Indiviual RP (Moved): Chainy (Woods)

(OOC: New computer = no international keyboard = no accents since I'm too lazy to go look for it again Also, I moved this run from PE2K because it's been lagging and not loading all the time. The original thread is here if anyone wants to check it out.)

BP#5

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Jathan stumbled back as she touched his wrist, letting him see with the energy-colored sight that she and Haji had started to use more often. From his reaction, she supposed she probably should've given him more warning, but something like this power that was settling in the ground shouldn't be taken lightly. Seeing the designs sparked a thousand questions. The first and foremost was where the Pokemon got the idea to make them.

As the results of Lickitung's Bulldoze took effect, Jathan pulled away. It was hard to know what was going on when the energy was swirling like that, and without practice seeing in multi-color like that, it was pretty disorienting. Ivy signaled Haji to let down the sight for them as well, so when she closed and opened her eyes again, the world was no longer painted in vivid strands of color.

The Ranger looked around, but everyone seemed okay. Dual had gotten a tad bit jarred, but he wasn't too hurt. He looked a little agitated if anything, so he wasn't going to be backing down any time soon.

Jathan was silent, but Dual started acting, so he must have given some command silently. That had ups and downs really. She didn't mind it either way. Wild Pokemon could sometimes formulate counter plans if they overheard and understood something the Trainer commanded, so sneakiness could be useful. On the other hand, she had no idea what to expect, and sometimes it was shocking.

The Gallade began to tense as he got into a stance and focused. She could see his muscles start to build up in what appeared to be a Bulk Up. She had seconds to react to what he did next as he rose his arm and pulled it back with his elbow up. He slammed his fist into the ground, and the earth responded.

Unfortunately for her, seconds weren't enough. The ground rolled and lurched as it started to shake, and Ivy toppled backwards in her surprise as Dual set off an Earthquake. She covered her head with her hands as she let her body relax and lurch with the ground. If she tried to fight it, she would bruise or possibly break a bone if something slammed into her.

She heard distinct cracks, and she was able to squint enough as the shaking died down to see the hills that the pink Pokemon created were being torn down with the force of the shaking. The ground was settling back the way it was by filling in the holes with the disturbed earth. Not all the pieces went back in place though.

The Lickitung was revealed as the earth slid away from its forced mountains, but it didn't look surprised. Instead, it was focusing on the clumps of ground that had broken off. With a stamp of its foot, the pieces jumped up into the air. Then the pink Pokemon started to spin like a top, and in doing so, set its dangerous tail flailing. It struck the clumps and fired them at Dual at blinding speeds.

The bits of dirt and stone collided with the fighter, and some of it, due to being farther in the ground, was a little damp. It stuck to him for a few seconds, making him waste a little time brushing it off or risk not moving properly. While he was busy with that, the Lickitung started the next part of its plan.

Ivy could feel the energy before she actually saw it in motion. It came rolling across the field like a wave, rusting the grasses like a high wind. Since she was on the ground, she felt it pulse in the ground. It made her hair stand up on end, and goosebumps erupted all down on arms. She scrambled up as she looked over to where the flattened symbol in the grass was and saw that it was starting to glow. The pattern was being outlined with energy, and she didn't need Haji's sight to see it.

It was mixing up her senses a little though, which wasn't good. Since she had started training more with Haji, she was more sensitive to things like power surges. It made it hard to think, and she felt like there were insects crawling in her skin. She rubbed her arms and tried to breathe to make it go away, but the air was thick with power.

At that time, Lickitung began to concentrate, and she could see the power forming in front of him while the grass thrashed at its sides. An orb of light was collecting just slightly higher than its head. The pink Pokemon had its arms up, as if it could contain the power in its limbs. It swirled and pulsed, and whatever it was was going to hit Dual really hard if they didn't do something.

“Jathan, look out!” she called as she got closer to Haji.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Lickitung: 48% [Atk/SpAtk+1][Spe-1][Used Rock Tomb and ???]
Serious M Gallade: 80% [SpAtk/Def+1][Atk+2][Spe-2][Disabled: Future Sight][Used Bulk Up and Earthquake]

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
4 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik
MCR: 10,417/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Picture Value: 2,000

Items: 3x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 17x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 80%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male)
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

OOC: Ugh, this is a bad post. Headache and other shit while writing it.

Second OOC: Yay, only took me like three days to do.

Dual punched the ground and it started to ripple, like waves in the ocean. I dropped to my knees and hands, bracing myself against the bucking earth, but I didn't take my eyes off the battlefield. It was imperative that we located the Lickitung as soon as possible - that strangely glowing design could be powering it up or preparing a devastating attack or something. The longer it took us to find the Normal-type the more danger Dual was in, and I was all for minimising that amount of time.

The hills that the Lickitung had created began to shake and topple over, and the greater part of the shifted dirt returned to where it had been, although a fair portion of it remained. However, we were lucky - the Earthquake had shaken down the hill that the Lickitung was hiding behind. I was interested to note that the Pokemon wasn't surprised that my Gallade had managed to tear down the hills, which meant that the terraforming was a delaying tactic. The question was why it had needed one.

The Normal-type stamped its left foot into the ground hard, and some of the recently-unearthed rocks jumped into the air. The Wild Pokemon than began spinning, and it struck the rocks with something that was either its tail or its tongue. Perhaps it was even both. The rocks flew towards Dual, and most of them struck him. A few clung to him - probably the sticky underground water - but it didn't take him that long to brush them off. It was long enough for the Lickitung to set its plan into motion, though. I didn't have any experience with energy sensing, but even I could feel the sweeping movement that was active around the entire battlefield.

What's going on? I asked Dual.

<I have no idea,> he said slowly.

"Jathan, look out!" Ivy yelled.

I looked over to her, and saw that she was down on all fours. One of James' jokes rose to the front of my mind, but I pushed it back. The Lickitung's design was full-on glowing now. It looked like when Ivy had shown me those strange lights, except they were now visible in the normal light spectrum. That probably wasn't good.

I got to my feet again - the ground had stopped shaking - and I saw that a large bright white orb was growing in size over the Lickitung's head. It arms were straight up, and they appeared to be feeding the energy ball. Whatever it was, it was going to hit hard.

What do you think, Protect? I asked my Pokemon.

<Nah, that's a wimpy way to block this,> Dual replied. I could hear a kind of gritty determination in his thoughts. <I want to hit this thing. Enough fooling around.

Alright then, gimme a couple seconds.

<Don't take too long.>

What I really wanted Dual to do was go into Protect mode and ride out whatever the Lickitung was charging up. He wasn't going to have any of that, though, so I'd have to find a way for him to avoid the attack while still going on the offensive. Luckily, there was a way I could do that.

"Dual, it looks like that Lickitung is going to fire off something big, and I doubt we can stop it. So the best thing to do is get close - that way if it launches the attack it may hit itself as well. Use Teleport to get behind it, and then use Thunder Wave to slow it down. That should make it easy for you to stay in its blind spot," I called out.

Dual nodded, and I felt a quick flare of approval come through our link. I didn't like potentially exposing the Gallade to a powerful attack like that, but when he felt like fighting it was useless to try and work against him. After all, that's what battling was all about - Pokemon and Trainers working together. Dual held his hands out in front of him and flashed away in a bright blue light. I watched the Lickitung closely, anxious to see what would happen.

 

(OOC: You still haven't answered my gender question.)

BP#6

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The air was hot with energy, and Ivy was finding it a little hard to breathe as the Lickitung used the power of the symbol flattened into the grass to aid its next attack. The strange pattern glowed brightly, just like the shining orb that was growing ever bigger above the pink Pokemon. It was starting to pulse, and she figured that meant he was going to fire it off soon.

“Dual, it looks like that Lickitung is going to fire off something big, and I doubt we can stop it. So the best thing to do is get close – that way if it launches the attack it may hit itself as well,” Jathan said. Ivy nodded along with his logic. Big attacks like that tended to have some kick back – especially at close range.

Jathan told dual to Teleport behind their foe and then use a Thunder Wave to hopefully cripple the Pokemon. The paralyzing waves would shock the Lickitung's limbs, making it harder for it to move around. There was also the chance that it wouldn't be able to move at all if it was overwhelmed with the shocks.

Ivy thought it a bit risky to rush in like that when something big was happening. It didn't seem like something Jathan would do, being a very caring person toward his Pokemon, which made her think it was Dual's idea. The Gallade listened to little suggestion when he was set on something. He probably thought hiding from the blast was a wimp's move.

“Spirit of the warrior,” Haji's voice said against her mind. “Fearless and bold, ever pushing onward. For some, the path of battle is simple and clear. It lights a fire that nothing else can.”

Ivy nodded at the Espeon's words, thinking they fit Dual just fine. He was never one to pad quietly and plan like Haji might. He rather tended to rush in and fight head-on. It was a Trainer's job to learn how to fit together with all their Pokemon's styles. That's what made them effective as a team.

The Gallade put his hands together, and in a flash, the Pokemon was gone. Ivy could still feel his energy though, and before she could even really think about it, Dual reappeared behind the Lickitung. Yellow-white flashes crackled on his arms, and in seconds the bolts responded to an unspoken command and shot toward the pink Pokemon at point blank range.

The Lickitung cried out, but it was too late to stop what it was planning. The orb of energy pulsed one more time before it started to expand – and only expand. The whole area got bright, eliminating the shadows in the two fighters' area and sharply darkening the ones back by them. The sphere stretched upward, like it was calling out to the sky, and the symbol on the ground pulsed as it responded.

