Individual RP: Nitro

OOC: @Nitro; You may stop whining now. Pick a single ability for Politoed and a nature for Ferrothorn.

Ranger Halas Mordecai
NBP#1

I sat on the bench outside of the Ranger Outpost near the Great Lakes. I was taking a familiar face through the area, Ranger John Shay. Except, now, he is off duty and wanting to go out and find something valuable. My Eevee was bounding around trying to catch a butterfly in its paws to litle success.

I Had been here only a few minutes, but that felt like hours waiting for the trainer to arrive. I grabbed my phone and did a quick read on the trainer. He had already been here multiple times in the past couple months, probably looking for something. He was bringing along a Politoed and Ferrothorn. A few Pokemon that seemed strange to bring along, but would probably help him in the long run.

Now to wait for him to show up...

~~~

Trainer's Stats

Name: John Shay
Location: Great Lakes
Area Effects: Cool. Very comfortable.
Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn
Encounters Remaining: 15
Pokemon Encountered:
Pokemon Captured: None
MCR: N/A

Pokémon Stats


Male | Water Absorb/Damp/Drizzle | Relaxed | HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh | 100%


Male | Iron Barbs | ??? | HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock | 100%​

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OOC: Drizzle and Bashful please/ @Zolar

"Alright Makuhita, we're here... again."

I gazed around, casting my eyes on the familiar setting of the Great Lakes. In recent weeks, I had made multiple trips here, hunting for one Pokemon specifically - Staryu. So far, we hadn't found one, but I was hoping the third time was the charm.

"Politoed!" my Makuhita cried, clearly echoing my sentiment. I took out my Pokeplayer and slid in the Staryu Voice Disk. The player began playing the now-familiar "Hiya!" cry of Staryu.

"First, we'll have to find our Ranger though. It'd be an awful shame if we came across a Staryu, but we hadn't found him yet. He should be around here somewhere..."

My eyes fell on to a man around my age, standing by himself in Ranger gear. This had to be him. I walked up, offering my hand.

"My name's John Shay and this is Makuhita, my Politoed. Are you my Ranger?"

 

OOC: @Nitro; You're welcome.

Ranger Halas Mordecai
NBP#2

I watched as someone approached me, as he got near, he offered his hand. "My name's John Shay and this is Makuhita, my Politoed. Are you my Ranger?" Next to him stood a Politoed, a Pokemon known for drawing rain.

"Yup, shall we begin?" I asked. When he gave a nod I led him to the nearby lakes.

We walked in silence for a few minutes then I heard a sound that I had heard right before my Trainer arrived. It sounded like a martial artist yelling. Suddenly, a star shot out of the water and began to spin in midair. A bright red gem shone in the middle of it. I recognized the creature immediately.

"I don't suppose you would want to battle that Staryu," I asked John.

~~~

Trainer's Stats

Name: John Shay
Location: Great Lakes
Area Effects: Cool. Very comfortable.
Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn
Encounters Remaining: 14
Pokemon Encountered: GL Staryu ???
Pokemon Captured: None
MCR: 847 | 15,000

Pokémon Stats


Male | Drizzle | Relaxed | HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh | 100%


Male | Iron Barbs | Bashful

​

| HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock | 100%​

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@Zolar

"Yup, shall we begin?" The Ranger responded. I noticed he didn't introduce himself or shake his hand. I disliked him immediately.

He led me down towards the lakes, and we began walking around. Very quickly, our first encounter appeared, and I immediately counted myself as fortunate. A brown Pokemon shaped like a star, with a distinctive gold center embedded with a smooth red jewel, rose out of the water and faced us.

A Staryu! Finally, the Pokemon I had been searching for. I didn't want to waste any time - I had to capture this thing right away.

"Makuhita, this one's yours," I said. The Politoed stepped up eagerly, as excited as I was. We had been searching for Staryu for a long time, and to finally find one, the hard part was over. Now, we just had to capture it and get the thing done with, at long last.

As Makuhita stepped forward, a rain cloud appeared over our heads. That was his ability, Drizzle - whenever he entered battle, it would start raining. It would power up Makuhita's Water-type attacks, but also Staryu's as well. I was fine with that. A fast-paced battle that ended sooner worked in my favor.

"Makuhita, let's lead off with Surf!" I called. Surf was a Water-type attack that could be relied upon for solid damage with no quirks to worry about. Makuhita cried out loudly, and a large wave of water formed from the shore, rising up and sweeping towards Staryu.

 

@Nitro;

BP#1

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Ivy was fixing one of the panels on the greenhouse in the Gardens when she got a buzz on her phone. It didn't stop with two or three shakes, which meant it was a call and not a text message. She had finally learned to just quiet the thing, since the other Rangers at the office tended to put interesting ring tones on her phone when they were bored.

She finished nailing the last pane of translucent glass into place and brought her phone up into the crook of her neck to talk while making sure the panel wasn't going to fall out.

“Ivy here,” she said.

“Hey, Ivy? This is Claudia at base. John's out in the Lakes on a run, but Halas needs to bail because he's got somewhere to be. Do you mind taking it over?”

