[IC] Pokemon: Luminous Dawn- Chapter 3: Finally, Striation City!

[Jory]

Pokemon: Luminous Dawn- Chapter 3: Finally, Striation City!

 

Route 2- Main Path

 

After a grueling journey along Route 2, our heroes finally found themselves arriving at Striation City. The sunset colored the sky to their left a deep purple and gold as the orange disc took cover under the horizon. After the incident with the Braviary, they had battled through the Fighting-types at the top of the ridge in order to gain passage through to Striation City. That fight was immediately followed by more fleeing from the angry bird Pokemon, zig-zagging down the other side of the ridge and disappearing under the cover of the thickly-canopied forest. After that their journey had been rather uneventful, though they hadn't dared to get back on the Main Path until they were far away from the Braviary's nest.

 

Quest completed: "Onward to Striation City!"

All party Pokemon have gained 3 levels and a Move Point!

 

As the gate to enter Striation City came into view, the group of Amateur Trainers was met with a familiar sight: Bianca standing and waiting for them, waving cheerfully as she saw her charges approaching.

 

"Oh-em-gee! I'm sooooo glad you all made it out of there because Hugh is further ahead and there are some Trainers giving him trouble but now that all of you are here I just know that you'll all be able to help him, right?" she gushed, a semi-concerned expression on her face. "These Trainers are just Amateurs and I didn't think it would be right for me to step in just yet since Professor Juniper back at the lab was all, 'Let them have their journey! Don't hold their hands!'" she said, changing her posture and voice to stand more upright and speak more authoritatively as she imitated the Pokemon Professor.

 

"Anyways, I'll take you guys there! He's just up ahead!"

 

Bianca led the group up a rise and toward the gate. Once the path flattened out it became a large circle that expanded from the gate, clearly meant to Trainers to get the last of their battles out of their systems before they entered the relatively peaceful city ahead.

 

 

Striation City Gate Battlefield

 

Hugh was standing across from another Trainer, breathing heavily. His Oshawott was looking beaten and bruised, but hadn't given up yet. Meanwhile, the other Trainer's Jigglypuff looked none the worse for wear. In fact, it wore a smile as it stood ready for its Trainer's next command. The Jigglypuff's Trainer, however, surprised Jason. It was a girl roughly the same age as Jason and the other Amateur Trainers, save for the fact that she wore a pink dress with a white collar. What surprised Jason was not her gender or garb but the expression on her face. Unlike her Jigglypuff, which seemed to simply enjoy battle, this girl's expression was downright sadistic. She wore a wide smile with half-closed eyes, as though she had been deriving extreme pleasure from how badly she was beating Hugh.

 

"Ms. Puff, finish him with your Disarming Voice!" she ordered calmly. The Jigglypuff opened her mouth and sang loudly. Several pink sound waves came out of her mouth and stalled briefly before zipping toward Hugh's Oshawott.

 

"Dodge it!" Hugh shouted, looking flustered. His Oshawott ran to the side, trying desperately to avoid the attack. However, the sound waves altered their course and collided directly with the small Water-type, knocking him flat.

 

Hugh immediately ran out to his Oshawott, scooping the Pokemon up in his arms. He said something that the rest of the Amateurs couldn't hear, staying to exchange words with his opponent after.

 

"I believe that's it," the girl said with a giggle, licking her lips. "Such a rank Amateur like you had no chance of beating me. After all, you don't even have a Gym Badge!" she cackled. While she was celebrating, five more Trainers stepped into view, having been blocked by the trees surrounding the circle. One of them, the tallest, was a lanky boy of about the same age as the girl. He wore a patched gray hoodie and baggy black cargo pants. His hair was greasy, and his face immediately made Jason think of a rat. The second was another girl who had frizzy white hair. She wore a black tank top with a purple sweater tied around her waist and a pair of gray jeans. The third Trainer was another young man; however, in stark contrast to the first, he was meticulously dressed in a white collared shirt, a magenta tie and black dress slacks. His blond hair was combed and gelled into place.

