermore they aren’t obligated to keep facing the same Pokemon they are now. What will he do?

Xander grinned, for the most part the opening of the battle had gone in his favour. Sure, Treecko had its Screech rebounded on it, but other than that, they'd seen success. Smeargle was enraged by the Taunt, Chatot was grounded and in hiding and Floette had tasted the brutal hit of Treecko's Iron Tail. That said, he didn't want to give his opponent an opportunity to get himself into the battle. He needed to keep changing the flow of the battle, preventing his opponent from anticipating his next move....

"Time for a switch up!" Xander shouted, his Pokemon well aware of his intentions, they'd pulled this play before. "Froakie give the strength of your Water Pledge to Chimchar so that he can burn Chatot out of hiding with a Fire Pledge!" Chimchar once Chatot is flushed out of hiding, go in for a Thunder Punch. Treecko rush Smeargle, Crush Claw into Drain Punch! Froakie Bounce over and grab Floette, pin her to the ground."

Xander watched as his Pokemon set about carrying out his orders. Perhaps he had been too rough on his opponent? He probably could have offered to cover half the cost of the tents, he had reacted a little rashly. Guilt was beginning to well inside Xander, battling against his desire to win. Eventually it overwhelms him and he offers the boy an out. "It's not too late to stop this, stand down and we can perhaps come to some kind of compromise." Xander wasn't exactly sure that Allan would accept the offer, pride often prevented such a thing.

[ShadowDRGN]

Enigma - “Don’t worry about my old bones, lad,” Otis chuckles as he gets up off the ground slowly. His back is hunched-over stiffly, but he manages to hammer it straight with one of his hands, “I can get home just fine, Pokemon or no,” he replies to you as he begins to shuffle off, presumably towards his home. Before he disappears completely, however, he turns back towards you with a toothy grin, “heh, I’m rootin’ for ya, lad. It’d be a real treat to come down ‘ere an’ see those fish fly out of the river like they used ta,” he says as he waves farewell to you and your Pokemon, "oh, an' when you git back from yer adventure, do me a favor and light a fire here with lot's 'o smoke so I can see it with these old eyes!" he loudly adds as he's walking away.

It seems the old man didn’t need the help, and so you gather up your team and decide to make your way further up the river, towards Starline Falls. Most of your team could float, and so as you following the winding, forest path, you see Luna, Volsty, and Queenie taking turns surveying the river up-close as Oisrin and Wolfe following close behind you. Delia is still a little hesitant about this whole thing, and so she clings to your shoulder during most of the trip, the Delibird curiously playing with the rusty Pokeball to pass the time.

As the day wears on and your Pokemon continue to keep an eye on the river, it doesn’t seem to change much, even as you start to reach further into the mountains. Just kneeling down and running a hand through the water reveals it to still be uncomfortably warm... perhaps even a little warmer than back at your picnic site. Furthermore, none of your Pokemon have spotted anything swimming around, not even from above where one can avoid the gleam of the midday sun from obscuring one’s sight.

At your back, the foothills and the forest starts to shrink, melding seamlessly into the distant countryside below you. While you aren’t scaling the mountain proper yet, you are steadily climbing towards the point where the real hike begins, and you’re without a Pokemon that can use Waterfall. Hopefully, you’ll find some clue as to what’s causing the disturbance before you reach the point where you have to turn back...

By now, you’ve reached a point where the river and the path diverge slightly, as you can see that the water flows through a narrow ravine, while the footpath you’re following climbs a steep hill and walks above the drop. The hike isn’t too bad, but it’s definitely seeming like you’re not going to find any clues for a while... That is, until you start to hear Queenie’s buzzing echoing up from the ravine!

You make your way over to the edge and peer down to see the Vespiquen waving her hands excitedly. As soon as she sees you, she dips her hands into the water and quickly flies upwards, showing you the water she scooped-up. To his surprise, when you dip your fingers in, it feels cool to the touch!

Now that she’s shown you, she quickly flits back down and directs your gaze along the cliffside below you. There, you see that she’s discovered a cave entrance just above the waterline, from the mouth of which flows with a steady stream! Where the cave’s output meets with the greater river, he can see clouds of steam billow out from the water’s surface, shrouding the entrance of the cave in a white haze. It looks like the source of the heat is coming from there!

Queenie buzzes loudly still, eager to get a move on and explore inside. However, the cave entrance is almost 2 stories down the side of a sheer dirt cliff from you. You’ll need some help and a plan in order to reach it. Not only that, but travelling a cave also likely means travelling in the dark. What will you do, now that you’ve discovered where the heat is coming from?

[TheKnightsFury]

Missingno. Master- You watch as a light pulses out from the Slowpoke. Surging outwards, the light condenses and forms a dome over the battlefield. Its effects were known to you, you'd dealt with Trick Room before and knew exactly how dangerous it could be. Although on the plus side, you'd been thinking about ways to overcome the move for quite some time, so this was the perfect opportunity to test some strategies out. You order Spewpa to fire another String Shot, this time hoping to wrap up the Slowpoke's head and obscure its vision. The bug fires her shot, but the Slowpoke (no longer a fitting name), quickly avoids the attack by diving into the water. Spewpa looks around frantically, unsure where the temporary speedster will emerge. Like a missle, the Slowpoke bursts out of the river, head glowing a sparkling blue as he slams into the Spewpa with a Zen Headbutt. The bug is almost sent flying, but she manages to bite down on the Slowpoke, anchoring herself and dealing a nice bit of damage. The Slowpoke manages to shake her free as it jumps back into the water, leaving her on the rock. It seems the Slowpoke is even faster than you'd expected, its Trick Room was proving to be incredibly beneficial for it. "Ha, I might be using a Slowpoke, but your Spewpa is the real slow poke!" Kade snickers, at this moment he appeared to have the upper hand, but surely there was a way to break through his plan?

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by TheKnightsFury

Missingno. Master- You watch as a light pulses out from the Slowpoke. Surging outwards, the light condenses and forms a dome over the battlefield. Its effects were known to you, you'd dealt with Trick Room before and knew exactly how dangerous it could be. Although on the plus side, you'd been thinking about ways to overcome the move for quite some time, so this was the perfect opportunity to test some strategies out. You order Spewpa to fire another String Shot, this time hoping to wrap up the Slowpoke's head and obscure its vision. The bug fires her shot, but the Slowpoke (no longer a fitting name), quickly avoids the attack by diving into the water. Spewpa looks around frantically, unsure where the temporary speedster will emerge. Like a missle, the Slowpoke bursts out of the river, head glowing a sparkling blue as he slams into the Spewpa with a Zen Headbutt. The bug is almost sent flying, but she manages to bite down on the Slowpoke, anchoring herself and dealing a nice bit of damage. The Slowpoke manages to shake her free as it jumps back into the water, leaving her on the rock. It seems the Slowpoke is even faster than you'd expected, its Trick Room was proving to be incredibly beneficial for it. "Ha, I might be using a Slowpoke, but your Spewpa is the real slow poke!" Kade snickers, at this moment he appeared to have the upper hand, but surely there was a way to break through his plan?