A column of energy answered, beaming down in a bright burst that made Ivy throw her arm over her eyes. She felt Haji turn his head as well as the blast engulfed the two battlers. The ground shook with its power, and Ivy's skin was crawling as the energy lanced through the air. No doubt the Lickitung wouldn't be unscathed from something like that. She just hoped Dual wasn't too injured.

The amount of power in the attack, as well as the direction it came from, suggested that it was a Solarbeam. The intensity of the light could be nothing else.

Eventually the beam began to fade, and the white battlefield began to bleed back to the colors that belonged to them. Soon the two Pokemon were visible. She caught sight of Dual first. He had staggered back a bit from his foe, and Ivy could see that the blast had taken some out of him. His arm was up, like he had been trying to shield himself. It didn't quite work though, as she could see the marks of the blast written on his tiring limbs.

The Lickitung wasn't unhurt either though, to make it fair. It was breathing heavily, and the scuff marks from taking blows were more visible on its pink skin. Although the symbol had given the move power, it seemed it still taxed the user some. That might be useful if it was used again. The marks in the ground had faded though, and Ivy's skin no longer felt like it was trying to crawl off of her bones.

Now they just had to see what the two battlers would do next.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Lickitung: 39% [Atk/SpAtk+1][Spe-1][PAR][Used Solarbeam]
Serious M Gallade: 67% [SpAtk/Def+1][Atk+2][Spe-2][Disabled: Future Sight][Used Teleport and Thunder Wave]

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
4 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik
MCR: 14,135/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Picture Value: 2,000

Items: 3x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 17x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 67%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male)
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

OOC: Oops, didn't see em, sorry. Go Male. Also yay, shitty post.

Dual reappeared behind the Lickitung, and as he did so lines of electricity were crawling around his forearms and up his blades. With a simple jerky jab of both of his hands moving simultaneously, Dual pushed the electricity onto the Lickitung. The sparks crawled around the Normal-type's legs and lower abdomen, causing the Lickitung to cry out and stumble a little bit.

The orb that was hovering over the Lickitung began to enlarge, and I knew whatever it was doing was coming soon.

Brace yourself! I yelled mentally.

Dual didn't respond, mainly because a huge beam of faintly-green energy chose that exact moment to smash down into the earth from the sky. I recognised it as a Solarbeam; I'd been trying to teach my Chikorita to learn this move for a long time. I was incredibly surprised that Lickitung could learn it - never in a million years would I have guessed that was what it had been doing. The ground shook like a volcano was erupting, and it was hard to block the light out from my eyes and remain standing at the same time. Somehow, though, I managed it.

When the flash faded, I made out Dual staggering backwards a little bit. His arm was hooked over his head like he'd been trying to block an overhead strike. He didn't look too healthy, but then at least my plan had worked - it looked like the Lickitung had taken damage from the Solarbeam as well. In fact, the Lickitung looked just about right for a capture.

"Okay Dual, good job, just one last thing. Hit it towards me with a nice solid Drain Punch!" I called out.

Drain Punch was a good choice because it'd knock off that last chunk of health that kept a capture from being viable, and it'd also heal Dual of some of the damage he'd taken from the Solarbeam. I didn't really want the Gallade out there for much longer anyway - I was keen to see what else I could come across on this Expedition before my time ran out and I had to go. I pulled a Park Ball out of my pocket and prepared to throw it. The Lickitung was mine.

 

NBP#14

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Jathan looked a little surprised at the Lickitung's choice of attack, and frankly, so was Ivy. Some Grass-type Pokemon even struggled with a powerful move like Solarbeam, so a Pokemon like this using it, who wasn't even associated much with that type of energy, was pretty surprising. She was almost positive that it had something to do with the symbol embedded into the grass. Even if the Lickitung had grown up in the Woods, it was still strange.

Upon seeing that Dual was okay, the Trainer called out to him. “Okay, Dual, good job. Just one last thing. Hit it toward me with a nice solid Drain Punch!” he shouted.

That was probably the last attack he was going to call. The Lickitung was pretty tired by this point, and the electrical bolts wrapped around his limbs were making it hard for him to move. That's why he couldn't really react as the Gallade swept in with his fist pulled back.

The pink Pokemon tried to slam into Dual, but it wasn't very effective since the fighter's fist collided with him at the same time. The Lickitung cried out as Dual's energies overwhelmed it, and just like Jathan said, he rolled toward him. Ivy could see the power flowing back into the Psychic-type. It would help restore some of Dual's strength in case he needed it later.

Jathan pulled out a Park ball and launched it in the wild Pokemon's direction. Weakened and partially paralyzed, he didn't try to evade the device as it struck him on the head, sucking him inside. The ball wobbled a tiny bit, but soon the resounding ding rang out to mark a successful capture.

“Well done,” Ivy said as she passed Jathan to collect the ball. She nodded to Dual as she pocketed the device and took another glance over at the patterns in the grass. Haji and her shared the same thought, and then she turned to Jathan and asked, “Do you want to help me get rid of that symbol? I have a bad feeling about it. I don't want anything else using it.”

That would give them a little time to rest and regroup before heading on. She could hear some sort of happening further into the Woods, off the path still, and if more battling was required, they might as well take advantage of the break.

---

Current Battle Stats: N/A

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
4 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik, Quirky M Lickitung
MCR: 0

Picture Value: 2,000

Items: 2x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 17x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 72%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male)
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

The Lickitung overheard my order, and a panicked look came into its eyes. It turned and attempted to body-slam the Gallade, but it didn’t work too well – the Normal-type pretty much impaled itself on Dual’s outstretched fist. Dual pushed the Lickitung onto its rear end, closer to me, and when he straightened up it looked like a little bit of his vitality had been restored. I threw the Park Ball towards the Lickitung, and my aim was good. The device hit the Lickitung’s head and converted the beast into red plasma, which was then drawn inside the sphere. The Park Ball wobbled from side to side for a couple seconds before emanating the thrilling ding noise of a successful capture.

“Well done,” Ivy said as she went to go pick up the ball. I was used to Rangers holding onto captured Pokemon. The Rager then turned to me and asked me, “Do you want to help me get rid of that symbol? I have a bad feeling about it. I don’t want anything else using it.”

“Yeah, it’s kind of like a Solarbeam In A Can,” I replied. Despite Dual’s mental protests, I held out his PokeBall and returned him.

We walked over to the symbol, and I noticed that it was still glowing faintly, certainly nowhere near as bright as it had been during the battle. I reached out with my foot to kick it apart, but decided better of it. Who knows how the Lickitung had managed to make this. I pulled out a different PokeBall and released my pride and joy – Koma, my Bisharp.

“So, is there any way we should do this?” I asked Ivy. “Or do we just go to town on this thing?”

 

NBP#15

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Jathan agreed to help, saying, “Yeah, it's kind of like a Solarbeam In A Can.” Ivy wasn't sure that a Solarbeam was the only thing that could be powered up with the symbol either, which was a major push in why she wanted it removed. Even a wild Pokemon that didn't know how to use it properly could cause some major damage to the area with just a simple move.

The Trainer went to recall Dual to his Pokeball, and Ivy could practically see the argument on his face, even though she couldn't hear anything he said mentally. Whenever Chainy brought him on a run he hated to be out of the action. He couldn't really fight the red beam of light from the ball though, so Jathan won that round.

Instead, he called out another Pokemon, one Ivy had only seen a handful of times. It was a Bisharp, a powerful Dark and Steel type. It sort of looked like a robot, with black and red steel places over its body, as well as light coverings on his hands and feet, sort of like gloves and boots. There was a yellow-colored axe on his head too. The Pokemon looked around calmly, waiting for instruction.

“So, is there any way we should do this?” he asked. “Or do we just go to town on this thing?”

She shrugged. “I don't really care I guess, as long as it's disabled and there isn't a bunch of damage. The trees are bad enough.” She made a mental note to request some saplings to be planted or some other trees to be transplanted to this area.

Before they could really start working, an ominous bird call made her look up. A shadow hovered against the sky above them, with wide wings and a long neck. She heard the call again as the bird tilted to fly closer, revealing the brown ruffled feathers of a Fearow. It circled slowly, getting minutely closer on each loop. It was watching them closely, probably looking for scraps.

“Vulture,” Ivy said, staring back at the creature. “These things can get nasty. We should probably finish up quick and get out of here. Unless you want to battle it, that is. What do you think, Jathan?” she asked.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Fearow: 100%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
3 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung, Fearow
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik, Quirky M Lickitung
MCR: 1,546/15,000 [Borderline Rank]

Picture Value: 2,000

Items: 2x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 17x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 72%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male)
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

OOC: I'll edit if you don't want me to destroy it outright.

“I don't really care I guess, as long as it's disabled and there isn't a bunch of damage. The trees are bad enough,” Ivy replied.

I nodded, careful not to reply. "Koma, rip this up with an X-Scissor," I commanded the Bisharp. I figured that since this was a nature-affecting rune (so, roughly Grass-typed) the Bug-type technique shouldn't have any trouble in completely ripping through the rune.

And it didn't. Koma's gauntlet glowed a sickly yellow-green, and he ripped through the ground in strategic lines, maximising the amount of pattern that got destroyed with each cut. I suddenly heard a bird call, and looked up. A large brown bird was circling the clearing above us, watching us carefully. It screeched again, and a shiver ran down my back.