 

The last two Trainers walked out in a pair. One Trainer was a young man dressed in a navy blue pin-striped vest and slacks, with a black silk button-down worn underneath. His most defining feature by far was his hair, which was jet-black and of medium length. The ends were curled up with some kind of product into prongs that surrounded his head, mimicking the effect of a crown. Upon looking closer, it was clear his eyes were blood red.

 

Finally, the last Trainer was clad in a black biker vest and black jeans. He wore a charcoal T-shirt with a Cubone's skull emblazoned on the front. He carried himself proudly and the others made way for him, making it clear he was the leader of the group. Like the Trainer he had arrived with, his most distinguishing feature was his hair. It was a fiery red with orange fringes that stood up on end and curled back over his head.

 

Hugh looked around at the Trainers surrounding him, then back over to Bianca and the group.

 

 

Bianca and Co.

 

Bianca gasped as the Disarming Voice hit Hugh's Oshawott. "Oh no!" she said quickly. "He just lost the battle! And by the looks of things, they're gonna try to take every dollar in his pocket for that loss! You've gotta stop them!"

 

Quest added: "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!"

[starkidcosmo]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Mio

 

Mio couldn't help but let out an audible groan as he saw Bianca waiting for them. He was so exhausted. He just wanted to get to the Pokemon center and have a nice, long, rest. Knowing Bianca, and for that matter, his luck, he was probably going to have to fight a giant hydreigon with his bare hands or something. And sure enough, he walked into the scene of yet another small crisis. 

 

At least she's not gonna try and kill me, he thought, watching the end of Hugh's fight with a cute but creepy girl in pink. He retracted that thought when he caught her licking her lips, bloodlust practically oozing from her. As if that weren't bad enough, she was quickly surrounded by five others, all equally as terrifying, and all converging on Hugh. 

 

"I think it might be bad if we started a fight now..." he said tentatively, voice lowered to keep the veritable gang's attention away from himself. "Is there a way we can avoid this? I don't think I could really talk them down-- I'm very, um... bulliable. And tired." He winced as he spoke, feeling the weight of both the day's exertions and his troubled childhood.

[K_H]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Jack
 

Jack responded to Mio's question, concerned both that what he was considering doing next might not work and for Hugh's safety.
"Well, we could try to cause a distraction... but I'm not sure if that would work."
As he spoke, he held the Smoke Ball from the Watchog Encounter in his left hand, ready to use it if needed.

[Chim]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" – Brendan

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jack. If they don’t know what’s going on they might think Hugh is trying to pull something.” Brendan said while his eyes scanned through the bullies and rested on the guy with the red eyes. “They only came out after Hugh lost. That might mean they want to avoid strong trainers and go for young and inexperienced ones that are on their own…”

 

Brendan turned to the group to share his plan. He made direct eye contact with Jason and Jack, the two who seemed to be the most immune to intimidating bullies. “Let’s just walk over and greet Hugh as a friend who’s travelling with us. Maybe we can even congratulate his opponent or something and divert their attention. Then we just walk out of there towards the Pokécenter with Hugh between us. If we act like everything is cool we might pull it off.”

[Jory]

Striation City Gate- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Jason

 

Jason nodded to Brendan in agreement. He then looked to Mio, who didn't seem too keen head-on tackling the conflict in front of him. "Hey, Mio," he began, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Just leave the talking to us. All you have to do is look like you mean business, and they won't even want to say a word to you!" he said, offering an encouraging smile. He then became serious once again, dropping his hand and addressing the whole group. "Still, we should be prepared for the worst. In case they want to battle, we have to cover Hugh's escape so he can scurry away to the nearest Pokemon Center."

 

He looked down at the two Poke Balls on his belt. "If that happens, well... We'll see how it goes." With that said, he gestured to Brendan to finish up. "So, Oh Great Commander, lead the way."

 

 

Bianca

 

The research assistant smiled lightly, allowing the Amateur Trainers to plan their course of action. After all, this wasn't her journey.

