[IC] Pokemon: Luminous Dawn- Chapter 1- A Bright Future!

[Shadow Sketches]

Routes of Hazzard- Grand Stretch- Alecks and Apollo

Alecks' feet began to ache as he tried to keep up with the Watchog, his boots kicking up dirt with every step as he focused his entire being on going faster and faster. No matter how much his body screamed at him to slow down he did not waver, he just had to keep on moving forward.

Slightly raising his head to look up, he could see that even Apollo was having trouble. The branches seemed to claw at his legs and forced him to slow down lest he risk getting his foot caught. The frustration was obvious on the little monkey's face in the dim light of the forest. But, just like his trainer, he refused to give in and pushed himself to keep on going. He wouldn't let himself fail his trainer...or himself.

Finally, the Watchog and the hat seemed to disappear. Alecks slowed his pace as he looked around, trying to catch even a glimpse of the hat but he did not find what he looked for. Instead he found a pair of foul eyes glaring at him from the darkness of the forest, the malice in them apparent. Soon other eyes of bright scarlet joined the first and Alecks quickly realized he was surrounded. Not another thought had been able to enter his mind as he watched the Watchog appear once again, the hat still resting atop his head like a crown.

The Hog's body started to emit light and Alecks instinctively began to turn his head away and cover his eyes with his hand but he was just seconds too slow. The flash of light managed to pierce into his eyes as he closed them and with a grunt his body shivered from the shock, the effects of confusion quickly taking hold and stunning his body for a moment. He opened his eyes once again and blinked a couple times but it was in vain, flashes of light seemed to repeatedly blind him in his vision. He rested a hand against a nearby tree, ignoring the pain of sharp thorns digging into his skin, as he tried to steady himself. "Fuck...fuck.." He muttered softly as he tried to pull himself together. The world around him seemed to distort, as if he was looking at everything through a carnival mirror.

Apollo didn't get much better luck, the flash of light caught him unaware as he had been jumping from one branch to another and he was hit with the full brunt of the confuse ray. The bright light blinded him for a second and caused him to miscalculate his landing, causing him to miss the branch by a margin. Gravity took hold of his body and began to pull him down, he barely was able to thrust out a hand and grip the gnarled branch tightly as he fell. Now Apollo found himself swinging helplessly as he held on for dear life, his other hand desperately trying to grip the branch to pull himself up but his confused mind kept watching the branch move further and further away from his hand.

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Grand Stretch- Jason

The young Trainer and his Minccino sprinted through the underbrush after the Watchog, barely able to keep sight of it through the ever-thickening forest. All he could hear was the harsh, labored breathing coming from the small group of Trainers and the muffled sounds of their feet slamming against the dirt as they hotly pursued their target. He's fast! Jason thought in surprise. Rascal was just ahead of Jason, hurdling tree roots and bounding off trunks as he expertly navigated the terrain. Jason looked up, seeing Gomez veritably flying through the trees. As the forest became denser, the Trainer and his Pokemon were forced to slow. They got to the clearing just in time to see the Boss Hog use his Confuse Ray attack.

Being the last in the group ended up being a good thing for Jason, Gomez, and Rascal. "Cover up!" he shouted, throwing his arm over his eyes in reaction to the others' cries. He stumbled around for a moment, nausea overcoming his senses as he was forced to extend an arm and lean against a nearby tree. However, for the most part he was able to avoid falling under the spell of the enemies' leader.

Rascal, being close to Jason, was also able to cover his eyes with his tail. Thanks to its sheer size and fluffiness, he was able to shield his eyes effectively and avoid becoming confused. The small rodent's ears twitched noticeably as he relied on his keen hearing to let him know if the enemies were planning on using this tactic to cover an attack.

Gomez, however, was not so lucky. His keen, lizardlike eyes were easily affected by the eerie, pulsing light emanating from the Watchog's stripes despite his best efforts to block with his tail. At first, his sticky-padded hands allowed him to keep his grip on the branches. But as he became more and more affected, he eventually slipped off his branch. On his way down he managed to grab the same branch as Apollo. He looked fearfully over at the Fire-type, suddenly seeing three blurry Chimchars hanging next to him. He croaked in surprised and let go of the branch, falling to the forest floor near Rascal.

