¤Game¤ Dragon Tamers Battle Range v.23 {MA Pidgeot}

[The Blue Avenger]

Here are my last few RBGs: Test No. 6?! and Two To Tango. Cheers!
---
The tournament had ended. Jeff had come home. And when he got there, he had found a very frustrated Kurtzwick waiting for him. Though most people might have been a little unnerved by an irritated, six-foot snake in their house, Jeff was not, in fact, most people, and greeted Kurtzwick with a hug. After the requisite explanations, Jeff had directed Kurtzwick to go to the Dragon Tamers. Not, he said, because of anything involving Kurtzwick’s trials; that would have to wait. When Kurtzwick had raised an objection, saying that whoever was behind it had kidnapped him once and probably would do it again, Jeff had said that the Guild would be better served to help him. The Tamers, he said, were going to teach him a special move; after that, Kurtzwick could feel free to go to the Guild to get help. Jeff added that he and the rest of the team were going on a mission; Kurtzwick was welcome to go with them, and in fact it would probably be safer to do so. Kurtzwick had cut him off there, saying that he had a mission of his own, and left to go get his free move.

Kurtzwick didn’t really see a flaw with that. After all, if Jeff wanted to give him the reward for winning the tournament, who was he to complain? It meant that Raini didn’t get some ultra-powerful move, and he was perfectly okay with that. The process didn’t take long, and the machine that the Tamers used even gave him the same sensation that a TM did. And so, without much fanfare, Kurtzwick learned V-Create. They also gave him a handful of candy, which Kurtzwick ate without a second thought. It made his stomach jump for a moment, but it settled down, leaving him feeling energized.

The next fool, he thought, from that foul place is going to get a face full of flaming Dratini. Kurtzwick thought about that sentence for a moment, considered revising it, but didn’t; the alliteration was too good. He left the Tamers’ headquarters and began the trip to the Guild.

All in all, it was a very inconvenient moment for something to grab him and pull him off of the street. The last thing Kurtzwick saw before everything went black was an empty street. Of course nobody saw it happening.

He woke up some time later, and let out a loud expletive. The two events were not unrelated; he had, naturally, woken up in what appeared to be a large warehouse. Dust coated every available surface, as if nothing had been there in months. A catwalk hung near the ceiling, leading to the only door in the room.

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” Kurtzwick howled. “This crap again?! You didn’t even give me a chance to start investigating! Popple, you jackass, show your face! I know you’re around here somewhere!”

A clunking sound rang out from overhead – the same sound that Kurtzwick remembered from the last time he was there. The air vent popped open, and something fell out – instead of a Pokéball, though, a Pokémon fell out. It was small and pink, and it landed neatly on top of Kurtzwick before collapsing to the ground.

Kurtzwick looked at the figure, then glared at the ceiling. “You know, if you’re going to start answering my requests now, I’d really like a million stamps and to go home. Not necessarily in that order.”

The figure groaned. “Might as well save your breath, see?” it said.

“Good as always to see you, Popple,” Kurtzwick answered. “Which is to say, not at all.”

“I’m in the same boat as you, you schmuck!” Popple said. “When you broke out, they made me start running their tests, see? All their stooges here are more powerful than me!”

Kurtzwick rolled his eyes. “Oh no, I’m soooo sorry. Let me play you a sad song on the world’s tiniest violin.”

“Hey, shut up! You know as well as I do what it’s like here, see?”

The loudspeaker crackled to life above them, and a decidedly more feminine voice than Popple’s spoke. “The test subjects are already showing an alarming degree of infighting. This reminds me of a test! Perhaps that test will promote teamwork. This shall have to be studied.”

Kurtzwick and Popple glanced at each other, but didn’t have a chance to do much more before the room started rumbling in a significantly unnerving manner. “To the wall!” Popple cried, looking up at the ceiling. Without thinking about it, Kurtzwick pressed himself against the wall of the room, just as a series of a dozen or so crates fell from rusted-out holes in the roof and landed with a thunk on the floor. To follow that, panels in the walls slid aside, and water began to pour out. Kurtzwick and Popple both jumped onto crates, and before long, the crates were floating, about half of the room already submerged. The water level’s rising began to slow until it was almost imperceptible.

“Water. It would be water, wouldn’t it?” Popple grumbled, his fur rising on end as he stared at his reflection.

Kurtzwick, however, had no such compunctions, and dove in. “You’re being a wuss, Popple.”

“No, I’m being a cat, see?! There’s a difference!” Popple said, a level of hysteria beginning to rise in his voice. “Who knows what’s in that water?!”

“Look, this has got to be part of some inane test. Let’s just get it solved, then bust out of here.”

“The test will begin shortly,” the loudspeaker said. “Please, prepare yourselves.” Two more Pokéballs dropped from the ceiling and sunk under the water. Two Pokémon rose up and focused their attention on the two thieves.

Test! Kurtzwick and Popple versus Tirtouga and Frillish!
Kurtzwick: “Hack, slay, and haul it all away!”
Popple: “Time to squash these two drips, see?”
Tirtouga: “I see you!”
Frillish: “Are you still there?”

“These two Pokémon,” the loudspeaker said, “used to be like you two. They fought. But then, under my tutelage, they have learned to function as a single unit.” As if to confirm, the Frillish and the Tirtouga stared unflinchingly at their targets.

“Yeah, I bet they have,” Kurtzwick said. “Popple! Keep them occupied! I’m going to try and lock them down!” He dove under the water without waiting for a response.

That turned out to be a poor move on his part; if he had stayed above water for a moment longer, he would have heard Popple fire back with “Like hell, you stooge! I can’t draw their attacks!” This was followed by an “Ah, crap,” as both Pokémon looked at Popple, their other target gone, and generated a tremendous wave that washed across the room. The wave crashed into Popple, knocking him from his crate and sending him crashing into a wall. The Surf also caught Kurtzwick in its undertow and pulled him back up to the surface, reappearing just as the wave hit the wall.

“Popple! What the hell?!” Kurtzwick growled. When he didn’t get an answer, he turned to look at the Skitty…

…who was floating face down in the water. Kurtzwick grumbled something unrepeatable under his breath and swam to Popple. Just as he thought, the Skitty was out cold. Two Surfs must have been too much for him. What had Popple said? That all the Pokémon there were stronger than him? How strong had Popple been when Maza and Trezzatura had fought him and Rookie all that time ago? If he hadn’t been training much, it would make sense that the Pokémon here, which were giving Kurtzwick a run for his money, would skunk Popple pretty easily.

Looks like it’s just me, then, Kurtzwick thought. With a surprising show of dexterity, he hauled Popple onto a crate. He looked up. The ceiling seemed closer than it had a while ago. Of course; the water level’s still rising. After a moment’s thought, Kurtzwick smiled. Then that means I have a plan now. Let’s rock. He jumped onto a crate himself – a different one from Popple – and shot a grin at his two opponents. Without giving them time to react, he arched a bolt of lightning into the water.

The subject of water and electricity is interesting. Everyone knows that water-type Pokémon are weak to electricity, but what about the water itself? Does it conduct electricity? Most people would say yes. Fewer people would say that it would only if the water wasn’t pure. The first group of people would probably fire right back with, “Well, how often does that come up?” To which the latter group of people would likely be forced to respond, “Not often, we’re afraid, and the water probably wouldn’t stay pure for long anyway.” This exercise, in addition to leaving the first group feeling frustrated and the second group embarrassed, just goes to show that if you’re a water-type Pokémon hanging around in the water, facing a Pokémon with an electric attack probably won’t end well.

It didn’t end well. The water conducted the Hidden Power quite excellently, and the bolt coursed through the bodies of the Frillish and the Tirtouga, leaving them charred and slightly smoky.

However, against Kurtzwick’s fondest hopes, it did not down them. Instead, it only served to make them angrier, from the looks on their faces. The Tirtouga sped through the water faster than one would expect a turtle to and locked its teeth on Kurtzwick’s tail, which prompted an anguished yell that only stopped when the Frillish locked eyes on him. An evil-looking glow radiated from the Frillish, and Kurtzwick felt the Hex hurt him in ways he wasn’t quite able to describe. He lashed his tail around and the Tirtouga finally ceded, letting go and flying back into the water.

“Popple, you just had to get knocked out,” Kurtzwick muttered, fully aware how unfair his statement was and yet, at the same time, not caring in the slightest. Under the reasoning that it seemed to work well enough the first time, he lashed a bolt into the water again, frying both Pokémon. They took the attack, showing severe signs of damage, but still wouldn’t go down.

“Repetition in your attacks shows a lack of creativity,” the loudspeaker said in a slightly condescending tone of voice. Well, more condescending than normal.

“Screw that!” Kurtzwick yelled. “What it means is that I’ve got an attack that does a lot of damage to both of them at once and I want to get out of this freaking place!”

“Oh, so you’re going for power over everything else?” the loudspeaker mused. “Let us see how well that works out.” The Frillish and the Tirtouga closed their eyes, bobbing halfway out of the water. A chill was immediately evident in the air, and as a wind began to pick up, Kurtzwick realized exactly what was about to happen. He had used the attack more than once, after all. A Blizzard was coming, and with both of them using it at once… He wasn’t sure if he’d be able to hold off something of that magnitude with Protect for long. If it hit him, it’d be over.