[Chim]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" – Brendan

 

After making sure the group followed, Brendan took the lead in walking over towards Hugh. The muscles in his face relaxed as the amateur trainer managed to put up a genuine smile. “Hey Hugh, we finally managed to catch up,” he waved. Faking the smile was harder than expected. From up close the two bullies with an outstanding hair style were really intimidating. Brendan could only hope Mio wouldn’t panic.

 

“Well we actually caught up in time to see your battle but we didn’t want to disturb you,” Brendan continued talking to Hugh. He quickly closed the last few steps and nodded politely at the group of bullies as he placed his hand on Hugh’s shoulder. “You put up a good fight. But your opponent is quite skilled too.” This time he gave the girl with the Jigglypuff a smile. “That Jigglypuff really is something!”

 

In the meantime he tightened the grip on Hugh’s shoulder and slightly guided the rookie to Castelia City. “Well if you excuse us, it was a long day and we’re hungry so we’re going on ahead. But first, let’s get you to the nearest Pokécenter, Hugh. Your Oshawott deserves some rest.” It was unusual for Brendan to continue talking like this and cutting a meeting short, but these people didn’t look friendly in the slightest. All he could do now was wrap his arm around Hugh’s shoulder and guide the rookie towards Castelia City. Hopefully his plan, by not giving the bullies a chance to interrupt his monologue and walk away, worked.

[starkidcosmo]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy! - Mio

 

Mio gave a small start as Jason touched his shoulder. He'd been wrapped up in considering the gang of trainers and how they'd respond to Brendan's plan, but his friend's kind encouragement brought him back down to earth, though he had to fight off a blush as Jason gave him one of his award-winning smiles. Even as he turned away and deferred leadership to Brendan, Mio couldn't help but feel a swell of admiration for him.

 

He followed Brendan with some hesitation as the group approached Hugh and his tormentors. He nodded, polite but terrified, to the gang as Brendan spoke and hurried after him as he steered Hugh away. Mio knew he was a target; no need to end up catching these bullies' eyes.

[K_H]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Jack
 

Jack followed the others, stowing his Smoke Ball back in his bag before walking to help the group maintain strength in numbers. Jack knew that it would be inadvisable to draw too much attention to himself, so he kept a calm and collected air about him as the group walked in their attempt to get Hugh out of there.

[Jory]

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!"

 

Jason

Brendan monologued while Jason stood near him, staring down the group of other Trainers. Now that they were closer up, Jason could understand Mio's fear. They all seemed to be a year or two older than the Amateur Trainers. Combined with the air they projected through their attitude and dress, it was hard to ignore the nervous feeling creeping up on him. Even though the girl with white hair seemed to have an otherworldly quality. She gave him the creeps, but he could tell by the way they stood that the real threats were the fiery-haired punk and the blood-eyed prep. Jason locked eyes with the punk. He was forced to look away after a moment. Something in that guy's eyes... It was just plain scary.

 

He was happy when they walked away, so he didn't notice the long look that Mio attracted from the greasy haired Trainer, or the mischievous smile and glint in his eyes as he watched the small, shy Trainer hide behind his friends. Unlike Brendan and Jack, he also failed to notice that the girl in pink's brow began to furrow deeply as they walked away from her. What he did notice, though, was how the Trainers all nodded to each other and began to fan out, slowly following after the Amateur Trainers. After just a minute, they had spread across the entirety of the semicirclular path.

 

Bianca

"So... Like... What should I do about it, Professor?" Bianca asked, glancing at her nails. She turned her hand around, looking for imperfections in the clear coat and in the cuticle. Finding none, she smiled lightly. Professor Juniper's hologram hustled busily back and forth across the holo-display on her XTransceiver. The Professor's image flickered to static and back, followed to by a heavy sigh.

 

"I don't know, Bianca, isn't that your job to figure out?" she said, exasperated. "And I could barely hear what you said, anyway. These XTransceivers have such poor sound quality. Now I understand why the Rangers still use Radios," she said off-handedly. "Hang on, I'm switching to my PC." The image flicked off the screen.

