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Brooke clapped her hands over her ears, though it did little to stop the pain. She could feel the rattling of her teeth even through her clenched jaw. What kind of attack was this? She had only seen a few attacks based on sound; none of them worked like this. “A-A-Are y-y-y-you a-a-all a-a-alright?” she struggled to ask the other two, but her stuttering question was completely drowned out by the ominous tolling of the bells. Welp. Planning was out of the question now. It was time for plan B: smash shit. The Miltank was rocketing along at high speeds, curled up into a ball, having seemingly no trouble with the noise herself. Brooke steeled herself and removed her hands from her ears. The overpowering noise threatened to rupture her eardrums but she moved forward through sheer willpower. It wasn’t very long before the Miltank took notice. Bam! Brooke was struck in the back. She was almost knocked off her feet; the Miltank spun away before the Emboar could even turn around to face her. “D-D-Damn it!” The red aura once again melded around her skin. The Miltank rounded the bend of the curved arena and rolled toward her again, even faster this time. Brooke lunged for her but Mia was moving too fast, slipping past her grip and ramming into her at full speed. Brooke dug her heels in; the ground fractured beneath her, burying her up to her ankles into the concrete, but she held her ground. The bell tolled again, and the Emboar grit her teeth so hard that she felt one of her molars begin to crack, but she refused to let the opportunity pass. The Miltank had been ground to a halt when Brooke hadn’t budged. “G-G-Gotcha!” Brooke wrapped her arms around Mia’s midriff. The tolling of the bells grew even louder, but the Emboar persevered. The red aura around her flared brighter and she lifted the Miltank completely off the ground and, with an impact that shook the area and sent a shockwave rippling across the arena, slammed Mia into the floor with every bit of power that she could muster.

In their attempt to find the gym, Milla and Naomi had eventually run into Tavares again. The girl was happy to see him again and very appreciative of his offer to help them again, this time in finding the town's gym leader. It took a bit but eventually they settled into an alleyway behind some shops that either were severely run down, or else abandoned altogether some time ago. Milla was admittedly very confused that this would be the right place. There was no one else around, and certainly no sign of a gym leader. That was until Tavares announced that he himself was the gym leader of the town. "W-wait, you're the gym leader?" Milla started in disbelief. But this was no time to be shaken. She had to do better, for herself and for her pokemon who had trained so hard to be here. She shook her head as if to dispel her own hesitations and produced Andante's pokeball from her things. "Yeah, let's battle!" she managed to say without stuttering. And began Milla's first battle against a gym leader. Pokeballs were tossed and pokemon released. On Milla's side stood Andante, looking a fair bit more confident than usual. At least she hadn't yet run away to cower behind her trainers legs anyway. On Tavares' side stood a Baltoy, a pokemon Milla had yet to ever see in person yet she knew something about. She at least knew it to be part ground-type and worried if her fire-type companion would fare all that well against it. But she didn't want to spoil Andante's mood, seeing her as ready to go as she'd ever been. Nervous as she herself was, Milla called for an Ember right away. Andante had gotten pretty confident tossing them in her training and this confidence carried over here as the lion launched the attack at Baltoy. This would prove to be short-lived as Tavares instructed Baltoy to use Mud Slap. The projectiles clashed and the mud easily won out, crushing Andante's confidence with it. The lion scrambled off to the side to avoid getting hit by the mud before Milla called for a tackle. Catching herself before she ran away altogether, the Litleo obeyed the order and charged in toward the Baltoy. Tavares seemed on top of things. He had his Baltoy Harden to