That answers that question for me! Kurtzwick thought. This would take some very precise timing and a healthy amount of luck. As the Blizzard began to pick up, Kurtzwick grit his teeth. Focusing on his inner reserves of energy, he channeled it up to his horn. Embers began to spark from his skin, until his horn was blazing red. Just as the Blizzard started in earnest, a brilliant, flaming V, nearly Kurtzwick’s size, sprung forth from his forehead. He charged through the Blizzard, cutting a swath through it effortlessly, and tackled the Frillish. It didn’t do much damage, just as he expected, but it got him past the Blizzard. Kurtzwick landed on another crate and caught his breath. V-Create really tired him out. He’d have to remember that.

Even though the attack didn’t seem to affect the Frillish at first, after a moment, it started wavering. It floated around in a tight circle, then slumped over, unmoving. The V-Create was, apparently, just enough to take it down.

The Tirtouga betrayed no emotion. It simply clamped its jaws onto Kurtzwick’s tail again, giving Kurtzwick cause for another yelp, but Kurtzwick was just as quick on the draw this time around. He grinned in a slightly sinister way; as he did so, for the second time that day, a wind blew through the room. This one centered in a cyclone around the two Pokémon. As it grew stronger, Kurtzwick tore himself from the Tirtouga’s grip and swam out of the way. The Twister picked up both the Tirtouga and a healthy amount of water; as it span, it slammed the turtle into the ceiling, which, by this point, was not very far away. The Tirtouga fell back down, unconscious, and the water fell back down on top of it.

Battle over! Kurtzwick wins! Kurtzwick grows to level 27!

Kurtzwick looked to the ceiling. One of the rusted holes was directly over him. He started for it, then had a second thought. He jumped a few crates, then grabbed the frozen, soaking Popple. With his new traveling companion, he leaped out of the hole…

…and a green arm pulled him back down. Kurtzwick’s head spun as a sharp pain tore through his head. All he saw was a vaguely white and green blur before he blacked out, the second time in one day.

When Kurtzwick woke up, he was at home. Popple was nowhere to be seen. He narrowed his eyes. The person or Pokémon in charge of that warehouse was just messing with him now. But he had a clue. When he had jumped out of the ceiling, he had caught a glimpse of the skyline. It wasn’t much, but it told him where he was. Now it was just a matter of pinpointing the exact location.

Excellent.

---

On the other side of the continent, Sydney Cross was having some difficulties, to put it mildly. About a week or so ago, Miro had suggested to her that she take a little hike through some of Chrace’s countryside. Sydney had jumped at the idea; between training with Broz, getting some logistics on the proposed branch down with Miro, and getting attacked in the news (still!), she felt that a break was deserved.

And so she had gone out into the countryside. She had found a nice bed and breakfast in Lionhome, a small, quaint village that sat amidst rolling green hills. It was very peaceful, but Sydney quickly noticed two things in quick succession. The first was that there was no internet connection anywhere in the village, which meant that the small laptop she brought with her was only useful for Solitaire and taking notes when it occurred to her. The second was that there was no cell reception either, so reporting back into the Guild was difficult.

It wasn’t until three or four days into her vacation that she realized, embarrassingly, that landlines were still a thing. When she called back to the Guild, she found out that Lord Porygon had been panicking a bit. Lord Persian promised that he’d let Lord Porygon know, then insisted that she go back to her vacation.

It was on one hike through the aforementioned rolling hills that the incident happened.

Sydney sat at the foot of a tree. Its broad branches shaded her from the sun, and the leaves were beginning to turn red and yellow. The wind whispered past her, not unpleasantly. She rooted through her bag for a book. These sorts of moments – peaceful, quiet, with nobody asking her for anything or telling her that she’d done something wrong… well, she wished they could last forever.

Of course, those sorts of moments don’t last forever, a fact that Sydney became painfully aware of when another hiker crossed her path. It was a young man, maybe a few years older than her. He was handsome in a rugged sort of way; his heavy clothes were slightly raggedy and he had a few days’ worth of stubble. “Afternoon, miss,” he said with a slight drawl, tipping his hat in a friendly manner, as he stopped in front of her.

Sydney looked up from her book. “Good afternoon,” she said. She wasn’t expecting to see anyone else, and had trouble keeping the slight hint of disappointment from her voice.

“I can’t help but see you’re a Pokémon trainer,” he continued, nodding in the general direction of Sydney’s belt.

Oh lord, Sydney thought. She could see exactly what was coming. He would want to battle. And she couldn’t say no. If she did, somehow, Broz would find out, and he’d rake her over the coals for turning down an opportunity to train. He already wasn’t happy that she was taking time off, but Miro had somehow managed to one-up him in the ‘discussion’ that had ensued.

“What do you say to a friendly match, eh?” the man asked. “My name’s Tango, by the by.”

Sydney stood up. “Sydney,” she said with a nod. “Yeah, I’ll go for a battle.”

“Three on three okay with you?”

Haven’t had one of those before… Sydney thought. But what the hell, I guess. “Sure,” she said out loud. She pulled three Pokéballs from her belt and tossed them to the ground; at the same time, Tango released his Pokémon.

STRIFE! Bow, GG, and Mona versus Cacnea, Budew, and Shuckle!
Bow: “Gast, gast…”
GG: “Woodo sud sud! ♪”
Mona: “SmeeearGLE!”
Cacnea: “Cac! Nea!”
Budew: “Dew bud.”
Shuckle: “Uckle! Shuck uckle!”

Aside from Bow, Sydney realized she hadn’t really used Mona or Groove Guy in a battle much. She pulled the notebook that Lord Porygon had given her from her bag and flipped through it.

Tango laughed good-naturedly. “Taking notes on the match, huh? Not a bad idea!”

“Sure,” Sydney said, half-listening. Two grass-types and a bug-type. Bow is going to shine in this battle. But Groove Guy might have a hard time. Okay. Let’s do this. “Bow! Incapacitate the Cacnea! GG, to the Shuckle! Mona, to the Budew!” One of the things she had picked up from the battles she had participated in was that Lord Porygon’s Pokémon seemed to enjoy doing their own thing. In order to bolster her own skills, she still gave direction, but she left a lot of the execution up to them.

“You heard the woman, boys,” Tango said, nodding to his Pokémon. “Do it.”

Bow moved first, locking eyes with the Cacnea. She stared at him for a moment, neither looking away, until the Cacnea simply fell backwards, sound asleep. Bow gave a small smile that disappeared just as quickly. The Budew gave a troubled glance at his teammate, but discarded his worry; Mona was advancing on him with a smile on her face. It wasn’t a malicious smile by any means, but it was still a smile, and the Budew seemed to find that plenty unnerving. He stood up straight, smiled back, and said “Budew dew,” in what Sydney assumed was the Budew version of a suave voice.

Sydney could almost see the hearts spring up in Mona’s eyes. Attract. Wonderful. Broz had warned her about that move. She was a bit more surprised when the red string that Mona wore around her neck, tied loosely in a bow, began to glow, and the Budew got a similar stupefied expression. Lord Porygon had mentioned Mona’s Destiny Knot, but hadn’t been very clear on what it did. Now I guess I know.

Even with two Pokémon on his team incapacitated, Tango seemed less than worried. His Shuckle began to inch forward, but GG got there first. With an acrobatic movement that involved a somersault and no fewer than two flips, he grabbed a boulder from nearby, picked it up over his head with relative ease, and hurled it at the Shuckle. The rock landed on the Shuckle’s hard shell and actually cracked in two, but when the Shuckle poked his head back out, he didn’t look too hurt. He withdrew into his shell again and began spinning on the spot; once he had built up enough speed, he zipped across the grass with a metallic sheen coating him. Shuckle slammed into Lady Bow, sending both of them scattering. Bow took a moment to catch her breath, then glanced at Sydney and nodded. “Sudo!” GG proclaimed proudly, smiling to Sydney, apparently pleased with his attack.

Sydney nodded. “Good, guys. Bow, switch to Budew and give it a punch.”

“A punch?” Tango asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Mona, give the Budew a nice friendly lick,” Sydney continued. “And GG, hit the Budew with your Hidden Power.”

Tango merely nodded at his team, or at least his Shuckle, who was the only one paying attention.

Bow struck first again. The gas that surrounded her coalesced into a spectral hand. The hand clenched into a fist – a fist that then burst into flame – and pounded the Budew from atop his head. The flames coursed over Budew, bringing focus back to his eyes, but as soon as he saw Mona again, he calmed down. Mona stood up to approach the Budew, but apparently a thought occurred to her; she looked at the Budew, then looked at Sydney with a sad look in her eyes. “Smear?” she asked quietly.

Sydney sighed. “Fine. Go after the Shuckle.”

Mona nodded. She clasped her hands to her head and strained audibly; as her eyes began to glow blue, so too did the Shuckle. Shuckle rose into the air, struggling wildly, then Mona hurled him back into GG’s earlier makeshift projectile. Shuckle bounced off, spinning slightly on the ground.

“Go on, Budew,” Tango said. “Give that sweetie over there a present.”

