Individual RP: Akinai

Though Akinai would never admit it to the Ranger, she was relieved to see that John opted to recall the Dragonite rather than have it weather out the storm. With no other Pokemon out on the field, and with Jade having a natural immunity to sandstorms, it would mean that only Spiritomb would be damaged by the winds. In addition, she wouldn't have to worry about looking out for any other spectators as well, like it had been with Zen and Elgyem. While the Sandstorm was in a smaller area and would be quite annoying to deal with, it was most likely harmless against humans. Her full focus would be on this match alone.

As Spiritomb was pulling the shadows back to his form, the Shadow Sneak foiled, the sand-filled winds of Jade's Sand Tomb began to swirl around the spirit. Due to his decreased speed from paralysis and the action of canceling his prior attack, the Forbidden Pokemon could do little but watch as the winds turned into an imprisoning tornado, trapping Spiritomb in the center. He let out a haunting wail of dismay as the dust devil fully surrounded the area around his rock, the sound slightly echoing off the cave walls.

Jade responded in kind with a triumphant cry of her own, her form still slightly hovering off of the ground. Her last confrontation with a Spiritomb was still crystal clear in the Flygon's mind, and was dead-set on this match being the exact opposite. While she had a strong desire to faint the creature, her trainer had not given her the clear to go full-out on her opponent. Still, she would show no mercy until the Spiritomb was either captured or she had approval to finish it off.

“Easy, Jade,” Akinai warned the Flygon. She could tell that Jade was clearly wishing to decimate the Spiritomb, and could definitely understand why. In fact, if it wasn't for Gaard's strange reaction earlier, she would have been far away from this cave by now, even throwing a Doll if the situation demanded it. Since they were this far though, it only made sense to attempt to capture the wild Pokemon... who knows, capturing it could possibly help figure out just what was Gaard's problem with it, and maybe the spirit would get along with Magi and help mellow out the fellow Spiritomb a bit.

And maybe Tepigs will fly and Gyarados are actually quite friendly, Akinai thought to herself, noticing just how far-fetched the idea was. She owned two other Ghosts, and neither were quite as threatening as Magi. That and, judging from their current encounter, it appeared as if her teammate's temperament was not something universal to the species. It was either that, or they were facing one strange Spiritomb. Regardless, her thoughts were ones better suited for later, especially when she should be focused on the current battle instead.

Despite the sandstorm winds enveloping the area, Spiritomb was still somewhat visible to the group. The violet light that the spirit appeared to be made of glowed dimly with a faint light, standing out to the otherwise featureless area and the flying green form that was Jade. A new light began to surface though, this one of a midnight-black color with dark violet swirls and growing in size. It was forming close to where the Spiritomb lay trapped, making it the culprit.

“Fantastic,” Akinai muttered. She had caught the attack too late; there was hardly enough time to have Jade dodge the attack, even lessen it's impact. There was a slight chance that they could get the jump on the creature while it was distracted, however. It would depend on if the Flygon was willing to pull off the maneuver in question though. While the method had been one of her favorites while still a small Trapinch, upon reaching reaching final evolution the Flygon much preferred the skies. Won't know until you try, I suppose... “Jade, let's strike it from below!”

Jade stopped in mid-hover, landing to the ground with a thud. Judging by her current lack of attention towards the Spiritomb, she had failed to notice the charging attack, or possibly thought the light was part of the creature's body. At the moment she had shot a shocked look at Akinai, staring at her trainer as she thought the human was mad.

Akinai only only gave a wry grin at her starter's startled response. “You remember our plan from the old days, right? Burrow underground using Dig, then go in with a Crunch,” she reminded the Flygon. Judging from the way Jade's wings began to twitch, she did indeed remember their old trick. Seeing that Jade appeared as if she wished to disobey she added, “You could always fly out once you've hit your mark.”

