Beginner RP: Algar Metharte (weirlind120)

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Battle Post #6

Machop stared Algar down as he ran forward, as though expecting this third opponent to attack him as well: but the wild Pokémon did not strike, instead assuming a prepared stance. Whatever else this Machop was like, he didn't seem the type to strike first before an opponent made his intentions clear. As the grey-skinned humanoid Pokémon prepared himself, his muscles tensed and flexed, bulging ever so slightly larger as he Bulked Up in readiness for an intense fight against— he suspected— three foes one after another.

When Algar stopped and interposed himself between Machop and Jun, and didn't make any aggressive movements, Machop turned his attention back to Ulyssandra. It was just then that she launched her assault, and despite seeing it coming Machop didn't quite have time to get out of the way.

The fireball struck Machop square in the chest. The resulting torrent of ghostly flames, their heat fuelled by raw emotion, left a mixture of scorched patches and clinging, malevolent fire all over Machop's skin. The outpouring of heat also caught large patches of the coarse meadow grass aflame in front of Machop, placing a minefield of miniature bonfires that he would have to traverse to reach Ulyssandra. Machop yelped out a surprised "Chop!" and dove out from amidst the flames, then rolled around on the ground to put out the fires that still clung to his body.

Breathing quickly, with a flood of adrenaline coursing through him that dulled the pain— but not the damage— of the burns covering his body, Machop took the long way around the slowly spreading clumps of grass fire at a flat-out dash. He reached Ulyssandra as she was still channeling her Hex, and leaped forward, both hands coming forward in a powerful double-chop that crossed right as they struck Ulyssandra...

Then he whistled straight through her, and as he landed the Hex took effect. The pain of his burns redoubled and a second, ghostly copy of the flames that had burned him flared into being, clinging to his limbs and actively burning him further despite his attempts to roll on the ground again. These flames were the ghosts of the fires that had burned him, called forward again from the past by the power of Ulyssandra's Hex technique, and they did not need oxygen to burn. After a few seconds, though, they exhausted the supernatural fuel of Ulyssandra's malice and died down, leaving Machop much the worse for wear.

Oddly, despite his injuries, the wild Pokémon didn't look angry any more. If anything, there was a little bit of tentative excitement in his posture as he rolled to his feet squared up again. This was a tough and tricky opponent who, it seemed, he couldn't even touch: he would have to think smart and use his strength well to defeat her. And this wasn't just some sparring match with other Machops: it was a battle. The challenge filled the wild Pokémon with a sense of being alive that he hadn't experienced in quite some time; his species was naturally competitive, but until now, Machop hadn't even realized he'd been craving the connection of having a real, strong opponent who also wanted desperately to win!

For her part, Ulyssandra was still angry— there was no doubt about that— though not quite feeling so vengeful any more. More importantly, Machop's excited, ready posture attested to the fact that Machop was clearly hardy enough to take any amount of punishment Uly could dish out. She normally cared a great deal about not harming an opponent overmuch; but Uly now knew that this was a hardy opponent against whom she didn't need to pull her punches. And right now she was angry enough that she didn't even want to hold back.

Current Encounter: Machop

Machop: 45.93% [ATK+1][DEF+1][BRN] (used Bulk Up, stopped dropped and rolled, then used Cross Chop)
Ulyssandra: 87.29% (Swapped in, used Will-o-Wisp and then Hex)

~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 3
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 5,708
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 61.06%
  Gender: Male
  Ability: Static
  Nature: Calm
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  Ulyssandra the Duskull — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 87.29%
  Gender: Female
  Ability: Levitate
  Nature: Jolly
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  
• Total Items:
  Park Ball x3
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Seeing Machop stand up again after her Hex annoyed Uly. Sure, she recognized that he was looking for a strong opponent, but getting between her and Algar? Absolutely unacceptable. As they squared off again, Uly remembered being alone in the alley, lonely and desolate, yet being happy with what she had. And she remembered being found by Algar, and how happy she was then, as if the loneliness could just vanish so quickly. She wasn't prepared to lose, and she wouldn't. Summoning all the ghostly powers she could from that forgotten astral plane, Uly filled her tiny being with powers reserved only for specters of her kind; then, with a puff of release, she cast the most horrific illusion at Machop. The illusion started as a beam of dark energy as black as the shade of night; it swirled around him, showing him nightmares and battering him from all sides. Uly revelled in her work; but Algar wasn't as sure as Uly was. Algar was growing quite fond at how hardy and dedicated this Machop was, and he decided that admiration wasn't a ploy, as Machop's hurt toe was. Algar drew a Park Ball from his bag, and waited to see the outcome of Uly's attack.

