Individual RP: Roulette Dares

Lucario BP#1

"Alright, Nape, you obviously want to fight this one, and I could definately use a Lucario on my team. It'll be tough, Nape. Are you sure you want to take it on?" without any further hesitations, Roulette's flaming monkey stepped forward with determination to fight the Lucario for its trainer. "Looks like we'er going to battle this one, Alpha," Roulette added.

"So I've noticed," Alpha chuckled. Lucario's aura was getting stronger, its blue color went darker as it waited for Roulette's first move.

"Okay, Infernape, I've got a plan. I want you to loosen the foundation of the cave a bit using Earthquake. Try to shake the rocks that are sticking up from the ground off of their bases. Once the rocks are broken off, try launching them towards the Lucario using Stone Edge. Be careful though, the Lucario is sure to be quick, and he'll be hard to see in low light!"

It sounded like a good plan for both of them, but Lucario was way tougher than Roulette had thought it would be. Lucario's blue aura faded and was replaced with a yellow outline. Afterwards, Infernape began to tremble the ground with a strong stomp on the ground. The cave began to shake a little, but Lucario was levitating in midair all thanks to Magnet Rise.

"This can't be good," Alpha gulped, embracing a stalagmite near him.

Lucario's eyes were the next thing that glowed, a green color. Infernape created a fighting stance when two orbits made of rocks circled in on Infernape. Aiming carefully at Lucario, who was stagnant in one place in the air, Infernape sweeped his foot as the rocks went straight towards Lucario. As the rocks went in a straight-forward direction, Lucario easily dodged the rocks with the aid of Detect by jumping in the air. When it came down, it dodged the remaining rocks by turning its body left and right.

"Neat, a scratchless turn." Alpha slapped his palm in his face in disappointment.

- - - - - - - - - -

Trainer: Roulette
Location: Mt. Oktori
Area Effects: Semi-frozen walls and large stalactites that rose from the ground.
Items: [Hyper Ballx1] = [Max Potionx1]

Encounters Remaining: 5
Pokemon Encountered: [Smoochum] = [Machop] = [Meditite] = [Spheal] = [Piloswine] = [Spheal] = [Snorunt] = [Hitmonlee] = [Tyrogue] = [Lucario]
Pokemon Caught: [Machop M ??? (Calm)] = [Snorunt F Inner Focus (Calm)]

Character Count: 10323
- - - - -

Infernape M Blaze (Rash) = [54]
EMs: Sunny Day, Grass Knot, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Roar, Bulk Up, Substitute, Overheat, Toxic, Stealth Rocks, Hidden Power Water, Cut, Strength, Fake Out, Thunderpunch, Encore, Counter, Endeavor

Houndoom M Early Bird (Careful) = [58]
EMs: Dark Pulse, Strength

Lapras F Water Absorb (Calm) = [100]
EMs: Thunderbolt, Surf, Zen Headbutt, Dragon Dance, Strength, Waterfall

- - - - -

Battle Stats:

Lucario ? ??? (???) = [100] - [used Magnet Rise, Detect]
Infernape M Blaze (Rash) = [54] - [used Earthquake, Stone Edge]

 

OOC: Wow, sorry it's been so long. I've been pretty busy IRL lately and I haven't had too many opportunities to be on the comp for extended periods of time.

Infernape was focusing all of his energy into his Earthquake attack. The ground only quivered at first, but quickly began to tremble and shake with incredible force. The entire cavern room was vibrating and rocking back and forth, and I could hardly see in front of me. I could hear rocks breaking all around me, and Infernape was growling loudly enough that I could hear him over the Earthquake he was producing.

Finally the ground and walls stopped shaking. I let go of my head and focused my eyes so that I could see again. Behind me I saw Alpha clinging to a stalagmite, still looking a little shaken up by the powerful attack. Then I remembered what the objective was, and I turned to where Lucario had been standing before the attack. To my horror I saw nothing on the ground, but instead in the air. Lucario was hovering several feet above the ground, and was surrounded with a yellow energy. The Magnet Rise had protected him completely from the attack. The pokemon didn't seem troubled by the battle at all. He was in a meditative pose, sitting cross-legged in the air with his hands on his knees. His intimidating eyes were now closed, and his head was slightly bowed. The pokemon was in deep concentration, clearly awaiting Infernape's next move.

I looked back over to Infernape who was also disappointed that his move had failed. He quickly got over that though, and launched phase two of his attack. He hefted stones from the ground around him and began tossing them in a barrage of stone and shattered rock at the floating Lucario. Stones filled the air like a hail of bullets from a machine gun and flew towards the levitating pokemon. Just as the rocks reached Lucario, his eyelids forced apart and he looked straight into the storm of rocks coming his way. I didn't think that he could do anything to avoid this attack, but I was wrong. Just before he was pelted with the stones, he seemed to dissappear. It was almost as if Lucario had teleported, he had moved so fast. He was out of harm's way in an instant, and now sat perched on one of the few remaining unbroken stalagmites. Seeing this, Infernape sent some more rocks to the new location, but the Lucario simply leapt over them, gliding through the air with ease.