[Chim]

"Routes of Hazzard" - Grand Stretch - Brendan

Brendan ran as fast as he could, barely able to keep up with the Watchog. All the sprint training he had to go through during baseball practice seemed so pointless right now since he wasn’t able to close the gap. Instead he managed to get his shirt stuck into the brambles and had to wrestle a bit to get free. Day one of his big adventure and he already had a ruined shirt. This had to be some kind of record.

In his frustration, Brendan accelerated. Not caring about any scratches or cutting his shirt even further. He reached the Watchog seconds after Alecks. The confuse ray hitting him in full force while sprinting, messed around with his coordination skills. Instead of running straight ahead Brendan tripped over and smacked into a tree. The young rookie trainer lay with his arms wide open on the ground and didn’t move. First Jason’s remark, then his shirt and now this. His patience was reaching the limit as he finally tried to get up and regain his balance. The crash had made him dizzy but also cancelled a bit of the confusion attack. Just enough so Brendan was able to release Titan.

“Alright, hold your Rapidashes. Since when are there two Watchog’s?” Brendan mumbled before clearing his throat. “We don’t mean any harm. We just want the food back you guys stole from the truck earlier. Some Pokémon at the lab really need it. We’re sorry about what happened to some of your friends, we truly are, and I know it’s not an excuse but we’re inexperienced and didn’t realize the brute force of our attacks. What do you say we stop this before the situation gets out of hand even further? If you give us the food back, we’ll heal your friends. Some of them require immediate help right? And I’m sure we can make a deal with professor Juniper about the food situation so it’s a win-win!”

Brendan tried to show as best as he could to show the Watchog they really didn’t mean no harm. He had a feeling it was all for nothing, but he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if he didn’t at least try. He mustered the friendliest and most genuine smile he could but unfortunately for him, he was talking to the wrong Watchog. A double that only existed in his mind.

[Sutoratosu]

Routes of Hazard, Final Stretch

Hog scrutinized the teen with his eyes, the glow fading from his form gradually as the shrubs began to rustle. The burning fires of wrath still shined like beacons in his eyes... but there was something else there as well. But it wasn't trust. The boss's gaze settled on the rock type by the child's side, almost seeming to gaze through it.

"Watch, Watch Hog!" He shouted, the rustling stopping the moment he did so. The demand was quick, sudden... he wanted none other than Titan to answer. "Hog, watta wat!"

He wanted to know... how it was the rock type had come to be in the boy's possession. How, and how long ago.

He would trust the word of no mere human, not anymore. Last time had ended badly, and after seeing what these lot had done today... well, they were lucky he was even listening at all, really. It wasn't like it really mattered in the end, anyway... regardless of what the truth of things were... nothing was a simple as these humans seemed to think...

but as he stood there, waiting for a response... some of the less intelligent or more brash ones of the group might've noticed, not an opportunity to avoid further violence...

but rather, one to strike in the midst of distraction...

So many ways it can play out. So many ways it can end...

[K_H]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Grand Stretch - Jack & Co.

As soon as Jack and his Pokemon burst onto the scene, which was after Alecks, Mio, and Brendan arrived but before Jason was there, they saw the red points of light and heard the rustling, and knew that something was in the bushes, even if they didn't know what it was. When the Watchog flared up, they caught a glimpse of it, even if for just a moment. That was all the time needed for the Confuse Ray to go to work on the three of them, and they all reacted differently as their worst fears confronted them. For Leonidas, it was a Dugtrio staring him straight in the face, which caused him to hide behind Jack. For Lara, it was a blinding light, rendering her unable to see, causing her to walk backwards until she bumped into him. For Jack, it was a small spider jumping onto the end of his nose. Not a Joltic or a Spinarak, but an actual spider. At this, he stood extremely still, eyes focused on it.

That's when they all heard Mio yell out the bit about Confuse Ray, and realized what was going on, closing their eyes and shaking their heads rapidly to snap themselves out of the Confusion, senses returning to normal as a result. The three of them then decided to remain at a distance, watching the Watchog warily as it ended its' move. It hadn't directly attacked the group yet, so Jack was going to wait before telling Lara and Leonidas to do anything, despite what had just happened to the three of them. Lara and Leonidas, impressed by the display of power shown and knowing that they were clearly outclassed, waited for Jack to give them a signal before they would do anything.

((For those of you who thought this was a bit long, here's a TL,DR: The trio is currently standing still. If and only if things go sour between Titan and Boss Hog, they'll spring into action. But if things go well, then the three of them will do nothing.))

