Individual Run: Eraizaa-kun.

NBP#1.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

"Chimey, I haven't had a run for so long," Argent complained, looking towards his trusted partner, a Chimecho -- she was probably one of his smallest Pokémon, but the one with the biggest heart and the one whom he worked best with. He enjoyed spending time with the Wind Chime Pokémon, and that was how he'd spent most of his life -- even when he was doing his paperwork in the Ranger Outposts, Chimey was always either in a very close proximity or otherwise resting on his desk as he wrote furiously. Argent was quite frustrated with being pent up in his office, however, as he hadn't been out on a run in quite a while now -- every time he went to claim a run, he found that it had already been claimed by someone else, and that kind of irked him. He'd also gathered a reputation, somehow, of being kind of slow when he was rangering the trainers that passed through the park -- he'd show them, and he knew it. He'd be as fast as he possibly can -- if he wanted to, he could possibly sprint the whole way through the run, bashing through and making his trainer capture ALL the Pokémon!

That day where he'd finally get another run would be today. He sat wide-eyed at his computer screen for hours upon hours, just looking to see if someone new was signing up for a run in the Park -- he'd been getting desperate, sure, but he simply had to get out of the office during working hours. He was going stir crazy. All of a sudden, more text - text that hadn't been there before - appeared on the screen, and Argent jolted upright, looking at it almost like it was some kind of mirage. But it wasn't. If he was fast, no-one else would claim it. So, like a bullet, he quickly clicked on the post, typed in an acceptance message and that was it. He'd finally got another run to take, and he almost whooped with excitement -- but he didn't, because, y'know, that would be socially unacceptable and also against the rules, him being in an office and everything. He quickly printed off the necessary files from his computer, snatching the scattered pieces of paper as soon as they had left the printer. They were still warm when he picked them up.

Stuffing these in his satchel, Argent swiftly rose from his seat, and swept on a heavy jacket -- he'd be going to Oktori, after all, and that was, truth be told, quite a cold place. Especially now it was winter, Argent would have to wear some warm clothes in order to make sure that he didn't get ill. Chimey could see that Argent was being overly quick, so she delivered a sharp slap to his face with her flowing, ribbon-like tail... in a not-so-elegant manner.

Slow down, Argent. You'll do yourself an injury, Chimey jingled at him. We're not in any real rush here, you know.

Okay, Chimey, Argent replied back through his thoughts, sighing slightly. Let's just go.

With that, Argent headed out of the outpost, looking into the sky -- the island had a rather strange climate, even though it was winter. It wasn't as harsh as other places -- having stayed in Mahogany Town in the wintertime when he was younger, Argent knew how bad winters could be there. It seemed here, however, it was only mild -- that was not true for other sections of the island, though. Argent knew that each part almost had a different mini-climate to the other, and as such it would be bitterly cold at Mt. Oktori, which was, unfortunately, where he had to go. Quickly changing before he left, he emerged from the building in a black trenchcoat, large snow boots, a deep blue scarf, gloves and a hat with earflaps -- trousers too, evidently. As he stepped outside, he whistled sharply -- a signal to his Arcanine, Luwenhart. He'd obtained it from a young girl named Georgia Stacks as a Growlithe, and he'd trained it into being the strong Pokémon he knew today.

Obediently, a large Fire-type rounded the corner on Argent's whistle, barking all the while. It was a rather large canine creature, striped red-and-black. Argent vaulted onto its back acrobatically, and on his command, the ex-Puppy Pokémon sped away from the area, positively bounding. It seemed to be moving at a speed beyond anything Argent had experienced before -- this was actually his first time on Luwenhart's back, so he was completely new to the experience of riding a Pokémon (not in that way, pervert).

In a while, they'd arrived. Argent dismounted, but stayed close to the Fire-type with one hand on his side, glad of the heat that Luwenhart produced for him by just being there.

"Now all there is to do is to wait for Eraizaa," Argent said to himself, and he began to whistle into the bitter breeze.

---------------

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: None.
Remaining Encounters: 15.

Items: Parkballs x6, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade.
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

I was actually very eager to get the expedition started. Sure, it was cold, but, I spent most of my time in Snowpoint, so I was pretty much used to it. I actually just wore a light white jacket and my usual clothes. Right next to me I kept one of my faithful partners, Alegría. Her named surely fit her as, even though she was a Spiritomb, she was actually very jolly and great to be around. I was walking towards the gate and saw the Ranger arrive in a very impressive looking Arcanine which he kept by his side.

I smiled as I walked towards him saying, “Hello! Would you happen to be my Ranger for today?”

“Spiri, toooomb!” said Alegría as she cheerfully greeted the Arcanine.

 

NBP#2.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

It seemed that Argent didn't have to wait for long. After a few minutes, the trainer whom he'd been hoping would show up fairly quickly, was actually there. As he arrived, Argent noticed that at his side was a Spiritomb -- that'd be sure to set Chimey on edge. Glancing at the Wind Chime Pokémon, it seemed his predictions were right -- she was looking at the Spiritomb shiftily. However, when she looked at the trainer that Argent had to take through, some glint of recognition passed across her face, and Argent gave her a look, puzzled -- there was almost no way that Chimey had met someone that he hadn't. They'd been together for far too long for that to happen, although there were occasions when there hadn't been -- still, that seemed a little bit too weird for Argent to ignore, but he put the information in the back of his mind. He'd question her a little later, but for now, it was time to get the run up on its feet and moving as swiftly as possible. He wanted to clear all preconceptions before they arrived.

"Hello!" Eraizaa greeted, and Argent nodded his head politely. "Would you happen to be my ranger for today?"

"Last time I checked, yes! Welcome to Mt. Oktori -- I doubt you're new, but I felt you should be introduced to the area all the same. I'm Argent Silverswift, and the two Pokémon here are Chimey, the Chimecho, and Luwenhart, the Arcanine," Argent replied, indicating both of his Pokémon with his hands.