Budew raised a berry that it had been holding… somewhere into the air. The berry disappeared, and a ring of fire erupted from the ground around Mona. The flames receded quickly, leaving as evidence Mona’s scorched fur. Impressively, she didn’t look fazed, the love-struck expression still on her face. Must be… what’d Broz call it? Natural Gift.

Groove Guy took a deep bow, something Sydney had noticed he had been doing more and more before he did elaborate moves. Three purple orbs appeared in each of his hands, and he tossed them all upwards at the same time. With surprising dexterity, he caught them all and began tossing them from hand to hand. The juggling act soon became too quick to follow, and GG began throwing them rapid-fire at the Budew. Each one hit home, splattering Budew with a thick ooze, and it began wavering on the spot.

Good, that’s good, Sydney thought. But wait… what’s the Shuckle going to do? When she turned to look, all she saw was a hole in the ground. I guess that answers that question.


“Bow, finish the Budew off,” Sydney said. The Budew certainly looked like it was on its last legs. “Mona, GG, hit the Shuckle with your most powerful blows.” Broz mentioned how Shuckle can take hits. Let’s hope we can overwhelm it…

All it took was a single Sludge Bomb, slimy and toxic, from Bow to bring the Budew down. The sludge hit it, splattering all over the ground, and the Budew collapsed.

“Good, good!” Tango laughed. “First blood goes to you! But I think I see who your powerhouse is now!” He looked between Shuckle and Cacnea, who was beginning to stir. “Guys, focus yourselves on the Gastly!”

Bow frowned. She had understood that easily enough. With a burst of speed, GG slid in front of her, holding his hands up as if to say “just try it.” The Shuckle began to slowly inch towards the pair, but GG rushed it with a powerful Dynamicpunch. The crack that resonated through the field when he struck certainly spoke to the toughness of the Shuckle’s shell, but it seemed to be in vain; the punch was enough to make the Shuckle retreat into his shell and not come back out.

Sydney raised an eyebrow. “Are you taking this seriously?” she asked. “This seems a bit too easy.”

“No,” Tango laughed. “You must just be that good!”

“Whatever you say…” Sydney shook her head. She couldn’t help but shake the sneaking suspicion that something was up.

The Cacnea was completely awake at that point, and when he realized that his teammates were down, the look of panic that crossed his face was clearly evident. He disappeared into this air, then reappeared behind Bow; Cacnea swung one needle-tipped arm at her, and the impact made her wince with pain. She turned around and locked eyes on him. This was different from the Hypnosis; Sydney remembered that she had seen Bow do this once before. A cage of ice began to form at the Cacnea’s feet, and it began to travel upwards until the Cacnea was completely frozen. Bow’s eyes widened, and the ice shattered. Mona sprang into action next, gripping Cacnea in a psychic hold and hurling him backwards, straight into GG’s punch. The one-two combo proved too much for the Cacnea, and he dropped.

Battle over! Bow grows to level 9! Mona grows to level 10! Groove Guy grows to level 9!

“That wasn’t too bad,” Sydney said, looking over her team. They certainly looked happy enough, if not tired.

“Yeah, not too bad at all,” Tango agreed. When Sydney looked up, he was holding a Pokéball. She hadn’t seen him pull one out; it was as if it had just appeared in his hand. “I think we both profited.”

“What’s that supposed to mean…?” Sydney asked. The sinking feeling in her gut was acting up again.

Tango smirked. He threw the Pokéball with one swift motion, and it hit Bow neatly on the forehead. To both her and Sydney’s surprise, it drew her in and clattered to the ground. Sydney, Mona, and GG watched with gaping mouths as the Pokéball ticked three times in succession, then lay still.

“Yes, I think I profited too,” Tango said. He picked up the Pokéball and saluted. “I must be going! Be seeing you!” He tossed another Pokéball, this one revealing a Dodrio, and he climbed on and ran off.

It took a moment for Sydney to get her senses back together. What do I do?! Hell, hell… one of Lord Porygon’s Pokémon got stolen… I’ll need to contact him! But I’ll need to go back into town, and that’ll take the rest of the day… I can’t lose this guy’s trail!

Then something occurred to her. Sydney drew another Pokéball and opened it, in the process recalling Mona and GG. This Pokéball held Bobbery, and he looked to her with a small smile on his face, eager to help.

“Bobbery, Odor Sleuth. Track a Dodrio down for me.”

Bobbery nodded and began sniffing the air, walking the same path the Dodrio took.

Sydney clenched her fists. Whoever this Tango was, he was going to find out what happened to people who messed with Sydney Cross.

Just as soon as she figured out what that would be.

[DarkestLight]

I need..let's see...

Is it possible to buy 4 battles? If so, I'll take one from the Antarctic Survivor Recovery Agency, one from the Universal Adoption Center, and two from the Professional Sports Breeding System.

If now, then I'll need to ask what's the maximum number I can buy at once. Stocking up for a slew of stories for next month's writing bonanza....

And..not to neglect.

Jeff-
I Like Sydney's storyline. Tango seems like the random name someone from the Colosseum games would have as well.
But your ghost is gone! I'm anxious to read what happens next.
Sydney seems to be really filling out her Trainer ability. Now she just needs some of her own, lol.
As for Kurtz-that's cool. I'm glad he has a hint now as to where he was yoinked too.
But Popple prolly got it bad, lol. I still suspect a setup. Don't trust that pink ball of fluff.

[classy_cat18]

You can request one every week.

[DarkestLight]

Ok. Then I need my first one to be from the Antarctic Survivor Recovery Agency! *7 stamps for you*

[Lady Vulpix]

You were supposed to say who it's for (in case the randomizer chose a Pokemon that evolved early). In any case, he or she will battle a Snorunt.

I've already enjoyed the first part of Jeff's story. I'm taking the rest to read on the plane.

It's a long flight, so I don't think I'll be back online before Thursday (could be Wednesday but I'll probably collapse as soon as I see a bed rather than taking the time to get online).

[Lady Vulpix]

This is Gabi a.k.a. Lady Vulpix reporting from Toronto airport.

I must say that Jeff's stories have made my flight more enjoyable. If only I had more of them to read on my next flight, but I guess I'll make do with the book I brought.

I agree with Kurtzwick that the alliteration was good. Though when he said that was a part of an inane test I thought that it was more of an insane test.

Oh, and how many times have I heard - and taken part of - that argument about water and electricity!

As for the second story... I laughed at Tango's reaction when Sydney told Bow to punch the Budew, because I had a similar reaction when I learned that Ghastlies(?) could punch. I like Groove Guy's battling style, and I like how Sydney has started to trust your Pokemon's judgement in battle. Poor Lady Bow, though. Oh, and Ulthuan is not exactly a continent, but I believe you know that already.

Take 33 stamps, 15 for your first story and 18 for the second. Sorry if I don't make the stamp symbol, it's not easy to make it here.

[DarkestLight]

Oh yeah. It was for May

[classy_cat18]

Can I get an RBG for my Ralts, Circe? From the Antarctic Survivor Recovery Agency. *pays*

[Wolfsong]

Circe will battle a Chinchou

[DarkestLight]

Another one. This for Zent. From the UAC

[classy_cat18]

Zent will battle a Jellicent.

[classy_cat18]

Sorry for the double post, but could I get an RBG for Athena from the Professional Sports Breeding System?

[The Blue Avenger]

Athena's gonna rumble with a Sawk.

[classy_cat18]

Yay, my first BW Pokemon!

...Aw crap, a Sawk.

[The Blue Avenger]

While I'm here, I'd like an RBG for Kurtzwick, from the Jungle Deforestation place. *hands over 7 stamps*

[classy_cat18]

Curse you, NaNoWriMo. Sorry for the delay. Kurtzwick will battle a Budew.

Bo’s POV

I keep having a dream. In my dream, a snake slithers around me and whispers things to me. Like “I’m watching you” or “wait for me”. It never attacks me. In fact, I never see it. Somehow my mind just somehow thinks it’s a snake. It could be an eel or a snakelike Pokemon, like an Ekans or a Dratini.

But whatever it is, it’s too unnatural to be a snake or a Pokemon.

Ken tapped me on the head. “Bo, you’re doing that weird staring thing again,” he whispered.

My ears perked up. “I am? Sorry about that.”

“You said you were going to tell Miss Shonta about your bad dreams. What if they’re trying to tell you something?”

That’s right. I did kinda tell Ken about the nightmares. But if I tell any of the team then they would all freak out, and maybe even drop out of the tournament. I put a paw on his head. “It’s probably nothing. That thing may just be part of my dream. Let’s worry more about Uncle Bandit and his battles, okay?”

“Okay! I got you something!” the Squirtle told me happily as he held out a large water bottle. “The team said they were going to the Desert Room next!”

“Keep it. If you’re going with them, you’ll need it more than me.”

“You’re coming too, right?”

“Uhh…” I wasn’t sure that I even wanted to battle, but Ken’s big eyes were pleading me to change my mind. “Maybe I should stay up here.”

“We can’t have that,” a voice behind us said. We turned around to face a Girafarig. She had a blue nose, not the pink one I remember them having. “You see, I spent the last five minutes bringing up the courage to ask you for a battle. You can’t just shoot down my offer before I put it on the table!”

