Beginner RP: Algar Metharte (weirlind120)

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Non-Battle Post #1

A freezing wind swept down from Mt. Oktori and into the foothills, where a young woman and her Blaziken, Blaze, were waiting in one of the valleys. These valleys, sheltered from the frigid gusts by thick evergreen trees, held the last stronghold of green growing things before the mountain's ever-rising slopes began in earnest: to climb past this point was to enter the realm of year-round permafrost, piled snow, tough grasses and stunted bushes.

The two waited silently, back to back, both pairs of eyes calm yet alert as they scanned the surroundings. The forest was quiet— few bird Pokémon lived here in the cold, and those that did were rare and did not sing. Only the sound of the wind, ever-present and shaking the tallest trees, met the ears of the two watchers.

Perhaps twenty years of age, Tella was a Kanto native with pale blue almond-shaped eyes, all that could be seen of her due to the hood of her coat and the thick black scarf wrapped around her face; her waist-length black hair, hidden under that hood, was wound into a tight, severe braid and tucked firmly beneath her clothing where it couldn't be seized in a fight.

The Ranger stood with an effortless grace that could fool an ignorant onlooker into believing that she was a dancer... but which would tell a warrior that here was a dangerous foe in her own right, even had she not had a full complement of Poké Balls at her waist. There were six of them: one full-sized and awaiting Blaze, while the other five were reduced to cherry-sized capsules and clasped securely into an understated but high-tech black belt that would eject them all at once at the press of a button, if an emergency were to arise.

Tella's clothing was just as understated and hyper-practical— almost combat-ready— as the belt that held the rest of her Pokémon partners. She wore a thick black scarf wrapped around the lower half of her head to keep the wind off; currently resting on her forehead were a pair of orange goggles intended to reduce snow glare; and her torso sported a heavy winter coat complete with tight-drawn hood, thoroughly padded with insulation but perfectly designed to restrict movement as little as possible. Rounding out her gear was a pair of heavy-duty black polyester ski pants that matched her giant thigh-length waterproof ski boots: designed for walking in snow, the boots nevertheless held clasps on the bottom that could clip onto the skis that rested across the Ranger's back.

Over top of the skis was a compact, squarish black pack, its compartments carefully organized and full of the gear she would need for long-term survival out here, or for any sort of emergency situation.

Tella was waiting for a Trainer who would be braving the elements of Mount Oktori. None of the Trainers she'd yet escorted through the Park had chosen to come to this inhospitable place: clearly, the draw of Ice-type Pokémon was not sufficient to draw many visitors away from the lovely climate and the vast variety of Pokémon in the pleasant Botanical Gardens, or the picturesque and hauntingly meaningful vistas of Meteor Valley. In fact, her only experience here on Mt. Oktori had actually been a rescue mission, when one of the hardy souls who'd braved the mountain ended up buried in an avalanche (he'd been fine.) But then there had been another incident, one which technically hadn't taken place on Mt. Oktori, per se... This run— a beginner trip that would barely go past the foothills— would be a good opportunity to get her feet wet and learn the lay of the land on the mountain.

The sound of an approaching vehicle reached her through the thick insulation of her coat's hood, and Tella turned to regard it. Clearly, here was the young man— Algar Metharte, as HQ had transmitted his name to her— who would be her charge today.

She intended to treat this run exceedingly carefully. Her last encounter with freezing cold climates as a Ranger had not been encouraging.


~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 5
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 0
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu
  HP: 100%
  Gender: Male
  Ability: Static
  Nature: Calm
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  Ulyssandra the Duskull
  HP: 100%
  Gender: Female
  Ability: Levitate
  Nature: Jolly
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  
• Total Items:
  Park Ball x3
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

As the van tossed and turned on its slow course to the base of Mount Oktori, its sole charge- an anxious yet excited boy in his twenties, with the beginnings of a full beard and the endings of a baby-face. Algar couldn’t help but to constantly look out the window, watching the looming figure that was Mount Oktori grow steadily closer. Adjusting his cap and grasping at the strap on his backpack, Algar watched as the van approached a lone figure and came to a tenuous halt.

Algar stepped out of the van and stretched. He wore two layers of modest clothing: inner layers with a nice, warm jacket and jeans on top. One could just barely see the outline of Algar’s favorite garment underneath the jacket: a black T-Shirt depicting Darkrai with the lettering “Seize Your Dreams” underneath. He also wore a plain blue and red baseball cap, and carried a green backpack that looked as if it had seen better years. Algar was a creature of habit, and also sentimentality, and so wouldn’t replace the pack for years, when it was finally unusable.