That settled it. Folding her wings tight to her body so they would not get in the way, Jade began to tear furiously into the ground with her front claws. While the process was a little slower thanks to being out of practice and not using this attack as a Flygon before, she still managed to dig an impressive hole to burrow into. Jade would then move her way underground, positioning herself directly below where she theorized the Spiritomb lay. The Flygon would then move upwards for an attack, attempted to strike her opponent and get in a powerful, bone-crunching bite in as well. Granted, Spiritomb lacked any bones to crunch on, but the Dark-type attack would surely cause some damage.

 

BP-5: Flygon VS Spiritomb

Ranger John Shay

Akinai subconsciously bit her lip as she thought. "Jade, let's strike it from below! You remember our plan from the old days, right? Burrow underground using Dig, then go in with a Crunch."

Jade's mouth twitched into a frown. It seemed that something was wrong, though I wasn't sure what was wrong. Presumably, it was something to do with Jade's past experiences of the combination or her general opinion of it.

Seeing her Pokemon hesitate, Akinai added, "You could always fly out once you've hit your mark."

This seemed to do the trick. Despite some evident reluctance, Jade dived underground, burrowing beneath the cave floor instantly. She didn't seem too happy to use this particular combination of moves, but it seemed she would go through with it nonetheless.

The first half of this combo was Dig. That meant Jade would burrow underground (which was in the process of happening) and position herself beneath her target before attacking from below. However, with Crunch involved, this shouldn't be an ordinary attack. I decided to watch it unfold.

Spiritomb, trapped in the Sand Tomb, couldn't do anything but watch. His only option was to continue charging the Shadow Ball, resulting in the attack becoming overcharged. As Jade flew out of the ground, chomping eagerly at Spiritomb, the Shadow Ball discharged. I could clearly see Jade landing solid hits on Spiritomb, but the Shadow Ball did some damage to Jade as well. Fortunately for the Flygon, Shadow Ball had not been thrown at her. Instead, it had simply overheated and subsequently released.

"Spiritomb!" he moaned, flying out of the Sand Tomb as it crumbled. More likely than not, Jade's attack had broken the Sand Tomb, freeing Spiritomb. However, the fact remained that Spiritomb was paralyzed, and it was already slow to begin with. Speed would still be an issue for Spiritomb unless it used a priority move like Sucker Punch or Shadow Sneak.

The Pokemon eyed Jade, clearly realizing that he was in a bad situation in terms of the difference in their Hit Points. He wasted no time in trying to level the playing field a little bit. His eyes began glowing blue, and Jade was quickly surrounded in the same aura. I recognized this as the commonly-used Psychic attack. Jade shouted in pain as Spiritomb tossed Jade to the ground with Psychic. Spiritomb released the attack suddenly as he cringed - that was the paralysis making its presence felt once again. However, it was too late - Jade had taken some damage from Psychic.

Jade slowly picked herself back up. With Spiritomb fully paralyzed, she had a small window to use to her advantage. There was no telling how long she would have this opportunity for, but it was certainly there right now.

Battle Statistics
Flygon VS Spiritomb
Flygon: 89%, used Dig, used Crunch
Spiritomb: 42% SPA+1 SPD+1 PAR, used Psychic, fully paralyzed
Battlefield: Sandstorm (2)

Trainer Information
Name: Akinai
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Xatu, Abra, Poochyena, Natu, Drowzee, Elgyem, Honchkrow, Unown (A), Spiritomb, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: Abra, Honchkrow, Elgyem
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 25016/35000
Park Items:
1x Hyper Ball
2x Super Potion
Camera
2x Pokedoll
1x Ground Type Repellant

Pokemon Information

Pokemon: Flygon (100%, in battle)
Nickname: Jade
Gender: Female
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Serious
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Fly, Strength, Flamethrower

Pokemon: Aggron (100%)
Nickname: Cryrosant
Gender: Female
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Docile
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Earthquake, Strength

Pokemon: Gallade (83%)
Nickname: Zen
Gender: Male
Ability: Steadfast
Nature: Lonely
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Ice Punch, ThunderPunch, Strength

Pokemon: Absol (70%)
Nickname: Gaard
Gender: Male
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Careful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Thunder Wave

