Main RP: Meteor Valley

@Spirit Zorua; You're doing fine. It's just practice.

BP#5

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The inky fog swirled around the field still, hiding the two battlers. She had a feeling it wasn't going to keep up for long, though, since Prometheus was likely going to start his attack soon now that enough tricks were played.

“Alright,” the Trainer said. “I have officially reached the limit of my patience with this ghost. Coyote?” he called. From within the mist, the fox barked, letting the Trainer know he heard. Then the man said, “Carebearstare.”

Ivy wasn't sure what sort of maneuver that was, but the word brought her mind back to a ring tone one of the interns had programed on her phone when she wasn't looking. Something about a destiny and a showdown, if she remembered right. She was interested to see what the code word entailed.

The dark fog suddenly began to ripple, and she didn't think it was an effect of the Trick Room this time. It looked to be focusing in on the fox, so maybe he was gathering it. As it dissipated and gathered, the before-hidden aspects were visible. Like pulling back a sheet, the ghost was revealed, and the Zorua was spotted not long after, since the energy was honing in on him.

The Ranger saw the fox shake his head a couple times, as if the air bothered him. She didn't blame him, considering the Trick Room could be pretty disorienting. The ghost seemed to be bobbing around as it floated too, like it couldn't keep still. It was probably easier to keep in motion than to try and fight the waves, sort of like gaining sea legs when on a ship.

The energy went still for a moment, and then Coyote focused, and it burst out in a stream. Instead of the usual radial pattern, it shifted into a cone to blast the ghost, starting out thin and then fanning out. Dark colors mixed with lighter ones flickered as it washed over the ghost, and she heard it cry out. Being a student of illusion, Ivy saw flickers of images in the energy waves, likely some additional way of trying to confuse the Shuppet.

The ghost was bombarded with the attack, but it didn't seem panicked. Uncomfortable, sure, but it didn't just give up. The outline of the ghost began to glow a pale yellow in the darkness, and then it shined ultra bright. A ball of light energy gathered in front of it, and then with a cry, it released the attack. The energy morphed into a bright beam that slashed through the darkness, focusing in on the fox.

Coyote cried out as he was hit by the Charge Beam, and in doing so, the Night Daze ended. The field now visible, Ivy could better judge the remaining energy of the battlers. The ghost looked much more tired than it had. While it wasn't panicking, its bobs were a little less controlled, causing it to weave from side to side and up and down in bigger bursts. She didn't see any extra energy cackling around it, however, which meant at least it didn't raise it's energy from the attack, which sometimes was an after effect.

The Zorua was running a bit ragged too. He wasn't as tired as the ghost, she thought, but he wasn't standing still either. It was almost like he was a little drunk, since he moved just slightly all the time, his feet not settling sturdy on the ground.

There wasn't much a solution but to end the battle, though, since it didn't look like the ghost was giving up. Cackles of energy sparked around the ghost's form again, indicating it was going to use another electric attack, although at this stage it was impossible to tell which one. The Trainer would have to react in order to spare his Pokemon from more damage, especially if they wanted to keep traversing the Park.

---

Current Battle Stats:

Calm M Shuppet: 41% [TNT2][Used Charge Beam]
Impish M Zorua: 74% [Spe+1][Used Night Daze]

Area Effects: There is a dark fog and energy is making the area wobbly.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
14 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 11,489/9,000 [Uncommon Rank]

Items: 2x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 74%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; Thanks for the encouragement. I really have reached my limit IRL, so I'm just going in for the kill(not literally).

"Keep hammering it, Coyote! Spindash attack!" Spindash was yet another video-game based technique, stolen right from the Sonic the Hedgehog series. Coyote crouched to the ground, Agility energy building around him. The technique was simple-a Faint Attack charging so fast, Coyote's feet barely touched the ground, leaving the foe no time to dodge.

"Remember to hold it down, will you? Trap it into the ground, and create an illusion blindfold for it." This was a simpler technique, using Coyote's Illusion ability. He simply took an illusory form of some humongous Pokemon, such as Mamoswine or Wailord, and sat on top of the foe. Hard to see through something like that. And if the Shuppet didn't look damaged enough after that, well, Coyote could simply release another Night Daze attack at point-blank range. Which would have to hurt.

 

@Spirit Zorua; You still want to capture right? You're almost there.

Keep in mind you may also attack and go for a capture in the same post too. You can basically do as many things as you want so long as you have the creativity/description/etc to back it up. The wild mon just might retaliate with more elaborate stuff too.

BP#6

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The Shuppet was wearing down, but Prometheus and Coyote kept up the assault. If they kept attacking and tiring out the ghost even further, capture wouldn't be very far away at all. They would still have to be careful about keeping the Zorua in fighting condition, but Ivy could feel that the battle was starting to wind down.

“Keep hammering it, Coyote! Spindash attack!” the Trainer yelled.

Another code name for a technique. It was a good idea, Ivy thought, considering a lot of wild Pokemon could understand human speak and interpret moves. Often times the command was carried out too fast for the foe to form a counterattack in time, but she had been on the receiving end of some intercepted commands, such as the Lucario she battled in Oktori with Candle, her Chandelure. It was one of the reasons she liked speaking mind-to-mind with Haji—it sometimes gave them an edge.