As Algar stretched, he excitedly took in his surroundings. Obviously, it was very cold, as the snow falling was like to point out. Algar had chosen the place solely for its clime, as he was prone to enjoy wearing jackets and thus enjoyed colder temperatures, and that was his sole reasoning. No wonder he’d gotten the nickname Hasty Metharte back home. However, now that he was here, Algar was glad he’d chosen the place. The snow and the mountain behind it had a majestic, serene feeling. He felt as if he were the only person around, and had only himself and the mountain for company.

A slow shuffling of snow near him reminded him he was most certainly not alone, and he turned to face a lovely young woman, and an extremely intimidating Fire Pokemon Algar was very familiar with. He recognized it as a Blaziken, and he had one such pokemon at home, although this one’s eyes shown with an unmatchable fire. Noting their advance, Algar called out “Good morning! You wouldn’t happen to be Ranger Tella, would you?”

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Non-Battle Post #2

Tella sized up the young Trainer with a practiced eye, taking in his level of preparedness: he carried a rucksack and was dressed warmly, so she wouldn't need the tightly folded coat that lay at the bottom of her bag; but his coat, hat, and backpack were a myriad of bright, clashing colours that would draw attention amidst the blankets of snow that began low in the foothills of Mt. Oktori. She'd have her hands full keeping curious or battle-seeking wild Pokémon off of this one. He looked fit, but didn't have the aura of a fighter to him; his greatest capabilities likely lay with his Pokémon.

Only once these objective inferences were made did Tella shift her attention to getting the measure of this Algar person's nature. Like many of the Trainers her age who came through the Park, his posture seemed youthful and exuberant in the extreme, causing him to seem more like a boy than a young man. Having looked him up and down several times before he even noticed her existence, Tella met his eyes as he turned and spoke to her.

"Good morning! You wouldn't happen to be Ranger Tella, would you?" he asked, eyes shining with that vaguely irritating excitement and zest for adventure that she'd seen a hundred times in young and oblivious Trainers. The world was just cruel enough to make Tella worry for foolish innocents like Algar and his ilk... and that was what irritated her. Hadn't she gone through enough? Didn't she deserve to be free of worrying about others for a while?

"I am Tella Marr, yes," Tella responded simply, letting none of her thoughts filter through into her scarf-muffled voice. "Welcome to Mt. Oktori; for your safety, please allow me to review the most important Park rules before we set out. First, please do not initiate hostilities against any Pokémon who are not interested in battle; enough will approach you on their own, anyhow. Follow all directions given by your Ranger, for your safety and that of your Pokémon. The National Park Administration is not responsible for injuries sustained in the Park, but we are committed to ensuring your well-being as best we can..."

What seemed strange to Tella, as she continued to deadpan her way through the recommended opening spiel, was that Algar kept making eye contact with her, occasionally returning his gaze to meet hers in the natural way that people do when listening to someone speak.

That ordinary behaviour was exactly what struck Tella as odd. Most people were subtly unnerved by Tella's strange eyes, which would change colour and quality from dull grey to piercing ice-blue depending on her surroundings and the degree to which she used the... less than natural... abilities that she possessed. Regardless of their current state, Tella's eyes seemed to carry an eerie quality that bothered people. A few of those who met Tella's eyes acknowledged the source of their discomfort, and avoided eye contact with her thereafter; others simply frowned or shifted uncomfortably, then found something else to focus on, every time they met her eyes.

This strange Trainer, though, didn't seem to be put off by the piercing ice-blue quality that had come into her eyes as she'd descended from the foothill valley and into the snow to meet him.

"...may only keep one of the Pokémon you capture this time around, as this is an introductory trial run through the Park. We hope you will return for a more extensive exploration at a later date," Tella finished, shifting her orange ski goggles down from her forehead to cover her eyes. She didn't trust this young man's immunity to... well, whatever it was that her gaze held.

"We will be ascending into the higher foothills, but not climbing the mountain itself," Tella said, turning a bit abruptly to lead the way up the snow-covered hill and toward the evergreen valley she had been waiting in. "Choose one or more Pokémon to release from your Poké Balls; have them ready to intercept if a wild Pokémon attacks."