“Sorry, but I really don’t feel like battling today,” I said to her while sneaking a quick glance at the rest of the team. This time Miss Shonta was with them.

“No way! Pleeeeeease?” She wagged her whimpering tail. “Just a friendly battle. Nothing on the line.”

“Why not Ken? He’s just as powerful.”

“I wanted a shot with someone with a type advantage!”

“I’m sorry but no.”

“I’ll whine and whine until you battle me!” She stomped her hooves on the floor.

“Boooooo, please battle her! She’s getting annoying!” Ken whined.

I resisted until her tail started getting in on the action, growling and whimpering as loud as she did. “Fine! Fine! I’ll battle you! Just cut out that noise! Jeez!” I shouted.

The Girafarig immediately stopped whining and bounced around excitedly. “Yay yay yay! You said yes! We can fight down in the Desert Room! Race you there!” She took off for the elevator before I could react.

“Whoa, wait up!” Ken and I followed but the doors of the elevator closed before we could get there. “The stairs!”

Ken ran as well as he could while carrying his big bottle of water, but still tripped a couple of times on the way down. By the time we got down to the lower floor, the Girafarig was going through the doors to the Desert Room. “The team was coming down here anyway,” I said to Ken.

More footsteps came from the stairs as some of the team came down to meet me. “Why did you leave so suddenly?” Auntie Katana asked me.

“Someone challenged me,” I answered. “She wouldn’t leave me alone until I said yes.”

“No problem!” Miss Moriko said as she patted my head. “We were coming down here anyway!” She walked past me and threw the heavy doors open.

Miss Ali stepped in the large room and whistled. “It’s hot here too, but at least it’s not the Lava Room. So let’s find us a brawl!”

Miss Moriko took off and flew above me, Miss Ali running right behind her. Auntie Katana stayed by my side for a moment. “I guess I’ll go find a battle too,” she said before running off.

I looked back at Ken who was already drinking from the water bottle he carried with him. “I’m fine!” he exclaimed boldly before walking off. “Let’s find that crazy Pokemon!”

“Who are you calling crazy?” I heard the blue-nosed Girafarig say behind me.

Ken yelped and withdrew in his shell. “How did she get there?” his voice came from the shell.

“I walked. Duh.” She looked around the room, looking less crazy than she did earlier. “There’s a nice open spot. Let’s battle there.”

We trotted there and faced each other, Ken on my side. “Ken, get on the sidelines,” I told him.

“What sidelines?” he asked me.

“Uhhh…just take ten steps back or something.” He nodded and started counting with each step he took backwards, stopping at the tenth.

The Girafarig dug in the sand with her hoof impatiently. “You ready?” she shouted to me.

“Wait.” She snorted. “I just wanna know your name before we start.”

“Why? We probably won’t be seeing each other again.”

What’s with her? She’s totally different than earlier. Don’t tell me it’s another Girafarig. I shrugged. “Just curious.”

“It’s Valkyrie. How about you?”

“I’m Bo.” What kind of name is Valkyrie?

“Now that we’ve introduced ourselves--” She didn’t get to finish her sentence, as a big sandstorm kicked up, surprising all of us. “Who started this darn thing?”

“Guess we’ll have to fight with it!” I shouted

L9 Male Umbreon (Bo) vs. L9 Female Girafarig (Valkyrie)

Easier said than done. Every time I open my eyes I get sand in them! I couldn’t see whatever blasted my side and sent me rolling. The sandstorm died down, and Valkyrie grinned at me.

“This is something we’ll have to work with. It’s the Desert Room so you’ll have to expect little gusts of sand and wind every now and then,” she told me.

I growled and got to my feet. “How did you hit me?”

“Don’t need to aim when you got Swift!” she replied happily with a wink.

“Aww man…”

She took off at a run, the sand not slowing her down one bit. I started running too, towards her. We ended up circling each other a couple times before charging for each other. But before we could tackle, she skidded to a stop and ran the other way!

“Wha?” I yelped. Was she escaping? I chased after her.

Her tail growled at me and opened his mouth wide. I kept running until it charged up a green ball of energy. I tried to stop but that only made me a still target for the attack. She can attack from both ends!?

“How’d you like that Energy Ball?” Valkyrie taunted. “My tail’s got my back!”

I grunted in pain and rolled over to stand. She’s gone!

“Bo, up!” Ken shouted.

“Huh?” I looked up in time to watch a black shape drop all four hooves on me. The impact sent a cloud of sand up, sending it into places I really didn’t want it getting into.

“Bo!” I heard Ken cry out.

I got free and rolled on my back. Valkyrie’s belly was in reach of my paws so I gave her a good Tickle. The Girafarig giggled and even snorted as she wobbled from side to side. Uncle Bandit taught me how non-attacking moves could be useful too. While she was distracted, I crunched on the leg nearest to my face. Valkyrie flailed and jumped away from me. “Owwww,” she whimpered. “You got needle teeth, you know that? And strong jaws!”

“You’ll live!” I snorted sand out my nose and shook sand off my fur.

She reared on her hind legs and charged for me again. Remembering a new attack of mine, I turned away from her and kicked up sand with my back legs. A squeak of surprise told me that she had been blinded. Again! I bit her front leg this time. She yelped and kicked me away.

“Again with the teeth!” she complained. Her hooves stomped in the sand around me. The ground shook the harder she stomped.

Earthquake! The attack wasn’t as severe since she was stomping in sand instead of dirt or rock but it was still really hard to keep standing. Then she somehow kept up her stomping while swinging her neck and shooting more stars at me. With the ground shaking I couldn’t even try to dodge and had to take the hit.

Gotta finish this! I spit out a fireball that hit Valkyrie in the chest, stopping her Earthquake. As she was recovering, I ran behind her and bit the living tail, not even letting go when it bit my nose. The pain was felt by both, and Valkyrie fell on her side.

Bo won and grew to level 10! He got Sucker Punch as his free TM!

Ken clapped and ran to me. “Need water?” he asked eagerly while waving his water bottle in front of my face. The bottle was already half-empty.

I took a few gulps of water. “Wanna go see if our teammates found a battle?” I told him.

“Sure!” We headed over the sand dunes to join up with them.

Katana’s POV

I stood beside Moriko and Ali while they looked around the huge room. “So I guess we just stick out our thumbs and get a challenge,” Ali suggested after a long silence.

“We’ll have to use your thumbs,” Moriko joked. “I got a better idea. HEY, WE NEED A BATTLE HERE!”

I flinched and eyed all the Pokemon and trainers who turned to us. “You couldn’t have been a little more subtle, Moriko?”

“Shonta said we needed to hurry up!”

Two Pokemon came up to us: a Baltoy and an Onix. Then a Diglett popped out of the ground. “You girls called for a battle?” the Onix asked in a deep voice.

“Yeah! You up for it?” Moriko said excitedly.

“Moriko, lemme battle the Onix!” Ali interrupted while tugging at the Heracross’s horn.

“Wh-wha? But he’s perfect for me! Fine, I’ll take the Diglett.”

Guess that means I get the Baltoy.

“Then again, I could get some good experience with battling someone with a type advantage,” Moriko continued. “Katana, switch with me!”

“You sure about that?” I asked with a raised brow.

“Yeah, yeah!”

“O…kay.”

“One at a time,” the Onix declared when the fighting trio stepped forward. “I need room to work and I don’t want to worry about friendly fire.”

“Then how about we go first?” Ali offered. Onix nodded in agreement.

L10 Female Meditite (Ali) vs. L15 Male Onix

Ali made the first move, leaping high into the air with a foot ready to plant between the giant’s eyes. I could already see how Onix would react. He ducked and burrowed into the sand, leaving Ali to keep on going.

“Oh no, she missed!” Moriko said before flying after her. The rest of us followed for a short distance, just enough to keep Ali in our sights.

The Meditite finally hit the far wall (which was hard to see since it was painted to look like part of the scenery. She made a dent in it and yelled in pain. “Man, that hurt!” she exclaimed loudly after landing in the sand.

My ears perked at a loud rumbling sound. Sand sank in and kicked up in a trail to Ali while her back was still turned. “ONIX HOOOOOO!” Moriko yelled in warning.

Ali turned around just in time to watch a boulder burst out of the ground, aimed at her. She gasped and met the boulder with a Dizzy Punch to knock it back where it came from. Onix’s head popped up and headbutted the rock to smaller pieces. “Where’d he know where to aim?” she muttered while cradling her hurt knuckles.

He roared and dove back under the sand. Ali stood still and looked all around her. She clenched her fists and closed her eyes. “Bide.” A white aura surrounded her.

A huge blur came out beside her and flew at her. She stretched out an arm and calmly caught the speeding tail, a grunt of pain telling me that the move wasn’t easy to do. “Is she going to be able to last long enough to retaliate?” I whispered to myself.

The tail withdrew into the sand, then everything got quiet. I held my breath. Where is he going to pop up this time?

“AAAH!” Ali shrieked as she was flung into the air by Onix’s head. Her head hit the high ceiling, making me and Moriko wince together. As she fell, Onix rose for another hit.

