Pokemon: Mind and Soul [IC / PG / Not Accepting / Co-Hosted by Skaia]

[reparoni 161]

 

---

They seemed to be at a stalemate here, as both Pokemon seemed to be relatively exhausted from the battle. Don was hovering over the Tepig, dodging out of the way of an Ember. Ivan wasn't deterred, however. In fact, he had a plan. "Don, you're gonna have to trust me, alright?" He said, Don not visible responding as he was busy dodging another Ember. Ivan kept his eyes locked onto the Tepig, waiting for the Pokemon to make its move. Once he saw the Tepig getting ready to fire another Ember, he made his move. "Peck, now!" The Murkrow hesitated for a second, before diving head first towards the Tepig. The fires singed the bird but he wasn't deterred as he dive bombed the pig.

Tepig was caught off guard by seeing the flames be split in half with a Murkrow coming at it, striking it critically on the head with a solid peck. The pig reeled back a bit as Don landed, a smug look on its smoky face. However, Don was clearly reaching a breaking point, having literally just tanked the attack. He also didn't have much time to be smug, as Don quickly took to the skies before Tepig could strike him down with a Tackle. The two Pokemon looked at each other in the eye, both of them eager to finish this battle. "Alright Don, get ready to finish Tepig off with a Pursuit." He said, the bird nodding as it started to hover lower, trying to find an opportunity to attack.

Tepig and Dinah, seeing the bird get lower, decided to take a risky gambit, as the girl order Tepig to go for a tackle. Ivan panicked for a second as he heard this, but Don stayed calm. The cunning bird had a plan, as it started moving in closer towards Tepig, seemingly ready to strike with a Pursuit. Tepig launched itself into the air, confident that it could take down the Murkrow before the bird could take it down. However, as Tepig leaped from the ground to deliver its attack, the Murkrow made a sudden turn, wincing as its wing was grazed by the flying pig. While Tepig was landing back onto the ground, Don wasted no time turning around and delivering the Pursuit that Ivan commanded it to do.

As the attack landed, Tepig stumbled onto the ground and, after struggling to pick itself up, collapsed. Don landed, smug as ever, before also collapsing in exhaustion. "Woah..." Ivan said, running up to Don. Picking up the bird, he smiled. "Not gonna lie, you had me worried there for a bit." The bird simply smirked, eyes shut as the boy recalled his Pokemon back into its ball. He turned back towards Dinah, a grin on his face. "Well done!" He said, crossing his arms. "Almost thought I was gonna lose for a second there!"

[Cheshire Toon 139]

Nathan slung his jacket over his shoulder as they walked. Not that it really helped; even stripped down to just his undershirt and shorts—he had seriously even taken his beanie off and shoved it into his bag!—he still felt like he was walking around in an oven. “You think it wouldn’t be as hot in the ruins, ‘cause it’s so far away from all the humans and stuff, but it’s so much hotter!” he said to no one in particular, blowing a sticky strand of hair out of his eyes as he trudged along. “Do you think that’s why people say Larvesta make their nest here? Or maybe it’s so hot here BECAUSE they make their nests here. Wonder if anyone ever thought of that. They’re a Fire-type right?”

When he didn’t receive an answer Nathan looked around for his new companions. He didn’t immediately spot the sleepy girl with her Rhyhorn, but he saw Milla with an unfamiliar Litleo a few yards away, locked in a fierce battle with one of the dime-a-dozen Spinarak that called the ruins home. They’re pretty new to this. It wasn’t really a surprising realization. He knew he was experienced compared to most people in his age range—not everyone grew up in a Fighting dojo with uber strict parents. Still. She’s, like, really new. Everyone had to start somewhere though. 

Nate ran over to them as the battle wrapped up. “Woo! That was awesome!” he smiled at the little Litleo. “You’re a tough one. I can tell ‘cause I’m tough too, and only tough people recognize tough Pokémon. A bit more training and you’ll be a real monster.” He glanced up at Milla. “You haven’t had her long, right? Guessing that was her first actual battle, so that’s probably why she got shook up so badly.” The boxer was distracted from the conversation by a rumbling sound in the distance.

Nate scratched his cheek with his thumb and grinned. “There’s actually an easier way to train her, at least until she’s a bit more confident.” He reached for the second Poké-Ball on his belt and clicked the button to expand it. The rumbling in the distance grew louder, and a dozen yards in front of them, the dirt churned. “Heal her up and watch this. Be ready to have her jump in when I shout, okay?” 

Nate clicked the button on the Poké-Ball again and a bright red beam of light shot out. From the beam of light came Cassius; one of the Automaton Pokémon that patrolled all corners of the ruins, it towered over most of its brethren, and was strangely colored to boot. The natural lights bounced off the dark clays and bright green veins in a way that made it almost look like it was sparkling, but the effect seemed to vanish as fast as it came. Probably a trick of the light.

The churning ground suddenly erupted. “Cassius, catch it!” Nate commanded. The Automaton warbled a response and planted both feet firmly on the ground, squaring its shoulders and bracing for the impact.

“GAWRRR!” A deafening roar shook the area. The noise was so deep and loud that it could have easily been mistaken for an avalanche. Cassius warbed again and then started sliding backwards; whatever it was holding was enormous, because the ground was cracking beneath the Automaton’s feet as it fought with all it had to stand strong. Finally, just when it seemed like it couldn’t hold any longer, the pressure faded. 

A moment later the area shook as whatever Cassius had been holding back hit the ground. The dust and debris finally cleared to reveal the Rock Snake Pokémon, Onix, still reeling from the sudden halt of all its momentum. 

Cassius cried triumphantly and flexed with both arms. Nate pumped his fist into the air. “Awesome! Knew you could do it bud!” Onix roared again and started to pick itself up. Nate and Cassius were both engulfed by the shadow it cast once it reached full height, completely towering over even the tallest buildings in the ruins. 

“Get ready you two!” Nate called over his shoulder. “Leave the heavy lifting to me and Cassius. Stay back and throw an Ember whenever you can.” 

Onix lurched headfirst toward them again. “Cassius, use Mud-Slap!” The Automaton stomped the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust and sand, then punched the air in front of it. The force of the punch was great enough that it generated a small blast of wind, which launched the cloud of debris into the massive Pokémon’s eyes. Onix rumbled and squeezed its eyes shut, veering off course and slamming into the ground.  

“Go for it now!” 
 

Edited April 1, 2020 by Cheshire Toon

[LordCowCow 839]

"Almost thought I was gonna lose for a second there!"