 

Jade's sneak attack went much better then Akinai had expected. Not only had the Flygon somehow managed to go underground before the Shadow Ball had fully charged, but had forced the wild Pokemon to keep the orb in a charging state while Jade burrowed under the creature to strike. When the Dragon-type finally burst from the ground to chomp down on her opponent, the overcharged attack exploded in the Spiritomb's face, lightly damaging the Flygon. Whether it was from Jade's overeager attack, the explosion, or both incidents happening at once, the stone carrying the Ghost-type's body went flying, going through the Sand Tomb's collapsing barrier.

As his rock became land-bound once more, Spiritomb slunk his shadowy form from the keystone to eye Jade warily. While the spirit was free from the sand prison that had trapped him, the sandstorm still raged around him, still damaging the Spiritomb every time one of the winds decided to rage through him. In addition, his opponent could go airborne on a whim, much like the Flygon was doing now. The green creature was lazily hovering above him, still in the same area it had retreated to soon after erupting from the ground. The fact that the Flygon was still in peak fighting condition while he was battered, humiliated, and knocked around irritated the Forbidden Pokemon to no end.

Jade, as if she could somehow overhear the Spiritomb's thoughts, looked over at her opponent. Seeing that the wild Pokemon was glaring at her from it's stony prison below, the Flygon gave a smug smile and flew a little closer, keeping her large form tantalizingly out of the Pokemon's reach. It was clear that she was quite proud of her earlier attack, the achievement filling her with confidence.

Akinai watched the Flygon's actions and groaned to herself. Overconfidence was more like it. While the Spiritomb was weakened, it still had quite a lot of fight left in it. Plus, it was a Ghost/Dark hybrid, with both types being well known for their underhanded and stealth-like tactics. “Pull it together, will you,” Akinai muttered to herself. She could attempt to call Jade out on her foolish antics, but it was possible that the Flygon would simply reply with a more dangerous maneuver, like daring to get even closer to the Pokemon. Despite having a usually serious personality, Jade could be quite stubborn sometimes.

In the end, it was Spiritomb who finally decided to do something about the taunting Flygon. His form began to glow with a light blue light, and the spirit focused his gaze on the form flying above him. Soon the glow began to outline the Flygon's body as well, and the Dragon-type was slammed unceremoniously down to the ground with a startled cry. As he got ready to lift the form for yet another drop, the Spiritomb froze in place, the glow dying out suddenly. His body felt as stiff as the rock that was both his sanctuary and prison; the paralysis gripping his body had struck once more. Spiritomb let out a frustrated growl, unable to do little but watch currently.

Jade, wincing in pain and somewhat humbled by the Psychic assault, attempted to pick herself off of the ground with what little dignity she had left. She was slightly confused that the attack had stopped in mid-action, but was not about to kindly ask the wild Pokemon about the incident either. She shot a look over at her trainer, asking how to use this window of opportunity to their full advantage.

Well, thank you for taking care of that task for me, Akinai thought to herself, somewhat grateful that the Spiritomb had managed to snap Jade out of her gloating. Not only had that prevented her from having to berate the Flygon for her antics, but it would possibly help Jade take this battle more seriously. While this battle was indeed easier then the last one, that hardly changed what type of creature they were up against. She wished Jade to keep a full vigilance for this until the Pokemon was successfully captured.

For now, they had a perfect opportunity to strike, and Akinai hoped to use it to their full advantage. “Now's your chance, Jade! Get in close with a Faint Attack, then incinerate it with a Flamethrower,” she called out to the Flygon. While it was hardly likely that she needed the impeccable accuracy of Faint Attack to pull this movement off, it didn't hurt to use it. Plus, at such a close range, Flamethrower could be used at full strength. The Spiritomb wouldn't know what had hit it until it was far too late.