Then, the Trainer added another request on his command line. “Remember to hold it down, will you? Trap it into the ground and create an illusion blindfold for it.”

Ivy wasn't sure what he meant at first, but then the fox began to act. He hunkered down, and then jetted off with a burst of speed, kicking up dirt and dust and loose twigs and leaves that fell from the tree. He blurred in black, streaking across the ghost before anything else could happen.

The Shuppet cried out and staggered back at the impact, looking a little dazed as the fox sped past it. Coyote whirled to a halt and turned around, dropping low and wiggling his body in preparation to spring again, presumably to fulfill the other half of the plan.

The Zorua began to shimmer, and it wasn't just the effects of the Trick Room. Soon, Ivy saw its form enlarge and turn a shade of blue. In seconds, the form of a Wailord appeared in the fox's place—its illusion ability. The ghost turned just as he finished putting the image up, and the Shuppet let out a little cry of surprise. It wasn't a huge Wailord, but it was big enough to look threatening.

Coyote then prepared to jump. The first attempt didn't go so well since he staggered, and it looked like the large whale hit its chin on the ground as he stumbled. The second attempt went better. The Zorua jumped up in disguise as the Water-type and came crashing down on top of the ghost, sending it to the ground with an 'oomph' of air.

Ivy saw the Shuppet struggle for a moment, almost in panic, and then it had a puzzled look on its head. Its eyes rolled upward, and then it seemed to understand. The ghost sunk even further into the dirt, and Ivy saw the flicker of triumph on the fake-whale's face seconds before his foe acted.

Like a spring, the ghost shot itself upward, using the momentum to launch the fox upward. Coyote wasn't expecting it, so he went flying up. The whale illusion was airborne until it came sailing toward the earth, and as soon as it impacted, the force of it caused the apparition to fade, leaving only the black fox in its place.

The Shuppet looked pleased with itself, but it didn't really show it outwardly. Instead, it kept its calm demeanor, laced with its exhaustion. It was hovering a little lower to the ground now, and the Ranger could see it panting and blinking now and then. It was pretty close to finished.

It must've realized that the Wailord wasn't a real one, and that was probably by Coyote's weight. Since an illusion was just that, the Zorua still kept its original features underneath the mask, unlike a Ditto who transformed its entire being. The ghost was pretty tricky, so it would probably make a great teammate.

“I think that the ghost is worn out enough that if you went for a capture, it would probably work,” Ivy told the Trainer. “See how it's panting and floating lower? Those are good signs.”

---

Current Battle Stats:

Calm M Shuppet: 19% [Used Payback]
Impish M Zorua: 70% [Spe+1][Used Agility, Faint Attack, and squash attack]

Area Effects: There is a dark fog and energy is making the area wobbly.

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
14 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet
Pokémon Captured: None
MCR: 12,329/9,000 [Uncommon Rank]

Items: 2x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 70%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; Hee hee. Squash attack in the description. Funny. Anyway, I'm going for it. PREPARE FOR ACTIONNNNNN! (Also, as a totally unrelated thing, I have a quick favor to ask. If you've rolled up a member of the Ralts line for me, when we encounter it, I just need two things, because I have a beautiful plan. One, it's practicing dancing-Kirlia and Ralts at least do that, don't they? And two, it doesn't immediately notice us come up. I have a complex plan involving a music synthesizer and befriending it.)(Okay, really last thing-we can take a little artistic license with the abilities of various Pokemon, if it hasn't been stated anywhere that such a thing DOESN'T work, right?)

It looked like the Shuppet was just about ready to go down, the way it was wobbling. Probably time to catch it, if I was going to. I was definitely going to, though-this thing was quite the worthy opponent. "Alright, Coyote! Faerie fire!"

Compared to what we had been executing recently, "faerie fire" was a fairly simple technique. I'd figured it out from reading a D&D spellbook. In battling terms, it was a terribly weakened version of Night Daze that coated the opposition in bright color and circled around them like a targeting reticule, preventing them from hiding. It also made them easier to hit-the human eye tracks bright colors and movement, as does the Pokemon eye.

I flipped out my crossbow, pinging the string with my finger to make sure it was nice and tight. It was, resonating nicely. I pulled a Park Ball quarrel out of my pack, loading it into the notch in the stock of the bow. The bow itself was modified to fire the larger Ball as a tip instead of the ordinary sharp point, with a deeper groove that relied upon the plastic, stiffened fletching of the quarrel to keep the main part of the quarrel from dipping back. Effective, but a pain in the ass when trying to load it quickly. However, I was in very little hurry-Coyote had the ghost pretty well weakened, and he himself was defending. Pulling back on the load lever, I hefted the stock to just under my shoulder and took careful aim. The faerie fire wasn't really necessary, as I was a pretty good shot, but it might be needed after all-I wouldn't put it past the Shuppet, even weakened as it was, to turn invisible. The faerie fire wouldn't vanish, though, and I could aim by that. Centering the little notch on the top of the Ball with the base of the ghost's head as its center of mass, I pulled the trigger. The string twanged, and the quarrel leapt from the bow to speed towards the ghost. From here, I could only hope.