"No way why didn't you?" Dinah said. She was staring in disbelief before returning her Pokemon to its Pokeball. "Well...alright fine,  I guess you won that one. I-I just was a bit worn out from fighting 19 other people today." Her shoulders slumped a bit as she pouted.

Then she slapped both of her cheeks and pointed at Ivan. "I'll get stronger. Stronger than anyone! Then I'll become the Champion of this region and make this a place that people don't have to be scared of visiting. So I can fight even more people!"

She then looked over at the other two, sticking her tongue out at Belle, and starting back down the path towards the previous city. "Next time someone asks you to battle you should do it, it'll be good for your Pokemon."

Spoiler

Alright, Don gets two whole levels from that. And Ivan gains 340 Pokedollars.

Now...decide on your next path as a group and do your posts then I can give more information depending what you want to do.

 

---

 

Naomi watched Milla and her Litleo, which wasn't a Dragon she remembered, from on top of Princess. The Pokemon was stirring under her. Clearly getting antsy, though it would be hard to tell from anywhere other than on top of her. "Y'wanna battle too?" Naomi asked. To which she received a snort in reply.

The girl hesitated. She was somewhat tired. A battle seemed like it'd be work. But, her Pokemon wanted to do it. Not just Princess but she felt Knight's ball move slightly when she mentioned a battle. With a sigh she reluctantly slipped off of Princess's back.

Which was when the Onix erupted from the ground. Naomi looked up, and up, and up, and fell onto her back as she looked up at the Onix's face.

Next to her she saw Princess bristling and glaring at her fellow Rock type. "Oh, she wants to fight it doesn't she?" Naomi overheard what the new boy had said, something about jumping in and Ember, and for a moment thought about sending Princess into the fight. But then she remembered. "Princess doesn't know Ember." She said.

Glancing around and settling on Milla's Litleo she continued. "They do though."

Nodding to herself Naomi steered Princess, still glaring, away from the Onix and into the grass. Where a group of Spinarak, disturbed by Milla's earlier encounter, tried to jump Naomi.

They were soon sent flying as Princess rammed her horn into bug after bug.

Soon Knight burst out of his ball and, despite Naomi's weak call for him to stop, rammed his own body into another Spinarak.

As Naomi tried to get that under control Bug popped out of his ball as well and latched onto Naomi's shoe. He tugged on it and pulled it off. Causing the trainer to fall over as the others did battle.

Which was when she decided she would give orders from down there.

[Skaia 578]

Jacklyn looked to Belle as the girl said something about picking herself back up if she was falling behind. That was right! Just because she was falling behind now didn't mean she had to keep falling behind. All she had to do was figure out how she was falling behind and start from there! And as Belle had asked next, she already knew she was falling behind in pokemon. So all she needed to do was catch somethi- "a rabbit?" Jacklyn was caught off guard by the girl's question. Sure, she really liked rabbits and bunnies and the like, even wearing a hoodie to show her appreciation of such  adorable, fast and hoppity creatures. And sure she liked rabbits, but that didn't mean she could only - "wait..." The girl started to think about her pokemon that she had. It was true, that she only had bunny type pokemon so far. Did that mean she could only train rabbits? No, maybe it was that she had a special ability when it came to training rabbits? No that also sounded ridiculous, even for her. 

The girl started to think harder on this, only to have her thoughts broken by the end of the battle. Pumping er fist into the air, she said, "woohoo! Way to go, Ivan!" As Dinah seemed to be discontent with this, Jacklyn let out a, "fufufu. You're a hundred years too early to think that you can beat one of my team members." The girl paused as she said this. Right. Ivan had won against an opponent she lost against. It was clear indeed that she was falling behind as the group leader. As the girl seemed to come to some kind of realization, she looked to Dinah as the girl was walking away saying, "next time we meet I'll beat you for sure! And then I'll show you I'm gonna be the champion and that this region is great for adventuring in!" Jacklyn did not, in fact, have such an aspiration to make this region a tourist spot. But never one to be one upped, it was the first thing that had come to mind. 

Looking to her other two team mates, she declared, "alright gang! I'm going to go catch me another pokemon!" Pointing to the air, the girl then pointed to the city down the road. "After we rest up! My team is exhausted so I can't actually put them against something else right now. But that doesn't mean we should stop right in our tracks! Onward!" 

[Sethera 290]

"A rabbit? Wait..." Jacklyn looked surprisingly surprised by what Belle said, going into deep thought.

"So you're not training only rabbits then?" the blue-haired girl asked. Not that she was that interested in her companion's team plan, but it was a little annoying to know she had been wrong in her assumptions. When the girl didn't respond, looking lost in thought, Belle shrugged, turning back to the battle, which was just now finishing up. Watching Ivan fight again made her realize that...he was pretty good at this battling thing. And in the end, he even won where Jacklyn had lost. And Jacklyn was no slouch either. If Belle cared about such things, she would've been impressed. Instead, she felt a more general impatience, quietly sulking while Jacklyn pumped her fist into the air and shouted something congratulatory. How these people could stand the heat as they did, she wasn't sure.

When the battle finished, the strange girl--she didn't care enough to remember her name--stuck her tongue out at Belle. "Next time someone asks you to battle you should do it, it'll be good for your Pokemon."

"Uh-huh," the blue-haired girl replied dryly. "Whatever you say." No way in hell she'd fight in this heat.

Jacklyn, on the other hand, seemed fired up. "Next time we meet I'll beat you for sure! And then I'll show you I'm gonna be the champion and that this region is great for adventuring in!"

"I didn't know you cared that much about this route," Belle muttered. It wasn't like they were going to stick around here forever...unless the other girl was really planning that. In which case, Belle would probably just see if she and Ivan could gang up on her and force her to move on from this place. The less she had to stick around in this heat, the better.

"Alright gang! I'm going to go catch me another pokemon!" Pointing to the air, the purple-haired girl then pointed to the city down the road. "After we rest up! My team is exhausted so I can't actually put them against something else right now. But that doesn't mean we should stop right in our tracks! Onward!"

"Does that mean we're camping out tonight?" Belle groaned...but followed anyway. It was just easier to go with the flow with this group.

[Doggo 218]

"Yes, that's right. I caught Andante here just prior to our entering the desert." Milla replied to Nathan, making sure to add a layer of baby talk on the pokemon's name to help the Litleo relax a bit. The trainer's interest was piqued as her new teammate commented on an easier way to train Andante. Were there really such secrets? Or maybe these were common knowledge things that Milla ought to have figured out by now. The more she thought about it the more embarrassed she got over sending in her Litleo directly into a battle if there were simpler methods of training her. She'd have to apologize and get Andante a nice treat.