“Vulture,” Ivy muttered. Maybe she didn't like Fearow for some reason. “These things can get nasty. We should probably finish up quick and get out of here. Unless you want to battle it, that is. What do you think, Jathan?”

"Nah, I don't have any Pokemon suited to battling Flying-types. We should just move on," I said.

Koma huffed and gave me an unhappy look as he finished up with the rune. One final strike to the middle of the design and the glow faded with a final flash. He slouched over to me, refusing to make eye contact.

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that you wuss," I said reproachfully. "I know that you could take that thing - what I meant was I had no supereffective Pokemon to take it on."

Koma sniffed, but it was a theatrical sniff. I couldn't help but crack a smile before turning to Ivy.

"Okay, let's leg it," I said to her. "I got a doll if need be."

 

NBP#16

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Jathan told his Bisharp, who was named Koma, to destroy the grasses with an X-Scissor. The green-tinted light that formed when the fighter slashed ripped through the mark in the ground, almost like a lawnmower.

He decided that they should just continue on and avoid the bird, and the words he used caused Koma to huff and generally act depressed in a funny way, like Jathan had meant it as an insult. It made her smile. It was good to know he had a sense of humor.

She went to lead them on, but the Fearow continued getting closer. She could hear the flaps of its wings every time it circled, and the noise sounded closer together each time, meaning it was gaining control of its body for quick movements. That probably wasn't good for them. She signaled to Jathan and he threw a doll at it, making sure it went tumbling over into the grasses. The bird immediately picked up on it and honed in, swooping into the grasses with a whoosh, calling out. They hurried on before the bird remembered they were there.

Ivy wasn't sure how comfortable Jathan was with continuing off the path, but she didn't have time to ask. They could only thread through the grasses toward what sounded like a steady beat of some sort. She wasn't sure what it was, and as a Ranger, she wanted to investigate. The brush grew until it was about waist high, meaning they had to wade through it a little slower than she liked. She could barely see the tip of Haji's tail as he threaded through the grass in front of her.

Something weird was going on. The Pokemon in the Woods were acting too strange for their not to be. Acting guards, strange symbols flattened into the grass... what was next?

She didn't have much time to think about it. An energy made her pause, and then with a slicing sound, the grass in front of them suddenly fell in a line. As the blades were lost on the ground, another Kricketune was revealed. This one had one of its scythes out, which explained the window of brush. It didn't look too friendly.

“Here we go again. Jathan?” she asked.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Kricketune: 100%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
2 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung, Fearow, Kricketune
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik, Quirky M Lickitung
MCR: 0/9,000 [Uncommon Rank]

Picture Value: 2,000

Items: 2x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 16x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 72%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male)
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

Ivy started moving forward and I followed her, but the Fearow didn't want to leave us alone. It circled closer and lower until eventually Ivy signaled for me to throw a doll. I was more than happy to do so - I'd won a load of PokeDolls in a raffle a long time ago. If I didn't have these, I would have had to battle everything bar the strongest things - my allowance wasn't very high.

I threw the doll in an arcing motion, to get the Flying-type's attention, and it landed in some grass. The Fearow immediately turned after it, and we hurried on before it found the doll, just in case.

The trees gave way to waist-high grass, interspersed with small bushes that attempted to trip me up. The blades almost reached my shoulders, and if Ivy wasn't fairly tall then I would have lost her entirely. I wished I had the blade-covered armour that Koma had - the edges were so sharp that any grass that brushed against him were easily shorn off. The Bisharp was literally cutting a swathe through the field. I considered falling behind him so it'd be easier to walk, but I decided against it because I didn't want Ivy to think I was weak.

Suddenly, Ivy stopped, and I heard the sching sound of a slicing blade. I inched forwards and saw another Kricketune. This one had its blades extended and didn't look happy to see us at all. Koma immediately moved forwards, preparing to battle, but I held my hand in front of him, stopping him.

"Here we go again. Jathan?" Ivy asked.

"No thanks," I replied, shaking my head. "I didn't want the other one, and this one looks much angrier, so I'm not interested. Koma, why don't you see if you can run it off?"

I pulled a doll out of my backpack just in case. It wasn't that I didn't have faith in my Pokemon's abilities, it was just that this Kricketune looked abnormally pissed off.

 

NBP#17

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Jathan wasn't interested in this Kricketune either, which didn't surprise her. He asked Koma if he could run the wild Pokemon off, perhaps catering to his need to be tough, as was seen from the theatrics before. The Bisharp stepped forward, but the bug didn't seem interested in a fight. Ivy didn't know if it was maybe intimidated or had something better to do, but it left them alone, disappearing into the grasses.

They continued on through the brush that was thickening with every step. Ivy started to get a sense of dread as they went on, though she didn't really know why. She kept her senses sharp at any rate, hoping to avoid being surprised.

Thankfully, nothing popped out at them, and they waded through the grass until the trees started appearing again. It was a nice change to all the sawed off ones in the previous field. These ones seemed to be on some sort of stimulant too, as they started normal but continued to be massive. There were a few that she wasn't sure three of her could wrap her arms around. She couldn't remember if she had seen this part of the Woods or not either, and it made her suspicious.

The drumming, if she could call it that, got louder as they went into these trees too, and she could smell something that was a lot like smoke. She hoped there weren't poachers causing trouble. That sour note caused a quicker pace in her step until they were finally out of the weeds.

What she saw amazed her. The trees looked like established houses. It was apparent someone had been building, though it didn't look like human hands did it. Some of the structures were off center and tilted, but they were dwellings all the same. It was like a tree house town, like Fortree had become.

The source of the noise drew her eyes upward, where two Jigglypuff were pounding on two webs that had been stretched across a hole in the trunks. It was like a drum beat. There was also some commotion up top. Other Pokemon in the trees were making noise, calling out whoops and chants. What caught her eye first was a flat platform with three Pokemon on it.

The two on the sides were Wigglytuff. They were busy, messing with what looked like bowls of colorful paint. Their hands were stained in shades of green and blue. They were painting a Pokemon in between them. That was the real amazement.

It was a Bug-type, and it was shiny metallic red, with spines on its helmet and buzzing wings. She recognized it as a Scizor, a very powerful and sought-after Pokemon. Jathan had been looking for its preevolution, Scyther. This one was marked with paint in strange symbols she had never seen before. Now that she looked, similar marks to the one they saw flattened in the grass were over the ground and trees too.

What bothered her the most was that the markings on the Scizor looked like war paint.

The three stopped to look at them, and the noises the other Pokemon were making quieted down as they seemed to disappear into the woodwork. The Scizor stamped its foot, and then a bunch of foliage fell from above, cloaking the three. When the leaves settled, the Scizor and one of the Wigglytuff were gone. The last one was looking at them sternly, with its hands on its hips.

“Wiggly,” it said toughly. Maybe it was the Pokemon in charge at the moment.

“Well, Jathan, this one seems a little upset with us. Then again, maybe it's trying to put on a good show. I think that Scizor might be around here somewhere too,” Ivy said. That Scizor was bothering her a bit, and she told herself that they should probably find what it was up to before they left.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Wigglytuff: 100%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
1 Encounter Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung, Fearow, Kricketune, Wigglystuff
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik, Quirky M Lickitung
MCR: 0/35,000 [Rare Rank]

Picture Value: 2,000

Items: 2x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 16x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 72%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male)
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

Koma stepped forward, and the bug decided it had better things to do. It disappeared into the grass and our little group forged onwards. Since Koma was already ahead of me I decided to stay behind him and let walking become that little bit easier.

A little while later we began to walk amongst the trees again, and the grass dropped back down. These trees were huge, and as Ivy pointed out there were crude dwellings fashioned near the tops of the trees. There were some Pokemon I couldn't quite see making a drumbeat sound that I hadn't even heard up until now - it occurred to me that I might be getting a little tired. I didn't have great stamina at the best of times.

I was busy looking around at the impressive village when I heard a large thud and lots of leaves dropped to the ground. I looked up and saw a Wigglytuff staring down at me, as if asking me what I was doing here.

“Well, Jathan, this one seems a little upset with us. Then again, maybe it's trying to put on a good show. I think that Scizor might be around here somewhere too,” Ivy said to me.

"Whoa, hang on, there's a Scizor somewhere?" I asked. I felt immense internal struggle - on one hand I really wanted to capture it, but on the other hand I was almost positive that I couldn't handle it. "Let's just get away from this guy for now - I don't want to battle him. Hopefully the flash will scare him off."

I pulled out my camera and raised it up towards the Normal-type. I didn't really want the picture, I just wanted us to get safely away from it.

 

NBP#18

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

“Whoa, hang on, there's a Scizor somewhere?” Jathan asked. Ivy guessed he hadn't been paying attention like she was. There was a lot to look at after all.

“You mean you didn't see the big red metal thing decorated with war paint?” she teased, knocking into his shoulder with her own. “Need some glasses?”

The Wigglytuff continued to stare down at them, and it made for an interesting sight, seeing its hands stained with color and flecks of paint splashed onto its face and body. She guessed they were using some sort of berry mix since those were pretty common in the Park. Without people picking them all the time, they grew at a pretty rapid rate. Since there were so many different types, they could probably have a whole palette of shades in various blues, reds, and yellows.

“Let's just get away from this guy for now – I don't want to battle him. Hopefully the flash will scare him off,” Jathan said as he pulled out his camera.