Willa did not allow her expression to change, but to achieve this took considerable willpower- Kade was pissing her off right now. But she would not give him the satisfaction of letting him think he'd gotten to her. Even though Slowpoke was very clearly gaining the upper hand in this battle- Zen Headbutt had landed, and while Bug Bite had done so as well, Spewpa was still at a definite disadvantage with the Trick Room in effect, with Slowpoke being far too fast for Spewpa to reliably be able to deal with. The only way they were gonna make any progress here would be if they could just... if they could just...

...if they could just draw it in.

The realization struck with all the subtlety of a Bouffalant stampede- they freaking could just draw it in! Willa realized right then and there that Spewpa had a way to guarantee that Slowpoke goes right for Spewpa. Yes, this would open Spewpa up to further attack, but it would do the same for Slowpoke! In that case, she reasoned, best to beef up Spewpa's Defense just a little more first.

As Willa's mind was working furiously, her other Pokémon were watching the battle unfold intently. Yanmega was giving a soft growl, approving of Spewpa's tenacity even in the face of that Zen Headbutt. Lapras was smiling proudly. Decidueye and Mawile exchanged looks, both of them having come to the same conclusion as Willa, and wondering whether she'd give the order they were thinking would make the most sense...

"Get ready, Spewpa!" Willa called out sharply. "Harden, Rage Powder, Bug Bite! Go!"

"Spewpa!" Spewpa responded, Hardening herself once more to make herself even more durable. At this, Mawile grinned diabolically- this was exactly what she had been thinking Willa ought to do. Rage Powder would draw Slowpoke in, whether Kade liked it or not, and that's when Spewpa would have an opening to strike with Bug Bite again.

[Prof.Enigma]

Originally Posted by ShadowDRGN

Enigma - “Don’t worry about my old bones, lad,” Otis chuckles as he gets up off the ground slowly. His back is hunched-over stiffly, but he manages to hammer it straight with one of his hands, “I can get home just fine, Pokemon or no,” he replies to you as he begins to shuffle off, presumably towards his home. Before he disappears completely, however, he turns back towards you with a toothy grin, “heh, I’m rootin’ for ya, lad. It’d be a real treat to come down ‘ere an’ see those fish fly out of the river like they used ta,” he says as he waves farewell to you and your Pokemon, "oh, an' when you git back from yer adventure, do me a favor and light a fire here with lot's 'o smoke so I can see it with these old eyes!" he loudly adds as he's walking away.

It seems the old man didn’t need the help, and so you gather up your team and decide to make your way further up the river, towards Starline Falls. Most of your team could float, and so as you following the winding, forest path, you see Luna, Volsty, and Queenie taking turns surveying the river up-close as Oisrin and Wolfe following close behind you. Delia is still a little hesitant about this whole thing, and so she clings to your shoulder during most of the trip, the Delibird curiously playing with the rusty Pokeball to pass the time.

As the day wears on and your Pokemon continue to keep an eye on the river, it doesn’t seem to change much, even as you start to reach further into the mountains. Just kneeling down and running a hand through the water reveals it to still be uncomfortably warm... perhaps even a little warmer than back at your picnic site. Furthermore, none of your Pokemon have spotted anything swimming around, not even from above where one can avoid the gleam of the midday sun from obscuring one’s sight.

At your back, the foothills and the forest starts to shrink, melding seamlessly into the distant countryside below you. While you aren’t scaling the mountain proper yet, you are steadily climbing towards the point where the real hike begins, and you’re without a Pokemon that can use Waterfall. Hopefully, you’ll find some clue as to what’s causing the disturbance before you reach the point where you have to turn back...

By now, you’ve reached a point where the river and the path diverge slightly, as you can see that the water flows through a narrow ravine, while the footpath you’re following climbs a steep hill and walks above the drop. The hike isn’t too bad, but it’s definitely seeming like you’re not going to find any clues for a while... That is, until you start to hear Queenie’s buzzing echoing up from the ravine!

You make your way over to the edge and peer down to see the Vespiquen waving her hands excitedly. As soon as she sees you, she dips her hands into the water and quickly flies upwards, showing you the water she scooped-up. To his surprise, when you dip your fingers in, it feels cool to the touch!

Now that she’s shown you, she quickly flits back down and directs your gaze along the cliffside below you. There, you see that she’s discovered a cave entrance just above the waterline, from the mouth of which flows with a steady stream! Where the cave’s output meets with the greater river, he can see clouds of steam billow out from the water’s surface, shrouding the entrance of the cave in a white haze. It looks like the source of the heat is coming from there!

Queenie buzzes loudly still, eager to get a move on and explore inside. However, the cave entrance is almost 2 stories down the side of a sheer dirt cliff from you. You’ll need some help and a plan in order to reach it. Not only that, but travelling a cave also likely means travelling in the dark. What will you do, now that you’ve discovered where the heat is coming from?

Queenie buzzed excitedly and hovered around the cave entrance as she waited for Drake to get down so she could explore with him and the others.

One of the things he could do was create an ice slide down to the entrance of the cavern... Assuming the cavern had solid firm ground. But he could slide down into the water since it was cool enough now.

"Delia, Luna, would you two be dears and create an ice slide down to the waters surface for me using some moves?

If you need water to freeze then, Luna, you can use Psychic to bring up water for Delia to freeze with ice beam, And if you could make an flat ice float so I can stand or sit until we can confirm that the cave has solid ground safe for all of us to walk on with ample enough space"

With Delia and Luna on that job Drake turned to Wolfe and Osirin.
" For now the two of you will be back inside your pokeballs until I can for sure bring you back out. " And with that he returned them and cliped the balls back onto his belt.

He then rolled up his sleeves and pant legs although he's not to concerned if they get wet.

One of the things Queenie could do is scout out the cave.... Ooh and he thought up of the perfect way as to how.

Calling her back up Drake told her the plan and sent her back down to the entrance of the cavern. From there she would release a Defend Order with her bee's so that they could protect Queenie while she scouted the cave and determined if the ground inside the cave was solid, or if it was submerged in water.

[TheKnightsFury]

Missingno. Master- Slowpoke was surprisingly proving hard to keep up with, but you had a plan. Spewpa hardened once more, preparing for the attack she'd likely have to take. Slowpoke bops up and down in the water, its eyes start to mysteriously glow again, what did it have in store for Spewpa now? Nothing it seems, as the thought seems to vanish from its mind, it seems the Trick Room wasn't doing much for it's forgetfulness. Spewpa shimmies, shaking out a Rage Powder which quickly blows towards Slowpoke.

"Zen Headbutt again Slowpoke, finish that bug!" It seems Kade isn't going to try and avoid the effects of the Rage Powder. Slowpoke surges through the water, head glowing as he quickly closes in. As he leaps out of the water, Spewpa prepares to retaliate again with a Bug Bite. The two Pokemon collide, tumbling into the water. They disappear under the water for a moment, but then one floats to the top, unconscious......