 

Bianca rolled her eyes and took off her glasses. She blew on the lens and wiped it on her green pant leg, placing them back on her face. Just as her vision cleared she saw a notification on her XTransceiver. Probably Juniper calling me back... she thought to herself. She clicked it, prompting a "Please wait while we connect you..." screen.

 

"PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE MAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN!" Juniper boomed as her head appeared as large as possible in the hologram. She chuckled briefly at her own joke. "I'd let it play out! Kbye!" Juniper said, abruptly ending the call.

 

Jason

Suddenly, a Misdreavus materialized in front of the group of Amateur Trainers. Jason jumped, startled by the Pokemon's sudden appearance. The Ghost-type laughed and stuck out its tongue, pulling down the... skin?... under its eye. It continued to taunt and mock the group, blocking their path as the miscreants closed in. Jason looked back to his friends. They needed to make a decision, and fast. Suddenly, a chill ran down his spine.

 

???

"Oh, booooyyyyyysssss~" came a singsong voice from behind the group. "Why did you take my toy away before I was done playing with him?" the cutesy voice asked, giggling to herself.

 

 

[K_H]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Jack

Jack remained calm as he spoke to the voice behind his back, unperturbed by the Misdreavus' taunting thanks to the fact that he'd been around a Dark-type for quite a good portion of his life at this point.
"We're sorry, madam, but you are done with him. The battle had run its course, after all."
He then hissed under his breath to the other Trainers that were escorting Hugh.
"Keep moving, guys. Don't let them think you're afraid of their little display. If we can get Hugh into the Pokécenter, we should be fine."

[Jory]

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!"

 

As Jack ushered the group of Amateur Trainers away, the girl's face began to contort in anger. Her eye twitched once as she began smiling unnaturally broadly, her eyes becoming vacant and doll-like. She balled her hands into fists, her knuckles turning white as she squeezed her hands in fury. The older group of Trainers began looking to one another. The one with the red hair shook his head, gripping his forehead. "Now they've gone and done it..." he muttered, eliciting a sycophantic snicker from the crown-haired Trainer.

 

The blonde girl stopped in her tracks and took a deep breath. "HOW DARE YOU!?" she shrieked, her face becoming bright red. She stormed after the Amateur Trainers, her Jigglypuff floating through the air behind his Trainer. "WHEN A CUTE GIRL ASKS FOR SOMETHING, YOU GIVE IT TO HER! HE OWES ME MONEY!" she continued to scream.

 

Before she could go any further, the red-haired Trainer stepped out in front of her. He put his hand out toward her, signaling her to stop. Despite her wrathful appearance, she backed off for the moment. "She's right, you know. She beat him in a battle, and he owes her money. You can't just expect us to let him leave without paying. One of the rules of battle is that if you place a wager, you'd better be good for it," he explained with a crocodile's smile. "But, seeing as you all tried to skip out on the check, I'm thinking you owe us a little interest payment," he said. "How about each of you cough up a little extra dough?"

[starkidcosmo]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Mio

 

Mio shuddered as the group proceeded, feeling someone's eyes on him. He stared dead ahead, trying to avoid making any unnecessary eye contact, even as he saw out of his peripheral vision that the gang was fanning out in a rather threatening way. 

 

He was so tense that the sudden appearance of the Misdreavus scared him so badly he actually jumped backwards a bit, but it wasn't the Pokemon itself that had scared him. In fact, he adored  Misdreavus; he had fond memories of playing with his father's Mismagius as a child. He almost wanted to stay and check it out, but the sound of the bloodthirsty woman behind him dragged him back into the reality of the situation. 

 

Mio was very tempted to take Jack's advice to the next level and just book it to the Pokecenter, a desire which was exacerbated by Bloodthirsty's enraged shouting. Still, he couldn't help but snort as she called herself 'cute.' She looked more like a possessed doll than a person. 

 

But at the apparent leader's behest, Mio turned around. The adrenaline flooding his body was somehow managing to make him even more tired than he already was, and seeing an easy way out, he latched onto it. 

