Individual RP: ChainReaction01 (Oktori)

@ChainReaction01; Yeah, yeah. Speed won't help you where you're going. As Emerill would say, time to kick it up a notch!

BP#16

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The Cryogonal's attack had left a minute opening for the Blaziken to follow up. Unfortunately, she wasn't thinking quite as clearly as normal right now. Her eyes spun and remained unfocused on her surroundings thanks to the Confuse Ray. Jakk was going to have to be very careful and clear with his instructions.

She faintly recognized that he was asking her something, but something that pulled at her senses had her too distracted to pay close attention. Something didn't feel right. Ivy furrowed her brow as her muscles tensed. Behind her, Vergil noticed too.

The hairs on the back of her neck stood up, and as she took a breath, the fog of it was much thicker than before. Was it getting colder? She remembered what the Beartic had done in his fight and didn't really want a repeat. That had been dangerous enough. But she couldn't deny that tiny shock of a shiver that shot through her despite the Blaziken's fire being so close.

“Stresser, I need you to try and think!” Jakk called. “Just focus on one thought. I'm pretty sure that the Cryogonal is at about eleven o'clock. Try and hit it with an Aerial Ace!”

The firebird understood his command at some level, since she tensed up and looked like she was prepared to shoot off into the abyss that was the screen field. Even though she had broken some of them, there were still many more in the fog.

A quiet, sharp sound caught her attention, like ice breaking. Were the icicles above starting to fall off? That would be trouble. She made to call out a warning, but the Blaziken shot off, speeding fast thanks to the gathering of energy her ability allowed for.

There was a shimmering, and suddenly the Crygonal was there, in front. The Blaziken rushed at it, already leaping up for an aerial spin that would let her momentum create a lot of the force. The Cryogonal saw this at the last second and erupted into a quick spin as the two clashed.

Stresser screeched as the sharp ends of the mirror caught her as she slammed down on it, her leg extended. However, there was also the clang of a bell, indicating the Cryogonal had not escaped damage even as it had tried to shift to the side with the twirl.

The Blaziken hopped backward, and Ivy noted that she was favoring one leg. The mirror must have knocked the other one with those sharp edges. Ivy supposed it could've been worse. She could've gotten lost in the confusion.

Before the bird could act further, the Ice-type started to do something else. An eerie chime was coming from it, one that was not at all pleasant. Ivy winced as it grated against her ears, and she saw that the Blaziken was also affected. Combined with the Confuse Ray, the Fire-type now looked utterly lost.

The noise increased in pitch as the mirror's eyes started to glow an icy blue. Why wasn't it disappearing? Then, Ivy noticed the sound wasn't coming from the Cryogonal. It was coming from the ice.

The crack sounded again, and the Ranger moved without thinking. Darting to the side, she sent a mental word to Haji and shouted Vergil's name as she barreled into Jakk, knocking him aside as the sound reached an almost-unbearable pitch.

Then, the ice under their feet shattered.

It happened so fast that she almost got lost in the sensation as she felt gravity drag her downward. For all her swift acting, the floor had broken under them anyway, and now they were plummeting into the pit below. Water on the air alerted her to where they must've been, and a flash of a glass-like surface below urged her into action.

“Vergil! Get Stresser!” she yelled, even as her voice was lost among the wind as her head twisted below her feet.

She felt rather than saw him move, for once grateful that the Gallade was not arguing. The Blaziken was hurt and confused, and they were falling toward the underground lake.

With a blur of speed that had improved since he had been training, Ivy saw Vergil lunge forward and knock the Fire-type toward the safe shore, tumbling onto dry land in a cloud of dust.

Then, Haji's energy latched onto Jakk's form first, as per her wishes. It was their job to make sure the Trainer and his Pokemon weren't injured, and unfortunately, that sometimes left less time for her own safety. She knew the Espeon could've caught them both, but there was no time.

Her vest fluttered around her as she tried to wrench her body in a half-circle so her head wouldn't hit the water first. From this height, she could break her neck. She managed to shift along her side before she hit. Ivy took a breath.

Icy water rushed over her, and all her nerve endings exploded with the bitter cold sensation. The reflex was to gasp, but that was going to fill her lungs with water, which wouldn't help at all. She forced herself to stay calm as her entire body was submerged, and once she stopped moving, she opened her eyes a fraction.

The cold bit at them, but she was able to see which way was up from the lighter color. Ice was great at reflecting that. Even though her muscles protested, she made them work to push herself out of the lake. As she surfaced, she took in a gasping breath, the cold water compressing her chest and making it slightly hard to breathe. Wiping her tangled hair from her eyes, she saw that Haji and Jakk had safely landed on the shore.

Tingling of bells rang from above, and she watched the Crygonal float down, fragments of rock and ice falling down into the water to splash near her. There were scuffs on the wild Pokemon, and its flight wasn't as smooth as it was normally. It was definitely wearing down.

Now the problem was the terrain once again. She didn't know if this was worse or better than the foggy room of mirrors. The Cryogonal could levitate over the lake, but Stresser couldn't, and there was quite a distance to shore. The underground lake was pretty vast.