As the Spiritomb greeted Luwenhart, Luwenhart responded politely, as his trainer had -- in truth, he was actually quite mischievous, but he didn't do anything serious unless he got very distressed or worked up. "Let's go, shall we?" Argent asked, and he swept open the gates, walking swiftly through them with Chimey by his side, and Luwenhart in tow. As Chimey floated beside him, she looked like she had something important to share, but Argent remained oblivious of this for a while -- it wasn't that important, Chimey supposed, but she'd liked to have got it told to Argent just in case he said something that'd make him sound like a fool otherwise. Judging by how Argent had greeted Eraizaa, he clearly didn't know who he was, and Chimey would have to make him aware of his identity before long. She hated it when Argent embarrassed himself, like when he tripped over air, choked on logs, et cetera.

Argent, you know this is the Snowpoint Gym Leader, right? Chimey interjected in the midst of his thoughts.

Uh, no. I'm not well-versed with the affairs of Sinnoh, you know, Argent replied. But, uhm... thanks for telling me?

As they continued on, they eventually reached the foot of Mt. Oktori -- from there, you could either enter the extensive cave systems, or follow the path that went straight upwards to the peak. He always enjoyed the path around the outside, despite being abducted by Regigigas when walking up it once -- and, of course, it was generally dangerous. Argent would have inquired as to which way Eraizaa wanted to go, but his words were snatched from his mouth as he bumped into something fluffy. Falling backwards into the snow, Argent looked directly across at what he'd bumped into, and he smiled. The Pokémon was so cute! Red-and-white-feathered, with a beige rucksack over its back, stood a Delibird. It looked upon them all wearily, but dropped his rucksack, expecting a battle. It looked from human to human, wondering which one would be the one to battle it.

"Well, Eraizaa," Argent began, as Luwenhart dragged him to his feet, "would you like to battle this Delibird?"

---------------

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird.
Remaining Encounters: 14.

Items: Parkballs x6, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade.
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

I nodded at the Ranger's request to move forward and quickly followed. Soon passed the gates, we had immediately encountered a Pokemon. One would think that I was in luck as the first Pokemon I met was a fairly rare one, but, alas, that wasn't the Pokemon I came here to look for.

I looked at Ranger Silverswift and responded, “No thanks. I'd like to get up the mountain as fast as possible. I just know that there is a Pokemon there waiting for me.”

I took a few steps forward, but noticed that the Delibird was still there, so he would have to proceed with caution.

I then whispered to the Ranger, “Could you toss a Pokedoll his way if he attacks?”

 

OOC: Subtract the money for the Pokédoll in your next post.
NBP#3.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

"No thanks. I'd like to get up the mountain as fast as possible. I just know that there is a Pokemon there waiting for me."

"Uhm, okay," Argent replied, looking at the Delibird -- it wouldn't be getting its battle today, he supposed, but it still remained as Eraizaa tried to walk past. Perhaps it wasn't going to let them escape -- Argent had seen these signs from a wild Pokémon before, and it was quite likely that his predictions were true. As a result, as Eraizaa had just asked, Argent brought a stuffed doll out of his satchel, one that resembled a Jigglypuff. He knew that most Rangers carried around Clefairy Pokédolls, but Argent liked to vary it up a little. Tossing the Pokédoll towards the Delibird, he was surprised to see it leaping up into the air to catch it. However, it didn't exactly do what it had aimed to do -- rather, the Delibird was caught by the momentum of the Pokédoll in its chest, and with a certain oomph, it was pushed to the ground.

Getting back up, the Delibird gave a scandalised look towards Argent, and hefted up his sack again, tottering off with the Pokédoll under its arm. Argent sighed apologetically, but he couldn't really do anything about what had happened now. He supposed it was time to move on from the area -- and the trainer had answered a question he hadn't even put into words yet, so that would speed things up a little. It was time to ascend Mt. Oktori, and this would be Argent's second attempt at it -- this time in the dead of winter, instead of midsummer. He was hoping that he wouldn't get abducted by a Regigigas this time. If he did, he was sure that Chimey could rescue him like last time -- but the question still remained... why did Regigigas call her Clarity when they had met? Argent hadn't questioned her about that as of yet, mainly because her bitterness when she had responded said that she didn't want to talk about that part of her life - if it even existed - anymore.

He pondered over this as they embarked upon the trail, Argent wondering what exactly they'd encounter on their path to finding whatever it was that Eraizaa wanted -- it was clear now that he was only here for a single Pokémon, which seemed slightly picky to Argent, but he wasn't going to pass judgement. After all, it was the trainer's decision to pick whatever Pokémon they wanted to capture. Argent knew he didn't have a say in the matter, but he wished that his trainer was a little more enthralling -- he seemed to be a sort of bland person so far, but Argent was hoping that the run would 'spice' him up a little, for want of a better expression. He pulled his coat tighter around himself as a particularly bitter breeze sprang up, biting his lip as the wind bit at him. The snow fell onto his head gently, and Argent kept a little closer to the warm figure of Luwenhart, who just exuded heat naturally. The Legendary Pokémon was simply just walking up the path casually, probably not even feeling how cold it was for the rest of them. Chimey was beginning to shiver at this point, causing her to tinkle slightly.

I hate cold weather, she complained to Argent, who smiled at her a little deviously.

I'll have Clara knit you a little coat and hat for you when this run's over, then, Argent replied.

Argent! Chimey exclaimed indignantly, throwing him a look similar to that of the spiteful expression of Delibird's earlier. As they walked further, Argent eventually stopped, a look of puzzlement on his face. A pale purple figure twirled through the snow gracefully, kicking up lumps of it as it moved. Of course, Argent being Argent, some of the snow was kicked directly into his face, and he stuttered and staggered, falling backwards once more. Behind him, Luwenhart rolled his eyes, but padded forwards, dragging Argent to his feet once more as he cleared the frosty snow from his face. As he was back on his feet, he turned to Eraizaa quietly, so as not to alert the Martial Arts Pokémon as to their presence -- it was still a few feet away.

"Well, this is a rare find," Argent said. "Would you like to battle this Mienshao?"

---------------

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird, Mienshao.
Remaining Encounters: 13.
Character count since last encounter: 654.

Items: Parkballs x6, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade.
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

OOC: Substracted

@Buoysel

I looked at the Mienshao in awe. I couldn't deny it, I was very interested in capturing this Pokemon, but I had come with a mission and I couldn't pull myself out of it now.

“Tempting, but I think we should keep on moving and leave this one be,” I said as I tried to keep my voice down to not annoy the Mienshao.

“Could you have a Pokedoll ready for this one too? I'd rather not have to fight it without any need to.