take the tackle with minimal damage before going into a Rapid Spin. Andante was thrown back as the spin connected with her before she had any time to back off from the Tackle. With some distance between them and the lion's confidence running dry, Milla called for Work Up. It seemed effective as Andante got her head into the fight and even tried to make herself look a bit more fierce. Her face betrayed the effort but it was there regardless. As Rapid Spin stopped, Tavares had Baltoy use Mud Slap again and the clay doll creature launched another round of projectiles. Milla instructed Andante to run in an arc and go in for a Headbutt. The lion was fast enough to dodge the Mud Slap with this plan and managed to clear a path to attack. But as she approached, Tavares quietly called for Confusion. The Headbutt connected, but so too did the confusion, and Andante felt her strength leaving her as her mind was rattled. The pokemon reeled back, tripping over her own feet in the process. Milla had her pokemon back off, which she did less than gracefully. The trainer called again for Work Up which seemed to help Andante work through the Confusion and focus again. Baltoy hardened again in the meantime, ready for any new approach on the lion cub's part. Milla told Andante to ember and run immediately, knowing sending her in again without thinking would just get her hurt. And with all the Hardens there wasn't much else to be done. Baltoy returned another Mud Slap and Harden. Rather than approach the very hardened Baltoy, Milla had Andante zig-zag around the opposing pokemon. As she zipped in she was to fire an Ember, then get back out. This led to the Litleo getting grazed by Mud Slap here and there but the strategy managed to land a few solid Ember hits. Baltoy kept trying to turn to line up a direct Mud Slap shot yet never found it. Eventually Tavares had it Rapid Spin to close the gap Andante had been maintaining. As the Baltoy closed in, Milla called for yet another Ember, which Andante jumped up to deliver to the opposing pokemon's face before getting knocked away again by Rapid Spin. At this point both pokemon seemed to be struggling. Baltoy was worn down from the assault of Embers. And just as Andante was struggling to her feet from the Rapid Spin, another Confusion hit, sending her to the ground again. "Andante, that's enough!" she called out in concern. "You did really good you can stay down." Milla continued nearly in tears over the thought of her pokemon getting hurt anymore. But still Andante took to her feet and looked back to her trainer. Never had the lion looked more determined to do anything. She didn't want to give up on her fight. Not yet. "Y-you're right… you're not done yet!" Milla called out, choosing to believe in her pokemon's determination. The trainer called for Headbutt which Andante took off running to perform. Tavares called for Rapid Spin, but the Litleo landed its attack before the Baltoy. And then it happened. Baltoy flinched. Caught off guard herself, Milla recovered in time to order another Ember which Andante delivered to the momentarily stunned Baltoy. And then, the Baltoy fell and couldn't stand again. Andante had won! Milla cheered as the lion stood proud. But only for a moment as the pokemon's nerves set back in again. She seemed ready to cry as she looked back to her trainer and slowly made her way back over. The Litleo hadn't fainted yet but Milla didn't want to see that happen if she could avoid. With enough congratulations and pets she eventually recalled her partner as Tavares did his own. "It's rare that Baltoy can lose to being overpowered." Tavares said. Then he gave a nod and sent out his last "But this won't be so simple." the gym leader said as he sent out a Cubone. Mill stood firm, she had to for Andante's success. But now it was her original partner's turn. The trainer confidently released her own strongest pokemon as Rondo emerged from his ball, as cool and collected as ever. Cubone and Rondo locked eyes, staring the other down for a moment before their trainers began the battle. As soon as the battle started Milla called for a Taunt. Rondo's face became the epitome of smug as he folded his arms before holding one hand up to