Jakk was going to have to think carefully, especially because the Blaziken still looked a little confused. At least she wasn't wet. On cue, Ivy shivered, and the ominous Pokemon above indicated that she needed to get out of the water soon.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Cryogonal: 52% [Atk+1][Used Rapid Spin and Sheer Cold]
Quiet F Blaziken: 51% [Atk+2][Spe+2][Used Aerial Ace][Confused]

Area Effects: There's a gigantic lake lined with shore.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Mount Oktori
Encounters Remaining: 0
Area Effects: In an underground lake area.
Pokémon Encountered: Gurdurr, Snover, Meditite, Machop, Smoochum, Weavile, Scraggy, Abomasnow, Mienfoo, Machoke, Beartic, Makuhita, Machop, Machoke, Cryogonal
Pokémon Captured: Hardy M Scraggy, Mild M Mienfoo, Jolly M Beartic
MCR: 24,550/35,000 [Rare Rank]

Items: 4x Park Ball; 3x SuperBall; 3x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 12x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Pax-A-Punch; Oak's Trinket; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Supreme Park Ball x2; Glossy Lens; Apricorn Box, White Apricorn x1, Yellow Apricorn x1, Red Apricorn x1, Blue Apricorn x2

Picture Value: 1,500

Pokémon Stats

Pokemon: Machamp @ 67%
Nickname: Jugg
Gender: Male
Ability: No Guard
Nature: Brave
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM04-Strength, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM06-Toxic, TM18-Counter, TM26-Earthquake, TM27-Fissure, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM65-Rain Dance, TM74-Ice Punch, TM75-Swagger, TM80-Thunderpunch, TM85-Fire Punch, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM126-Stone Edge, TM159-Bulldoze, Bullet Punch, Superpower, Encore, Close Combat

Pokemon: Blaziken @ 51%
Nickname: Stresser
Gender: Female
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Quiet
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM03-Swords Dance, TM26-Earthquake, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM55-Roar, TM59-Hidden Power[FLYING], TM64-Protect, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM121-Shadow Claw, Thunderpunch, Baton Pass, Featherdance, Superpower, Agility, Feint

Pokemon: Electivire @ 68%
Nickname: Kai
Gender: Male
Ability: Motor Drive
Nature: Relaxed Nature
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM59-Hidden Power[DRAGON], TM64-Protect, TM74-Ice Punch, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM147-Low Sweep, TM157-Volt Switch, Magnet Rise, Cross Chop, Meditate, Barrier, Low Kick, Feint

 

OOC: @WinterVines;

The Blaziken seemed to be actively considering whether or not to obey Jakk's commands. Of course this was not true-had she been in command of her mental faculties, Stresser would have been more than happy to obey the Gym Leader's commands-but in her present state, everything was too much. This icy cave was so different to the warm, smooth Veilstone surroundings she was used to. Subconciously she was regulating the heat of her flames and the increased strain that her muscles were putting on her frame. The first couple of times she had tried to battle with her Speed Boost ability, she had struck someone so hard that one of her bones had cracked. Furthermore, the shining Light Screens and Reflect shields were refracting light and snowflakes all throughout the cave, and the Confuse Ray had just made all of that worse. Finally, the cherry on top of this pie was the fact that she desperately wanted to lash out at her opponent, but it was nowhere to be seen. Almost everything that moved seemed to be a viable target for her anger: the snowflakes, the gently drifting screens, even her own flames as they danced along her arms and legs.

Suddenly, a surprisingly beautiful chinnn sound echoed throughout the cavern. This was the sign that Stresser was waiting for. She exploded away, into the cave, barely even registering the fact that at any second she could bash into a screen and lose her footing. Her feet made a repetitive sound as she blurred across the floor, half pad pad pad and half tink tink tink. Through either luck or skill, she found the Cryogonal. It appeared in front of her and seemed surprised, as if it hadn't expected to be found. It quickly began a spin: an offensive maneuver instead of a defensive one. Stresser swept her leg up and then brought it crashing down, attempting to crush the Ice-type into the cavern's floor. The spin worked against her, though- the vast majority of her power glanced off to the side, and the Cryogonal's sharp edge cut up into her leg. She screeched and backed up, hopping on one leg. Blood dripped from the cut steadily, a sign that this wound wouldn't be as easy to sear shut. However, she did notice that the Cryogonal was making a deep-sounding noise and hovering much closer to the gorund, as if it was cowering slightly. This gave the Blaziken no small amount of vindictive pleasure.

Jakk was watching all this from back towards the entrance of the cave. He whooped with glee when he saw the Aerial Ace connect, but his eyes soon went dark as he noticed the steady dripping of Stresser's blood. It was by no means a pouring, but there was an alarming regularly to the spurts. Stresser was gifted with incredible speed and formidable strength, but the cost of this was that she had never been able to take a hit very well. It was this crucial weakness that her original owners had exploited to keep her in check, and while Jakk had done his best to strengthen her up, he couldn't overwrite her genetics. For the first time since coming to the Park, Jakk started to worry about his Pokemon. He looked over at the Cryogonal with narrowed eyes. Perhaps this Pokemon didn't have the temperament to be a training assistant after all. In fact, he expected it to be showing fatigue by now. Instead, it was staring at all of them with bright blue eyes. In fact, shining blue eyes.

Wait, something felt wrong.

Kssssssh!