 

"A-alright." He nearly choked on the word. "I-- I dunno about everyone else, but... I'll pay up." he rustled around in his pockets and pulled out half his Pokedollars, scowling at the meager amount he'd be left with. He held out the money in his fist for the other trainer to come get, reluctant to come closer to the other, larger group of trainers. 

 

BAG Update:

-  100

[Sutoratosu]

Hugh...

 

Hugh stayed silent for the most part as brendan tried to lead him away, following the older boys lead with a thankful nod. He was the only one close enough to hear the snarling under his breath as the older group began to pursue them however, but up until the point where the red headed young man demanded they each fork over something, he'd hadn't broken away from the aspiring Ruin Maniac. He stopped in his tracks, breaking free of Brendan as he whirled on his toes and recalled the water type he held into his capsule.

      "...put your money away." The boy ordered Mio while he marched past him, speaking aloud for the first time in this whole mess, glaring at the pack of human vultures "They have a point. I fought her, I lost...now I owe something" With that said, he reached into his right sleeve, pulling back the hem of his glove and retrieving a several sizable bills of currency, unrolling and counting them in rapid succession before holding the bundle out to the red haired thug, eyes an unreadable facade of crimson as he tried not to focus on the blonde haired psycho behind the older trainer. 

      "but I pay my own debts, and I'm not about to just stand here and watch you extort them. 1000P$, that's far more than fair for this, probably a better amount than you would've gotten out of stealing their pocket change anyway. Take it."

[Jory]

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!"

 

???

The red-haired Trainer laughed and snatched the money out of Hugh's hand. He licked his finger and counted it. "1000$, huh? Looks like you were about to skip out for no reason. Still, that should cover the 'interest.' You're not as dumb as you look, kid." He laughed and stowed the money in his back pocket. When he lifted his vest, a single Poke Ball was clearly visible on his belt. "Your friend there, on the other hand..." he said, grinning wryly and pointing at Mio. "He was about to pay up no question." He directed his attention to Mio. "What's the matter, kid? Mommy forget to pack you a spine in that backpack?" The other group of Trainers laughed along with him at Mio's expense.

 

Jason

As the black-clad thug demanded they pay up extra, Jason began to ball up his fist tightly. His heart began racing as he watched Mio try to hand over his money and Hugh stopped him, giving the Trainer exactly what he wanted. Still, he was proud of Hugh for the way he'd refused to allow others to pay his debts. Despite his brash nature, the kid had good intentions. It was clear who was in the wrong, here. Then, he directed his attention to Mio. Arceus, what a shithead. the Trainer thought to himself. Their leader had picked up on the easy target.

 

Once he kept up the assault, though, Jason had had enough. As they had their laugh at Mio's expense, Jason placed himself between Mio and the older Trainers. Getting loud won't solve anything here. He took a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to do something, anything stupid. "Hey, he was just trying to help his friend out. Leave him alone," he said firmly. He looked to Brendan and Jack, neither of whom seemed as fazed by the intimidating group of Trainers, for backup.

 

???

"What's the matter, kid? Trying to play hero but you don't have the cajones to do it yourself? Tch," the guy with the crownlike hair chimed in, making his way forward to stand with his redheaded comrade. "If you're calling for backup already, then I don't think you're willing to do what it takes to get yourself out of this jam. Me, on the other hand," he said cordially, raising his arms in a shrug. "You'd never catch me dead playing Purrloin like you right now. If I were you, my boy Benga here would be flat on his back by now. But I guess that's the kind of Trainer Juniper's pumping out these days."

[K_H]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Jack
Jack merely rolled his eyes and then spoke to the others in the group escorting Hugh, trying to usher them towards the Pokécenter so that Hugh could get his Team healed.
"C'mon, guys, we don't need to involve ourselves with rattatas like them. Let's just leave them to their business and get on with our day. Besides, now that financial balances have been settled, we don't have any further business with them."

