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

[reparoni 161]

 

---

"Finally..." Ivan said with a hint of annoyance, wiping his brow as he saw the last Vullably was dealt with. He turned towards Kyu, giving the Vulpix a thumbs up. "Good work!" The Vulpix didn't respond, taking a moment to catch its breath. "Yeah, you should rest up." He returned Kyu back to his ball, turning towards the other two. He turned towards the pile of rubble, seeing the weird bear Pokemon poke out of it. It was poining at him, or his jacket. He wasn't sure.

"The jacket? Oh, it's... fine..." He said, voice straining as he lamented his jacket one last time. "Yeah! Don't worry about it." He said, turning to Jacklyn. "Don't be ridiculous. It got torn up by those bastard birds...!" He said angrily, taking off the jacket. "I guess it'll make going through the desert a bit easier." He turned back towards the bear. Jacklyn was right, they couldn't just leave the poor Pokemon here. Letting out a sigh, Ivan walked up to the bear slowly. "Come with me, we're getting you out of here." He didn't have any Pokeballs on him, so he'd have to carry the bear back. And so, he keeled down and opened his arms, waiting for the bear to tag along.

[LordCowCow 842]

Bearble seemed to be relieved when Ivan told her that the jacket was fine. Though she still seemed to feel bad that the jacket was ruined helping her out. When Ivan started to move towards her she took a few steps back and lowered her head. Expecting to be yelled at by the large human. When the yelling didn't come she perked up and looked curiously at him. And his open arms.

She looked over at Rus first. As if asking for his opinion on the boy. And once it was given she cautiously moved towards Ivan and stood up slightly to cling onto one of Ivan's arms with its two clawed flippers. Being extra careful not to hook her claws into his arm. She would then allow him to lift her up. Though she'd have to hide her face and avoid looking down at the ground.

The group made their way across the desert. They couldn't find any sort of landmark that would lead them any particular way. The few trainers they found, some who did want to battle despite the conditions, seemed to not really know where they were either. The sun was starting to go down and they hadn't found anything yet.

Then they saw a young man waving towards them energetically. Once they got a bit closer he met them halfway. He was wearing a hat with flaps on it that covered his face from the whirling sand, which was now starting to pick up around where they stood. "Hey! Finally! I've been waiting for an hour to be able to do this!" He planted one foot forward and pulled out a Pokeball. Thrusting it towards the group he announced "I'm Allen! Are you looking for Gemupet City? I can tell you where it is but only if you beat me in a battle!"

He smirked. "I saw lines like that in video games and always wanted to try it myself."

Spoiler

So you guys can have some "off-screen" training if you want. (though a little description of it could be nice still) Even with Bearble if you feel like trying that. And now you have Rising Star Allen who wants to challenge one of you to a battle. Decide among yourselves who wants to do it. It isn't a huge fight so once decided I can give info on the Pokemon/Moves he has.

 

[Skaia 579]

As the Bearble made its way over towards the trainer and looked to Rus for confirmation about him, the Lepash gave a simple nod to its fellow pokemon. When all that was taken care of, Jacklyn looked towards Ivan. "Well, I think you've found yourself a new team member there Ivan." As she both joked and congratulated her team member, she paused as she realized something. Ivan had gotten yet another pokemon and yet she was still with only two. Though, nothing in the desert had presented itself to the girl as particularly appealing as a partner - nothing had given her the same feeling that she had gotten when she had first seen Rus or Cherry. All the same, even if she was missing some core team members that didn't mean she had fully fallen behind as a leader yet. After all, she had nearly beaten Dinah in a two versus three match which must have meant that Rus and Cherry were super strong by themselves. 

When it came to the group now exploring the desert some more, Jacklyn resolved that she needed to continue polishing her two pokemon's strengths. And so, the girl said, "don't worry, I'll handle anything and everything that comes at us!" And she was mostly true to her word. Any time a wild pokemon would see fit to get into the group's way Jacklyn would jump right at it and shout, "mine!" Cherry seemed to be taking the brunt of the labor and what little Rus got the Lepash seemed to handle with a good deal of ease. Once Jacklyn had been zoning on a wild pokemon, however, she was solely fixated on that one and so paid no mind to if the group was attacked by any others. All the same, the group had managed to make their way towards the end of the desert. 

Unfortunately, civilization had one more roadblock before they could get back to it. As the boy challenged them, Jacklyn through her arms to the side saying, "is that so? Well, my team won't back down from a challenge like this!" While Jacklyn was certainly willing to challenge him herself, she remembered that her pokemon were pretty exhausted from the intense training session she had just put them  through. Especially Cherry. So instead, after a slight pause, Jacklyn reached behind her and placed her hand on Belle's back. "Isn't that right Belle?" Urging the girl forward, she looked over to the blue haired girl saying, "go on and show him what you're made of!" 

[Doggo 218]

The group was suddenly running, trying to follow Cassius as it raced off to take them somewhere new and exciting. Milla had been taken by surprise but managed to run well enough to keep Nathan in view ahead of her, but also slow enough to keep Nomi in view behind her. The running was difficult on the less than athletic girl, but it seemed much less so than on Nomi who made it an effort to rarely exert herself. Eventually of course, Cassius made it to where it wanted to take the group and thus in a chain Nathan, Milla and then Nomi would all stop running and begin catching their breath. For her part, Milla had been rather amazed at the sights around her and tried to start taking things in even as her body demanded more oxygen. In the immediate area the most curious thing was a door with something resembling writing that the girl couldn't actually read. That was until the strange man wearing a mask came into view and began talking. He seemed to know Nomi but pondered who Milla and Nathan were. Somehow they were special, yet another thought to set Milla's mind racing. And then he seemed to almost read the bizarre writing in what sounded like common sense. A crack would naturally break a whole object if left unattended. Maybe it was a riddle. There were so many things to think about that she had to get information somewhere. No where better to start than with the people she already knew.

"It could be the exciting thing we're looking for but um..." Milla started in response to Nomi who wondered if the door was the thing Cassius had wanted to show them. "Do you know this person Nomi?" Milla asked.

"No... yes. Saw 'im once." Nomi offered. So the connection was tenuous at best. That left little options to figure out the strange set of circumstances past addressing the masked man himself.

"Uh... excuse me sir, my name is Milla Reuter and we've never met as you seem to have guessed. Is there something special about this door?" the girl asked through her nerves. The man tapped his foot rapidly while looking at the door before turning to her.

"Aren't all of them? This door doesn't exist anywhere else, correct?" He paused. "Does it?"

"Well... naturally this exact door could only be here. And I can't say I've seen one quite like it or any writing like that before. Have you tried opening it yet?" Milla returned curiously. Her own thoughts began to run into various fantasies at the mans words as she pondered the door and a kingdom somewhere in the clouds where all doors could magically lead to if you knew the right words.