“No problem. I'll be out in a sec. Just send me the info.”

They said their goodbyes and Ivy hung up, clap-wiping her hands to get the dirt and whatever else off of them as she admired her handiwork. The greenhouse looked as good as new. She picked up her tools and returned them to the shed so some wild Pokemon wouldn't get into them and then went over to the greenhouse doors to find Haji sitting there in the sun.

“Hey, Haji, we got work to do,” she said, grinning as the purple cat stretched out as if too tired to move. The Espeon did get up, though, allowing her to shut the door of the house. Usually they let wild Pokemon roam into them, but they had some seedling plants still growing and they didn't want them destroyed.

“So I have heard. Shall we go?” he asked.

Ivy nodded and then stooped down to his level as he teleported them away. There was that sense of nothingness, and then they appeared at the Outpost to the Great Lakes. It didn't take long for her to find her charge, since she could hear splashing and what sounded like a battle cry.

She followed the loamy sand around one of the closer ponds until she came around the bend and found her group. Halas was checking his phone and sighing, like he was late for something or just really didn't want to be there. Ivy wandered up to him.

“Hey, Halas, you can go now. I've got this.”

He just nodded and walked back the way she came, without even saying thank you. Ivy frowned a little bit but didn't call after him. It was a little rude, but maybe he was having a bad day or something. She'd have to ask John if he had done anything like that to him too.

Speaking of John, she heard him call out and turned to see what he was battling. The fellow Ranger had a Politoed next to him, but what was strange was that he was calling it Makuhita, a totally different breed of Pokemon. It always confused her when Trainers did that. Didn't they mix the Pokemon up that way?

She saw a golden star sitting in the lake with a red ruby in the center and knew that his was the Pokemon that he had been looking for for a while. Most Trainers came here to the Lakes looking for this Pokemon, in fact. For some reason it was popular in the battling community.

It had been sunny on her walk over, but as the Politoed got closer to the edge of the water, clouds started to roll and darken overhead. Then, a rain started up that pelted the ground and made small holes in the sand as it struck. Luckily it wasn't super cold, but it was a still a shock to her as she had been working at the greenhouses for most of the afternoon. Haji pressed closer to her side so he wouldn't get completely drenched, tucked under the flap of her long red vest. Ivy didn’t' bother to flip up her hood even if her red hair would look like some swamp monster when the rain stopped. The cool felt good on her skin.

“Makuhita, let's head off with Surf!” John called out.

The edge of the water ebbed and flowed in response, as it reacted to Politoed's energy. Then, it surged up shore to touch the feet of the frog before washing out with much more force than before. It caught the Staryu and swept it under the water, which was both good and bad. The attack had hit, but now the Staryu was hidden.

Suddenly, small glowing stars shot out from under the water to hit the Politeod. The water was still moving around from the Surf, so Ivy couldn't really tell where they came from. In fact, she didn't see any movement on the water at all.

“It is hidden,” Haji said against her mind.

“Look at that Camouflage,” she said to the Trainer. “Just like a ninja. Hey, John. I sent Halas packing.”

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Staryu: 91% [Used Swift and Camouflage]
Relaxed M Politoed: 95% [Used Surf]

Area Effects: It's raining.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Nitro
Location: Great Lakes
Encounters Remaining: 14
Area Effects: It's raining.

Pokémon Encountered: Staryu
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 2,242/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn

Pokémon Stats

Relaxed M Politoed @ 95%
Ability: Drizzle
EMs: HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh

Bashful M Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
EMs: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock

 

Makuhita's Surf rushed towards Staryu, and swallowed it whole. The star Pokemon was engulfed in the wild current of the attack, and it fell so deep below the water's surface that I lost it in the lake's blue. It looked like we had been able to deal an almost ideal amount of damage to the Pokemon - a very good start to this battle for me.

"Great job, Makuhita!" I called. The Politoed hopped up and down happily, clearly proud of his power and the damage it brought about.

I looked out at the lake's surface, where the waves were calming down after Makuhita's attack. However, as I gazed into the lake's depths, I couldn't see the golden brown color of Staryu's body or the glimmer of the red jewel in the Pokemon's chest at all. I cast my eyes around the lake, but I couldn't see any sign of Staryu.

I frowned. Where had it gone? There was no way it could have fled in the brief moment that I had looked away from it. In spite of the fact, however, I couldn't help but begin to panic. After all the time invested in searching for Staryu, losing this one now would be an absolute death blow to me.

Suddenly, golden stars shot out of the lake's surface no farther than fifteen feet from Makuhita, and smacked into the Politoed's chest. He winced a little, but the Swift attack had done very little to him.

"Are you okay?" I asked. Makuhita nodded, and no longer concerned by the surprise attack, I switched my attention to the more pressing matter at hand.