[starkidcosmo]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Mio

 

Mio massaged his temples and shoved his money back in his pocket as Hugh paid up. Maybe it was just the fatigue talking, but the self-righteous, stuck-up brat was starting to get on his nerves. Why couldn't he have just gone to the damn Pokecenter? What was so important that he had to risk his neck while Mio and the rest were out here trying to protect it? Pride? And to make matters worse, the gang's attention was now focused on Mio himself. It wasn't like he wasn't used to it, but it was still grating. Especially after nearly having died several times just that day.

 

Jason moved in front of him, defending Mio with measured tenacity. It was sweet, and pretty cool, but Mio was just too tired to swoon the way he normally would have. Then the crown-haired trainer made some jab about Professor Juniper, and that was the last straw. 

 

"No," he said. It was both a reply to Jack and his own inner thoughts spilling out. "You know what? No. I'm done." He moved around Jason, walking straight up into "Benga's" personal space and stared him down. He had reached critical levels of exhaustion, and he was ready to do something stupid.

 

"First of all, I don't have a damn 'mommy.'" He spat, jabbing a finger in the red-haired man's face. "Second of all--" he whirled on the crown guy. "--Professor Juniper has done more for the scientific community than your tiny little Slakoth brain could hope to accomplish in a lifetime." He hissed as he spoke, eyes narrowing nearly to slits. "Lastly," he said, turning back to Benga, "The only thing I forgot to pack this morning was enough patience to deal with some punk with too much hair-gel and his little band of freaks." Each word was accompanied by a jab of his finger, prodding his enemy's chest. He might regret this later, but right now all his common sense and learned fear was gone.

 

"So let's just get this shit over with so I can go take an Arceus-damned nap, okay?"

[Chim]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" – Brendan

 

Brendan let out a sigh in annoyance. He had forgotten one of the basic agreements trainers made when it came to prizemoney. A flaw in his plan that the group of punks used as an easy excuse to pick a fight. And when the Misdreavus first appeared Brendan’s hand slit towards Titan’s Pokéball. His eyes scanned the nearby thugs and only when they didn’t make a move, he regained his composure and repositioned himself to back up Jason.

 

The last thing Brendan expected was for Mio to go full offense on the main bully. The rookie trainer’s eyes almost popped out of their sockets as disbelief, pride and laughter all hit him in the gut. In the short amount of time they had traveled together, Mio had become somewhat of a little brother to Brendan. A little brother that needed encouragement and guidance when things got tough. But to see that same person now stand his ground, even after giving in earlier, made Brendan feel proud of his friend. And no matter what the consequences were going to be Brendan would have Mio’s back.

 

A smile unconsciously formed on Brendan’s face. And after Mio’s little rant, the young trainer couldn’t help but starting to laugh. “Well said, Mio.”

[Jory]

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!"

 

Benga

Benga looked down at Mio, the height difference between the two substantial enough for him to have to bend his neck. "Calm down there, Batman. You know I'll accept your challenge anytime, anywhere. So let's battle, right now. Pick one of your friends, and let's make it a Multi Battle. My partner in crime'll be Perona. She's the scary girl in the back." The white-haired girl nodded and stepped forward, even with Benga. The Misdreavus appeared next to her "So, which of your guardian angels here is gonna be helping you out? After all, every Dark Knight needs a sidekick."

 

Perona

The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a deck of cards roughly the size of her hands. The Misdreavus's necklace began glowing as the cards shuffled themselves in the air in front of the girl, glowing in the same light as the red amulet. Suddenly they stopped and, organized in a deck, floated at the medium's fingertips. She drew one card and looked at it, furrowing her brow. She then drew another, giving it the same treatment. Finally, she took and analyzed a third card. She fanned them out in front of her and placed each one facing the Amateur Trainers in midair, suspended by the Ghost-types psychokinesis. The first card depicted a soldier. The second, a crown. The third, a skull.

 

"The cards tell me you will lose, Trainer. I wonder if you will have the wherewithal to change your fate," she said, her voice sounding as though it came from far off. "So, who shall be joining you?"

