Individual RP: VeloJello

NBP-1

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello ; As I said in the Front Gate post, you're allowed one more Pokemon with no additional fee. If you want to bring in another Pokemon, PM or post it here with your next post and I'll edit it in.

It had been a long time since the last time I had taken a Trainer through the Park. I smiled at Makuhita, my trusty Politoed.

"We're going to the Meteor Valley today," I muttered to him, looking at the application that had been streamed to my PokeDex from the Receptionist Office. A first-timer - perfect for getting me used to being on the job again, as any mistakes I made wouldn't be noticed. I chuckled a little at this.

Up ahead, I saw the fog beginning to thicken. That was the Meteor Valley - a desolate area, where the fog was always thick. It wasn't a particularly friendly area, but I liked it for its quiet.

The Ranger Outpost was up ahead, off to the side of the path. It was a small cabin, where Trainers and Rangers alike could rest up and was also a popular meeting place. At the moment, it was empty. I took a seat at the table, waiting for my Trainer to show up.

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 0
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100%)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

 

ooc: All right, then. In that case...

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

Do I need to edit my sign-up or anything?
==
Flying is pretty great. With a strong Pokemon, you can just sit on its back and watch the clouds go by without a care in the world. But when you're flying to a destination that you've never been to, to explore somewhere new, flying is double great.

I had never been to the National Park before. I had little to no idea how it worked, and I was extremely excited to find out. I wanted Bohmander to fly faster but I didn't push him - he would have to be in fighting condition for this excursion. Instead I tried to enjoy the ride, looking for shapes in the clouds and wondering what sort of Pokemon I'd encounter in the mysterious Meteor Valley.

After what felt like ages, I peered over Bo's neck and looked down. Not too far ahead was a smallish cabin. Ahead of that was what appeared to be a forest, shrouded in mist. I grinned. "We're almost there, Bo! Just land beside that cabin. That should be the Ranger Outpost - and it's where our little adventure will begin."

Bohmander obliged. He altered his angle, tipping his nose toward the ground and folding the tips of his great red wings in just a little bit. It didn't take long for him to come to a halt just a few feet from the cabin. I hopped off of his back and gave him a pat on the snout. "Thanks, big boy," I said before recalling him to his Pokeball. Then I walked into the cabin, grinning. A man who I assumed was a Ranger sat at a table.

"Hello," I called, waving at him. "My name's Alice Card! They told me up at the gate that a 'John Shay' would be my ranger. I assume you're him, yeah?"

 

NBP-2

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello ; Nah you're good, I'll edit it in here.

I heard a thud outside - the unmistakable sound of a Pokemon landing.

It looks like our Trainer was here.

Moments later, the door opened, and a young lady walked in.

“Hello!” she said. “My name is Alice Card! They told me up at the gate that a 'John Shay' would be my ranger. I assume you're him, yeah?"

I nodded. “That’s me. Nice to meet you, Alice. This here is my Politoed, but I call him Makuhita.”

“I’m sure you want to get going right away, so let’s not dawdle here any longer. Follow me, and we’ll get down to the valley.”

I led Alice out of the cabin, and we kept going down the road. The road took a steep dive very quickly - this path would take us to the valley.

“When we get down there, watch your footing,” I said. “There’s a lot of debris down there, and it’s easy to trip in the fog. You can get more than a few cuts and bruises that way, and in a worst case scenario, we may have to take you out the park immediately. But, if you’re careful, then that really isn’t something to worry about.”

We made our way down into Meteor Valley. I kept my eyes peeled - even this early, Pokemon could be spotted.

I heard a faint howling, and I turned around. Behind us was a Poochyena, growling at us softly. There was a fierce look in this one’s eyes.

“Want this Poochyena?” I asked Alice.

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 1554
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence 100%)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

I was tempted to laugh at John. I mean, a Politoed named Makuhita? It seemed extremely silly. But someone as silly and ridiculous as me had no room to make fun. So instead I rolled with it, following John down the path toward the mist.