Staryu's Swift attack - which, without a doubt, was what it had been - didn't make much of an offensive impact, but it gave me valuable information in finding out where the Pokemon was. First of all, it told me that the Pokemon truly was here, which allowed me to move on with no doubts in my mind. Second of all, the fact that the stars had come from right in front of us told me that Staryu was not too far away from us, although it was now hidden beneath the lake's surface. The fact I couldn't see it meant that it was either so deep down that I couldn't see it, which was unlikely given the velocity of the Swift attack even after it broke the water's surface and also the fact that the lake didn't appear to be deep enough for something with the sheen of Staryu's jewel to be completely unrecognizable, or that Staryu had somehow concealed itself from my vision.

As the owner of a Pokemon League-rented Starmie, I was quite familiar with the moveset of the species and its pre-evolution. I knew they learned te Camouflage move. It seemed very likely to me that this Staryu was using that move to hide itself from me right now, and was in fact not that far deep at all. That meant I would only have to worry about hitting the right spot without having to pick a move with penetrating force to go through the water. Not just that, however, but it also meant that if I could drag Staryu, with Camouflage still active, to the terrain of the sandy beach, then it would change type to a Ground-type through Camouflage's effect - a type weak to Water-type moves. That would give me an edge I couldn't otherwise have with this matchup.

My head was beginning to hurt from this analysis, but I could make my move now. From here on out, the moves I needed to use were obvious to me.

"Makuhita, use Mud Shot into the general area from where you think the Swift attack came from - a five feet radius in that area sounds good to me," I commanded. "Wait for the mud to fall, and when you see Staryu's shape appear in the water, use Psychic to throw it out of the water and out here on to the sand. Remember, your focus here isn't simply to damage, but to find Staryu, and then to lift it out here."

Makuhita nodded, and began to search for Staryu by firing a thick mud from his mouth into the lake. The dirty brown muck slapped as it hit the lake's surface, and Politoed sprayed the mud around the lake. I watched the mud fall down to the bottom of the lake, and as it begin to spread out and thin evenly, I kept my eyes out for the shape of a star in the water. That would be where Staryu was hiding.

 

@Nitro;

BP#2

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

“Are you okay?” John asked his Pokemon.

The Politoed nodded, since the attack was more surprising than anything. He didn't even look that damaged considering Water-type Pokemon weren't hurt too much by Water-type attacks. The main concern now was that Staryu was hiding and that would make it harder to hit.

John scanned the lake while looking for the wild Pokemon, and the rain drummed onto the water. That probably didn't help visibility at all. Ivy knew that Haji could tell where the Staryu was waiting, but it would be cheating to point its location out to the Trainer. These runs were a test; if a Trainer couldn't defeat or befriend a wild Pokemon then they couldn't catch it.

“Makuhita,” he called, and Ivy had to shake her head again at the name. “Use Mud Shot into the general area from where you think the Swift attack came from – a five feet radius in that area sounds good to me,” he said as he pointed.

Ivy saw what he was planning: if the Staryu was on top of the water, its location should be revealed when mud landed on it. Then John wanted the Politoed to use Psychic to get the Staryu out of the water and onto dry land. That should help their battle effort.

The Politoed began to concentrate, and then it took a huge breath. When he released it, mud followed in a spray out toward the lake. It fell down sort of like a sprinkler, only more gross. Dirt disappeared into the water, and Ivy frowned at how it was being washed away so fast due to the rain. Then, she saw a sharper corner of something out on top. It had to be the Staryu.

Before she could be sure, the mud washed away thanks to Politoed's Drizzle ability. However, that few second window was enough for the frog to lock on. His eyes glowed a light blueish-purple color, and then the same color glow appeared in a star shape out on the water. With a mighty heave, the Staryu was launched behind him and onto land. The sand poofed up for a minute before being pelted down by the rain.

The Staryu didn't take long to respond. Almost instantly, a wave crashed onto shore and washed over Makuhita. Ivy saw that a lot of the sand was misplaced, so the technique must've been Brine, a water move that used salt and other sediment to create a stinging effect on the foe. It worked better if the target was injured, because all the grime got into cuts and such to be even more painful. Thankfully it wouldn't do that much to Politoed.

Staryu wasn't done, however. Right after the brine, rings of water began to form in front of it. Then, they shot off toward Makuhita with more force than Ivy first thought. The five rings of the Water Pulse hit one after another, and on the last, the Politoed was launched back into the lake.

Ivy looked back to the Staryu, only to find that it was nowhere to be seen again. The rain had washed away all the mud and sand that had stuck to it.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Staryu: 69% [Used Brine, Water Pulse, and still using Camouflage]
Relaxed M Politoed: 87% [Used Mud Shot and Psychic]

Area Effects: It's raining.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Nitro
Location: Great Lakes
Encounters Remaining: 14
Area Effects: It's raining.

Pokémon Encountered: Staryu
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 6,302/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn

Pokémon Stats

Relaxed M Politoed @ 87%
Ability: Drizzle
EMs: HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh

Bashful M Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
EMs: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock

 

As Makuhita sprayed mud into the lake, I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of Staryu's star shape. A few moments passed with nothing showing up, but then I caught sight of something pointy for a brief moment. It was Staryu!