He lined up the shot and pressed the button. The flash of light bounced off all the structures despite all the natural light. The Wigglytuff stood still for it, but its eyes were closed thanks to the light. It didn't seem too annoyed, she thought, and thankfully it decided it had enough of them. It turned around on the platform and disappeared into one of the dwellings, leaving the group alone in the strange community.

Ivy was debating where to go next, wondering where the Scizor was. She reached out with her senses and felt Haji do the same to try and locate the Steel-type. They didn't have to wait long though, because a sudden flare up of fire grabbed her attention.

It was a small campfire-type light off to the side, and as she watched, another one appeared a few feet from it. Then two more appeared a few feet down, and they kept sparking alive two by two to line a path leading away from the houses.

“Well, it looks like we're being called,” she said. “Let's go.”

The path was basically mowed grass like the stuff that surrounded this place. It was lined by the small lights, making it sort of like a tunnel they were going through. If they were lucky, nothing would catch on fire. She hoped nothing decided to jump them either; it would be a little tough to battle with all the fire hazards.

Eventually the path opened up into a circular area. The ground was worn and well-used, and from the shape and the hills surrounding it, she immediately thought arena of some sort. Like she suspected, the Scizor was waiting for them in the center. The sky was open above them, and that allowed the sun to shine down into the battling place.

The light made the painted runes on the Scizor stick out. She still couldn't figure out what any of them meant, but if it had anything to do with the one that had been flattened into the grass, it would probably be troublesome. The red, metallic bug watched them calmly, and when the four of them were all the way in the arena, a gate of thorny vines slithered out of the ground and blocked the way back into the village. Looks like they weren't leaving that way.

She didn't panic though. The Scizor motioned with his claws to the side, and she saw a path leading out of the place. She reached down to check the compass around her neck and thought that from the northwest direction, it would probably lead them back to the main path. The way the bug suggested it seemed like they had a choice.

“Well, Jathan, here's your shot at this one. It's not quite a Scyther, but it's about as close as you can get without it being the real thing. It looks like its offering you a choice though. You don't have to fight if you don't want to. We can leave from that path over there. It's your call,” she said.

She didn't know if Jathan would go for it, seeing how he liked the lowest evolution stage and the fact that Scizor would not be a piece of cake to raise. He had done well in the Park so far though, and she knew he had other expeditions under his belt too. She shrugged as she turned back to the Scizor. “For what it's worth, I think you can do it.”

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Scizor: 100%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
0 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung, Fearow, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Scizor
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik, Quirky M Lickitung
MCR: 0/45,000 [Special Rank]

Picture Value: 4,000

Items: 2x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 16x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 72%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male)
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

OOC: Female Scizor, please.

“You mean you didn't see the big red metal thing decorated with war paint? Need some glasses?” Ivy laughed quietly, nudging me with her shoulder. I blushed heavily at the body contact and shied a little away. It was really hard keeping the secret, especially when Ivy was so beautiful and had a very trustworthy air. It kind of reminded me of my mother - I instinctively wanted to share all my secrets with her because she felt safe.

I re-aimed the camera as I fought down the blush, and when the Wigglytuff's body was firmly centred in the middle of the circular targeting reticule I pressed the rectangular button on top of the black device. There was a whirring sound and a slight delay as my digital camera's Glossy Lens adjusted the shot, dimming the natural lights and emphasising the darkness. The result was a much more neutral shot - they may not win any art awards, but they were great for detail and accuracy, and that's what the Archives paid for. I had purchased the lens using three months' worth of pocket money, but so far it had half-way paid for itself.

The camera's flash somehow bounced off all the trees and buildings as well as the low-cut grass. My eyes were spared, seeing as one was closed and the other was using the camera, but the Wigglytuff's were not. It squeezed its eyes closed, and I cursed under my breath. I didn't like it when my subject's eyes were closed on pictures. Still, it shouldn't matter to the Archivists. It was a pretty good shot (besides the eyes) even if I do say so myself.

I put the camera back into its specially designated pocket in the side of my backpack. The Wigglytuff opened its eyes and contemplated our little group silently for a further several seconds before turning around and disappearing into one of the above-ground structures. I gulped nervously, but the Pokemon seemed to have had enough of us. That was fine with me - I didn't want to battle such a high-level Pokemon when Igglybuff were very commonly bred on the mainland. If I wanted to try breeding one, I'd simply visit one of the nearby ranches.

I looked up at Ivy, debating asking her what to do now, but she had the far off look in her eyes that James had whenever he talked to Dual. I figured that I had the same look when I talked to him, too. As I looked at Ivy, my blush rose again. I could see why James had said what he did, although I imagined the Ranger's looks weren't the only reason.

A sudden flush of red appeared on the woman's cheeks, but it wasn't internal. I looked over to see a pair of campfires flare into existence and start crackling away merrily. I narrowed my eyes, trying to penetrate the darkness around them, but I couldn't see any movement. The fires must have been lit by invisible Pokemon - I knew for a fact that Kecleon lived in the Woods, I had encountered one on my previous Expedition - or a long-range fire attack.

There was another flash of red, and two more fires lit up behind the first two. That immediately ruled out a long-range fire technique, as there had been to streaking fireball. If they were being lit at range, the user was an incredibly stealthy user. More than likely a Bug Pokemon with a Fire-typed Hidden Power or something. Ah well, a mystery to be solved another day.

Fires continued to be lit up in pairs, and it was obvious a path was being laid out for us to follow. I looked up at Ivy again, to see what she made of it.

“Well, it looks like we're being called. Let's go.” the female Ranger said to me.

Well, that answered that. She seemed to think the best thing to do was follow the path laid out by the fires that were being lit mysteriously, seemingly out of nowhere. I had visions of this fire sniper setting my skull alight if we did its bidding, which was definitely something I wanted to avoid. Still, I guess I trusted the Ranger, and Koma was out here with me.

<Besides, if I sensed anything wrong I'd take action,> Dual's voice broke into my thoughts.

I know you would, I replied, feeling stronger by the second. I'd probably never forgive myself if I chickened out now, especially considering Ivy would be here to see it. She'd never let me forget it, and I couldn't have that. Slowly I began to put one foot in front of the other, following Ivy down the path. I picked up speed though, and it wasn't long before I was walking side-by-side with the Ranger. I could almost feel Koma watching me with approval from his self-appointed position at my back. The Bisharp had decided long ago that he was my de-facto bodyguard, so whenever he was out that would be where he chose to stand. I didn't mind it - I felt like kind of a badass sometimes with a big spiky armour-coated Pokemon behind and above me.

The path wasn't easily distinguishable from the normal ground - I was glad for the fires to mark the way. It was just grass, although slightly lower and matted, like it was used a lot. I wasn't surprised, considering the size of the town here. It was probably a street, just like in any human settlement, but the Pokemon here didn't have the skills required to pave or concrete their streets. Although, on second thoughts, they probably preferred it this way. I always thought that concrete was humanity's way of trying to kill off Mother Earth.

A little while later the trees began to thicken, and the fired became sparser. I gulped but continued to follow the path. I saw a slight speck of light ahead, so I rushed forward, past the last set of trees. I blinked, amazed, as I saw that I had been led into an arena of some sort. There were rolling hills and flat sections of land, with about half of the grass worn away in patches all over the place. Thick trees marked an easily distinguishable border, so there could be no confusion as to where the boundary lines of the arena was. Finally, standing right in the middle of the arena was the Scizor Ivy had mentioned. It stood proudly upright, balancing its large body and carapace on thin legs. It was red all over, except for the strange markings and designed in green and blue that had been painted all over its body by the pair of Wigglytuff from before. I could clearly see the pairs of "eye markings" on its claws, the ones that tricked its prey into thinking the Steel-type had three heads. They looked easily fake at the moment, but I'd expect that in the high-speed battles they fought the Scizor could confuse their prey with those fake heads quite easily.

As our little group moved further into the arena, I heard a rough slithering sound behind us. My heart skipped a beat and I turned around, expecting a huge snake right behind us, ready to gobble us up. Luckily, it wasn't one - the noise was produced by several vines that slithered upwards, barring our way back into the village. I almost snickered - like I was going to go back that way. Still, I guess they were just protecting what was theirs, and I definitely could not blame them for that.

I looked back over to the Scizor, and it stared at me for a what seemed like half an hour. Finally, it gestured with its claws to its left, and I could just see, almost on the other side of the clearing, an open exit. No doubt that would take us back towards the Entrance. It looked like the Scizor was offering me a way out without battling, and I was severly tempted to take it. The Bug-type was very intimidating, and I wasn't sure in my skills at all.

<Oh, Jathan, that's crap and you know it,> Dual admonished me. <It's true that you're not the best battler ever, but you're not stupid, and all of the Pokemon you've ever raised happily listen to you in battle. Sure, this will be a challenge, but you can do it.>

There was a white flash of light, and Dual was standing beside me. It wasn't an uncommon occurrence for him to let himself out of his Poke Ball. He clapped me on the shoulder with his hand and smiled at me.

<You can do this. Saya and Koma believe in you, and I do too.>

“Well, Jathan, here's your shot at this one," Ivy said. "It's not quite a Scyther, but it's about as close as you can get without it being the real thing. It looks like its offering you a choice though. You don't have to fight if you don't want to. We can leave from that path over there. It's your call."