“When we get down there, watch your footing,” John warned as the road began to slope downward. “There’s a lot of debris down there, and it’s easy to trip in the fog. You can get more than a few cuts and bruises that way, and in a worst case scenario, we may have to take you out the park immediately. But, if you’re careful, then that really isn’t something to worry about.”

I nodded. "Thanks for the heads up," I had known that between the wild Pokemon and the low visibility that Meteor Valley wasn't necessarily the safest place on the planet. Having a reminder of that wouldn't hurt me any, though.

After just a few moments' worth of quiet hiking, a howl sounded behind us. A Poochyena stood not far away, growling at us with a fierce expression. John looked at me. "Want this Poochyena?" he asked.

I shook my head. "Not especially," I admitted. I've always liked Poochyena for its cuteness, but cuteness just wasn't worth spending one of my three precious captures on. "Think we could try to avoid the little beastie?"

 

NBP-3

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello

"Not especially," Alice responded. "Think we could try to avoid the little beastie?"

"Absolutely," I said. I stared at the Poochyena, trying to intimidate it. The thing with Poochyenas was that while they were aggressive, they were also smart and would not attack anybody they didn't think they could beat.

Poochyena stood its ground for a while, then turned tail and ran off.

"Well, that's that," I said.

We continued down to the valley, reaching it quickly. Here now was where the fog was thickest. Large boulder, smaller stones, and thousands of crushed pebbles replaced the road beneath our foot. I nodded at Alice - obviously, this was where the trek could begin to get a little more treacherous.

I looked around. It was hard to see Pokemon in the fog, but down here, they should be plentiful.

"Politoed!" Makuhita cried, pointing at something in the fog excitedly. I looked at where he was pointing, and spotted something yellow. It had narrow eyes and a long tail, and it seemed to be meditating. I recognized this Pokemon, and realized why Makuhita was so excited.

"This is Abra!" I exclaimed. Abra was a very rare Pokemon, and one that was a welcome addition to most any team. This was a pretty nice early find for Alice on her first Park run, and even if she didn't want Abra, I bet that this would be a great omen for her looking forward. I turned to her.

"Want this Pokemon?" I asked.

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, Abra, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 1263
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence 100%)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

@Nitro

Thankfully, my Ranger managed to scare Poochyena off. He and I continued down the path and into the forest, where the fog grew thicker and the trees grew taller. It was a mysterious-looking place. The pale, silvery mist drifted about; its incorporeal tendrils could be hiding anything. I peered into the forest, trying to look and see what sort of Pokemon awaited me in this valley.

Suddenly, Makuhita the Politoed perked up. "Politoed!" he cried, pointing into the fog with an excited air. I squinted, trying to figure out what he was pointing at. What was it? Something yellow? It looked faintly familiar, or so it seemed, but it was hard to distinguish anything what with my visibility being roughly jack squat.

"This is Abra," John clarified. I recognized it immediately, and I knew why it was so familiar. It was the unevolved form of Alakazam, one of the most annoying Pokemon in the history of, well, Pokemon. A good deal of money had to be put into Alakazam to make it fantastic, but when all was said and done Alakazam could wreak havoc on most opposing teams. I grinned, imagining having such a great Pokemon on my team. So when John turned to me and asked, "Want this Pokemon?" my reply was fairly simple.

"Hell yes!"

I was about to pull Darius's Pokeball out when a thought stopped me. Darius was very strong and he enjoyed showing off his power. I shook my head. Think things through, think things through. Use your brain next time, you dope! Even if Darius didn't try to brutalize the poor little psychic-type, he would probably refuse to fight an opponent he didn't think he could take seriously. Bohmander, who was fierce and frightening and such, would honestly probably be the better choice in this scenario - besides, Bo could use Crunch, which would come in serious handy if a finishing move or some such was needed. I switched balls, and let Bohmander out in a burst of pale red light.