The flames on Infernape's head burned incredibly bright as the pokemon went into a rage. Not being able to even strike his opponent was incredibly frustrating. A few final stones circled Infernape now, and he launched them once more towards the Lucario. This time the pokemon didn't even seem to move. The jet of rocks shot in a straight line towards him, but he easily dodged by leaning to the right slightly. Infernape and I both looked at the Lucario in shock. We had thrown everything we had at the pokemon, and nothing had happened except some damage to the cave. Infernape breathed heavily, and smoke came from his nostrils. He was bearing his teeth, and small embers were being emitted from his mouth with each exhale.

I needed a new tactic. I looked around the cave to see if the surroundings could be of any help to Infernape. Most of the stalagmites were toppled now, and the walls had lost their frozen coating during the attacks. Lucario had returned to the tall stalagmite he had been sitting on earlier. He sat there looking at the two of us, awaiting our next moves. The pokemon didn't seem keen on attacking. Instead, he seemed to have fun countering our moves and wearing us out.

"Infernape, let's try some preventing tactics. I want to set up a little security and make it harder for him to navigate around the cave. Shoot some Stealth Rocks on the ground around the cave, but be sure to concentrate them underneath that stalagmite he's sitting on. He'll surely have to watch his footing then. After you get those rocks scattered around the cave, I want you to Taunt it. Make it so mad that he has to attack you, Nape, I know you're good at starting fights. If he falls for it, set up for a Counter. Sit back and wait for the attack, then turn it against him!" I shouted.

The command seemed to sound good to Infernape, and he began scooping up leftover rocks from his previous attack. He picked up the most jagged ones he could find and began to throw them into the ground all over the area around Lucario. The sharp, pointed rocks stuck out of the ground all over the place, waiting for someone to fall onto their razor-like edges.

After Infernape had finished setting up Stealth Rocks, he began to do what he does best: pick a fight. He flexed his muscles first, showing off his brawn. He growled loudly at Lucario, hoping that he would fall for the trick. Infernape then began to shoot flames into the air, as if to say that Lucario didn't have what it takes to beat him. He pounded his chest with both fists, and screeched and yelped some more, filling the cave with noise. He was truly making a scene, but he seemed to have the Lucario's interest. After all of that, he simply stuck out his hand, and motioned for the Lucario to come at him, waving for him to bring it on. After the Taunt was finished, he sat back with both fists raised in the air, preparing for any attack that Lucario might use against him. His eyes were focused on the Lucario was still hadn't made a move, and I was watching the enemy pokemon intently as well, hoping that he would fall for the Taunt.

 

(OOC: As promised. Sorry it took me a little bit to get up. Had taxes to do D: Also, which gender would you like? )

BP#1

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

There was rumbling in the cave, and it sent the walls rocking as dirt fell from the ceiling and small rocks came loose from the ground. Ivy had to brace herself against the wall to avoid falling over. Haxbat ducked into her side to help steady her, and when the after effects from the earthquake finally stopped, she brushed the dust off her long, dark over-cloak. There must have been a good battle going on ahead.

The Ranger situated her vest under the cloak before going on, using her Crobat's keen abilities to navigate their way to Alpha and his Trainer swiftly. She had been called in to take over as something had come up for the other Ranger. However, the caves made contact hard, and he hadn't answered any of their calls so she was sent to deliver the message herself. From what she gathered, the run was almost finished anyway.

She emerged into a slightly bigger part of the cave to see an Infernape locked with a Lucario in battle. It looked like the monkey was setting up some Stealth Rocks as the Aura Pokémon watched from its place on a stalagmite. The rocks glowed softly for an instant before being scattered throughout the cave, especially around where the Lucario was perched. The Trainer must've been trying to limit the wild Pokémon's movement. It was a good idea; Lucario were very strong and the Infernape looked like it had been in a few battles already.

Infernape then began Taunting the seeming calm Pokémon. He screeched and puffed out his chest, making noise and basically saying “bring it on” with everything he had. The Trainer was absorbed in watching his Pokémon fight and was pretty much ignoring everything else.

She turned to the other Ranger. “Hey, Alpha, our calls weren't getting through to you. There was an emergency for you back at the Main Outpost. I can finish up here, looks like you already did most of the work.”

He nodded and handed off the two Pokémon Roulette had caught, filling her in on the rest of the run quickly before departing. She didn't like intruding on other people's runs, but it couldn't be helped if there was just something that needed to be done. One had to make choices.

Infernape finished his Taunt and set his body, prepping himself from an oncoming attack. It was a great plan; she had seen others counter very successfully before.

The Lucario got up from its meditative-like position, looking squarely at the monkey. It took a look around next, and she could feel the prickling energy of its searching aura at the same time. It fixated on the rocks for a bit and narrowed it eyes, looking back towards the monkey. It seemed that Infernape's taunting had probably worked.

In a blur, the Lucario was gone, leaving behind faint outlines in aura of where he had been. Then, he was just there, right in front of the fire monkey. Extremespeed was a very useful skill. Lucario had used it to skim past all the rocks before they could react and hit. The Aura Pokémon slammed into Infernape, but since this was what he had been expecting, it didn't look like he took too much damage for it.

Ivy saw him grin before he retaliated with his fists, hitting so hard that the Lucario went flying back onto the field. Since it had little control over its movements, it couldn't choose where to land. Then, the rocks acted up, shaking with that energy they were animated with. Four of them sprung to life and converged on the fighting type all at once, sending it crashing to the ground.