I looked over at the Scizor, and there was no doubt in my mind that I was scared. It certainly was an intimidating opponent naturally, and the war paint was making it look even worse. Still, I had come here wanting a Scyther, and while this Pokemon wasn't one of them I could possibly breed one using it. I made both my hands into fists as I finally made my decision.

"I'll take it on," I said in a way I hoped sounded firm, although I could feel my jaw quivering, so to Ivy it probably sounded hesitant. Dual nodded and stepped forward, but I caught his elbow.

"Not you, buddy, I need you in reserve," I told him.

The Gallade's eyes widened in outrage, and he gestured towards the coolly statutory Scizor angrily. <You really think I'm going to miss out on the chance of fighting that?> he exploded.

Yes, I am, I replied firmly. You're my ace-in-the-hole. I'll need you strong and healthy in case something goes wrong. If you're going to be a pain, I'll send you back to the ball and tape it shut.

Dual grumbled much like a young schoolchild, but he stepped back begrudgingly so that he was alongside Koma. Since I wasn't going to lead with the Gallade, my choice of who to send out was made much simpler - it was either Saya or Koma. The decision didn't take long to make: Saya was a Fire-type, so while she would excel in battle with the Bug/Steel Scizor, there would be a good chance of her accidentally knocking it out, which was something I wanted to avoid at all costs. Besides, she had already battled, and although she'd probably recovered from her scuffle with the Joltik, if she was on anything less than full health she'd be at a serious disadvantage versus this beast of a Pokemon.

"Alright Koma, you're up," I said to the Sharp Edge Pokemon. He nodded and strode stoically in front of me, but because I raised him I knew he was actually overflowing with joy. He was similar to Dual in many ways, and one of the most visible ones was the pleasure he took in battle.

The pair of Pokemon eyed each other off, not moving at all bar a few slight twitches. These Pokemon weren't so different from each other either. They were both Steel types, and predominantly red in colour, although Koma's torso was black and his gauntlets and boots were white. The sunlight glinted off of Koma's yellow flanged helmet spike, and I could have sworn it was enlarging, although I knew it wasn't because the only time it did that was when Koma used the Guillotine technique, and that wasn't going to happen because Guillotine was a one-hit-kill move.

"Koma, both of you guys are about as fast as each other. Let's see if we can change that," I suggested. "Open with a Rock Polish, and use an Iron Defense at the same time. Once that's done, get in there with a Brick Break."

I knew for a fact that Scizor could raise their speed as well, so I didn't expect Koma to stay faster for long, but as long as his speed didn't fall below the Bug-type's then he wouldn't be at a serious disadvantage. The Iron Defense was to ward off the Scyther's strong physical blows. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bug knew some Fighting-typed techniques, and too many of them making contact would spell doom for my Dark-type Pokemon. I considered commanding a Swords Dance as well, but too many reinforcement moves left Koma wide open to attack. I'd have to raise his attack power later on.

Koma bunched his muscles and bent over slightly. He began to glow a bright yellow, as if he was trying to outmatch the sun. I knew he was purging all the impurities in his armour and rubbing off the weaker outer layer. His armour was his pride and joy, and thankfully it regenerated naturally just like the rest of his body. Unfortunately, just like most biological organisms, the repair wasn't perfect. The Rock Polish would remove those imperfections and leave the armour in pristine condition.

After a couple of seconds the light changed from yellow to silver. Instead of being blindingly bright, this light rolled and glistened. Koma had begun the Iron Defense, and using this technique he hardened his suit of armour using his regenerative abilities and his pure indomitable Steel-typed will. This would negate the armour that he had lost in the Rock Polish purging, and even further strengthen him. I watched him closely, ready for him to blur forwards with his palm extended, striking the Scizor firmly and hopefully getting in the first blow of the match.

 

(OOC: Wee I suck at action scenes XD)

BP#7

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Jathan took a little bit to respond, and Ivy knew he was weighing both of the options very carefully. She didn't know for sure, but she was pretty sure a Scizor would be one of his hardest tests ever, since he had commented about a Lickilicky being a little tough to handle. Scizor was a big step up, but the fact that he had intentionally brought in a Scyther disk meant that part of him thought he'd be up to the challenge.

Ivy thought he was too. His Pokemon trusted in him, and sometimes that was all you really needed. For being so young, he was pretty skilled. Then again, she couldn't really judge since she had gotten such a late start at it. Kids these days sometimes left home at ten years old. Still, being a breeder required a lot of knowledge, so it was still impressive.

“I'll take it on,” he finally said, and Ivy smiled and nodded. Sometimes the biggest challenges a person had were more internal than external.

Dual stepped up to battle, seeming pleased as well, but Jathan caught his arm and stopped him. “Not you, buddy, I need you in reserve,” the Trainer said.

Ivy flinched before she felt the Gallade's flare of power, showing his displeasure at that statement. She couldn't hear anything he was silently saying to the Trainer, but she didn't need to. She knew of his love for battle, and telling him he couldn't would almost be an offense. Jathan must've told him something to placate him at least, since he stepped back and almost sulked like a little kid. It would've been funny if she didn't know he was probably seriously pouting.

Ivy took that cute to get out of the way too. She motioned to Haji as she started for the sidelines. It was easy enough to go over the trimmed hedge that acted like a border to the arena. The raised hills served as seats, so that's what she did. She sat down on the incline, bringing her knees up to rest her arms on as she watched. Haji did the same, sitting so close that their sides touched. She could feel the energy that flittered between them.

“Alright, Koma, you're up,” Jathan said, and the Bisharp looked pleased from where she was sitting. He was probably a lot like Dual as far as battling went, as could be seen from his reaction to not fighting the Fearow. “Both of you guys are about as fast as each other. Let's see if we can change that. Open with a Rock Polish and use an Iron Defense at the same time. Once that's done, get in there with a Brick Break.”

Jathan gave his commands and Koma immediately responded. There was some sort of energy in what he started to do, but it wasn't like the Psychic energy, so Ivy didn't really understand it as much. The Bisharp tensed and started to glow. His protective armor covering became more sleek and less damaged as she watched. Ivy knew a few Pokemon that could do things like this. By getting rid of the rough patches, there would be less resistance in both movement of the self and from the wind and such. It would make Koma faster.

The light changed then, but it was still present. This time Ivy knew he would be strengthening those same plates, making him able to take more hits in theory. Steel-types could be hard to damage at the best of time, but since Bisharp had Dark-type properties, it didn't make him as solid. His types made him a good battler though.

The Scizor simply watched at first, keeping her eyes peeled for anything funny. The runes on her armor made her seem less like a Steel-type and more like some tribal warrior than anything. Hopefully she wouldn't be able to utilize them like the Lickitung had in that other grove. In a smaller area like this, who knew what kind of damage it could cause.

When Koma was done prepping, he flexed and swung his limbs for a second to test them out. Seemingly satisfied, he took one look at the Scizor and darted toward her with one of his arms held back toward his shoulder, ready to strike out and hit the bug.

When he was close, he blurred in and swung. It was so fast Ivy could barely see it. She was sure it was going to do a larger chunk of damage and catch Scizor off guard, but to her surprise, Koma's blow was met with a solid 'thunk'.

Scizor had brought her matching arm up to block the hit. That didn't stop the Bisharp though. He immediately swung again with his other arm, almost without hesitation. He barely even showed surprise that she interupted his flow.

Again, like the first time, the blow ended with a resounding thud of steel on steel as she brought her other arm up to block that hit too. That began their dance. The two Steel-types continued striking and blocking respectively, with limbs moving so fast she could hardly see. The Bisharp kept swinging and Scizor kept blocking. Ivy couldn't imagine all the dents they'd both have when this was done.

The two chased each other around in unreadable patterns, and Ivy saw that with each strike, the Scizor seemed to be blocking even faster, like with each movement, she loosened up her limbs and made herself more mobile.

Eventually, Koma broke through with a quick blur to Scizor's midsection. The chop pushed her back and made her flinch a little, but the Ranger could see that she wasn't going to limp away from it. Immediately the bug held out her arms to the side and went into a spin, making herself a whirling steel twister. She slammed into Koma with enough force to knock him back onto the ground.

The Scizor let up after that though, going back to her side of the field moving much quicker than she had before. She almost strutted in fact, from the swish in her hovering.

There was a cheer as well, and Ivy was a little surprised to see the hills dotted with Pokemon. She was so glued to what the battlers were doing that she hadn't seen any of them come up. There was even a Seviper right next to her, brushing up against her as it moved like it was cheering. Haji seemed aware, but if he wasn't worried about them, there probably wasn't any harm coming her way. He just seemed interested in the battle too, like the others.

It seemed the fighters had a cheering squad as well now. Ivy couldn't help but smile a little as she turned back to the battle.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? F Scizor: 80% [Spe+2][Used Agility and Slash]
Brave M Bisharp: 88% [Def/Spe+2][Used Rock Polish, Iron Defense, and Brick Break]

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
0 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung, Fearow, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Scizor
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik, Quirky M Lickitung
MCR: 12,667/45,000 [Special Rank]

Picture Value: 4,000

Items: 2x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 16x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 72%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male) @ 88%
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

OOC: You do not >.<

When his preparation was complete, Koma pushed off the ground towards the Scizor. Small chunks of the ground kicked up into the air as the Bisharp blasted towards his opponent. Before the dirt even touched the ground, Koma struck the Scizor. Unfortunately, the Bug-type blocked his attack with one of its claws. Acting fast, Koma swung at the Scizor with his other hand, but that attack was blocked as well. Koma moved back a little bit, and the two began trading blows. The majority of them were blocked by the Scizor, and I noticed that the Pincer Pokemon was slowly getting faster. I swore under my breath - I knew that the Wild Pokemon would raise its speed to match Koma's, but I didn't think that it would do so this quickly. I'd have to come up with a different plan.