[starkidcosmo]

Striation City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Mio

 

Mio drew back as his challenge was accepted, ignoring Perona's little display. He was beginning to cool off just enough to think logically; some trick from a hex maniac wasn't about to disturb him. The best partner for a double battle had to be...

 

"Jason," he said, looking back at his friend. "Wanna take 'em out with me?" He attempted a winning smile, although his gritted teeth made it feel more like a grimace. Loam and Gomez together had good type coverage, and Rascal's helping hand would be a boon no matter what. Jack had Lara, but she didn't get along with either of Mio's Pokemon. Bad teamwork would end a fight before it started, and Mio wasn't about to lose now that he'd finally taken a step up. Especially not to these over-groomed, jumped-up gangsters.

[Jory]

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" 

 

Jason

The Amateur Trainer nodded, stepping forward to be even with his friend. "I've got your back, Mio. Let's do this," he said resolutely. He sized up their competition; Perona had a Misdreavus, and Benga... they didn't even know what he had. Still, Jason couldn't help feeling as though he would be at a disadvantage in this fight. With one of his Pokemon completely unable to damage the enemy Misdreavus, they'd be forced to rely on Loam and Gomez's elemental attacks to come out on top. It was well known that Ghost-types tended to dominate low-level fights due to the prevalence of Normal-type moves.

 

???

"Hey, you guys weren't planning on leaving me out, were you?" the crown-haired Trainer added. "I want a little punk to beat the crap out of, too!" He looked over Jack and Brendan, taking stock of the number of Poke Balls on each of their belts. "Hey Peanut Gallery," he said, pointing to Brendan. "Let's have a battle, mano a mano. These other guys have me just rarin' to go!"

 

???

"NO WAY! NO WAY!" the blonde girl screeched. "I won't just stand here and be insulted! If Leon gets to play too, then I'll just go ahead and claim the other one." She whirled, glaring at the greasy-haired and clean-cut Trainers. They took a step back and raised their hands, not wanting to end up in her line of fire. "Come on, little boy. I'm still hungry. And you can't run away this time~" she nearly sang, licking her lips in anticipation.

 

2 minutes later...

 

Things were starting to heat up, and quickly. Each group had found a spot in the semi-circle to battle in. Benga and Perona had lined up across a large space from Jason and Mio. Rascal and Gomez had already come out of their Balls and was standing on the ground next to Jason, ready to battle. The crown-haired Trainer was standing across from Brendan, while the pink-clad girl was across from Jack. All that was left was final preparations, and the battles would start.

 

[Chim]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" – Brendan

 

Brendan carefully eyed his opponent. Maybe it was the ridiculous hairstyle or the blood red eyes, but this guy seemed dangerous. Of course Brendan took in the possibility that this guy’s looks were an intimidation tactic. He wouldn’t put it past this group to play dirty if not for the confident attitude Red-Eyes had. The sort of confidence that he actually had some skill.

 

Don’t overthink things too much. Just keep calm and trust Titan. We can’t afford to lose this battle.

 

Brendan balled his hand into a fist as his muscles cringed around Titan’s Pokéball. It was his first time experiencing this uneasy feeling before a battle. Maybe because this time around he faced someone he actually disliked. A fast hand motion later Titan appeared on the battlefield in a flash. “I really want to win this one so let’s go all out, partner” he whispered to the Roggenrola in front of him.

[Sutoratosu]

Hugh

 

Hugh said nothing as it all turned to even further shit as the cunt with red hair began to rail on the boy who'd been about to pay for him. He'd have at least tried to do something, had the damn situation not already been so stacked against him, and regardless what the gang leader thought, he was damn smart enough to know that anything he might've done would've led to a far worse outcome than how Jason handled it. 12 year old versus someone who could easily be considered an adult in a fist fight, yes, that would go well... just like it had back then. 