Bohmander looked around for his foe until he spotted the Abra sitting in the undergrowth. The great blue dragon seemed a bit surprised by the diminutive size of his opponent. He shot me an uncertain glance; I nodded. "There's your opponent, Bo. Try not to beat it up too badly, okay?" Bohmander dipped his head, and I smiled in response. "Great. Now, let's start off slowly with Thunder Fang!"

 

BP-1: Salamence VS Abra

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello ; Abra's Gender?

"Hell yes!" Alice smiled, clearly ecstatic. She pulled out a Pokeball, about to throw it. Then, she seemed to stop herself, and switched it out for another Pokeball a few moments later. This seemed pretty odd to me, but I figured she knew what she was doing.

Alice threw her new Pokeball, and her Salamence, Bohmander if I remembered her Park sign-in properly, appeared in a flash of white light. The large dragon's roar pierced into the fog, and immediately attracted the Abra's attention. It teleported, and reappeared a little closer to us. There was going to be a battle.

"There's your opponent, Bo. Try not to beat it up too badly, okay?" Bohmander nodded. "Great. Now, let's start off slowly with Thunder Fang!"

Bohmander looked at Abra, and showed his fangs. An electric current ran along them, and the Pokemon snarled threateningly. I recalled that Bohmander, being a Salamence, was likely to have the Intimidate trait, which lowered an opponent's Attack by one stage. This was clearly the case here, although Abra tended to use their Special attacks more often than Physical ones.

Bohmander jumped at Abra, his fangs ready to strike. Abra had no time to dodge, and was struck squarely - a solid start for Alice.

Abra toppled backwards, and Bohmander returned to Alice's side. Abra seemed hurt, though not overwhelmingly so. It looked to be a good first step into this battle to me.

Abra began glowing blue, and a similar aura began glowing around Bohmander. Abra was attacking, and its aim was spot-on. I could only watch as Abra flipped the Salamence, throwing him on to his side. The Pokemon winced, but returned to his feet relatively quickly. That attack had left a mark on the ground where Bohmander had been thrown, but Abra was no offensive threat, and Bohmander seemed fine. Certaninly, I had seen more powerful Psychic attacks where the user had been able to lift and throw the Pokemon, whereas Abra could only manage to throw Bohmander on to his side.

I looked at Alice. What would her second move be?

Battle Statistics
Salamence VS Abra
Salamence: 87%, used Thunder Fang
Abra: 81% ATT-1, used Psychic

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, Abra, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 3568/15000
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence 100%)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

@Nitro
Whoops, forgot I get to pick the gender. I'll have it be male, then.
~
Bohmander began the fight with just as much fierce energy and vigor as he usually did. Rippling arcs of lightning sparked to existence in his mouth, running up and down his mighty white fangs. A deep, rumbling snarl came from his throat: a warning to the Abra that he, the great Bohmander, was stronger and bigger and decidedly more ferocious. It seemed to me that the little Pokemon winced nervously, signalling that Bohmander's Intimidate ability was working like a charm. Not that it would make much difference on a special-attacker, but hey. Worse came to worst it wouldn't make a lick of difference and I'd still capture Abra.

With speed like, well, lightning, my dragon lunged at his small opponent, the snarl still sharing space in his jaws along with his fangs and the glow of raw, wild electricity. Not even Abra had time to teleport out of danger. Bohmander hit him like a big blue freight train, sinking his fangs into the Abra's body and galvanizing it with lightning. I grimaced with sympathy for the Pokemon's pain, but when Bohmander stepped back the Abra didn't seem hurt too badly. Relief mingled with annoyance. Hopefully Boh's next hit would be stronger than this one was.

Abra responded to Bo's assault by glowing blue. It seemed like a pretty inoffensive thing for it to do, until Bohmander started to glow blue as well. I frowned, watching to see what Abra was going to do with that glow.