[starkidcosmo]

Routes of Hazzard - Final Stretch - Mio

At the sound of Brendan's voice, Loam wrestled free of Mio's jacket and fell to the ground, dizzy and disoriented but still in fighting shape. Using the air currents to navigate, she stumbled to the six or seven Titans that faded in and out of view and managed to bump into the real one.

Loam gave a hoarse bark in the direction of the Watchog, without giving Titan any time to respond to its question. How do I help that Meowth? Honestly, she didn't really care much about the food or the hat right now. Meena was scared and Loam had to help her.

The Meowth in question heard all sorts of voices behind her; enough for her to catch on to her confused status, but try as she might she couldn't shake the feeling she was being attacked. The Murkrow swooped and dived at her head, their bodies warping in horrific ways. She knew about where her trainer was, but the circle of dripping, oozing, malformed birds kept her from doing anything other than quaking in her metaphorical boots.

Mio, however, had an idea. Not a great idea, but an idea nonetheless. He shut his eyes tight against the gory, traumatic sights shoving themselves in his vision.

"Brendan?!" He called. He prayed the other trainer could hear him. "Brendan, I need-- I need you to hit me, okay? Uh, this is... this shit is getting really upsetting so... I dunno! Hit me in the head somehow please!" His voice broke as he pleaded, but Mio was too busy trying not to throw up to care about how pathetic he sounded.

[Shadow Sketches]

Alecks and Apollo

In his confused and frightened state, Apollo didn't even notice the green lizard fall so near him. His focus was completely on trying to grab the fleeing tree branch, but it seemed to be to no avail. The longer it took, the more frustrated and desperate he got. Until in his desperation he began to wave his arm wildly, trying to grab hold of anything that would help him. Suddenly his hand made contact with the branch, it hadn't been out of his reach as his mind had made him believe! He tightened his grip on the branch and slowly pulled himself up, his mind and body still shaky in his confused state but he eventually made it up. Once he was settled on the branch, his body collapsed on the tree branch as it tried to recover. Holding on tight as he took deep, shaky breaths.

Alecks continued to have the tree support his body as he slowly began to recoup, slowly being the keyword. He kept his eyes closed tightly, relying on his ears to listen to what was going on around him. He needed to pull himself together before any sort of conflict started but the world was still shaky around him, although his mind seemed to be recovering from the shock.

[Sutoratosu]

Routes of Hazard, Final Stretch

"Hog, watta." Hog scoffed at the mudfish, shaking his head as he scowled. How the hell was he supposed to know? He'd just fired the ray, whatever the cat was going through right now, it had been conjured by her own mind, not his. They could probably make do with some persim berries, they usually grew right around here but- oh wait, that's right.... the invaders came and ate everything, right, right...

"Hoooooooog..." He breathed, foot tapping on the ground as he waited titan's answer....

[starkidcosmo]

Routes of Hazzard - Final Stretch - Mio

Before Brendan could even think to respond, Mio held up a hand, although it wasn't even close to being in Brendan's direction. "Wait, no, better idea; Loam! Hit me with a water gun!" If this worked out well, he could use the same trick to pull Meena out of her funk. He had no idea what was going on with the Watchog, but considering the damage they'd already done to its territory, he didn't think it'd end with that.

Loam scowled at the Watchog's answer. Irresponsible. Totally irresponsible. She had every mind to chew the bastard that'd hurt her partner out, but Mio's call put an end to that thought.

Incredulous, Loam spun to face her trainer, who had multiplied by three and was currently shimmering like a mirage.

Mio couldn't see, but the extended pause after his command let him know everything he needed. "Loam, I trust you. Water gun at my face!"

With a small sigh, Loam took careful aim for where she thought the real Mio was and fired off a weak shot of water towards what was hopefully his face. The ball of water hit Mio on his left cheek and burst, leaving a bright red bruise and soaked hair in its wake.

Mio shook like a dog and opened his eyes. His cheek stung and his hair stuck flat to his head, but instead of dead Patrat and dying Loams, he saw one Watchog and a circle of gleaming eyes. Excellent. He rushed over to Loam and swept her up in his arms, glad to see her living and breathing.

"Alright, next, hit Meena with one. Gently." He said, setting his Mudkip friend back on the ground. Loam obliged, letting loose a somewhat smaller, slower burst of water. It hit Meena square in her ribs, and she whipped around to glare at her attacker.