Jakk's world imploded, and he didn't understand what was going on. He was smart and had fast reflexes but he also expected things to be what they are. When something looks like a floor and acts like a floor it should damn well be as reliable as a floor. Which, as it turns out, this time was not true. One second he was standing, and the next he was falling. He heard Ivy shout something out, and then he felt himself gripped by a strength that was not there. The young man cast his head around confusedly, noting down that the walls were still the same fusion of rock and ice crystals. He also noticed that he seemed to be falling at decelerating rate. That didn't mean that his landing was soft: in fact, all the air was forced out of his system when he landed hard on a rocky ledge. The Gym Leader started to gasp as he looked around. He was now on the edge of an underground lake. Ivy's Espeon was next to him, but it wasn't paying him any attention. It seemed to be looking out into the lake, and its tail was thrashing unhappily. Jakk turned around and saw that the Gallade was also on the ground, and next to him was Stresser. Her head was rolling and the wound on her leg was still spurting blood. Jakk knew that there was no way that she could continue battling, and so he returned her to her PokeBall. The wound couldn't be repaired by the device, but Stresser would be put into stasis so that at least the wound could not get any worse.

It was then that Jakk realised something was missing. No, someone. He sat up and shook the snow out of his hair before he realised that it was Ivy. Sure enough, he saw that the Ranger was out in the lake, bobbing on the water's surface. Half of her hair was plastered to her body and the other half drifted throughout the water. Jakk's initial reaction was to jump in after her, but he realised that he was in no shape to try and resuce her. He'd been subject to below-freezing temperatures and had been incurring minor wounds the whole day. Taking a dip into a biting-cold lake would be the final nail in his coffin. Jakk looked up and saw the Cryogonal drifting down slowly through the huge hole it had made in the floor. More than ever, Jakk started to doubt the Cryogonal's suitability as a trainer. Just like people, there were all kinds of different Pokemon. Maybe this one was one of the super-angry ones that only ever raged at others.

Acting quickly, Jakk pulled out a PokeBall and summoned out his Electivire. Kai didn't waste time greeting anyone: somehow he knew that they were all in danger.

"Kai, quick, use Protect!" Jakk yelled. He scrambled over to the edge and lowered his arm, waving for Ivy to swim over. The water splashed onto his skin, and the Gym Leader had to bite back a swear-word. It was easily the coldest thing he had felt today.

Meanwhile, Kai clapped his hands together and then separated them, spreading them as far apart as he could. A brilliant white shield grew outwards like an opening umbrella, covering the entirety of the shore. It wasn't a good choice battle-wise, but Jakk was far more worried about Ivy right now, and at least the Protect shield would act like a big pause button. Whatever the Cryogonal chose to do, Jakk was confident that Kai would be able to fight back against after Ivy had been fished out of the lake.

 

ChainReaction01; Way to ignore Ivy saving his ass =P Also this got a little out of hand.

BP#17

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Haji landed neatly on the shore, guided by his mental powers. His grip on the gym leader held as the man was dumped to the ground, most likely the result of his reflex to break out of what had encased him. The psychic cat paid him no mind, however, as the echoing splash came from the center of the lake.

He had known what Ivy wanted him to do as soon as he felt the floor give way from the Cryogonal's power, had endured that almost heart-stopping moment as she fell from his grasp too fast to hold on to them all, and had felt as she plunged into the icy waters through their mental connection. Their link told him that she was still aware, and as she broke the water's surface, a tension in his muscles eased.

That didn't mean he was pleased, as his mind was whirling and his tail flicking, but he would remain calm. Things were still under control. Haji knew he could have caught them all with his energy, but it had happened very fast. While his mental strength ran through invisible veins at his beck and call, it still required a moment to gather the energy for all of them. Even though he understood Ivy's choice, that did not mean he had to like it. He did not like her in danger.

Vergil had crashed down the beach, his landing not as smooth as the purple cat's. He did not look injured, however, and even more importantly, the Trainer's Pokemon was fine, although a little bruised from her earlier feats.

Jakk noticed that, and he did not waste time in returning the Fire-type to her Pokeball so she wouldn't have to battle more. It was good timing, as the Cryogonal floated down toward them soon after. Haji kept his attention split throughout the room, pockets of his senses keeping track of all his charges. Although he wanted to help Ivy immediately, she had asked him to guard Jakk, and so he would.

Then, the gym Trainer noticed Ivy was not among them. Haji almost rolled his eyes at his slowness, unimpressed, though it was not entirely his fault being human and not mentally fine-tuned.

The man pulled out another Pokeball, and Haji recognized it to be the energy of the Electivire. The large, furred creature appeared in a flash of light, and the Trainer did not waste time giving orders. “Kai, quick, use Protect!” he called, as he rushed to the edge of the shore, waving to Ivy.

The Electric-type fanned his hands out as a thin, near-invisible shield spread out along the beach. Haji felt it was a waste of energy, since the beach was large. It would have been more effective to wait for the wild Pokemon to strike before throwing up the shield. Spread out as it was, it would not be as strong, and it would drain on the Electivire's energy sources.

“You okay?” he heard Ivy ask through their mind channels, and he responded in kind.

“Yes. You are unharmed?”

“Just cold. It's hard to see Vergil. Is he okay?”

“He will be fine. He will come to get you before this fool attains hypothermia,” Haji said silently, watching as Jakk neared too close to the water and was splashed with icy liquid. The Espeon was not a big fan of this Trainer. He was too quick-tempered for his tastes, and he did not like the way he had brushed Ivy off.