“This is it!” Moriko declared happily.

Ali recovered and threw a punch at Onix’s snout. His stony skin cracked from the impact. He let out a roar of pain.

“Whoa!” I said.

Ali bounced off his crest and landed on both feet. Onix tumbled down to the ground like a rock slide. “Almost there!” Ali said. She balled her fist again, this time charging it for an Ice Punch.

Onix turned to her and yelped. He started to slither back into the sand.

“Not so fast!” She climbed on him and slammed her icy fist into his tail. His whole body was covered with a thin layer of frost. He shivered and closed his eyes in defeat.

Ali won and grew to level 12! She learned Detect!

“Next,” Ali panted as she stumbled back to us. “Where are the other two chumps?”

Diglett popped up at her feet. “Name calling isn’t going to make this easier on you,” he told her.

“Let’s see if that’s true. Katana, you’re up.”

I nodded confidently. “Here goes.”

L10 Female Zangoose (Katana) vs. L8 Male Diglett

Diglett popped back in the ground before I could even twitch a muscle. He was fast, that much was sure. “This is going to be a tricky battle,” I said to myself.

“You can do this!” Moriko cheered. “You’re speedy too!”

I wasn’t speedy enough to dodge the ground as it collapsed under my feet. I yowled and fell into Diglett’s pit trap. “Owwww,” I moaned as I stayed on my back. Sand fell in my eyes and mouth, making things even worse.

So much for landing on my feet. I rolled over and growled as I spat and cried out sand. The Desert Room was now my least favorite room, and I hadn’t even seen the Lava Room. I probably still would’ve preferred lava to sand.

“I need to get out this hole before…” I stopped at the sound of rumbling. Deep rumbling. “Damn.” I started grabbing at the walls of the pit and climbed to the edge just as the ground beneath me erupted, catching my rear end before it I could get myself completely free.

“AAAAAH!” I cried out as I tumbled through the air until I landed. Not on the ground. On a cactus. “YEEEEOWCH!”

“Oooh, that must’ve hurt,” Ali empathized.

“Are you okay?” Moriko called out to me.

I climbed down and slowly pulled a needle out my cheek. “I’ll live,” I grumbled.

“Auntie Tana!”

“Huh?” I looked over my shoulder at Ken and Bo as they stood on a rock on top of a sand dune. The Squirtle who had called out to me smiled brightly and waved. “Auntie’s in a battle right now! We can talk later!”

“Okay!” He sat next to Bo and drank from his water bottle.

“Auntie Katana, behind you!” Bo warned me.

I turned and dodged the falling cactus. Diglett finally popped back up. “This is hard for you, huh? I can defeat you without even having to surface.”

I snarled. The little mole had a point. But I still had tricks up my sleeve. I stared straight at the Diglett while my shadow stretched to him. “You’re not the only fast one, buddy,” I said with a smirk.

He blinked. “Huh?”

I sank into my shadow and resurfaced behind him with a punch to the back of his head. “Gotcha!” I crowed.

“Yay!” my teammates cheered.

“Sneak attack!” Diglett squeaked.

I glared at him with my eyes glowing from a Leer. “Oh, I’m not done with you yet.” He screamed and went back underground. “Tch. Where is that little runt now?”

“This old trick again?” Ali said.

“That must be Earth Power he’s been using,” Moriko guessed. “That attack packs a real punch.”

How to get him out long enough to attack him? Hm, he probably feels the vibrations in the ground to find out where I am. There was a large rock nearby. He wouldn’t know where I was if I climbed on it. I took a deep breath and kept my ears open to any sound. The second I heard more rumbling, every muscle in me bunched up. “Detect!” I leaped away from another geyser of sand, dirt and rock and faked a cry of pain after landing on the rock. “Ugh! Damn, that hurts! You little monster! Come out and face me, dammit!”

Moriko plugged up Ken’s ears. “Keep it PG, Katana! Remember that the kids are here!”

“Sorry, I forgot,” I said in a hushed voice. Wind whipped around me as I charged up Razor Wind. “Ugh, if I get hit by another attack like that I’m done for!”

It worked. Diglett resurfaced for more taunting, and I had the high ground. “Gotcha again! RAZOR WIND!” I slashed the air to make wind scythes that scratched and cut him.

“He’s dazed! Don’t let up on him!” Ali encouraged.

“Keep on pushing!” Moriko added.

“Go, Auntie!” Bo and Ken said together.

I pounced on Diglett’s head with talons outstretched and slashed him. He yelped and went back underground. “That is it!” I stomped the ground. “Rock Tomb!”

Rocks sprang around the hole he had created. That should keep him still long enough for me to finish him off.

“Rock Tomb?” Bo questioned.

“She probably raided Shonta’s backpack before coming here,” Moriko clarified.

“That’s one less TM we’ll be getting,” Ali lamented.

I climbed on top of the circle of rocks that I had trapped Diglett in and smirked at him. “Well well, it seems like I got you between a rock and a hard place. Which is another rock!” I joked.

“Come down here and say that, you Cheshire Cat!” he shot back.

“Sure.”

“…Wait, I take that back!”

“Too late.” I unsheathed my claws and jumped in, slowly circling him before slashing him to my content. He whimpered after the second one and fell unconscious.

Katana won and grew to level 11!

I climbed back out and landed in front of the last opponent, the quiet Baltoy. “You don’t seem very concerned about your opponents,” I mused.

<They were not my teammates,> Baltoy said. <I am ready for my battle with the Heracross now.>

“You sure are blunt. Hey Moriko, your opponent’s ready!”

We switched positions, Moriko taking her place with Baltoy and me sitting with my teammates. By now Ken’s water bottle was empty and he was starting to lick his lips. “I’m thirsty,” he told me.

“Bo, could you take Ken up to the café upstairs?” I asked the Umbreon.

“Aww, but I wanna see Miss Moriko battle!”

“I can take the little guy up to the café,” Ali suggested. “I gotta see someone about these bruises anyway.”

“But the Pokemon Center is downstairs and the café is above us,” I said. “Won’t that be too much of a walk for you?”

“I’ll be just fine. I’m more durable than I look!” She patted Ken’s shell and walked with him. I watched them until they were out of my sight.

Moriko and Baltoy hadn’t done anything yet. “Are you ready for us yet?” Moriko asked us.

“You didn’t have to wait for us,” I said to her.

“We watched each other’s battles. I figured you’d want to watch mine, you know?” She laughed cheerfully.

“Thanks for waiting, Miss Moriko!” Bo said.

<This is getting tiresome,> Baltoy groaned psychically.

“Wow, you are gloomier than Jewel,” Moriko observed. “I would ask if all psychic Pokemon must be like that, but we have Ali and Circe on our team. Too much sand get in your crevices or something?”

I sighed heavily and rolled my eyes. I swear she’s gotten more childish lately.

“Be our referee!” Moriko said to me.

“Alright, alright.” I raised my paw. “For our third round we have Moriko the Heracross facing off against, um, Baltoy. Unnamed. Let the match… begin!” I dropped my paw.

L10 Female Heracross (Moriko) vs. L10 Baltoy

Moriko opened her wing case and took to the sky in a matter of seconds. She went as high as the room would allow her. “Why is she going so high?” Bo asked.

“She’s probably going to dive bomb him.” I shifted my gaze to the calm Baltoy. “He doesn’t seem very worried about that. Maybe he has—“

For a split second, his eyes flashed.

THUD! Moriko dropped to the sand like a stone.

“Yep, he’s got Gravity,” I confirmed.

“Gravity?” Bo repeated.

“It grounds flying Pokemon. That will cut Moriko’s speed and make it harder for her to evade and attack.”

“How is she going to get around that?”

“We’ll see.”

Moriko chuckled nervously as she got to her feet. “Okay, you got me there. Should’ve expected that from a Psychic type. That’s a handy move.”

<This is a battle. There is no time for idle chatter in a battle,> Baltoy admonished.

“There you go with that gloomy talk again!” She raised a claw and waved it in front of him. “Okay, I’ll talk less. Gravity!”

<Ooof!> he grunted as he hit the ground as well. <You should not know that move.>

“Yeah, you’re right about that. But I know Mimic! That took care of things!”

I grinned. Unfortunately for him, levitating is the only way he can move. He’s a sitting duck now.

<I am not done yet.> His eyes shone brightly. Moriko cried out in pain and held her head. She was lifted a few feet off the ground. <There’s still not much defense from my psychic attacks.>

“Now who’s doing idle chatter doing battle?” the Heracross managed to grunt. She struggled to get free but to no avail.

“How can she get free from that?” Bo wondered while his tail wagged in anticipation.

I watched quietly as Moriko’s wing case slowly opened. Her wings beat faster and faster until a great wind kicked up and blew sand over Baltoy, almost completely burying him. This broke his concentration and made him drop Moriko. “By sheer will!” Moriko answered.

With Gravity still in effect, Moriko had to run around. She charged for Baltoy with her horn lowered and ready for attack. Baltoy rolled around and shot a beam of electricity at her. She wasn’t running fast enough to evade, but she tried anyway, wincing when the Charge Beam hit her side. She still kept on going. There was a look in her eyes that I didn’t see when she was joking around with him.