The Murkrow were gone, and instead she saw Loam, Mio... and a whole lot of enemies. She slunk back to Mio's side, hackles raised and ready to fight, but Mio shook his head. Brendan had apparently opened up negotiations. It was best to at least try and get them to go through.

"Mr..." Mio paused as he began to address the leader of the Patrat. Was it Mr.? Most pokemon had little to no sexual dimorphism, so he couldn't be sure. "Er, Chief Watchog? I know we're not really in any position to negotiate, but we really just want the food back. I understand that you're trying to do what's best for your group, but at this rate, isn't it more pain and trouble than it's worth? A lot of your people have gotten seriously hurt already... so can't we just take the food and the hat and go?"

Edited March 13, 2016 by genderlesshawke

[Sutoratosu]

Routes of Hazard, Final Stretch

Hog scowled at mio as the twit asked the same exact question in nigh the same wording as the boy before him had. He honestly didn't know why he had even bothered in the first place, the rock type was just sitting there in defiant silence staring at him and most of these kids seemed like a bunch of senseless mooks whose attention spans were too damn short to even listen when one of them spoke. Why the hell had he ever even entertain the thought of negotiating?

"Hog..." He sighed, taking a deep breath as he closed his eyes, tucking the brim of his hat down over his face. Enough was enough. He'd been a bit too hasty on the judgement earlier; these brats weren't monsters in the making. They were just idiots. Idiots who wanted to play the part of the fucking hero and interfered in affairs that in no way shape or form had any direct impact or relation to them, idiots who saw something and stuck their noses in where they didn't belong. Probably all bright eyed and idealistic to boot, had to be, to get that dumb. Yeah, he'd seen that type before... he had crushed them all the time, back when him and Argent were still partners. Kids who disagreed with the boys training regiments and how hard he pushed his team, called him crazy, called him soulless and a selfish ass who thirsted only for victory and cared nothing for the bond that was supposed to be between trainer and partner...

well, hell. Damn, thinking about it now, maybe these kids aren't so stupid after all, as much as they reminded him of those types back then....after all, those naysayers had obviously seen something in Argent he had been too blind to see himself, before it had been far too late to realize it.

but it didn't matter now. There was no way out of this conflict, no path to resolution. They wanted the food back, if he gives the food back, they starve. These humans fail to think about the needs and impact of the opposite party in their negotiation, that much was clear... so he wasn't going to bother wasting anymore time. This struggle...

it was inevitable.

Hog opened his eyes, irises flaring with crimson light as he turned to the heavens and gave single, hoarse war cry, taking a stance making it more than clear enough that yes, there was going to be more violence here. In that same instant, five darkened shapes burst from the bushes surrounding the group, moving almost like ninjas as they descended through the air in a storm of grace and moves, dashing across the forest floor and heading right for the trainers and their partners. They ran in a solid, perfect V formation, as they got closer it became what they were. Five more patrat....

but these ones were different, the trainer's might not have been able to tell, but their partners would've felt the aura of strength coming off the rats as they closed in... the disciplined and coordinated charge that was at the same time a march, each and every one of their steps falling into synch with each other as they surged forward like captive lightning....

they were by no means normal patrats. The rabble that so many young trainers grinded on for experience during the first leg of their journey, the weak little rodents who had to rely on strength in numbers in order to even begin to pose any actual threat? These were not it. If given the chance to engage any of the young pokemon one on one, chances were any of these five would easily beat them into submission without even breaking a sweat while doing it...

The teens had better be smart enough not to give them that chance. It was a very long walk back to the road, afterall...

and A mere potion is not enough to revive a downed party member...regardless of any misconceptions they might've had. Even if the wounds were healed, there would be no way to get rid of the utter exhaustion caused by fainting...not without either a machine, revival product, or substantial time to rest...

Enemy Counter:

Patrat x5

Boss Hogx1

[Shadow Sketches]

Alecks and Apollo

The loud war cry brought Alecks out of his stupor, his eyes snapping open as he looked at what they were facing. The world still seemed to be a bit shaky but the effect was lessening with every passing second. The formation of Patrats racing towards them filled him with foreboding but it was obvious he could not afford to sit back any longer, recovered or not it was time to finish what they had come here for. "Apollo! We need some air support bud, Ember!!!"