The man though focused on her question as his eyes widened. Then he turned to the door and gave it a push. Turning back around he responded "Yes. Yes I have."

"No luck there then..." Milla trailed off before getting to more actively thinking herself. "It seemed like you understand this strange writing. What is this language called? Have you seen it anywhere else around here?" The man stayed silent before answering this latest question.

"I...don't know. Where have I seen it. I...It...." He winced, clutching his head, and shook it. Then his expression settled and he suddenly asked "Who are you?" At this line of questioning Milla became unsettled. The man had seemed eccentric before true, but now he seemed almost disturbed. She was worried about him and wanted to make sure he was okay but hesitated to approach him directly.

"A-as I said, my name is Milla. Are you alright?" she asked.

"No, half of me is left." He gave a short, harsh, laugh before muttering to himself a bit. Then focusing again on the girl, "you're here....for what?"

"We..." Milla struggled to think at this point. She was very concerned about continued interaction with man who seemed more mentally unstable the longer they interacted. She backed up ever so slowly before turning to Nathan. "We were just looking for something new and exciting, right Nathan?" she asked, blatantly dropping the conversation off on the boy so she could avoid directly interacting with the maske man.

[reparoni 161]

 

---

The group moved onward through the desert, the Bearble in his arms. "Looks like it." He said towards Jacklyn, looking down at the bear for a moment. He had caught a good number of Pokemon in quite a short span of time - maybe he should take a moment to actually train them up instead of getting new ones. Not like he had a choice, as he didn't have any Pokeballs on him. Hell, he didn't even have a Pokeball for his newly "caught" Pokemon.

On their way, Ivan got himself into two separate battles in the desert. The first was against a Sandshrew that had rolled up on them, an eager look in its eyes to fight. Bearble was hesitant to fight at first, so Ivan instead sent out Root to battle it. The battle wasn't very exciting, ending quickly with a few Vine Whips. However, Ivan was determined to get Bearble fighting and, after what felt like a long time of convincing and misfiring, Bearble managed to defeat a wild Vulpix, although it was closer than Ivan would have liked. He would have also liked not being soaking wet right now, but that wasn't a big problem. In fact, it was almost refreshing as the sun beat down on them.

When they finally got to the end of the road, they were stopped by a trainer. "Oh great..." Usually, Ivan would be eager to fight. But honestly, all of this fighting and training had exhausted him, especially after the whole ordeal with the Vullaby. Jacklyn was also beat from her own training, which only left Belle. "Well, looks like this one's all yours." He said, patting her on the back as he let out a yawn. "Can't let me and Jacklyn get all the battling done, after all."

[Sethera 290]

Belle grew increasingly frustrated the further they walked. She appreciated the fact that Jacklyn was taking care of the Pokémon they came across, but that didn't help them one bit when it came to their main issue. "How could nobody...not know where they are?!" she eventually exploded, throwing her hands in the air in a fit of pique. "This is insane! This is. The. Desert." She had never been in the desert before. At least not before today. But she knew enough about it to know that it was dangerous. Video games had been sure to show her that. "I don't see an oasis anywhere either, so if we don't find our way back to the road soon, we'll be toast! And then it'll be night, and we'll be chilled toast! Do you get that?!" she glared at the others, but especially Jacklyn, the idiot who had gotten them off track.

Before she could continue her rant, she noticed that...Jacklyn wasn't even listening to her! She was talking to a boy who...apparently knew where Gemupet City was? Belle hadn't memorized the map of Korova she had seen, so she had no clue what the city was called that they were heading toward, only that it was civilization! Fresh water! Cool air! These things were very, very important, even if her two intrepid companions didn't seem to think so.

"I saw lines like that in video games and always wanted to try it myself."

Belle snorted despite herself at that.

"Is that so? Well, my team won't back down from a challenge like this!" Yep, she knew that would happen. Not that Belle minded. Far from it. "Isn't that right Belle?" Wait, wait, wait, what?! No no no no no. This wasn't part of the plan. And since when was Belle on her team? She wasn't a Pokémon! Before the girl could protest, she was pushed forward, "go on and show him what you're made of!"

She glanced toward Ivan with desperate eyes. He would want to battle...right? He just got a new Pokémon and all, so it would make sense. "Well, looks like this one's all yours." He said instead with a pat on the back and a yawn. "Can't let me and Jacklyn get all the battling done, after all." Belle shot a glare at the traitor before turning away with a grumble. It looked like she had no choice.

"Guess I have to battle you then, huh?" the blue-haired girl asked with dead--betrayed--eyes as she stared at the boy in front of her. "Oh well. Let's get this over with then," she said, reaching in to take out a Poké Ball. She had no clue which Pokémon was in it, or if it even had one inside, but she would figure out a system for that later.

[Cheshire Toon 141]

Nate pushed in front of Milla and Naomi. Cassius came over to stand beside its trainer, glowing eyes fixed on the masked man. “Yep. I asked my pal Cassius here to show us something cool around these ruins. It led us here, so we figured there must be something pretty cool about that door.” He took a step forward, looking the masked man up and down. He didn’t look particularly threatening but… something about him was off. “You doing alright though man? I can help you get back to town, if you’re in need of a doctor or something. The heat can do some funny stuff to your head.”

The masked man had three Poke-Balls on his belt. It was impossible to tell what kind of creatures he had with him, which could possibly make things more dangerous if the guy did turn out to be a creeper. Nate had never dreamed of using his Pokemon against another person, but he had grown up in Kanto, famous for the infestation of the thuggish Team Rocket before Champion Red had cleaned house. He knew scum like that existed in the world. Was this guy one of them?

[LordCowCow 842]

"Oh well. Let's get this over with then,"

"That's the...uh, spirit." The Rising Star said, somewhat deflated by Belle's lack of enthusiasm. There was an awkward silence then he shook his head. "No, you won't throw me off!" He pumped his fist. "Alright let's do this; gonna beat this level and then move on to the next stage!"

While the sand still flung around, in somewhat of a Sandstorm, the trainer pulled back his Pokeball and tossed out his first Pokemon.

What came out was what looked like a round green ball covered in spikes. The Cacnea bounced up and down as it came out and, when it saw Belle, flexed in an attempt to intimidate her.

"You ran out of luck when you encountered me here!" the trainer proclaimed. "Cacnea's Sand Veil means you can't touch him in the sand! And, bleh, gack, ahem. And there's sand all around us!"

Spoiler

And the battle starts! I'll give the information for the trainer's team and let Sethera loose. Can get info or some back and forth from me or can make up your own stuff with the information. Basically go at your pace for this.

Rising Star Allen.
Team. Cacnea, level 12, Sand Veil, Poison Sting, Absorb, Growth, Leech Seed
Trapinch, level 12, Hyper Cutter, Feint Attack, Sand Attack, Bulldoze, Sand Tomb

---

"We were just looking for something new and exciting, right Nathan?"