~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 5
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 2,059
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu
  HP: 100%
  Gender: Male
  Ability: Static
  Nature: Calm
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  Ulyssandra the Duskull
  HP: 100%
  Gender: Female
  Ability: Levitate
  Nature: Jolly
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  
• Total Items:
  Park Ball x3
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Algar listened as attentively as he could as Ranger Tella went over the rules of the Park; he had heard them before, but he’d learned in his near 22 years of life that he had a proficiency at forgetting rules at the most inconvenient of times, especially when nervous or excited. Hearing them again might drill them through. And besides that, he had noticed something… enchanting about the Ranger’s eyes, though what it was he just couldn’t say. Noticing that he was probably staring too much, he listened attentively to the rest of the regulations and then released his companions as instructed.

Jun, his Pichu, was the first to appear, and nigh immediately scampered up to him and looked up, demandingly. Algar laughed as he hoisted Jun up and situated him in the opening of his jacket, feeling the warmth of Jun’s built-up static pressed up against his chest. Jun was a very small for a Pichu, an electric mouse that would grow up to be a deadly Raichu one day, and with its small mass of matted yellow fur with splotched black ears, wasn’t exactly convincing as a fighter. Jun was as calm as Algar was excitable: He preferred watching and observing things more than fighting, and obviously wasn’t as excited about the cold weather as Algar was. He clung to his perch in Algar’s jacket and observed as the other Pokemon sprang out of its Pokeball.

Ulyssandra sprang out of the pokeball and immediately sprang into action. Ulyssandra was a Duskull, and hadn’t really seen much of the world outside of the alley she had called home back in the city. Algar had found her there, alone and almost deteriorating, and yet with such a pleasant demeanor, jovial and carefree regardless of the dire straits she found herself in. Algar loved that quality, and, asking if he could be her trainer, found himself the proud Trainer of a very merry Ghost Pokemon. Ulyssandra floated around to and fro, eager to explore. However, the thing that attracted her attention most was the snow. As the frozen precipitation fell ever vigilantly, Ulyssandra noted with glee as it fell through her pale body, and tilted her pure white mask, with her blood red eyes, upward to watch the slow trickle its way down through her face as well.

Algar couldn’t help but laugh watching Uly (as he was prone to calling her) and her amusement, but he quickly stifled it when he remembered the Ranger walking ahead in front of him. “So much for first impressions,” he thought, and then pulled out a ski mask for himself and goggles for Jun (since Uly wouldn’t require them). He then set off after his guide, ready to brave the trials of the mountain




(For reference on what I wanted Pichu to look like with the goggles )

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Non-Battle Post #3

Tella, her Blaziken climbing quietly behind her and to one side, led the three visitors to the Park up the snow-covered side of a hill and over its crest. Reaching the top, Algar and his Pokémon partners could see down into a green valley, the ground and its hardy grasses and bushes kept somewhat warm and free of snow by the white-crowned old-growth evergreens that towered high over the dale.

"Watch your step," Tella said as she picked them a path down the other side, the snow underfoot giving way to slippery rock and hardy mosses as they all descended into the valley. The icy gale off the mountain went howling through the treetops, but did not reach down here, keeping the green area relatively warm; the sound of the trees groaning and shaking rose over top of the incessant screeching that was swiftly growing louder and closer from above—

Wait, what?

"Smoooooochuuuuuuuuuuum!!" shrieked a voice as a huge clump of ice plummeted out of the treetops above, snapping branches and growing larger with every bit of snow it picked up as it tumbled downwards. Sitting on top of it, shrieking with laughter and clearly enjoying the ride immensely, was a tiny pink-and-yellow humanoid Pokémon with a shock of blonde hair.

"Smooooooooch!!"

Terrifyingly, the mass of ice that Smoochum was riding— with snow packed around it like a giant, deadly snowball the size of a human being— was headed straight for Algar! Tella, hearing the disturbance behind her, whirled around and cursed under her breath: she had let herself get too far ahead...!

It was up to Algar and his Pokémon to do something about the unexpected hazard— if it hit Algar head-on, it could crush him into paste!

Current Encounter: Smoochum

Smoochum: 100%
??: ??.??%

~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 4
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 4,675
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 100%
  Gender: Male
  Ability: Static
  Nature: Calm
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  Ulyssandra the Duskull — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 100%
  Gender: Female
  Ability: Levitate
  Nature: Jolly
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  
• Total Items:
  Park Ball x3
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Jun sensed something was awry. He couldn’t put his paw on it, but something was coming, and he knew it wasn’t good. Jun knew he needed to alert his trainer, to poke his head out and let Algar know what was coming. And that’s when he felt the rumbling.
------------------
Algar felt it and heard it before he saw it. He felt Jun rustle around from his comfort space as he heard something rumble towards him, gaining momentum. He called Duskull over to his side, and that’s when it broke the trees: an enormous snowball, topped with a small pink and yellow fluff.