Jade, eager to get moving after being humiliated, wasted no time at all. As soon as Akinai finished calling out the attack, her emerald form took to the air once more, being able to cover ground much faster then simply running over to her target. She glowed with a dark aura, positioned herself directly below the Spiritomb and, like she had done earlier, closed her wings and dive-bombed the spirit. As she approached, a few tongues of flame escaped her maw, ready to be released upon the user's unfortunate enemy.

 

BP-6: Flygon VS Spiritomb

Ranger John Shay

Akinai's eyes widened as she saw her window of opportunity, and she wasted no time in claiming it.

"Now's your chance, Jade! Get in close with a Faint Attack, then incinerate it with a Flamethrower," Akinai commanded.

Jade nodded, showing no desire in wasting time as well. She immediately disappeared, using Faint Attack. This was the same attack Spiritomb had used earlier on Gaard.

"Flygon!" Jade reappeared behind Spiritomb and slapped the Forbidden Pokemon with her tail. Though her tail went straight through the Ghost-type, he still winced. Due to Faint Attack being a Dark-type move rather than a Normal-type or Fighting-type attack, Spiritomb would still take damage from it.

With her closed mouth already leaking flames, Jade opened her mouth and launched a powerful Flamethrower at Spiritomb. The flames overwhelmed Spiritomb - Jade seemed to be filled with an eager and energetic energy, which wasn't a good thing for Spiritomb. Fortunately, he did have a Special Defense boost from Calm Mind to help weaken Flamethrower a little bit.

"Spiritomb!" he cried, recoiling immediately. I studied the Pokemon. This battle had been going on for a while now, and that was beginning to show. Spiritomb was tired, bruised and battered. I suspected this battle was approaching its end.

However, Spiritomb was done yet. Even though he was clearly struggling, Spiritomb still managed to execute a string of moves, showing off some impressive resiliency.

First, Spiritomb formed a blue barrier of energy in between Jade and himself. He was using Reflect, an attack that halved the power of all physical moves used on the Pokemon that had set up Reflect. It seemed that Spiritomb intended to make his remaining HP last for as long as possible.

Next, Spiritomb blew out a purple gust of wind. This was no ordinary gust of wind - it was Ominous Wind, which was a Ghost-type attack rather than a Flying-type attack. The wind overcame Jade, ripping into her.

Despite dealing solid damage to Jade, Spiritomb's selection of attack puzzled me. If he wanted to deal damage, then Shadow Ball would've been a much better option due to far superior power. I supposed that Spiritomb may have been trying for a lucky boost in all of his stats other than Accuracy and Evasion, something that Ominous Wind could provide. However, it didn't seem as if Spiritomb had gotten a boost.

Jade recovered from the attack, shaking it off. Despite Reflect being added to the equation, Jade was in a position to close out this battle and offer a good capture chance for Akinai.

Battle Statistics
Flygon VS Spiritomb
Flygon: 81%, used Dig, used Crunch
Spiritomb: 28% SPA+1 SPD+1 PAR REF1, used Reflect, used Ominous Wind
Battlefield: Sandstorm (3)

Trainer Information
Name: Akinai
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Xatu, Abra, Poochyena, Natu, Drowzee, Elgyem, Honchkrow, Unown (A), Spiritomb, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: Abra, Honchkrow, Elgyem
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 30007/35000
Park Items:
1x Hyper Ball
2x Super Potion
Camera
2x Pokedoll
1x Ground Type Repellant

Pokemon Information

Pokemon: Flygon (100%, in battle)
Nickname: Jade
Gender: Female
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Serious
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Fly, Strength, Flamethrower

Pokemon: Aggron (100%)
Nickname: Cryrosant
Gender: Female
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Docile
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Earthquake, Strength

Pokemon: Gallade (83%)
Nickname: Zen
Gender: Male
Ability: Steadfast
Nature: Lonely
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Ice Punch, ThunderPunch, Strength

Pokemon: Absol (70%)
Nickname: Gaard
Gender: Male
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Careful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Thunder Wave

 

OOC: If capture is successful (using the last Ball), leaving with Abra, Elgyem, and Spiritomb.