The man's eyes flicked over to the male of the group as Milla mentioned him. He didn't fully turn to face the boy even when Nathan decided to address him directly. He was entirely silent and continued to look at Nathan out of the corner of his eyes while Nathan spoke.

When Nathan mentioned a doctor the young man snorted. His next words sounded angry and cold. "Doctor? No. No doctor. I've never been to a doctor and I never will if I can help it." He lapsed into silence for a moment and then, tone completely serious, he said "I don't like needles."

Tapping his foot he looked upwards at the door. His voice took on a lighter tone rapidly. "It may be new to you yes. Exciting? I would say not. A door doesn't do much. Beyond the door...who knows. But we're not beyond the door." He paused. "Unless we are what's beyond the door. Perhaps we're the ones being kept in." He seemed troubled by this and then shook his head.

He glanced over towards Nathan again in time to notice the boy glance at the Pokeballs at his waist.

"Did you want to battle? That's what trainers do, right? Something something eyes meeting. How do eyes meet anyway? Do they say hello? But we can't hear it?" He laughed again. The same, harsh, sudden bark of a laugh. "Hm."

He turned in a slow circle and took in each of the three fully for what seemed like the first time. "Something....something about you. Maybe we should battle. I feel an urge. To see what is so special about you."

"Huh?" Naomi said. She had been in a bit of a daze as the conversation grew too much for her to keep up with. But what he said jolted her out of it. "M'not special." Naomi muttered. She looked at Milla "R'you the special one? Or him?"

She looked at her pokeballs. "Princess's kinda special, I guess."

She seemed none too happy about the suggestion though. "Didn't we battle enough?" She complained. Though she wasn't going to try hard to get out of it if it came down to it.

Spoiler

You don't necessarily have to battle him. If you do, will say, he'll be fine battling any number of the group at once.

 

[Skaia 579]

As the boy seemed confident in his pokemon, Jacklyn stood by the side and behind Belle saying, "what a cad, using the dessert to his advantage! But don't let get to you Belle!" The girl tried to cheer her on friend, before pointing towards the boy's Cacnea. "It's your luck that ran out when you came across us! After all, no amount of hot sand or cheap planning will be able to stop us, so you better be ready to clear the way for us! Isn't that right Belle?" Jacklyn was getting incredibly hyped up for a fight that she wasn't even a part of. "Go on, Belle, show him what you got."

[Sethera 290]

"That's the...uh, spirit." The Rising Star said, somewhat deflated from his earlier excitement. There was an awkward silence then he shook his head. "No, you won't throw me off!" He pumped his fist. "Alright let's do this; gonna beat this level and then move on to the next stage!"

"Oh dear legends, you're just like Jacklyn," Belle said, eyes wide, tone slightly disbelieving as she shook her head. "This can't be. There can't be more than one of them. The world isn't that cruel...right?" Nobody answered her impassioned plea. She hadn't been expecting an answer, but still, it'd have been nice to get a "no" or an "I'm sorry" or something. Right?

While the blue-haired girl stared up at the heavens beseechingly, the trainer had already released his first Pokémon--a spiky thing that looked more like a cactus than a Pokémon. Which made sense, considering it was a cactus Pokémon. It took Belle a second to recognize it. Cacnea wasn't really popular on the internet. Not like Pikachu, Eevee, or even Magikarp. Or Slowpoke, she thought, remembering that video she had seen.

"You ran out of luck when you encountered me here!" the trainer proclaimed. "Cacnea's Sand Veil means you can't touch him in the sand! And, bleh, gack, ahem. And there's sand all around us!"

Jacklyn chose that moment to shout back, "what a cad, using the dessert to his advantage! But don't let get to you Belle!"

"Uhh...well, I mean, that's a legitimate strategy--"

"It's your luck that ran out when you came across us! After all, no amount of hot sand or cheap planning will be able to stop us, so you better be ready to clear the way for us! Isn't that right Belle?"

"Well, I mean, I wasn't really planning on losing, but the, pbft, sand does make this harder--"

"Go on, Belle, show him what you got."

"...Okay," the girl's shoulders slumped as she gave up. On arguing with Jacklyn, and on getting out of this fight. "Go, uhh, Pokémon," she said as she tossed the ball half-heartedly to the sand, watching as it landed with a soft thump. And sat there, still and motionless.

"Let me try that, bleh, again," the girl said, spitting out sand. What followed was an awkward few seconds as she stumbled forward to pick up the ball, returning it to her bag. "This one's probably got something in it," she muttered as she picked up another one. It was just a feeling, but one she was sure of. Then again, she'd had that same feeling with the previous ball, so her feelings weren't really reliable. If only I was a better psychic, she thought. I'd have to deal with people being idiots about it, but they're all idiots anyway, and at least I wouldn't be embarrassing myself right now.

Fortunately for her, this ball really did have a Pokémon in it. Unfortunately for her, that Pokémon was her Rattata.

"Oh, this is bad," she muttered. Unlike last time, she couldn't send Moo out to keep the rat from mauling her face. And then she'd have to get Jacklyn's help again, and maybe even Ivan's, and worse yet, the person she was supposed to be battling right now. She would never live this down. Really, this was yet another reason she didn't want to ever leave her room. Situations like this were exactly the kind of thing she'd have avoided just by being a stay-at-home gamer geek. But it wasn't like she could do anything about it. As she prepared herself, clenching her fists at her sides as her Rattata turned toward her with a feral gleam in its eye, she heard what would end up being her saving grace.

"A Rattata?! This is gonna be easy! Go, Cacnea! Use Poison Sting!"

The rat was turned away from its goal of getting back at its trainer by the sudden, unpleasant sensation of stinging against its back. Turning around with a hiss, the normal type lunged for the Cacnea in a Tackle, knocking back the grass type with unexpected force.

"What?! I can't believe this! How could a Rattata be this strong?!"

"I can't believe my Rattata is this cute--I mean strong," Belle snickered. "They should make a cartoon about that." Her expression turned serious. "Rattata, use uhh, Focus Energy!" yet again she was ignored, but that wasn't surprising. I also need to figure out a name for this thing.

While she began to mull that over, her Pokémon had moved back slightly, weight spread out evenly on all four of its paws, tail arched over its head like an Ekans as it stared down its opponent.

"Okay, Cacnea, wear it down with Leech Seed!"

The cactus nodded and aimed both of its spiky arms forward, releasing a small seed that shot straight toward the Rattata. The rat dug its feet in as it prepared to jump away, but it wasn't fast enough, the seed hitting it at the apex of its jump, causing it to plummet to the ground as leafy vines snaked over its body, glowing bright green and sending that same green energy back toward the Cacnea.