It turned out that the thing Abra was going to do was flip Bohmander on his side. With surprising power, Abra managed to knock Bohmander to the ground without so much as rousing from its sleep. Bo seemed none too pleased by the attack, but he was able to get up and shake the attack off with apparent ease. That was good - I didn't want my powerhouse going down the first time he took damage! I frowned, considering the possibilities for my next attack. Abra had taken the Thunder Fang well enough, but I still didn't want to risk dealing too much damage at once and injuring the wild Pokemon. However, at that point I was pretty sure I could safely let Bo step his attacks up just a bit.

"Go for a Dragon Claw, Bo!" I ordered. Bohmander lunged through the undergrowth, his mighty talons glinting as he ran. With a flash, the claws began to glow with an intense cyan energy, creating trails of bright light behind them as he moved. His muscular forelegs scythed through the air as he swiped his claws powerfully at Abra.

 

BP-2: Salamence VS Abra

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello

"Go for a Dragon Claw, Bo!" Alice shouted. This was a more outright power move than Thunder Fang. It looked like Alice was going to go for a big hit to take away a lot of Abra's health now.

Bohmander lifted a claw, and jumped at Abra again. Abra was clearly more prepared for this attack than the last one, suddenly unfolding from his meditative stance and springing away. But, he was nowhere near as fast as Bohmander was. Bohmander was easily able to catch Abra's side with a heavy Dragon Claw as the Pokemon sprung off.

"Abra!" the Pokemon cried, wincing. Dragon Claw hadn't been quite as destructive as it could have been had it landed directly, but it had still done a lot of damage to Abra, bringing it to about halfway. This should give Alice a lot of flexibility moving forward.

Abra looked up at Bohmander. He began glowing blue, and this time, the glow around him expanded to look like a larger energy silhouette of Abra, surrounding him completely. This was Barrier, a defensive move that would reduce the effects of Physical moves. Abra's Defense stat was lackluster compared to his passable Special Defense stat. It looked like Abra was digging in defensively, now that a large chunk of his health had disappeared.

Abra attacked now. A black-purple ball of energy appeared in front of him - Shadow Ball. Abra threw the attack at Bohmander, and I turned to look at Alice. She had time to do something about the incoming attack right now if she made her move quickly. What would she do?

Battle Statistics
Salamence VS Abra
Salamence: 87%, used Dragon Claw
Abra: 56% ATT-1 DEF+2, used Barrier, using Shadow Ball

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, Abra, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 6003/15000
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence ACTIVE)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

@Nitro

As Bohmander jumped at Abra, the little fox came out of its crouch with a sudden, surprisingly quick leap. For a moment it looked like Bohmander's attack was going to miss. Abra, however, was not fast enough. Bohmander's aim was true, and by adding just a little more arc to his swipe he was able to rake his razor claws across Abra's flank and deal some serious damage. Abra let out a wail and grimaced, clenching its eyes shut tight. It landed in a clump of bushes, while Bohmander came to a halt in the grass with an audible thud. He took a few steps forward, letting off some momentum, before swiveling to face Abra.

Once again, Abra's body was engulfed in a blue aura. However, instead of tossing innocent dragons around, Abra expanded the blue glow, creating a large shimmering barrier that was shaped like its own body. I wasn't exactly sure what move Abra was using exactly, but I knew based on appearances it was probably some sort of force field created for defense. That wasn't very surprising. Abra seemed like it had been pretty damaged by Bohmander's Dragon Claw; no doubt it wanted to avoid taking any more heavy hits.

As an added measure, Abra seemed to subscribe to the policy of 'the best defense is a good offense'. Its face creased with concentration, and a ball of inky purple shadows formed in front of it. With a flick of its ears, Abra sent the Shadow Ball zipping toward Bohmander. I could feel all eyes on me: John and Bohmander were both shooting me expectant glances. How would I react? How would I get Bohmander out of this situation?