Kade curses, raising his Lure Ball he recalls Slowpoke. Spewpa crawls onto the river bank, shaking the water off herself. She'd won! The first victory was yours, but there was more battling to come. "Eh, was to be expected I guess." Kade replaces Slowpoke's ball and retrieves another. "I don't you've seen or even heard of this one, caught him in a contest in the Galar region, one of the hardest catches I've ever reeled in." Kade grins as he tosses the ball forward, releasing a Pokemon into the river. Unfortunately it doesn't surface, its identity would remain a mystery until it revealed itself.....

Spewpa gained 3 levels!

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by TheKnightsFury

Missingno. Master- Slowpoke was surprisingly proving hard to keep up with, but you had a plan. Spewpa hardened once more, preparing for the attack she'd likely have to take. Slowpoke bops up and down in the water, its eyes start to mysteriously glow again, what did it have in store for Spewpa now? Nothing it seems, as the thought seems to vanish from its mind, it seems the Trick Room wasn't doing much for it's forgetfulness. Spewpa shimmies, shaking out a Rage Powder which quickly blows towards Slowpoke.

"Zen Headbutt again Slowpoke, finish that bug!" It seems Kade isn't going to try and avoid the effects of the Rage Powder. Slowpoke surges through the water, head glowing as he quickly closes in. As he leaps out of the water, Spewpa prepares to retaliate again with a Bug Bite. The two Pokemon collide, tumbling into the water. They disappear under the water for a moment, but then one floats to the top, unconscious......

Kade curses, raising his Lure Ball he recalls Slowpoke. Spewpa crawls onto the river bank, shaking the water off herself. She'd won! The first victory was yours, but there was more battling to come. "Eh, was to be expected I guess." Kade replaces Slowpoke's ball and retrieves another. "I don't you've seen or even heard of this one, caught him in a contest in the Galar region, one of the hardest catches I've ever reeled in." Kade grins as he tosses the ball forward, releasing a Pokemon into the river. Unfortunately it doesn't surface, its identity would remain a mystery until it revealed itself.....

Spewpa gained 3 levels!

It all came down to a head-to-head clash between Spewpa and Slowpoke. Kade wasn't even sweating the Rage Powder, ordering another Zen Headbutt. They tumbled into the water, Willa watching intently... and while Spewpa climbed out onto the riverbank, Slowpoke floated to the surface, totally knocked out!

Decidueye, Lapras, Yanmega, and Mawile all cheered for their teammate, while Willa simply gave a small yet unquestionably proud smile, which in and of itself was enough to make Spewpa happy. However, they all turned back to face Kade (smile now long gone from Willa's face by this point), as he withdrew Slowpoke and prepared another Lure Ball. He didn't identify it by name, and if Willa had to guess, this was a deliberate move on his part to gain the element of surprise. All Willa could gather from his words was that this was likely a Pokémon native to the Galar region, and likely a very strong one, too. Willa thought hard- she'd looked up a little bit about Galar's native Pokémon since her Pokédex was upgraded to version 8.0, She had a feeling she might know what this Pokémon was, and if she was right, this was gonna be a tough fight. Still, Spewpa was raring to go, Willa couldn't deny. Perhaps they could make this two for two. And if not, Spewpa could at least help weaken this Pokémon so Willa's next one would have things a little easier. Either way, it made sense to keep Spewpa in for now.

"Spewpa, be ready for anything," Willa stated. "Harden once more, and meet anything coming your way with Stun Spore, followed with String Shot."

"Spewpa!" nodded Spewpa, already Hardening her furry form.

*Vivillon grew to level 16!*

*Vivillon grew to level 17!*

*Vivillon learned Psybeam!*

*Vivillon grew to level 18!*

[TheKnightsFury]

Missingno.Master- You'd managed to snag the first win, but it appears Kade has a trick up his sleeve to make up for the loss. Releasing his next Pokemon under the water, your new opponent is concealed from sight. You have a strong idea as to what the Pokemon might be, but the only way to find out would be to force it to the surface. Spewpa hardens to prepare herself for an attack, she'd be prepared for just about anything.

The wait is agonising. Kade seems to be toying with you, the fisherman more than happy to sit back and let you wonder what is lurking beneath the surface. Spewpa is on edge, unsure what might be coming her way. The Pokemon could attack her from anywhere, she was isolated on the stone, an easy target. Finally Kade breaks his silence. "Hydro Pump", the words slip from his lips and a powerful torrent of water erupts from right in front of Spewpa, sending her soaring through the air. Decidueye quickly takes off, catching the young bug before she crashes. The owl hands the unconscious Spewpa over to you, she'd battled well but she couldn't handle the sheer power of that attack. On a positive note, the Trick Room suddenly dissolves, it seems to have timed out!

Spewpa has fainted!

"Seems we're even again Willa", Kade grins, "I can see your mind is racing, you think you know what my Pokemon is, don't you? Hahahaha, come on, make your choice, who are you going to use next?" Kade was getting cocky again. Do you know enough about the mysterious Pokemon to choose a favourable match up?

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by TheKnightsFury

Missingno.Master- You'd managed to snag the first win, but it appears Kade has a trick up his sleeve to make up for the loss. Releasing his next Pokemon under the water, your new opponent is concealed from sight. You have a strong idea as to what the Pokemon might be, but the only way to find out would be to force it to the surface. Spewpa hardens to prepare herself for an attack, she'd be prepared for just about anything.

The wait is agonising. Kade seems to be toying with you, the fisherman more than happy to sit back and let you wonder what is lurking beneath the surface. Spewpa is on edge, unsure what might be coming her way. The Pokemon could attack her from anywhere, she was isolated on the stone, an easy target. Finally Kade breaks his silence. "Hydro Pump", the words slip from his lips and a powerful torrent of water erupts from right in front of Spewpa, sending her soaring through the air. Decidueye quickly takes off, catching the young bug before she crashes. The owl hands the unconscious Spewpa over to you, she'd battled well but she couldn't handle the sheer power of that attack. On a positive note, the Trick Room suddenly dissolves, it seems to have timed out!

Spewpa has fainted!

"Seems we're even again Willa", Kade grins, "I can see your mind is racing, you think you know what my Pokemon is, don't you? Hahahaha, come on, make your choice, who are you going to use next?" Kade was getting cocky again. Do you know enough about the mysterious Pokemon to choose a favourable match up?

Willa's plan was to be cautious, to be ready for any head-on attacks. Unfortunately, Spewpa wasn't really much good at taking long-range moves such as Hydro Pump, so when that move hit, Willa had a sinking feeling she knew the match was decided, even before Decidueye carried the Bug-type back to her Trainer.

Willa did her best to ignore Kade's cockiness and taunting, cradling Spewpa in her arms. "Spewwwwww..." Spewpa groaned, totally out of it.

"You battled magnificently, Spewpa," Willa said softly. Still cradling the Bug-type in one arm, she used the other to reach for Spewpa's Ultra Ball. "Now take a good rest. We've got it from here," she promised, withdrawing Spewpa.

After this was done, Willa and her other Pokémon looked out at the river once more. Their foe remained mysterious, and all Willa had to go by was that it was a Pokémon likely first discovered in Galar that was able to learn Hydro Pump. Not much to go on, especially with Willa's limited knowledge of Galar's Pokémon. She knew of a few of them, enough to give her an idea, and seeing Hydro Pump did not count out her initial suspicion.