The Rattata, however, seemed more enraged than injured, springing back up to its paws and charging toward the Cacnea once more.

"Dodge it, Cacnea!"

The grass type moved to the side then. The Rattata attempted to veer with it, but the sand had gotten in its eyes somewhat, and in that time, the Cacnea had moved out of harm's way.

This Sand Veil thing's pretty annoying, Belle thought. Well, this thing's not going to listen to me, but I can't just let it run in blind like this. "Rattata, that thing has increased evasion in the sandstorm! It's going to be harder to hit, so use your head!"

The Rattata paused, shifting toward her. It locked eyes with her for a brief second, causing Belle's eyes to narrow. I hope it doesn't attack me.

And then it turned away, back to the fight.

"Huh?" the girl stood dumbly for a second before shaking her head. Whatever, I'm not gonna look a gift Ponyta in the mouth. I just hope I can get this thing to listen to me...at least for as long as the fight is, anyway.

[LordCowCow 842]

"Ha, you see that? That's master class strategy at work! No longer will I be just a Rising Star, soon I'll be the ace of all Ace Trainers!" The boy seemed rather excited about his combination working. So excited that he felt a need to spell it out. Something usually reserved for the friends of the main character in a show. "With the sand and leech seed and my Cacnea's evasion there's nothing you can do."

He snickered a bit and followed it up with. "Especially not with a well-known weak Pokemon like Rattata. Alright. Now for the second part! Use Poison Sting until you get a Poison off, Cacnea! Sand, Leech Seed, AND Poison! A triple combo attack that can't be beat!"

The boy was practically jumping up and down as he declared all this. Though his Cacnea did take a glance back at him for a moment as though trying to remind him of something. Though the Pokemon went right to following the order after. Raising its arms and firing out small poisonous needles at Belle's Rattata.

Spoiler

Rising Star Allen.
Team. Cacnea, level 12, Sand Veil, Poison Sting, Absorb, Growth, Leech Seed
Trapinch, level 12, Hyper Cutter, Feint Attack, Sand Attack, Bulldoze, Sand Tomb

Also a bit of Meta moment here. The thing that Allen isn't thinking about is how this would be a good time to set up, especially for Belle's next Pokemon, and that Poison Sting is weak on its own and isn't the best chance of poisoning. But he's going to be using mostly that for a while at least.

 

[Doggo 218]

Milla had been more than grateful to see Nathan take over the conversation for her. Trying to speak to this man was unsettling and it seemed even in response to the boy it wasn't going to get any easier deciphering him. Ramblings of doctors and doors shifted into a somewhat normal request. But that didn't stop it from catching Milla off guard? A battle? Here? Why now? What would be the point? Maybe most of this was normal and she really just didn't know how pokemon training worked. And after all that work to train and fight Tavares too. Nomi seemed about as unprepared for a battle at the moment too. Perhaps it was more she was unwilling given her eventual complaint. But at the least, Milla could confirm she wasn't the special one and laughed a bit at Princess being special. She was indeed a very special Rhyhorn. Still, that didn't change the fact that a strange masked man was asking if they wanted to battle.

"W-we don't have to battle." she started, more voicing her own lack of desire. Maybe Nathan was still raring to go after the gym battles. "We could hurt the ruins if we weren't careful... and that'd be a shame. All the history and what not." Milla rambled meekly as if any amount of logic could sort this situation out.

[Sethera 290]

"Ha, you see that? That's master class strategy at work! No longer will I be just a Rising Star, soon I'll be the ace of all Ace Trainers! With the sand and leech seed and my Cacnea's evasion there's nothing you can do."

"Okay, cool. Nice," Belle deadpanned, yawning openly.

The boy snickered. "Especially not with a well-known weak Pokemon like Rattata. Alright. Now for the second part! Use Poison Sting until you get a Poison off, Cacnea! Sand, Leech Seed, AND Poison! A triple combo attack that can't be beat!"

"A wombo combo?" the girl mused, head tilted down. "No...probably not." She looked up. "Anyway, you do...you, I guess," she said. "And uhh, Rattata, you do you too."

The Rattata sniffed, and if it could speak, it would probably say something like "of course, that's what I was going to do anyway." Or at least that's what Belle assumed it'd say. Immediately afterward it charged forward, heedless of the needles coming its way to smack right into the Cacnea. The cactus Pokémon rolled backward before rolling back into an upright position, arms outspread to fire off another round of Poison Sting.

Not bothering to yell out for her Rattata to dodge--of course it was going to try to do that. It didn't need her telling it that--Belle instead put her brain to work. She needed to figure out how to handle the whole "not wanting to listen to her" thing. Because, honestly, just charging in all the time wasn't a good strategy, and especially not a good one in this sand. But with her Pokémon not listening, it was going to be pretty hard to use a different one.

So what do I do then? she wondered. Try doing the whole opposite thing again? It worked last time, so maybe... She turned to the Rattata. "Rat thing, I want you to go all in! Charge right at it! I think that's the best strategy!"

The Rattata glared back at her with a hiss, tail waving slightly, before turning back toward the fight. And ran forward with high speed in a Quick Attack, dodging the Poison Sting in the process. Unfortunately, it also missed.

This isn't working. Belle groaned. At this rate, I'm going to lose. Should I just replace him with Moo? But no, grass against grass isn't a good matchup either.

"More Poison Sting, Cacnea!"

Yet again, the Rattata used Quick Attack, this time hitting, but the Cacnea was still going strong. Another round and it missed this time. And then missed again. At this rate, they would get nowhere. And even worse, after that last exchange, Belle caught the site of a purple ooze in one of the Rattata's many cuts. It was hard to see because the Pokémon was also purple, but once she saw it, she knew right away what it meant. It was poisoned.

It looked like the Rising Star saw that too. "Oh yeah! Go Cacnea! I knew you could do it! Now use uhh...oh yeah! I should use that move! Growth!"

Growth?! That's not good. If I don't finish this thing off soon, it'll be my loss. "Listen to me, Rattata. You won't get anywhere with this strategy. Use Focus Energy."

The Rattata hissed and shook its head at her. And then...charged straight forward. Again.

"Use Growth again, Cacnea!"

In that second, it was almost as if Belle could see the future. She knew what was going to happen as sure as anything. Except it wasn't actually seeing the future. It was just common sense. With her opponent setting itself up and her own Pokémon refusing to listen to her, she just would not be able to win this battle. Not unless a miracle occurred.

Maybe I should just hope for one? Believe in the heart of the Poké Balls, or something? Would that work? It worked in the shows, after all, so maybe it would here too.

The Rattata hissed as it kept diving for the Cacnea, its movements slowing somewhat from the poison and leech seed combo taking root. With that, it was even easier for the grass type to avoid its attacks. Its earlier surprise had changed to boredom.