Vergil didn't either, he thought, though Haji couldn't be for sure—the fighter kept a solid lock-down on his mind, making it somewhat difficult, though not impossible, for Haji to tell what he was thinking. The Gallde was moody and temperamental, and psychic cat could not tell if he genuinely liked or disliked Ivy. It seemed to depend on the day. Today he was acting strange indeed, but Haji knew better than to hope he had finally settled down. It would take much more than that.

The Gallade came down the beach with a scowl, brushing off sand, snow, and other debris from his crash landing. He was most likely sore about that as well. When he saw Jakk motioning to Ivy, however, his eyes narrowed.

Before Haji could warn him, Vergil sharply shoved the gym leader to the side and out of the way, turning on his heel abruptly before jetting out over the water, hovering over the surface as he glided toward Ivy. The Espeon inwardly sighed.

“Do not,” he warned subtly, knowing his threats would be taken seriously. Vergil had already tested himself against Haji. Vergil lost.

The Gallade fished Ivy out of the water, and she looked a little surprised as the fighter hauled her up. Using his own psychic energy, he allowed it so she could stand on the water's surface as well. Ivy wobbled a little as she got her feet, weighed down by her soaking clothes. When she was set, she nodded, and Vergil matched his steps to hers as they cleared the lake and returned to shore.

Haji glanced at the gym leader that Vergil had shoved, considering not saying anything due to his actions. However, Ivy might be displeased, since it was their job to take care of these Trainers. “Excuse him,” Haji told the gym leader through his mind, easily breaching the walls there. With no psychic training, it was simple. “He will not outright attack you.”

Warning bells chimed above them, and Haji kept his eyes peeled and his senses locked until Ivy reached shore. She immediately slid her long vest off, dumping it into the sand so it was not continuing to chill her skin. Shivering slightly, she began to rub her arms and move around so blood would freely flow to her limbs. In response, the psychic cat's eyes glowed as he brought five orbs of fire to life, signaling for them to surround her as she moved.

“Thanks, Vergil, Haji,” she said, brushing tangled hair from her eyes. “Well, that was annoying. But it hasn't done anything worse yet, I guess.”

The Cryogonal began swishing back and forth, followed by a rhythmic toll of bells. It seemed to know that the Electivire would block attacks so refrained from wasting energy. Instead, its tails followed, and soon the air lost a little oxygen as the temperature dropped. Snowflakes began to fall from above, through the hole in the ceiling from the room they had left. Soon, the snow began to clump together, creating larger projectiles. The majority of them landed in the water, but visibility was decreasing.

The Electric-type grunted a little as a glob of snow hit him, but he retained the formation that his Trainer had instructed, covering the entire beach. The mirror was leaving him alone for now, but that wouldn't last long.

Then, Haji felt the pull of energy around the mirror as a faint shimmer began to engulf the wild Pokemon. His senses tingled as he recognized what it was going to do, and he passed the message to Ivy.

Her brow furrowed for a moment, and then she spoke. “Haji says that the Cryogonal is trying to recover. If you want to stop it, I would act fast,” she told Jakk, pausing in her pacing to look up at the Ice-type.

Vergil jolted to a halt as she did so, and Haji inwardly smirked because the Gallade had been hovering around the Ranger. His resolve may have been breaking after all, but that wasn't something to discuss on the battlefield. He would ask discreetly later, perhaps. Or maybe he would simply look into the fighter's mind directly.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Cryogonal: 52% [Atk+1][Used Hail and using Recover]
Relaxed M Electivire: 65% [Used Protect]

Area Effects: There's a gigantic lake lined with shore.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Mount Oktori
Encounters Remaining: 0
Area Effects: In an underground lake area.
Pokémon Encountered: Gurdurr, Snover, Meditite, Machop, Smoochum, Weavile, Scraggy, Abomasnow, Mienfoo, Machoke, Beartic, Makuhita, Machop, Machoke, Cryogonal
Pokémon Captured: Hardy M Scraggy, Mild M Mienfoo, Jolly M Beartic
MCR: 31,282/35,000 [Rare Rank]

Items: 4x Park Ball; 3x SuperBall; 3x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 12x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Pax-A-Punch; Oak's Trinket; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Supreme Park Ball x2; Glossy Lens; Apricorn Box, White Apricorn x1, Yellow Apricorn x1, Red Apricorn x1, Blue Apricorn x2

Picture Value: 1,500

Pokémon Stats

Pokemon: Machamp @ 67%
Nickname: Jugg
Gender: Male
Ability: No Guard
Nature: Brave
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM04-Strength, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM06-Toxic, TM18-Counter, TM26-Earthquake, TM27-Fissure, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM65-Rain Dance, TM74-Ice Punch, TM75-Swagger, TM80-Thunderpunch, TM85-Fire Punch, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM126-Stone Edge, TM159-Bulldoze, Bullet Punch, Superpower, Encore, Close Combat

Pokemon: Blaziken @ 51%
Nickname: Stresser
Gender: Female
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Quiet
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM03-Swords Dance, TM26-Earthquake, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM55-Roar, TM59-Hidden Power[FLYING], TM64-Protect, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM121-Shadow Claw, Thunderpunch, Baton Pass, Featherdance, Superpower, Agility, Feint

Pokemon: Electivire @ 65%
Nickname: Kai
Gender: Male
Ability: Motor Drive
Nature: Relaxed Nature
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM59-Hidden Power[DRAGON], TM64-Protect, TM74-Ice Punch, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM147-Low Sweep, TM157-Volt Switch, Magnet Rise, Cross Chop, Meditate, Barrier, Low Kick, Feint

