Individual RP: Sky Lark

Ranger: Trainer Sara
NBP #1​

“Yeah, just have someone bring him over, or get a Pokemon to Fly or Teleport him here once he’s ready,” I said, nodding a few times as the receptionist on the other line confirmed a few things. “We’ll be waiting for him, just tell him to look for the blonde with the Serperior.” After another moment of exchanging goodbyes, I hung up the receiver and spun in my office chair. I was currently sitting in the main office of the Deckbi Outpost, finalizing some paperwork that had needed to be taken care of in light of a rock slide that had been caused by a rampant Steelix tunneling everywhere. Standing, I stretched for a moment before exiting the office, dumping the stack of signed paperwork in a bin to be filed later.

I headed outside after stopping near the storage PC to shuffle my team around accordingly. We were headed to the Gardens again, where a good number of Grass and Normal Pokemon dwelt; in the case of the latter, many of the Pokemon were large and strong, and in cases like Tauros and Bouffalant, aggressive as well. I’d be taking some of my bulkier Pokemon with me today, just in case we ran into any trouble. Seagem and Vice were intimidating, and Seagem would be able to Fly me to the Outpost in minutes. On top of that, both had type advantages and resistances towards Grass Pokemon. Imperious was a Grass-type herself, but she had a wide array of moves and was a very agile Pokemon; normally she could chase off rowdy Pokemon with just a brief display of her speed and power. And finally, Bloodstone would be coming along as well, thanks to being completely immune to Normal-type attacks and being more than able to lay down numerous status moves on any Pokemon that decided to try and cause trouble. With moves like Confuse Ray, Will-o-Wisp, and Torment, he’d be able to turn any overly-aggressive encounter into a confused mess that would hardly be a threat.

Once outside, I released Seagem from her PokeBall. The regal Dragonite appeared with a ringing cry, spreading her wings and stretching before glancing back at me. I thumped her side and, with the ease of many years of practice, settled myself on her wide back.

“We’re headed to the Gardens,” I told her. “We’re stopping by the Outpost to wait for our Trainer.” Seagem nodded once and within seconds we were airborne, winging our way towards the Outpost for the Botanic Garden. It didn’t take long, maybe eight minutes, for us to arrive at our destination. After Seagem had landed and I’d dismounted, I had a quick look around to make sure Eric, the young man I’d be guiding today, hadn’t arrived yet. I didn’t see him, so I recalled Seagem and released Imperious next. The Serperior made no noise as she materialized from her Ball, but simply held her head high and immediately took on a posture of one who was exceptionally egotistical. I resisted the urge to laugh and instead motioned for her to follow me, heading inside the Outpost just to make sure Eric wasn’t waiting inside.

“Looks like we might be in for a storm,” I commented as we entered the Outpost. “Hopefully we can get this run over before it hits, but if not, I hope Eric doesn’t mind getting a bit wet.” Imperious made a sort of snorting noise, flicking her tail in disdain. It was clear she wouldn’t stand for being outside in the rain, and I couldn’t help but chuckle a bit. The Serperior gave me a look at being laughed at, but remained silent. “Oh, come on, you know I wouldn’t make you stay out in bad weather if you didn’t wanna, silly girl. But come on, a Grass Pokemon who doesn’t like the rain? It’s funny and you know it.” Imperious sniffed and turned away, but I knew she didn’t take offense at being poked at. Seagem, on the other hand, was a lot sassier than Imperious and would have probably thwacked me with her tail for having a laugh at her expense. I had a knack for getting the more eccentric-natured Pokemon.

===

TRAINER INFORMATION:​

*Name: Eric Lundt
*Location: Botanic Gardens
*Trainer Items: x5 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

*Area Effects: 15 Encounters Remaining | Warm, very windy and heavily overcast
*Pokemon Encountered: n/a
*Pokemon Captured: n/a

*MCR Count: n/a
*Pokemon Stats:

-Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | In Ball | 100%

-Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | In Ball | 100%


@Sky Lark

 

@Dog of Hellsing

OOC: I’m prone to using the same sentence structure over and over again, so please tell me if that happens.

I woke up with a start, remembering that I had scheduled a journey through the park today. Worried that I might've been running late, I immediately checked the alarm clock on my bedside table. To my relief, I had not overslept. I then grabbed my clothes, jumped in the shower, and got ready for my expedition.

After a bowl of cereal, I knew it was about time to set off, but the beeping of my phone stopped me in my tracks. Hastily, I checked the messages on my phone. “Huh. A message from the ranger base. I wonder what it’s about.” I quickly scanned through its contents, taking note of the fact that I was to meet my ranger at the outpost in the Botanical Gardens. After, I grabbed my backpack and rummaged through its contents to see if I had all my supplies. I quickly went through my mental checklist of the things I would need. It wasn’t really a long list of supplies – a raincoat, in case the weather took a turn for the worse, a shiny, brand new camera, in case I spotted any rare pokemon, and some empty pokeballs which were specially designed for the park. To my surprise, I found a dark blue unwashed jacket in the front pocket of my backpack. “Oh yeah,” I said, frowning. I had completely forgotten about the last time I had used this jacket. I had worn it a few weeks ago during my journey through Meteor Valley. I reluctantly held it close to my nose and took a whiff. “Ugh. This stinks.” Thinking the garment wouldn’t be needed for the day, I threw it in the corner of my room and made a mental note before heading down the hall.

As soon as I exited my house, I was greeted by the sweet scent of fresh morning air. The grass glistened with dew, and the sky was clear, promising, what I hoped to be, good weather for the day. After taking in a breath of air, I unclipped a pokeball from my belt and tossed it in the air. A bright light shot out of the pokeball and revealed one of the pokemon I was bringing with me today. “Good morning. I hope you’re up for a good expedition,” I said. The Togekiss affectionately cooed as I ran my fingers through her feathers. “Shall we get going then?” Gently, I mounted onto the Togekiss’ back and prepared for a relaxing flight. “Off we go to the Botanical Gardens then.”

The flight was mostly uneventful. The most exciting part of the flight was Togekiss and me passing by a couple of trainers who were also on their way to various outposts in the park. Soaring among the clouds was one of the best feelings in the world. Euphoria overcame me as we weaved our way through flocks of Pidgey and Pidgeotto, which were clearly enjoying the cool morning air as well.

As we reached the outpost, I noticed that the clouds were getting thicker. “Mmm. I hope the weather won’t change,” I mumbled to myself. We landed a few meters from the outpost, and I took a pokeblock from my backpack, offering it to the Togekiss. “Thanks for the flight, buddy.” After she swallowed the pokeblock, I recalled her into her pokeball. As I entered the outpost, I noticed that there was only one person inside. She had long, flowing, blond hair and was dressed in red and black. “Quite petite,” I whispered to myself, assuming she was the one who’d lead me through my journey. “She’s a ranger though, so I guess she can hold her own.” She didn’t notice my entrance as her face was turned towards the window on the other side of the room. I overheard her mention the possibility of a storm, and my heart sank. The botanical gardens could get pretty muddy, and my sneakers wouldn’t handle mud well. The Serperior was also turned away as I silently walked towards the ranger. I stopped a few steps behind her and wondered how I would introduce myself. I regularly had trouble conversing with people. A lack of social skills was one of my faults. Nervously, I decided to go with the standard greeting. “Hi. I’m Eric Lundt. The ranger base told me to meet my ranger here. I assume you’re the one.” I hoped I didn't startle her with my sudden arrival.

 

Ranger: Trainer Sara
NBP #2​

We didn’t have long to wait before Eric arrived. I heard the door to the Outpost open, but didn’t bother to turn at the moment. Imperious briefly glanced towards the door, but other than a quick dart of her eyes, she gave no indication of really inspecting who’d come in. A few moments later I heard a voice speaking behind us. It was a young man who sounded a bit uncertain as he introduced himself.

“Hi. I’m Eric Lundt. The Ranger base told me to meet my Ranger here. I assume you’re the one.” I turned and clasped my hands behind my back, smiling at the Trainer and nodding.

“Yep, that’d be me. I’m Trainer Sara, and I’ll be leading you through the Botanic Gardens today.” I then waved to the window to indicate outside, adding, “I’d like to say ‘I’ll be leading you through the Gardens this fine afternoon’, but as you can see, it doesn’t look very fine out there at the moment. With any luck we can complete your run before the storm hits. The forecaster for the island said it probably won’t hit for about another hour or so, so it might be close, but it’s definitely possible to wrap things up before then, especially if we get lucky with your encounters. Now, let’s get this party started!” I clapped my hands together and motioned for Eric to follow as I headed out of the Outpost, Imperious following beside me.

We didn’t travel for more than perhaps five minutes before a brightly-colored bird flew out of a nearby tree, making a beeline for us. It landed perhaps seven or eight feet away, almost hidden by the tall grass. The only part of it that was still visible was its head, which quickly ducked down out of sight. A moment later the Pokemon’s head popped back up, a small fruit of some kind in its beak. It blinked at us for a moment, but it seemed my initial impression of it was wrong. I’d thought it was approaching us, but apparently it was just looking for food and we’d happened to be nearby.