Alegría, my Spiritomb, was still at my side, trying to avoid eye contact with the wild Pokemon as well.

 

OOC: Subtract the money, please.
NBP#4.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

"Tempting, but I think we should keep on moving and leave this one be," Eraizaa said, and Argent nodded politely. It seemed that Eraizaa was trying to flee from all the good Pokémon that they were encountering -- of course, this was only the second encounter, so he didn't know for sure yet. Perhaps, as he was the Snowpoint Gym leader, he would maybe only be looking for Ice-type Pokémon to help out with his Gym, but that still didn't answer the question of why he wouldn't attempt to capture the Delibird. That was unless he didn't already have one, anyway -- Argent was on two minds about that, but he decided to not bring it up out of politeness. He had a feeling that, if they encountered too many of the wrong Pokémon, the Gym Leader might begin to get irritable -- and Argent kind of wanted to avoid that. He hated arguing with people, even when he was angry with them, which might have seemed a little over-pacifistic, but Argent merely saw it as another characteristic of his, and so he didn't mind it so much. He just told it like it was.

"Could you have a Pokédoll ready for this one, too? I'd rather not have to fight it without any need to."

This guy was sapping him of his fantastical Pokédolls. Sighing, Argent drew yet another stuffed toy from his bag. This time, it was a white-and-blue, winged Pokémon -- the Legendary Pokémon Lugia. Winging it towards the Mienshao, Argent hit the Martial Arts Pokémon directly on its head. The Mienshao gave a sharp glare down at Argent, much like the Delibird had earlier, but grabbed the thing and began spinning off in the same graceful manner with which it had appeared. Argent whistled quietly. He personally wasn't getting off to a good start in the run, despite the fact that they had encountered good Pokémon -- it was more that he seemed to be unlucky in the way they were evading the Pokémon... or rather, Argent driving them away with his apparently bad throwing skills. In any case, the small group padded onwards quietly through the snow, Argent wondering what exactly was to come up next.

Of course, as they progressed up the dangerous trail, he found out -- by tripping over the next encounter. Argent, being quite tall, hadn't noticed that the small Fighting-type Pokémon was there, and as a result had bumped into it, and had subsequently tripped over it.

Honestly, Argent, you're going to fall off the path if you're not careful, Chimey indicated, Luwenhart boredly dragging him to his feet once more. Despite you being extremely silly sometimes, I don't want to see you plunging into some snowy abyss.

Don't be stupid, Chimey, Argent said, brushing himself down once more. I won't fall.

I wouldn't bet on that.

The grey Pokémon looked up indignantly at Argent, but only softly punched him in the leg for bumping into it so roughly. "Uh," Argent mumbled, "do you want this... er... Machop?"

---------------

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird, Mienshao, Machop.
Remaining Encounters: 12.
Character count since last encounter: 523.

Items: Parkballs x6, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade.
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

OOC: Substracted...again...


I watched as the scene had played right before me. Ranger Silverswift seemed to have tripped on something and fell. I quickly ran to see if I could help somehow. Of course, what could I have done? I acted merely on instincts. Luckity, he was safe. His Pokemon were surrounding him, but, the way they acted it was as if they were used to this kind of thing happening.

I finally focused once more and looked over and what caused the Ranger to trip in the first place. It seemed to be a Machop. I grinned at the sight of the Pokemon as he brought back some memories for me. I thought about it as I pulled out a Pokeball while listening to the Ranger's words.

“You know, I think I will go for this one,” I said with a confident voice.

First I waited for a moment for everyone to get out of the way before tossing my Pokeball forward. The white and red sphere quickly opened letting out a glowing mass that quickly took form revealing a Gallade. The Blade Pokemon looked around and quickly noticed other creatures standing around. Not knowing which one would be his opponent, he took a defensive stand while awaiting orders.

“Esteban, that Machop over there is your target,” I said while I pointed towards the fighting Pokemon. “Let's make this as quick as possible. Use Swords Dance then go in there with Aerial Ace.”

Estaban nodded as he understood the commands being spoken. He crossed his blades and closed his eyes as a white aura covered his body. He began to slowly spin around for a moment as if preparing for something when suddenly, he opened his eyes just before completely vanishing from sight only to reappear seconds later diving towards Machop from his side, ready to land a strike.

“Tomb tomb, Spiritomb!” shouted Alegría with her high voice as she cheered for her teammate.

I clenched my fist as I awaited the outcome of this attack. Still, I was careful to watch the scene as a whole instead of staring at Esteban. I didn't want even that to give Machop a clue and ruin the surprise.

 

OOC: Machop gender?
BP#1.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

"You know, I think I will go for this one," Eraizaa said, prompting Argent to blink in surprise -- he'd turned down a Mienshao, but had instead accepted the offer of a Machop? That spoke volumes to him, but so far, Eraizaa had seemed sort of preoccupied -- perhaps he hadn't been thinking clearly about the run. However, it was possible that they could encounter some other, better Pokémon -- Argent didn't particularly like the Machop line, and didn't actually have any interest in them. To him, they were a rather common sight, and after being punched in the leg by one, he didn't exactly favour them anymore. He sighed at the confidence in Eraizaa's voice, but he cheered up at the fact that this would actually be the trainer's first battle, and he always loved battles in the park -- mainly because trainers had so many different ways of perceiving things, and their methods were often refreshing and gave him different insights into the styles of battling that they had adopted to suit their Pokémon. Argent always relished the opportunity to see a stranger battle, mainly because it was quite educational and the like.

Eraizaa tossed his Poké Ball high into the air, and Argent knew that this could only be his Gallade -- Esteban, if he remembered the name correctly from the files he'd printed earlier. Watching the familiar sight of the Poké Ball bursting open, Argent saw the white light filtering out from the red-and-white sphere, and it hit the ground, materialising into what Argent recognised as a Gallade. Argent waited for a bit to hear the commands flowing out from Eraizaa's mouth, but he supposed that the trainer would be thinking up a strategy to try and combat the Machop. As it was, it was actually quite a clever decision to send out the Gallade against the Machop -- any Fighting-type moves thrown at it wouldn't do much, and Gallade learned attacks that were far more powerful than something the Machop could conjure up at its stage, particularly considering that Gallade had one of the most diverse movepools of any Pokémon. Argent just wondered which of the moves Eraizaa was going to actually utilise.