She’s gotten into it. She’s determined now. All fired up.

“It’ll take more than that to slow me down!” Moriko said boldly. She stumbled as soon as she said that.

<Very well.> He blasted her with another Psychic. She slowed down but still ran, even as she was being pushed back by the power. Wincing from the pain, she dug her toes in the sand and did the same trick as before, using her wings to blow sand in Baltoy’s eyes. This time it took longer, neither of them wanting to give up. After a long struggle, Baltoy finally let go.

“Ha… I… win,” Moriko panted.

The celebration was short-lived, however, when she saw Baltoy float off the ground. Gravity had worn off. <I have regained mobility, Heracross.>

“You don’t get it, don’t you? I grounded you after you grounded me.”

“She can fly again!” Bo finished with glee.

<One more Psychic should do it!>

She grinned. Her eyes flickered and the pink aura around her disappeared as soon as it appeared. Baltoy sank to the ground and floated back up, his hovering getting unstable. He’s exhausted. They both are. She’s going to have to finish this quick, because she won’t be able to last much longer.

Moriko grinned and powered her wings one last time. Baltoy spun in place. A rock sprang up in Moriko’s path! “Whoa!” she yelped as she barrel rolled to the side. Another two boulders sprang up in front of her!

“Oh no!” I exclaimed.

Moriko just sped up and slammed both glowing fists into the rocks, shattering them into pieces. Focus Punch! She sped up, her horn the next part of her to glow. Megahorn! Baltoy backed up and sparked with electricity.

“Don’t slow down, Moriko! He knows you’ll get him with this one blow!” I commanded.

<NO!> Baltoy exclaimed.

“Bam!” Moriko said as she rammed into him with top speed. The force was enough to send him way back to the back wall.

“That was AWESOME!” Bo cried out.

Moriko stumbled a little before slowly flying towards where Baltoy had crashed. Bo and I followed eagerly. We all stopped when we saw a light headed this way. No, wait…a beam!

“Miss Moriko! Solarbeam!” Bo warned.

She used Detect again, flying above the beam at just the right time. “This guy’s a toughie,” she commented while charging for him again.

<Oh no.> He spun in place, deflecting her Horn Attack again and again. I flinched each time I heard them clash.

Come on, get him!

She backed up and rammed into him, ignoring the scratches made by his spinning arms. He let out an ‘oomph’ from the impact. “I’m not able to use my horn on you like I do with other opponents,” she told him. “It’s a big shame. I like tossing.” She pressed down on him harder until he groaned and closed his eyes, dropping to the sand when Moriko backed up.

“Katana! Call it!” she told me.

“The battle is over! Moriko is the winner!” I announced with a outstretched paw.

Moriko won! She grew to level 11!

“You were awesome, Moriko. It’s been a while since I last saw you battle,” I complimented when she stumbled back to us. “You went all out for a training battle.”

She laughed loudly, then winced and held her side. “Yeah, but I’m wiped out now. Maybe I should’ve ended it quickly.”

“Are you crazy? It wouldn’t have been as much fun to watch.” We shared a laugh.

Bo nuzzled her side, where she got grazed by the Charge Beam. “Do you need help?” he asked softly.

“Yeah, I do. Do me a big favor and help me walk to the Pokemon Center downstairs. Shonta will probably be waiting for us down there anyway.”

Third Person POV

She was almost ready to report. She waited for the nurse at the Pokemon Center to heal her before reaching out telepathically and searched for Eli. <Master Eli, they’ve left.>

<That took a long time, dear Valkyrie,> her partner sent back.

She choked at the teasing tone in her trainer’s voice, accidentally catching the eye of the nearby nurse. <I am not your dear anything, and it took a long time because the Umbreon knocked me out. Where are you right now?>

<Back in the Lava Room. I wanted to stay close without running into our new playmate again.>

<I’m sorry to question your methods, master, but what was the purpose of interacting with the Umbreon? Surely you could’ve determined by yourself his condition.>

<I was afraid Noah would’ve been a little too rough with him had he battled instead of you, and I needed a capable Psychic type to read him during battle.>

<I could’ve done that while standing by your side.>

<Another thing is that I didn’t want to risk them linking you to me. The less of this team they know, the better. Not even the Guild knows of anyone besides Noah.>

<That makes sense.>

<So what have you found out?>

She sighed out loud. <Nothing, master. He seems very normal for a Pokemon his age. There’s no sign at all that he had been possessed. The whole thing seemed unnecessary now.>

<Doesn’t that negate your claim of having found nothing out?>

She would’ve blushed if she could. <I guess. So what do we do now?>

<Nothing, until the Dragon Games are over. Then we go back to keeping an eye on them.>

<You really think they won’t make a move until then?>

<Too many excited trainers around. If they make a move now then everyone will go on high alert quickly.> He went quiet for a moment. <Activity down here is growing. I’m coming back up.>

<I’ll be waiting.>

She grinned to herself and left the Pokemon Center, bumping into another familiar face on the way out. “Loki!” she hissed.

The constantly grinning fox Pokemon snickered and circled her. “You sound mad. Are you mad?” he inquired.

“Yes, I’m mad! You turned into me and pretended to be me! And you got me wrong! I told you not to do that if you couldn’t be me the right way!”

“It’s you. Trust me, it’s you. Even Noah thinks my impression of you is dead on, especially when I start gooshing over Eli.” The Zoroark transformed into her again. “Oh, Master Eli! I have finished my report, Master Eli! I fully respect your decision on anything and everything, Master Eli!”

“I DON’T SOUND LIKE THAT!” she shrieked, scaring nearby people.

“Oh please, you love acting all formal and proper when it comes to Eli.” He transformed back. “Any idea why he’s so attached to that particular human? She seems too… annoying.”

“Stop trying to figure him out. It’ll just hurt your brain.”

He snarled and pressed his face close to hers. “Are you saying I’m stupid?”

“Not this time. I’m saying he’s too much of a mystery wrapped in an enigma, or whatever the phrase is. But I’m sure there’s some kind of reason. He’s just not telling us.”

“Why would he not tell us? Bet that mutt knows.”

“Shush! The mutt’s coming.”

Eli walked up to him, Noah at his feet as usual. “Shall we go home, team?” The mysterious trainer asked.

Valkyrie and Loki nodded together. Some rest was needed before the next step.

[Lady Vulpix]

I had some comments typed down, but I saved them on a buggy memory stick and they got corrupted. In any case, Gravity affects all the Pokemon in the field, so there was no point in Moriko mimicking it.

At what time are these battles set?

[classy_cat18]

Oh. I didn't know.

Right before the start of the Dragon Games. I had been working on it since then.

...Why do you ask?

[Lady Vulpix]

To understand it better, and to know where to put it in the archive.

You can have 25 stamps. ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[classy_cat18]

An RBG for Ali, from the Professional Sports Breeding System. *pays*

[Wolfsong]

Ali will battle a Croagunk.

[DarkestLight]

Dang, two days late. I need another battle. From the Professional Sports place. For Wyrm. AAAH story getting AWESOMEEE!!

[Wolfsong]

Wyrm will battle a Mankey

[DarkestLight]

O.o That's all sorts of wicked awesome!

[The Blue Avenger]

A second RBG for Kurtzwick, please, from the Nature Protection Agency. *hands over 7 stamps*

Also, a question - Kurtzwick's level 27. How do we handle opponents that evolve by happiness? Should the Budew he already got be a Roselia, or would it stay a Budew?

[Lady Vulpix]

You got a Flareon. As you can see, evolved Pokemon do show up from time to time. But not following any coherent pattern. I'm open to suggestions.

[The Blue Avenger]

I'd have to think about that. I started trying to figure out something we could use, then realized there were a lot of different cases that could be involved.

[Lady Vulpix]

Maybe we can discuss it over AIM?

[The Blue Avenger]

Sounds good to me.

[DarkestLight]

Finally!. Another battle. From the Professional sorts place. Forrrrr...uhhhh no not Mossy...uhhhh...shoot who was next up? Drat.ok...May. yea.

[classy_cat18]

What level is May? Gotta use the new randomizer properly.

An RBG from L11 Moriko from the Professional Sports Breeding System. *pays*

[DarkestLight]

Uhhhh Damn I need the level now? She's at...14

[classy_cat18]

May will battle a Lileep.

[The Blue Avenger]

Shonta: Moriko's gonna fight a Solrock.

[The Blue Avenger]

One last RBG for right now, for Kurtzwick (lv. 27), from the Antarctic Survivor Recovery Agency. *hands over 7 stamps*

[classy_cat18]

Kurtzwick will battle a Relicanth.

[The Blue Avenger]

Here we are! The Final Test or Indiana Grove and the Templa of Taure!

---

“Forests. Forests. I am sick to death of forests,” Groviglio grumbled. He was one of only three Pokémon traveling alongside Jeff as they slowly made their way through the forest surrounding what they assumed was Templa Taure.

“You should be all over forests, Grove,” Maza said, idly flipping a spoon in the air as he walked. “Grass type, you know.”