“Nice one,” she called, and she smiled as Roulette whirled around. He looked confused for a moment, not seeing his Ranger, and she supposed she was a little hard to spot. She normally wore red, but her vest was hidden under the dark cloak now. Even her long red hair would be a little hard to identify in the cave. Haxbat chattered from behind her shoulder in greeting, and she laughed at the mental image she must be generating; a girl in black sneaking up on someone in the dark with a massive bat hanging over her shoulder.

“You're pretty good at this,” she said, nodding back towards the battle. “Alpha had an emergency and hat to go, so I'll finish up with you. The run seems to be close to over. I'm Ivy Frost.”

The Lucario was slowly getting to its feet, kicking some of the rocks near it out of the way. Its breathing was deeper, but she knew it still had a lot of fight left in it. She just waited to see how Roulette was going to go about it.


---

Current Battle Stats:

Lucario ? ??? (Bold): 70% [Used Extremespeed]
Infernape M Blaze (Rash): 45% [Used Stealth Rock, Taunt, and Counter]

---

Trainer Stats

Trainer: Roulette
Location: Mt. Oktori
Area Effects: Semi-frozen walls and large stalactites that rose from the ground.
Items: [Hyper Ballx1] = [Max Potionx1]
MCR: 15,653/35,000 [Rare Rank]

Encounters Remaining: 5
Pokemon Encountered: [Smoochum] = [Machop] = [Meditite] = [Spheal] = [Piloswine] = [Spheal] = [Snorunt] = [Hitmonlee] = [Tyrogue] = [Lucario]
Pokemon Caught: [Machop M ??? (Calm)] = [Snorunt F Inner Focus (Calm)]

---

Pokémon Stats

Infernape M Blaze (Rash) @ 45%
EMs: Sunny Day, Grass Knot, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Roar, Bulk Up, Substitute, Overheat, Toxic, Stealth Rocks, Hidden Power Water, Cut, Strength, Fake Out, Thunderpunch, Encore, Counter, Endeavor

Houndoom M Early Bird (Careful) @ 58
EMs: Dark Pulse, Strength

Lapras F Water Absorb (Calm) @ 100
EMs: Thunderbolt, Surf, Zen Headbutt, Dragon Dance, Strength, Waterfall

 

OOC: Finally got it posted. Haven't had a lot of time lately. Uh, Female I suppose. My team's gender ratio is one sided lol. Anyway, I'm just a few k under the MCR after this post I think, so I should be able to finish up with one more short one after this. Here we go...

Seeing Infernape act like that made me laugh, even though my situation was stressful and precarious. He was dancing around and making a ton of noise, filling the cave with grunts and screeches as he tried to get Lucario to attack in a rage. His goal was to lead the pokemon out of his safe area and onto the jagged stones below. Infernape finished his Taunt and took a firm, fighting stance on the ground. One foot was placed in front of the other and was slightly dug into the ground. His fists were raised, guarding his body, and steam was coming out of his nostrils. The cave wasn’t anywhere near as cold as it had been when we had arrived. Between the fire being emitted from Infernape, and all the fighting the two pokemon were doing, the cave was beginning to become a little toasty. I took my jacket and scarf off now as I watched to see what my pokemon and his enemy would do next.

Lucario was still perched on his stalagmite, watching the monkey. Lucario had been relatively cool so far in the battle, not jumping the gun on anything, and choosing its moves very carefully. So far it had worked too. Seeing Infernape act like this, though, was too much. Lucario’s eyes suddenly turned from placid and peaceful, to enraged and angry. I heard the pokemon growling, even on the other side of the cave. Lucario clearly thought of himself as a great battler, and didn’t think that some pokemon could come into his cave and make a fool of him. Lucario was probably the strongest pokemon at Mt. Oktori, and he would do anything to defend his title.

As the two pokemon stared each other down, each awaiting the other’s move, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around to see a black silhouette running down the path that Alpha and I had entered the cave through. A gigantic black “X” shape was gliding through the air behind the grounded shadow. The form finally emerged from the darkness and came onto the cavern floor. It was a girl and her Crobat, and they were walking to where Alpha stood, watching the battle unfold.

“Is this another trainer on a run?” I thought to myself. I had never seen the girl before and I was curious as to who else might be in this dangerous area. My questions were soon answered as she began speaking to Alpha.

“Hey, Alpha, our calls weren't getting through to you. There was an emergency for you back at the Main Outpost. I can finish up here, looks like you already did most of the work,” she said. Alpha didn’t say anything to her in return. Instead, he nodded his head and reached into his bag. He pulled two pokeballs out, the ones containing Snorunt and Machop, and handed them to the new ranger. She thanked him and put the capsules into her own bag. Alpha broke into a run and left the cave through the tunnel that the girl had entered through. I wondered what kind of emergency was so important that Alpha had to be called away from his run.

I looked at the new ranger who had come to replace Alpha, I had never seen her before. She was dressed appropriately for the chilly weather around Mt. Oktori, wearing a long overcoat. Her long hair was a deep crimson which showed up brilliantly in the dark cave, especially in contrast to her somewhat light skin. She quickly noticed that this area of the cave was warmer than the path leading to it, so she removed her heavy overcoat, revealing a longer version of what seemed to be a standard-issue ranger vest.