“I’ve heard Chatot can be pretty interesting little Pokemon,” I offered. “They can learn Agility and Encore; apparently people like to have them use Agility, and then if the enemy used some sort of move to set up before, they’ll Encore them. Pretty nasty combo, but effective if that’s you’re style of battling. At any rate, would you be interested in trying to catch this little fella?”

===

TRAINER INFORMATION:​

*Name: Eric Lundt
*Location: Botanic Gardens
*Trainer Items: x5 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

*Area Effects: 14 Encounters Remaining | Warm, very windy and heavily overcast
*Pokemon Encountered: Chatot
*Pokemon Captured: n/a

*MCR Count: 3,980
*Pokemon Stats:

-Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | In Ball | 100%

-Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | In Ball | 100%


@Sky Lark

 

@Dog of Hellsing

“Yep, that’d be me. I’m Trainer Sara, and I’ll be leading you through the Botanic Gardens today. I’d like to say ‘I’ll be leading you through the Gardens this fine afternoon’, but as you can see, it doesn’t look very fine out there at the moment. With any luck we can complete your run before the storm hits. The forecaster for the island said it probably won’t hit for about another hour or so, so it might be close, but it’s definitely possible to wrap things up before then, especially if we get lucky with your encounters. Now, let’s get this party started!”

I sighed a little as my ranger confirmed my suspicions. I was in for some rain. With a half-hearted wave of my hand, I said, “Huzzah." Sarcasm aside, I nodded and expressed my consensus with regards to starting the run. I was about to mention how it was just my luck that I’d visit the park on a rainy day, but it was then that I had an idea. Maybe the rain would encourage flying types to return to their roosts as I wasn’t particularly keen on encountering them.

“Quite interesting pokemon, Serperior,” I quipped as we started walking outside the outpost. It seemed as if this particular Serperior was not one that would disprove my notion of Serperior being haughty, prideful pokemon. “Don’t you find it odd that they can perform Aerial Ace?” Just as I made that statement, a blur of colors landed in the grass a short distance away from us. I couldn’t distinguish it at first because it was obscured by the tall grass, but as soon as it showed its head, it was obvious. The plumage should’ve been a dead giveaway. It was a Chatot. I knew it was a Chatot because of its distinct note-shaped head and metronome-shaped tail. In its mouth was what seemed to be a berry. I wasn’t one for contests and gardening. I wasn’t sure, but I had a feeling that it was a lum berry. “It seems as if the Chatot just used the move ‘pluck’. How interesting it is to see a pokemon attack outside of battle.”

“I’ve heard Chatot can be pretty interesting little Pokemon. They can learn Agility and Encore; apparently people like to have them use Agility, and then if the enemy used some sort of move to set up before, they’ll Encore them. Pretty nasty combo, but effective if that’s you’re style of battling. At any rate, would you be interested in trying to catch this little fella?”

“Cool combo,” I responded. Although Chatot were seemingly fun companions, what with them being able to learn Chatter, I wasn’t aiming to catch one. In a soft voice, I said, “I’d rather not, though. They’re not that common in the wild. However, cities are teeming with them, and I’d rather go after something I can’t find elsewhere. On that note, do you think we might be able to spot a Castform in this weather?” I nodded to the left, implying that I wanted to walk away without bothering the Chatot. That was when I remembered I had forgotten something in my checklist. I would’ve facepalmed if I was sure it wouldn’t attract the attention of the avian pokemon. “This is quite embarrassing, but I forgot to bring pokedolls. Just in case the Chatot wants a fight, could you throw one over? I’ll pay you at the end of the run.”

 

Ranger: Trainer Sara
NBP #3​

Eric opted against trying to catch Chatot, mentioning that he’d pay for a PokeDoll at the end of the run if we needed to use one. Luckily, we were able to move on without Chatot seeming to care; with its prize clamped in its beak, it took flight and headed for the tree it had flown out of. Perhaps it had young to feed or was simply stocking up. Either way, it didn’t pose any problems for us, leaving us free to continue with the run.

On that note, do you think we might be able to spot a Castform in this weather?” the Trainer asked as we moved on. I glanced around, noting a grove of trees in the distance and waving to it.

“There’s a chance we might find one or two once the rain starts and their Ability kicks in, but they’re probably all just hanging out in random places for the time being. We can head over to those trees and see if there are any over there; in this kind of weather they tend to get a little confused, so they don’t move around too much and tend to hang out in sheltered areas.” I then fell silent, waiting for Eric’s answer, but he didn’t have a chance to reply before Imperious suddenly started to hiss loudly at something. I glanced over at her, where she was slithering along beside us, and found she was actually several paces behind us. The first six or so feet of her body was lifted clear off the ground and she was twisted around, facing the way we’d come. I couldn’t understand what had her so upset at first, but then her tail abruptly snapped up into view and revealed a small Pokemon with a round, dark-blue body grasping the Serperior’s tail. In fact, it looked like part of one of the leafy protrusions was in the Pokemon’s mouth. Imperious hissed again furiously, whipping her tail sharply and dislodging the Pokemon nibbling on the appendage. It hit the ground and tumbled, sitting up and looking dazed but not hurt. Imperious, free from her assailant, glared at it balefully as she slithered over to join us. I patted the snake’s head to try and calm her as I faced Eric.

“I don’t have any idea why that Munchlax was trying to eat Imperious’ tail, but it’s a good thing she has a smidgen of self-control, or else you wouldn’t have the chance to try and catch that little guy if you want it. One of my other Pokemon would have knocked it for a loop for doing that.”

===

TRAINER INFORMATION:​

*Name: Eric Lundt
*Location: Botanic Gardens
*Trainer Items: x5 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

*Area Effects: 13 Encounters Remaining | Warm, very windy and heavily overcast
*Pokemon Encountered: Chatot ; Munchlax (Rare – 35,000 characters minimum)
*Pokemon Captured: n/a

*MCR Count: 3,161
*Pokemon Stats:

-Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | In Ball | 100%

-Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | In Ball | 100%

@Sky Lark

 

@Dog of Hellsing

OOC: I apologize in advance for the “choosing which pokemon to use” paragraphs.
Apart from the weather starting to take a turn for the worse, it seemed as if luck was on my side. I didn’t want to waste any time by battling the Chatot, so I avoided making any sound at all as we slowly crept away from the Chatot. Seeing as the Chatot didn’t even turn its head when I accidently stepped on a branch, causing it to audibly snap into two, I concluded that the Chatot was too focused on its current task, whatever it was.

Just as we were about to move on, I looked back to where the Chatot was and was surprised by a sudden flurry of movement. The Chatot started rapidly flapping its wings and started to take off. It seemed unperturbed by the foliage that surrounded it. With the fruit in its mouth, the Music Note pokemon flew back to where it came from. As I attempted to follow the blue flash, which was now becoming smaller by the moment, with my eyes, I could only make out the few feathers which had fallen off the pokemon’s plumage. I couldn’t help admiring the myriad of colors as it wasn’t every day that one spotted four different colors on one bird. Blue, green, white, and yellow feathers lazily danced in the air as the wind started to pick up.

Ranger Sara, her Serperior, and I then proceeded along the path which wasn’t very well-defined due to the sprawling underbrush. For a moment, I lost some of my focus on my current expedition. My mind wandered as I was distracted by my surroundings. I noticed the multiple dark, large clouds which were gathering overhead. The wind was clearly picking up. The clouds seemed to be moving at a higher speed than before. Apart from this, the sound of wind whistling through the branches of the trees, which was barely audible a few moments ago, now filled the atmosphere. Although I wasn’t too fond of the rain, I had to admit that the wind that often came along with rain created cool effects. Right now, Ranger Sara and I were being enveloped by falling dried up leaves. To be honest, it was a little surreal. The scene was reminiscent of the images portrayed in Japanese anime where the air was filled with falling cherry blossoms. I noted what seemed to be a large, pristine lake off in the distance. The air was also getting more humid.

Because I lived in the city, it wasn’t often that I had the opportunity to be surrounded by nature. I could say in all honesty that I was a nature lover. I simply loved the feeling of being surrounded by the outdoors and being able to lose myself in my surroundings. The only reason I didn’t visit the park more often was because I was too busy with my commitments. Whenever I could afford to take a vacation, I always made it a point to go somewhere which was relatively untouched by humans. It just seemed calmer. I enjoyed any and all activities which could be done outdoors, whether it was star gazing, scuba diving, or mountain climbing.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I was surprised when Ranger Sara answered my previous question about Castform. Pointing to a group of trees a little far off, Ranger Sara explained how the chances of spotting Castform would increase once the rain started. She also explained how the Castform were most probably hiding in sheltered areas at the moment due to confusion with regards to the current weather.