This is just bad. I can't even watch this. Belle shook her head. "Give it up," she told the normal type. "You're not going to win."

The rat hissed at her before lunging at the Cacnea again.

Of course it refuses to listen. Of course. Belle fumbled for the ball that she had put back into her bag, taking it out and hoping it was the right one. She really needed a better way to label these things. "Return!"

The Rattata dove to the side to avoid the beam of red light, charging at the Cacnea. But unlike before, where its tail had waved upright like a flag, now it was drooping. The vines from the Leech Seed were still wrapped around its body and sending energy back to its opponent. So even when it hit the grass type, it was just keeping it at the same amount of health.

"Finish it off now Cacnea! Use Absorb!"

The cactus spread its arms wide as a large wave of green light separated from the Rattata's body to head toward the Cacnea's. Immediately afterward, the rat dropped to the ground with a whoof, sand whirling up in a small cloud from its fall.

"Return," Belle muttered as she clicked the button on the Poké Ball. This time, her Pokémon went in, not even giving as much as a twitch of protest. It had been knocked out cold. It looks like it'll be some time yet before this one's ready to be in any trainer battles. Shaking her head, the girl reached into her bag, grasping at a random Poké Ball and hoping it was the right one. "Go...Moo?"

Thankfully, this time she had chosen correctly. With a soft low, the Pokémon was released, shaking its body slightly like a dog as it turned its head toward its trainer.

"This one wants to fight," Belle said, pointing at the Rising Star. She didn't remember his name. Names weren't important, anyway, for random NPC-mob types like him. "Your opponent is this one," she pointed at the Cacnea. "Time to show them what you're made of." A loss. She had lost. Not the whole battle yet, but that didn't matter. A loss was a loss. Now, she would just have to recover from it. That's what all good competitive gamers learned to do. To roll with the punches. When you lost, you either let it snowball into a complete defeat, or come back twice as hard. I don't really care about battling, but I really, really hate losing, she thought. So if I'm being forced to fight, I want to make sure I take home the gold. Literally, in this case, since I'll probably get paid for winning. And...I'd have to pay money if I lose. She sweated. There's more than just my pride on the line. I'm sticking with this stupid journey so I can get enough money to laze around. If I lose all my funds along the way, then that just defeats the point, doesn't it? 

In other words, she had to win this fight. But she was already at a disadvantage...unless that Cacnea was the only Pokémon her opponent had. I hope that's the case, anyway.

[Skaia 579]

Jacklyn watched with baited breath as the two combatants continued to fight. It had seemed that the rising star had a strategy of using a single move to stack up and bring down Belle's Rattata. A commendable strategy, one that Jacklyn was quite fond of herself and knew just how strong such a brilliant move could be. But, all the same, she knew that that alone wouldn't be enough to defeat one of her teammates! Of course, what could stop them was the Rattata not paying attention to anything Belle said. Jacklyn felt as though she could certainly relate to this feeling and couldn't help but feel some sympathy for the girl. At least Rus and her had made up, so she could only hope that Belle could eventually as well with her own pokemon. Still, she wasn't out of the race yet! 

"You can do it Belle and Moo! Show them what you got!" Jacklyn had stepped further back from the fight as it had started to pick up, which as a result meant she was cheering even louder and more enthusiastically. After pumping her fist into the air and giving Belle a thumbs up if she had looked her way, the girl then looked over to her other companion. Looking at Ivan and his new found Bearble, the girl leaned in closer as if to inspect. Smiling at how cute the little thing was, she looked back towards Ivan. "You got a name for the little bear yet?" 

[reparoni 161]

 

---

Ivan watched the battle rage on in stoic silence, Bearble in his arms. The kid was using some sort of stall tactic, slowly whittling down the Ratata. The rat was ever as feisty as it had been before, ignoring Belle as they fought. Unsurprisingly, the rat was taken down. The two still had a lot to work on, it would seem, as Belle sent out Moo. Hopefully, this Pokemon would have a better shot, especially considering that this one listened to its trainer. She might have been behind, but she wasn't out just yet.

"Huh?" Ivan turned towards Jacklyn, who was now leaning towards him and the bear in his arms. "Of course I do!" He did not have a name for the bear yet, and now he had to think of something fast. He turned down to look at the bear, which looked up back at the boy. The bear was very shy, he noticed, and she was a water type. "Its uh... Drizzl... Driz! Her name is Driz." He said, matter of factually. "She's Driz." He turned back down to the bear, before returning back to the battlefield.

[LordCowCow 842]

Rising Star Allen froze momentarily as he saw the Pokemon that came out. He realized that his previous strategy of Leech Seed wasn't going to work here. And one of Cacnea's attacking moves, even with the boost, would be all but worthless.

He shook himself off, literally shaking his head like a dog, and took a firm step forward before pointing at Belle. "You may have figured out a way around one of my strategies but that doesn't matter! Do you know why? Because Cacnea has Poison Sting just to deal with other Grass types! How about that? I call it Covering Types!"

He seemed disproportionately proud of this rather mundane phrase he had "come up with". Either way despite his overconfidence it was true that Cacnea's Poison Sting could be dangerous for Moo.

Said Cacnea rolled its way forward to move in closer to Moo before releasing a spray of the poisonous needles at Belle's Poamoo.

Spoiler

Rising Star Allen.
Team. Cacnea, level 12, Sand Veil, Poison Sting, Absorb, Growth, Leech Seed
Trapinch, level 12, Hyper Cutter, Feint Attack, Sand Attack, Bulldoze, Sand Tomb

Feel free to write out more of the fight. I don't mind if you even go to the finish if you feel up for it. Also if you want the sand to slow a bit at some point then you can as it does occasionally ebb.

---

"We could hurt the ruins if we weren't careful... and that'd be a shame. All the history and what not."

"Hurt the ruins?" The young man looked towards the gate and back to the girl. "Ruins don't have nerves. Or feelings. They can't feel anything." His eyes widened slightly. "Or can they? What if they could? Does that mean they think? Are they thinking right now? Are they making fun of us? Angry?" He seemed to take several deep breaths and his expression, as much of it as they could see, seemed to relax. "No, no they can't...they can't." He seemed to be trying to convince himself.

There was silence for a few moments. Naomi started to think that perhaps they would get out of this without having to battle. Overall the girl wasn't worried much about it but if she were able to choose she'd likely prefer not having to deal with it. She knew her Pokemon would want to battle but...was that best for them?

"So...do we...leave now?" She asked.

Her speaking seemed to break the man out of whatever had caused the silence. "Ah!" He said.

"Ahh..." Naomi repeated.

"Aha yes. A battle! That's just what we need." The man said. He looked around as if seeing the three again for the first time "You will make a fine battle. Come." He then reached for his belt and took hold of all three of the Pokeballs there. He released his Pokemon all at once and they landed in a row in front of him.