 

@Spirit Zorua; I'll keep that in mind if we encounter one. As for befriending, that isn't allowed until at least the 5th encounter, and it also has special rules for it combined with very high quality posts throughout the entire run. It's in the Park Encyclopedia if you'd like to read more about it.

And with abilities you can pretty much do anything you can creatively explain/realistic, but some things are still up to the Ranger to decide if they work or not. As long as it's plausible and you have the quality and creativeness to back it up, you can definitely try.

NBP#3

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Prometheus saw his window of opportunity open now that the Shuppet was running low on strength. “Alright, Coyote! Faerie fire!” he called.

A burst of energy came from the fox, spinning in shimmering shades of red, orange, and pinks. It snaked in a circle around the ghost, making it a nice, colorful ring target. Using this as a guide to perhaps trap the wild Pokemon in the pseudo-flame, the Trainer got his equipment working.

He unfolded the bow and lined up a shot, an arrow notched with a regular Park Ball on the end. Ivy watched him closely. While it was in theory perfectly safe, the instant it crossed the line, she was confiscating it. Chainy had almost gotten fired for having a firearm on his person in case of poachers or other extremes, so she sure as hell wasn't going to let Trainers waltz around with weapons.

Prometheus fired his shot, and luckily the weapon didn't jerk. The Park Ball sailed toward the Pokemon. At first, she worried it was going to fast and that it would injure the Shuppet. Then, much to her relief, the ball dislodged from the shaft and lost speed, flying much less forcefully.

The device hit the ghost on the side of the head, and it made a disgruntled noise before a beam of red light sucked the Pokemon up inside. The ball fell to the ground and wobbled weakly, and then the center lit up and it pinged.

“Congratulations on your first capture here,” Ivy said as she went to go pick the ball up. She slid it into a protected pocket so nothing would happen to it. “I”ll hang onto anything you capture until you're ready to leave. We can definitely rest for a minute if you want, so you and Coyote can regroup. After that, do you want to head out to the pond or maybe through the caves? Your choice,” she said.


---

Current Battle Stats: N/A

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
14 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet
Pokémon Captured: Calm M Shuppet
MCR: 0

Items: 1x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 70%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; Okay, then can you perhaps delay the encounter 'till then? And by abilities, I meant what Pokemon could do, not tricks with Illusion or Intimidate or anything like that. Such as, saying a Mamoswine's ice tusks are brittle and can snap rather easily because they're only ice. (Made up on the spur of the moment...lol)

I breathed a sigh of relief as the Park Ball's button lit up red. "Thanks, Ivy. It's a bit of a rush, actually."

I watched Ivy slide the Ball into a pouch. So that's where they were to go. "Yeah, I'd like a bit of a rest. Coyote!" The jet black fox perked up, trotting towards me. He was scratched and bruised, and still a bit weak in the knees from that last Charge Beam, but he seemed very proud of himself. He struck a brave pose, snout pointed in the air, like one of those wolves you see on the "macho" t-shirts. Stifling a snicker, I offered him a small treat of my own concoction. In terms of nutritional value, it was useless, but it was so stuffed with fat and sugar it pretty much tapped every salivary gland in a predators mouth. Coyote abandoned his faux noble pose and eagerly snatched up the bit of treat kibble, scarfing it down before my fingers were even clear. Shaking my head at his appetite, I asked him "Mind a quick scouting run? Just to make sure nothing else sneaks up on us like that Shuppet did. Do not engage, and see if you can just go right past it if you see anything. If not, just shoot up a flare, and I'll come running." Coyote yipped, and blurred off with Agility. "He'll be back shortly. Can't blame me for paranoia, can you?" I asked Ivy with a chuckle. "Anyway, if it's all the same to you, I'd rather hit the pond. I've been hoping to catch a Slowpoke, actually, or a Slowbro, though I'm not going to push my luck."

A thought struck me, and I asked her, "I'd actually heard some stories about here. Supposedly, most Pokemon in this Park are a little smarter, or a little bigger, than their exterior counterparts, and that some things are just kind of weird here. The most ridiculous one I heard was where someone talked down a Zapdos for the storms it was causing. Seems unlikely, but...I figured I'd ask?"

 

@Spirit Zorua; To an extent, you can do that yes, although it has to be realistic. The tusk example wouldn't be, but you can try to demonstrate/speculate some other aspects of Pokemon that aren't directly stated with creativity and such. If it's not right, the Ranger will correct you or modify/ignore what you want to happen.

Also, careful about letting your mon run off. I recommend against it.

NBP#4

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Prometheus sighed in relief as he saw his capture worked. “Thanks, Ivy. It's a bit of a rush, actually.”

“I agree,” Ivy said. “I go on a run myself now and then, and it's still just as exciting as the first time I tried it. I think a lot of our regulars feel the same.”