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Battle Post #7

Horrors assailed Machop; the dark energy of them sapped strength from Machop's taut muscles, and sought to whirl their way into his mind to fill it with eerie visions. Should they succeed, Machop would be left in a stupor: unable to tell illusion from reality, lashing out amidst the waking nightmare but immobile in reality, trapped in the prison of his own mind.

But Uly had missed her window of opportunity to attack Machop's senses. Even as the heat was leached from his body by the cold grasp of the Night Shade attack, Machop fixed his gaze on Uly with the focused dedication of a martial artist. The illusions faded away into the periphery of his awareness, and his sharp fighter's mind deduced that if Uly's body was impervious to blows from his fists and feet, he would have to strike with something else.

His gaze shredded the illusion of the Night Shade as though it were a knife, slicing away dissipating ribbons of blackness as he turned his focus to the boulder he had tossed aside in his earlier fit of pique. He took a running start and leapt, bursting through the remnants of the Night Shade and dispelling it entirely, to land next to the head-sized boulder. The wild Pokémon hoisted the heavy rock in one hand, ready to take a new tack in this interesting encounter!

Current Encounter: Machop

Machop: 31.39% [ATK+1][DEF+1][BRN] (used Foresight)
Ulyssandra: 87.29% (Used Night Shade)

~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 3
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 6,860
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 61.06%
  Gender: Male
  Ability: Static
  Nature: Calm
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  Ulyssandra the Duskull — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 87.29%
  Gender: Female
  Ability: Levitate
  Nature: Jolly
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  
• Total Items:
  Park Ball x3
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

As Machop sliced through Uly's terrifying illusions as if they were silk, dashing her most powerful move into dust, Uly hesitated. She felt that Machop was watching her even more fiercely, and there was something about his gaze and the way he fought that she found alluring, in some regard. However, she wasn't prepared to do nothing about it, and seeing Machop dart away kindled her anger again. She resorted again to her spectral powers; this time using her shadow to quickly cover the distance between them, she attempted to pursue him and prevent allowing him time to get back his bearings. The burn wounds were still fresh; Uly knew they would take their toll, and she wanted to keep the pressure on for as long as she could. However, as she desperately issued her pursuit on the Machop, she noticed Algar a short distance away, Park ball in hand. He looked at her, making sure she acknowledged, and threw the ball at the Machop, which disappeared shortly after her attack in a flash of red. Algar and Uly watched it in utter anticipation, watching the light blink and the shaking of the ball.

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Battle Post #8

With the air filled with fluttering black ribbons of the shredded Night Shade attack, Ulyssandra took Machop completely by surprise as she melted out of one more darting shadow. Her strike, unexpected as it was, knocked him stumbling sideways, though his bulked-up muscles protected him from the blow to some extent.

However, then it was time for Machop to surprise Ulyssandra back. Hidden in the two-dimensional realm of shadow, the Duskull had been unable to see the world of three-dimensional things clearly. So it was that she missed the fact that, the moment before she'd struck, Machop had successfully picked up the heavy boulder, about the size of her body, that he'd been kicking around before the battle had started. His burns were clearly painful, but they barely seemed to hinder the hardy little creature: as angry as she might be, Ulyssandra would have to acknowledge Machop had Guts.

With the grace of a skilled fighter, Machop turned his stumbling momentum into a spin like a discus thrower... but instead of hurling the boulder, he kept his grip on it and launched himself forward, with the large rock leading in a practiced counterattack with vengeful force behind it. The heavy mass of stone succeeded where fists and kicks had not: Uly had been able to separate the ghostly particles of her body enough to pass around a limited blow like a punch, but she couldn't go through dense rock! With the redirected force of her own attack plus Machop's considerable strength behind it, the boulder sent her tumbling backward through the air and partially crushed her against the ground, trapping her underneath it...

Then, while Machop was distracted, the Park Ball whizzed through the air and bounced solidly off of the little Fighting-type's shoulderblade. Machop looked confused for a second, then disappeared into the ball in a swirl of red light.

The Park Ball tumbled to the coarse, charred grass of the chilly meadow.