Although I didn’t say anything, I was impressed how she could predict the behavior of pokemon based on the current state of events. I guess that was something that came with being a ranger for quite some time. Before I could start replying to her explanation, aggravated hissing sounds filled the air. I wasn’t quite sure where the sound was coming from. I was about to ask my ranger what the origin of the sound might have been when I noticed that she had turned around. Following her gaze, I saw her Serperior which had its back towards us. It seemed incredibly tense and agitated. “Odd,” I mused aloud. That was when I saw the pokemon which was sucking on its tail. The first thing I noticed about the pokemon was its diminutive stature and its rotund belly. Most of its body was covered in dark blue green fur. From what I could see, only the lower half of its head and its feet were colored differently. It was a Munchlax!

The Serperior was clearly fed up with the Big Eater pokemon. It menacingly glared at the Munchlax while making a sharp, venomous hiss. In a graceful but violent movement, the Serperior swiftly raised its tail. A sudden flick caused the Munchlax to release its grasp and fall onto the ground. Luckily the thick grass cushioned the impact of its fall. The Munchlax seemed to be confused by the sudden motion as it simply sat up and stared into space for a few moments. With this, the Serperior slithered towards its trainer.

Ranger Sara reassuringly pet her pokemon on its head, trying to calm it down. She then turned to me and said, “I don’t have any idea why that Munchlax was trying to eat Imperious’ tail, but it’s a good thing she has a smidgen of self-control, or else you wouldn’t have the chance to try and catch that little guy if you want it. One of my other Pokemon would have knocked it for a loop for doing that.”

At that instant, I made a mental note to stay clear from any of her pokemon, and I responded. “It seems as if you must have some pretty wild pokemon. It must be difficult, trying to manage multiple pokemon with vastly different personalities. I think the Munchlax was just looking for another meal. You know how they are,” I said with a chuckle. “Don’t you think it’s strange how the personalities of Munchlax and Snorlax are so different? Both of them eat a lot of food, but Munchlax run all over the place in seemingly hyperactive states, constantly looking for food as opposed to Snorlax which can be commonly seen sleeping. I suppose Munchlax burn an excessive amount of energy, with them running around all over the place. Maybe that’s the reason they seem to be perpetually in search of food. Kind of a vicious cycle, if that’s the case, though.”

Unlike my first time in the national park, I had come fully prepared. I was determined to not have to repeat the occurrences in that run. I had gone to Meteor Valley, and being a newbie, I only brought a Gengar, a ghost and poison type pokemon, along. In hindsight, I should’ve gone somewhere else. Bringing a Gengar to that area was an enormous mistake. Because of its typing, it was weak to psychic type, dark type, and ghost type attacks. That coupled with the fact that almost every pokemon which could be found in Meteor Valley belonged to those types caused me to avoid pokemon encounters since I didn’t want my Gengar to faint. That, in turn, led to me not being able to capture many pokemon. This time, even before scheduling my run, I had made sure that I had pokemon that would be able to handle any pokemon I might possibly see in the area. I read all the various informational posters which lined the reception area of the main ranger outpost, wanting to gather as much information as I could before making an appointment. While pokemon like Oddish, Hoppip, and Taillow were common sights in the Botanic Gardens, I had heard rumors that the legendary pokemon Mew, Shaymin, and Virizion could be seen in this area of the park. From the looks of it, the Botanic Gardens were filled with grass type, flying type, and normal type pokemon. There were also a few bug type pokemon around. I made my decision regarding which pokemon I would bring based on this information. Grass types were definitely not an option. They were weak to flying type and bug type attacks, two types which were very common in the park. Apart from that fact, unless they had a secondary type, grass type pokemon wouldn’t be able to do much damage against fellow grass types. I considered fighting type pokemon because they could inflict a high amount of damage against normal type pokemon. However, they would be ineffective against grass types and would be weak to flying types. A fire type would’ve been a good choice, considering the fact that they were strong against both grass types and bug types. However, I didn’t have one at the moment. Finally, I decided that I would bring my Gengar and my Togekiss along. Weakening opponent pokemon was my primary concern, so type effectiveness played a large factor in my decision. It also didn’t hurt for my Gengar and Togekiss to have strong special attacks. Gengar, being a ghost type, couldn’t be hit by normal type attacks. It knew thunderbolt, which was what I would use to deal with flying types. For poison types, on the other hand, I would resort to a hypnosis and dream eater combo. Sadly, I didn’t have any money to teach my Gengar a poison type attack to deal with grass types, but that was what my Togekiss was for. My Togekiss knew Air Slash, which was a flying type attack – one that was very effective against grass type pokemon. It could also perform Aura Sphere which was definitely more reliable than my Gengar’s Focus Blast attack. This would be my main attack against normal type pokemon. Apart from causing damage, I liked using Air Slash because it could cause the target to flinch. Also, this time, I had brought a camera along. Although I liked taking pictures of nature, I also liked collecting pictures of rare pokemon. However, for some reason, taking pictures always caused wild pokemon to run away. I was absolutely confident I was ready this time.

I knew that Munchlax were hard to come by. I wanted to capture one since they evolved into powerful Snorlax. Snorlax had massive endurance (HP) and special defense, allowing them to withstand many powerful attacks. Also, they could deal heavy damage with their high attack capabilities. As if those weren’t enough, Snorlax were also able to perform Belly Drum, allowing them to receive a massive increase in power. Body Slam, another move which Snorlax could perform, wasn’t bad either. Being hit by Body Slam could cause paralysis, and in trainer battles, that could be the difference between winning and losing.

I quickly looked over the Munchlax. It was pretty typical as it looked quite like the average Munchlax. The only thing unique to it was a nip in its right ear. I hypothesized that in the past, this Munchlax might have nibbled on a pokemon, similar to what it had done with the Serperior, and gotten nicked in the ear as a result. Smiling, I asked the Munchlax while digging in my backpack for a pokeblock, “Hungry little fellow, aren’t you?” I quickly found one and tossed it over to the Munchlax. As I was doing this, I grabbed my phone and started looking up data on Munchlax to weigh out the pros and cons to determine which pokemon I would use. “Hmm. Its HP, attack, and special defense stats stand out, but its speed is dismal. It has Odor Sleuth, so using Gengar might not be that much of an advantage.” I frowned as I noticed that it was capable of performing the move “Amnesia”. That move would cause the Munchlax’s special defense to drastically increase, and I wasn’t ready for that. If I decided to go with Gengar, I would need to watch out for Lick, Shadow Ball, Pursuit, and Psychic. If I went with Togekiss, I’d need to be wary against Rollout, Ice Beam, Blizzard, Thunderbolt, Thunder, and Rock Tomb. Normally, I’d be wary of a Rollout attack, but I’d be especially cautious this time around because Munchlax were able to perform Defense Curl, which doubles the damage dealt by Rollout. Afterwards, I considered what my pokemon could do against the Munchlax. Both of my pokemon had attacks which were very effective against the Munchlax. Gengar was impervious to normal type attacks, and both pokemon could cause the Munchlax to fall asleep. However, Gengar’s Focus Blast and Hypnosis attacks were more likely to miss. Also, it might be interesting to see what results from Togekiss’ Tri Attack. With that, I made up my mind and unclipped a pokeball from my belt. I glanced towards Ranger Sara, waiting for her OK signal to start the battle. As soon as she did, I’d send out Togekiss and ask it to get airborne, reminding it to try to stay out of reach of the Munchlax’s attacks. Then, I’d ask it to fly into the clouds to possibly gather an electrical charge and use Tri Attack while descending.

 

Ranger: Trainer Sara
BP #1​

===

“It seems as if you must have some pretty wild Pokemon,” Eric commented as I worked to soothe Imperious’ wounded pride. “It must be difficult, trying to manage multiple Pokemon with vastly different personalities. I think the Munchlax was just looking for another meal. You know how they are,” he added with a short laugh. “Don’t you think it’s strange how the personalities of Munchlax and Snorlax are so different? Both of them eat a lot of food, but Munchlax run all over the place in seemingly hyperactive states, constantly looking for food as opposed to Snorlax which can be commonly seen sleeping. I suppose Munchlax burn an excessive amount of energy, with them running around all over the place. Maybe that’s the reason they seem to be perpetually in search of food. Kind of a vicious cycle, if that’s the case, though.”

“They have surprisingly high metabolisms,” I replied as Imperious hissed at Munchlax, still clearly angry with the smaller Pokemon. “And Snorlax, despite being largely inactive, have even higher metabolisms for some reason. Even though they’re quite bulky, it’s a shock that they burn through calories so quickly, and that they remain so large regardless.” After that I fell silent, moving back a few paces as it seemed Eric was going over his options. He eventually settled on what to do, releasing his Togekiss and commanding her to fly up into the sky before descending to unleash a Tri Attack.

The Jubilee Pokemon gave a cry of acknowledgment and pumped her wings, soaring into the air as Munchlax tilted his head to the side and watched her go. He didn’t seem too awfully concerned with the whole thing, but instead started to poke through the grass. Most likely he was looking for something to eat; as Eric had said, Munchlax were perpetually looking for food. This one, not seeming to realize he was in a battle, was simply doing what his kind always did.