Mawile eyed the water's surface distrustfully. The Deceiver Pokémon figured there had to be more to this than met the eye. She had a shrewd feeling Willa was about to send in Lapras, and who could blame her? She seemed to be the obvious choice against an underwater opponent. And that's exactly what had Mawile worried- it was too easy. "Maw! Mawile maw!" she exclaimed to Willa, turning to face her while discreetly glancing upwards. Right in the direction of Decidueye.

And Willa not only saw this but knew what Mawile was getting at, complete with the reasoning behind it once she thought about it. She gave a small nod, then turned to the Water/Ice-type floating near the shore. "Lapras..." she began. Then, she gave a small smirk. "...stay alert. No doubt I'll be needing your help later. Decidueye!" she suddenly exclaimed. "Foresight, Spirit Shackle, Razor Leaf!" Decidueye gave a commanding hoot in response, eyes on the water as they have been, prepared to carry out Willa's commands with unhesitating swiftness.

Yanmega gave an approving rumble, and Lapras nodded obediently while Mawile smirked smugly. Lapras might end up being a good matchup against whatever this was, but Willa knew of one Galar-native water-dwelling Electric-type all too well, knew she couldn't count it out as a possibility, knew that if this was indeed a Pincurchin, Decidueye would fare much better against it. And even if it wasn't, then it was almost certainly a Water-type, and Decidueye would be the ideal choice regardless. Even if the opponent was in no mood to surface, it wouldn't be safe from Decidueye's keen vision and powerful Foresight, and while this wouldn't come into play with the moves it was using, Decidueye's Long Reach would ensure she wouldn't even have to get close when using her moves.

[CrazyCreeperKid]

Originally Posted by ShadowDRGN

CrazyCreeperKid - Liatris watches the two visitors calmly as they answer her questions, though the young woman can’t help but giggle a bit as Pachirisu jumps on the opportunity to stuff her face with goodies, especially ones from someone with as green a thumb as a Ranger.

As they get to talking about Brianna’s reasons for hiking up here, she leads them inside the cabin and walks over towards the kitchen, where she rummages through the cupboards and then the fridge. A little glimpse in her direction shows that she seems to have a healthy store of apricorns, berries and herbs in every part of her kitchen, each of them preserved in labeled jars and bags, “let’s see... Pachirisu typically like...” she mutters to herself as she carefully picks out a small assortment of berries for her.

“Mmm, I see,” she responds to the conclusion of Brianna’s next story as she a plate over towards the coffee table, where several rocking chairs sit between the fire and the couch that Bayleef is resting on blissfully, “it sounds like your friend has had quite a few exciting adventures,” she says, smiling as she gingerly sets down the plate on the table before her.

Pachirisu barely even looks at what’s on it before she leaps off of Brianna’s lap and onto the wooden table, where she finds an assortment of colorful berries arranged for her. She happily gets to chowing down, the Pokemon’s sharp front teeth gnawing at the hard shells until she could get to the juicy flesh inside. As she gobbles them up, Pachirisu saves two of the berries in her cheeks for later, making them bulge out rather conspicuously as she climbs back onto her Trainer’s seat.

“You wanted something more calmer than those stories, though, right?” Liatris asks as she slips next to her Bayleef on the couch, her steady hands rubbing the Grass-Type’s neck soothingly, “hmmm, well, going any further up from here leads into the mountain itself. It’s a bit rough for someone who’s not familiar with the area, especially without any Pokemon that can help you navigate” she explains.

After a few moments of thinking, however, her face lights up for a brief second, “oh. Actually, I think I might know of something. Tomorrow I’ll be going heading into the Cloud Forest for a survey, to see if there’s anything amiss or simply to see if anything new has popped-up since my last time there. I even know of some neat secret spots I could show you. Would assisting us in a survey sound good for an adventure?” she asks with a sweet smile on her face, “of course, you don’t have to say yes. You could always just rest here and take a look around on your own. There’s always plenty of things going on out here, especially the further away you get from town.”

How will Brianna respond to this offer?

Brianna giggled as she watched Pachirisu chow down on the berries before him. He stuffed a pair into his cheeks, clearly for later, making him look like a Watchog.
"Yes, something much calmer." Then Liatris offered to take her with her for her survey, and she'd show her some cool spots. Brianna contemplated this for some time, searching the many possibilities, then came up with an answer.
"Thank you, but no. I'd like to go on my own. If you could just help me with a map of the area, that could be really helpful." Brianna said, as Pachirisu finished the last of the berries on the table.

[TheKnightsFury]

Missingno.Master- With Spewpa down and your opponent hidden, you needed to choose your next Pokemon wisely. For a moment you consider Lapras, but then you decide at the last moment that Decidueye is the wiser option. The archer takes flight, eager to get a look at the Pokemon concealing itself beneath the rushing water. Her eyes flash as she uses her Foresight, but as she does, something comes hurtling out of the water. The fish slaps straight into her face, dealing a surprising hit. Was that the Pokemon that Kade was boasting about?

Nope.

"Drill Peck!" Kade shouts, summoning the Pokemon from beneath the water. The blue bird bursts from below the surface, spinning rapidly as it drives its beak into Decidueye's chest. The Archer is forced back by the super effective attack, shocked by her opponents sudden reveal. Kade proceeds to laugh, pleased that his trick was a success. Decidueye quickly fires back though, drawing her bow midair and firing a spectral arrow that strikes her opponent, locking it into battle.

The owl prepares to launch a Razor Leaf, but Kade quickly orders a counter attack. "Cramorant, cut it down with Air Slash!" As quickly as Decidueye launches the leaves, the Galarian Pokemon clears them with a powerful blast of wind. The attack strikes Decidueye as well, its power somewhat reduced after breaking down the Razor Leaf.

"I guess I didn't tell you the whole story before, silly me", Kade smiles, "you see I reeled this Cramorant in during the competition and the Barraskewda it was attempting to swallow at the time was big enough to win me the competition! Now it is going to help me win this battle. Set up an Aqua Ring, then Aerial Ace into an Assurance."

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by TheKnightsFury

Missingno.Master- With Spewpa down and your opponent hidden, you needed to choose your next Pokemon wisely. For a moment you consider Lapras, but then you decide at the last moment that Decidueye is the wiser option. The archer takes flight, eager to get a look at the Pokemon concealing itself beneath the rushing water. Her eyes flash as she uses her Foresight, but as she does, something comes hurtling out of the water. The fish slaps straight into her face, dealing a surprising hit. Was that the Pokemon that Kade was boasting about?

Nope.

"Drill Peck!" Kade shouts, summoning the Pokemon from beneath the water. The blue bird bursts from below the surface, spinning rapidly as it drives its beak into Decidueye's chest. The Archer is forced back by the super effective attack, shocked by her opponents sudden reveal. Kade proceeds to laugh, pleased that his trick was a success. Decidueye quickly fires back though, drawing her bow midair and firing a spectral arrow that strikes her opponent, locking it into battle.

The owl prepares to launch a Razor Leaf, but Kade quickly orders a counter attack. "Cramorant, cut it down with Air Slash!" As quickly as Decidueye launches the leaves, the Galarian Pokemon clears them with a powerful blast of wind. The attack strikes Decidueye as well, its power somewhat reduced after breaking down the Razor Leaf.