At the sound of his trainer's voice, the fire monkey's eyes flared open. His trainer needed him, now was no time for resting. With a quick shake of his head, Apollo snapped out of the confusion. He braced his body and stood up on the sturdy branches, looking down from his position to see their new enemies. The whole scene was right before his eyes, and his gaze was glued on the squad of advancing Patrats. His hands tightened into fists as he let out a low growl, he could feel the fire raging inside him as it yearned to be let out. He shut his mouth tight as the fire began preparing withing himself, his chest puffed out as he let the fire build up inside him. Finally with a loud war cry of his own, he opened his mouth and spit out bolts of red hot fire down on the group of advancing Patrats with all his strength. The orange and red bolts speeding towards their targets with all their might.

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

"If they're working together, we should too!" Jason said resolutely as he looked from his Pokemon to his allies'. "Gomez is confused, so he won't be much good for now! Mio, have Loam hit him with a Water Gun! Rascal and Meena can defend them!" he suggested, thinking quickly. "Rascal, get ready to help out Meena! Use Helping Hand!" Rascal bounded in between Gomez and Meena, remaining in a position to defend the Grass-type. He began to glow with a rainbow aura, doing a little pump up dance and cheering on the allied Meowth. Meanwhile, the Meowth in question began to glow with the same rainbow colors.

"Gomez, once you get hit with the Water Gun attack, use Leer on the enemies!" The Grass-type gecko staggered around in response, not making it clear whether or not he'd heard the orders. He began to panic as he saw what appeared to be fifteen Patrats charging toward him. Loam had better get that Water Gun out, and quick!"

[starkidcosmo]

Routes of Hazzard - Final Stretch - Mio

The sudden onslaught of the Patrat caught Mio off-guard, but Jason's quick thinking and orders set him straight.

"You heard him, Loam! Meena, use Scratch on whoever gets close!" Loam spun and tottered to line up her shot, checking her aim with her sail fin before firing off a weak water gun.

Meena, angry and backed up by Rascal's Helping Hand, waited for the Patrat at the point of the formation to get close and lashed out with her claws. She was aiming to force the bastard backwards and into Apollo's line of fire, a tactic that Mio noticed.

"Loam, push them back! Water Gun!" Loam teetered dangerously, but she managed to pivot towards the oncoming Patrat. She didn't bother to take super careful aim, instead firing off four shots in the general direction of the charging rodents.

Edited March 15, 2016 by genderlesshawke

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Gomez

Loam's first Water Gun connected with the Grass-type, doing a little bit of damage and snapping him out of his confusion. Gomez turned to the oncoming Patrat wave, a gleam in his eye as he stared them down with a Leer attack.

[K_H]

"Routes of Hazzard!" Jack & his Team

When Jack heard everyone else barking out orders, he gave his own to Lara and Leonidas.

"You two, set up and help the other trainers' Partners!"

Lara and Leonidas then walked up alongside the line of defending Pokemon and did as their trainer commanded, Leonidas becoming surrounded with sparks as he glared at the oncoming patrat, and Lara giving off a bone-chilling howl. If any of them got too close to Lara, they'd be greeted with a bite, while if they got too close to Leonidas, they'd be greeted with an electrically-charged headbutt.

((OOC: yes, it's a headbutt and not a tackle; it's merely a short-range variant of the move.))

[Sutoratosu]

At the moment Apollo's volley of searing flame was about to strike the group, one of the patrats broke off from the others without even a single word having to be uttered. As fast as the eye could blank, he was down on the dust laden earth, spinning his body about like a top as a fierce torrent of sand and dirt tore up from the ground, send airborne by his violent breakdancing in a cloud of choking dust. The monkey's embers croaked and died the very moment they came into contact with the smothering sand. The rodent gave Apollo a disturbing grin as he rose from the strange blocking tactic, the gleam in his eye speaking of nothing but the foulest of intentions.

The remaining four meanwhile leapt and sprang as they dodged the watergun, some flipping and others combat rolling out of the way as they held the course, in turn not even seeing Gomez's leer as the lizard stared with cold menace towards them.

One of them, different from the others, his eyes burning blue and gold rather than red, sprang up near Meena, unexpectant of the slashing claws that almost immediately met his face. The attack seemed to only anger him more than anything else, evident in the pale, golden light that enveloped his very body as he reeled back before surged towards the cat with every ounce of speed and agility he had, lashing out with his own paws in a violent frenzy as he closed in like a bullet. Thanks to the roll earlier, he'd already been too close for comfort, but now... this close, at this speed... dodging would be far easier said than done; even if she did figure out something, chances were... she'd still take a rough grazing in the attempt to get away.