"Use Protect!" I shouted. One didn't usually think of Protect when they thought of Salamence, but after spending a lot of their lifetimes as the defensively-oriented Shelgon, most Salamence ended up learning this move somehow. Bohmander was one of them. He closed his eyes in concentration, and the air around him flickered white as he tried to get the barrier up. I bit my lip, hoping that he would be able to shield himself in time and protect himself from unnecessary damage so early on.

 

BP-3: Salamence VS Abra

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello ; School starts for me today, so posts might come a little less frequently. (might!)

"Use Protect!" Alice shouted. A defensive move this time - not what I had been expecting from a Pokemon like Bohmander, but it wasn't a bad move certainly.

A protective blue bubble of energy appeared around Bohmander. Abra's Shadow Ball harmlessly smashed into it, and broke apart into smaller fragments that dissipated quickly.

Abra stared at Bohmander, clearly a little bothered that his attack had failed. But, he must have known that using Protect in consecutive turns was not 100% reliable, as he attacked once more. He lifted his hand, and a blue spark zapped out towards Bohmander.

This was no Electric-type attack, I realized. It was Psyshock, a quirky Psychic-type attack that was technically a Special attack but factored in the target's Defense stat rather than its Special Defense stat. Either way, it could be one of Abra's more threatening moves. I looked at Alice. Would she try to Protect again, or instead counter with a more offensive strategy?

Battle Statistics
Salamence VS Abra
Salamence: 87%, used Protect
Abra: 56% ATT-1 DEF+2, using Psyshocl

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, Abra, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 8060/15000
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence ACTIVE)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

@Nitro
That's all right; I understand. School just started for me, too, actually. D:
-

Thankfully, Bohmander was able to get his Protect up with plenty of time to spare. Abra's Shadow Ball smashed itself against Bohmander's force field, breaking into several globs of liquid shadows - completely harmless. Satisfied, Bohmander relinquished his control on the energy he'd put into Protect, allowing his barrier to shatter into numerous shimmering shards.

Abra, meanwhile, didn't seem nearly as triumphant as Bohmander. His attack had failed, which wasn't good for him at all - the little Psychic-type needed every powerful hit he could squeeze in if he wanted to defeat his reptilian foe. Not that he was ever really going to be able to.

Rather than waiting for Bohmander to go on the offensive once again, Abra began to attack himself. He lifted one small, claw-like hand, and a spark of cerulean-blue energy glowed on his palm. The spark became a glob of shimmering psychic energy, which shot out from his palm and zoomed rapidly toward Bohmander. It didn't look like anything Abra had done yet, in this battle at least - and it was certainly nothing I myself had ever seen before. However, I had a feeling that whatever it was, it could mess Bohmander up more than I'd initially expect. Two clues led to this reasoning: the fact that Abra was undoubtedly going to be resorting to gradually more and more powerful measures as it began to feel itself losing health, and the trace of urgency that at least seemed to exist in John's expression when he glanced at me. He seemed to be wondering how I would handle this. Fortunately, I had a pretty decent plan this time around.

"All right, Bohmander!" I called, deciding that it was time to mix my strategy up a little. This course of action would not only get Bohmander out of harm's way, but it would make him a good deal faster and stronger by getting his fighting blood up. Provided, of course, that he succeeded. "Dragon Dance out of the way! Then, use DragonBreath!"

Bohmander nodded. He narrowed his eyes in focus, flexing his claws and tensing his muscles, readying himself to leap and twist and warm up his muscles in a fierce war dance. I watched him carefully. Bohmander was pretty fast - another Salamence trait - so hopefully he would be able to step aside with graceful ease, like a dancer. Pun intended.

 

BP-4: Salamence VS Abra

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello

"Dragon Dance out of the way! Then, use DragonBreath!" Alice commanded.