An Oddish, Litwick, and Spritzee appeared in front of him. The odd assortment of Pokemon didn't seem to have much connecting them unlike most trainers but they all seemed to have a similarly "hazy" feeling to them as their trainer. Looking around with a sense of curiosity and barely seeming to notice the other trainers. Though when any of them caught their attention each Pokemon would focus intently on them.

Naomi sighed. She stumbled forward "I dunno if they'll stay in their balls'f a battle starts." She muttered as she gestured lazily towards her own Pokemon.

Spoiler

So not 100% sure on what's up but figured I'd give a little bit. Still don't have to battle if neither of you want to but maybe this'll give something at least to get stuff going again.

 

[Sethera 290]

"You can do it Belle and Moo! Show them what you got!" Things weren't looking so good, but Belle had her own personal cheering section. It was kind of annoying, but also kind of...nice. Not that she'd ever actually tell that to the girl. It wouldn't do to give her a big head.

So instead Belle looked forward, toward her opponent. Strategy. I have to use strategy, she thought. Or at least I have to figure out what to do. That's the first step. It was all about knowing what to do, and then making sure you did it fast enough, without cracking under pressure.

Meanwhile the other person, the Rising Star whose name Belle had already forgotten, seemed to be taking lessons from Jacklyn in being loud and annoying. "You may have figured out a way around one of my strategies but that doesn't matter! Do you know why? Because Cacnea has Poison Sting just to deal with other Grass types! How about that? I call it Covering Types!"

The girl's cheek twitched. "Really? Covering Types? Why don't you just not give it a dumb name instead? That sounds more reasonable."

Before the boy could answer, his Cacnea did for him, rolling forward and releasing a spray of poisonous needles at Moo.

I could try and lower its defense with Tail Whip, but this battle has gone on long enough. Even with Absorb, that Cacnea has to be getting tired. It's best to just take it out as soon as possible, to prepare for the possibility of there being multiple Pokémon, Belle thought. But the real reason is, the sooner I finish this battle, the sooner we might be able to get out of this desert. That was incentive enough for her. "Okay, Moo, use, pbbft, Rock Smash!" she spat out sand from her mouth.

The cow lowed, before charging at the Cacnea through the Poison Sting. Though he was slower on the sand than on solid earth, he wasn't as handicapped by it as he could be, having already participated in one desert battle. Which meant he knew what to expect. Right before reaching the other grass type, he raised his front hooves high before smashing them down on the cactus.

The Cacnea let out a cry of pain, rolling backward before popping up and retaliating with another volley of Poison Sting. Though it hit, and seemed to do some damage, Moo stood as strong and confidently as before.

"Okay, Moo, keep using Rock Smash!" Vine Whip wasn't a good idea since it was another grass type, so it was either Tackle or Rock Smash. And according to the Pokédex, Rock Smash could lower defense. So it made sense to keep using it.

This time, Moo missed. But she couldn't do anything about the sand. It raged on as hard as ever, giving the Cacnea an advantage, as its trainer had been eager to declare. Honestly, Belle couldn't think of any way to get around that or turn it to her advantage. It was just something she would have to keep in mind.

Thankfully, she didn't have to keep it in mind for long, as after a couple of fruitless charges, the sandstorm had died down somewhat. Belle could now speak without sand getting in her mouth, and she could see more clearly too. Which meant so could Moo. She didn't bother shouting out orders though, as she had already said what needed to be said. It was now up to Moo.

The calf swished its tail from side to side as it stared down the Cacnea. Two opponents, both using only one move. Who will go down first?

And then Moo was running, hooves digging into the sand, his heavier weight and small hooves working against him, but his tireless stamina making up for it. Soon enough, he was right in front of the Cacnea, raising his hooves high. The cactus raised its arms to fire off another round of Poison Sting, causing the cow to cry out in pain, eyes squinting closed. A small opening in its face bubbled a purplish hue, small purple bubbles erupting from the sore. But his hooves continued their descent, and instead of sand, this time they slammed into pulpy flesh, a loud squelch resounding throughout the area as something gave way underneath.

The noise was a little unnerving, but as far as Belle could tell, nothing had been broken. But the opposing Pokémon's face had been smashed in like a pumpkin, cactus juice dripping from its mouth as it lay on the sand, completely passed out.

Belle let out a sigh of relief. They had won, but now her Pokémon was poisoned, and she hadn't thought to buy an Antidote. I really hope this boy only has the one Cacnea, she thought.

--

Spoiler

Cacnea shouldn't have any permanent injuries, but I thought I'd make the description a bit more colorful than "it passed out."

Edited July 20, 2020 by Waluigi

[Skaia 579]

Jacklyn looked to the Bearble, then to Ivan. Then back to the bear. Then back to Ivan. The girl looked at him, scratching her chin as he gave a name saying, "Driz, hm?" Thinking on it for a few more seconds the girl simply said, "that. Is. Adorable!" Smiling brightly, she went to pat the little bear on the head saying, "aren't you just the cutest thing Driz?" The girl paused herself for a moment, looking to the side saying, "well. Third cutest thing. But still, you're adorable. Be sure to take good care of Ivan alright?" The girl let out a soft giggle, as her attention snapped back to the battle, hearing the sounds of its climax approaching. 

Watching with awe as Moo and the Cacanea continued their onslaught of using only one move at a time at each other. Who the victor would be would be unclear. And it all came down to one last attack! On the proverbial edge of her even more proverbial seat, Jacklyn watched with bated breath to see who would come out on top. And then, when the final exchange happened it was clear; Moo was the winner! "Wahoo! Way to go Belle! You too Moo!" Pointing with pride at the Rising Star she said, "how do you like that? See, there's no force that can stop our adventure! Only minor roadblocks!" 

[Cheshire Toon 141]

Nate was admittedly caught off guard by the strange man. Rambling about the ruins potentially being a sentient being, before almost randomly sending out three of his Pokemon all at once. What was all that about? A triple battle? He had never been involved in one of those. He had no idea on the etiquette of them, but he was sure it was different than a double battle. “Well if it’s a battle you want, man,” Nate finally said after a moment’s hesitation.

“Cassius!” The huge Golett stepped forward and slammed its fists together with a robotic scream. “You ready buddy?” Nate said. Cassius nodded and stared down the three opposing Pokemon. “What about you Milla? You in?”
 

[LordCowCow 842]

"Aw c'mon, a Poamoo? Using such a rare Pokemon....you know what, that doesn't matter, in the sand I still have an advantage even against a Poamoo!" Allen declared. To Belle's chagrin he pulled out a second Pokeball and, giving it a confident smile, released another Pokemon out to battle.