"I guess I didn't tell you the whole story before, silly me", Kade smiles, "you see I reeled this Cramorant in during the competition and the Barraskewda it was attempting to swallow at the time was big enough to win me the competition! Now it is going to help me win this battle. Set up an Aqua Ring, then Aerial Ace into an Assurance."

Willa had confidence in Decidueye. Why shouldn't she? The Grass/Ghost-type had a distinct type advantage against most anything Kade would throw her way, and having raised her from a Rowlet, Willa knew full well that Decidueye was strong.

However, nothing prepared her for when some sort of fish Pokémon hurtled up out of the water like a Missile. And rather than being Kade's choice, it was instead merely fired by that which had tried to Gulp it down. As the bird emerged from the water and landed a Drill Peck, Willa whipped out her Pokédex, consulting it for more info.

"Cramorant, the Gulp Pokémon. A Water and Flying-type," droned the device. "Cramorant attempts to swallow Arrokuda whole, but sometimes makes a mistake and tries to swallow other Pokémon instead. Though it is powerful enough to knock out enemies in a single blow, it can also sometimes forget what it's doing mid-fight."

Willa gritted her teeth. Barraskewda had been her guess, she'd heard of those, she knew it was a powerful Pokémon, but Cramorant hadn't once crossed her mind. Maybe not on the same level as Barraskewda in terms of power, but at the same time, there went Decidueye's type advantage. And Willa had to think fast before Cramorant could land yet another hit- Decidueye had been taking some nasty super effective damage as it is! Quickly, Willa glanced around at her Pokémon. Mawile, Lapras, maybe one of them. Yanmega could probably outmaneuver it, but was still at a type disadvantage. And Spewpa, of course, was unconscious, and even if she wasn't, well, Willa saw what happened when she tried using the Bug-type against Cramorant, and it didn't even need to use a Flying move.

This left just one choice, and Willa knew it. She reached into her bag with one hand, fingers closing over the one Ultra Ball on her person whose occupant hadn't been sent out at any point during this crazy day. Powerful, definitely had the type advantage... but could they work well together? It generally followed her orders, but Willa never could shake the feeling that their bond wasn't a particularly strong one just yet, that its obedience wasn't a sure thing. And yet, she showed none of this fear in her eyes, her facial expression. Willa was never one to show weakness just in general, least of all in the presence of an enemy. A risk though it very well may be, Willa knew the risk had to be taken.

"Decidueye! U-turn!" Willa commanded. Decidueye hooted in response, preparing an arrow quill that would be launched with such force at Cramorant that the user would be thrown backwards somewhat as well. Normally a move performed via physical contact, but Decidueye's Long Reach changed things a bit. Not only that, Decidueye was making the conscious choice to land near her teammates rather than return to her Ultra Ball, the better to keep an eye on Kade and his Pokémon, lest he try anything shady. The few minutes Decidueye spent in battle against him were enough to convince her that she should be keeping en eye on things.

At any rate, once the U-turn was done, Willa was ready, Ultra Ball extracted from bag and enlarged. "Eelektross!" she exclaimed, hurling the sphere forward that sent out the Electric-type who proceeded to Levitate in midair. Not a proper Flying-type, but at least Cramorant wouldn't have any sort of advantage by being able to fly. "Thunder Wave, Bind, Thunderbolt!" she called out her commands one right after the other. And Eelektoss had no objection to any of these, already eyeing up the Cramorant as Willa gave the orders.

[Connor]

TKF: On hearing your offer, Allan pauses. For a split second, the youngster is almost serene in his blankness. However, that is quickly chased away. As you expected, pride is not something so easily cast off, and his face twists into a murderous rage, spittle flecking at the edges of his mouth as his brow knits furiously. Even before he has issued his response, it is clear what it will be.

"Not a chance, asshole."

Parsing your orders, Allan takes a moment to think of a plan as hurriedly as he feasibly can, his concentration physically visible on his expression. Then a light bulb, followed by a manic grin.

"Beethoven, come out swinging with a Supersonic to scramble that Chimchar! Follow it up by throwing a Hyper Voice at Treecko.

Ambrosi, greet Froakie with a Petal Blizzard to knock it back down to earth, and combo with a Razor Leaf!

Gogh, use Counter on that Crush Claw, then Stomp Froakie into the dirt!"

Clearly pleased with himself, seeming to get into the battle at hand, Allan watches on with great interest. Froakie is the first to take action, turning towards the greenery where Beethoven had found refuge. Opening his mouth wide, the tiny amphibian spews forth a compact barrage of watery orbs, which create a dazzling spectacle as they plough headlong into the bird. Squawking loudly, the Chatot comes hurtling out of his hiding hole, a cheeky glint in his eye. As Chimchar readies his assault, the avian fiend discharges a garbled shriek of sound, the undulating tones leaving Chimchar staggering, his mind overcome with confusion.

Meanwhile, facing off against Gogh, Treecko smirks. Confident, the gecko rushes his opponent, moving at blinding speed. Approaching determinedly, Treecko channels a hardened white aura into his outstretched claws. Coming within striking distance, the lithe lizard rakes a scathing blow along the body of Gogh - but as he does, the Smeargle reacts. Twisting his figure along the vector of impact, the Normal type drags Treecko with him, transferring the force of the strike and slamming Treecko harshly into the ground. To make matters worse, Beethoven swoops in. A cacophonous boom follows, a vibrant ring of blue energy coursing over the skin of Treecko and causing him to writhe in pain.

Disgruntled to see both his partners suffering in such a way, Froakie crouches low in the grass, resolving to reverse the momentum. In a single fluid motion, the frog launches himself skyward, determined to drag Ambrosi down with him. Much to his surprise, the Floette is prepared. Levelling her flower at her incoming quarry, she cheers as she unleashes a violent flurry of petals. The yellow tinged projectiles shear along the left flank of Froakie, the Water type having managed to reposition in mid air right before the attack landed. Unfortunately, this also meant that his own missed it's mark - though his dexterous nature afforded him a softer landing than he may have otherwise gotten.

Having managed to seemingly overturn your advantage for now, Allan is enthused - but this reinvigorated energy soon drains from him. The young man stares over your shoulder, colour draining from his face as he abruptly scrambles for his Poke Balls, returning the three combatants with a desperation previously unseen, even in his spirited rebuke of the offer of compromise. Curious, you turn around to discover what had spooked the painter so much, and the reason is immediately and viscerally obvious.

Marching towards you was a woman - at best estimate, you would guess she was around her late thirties, maybe just into her forties. She wore simple clothes, ideal for someone who did a lot of travelling - a light white tee alongside a pair of worn jeans, and sturdy boots Her wild black hair poked from her head like the mane of a lion, a fitting visage given the aura of pure fury that exuded from her. At her side hopped a Lopunny, a glinting gem set in a collar around it's neck. Each pointed step closer struck only more fear into the mannerisms of Allan - it was clear that the kid had screwed up badly. As she finally closed the distance, she shoots Allan a scathing look, before rounding on you.