Bohmander nodded, and gracefully flipped to the side, dodging Abra's attack with ease. I found myself impressed with this strategy - Bohmander would take advantage of what would normally just be a boosting move by using it to dodge Abra's attack, and would still get the stat boosts from it.

Bohmander flipped back on to his feet gracefully, and locked eyes with Abra. A green flame roared out of the back of his throat, and launched itself at the Psychic-type.

"Abra!" he cried as the flames engulfed him. The attack did a solid amount of damage, I noticed.

Eventually, the flames subsided. I watched Abra as he sat down for a moment, clearly stinging from the blow. But, he eventually regained his moxie. Icy blue energy surrounded his right fist, and the Pokemon sprung at Bohmander, landing a glancing blow on the Pokemon's flank.

"Salamence!" Bohmander let loose a horrible screech of pain. This was Ice Punch - one of the more powerful Physical Ice-type that existed. While Abra's Physical stat was subpar and he also had an Attack drop from Bohmander's Intimidate, any Ice-type move used on Bohmander was sure to make its impact felt given Ice's type advantage over both of Bohmander's types, Dragon and Flying.

The battle was nearing its end. Surely a few more turns would be enough for it to reach its climax. I looked at Alice. What would her next few moves be?

Battle Statistics
Salamence VS Abra
Salamence: 71% ATT+1 SPE+1, used Dragon Dance, used DragonBreath
Abra: 35% ATT-1 DEF+2, used Ice Punch

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, Abra, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 12141/15000
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence ACTIVE)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

@Nitro

I grinned as I watched Bohmander in action; nothing was quite as amusing as watching my two-hundred pound dragon move with speed like a Rapidash. He dodged Abra's attack with ease, rolling onto his side, and popped up with his jaws spread wide. A torrent of green fire sprang out of his mouth, like his throat had become a copper-fueled flamethrower. Abra let out a squeal as it was engulfed in the flames. Bohmander shut his jaws quickly, to avoid fainting the wild Pokemon, but I noticed that after the attack Abra was significantly weaker than before.

It took Abra a proportionally large chunk of time to get his nerve up again; however, he managed to get on his feet and run right at Bohmander. A halo of bright cyan energy glowed around his closed fist, which solidified into solid, rather wicked-looking spikes of ice. I recognized Ice Punch and tried to call out for Bohmander to dodge, but there was just no time. Abra's fist collided with Bohmander's flank, forcing a screech of pain from him. "Salamence!" he howled, wincing as his greatest weakness struck him hard. I grimaced in sympathy.

"Bo! How are you doing out there?" I asked, balling my own fingers into fists. Bohmander shot a glance at me and nodded slightly, letting me know that he was all right. I grinned. "All right, good! Now, this battle should be winding down pretty fast here. I want you to use another Thunder Fang and for Arceus's sake make sure to keep pulling your punches! I don't want Abra to be hurt any more than necessary!"

Bohmander nodded, then swiveled around, his jaws open. Once more, sparks erupted on his fangs and began to dance around along his teeth, filling his mouth with electricity. He swiped his tongue across his teeth as though checking the electricity - both in the monitoring and balancing sense - before lunging, mouth wide open and ready to bite down on Abra's body. I closed my eyes. This was going to be close as hell in the way of Abra's dwindling endurance. Hopefully it would stand this attack, and still manage to be tired enough for me to capture.

 

BP-5: Salamence VS Abra

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello

"Bo! How are you doing out there?" Alice cried. Bohmander was hurting, but he showed Alice he still had enough health to keep going with a defiant glance. Alice smiled. "All right, good! Now, this battle should be winding down pretty fast here. I want you to use another Thunder Fang and for Arceus's sake make sure to keep pulling your punches! I don't want Abra to be hurt any more than necessary!"

Bohmander nodded, and used Thunder Fang on Abra again. Though he had just Dragon Danced, Abra had used Barrier since the last Thunder Fang, so this one should be a little less effective.