It wasn’t more than a few moments before Togekiss came back into view from where she’d flown up into the air. There were three spheres of energy swirling in front of her; as she snapped her wings down to stop her free-fall, the orbs of yellow, blue, and red light released beams of energy that shared the color of their source. The beams twisted together as they flew at Munchlax, hitting him dead-on as he bent over to inspect something out of sight in the long grass. He was knocked flat onto his belly and laid like that for several moments before struggling to his feet. There was a scorch mark on the back of his head where the Tri Attack had hit, and he was moving more gingerly now than he had been before. Most likely Togekiss’ attack had landed a Burn.

Munchlax, finally seeming to understand what was going on, turned to face Togekiss with a displeased noise. His eyes narrowed a little as tendrils of bright yellow electricity started to twist away from his body; with little warning, a massive bolt of lightning abruptly burst from the little Pokemon and arched into the air, streaking down towards Togekiss after reaching its zenith. Togekiss, momentarily startled by the sudden counterattack, was too slow to evade the Thunder altogether and ended up getting clipped on the right side as she did a sort of midair roll to dodge it. She winced as the current raced through her body, but she seemed none worse for the wear. It helped that Munchlax didn’t have the best Special Attack score and, in comparison, Togekiss were renowned for their exceptional Special Defense stat.

===

BATTLE STATISTICS:


Gentle Female Togekiss
Last Used Move: Tri Attack
Stats: Normal
Status: Normal
HP: 90.64%

VS


??? Male Munchlax
Last Move Used: Thunder
Stats: Normal
Status: BRN
HP: 78.05%

MRC: 15,376/35,000 (19,624 characters remaining) ​

===

TRAINER INFORMATION:​

*Name: Eric Lundt
*Location: Botanic Gardens
*Trainer Items: x5 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

*Area Effects: 13 Encounters Remaining | Warm, very windy and heavily overcast
*Pokemon Encountered: Chatot ; Munchlax
*Pokemon Captured: n/a

*MCR Count: n/a
*Pokemon Stats:

-Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | In Ball | 100%

-Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | Out of Ball | Currently In Battle | 90.64%

@Sky Lark

 

@Dog of Hellsing

I fixed my gaze on Togekiss as it started ascending. Flapping its wings in rhythmic, gentle strokes, Togekiss easily managed to reach the low-hanging clouds. Togekiss didn’t stop there, though. Flying straight into the clouds, Togekiss continued gaining altitude until it was completely obscured.

A few moments passed before Togekiss emerged from the clouds. Togekiss, however, didn’t appear in the same location in which it had entered the clouds. Not too distant from where it disappeared but not too close either, Togekiss, acting like a bird of prey, emerged and silently headed straight towards the Munchlax with orbs of elemental energy in tow. A wide grin spread across my face. It was comforting to know that Togekiss had the presence of mind to recall what we had previously practiced; Togekiss’ level head during battles was one of the reasons I enjoyed battling with it.

It was only recently that I had the idea of using the cover provided by clouds to my advantage. The idea was simple enough. Togekiss would enter the clouds at one point and exit at another. This strategy had two obvious benefits. Pokemon that tried attacking Togekiss would have a harder time hitting it, and Togekiss could come out of the clouds at any moment from any position, invariably surprising its opponent.

This would’ve been one of those times, had the Munchlax actually been paying attention. I stared in disbelief as the Munchlax eagerly got up and went on its merry little way, stumbling around in the grass. It seemed as if getting tossed into the air by Imperious had absolutely no effect on the single-minded creature. It was still looking for something to snack on. Determined little bugger, isn’t it? I thought. Sure. Imperious wasn’t actually trying to inflict much pain on it, but I’d get pretty shaken up if I was the one who was sent flying off a pokemon’s tail. With a slightly confused look on my face, I stood in place, watching the Munchlax’s actions. Either it’s extremely determined to find its next meal or it’s just got thick skin. I’ll find out pretty soon which one it is based on its reaction to Togekiss’ attack.

As if on cue, Togekiss stopped its descent, crying out and whipping both of its wings forward just as my trail of thought ended. The spheres of energy in front of Togekiss simultaneously started losing their color, their energy seemingly draining into the beams that were spiraling towards the Munchlax. Twisting around each other, the three beams started merging to form a single, blinding, white beam that found the hunched form of the Munchlax without any problems, knocking the wild pokemon onto its round belly.

For a few moments, the Munchlax simply lay there, unmoving as Togekiss maintained its position, hovering among the clouds. Slowly, it rose to its feet. Pain was etched across the Big Eater pokemon’s face as it slowly turned its head upwards to face Togekiss. I noticed some of the fur on the Munchlax’s head seemed darker than before; it was as if the hairs had been singed by the immense energy of the Tri Attack.

“Wow. That was lucky,” I commented. Tri Attack had the potential to cause the target pokemon to become burned, frozen, or paralyzed, and while there was a good chance for those added effects to happen when other pokemon used the move, it seemed as if the added effects were more likely to occur when Togekiss was the one who performed the attack. My theory was that instead of focusing on inflicting damage, Togekiss, having a gentle nature, was able to redirect the energy used in the attacks in order to bolster the possibility of added effects. Also, I believed that Togekiss’ behavior was the exact opposite of pokemon who had the Sheer Force ability. Those pokemon preferred to use brute force their way through battle, not bothering with subtlety or risk anything on chancy gambits. Why waste time trying to add fancy extra effects to its attacks when it could just use that energy to pile on even more damage, right? I had no idea how to validate my theory, but that was what I was going with to explain the concept behind Serene Grace. I considered explaining my theory to Trainer and asking her opinions on it, but now wasn’t a good time.

Munchlax, clearly having taken offense at the attack, had just made a loud grumbling noise. Without warning, the sound of a large clap of thunder emanated throughout the area as the Munchlax released an immense amount of energy, exciting the electrons in the air and causing a current to head straight for Togekiss. I didn’t have time to react as I saw the Thunder zip through the air. Luckily, Togekiss had been paying a little more attention than I had and was able to react before the attack had hit, performing a somewhat awkward roll as it momentarily plummeted to the ground. However, Togekiss’ evasive maneuver apparently wasn’t enough to dodge the attack as it cried out, wincing from the pain.

I couldn’t help feeling a pang of guilt. Togekiss had gotten hurt just because I was in search of an adventure. It was time to focus and figure out a sensible strategy. Previously, I would’ve started talking to myself and voicing out my thoughts, but I had learned the hard way that wild pokemon tended to listen in. Right. That attack didn’t seem to hurt Togekiss too much, but we were lucky. The attack had barely hit Togekiss. If a glancing blow was enough to cause Togekiss to cry out, I didn’t want to know what the attack would be able to do if it found its mark. Feeling my left leg starting to get numb, I shifted my weight and crossed my arms before resuming my train of thought. I definitely don’t want to further anger the Munchlax. Although its special attack isn’t that spectacular, another Thunder attack might cause some serious damage. If Togekiss got paralyzed or another attack hit its wing, Togekiss might actually plummet straight for the earth. There goes my strategy of hiding in the clouds. I disappointedly sighed. High flying was definitely out of the picture. I immediately waved my hand, calling Togekiss to come to my side. I whispered in its ear, hoping that the Munchlax wouldn’t be able to overhear any of my commands. “Togekiss, we’re trying a different approach. I want you to avoid flying at high altitudes for the moment. Your wing is injured, and I don’t want to risk you falling and hurting yourself even more. A happy pokemon, hopefully, is a gentle pokemon. I want you to try your best to convey to the Munchlax that we don’t really want to hurt it. We just want to be its friend.” As I spoke, I grabbed a pokeblock from my backpack and handed it to Togekiss. What better peace offering to a Munchlax than a snack? “First, I want you to Bestow the pokeblock upon Munchlax. Hopefully it’ll get distracted by the pokeblock and stop attacking. Next, use Captivate. I want you to pull out all the stops and make yourself as appealing to the Munchlax as possible. It’ll probably hold back while attacking if you succeed. Finally, seal the deal with a Sweet Kiss.” I encouragingly pat Togekiss’ head and motioned for it to go ahead. Hopefully, the string of attacks would calm down Munchlax.