The Trainer then agreed that he'd like to rest. He took the time to dig out some sort of homemade treat for his Pokemon, and the fox gobbled it up. It was probably filled with sugar or whatever the Pokemon equivalent was. She didn't dare give her Chandelure anything like that—the ghost already bounced off the walls as it was.

When the two were done, the Trainer asked his Zorua to do something else. “Mind a quick scouting run? Just to make sure nothing else sneaks up on us like that Shuppet did,” he said. Before she could say anything, the black fox darted off to the trees. “He'll be back shortly. Can't blame me for paranoia, can you?”

Sheba looked off the way the Zorua had run, frowning. She was probably thinking the same thing I was. I felt Haji's energy scan outward for threats.

“Actually, next time, please keep your Zorua close, not only for his own safety, but for the wild Pokemon here too,” Ivy said gently but sternly. “He may not attack anyone while out, but he could startle something and make it react, either hurting itself, your Pokemon, or other wild ones around. Let's try to keep that at a minimum next time, okay? There's some nasty Pokemon here that wouldn't think twice about attacking Coyote.”

As they waited, Prometheus said that he'd rather hit the pond since he was looking for a Slowpoke or a Slowbro. “I hate to tell you this, but those two are actually found at the Lakes and not here in the Valley. There's a few other Psychic-types that are pretty neat though.”

Another few mintues passed, but Coyote hadn't returned. To fill the silence, the Trainer spoke again. “Supposedly, most Pokemon in this Park are a little smarter or a little bigger than their exterior counterparts, and that some things are just kind of weird here. The most ridiculous one I heard was where someone talked down a Zapdos for the storms it was causing. Seems unlikely, but... I figured I'd ask?”

Ivy grinned. “Yeah, that happened. Not too long ago in fact.” The Ranger rubbed her wrists on reflex. “We do see some strange sights sometimes. One of our other Rangers has a Gallade that gets into a fight whenever Kyogre comes around too.”

Before she could say anything else, her Zoroark hunched down a little and growled. Haji, too, had stood and braced himself, looking toward the west. There was a rustling, and Coyote burst from the shrubs on the edge of the field, speeding toward them.

Hot on his heels was a small dog that came crashing through next, barking away like the Zorua was a cat and not a fox. It was small and dark-colored, and when it saw it was coming up to a group of people, it skidded to a halt, casting up a fog of dirt around it. When it settled, it was hunched down and growling, facing Coyote.

“Looks like he found a Poochyena. Interested in it? If not, you'll have to placate it somehow since Coyote disturbed it.”

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Poochyena: 100%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
13 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet, Poochyena
Pokémon Captured: Calm M Shuppet
MCR: 1,847/4,000 [Common Rank]

Items: 1x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 70%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; I'm gonna try to avoid this. Let's hope for luck. Also, thanks for the info. And if I can describe my escape attempt better than I did before, with bait thrown in the other direction and everything, do my escape chances get better?

Oops. The Ranger had made two good points. One of them had apparently birthed a whole mouthful of them, staring at me from a Poochyena's muzzle. "Well, then. Hello there, big guy." I made stand-down motions with my hand, praying that Coyote didn't decide now was a good time to play a joke on this thing. "Sorry about my Pokemon. He's got a terrible sense of humor." I could practically feel Coyote's outraged glare, but I'd placate him later, once this rather angry Poochyena had been settled. "I'm sorry for invading your territory. Here, let me make it up to you." Carefully, I withdrew a small pouch from my belt. Opening the drawstring, I gently tossed a few of the contents to the Dark-type. It pained me to get rid of them like this-I had been hoping to eat them as a snack. "There you go. Delicious beef jerky. We'll just be getting out of your way, now. Again, sorry for..." I took a closer look at the Poochyena's fur. It looked almost like bed head, and there were some sticks in it, as if from a den. "...waking you up like this." I gave a friendly smile, tossed out another strip of jerky, and began slowly retreating, my fingers knotted in Coyote's neck ruff to prevent him running off again.

 

@Spirit Zorua; Escape rates are never changed. The roll is always 50/50 and a Pokedoll is 100% success no matter how you describe it. You can always buy dolls for 500 while on a run too.

NBP#6

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The Trainer watched the hyena Pokemon carefully, trying to calm it down. He held out his hands in a placating gesture as he said, “Hello there, big guy. Sorry about my Pokemon. He's got a terrible sense of humor.”

In response, Coyote flashed an offended look toward his Trainer, and Ivy just shook her head. The Poochyena had a couple thin sticks and leaves sticking out of its fur, so the Zorua had probably disturbed it from its den. That was the danger of Trainer's Pokemon wandering off alone and why she asked to prevent it. They were lucky that it was just a Poochyena that was disturbed. There were a lot more powerful and scary things lurking in the Valley.

The Trainer tried to appease the wild Pokemon with food next. He took out a pouch and opened it up, and even Ivy could smell the contents. He held out a dark piece of meat. “There you go. Delicious beef jerky. We'll just be getting out of your way now. Again, sorry for waking you up like this,” he said as he tossed the treat and tried to back up. He latched on to his Pokemon, just in case he wanted to dash off again. That probably wouldn't be good. Who knew what else the Poochyena's barking had disturbed.