I wanted to speak to her, and maybe ask why she had come to replace Alpha, but before I could ask anything she gestured towards the battle behind me. I turned around and saw that Lucario was getting increasingly angry. Finally, the Aura pokemon shook off his anger. He calmly stood up, still perched on his stalagmite, and looked around the cave. As the pokemon searched for something unknown to us, we could feel a strange sensation that was most likely the pokemon’s Aura searching for the same thing. It was warming, like being hit by sunlight on a warm day, but at the same time it caused the hair on my arms and neck to stand straight up. The odd sensation quickly ended though, and I gazed back up at Lucario to see what he was doing. He was looking through squinted, malice-filled eyes at the knife-like rocks scattered around the cavern floor. They were obviously a major obstacle for the pokemon, and would greatly hinder his navigation throughout the cave.

The pokemon looked back up at Infernape and then suddenly vanished, seemingly into thin air. I barely caught sight of the pokemon as it zipped towards Infernape with Extremespeed. The only visible part of Lucario was the blue outline that followed him everywhere. Suddenly, he was right in front of Infernape, and delivering a barrage of punches and kicks.

Luckily, Infernape had been expecting this very thing. Lucario shot his left fist towards Infernape’s face, but the monkey anticipated the blow and dodged. Infernape’s counter was now going into effect. Infernape moved out of the way of the jab and launched a punch of his own, hitting Lucario hard in the stomach. Lucario winced in pain, but quickly tried to throw his knee into Infernape’s chest. The flaming monkey blocked this attempted attack as well, and thrust his elbow into Lucario’s face. The Aura pokemon wasn’t finished yet though; he still had fight left in him. He tried to place a powerful uppercut on Infernape’s jaw, but the monkey was ready yet again. He countered this blow by actually catching Lucario’s hand, and twisting it around. Lucario growled and cried out in pain as Infernape grasped the beast’s fist. He turned Lucario around so that he was facing his back now, never letting go of the pokemon’s wrist. Infernape performed a spectacular move now, jumping into the air and driving both feet hard into Lucario’s back with some form of a drop kick. Instead of falling to the ground, Infernape simply flipped over and landed nimbly on his feet. His opponent was not so lucky, however. Lucario was driven like a nail onto the ground. The attack sent him down so quickly that the pokemon had no chance to choose where he would land, or even brace himself for the impact at all. He skidded across all the sharp rocks that were sticking out of the ground beneath him, and when he came to a halt, several of the larger stones rose into the air. The sharp rocks all swarmed on Lucario, adding even more damage to the successful attack.

Lucario rose to his feet now, and had a look of pure hate on his face as he looked at Infernape and me. I was glad that Infernape was proving to be a worthy opponent for Lucario; I had clearly been training him well. I watched as the pokemon brushed dust from his body and angrily kicked several rocks out of his path. I was curious as to what he would do next. His tactics would surely change now that he realized he couldn’t be overconfident anymore.

“Nice one,” said a voice from behind me. It was a soft voice, fitting for the female ranger standing at the far end of the cave. I turned around to reply to her.

“Thanks,” I said, looking at the new ranger. I could see now that the huge X that had been following her had been a Crobat. It was now fluttering behind her, chattering and chirping. It seemed to be happy about being in the dark, chilly cave.

“You're pretty good at this,” she said, making her way to where I was standing. The broken rocks and cracked earth made an obstacle course as she navigated around the cave. She leapt gracefully over a fallen stalagmite here, and hopped over a newly opened crevice there, until she was finally standing next to me. Most rangers were hardy, and elected to power through the terrain around them, but this ranger simply evaded all obstacles in her path until she got where she wanted to be.

“Thanks,” I said again.

“Alpha had an emergency and had to go, so I'll finish up with you. The run seems to be close to over. I'm Ivy Frost,” she said. I laughed as I wondered if the Ranger HQ had sent her to Oktori just because of her name.

“Hello, Ivy, I’m Roulette. I suppose we can talk about Alpha later, I’m sort of busy right now,” I said, “And yes, the run is just about over. I only have one park ball left, and I intend to use it on this guy. After this battle is over we can get back to the Ranger HQ and off of this frozen mountain. At least it isn’t so cold in the cave.”

I was babbling, which was odd because I’m generally very quiet, especially around people who I haven’t met before. The battle had my adrenaline pumping, though, and I was excited. Adding a Lucario to my team would help in so many ways. I looked at Ivy who peeked around me to catch a glimpse of the ongoing battle. She turned back to me and nodded, as if signaling me to return to what I was here for.

“Right,” I said, embarrassed. I could feel myself blushing a bit as blood went through my cheeks.

So far we had thrown everything we could at the Lucario. Infernape and I had nearly demolished the terrain around us, making it virtually useless now, and the Lucario was now prepared for anything. We had learned that Lucario could be a surprisingly good defensive pokemon earlier in the battle, so we couldn’t just go right out and attack. I wasn’t sure how I would go about damaging the pokemon again. Even though Infernape had barely taken any damage this turn, Lucario was still in much better condition than him. The battles with Machop and Snorunt had worn the pokemon out. Even though he was normally brimming with untamable energy, the pokemon was breathing heavier and heavier by the minute. His arms weren’t raised with as much authority, and his stance was now somewhat slouched. I would need to end this quickly if Infernape was going to finish off Lucario by himself. I was hoping to keep Houndoom and Lapras out of the fighting this time, as both of them had a type disadvantage to Lucario. Lapras’s weakness to fighting and lack of speed would probably cause her to be taken down relatively easily by Lucario. Houndoom could be used if needed, as Lucario was weak to Fire, but he was weak from battling Machop already, and one good attack from Lucario could bring him down.