 

BP

Ranger Chainy

OOC: @Sky Lark; Sorry for the delay

~~~~~

I emerged from the grove of trees, wiping off some dew that had stuck to the side of my face. My favourite place was definitely not the Botanical Gardens, especially during the rainy period. It tended to bring out all the most powerful Pokemon, which was cool for the Trainer but a major headache for the accompanying Ranger. Not to mention that the rain reminded me of the Kyogre that was continually butting heads with Dual.

My mission here was to find Ranger Sara and relieve her of her current Expedition. Boss-sama wanted to speak to her about something back at Headquarters, and, like usual, Ivy had taken a quick look around the Staff area and singled me out. She usually does whenever it looks like I'm having an easy time of it. Didn't she receive the memo that authority was exhausting?

I heard the crackle of thunder nearby and I immediately covered my hands with my head, expecting the rain to start, but I felt no drops fall. For a second I thought the trees were catching the water, but then I realised that the cloudy sky hadn't yet burst. I looked over and finally saw my quarry - Sara and her very recognisable Serperior, along with another person I assumed to be the Trainer. I could have pulled out my PDA and found her name but I couldn't be bothered expelling the energy required to do so. Trainers usually introduced themselves-the polite ones did, anyway.

On the ground a short distance away was a Munchlax, and it was clutching one of its hands to a slightly singed patch of fur on the top of its head. Flying belabored above it was a Togekiss, and small sparks were crawling over one of its wings. Obviously the sound of thunder from before had been a thunder attack thrown at the Jubilee Pokemon by the Munchlax. My first thought was that I had no idea which Pokemon was the Wild one - both of these Pokemon were found here in the Botanical Gardens. My second thought was that so far, the battle appeared to be pretty even.

“Togekiss, we’re trying a different approach," the Trainer called out, answering my unspoken question. "I want you to avoid flying at high altitudes for the moment. Your wing is injured, and I don’t want to risk you falling and hurting yourself even more. A happy Pokemon, hopefully, is a gentle Pokemon. I want you to try your best to convey to the Munchlax that we don’t really want to hurt it. We just want to be its friend.”

The Togekiss crooned in response and dropped, circling slowly only a couple metres off the ground. Its Trainer pulled a PokeBlock out of their backpack and tossed it. The Togekiss caught the little candy with one of its feet.

“First, I want you to Bestow the PokeBlock upon Munchlax. Hopefully it’ll get distracted by the PokeBlock and stop attacking. Next, use Captivate. I want you to pull out all the stops and make yourself as appealing to the Munchlax as possible. It’ll probably hold back while attacking if you succeed. Finally, seal the deal with a Sweet Kiss.”

The Flying-type nodded and flew over to the Munchlax, dropping the PokeBlock into its spare hand. It then landed on the ground and pulled out all the stops in looking as adorable as possible. The Pokemon swayed from side to side and chirped happily, acting like it was enthralled to be making a new friend. The Munchlax simply stood there, confused, which was amplified by the Togekiss bending down and giving it a gentle kiss on the forehead. The Wild Pokemon's eyes narrowed, and it popped the PokeBlock into its mouth. It seemed like it couldn't decide what to do. After about ten seconds' thought, it punched the Togekiss right in its belly. The punch didn't carry much weight, but the rocks that flew out of the ground and smashed into the Togekiss sure did.

"Man, that's bad luck," I called out. "I'm guessing that PokeBlock was made with a Wiki Berry, or a Magost Berry perhaps?"

~~~~~

Current Battle Statistics:

Gentle Female Togekiss: 78%

??? Male Munchlax: 73%, SATK-2, BRN, CON-1

~~~~~

Trainer Statistics:

Name: Eric Lundt
Location: Botanic Gardens
Area Effects: 13 Encounters Remaining | Warm, very windy and heavily overcast
Pokemon Encountered: Chatot ; Munchlax
Pokemon Captured: n/a
MCR: 22,526 / 35000

Pokemon Stats:

Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | 100%

Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | Currently In Battle

Item Statistics:

Trainer Items: x5 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

~~~~~

 

@ChainReaction01
OOC: Just a little over a month and a half. :X I’m sorry I wasn’t able to post earlier. Really appreciate you taking this, and I don’t mind waiting a bit. I probably won’t be able to reply quickly anyway. Also, I hope you don’t mind that I switched to third/second person.

Eric folded his arms together, waiting for the execution of his plan. He wasn’t the type to boast, but he was confident in his plans. Togekiss, after all, were called Jubilee pokemon, and that had to count for something towards his goal of calming the wild Munchlax down. He was hoping that his Togekiss’ gentleness and friendly attitude would make the Munchlax relax a bit and as he previously implied, hoping that the Munchlax would pull a few punches once his plan came into fruition.

He watched as the Togekiss slowly flew towards the Munchlax, a large smile spread across her face as she approached. The Togekiss didn’t advance directly towards the Munchlax though. Instead, she flew in a haphazard pattern, zigzagging one moment and varying her altitude the next. Her flight was generally towards the Munchlax’s direction but otherwise erratic. After all, being friendly didn’t always translate to being blissfully ignorant. She was basically approaching a pokemon – one that she had just exchanged attacks with – with nothing but a smile and a pokeblock. It would be foolish to fly straight on. She would’ve been a clear target, a sitting duck if you will.

Well, she wouldn’t have exactly been a sitting duck, but that’s just semantics. For one thing, she wasn’t a duck. Far from the likes of Psyduck, Ducklett, and Farfetch’d, she was this huge spotted, fluffy, flying egg-like bird thing. It’d be a bit difficult to determine exactly what kind of avian Togekiss were, but they clearly weren’t ducks. She wasn’t exactly sitting either. You get the point though. The Togekiss wasn’t flying erratically because she was drunk; she was merely being cautious.

The Togekiss started chirping, and while Eric couldn’t understand exactly what she was saying, he had no doubt that his pokemon was trying to establish a positive rapport. If he were in his pokemon’s place, he’d probably be apologizing for the previous attack- maybe even something along the lines of not really wanting to attack but just being following orders. It wasn’t a very strong argument, but it was the best he could come up with in such a short time.

Understandably, the Munchlax seemed to be just a bit confused by the situation. One moment, he was summoning a loud clap of thunder, the next, his opponent was approaching, doing her best to be endearingly adorable.

Eric watched as the Munchlax accepted the pokeblock from his Togekiss. He crossed his fingers as his Togekiss gave the Munchlax a kiss. Things had been going according to plan until now, but he started feeling uneasy. Noticing the Munchlax narrow his eyes, Eric couldn’t help feeling apprehensive. Narrow eyes usually spelled trouble. Suddenly and without hesitation, the Munchlax tossed the pokeblock into his mouth.

As soon as Eric let out the breath that he was unconsciously holding, he felt a sharp pain in his right temple. He was intent on watching the battle, but the throbbing in his head was making his task quite difficult. Being the defiant person that he was, he tried shrugging the pain off, his right hand clutching his head in the process. He grit his teeth in frustration; now wasn’t the time for migraines. There’d be plenty of time for that once this battle was over.

With the pain quickly escalating in intensity, it became difficult to keep his thoughts straight. He watched the unmoving Munchlax with his right eye half closed, barely managing to stay upright. “Come on. Do something already,” he said through gritted teeth. The Munchlax seemed to be deep in thought. Either that or it was having a strange adverse reaction to the pokeblock.

Torn by the splitting pain and his will to keep a close eye on the wild pokemon, Eric thought, Maybe it’ll be all right if I close my eyes for just a second. It was a compromise that he wasn’t too keen on accepting, but the pain had become unbearable. As he closed his eyes, the pain started to recede. However, he hadn’t even gotten five seconds of rest before he was disturbed by a cry.

Opening his eyes immediately, he saw his Togekiss, who had a surprised look, flying away from the Munchlax. There were rocks falling through the air, but Eric wasn’t certain what had happened. He had looked away from the battle, and the Munchlax had used an attack that was somehow related to rocks. Maybe the Munchlax had decided to start throwing rocks, or maybe it had used Rock Slide. He wouldn’t know. Angry at himself for letting his guard slip, he tried figuring out his next action. His migraine had gone away for the moment, but knowing that all he did was to delay the full onset of his migraine, he had to figure something out quickly.

Unfortunately, not much had come to mind. Although the Munchlax attacked, he decided he would continue with his current approach. “Don’t be discouraged Togekiss. That was a really good job. Try using Charm next. If the Munchlax tries to attack, feel free to use Extremespeed to get out of harm’s way,” he called. He wasn’t quite sure where he was going, but he continued his orders. “Proceed by dazzling the Munchlax with a Magical Leaf attack.” In his mind’s eye, he saw his pokemon call forth the forces of nature, using the foliage that surrounded them to create a massive array of multicolored razor sharp leaves that would envelop his Togekiss before being launched towards the wild pokemon. This attack would hopefully have both offensive and defensive merit, with the leaves temporarily hiding Togekiss from the Munchlax’s sight as they sailed through the air before cutting into it.

Suddenly, a voice called out from behind Eric. “"Man, that's bad luck,” the stranger said sympathetically. “I'm guessing that PokeBlock was made with a Wiki Berry, or a Magost Berry perhaps?" Eric turned ever so slightly in order for him to keep tabs on the battle while being able to see the newcomer. I wonder who he is, he mused. The stranger had apparently been watching the battle, and he was wearing a ranger uniform.

Seeing the Munchlax was distracted by the stranger as well, Eric took a quick glance around. To his surprise, Ranger Sara was gone. “Well that can’t be right,” he muttered, remembering the list of rules that were printed on the entrance forms he had filled in before entering the park. Trainers had to be accompanied by rangers at all times, but where was Ranger Sara? Maybe she’d gone off to settle something important. Maybe the stranger knew where she went. Eric made a mental note of asking the stranger if he knew anything.