"There, Makuhita!" I shouted, pointing. Makuhita immediately stopped launching mud, and switched attacks to Psychic. A blue glow surrounded his body as he began exerting psychic energy, and a glow of the same color appeared underwater where Staryu looked to be. With a strained cry telling me Makuhita had at least found something, Makuhita lifted whatever he held in his grip out of the water and dumped it unceremoniously in the sand.

The shape of a star appeared in the sand. Staryu still had Camouflage active and we couldn't see the Pokemon itself, but it was visible in the sand through its footprints.

"Great job, Makuhita!" I cried.

Staryu didn't give us any opportunity to rest on this small win, however. A small wave of water from the lake surged out towards Makuhita, and the Pokemon cried out. I could see the bruises from Staryu's earlier Swift attack turn a bright red as the water seeped into them, and Makuhita grabbed those bruises in clear pain. I figured this wasn't an ordinary Surf attack, but the Brine attack instead, which dealt more concentrated damage towards the existing injuries of the target using saltwater.

As Makuhita recoiled in pain, five rings of water appeared in front of where Staryu was. Another attack? The five rings zoomed towards Makuhita single-file, each colliding with more strength than the last. Makuhita's head snapped backwards at the last, and he was thrown into the lake. I recognized this attack to be Water Pulse, an attack that could confuse the target. From the looks of things, however, Makuhita was only dazed from the attack.

Makuhita slowly got up, and I looked him over. He seemed to have taken very little damage, as bad as they had looked at the moment of impact. This wasn't surprising to me. Makuhita didn't have a lot of physical strength, but he was bulky and could tank hits fine. Being a Water-type resistent to Water-type attacks like Brine and Water Pulse only helped.

"Makuhita, let's keep pressing!" I urged. "Now that Staryu's in the sand, we have the momentum! Use Hydro Pump!"

Makuhita nodded. Being in the sand with Camouflage active, Staryu was a Ground-type. This meant our Water-type attacks would be super-effective. It was a great opportunity, and we had to capitalize. Hydro Pump was Politoed's strongest attack, and though it was unreliable because of its accuracy, Makuhita would have a hard time missing a Staryu in the sand - it was a fish out of water, literally.

Makuhita opened his mouth and inhaled deeply, building up the force for Hydro Pump. He didn't take his eyes off of the sand, keeping them locked on Staryu's footprints in the sand.

 

@Nitro;

BP#3

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

“Makuhita, let's keep pressing!” John called out to keep his Pokemon going.

His next order came in the form of Hydro Pump – an attack that hit hard. The only downside was that it was easy to miss with the huge cannon spray of water. That was especially true now, since the Staryu was laying somewhere invisible in the sand thanks to the Drizzle, and between that and the water that had rushed on shore, all traces of its location were nonexistent.

Still, the best way to wear a Pokemon down was with powerful attacks. The longer the battle dragged on, the more damage his Politoed would sustain. The frog didn't delay in trying to get closer to shore from when he had been knocked in the lake, but that was still giving the Staryu a little bit of time to prepare, if it was going to.

Makuhita opened his mouth and drew in another breath as Ivy saw water starting to gather. Then, strange light blue rings formed at the frog's feet. At first, the Ranger didn't know what attack that was. It wasn't something really common. The three rings that appeared shifted to a green color as they rose and disappeared above the Politoed.

Before she could call out anything, the Politoed unleashed his attack. At the same time, she saw those blue rings appear again, only across the field. They turned green as they faded into the sand, and Ivy saw the Staryu revealed just as the Hydro Pump came sailing in. It wasn't completely on target, however, with only the left side grazing the star-shaped Pokemon.

Politoed was left huffing after his powerful attack, tired out for a second as he had to regain his breath, so Ivy took that chance to comment.

“Reflect-type,” she said. “I don't see that move used very much, either here or on the mainland. I don't think many types learn it. Uh oh,” she added, pointing up. “Watch out for whatever it's planning next. That doesn't look too good.”

Above them, the rainy sky was starting to cackle, and the Ranger could see tiny jolts of electricity start to gather as the clouds began to rumble. It sounded just like a thunderstorm. The Staryu was definitely behind it, and it was probably going to be bad news.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Staryu: 57% [Used Reflect-type and using Thunder]
Relaxed M Politoed: 87% [Used Hydro Pump]

Area Effects: It's raining.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Nitro
Location: Great Lakes
Encounters Remaining: 14
Area Effects: It's raining.

Pokémon Encountered: Staryu
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 9,169/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn

Pokémon Stats

Relaxed M Politoed @ 87%
Ability: Drizzle
EMs: HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh

Bashful M Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
EMs: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock

 

As Makuhita prepared for the Hydro Pump, I saw blue rings of energy appear under Makuhita's feet. I meant to call out, but they suddenly turned green and disappeared. I closed my mouth, but stayed on alert. Who knew what move that was, but there was nothing to do about it at the moment other than stay on my feet.

Makuhita launched the Hydro Pump, and just a split second after, I saw the green rings of energy reappear where Staryu was. Staryu returned into visibility, but it was too late to change the aim of the move and it was clear that Makuhita's aim was a little off. The Hydro Pump slammed into Staryu's side, but this was considerably less effective than hitting it square in its chest.