"Esteban, that Machop over there is your target," Eraizaa said, grabbing the attention of his Gallade. The knight lookalike glanced over towards the Machop, and obviously saw the creature as no problem. To begin, he'd be doing his Swords Dance -- to boost his attack sharply, in order to make his attacks more powerful against the Machop. That could be fairly important, Argent supposed. The Gallade crossed the blades, or his arms or whatever they were, and they began to glow a bright white. He closed his eyes for a few moments, as if concentrating on something, but quickly snapped them open again. He dropped his blades to the side of his body, and prepared for some fast moving -- the kind that was involved in the next command to be carried out, Aerial Ace.

He made extremely good time on the way to Machop, and the small, grey creature was alarmed at the dreadful appearance of the attack. Suddenly, the Gallade was coming from the Machop's side, and the Machop didn't know what to do -- it sidestepped out of the way quickly as Gallade tried to smash his blade downwards from the air in his Aerial Ace attack, but even that dodge wouldn't deter him. The Gallade swiped once more at the Machop, and this time, it was full-on. The Machop was thrown backwards a few feet, and skidded through the snow. However, it quickly got up, although it was already severely damaged -- it wasn't a very strong Pokémon to begin with, and the boosted Aerial Ace would have taken a lot out of the poor thing. Argent looked at it sadly, but knew that this was part of the battle. He stepped a little closer to Arcanine, shivering quite violently with the cold, which didn't really seem to affect Eraizaa at the time -- perhaps as an Ice-type Gym Leader living in the coldest point of Sinnoh, he was used to it.

The Machop wasn't out yet -- it still had something to say to the Gallade. It closed its eyes, smashing its fists into each other, and all of a sudden, its body flashed, and it seems like multiple copies of it were expanding out from each other, until about five Machop were standing there... and the original was unknown at this stage. That'd make it slightly hard for Gallade to choose which one to attack on Eraizaa's next commands, so he'd have to work out some devious manner of finding the true Machop. On top of that, one of them opened their mouths brashly, and it seemed they had been letting flames gurgle in their throat. It spewed fire towards the Gallade, and although they weren't notable for their special attacks, the Machop's Flamethrower would have caused some kind of damaged, and it left Gallade charred slightly on one of his blades (the left one) -- that could, perhaps, lessen the damage caused by that particular blade.

---------------

Battle stats:

Spoiler

Machop.
65% - ??? - ??? - ??? [used Double Team and Flamethrower].


Esteban the Gallade.
89% - Male - Steadfast - Careful [ATK+2][used Swords Dance and Aerial Ace].

MCR: 2,523/4,000.​

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird, Mienshao, Machop.
Remaining Encounters: 12.

Items: Parkballs x6, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade.
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

@Buoysel.

OOC: Male. Hint - I always call a Pokemon He or She if their gender is relevant to the situation.


It was quite obvious from the look on his face that Esteban had felt empowered by the Swords Dance. Still, when he went to perform that Aerial Ace and missed at first, he didn't seem to happy about it and turned back to strike again. Finally, he made his target delivering quiet a bit of damage. However, even after that he didn't seem much happy. Something was annoying him a bit. And that's when Machop retaliated with with a burst of flames. The Blade Pokemon did his best to defend himself, but, the awkward position he was in didn't help and it seemed his left blade got injured.

Esteban looked back at me with a worried look on his eyes that basically said, ”What are you doing?!

And that's when I realized the mistake I had made. Esteban wasn't that good with Aerial Ace to begin with and I asked him to jump into battle with that. I nodded towards him as I understood his concern. However, as I did, Machop took the chance to add a bit more of a challenge to the situation by creating copies of himself. That just forced the change in battle strategy even more.

I took a big breath and said, “Alright then. Esteban, use Calm Mind.”

The Gallade closed his eyes for a moment, blocking the image of the situation surrounding him just for a moment as he tried to clear his mind.

“Now, Magical Leaf!” I then added to the first command.

Esteban opened his eyes and lifted both his blades up into the air as small lights started coming out of his body. The lights quickly expanded slightly turning into leaves of many different colors. Esteban's eyes suddenly gave out a glow for a second and that's when he moved his blades pointing towards the different Machop copies. The leaves quickly surrounded the Gallade as they swirled around before following the guidance of Esteban's blades attempting to strike each of the copies in a single swift moment.

 

BP#2.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

"All right, then. Esteban, use Calm Mind," Eraizaa commanded, after seeing that Gallade's left blade was damaged a bit by the Machop's Flamethrower. It seemed that Gallade hadn't even been confident with using Aerial Ace in the first place, and now that the Machop had created copies of himself using Double Team, a change in strategy was needed -- Argent thought that, perhaps after this next attack, that a capture could be attempted. The Machop was already quite damaged as it was, and the further damage that this would cause would probably wear it out to the point of fainting, although Argent couldn't be positively certain about that. He was good with predictions in battles, but on the whole, he wasn't that good -- Gallade didn't have great special attack in the first place, and he wasn't convinced that Calm Mind would make that much of a difference. However, Argent had, of course, been wrong before about these situations, but he'd just have to wait and see how this actually turned out.

To perform Calm Mind, Gallade closed his eyes once more. He let everything go, clearing his thoughts as much as possible. As he just let emptiness fill his mind, a slight pink glow picked up, outlining his body as he performed the move. He lightened up a little, and his special statistics rose a little. Now, he could perform whatever part of the combination came after -- well, not precisely a combination, since they were probably not going to be related moves. However, it would be a selection of moves that worked well together, no doubt -- Argent knew that Gallade learned a lot of special moves, but wasn't entirely sure if Gallade had the full capacity for them -- when a Kirlia evolved into Gallade, they generally took the more physical side of things, and so, from what Argent had seen, they became less proficient in the use of special moves.

You're going to have to wait, Argent, Chimey said, having heard his thoughts. I wouldn't make assumptions about the outcome just yet, nor about how powerful or not the Gallade may or may not be at performing a special attack.

You know, this is why the other Chimecho don't want to mate with you.