The two Pokemon continued to duel, now moving at speeds that I couldn't follow. They started to roam around the arena, trying to get an advantage. Sometimes the Scizor even tried to take flight, but that exposed its legs, so it quickly learned not to do that. The battle was just red and white streaks - red blurs being the Scizor's movements, and white ones heing the Bisharp's. Finally, Koma got one strike in on the Scizor's chest, pushing it back a little way. The Scizor's retaliation was quick - it extended its arms and began to spin very fast. The result was a very steely tornado, and it crashed into Koma, knocking him backwards onto his rear end. I knew that such a humiliation would enrage the young Bisharp, so I had to be careful about the moves I commanded. He'd want to strike back as hard as possible - luckily, I had the perfect way in mind for him to do just that.

Scizor stopped spinning, and for a second I thought it would go straight onto the attack, but instead, it backed up, clearly waiting for Koma to get back on his feet. The Scizor must be looking at this like some kind of honourable duel, or a battle. Well, that was a mistake. Koma was a Dark-typed Pokemon. It was time to show the Scizor what that meant.

I was about to order my attack when I thought of something random - perhaps I should ask Ivy what she thought of my plan. I turned around to ask her, but she wasn't there. I spun around, looking for her, and it took me a couple of seconds to find her. She and Haji were sitting down on the raised hills on the edge of the arena, watching the battle intently. It was probably good that I couldn't ask her anyway. This was my test, not hers.

<Very good, little one,> Dual sent approvingly. <James would be very proud.>

The thought of my elder brother while looking at Ivy caused the secret I'd been keeping to rise in my head. Haji looked my way, as if something interesting was going on, and I shoved the secret back down. The Espeon could probably read minds, and I didn't know him very well. What if he had found out, and was going to tell Ivy? James would kill me. I heard Dual chuckling, and no doubt he knew whether or not Haji knew. The only question was, if Haji knew, would the cat tell Ivy?

I was distracted by the quagmire of worries by a sudden cheer. I looked around and saw that a small crowd of Wild Pokemon had emerged from the forest to watch our battle. A Seviper slithered up to watch next to Ivy. A group of Eevee settled down not far away from them - I remembered how the objective of my first Expedition (also a Woods run) was the capture of an Eevee. I'd seen one, but hadn't been able to capture it. In the long run, that was probably for the best - since then, Eevee had become easily obtainable on the mainland. In fact, it was from one of those Eevee that I had bred Cole, my Jolteon, who was at this very second keeping an eye on the new litter of Eevee back at the farm. I was hoping to breed an Eevee that could utilize Fire attacks, even at their low level.

I turned back to the battle, worries forgotten. I hadn't forgotten my plan, though. "Koma, Taunt the Scizor, then when it feels right use your favourite move!" I yelled.

Koma's favourite move was Metal Burst, an incredibly rare Steel-typed technique. It couldn't be taught, only handed down through genetic memory. The user stored all the energy that was used in incoming attacks and magnified it before returning it in one huge blast. The weakness behind this technique was that it couldn't utilize the energy of the user, so first they had to bait their opponent into attacking. This is where Taunt came in. If it worked, the Scizor would be enraged and start attack Koma. He'd store up the energy and then release it right back at the Scizor. I'd seen an Aggron take down a Latios this way, so there was no reason why Koma couldn't use it against the Scizor. The best part was that the more damage Scizor did to Koma, the more it would get hurt it return.

Koma got to his feet, and as he did so, he started chuckling. The chuckling turned to snickering, which then turned into full-blown laughter. He bent over and braced his hands on his knees, seemingly overcome. The Bisharp pointed at the Scizor with his white hand, making it abundantly clear who he was laughing at, and then he started slapping his leg, practically screaming with laughter. The metallic ding of each slap punctuated the laughs nicely - even I was starting to get a little agitated. Hopefully the Scizor would fall prey to it as well. Once the Bug-type was on the offensive, Koma would store up the damage and then return it with Metal Burst. I already knew what I wanted to command next - Swords Dance followed by one of the strongest moves he knew - but I'd have to wait and see what the Scizor did. There might be a way out of this combo that I hadn't seen.

 

BP#8

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The crowd of various Pokemon that had gathered hummed with a sort of curiosity as they waited for the battlers to act. It was a little different, being in a stadium-type thing while here in the Park, but Ivy couldn't say that she didn't like it. In fact, she thought it was pretty healthy that the Pokemon in the Woods seemed to be getting along pretty well. She wasn't sure how often psuedo-cities like this existed in the wild, and the runes she saw still bothered her a little, but at least the Pokemon were okay.

Haji even seemed to be enjoying the event. His ears were perked up as he observed all the different Pokemon. Ivy didn't think they had ever been to a real sporting event like this before either, which made it even better. If he liked them enough, she would make a note to take him out more. Her wages would probably allow for that.

The purple cat looked toward Jathan suddenly, and she felt that spark of curiosity coming off of him through their bond, as if he had learned something interesting. Haji didn't normally spy into people's minds unless it was necessary, so whatever it was was either broadcast very strongly or shared directly with. That might mean Dual was involved. Usually other Trainers that had a link to Psychic-type Pokemon had a natural wall built up that didn't let others in. It was mostly for safety, she thought, like the incident she had on Oktori with a vengeful Froslass.

“What's so funny?” she asked him silently, wondering what it could be that interested him so much.

“Do not worry. It is nothing,” he replied calmly. The only problem with that was that she could practically see the mental grin he was wearing.

Ivy mock-pouted as she playfully nudged him with her shoulder. “Fine, if you won't tell me, maybe I'll just ask Dual,” she said.

Before she could really say anything else, Jathan's words brought her back to the battle. “Koma, Taunt the Scizor, then when it feels right, use your favorite move!” he called.

Ivy spared a thought for what his favorite technique could be as she watched the Bisharp get to his feet. Even before he was upright, a strange cackling seemed to come from him. It grew in volume until he ended up pointing and flat-out laughing at the Scizor. His other hand went to his knee as he continued to jeer at the bug, having to bend over slightly at his laughter. It had an almost-wicked tint to it, reminding her that Dark-types could be very tricky.

The Ranger could practically see the Bug-type's blood boiling at the insult. Her eyes almost alighted with the rage she must've been feeling. It wasn't any fun to get laughed at, and the crowd made that worse.

The Scizor harshly scraped her two mouth-claws together before she shot forward. Sparks flew out as the two metal surfaces scratched together, and they made it look like the bug was wearing rockets as the sparkles were left in the dust of her movement. She blurred as she neared the Bisharp, appearing right in his face. She took a second to draw her arms up, crossing them over her chest, and then with a battle cry, she sliced both of them down hard in a diagonal pattern.

Greenish light formed in an X as Scizor struck Koma with an X-Scissor attack; one of the strongest moves she learned. The bug then backed up, hovering on her rapidly fluttering wings. She moved back and forth somewhat, like she was ready for what was coming next.

Koma took the hit like a champ. Even though Ivy knew it must've been painful, the Bisharp braced himself, absorbing everything he felt into memory. Then, when the he could, Koma sprinted forward, getting closer to the Scizor. When he was no more than a step or two away, he released all that pent up memory in a flash of steely light. Ivy could slightly feel the energy from here.

The blast was enough to knock the Scizor off her feet and send her sprawling across the field, kicking up dust and small bits of rock. The crowd made a collective 'oooh' sound at the flashiness of the Bisharp's move, waiting to see if the forest fighter would recover from the Metal Burst attack. It was a risky play, since the technique forced you to take a move first, but the results were very effective if it was used correctly.

Slowly, the bug pushed herself up by her rounded claws. Her wings buzzed as she righted herself, and the look she was giving Koma was ice cold. Once she was up she tightened her arms by bringing them back close to her body. Her whole form tensed as she concentrated, and what she was using was going to be big.

Ivy stood up as she called out, “Watch out for that Superpower!” The move made the user take all of their strength and exert it against the foe. It was very powerful, but it left them winded afterward in terms of hitting power and their ability to take hits. Bisharp were pretty hardy, but if hit in the right spots, they could be frail. If something like that hit Koma, who knew how much damage it could do, even if Jathan had commanded a defense boost.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? F Scizor: 52% [Spe+2][TNT1][Used Quick Attack and X-Scissor]
Brave M Bisharp: 74% [Def/Spe+2][Used Taunt and Metal Burst]

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
0 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung, Fearow, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Scizor
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik, Quirky M Lickitung
MCR: 18,314/45,000 [Special Rank]

Picture Value: 4,000

Items: 2x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 16x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 72%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male) @ 74%
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

OOC: Taking a tiny bit of liberty with your post, hopefully that doesn't mark me down too much ._. Also, I'll edit Ivy's words if need be.

The Scizor's eyes flared as Koma continued to laugh long and loud. Making it worse was the tiny titters and giggles running through the crowd - I wouldn't put it past some of the other Dark-types in the crowd to laugh along with Koma simply because of their nature (probably a Shiftry or a cluster of Nuzleaf or something). I could tell by the Scizor's tight stance and the way that it was completely motionless (except for its eyes) that it was enraged by Koma's Taunt, which was fantastic. My plan was going perfectly.