As I went over countless strategies in my head, I remembered the battles I had had at Mt. Oktori earlier this same day. I thought back to my first encounter with the little Machop, who we had met in a cave smashing rocks all over the place. In that battle, Houndoom had made great use of the environment around him. The Machop had been expecting a direct attack from my pokemon, but Houndoom cleverly used Strength on the wall beside him to drop the menacing icicles and stalactites from the ceiling and onto the pokemon below. Though Houndoom had used great strategy in that battle, Machop had still managed to inflict a ton of damage to it. I tried to remember the battle, turn by turn, looking for a strategy to harvest, but it seemed like I had ruined that during the first turn of this battle. Against Machop, I had turned the terrain into a weapon, but the cave’s interior was destroyed here, rendering it useless.

Seeing that that battle had nothing to offer me, I thought back to my battle with Snorunt. The little pokemon had been a far bigger problem than I had ever anticipated, and actually managed to give Infernape a run for his money. My pokemon’s direct attempts to inflict damage had not gone as planned, and Snorunt took advantage of it. She used the raging blizzard to make herself nearly invisible, and attacked from behind a veil as Infernape blindly attacked everything around him. Though the pokemon was small, it had summoned immense power for the battle, blasting Infernape with a wide range of attack types, from Shadow Balls to Water Pulses. Even when Infernape had gotten rid of the awful blizzard, the tiny pokemon was able to avoid his attacks by floating around the snow, even being able to dodge a Mach Punch. Once again, my pokemon used the environment to his advantage, giving him the win. I remembered that Infernape had leapt from tree to tree, getting closer to Snorunt with each jump, until he was finally within range to attack. The pokemon hadn’t been expecting an aerial attack, and was caught off guard, allowing for an easy capture. This battle held no valuable strategies that I could use now either.

I racked my brain for anything I could use to defeat this pokemon. Lucario were rare, but this wasn’t the first time I had ever faced one. I thought back to one of my very first matches as the Ice Dojo Sensei. A trainer named Maverick entered my facility with a cocky attitude. At first I thought he was going to be overconfident, thus easy to defeat, but I soon found out that his confidence was deserved. His first pokemon came onto my dojo’s floor, a Lucario. It was his oldest partner and friend, and the duo shared a bond which made them quite a formidable team. I threw everything I had at them. First I tried my giant Mamoswine, blasting him with Earthquake after Earthquake, but he simply hovered above the ground using Magnet Rise. He was even able to hit my Mamoswine through his Snow Cloak with a powerful Aura Sphere, knocking out the bulky mammoth easily. I tried using Froslass, a pokemon I had rented from the Dojo League, next. I knew that his fighting moves couldn’t hurt me, and that Froslass could quickly turn the tide with her masterful use of status moves. I confused the Lucario, hit it with Thunderwave, and even tried putting it to sleep, but the disciplined pokemon managed to beat Froslass, despite all the factors against him. My final pokemon, Lapras, attempted to bring the foe down, but was easily taken out by the pokemon’s powerful fighting moves. Maverick and his Lucario had managed to defeat my dojo not only without losing any pokemon, but without taking any damage whatsoever. That battle had been a learning experience for me, and in the long run had made me a much better battler. It taught me that I couldn’t rely on brute force to take down an opponent. I had to use its own tactics against it to defeat it. I remembered the next time I faced Maverick and his Lucario. We had managed to out-predict and out-strategize him until his Lucario finally fell.

Realizing that I had defeated a Lucario before gave me a new hope. Adrenaline rushed through my body, giving me an urge to fight. I clenched my fists as a new strategy formulated in my head. I was going to combine Infernape’s unrivaled speed with Lucario’s keen ability to avoid attacks to hopefully take the pokemon out. There was an issue with my plan, though. It would involve doing further damage to the already wrecked cave, but I knew it had to be done if I wanted to defeat and catch Lucario. As I began to give Infernape his new orders, I silently prayed that the cave could stand another large-scale attack.

“Infernape, this is risky but I think it’s going to work. I want you to use Earthquake again,” I shouted at my pokemon. He had been focused on Lucario, but upon hearing this he turned around to look at me, baffled. Earthquake had been a huge failure the first time we had used it, and he clearly didn’t think that using it again would be the best idea, “Lucario is most likely going to try and use Magnet Rise again to avoid the attack, but that’s what we want him to do. When he focuses his energy on hovering above the Earthquake, I want you to fly up at him and take him down with a Mach Punch! Nobody is faster than you, Nape; I know you’ve got it in you.”

Infernape was obviously very skeptical of this command. Another Earthquake was sure to make things treacherous in the cave, even more so than they already were, and I wasn’t even predicting the move to hit. Even if the plan did work out as planned, Mach Punch wasn’t even a very powerful move. If all went as planned, though, the punch would catch Lucario off guard, and do more damage than usual. I knew I could risk a Close Combat, but that move isn’t great for long-term battles, as it greatly weakens your pokemon’s defenses. I knew that from my battle against Machop.

