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

[Chim]

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

 

“I’m Brendan,” the rookie replied. “And did you just say you bought your Pokémon? Are you one of those so called trainers that use their money to buy Pokémon that are considered rare and strong?” His eyes rested on the Tyrunt. This was his first time meeting such a rare Pokémon. In normal circumstances he would be over the moon seeing a fossil Pokémon brought back to life. He didn’t know anything about the Tyrunt other than its typing. That was one of his goals during his travels; meeting and learning about fossil Pokémon. And now he was already facing one from another region to boot.

 

“I have to admit it’s an incredible Pokémon. I love history and archeology so I have to thank you for letting me meet an ancient Pokémon like this so early during my travels.”

 

That was the only nice and genuine thing Brendan could say. The attitude of this trainer sickened him. Just because he was born into a rich family he thought he was above anyone else? Did he really think he could just buy his way to the top? What would happen to the Tyrunt if it lost because Leon was incapable? That asshole would probably blame the little dragon and throw it away without any thought. People like this genuinely pissed Brendan off.

 

“Titan,” he said more firm than usual, “Rock Blast!”

[starkidcosmo]

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

 

Mio's urge to fanboy over Benga's rare Pokemon was dampened by his exhaustion, but he still had to tear his gaze away as Jason spoke.

 

"I think our best bet is with Loam," he said. "She has the type advantage over Larvesta, which will probably draw their attention away from Gomez. She can take more hits than Meena can, too." On cue, Loam pranced forwards to stand next to Gomez. Her confidence was obvious from the way she held herself, but Mio wasn't so sure. He gritted his teeth and glared over at his opponents, trying to shake off his unease.

 

"Let's not be reckless..." he muttered, mostly to himself. It was true he was tired, but he still wanted to win.

[Jory]

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

 

Leon

"Rex, Bide!" the older Trainer countered. The Tyrunt began emanating a red aura just before the rocks impacted. Three medium-sized rocks collided with the Tyrunt, sending him skidding back. However, he stayed on his feet, looking not much worse for wear after the attack. The aura around him grew in size and intensity after the attack as the Tyrunt roared belligerently at his opponent. "Leading off with your strongest attack, huh? A bold strategy, kid, I'll give you that, but can you match us blow for blow?" He sneered at Brendan, using a hand to make sure his hair was still sculpted in place. "Still, thanks for the compliment. It's not every day some snot-nosed kid recognizes true greatness where he sees it."

 

Benga

"Good choice, punk. That type advantage is gonna be a big help in this round," he said, smiling his phony smile. "That's a nice little Mudkip you got there. Since you challenged me, we'll take the first move." He looked toward Perona. The two appeared to communicate wordlessly for a moment. "Helios, give that fuzzy little shit an Ember to lead off!" he commanded. Flames shot from the Larvesta's bottom two horns and it took to the air, rocketing straight up about ten feet. It gave a shrill cry before using the remaining horns to fire a stream of burning sparks at Rascal. 

 

Perona

"Now, Talzin, Confuse Ray!" Perona said calmly. At the same moment, Helios was ascending using his flame jets. The Ghost-type's amulet glowed with red energy once more. An eerie green light appeared in front of Rascal. He followed it with his eyes, the luminescent orb mesmerizing the Minccino. As the orb faded, the flames grew dangerously close to Rascal.

 

Jason

"Rascal, dodge!" Jason shouted. He shouldn't have any problem dodging an outright attack, he thought to himself. But, when Rascal went to move out of the way, he stumbled. The Minccino went down on his stomach, lying prone as the Ember impacted his small, vulnerable form. Rascal was sent flying backward, nearly reaching Jason and Mio. His fur was lightly singed, but other than that he seemed unharmed. Still, he was having a hard time getting up. When he finally did, he began to stumble once more. 

 

"Alright, Rascal, come back!" he said quickly. The Minccino stumbled toward his Trainer's voice, his acute hearing faring much better than his eyesight in his dazed state. When he finally crossed the line marking the edge of the battlefield, Gomez quickly entered the fray. "Stay ready, Gomez!" he said quickly. "These guys are no joke. Rascal's in rough shape, and we haven't even launched an attack." Rascal staggered around behind Jason as he spoke, trying hard to regain his balance.

 

Benga

"That's all you've got?" the black-clad Trainer said, bursting out laughing. "Ohohoho man, you guys are screwed! You can't even bring it in a Multi Battle! What makes you think you'll be able to win this, let alone a battle against the Striation City Gym Leaders?" he continued. "You'll have to bring your A-game today, hombre!"