One of his companions, in the meantime, came after none other than Loam, fangs burning black as he feinted and zigzagged back and forth like a maniac as he moved towards her, making it far more difficult to predict where or when the blow would finally come... if there was even any pattern to his movement at all as he closed in further with every second.

Another closed in on Leonidas, his body low to the ground as he lashed at the very soul itself, scattering his fur with more and more dust and sand as he ran, keeping a solid bead on his target despite the irritating grit thanks to his keen eyes. Once he was finally close enough, rather than attack immediately he feinted hard to the left before pouncing forward with all his might, body beginning to twist in a spiral as launched himself at the lion cub, fully confident the dirt covering him would nullify any lightning the young electric type could possibly dish out.

An experienced, seasoned trainer would've easily recognized the move as a highly advanced version of tackle... using the same principles as rifling, twisting and turning the users body about in the air like a spiraling bullet in order to increase the damage. But then again, having started only this morning, Jack wasn't exactly what one could've called a seasoned trainer. None of them there were.

The final of the four that kept going was now closing in fast on Gomez, he too pouncing forward like a puma before spiralling his body like a speeding bullet, the difference in the tactic between him and his brother attacking Leonidas being that he had his fangs bared all the while, burning sinister black as he closed in...

And Hog did nothing but watch from afar, again beginning to question the intelligence of the human children. They didn't seem to fully understand the advantage of numbers, of attacking from multiple fronts without mercy and without pause, all at once, in order to overwhelm and destroy all who were in one's way... which was perfectly fine by him. If they failed to utilize the power of superior numbers to it's fullest potential, that would just make it all the more easier to beat them senseless and boot them out of his domain.

Dumb kids trying to play hero, indeed.

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!"- Jason

Jason's initial reaction to the coordinated evasive action taken by the Patrats was shock. However, he managed to recover relatively quickly. This is our toughest battle yet... he thought to himself with a grimace. These Patrats are fighting for their food. They'll be tough to take down. With that in mind, he took stock of the situation. Rascal was in an ideal position to help out Gomez; however, Meena seemed to be in way more trouble than the Grass-type, especially since she was in the process of taking a counterattack. We may not be able to block the attack, but we can make him miss! Gomez, on the other hand, was further back than many of his teammates and had a little more time to react. Thinking on his feet, he began to bark orders to his team.

"Rascal, redirect that Patrat's attack! Use a Pound attack from above!" he shouted. The Minccino sprang into action, dashing across the ground and leaping through the air. He swung his tail at the Patrat's hands, hoping to drive them into the ground and prevent its blow from landing to give Meena a chance to retaliate. "Mio, now!" he cried.

Gomez watched his assailant approaching through his slitted yellow eyes, the brightly glowing orbs narrowing as his foe gained ground. He thought back to the other Grass-type, that girl's Snivy, and how it had taken on Apollo by using its speed against it. Just after the Patrat left the ground, he sprang upward and flipped through the air so he would be facing the Patrat as it passed under him. Jason grinned.

Now that Gomez's foe was unable to change his direction, it was just a matter of reading trajectory. "Catch him in the act, Gomez! Use Absorb to catch him, then pull him in for a Pound! Keep an eye out for his spin!" The Grass-type extended his hand, thin vines racing away from the gecko and attempting to wrap themselves around the Patrat. Gomez began pivoting in the air, anticipating that the Patrat's spin would pull him to the ground.

[Shadow Sketches]

Alecks and Apollo

Apollo was taken aback with anger as he glared and growled fiercely at the damn rat that had nullified his ember. His body tensing and the fire on his rear burning more intensely as he prepared to pounce after the rat and knock it's stupid bucked teeth out.

"Apollo, calm down! Leave that one alone for now, we have bigger fish to fry." Alecks had been keeping track of the abnormal Patrat, the one with blue and gold eyes. It was different from the rest, his strange colors on their own making it stand out from it's teamates. Alecks thought it be best to take that one out as soon as possible, he didn't trust that one. "Apollo, focus on the blue eyed one! Use Flame Wheel!"