I frowned. Even though we only had been able to skim it with the move, Staryu still seemed noticeably less affected by the Hydro Pump than I had anticipated. Having switched types to Ground-type with Camouflage meant that it was weak to Water-type moves, and a super-effective Hydro Pump, even if it was partially off target, should've done more than that.

My mind flashed back to the move Staryu had used. Considering nothing had happened to Makuhita since those rings appeared, it must've been a defensive move. Then, I realized that just before the attack struck, Staryu had deactivated its Camouflage. I frowned. A Pokemon couldn't simply stop using Camouflage on its own - it was an effect that stayed until the battle ended, or it was switched out by a Trainer. Neither of these had been the case. That meant Staryu must have found a different way to switch its type.

There was an attack for that. I recalled it now: Reflect Type. It wasn't a common attack by any standards. I had only learned of its existence a few months ago, and seen it sparingly, if at all, following that incidence. I had been reffing a battle between a new member to the URPG, dabeatmaster123, and a more veteran member, The Jr. Trainer. It had Dai's Staryu against Jr's Bellsprout - a clear type advantage for Jr's Bellsprout. However, using Reflect Type, Staryu switched its type to Bellsprout's Grass/Poison, removing its weakness to Grass-type moves and turning that into a dual resistance. Staryu had won that battle, and I recalled being impressed.

I sighed. If Staryu had used Reflect Type here, it would have reverted back to a Water-type. I had lost my advantage, and I hadn't even been able to capitalize on it with a single move.

The rain clouds above began to crackle. I saw a single bolt of electricity crackle through the clouds. It looked like Staryu was building up for a Thunder attack. It was an Electric-type attack and it would be extremely dangerous, due to both Makuhita's type disadvantage to the move and also its own unbridled power. Not just that, but Thunder wouldn't miss in the rain.

Fortunately, for something like this, there was always Protect.

"Makuhita, use Protect!" Protect was a move that temporarily shielded the user from all attacks, no matter how powerful. Not even Thunder would be able to break it. Makuhita could safely wait out Thunder with Protect, then respond in kind. "Let's try Hydro Pump again after!"

My thinking here was that with Staryu exhausted after using Thunder and no longer using Camouflage, it would be open to Makuhita's own power attack. Certainly Staryu had replaced its type weakness to Water-type moves with a resistance, but Hydro Pump was still strong enough to put a dent into Staryu's remaining health. From there on, it was just a matter of whittling down whatever remained.

 

@Nitro;

BP#4

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The sky continued to rumble and flicker overhead, and for a moment, Ivy was worried about the safety of her Trainer and her if the attack went wild. She was pretty sure the Staryu had a clear target, but accidents did happen. In the Ruins, a Tynamo breaking through a box had almost resulted in her losing an eye to a stray piece of wood had it not been for Haji's quick thinking. She mentally asked him to be ready for smoething like that again, just in case.

Speaking of quick thinking, John called out, “Makuhita, use Protect!”

Ivy had never been a fan of that move. She thought it was kind of cheap, by both Trainers and wild Pokemon. She had seen clever combinations set up by a Trainer only to be fowled by a Pokemon dodging or blocking them all. Then again, it was a technique the user couldn't hold forever, and there were ways around it.

John called for a follow-up Hydro Pump too, and Ivy wondered if he'd be able to pull it off.

The Politoed got ready, and when a piece of the sky made a threatening cracking sound, the frog through up a protective barrier in a half dome around him, slanted slightly upward to guard against the sky. Suddenly, a bolt came crashing down, followed by many more, and they sizzled and hissed as they hit the barrier. The Ranger saw the frog strain, but the barrier lasted until the lightning ceased.

Feeling safe, the frog went into the second part of their plan, taking in a large gulp of air again to spray a powerful jet at the Staryu that hadn't moved. This time, the Politoed's aim was better, and Ivy could see flecks of the red jewel as the Water-type was attacked with water.

She wondered what the Staryu was going to next because it wasn't making any action. Then, she noticed that static electricity sound above hadn't stopped.

“John, look out!” she called, but it was too late for proper action.

Another thunderbolt came crashing down to hit the Politoed who had just used another exhausting attack. The frog gave out a cry and fell backwards on impact. He looked a little hurt by it, but at least it had only been one bolt instead of the plethora that came before.

The Staryu looked more exhausted, thankfully. The red gem in the center was started to blink now and then, revealing its inner exhaustion. If John kept at it, this fight would probably be over soon. Ivy saw the water start to move again, though, ebbing and flowing closer to the downed frog. The Staryu wasn't done quite yet.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Staryu: 36% [Used Thunder and Thunderbolt, using ???]
Relaxed M Politoed: 71% [Used Protect and Hydro Pump]

Area Effects: It's raining.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Nitro
Location: Great Lakes
Encounters Remaining: 14
Area Effects: It's raining.

Pokémon Encountered: Staryu
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 12,703/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn

Pokémon Stats

Relaxed M Politoed @ 71%
Ability: Drizzle
EMs: HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh

Bashful M Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
EMs: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock

 

Makuhita blew up a green bubble of energy to protect itself. This would safely shelter it from any attack - it was the ultimate safety blanket. Protect got a bad rep for being overpowered, but that wasn't something I typically bothered myself with.