With her mind running on all the intricacies of training pokemon, Milla hardly noticed as Nathan moved and sent out his own pokemon, a Golurk named Cassius. Her attention did shift as she eventually took notice of the pokemon she'd only ever seen images of before but was soon caught off guard as a roar sounded a a burst of sand shot up into the air. Milla and Andante alike both reeled back in shock as a wild Onix of all things came into view. Had that really been hiding in the ground beneath them? How did Nathan even know? Was this really an easier way to train a pokemon? Andante didn't think so anyway as a desperate paw began scratching out, as if looking for her pokeball so as to not have to deal with this. Milla, at least, got something of a grip on herself as Cassius engaged the Onix. It helped that Nathan offered additional instructions. They would fight this together. Cassius would be the frontline and Andante's job was to toss embers at the Onix when she could.

"You can do that right?" Milla asked of her pokemon who was quaking on the ground. The Litleo looked at her trainer with a look that screamed no, but remembering how Nathan had called her tough she seemed to want to give it a try, however scared. So focused were the two on the task at hand that they didn't notice the progressively more struggling Nomi who would soon be on the ground issuing orders to her pokemon against a group of spinarak. They were fixated on the Onix and at Nathan's call Andante fought her fear and took a few steps forward.

"Alright, hit it with all the Embers you've got Andante!" Milla called out. The Litleo in response stood as firm as she could and began spitting fire at the rock snake. Milla knew enough about battling pokemon to know this wasn't going to do much, but the confidence gaiend in helping take down such a large pokemon would no doubt be good for her little friend.

[reparoni 161]

 

---

"You can sure as hell try, kid." He said, grinning as he turned back towards his teammates. He felt a drip of sweat fall from his brow, as the adrenaline from the battle left him to face the heat once more. He let out a sigh, resigning himself as he took off his jacket. His shirt was drenched in sweat, as expected from traveling so long with a leather jacket. He slung his jacket over his shoulder.

It was a weird feeling, turning to someone cheering him on. Despite a few hiccups here and there, his adventure had so far been super successful, especially compared to how he did back at home. He smirked, turning towards the next town. He knew he had it in him, despite what they said. There was no time to gloat in his success, though - they had an adventure to go on. Plus, the sooner they got out of this hellish heat, the better. "We should rest up - dunno about the rest of you, but I'm itchin' to get outta here asap." He said, pulling on his collar. "Suddenly that kelp juice or whatever it was sound's pretty good..." He groaned as he started marching onward.

[Cheshire Toon 139]

Onix rumbled when the small burst of what was essentially flaming spittle hit it in the face. While it didn’t seem that the initial impact did much damage, the wound left behind glowed red hot like smoldering coal. “Hehe. You burned it in one go!” Nate shouted. “I knew you were a tough one.” The Rock Snake Pokémon wasn’t as thrilled as Nathan about the situation. It entirely ignored Cassius, whipping around to face Litleo with a speed that belied its massive size, sounding every bit like an avalanche as it did. “Oh no you don’t! Cassius, don’t even let it get close to ‘em! Shadow Punch!” 

Cassius pursued with a screeching battle cry. A shadowy aura amassed around the Automaton’s fist as it did, and then it drew back and bombarded Onix’s side with a heavy-handed punch that discharged a wave of sinister energy into the Rock-type that rippled across it and sent the Pokémon sprawling back down into the sand again. “Good job bud!” Nate cried encouragingly, shadow-boxing the punch alongside his Golett. “Now hit ‘em again Milla!”

This repeated a few more times, but eventually, the Onix finally fell permanently. Nate grinned. “Man, that was a tough fight for being two-on-one. Most Onix aren’t that stubborn. Good job though you two!” Golett trundled up beside its trainer as he congratulated the two and warbled again, then gestured at Andante a few times before flexing its arms. “Cassius is sayin’ good job two. You really impressed ‘em. Speakin’ of…”

Nate pulled an empty Poké-Ball off his belt and enlarged it. “Always wanted to train an Onix. There’s a lot of rules and regulations ‘cause of how big they are, but one of the most respected gym leaders back home in Kanto has one and it was crazy strong.” He threw the Poké-Ball at the unconscious Pokémon as he was explaining his thought process. Cassius tilted its head curiously at the spectacle of the behemoth vanishing into a Poké-Ball in a burst of red light, but continued to dote on Andante more than anything. The ball wobbled once--twice--thrice: CLICK. The Rock Snake was captured. Nate walked and picked it up with a smile. 

"That trainin’ method make sense though? That Sneasel you had looked real tough too, like Cassius, so bet it could help you out with the younger ones.” He was pretty happy with himself as he talked to his new companion. An Onix; that was awesome! He was gonna have to train it up, get to know it and give it a name, but he was excited about it regardless.
 

Edited April 9, 2020 by Cheshire Toon

[LordCowCow 839]

The rest of their trip was rather smooth and without much trouble. It seemed that not many trainers had managed to get past Dinah and the majority had stayed on the other side of the route or had gone into the desert. Some of the trainers they did see on the way to the next town looked somewhat nervous and shaken up for some reason. Though they didn't seem to want to talk to anyone as they hurried along down the route towards the earlier city.

Once they got close to the city they found out what had caused people to go the other way down the route. Off in the distance they could see the edge of the next town but before that were several people. Behind them was a makeshift blockade made of crates. There were three figures standing there. In the back were a male and female that looked to be dressed similarly to the thug they had met earlier.

And in front of those two with his arms crossed over his chest was an adult man with dark red hair and a trimmed beard. Wearing a coat despite the heat.

Floating just behind him was a large Glalie which didn't seem too interested in the group as they approached.

The man, however, held up one of his hands and stepped forward. "Now hold on there kiddies. Sorry to say you're going to have to turn back. My Team Phoenix is busy taking care of some important business in the town. Can't have a bunch of brats running about and causing issues. So why don't you go about your business elsewhere until we're all done. Maybe do one of those....gym challenges the kids these days are so obsessed with."

He then gave a cold smile. "Unless you don't mind getting hurt."

Spoiler

Oh no, a blockade! Let me know if you want anything regarding this guy or if you want to know what's around on the route farther back.

 

---

 

Naomi hadn't really paid much attention to the battle the other two were in. She was having enough trouble stopping Knight from diving in front of Princess and trying to take a knock out before the Rhyhorn did. "No, bad, go over that way. Gonna get hurt like that." She said as the Hoppip almost was hit with Princess's Horn Attack.

Eventually she managed to get them to separate and noticed that Knight, despite having Synthesis, was being worn down by the multitude of Bugs. A pair of Dwebble in particular caused him a lot of trouble.