"Now, Magical Leaf!" Eraizaa cried as Gallade opened his eyes. The Gallade responded by throwing his blades into the air, and small orbs span out of nothingness, glowing multi-coloured. They formed into leaves quickly, and Gallade flung his blades forwards, shooting the leaves towards the five clones. However, one of them stepped forwards and threw his fists into the air -- as he did so, they caught alight, and he began thrusting them into the leaves that came. However, he lost his energy after a while, and the barrage of leaves kept on coming, and they passed straight through the Machop, dissipating that one clone. Since Magical Leaf couldn't miss, they twirled straight towards the true Machop, and smashed straight into his chest, knocking him backwards once more. The Machop cried out in pain, and the three clones that remained looked menacingly towards the Gallade.

The three remaining clones stepped forwards simultaneously, and all three stamped their feet into the earth pretty hard, and a ripple of energy passed through the ground as an Earthquake attack, shaking the ground beneath the Gallade and damaging it a little bit more. However, the true Machop, now singled out, looked beaten and roughed up. It would be a good time to try and capture it now.

---------------

Battle stats:

Spoiler

Machop.
27% - Male - ??? - ??? [used Double Team and Flamethrower].


Esteban the Gallade.
72% - Male - Steadfast - Careful [ATK+2 | SPATK/SPDEF+1][used Swords Dance and Aerial Ace].

MCR: 4,382/4,000.​

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird, Mienshao, Machop.
Remaining Encounters: 12.

Items: Parkballs x6, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade.
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

@Buoysel.


My heard was beating a bit faster in the anticipation of what Esteban would manage to do this time. So far, it looked good as the Blade Pokemon was able to focus his mind without any sudden interruptions from the wild Machop. With Esteban's mind now clear, his ability to perform attacks that didn't require the direct use of his blades was now greatly enhanced. My experience did tell me that a Gallade's special abilities was just as good as his physical ones when their mind was focused enough.

Now that Esteban was ready, on my command, he began to create colorful leaves. Still, these leaves weren't just for show. Each of them was sharp and strong, and not just that, they were under Esteban's full control. As the confident Gallade moved his arms forward, the leaves shot themselves forward, right in the direction of one of the many Machop that were surrounding him. That one Machop quickly tried to defend himself, but it turned out to just be one of the clones as it evaporated when it failed to hold its defense.

On Esteban's command, however, the leaves suddenly change direction. The wise Gallade shifted his arms towards yet another Machop and the leaves quickly obeyed and went to strike the new target. That one Machop seemed to have been caught by surprise as the leaves hit directly on his chest and got pushed backwards. Since that one Machop didn't disappear like the previous one, it became clear, that one was the real Machop.

As the attack hit, I waited for the other copies to disappear, but instead, they actually turned towards Esteban and stomped on the ground together causing everything to tremble. The energy released by this seemed to have hurt Esteban as he kneel down a bit to endure the Earthquake better. Immediately after the attack was over, he quickly stood up, so I knew he hadn't been hurt that badly. He had plenty of health left unlike Machop who had taken a lot more damage than I would have expected. Probably a side effect from having created solid copies of himself with Double Team instead of simple illusions.
Now it would have been a great time to attempt to capture that Machop. He had been weakened and he had been identified, but, I really wanted to make sure the capture was successful.

I pulled out a Parkball before turning towards my Gallade and said, “Esteban, go with False Swipe!”

The psychic fighter quickly looked back at me, a bit concerned about my choice.

I then showed him the Parkball I had in my hand and added, “Don't worry, I'll be right behind you.”

Esteban smiled and nodded before turning towards the Machop that he had identified as the real one and, without hesitating, he sprung forward ready to strike at his target. I wasn't completely sure how the attack was going to turn out, but regardless of how it ended, as soon as Esteban finished his attack, I took the chance and threw the Parkball right towards the Machop. I didn't say a word, but the expression in my face clearly showed it. I found the experience to be exciting.

 

BP#3.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

It seemed that Eraizaa was seriously on edge now, truth be told. As the Machop finished their attack, they stepped backwards a little -- Argent was glad, at least, that their Earthquake attack hadn't caused any serious incidents. After all, they were on a snowy mountain trail, and so using Earthquake wasn't the best thing to do under the circumstances -- however, it seemed that nothing serious came of it, apart from the displacement of some snow and the like, so Argent shrank back and sighed, seeking retreat in the warmth of Luwenhart's fur. Chimey was also huddled close to the Legendary Pokémon now, and as long as they touched the large canine creature, it seemed that they wouldn't be getting any colder. Argent was extremely thankful for the heat, and simply leaned against the dog. Because of Luwenhart's bulk and frame, it seemed that he wasn't bothered with Argent's dependence on the heat that he exuded, and he wasn't shifted anywhere -- Argent was a rather light person himself, so it's not like he could have knocked the big dog over.

As Eraizaa drew a Park Ball out of his pocket, he seemed to be simply bursting with the excitement. "Esteban, go with False Swipe!" he yelled towards his Gallade, who turned his head over his shoulder, looking at his trainer in surprise. Eraizaa knew clearly that Gallade's left blade had been injured, and here he was commanding him to use a physical move -- one that definitely involved his blades, no less. Argent knew that the injury wasn't exactly serious, but Gallade was a rather cautious Pokémon -- it seemed that it didn't want to take too many risks. Argent could tell that it was only comfortable in this battle for so long as it wasn't in any danger, but as soon as the Flamethrower had burned his blade, Argent knew that the Gallade wasn't exactly in his depth -- he wasn't trained to cope with this yet, or rather it just came with his personality. In any case, Argent could see the Gallade fidgeting slightly, almost as if he were extremely hesitant to move anywhere.

Psht, what a baby, Chimey remarked. She was prone to these harsh comments from time to time, and Argent looked towards her, his eyebrows raised.

That's not at all judgemental, Argent replied sardonically. I thought I'd wrenched you of that habit.

Gallade dashed forwards once more, and his target was clear this time -- he ignored the other Machop, who attempted to grab him, but without much success. He slipped past them easily, and he spun as he finally came to the real Machop, who'd just managed to stand up -- he wasn't in a good way right now. Gallade sliced upwards as he finished his spin, and this time, his target was full on -- however, he'd struck with his left blade by mistake. Looking down at his blade in horror, he retreated back, and it seemed like the blade was in a lot of pain, and it seemed that he caused himself some kind of damage by attacking with his left blade -- probably damage from that minor burn. However, since it was only minor, it didn't seem to take that much from him.