Groviglio turned an icy stare over at Maza. “You know what else lives in forests besides grass and plants? A whole damn bunch of other stuff I don’t like. Listen. You can hear Beedrill in the distance. The trees are probably infested with birds. And from what Gabi said, there’s a mess of other Pokémon around here that don’t belong in forests. She found dragons and stuff!”

“Devil’s advocate, we’re here to look for evidence of the Black Dragon and find something to help bring him down. Why wouldn’t there be dragons here?” Maza asked.

Groviglio didn’t respond, instead choosing to simply grumble something unintelligible under his breath.

Several paces away from Groviglio and Maza, Raini regarded the pair with an emotionless glance. She apparently didn’t have anything to add to the conversation, not that she ever did, and so she turned her attention to the forest itself. It was mid-morning, and the light was filtering down through the trees, casting everything in a faint glow. It was a peaceful forest; the conditions that Gabi had described (or rather, the ones Jeff had described from Gabi’s records) had mostly gone. There was still a vague sense of unease, no doubt a residual effect of the Black Dragon’s presence, but the plant life was flourishing and the natural fauna population of the forest had certainly come back. And focusing on the forest itself let Raini ignore the bickering between the other two Pokémon.

Jeff was also ignoring the argument, but for a different reason. “After the black trees comes a rock?” he muttered, reading the paper in his hands. “All these trees are definitely not black. I hope we’re going in the right direction.” He read a little further down the page. “How are these rocks supposed to tell us the way, anyway? I don’t need any talking rocks today…”

---

Back in the city of Sector Alpha, Kurtzwick was on a mission of his own. Nobody had kidnapped him, not since the last time, and he was taking his time stealthily moving through the city, looking for clues.

As it turned out, the city was a little on the large size. The hunt was going to take some time. Thankfully, Kurtzwick had some clues.

“Okay, I know what the skyline looks like around the building,” Kurtzwick said to himself. “I could see the mountains in front of me, which tells me which way I was facing, and the buildings around me all looked more or less like abandoned warehouses…”

The proverbial lightbulb went off over his head.

“The shipping district.” Kurtzwick immediately took off down the road. By lucky coincidence (or, as Kurtzwick would put it, unintentional skill), his searches had actually taken him not too far from his destination already. The buildings of the shipping district loomed overhead. He’d be looking for a large one, he knew, in width if not in height, and it couldn’t be currently in use; that narrowed the options down significantly, Kurtzwick realized.

It wasn’t long before Kurtzwick found a building matching his requirements. He clambered up to the rooftop. There was a rusted hole beneath him, and the view from the roof matched what he remembered. There was even a small silo to the building’s side, which he vaguely remembered from his first visit to the place. He paused to think for a moment. Whoever was in there, he wanted to get the drop on them. What would they expect less? Coming in through the ceiling or going in the front door? Dropping from above was the traditional surprise route, but maybe the occupant of the building would expect that because of it. The front door, on the other (non-existent) hand, was just about the least surprising thing in the world.

Kurtzwick took a third option. He lanced a breath of fire at the sheet metal roof, melting a neat hole in it, then jumped in. He landed on a conveyer belt, the same one, he realized, that he had fought on before. The lights were out and the belts were still, so Kurtzwick scrambled to one side of the room.

The door flew open, making Kurtzwick jump and proving his earlier hypothesis wrong. Two Pokémon dashed in, and water began to pour into the room much faster than Kurtzwick thought it had any right to, stopping when it was just shy of the conveyer belts. A third Pokémon was swimming behind Kurtzwick, seemingly having already been in the room.

A Budew, a Flareon, and a Relicanth all faced him.

“I knew you would come back,” a familiar voice said over the ever-present loudspeaker. “You still had tests to complete, after all. Though, I expect this will be your last one, one way or another. Have fun!”

Kurtzwick prepared some obscenities, but before he could unleash them, the three Pokémon advanced on him.

STRIFE! Kurtzwick versus Budew, Flareon, and Relicanth!
Kurtzwick: “Hack, slay, and haul it all away!”
Budew: “I see you!”
Flareon: “Are you still there?”
Relicanth: “Target acquired.”

“Last one, huh?” Kurtzwick muttered. “Let’s make it count.”

---

The temple itself was enormous. It almost looked like it had been carved from a single tremendous boulder, but upon closer inspection, Jeff could see where smaller stones had been near-seamlessly attached to each other to create a gigantic whole. Large statues surrounded the temple, each one of a different subject, as did giant pillars, all of which were sculpted from the same pure-white stone.

Jeff realized that his internal thesaurus was running pretty dry.
The front doors were crafted from gold, and they shone like the sun in the morning light. Squinting, Jeff reached for them, and they swung aside with the slightest touch, not even making a sound.

“That’s not ominous in the slightest,” Groviglio said flatly.

“It could be worse,” Maza said. “It could have required a lot more force to open, and then when we did open it, it could have rumbled aside with a noise that shook the ground.”

Groviglio raised an eyebrow-analogue. “You’re turning into Bolovayr. Stop it.”

“Let’s just go inside,” Jeff said, looking through the doors. “We’re not going to learn anything just standing out here.”

“Shouldn’t we be worried about traps or something?” Groviglio asked, his arm-analogues crossed.

Jeff shook his head. “This place has been deserted. If there’re any traps here, they’ve likely been already set off. Let’s go.”

With Raini bringing up the rear, the quartet entered the doors.

---

“Bring it!” Kurtzwick growled, turning his head in an attempt to keep all three opponents in view. It was, indeed, brought, and a Flamethrower, an Energy Ball, and a Water Pulse hit him simultaneously. “That’s not fair!” Kurtzwick mumbled, dazed. “Ganging up on me like that!”

“Your final test, incidentally,” the loudspeaker said, “will test you on your ability to defeat three perfectly synchronized foes.”

“That’s oddly specific.”

“Nonetheless, you would be surprised at how often it comes in handy.”

Kurtzwick caught a flicker of motion from his side. He instinctively threw out a hasty Protect, just barely protecting himself from the next triple attack. Okay, this is going to wear me out pretty quick, he thought, noting that his breath was already a little labored. I need to conserve my energy. And I need to wear them down… Weakest one first! He slithered back and exhaled a Flamethrower of his own at the Budew. The Budew crossed its arms in front of it as best as it could, but it still took the brunt of the attack. The fire stopped, and a vague aroma of burning plants drifted through the room. The Budew, eyes spinning, struggled back to balance.

The Budew momentarily being stunned did nothing to stop its teammates, and they slung an Incinerate (which, despite the name, Kurtzwick found, really didn’t hurt that much) and then a Surf at him.

The Surf washed over all of the Pokémon standing on the floor next to the pool. Despite all this, nobody but Kurtzwick flinched, but it did make him stop to think. The Relicanth will hurt its teammates? Interesting… maybe they aren’t as in sync as I thought. Kurtzwick shrugged off the blow and blasted the Budew with another Flamethrower. This one was more than enough, and the Budew collapsed. “When can I stop fighting Budews?” he grumbled to nobody in particular. “It’s getting old.”

---

“Okay, this is the tapestry that’s in Gabi’s report,” Jeff said, looking up at the wall. “Apparently it’s some kind of map? I can’t see it very easily though.”

Maza stepped up and squinted, peering closely at the wall hanging. “I think this is where we started,” he said, lifting a spoon into the air telekinetically and using it to mark out a rectangle. “With that said,” he continued, lifting his other spoon and tracing a spiral pattern on the tapestry, “I think we need to be heading this direction to reach the center.”

“What’s this?” Groviglio asked.

“Generally we call it a tapestry; it’s a cloth with patterns or designs on it, usually large-ish,” Maza said, the sarcastic reply coming to his mouth before he registered it. He had been spending too much time around Groviglio, he decided. Then Maza actually looked at what Groviglio was looking at. A golden candelabra, scorched and twisted, sat on the ground.

“Looks like something that might be helpful,” Jeff said before Groviglio could get a word in edgewise. He picked the relic up and placed it gingerly in his bag. “Let’s keep moving. We don’t want to waste time.” The group left through one of the several doors in the chamber.

The hallway they entered was much like the chambers they had already been in. It looked like it might have been regal at one point, but years at the least of disuse had left a layer of dust over everything. The paintings and tapestries adorning the walls were falling to pieces, quite unlike the map they had just seen, which looked like someone had taken immaculate care of it. The hallway led to another chamber, and Jeff pushed the door open easily. This room held nothing but a pedestal. What looked like a small idol, also gold, sat on the stand, somehow glinting despite the lack of natural light.

“Okay guys,” Jeff said quietly, “that looks like a set-up for a tr—Raini!”

The idol had been removed from its perch, and currently rested in Raini’s paws. The pedestal itself began to emit a series of worrying clicks. A rumbling began to shake the room, originating from one of the walls, and Raini jumped to put the idol back. It was too late, though, and a panel in the wall slid open. Jeff slid back to one of the side walls, as did the rest of his team, bracing for the inevitable giant boulder…

What actually happened was a Graveler rolled out of the wall – not even particularly fast, but at a leisurely pace that suggested he was just doing his job. He gave them a casual wave as he rolled by, then disappeared into a hole in the other wall. The panels slid back over their respective openings, refusing to open again despite the force Jeff, Groviglio, and Maza put on them. When they were satisfied that there was nothing else to be done there, they looked at each other and shrugged. As they left the room through a door on the remaining wall, Jeff grabbed the idol from Raini, who was more than happy to let go of it, and he placed it inside his bag.