wave his claws as if a disapproving index finger. It seemed to have worked as Cubone was now ready to duke it out without any fancy tricks. Tavares led off calling for a Headbutt which Milla called for Rondo to dodge before using Feint Attack. The cocky Sneasel was easily able to sidestep the attack before going in with his own darkened claws but the Cubone was ready. Its composure not suffering from the initial miss, Cubone prepared to use Bone Club and the two pokemon traded blows in close quarters. Milla called for Rondo to use Scratch while Cubone readied for more Bone Club. The two pokemon remained in melee combat, trading Scratches for Bone Clubs, each avoiding each other about as often as they were hitting. Both pokemon landed a few successful hits in the flurry of blows before trading once more and backing off of each other. Tavares wasted no time and had Cubone use Ancient Power, which summoned a rock projectile. Milla had Rondo try to dash out of the way but the attack still managed to graze it. Still the Sneasel managed to make it behind the Cubone to attack again with Feint Attack. But this time the attack didn't seem quite as effective. And as Rondo went for another follow up Scratch, the Cubone seemed to more readily deflect it with Bone Club. The two attempted another round of exchanging close quarters blows but Rondo seemed distinctly on the defensive this time. Ancient Power had given Cubone just that. All of its abilities seemed better than just moments before. This time Cubone used Headbutt and it was Rondo flinching. A solid Bone Club to the chest launched the Sneasel back toward his trainer. Milla called out to her partner in alarm. Quick and tough as he was, Rondo wasn't meant to take a lot of direct hits like this. He was usually fast enough to avoid most harm. And though he was clearly struggling, Rondo wiped at his face with the back of his forearm even as his arms hung low. He was ready to keep going. Milla knew they had to change up their strategy. And so she called for Feint Attack, which as soon as it landed, she had Rondo retreat, barely missing a Bone Club to the face for it. This time a Scratch before retreating which landed a Bone Club hit to the arm but still landed the attack. This hit and run approach seemed effective in wearing down the much sturdier Cubone. But Rondo was still taking too many hits in the process. This battle seemed to be determined from the outset. The pokemon who could take more hits was going to win it. And as the trades continued, Milla feared more and more it was going to be Cubone. The two went in for another clash, Scratch versus Bone Club. But Rondo didn't seem to be readying his strike. Was he too tired? Milla almost couldn't look as the Bone Club was about to land. Instead she saw a bone flinging through the air. Rondo had caught the bone in the gap between the claws on his left hand, his arm taking a beating in the process. But as he closed his hand he managed to fling the bone out of Cubone's hand and land a series of Scratches with his other hand. Cubone reeled back but Milla called for Feint Attack which followed up quite well, knocking it back. Cubone stood again and retrieved its bone. Sneasel and Cubone stared each other down again, both looking ready to keel over from the hits they'd taken. The moment stretched out for what seemed like an eternity until at their trainer's calls the two ran with all they had left straight at each other. The two clashed and passed by each other. Bone Club against Feint Attack, a clash that had happened several times to this point. Yet something about this seemed much more decisive. The two stood, facing the opposing trainer, not looking back at their opponent. Cubone turned about first as Rondo took a knee. The moments were dragging on in agonizing intensity. But then Cubone fell to the ground, unable to stand. Not but a moment after Rondo followed suit, collapsing and not rising again. "Rondo! Are you okay?!" Milla called out in concern as she ran through the til now battlefield to her partner. She kneeled down and raised the Sneasel's head into her lap, calling to him repeatedly to see if he would stir. He was sleeping peacefully, a confident smile on his face.