Infernape wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about my command, but he rarely was anyway. He shrugged and slapped his hands together. He rubbed them together in preparation for his powerful attack, and then placed his palms on the cavern floor again. Just as before, he channeled all the energy in his body, and exerted it through his arms and hands, and into the ground below him. The cave slowly began to shake as Infernape grunted and snorted, putting all he had into this attack. I hoped he wasn’t tiring himself out on the Earthquake, as it was only meant to get Lucario into the air. He really needed his strength for the Mach Punch he was set to deliver once Lucario was airborne. I desperately wanted to watch my pokemon, to see if my risky tactics would work, but the shaking and rattling of the cave made it impossible. I leaned up against the same rock I had been standing next to all along and sat on the floor. I held my head to try to stop the rattling, but it didn’t help much. My teeth rattled together and my brain seemed to be bouncing around inside my skull like a pinball. I looked up just in time to see a medium-sized rock fall from the ceiling. It landed right next to me with a hard thud. I quickly took my bag off and put it over my head, hopefully preventing any falling rocks from doing too much damage to my head. I tried to look around the cave for Ivy, but the intense shaking prevented that as well. All I could see were rocks falling from the ceiling all around me. Suddenly, the rock I was leaning up against gave way behind me, sending me toppling over. I scrambled to get to my feet, and quickly rushed over to the side of the cave. I felt a lot safer up against the cavern wall instead of out in the open. I pulled my bag over my face now, hoping I wouldn’t get struck by a falling rock.

As I sat against the wall, waiting for the Earthquake to be over, I wondered if my plan would work. Hopefully when I looked up, I could see Lucario hovering above the ground, and Infernape rushing through the air towards him, smashing him into the wall with a gut busting Mach Punch. I hoped and prayed that it would work, but for now there was nothing I could do but wait.

 

BP#2

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Roulette took a while to decide what to do. Ivy watched as many emotions played over his face as he tried to find a creative way around their problem. He looked the the type of Trainer that had been through much, so she was sure he'd think of something. People like that learned from their mistakes and got better for it.

“Infernape, this is risky, but I think it's going to work. I want you to use Earthquake again,” he finally said. The fire monkey stopped his focusing to look back at his Trainer, clearly puzzled why he gave such orders. From the skeptical look on his face, it hadn't worked so well the first time.

The Trainer then explained his logic, saying how they wanted the Lucario to try to avoid the quake with a Magnet Rise in order to distract it. Then, Infernape would launch a Mach Punch at blinding speed as hard as he was able. In theory it could work, provided Infernape didn't use up too much energy with the Earthquake that wasn't meant to do much damage.

The monkey didn't look very enthusiastic, but he was going along with the plan anyway. There was something to be said about Trainer-Pokémon loyalty that he'd still follow Roulette's wishes despite his reservations.

Infernape just shrugged and slapped his hands together, creating energy for his coming attack. He placed his palms down onto the cave floor, shooting energy down his arms and into the ground. Ivy watched the Lucario as she struggled to stand. She curiously watched Infernape as he channeled energy into the earth. She realized too late what he was doing, and she rapidly tried to rise as she gathered energy to start her magnet field.

The ground shook as Infernape let loose the energy, causing even more rocks to fall from the ceiling and loosening onces already settled. Ivy saw roulette stumble back up against the cave wall, using his pack as a guard for his head. Ivy threw herself back to the wall as well, wanting to stay away from as much of the falling rock as possible. Haxbat swooped down in front of her and threw up a shield in a dome above them, catching the falling debris and bouncing it away from them.

Lucario only managed to finish rising up on her magnets as the earthquake was drawing to a close. It had jostled her a little bit, and she was still flinching from being bashed with rocks. Infernape didn't give her much time to recover. He jetted off after, rushing forward with his fist, ready to strike.

The Aura Pokémon wobbled in the air as she tried to stay above the shaking ground, and she barely saw Infernape to do anything. With no time, she studied the monkey quickly, preparing to copy what he was doing. She lashed out with her fist at the same time as Infernape, though her rushed focus made the force behind it much less.

Infernape struck and barely paid any attention to the blow Lucario dealt. There was much more power behind his, and the Aura Pokémon went sprawling again. It's slower reaction time was revealing how worn out it was becoming, and Ivy knew that soon she could be captured easily.

Lucario slid across the cave ground, stopping when she crashed into a large stalagmite sticking out of the ground. It cracked and crumbled, and as the Lucario tried to get up, the Stealth Rocks activated again, damaging her more. She pushed herself backwards, bracing herself against the broken rocks as she tried to stand up, unwilling to back down from the fight.


---

Current Battle Stats:

Lucario F ??? (Bold): 40% [Used Magnet Rise partly and Copycat]
Infernape M Blaze (Rash): 40% [Used Earthquake and Mach Punch]

---

Trainer Stats

Trainer: Roulette
Location: Mt. Oktori
Area Effects: Semi-frozen walls and large stalactites that rose from the ground.
Items: [Hyper Ballx1] = [Max Potionx1]
MCR: 33,819/35,000 [Rare Rank]

Encounters Remaining: 5
Pokemon Encountered: [Smoochum] = [Machop] = [Meditite] = [Spheal] = [Piloswine] = [Spheal] = [Snorunt] = [Hitmonlee] = [Tyrogue] = [Lucario]
Pokemon Caught: [Machop M ??? (Calm)] = [Snorunt F Inner Focus (Calm)]