A few moments later, Staryu launched the Thunder attack. A large blast of electric energy fell from the sky, crashing down on Makuhita's Protect violently. However, the shield stopped the attack, and sparks flew everywhere as the Thunder was knocked to the side.

Good, good. When the move subsided, Makuhita put down the Protect and prepared to attack, taking a deep breath. A large blast of water was thrown Staryu's way, and the Pokemon staggered as this time, the attack landed squarely.

"Great job, Makuhita!" I called. We were making great progress - Staryu was almost close to capture range. I suspected I could put the final touches on with my next moves.

Staryu wasn't moving. I paused. Was it exhausted, or charging for an attack? I heard a crackle above, and then the sky flashed as I realized too late what Staryu was doing. When it saw Makuhita's Protect, it must have done what it could mid-attack to leave some energy behind for a follow-up attack after Protect. A bolt of electricity fell down and landed on Makuhita, and the Politoed was knocked on to his back. This was Thunderbolt, an attack that was noticeably weaker than Thunder, but one that still packed a punch on its own. Makuhita seemed fine though. The repeated attacks were leaving a dent that was getting increasingly noticeable now, but we were close to wrapping this up now.

"Let's bounce back quickly Makuhita, we're almost at the finish line!" I called, encouraging Makuhita to get back on his feet. "Let's make our last attacks Earthquake, then Hypnosis!"

With this, we should be in good enough position for a capture attempt. Earthquake was a reliable attack with high accuracy, a good base power, and neutral effectiveness on Staryu. It should do a solid amount of damage, and get me into capture range. Then, Hypnosis would put Staryu to sleep, and that would make my capture a lot more likely to be successful.

Makuhita lifted a foot, preparing to use Earthquake.

 

@Nitro;

BP#5

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

“Let's bounce back quickly, Makuhita, we're almost at the finish line!” John called out, encouraging his Pokemon. The Politoed managed to get to his feet easy enough, though the damage he was taking was starting to rack up. “Let's make our last attacks Earthquake then Hypnosis!”

Ivy wanted to warn him about using Earthquake here on the beach, but it was already too late. The Politoed lifted up his foot and stomped down with a great amount of force. The shockwaves were small at first, but then they grew into tremors that shook the earth below them.

The Ranger staggered and managed to stay on her feet, but only barely. It probably helped that she was on higher ground protected by a few of the sparse grasses that grew here. On the beach it was a different story.

The sand shifted and rolled like it was alive due to the shaking. Ivy could see that the Staryu was strained by it, unable to really move while the earthquake was still affecting the ground. The red gem at its center began to blink a little faster than it had before.

Unfortunately, the sliding sand didn't stop right away. With the rain, it was more like mud anyway. Instead, it slid downhill, and that meant toward the water and Makuhita. Not only that, but the quake had affected the lake, sending the already in-motion water rolling even more. It splashed up on shore and knocked the Politoed off his feet again, right when he was going to begin Hypnosis. That technique generally required some sort of eye contact, and the force of his own attack had stopped that.

Then, rocks began to levitate along the beach, either knocked loose by the quake or washed up by the water. They hovered in midair for a moment, covered in a light of some sort that must have came from the Staryu. Then, they all shot off toward the frog, pelting him with stones and making sure he stayed down for another minute or two. Ivy wasn't sure if the Water-type was planning something else or not, but now seemed to be a good time to try and catch it, before things got worse.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Staryu: 26% [Used Power Gem]
Relaxed M Politoed: 65% [Used Earthquake and Hypnosis]

Area Effects: It's raining.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Nitro
Location: Great Lakes
Encounters Remaining: 14
Area Effects: It's raining.

Pokémon Encountered: Staryu
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 14,911/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn

Pokémon Stats

Relaxed M Politoed @ 65%
Ability: Drizzle
EMs: HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh

Bashful M Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
EMs: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock

 

Makuhita stomped down his foot, sending a tremor underground towards Staryu. However, this proved to be a poor decision. The sand on the ground began shaking, and I stumbled to the side, almost falling over. This terrain didn't mesh well with Earthquake.

I wasn't the only one struggling, however. I could see Staryu struggling the same way I was, and it fell over. The red jewel in its center was blinking now - it was close to being finished for good. This was a good opportunity for a capture attempt.

Makuhita went for Hypnosis next, but I realized the timing was poor, and so had been my planning. The sand was still shifting because of Makuhita's Earthquake, and now, the sand was beginning to mix with the rain and turn to mud. This made it hard for Makuhita to aim Hypnosis, an attack that relied on direct and constant eye contact for more than a few moments. As if that weren't enough, it had already been a low accuracy move to begin with. I frowned. This was sloppy. I had gotten too careless at the end.

Staryu took advantage of the missed attack, and lifted up some small rocks. They were thrown towards Makuhita, pelting his body and causing him to recoil in pain. That must've been Power Gem - a pretty bland Rock-type attack. Not one that would cause me worry on its own, but still, I could feel the momentum shifting towards Staryu's favor.