“Hello,” Eric called out to the stranger. “You’re a ranger, I suppose,” he said, his voice making the statement sound both like a statement and a question. Offering a handshake, he continued, “My name’s Eric Lundt.” “I’d introduce myself more, but as you can see, I’m currently in a battle,” he apologetically offered, rapidly switching his glance between the Munchlax and the stranger. He hoped he wouldn’t offend the stranger with him turning around every so often while speaking, but he couldn’t afford to get distracted from the battle.

 

BP

Ranger Chainy

OOC: @Sky Lark; It's cool man, I have an honest-to-God 9-5 job now so I'll probably be a bit slow too. As for the switch, I don't mind at all, especially considering you brought attention to it.

~~~~~

I walked over to the young man as he called out some orders to his Togekiss, something about a Magical Leaf attack. I didn't catch all of it because I was too busy removing my headphones. I didn't often listen to music but the mood had struck me when I left Headquarters. Now I was with a Trainer, however, and it was time to get to work. The Trainer held out his hand and I shook it firmly.

"My name's Eric Lundt," he said. "I’d introduce myself more, but as you can see, I’m currently in a battle."

"Don't worry about it," I said quickly. "Plenty of time for us to get to know each other after you're done here. As you've probably guessed, I'm taking over for Sara."

I hoped that Eric had heard me, but I wasn't sure because he had already switched his focus back to the battle. He seemed to be having a little bit of trouble-something about the way his eyelids tightened wasn't quite right-but I didn't want to butt in on his business. If he got too bad, I could check on him using the abilities granted to me by my partnership with Dual.

I looked back over at the battle and I saw the large Flying-type Pokemon back slowly away from its opponent. The movement wasn't a defeatist one, though - the Togekiss was smiling and chirping happily. If I had to guess, the Togekiss was apologising for invading the Munchlax's personal space and was simply backing up so they might share a comfortable conversation. When she was a fair distance away, she started to flap her wings gently and scores of leaves rose silently from the grass. They started to glow different colours and surround the pair of combatants. Their movements got more erratic and frenzied until the battlefield appeared to be a cross between a rainbow and a cyclone. It was almost impossible to see what was going on inside - I only caught glimpses of the Togekiss, and the Munchlax was all-but hidden. Still, Trainers (and Rangers included) often developed a sixth sense for reading the intentions of others, and while I didn't know what the Wild Pokemon was doing, I was quite sure it wasn't preparing an attack. Eric's next move choice would be very interesting to see - few people make smart decisions when their opponents are hidden from sight.

~~~~~

Current Battle Statistics:

Gentle Female Togekiss: 78% (used Charm, Magical Leaf)

??? Male Munchlax: 54%, ATK-2, SATK-2, BRN, CON-2 (used ???)

~~~~~

Trainer Statistics:

Name: Eric Lundt
Location: Botanic Gardens
Area Effects: 13 Encounters Remaining | Warm, very windy and heavily overcast
Pokemon Encountered: Chatot ; Munchlax
Pokemon Captured: n/a
MCR: 29,563 / 35000

Pokemon Stats:

Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | 100%

Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | Currently In Battle

Item Statistics:

Trainer Items: x5 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

~~~~~

 

@ChainReaction01

Although he was carefully watching the battle, Eric heard the newcomer say, "Don't worry about it. Plenty of time for us to get to know each other after you're done here. As you've probably guessed, I'm taking over for Sara." Eric nodded in response. During the time he spent at the front gate filling up the forms necessary for entry into the park, he’d heard a couple of trainers talking about their rangers getting replaced in the middle of inside the park. Apparently, it wasn’t all that rare for something extremely important to pop up during runs, and while rangers often had to leave due to these unexpected occurrences, there was always somebody to pick up the slack, making sure no trainer was left alone in the park.

Turning his thoughts back to the battle, he saw that Togekiss had backed up a bit. With careful and deliberate flaps of her wings, she created multiple tiny currents, causing a multitude of leaves to take flight.

Whether it was just a play of light, an illusion, or whether Togekiss actually had managed some control over the bending of light, Eric would never know, but he would remember that at that moment, the foliage slowly started taking on varying hues, eventually encompassing the entire spectrum of colors.

Not too long after, the swirling mass of foliage started spreading out, eventually encompassing both Togekiss and her opponent. Strangely enough, although the Togekiss maintained her pace, steadily flapping her wings, the flurry of leaves seemed to be moving faster, the vortex being egged on by some unseen wind. With the wind picking up, the flow of the leaves started becoming more erratic, moving this way and that. The laminar flow became more and more turbulent as the seconds passed, resulting in a frenzied display. There was still some order to the madness however. The cyclone seemed to limit itself wide enough to encompass both battlers but without reaching either of the humans.

Eric was stunned. Never before had Togekiss’ Magical Leaf managed to reach such magnitude. Usually, the attack consisted of a measly thirty or so leaves, constituting a small barrage of streamline projectiles at best, but today’s attack was much more powerful. Only today had the attacked lived up to its name. Only today could Eric call the attack truly magical.

Eric could barely see the pokemon amidst the cover provided by the Magical Leaf attack. The best that he could manage was a couple of glimpses of Togekiss. He was sure that the Munchlax was being struck by the leaves. It was impossible to avoid the flurry, being caught up in the vortex.

The attack had worked well, maybe too well. Two of Eric’s assumptions had proved erroneous. One, Eric had expected the attack to obscure only the Munchlax. The attack enveloping both pokemon was completely unforeseen. Two, he didn’t expect the cover to last so long. Usually, the leaves simply took to the air, flew towards their target and dropped upon impact, but this time it was different. Maybe it was the oncoming storm that was adding to the attack, or maybe Togekiss had developed better control over the attack. Whatever it was, he wasn’t complaining. The tornado of rainbow leaves was a brand new shiny plaything that he could hopefully add to his arsenal for future battles. That isn’t to say that he wasn’t thrown for a loop though.

He had wanted to start a full on assault. There was time for disarming pokemon, and there was time to launch an offensive. The lingering Magical Leaf slightly threw him for a loop though. Wary about attacking blindly, he considered his options. “Maybe I can try Roost,” he muttered. “No, that will just leave Togekiss open to attack,” he said, shaking his head. Captivate, Charm, Growl, and Bestow were out of the question too. Charming the pants off of Munchlax would only work once. No sane pokemon would fall prey to the effects of those moves moments after being attacked. It was like the enemy saying ‘I love you’ while getting a kick to the nuts. Shifting his weight between the balls of his feet, Eric, unable to figure out a plan, frowned. The Munchlax was still in relatively good shape, but Eric wanting to start wrapping things up, decided that offense was the way to go. Yawn would have been ideal, but he figured that the lingering Magical Leaf attack wouldn’t be conducive to sleep.

From what he could gather, the Munchlax had yet to attack. Knowing that he had to call out commands soon, he wrung his hands, frustrated that he still had not settled on a move. If he dawdled for too long, he was sure that the Munchlax would start firing off attacks once again. Furiously racking his brain, it took a while before Eric called out. Trying his best to make his voice heard over the frenzy of leaves, he shouted, “Togekiss, use Aura Sphere but not at full strength. Somewhere around eighty percent would be good.” Jugular veins throbbing from the strain, Eric hoped that his Togekiss heard his entire command. He had chosen Aura Sphere because of its very unique ability to hone in on its target. There were only a few attacks which were almost guaranteed to hit due to some reason or another, and although Togekiss’ view of Munchlax was also obscured, Eric was confident that the Aura Sphere would find its mark.

Aura Sphere, being a Fighting type attack, would be highly effective against Munchlax and would cause considerable damage. Normally, Eric didn’t tell his pokemon to hold back, but he was worried about accidentally knocking out the Munchlax. That would be a failure on his part as knocked out pokemon weren’t allowed to be caught. He had shrugged when he first heard about that rule. It was fair, after all. The best rationale he could come up with was that the rule was put in place to prevent the use of excessive force. “Fair enough,” he’d said.

Crooning, Togekiss started calling upon her aura and pulled the tips of her wings together, wisps of mint green energy materializing and coiling around themselves, forming a glowing sphere. The pulsating sphere steadily grew in size and became brighter as Togekiss released more of her aura, eventually reaching the size of a basketball. Suddenly, as if a threshold was reached, the sphere split into multiple smaller spheres, each one streaming towards the Munchlax.