Although the real Machop was extremely weak now, the clones - those who were left - were still going strong. However, once the real Machop was captured, they'd most likely disappear. The clones made to step forwards, but one extremely disapproving glare from Luwenhart made them rethink. This was just enough time for Eraizaa to lob the Park Ball towards the Machop, and just as fast, it connected. The Machop was absorbed by a white light, which retreated into the Park Ball. Falling to the ground, the sphere began to roll from side to side -- one revolution, two... three... ping!

The clones disappeared.

"Congratulations, Eraizaa," Argent said, nodding his head politely. He walked to retrieve the ball, and picked it up. He deposited it in his satchel, and looked back up at Eraizaa. "Have a rest, and tell me when you're ready to move on."

---------------

Battle stats:

Spoiler

Machop.
11% - Male - ??? - Relaxed [CAPTURED].


Esteban the Gallade.
67% - Male - Steadfast - Careful [used False Swipe].

MCR: 7,392/4,000.

<< BATTLE OVER. >>​

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird, Mienshao, Machop.
Remaining Encounters: 12.
Pokémon captured: Machop [M; Relaxed].

Items: Parkballs x6, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade. [@67%][Minor BURN]
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

I waited anxiously to see what the attack will result in. I watched closely as Esteban dashed in and the Machop copies attempted to stop him. Luckily, Machop, copies or not, weren't the fastest Pokemon around. My Gallade quickly made it to the real one and attempted to strike at him, but, he made the mistake of using his left blade. Honestly, I didn't think he would do that, but, at least he managed to deliver a strong enough blow.

I quickly tossed the Parkball forward just as the clones began to close in on Esteban. Luckily, the ball hit its target and the real Machop was pulled inside. Almost immediately the copies vanished and the Parkball began to shake. It didn't take long for it to stop and that's when I knew, the capture had been successful.

"Yes!" I said as jumped for a moment.

Alegría had still been watching the battle. She quickly rushed towards the Gallade and slowly began to float in circles around him to celebrate. Esteban seemed very happy as well as he raised his left blade as a sign of victory, however, as he did, it seemed to have hurt a bit.

"Careful Esteban. You did a great job, so, you should rest for now," I told the Blade Pokemon as I held his Pokemon aimed at him.

A red beam shot out of the Pokeball retreating Esteban back inside.

As Alegría quickly floated back to my side, I looked back at Ranger Silverswift and said, "I think we are good to go. I'm feeling motivated."

 

NBP#5.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

"Yes!" Eraizaa cried, jumping into the air for a moment. At least he was pleased with the result -- as was Argent, of course. Or at least he was supposed to be. In all truth, Argent didn't think that Machop was all that remarkable -- he was probably a little biased against Fighting-types, though. He hadn't captured that many, and he'd been working with a certain Psychic-type for the majority of his life. She could easily take down Fighting-types, so that was probably why Argent didn't think the capture was so great. He didn't let this show on his expression or in his words, however -- he simply dealt with his prejudgements and went on with his business, professional like a ranger should be. He wasn't allowed to pass his opinion, in fact -- not if it would insult the trainer or give the trainer reason enough to complain. Sure, he could say, "That's brilliant!" However, if he said something like, "Oh, that's really poor," that would probably get him into trouble.

His Gallade seemed to be equally happy, but Argent noticed he was still in quite a bit of pain as he imitated the celebration like his trainer. Eraizaa noticed his discomfort, too.

"Careful, Esteban. You did a great job, so you should rest for now," Eraizaa said gently, raising Esteban's Poké Ball into the air, and the red-and-white sphere burst open. A white light shot out, enveloping Esteban, and the Pokémon dissolved into the light, being absorbed back into the little Pokémon-friendly world that a Poké Ball contained. Alegría floated back to Eraizaa's side, and the human looked over to Argent, who had been indifferently observing what had been going on -- he was just waiting to get away from this particular part of the path, especially since Earthquake had been used a few minutes prior. Although there probably wouldn't be any side-effects, Argent still had to be cautious, and so he waited for the signal to keep moving onwards.

"I think we are good to go. I'm feeling motivated." Eraizaa sounded a bit more confident, and although Argent thought the guy was kind of puffed-out, he was starting to like the confidence that he exuded. Argent nodded, and led the party away, and they all crept up the trail -- not at a snail's pace, but still quite slow, as Argent didn't want to damage anything. Or cause an avalanche, which would have been sort of disastrous. However, as they walked onwards, there was a small Tyrogue there, training by himself. He hadn't noticed any of the party yet, and Argent looked towards the purple creature. They were quite interesting, but then again, they didn't exactly interest him. He shrugged, and turned to Eraizaa.

"Want to battle this Tyrogue?" he asked simply.

---------------

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird, Mienshao, Machop, Tyrogue.
Remaining Encounters: 11.
Pokémon captured: Machop [M; Relaxed].

Items: Parkballs x5, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade. [@67%]
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

The group finally began to move again. It was starting to get colder as we kept moving forward, but I was determined to get as far as I could to find more Pokemon. Then, unlike most of the Pokemon I usually encounter at this point, we spotted a Tyrogue ahead. He wasn't popping up out of no where, attacking us with snowballs while hiding, or doing anything that was obviously sneaky. He was just standing there, training. I sighed at the sight of the Tyrogue at first as I heard Ranger Silverswift's question.

"Yeah, I'll battling him," I said as I gave a slight smile. "I'll confess, I came here for certain Ice Types, but, these fighting types just keep bringing back memories and a strange feeling that I have to try."

I then turned towards the Spiritomb beside me and said, "Alegría, your turn girl! Go and strike with Shadow Sneak, but don't let him see you. Oh, and try using Confuse Ray while he's stunned."

"Spiri-tomb!" replied the cheerful ghost as she heard the plan.

Without moving right or left, Alegría quickly began to sink into her own shadow until she was out of sight. Silently her shadow began to move towards the target, moving from one side to another, attempting to remain hidden for as long as she possibly could. When she was close enough and the moment was just right, the Spiritomb suddenly jumped out of her shadow attempting to strike with her ghostly energy. Hopefully that would do something, if at least surprise Tyrogue and throw his focus off. Either way, the forbidden ghost Pokemon had her eyes locked on her target ready to launch her invisible rays of confusion.