The fired up monkey found it hard to tear his furious gaze away from the pesky rat, but he would not disobey his trainer. They were partners now, and partner's stuck together. Apollo quickly looked towards the blue eyed rat, watching closely as it began closing in on Meena. Then, with acrobatic ease, he jumped off the tree limb he had been resting on and leaped towards the odd rat. Burning flames began to surround his body as he somersaulted in the air. Before long Apollo had disappeared from sight and all that could be seen was a wheel of fire spinning in the air, straight towards the back of the blue eyed rat. Gaining speed and power as the momentum pushed Apollo to his limit.

[starkidcosmo]

Routes of Hazzard - Final Stretch - Mio

Meena didn't have time to celebrate as her claws raked the blue-eyed Patrat's face. Even as she leaped back, the rodent came in hard, paws reaching out to counter. Just as she thought she'd just have to take the hit, Rascal came in from above with an attack ready.

But before she could react to that ally, another one, coated in flames, hurtled in. Meena sprang forwards and to the side immediately, catching a hard but glancing blow to her left shoulder as she did so. She didn't even care; all she wanted was to not be in the middle of that almost inevitable mess.

Mio breathed a sigh of relief as she dodged, but Loam was still in trouble. Trusting that Apollo and Rascal would work themselves out, he called for Meena.

"Meena, get to Loam! Fake-out as soon as you can! Loam, use Tackle if you see a chance!"

The Meowth sprang into action, ignoring the bruise on her shoulder to speed towards Loam's attacker. Once the rat bastard was almost on her companion, teeth bared, Meena sprinted in between them and clapped her hands together hard, intending to stun the rodent. Loam sprinted under the Meowth's upraised arms and came in for a diagonal attack, aiming at the Patrat's ribs.

[Chim]

Routes of Hazzard – Grand Stretch – Brendan

Brendan sighed when the negotiations failed and a small Patrat army attacked. “I guess we have no choice, Titan. Use Rock Blast to keep one of them occupied.”

The silent gentleman nodded in agreement before firing off three rocks towards the Patrat with the strange defensive tactics. If Titan could keep this one busy, his teammates should have an easier job outnumbering the rest of their opponents.

[K_H]

"Routes of Hazzard!" - Final Stretch - Jack

There's one crucial detail about bullets: They're all power and no steering.

As the patrat sped towards Leonidas, Jack noticed that Lara was standing somewhat behind the lion cub, and smiled, then gave his two partners a command.

"Leonidas, Lara, team up on it!"

Leonidas looked behind him, saw that Lara was standing there, then faced towards the inbound rodent, and then jumped up and forwards in an attempt to dodge it by making it go underneath him. At the same time, Lara darted forwards, aiming to hit the speeding rodent with a bite.

[Sutoratosu]

Final Stretch

The rodent turned his attentions on Rascal the moment the rat dared interfere in his vengeance, so busy lashing out in the normal type's direction that he didn't even notice the fiery wheel of rage that was the monkey Apollo charging towards him. While the surprise attack landed spot on and sent him flying forwards, the damage Rascal had sustained from his bit of heroics wasn't something to just be brushed off. In the time between the interference and the flaming charge, the Lieutenant had managed to graze the gray mouse with a solid haymaker on his cheek, the wind itself whistling past as Bingo cursed at his slight mistake in aim... and then cursing at the one who slammed into the back of him.

though now, the patrat lay sprawled in the dirt, glaring at Apollo as he rose to his feet, wiping the spittle from his mouth and flinging the stuff towards the second interloper. Twas a clear insult, if ever there was one.

Gomez's tactics worked out favorably meanwhile, sending the patrat off his expected course and crashing into the ground before he could correct himself, glaring hatefully at the vine entwined around his foot as he was reeled in and clocked clean with a blow in between the eyes. He knelt in the sand, eyeing the geeko silently, teeth gritted with dust...

Titan's own barrage landed solidly against the rat's chest, the first two stones sending him backwards into the air like a rag doll before something finally reached out and stopped him. The rat opened his eyes to find it was none other than Hog, fist burning with golden aura as he smashed the remaining rock volley with his single, bare fist as if he were swatting mere flies. Except the last one... no, no, the last one, he caught. Before sending it hurtling back to sender like a small meteorite falling from orbit, every bit of might and muscle he had behind the speeding piece of stone as headed right for Titan's Hearing crevice.

The Patrat Meena had snuck upon cringed at the loud clap before feeling the baby Loam crash into him. The stunning didn't last for long however, given how quickly the fighter recovered and grabbed hold of the water type as he rolled away from impact, using all the momentum and force her own attack had given him to send the mudkip crashing into the nearest tree before getting back to his feet. His fangs elongated into black sabers as he looked at the Meowth, practically daring her to try and take vengeance for her friend...