This turn hadn't gone as well as I had hoped, but that was fine. I was still within capture range, and as time went on, I would only get closer. My hand hovered the Hyper Ball in my Bag, but I gave in to conventional, more conservative thinking and picked out the Park Ball.

"Let's end this," I muttered under my breath, hurling the Park Ball at Staryu.

 

@Nitro; The calc was down so I did it by hand, but even if I totally messed it up, I rolled a 98 anyway, so it wouldn't have worked XD

BP#6

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

John dug in his bag for a Ball, and Ivy saw that it was just a regular Park Ball. He took a second to aim, and then he hurled the ball toward the star Pokemon.

It was still raining, but Ivy figured he was strong enough to reach the Staryu. Turns out he was, except it still didn't really work out. The ball bounced off the red gem of the Water-type and in a second, the Pokemon was sucked inside. When the ball started to shake, it was too much for the capture device. Within moments the Staryu broke out of the Park Ball, flinging the ball off to the side. It was covered in mud, but Ivy didn't think it was broken.

Staryu was a little harder to catch. It probably had something to do with its rarity and how many people were after it. The good thing about that Park was that you could retry to capture a Pokemon as long as it didn't run away or faint. Those were the rules. A Trainer could reuse a Ball too, so long as it wasn't broken.

At least the Water-type wasn't moving. That was going to make it easier for John to attempt capture again. If his Hypnosis had worked out, it probably would've been too weak to break out of the ball. He had time to try again.

Then, the Staryu made a move before Politoed. At first Ivy thought it was doing something with the rain, because it started falling more sideways than straight down. However, that was only a wind. Soon after, the water drops turned to ice, and the Ranger recognized the attack as Icy Wind. The Staryu was continuously blowing it at the Politoed, maybe not necessarily to do damage, but to set up something else.

“Ow,” Ivy exclaimed as she brought a hand up to rub her head. She looked down to see a chunk of ice had fallen.

Looking upward, she saw even more of them start to come down, although some of it was as snow. The rain was starting to fizzle out, and snow was starting. Why was Staryu setting up Hail? She hoped John caught this Pokemon before they found out.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Staryu: 26% [Using Icy Wind and Hail]
Relaxed M Politoed: 59% [Used watch the ball be thrown]

Area Effects: It's starting to Hail.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Nitro
Location: Great Lakes
Encounters Remaining: 14
Area Effects: It's raining.

Pokémon Encountered: Staryu
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 16,629/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn

Pokémon Stats

Relaxed M Politoed @ 59%
Ability: Drizzle
EMs: HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh

Bashful M Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
EMs: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock

 

The Park Ball bumped off of Staryu, then opened up and swallowed the Pokemon in a flash of red light. The ball shook for a few moments, but Staryu escaped pretty easily. It didn't look like the odds were in my favor on that attempt, but it was easy to throw another Park Ball. The Park Ball I just used bounced away intact - still usable, if I retrieved it. I kept that in mind, and plucked another Park Ball from my Bag.

Staryu, now annoyed a little, attacked. A cold rush of wind, instantly detectable even in the rain, was blown towards Makuhita. Standing just more than a few feet behind Makuhita, I could feel it as well, and shivered. Makuhita was taking the worst of it, however.

Chips of ice began falling from the sky, and I looked up. It was hailing now, too. I suspected Staryu's Icy Wind wasn't meant just to harm, but also to set up this Ice-type weather. I wasn't sure if I followed its logic, but it would only make it easier for me to capture it with Hail chipping away at its health.

"Enough watching," I muttered. I threw the Park Ball in my hand at Staryu. Given the better than 50% odds, it would probably work this time.

 

@Nitro; This Staryu just doesn't want to be caught it seems XD

BP#7

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The hail and snow mix made a light 'chink' noise as they bounced off of each other. Every second that it continued, the chunks got larger and harder. If it didn't stop soon, snow was going to start accumulating on the ground. Ivy wasn't sure how much this was going to affect the habitats of the other Water-type Pokemon here, but she hoped not much. The Lakes never really got cold – especially not enough to freeze – so a lot of the Pokemon weren't used to this abrupt change in temperature.

The hail was starting to inflict damage on both of the battlers as well. It only did a small, almost-negligible amount of hurt, but that would build up eventually and wear both of them down more. It would help John capture the star, but it wouldn't help Makuhita. She wasn't sure if he was planning on sticking around after catching it, but if he was, it wasn't good to wear out one of his two battlers on the first Pokemon.

John took out another Park ball and tried his luck again, lobbing it at the Water-type. Ivy had high hopes for this one. It neared the Staryu at a good speed despite the hazards in the air, but when it got close, the star-shaped Pokemon seemed to notice it. It suddenly dragged energy up from somewhere, because it jumped up from its flat position and did a spin in mid-air, knocking the ball to the side.

That was just bad luck. Thankfully, this ball didn't look broken either, so John would be able to retrieve it later.