 

OOC: @WinterVines;

It seemed strange to Jakk how unconcerned Ivy seemed as she floated in the underground lake. He was laying on the cold ground, waiting for her to paddle over so he could lift her out but she wasn't even moving. It was almost as if Ivy was just as comfortable in the freezing cold water as she was standing in front of a fireplace. The Gym Leader frowned and started to retract his arm-maybe she was actually okay in there-when suddenly he felt himself being pushed to the side. The young man landed with a heavy thud on his back. He lay there as the snow seeped into this thin jacket, confused as to what had happened. It was only when he turned around and saw Ivy's Gallade hovering over the water that he realised the Psychic-type had shoved him aside. There was a chance that the Gallade had done so for his own safety, but Jakk decided that the chance of that was quite minimal. The Gallade flew over the water and reached Ivy, effortlessly yanking her out of the water. They both stalled for a couple seconds, and then Jakk watched as the pair both slowly walked across the top of the water. It was an impressive feat, but Jakk couldn't help but think how Dual could do way better. He'd seen him sprint across the top of waves that could have capsized small boats.

Jakk felt a strange crumbling feeling at the base of his skull. It wasn't until the Espeon's voice reverberated throughout his skull that the young man realised that the feeling was being caused by an intrusion into his mind. He didn't often communicate psychically, even though many of his Pokemon were capable of the feat. The Pokemon League often looked down on Trainers that communicated telepathically, despite the fact that it wasn't technically against any rules. For this reason, it was a skill that Jakk hadn't spent much time cultivating, and therefore the Espeon was able to easily break in.

Excuse him. He will not outright attack you, the Espeon stated matter-of-factly. Then, he was gone as soon as he had entered. Despite Jakk's lack of practice with telepathic communication, it had been easy to read that the Espeon didn't approve of him-in fact, it seemed like the Psychic-type actively disliked him. Between this judging Espeon and the rude Gallade, Jakk had to wonder if Ivy specifically trained her Pokemon to have sticks up their arses, or if they'd all been previously arse-sticked and had managed to find each other through happy coincidence. The only Pokemon of Ivy's that Jakk had met that seemed reasonable was her Conkeldurr, but he hadn't seen much of the huge Fighting-type. Maybe Ivy was afraid that the Conkeldurr wouldn't be able to maintain the required level of aloofness what with Jakk being a Fighting-type specialist.

Jakk got to his feet silently as Ivy reached the craggy outcropping and shed her outer vest quickly. He noticed that a few balls of fire started to rotate around her, warming her up. How nice of her to reveal that she had that little trick up her sleeve while they'd spent the last few hours damn near freezing to death. And while Jakk hadn't actually helped out, it would have been nice for at least one of them to recognise that he'd tried. Once again the Gym Leader found himself wondering what James actually saw in this woman. Sure, she was aesthetically pleasing, but she was so much of a ball-buster and lone wolf that Jakk was willing to bet that she would be literally incapable of being in a relationship with anyone.

Some cold drops began to land on Jakk's muscly arms and he remembered that they were still in battle. He looked up to see the Cryogonal drifting gently from side to side. Snow was falling from beyond the hole in the ceiling, but even as Jakk watched the snow started to harden and pick up speed. Sharp bit of ice began to pelt the group, and even though it was noticeably painful, Jakk refused to flinch. He'd put his body through far worse and he didn't want to give Ivy the satisfaction of seeing him in discomfort. The Gym Leader had to admit that the Cryogonal was quite clever: Kai's Protect had made a direct attack impossible, so it was using Hail to damage the Electivire indirectly. The Protect barrier didn't activate on environmental hazards.

Suddenly, it was all too much. Jakk had been out here for far too long, freezing and watching his Pokemon get hurt and having to deal with hands-down one of the bitchiest people he'd ever met, along with her supernatural cheer squad. He just wanted to capture this Ice-type and go back home, where he felt safe and secure in the knowledge that he could thrash anyone who stepped foot into his Gym, all Rangers included. Jakk really hoped that Ivy would pay those visits: he'd be able to flip her off as she realised that she had no power on the mainland whatsoever.

Jakk cast a look around the cavern they were in and was glad to see that the rock walls seemed quite sturdy. They would have to be for the trap to work: if they were even close to as flimsy as the floor had been, the Cryogonal would risk a cave-in. This worked quite well with the plan that had just blossomed in Jakk's mind. Well, "plan" might be stretching it. He'd tried to fight cleverly and defensively with Stresser, and that had resulted in her being wounded and the floor cracking open. Time to do things the old-fashioned way.

"Kai, you can drop the shield now," Jakk ordered. "Let's just keep this simple: fire off a few Thunder attacks. Light this mountain right up."

Kai nodded and the shield covering him dissipated. He clenched his fists and huge arcs of electricity began jumping between his twin black tails. The Electivire looked tired, but he also refused to give up a fight. Most importantly, he was experienced, and he had enough control over his output to make sure he didn't actually bring the mountain crashing down on top of us. So, it was good that he wouldn't actually need to aim: the Cryogonal's little traps weren't down here any more and there was nowhere for it to flee, except into the lake, and Jakk snorted internally at the thought. Furthermore, the hail storming down on top of them would channel and amplify the electrical currents, so all Kai had to do was fire his electrical bursts in the general direction of the Cryogonal. The plan was basically to just continue blasting the Cryogonal until it didn't have the strength to continue. It's high Special Defense, the entire reason Jakk was hunting it, would ensure that the Pokemon didn't faint, and then Jakk could finally capture it.