“Smoooooooooochummmm!” it cried, as it hurdled closer and closer. Algar knew he had to act quickly. He quickly ordered, “Uly! Quick, use Disable on that snowball!” as he broke into a run to try and escape, desperately trying to keep Jun safe. Algar turned back to see Uly focusing her powers into an aura, and watched in relief as the snowball came to a slow halt before it could reach them. Algar breathed a sigh of relief as he moved further out of the way, then called, “Alright Uly that should be good!” and with that, the snowball continued its pace down the mountain, with Smoochum in tow. Uly laughed hysterically as the snowball crashed into a rock further down the hill, but Algar was more concerned, after assuring Jun’s safety, with where his guide was, and hoped he hadn’t further sullied his first impressions.

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Battle Post #1

Giggling playfully, Smoochum leapt off the boulder of snow-wrapped ice as it tumbled by to smash into pieces further down the hill. She turned to survey the people and Pokémon who were running in the opposite direction: new playmates, and they already knew how to play tag!

Smoochum dashed after them across the snow, her tiny body not even breaking the surface and lending her the extra speed she needed to catch up; immediately, upon getting close enough, she launched herself through the air at Ulyssandra, who had drawn her attention by playing with her snowball!

Smoochum soared through the air with arms and legs outstretched, eager to greet— and also tag!— this new friend; her species preferred to explore new textures and new Pokémon with sensitive lips puckered and questing. Her flying leap took her arcing towards Ulyssandra... and passing straight through her lips-first without ever making contact; the abrupt phase-through left Algar's Duskull shuddering and disoriented: phasing through a wall with plenty of warning was very different from phasing through a living thing unexpectedly!

Smoochum landed in front of Algar, who was still careening down the hill, and turned to face him as he, Jun, and Ulyssandra drew nearer. "Smooch?" she inquired, wondering exactly what had just happened.

Then a wide smile spread across her puffy pink lips. "Smooooch!" she shrieked, with the quality of a laugh to the screechy sound. She had never encountered an opponent she couldn't tag! This was a fun challenge!

Ulyssandra was so disoriented that she could barely tell up from down: so she struggled to focus on something— anything— and after a moment she realized she had never lost sight of the one constant in her ghostly pseudo-life since she'd been rescued from that alleyway: Algar. As Ulyssandra followed him down the hill, the wild Smoochum launched herself into the air and filled her lips with psychic power, forcing Ulyssandra to be tagged whether she wanted to be or not!

SmmmmmmmmmMMMMACK! came the absurdly loud sound of Smoochum's lips impacting Ulyssandra's ghostly form: the psychic-type attack found purchase on the ectoplasmic shape of the Duskull, and Ulyssandra was pushed backward, left behind as Algar stumbled by underneath Smoochum.

Smoochum landed lightly, creating only a small dent in the snow, and stood there giggling her approval— completely forgetting that this game was tag— as Ulyssandra blundered about overhead. What fun!


Current Encounter: Smoochum

Smoochum: 100% [Avalanche Disabled-2] (Used Sweet Kiss, Heart Stamp)
Ulyssandra: 87.29% [CON-2] (Used Disable, tried to flee— can't escape!)


~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 4
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 6,058
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 100%
  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
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Algar realized his mistake at quite a slow clip- searching for his stray Ranger shouldn't have been his priority, as the catapulting ball of yellow fluff reminded him. Fortunately, however, two things happened in fortunate succession: first Jun, realizing the imminent danger, began calmly formulating a strategy from what he could see: the flying Smoochum, the missing Ranger, and the flustering Algar. Second, Algar was quick on the uptake and realized he couldn't let more harm come to his errant ghostly partner.
"Return, Uly!" Algar called as he tossed out Uly's pokeball. Securing his ghastly companion, Algar felt Jun rustle and the power Jun was exerting: Jun knew what had to be done to take care of this pesky confuser. Freeing himself from the solace of Algar's jacket, Jun jumped down and grabbed his cheeks.
"PIIIII CHHUUUUUUU" he called, as lighning arced off his small yellow body and towards the unsuspecting intruder, it being so caught up in its fun; only with the crackle and impact of the blow did Smoochum realize something coming towards it. A direct hit! Algar reveled in the quick thinking of his partner, though he knew it wasn't over yet. He could only hope Jun would be able to handle it on his own..