While watching Knight she hadn't entirely focused on Princess, the Rhyhorn able to fend for herself for the most part, but she did hear the snort as Nathan had caught the Onix. Naomi looked over to see her Rhyhorn watching the boy with narrowed eyes and wondered if perhaps she was annoyed that the Onix was part of the group now. While watching she didn't notice as a wandering Yamask had attacked her.

"Ah...Princess, that's nuff." Naomi said and returned the Pokemon.

She glanced down at Bug. She had a foot on top of the Trapinch's head to keep it from biting at her ankle but when she returned Princess it slipped out and jumped into her lap. From there it tried to bite onto her shirt and tug at it but Naomi pushed him away. "Nooo...go, fight, train!" She said, gesturing lazily at the area around them.

Bug looked over at Knight, Tackling a Sentret, and then back at Naomi, before trying once again to bite her shirt.

An idea came to her mind and, reluctantly, Naomi got to her feet as Bug tumbled to the side and went right for her other shoe.

She pulled out the last of her first bag of marshmallows and held it above the Trapinch. "I'll give you these if you go train." She said.

The Trapinch's eyes flashed as he saw the bag and then immediately turned 180 and went after the Yamask that Princess had got hit by, clamping its jaws around the Ghost type and shaking it around rapidly.

"Training's lotta work." Naomi muttered.

-----

After much hassle and tribulation the group managed to train their Pokemon a few levels in the ruins. They noticed it was getting darker which caused them to realize that, while they were underground, there must have been some places that was getting light from the sun up above. They decided to head back to the city.

Naomi, her usual ride tired from the battling, had to shuffle her way back on her own. By the time they got to the city she was slumped almost entirely over and, in fact, the moment they entered the city's outskirts she collapsed onto a nearby bench and declared. "This'll work for sleep, right?"

Spoiler

Okay! If you haven't already be sure to update your team with current levels and moves. For Naomi Princess is now 13 Knight 12, and Bug 10.

Figure out how you want to spend rest of this day and what you want to do in the next day please.

Oh right don't forget if you think you woulda used some potions or some such to remove that too.

 

[Doggo 218]

Andante seemed incredibly satisfied with herself as the Onix eventually fell in battle. Of course, the Litleo's embers likely hadn't done that much to help the effort along but Milla was never going to tell her otherwise. That said, the first ember strike actually seemed to be doing lingering damage. A burn as Nathan had referred to it. Trainer and pokemon were elated at the victory however it happened and were grateful for Cassius and Nathan's joint praise of their efforts. The little Litleo had her chest puffed some, as if feeling like she could take on anything. There were certainly plenty more wild pokemon in the area for her to battle but it the moment they showed themselves it was back to her usual trembling. Milla understood the strategy at this point and at Nathan's recommendation she sent out Rondo to cover for Andante.

Working in tandem, the pair of pokemon battled through several wild encounters and sustained minimal damage. Rondo in particular made sure to cover for the Litleo where he could which resulted in Milla using some of her potions on her partner to help him keep going. Andante seemed to learn quickly and was soon holding her own against the wild encounters. Rondo's claws meanwhile looked sharper than ever. It was at this point that Milla had the brilliant idea to send out Sonata, her Feebas. The fish could do little but flop about the sand and use splash while the other two fought. But Milla could see in Sonata's eyes a real desire to fight. She knew eventually her partner would manage it. Everyone had to start somewhere and Milla was so inexperienced she may as well have been just splashing to this point too. Eventually it seemed to be getting darker, signalling to the group that natural light must have been entering the place from somewhere. Regardless, everyone was tired and it seemed like a good time to head back. Milla recalled her pokemon back to their balls, happier than ever at the work they'd put in.

-----

"Ummm... if you're comfortable." Milla started, a bit uncertain how to respond to Nomi. The girl had plopped down on the first bench they came across. It made sense why she so often rode her Rhyhorn if she got this tired just from walking. "Well, Nomi, you just stay there. If I find us a place to stay I'll come get you." she ultimately decided. "Thank you so much for everything today Nathan. I had no idea training pokemon could be that exciting." the girl expressed with a somewhat nervous laugh. "I want to have a look around the shops before heading to the Pokemon Center so don't wait up for me." Milla added with a smile before taking off. Now here she was, back in the bazaar, but this time the stock of the various stores filled her with wonder. The heaviness from before was gone after a day of enjoying herself with her friends.

The first order of business was potions. She was running low at this point after catching Andante and training her whole team. With three new ones procured from one of the salesmen she took to looking around. Of particular interest were the various TMs for sale. The idea of her pokemon learning new moves was exciting, Rondo in particular. Andante had picked up some new tricks from her training where the Sneasel had not. He had put in so much work it only felt fair to give him something special. Ever eager for business, the owner of the stand inquired of Milla which pokemon they had so they could recommend the correct TMs. Just as she was about to do so, something else caught her ear. The shout of fossils. With curious wonder Milla wandered off without a TM purchase to the table of an eccentric woman. She had on her a backpack that seemed near full to bursting. All the while she shouted about fossils for sale.

Just the idea of holding the remnants of now extinct pokemon set Milla's imagination on fire as she inquired as to what the woman had. She was happy to show off her wares, a truly stunning array of different remnants. One in particular reminded the girl somewhat of Rondo's feather on his head. It was a Sail Fossil she was particularly curious about. The saleswoman knew interest when she saw it and so offered to Milla deal of two thousand poke for the fossil as no one else had bought one today. Milla lit up at first, thinking that would be a simple price to pay, only to realize that she'd only had exactly two thousand poke on her coming into the city. With the potions she'd purchased she no longer had the means to pay for even this special deal. It was immensely awkward for the girl for a moment until  the woman laughed it off saying it couldn't be helped. With a nervous laugh of her own, Milla eventually left on her way to the pokemon center.

Once inside, Milla left her pokemon with the nurse at the counter to ensure they would be at top shape the morning following. The nurse enquired if she would be needing a place to stay as it was getting late to which the girl replied that she and her teammates were in need of a place. With a room secured, Milla was off on her way to retrieve Nomi, assuming she could get the girl to stand again.

[Skaia 578]

With adventuring spirits high, still unbothered by the heat, the girl continued to make her way down the route, leading her group as well. As they seemed to be getting further from the desert, this relief would only be short lived as the group was stopped by a blockade. The girl frowned, annoyed at the man, as he told them that they couldn't keep going forward. The girl was briefly reminded of some of the policemen from back home, saying things like, "oh no little girl this construction zone isn't safe," or, "sorry but this is private property, go home," or even, "why are you in the sewers?" Only this guy seemed even ruder about all of it. The name Team Phoenix also rang a bell with the girl, though all it really made her think was that the guy was both as shifty as he was rude. While Jacklyn had half a mind to tell him off and keep going anyway, the girl frowned as she remembered that the group still hadn't rested. So even if she did get into a fight, Rus and Cherry were out of commission, and Ivan's pokemon were probably not doing so hot. 