"What the hell is going on here? I leave this runt alone for half an hour and when I return, everything has gone to pot. I need an explanation. Now."

Allan makes to respond, but he is quickly cut off by the woman, her voice snarling with mistrust.

"Not from you. You'll try to worm your way out of what's rightfully coming to you. I mean from him."

===

Raves: You meander through the trees somewhat aimlessly, allowing your Pokemon to lead the way as you head deeper into the plantation proper. As you go, you notice other trainers milling around. Some are simply strolling like yourself, others enjoying picnics with their Pokemon, more still pottering here and there helping to harvest ripe berries. A myriad of scents drifted from the ripened fruit, mixing into a pleasant bouquet. The dappled effect produced by the overhead sun beaming through foliage provides a comforting atmosphere. You had come here seeking relaxation, and you had certainly found something close to that. Finally, your trio break from the trees and stand on the main road leading into the plantation. In the distance you can see the main farmhouse, situated at the heart of the Orchard. However, something more immediate catches your eye.

Stood on the track road was a rather elderly man, dressed lightly but donning well worn overalls over his lighter attire. Despite his somewhat short stature, he was jolly and involved, bouncing between helping hands and giving direction where he can, exuding an aura of friendliness. As you move closer, he takes notice of you, striding confidently with a beaming expression. He warmly takes your hand before you can say anything, his wide smile never faltering.

"Hello there laddie. The name's Gordon. Can't say I've seen your face around here before - never forget a face, myself, even with my age."

At this last remark, he laughs loudly, a richly sonorous tone that would ease even the most frayed of nerves. The man was clearly a natural with people, the kind of person you could easily find yourself drawn to.

"Oh! But where are my manners!"

Shrugging his shoulders, he removes a rucksack from his back, before reaching inside and retrieving a thermos. Moments later and Gordon has produced a cup of what seems to be tea, intensely aromatic steam rising from the edges of the offered cup.

"Have a try of this, tell me what you think. It's a new blend I've been trying. Perks of running a farm like this - there's no end to potential ingredients."

[TheKnightsFury]

Originally Posted by Connor

TKF: On hearing your offer, Allan pauses. For a split second, the youngster is almost serene in his blankness. However, that is quickly chased away. As you expected, pride is not something so easily cast off, and his face twists into a murderous rage, spittle flecking at the edges of his mouth as his brow knits furiously. Even before he has issued his response, it is clear what it will be.

"Not a chance, asshole."

Parsing your orders, Allan takes a moment to think of a plan as hurriedly as he feasibly can, his concentration physically visible on his expression. Then a light bulb, followed by a manic grin.

"Beethoven, come out swinging with a Supersonic to scramble that Chimchar! Follow it up by throwing a Hyper Voice at Treecko.

Ambrosi, greet Froakie with a Petal Blizzard to knock it back down to earth, and combo with a Razor Leaf!

Gogh, use Counter on that Crush Claw, then Stomp Froakie into the dirt!"

Clearly pleased with himself, seeming to get into the battle at hand, Allan watches on with great interest. Froakie is the first to take action, turning towards the greenery where Beethoven had found refuge. Opening his mouth wide, the tiny amphibian spews forth a compact barrage of watery orbs, which create a dazzling spectacle as they plough headlong into the bird. Squawking loudly, the Chatot comes hurtling out of his hiding hole, a cheeky glint in his eye. As Chimchar readies his assault, the avian fiend discharges a garbled shriek of sound, the undulating tones leaving Chimchar staggering, his mind overcome with confusion.

Meanwhile, facing off against Gogh, Treecko smirks. Confident, the gecko rushes his opponent, moving at blinding speed. Approaching determinedly, Treecko channels a hardened white aura into his outstretched claws. Coming within striking distance, the lithe lizard rakes a scathing blow along the body of Gogh - but as he does, the Smeargle reacts. Twisting his figure along the vector of impact, the Normal type drags Treecko with him, transferring the force of the strike and slamming Treecko harshly into the ground. To make matters worse, Beethoven swoops in. A cacophonous boom follows, a vibrant ring of blue energy coursing over the skin of Treecko and causing him to writhe in pain.

Disgruntled to see both his partners suffering in such a way, Froakie crouches low in the grass, resolving to reverse the momentum. In a single fluid motion, the frog launches himself skyward, determined to drag Ambrosi down with him. Much to his surprise, the Floette is prepared. Levelling her flower at her incoming quarry, she cheers as she unleashes a violent flurry of petals. The yellow tinged projectiles shear along the left flank of Froakie, the Water type having managed to reposition in mid air right before the attack landed. Unfortunately, this also meant that his own missed it's mark - though his dexterous nature afforded him a softer landing than he may have otherwise gotten.

Having managed to seemingly overturn your advantage for now, Allan is enthused - but this reinvigorated energy soon drains from him. The young man stares over your shoulder, colour draining from his face as he abruptly scrambles for his Poke Balls, returning the three combatants with a desperation previously unseen, even in his spirited rebuke of the offer of compromise. Curious, you turn around to discover what had spooked the painter so much, and the reason is immediately and viscerally obvious.

Marching towards you was a woman - at best estimate, you would guess she was around her late thirties, maybe just into her forties. She wore simple clothes, ideal for someone who did a lot of travelling - a light white tee alongside a pair of worn jeans, and sturdy boots Her wild black hair poked from her head like the mane of a lion, a fitting visage given the aura of pure fury that exuded from her. At her side hopped a Lopunny, a glinting gem set in a collar around it's neck. Each pointed step closer struck only more fear into the mannerisms of Allan - it was clear that the kid had screwed up badly. As she finally closed the distance, she shoots Allan a scathing look, before rounding on you.

"What the hell is going on here? I leave this runt alone for half an hour and when I return, everything has gone to pot. I need an explanation. Now."

Allan makes to respond, but he is quickly cut off by the woman, her voice snarling with mistrust.

"Not from you. You'll try to worm your way out of what's rightfully coming to you. I mean from him."

While the battle had turned on its head, Xander was even more surprised when it immediately concluded. Allan withdrew his Pokemon, giving Xander the best victory of all, one of forfeit! Not really, it was actually rather disappointing. Xander turned around to see the reason for the quickly withdrawal, it seemed the budding artist was afraid of some woman? A Lopunny hopped by her side, a stone glittering in the collar around its neck. "Is that what I think it is?" Xander mumbled to himself. By this point, his Pokemon had returned to his side, somewhat concealing themselves behind him. Were they afraid as well?

Xander soon found out why, this woman had some fire! It took all of Xander's strength not to laugh, but that feeling soon left once the woman pointed at him, asking for an explanation. Xander gulped, suddenly overcome with nervousness. What should he say? That this was all a big misunderstanding? Nah, fuck that. He'd just offered to split the damages with Allan and he'd thrown it back in his face, this little bastard was about to get thrown under the bus!

"I'm sorry miss, you see we were on our way to the Ranger's Cabin when we saw the tent's burning out of control. The fire was starting to spread so we acted quickly, dousing the flames. Then this kid accused us of destroying his masterpiece and started to attack us! We were just trying to do the right thing." Xander gave a little sideways glare at Allan, as if to say, suck shit motherfucker.