 

@ChainReaction01; Jakk is being a bitch.

BP#18

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Ivy rubbed her arms as she wandered around the shore, willing her limbs to keep working. The last thing she needed was her body to give out when the run was almost finished. She had a feeling Jakk was fed up enough as it was, if the scowl on his face was anything to go by.

Vergil was hovering awful close, and that sort of amused her. He was stoic as always, though, so she couldn't determine the real cause. It had been a surprise that he even came out to the frozen mountain, not to mention all the other uncharacteristic things he had done today. Haji was also silent, but that wasn't anything new. Nothing seemed to be bothering him really, but he did sneak glances at the Trainer every now and then.

Ivy held her hands out to the Espeon's Hidden Power orbs that were hovering around, barely feeling the heat on her digits. They stung a little, which meant they still had feeling, but the skin color was unsettling. She shook them out even though it hurt. The blood had to keep flowing.

“Kai, you can drop the shield now,” Jakk said. “Let's just keep this simple: fire off a few Thunder attacks. Light this mountain right up.”

The Electric-type nodded, and he brought his hands down. The near-invisible barrier that had covered a lot of the shore dissipated quickly. Then, Ivy's skin prickled as Kai gathered energy. She spared a minute to be worried that she was wet and that water conducted electricity well but hoped that it wouldn't be an issue.

In response to the Electivire acting, the mirror did too. Its eyes began to glow an eerie shade of blue, and the temperature dropped a little bit. The snow and hail mix began to fall a little harder, and visibility dropped. Because of its mix of blue coloration, the Cryogonal was getting hard to see.

Ivy shivered again, glancing over at the Trainer. Oktori hadn't exactly been kind to him. Maybe next time he'd at least wear a coat. He looked mostly okay, though. Haji had easily caught him, it seemed.

“You alright, Jakk? If you need it, there's a med station back at the outpost when we return,” she said.

She was willing to believe that nothing was wrong despite that feeling she had, but then she saw Vergil glaring at the Trainer out of the corner of her eyes. When she turned her head, the Gallade snapped his attention back to the Cryogonal. Ivy's curiosity was piqued. From the water, the shore had been hard to see. Had something happened while she was out there?

“What's going on?” she silently asked Haji.

She felt his hesitation before his answer smoothly rolled through her mind. “Nothing that is cause to worry. Vergil is not a fan of this man. Although, if he continues his negative train of thought, I may not be either,” he explained.

Ivy rolled her eyes. Men. They were just as difficult to deal with as women and often just as moody. Men she could at least hit and not cause much of a problem.

She had that feeling that Jakk didn't like her much, but that was his problem. She had tried to be nice and teasing, the type of camaraderie often found on runs, but he had just exploded. When she distanced herself with cool professionalism and showed she took her job seriously, he wasn't happy with that either. Now she took time to save him instead of letting his macho-ass fall into the lake, and he still wasn't satisfied. It was a no-win situation.

The Ranger shivered again and started to rub her forearms again. She needed to get out of these clothes. The sooner the run ended, the better.

Chimes came from above again as the Crygonal started to move. She could barely see it, and the wind was distorting the sound, but the glowing eyes gave its position away. It was the only thing really visible in the snow.

The Electivire had had enough time to prepare too. A thick, rolling cloud mass formed at the top of the cavern, making the entire underground lake area even darker in the snow and ice. Sparks snaked through the ceiling, crackling ominously and giving no indication when they would strike.

Then, the wind picked up and howled, whipping the hail even harder. A blizzard rained down on the Electivire, and pieces of snow flung themselves everywhere. Ivy threw up an arm to block her face. The Electric-type grumbled and cried out, but it wasn't completely in discomfort. A large surge of energy came from him, making his entire body glow pale yellow. In response, the sky answered.

Large bolts of lightning came crashing down through the Blizzard. She heard cracks as the electricity came into contact with chunks of ice. The Cryogonal called out too, and as it did, the glowing eyes disappeared. The Blizzard had gained enough momentum to keep snowing, though, so that didn't even slow down. At least Kai had managed to hit it, but she wasn't sure where it was now.

More lightning came down, including one that cracked right next to them. Ivy moved a little and rubbed her arm. The landing had sent a minor jolt through her body at its proximity. That put both Vergil and Haji on more alert, and she felt both of them call energy to the forefront so it'd be easy to use. They could throw up a Protect barrier pretty quickly if necessary.