With a huff, the girl turned around and shouted, "fine! But when I beat the gym and come back here you better be long gone Mister!" Incidentally, it wasn't like Jacklyn wasn't going to challenge the gyms so really this just helped put her on the path to make sure she could get it out of the way now. Of course, being told by someone else to do it, she was still upset about the whole thing. Once they were away from the blockade, Jacklyn shouted, "alright gang, back to the heat!" Nodding to herself, the girl then realized something, looking back to Ivan. "Oh yeah, I heard you also got a new catch! Way to go!"

[reparoni 161]

 

---

As the group continued onward through the desert, they were stopped by a blockade of Team Phoenix goons. Ivan's fist clenched as he stopped, ready to talk them down before stopping himself. Rage was building up inside him, the same rage he felt when he heard of these clowns in the first place. Assuming this team followed a similar structure to Team Skull, he was pretty sure this guy was no ordinary grunt. He wanted to take on this guy so badly and put him in his place, but there was one glaring problem.

He glanced towards the gigantic chunk of ice that was a Pokemon next to the man - even if his Pokemon could take it on, half of his Pokemon were worn out from battling. He crossing his arms, glaring back towards the man. "Tch. What a drag..." He said, barely hiding his vitriol anger. Luckily, Jacklyn didn't try to charge in there himself, and he was pretty sure Belle wasn't going to try something funny. "C'mon, let's turn back." Bitterly, he turned his back to the man and started walking the other way.

He wanted to punch something badly, but unfortunately there wasn't anything around him but the sand blowing through the wind and his teammates. They probably wouldn't appreciate it, so instead he kicked some sand off the ground after a bit of walking. "Damn bastard, who the hell does he think he is!?" He shouted, stomping on the ground a bit. "I should turn around and kick his ass! I can take him! Ugh, or at least I would without this heat!" He paused for a second, taking a deep breath. He turned towards Jacklyn, who had asked him a question. "Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks..." He said, crossing his arms again, letting out a heavy sigh. "Well we can't just stand around. Let's get movin' I guess."

[Sethera 290]

Walking further along the road, Belle was looking forward to just being able to stop and rest. Which it didn't look like they'd be able to do anytime soon. Up until they were actually forced to stop. There was an older man wearing a coat despite the heat, and Belle couldn't help but wonder how he did it. She was roasting in her sleeveless top and shorts, but this guy looked perfectly fine. It was unfair.

The man held up one of his hands and stepped forward as they approached, telling them to turn back. Apparently he was part of Team Phoenix, which sounded familiar, but only vaguely. Was that some sort of baseball team? Except she hadn't heard of them, but she didn't really follow baseball either.

Either way, it didn't look like they'd be able to go through, which was...annoying. She really wanted to just get to the city and lie down. Now I know how Sabrina felt, she thought.

Her cousin had complained multiple times about the gate guards surrounding Saffron, and how they'd just close down the gate for whatever reason. "They've even closed down the gates because they were thirsty. Thirsty." The woman's usual blank face began to twitch in frustration. "If they had any foresight at all, they would have brought fresh water with them to their shift. Instead, they bother travelers to get it for them. Such unprofessionalism is unworthy of their title."

"There, there," Belle had replied expressionlessly, not caring at all about her cousin's problems and not bothering to hide that. It was hard to keep your thoughts secret from a psychic, after all. Unfortunately, this had also resulted in an extra hour of work before she got to go to her room and play more League of Legendaries. So it might have been smarter to just say nothing at all.

Well, she didn't have fresh water on hand, so it looked like they would have to turn around and go back. Which she didn't want to do, but she didn't have a choice. Neither Jacklyn nor Ivan were at all rested up for a battle, and Belle? Not only had her Rattata actually fought today, but she didn't feel like taking on somebody with a Glalie. Ice types would easily take down her grass starter. Of course, she didn't feel like taking on somebody, period, but that was a given.

"Alright gang, back to the heat!" Jacklyn shouted, then looked back at Ivan. "Oh yeah, I heard you also got a new catch! Way to go!"

The boy seemed just as, if not more frustrated than Jacklyn, who had shouted out something vaguely threatening to the Team Phoenix man--though not nearly as threatening as his threat had been. "Damn bastard, who the hell does he think he is!?" He shouted, stomping on the ground a bit. "I should turn around and kick his ass! I can take him! Ugh, or at least I would without this heat!" He paused for a second, taking a deep breath, turning toward Jacklyn. "Huh? Oh, yeah, thanks..." He said, crossing his arms again, letting out a heavy sigh. "Well we can't just stand around. Let's get movin' I guess."

"There, there," Belle said in her usual flat tone, though unlike with her cousin, this time she could understand his frustrations. "Where to now then? Back to Skrelp Harbor?" She also remembered seeing a path branching off toward the desert, though she wasn't so sure she wanted to go there, so she didn't mention it. Still, it seemed like that might end up being the only other way to go if they wanted to head somewhere new. Good thing I don't care about that, she thought. I just want to lie down and sleep. This heat really had a way of draining all of one's energy.

[Cheshire Toon 139]

Nate was exhausted. He was happy about it though. It was a satisfied kind of tired; he had accomplished a lot in one day. Met some new people, trained up his team, and even captured an Onix (though he was proving to be a handful to train). The only thing left to do now was head back to the Pokémon Center to get some sleep. Milla had already run off and her own, and Naomi…

Nate almost did a double-take. Naomi had fallen asleep on the bench. Was she really that tired? He didn’t think it would be a good idea to leave her alone, and there was no telling when Milla was going to make it back to collect her. Not to mention the fact that Milla would probably have to carry her. It seemed like she normally rode around on her Rhyhorn, but the Pokémon was in no shape to be carrying anyone until she’d had a night’s rest. 

Nate rubbed the back of his neck and looked up at the sky. He couldn’t wait to get out of the underground city; he missed being able to see the stars. 

“Welp. Only one real thing to do, right?” he said. He walked over and lightly shook Naomi. “Hey. Wake up. You can’t sleep out here, you need to go to the center. I can… I guess I can carry you there, if you really can’t walk.”
 

[LordCowCow 839]

“Hey. Wake up. You can’t sleep out here, you need to go to the center. I can… I guess I can carry you there, if you really can’t walk.”