[TheKnightsFury]

Missingno. Master- You'd fallen for Kade's trick, hook, line and sinker! But you had a way out of it. There was no point trying to overcome a type disadvantage when you had a way to swing it back in your favour. You called for a U-Turn and Decidueye acrobatically returns to your side as you release another Pokemon from its ball. Kade is stunned for a moment as he watches his type advantage disappear, now facing the serious threat of an Eelektross. He soon regains his thoughts though and calls an audible of his own. "Nice trick, mind if I try? Cramorant, return!" Kade quickly pulls Cramorant back into its ball, before Eelektross can even begin to take advantage! "We didn't specify no switching, did we?" Kade snickers, before retrieving another ball from his belt. He tosses it forward, releasing another Pokemon onto the rocks in the middle of the river.

The green Pokemon waves its pink tentacles around. "Did you think I'd only have Water typed Pokemon? Big mistake missy. Cradily, use Gastro Acid!" The Fossil wastes no time, its spits a stream of poison at Eelektross, bathing it in the odd chemical. Suddenly Eelektross feels its powers of levitation begin to fail and it is forced to fall into the water. Thankfully the eel is a capable swimmer, but the Cradily had removed one of its greatest assets. "Now how about we have a proper fight eh? No more running, unless you're Torchicken?" Kade snickers again, man was he irritating!

[Connor]

TKF: As you quickly explained, the stormy expression of the woman begins to soften somewhat, and she shoots on last glance at Allan. Grumbling inaudibly under her breath, she stomps over towards the ruined tent, taking a moment to walk around the tarpaulin and inspect it, prodding here and there while lifting other bits up. After a few minutes of tension, she finally returns to your group, raising a hand in apology.

"Thanks for being so straightforward. Allan is a good kid, somewhere below everything. He's prone to his outbursts, especially when he feels he's being patronised, but I'm hoping that's down to age. Probably a problem with authority."

As she talked, Allan's face soured, but just as it seems he is about to interject the woman glowers at him. The effect is almost comical, the cowed youngster seeming to shrink into his own skin in response. Having done this, she turns back to you, this time offering her hand in greeting. Her shake is firm and confident, well in keeping with her brash presence.

"The name is Imelda. I have the dubious honour of being Allan's teacher. Well, I say teacher ... more often than not, guardian."

Despite her demeanour, her voice holds genuine affection for Allan, painfully tinged with exasperation. If nothing else, it is clear that the younger painter causes his fair share of trouble for Imelda, whether he means to or not.

"Anyway, I should be able to fix the damage to the tent with some elbow grease."

As Allan makes to retort again, Imelda silences him with one of her scathing looks, but something stops her. Her face goes blank for the briefest of moments, before a menacing grin replaces her blankness. Whatever she had in store for him, you knew he wasn't going to enjoy it. Much to your surprise though, Imelda turns back to you.

"You said you were heading to the Rangers Cabin, right? Mind letting Allan tag along for a while? Hopefully seeing real hardship might temper his attitude a little."

On hearing this, Allan looks to you, mouth agape. There was a mixture of shock and disbelief there, but more than anything you get the impression that this suggestion is the last thing Allan would want.

[Missingno. Master]

Originally Posted by TheKnightsFury

Missingno. Master- You'd fallen for Kade's trick, hook, line and sinker! But you had a way out of it. There was no point trying to overcome a type disadvantage when you had a way to swing it back in your favour. You called for a U-Turn and Decidueye acrobatically returns to your side as you release another Pokemon from its ball. Kade is stunned for a moment as he watches his type advantage disappear, now facing the serious threat of an Eelektross. He soon regains his thoughts though and calls an audible of his own. "Nice trick, mind if I try? Cramorant, return!" Kade quickly pulls Cramorant back into its ball, before Eelektross can even begin to take advantage! "We didn't specify no switching, did we?" Kade snickers, before retrieving another ball from his belt. He tosses it forward, releasing another Pokemon onto the rocks in the middle of the river.

The green Pokemon waves its pink tentacles around. "Did you think I'd only have Water typed Pokemon? Big mistake missy. Cradily, use Gastro Acid!" The Fossil wastes no time, its spits a stream of poison at Eelektross, bathing it in the odd chemical. Suddenly Eelektross feels its powers of levitation begin to fail and it is forced to fall into the water. Thankfully the eel is a capable swimmer, but the Cradily had removed one of its greatest assets. "Now how about we have a proper fight eh? No more running, unless you're Torchicken?" Kade snickers again, man was he irritating!

For a moment, Willa was confident that this couldn't possibly go wrong. Both Water and Flying were weak to Electric, this Cramorant was toast! Alas, Willa very quickly remembered one key piece of information; namely, Spirit Shackle's effects don't linger if the user switches out. Kade withdrawing Cramorant was met with audible disapproval from Mawile, Decidueye, Yanmega, and Lapras. Eelektross made impatient crackling noises as well, but wasn't too bothered, figuring he'd just plow through whatever came out next. Willa said nothing, figuring pretty much the same thing. Until Kade sent out his next Pokémon, anyway, prompting another scan from Willa's Pokédex.

"Cradily, the Barnacle Pokémon. A Rock and Grass-type, and the evolved form of Lileep," droned the device. "This carnivorous Pokémon lived in primordial seas. It catches prey in its eight tentacles and dissolves them with digestive fluid as it eats."

"Rock and Grass?!" Willa whispered disbelievingly. She'd never admit as much, especially not to Kade himself, but she totally did think he only had Water-types! However, even as Eelektross was shot down with Gastro Acid, Willa managed to calm herself. It would not do to panic over such a minor setback. All she had to do was withdraw Eelektross herself and go for a more favorable matchup. Perhaps Mawile-

"Yan ya."

Willa's train of thought was abruptly derailed by the deep rumbling of her faithful starter, who had gently stopped her arm from reaching into her bag, One moment, Willa thought Yanmega was volunteering to take Eelektross's place; the next, she realized Yanmega was trying to stop her from grabbing Eelektross's Ultra Ball and withdrawing him.

Willa looked at Yanmega. "You think so?" she murmured.

Yanmega nodded. "Yan. Yan ya!" he rumbled in response, before turning to look at Eelektross. Willa followed his gaze, seeing Eelektross in the water, facing Cradily defiantly, ready for action. And then, for just an instant, such a short instant that Willa wasn't even sure if it had actually happened, she saw it; Eelektross sneaking a quick, anxious peek back at his Trainer, then looking right back at Cradily before barely a second had passed.

"...I see," Willa nodded. She thought back, thought back to when she was ready to leave on her journey. Her mother had procured an Eelektross for her, on the condition that she battle it first to earn its respect. Yanmega, despite the obvious type disadvantage, had come out on top, and Willa was allowed to leave home with both Yanmega and Eelektross. And while Diantha was convinced that Willa had earned Eelektross's respect, Willa was never quite so sure. Eelektross was impulsive. Reckless. A loose cannon, flying headfirst into every battle he was sent into, and several he would start himself. It all left Willa wondering just how little it would take for Eelektross to decide obeying her wasn't worth his time. It often left her too scared to use the Electric-type even in situations where it would fare really well. But that look from Eelektross, that was the look of someone legitimately awaiting orders from a Trainer they were happy to be partnered with. It was the same sort of look Willa had so often gotten from her other Pokémon.