I decided to watch from a distance as I didn't want my presence to alert the wild Pokemon. Now once more all I could was wait and see what would happen and how this new fighting Pokemon would react.

 

BP#1.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

"Yeah, I'll battle him," Eraizaa replied -- once again, confidently. Argent rolled his eyes. "I'll confess, I came here for certain Ice-types, but, these Fighting-types just keep bringing back memories and a strange feeling that I have to try."

Sounds like a pretty bad excuse for being lazy, Argent thought -- but that's all it was, a thought. He wasn't thinking much of Eraizaa so far in this expedition. Again, it mystified him: Eraizaa's reasoning for doing certain things was off. The Fighting-types brought back memories, but he declined a Mienshao, probably one of the best Fighting-types? Yeah, of course. That was legitimate. He raised his eyebrows slightly, but said nothing of consequence. Chimey looked over him with a smirk, and Luwenhart casted his mischievous gaze towards him. It was almost like they were conspiring against him or something, although Argent knew the notion was ridiculous. He was just getting a tiny bit irritable, but it was nothing he could shake off. He simply grabbed a thermos from his satchel, and poured himself out a cup of tea, standing a little bit back from the battlefield. He sipped his tea, sealing his thermos up again and putting it back in his bag. Drinking a cup of tea was a wonderful way to warm up, and a battle was the perfect pause.

"Alegría, your turn, girl! Go and strike with Shadow Sneak, but don't let him see you. Oh, and try using Confuse Ray while he's stunned," Eraizaa called, and his Spiritomb acknowledged with a happy cry. She closed her eyes briefly, and the shadow she produced on the ground in front of her lengthened outwards, going towards the Tyrogue. He still hadn't even noticed them yet. He hadn't noticed the shadow, creeping up towards his feet. Alegría seemingly melted into the ground, but Argent knew this was part of Shadow Sneak. She snuck through her shadow, popping up on the other side of Tyrogue. She batted him in his back, and he was ploughed into the snow roughly. He quickly sat up, dazed, and looked at Spiritomb, obviously shocked that he'd be attacked so viciously without warning. However, he shook off his daze before Alegría could seize the opportunity to use Confuse Ray on the creature. He jumped high into the air, somersaulting backwards -- as he did, various pieces of stone rose into the air with him, and he thrust his arms outwards as he completed the flip.

The stones rushed towards Alegría, and they crashed into her from all over. She was knocked from her hovering for a minute, but quickly recuperated. She could get over this easily. As she got up, she glanced at the Tyrogue, and quickly launched her Confuse Ray attack just as he landed, giving him no time to move out of the way -- a rainbow-coloured beam shot into his head, and he staggered forwards to Alegría. She smiled gently -- she seemed to be kind, even towards her opponents. She made her way joyfully back to her trainer, waiting for some more commands.

---------------

Battle stats:

Spoiler

Tyrogue.
68% - Male - ??? - ??? [CON] [used Rock Slide].


Alegría the Spiritomb.
89% - Female - Infiltrator - Jolly [used Shadow Sneak and Confuse Ray].

MCR: 3,227/4,000.​

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird, Mienshao, Machop, Tyrogue.
Remaining Encounters: 11.
Pokémon captured: Machop [M; Relaxed].

Items: Parkballs x5, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade. [@67%]
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

@Buoysel.


Alegría seemed to be doing great at sneaking in for the strike. Going from corner to corner without being spotted at all. She managed to get closer and closer to her target until she finally sprung up to strike. Seeing as that was a success and that there was no use for a surprise anymore, I ran towards the battle scene to keep a closer eye on things. Even from the distance where I was standing, it looked like the Shadow Sneak had hurt the Tyrogue, but he wasn't just going to take it. He quickly turned around and released several rocks towards my Spiritomb.

The rocks seemed to have strike right on target. At that moment I was feeling very thankful for the respectable defenses that Spiritomb were known for. It was clear to me that the Tyrogue was in more surprise than I thought, I mean, I was expecting for him to instinctively use Foresight together with fighting moves, but I wasn't complaining. Soon after the rocky move, Alegría stared directly at the fighting Pokemon and released a strange energy. Immediately after, Tyrogue's movement seemed to have become a bit erratic. The Confuse Ray was apparently a success. But I knew that the battle wasn't over yet. I had to think up a better strategy if I wanted to managed another capture. Alegría quickly moved to my side and awaited further instructions.

“Alright girl, time for a combo. Aim upwards and use Toxic!” I said to the cheerful dark Pokemon sitting right next to me.

Any other Spiritomb would have normally been puzzled by that command, but, Alegría was used to it by now. She knew I liked making strange combinations that, at least usually, worked out. Without hesitating, she looked up and spat out a very watery pink substance. Even as it went up, one could actually see the poisonous fumes coming out of chemical compound.

As the Toxic attack quickly started coming down I added, “There, Ominous Wind!”

“Tomb!” Alegría exclaimed as she focused her ghostly energy.

Almost instantly, a strong dark wind began to pick up from behind the Spiritomb, creating what looked like a tunnel as the black energy swirled forward towards the Tyrogue. With any luck, if our timing was right, the Ominous Wind would pick up the Toxic and spray the fumes forward. The forbidden ghost Pokemon was excited at the moment. She knew that if this worked, there would be a new friend back home. Still, even then I didn't think that would be enough to manage a capture. At least I thought he was a lot sturdier than he looks, but I thought I should try anyways. As the attack cleared, I quickly grabbed another Parkball and held it firmly.

Looking back at Ranger Silverswift with a nervous smile I said, “Yeah, I really hope this works.”

As I finished saying that, I tossed the ball towards the fighting Pokemon. I couldn't deny it. I knew that this time I was relying on luck. That wasn't my best plan as good luck had a tendency to run away from me, but, luck can't stay away each time, can it?

 

BP#2.
Ranger A. Silverswift.

"All right, girl, time for a combo. Aim upwards and use Toxic!" Eraizaa cried to his Pokémon, and she smiled joyfully at him. Argent didn't see how any kind of combo could begin with Toxic -- unless she was going to use Flamethrower straight afterwards, which seemed unlikely. Toxic was a very flammable substance, and so using it in conjunction with Fire-type moves was a very common strategy that Argent had seen within the park -- he'd never actually gotten the chance to use it himself, however. He thought he'd give it a try in some not-so-flammable place, such as the Woods... that would frankly be a disaster. In any case, Argent was expecting the Spiritomb to be slightly alarmed by the kind of move that was demanded of her, especially in these circumstances, but she wasn't -- perhaps she trusted Eraizaa's plans, and so she obeyed her trainer. Argent didn't know what was going on, but he certainly hoped that it worked.