The hyena inched its way toward the jerky, sniffed it, and then immediately bristled. She guessed it didn't like the dried food. Either way, it didn't look like it was going to just let them leave.

“Looks like we're at another one of those impasses. We can try to get away again, but it might try to attack. Maybe you could try distracting it while we inch away? I've got some dolls too that could work. Pokemon seem to go nuts about them and ignore everything else. What do you think?” she asked.

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Poochyena: 100%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
13 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet, Poochyena
Pokémon Captured: Calm M Shuppet
MCR: 3,054/4,000 [Common Rank]

Items: 1x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 70%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; Oh well. It's a little ironic-any one of the games I play, I can almost always get away, but here it seems to be the opposite. Why do the dice always try their best to kill me? Especially while at low levels...

I sighed. This was one of those battles that, no matter what, couldn't end well. The Poochyena and Coyote were both Dark-type, and all Coyote knew offensively were Dark-type attacks, while I knew Poochyena could learn quite a few of the elemental fang attacks. Also, Coyote was pretty banged up from that Shuppet attack. And to top it all of, it didn't like my best beef jerky. I gave in. "Eh, what the hell. I'll buy one. Probably for the best, in any case." I pulled a small wad of bills out of my pocket, and offered them to the Ranger. It stung, but it was necessary. I hoped Poochyena and other Dark-types weren't as commonplace as they seemed, here. If they were, and if all Pokemon here were as persistent as the two I'd encountered, it could get pretty bad.

 

@Spirit Zorua; Sometimes luck just seems to go that way XD For the doll, you can subtract the money from your stats in an OOC thing like this on your next post, just like you would in the Mart.

I also just realized that my Zoroark never showed up in this run yet XD Confused it with another run I'm doing in the Valley. We'll have to pretend she showed up some time.

NBP#7

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

It took a minute, but the Trainer eventually decided he was done with the Poochyena. “Eh, what the hell,” he said, “I'll buy one. Probably for the best, in any case.”

“Yeah, I think that probably is the best route. Most people do really, so don't feel bad,” Ivy said as she pulled out a small Clefairy-shaped doll. There were other models, including ones that looked like a Rhydon or Pikachu, but she had opened the first crate that came in the shipment and stocked up. She'd probably run out one whole type before switching.

The Ranger pulled the little string to make the doll expand, as as the pink doll took form, the Poochyena stopped growling. In fact, it stopped crouching too, and its ears perked up. Ivy smiled at it. “Here you go,” she said as she threw it.

Just like a dog, the wild Pokemon jumped and snatched it up, laying down for a minute with the toy between its paws. Then it yipped, picked it up, and dashed back into the woods at the edge of the clearing.

“We can get going now, looks like. A lot of people like to use dolls because it prevents damage to their Pokemon. You have to be especially careful of that, since Coyote's your only one,” she explained.

Sheba bounced off toward the long grass, stopping at the edge to strike a pose and give a look to Haji before she disappeared into the foliage. Ivy waved them on and followed, threading through the grass carefully. Since it was on average waist-high, it was hard to see where you were walking. In some areas, the plants towered over Ivy, and that wasn't counting the few spindly trees that were scattered around.

Then, there was a rustling. The Zoroark returned and stood alert, pointing ahead of them. After a few seconds, the grasses began to rustle, and a fuzzy blue form popped out. “Woo!” it said.

It was a bat-like creature with two simple wings attached to what was basically a cotton ball dyed a pale blue. A heart-decorated nose wiggled as its eyes crinkled in happiness. It fluttered in front of them eagerly.

“What do you think? Interested in a Woobat?”

---

Current Battle Stats:

??? ??? Woobat: 100%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
12 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet, Poochyena, Woobat
Pokémon Captured: Calm M Shuppet
MCR: 0/4,000 [Common Rank]

Items: 1x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 70%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; I'll do that ASAP. And by the way, my internet will be patchy for the next week-I'll be operating off of my iPhone, if anything at all, so don't worry about a hiatus. And ALSO: I'm going to try to catch this thing, FYI. So can it be female? And yet ANOTHER thing: The "land mine" thing is the kind of creative liberty I was talking about taking. Fairly minor, but good MCR to explain, and useful in battle. Coyote knows not to trigger them unless I tell him to, and he can't trigger one unless he wants to(it's his attack after all. The Woobat might trigger one with a miss, but it'll probably be wary after the first boom. And just consider the crystals laid randomly. For rules purposes, let's say there are 25 of them, just to give me an unreasonable amount because there's no rule against it.

I smiled. Finally, something was going my way. Something about the little pink-furred Psychic-type just tickled me-and their evolved form looked badass, no matter what anyone else said. "Sure, I kind of like these guys. They're cute. Coyote, mind laying down some land mines?" Without taking my eyes off the oblivious new prize, I tossed a small satchel of dark, roiling crystals to Coyote.