While Nine was starting to feel the fatigue of the battle, the last prism attack having taken quite a lot out from him he felt a sudden surge of clarity hit him. As a golden light surrounded him, the boy took a deep breath as all of the wounds along his body had started to seal up. While it wasn't a full recovery, at least as far as his stamina was concerned, he certainly had felt far less injured. Moving his arms around, the Chaser looked towards the Sylveon as the other shook his head. Not really sure what to make of it, the Houndoom simply didn't respond and focused on the battle in front of him. The woman was starting to get more agitated as she continued to teleport around, seeming to think that the two of them had no chance. Of course, Nine knew that she was no cake walk of an opponent and as a godslayer was not supposed to be taken lightly. She was also undoubtedly stronger than him, and nine times out of ten were they to fight she would likely to be the winner. Yet in spite all of that, looking at his opponent, Nine felt calm and focused. There was no doubt in his mind he could defeat her. As the woman seemed ready to go on the offensive, Nine played through everything he knew about her so far. Everything he knew about how she fought and what he could do about it. As long as he was at a range, the two of them were likely to be at a stalemate. But it was clear that they were starting to hurt her from her demeanor, and there was only one possible way it wouldn't matter. Readying himself, Nine's senses told him when to expect the woman from her last teleport. As she appeared, leaning in, Nine had already back stepped away causing the Gardevoir to kiss nothing but air. Smirking, the Houndoom said, "now now, going for a second one is just greedy." Growing more frustrated the woman's arm started to crackle with electricity. Bringing his arms up and charging them with darkness, Nine fired out a pulse of dark energy towards the woman. As her lightning came out, the pulse of darkness managed to slow it, though ultimately her attack still managed to pierce through. Not destroying all of it, though, the two were once again hit by opposing attacks, Nine grimacing as his arm was shocked yet again and Ankou being pushed a step back from the dark pulse. As he tried to keep his arm from trembling any longer, the boy looked towards the woman. Smirking, he said, "you weren't lying when you said you were strong. But, well..." Before Nine was able to finish, he noticed the woman was already charging her body up with electricity yet again. Charging her hands with electricity yet again, Nine figured she was going to go for yet another close range thunderbolt. So he only thought it was right to meet her head on. Charging his body with darkness, the Nine took a step forward. Ankou, assuming the boy would fire yet another dark pulse to match her, Ankou fired at the Chaser's arm before he could use it. However, as she let loose her attack, Nine simply brought his arm up and shielded against the attack with it. Gritting hit teeth, pain radiating through his body as his arm started to lock up in place from the electricity, Nine took yet another step forward as he brought his other arm towards the woman. Punching her square in the gut, Ankou quickly retreated, teleporting away from the Houndoom after his attack. His arm trembling and still locked in place, Nine still smiled through the pain saying, "don't worry. Against the both of us, you'll finally be able to rest."

Would anyone here be interested in a JJBA RP, who I don't have in the discord already?

1) The middle ground just proves to me that the original idea doesn't need to exist. It has no actual benefit. The only reason the middle ground is better is because it's a step closer to not having the schedule. It doesn't make the schedule part any less a bad idea. No, realistically the harm it does it plentiful. One, making people wait. Two, forcing those who want to do more to not be able to. Three, making it so people who miss the day or two can't participate in whatever the monster comes up with. This is made especially egregious knowing how long the event is meant to be. As for "limited time-frame encourages people to get things done." Imagine if I told people they could only post in my RP 2 or 3 days after host post and if they miss it they have to wait until next one. That would cause some people to post then but it overall would result in less people posting. It's not just the MONSTERS that need to do things on the schedule its everyone else who wants to interact with the Monsters. 2) You don't HAVE to figure out something that keeps everyone engaged for 2-3 weeks. This just means if people have longer ideas, or ideas that take place over a few different days, they can't. That's all it does. It limits what people are able to do for no reason. And that just proves my point more. Some Monsters only lasted a few days. Some lasted the whole thing. Why punish those who can or will or want to last longer to appease those who can't? When you can just as easily...let people only do a few days if they want and let them do more if they want. You ASSUME that it would cause a brief but spectacular showcase but One, that still requires others to participate and can you imagine how terrible it'd feel to have your big event be missed because that day people happened not to check in? Two, that assumes people WANT to do "big spectacular showcases" when some just want to roleplay the monster with maybe a couple tricks here and there. It's a pointless limiter that caters to specific instances which can still happen in a situation where people don't have a schedule. 3) See the above point of that just proving its pointless to force a schedule. Since people can do SOME things outside of those days but not others because....why? It doesn't help. It just makes people have to do it a certain way. Also you can't know what monster you'll like before. Last year there were monsters from things I never knew of nor did I care at all about the source but they turned out good. I would have straight up missed some of their entire thing had this been implemented (well if I were the type not to look at everything). Hell, your own monster was from something I didn't read/watch and actively avoided so by your logic I would have skipped you. tl;dr this idea doesn't add anything that we can't already do with a more open schedule anyway. But anyway that's just my advice. I'll probably keep back from here.