Spiritomb, still recoiling from the paralysis attack, was helpless as Jade began her next attack combination. One moment the Flygon was right in front of the spirit, the next it had managed to sneak behind him, striking him with a Dark-infused limb. While it had been surprising that the Dragon-type had moved so fast, the strike had done minimal damage to him. Spiritomb barely had enough time to ponder just why when he was suddenly engulfed in flames. While the creature's form was gaseous, it was not combustible like the gas attacks that some Pokemon were able to expel. Regardless, due to the attack being at such close range, it thoroughly singed Spiritomb. The Forbidden Pokemon let out a pained cry, and attempted to move away from the attack as fast as his crippled form would allow.

Jade, breathing out the last streams of fire from the Flamethrower, chose not to hover about and gloat this time around. While the Flygon was pleased with herself for managing once again to throw the Spiritomb in for a loop, both her body and ego were still bruised from her last attempt at being smug. She had no desire to get slammed down to the dirt once again.

“Nice one,” Akinai called out to Jade, proud that the combo had been smoothly utilized and that her starter had learned her lesson for now. She took a moment to take a cursory look at the Spiritomb, trying to figure out just how much fight was left in the Wild Pokemon. It was clearly not taking it's paralysis well, having frozen in place twice during the fight. In addition, while it had not been burned by the Flamethrower, the Spiritomb's form appeared to be slightly smoking. Judging from the worn look and new scratches on the Ghost-type's keystone, and the haggard look it's face was sporting, the Spiritomb was nearing it's limit.

Seeing that the human was beginning to eye him, Spiritomb appeared to hit a brief second wind. He refused to give up, especially to a flitting pseudo-dragon and a human! A barrier instantly shot up between the two Pokemon, a desperate attempt from the creature in his bid to outlast the Flygon. While the sky-blue wall was hardly able to stop attacks in their place like Protect was able to perform, the barrier would at least soften any blows coming his way.

As soon as the barrier was erected, Spiritomb took a deep breath and blew a large amount of wind towards the Flygon. The attack was nearly invisible save for a slight violet hue and causing a foreboding feeling to strike whoever was in the path of the breeze. While Jade shuddered as the wind struck through her body, Spiritomb appeared somewhat disappointed; he had been hoping for a possible boost to his powers by evoking a haunting feeling to the area, but the attempt had failed. Fortunately for him, the Reflect barrier was standing strong.

Akinai looked over at the barrier while trying to shield her eyes from the swirling winds, trying to puzzle out just what type the wall was supposed to be. It appeared to have a similar hue to Safeguard, but she was fairly certain that Spiritomb could not learn the move. Granted, the Park wildlife knew the strangest techniques.... Protect was not one of the possible choices; that move erected a golden barrier and prevented the user from using any attacks while it was still standing.

The choices fell down to either Reflect or Light Screen, making things difficult. Reflect lessened the damage of physical attacks, while Light Screen affected ranged and special attacks. That meant that she had a one-in-two chance of an attack doing only half damage to the Spiritomb. If she had time to try out a couple of moves she would be in the clear, but the wild Pokemon didn't look like it could take more then one or two hits maximum.

Jade didn't appear too happy about the barrier; she lightly swatted the wall with her tail, as if it was a pesky insect in her way. The Flygon was not too broken up about the hindrance though- she had been in quite a few battles, and knew a weakened opponent when she saw one. She cried out a statement to the Spiritomb, likely telling him that his tricks would do little but delay his defeat. If Jade was unable to finish off the Ghost-type, the Sandstorm eventually would.

Akinai tried to recall what moves the Spiritomb had used earlier, in an attempt to figure out just what defenses were up at the moment. There was, of course, the barrier currently shimmering for all to see. It had appeared composed earlier, and far more placid after one strange pause in it's attacks... that meant that it possibly had the effects of Calm Mind up as well. The technique would increase it's defense to ranged attacks, which would lessen the point of using them even more. Barrier or not, physical attacks appeared to be the way to go.