Bohmander flew at Abra with his fangs sparkling with electricity, and gave the Psychic-type Pokemon a quick bite. Abra fell over, gripping the area where Bohmander had struck him. He stayed down for a while, and I realized he had flinched.

It was a stroke of luck for Alice here - she could go for the capture easily, with Abra offering her a great opportunity to do so. Would this be her first capture in the Park?

Battle Statistics
Salamence VS Abra
Salamence: 71% ATT+1 SPE+1, used Thunder Fang
Abra: 20% ATT-1 DEF+2, flinched

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, Abra, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 12141/15000
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence ACTIVE)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

@Nitro

Bohmander bit down, his teeth sinking into Abra's side. I noticed that the Barrier slowed Bohmander down considerably, which was probably for the best given the circumstances. Once the attack was delivered, Bohmander jumped backward, as though anticipating a counterattack from Abra. However, no counterattack was forthcoming. Abra lay on the ground, clutching at his wounded flank, as though paralyzed - or perhaps he had flinched? Thunder Fang's effects manifested themselves somewhat similarly at times, so it was kind of difficult to tell.

Several seconds passed and Abra showed no sign of getting up. He was down, but not fainted entirely - if he was, John would be ushering me away from him, possibly giving the Abra some medicine so that his wounds could heal more rapidly. But this was something different, a side-effect of the Thunder Fang.

I frowned, wondering what to do next. I couldn't very well gauge Abra's remaining health while it was lying on the ground. I sighed. Abra could withstand one more jolt, couldn't he? Arceus, I hoped so.

"One last 'Fang," I said to Bohmander. "Make it weak."

I could tell that Bohmander was displeased by the order. He liked to put out all of his power and to give everything he had. I sighed. "Don't worry, Bo. There'll be strong opponents to come!"

Bohmander rolled his eyes and let out a faint growl; I wasn't sure that he completely agreed. However, he complied with my request. Tiny, glowing arcs of electricity sparked across his gleaming dentition. He stalked toward Abra, waiting for a sign of life from the little fox, before lowering his head, ready to bite down to deliver a final, weak jolt to ensure that Abra would stay down while I went in for the capture.

 

BP-6: Salamence VS Abra

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello

Alice paused for a bit, thinking about what to do. Abra was flinched in front of her, but she seemed hesitant. She had a lot of options here - I didn't blame her.

After a moment of thinking, Alice made her command. "One last 'Fang. Make it weak."

Bohmander nodded, and flew at Abra once more. The electric charge in his fangs were notably weaker, to prevent Bohmander from knocking Abra out.

"Abra!" Abra shouted as the attack slammed home, knocking him a few steps back.

Bohmander returned to Alice's side. That was most likely his final attack. Alice would probably try for the capture now.

Abra wasn't flinched this time, however. He was very weak at this point, but he let a Shadow Ball loose at Bohmander. The black ball struck him in the flank, and the Salamence lifted the leg gingerly. But, it seemed mostly ineffective, which was hardly surprising given that Abra was on the brink now. This was probably the best opportunity for Alice to capture him.

Battle Statistics
Salamence VS Abra
Salamence: 64% ATT+1 SPE+1, used Thunder Fang
Abra: 8% ATT-1 DEF+2, used Shadow Ball

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, Abra, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: N/A
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 13865/15000
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence ACTIVE)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

@Nitro

Thankfully, Bohmander restrained himself enough to leave Abra conscious, although I could tell that even remaining awake was becoming a struggle for Abra. Bohmander immediately wheeled in his flight after the attack's completion, gliding back toward me and landing with a loud thud at my side. He shot me a glance, and I nodded. "Your job's done. Good work, Bo; now I just need a Ball..."

I reached down into my bag, grabbing for a Park Ball. No, I thought, I don't need a Hyper Ball or an Energy Powder - I just need a regular Park Ball! Believe it or not, being extra-prepared has its disadvantages.