The "land mines" were fairly simple-hollow quartz points that Coyote had generated a Night Daze in. The natural structure of the crystal perpetuated the Night Daze fog, so long as the crystal wasn't broken. There was a strategic weak point in each crystal, near the tip. A quick bolt of Night Daze, or the steps of an unwary foe, could set them off; at that point, they would generate miniature Night Daze attacks that did little damage, but obscured the foes vision. Useful little devices. Especially when there were likely to be attacks flying everywhere as a result of the Woobat's well-known penchant for Heart Stamp and Air Cutter.

Coyote picked up the satchel, which I had opened for him, and dashed around with it open, Agility blazing, spilling trap crystals all over the ground. The crystals were pretty to those who didn't know, so the Woobat might be distracted. And we weren't doing anything truly aggressive-just laying down crystals. In order to perpetuate that distraction, I began talking to the Woobat. "Pretty little one, aren't you? I especially like the way you've done up your fur. Nice "bed head" example. Very natural-or did you use psy powers to do it?" I kept up a steady stream of mindless patter, waiting for Coyote to come back to my side with the emptied satchel, at which point we'd start the battle.

 

@WinterVines; Alright, I'm back. Sorry to make you wait.

 

@Spirit Zorua; Nah, you didn't make me wait. I had to finish up my portfolio for end of semester, so I was a little busy myself. Plus, BMG was having a fit and kept going down.

As far as your idea goes, it is pretty creative, but I can't let you set mines down in the Park like that, especially that many, because that can damage both the land and the Pokemon there. That and outside aid is kinda like cheating. However, I wouldn't be against Coyote using this technique in real time with a few number, like setting traps with his energy. This way he knows where they are and can disband them after the battle. I just can't let you lay mines randomly, especially if they aren't found after. Severe damage gets you in trouble in the Park, and enough of it can get you kicked out.

BP#7

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

The small, fuzzy bat seemed to please Prometheus. “Sure, I kind of like these guys. They're cute,” he said. Ivy agreed. Then, he opened up his bag and called out to his Zorua. “Coyote, mind laying down some land mines?”

That's when Ivy had to step in. She was already mid-step as he tossed a clinking bag toward his fox, and with a burst of speed, she snatched it out of the air. Shining dark crystals shifted around in the bag, gleaming with condensed energy. From the mix of dark and purple within, she guessed it was probably one of the Zorua's attacks compressed.

Ivy turned toward the Trainer. “Do whatever you like outside the Park, but here I can't just let you set mines down. These things can seriously damage the environment as well as Pokemon—both the two battling now and wild ones that stumble here later. I'm going to have to hang on to these until the end of the run,” she said, placing the bag in one of her inside vest pockets. Then she stepped back.

“It's an interesting idea for sure, but not executed this way while here. There's nothing against Coyote trying the same technique on a smaller scale if he can manage it. Pockets of energy waiting as a trap can be dissipated after the battle,” Ivy added.

Then, the Trainer began to talk to the Woobat. “Pretty little one, aren't you?” he said. “I especially like the way you've done up your fur.”

The bat seemed to like the compliments because she bobbed up and down with a happy sound, ruffling the blue fuzz on her body. She looked to be a happier nature, which was good. They usually responded positively to battles and didn't try to play nasty tricks like some of the ghosts and Dark-types liked to do. She made another cooing sound, and then she started to take action.

Sheba looked at the Flying-type curiously, her eyes transfixed on her form, following up and down with her. Maybe it was because the light blue hair was captivating to look at. Sheba always did like flashy things, since it matched her Sassy nature.

The Woobat then poked her nose forward and took a deep breath, her form floating upward with the action. She was looking the small, black fox, and if Ivy had to guess from her movements, the bat was probably taking in the Zorua's scent with an Odor Sleuth. That would let her keep track of where Coyote was, even if he tried to do a tricky maneuver like copy himself. Scent was a very powerful tool, and that was one of the Woobat's most powerful features.

Then, the bat let out a shrill cry and flapped her wings so she rose even higher from the grasses. The heart shape on her nose began to glow, and then a semi-transparent cloud of energy burst from it, shaped in the same way. The bat let out a smile and then dipped down into a dive, the heart-shaped energy flying in front of her. It looked like the bat's signature move—Heart Stamp.

“Careful of that,” Ivy warned. “It could be trying to fake you out.”

Normally, Psychic-type moves weren't very effective against Dark-type's like Zorua, but with her height and momentum, the forward motion could probably still knock Coyote off his feet or worse. Psychic-types could do a lot with their energy, so even though the Trainer had a type advantage, Ivy didn't think this battle would be easy.

---

Current Battle Stats:

Jolly F Woobat: 100% [Used Odor Slueth and using Heart Stamp]
Impish M Zorua: 70%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
12 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet, Poochyena, Woobat
Pokémon Captured: Calm M Shuppet
MCR: 1,724/4,000 [Common Rank]

Items: 1x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 70%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; OOC: I was planning on having Coyote detonate the crystals when it was over, just for a flashy effect and without the trainer's orders, as a way to get rid of them. Also, as I explained, they're about as dangerous as those little snappers you get around the 4th of July, just with an added smoke bomb-y effect in bright colors. Will that make any difference whatsoever? And would it make any more difference if I lowered the number of crystals, or explained them slightly differently?