---

Pokémon Stats

Infernape M Blaze (Rash) @ 40%
EMs: Sunny Day, Grass Knot, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Roar, Bulk Up, Substitute, Overheat, Toxic, Stealth Rocks, Hidden Power Water, Cut, Strength, Fake Out, Thunderpunch, Encore, Counter, Endeavor

Houndoom M Early Bird (Careful) @ 58
EMs: Dark Pulse, Strength

Lapras F Water Absorb (Calm) @ 100
EMs: Thunderbolt, Surf, Zen Headbutt, Dragon Dance, Strength, Waterfall

 

I watched Infernape as he caused the entire cavern to wobble and rattle. Finally, as I clung to my bag, the horrible shaking slowed down and finally stopped. I got back up to my feet and dusted some dirt and small pebbles off of my clothes. Despite my best efforts to cover my head, my hair was now coated in dirt, which was slowly turning to mud due to my sweat. It was strange how much I was sweating in this frozen cave.

After I had made sure that I was ok and that nothing in my bag, or my body, was broken, I looked over to the last place I had seen Ivy. She had been standing just behind me a short time ago, but she wasn't there anymore. Finally I heard a faint cough coming from the other side of the cave, and the ranger stood up, dusting herself off as I had. We were both a mess, but at least it was for a good cause. I was certain she was regretting picking this run up for Alpha.

I quickly remembered what I was doing, and turned my face toward the battle. The latest turn was just unfolding. The first thing that caught my eye was Lucario, who was floating unsteadily in the air above the ground. The Aura pokemon wasn't there for long though, since the second part of our plan was now coming into effect. Infernape, my fastest pokemon, shot like a bullet into the air straight towards Lucario. The pokemon was still trying to steady herself to avoid the Earthquake when Infernape launched towards her. Seeing what was happening, she quickly, and desperately, tried to counter Infernape's attack with the exact same attack. I knew that Lucario had a lot of tricks up their sleeves, but I didn't expect this. She hadn't had a good stance and the attack was extremely rushed, so the mirrored Mach Punch did almost nothing as it glanced off of Infernape. Now it was time for Infernape's fist to land. He slammed it full-force into the Lucario's jaw, smashing it down to the ground once more. As Lucario crashed around the cave, smashing anything in her way that wasn't already demolished, Infernape gracefully landed on both feet, watching the Lucario take damage from her surroundings. Her body finally came to rest, and the Stealth Rocks performed their magic once more. The jagged stones rose into the air and crashed onto the Lucario, injuring her even more.

I looked in awe as my plan came into action. Infernape was really making a battle out of this. Lucario slowly got to her feet and stared viciously into Infernape's eyes, who returned an equally evil glare. Both pokemon were breathing heavily now, and their bodies were clearly on the verge of exhaustion. Just moments before, Infernape had been close to fainting, but now both pokemon were evenly tired. Infernape had managed to out-battle Lucario so far, and now they were on equal footing. Both pokemon had the same chance to defeat the other, it would just depend on who would outlast their opponent.

"Infernape, you've almost got her now! Let's finish this batlte with one more combo," I shouted to Infernape across the cavern. He looked away from Lucario and back at me, smiling, "Alright, let's try something out. I want you to put Lucario in a Fire Spin! Do you see how there are rocks surrounding her? Try to get them caught up in the vortex to add even more damage."

Infernape didn't bother looking back at me to acknowledge what I had said; he immediately sprung into action. I assumed he liked this idea better than the last. The flaming monkey jumped high into the air, and his mouth began to swell with flames. He shot the fire down at Lucario, hoping to surround the pokemon with the flaming vortex. As the fire spiralled down toward Lucario, it twisted around like a tornado. The closer it got to the ground, the more rocks it lifted up, causing them to become a part of the spinning fire. I hoped the combo would work out. As I watched the attack unfold, I reached into my bag. I knew that Lucario would be weak enough for capture soon. I pulled the only item that was left in my backpack out; a Hyperball. It was specially designed for catching pokemon that had already evolved. I looked up, pokeball in hand, and saw the attack land. Through the smoke and rubble, I spotted Lucario and chucked the Hyperball at it with all my might, praying for a capture.

 

BP#3

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

“Infernape, you've almost got her now! Let's finish this battle with one more combo,” Roulette shouted. He directed his fire monkey to use an improvised Rock-Fire Spin, using the surrounding debris to help damage and trap the Lucario. It was a neat idea, and Infernape looked like he approved of it since he didn't question his Trainer.

His mouth filled with flame as he prepared the attack, spewing it towards their opponent. It licked along the ground and spin into a whirling flashing vortex that was gaining speed and starting to pick up some of the smaller rock chips, dusting the fire with dark speckles.

The Lucario looked on, panting. Ivy didn't know if she was able of making a counter attack or not. She would probably be wary of the fire, being one of Lucario's weaknesses, and she couldn't go very far in fear of the rocks coming to life and smashing into her again. Still, she didn't just sit there. The Ranger saw the way she dug in to the place she was standing, locking her legs and bracing herself against he ground. She looked like no matter what came at her, she would endure it.

The fire spun closer, starting to pick up larger rocks and dust, making it hard to see through. Then, it engulfed the fighting Pokémon, and Ivy heard her cry out. The Ranger saw Roulette rummaging in his backpack, and when he was done, he was holding a Hyperball. It was a good time for capture, since Lucario was pretty damaged and also distracted by this attack. He waited a few seconds and then let it fly, the ball sailing through the air towards the weakened Pokémon.