 

BP

Ranger Chainy

OOC: @Sky Lark;

~~~~~

Eric muttered to himself underneath his breath. I couldn't quite pick out his words from amongst the sound of the minature cyclone but no doubt he was trying to decide what to do. Coincidentally (or perhaps not) he chose to use the move that I would have recommended, had I been asked for advice.

“Togekiss, use Aura Sphere but not at full strength. Somewhere around eighty percent would be good,” the Trainer yelled.

It was a good idea to limit the power of the attack, seeing as it was super effective versus the Normal-typed Munchlax, but I didn't particularly think it was necessary. When we last saw the Munchlax it was quite healthy. Fatigued perhaps, but still in complete control of itself. Then again, it had been hidden within the cyclone for a good five minutes. What if it had used Belly Drum?

The Flying-type Pokemon shuffled forwards a little bit and began flapping her wings in front of her body, like she was trying to sculpt something out of sand. Small flecks of green-blue energy appeared at the tips of her feathers and travelled down to a point in front of her, where they joined into a perfect sphere that hovered motionless in front of the Jubilee Pokemon. At some point not long after the energy ball was bigger than the Togekiss' head, it suddenly separated into a bunch of smaller spheres, which in turn shot off into the cyclone. As they disappeared into the storm I noticed that the cyclone was definitely slowing down and getting weaker. Leaves weren't shooting out of it as much as drifting down at a 45-degree angle. However, it was still hard to see what was going on inside, and I couldn't quite make out what happened with the Aura Sphere attack. Still, it should have been successful, because it was a homing attack that detected life energy. There were very few ways to dodge it, and I doubt the Munchlax knew of any. Still, I hadn't heard a cry, and the Munchlax wasn't emerging from the chaos. Did that mean it had fainted?

My worries were alleviated when the little cream-and-blue Pokemon literally shot out of storm, flying in midair towards the Togekiss. It had its shoulder set into a triangular point, which started to glow slightly. The Wild Pokemon crashed into Togekiss, sending the larger Pokemon flying back through the air. However, the Munchlax was also deflected to the side, and when the light faded I saw that it was on its stomach, panting heavily. Occasionally it tried to get up, but it continually failed to actually do so.

"It looks like that Double Edge was its last hurrah," I commented. "You better throw a PokeBall before that burn causes it to faint."

~~~~~

Current Battle Statistics:

Gentle Female Togekiss: 78% (used Aura Sphere)

??? Male Munchlax: 10%, ATK-2, SATK-2, BRN (used Double Edge)

~~~~~

Trainer Statistics:

Name: Eric Lundt
Location: Botanic Gardens
Area Effects: 13 Encounters Remaining
Pokemon Encountered: Chatot; Munchlax
Pokemon Captured: n/a
MCR: 35,845 / 35000

Pokemon Stats:

Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | 100%

Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | Currently In Battle

Item Statistics:

Trainer Items: x5 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

~~~~~

 

@ChainReaction01

Although the Magical Leaf attack got progressively weaker and started to disperse, Eric, short of barging through the cyclone created by the attack, had no way of knowing whether or not the Aura Sphere attack had found its mark. The cover provided by the swirling leaves was still too thick, and in the moments that followed the multiple spheres breaking off from the main sphere and entering the cyclone, the Munchlax hadn’t made a sound. Eric craned his neck, trying to spot the fur-covered pokemon amongst the leaves, but it proved too difficult a task. The flurry of leaves still kept visibility to a minimum.

For all Eric knew, the Munchlax might’ve protected itself from the Aura Sphere. Worried about the Munchlax’s condition, he decided that it wasn’t wise to call out orders just yet. It may have been gearing up for a counter-attack, or God forbid, it could have fainted. While he explicitly reminded his Togekiss to tone down the force of the attack, it was possible that her high special attack coupled with a Fighting-type attack such as Aura Sphere may have been too much for the baby pokemon to handle.

“Togekiss!” he called, drawing his pokemon’s attention. “Circle around and try to spot the Munchlax.” Chirping in accordance, the avian pokemon neared the frenzy of leaves in an effort to get a better view.

In hindsight, Eric should’ve waited for the Magical Leaf attack to disperse. The Munchlax had apparently been waiting for the Togekiss to approach the twister because at that moment, it immediately jumped out, its entire body acting as a projectile. With its shoulder glowing pale silver, the Munchlax had collided with the flying pokemon, resulting in both pokemon getting thrown away from the impact.

Surprised by the sudden attack, Eric, now wary, observed the Munchlax for a few moments. The Munchlax, it seemed, was the worse for wear. Lying on its belly and panting, the wild pokemon repeatedly tried to get on its feet, failing miserably every time it tried. The dark patch of fur on its head didn’t look too good either.

"It looks like that Double Edge was its last hurrah. You better throw a PokeBall before that burn causes it to faint," chimed in the ranger. He was right, of course, but Eric hesitated. He now had to decide whether he was going to use a Park Ball or a Super Ball. While the Super Ball would have a higher probability of successfully capturing the Munchlax, he would be using up his only one, and that meant that should he encounter any evolved pokemon, he wouldn’t be able to capture them. His prospects would be zero, zilch, nada, and that thought held him back.

Leaving the decision for fate to decide, Eric stuck his hand into his bag without looking and grabbed the first Poke Ball his fingers brushed up against. It was a Park Ball. He shrugged once before pressing a button on the Park Ball, causing it to enlarge from its miniature form.

“Park Ball, go!” he called out, saying the line just for the heck of it. It wasn’t his catchphrase, but he thought Why not? There was nothing to lose, and he’d get quite a bit of a chuckle out of saying it. He then threw the Park Ball, hoping for a successful capture.

 

BP

Ranger Chainy

OOC: @Sky Lark;

~~~~~

The Trainer reached into his bag and wriggled around a bit before extracting a Park Ball. Park Balls were exactly the same as regular PokeBalls except that the top half was painted in a camoflage pattern, and they were quite a bit sturdier. Park Balls generally didn't break when a capture attempt failed, unlike most generic brands. Unfortunately, that sturdiness was reflected in the price, but hey, the Park had to make money somehow.

He threw the ball and called out something that I missed. The device flew in a clean arc right towards the Munchlax before landing on its bulbous stomach. The Pokemon was absorbed inside by a flash of white light. It was kind of hard to make out the Park Ball amongst the destruction of the battlefield but I could just barely see it wiggling from side to side. After a couple of seconds, the movement died down and the light on the front button flashed once. I immediately stepped forward into the ripped-up turf and retrieved it.

"Hey man, congratulations," I said to the Trainer as I walked back. "That was quite a battle. Don't worry about the mess, by the way - I'm sure a Cinccino or a Meganium will clean this up shortly. Again, my name is Chainy. Where do you feel like going now?"

~~~~~

Trainer Statistics:

Name: Eric Lundt
Location: Botanic Gardens
Area Effects: 13 Encounters Remaining
Pokemon Encountered: Chatot; Munchlax
Pokemon Captured: Quiet Male Munchlax
MCR: 0

Pokemon Stats:

Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | 100%

Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | 78%

Item Statistics:

Trainer Items: x4 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

~~~~~

 

@ChainReaction01

The Park Ball didn't have trouble finding its mark. With a light tap on the Munchlax's belly, the Park Ball clicked open, sucking in the pokekon with a quick burst of light. Once it snapped shut, the Park Ball fell to the ground with a thud, its violent wriggles causing quite a stir amon the fallen leaves.

A few seconds passed before the ball became still. With an audible ping, its center flashed once, signifying the Munchlax's successful capture. Dry leaves crunching underfoot, the ranger quickly stepped forward and picked up the now silent ball, no doubt something he'd done countless times before.

Meanwhile, as Togekiss landed next to Trevor, he gave her a pat on the back, congratulating her for a job well done. He immediately inspected her wing, checking the damage from the Thunder. Thankfully, the scorch marks weren't too bad, but it was better to heal up now. If another attack were to hit the wing... Trevor didn't want to find out. "Why don't you rest up a bit with Roost." The Togekiss then tucked in her wings, nuzzling affectionately against Trevor's leg.

After a short congratulatory note, the ranger introduced himself as Chainy, also telling Trevor not to worry about the mess from the battle. According to him, some Cincinno or Meganium would probably take care of it. While Trevor didn't doubt the ranger, he sure felt guilty. Not only was he taking a baby pokemon from its home. He'd also trashed the immediate area in the process. He shifted uneasily between his two feet as he surveyed the mess he'd made. Whoop dee do. Some trainer he was. If Chainy hadn't mentioned it, he would've gone on his merry way without having a second thought.

As to where he wanted to go, the greenhouse had immediately come to mind. Judging from the clouds' appearance, it was about to rain soon, and Trevor didn't want to be outside when that happened. Silently, he cursed himself for ditching his jacket at the last minute. It was certainly no umbrella, but it was definitely better than having nothing at all. However, the greenhouse was a massive disaster waiting to happen. Just imagine. Two pokemon battling it out surrounded by isles of pots in a glass building, absolutely nothing could go wrong. "Maybe somewhere open. A wide field would be good," he suggested.

 

NBP

Ranger Chainy

OOC: @Sky Lark;

~~~~~

Trevor didn't respond instantly. He looked like he wanted to go somewhere in particular but was afraid to ask for it. Clouds rumbled overhead and I looked up into the sky. Instead of being deep blue like it usually was, the sky was a very inoffensive shade of gray. Unfortunately, that meant rain was coming. When the sky was mostly blue with dark gray clouds spotted throughout, that usually wasn't cause for concern. It was when the blue went away entirely that you knew trouble was brewing. I thought that Trevor was thinking the same as me but then he said he'd like to go to a more open area, like a field: coincidentally the absolute worst place to be during wet weather. Still, I couldn't see any particularly dark clouds so there was still hope that this Expedition would end before the rain started.