 

@WinterVines; Armed with new information, the knight strides boldly into battle!...*dissolves into laughter*

Well, the Ranger had a point. Actually, she had 25 now, but that wasn't really important. What was important now was..."Coyote! Ride 'em, Cowboy!" Coyote leaped, aiming for the Woobat's back, attempting to grab on and ride her like an angry Tauros. I wasn't terribly worried about the Heart Stamp, but the Woobat's impact could be nasty. I caught a glimpse of dark energy whirling around Coyote-a nice Faint Attack, there. Woobat didn't have arms, and Dark-types resisted psionic abilities, so the Woobat would have trouble getting Coyote off.

 

@Spirit Zorua; Be careful, your post was very close to the minimum characters allowed for one—all posts must be at least 500 characters.

BP#8

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

Prometheus didn't look too worried about the incoming attack. At least he hadn't gotten upset about her taking away his tools. As much as the idea was creative, that sort of thing should be kept out of the Park. She couldn't let people bring in outside resources to give them an unfair advantage over the wild Pokemon. As part of her job, she needed to protect them.

She was interested in seeing if the Zorua would try the same technique he used in the crystals on the field today, though. A lot of Pokemon could compact and hide energy away in packets, and it was often useful. She thought of it sort of like Hidden Power, since one of the most common ways Pokemon used it was by forming orbs of it.

As the bat swooped down, the Trainer finally gave an order. “Coyote! Ride 'em, Cowboy!” he called.

The fox hunched down for a second, wiggling his body as he prepared to spring, watching his incoming foe closely. Then, he jumped up, glowing dark with energy he added to his attack. He timed it well, coming down on top of the blue hair of the flier.

His weight carried them down, but seconds before the Woobat would've slammed into the ground, a whoosh of air came rushing out form underneath her, flattening the grass and kicking up dirt and loose stones. The air wobbled around the bat, and then she let out a shrill cry.

A current formed around her, spiraling like a tornado. It surrounded her, gathering debris and taking on that ghastly white/gray color so they could see it. The Heart Stamp energy seemed to float through the wild Pokemon and then hover around the fox, disturbing the air around him. Then, the Woobat used the air to push herself up suddenly, and that threw the Zorua up into the air and off his target, aided by both the wind and psychic forces at work around him.

After that, the Gust took hold of him, and he whirled around in a circle as the air carried him. She could hear his call ebb and rise in volume as he was thrown around. Finally the Gust released him and sent the black fox sailing through the air. He hit the ground hard, flattening the grass. The Zorua bounced three times before stopping, and Ivy winced. That had probably hurt.

Still, he got up, shaking himself off but staggering while he did it. That wind rollercoaster would've made anyone a little dizzy. He had a few loose pieces of grass in his fur, along with some twigs and dust sprinkled all over.

The Woobat giggled, flapping her wings happily and doing a twirl in the air, obviously pleased with how her actions turned out. Then, she made another heart out of semi-transparent energy that floated off her nose. It popped in the air, and then she dived down into the grass.

Ivy waited, but there was no more noise to signal her location after the initial rustle. The Ranger didn't think she had run away—she was just hiding and biding her time to strike. The Trainer was really going to have to be careful, since the Woobat could jump out at any moment. Using her senses, she'd be able to find the fox fairly easily.

---

Current Battle Stats:

Jolly F Woobat: 80% [Used Heart Stamp and Gust]
Impish M Zorua: 61%

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
12 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet, Poochyena, Woobat
Pokémon Captured: Calm M Shuppet
MCR: 2,268/4,000 [Common Rank]

Items: 1x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 61%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; Gotcha. I shall attempt to become more loquacious.

Now that was just plain annoying. And painful. "Yeah, I'm pretty angry now. Coyote, launch a blast, will you? And when that thing gets hit, smash it. No mercy."

Yeah, I was probably overreacting. But considering the fuzzball hit Coyote hard enough to make him bounce, a little overreaction was probably justified. A "blast" was a Night Daze attack that, superficially, resembled Dark Pulse-a rapidly expanding sphere(or in this case, ground-based hemisphere) of Dark energy emanating from a chosen location. In this case, the location was Coyote's feet. The energy would be...unpleasant to the little bat, and it would no doubt fly up or at least yelp to reveal its location. When it did, Coyote would strike at full power with whatever attack he wished.

Likely, he'd unleash a Night Daze bolt, and follow it up with a Payback to send it flying in a sort of karmic retribution. We had trained enough together for me to recognize his "karma time" face. Ordinarily, I'd tell him to put a damper on it. After three bounces, though, "ordinarily" was a little ways (read: lightyears) away.

 

@Spirit Zorua; Any extra MCR helps your catch rate anyway!

BP#9

Ranger Ivy Frost

---

As the black fox shook off the aftereffects of the attack, Prometheus took stock of the situation. He didn't look pleased at all, and Ivy couldn't really say she blamed him. However, that's what tended to happen to Trainers when they were only accompanied by a few Pokemon. She herself always carried at least three on runs and had plenty of medicine to keep them in top shape.