---

The Budew was down, but that certainly hadn’t stopped its teammates. Kurtzwick, however, had a plan. He slithered back away from the water’s edge, leaving the Relicanth in the lurch, and waved his tail tauntingly in front of the Flareon. The Falreon took the bait and clamped its fangs onto the tail. Kurtzwick winced as fire spread out from the Flareon’s teeth, but he deftly twisted around, leaving the Flareon between him and the Relicanth.

Exactly as Kurtzwick predicted, the Relicanth was in the middle of forming another Surf; the wave washed over him and the Flareon, but with the Flareom taking the bulk of the attack, Kurtzwick evaded most of the Surf.

Two Surfs just wasn’t enough to bring down the Flareon, although it certainly was enough to shock it into releasing Kurtzwick. The Flareon, very briefly, shot an irritated look at the Relicanth – but a moment later, it was back to wearing the same dull expression that all of Kurtzwick’s opponents there had been wearing. He clearly wasn’t expecting Kurtzwick to ram into him, top speed, with an Aqua Jet; however, even that wasn’t enough to send the Flareon into unconsciousness. The Flareon, apparently finally getting wise to the general ineffectuality of Fire-type moves, gathered an orb of shady energy; it fired the Shadow Ball at Kurtzwick, an easy hit due to their proximity.

The Relicanth, though, hadn’t gotten the memo; a third Surf was forthcoming. “Damn! You’re using that move like it’s going out of style!” Kurtzwick hissed just before the wave crashed. When the water receded from the platform Kurtzwick was standing on, the Flareon lay on its side, completely unconscious. “Finally!” Kurtzwick groaned, rolling his eyes. Even though the Surfs hadn’t been very effective, them combined with the other attacks that had landed had brought Kurtzwick to the point of panting heavily. He faced the Relicanth and prayed to whatever deity would listen that this wouldn’t take too long.

---

The next room that greeted Jeff and company was a wide room lined with various statues of dragon Pokémon, not to mention a bunch of other draconic-looking… things as well. “Be careful, everyone,” Jeff said quietly, extending his arms out to either side and blocking his team from continuing. “This could be a trap too. Those statues probably shoot fire.”

Maza leveled a look at him. “I thought you said that the traps were dead.”

“That was before that Graveler,” Jeff said.

Groviglio frowned. “That was a really lame trap.”

“Still! Can’t be too careful—Raini!”

Raini darted ahead to the other side of the room. Jeff held his breath…

…as absolutely nothing happened. Jeff sighed. “Okay, I guess you all have a point.” Jeff took the same path Raini did, as did Maza and Groviglio; nothing continued to happen. On the other side of the room, as with the other rooms, an artifact lay on the ground. It was about the size of a large-ish belt buckle, and it too was gold; it was sculpted in the shape of a dragon’s head.

Maza looked upwards, recalling a memory from somewhere in his mind. “If I remember the map correctly, we just need to take a short detour here, and we’ll be at the center.”

“Good.” Groviglio scowled. “The sooner we’re done with this absurd treasure hunt, the better.”

“Nice to see you supporting the team,” Jeff said, rolling his eyes.

“Stuff it.”

Jeff smirked in spite of himself, then followed as Maza led the way. A few corridors later, they found themselves in a large chamber – the biggest one by far. A wide pool sat in the center, but the water had already drained out of it. A pedestal, broken, sat behind the pool, and lying next to it was a pair of spheres, each about as big as a billiards ball. One was pure white, and the other was pitch black; their surfaces were completely blemish free, and they looked for all the world like they had only been there since, say, yesterday.

Jeff walked carefully around the pool and laid a hand on each of them. Since they completely failed to react, he grabbed them and placed them in his bag, which was by this point getting more than a little heavy. “So this is the center, is it?” he asked.

Maza nodded. “Seems like it. Unless there were hidden passages somewhere, I think we cleaned house pretty well.”

“Thank god,” Groviglio said. “Are we done here?”

Jeff frowned. “I don’t know if any of these are what we’re looking for… I don’t feel power or anything radiating off of them.”

“Is there any reason to expect that you would?” Groviglio asked.

“No,” Jeff said after a moment’s reflection. “I suppose not. Let’s head back out and start getting home. I need to write a report on this.” As they left, Jeff kept the items they found circulating in his head. A candelabra. An idol. A dragon’s head. Two billiards balls. Would any of them help?

---

Kurtzwick panted. The Relicanth didn’t seem to be having similar problems, having not been touched at all in the match. I’ve got to decide this soon, Kurtzwick thought. Can’t hold out much longer… He arched his back and fired a bolt of lightning into the pool. Thankfully, that strategy seemed to work okay; the electricity cascaded through the water and shocked the Relicanth. The only problem was that the Relicanth didn’t seem fazed in the slightest. Damn! And I can’t try many physical attacks… that fish looks really beefy on defense! I guess I just stay the course… wait… I think I have an idea… if I can take him out in one blow, I don’t need to worry about conserving energy…

The Relicanth took that moment to wise up. Instead of preparing another Surf, as if in response to some unheard command, it fired a ray of frost and ice straight at Kurtzwick. Kurtzwick managed to just barely limbo underneath it, then fell backwards and collapsed on the ground. Gotta end this… He weakly lifted his head and looked to the ceiling. An orange storm cloud began to form, and from it fell a tremendous meteor, blazing with orange flames.

The Draco Meteor collided with the Relicanth, and Kurtzwick saw through blurry vision that it impacted especially hard. A critical hit. The meteor shattered, sinking into the waves, and the Relicanth sunk under as well.

It was over.

Battle over! Kurtzwick wins (barely)! Kurtzwick gains 3 levels and grows to level 30!
Kurtzwick learns Substitute as his level 30 move!
What? Kurtzwick is evolving!

Kurtzwick barely registered it as his body began to grow and lengthen. A pair of small wings appeared on the side of his head, his horn sharpened itself, and a set of cerulean beads sprouted below his chin and on his tail.

Congratulations! Kurtzwick evolved into Dragonair!

Fighting to keep his eyes open, he saw a pair of shapes approach him. One looked to be a Gardevoir (the dress shape was unmistakable) and the other a human. The human was dressed in a set of bulky clothes: a dark sweater and loose brown pants. One of the arms of the sweater looked lumpier than the other, though Kurtzwick couldn’t fathom why. She – and Kurtzwick realized her gender despite her androgynous appearance when she spoke – looked at Kurtzwick. “Good work, Zade,” she said, and the Gardevoir nodded appreciatively. “You successfully trained up then wore down the self-styled ‘best thief of Caledor’. I think he will be very helpful to us…”

The woman produced a Pokéball in her hand from seemingly nowhere and tossed it underhanded at Kurtzwick. He realized with a muted horror what was going on, and then realized that he didn’t have the energy to fight back. The Pokéball didn’t even need three shakes.

“Let’s go, Zade,” the woman said, and the two of them, Pokéball in tow, disappeared.

[Lady Vulpix]

Comments for Jeff:

I loved your description of the forest. I also liked the phrase "the city was a little on the large size" and the internal thesaurus remark, and the phrase "nothing continued to happen".

Also, that was an interesting way of alternating between 2 scenes.

The proverbial lightbulb went... off?

Oh, I miss Bolovayr. Nice reference to him, in any case.

How often does the ability to defeat three perfectly synchronized foes come in handy?

I laughed at Maza's reply to Groviglio about the tapestry. He reminded me of my dad. And when Jeff picked up the candelabra, it reminded me of graphic adventures where you pick up everything you can find because it may be useful later.

Interesting twist to the giant boulder cliché.

Little typo: Flareom=>Flareon

Tsunami would probably complain about Kurtzwick's comment about Surf going out of style, but he might also complain at the way the Relicanth was using it.

The idea of Kurtzwick limboing beneath an Ice Beam was funny. (It was an Ice Beam, right?)

He was very lucky to deal a Critical Hit while using his last resort. But his luck ran out too soon.

Take 32 stamps! ¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢¢

[The Blue Avenger]

In order:

-I had fun with the descriptions in this one. I'm glad it transmitted!
-I did want to break it up, too, and this story lent itself well to that style.
-I meant "went off" as in "triggered," but upon reflection it wasn't the best word choice.
-I miss Bolovayr too. :[ Reading the old Templa Taure stories put Ade and Soo's teams back in my mind.
-Not often, in any case. The test administrator was likely just making a lot of stuff up.
-Jeff was definitely running off of video game logic. XD That was the entire idea behind the dungeon crawling.
-I love the giant boulder cliche so much.
-Whoops! Good catch.
-Yeah, Relicanth definitely wasn't fighting as smart as it could have been.
-Yup! An Ice Beam. And I figure he's got to be pretty limber.
-And Kurtzwick's luck over the past... forever is finally starting to catch up with him.

Thanks!

[Lady Vulpix]

And some way of catching up it is! For such a proud thief to be stolen, how shameful it must be.

Congratulations on his evolution anyway.