It furthermore dawned on her- her mother had procured Eelektross from Fizzytopia's Adoption Center. Willa remembered that distinctly, as Fizzytopia had been her destination of choice when Diantha had brought home the Eelektross in the first place. But the Adoption Center... that meant that that Eelektross had had a previous Trainer, one who had given him up for one reason or another. And to listen to some of the stories her boyfriend would tell, that could do a number on a Pokémon's self-esteem. Sure, Eelektross was wild, reckless, impulsive... but that didn't mean he resented taking orders. Not once had he ever actually disobeyed Willa. Not even hesitating. In fact, if anything, he'd do what Willa said quite immediately. In hindsight, it actually made Willa's concerns seem outright stupid.

Although it felt as though this relevation lasted several minutes, it had all occurred to Willa within maybe a few seconds, and good thing, too, because she would not put it past Kade to try and get the jump on them. She abandoned the attempt to reach for the Ultra Ball and returned Eelektross's next anxious glance with a small yet reassuring smile. "It's all you, Eelektross!" she declared. "Coil, Ice Punch, Drain Punch! Go!"

"Trrrrross!" crackled Eelektross, acting on Willa's commands immediately.

[TheKnightsFury]

Originally Posted by Connor

TKF: As you quickly explained, the stormy expression of the woman begins to soften somewhat, and she shoots on last glance at Allan. Grumbling inaudibly under her breath, she stomps over towards the ruined tent, taking a moment to walk around the tarpaulin and inspect it, prodding here and there while lifting other bits up. After a few minutes of tension, she finally returns to your group, raising a hand in apology.

"Thanks for being so straightforward. Allan is a good kid, somewhere below everything. He's prone to his outbursts, especially when he feels he's being patronised, but I'm hoping that's down to age. Probably a problem with authority."

As she talked, Allan's face soured, but just as it seems he is about to interject the woman glowers at him. The effect is almost comical, the cowed youngster seeming to shrink into his own skin in response. Having done this, she turns back to you, this time offering her hand in greeting. Her shake is firm and confident, well in keeping with her brash presence.

"The name is Imelda. I have the dubious honour of being Allan's teacher. Well, I say teacher ... more often than not, guardian."

Despite her demeanour, her voice holds genuine affection for Allan, painfully tinged with exasperation. If nothing else, it is clear that the younger painter causes his fair share of trouble for Imelda, whether he means to or not.

"Anyway, I should be able to fix the damage to the tent with some elbow grease."

As Allan makes to retort again, Imelda silences him with one of her scathing looks, but something stops her. Her face goes blank for the briefest of moments, before a menacing grin replaces her blankness. Whatever she had in store for him, you knew he wasn't going to enjoy it. Much to your surprise though, Imelda turns back to you.

"You said you were heading to the Rangers Cabin, right? Mind letting Allan tag along for a while? Hopefully seeing real hardship might temper his attitude a little."

On hearing this, Allan looks to you, mouth agape. There was a mixture of shock and disbelief there, but more than anything you get the impression that this suggestion is the last thing Allan would want.

Xander was given a bit of a backstory by the terrifying woman who had introduced herself as Imelda. He thought for a moment that his version of the truth would get him out of this messy situation, but unfortunately it wasn't to be. Imelda had asked a favour that Xander really didn't want to fulfil. She wanted Allan to tag along with him to the Rangers Cabin! The cabin wasn't too far away, but anymore time spent with Allan was sure to drag out. He knew the boy had no desire to spend more time with him either, but they both knew that Imelda wasn't really asking. This was basically an instruction.

"I ummmm", Xander mumbled, surely he could say no? "I'm not....." Why was this so hard? "I guess he can", Xander was barely in control of his own words right now. "I guess he can accompany me, as long as he follows my lead that is." Xander recalled his trio into their balls, they could rest up after the short exchange. "We best be getting a move on, I'd like to get my Pokemon looked at before moving on." It was more that he wanted to get this over and done with, he wasn't keen on playing babysitter.

[Connor]

TKF: "Thanks, kid. I appreciate it."

It was unclear whether it was something in your tone or actions, but whatever it was, it was Imelda had picked up on your reluctance. The accompanying smile shed much of her rough attitude, holding nothing but gratitude behind ti - as well as a little sympathy, hinting at some regret to her choice. Allan, however, stood in stark contrast. There was a a veneer of resignation to his expression, but more prominent was a striking mixture of disdain and frustration. Luckily - for both you and himself - the young man had finally realised that this was inevitable, and had fallen silently in line, recalling his Pokemon and walking over towards you.

"i'll be in your care, then."

The strain was physically palpable as Allan muttered these simple words, and with that you started on your way. You made brisk progress, not willing to slow your pace to match that of Allan. Surprisingly, the trainee painter is capable of keeping up with relative ease; for all his personality faults it was obvious that he travelled regularly, and his fitness certainly hadn't suffered for it. Allan walked in a quietly stewing silence, meaning that the short trip towards the Ranger's Cabin was actually largely pleasant, and it isn't long before the wooden abode draws into view in the distance.

Approaching, the most immediate thing you notice is that the place seems somewhat abandoned. There is an almost eerie quietness, impinged only by the gentle whistling of wind darting through the surrounding trees. Bizarrely, the door to the cabin was slightly ajar, which gave you slight pause. The atmosphere didn't feel off - if anything, there was an air of serenity - but this prominently jumped out to you as odd.

[TheKnightsFury]

Missingno.Master- Resisting the urge to recall Eelektross and go for a more favourable match up, you decide to give the Electric type a shot. He wasn't at a distinct type disadvantage here, he'd just had his levitation removed. He was more than capable of swimming around, it was worth a try at least. Looking over at Kade, you can't help but feel like he has something planned, but what?

Eelektross coils up, boosting his attack and defence while also increasing his accuracy. "Hmmm", Kade ponders, "I think it should be about time. Cradily, set up a Barrier, then lay down some Stealth Rocks." Cradily focuses its energy, creating a defensive barrier around itself. Eelektross swims in and begins to beat on the barrier with icy fists. The crash against the barrier, which really hurts the Eelektross' impact. Cradily scatters sharp stones around itself, setting up a trap for later. Eelektross is slowly breaking down the barrier, changing up his tactic, he goes for a Drain Punch instead.

Suddenly a burst of psychic energy sends Eelektross flying backwards. As he recovers from the attack, another burst strikes him from behind! Where were these attacks coming from?!

Kade bursts into laughter, "hahahahaha, have you worked it out yet?! How'd you like the Future Sight?" Future Sight?! But when had he used that........

Slowpoke! When its eyes had been lighting up, only to fade! That wasn't a forgotten attack, that was it sneakily setting up Future Sights! "Ingrain yourself Cradily!" Kade issues the order and the fossil digs its roots into the rock, slowly recovering the damage that Eelektross had managed to inflict. Meanwhile, Eelektross was looking rather busted after those two unexpected attacks!