"Armbarlarg" Naomi made a noise that was nowhere close to an actual statement. She looked up at Nathan with almost entirely closed eyes and yawned widely at him. It took her a few moments but she managed to open her eyes halfway to see the blurry figure of the boy. "Yer not Princess." She muttered, responding to the offer for him to carry her.

She started to push herself up but then gave up and slumped back down onto the bench. She really didn't want to get up. But she vaguely remembered that she should get her Pokemon taken care of. So with great effort she turned slightly and raised her arm up in Nathan's direction. "If y'can carry go head." She said. "Migh be heavy."

The girl would only barely help Nathan pick her up. Making her seem more like an inanimate, if floppy, object rather than a person.

Eventually on their way, or rather on Nathan's way, to the Pokecenter they'd meet up with Milla. Who had left the center to go find them. They ended up meeting around the halfway point. With Naomi being carried by the shorter male without any seeming concern that he was, essentially, a stranger to her.

Spoiler

More/less just a transitional period before the transition for next day.

Let me know how you want to handle the next day thing and if you want me to write out finding the gym and such or if there's other stuff you want to do.

---

The group, tired and frustrated, left as the man called out to them. "Tootles, have a nice day, maybe another time then." Which he followed up with a bark-like laugh.

While the group trudged their way away, unsure exactly where they would be heading next, they ran into a nervous young woman. She was dressed similarly to a worker at a Pokemon Center though not the exact same uniform. She seemed to be trying to get their attention before finally stuttering out "U-UM!" And, shyly looking to the side as they responded, continued on "I'm a, uh, I'm a Nurse. Well, in training. A-anyway! I see you're trainers and um, I wanted to help heal up your Pokemon if that's okay with you!"

She closed her eyes tight as she said this then peeked one eye out. "Oh and you can rest in my camp for a bit. If you plan on going into the desert and all. Not that I'm saying you can't handle it! Just. Ummm, thought I'd...offer." With every word she grew more and more quiet.

Though despite her attitude if they took her up on the offer she'd heal up their Pokemon perfectly fine, if somewhat nervously, and had a small but cozy camp set up just off of the route.

Spoiler

Unless you all want otherwise will likely move to the desert next round so keep that in mind when posting this round.

 

[Skaia 578]

Jacklyn shared in Ivan's frustration as they made their way away from the blockade. She even more shared his resolve to continue moving onward, to continue their journey. Looking towards Belle as the girl had said something about where to go next, Jacklyn shook her head. "There wasn't a gym at Skrelp Harbor and besides..." The girl thought on it for a moment before passionately pointing at the blue haired girl. "It's far too early in our adventure to start backtracking!" Pointing towards the desert the adventure minded girl shouted again, "so let's head onward to destinations unknown!" 

As if on cue, the group then ran into a rather nervous looking nurse...in training. Jacklyn was skeptical about the woman as she didn't seem to have much in way of confidence, but it was true that she couldn't just go continue exploring with Rus and Cherry all banged up. And so, reluctantly, the girl handed her pokemon off to the nurse. "Alright well, just uh...make sure they feel better."  

Going over to the camp, the girl sat down as she said, "alright gang, let's regroup! And then, to the desert! I wonder what wonders await us in the sandy barrens." The girl nodded to herself, not sitting very still as she waited for the others. 

[Doggo 218]

As Milla made her way about town, she couldn't help but feel somewhat uneasy without her pokemon with her. Normally she stayed as close to Rondo as she possibly could while having him receive care in a Pokemon Center. Walking away from the building without him, even inside his ball, seemed nearly unthinkable. But then again, the girl had been doing a lot of the unthinkable of late. While pondering the strangeness of the situation she found herself in, Milla encountered Nathan and Nomi. It took a moment to process that the former was carrying the latter. With a nervous laugh, Milla pondered just how much of all the things Nomi had said thus far were actually jokes. It seemed at least in this case she really had planned on sleeping the night on that bench. With the group reunited, the girl led the others back to the Pokemon Center and was sure to get Nomi set up properly in a bed in the room they had been provided by the staff. Nathan parted some time after making sure they were alright, resulting in another round of thanks from Milla for all he had shown them. Some time passed but soon she was called for by one the nurses that the treatment of her pokemon had concluded.

With a great sense of relief Milla took hold of the three pokeballs she had parted with upon first entering the center. What a day it had been. She was so proud of the work they'd put in it. There seemed to be only one thing to do. The girl happily released all three of her friends. Rondo was playing it cool as he often did. Sonata flopped about on the floor, uncertain what her trainer's intention was given the lack of water. Andante seemed worried, like there might still be wild pokemon about but found only her trainer and fellow pokemon. Milla giggled gleefully as she scooped up the three creatures and fell into bed with them in a group hug. She spoke to each, praising them for specific traits she valued in them. Rondo's strength that had gotten her this far, Sonata's beauty and perseverance despite only knowing Splash, and Andante's courage she'd shown in getting stronger so fast. The pokemon were all happy to see their trainer in this state given how things had been for her lately. But they were all still tired and so the group transitioned from playful laughter to a disorganized nap pile on the bed fairly quickly.

-----

It was a new day. And of Milla's team, Rondo was the first to rise. The Sneasel was careful not to prematurely wake his trainer nor the Feebas or Litleo but eventually he sat up and looked the group over. Seeing Milla resting so contentedly relaxed him and he tenderly moved the girl's hair out of her face with his claws, only to see the human begin to move. Milla woke fully some ten minutes later, which stirred Sonata and Andante from the more pronounced movements. Milla greeted her team before lazily retrieving their pokeballs to recall them. There was a big yawn before the girl took hold of her first concise thought of the day. Today, she would challenge the gym leader. Some time would pass as she and Nomi awoke and prepared for the day. But eventually they would exit the Pokemon Center together.

"It's time we put all that training to use." Milla started confidently. "Let's go find the gym!" she nearly cheered as if trying to psyche herself up. Of course it soon transitioned to nervous tension as she realized she wasn't familiar enough with the town to know where to go. Quickly did she recede back into her usual shy shell as the awful truth came into view. She would have to ask random strangers for directions. The thought was scarier than sending Andante in to fight the large Onix had been. At least then she'd had Nathan backing her up. But she wasn't alone! Nomi could... maybe...

[LordCowCow 839]

"Let's go find the gym!"

Naomi shot upwards into a sitting position. So quickly that she got dizzy afterwards. Eyes mostly closed she looked around in a daze at the room they were in. "Wha'appened?" She muttered. Slumping off of the bed she half-stood-half-slouched and let out a huge yawn.

Rubbing at her eyes she shuffled over to where her bag was and slowly took some of the clothing out. Pulling off the clothes she wore to bed, the same clothes she was wearing the day before, she put on the new clothes. Though the shirt was put on backwards.