(OOC: I was going for Pichu using Nasty Plot and Thundershock, if it was unclear. Thanks for being patient bb <3)

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Battle Post #2

Smoochum blinked in astonishment as her interesting playmate disappeared in a swirl of red light. Then a new challenger appeared, and the little Ice-type squealed with renewed excitement. What fun!

By the time Jun had jumped down from Algar's jacket, Smoochum was already running across the snow to meet the Pichu and play! Instead of barrelling right into Jun, though, Smoochum skidded to a stop perhaps ten metres away as he made a funny pose and grabbed his cheeks. After a moment of mystification, Smoochum realized what was going on: the game, clearly, was Follow the Leader! Smoochum grabbed her cheeks, but she didn't stop there: she also began to gather power, just like Jun was. After all, it wasn't a real game of Follow the Leader unless you took the challenge to copy the difficult parts, too! A wave of cold emanated from her at the same time as a pulse of electrical force thrummed out of Jun, and when Jun bunched his stubby legs and wrapped a crackling cloak of electricity around himself, she did the same with a cloak of drifting air that sparkled with icy snow crystals; then the two leapt forward in unison...!

THUMP-CRACK!!

A spray of the ground's blanket of snow flew skyward as Jun's Thundershock collided with Smoochum's Powder Snow, the concussion sending both flying backwards to dig a furrow in the snow at either end of the mountainside clearing. Jun seemed to have gotten the worst of the collision between ice and lightning: as the two battlers stood from where they had been thrown, Smoochum was squealing with delight and dancing about, ready for more play, whereas Jun's calm demeanour was slowly giving way to an expression of mild concern at just how much raw power his opponent seemed to have access to.

Current Encounter: Smoochum

Smoochum: 87.75% [Disabled-3] (Used Copycat—>Nasty Plot, Powder Snow)
Jun: 69.26% (Used Nasty Plot, Thundershock)


~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 4
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 7,286
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 69.26%
  Gender: Male
  Ability: Static
  Nature: Calm
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  Ulyssandra the Duskull
  HP: 87.29%
  Gender: Female
  Ability: Levitate
  Nature: Jolly
  TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None
  
  
• Total Items:
  Park Ball x3
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Algar cursed his complacency. He never should have expected Jun to be able to handle everything on his own. After the blast of ice vs electricity, Algar knew he would have to rely on both partners if they were to make it out of this confrontation. Algar had some hesitations on sending Uly out so soon, but his Pokétch told him Uly had partially recovered. "Go Uly! Help Jun out!" he called as he rereleased his spooky friend from its temporary solace. Uly came out and had observations of its own: it knew that the attacker was not attacking in earnest, and had a fantastic plan!
Uly meandered over to the pink assailant very calmly... then contorted and contracted her face in all sorts of ways, trying to get Smoochum to laugh even harder! Smoochum couldn't help but be astonished at all the faces Uly did, and fell over giggling. Uly seized this chance. Uly gathered a ball of shadow and tossed it out at the helpless Smoochum, while Algar scooped up Jun, and consoled him in the warmth of his jacket. Algar cheered, and Uly felt her spirits raise! They were back on top of it!

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Battle Post #3

Ulyssandra meandered over, distracting Smoochum just in time to forestall the little pink-skinned fluffball from running at Jun again: and as it turned out, the jolly Duskull had indeed figured out what Smoochum really wanted: a playmate! Ulyssandra pulled at the edges of her face, warping the ghost-stuff of her features back and forth, making her skull-mask's eye sockets stretch eerily and then implode to almost nothing...

To anyone but this Smoochum, this would likely have been utterly horrifying. Instead of being terrified, though, Smoochum seemed fascinated, even amused by the impossible contortions of Ulyssandra's face! Shrieking with laughter, she threw herself to the ground, beating tiny yellow fists against the snow in helpless amusement...

...Until Ulyssandra followed the fun game up with a ball of shadows that shrieked through the air and phased through Smoochum with a sound like tortured souls screaming for release.

Smoochum froze where she was, losing all heart for the fight as a previously unknown experience entered her simple-minded awareness: the experience of hopelessness. The Shadow Ball had felt, briefly, like everything worth living for had been sucked out of reality, leaving the playground of the world grey and empty joyless. The impression of emptiness had passed when the Shadow Ball did, but Smoochum was left with the distinct and impossible-to-articulate impression that something had been lost that could never be replaced.