"There's an expansive flowerbed section a little way away, that's probably the closest that we have to an open field," I said to Trevor. "The picnic area is quite open but that's a fair walk away."

I waved him forwards with one arm and started leading the way. The path was made up of neatly-placed cobblestones. Despite the Gardens being home to plant-empowering Pokemon by the hundreds, absolutely no sprouts peeked up between the cracks. A white picket fence draped with vines was on one side of the path and I drifted my hand over it idly as we walked. Suddenly, there was a screech of protest and one of the vines moved. It sped down the picket fence and onto the road, moving like a little green blur. It stopped about fifty metres ahead of us and turned back to look. I noticed that it was snake-like but stood on two small cream-coloured legs. Its red eyes were narrowed suspiciously.

"Well, looks like I scared you up a Servine," I said to Trevor. "Any interest?"

~~~~~

Trainer Statistics:

Name: Eric Lundt
Location: Botanic Gardens
Area Effects: 12 Encounters Remaining
Pokemon Encountered: Chatot; Munchlax; Servine
Pokemon Captured: Quiet Male Munchlax
MCR: 0

Pokemon Stats:

Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | 100%

Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | 78%

Item Statistics:

Trainer Items: x4 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

~~~~~

 

@ChainReaction01
OOC: Just realized that I used my ranger instead of my trainer in the last post. Whoops

Now that he was heading towards the garden's flowerbeds, Eric realized that he might have been pushing his luck. He'd felt pretty ecstatic about capturing the Munchlax a few moments ago, and the rush of euphoria might have clouded his judgment just a teensy little bit. Really, getting caught in the rain with only a raincoat, a paltry one at that, might just’ve been asking for Murphy’s law to kick in. Dotted with holes every now and then, the raincoat would be able to offer little protection should the wind get stronger.

Eric then took out a pokeball from his pocket. Just as he’d done countless times before, he outstretched his hand, causing a red light to bathe and absorb his pokemon. It was probably prudent to have his Togekiss rest up.

As Eric followed Chainy on the well-maintained path, he debated trying to making small talk. He wasn’t the best conversationalist, but now was a good as time as any to practice. However, the thought of small talk brought up a not so small predicament that plagued him far too often – what to talk about.

The first thing that came to mind was the weather. With the pale gray sky hanging overhead and the wind picking up, he was almost certain they were in for at least a moderate drizzle. Maybe he could make something out of that. Eric being a special brand of horrible at socializing, decided to play out the conversation in his mind. “Hey, the sky looks pretty dark” he’d start off. “This’ll be my first time exploring the park in the rain.” Then, the thought of the greenhouse and how it would’ve provided them shelter from the drizzle would pop up, causing what little train of thought he’d be able to muster to fizzle away. Then, with him being the eloquent speaker that he was, he wouldn’t be able to recover, and the conversation would end at a screeching awkward halt, without him not knowing what else to say. Yeah, he decided, that was something to avoid.

Maybe something else would provide to be a better conversation topic - his Togekiss, the life of a ranger maybe. As he was pondering this oh-so-interesting subject, he barely registered the picket fence on his right. He had no idea where it’d started, but there it was. Back to his previous train of thought then. Mulling things over, he failed to notice that one of the vines from the fence jutted out just a little bit and lay in between the stone steps, causing it to be nigh impossible to spot. It was as if the vine was placed there by some malevolent being to intentionally cause someone to trip.

Of course, that lucky soul would be none other than Eric. With his foot getting caught in the vine, he fell to the ground in the most ridiculous manner possible. It was almost painful to watch. Arms sprawled and flailing wildly as if he was doing a modified breaststroke, he hung in the air for a second before his face slammed into the grass, narrowly missing the cobble steps.

The moment he looked up, he locked eyes with a Grass-type pokemon that had just slithered on by. It held the same haughty air that Ranger Sara’s pokemon had, but it was decidedly smaller. Also, it had limbs. They were these really pudgy and probably inefficient yellow stubs, but they were limbs nonetheless – perfect for smacking around flighty air-headed trainers that carelessly wandered around the park. Realizing this, Eric shot up and stumbled back. He was not going to get slapped by the Servine. Chainy had been saying something as he fell, but Eric only caught the last two words.

“Any interest?”

Still disgruntled, Eric only managed a grunt, shaking his head side to side. He had his sights set on other pokemon. It was a good thing that he didn’t get any cuts from his fall. Sure, he was dusty, bruised, and covered in scratches, but he didn’t have any open wounds – a good thing now that he wanted to run from the wild pokemon. If he’d gashed his knees, he’d have to stop for first aid, something decidedly unhelpful when trying to escape. His left hand was already in his pocket, ready to take out his wallet should he need to pay for a pokedoll as he waited for Chainy’s confirmation.

 

NBP #2

Ranger Chainy

OOC: @Sky Lark; Sorry about forgetting this! ;-; Escape succeeded.

~~~~~

Eric grunted unhappily, and I looked back at him. It turned out that he had somehow managed to trip over and land face-first onto the path. There was dirt on his cheeks and a couple of scratches on his hands but there was no real blood to speak of. For a second I considered that his grunt had been about his fall and not the rejection of the Servine, but the shaking of his head convinced me otherwise. Not that it mattered, because when I looked forwards again the Servine was already speeding away from us, heading towards a clump of trees on the opposite side of the path. I hadn't expected Eric to be interested, seeing as Servine was the evolution of Snivy and Snivy were super-easy to obtain back on the mainland.

I helped Eric back up onto his feet, although he was pretty much there already. I gave him a quick look over, and it seemed like the Trainer was okay. Those scratches would merit a bit of diligence, but all in all he looked fine.

"Are you alright?" I asked the Trainer. His response was about what I expected, and we moved on down the path.

The weather was exactly the way I loved it, cool and still without any humidity. If it wasn't for the slight movement of the tree limbs I could have sworn the world's pause button had been pressed. It was only myself and Eric out here, to enjoy the day's beauty. Hopefully the day -stayed- beautiful.

Coming up as we walked I saw a white-painted park bench. There weren't very many of them, so upon seeing it I knew instantly where we were. Not that we had been lost, but it was always heartening to get a pin-point on your exact location. As we drew closer, I saw that a Pokemon was napping on the bench. It was a small cat, cream and pink in colour. Its little face was hidden by one of its paws, and its breathing was smooth and regular. I didn't particularly want to disturb the Normal-type, but rules were rules.

"Eric, feel like trying to capture a Skitty?" I asked the Trainer behind me.

~~~~~


Trainer Statistics:

Name: Eric Lundt
Location: Botanic Gardens
Area Effects: 11 Encounters Remaining
Pokemon Encountered: Chatot; Munchlax; Servine; Skitty
Pokemon Captured: Quiet Male Munchlax
MCR: 0

Pokemon Stats:

Docile Male Gengar @ Levitate w/ EMs TM Telekinesis ; TM Counter ; TM Focus Blast ; TM Snatch ; TM Thunderbolt ; MT Pain Split | 100%

Gentle Female Togekiss @ Serene Grace w/ EMs TM Captivate ; TM Roost ; TM Substitute ; TM Psych Up ; BM Psycho Shift ; MT Heal Bell ; SM Tri Attack ; MT Softboiled | 78%

Item Statistics:

Trainer Items: x4 ParkBall ; x1 Super Ball ; Digital Camera

~~~~~

 

The Servine hadn't been a bother at all. After watching Eric with its narrow red eyes for a moment, the grass snake seemed to not consider him a threat. Apparently having better things to do, the Servine was already hastily making its way to some nearby trees. It clearly couldn't care less about Eric, probably a good thing considering the fact that he was still sprawled on the ground.

After getting a hand from Chainy, Eric brushed off the soil from his face and clothes. His fall hadn't been all that bad; all in all, he had a couple of scratches on his palms. His left knee was moderately banged up, and he'd definitely feel that one tomorrow. Otherwise though, he was good - a little embarrassed but good.

Following the path, Eric and Chainy eventually reached a wooden bench painted white. It looked like the perfect spot for taking a break and relaxing. Not too many pokemon were scampering about, and the rustling leaves provided calming ambient sound.

On the park bench lay a pink feline pokemon that Eric recognized as a Skitty. Face nestled in its fur, the kitten seemed to have been pleasantly dreaming, mewing every once in a while. Eric watched the Skitty's bulbous pink tail wave rhythmically through the air, the tiny three spheres bobbing along after it.

Chainy seemed hesitant as he asked if Eric wanted to try capturing it, and Eric understood why. The Skitty was so at ease that it almost seemed criminal to disturb it. "I think we should leave the Skitty alone. It seems pretty content as is." Eric didn't think he'd need to, but if one was needed, Eric would pay Chainy for a doll.

@ChainReaction01