Other bolts fell into the water, and she was really glad she wasn't still swimming. That wouldn't have been pleasant. By the time the lightning stopped, Kai was looking a little winded—probably not helping that he had endured the blast of a Blizzard while using his own technique. He had managed to hit the mirror, however, bringing them that much closer to winning.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Cryogonal: 29% [Atk+1][Used Blizzard]
Relaxed M Electivire: 50% [Used Thunder]

Area Effects: There's a gigantic lake lined with shore and it's hailing. Cryogonal is hidden.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Mount Oktori
Encounters Remaining: 0
Area Effects: In an underground lake area.
Pokémon Encountered: Gurdurr, Snover, Meditite, Machop, Smoochum, Weavile, Scraggy, Abomasnow, Mienfoo, Machoke, Beartic, Makuhita, Machop, Machoke, Cryogonal
Pokémon Captured: Hardy M Scraggy, Mild M Mienfoo, Jolly M Beartic
MCR: 37,789/35,000 [Rare Rank]

Items: 4x Park Ball; 3x SuperBall; 3x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 12x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Pax-A-Punch; Oak's Trinket; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Supreme Park Ball x2; Glossy Lens; Apricorn Box, White Apricorn x1, Yellow Apricorn x1, Red Apricorn x1, Blue Apricorn x2

Picture Value: 1,500

Pokémon Stats

Pokemon: Machamp @ 67%
Nickname: Jugg
Gender: Male
Ability: No Guard
Nature: Brave
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM04-Strength, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM06-Toxic, TM18-Counter, TM26-Earthquake, TM27-Fissure, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM65-Rain Dance, TM74-Ice Punch, TM75-Swagger, TM80-Thunderpunch, TM85-Fire Punch, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM126-Stone Edge, TM159-Bulldoze, Bullet Punch, Superpower, Encore, Close Combat

Pokemon: Blaziken @ 51%
Nickname: Stresser
Gender: Female
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Quiet
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM03-Swords Dance, TM26-Earthquake, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM55-Roar, TM59-Hidden Power[FLYING], TM64-Protect, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM121-Shadow Claw, Thunderpunch, Baton Pass, Featherdance, Superpower, Agility, Feint

Pokemon: Electivire @ 50%
Nickname: Kai
Gender: Male
Ability: Motor Drive
Nature: Relaxed Nature
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM59-Hidden Power[DRAGON], TM64-Protect, TM74-Ice Punch, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM147-Low Sweep, TM157-Volt Switch, Magnet Rise, Cross Chop, Meditate, Barrier, Low Kick, Feint

 