“Jade, that barrier is no match for you! Strike that Spiritomb down with a Dragon Claw!” Akinai called out confidently to the Flygon. While Dragon Claw usually did an impressive amount of damage, she was fairly certain that the attack would not faint the Ghost-type. If the barrier turned out to be Reflect, even better; that would lessen the chances even more.

Jade charged forward, her claws beginning to glow with a violet hue that was of a more brilliant shade then the Ghost-type attacks used earlier. When the Flygon got into range, she would slash towards her target with impressive strength.

Once Jade was ready to utilize her attack, Akinai called out one final command, “Sand-Attack, aim for the eyes!” She reached into her pack, retrieving her last capture device- a Hyperball.

Jade let out a loud, shrill cry, hoping to startle her opponent. Whether it managed to distract the Spiritomb or not, the Flygon would flap one of her wings at her opponent, trying to direct some of the sand moving about towards the spirit's face.

Akinai, Hyperball in hand, readied her aim and patiently waited for Jade to move out of the way. Once the Flygon had moved, she threw the sphere at the Spiritomb, aiming at the keystone housing the creature's form.

 

BP-7: Flygon VS Spiritomb

Ranger John Shay

"Jade, that barrier is no match for you! Strike that Spiritomb down with a Dragon Claw!" Akinai commanded.

Jade nodded, and her claw began glowing with a violent blue energy - Dragon-type energy. She swooped in, showing no hesitation despite Spiritomb's Reflect barrier. I suppose there was no reason to be hesitant - Reflect could actually help Akinai by allowing her to use physical attacks to lower Spiritomb's remaining health without worrying about knocking it out.

Jade swiped at Spiritomb, and the Pokemon winced. It hadn't fainted yet, but it was getting dangerously close to the brink.

Akinai noticed this too. Taking out her last Hyper Ball, she shouted, "Sand-Attack, aim for the eyes!"

Jade obeyed, flapping her wings again. Some of the sandstorm was blown directly into Spiritomb's face.

Akinai used the distraction to throw the capsule at Spiritomb. Spiritomb was morphed into glowing red light and sucked into Akinai's Hyper Ball.

I held my breath. If this failed, Akinai would be forced into a tough situation as this was her last Hyper Ball. Unless she was lucky enough for the ball to be easily reobtainable should it fail, she might not get another chance to capture this Spiritomb.

The ball rolled. It rolled once, twice... thrice. Ding!

I grabbed the Hyper Ball, and smiled at Akinai. "That was your last Park Ball, so it seems it's time you to leave."

Reaching into my bag, I pulled out the Pokeballs containing Akinai's other captures: Abra, Honchkrow, and Elgyem. I handed the four capsules over to Akinai, and quickly filled out a small form and handed that to Akinai as well.

"You'll need to give that form to Jenny back at the Registration Office. She will transfer your captured Pokemon into legal Pokeballs," I explained, then smiled. "Well, this has been a fun experience for me, I hope you enjoyed yourself too. Follow me, I'll lead you out of Meteor Valley."

Trainer Information
Name: Akinai
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Xatu, Abra, Poochyena, Natu, Drowzee, Elgyem, Honchkrow, Unown (A), Spiritomb, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: Abra, Honchkrow, Elgyem, Spiritomb
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 0
Park Items:
2x Super Potion
Camera
2x Pokedoll
1x Ground Type Repellant

Pokemon Information

Pokemon: Flygon (81%)
Nickname: Jade
Gender: Female
Ability: Levitate
Nature: Serious
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Fly, Strength, Flamethrower

Pokemon: Aggron (100%)
Nickname: Cryrosant
Gender: Female
Ability: Sturdy
Nature: Docile
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Earthquake, Strength

Pokemon: Gallade (83%)
Nickname: Zen
Gender: Male
Ability: Steadfast
Nature: Lonely
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Ice Punch, ThunderPunch, Strength

Pokemon: Absol (70%)
Nickname: Gaard
Gender: Male
Ability: Super Luck
Nature: Careful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Thunder Wave