Suddenly, Bohmander let out a low warning snarl. I looked up to see Abra preparing another Shadow Ball; the tenacious little creature wasn't being taken without even more of a fight than it had already given. Bohmander grunted as he was hit. He nosed at his leg and lifted it tentatively, but he seemed to be mostly all right. I kept rifling through my bag, eventually rewarded by the finding of one Park Ball. I pulled it out eagerly, ready to attempt the capture.

With an ease born of practice, I tossed the Park Ball. It bounced off of Abra's head before snapping open, sending out a tongue of red light, engulfing Abra in it, and sucking him up in one smooth motion. It then fell to the ground, landing in the damp grass and beginning to wobble. I watched it carefully, tense, unsure what would happen. Abra was pretty damn weak, but Pokemon are resilient creatures, and there was just no way to be sure of what would happen.

 

BP-7: Salamence VS Abra

Ranger John Shay

@VeloJello

"Your job's done. Good work, Bo; now I just need a Ball..." Alice said. She rummaged in her bag wildly for a Park Ball, clearly struggling to find it. I guess nerves played into that a little bit - during my first capture in the Park, I recalled being nervous myself.

Alice pulled a Park Ball out at last, and threw it at Abra. The ball boinked off of Abra's head, and then sucked him up. It began shaking.

One shake, two shakes, and then a third shake. Then, it stopped. I smiled - Alice had captured Abra!

"Congratulations, Alice," I said, walking over to the Park Ball and picking it up. "you've captured your first Pokemon in the National Park! I'll hold on to Abra until the end of this run, at which point you can decide whether or not to claim him as one of the three Pokemon you take out with you. Meanwhile, you can catch your breath for a moment if you want, and then we can continue when you're ready."

Battle Statistics
Salamence VS Abra

Trainer Information
Name: Alice Card
Location: Meteor Valley
Pokemon Encountered: Poochyena, Abra, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???, ???
Pokemon Captured: Abra (Male/Timid)
Character Count Since Last Encounter: 0
Park Items:
- Park Balls (3)
- Super Balls (2)
- Hyper Ball (1)
- Energy Powder (2)
- Poke Doll (1)

Pokemon Information
(Serperior 100% ; Salamence 64%)

Pokemon: Serperior.
Nickname: Darius.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Contrary.
Nature: Adamant.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Nope.

Pokemon: Salamence.
Nickname: Bohmander.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Intimidate.
Nature: Brave.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Dragon Dance and Outrage.

 

@Nitro

The Pokeball's shaking slowed to a perfect halt. I could feel the grin spreading across my face. The Abra had been captured! A childlike grin spread across my face.

John walked across the empty space that had previously been a battlefield and picked up the Park Ball. "Congratulations, Alice," he said, smiling, "you've captured your first Pokemon in the National Park! I'll hold on to Abra until the end of this run, at which point you can decide whether or not to claim him as one of the three Pokemon you take out with you. Meanwhile, you can catch your breath for a moment if you want, and then we can continue when you're ready."

Rest was the farthest thing from my mind, but Bohmander looked like he could use a little of it. I nodded to John. "Thanks!" I then turned to Bohmander, inspecting him for wounds. The only area on him that I found to be badly wounded was his flank, where the Ice Punch had struck. Several spiked shards of ice were still stuck beneath his frosted scales. "Try blowing a little Ember on it," I suggested. It wouldn't hurt him much, if at all.

Bohmander bent his neck and breathed a small stream of glowing red embers over his side. The ice melted away, and several frosty flakes fell to the ground. Bohmander stretched, his muscles rippling beneath his blue scales. I could tell that he was feeling a good deal better with the coldness melted away.

"You good to go, Bo?" I asked, rhyming deliberately. "Mence," he answered, shaking the leg that had been hit by Abra's Shadow Ball previously. I turned back toward John, still smiling.

"We're ready when you are," I told him, patting Bohmander between his shoulder blades. I looked out into the misty forest, wondering what other Pokemon were waiting for us.