The Bug-type drew its claws across each other, causing a large spray of yellow sparks to scatter in front of it. The Scizor then blasted forwards with such speed that the sparks were whipped along for a ride. It gave the appearance of a trail of sparks shooting out behind it, which looked cool. It looked dangerous though, and I was glad I wasn't Koma, having to take whatever the Kingdra was about to hand out.

Koma crossed his wrists over his face and crouched slightly, preparing to take the attack. The Scizor started jerking from side to side, moving so fast that it blurred occasionally. Faded-green light gathered around its claws, and with one powerful strike both of the claws slashed across Koma's arms and chest. The Bisharp groaned and sagged a little bit, but stayed on his feet. The Scizor began striking him repeatedly with quick jabs aimed in many different places. Koma caught them all with his forearms, excepting one jab to his low abdomen that got through and knocked him backwards.

While watching this, I felt a strange niggling feeling through my link to Dual. I closed my eyes and felt through the connection to see what was happening, and I was so surprised by what I found that I could feel my jaw drop open in reality. The connection point between Dual and myself always took on the form of my old cubby-house, the place where we had spent most of our childhood hanging out. Thankfully, the size of the mental cubby-house had grown proportionally with us, so it was now proper-sized. A woman-shaped blob of pink energy shot through with green with sitting at the circular table opposite the white-and-green wireframe that was Dual's chosen representation in this technically theoretical universe.

<Haji apparently found out something interesting by accident,> the blob said to Dual. <Do you have any idea what that might be?>

<I do,> the Gallade replied, crossing his arms and leaning back on his chair. I snuck forwards and hid behind a couch, watching the exchange with only my eyes and the tip of my head sticking above the opaque white cushions. Since the blob knew Haji by name, I was willing to bet that it was Ivy. It was good to know that she could use mental techniques as well - I'd have to watch out for that. Still, I was willing to bet that Dual had allowed her in. I doubted that she would have forced her way into this sanctum, or rather, that she could have at all.

<Well, feel like telling me?> she asked.

<It's Jathan's secret to tell, not mine,> he replied. <It's the reason he's been acting a little weirder than usual. Why don't you go ask him?>

The pink Ivy-blob faded away, turning into lots of little sparks that flew upwards as they phased into nothingness. Dual stretched out fully on the chair, and I chose that time to stand up.

Why the hell would you tell her to come ask me? I screamed at the wireframe Gallade, vaulting over the couch as I did so. It's supposed to be a secret. James will kill me if Ivy finds out!

Dual didn't seem at all surprised to see me there. In fact, it was the exact opposite - he seemed to know I'd been spying on them. At least Ivy hadn't seen me, that could have been embarassing. The Gallade's representation stretched out once more and placed his legs up on the table. It wobbled on its singular leg under the construct's theoretical weight.

<It pertains to Ivy, and you of all people should know about James' reputation. I don't think he's doing this for the wrong reasons, but she should be warned, just so she knows,> Dual reasoned. <Besides, you have been acting weirdly. Don't you think she deserves the truth?>

...Yeah, I guess so, I replied quietly. However, my stubborn-ness kicked in. I'm not walking all the way over to her just to tell her, though. Tell her that I'll speak, but in here. If she got in here once before, she can do it again.

<That seems fair.> Dual nodded. <Now, you should probably start paying attention to that battle again.>

I swore under my breath and backed out of the sanctuary, leaving my mind-body where it was just in case Ivy got curious. It was actually pretty relieving to think that I might be able to finally get the secret off my chest. In all seriousness, it wasn't really a big one, but the seriousness on James' face when he told me made it seem that much bigger.

When I opened my eyes, I saw the Scizor take one last shot at Koma in the form of a slashing strike with both claws. The red appendages caught on the Bisharp's forearms and knocked him to one knee, but thankfully the Scizor backed off a bit, bobbing left and right as it did so. Apparently the Taunt had been successful enough to cause the Bug-type to attack, but not successful enough to override the Pincer Pokemon's honourable inner nature.

Koma got back onto his feet, and he lowered his arms to his sides in a deceptively mild manner. He moved towards the Scizor quickly, timing his jump for when the Scizor had just jinked so that it couldn't change direction. He threw his arms up and as he did so silvery energy began pouring off of his arms and upper body. The Bisharp placed both of his white gauntlets ever so gently on the Bug-type's upper chest. A high-pitched whine split the air and the silver aura flared up. I heard a heavy thud and the Scizor went flying backwards, its arms and legs flailing wildly. The Metal Burst was so strong that I could feel it push at me, threatening to force me back a step. The crowd gasped in unison and the Scizor landed on the ground in a clatter, knocking up dirt and rocks and small clumps of grass. As the Wild Pokemon tried to get up, I noticed something interesting - its lower abdomen, the part where its legs sprouted outwards, was large. Very large. I frowned slightly, and leaned towards Dual.

"Hey, that thing's abdomen looks larger than I would have expected," I muttered to the Psychic-type. "Isn't that usually a characteristic of female bugs?"

The warrior nodded, and a huge grin split my face. That was great news - I would potentially be able to breed further Scyther from it. If I tried really hard and bonded with this Pokemon, I might be able to breed waves of Scyther and become one of the most famous Breeders ever! I felt better than I had ever since leaving the farm - this wasn't what I had come for, but it was arguably better. I was definitely going to catch this Pokemon and become close with it, even if it took me years and years.

The Scizor had finally managed to get back up onto her feet by pushing her claws into the ground. Her wings started buzzing to balance herself, and she pulled her arms in close to her body. Even as the last of the silver energy wafted off of Koma's body, just-barely-visible waves started to gather around the Scizor, and I knew something big was coming. I just didn't know what it was.

Thankfully, Ivy solved that problem about two seconds later. "Watch out for that Superpower!" she yelled out.

I felt a pit at the bottom of my stomach. Koma's only real weakness was Fighting-type moves, and Superpower was the third most-powerful Fighting-type technique there was. That would punch severe holes through my Bisharp, and it might even knock him out. There was no option - I had to devise a way to dodge that attack, or at least lessen it.

Unfortunately, the first option didn't seem likely, no matter how preferable it was. Koma and his opponent were perfectly matched in speed at the moment, so commanding a straight dodge would be very risky. I could order the Bisharp to raise his speed again using Rock Polish, but I doubted that he would be able to complete refining his armour before the Scizor struck. Finally, he could use the Protect technique, but that was an extremely tiring move, and I didn't want Koma to lose any more stamina than was absolutely necessary. We were nearing the middle of the fight, and that was when this battle would really be decided. I knew that Dual was waiting in the wings to cover Koma's back, and he would love the chance to go off against the Scizor, but in all honesty I'd prefer to avoid sending in the Gallade if at all possible.

No, the only thing to do was command some quicker attacks and hopefully lessen the amount of damage the Superpower would do. Furthermore, if Koma could manage to ride out the attack, the effort Superpower required would leave the Scizor weakened, and that would be a great help in capturing it.

"Koma, use Rock Polish to set up a defensive wall, then use Iron Defense again! Ride this out!" I yelled.

Koma jumped back, sliding to a stop on the springy grass. He then punched the ground, and a group of spiky rocks exploded out of the loam in front of him. They formed a curve barrier around the Bisharp, only leaving the rear unprotected. Still, usually powerful techniques were unwieldy, and I doubted the Scizor would be able to get behind Koma's shield. He then sat down on the ground and crossed his legs, and the silver energy gathered around him once more. It pained me to know that Koma was definitely going to be hurt by the Scizor, but I also knew he could take it, and he would have been insulted if I tried to save him. I just had to place my faith in the Bisharp and hope that another opening would appear in the Scizor's guard for me to act upon.

 

BP#9

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Being inside someone else's mind was strange, she thought. She knew that everyone that had a bond with a Psychic-type Pokemon connected differently, but she hadn't really seen anything like what she just had.

After a nudge from Haji, she commenced the conversation with Dual within Jathan's mind, strangely enough. The scene took place in a house that must've meant something to the both of them. With the Espeon and her, it was just like a conversation, as if they were talking out loud instead of silently. Seeing things happen with an actual background was pretty neat.

“We could do that also, if you wished it,” Haji said against her mind, and even as he spoke, she could see a thick fog roll over her feet and through the air, obscuring some sort of forest setting around them. “Sometimes it is not as useful, and it requires an extra moment to come in and out of,” he said next. It was handy to know, if they ever needed it.

Unfortunately, she hadn't found out much information other than Jathan did know something, which she already suspected. She supposed it was good to know for sure, and she guessed that she could do what Dual said and ask Jathan directly. She wouldn't distract him from the battle at the moment though, if what Haji mentioned came into play. She didn't want a mistake to be made because she was being nosy.

From the look on the boy's face, he didn't really seemed pleased with the Scizor's plan. She didn't blame him, but it was his Pokemon that provoked her into it. Still, he had some sort of plan to counter it. With a grim look on his face he shouted, “Koma, use Rock Polish to set up a defensive wall, then use Iron Defense again! Ride this out!”

Instead of trying to get out of the way, he was deciding to try and take the hit. Ivy wasn't too much into battling professionally, but she didn't know how good of an idea that was. Still, all she could do was watch. She wasn't allowed to interfere with this part.