“Yeah, I'm pretty angry now,” he said. “Coyote, launch a blast, will you? And when that thing gets hit, smash it. No mercy,” he ground out.

She hoped that the Zorua knew what it was doing and that his Trainer's angry vibes hadn't rubbed off on him. When battling it was important to keep a clear head, or one tended to make mistakes.

Coyote shook himself as best as he could and then braced himself. A jungle of tall grasses surrounded them on all sides, minus the areas they had trampled on. Here and there were small paths running through the dry foliage—the result of wild Pokemon commonly using the same paths to travel through. Still, Ivy couldn't see the Woobat at all. She had definitely concealed herself well. She probably knew how to remain very quiet thanks to all the other Pokemon that could threaten her here.

Energy started to glow around the Zorua as he prepared an attack. Probably whatever the blast instruction from his Trainer had meant. For a second, there was silence, and then as he breathed, energy pulsed outward from the fox in an inky burst. It threaded into the grasses with a whoosh, and then they waited.

The problem with energy is that it took form when a move was executed like this. That meant that the plant-life was going to slow the attack down a little. If the Woobat was really deep in the grasses, the Night Daze might not hit the bat at all.

Thankfully, that didn't happen to be the case. Ivy heard the rustling before she saw it, even if it all happened very fast. There was a jolly chatter, and then the bat burst upward from the grass, the dark energy nipping at her. The Ranger saw the smoke roll up to the top of the grass and then dissipate.

The Woobat was high in spirits still, although Ivy knew she had probably been a little drained by the fox's attacks. Still, she was cheery and smiling. In fact, she started flapping her wings harder, and after a while, the Ranger picked up on the rhythmic sound of her flapping. It was almost like a chant. Then the Woobat did start to chant, using a cheery tune.

Ivy was reminded of a cheerleader, almost. However, she wasn't sure the Zorua took it that way. Maybe more of the angry mood had rubbed off than she thought, because the fox wasn't reacting positively to it. He let out a growl, and then poised to lunge. Was the Woobat trying to Taunt him or encourage him? It was hard to tell.

Either way, the fox's claws glowed dark and then he jumped, aiming for the bat that was bobbing above the grasses. The Woobat let out a happy cry as he did, and then did a twirl of her own. Coyote struck out, but he only managed to nick the bat with his claws due to her moving.

Then, the air responded to the bat's movements, and silvery threads sliced across Coyote's path. He yelped as the wind attacked him, and the Woobat used the currents to move farther away. The Zorua had to keep to his trajectory, so after the attack, he went sailing into the grasses himself. Only he probably landed on his feet this time.

In response, the bat flew up higher, looking down into the maze of dry foliage. She was looking in a specific area, so she probably knew where Coyote was even when they didn't. Even though the Zorua had the type advantage, the Woobat was doing her best to even out the playing field. She would probably be a great battler for Prometheus in the future once he was able to capture her.

---

Current Battle Stats:

Jolly F Woobat: 59% [Used Air Cutter]
Impish M Zorua: 56% [Used Night Daze and Payback]

---

Trainer Stats

Name: Prometheus
Location: Meteor Valley
12 Encounters Remaining
Area Effects: It's nice out.
Pokémon Encountered: Shuppet, Poochyena, Woobat
Pokémon Captured: Calm M Shuppet
MCR: 3,356/4,000 [Common Rank]

Items: 1x Park Balls, 3x Great Balls

Pokémon Stats

Impish M Zorua @ 56%
Nickname: Coyote
Ability: Illusion
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: None

 

@WinterVines; Is it just me, or did Air Cutter hit a lot harder than it should have? Eh, whatever. It's probably just me. And I'm looking at the Psyshock animation from the games. Is that accurate? Please say it's accurate...

We'd made a hit, which was fortunate. "Coyote! Illusion star, and launch some cluster bombs!"

The patch of grass where Coyote had been rustled noisily for a few seconds before exploding in a little puff of smoke as Coyote burst out of it towards us. He also burst out in four other directions. That was what "illusion star" was all about-four illusions and one real Coyote splitting. The clones were indistinguishable from the real thing, even to psionic senses-the lack of mind in the illusions were the same as the hollowness of the Dark-type's.

The five took up positions at the points of an imaginary star, centered around the Woobat. Each growled, before unleashing what looked like a potent Psyshock, with hundreds of little, starry, shadow-cloaked points. It was all Night Daze, of course. However, the bolts were individual, and each hovered in midair, creating a dangerous minefield to restrict my target's movement. None were individually powerful; however, all were at least painful to a Psychic, and all would restrict vision when they went off.

Then, the clones began dashing in an Agility-powered star-shaped pattern, each charged with a cloud of what looked like Faint Attack. However, only Coyote had the real Faint Attack-the rest were Night Daze.

I bared my teeth in what resembled a grin-or a grimace. If the Woobat had somehow managed to pick out the real Coyote before, the movement would throw it off. If it charged in, it would take damage from Faint Attack or Night Daze, and that was assuming it was willing to go through the Night Daze packets, which would go off at a ranged attack and weaken it. Traps like this were Coyote's strength. Let's see the Woobat go through this one.