Tears appeared in the corners of the little Pokémon's eyes and she began to bawl inconsolably, beating her little fists against the uncaring coldness of the snowbanks.

Ulyssandra looked on in utter dismay: she had intended to simply drive Smoochum off, so that she and her Trainer could be on their way... but it seemed like she had really hurt Smoochum! She had used too much power! Ghostly tears of semi-real ectoplasm gathered at the bases of the eye-socket holes of Ulyssandra's mask, and a hollow puffing noise emanated from somewhere within the shroud of her body as she began to cry in sympathy, feeling utterly terrible for what she had done.


Encounter Over!

Smoochum: 31.29% [Disabled-4] [SpAtk+2] (Laughed at funny faces instead of flinching; used Unfake Tears)
Ulyssandra: 87.29% [Sp.Def-2] [Existential Dilemma] (Used Astonish; Shadow Ball; experienced existential dilemma)


~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 4
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 8,367
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 69.26%
  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
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Poor Uly. She hadn't meant to use so much power, and really thought she hadn't: it seemed only yesterday her special moves were sub-par, and she couldn't hurt a flea. As she wept and wept, Jun hopped out of Algar's jacket. He hadn't meant to hurt the poor smoocher either, and he was going to show her that he meant it. Jun walked forward with purpose to where Smoochum lay, curled in a ball of utter despair. With Uly watching, Pichu planted the sweetest, most heartfelt kiss anyone could ever give right on the Smoochum's cheek. Algar couldn't help but be amazed, and neither could Smoochum, it seemed; or so Algar hoped...

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Non-Battle Post #4

Smoochum quieted immediately the moment Jun's tiny Pichu lips made contact with her cheek. She had kissed many things in the short time she had been alive— the lips were, after all, how her species explored the world— but she had never had someone kiss her back. Another new feeling appeared in the little Ice-type's simple mind, one that completely crowded out the unhappy one she'd been focusing on.

She leapt to her feet with a squeal of boundless, innocent excitement, and planted a return kiss right on Jun's mouth; then the little Pokémon scurried swiftly away down the hillside, and disappeared from sight into some bushes at the base of the slope, leaving the astonished onlookers staring after her.

"That was an unorthodox way of handling things," said a voice from about three metres above Algar's head. Hanging nonchalantly from the branches of one of the trees that grew on the mid-slope plateau was Tella, her Blaziken nowhere to be seen. She continued, "My apologies for remaining hidden until now. After you avoided injury and began the battle in earnest, I determined that the situation was under control and didn't wish to show myself, lest I draw Smoochum's attention and become involved unnecessarily. Your Pokémon performed admirably."

With that, she dropped into the snowbank at the bottom of the tree and waded out of the deep drifts, heading down the hillside towards the green valley below where the snow melted into a wide and shallow river that ran through the valley's centre. From where they were— near the top of one of the two hills that flanked the dale— the travellers were afforded a breathtaking view of the whole place.



As they hiked downward, dark grey clouds gathered overhead and eventually began to disgorge their burden of moisture: snowflakes began to fall, a gentle and light alternative to what would otherwise have been the merest drizzle of rain. Below Tella, Algar, and their Pokémon, the snowbanks petered out as the altitude grew low enough that the snow on the ground could no longer remain frozen. Shortly, an obstacle began to present itself: the valley's walls were steep, and their climb down the slope would soon bring them to the edge of a thirty-metre cliff: there was no way to simply hike down farther from here.

"Find yourself a viable and safe way down," Tella told Algar matter-of-factly. The Ranger's own solution, apparently, was to recall her Blaziken to his Poké Ball, then turn and lower herself over the cliff's edge to start climbing down the rock face: she did so without any concern for her own lack of safety gear. Unless Algar was willing to replicate the daredevil feat, or had brought a pretty darn long rope to rappel down with, he would have to determine some other method of descending into the valley for himself and his Pokémon...


~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 4
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 625
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 69.26%
  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
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Well, at least she doesn't hate me, I think, Algar thought as Tella scaled the mountain handily. Algar sat on a nearby rock and cooled down after the intense battle. He did, however, realize leaving the Ranger waiting for him at the bottom would not win him any favor. He needed to think of a way down; but how? And then a sly idea hit him; putting on some gloves he brought, which had some good traction, he called Jun back into his jacket. He then turned to Uly and instructed her. "Ok, Uly, we're gonna play a game. Can you float your way down the cliff and tell me which handholds are safe for me? Don't forget to Future Sight them to make sure I don't fall, can you do that for me?" Uly laughed with a huge spectral grin and started her way down the mountain, Algar in tentative tow.