The Trapinch that appeared seemed rather aggressive. Pawing at the ground with its stubby legs and snapping its jaw towards Poamoo. "I caught this guy yesterday! He was pretty stubborn but once we worked together a bit I realized all he wanted was to win battles! When he found out I did too it came together like paper and glue! Hey, that rhymed!"

With a grin Allen called out for his Trapinch to attack Moo. Coming in for an attack only to feint to the side and then slam into Moo with dark energy. "You've met your match today!"

Spoiler

Trapinch, level 12, Hyper Cutter, Feint Attack, Sand Attack, Bulldoze, Sand Tomb

If not clear, they used Feint Attack.

---

Naomi already guessed that...the girl wouldn't want to battle. She was worried about the ruins being even more ruined or something. Which sounded odd to Naomi but the man was odd enough that she hoped he'd fall for it.

She started to think the boy with them was going to back out too and she would be able to get away with not having to battle. But then...he stepped forward, eager for a fight.

"Excellent. Good. That's what kids like you are supposed to do. My instincts were correct." The man paused. "Instincts...no, it's not that...Destiny?" Shaking his head he moved a bit so that he wasn't in the way of his three Pokemon.

Naomi glanced over at Milla but didn't seem too confident the girl would join in despite Nathan's prodding about it.

Oh well, maybe it would be over soon. Not like she had anything better to do anyway.

Naomi stepped up beside Nathan and let out one of her own Pokemon beside his. And promptly had to stop Bug from chomping down on Cassius. "Nooo...those ones, not that one." Naomi declared to the Trapinch's great confusion.

"Well then if that's all, then let us begin, yes?" The man said and clapped his hands together. The three Pokemon in front of him stood at attention and locked onto Cassius and Bug.

"Mm...if she doesn't y'should send 'nother." Naomi muttered to Nathan.

Despite this the man seemed impatient to begin and gave an order to his Pokemon right off the bat. "Spritzee, Sweet Scent. Oddish, Stun Spore."

Spoiler

So, to make planning a bit easier imma drop all the Mon's movesets since it's a fairly hectic type of battle so revealing them one at a time could cause issues.

For this we can determine together the best way to go about this battle that works for everyone.

Oddish, level 14, Chlorophyll, Absorb, Growth, Poison Powder, Stun Spore
Litwick, level 14, Flash Fire, Minimize, Fire Spin, Confuse Ray, Smog
Spritzee, level 14, Healer, Fairy Wind, Sweet Kiss, Sweet Scent, Echoed Voice

 

[Sethera 290]

Jacklyn continued her mini cheerleading session as she taunted the Rising Star. Which Belle wasn't really sure was a good idea, but then again, it wasn't a bad idea either.

The boy looked disappointed as he saw that his Cacnea had lost. "Aw c'mon, a Poamoo? Using such a rare Pokémon....you know what, that doesn't matter, in the sand I still have an advantage even against a Poamoo!"

"Well, using a rare Pokémon helps even the odds when you're using the sandstorm to your advantage like that," Belle said tonelessly.

The boy wasn't listening though, and sent out...another Pokémon!

Crap.

And it was...what was that again? Belle hadn't seen that Pokémon on any memes. She aimed her Pokédex at it. Apparently it's a Trapinch. It's jaws are strong enough to chomp through boulders, and it likes to dig in the sand to lie in wait for its prey. Great. Another desert Pokémon. It also looked pretty aggressive as it pawed at the ground.

"I caught this guy yesterday! He was pretty stubborn but once we worked together a bit I realized all he wanted was to win battles! When he found out I did too it came together like paper and glue! Hey, that rhymed!"

Belle thought about that. I wonder if I can use that with that dang rat? But who knows if it'll even listen long enough for us to figure that out.

With a grin Allen called out for his Trapinch to attack Moo in a Feint Attack. "You've met your match today!"

"Not at all," Belle smirked. The dex said Trapinch is a ground type--though it looks more like a bug type--which means it's weak to grass moves. "Moo, use Vine Whip!"

The Poamoo sent out his vines. Though he was too slow to avoid the Feint Attack, the Trapinch was also too slow to move away as the vines wrapped around its body. Slamming the ant pit Pokémon into the sand, the landing was a bit softer than usual, but it still seemed to do some damage.

"Focus on lashing it instead when you use Vine Whip," Belle suggested. Then she hesitated. While Tail Whip was the sound, strategic move to use here, Moo was already poisoned. So it would be better to get the battle done with as quickly as possible. Which meant she couldn't afford decreasing its defenses. She would have to just go all in with power. "Again, Vine Whip."

Moo nodded, tanking a Bulldoze in the process. Letting out a moo, he lashed out with his vines, sending the Trapinch tumbling backward into the sand. The Pokémon got up easily enough, though, eyes blazing as it seemed ready for more.

"Feint Attack!" maybe the other trainer was having the same thoughts as her, or maybe he wasn't thinking at all, but he was using a very different strategy than before. "If it works once it'll work again!" I guess that's...a valid strategy.

Moo, once more, let out a low as the Trapinch barreled into his side. Almost in reflex, he kicked it back with a hoof, then used Vine Whip to further attack it. By now, Belle could see that the Vine Whip was having some effect, but Moo also looked to be getting tired. Especially because he was poisoned too. The cow jerked his head to the side as his wound bubbled purple.

"I have to end this soon..." the blue-haired girl muttered.

[Skaia 579]

Jacklyn grimaced at the sight of Belle's opponent having a second pokemon to send out. It had turned out that her boasting and proclamation of  victory had been badly timed. Well, it didn't particularly matter; Belle just had to win now with just Moo! And seeing how it was a two on two, there was absolutely no way that Belle could lose! And so the girl stood behind Belle, looking at the battle with a great deal of excitement. "It's okay Belle," she said as the girl seemed to be getting agitated and in a rush to end the battle. Giving her a thumbs she said, "you got this! And Moo is like also pretty strong - not like as strong as Rus or anything - but he's still strong enough that no giant mouthed sand bug can stop him!" Jacklyn defiantly pointed towards the rising star saying,  "ya hear that!?"

[LordCowCow 842]

"C'mon, Allen." The Rising Star said. "You can pull this off. Don't let a little type effectiveness beat you!" Despite saying this it seemed that the boy was starting to get antsy and uncertain. Thus Moo was able to get another attack off before the boy came up with what to do. "Okay, Poamoo isn't all too fast. So use Sand Tomb and trap them!"

The Trapinch paused and burrowed itself down into the ground a bit. And then Moo was caught in a small, swirling, vortex of sand that whipped harder than the sandstorm around them.

"You want this to end fast don't you? Well too bad, I'm here to win, no matter how long I have to whittle you down for! That's my true strength, unrelenting patience!" It seemed the boy's energy had roared back. Despite his words, however, it was clear that his Trapinch was starting to falter a bit. Having sustained a lot of damage from Moo's powerful Grass attacks.