Lara managed to sink her fangs into the Patrat, but so to had he her. The force from the spinning tackle had sent Lara and her now entangled foe flying into the nearest tree behind them though, with the poochyena taking most of the impact force as her back slammed against solid, rock hard oak. But the Patrat had been knocked away from her by the sudden jolt in motion, falling to the ground and stunned by the shock of impact- just long enough that Leonidas might be able to land a blow, if he proved to be as quick on his feet as an electric type should be.

[Shadow Sketches]

Alecks and Apollo

Once Apollo made impact, the wheel of fire kicked off the back of the Patrat. The flames disappearing as Apollo somersaulted backwards until he was now completely visible then landed on his feet onto the dirt ground with ease. Standing tall as he looked down at his opponent with a smirk on his face. His gaze slightly looked over to Rascal to see how he had fared against the attack but he quickly turned his focus back towards his opponent.

The spittle landed short of his feet but it didn't bother the fire type, he knows that just showed the frustration of his foe. Though Apollo did still give the blue eyed Patrat a response to his petty insult. Without needing a command from his trainer, Apollo glared back at his opponent with the taunting smirk remaining on his face as the two stared each other down to see who would make the first move.

Alecks kept his focus on the two, watching intently as the two glared at each other. He knew that Apollo had the advantage of range but they had to remain wary of blue eyes, who knew what he had up his furry little sleeves. "Apollo, use Ember and don't let him get close!" His partner gave a short nod to indicate he heard the command loud and clear. His body preparing itself in case he needed to evade the rat's attack. Then Apollo began to feel the fire burning in his stomach before quickly letting loose a volley of flaming bolts towards the Patrat.

Edited March 21, 2016 by Shadow Sketches

[Jory]

"Routes of Hazzard!": Final Stretch- Jason

Rascal was knocked backward and to the ground even by the grazing blow. "Rascal, are you okay?" he called. He was relieved when the Minccino got to his feet, rubbing his cheek with his paw. He rose just in time to see Apollo cocking his head back to fire the Ember at his downed opponent, glaring at the blue-eyed Patrat as he did so. That punch had really hurt! However, it hadn't done enough damage to faze his fighting spirit. If anything, the throbbing pain in his cheek was helping him to focus on the battle at hand.

Gomez's attack had gone much better, having gone off without a hitch. The Grass-type began sapping energy through the creeper that was attached to the Patrat's leg, Leering defiantly at the fallen rodent. From his close-up position, Gomez's attacks were going to be much more effective. Jason smiled, once again impressed by his Treecko's agility and decisive action.

"Quick, cut off his escape! Be ready with a Double Slap the moment that tricky little Patrat tries to get out of the way of Apollo's Ember attack!" Rascal sprang toward the action once more, dashing from side to side to make sure he was ready to move on the captain.

"Gomez, Absorb on his body, then pull him in for the K.O!" The Treecko shot another vine at the Patrat's torso, planning to yank hard and use that momentum to pivot for another Pound attack.

[starkidcosmo]

Routes of Hazzard - Final Stretch - Mio

Meena and Loam's combined assault on the Patrat worked-- at first. However, neither of them had banked on the thing recovering from Meena's attack quite so quickly, and Loam found herself paying for that miscalculation. She slammed hard against a tree, her whole body reverberating with the impact. She staggered to her feet, pain radiating from her spine to her feet.

Meena stared down the Patrat they had just attacked. The thing was challenging her! Its fangs had grown out, radiating a dark energy. She was all but falling for its taunt already, but her trainer's voice brought her back to reality.

"Meena, keep it busy! Loam, use water gun to back up Titan!"

In response, Meena darted in fast, paw outstretched in what looked like a scratch. Just before she got within range, she moved in diagonally to the stinking rodent's left side. Her teeth were coated in their own evil aura, and her paws were outstretched in the hopes of landing the blow and pinning the thing down.

Loam, although dazed, saw Titan's own rock ball hurtling back at him and knew exactly what to do. Or, well, what she thought might work. She hopped a few steps to the side and gathered up as much water as she possibly could, taking careful aim before firing off a huge, fast shot for the rebounding attack. Hopefully, her water gun could knock the thing even slightly off-course, allowing the slow rock-type more time to dodge.