The Spiritomb opened her mouth fairly wide, and globules of a purple substance rose from her throat. Bubbling and foaming in her mouth, Alegría shot the Toxic attack into the air fairly quickly, and it was fairly strange to see. A large amount of the toxic substance hung in the air momentarily, but gravity, of course, was acting upon the earth. Inevitably, the Toxic would fall, but Eraizaa called the next move to Alegría -- Ominous Wind. It was actually a good strategy. Argent approved of it, at least. A strong wind picked up from nowhere, and it sprang from behind the Spiritomb, blasting forwards. It caught the Toxic just as it fell in front of Alegría, and it was forced in the Tyrogue's direction -- however, the Tyrogue was not going to give up just like that. He snapped from his confusion almost immediately, which was rather strange. Wafting his arms around slightly, it seemed he was conjuring up some kind of energy as the Toxic was blown to him on the Ominous Wind attack.

As the combination of two strange moves drew nearer, Tyrogue thrust his arms outwards -- and to almost devastating effect. Letting out a complete burst of vacuum with a wide sweep of his arms, the wave smashed at the combination of moves, forcing it backwards and instead impacting on the Spiritomb -- however, the Toxic had been dissipated by the sheer force of the Vacuum Wave, thus Spiritomb hadn't been affected by it. However, she was hit by her own Ominous Wind, which seemed to deal a bit of damage. The Tyrogue remained there, undamaged by any of the efforts that Alegría had thrown at him, unfortunately for Eraizaa -- however, he didn't actually noticed this, and had thrown the ball almost as soon as the battlefield had cleared. The Tyrogue looked skittishly at the sphere as it curled towards him in a blur, Eraizaa having lobbed it at him already.

It didn't turn out very well, to say the least. Tyrogue was in the Park Ball for about two seconds, and then he burst out in a flash of bright white light (try saying that five times really fast). He kicked the sphere towards Eraizaa defiantly as it landed near him, hitting the trainer full-smack in the chest. Argent's brain smirked slightly, but he let no trace of his amusement come onto his face.

"It's okay, Eraizaa. Keep going," he said, albeit not so encouragingly.

---------------

Battle stats:

Spoiler

Tyrogue.
68% - Male - ??? - ??? [used Vacuum Wave].


Alegría the Spiritomb.
78% - Female - Infiltrator - Jolly [used Toxic and Ominous Wind].

MCR: 6,235/4,000.​

Trainer Stats.

Spoiler

Username: Eraizaa-kun.
Trainer Name: Eraizaa Laut Nojezii.
Location: Mt. Oktori.
Pokémon Encountered: Delibird, Mienshao, Machop, Tyrogue.
Remaining Encounters: 11.
Pokémon captured: Machop [M; Relaxed].

Items: Parkballs x5, Super Balls x3, Hyper Balls x4, Supreme Parkball x1, Digital Camera, Digital Camera Powerlens, Max Potion x2, Full Heal x2, Mystery Mist Scent Spray.

Weather: Bitterly cold, snowing. It's not a very nice day to be outside...

Pokémon:
Species: Gallade. [@67%]
Nickname: Esteban.
Gender: Male.
Ability: Steadfast.
Nature: Careful.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Substitute, Swagger, Trick Room, Sleep Talk, Hidden Power (dragon), Brick Break, Aerial Ace, Stone Edge, Earthquake, Thunder Wave, Skill Swap, Toxic, Snatch, Rest, Shadow Ball, X-Scissors, Thunderbolt, Drain Punch, Focus Punch, Taunt, Safeguard, Reflect, Light Screen, Natural Gift, Fling, Poison Jab, Charge Beam, Bulk Up, Vacuum Wave, Shadow Sneak, Encore, Ice Punch, Magic Coat and Fire Punch.

Species: Spiritomb.
Nickname: Alegría.
Gender: Female.
Ability: Infiltrator.
Nature: Jolly.
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: Will-o-Wisp, Water Pulse and Toxic.

 

@Buoysel.

I was stunned for a moment as I saw the entire strategy shatter, but not only did it fail completely, it also backfired and seemed to have hurt poor Alegría. And even on top of that, the Tyrogue had escaped the ball and kicked it towards me. I did held my chest in pain as that thing could have possibly killed me, or so it felt. Still, I looked foward as I had to keep myself together. I did felt like I was the one who got hurt the most, but Alegría was the one battling and relying on my strategies. With my Spiritomb upset as she was, I had to make sure she was still okay.

"Come on Alegría! Don't let this bother you. I know you can beat this Tyrogue," I said trying to calm her down.

The Spiritomb looked back at towards me so I just smiled and nodded. She tried to smile back at bit as well and she did look like she felt better, but her confidence had still taken a blow she needed to recover from.

"Let's show him what you can really do. Try preparing a Will-o-wisp," I added hoping she would respond.

Alegría nodded as she focused. Soon after, a few blue fires began to float around my Spiritomb, but she was just readying herself at this point.

"Now use Water Pulse and fire!" I finally shouted with enthusiasm.

Alegría was one sensitive to enthusiasm herself. She felt a jolt of inspiration from my shouting at least. As the Will-o-wisps circled around her, she began to create a sphere of watery energy right in front of her and soon shoot it and the flames throwers Tyrogue. The attack would hopefully create an appealing scene with the fires surrounding the incoming water attack. Still, I knew that attack wasn't going to be too effective due to the strong cold. If the Will-o-wisps made it to Tyrogue without going out and if the Water Pulse made it there without freezing, then I could consider myself lucky. No, this was just a distraction.

As the attack had been shot I added, "This is your chance girl! Shadow Sneak!"

Alegría smiled as she caught up with the plan and sank into her shadow once more. Now her shadow was in course towards the wild fighting type Pokemon. I was very confident about the attack this time. I quickly held the Parkball that was already at my chest and readied myself. As soon as Alegría's attacks were over, I was definitely going to throw it again.