Without brushing her wild and messy hair the girl shambled towards the door. "Imma find the gym." She mumbled. Then spent about three minutes trying to open the door until she figured out it was locked.

She made it into the Pokecenter lobby before she collapsed across one of the tables. The pair of boys there jumped as she crashed into their table. "Uh, are you alright?"

"Whereza gym?" Naomi muttered. They looked at each other in confusion and she, slightly louder, repeated "Gym please."

The nurse giggled at her station and told her, and Milla were she to follow, "You'll have to ask around a bit for that. I'm afraid the gym leader doesn't have a single location that he battles."

Naomi groaned and pushed herself off of the table. She would have fallen onto the floor except that Princess popped out of the ball to catch her. Though the Rock type wasn't a much softer landing.

With some help Princess dragged Naomi on top of her back and moved on out of the Pokemon Center.

---

It took some time asking around. No one seemed to have a solid answer for where the gym leader was. At the Oasis bar the owner let out a loud laugh which managed to stir Naomi from her drowsiness somewhat. "Well he's around here somewhere. If I see him I'll tell him you're looking."

Eventually, in the middle of the street, the boy who had helped them before, Tavares, came up to them. "Excuse me. You're looking for the gym leader right? Follow me." He said softly.

The two were led around the city with the boy stopping at points to look around, shake his head, and continue. Naomi had almost dozed off by the time that they stopped for another time. This time they were in the back alley behind several shops that, when they passed by earlier, looked to be closed down. Tavares glanced to the right, then left, and nodded.

Turning to face them he gave a slight cough. "Sorry about that...sometimes it takes some time to find the right place."

BGM

The boy grabbed a Pokeball from his belt and held it up towards the pair. "I, Tavares, Gym Leader of Gemupet City, accept your challenge...if that's alright with you."

Spoiler

Plot twist, how totally unexpected!

But yes, the "gym" is wherever the gym leader decides. Right now its in a random back alley.

Hakima feel free to show up and find them at any point. Now we should probably make sure of how we want to handle this stuff. If we wanna go in order and if we want to post the whole thing for each person in one post and so on.

 

[Sethera 290]

Unfortunately, it didn't look like they'd be going back to the harbor, as Jacklyn shook her head. "There wasn't a gym at Skrelp Harbor and besides..." The girl thought on it for a moment before passionately pointing at Belle. "It's far too early in our adventure to start backtracking!" Pointing towards the desert the adventure-minded girl shouted again, "so let's head onward to destinations unknown!"

"If you think I'm going to go along with us getting lost in the desert or something, you have another thing coming," Belle muttered.

The group then ran into a nurse who didn't seem very confident in talking to people, but she seemed a bit more confident in treating their Pokémon. While Jacklyn seemed worried, Belle wasn't. After all, it was always the ones who weren't very good with people that were actually really skilled in what they did. That's how it worked out in shows and video games, anyway, and real-life couldn't be that different there.

Jacklyn sat down at the camp first, "alright gang, let's regroup! And then, to the desert! I wonder what wonders await us in the sandy barrens."

"Heatstroke, probably," Belle replied, sitting down as well. "Oh, and let's not forget dehydration either. Those sound like wonderful things, right?" She really, really didn't want to go into the desert. Sure, it was looking like there was no other choice now, but that didn't mean she had to come quietly. She really couldn't understand why people would ever want to go into extreme climates like that. It was much easier to sit around in a nice air-conditioned room and use a PC instead.

Edited May 4, 2020 by Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd

[reparoni 161]

 

---

"We're not going back to Skrelp Harbor!" He said, crossing his arms. Jacklyn also didn't want to go back, pointing in a seemingly random direction. Ivan let out a sigh. "You sure you know where ya goin?" He shook his head, following the excited girl deeper into the desert.

The group ran into a rather nervous looking nurse-in-training. While she didn't seem very confident in herself, she did offer them a moment of rest at the camp. He was ready to turn down the girl, a low growl at the audacity the women had to suggest such a thing. However, he couldn't deny that he was pretty beat - the heat was getting to him, especially after that battle and all the shouting he had done not too long. "Tch. Fine. Only cuz my 'mons need a rest." He said, a bead of sweat dripping from his forehead, as he passed his Pokemon over to the nurse.

Ivan took a seat at the camp, exhaling as he leaned back a bit. "It ain't gonna be fun, but we gotta march on." He said, turning to Belle. "Relax, we'll be in and out of the desert in no time." He said, holding onto his leather jacket. He frowned, as he saw that it was starting to get all sandy. Ivan hated the sand - it was course, ruff, and irritating. Worst of all, it gets everywhere. He let out a sigh, turning back up towards the sky. Hopefully the thing he said about getting out of here was true.

[LordCowCow 839]

The Soundless Barrens wasn't just a name. It was a description. The desert they entered was quite an unusual one. Winds continued to blow sand around and those who entered would have to cover their faces to avoid getting bombarded by the grainy particles. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, they would soon realize that they couldn't hear a thing beyond a few feet around them. Even other voices if they got too far away would be muffled. It was an eerie place to be sure.

There were some battered shelters set up here and there, with a cooler of water and some protection from the wind and sun, but they were few and far between.

And as such there were less trainers out there. However those that did decide to enter the desert, to train or explore, were a hardy bunch and more than eager to test their skills against any trainer that came their way.

What would eventually catch the group's attention, however, was not the weather nor the trainers. But instead it was a fearful cry of a Pokemon. As they got closer they would be able to see better.

Cowering under one of the shelters that had fallen apart at some point was a Pokemon. It looked like a bear cub with dark blue, almost mossy, fur covering it. It was sitting back on its hind legs with its front legs covering its head as it let out whimpering sounds. Instead of paws like other bears the Pokemon had a pair of flippers on its front legs with small claws at the end of it. And to really drive home the assumption it was a Water type, instead of the round ears of a bear it had a pair of fins on top of its head.

The group, had they looked at all of them, would recognize it as one of the three Starter Pokemon offered to those without Pokemon at the start of the journey. The Water Type, Bearble.

And above it were a couple of Vullaby who were trying to get at the Pokemon that was hiding under the broken down shelter.

Spoiler

The time has come for Bearble! Rus and Moo would recognize it. Some info....

Name: Bearble
Species: Sea Cub Pokemon
Type: Water
Height: 1‘8“
Weight: 18lbs
Ability: Torrent
Pokedex Entry: A playful Pokemon, they are protected fiercely by its parents in the wild due to its curious and friendly nature.
Stats: 50 HP | 55 Attack | 40 Defense | 55 Special Attack | 40 Special Defense | 65 Speed

Will give level and moves if caught.