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Non-Battle Post #5

Algar clambered down the mountainside with Jun safely tucked away in his jacket. The handholds were plentiful, but on several occasions Ulyssandra drifted slowly down to hover playfully in front of his face and wave him in a different direction, warning him away from parts of the cliff that she could foresee collapsing under his weight and tumbling him to the ground below. The Ghost-type was well suited to such prognostications: the Future Sight of most Duskull was especially attuned to foreseeing visions of injury and death when they were approaching. It seemed an odd thing for such a jolly creature, but such are the quirks of Pokémon.

When Algar reached the bottom of the cliff, stepping down onto the springy, tough grasses that were hardy enough to survive in such cold climates, he found himself looking out across a wintry meadow. The sun gleamed off of the icy ridges of frost that lined the mixture of tall rocks and conifers that surrounded the meadow, but its heat was insufficient to completely melt the ice. It was warmer down here, though, enough so that wildlife abounded. Shy Pokémon lurked in the shadows of the trees, staying well away from the strange invaders. Tella, of course, was nowhere to be seen— the young woman seemed to disappear without a trace rather often...

Just then, the reason for Tella's absence became clear: a Pokémon was shuffling its way around a boulder on the other side of the meadow, listlessly kicking a big rock the size of Algar's head in front of it. The little humanoid creature had greyish-blue skin, a short stubby tail, and three yellow blade-like crests on its head. It also wore a sullen, dejected sort of expression, glaring at the ground as it wedged its foot into the dirt under the rock and then launched the rock another few feet. Clearly, the Machop was pretty darn strong, even when it wasn't really trying at its strength training.

The little Pokémon glanced up at the strange-looking intruders that were watching it— Machop had certainly never seen a Ghost-type before, much less a tall two-legged Pokémon of Algar's type— and then shrugged and kept going straight towards them, kicking the rock ahead of it. Either these newcomers would get out of the way, or they'd battle: clearly, it made no difference to this odd, lacklustre Machop.

Current Encounter: Machop

Machop: 100%
??: ??.??%

~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 3
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 1,413
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 69.26%
  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
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Though Tella was gone, Algar was sort of relieved: he could only assume it meant she was either testing him or had trust in his abilities, and Algar aimed to please. Now, however, might not have been the best time to think about Tella, with a charging Machop coming right at them. Algar didn't like to think about what would happen if he ended up under said boulder. Algar decided to take slight evasive action but began to engage the Machop, though Uly was meandering this way and that, oblivious. "Uly, time to show him what we got!" he called, as Uly snapped out of her dawdling and focused on the task at hand. "Use Astonish Uly!" Uly began her weird contortingface routine, hoping to startle the Machop in the middle of its training. And yet, it didn't seem like the Machop cared much...

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Battle Post #4

Algar stepped out of the way of the wild Machop, who simply continued slowly trudging in the same direction as before, apparently not really caring whether or not Algar was in his path. Ulyssandra, though, drifted over, interested in cheering up this mopey wild Pokémon with a nice invigorating battle! She floated to hover right in Machop's face, then began stretching her features in a horrifying way that was clearly intended to be playful.

It took almost twenty seconds of this before Machop looked up from his self-absorbed kicking of the boulder; but the Astonish technique seemed surprisingly effective when it finally worked! Machop gave a start when he saw the distorted form of Ulyssandra's skull mask staring him in the face; losing focus, he stumbled, stubbing his toe hard on the rock. With a yelp of pain, the little fighting-type grabbed the rock in both hands and threw it violently aside to come to rest against a boulder on the outskirts of the meadow, then glared daggers at Ulyssandra... almost as if it were her fault he'd hurt himself!

The look of resentment that greeted Ulyssandra's silliness took the Duskull aback; concerned, she seemed uncertain of what to do, and drifted unwisely close to Machop's feet to worriedly check on the damage.

Current Encounter: Machop

Machop: 94.76% (used Scary Face)
Ulyssandra: 87.29% [SPE-2] (used Astonish)

~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 3
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 3,205
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 69.26%
  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
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Algar couldn't hold in his laughter when Machop hurt itself, although he quickly snapped out of it when Uly seemed concerned. He knew what more than likely was coming next, but his call to Uly went unanswered. Poor Uly, she always wanted to make sure no one got too hurt. Algar realized he'd need to disable Machop in some way before it could retaliate even harder at Uly... but how? At that moment, Jun poked his head out of the jacket, as if it could read his mind. "Jun, can you Thunder Wave the Machop? It'll hurt Uly otherwise!" and out Jun came, and launched a very weak spark of electricity at the upset Machop.