Koma slid back and slammed his fist into the ground. The earth responded, and jagged rocks popped up from the burst, forming a half ring around the Dark-type. The Ranger didn't think she had ever seen the move used like that before. It was pretty creative, but would it work? If the bug had enough force, she could just crash right through them.

Next, the Bisharp got onto the ground in a slight meditative pose as he started to glow again. Ivy didn't know why he was just sitting there. They were trying to just ride the attack out, but sitting like that was too vulnerable for her tastes. Beside her, Haji silently agreed. Then again, he liked to attack from afar, and he wasn't really built for taking hits like a Steel-type was.

The Scizor jetted off, using her wings to boost her toward the ring of rocks. Anger rolled off her in waves, probably from the taunting that Koma had done. She was sure that the bug was just going to charge through the rocks and disregard the consequences, but to her surprise, the Scizor veered off at the last second.

The red Pokemon flashed so fast that Ivy could barely follow her. She did a rapid zig-zag-like pattern that took her around the rocks, to the Bisharp's exposed side. She flashed in with a quick hit, and the Ranger realized that Scizor had been leading them on as she finished her Feint attack.

She didn't stop there though. After she struck out with her claw, she whirled in a half circle, striking out with her buzzing wings. The result toppled Koma over, and the red bug darted back over the rocks and to the other side of the field, taking the opportunity to put something between them. It seemed that she didn't really like sitting still for long. Even now she was still buzzing with energy, hovering as her wings worked to keep her floating loosely.

That was as good of a break as they were going to get. Koma was trying to get up, and Jathan would probably need to think of a new plan. With a look down to Haji, she nodded.

She felt the Espeon's energy reach out to contact Dual, sending her request for him to open the channel between them again. It was rude to just try and barge in, although it did happen on accident sometimes. She recalled a few times where they had picked up on someone else's thoughts when they hadn't meant to. In fact, it was a test of mental strength and ability to try and break into someone else's connection. If the other was really fighting you and you weren't up to snuff, it was near impossible to do.

She felt that door open softly, and she saw another different world in her mind. She was still partly aware of the ground she sat on and the Pokemon near her, but it was like seeing two things at once and focusing only on one at a time. The house started to become clearer to her, so she decided Jathan would probably be able to hear her.

With a smile on her face she said, “So, Jathan, how come you're always so nervous around me?”

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? F Scizor: 52% [Spe+2][TNT2][Used Feint and Wing Attack]
Brave M Bisharp: 67% [Def+4][Spe+2][Used Rock Polish and Iron Defense]

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Chainy
Location: Woods
0 Encounters Remaining
Hi-Def Scyther Disk: 5/5
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Ninjask, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Archen, Joltik, Drapion, Bellsprout, Shelmet, Karrablast, Mothim, Lickitung, Fearow, Kricketune, Wigglytuff, Scizor
Pokémon Captured: Hasty F Joltik, Quirky M Lickitung
MCR: 28,102/45,000 [Special Rank]

Picture Value: 4,000

Items: 2x Park Ball; 4x SuperBall; 4x HyperBall; 2x Calming Fragrance Plus; 16x PokeDoll; 5x Honey; Squirtbottle; Pokeplayer; Digital Camera; Blank Disk x2; 7x Lava Cookie; Status Bomb x2; Love Potion; Max Revive x2; Premium Honey; Pax-A-Punch; Digital Camera Zoom Lens; Heal Potion; 4x Full Heal; 2x Max Potion; Supreme Park Ball; Glossy Lens; High-Def Voice Disk (Scyther)

Pokémon Stats

Dual the Gallade (Male) @ 72%
Serious Nature
Justified DW Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, HM04-Strength, HM05-Flash, HM08-Rock Smash, TM06-Toxic, TM24-Thunderbolt, TM26-Earthquake, TM33-Reflect, TM44-Rest, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM48-Rock Slide, TM50-Substitute, TM58-Psych Up, TM59-Hidden Power[ROCK], TM60-Sunny Day, TM65-Rain Dance, TM67-Endure, TM71-Return, TM72-Shadow Ball, TM76-Sleep Talk, TM82-Attract, TM88-Focus Punch, TM93-Bulk Up, TM95-Taunt, TM96-Light Screen, TM98-Brick Break, TM101-Rock Tomb, TM102-Aerial Ace, TM103-Torment, TM106-Skill Swap, TM107-Snatch, TM117-Drain Punch, TM118-Will-o-Wisp, TM123-Recycle, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor, TM134-Cross Poison, TM139-Trick Room, TM147-Low Sweep, TM159-Bulldoze
BM/SM/MT: Confuse Ray, Shadow Sneak, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, Pain Split, Encore, Thunderpunch, Wish, Mean Look, Mirror Coat, Vacuum Wave, Disable, Destiny Bond, Trick, Memento, Zen Headbutt, Magic Coat

Koma the Bisharp (Male) @ 67%
Brave Nature
Defiant Ability
HM/TM: HM01-Cut, TM06-Toxic, TM45-Thunder Wave, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM95-Taunt, TM98-Brick Break, TM125-Rock Polish, TM126-Stone Edge, TM132-X-Scissor
BM/SM/MT: Psycho Cut, Sucker Punch

Saya the Ninetales (Female) @ 70%
Gentle Nature
DW Drought Ability
HM/TM: TM22-Solarbeam, TM50-Substitute, TM64-Protect, TM108-Energy Ball, TM111-Overheat
BM/SM/MT: N/A

 

The Scizor watched the rocks shoot up in front of Koma, her eyes and wings twitching slightly. It was visible evidence of the Taunt still working, and yet, the Steel-type was trying to fight it and follow its honourable code. The Taunt won out, though, and the Pincer Pokemon began jetting towards Koma, moving in zig-zag patterns, as if to make sure that no incoming attacks would hit it. I smacked my forehead with the palm of my hand - I should have thought of that, should have ordered Koma to launch rocks at the Scizor as it moved. They probably wouldn't have hit, but it would have allowed him to bolster his defences more.

Then, the Wild Pokemon did something strange. Instead of plowing through the Stone Edge like I was expecting it to, it dodged around the rocks. It appeared that this Scizor's honour code was a little bit subjective - in all the warrior movies I'd ever seen, when one of the fighters brought up a so-called "impenetrable defense" the opponent was obliged to try and bash through it. Apparently the Scizor didn't feel this way. Maybe it was the Taunt affecting it, I didn't know.

The Steel-type spun around the rocks at an extremely high speed, and used the momentum of her turn to send one claw crashing into Koma's back. It continued to spin, and its wings bashed into the Dark-type as well, knocking him forward into his own rock wall. It then jinked over the wall, returning to its spot. I scratched my head, confused. Ivy seemed to have been sure that the Scizor was preparing a Superpower, but that was most certainly not what it had done. Maybe it had played off the Ranger's knowledge and experience to get a cleaner hit in. I watched Koma get to his feet, and I saw that the Bisharp didn't seem too hurt. It actually made a bit of sense in retrospect - if I knew that a comparatively weaker move was incoming, I wouldn't have ordered a complete defensive drawback like I had.

I was thinking of what to do next when I felt a little tug on my mind. Ivy had returned to our inner sanctuary, and was waiting to speak to me. I gulped, and felt the butterflies rise in my stomach. I'd be deliberately disobeying James, but I knew Dual was right. It wasn't fair to Ivy to keep her out of the loop, and I didn't want her thinking ill of me. I closed my eyes and allowed myself to re-enter the sanctuary. The pink-green blob was sitting at the table again, but it was much better defined than last time. I carefully walked over and sat down opposite Ivy's construct, next to the wireframe Gallade.

“So, Jathan, how come you're always so nervous around me?” Ivy asked. Her face deformed a little bit, bending upwards, and I could just make out a smile. A little bit of the knot in my stomach came undone, but I still knew this was going to be uncomfortable.

"Okay," I exhaled heavily. "I've been a little quieter than usual on this expedition, and the reason is because James talked to me before I came to the gate. He pulled me aside and told me to be on my best behaviour on this run with you, or else he'd do things to me that I really wouldn't appreciate."

I moved my hand back towards my rear end subconsciously before coughing and continuing. "Anyway, I asked him why he cared, and he went all quiet. After a few seconds, he said it was because he really likes you and you might be the one for him."

I could feel my physical cheeks flare red, and I wouldn't have been surprised if Ivy could see it on my construct's face. I cut the connection to the sanctuary - I couldn't bear being there right now. Chances were fair that Ivy wouldn't respond well to the declaration, especially considering it was coming from me and not James. I decided to just focus on the battle and let what will happen happen.

The Scizor seemed to be watching Koma carefully - the rocks had been knocked outwards a bit from the earlier impact, which meant the Bisharp would be just visible through small cracks. I was fairly sure that the Wild Pokemon was still enraged by Koma's Taunt, so I could use that.

"Koma, good job defending. It's time to raise our attack power and really lay the hurt on this thing. I want you to use Swords Dance, and then since it's still pissed off prepare to perform Sucker Punch. If it manages to break out of the Taunt and performs a stat move, though, I want you to use a long-range Night Slash."

Koma nodded and punched down the rock directly in front of him so he could keep an eye on the Scizor. White light gathered around his fists and the horn on his helmet, and he started to dance in a jerky, provocative fashion. It reminded me a little bit of Dual's Swords Dance, except the Gallade's was a lot more refined and graceful. I was fairly sure that the Scizor would attempt to attack, but just in case it didn't, Koma would be ready to strike back.