OOC: @WinterVines; Ivy is more of a bitch.

~~~~~

As Kai charged up his Thunder attack, the Cryogonal also started to surround itself with a fog bank and some small floating icicles. It was kind of like looking in a mirror: both Pokemon were quite obviously charging up their most powerful attacks, and neither was prepared to begin until the other one moved. The sight was really quite humbling, and in a way it was like watching two bombs gather in power. No matter which one went off first, an awful lot of damage was about to be done.

"You alright, Jakk?" Ivy asked, raising her voice slightly over the wind. "If you need it, there's a med station back at the outpost when we return."

"Thanks," Jakk grunted, "but I think I'll be fine."

It was almost as if Jakk could feel some tension snap amongst the group. He immediately felt the presence of Haji in his mind, but it was not gentle, like last time. The Espeon was not being violent but he was definitely overpowering, and the Gym Leader could feel that he was very unimpressed.

I would appreciate you treating Ivy with respect, the Psychic-type said flatly. You and your Pokemon are not the only ones that have endured pain. Furthermore, you have not acknowledged her for saving you when the floor broke. It was not thanks to pure luck that you fell onto dry land.

Jakk was confused for a moment, but a couple of things became clear. His mind had completely shut down when the floor in the cavern above had shattered, but now that he cast his mind backwards, the Gym Leader could faintly remember a pair of hands shoving him towards safety. He felt that Haji was watching him remember, and once the cat knew he had remembered, it withdrew from his mind without another word. Jakk slowly realised that while Ivy hadn't been the nicest person ever, that wasn't her job. She was supposed to keep exploring Trainers safe, and minus a few scratches, she had done had. To be fair, Jakk probably deserved those scratches. The Gym Leader scuffed his boots on the floor, embarrassed. He still thought that Ivy was cold and a little bit of a bitch but she certainly hadn't done any wrong by him.

Jakk coughed quietly and rubbed at the back of his neck. He wasn't used to apologising because he wasn't usually wrong. He stubbornly clung onto his belief that he wasn't wrong (he had simply overreacted) but that in and of itself still deserved an apology.

"Uh, I'm sorry about being a bit off," he said, his voice just barely audible over the wind. "I went a bit overboard, my bad. Thanks for keeping me out of the water."

He then studiously looked away, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. If Ivy chose to ignore his apology like before, that was her choice. At least he could claim that he had tried to mend the broken bridge. Thankfully, the battle started up again, which gave Jakk something else to concentrate on. The Cryogonal's Blizzard was fired first, which Jakk was expecting. The wind picked up and blew all throughout the cavern, but it seemed to be focusing at Kai's position. It brought with it flecks of snow and chunks of ice, and the Electivire grumbled unhappily. It didn't stop him from unleashing his power: huge cracks of thunder could be heard echoing throughout the mountain, and a large spear of pure electricity flew down towards the Ice-type. More spears followed the first, and they frequently crashed into flying blocks of ice, detonating half the time and splitting into smaller streams of energy the other half. The jagged lances struck everywhere. They boiled the water, blasted chunks of the walls and occasionally even collided in mid-air. Most importantly, a fair few struck the Cryogonal, damaging it further. The flashes of lightning and motes of ice that kept striking Jakk in the eyes forced him to shut his eyelids. When he opened them a half a minute later, the attacks had died down. Kai was panting quite heavily, but the Cryogonal was also hovering quite low, and it too looked tired.

"Okay, it's time to end this and go home," he said to the Electivire. "Try to hit it with a Thunder Wave, and I'll throw this Super Ball."

Kai nodded and circular blue pulses began to emanate from his black tails. Jakk grabbed a Super Ball and prepared to toss it.

 

@ChainReaction01; A little wordy, but not a bad Haji attempt. When you pick which three you want, I'll post in claims.

NBP#19

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Jakk pretty much brushed her question off. “Thanks,” he grunted, “but I think I'll be fine.”

Ivy was too tired and sore to press it further. If he wanted to nurse his bruises and warm up on his own, she didn't really care. That was his own risk. She didn't want to deal with his attitude anymore. Maybe she should've let him fall into the lake after all.

Ivy rubbed her arms and tried not to shiver as the cold seeped into her body. The temperature outside had probably dropped due to the storm, and it was chilling the inside of the mountain as well. She wouldn't be able to stay out here much longer or else risking getting really sick, but she had a feeling the battle was going to be over soon.

A slight flare up of energy from Haji made her look at him, but her raised eyebrow didn't get a response. He came over to sit next to her while the battle continued. Before she could ask him anything further, Jakk spoke.

She saw the Gym Leader rub the back of his neck as he coughed. “Uh,” he started. “I'm sorry about being a bit off. I went a bit overboard, my bad. Thanks for keeping me out of the water.”

Ah, so that's what Haji had been doing. Now she could feel the satisfaction coming through their mental connection. He must've told Jakk off for being a brat. While that wasn't necessary since Ivy had thicker skin than that, she did appreciate the purple cat looking out for her. She sent her thanks mentally.

The Ranger nodded. Apologizing often took a lot of will from these macho men, since they weren't used to doing it. “We don't have to get along, but I'm not going to let you drown.”

Not only was it her job to keep Trainers and their Pokemon safe, but the paperwork generated would be horrendous.

Jakk stubbornly looked away at his statement, so she wasn't exactly sure if he heard her. That was fine either way. Haji had gotten his point across.

The Trainer took out a Super Ball before calling to his Electivire. “Okay, it's time to end this and go home,” he said. “Try to hit it with a Thunder Wave, and I'll throw this Super Ball.”

The big furry Pokemon nodded and began to form the technique, swishing his tails as electricity started to weave between them. After a few seconds, the blue energy zapped out, aiming toward its target. At first, Ivy didn't think it would hit because of all the snow and ice, but she heard the Cryogonal call out as it was hit. When it lost its ability to keep afloat and started to fall, Jakk threw the ball.

A beam of red light sucked the mirror up into the device, and it hardly shook as the center lit up. With a burst of energy, Haji manipulated the path of the ball, veering it toward Ivy instead. On reflex, her hand shot up to catch it, since most Trainers were almost programmed from birth to do so.

With a sigh of relief, Ivy pocketed the ball with the others. Jakk would have to decide which three of the four he was bringing home, but now this run was over. He could figure that out on the way back to the outpost. Grimacing, Ivy picked up her soggy vest. It was a good thing they could teleport out of here.

“Congrats,” she said. “Now let's get out of here. When you pick which three you want, we'll get them registered back at the main outpost.” Although Jakk had apologized, she still wanted to impart to him that she was serious about the Pokemon abuse. She slung her vest over her arm and said, “And remember what I said. I don't want to see any more neglect or mistreatment.”

---

Run Complete!​

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Mount Oktori
Encounters Remaining: 0
Area Effects: In an underground lake area.
Pokémon Encountered: Gurdurr, Snover, Meditite, Machop, Smoochum, Weavile, Scraggy, Abomasnow, Mienfoo, Machoke, Beartic, Makuhita, Machop, Machoke, Cryogonal
Pokémon Captured: Hardy M Scraggy, Mild M Mienfoo, Jolly M Beartic, Lax G Cryogonal
MCR: N/A

Items: 4x Park Ball; 2x SuperBall; 3x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 12x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Pax-A-Punch; Oak's Trinket; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Supreme Park Ball x2; Glossy Lens; Apricorn Box, White Apricorn x1, Yellow Apricorn x2, Red Apricorn x1, Blue Apricorn x2

Picture Value: 1,500

Pokémon Stats

Pokemon: Machamp @ 67%
Nickname: Jugg
Gender: Male
Ability: No Guard
Nature: Brave
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM04-Strength, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM06-Toxic, TM18-Counter, TM26-Earthquake, TM27-Fissure, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM65-Rain Dance, TM74-Ice Punch, TM75-Swagger, TM80-Thunderpunch, TM85-Fire Punch, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM126-Stone Edge, TM159-Bulldoze, Bullet Punch, Superpower, Encore, Close Combat

Pokemon: Blaziken @ 51%
Nickname: Stresser
Gender: Female
Ability: Speed Boost
Nature: Quiet
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM03-Swords Dance, TM26-Earthquake, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM55-Roar, TM59-Hidden Power[FLYING], TM64-Protect, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM121-Shadow Claw, Thunderpunch, Baton Pass, Featherdance, Superpower, Agility, Feint

Pokemon: Electivire @ 50%
Nickname: Kai
Gender: Male
Ability: Motor Drive
Nature: Relaxed Nature
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, HM11-Rock Climb, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM59-Hidden Power[DRAGON], TM64-Protect, TM74-Ice Punch, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM147-Low Sweep, TM157-Volt Switch, Magnet Rise, Cross Chop, Meditate, Barrier, Low Kick, Feint