 

Beginner RP — Algar Metharte — Battle Post #5

Ulyssandra was now certain of one thing: Machop's feet were fine. The sturdy little Fighting-type's thick grey skin had barely even been scuffed by its collision with the rock, and his stubby toes showed no signs of breakage.

Then Machop's leg phased through her body at high speed. It was mildly uncomfortable. Ulyssandra drew back from the unsuccessful Low Kick attack, and fixed her one eye sternly on the wild Pokémon.

She was beginning to grow annoyed. Few things bothered Uly more than an opponent who played up a minor injury as some kind of big deal: as a creature with a jolly and caring nature, she knew there were some Pokémon and people out there who would take advantage of her feelings of remorse for causing undue harm, to their own benefit.

Maybe Machop had shouted out of surprise and not pain, but his glare had been hurtful and excessive given the relatively minor discomfort of his stubbed toe. Uly was angry now, and she was fully prepared to teach the rude Machop a lesson!

It was at that moment that Jun interfered. A spark of weak electricity jolted out of the little Pichu as he scampered across the meadow to place himself protectively between Machop and Ulyssandra. The spark struck the hardy Fighting-type with a tiny snap like a static shock.

Machop, a few muscles in his face twitching as the electricity messed with his nerves, turned his glare on this newest intruder as if to say, Are you going easy on me? I'm insulted. Moving with a burst of vengeful speed, the wild Pokémon shrugged off the effects of the Thunder Wave on his hardy muscles. He crossed the short distance between himself and Jun in less than a second and slammed his entire body into the Pichu, sending both battlers tumbling across the grass.

Uly was beside herself. A series of angry whooshing noises streamed from behind her mask: her version of angry chattering at Algar and Jun. She wouldn't jump back into the fight without Algar's say-so, but the young Trainer would be able to guess that if he doesn't switch her back in, he'll never hear the end of it!

Meanwhile, Jun was picking himself up, looking much the worse for wear after taking on an exceedingly strong opponent. Machop was already on his feet, waiting for Jun to get up so he could really punish the Pichu for underestimating him!

Current Encounter: Machop

Machop: 93.89% (used Low Kick on Ulyssandra, Revenge on Jun)
Jun: 11.06% (Swapped in, used Thunder Wave)

~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Algar Metharte
  
  
• Location: Mt. Oktori
  
  
• Remaining Encounters: 3
  
  
• Characters Written by Trainer (since last encounter): 3,825
  
  
• Active Effects: None
  
  
• Pokemon Stats:
  Jun the Pichu — Currently out of Poké Ball
  HP: 11.06%
  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
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

Truly, Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. More pertinent words could not be said of the current situation, with Uly's not-so-silent rage building up like an inferno, within such a small body. She was beside herself, both in anger at being fooled by Machop, but also in derision at being sidelined by her own Trainer! Algar couldn't quite understand the full propensity of his foolishness, but with Jun nearly unconscious and Uly so fierce in her determination, Algar could hardly make her wait again. "Ok Uly, you win. Go get 'im." he said as he hurriedly ran over and placed himself between Machop and Jun, desperate to keep Jun from further harm. Algar couldn't read the expression on Machop's face, but he knew it wouldn't be good if Machop could get an attack off, either at Jun or even himself. As Algar grabbed Jun and braced for an impact, he heard the impact of Uly's disdainful next move: She gathered all of her pent up frustration, and balled it into one small fiery mass that grew and grew into a fireball almost the sized of herself; she then launched the fireball at Machop, releasing her rage but leaving her enmity and loathing. The fireball exploded on impact, but dealt no damage; as a sphere of pure malice, it only provided extreme heat, and left burns on everything it touched. Algar managed to escape it's path, and started treating Jun with the Energy Powder he remembered to bring along; and that's when Algar felt something even more terrifying than the flaming orb, and it sent a sickening chill up his spine, as well as a hard lump in his throat. Uly had begun channeling her acrimony into an invisible but alarming force; it channeled it all at Machop, hexxing it for daring to deceive her and come between her and her Trainer. With the hex placed on Machop, Uly snapped out of her daze, but unfortunately, there was more to come in this encounter...