Growing more confident Allen then ordered his Trapinch to use Feint Attack then back off before going back in.

As the two others watched they would be surprised as suddenly they were tapped on the shoulder, or in Ivan's case the back, by someone.

Turning they'd see a middle-aged woman with a giant, rectangular, case of some sort. "Hey there!" She said, seemingly not worried about the sand at all. In part due to the large goggles on her face. "You seem like fine, money having, young trainers. Could I interest you in a Fossil? First one only 2000 Pokedollars, that's cheap you know!"

Spoiler

Reminder
Trapinch, level 12, Hyper Cutter, Feint Attack, Sand Attack, Bulldoze, Sand Tomb
I'd say health at best 25% left.

Also yes, the fossil vendor is here! Figured I'd give a little bit for the others to react to besides the battle (even if it's near the end) plus I wanted to write a little more tbh

I know none of you have enough atm but the vendor will be in the city so it's something to keep in mind when combining with any other Pokedollars you'll get from trainers there.

 

[Skaia 579]

Jacklyn continued to look over Belle's shoulder as she wondered how the fight was going. It seemed that the rising star had renewed vigor and using his ultimate tactic of stall tactics. Jacklyn was aware of such things existing, she had played a game or two in her time. Naturally, such tactics weren't really her style and in fact she always found it incredibly frustrating to go up against. Thankfully, she wasn't actually do the fighting. Unthankfully, she had become just as invested in this victory if not more than the actual trainer who was battling it was. Gritting her teeth, and closing her eyes as the sand flew in it, the girl said, "grrr. The cad!"

Before she could offer any words of encouragement or support, however, she was interrupted as another woman had come up to them. Putting her hand up to block the sand from whipping into her face, Jacklyn's stinging eyes went wide as the woman introduced herself. "Fossils!?" The girl exclaimed, coughing out some sand as she did so. Everyone knew that fossils were a sign of one's adventure and accomplishments, being practically ubiquitous with exploration and discovery. And caves. Lots of caves. Of course, this was lessened by the fact that she would be buying it from someone else who had found it. That made it more like a gift shop postcard then a trophy. But postcards were important to adventures too! 

Unfortunately, as the girl looked at her wallet she frowned at the lack of funds she had. "Ah man, I don't have enough. And it's such a good deal too!" The girl exclaimed. "Well random fossil lady, is there any chance I could get it for cheaper?"

[Sethera 290]

"It's okay Belle, you got this! And Moo is like also pretty strong - not like as strong as Rus or anything - but he's still strong enough that no giant mouthed sand bug can stop him!" Jacklyn defiantly pointed towards the rising star saying, "ya hear that!?"

"Yeah..." Belle squinted her eyes as she tried to make out her Pokémon in the middle of that Sand Tomb. It was like a sandstorm within a sandstorm, something she hadn't even thought was possible.

"You want this to end fast don't you? Well too bad, I'm here to win, no matter how long I have to whittle you down for! That's my true strength, unrelenting patience!"

Is he really that patient? Belle wondered. He doesn't seem the type. Still, it didn't really matter how patient he was. Patience wouldn't do you any good if your Pokémon was knocked out.

"Grrr. The cad!" Jacklyn growled to the side, eyes closed. Honestly, it seemed she was more upset about all of this than Belle was. Which was kind of amusing, actually.

Watching the Trapinch go for a Feint Attack, Belle said, "You're stronger than the sand, Moo. Keep going," she paused. "And use Rock Smash." It seemed dumb. Why go for Rock Smash when there was a super-effective move instead? But while move spamming had worked well the last match, that didn't mean it would work so well now. Especially with the Rising Star on guard against it.

The bug, which had been expecting vines, was unprepared for the sudden smash it received from Moo's hooves, its own attack stopped before it could be completed. As it wobbled back upright, Belle noticed that part of its upper carapace had caved in slightly. Her eyes narrowed. There.

"Now, Moo," the girl spoke. "Vine Whip the weak point on its shell." It had been a gamble, but Rock Smash was an attack meant to do exactly what it was called: smashing. And if it smashed well enough, it could open up weak spots in the enemy's defenses. At least according to the Pokédex's description. And Belle had looked over that thing as much as she could. It was, after all, her only link to technology, and the closest thing she had to a personal computer right now. So it made sense she had learned some things along the way.

The cow lowed angrily and sent out his vines, lashing them against the weakened area. This made the Trapinch cry out in pain, its eyes starting to glaze over in exhaustion. However, Moo didn't look so energetic either, trapped as he was in the vortex of sand with poison still infecting his wound.

Belle didn't know much--or anything, really--about taking care of a Pokémon, but even she knew that that didn't look good. She would probably have to find a way to get her Pokémon healed, or she wouldn't have any way of fighting off any wild Pokémon or anything. Thankfully, she had two others with her, but still. Now's not a good time to think about that, she thought. There was a battle going on, after all.

Not that there was much she needed to do after that. Now that a weak point had been made, it wasn't worth trying for Rock Smash again, so Vine Whip it was. She could only hope that the Trapinch would go down first.

The Rising Star wasn't holding back though, shouting for a Bulldoze. The Trapinch paused before stomping down into the sand, a shockwave circling from its foot in a puff of sand that hit Moo as well. The cow let out a moo of pain but persisted in using Vine Whip. And so on, back and forth it went. Feint Attack for Vine Whip, Bulldoze for Vine Whip, another Feint Attack, another Vine Whip...

Until Moo started to wobble, and then he started to fall.

Belle knew what that meant. It meant that her Pokémon was too weak to stand anymore. It meant that the battle was over. Sure, on the shows the trainer would shout something and the Pokémon would get back up, but that didn't apply to real life, and even if it did, she wasn't the kind to shout out such sappy nonsense like "believing in the heart of the balls," or "believe in me who believes in you." No, that wasn't like her at all. That was a Jacklyn thing or even an Ivan thing. Not a Belle thing.

So instead she said nothing, staring at the cow as if willing him to stay upright. On the other side, the Trapinch seemed equally exhausted, but it was still standing on its four legs, a triumphant gleam in its eyes. Annoying, she thought. I hate losing. I'm going to have to give him money, now, won't I? If only that stupid rat had listened to me, we would've won this for sure. As her annoyance rose, she said, "Moo, Vine Whip." It wasn't a plea for him to keep trying. It wasn't telling him she believed him in. It wasn't even asking him if this was all he was made of. No, it was just a command. One she had said many times before during this same fight.

But it was enough.

The cow twitched, and then, slowly but surely, straightened his shoulders to stand squarely on all fours.

Ignoring any reaction from the others, Belle narrowed her focus on Moo and the Trapinch. "Moo," she repeated. "Use Vine Whip."

And, with a determined moo, the cow obeyed.

When the battle ended, Moo was the one still standing.