As for the Vullaby...

Level 8, Overcoat, Gust, Leer, Fury Attack.

 

[Skaia 578]

Jacklyn looked towards Belle, wagging her finger as she said, "it's not getting lost if you're always moving with purpose! And if you feel like you're going to die of thirst then drink something!" With Ivan's encouragement as well, the girl nodded as they seemed ready to tackle the desert. Looking back to Belle, the girl said, "besides, if there's a gym beyond this whole thing, just imagine. You'll be one step closer to finishing your journey and never have to go through the desert again!" Outside of the return trip. Standing up, the girl pointed to the sky saying, "now then gang, let's get going!" 

---

"Blegh -" The girl spat out as her face was constantly assaulted by wave after wave of sand. She had tried to pull her hood up but, not only was the problem meeting her head on instead of from above, the wind also kept blowing it off. Wiping the sand out off of her face, she then declared, "do you think this is enough to stop me nature!? Huh?! Well you've got another - ack - " the girl had a coughing fit as more sand flew into her mouth. Once she had gotten her breath back,  she shouted, "forward!" 

As the girl braced herself and moved forward through the storm, she simply covered most of her face with her hands. Eventually, though, something caught the girl's attention. Curious, she stopped in her tracks and shouted, "wait! Did you guys hear that!?" Looking around again, the girl heard it again. Something that sounded akin to a cry of some sort. "Come on guys!" Motioning for them to follow, the girl started to go towards the sound, until it became  apparent where it was coming from. 

Seeing the scene of a Bearble getting picked on by a couple of Vullaby, the girl's faced scrunched into annoyance. "Hey! What do you all think you're doing!?" As the Vullaby noticed this newcomer, the pokemon turned to face Jacklyn as she reached to her belt. Pulling a pokeball off of it, she shouted, "alright! Go Rus!" As the Lepash was set loose from its pokeball, its eyes seemed to lock in on the Bearble. Letting out a low sigh and seeming a bit disappointed at the sight of the cowering pokemon, its attention then turned towards the bullying Vullaby. Looking between the Bearble and its oppressors, the Lepash eventually settled on glaring at the Vullaby very clearly annoyed at them. Letting out a puff of smoke, Jacklyn shouted, "yeah Rus, let's show them what for!" Looking behind her, she shouted, "right team!?" 

[Sethera 290]

Unfortunately, it looked like, they indeed would not be going back to the city. Ivan's words confirmed it. "We're not going back to Skrelp Harbor!" He crossed his arms.

"Ugh, fine," Belle muttered.

"You sure you know where ya going?"

"Let's hope she does, anyway, or we're doomed."

As they took a seat around the camp, the others attempted to reassure Belle, but their words weren't...very reassuring. Out of the desert in no time? Just that small bit of time was way too much to begin with! Moving with purpose while you were lost? That just meant you'd get further lost. And drinking something? Well, what if they ran out of stuff to drink? No, these two were taking this way too lightly.

--

It was official. Belle hated the desert. Thankfully, she wasn't alone in her suffering. She felt a dark satisfaction at seeing Jacklyn spit sand out of her mouth. She'd be even more satisfied if she wasn't also doing the same thing. Except she at least was smart and wasn't trying to shout at the desert, which would just result in more sand in her mouth, as her purple-haired companion was discovering. She thought about giving a sarcastic snipe, but really, it wasn't worth it, because again, sand in mouth.

Eventually, she heard something besides the howling of the wind. A fearful cry that had Jacklyn spurring them on toward whatever was causing it. As they drew closer, Belle managed to make out what looked to be a broken-down shelter with a Pokémon underneath. She recognized it as a Bearble, something she had considered picking up, but in the end, she had decided to go with a Poamoo instead. Mainly because it looked easy to take care of.

However, it was what was above it that was more attention-grabbing. A couple of...what were those again? She knew she had seen them before, not in real life, though. Taking out her Pokédex, she aimed it at them, eyes lighting up at seeing what they were called. Yes, Vullaby! That was it!

"They look...pbft, kind of dumb," Belle spat out sand from her mouth. "Why do they still have their eggs attached?"

But Jacklyn was more concerned with keeping them off of the Bearble. "Hey! What do you all think you're doing!?" She released her Lepash, Rus, then, "yeah Rus, let's show them what for!" Looking behind her, she shouted, "right team!?"

"Uh...right pbft!" Belle coughed. She thought about sending Moo out, but as a grass type, she really doubted he'd be able to do much. It would probably be better to use her Rattata instead. Except he probably wouldn't listen, which meant she would need Moo out to keep an eye on him regardless. Sighing, the girl released her Poamoo. "Go, Moo, after those, grargh, birds!" she hacked.

The cow nodded, but seemed more preoccupied with the Bearble, letting out a concerned moo as it walked forward, hooves sinking into the sand with each step.

[Cheshire Toon 139]

Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep! The Pokétech incessantly blasted the alarm. Nate resisted the urge to hit snooze. The night before had been long, and he had settled into his room long after the sun had set, so he hadn’t had a long time to sleep. He swung his feet over the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes. “Gotta get up,” he mumbled. Today was the day he was finally going to get a rematch with the Gym Leader. He could not afford to stay in bed. So, dragging his feet somewhat, he shuffled off to the bathroom to shower and brush his teeth. 

The cold shower helped chase the remnants of sleep from his body. By the time he was pulling his shoes on and zipping up his jacket, he was already itching to hunt down the Gym Leader. He had learned from his last encounter. He was ready this time. 

“Watch it Tavares. We’re comin’ for you.”

~~~~~~

Of course all of that was only if Nate could find him again. He had asked around town, but no one had given him any helpful advice. The last place he could think to checkw as the Oasis tavern in the middle of town. The little establishment was packed with the morning breakfast rush. Nate made a beeline for the man at the counter. “Have you seen the gym leader? Tavares?”

The barkeep laughed. “Another challenger? Tavares has his work cut out for him today. I’ll let him know someone’s looking for him if I see him, but he just left to battle with someone a few minutes ago.” 

Nate was defeated for a moment. Then it hit him. “Two girls? One sleepy, one kinda preppy?”

“Huh?” The barkeep seemed surprised. “You know them?”

“You could say that. Thanks man!” Nate was off like a rocket. He had been in the city for three days; not a lot of places could accommodate a Pokémon battle. Even fewer that wouldn’t draw a ton of attention to them. He would just have check every corner and alley until he found them. 
 

Edited May 9, 2020 by Cheshire Toon

[Doggo 218]

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.