      He began retreating from the whole mess as tempers still flared and the one he'd stopped from paying seemed to have had enough of their shit himself. There was nothing he could do here, the psychotic bitch with the jigglypuff had already crushed him like the maniac she was, and if he stayed, he'd simply be wasting the opportunity they'd all gone out of their way to provide him, and getting in their damn way. Once again, he'd been made useless, had to have someone else risk their necks to save him.

 

But that feeling of insignificance was of far lesser concern than the injuries his partner had sustained. He'd already wasted enough time, and so he turned, and escaped while he could, silently stalking back towards the gate where Bianca was. All he did as he passed her was pause and glance, wondering just out of morbid curiosity given the actions of the Juniper's older trainers just when, if ever, the chaperon herself would've intended to step in during that mess, how far it would've had to go before she actually moved from that place if the older lot hadn't showed up. But he quelled that curiosity and returned his eyes to the stone walk without a word way, continuing towards the nearest Center. Muttering under his breath all the while, eyes burning their pure crimson as he recalled just how savagely and unrestrained the blonde girl fought, like she and her ungodly little ball of pink terror were intent on tearing out both their throats. And in that same instance, so too flashed the faces of those two thugs from what seemed to be so long ago.

      "This won't happen again. I won't let it..."

[starkidcosmo]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Mio

 

Mio released Meena and Loam, the two pokemon already raring to go as they emerged. Meena sensed the tense nature of this battle and quickly quelled her partner's cute, excited dancing. She eyed the enemy Misdreavus with apprehension, well aware most of her attacks would do nothing to it. Loam, however, was confident; she'd faced down a lot worse than some silly screaming ghost that day.

 

Mio clenched his fists, waiting for Benga to release his Pokemon. He couldn't help but try and guess at what is was -- Perona had something befitting her quirks, so what would Benga have? A dark type? Maybe a Pawniard? He just hoped it wasn't something ridiculous. They'd be in deep shit if they went up against a Dragon-type.

[Jory]

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!"

 

Benga

The punk Trainer gave a derisive snort at the other team's Pokemon. "That's the best you've got? Jeez, this is gonna be over even faster than I expected. Come on out, Helios," he said as he casually unclipped his Poke Ball and tossed it underhand. The ball split open and, in a flash of light, a Larvesta appeared on the battlefield. It gave a shrill battlecry before jetting flames from its spikes, showing he was raring to go. "Well? We're waiting," he said expectantly. Perona looked bored, checking her fingernails.

 

Jason

"Alright, now that we know what they've got going, let's plan accordingly! Rascal, you're up first!" Jason said confidently. Rascal's versatility will give us an opportunity to figure out just what it is we're up against. Rascal stepped forward, crossing his arms and staring down their opponents. He turned to Mio, looking to his friend to strategize briefly. "What do you think? Loam will give us an early lead against that Misdreavus, but I don't think we should underestimate that guy's Larvesta."

 

???

"The name's Leon, by the way. You'll want to remember it so when you see me up on the big screen someday, you can say you've lost to me in a battle!" He laughed and reached down to his belt, grabbing a Luxury Ball off of it. "My family comes from the Kalos Region. We're descended from a long line of nobles, so it should be no surprise to you when you lose. After all, you just can't buy this kind of class," he gloated, shrugging as though he just couldn't help but be a cut above the rest. "Anyway, we'll show you what it feels like to be subservient. Let's go, Rex."
 

With that, he tossed the Ball into the air, producing a flash of light. A Tyrunt coalesced from the energy, roaring in defiance as it was let out of its ball. It eyed Titan with contempt before turning up its snout and closing its eyes, snorting.

[K_H]

Striaton City, Gate Battlefield - "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" - Jack
Jack shook his head, knowing that he was outmatched. However, he decided to go for it anyways, and spoke to the pink-clad girl who was his opponent.
"I just want to make something clear for you right now: There will be no exchange of money between us, regardless of who wins."
He then sent out Lara, and knelt down, whispering into the poochyena's ear.
"I might've been dragged into this against my will, but try to give it your all, OK?"
Lara nodded, and then the two of them waited for their opponent to send out her first pokémon.