Since he had been busy throwing the ball, the Politoed didn't have any orders. That meant that when the Staryu started to attack, he didn't make a counter move. The Hail dropping down in front of the Staryu began to gather into a ball, and soon after, it shot out in a frozen beam, hitting the Politoed squarely in the stomach. He made a disgruntled noise. He wans't too hurt, but the combination of all the ice chipping away at his energy would start slowing him down soon.

“Maybe you should try a Hypnosis again,” she offered the Trainer.

At this point, with all the snow around, Makuhita would have to get pretty close to try and make eye contact with the Staryu's gem, but it was worth a shot. It was going to be worse for the Politoed if they didn't find some way to stop the Staryu's attack while they tried to capture it.

Then, three orbs of red, blue, and yellow appeared around the now-upright Staryu. They slowly started to spin, but with each turn they gained momentum until there was just a ring of blurring colors. It sort of looked like a Tri-Attack, something that would hit the Politoed decently hard and have a chance to inflict a status on him.

John would have to do something, especially if his next Park Ball didn't work out.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? G Staryu: 20% [Used Ice Beam and using Tri-Attack]
Relaxed M Politoed: 48% [Used watch the ball be thrown again]

Area Effects: It's hailing.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Nitro
Location: Great Lakes
Encounters Remaining: 14
Area Effects: It's hailing.

Pokémon Encountered: Staryu
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 17,724/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x4 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn

Pokémon Stats

Relaxed M Politoed @ 48%
Ability: Drizzle
EMs: HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh

Bashful M Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
EMs: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock

 

I threw the Park Ball. Once again, Staryu entered the capsule - only to pop right back out again. I sighed. This was really frustrating.

"Maybe you should try Hypnosis." A voice behind me suggested.

I turned, not even realizing my Ranger had disappeared. Somebody new was here. I didn't really care, since this was nearly the end of the run. However, her advice was certainly welcome.

"Let's try it. Makuhita?"

Makuhita nodded. However, before he could attack, Staryu moved. Three beams of energy were launched from its jewel, one red, another blue, and the third one yellow. They spiralled together, forming a tight-woven knot of sorts. This was Tri Attack, a dangerous attack that could cause a burn, a freeze, or paralysis. Makuhita took the attack to the chest, and fell over.

"Hey, you alright, Makuhita?" I asked.

The Politoed slowly got up. He was hurting now, his health looked like it was more than half gone. However, this battle couldn't possibly be dragged out for too much longer. I nodded, calling for Hypnosis. I pulled out another Park Ball as well, ready to throw it after Hypnosis.

EDIT: If it works, I'd like to retrieve those other Park Balls then leave.

 

@Nitro;

NBP#1

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

After a few moments, John took Ivy's advice and called out for another Hypnosis attempt. They would have to act fast, since the Tri-Attack would be charged up and released soon. The Politoed shook off the Ice Beam effects as best as he could and then started to move.

It was hard through the hail, but he managed to get close enough to get a good look at the red gem center. He focused on it, and his eyes lit up in blue with energy. Ivy couldn't tell if there was a reaction at first, but then the gem started blinking a little differently, flashing three times and then pausing only to flash three times again, almost like cartoon Z's of sleep. The Tri-Attack slowed down too, until the three orbs fell motionless to the ground and disappeared.

Now John took his chance, and when he threw another Park Ball, it hit the mark without a problem. Ivy could tell it was working because the hail was slowing down, and when she heard the click of the device, it stopped completely. The sun came back out, and the snow that had built up was starting to melt.

Ivy went over to grab the ball, taking a second to throw the two failed ones back at the Trainer. “These should still be usable,” she said when he caught them. “Now let's get back to the outpost so we can register this one to you, and then you should be good to go."

Haji warped them back to the Main Outpost where they finished the necessary paperwork and sent John on his way. Then Ivy heaved a sigh as they headed back out to the Gardens. There was still work to do.

---

Run Complete​

---

Current Battle Stats: N/A

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Nitro
Location: Great Lakes
Encounters Remaining: 14
Area Effects:

Pokémon Encountered: Staryu
Pokémon Captured: Jolly G Staryu
MCR: 0

Items: Apricorn Box | Blue Apricorn | Digital Camera | Energy Powder x2 | Hyper Ball x3 | Park Ball x3 | Pokeplayer | Red Apricorn x4 | Staryu Voice Disk (Used Once) | Super Ball | White Apricorn x2 | Yellow Apricorn

Pokémon Stats

Relaxed M Politoed @ 48%
Ability: Drizzle
EMs: HM Waterfall, HM Surf, TM Earthquake, TM Focus Blast, TM Substitute, TM Ice Beam, TM Scald, TM Protect, TM Toxic, TM Hidden Power (Fighting), TM Psychic, TM Counter, TM Brick Break, BM Encore, BM Refresh

Bashful M Ferrothorn
Ability: Iron Barbs
EMs: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Flash, TM Swords Dance, TM Thunder Wave, TM Substitute, TM Protect, TM Bulldoze, TM Toxic, TM Thunderbolt, BM Leech Seed, BM Spikes, BM Seed Bomb, BM Stealth Rock