It twitched violently to one side as the Pokémon inside struggled to escape.

A second twitch, weaker...

Then a third.

There was a long and tense pause.

...

...

...

And then the button on the front of the ball flashed red with an audible click.





Machop: Successfully Caught!
Ulyssandra: 27.04% (Used Shadow Sneak, then Park Ball was thrown!)
Machop: 20.93% [ATK+1][DEF+1][BRN] (used Revenge; was hurt by its burn... then was caught!)




~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 3
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 7,958 —> 0
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 61.06%
  Gender: Male
  Ability: Static
  Nature: Calm
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  Ulyssandra the Duskull — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 27.04%
  Gender: Female
  Ability: Levitate
  Nature: Jolly
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  
• Total Items:
  Park Ball x2
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  Machop (Male, Lonely nature)

 

The ball tossed and turned, but finally came to rest. Algar jumped in the air in jubilation. They had done it! Algar rushed over to air hug his fantastic ghost Pokemon, and show her how much he had enjoyed her battling. Even Uly couldn't stay angry anymore after seeing her Trainer gush over her, and laughed and laughed as they celebrated the catch. As the ball lay there, Algar realized he probably shouldn't pick it up, since park rules said the Ranger should hold onto it... The Ranger! "Tella? Are you there? I'd like to end my run please, and claim this Machop!"

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Non-Battle Post #6

"As you wish," said Tella's voice from the shadows between two of the large boulders on the edge of the meadow. The Ranger and her Blaziken both emerged from the shadows at a steady pace; as they did, Tella extended one hand in the direction of the Park Ball, took a deep breath, and then exhaled once, sharply, gesturing with her hand as though she were beckoning the Ball toward her.

In response to her gesture, the Park Ball launched itself into the air from where it rested, and arced perfectly down into Tella's hand. The Ranger pocketed the Ball, and nodded in Algar's direction.

"Well battled," she complimented him, her expression still so neutral that the words seemed almost like empty praise. Almost. "Let's head back to the drop-off point, then, and this Machop will be returned to you as soon as you reach the Docks and fill out the requisite paperwork."

For Algar, time went on in an excited blur from there. Tella radioed in for Algar to be picked up; the trip back to the vehicle would be uneventful, though Ulyssandra wouldn't stop celebrating, clinging exuberantly to Algar's shoulders and flowing in the wind like a bulky, ethereal cape. In the distance, wary wild Pokémon could be seen darting away at the first sight of potential danger.

Once, as the Trainer and Ranger and their Pokémon left the valley by scaling the cliff they had previously climbed down, a low-flying flock of Delibird passed by overhead; and at another point, descending from the foothills, Algar spotted two Beartic engaged in a territorial battle in front of a cave on a distant ridge.

Eventually, the travelers arrived at the spot where the van had dropped Algar off, and before long the same vehicle rumbled up, ready to take him to the Docks. Should he turn to say goodbye to Tella, he would find her gone, having already locked the Park Ball with Machop in it into a clasp on the hood of the National Park van and then disappeared with the same unnatural ease as the other times she'd gone missing. Goodbyes were not Tella's strong suit; in fact, interacting with people as a whole was not her forté.

The Ranger watched the van depart with an expression of complete equanimity. It wasn't customary for her to show her emotions to anyone but her Pokémon partners; but if that were something she did, she might have been frowning. This run hadn't been any kind of disaster, as she'd been fearing after her first experience with Mt. Oktori— or perhaps that had been merely a simulation of the mountain, and not Mt. Oktori itself— but it also hadn't felt like a redemption. She would need to test her mettle against the mountain proper, not just the foothills, in order to feel as though she were capable of conquering the mountain's ruthless weather.

Maybe she'd stick around in the region. See if a more experienced Trainer was going to brave the Mountain, and volunteer to be the Ranger for that... Tella's personal struggle with the elements and with Mt. Oktori wasn't over, not by a long shot.

~~Run Complete!~~

~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu
  HP: 61.06%
  Gender: Male
  Ability: Static
  Nature: Calm
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  Ulyssandra the Duskull
  HP: 27.04%
  Gender: Female
  Ability: Levitate
  Nature: Jolly
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  
• Total Items:
  Park Ball x2
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  Machop (Male, Lonely nature)
• Total Characters Written by Trainer (for Legendary Log purposes): 16,893