Infernape saw and cut off his attack at that moment, leaving an open path for his Trainer. Lucario looked a little singed, but still stood. However, there was no time for her to dodge the incoming ball. Ivy saw her look at it, but the Aura Pokémon didn't even make a motion to move. The Ranger wasn't sure what that was about for certain, but the ball struck the Pokémon's chest and sucked her inside in a beam of red light.

They all waited in silence as the dust and debris settled. The ball didn't even shake as an echoing ping sounded through the cave, marking a successful capture. The Ranger thought that maybe Lucario had decided Roulette worthy.

Ivy turned toward the Trainer and grinned, wanting to see his expression after such a grueling battle. “Congratulations! That was some pretty nifty battling. Looks like a Lucario is now part of your team.” She went over to collect the ball, tucking it safely into her pocket. “Well, what's the game plan now?”


---

Current Battle Stats: N/A

---

Trainer Stats

Trainer: Roulette
Location: Mt. Oktori
Area Effects: Semi-frozen walls and large stalactites that rose from the ground.
Items: [Max Potionx1]
MCR: 0

Encounters Remaining: 5
Pokemon Encountered: [Smoochum] = [Machop] = [Meditite] = [Spheal] = [Piloswine] = [Spheal] = [Snorunt] = [Hitmonlee] = [Tyrogue] = [Lucario]
Pokemon Caught: [Machop M ??? (Calm)] = [Snorunt F Inner Focus (Calm)] = [Lucario F ??? (Bold)]

---

Pokémon Stats

Infernape M Blaze (Rash) @ 40%
EMs: Sunny Day, Grass Knot, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Roar, Bulk Up, Substitute, Overheat, Toxic, Stealth Rocks, Hidden Power Water, Cut, Strength, Fake Out, Thunderpunch, Encore, Counter, Endeavor

Houndoom M Early Bird (Careful) @ 58
EMs: Dark Pulse, Strength

Lapras F Water Absorb (Calm) @ 100
EMs: Thunderbolt, Surf, Zen Headbutt, Dragon Dance, Strength, Waterfall

 

I saw Infernape's attack land, damaging the pokemon enough to bring its health low enough for capture. My Hyperball flew through the air and hit Lucario square in the chest, sucking her inside. I could barely see the teetering pokeball through the soot and dust in the air, but I heard the familiar sound of a ping, signaling a successful capture.

“Congratulations! That was some pretty nifty battling. Looks like a Lucario is now part of your team. Well, what's the game plan now?” I heard Ivy say from behind me.

"Thanks a lot, Ivy," I responded "Alright, it looks like I've used up all my park balls. I think I've got a pretty good group of pokemon here, so let's get out of here."

We turned around and left the wrecked cave, three pokemon stronger. My pokemon and I were tired, so getting back home would be nice. I assumed I would have to follow Ivy somewhere, possibly the Ranger Station, to retrieve my pokemon, Lucario, Snorunt, and Machop, from her. I waited to see what she said.

 

NBP#1

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Roulette, using up all of his Parkballs, decided to be finished with his run. Ivy had his Machop, Snorunt, and Lucario all safely tucked in her pockets, and after double checking they were there, she motioned for Haxbat to start leading them back out the way they came. She waved for Roulette to follow.

By now, her eyes were used to the low light, and she followed the swift bat without much problem, being careful to warn the Trainer of rock obstacles in the path that he could trip on, simultaneously watching for them herself so she didn't fall on her face.

They made it back to the outpost in quick time, and she made sure Roulette filled out all the right paperwork and registered his new Pokémon before saying farewell. Then, she headed back to her own office to fill out her own documents. She made a mental note to do something nice for Alpha too. She always hated feeling like she stole others' runs, though sometimes it was necessary for another Ranger to take over.

She ignored the giggling secretaries as she finished her work, filing away the papers under the completed run category, wondering when her next assignment would be and loving every minute of it.

Run Completed!​

Pokémon Taking: Calm M Machop, Calm F Snorunt, Bold F Lucario

---

Current Battle Stats: N/A

---

Trainer Stats

Trainer: Roulette
Location: Mt. Oktori
Area Effects: Semi-frozen walls and large stalactites that rose from the ground.
Items: [Max Potionx1]
MCR: 0

Encounters Remaining: 5
Pokemon Encountered: [Smoochum] = [Machop] = [Meditite] = [Spheal] = [Piloswine] = [Spheal] = [Snorunt] = [Hitmonlee] = [Tyrogue] = [Lucario]
Pokemon Caught: [Machop M ??? (Calm)] = [Snorunt F Inner Focus (Calm)] = [Lucario F ??? (Bold)]

---

Pokémon Stats

Infernape M Blaze (Rash) @ 40%
EMs: Sunny Day, Grass Knot, Shadow Claw, Swords Dance, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Roar, Bulk Up, Substitute, Overheat, Toxic, Stealth Rocks, Hidden Power Water, Cut, Strength, Fake Out, Thunderpunch, Encore, Counter, Endeavor

Houndoom M Early Bird (Careful) @ 58
EMs: Dark Pulse, Strength

Lapras F Water Absorb (Calm) @ 100
EMs: Thunderbolt, Surf, Zen Headbutt, Dragon Dance, Strength, Waterfall