 

Jason

"We'll win because there's no way I'm telling Juniper that we lost to a bunch of bums like you," he said firmly. "Then again, maybe if you spent the amount of time you all spend getting dressed in that ridiculous getup every morning training instead, you'd have more than one Gym Badge." he said with his trademark grin. "Now let me put my money where my mouth is. Gomez, Mega Drain,"  he ordered. Gomez slammed his fist into the ground in a superhero pose. A split-second later, a group of vines exploded out of the ground beneath Helios. The Larvesta, caught off-guard, was quickly entangled in the roots and brought low to the ground. However, he was still able to fire his jets, and resisted being outright slammed into the dirt. As it stood, he was hover slightly off the ground, his energy being sapped by Gomez's attack.

 

"Mio, now!" Jason shouted.

 

Perona

"Talzin, Psywave," Perona ordered. Her Misdreavus fired a pink wave from her amulet. It glowed softly as it snaked its way slowly toward her opponents, expanding constantly in a cone shape. At the rate it was moving, it would definitely hit Gomez. 

[starkidcosmo]

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

 

There wasn't time to think before the battle began in earnest. Within seconds, Rascal was confused and Jason was forced to withdraw him, Gomez taking his place. Mio gritted his teeth in frustration. Benga and Perona were clearly people who could back up all their talk.

 

Still, Mio and Jason had come out ahead with worse odds. Once Gomez had Helios restrained, Mio responded quickly.

 

"Loam, Water Gun on the bug!" Loam didn't need any further prompting, letting off a shot of water aimed at the Larvesta's face. Mio didn't think that would end it, but maybe Gomez's attack could drain away enough of the Larvesta's health for the next hit to KO. Unfortunately, he had no clue what to do about Psywave. He hesitated, wondering if it would work, before ordering: "Now, try and throw off that Psywave! Water gun!"

Loam obeyed, whirling around to fire another bullet of water at the wave of psychic energy headed for Gomez. 

 

[Jory]

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

-Objective complete!: Prevent Hugh from coming to harm

-New Objective: Battle Benga and his goons

 

 

???- Jack

"My first Pokemon is my one and only! Ms. Puff, come out and play!" she said excitedly. Her Jigglypuff looked perfectly fine after its battle with Hugh's Oshawott. Little did Jack know, the girl had used a Potion to heal her Jigglypuff after the first battle. The Jigglypuff floated out onto the battlefield, its eyes narrowing. Ms. Puff tilted her round head to the side, then extended one of her arms toward Lara. She beckoned to the hound, taking a combat stance. "I don't need your money. I just want to beat someone down!" she said sweetly. Her expression immediately made Jack uncomfortable. While her smile seemed girlish and innocent, it extended only halfway up her face. Her eyes, bottomless reservoirs of longing though they were, sank dully against her cherubic glow. 

 

"Ms. Puff, start the match off with a Defense Curl, please!" she asked, giggling. The Jigglypuff curled into a ball. It was surrounded by a blue sphere for a few moments. When the sphere disappeared and Ms. Puff stood back up, she was surrounded with an orange, skinlike aura. "Come and play with us, little boy! We're getting boooored~" she said, her smile much more terrifying than it was reassuring.

[Chim]

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

 

The situation wasn’t favorable for Brendan and Titan. Not only were they facing someone with more experience but they also couldn’t go full offensive without suffering serious damage from Bide. “Quick, get your defense up! Use Harden!”

 

Titan’s rocky exterior shone for a second indicating he had raised his defense, preparing for the incoming attack he couldn’t dodge. “Complimenting a Pokémon and complimenting a trainer are two different things,” Brendan said to his opponent. “Right now, the image you have given me, isn’t very praiseworthy.”

[Jory]

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

 

Perona

The Psywave hit Loam directly, scoring a solid hit. However, Loam was barely pushed back. Evidently, their mistake wasn't going to cost them that time. The Water Gun managed to intercept the Psywave on the way to Gomez, causing an open space to form behind it in the energy cone; it left an orb of water suspended in midair, rotating slowly above the battlefield. "Talzin, Confuse Ray!" Perona said quickly, taking stock of the situation. The cowardly boy's Mudkip could become an issue quickly if it wasn't checked. The Misdrevus's pendant began to glow once more, and the same eerie green light that had incapacitated Rascal appeared in front of Loam.

 

Benga

Helios took the Water Gun head on. Between that and the surprise hit from Mega Drain, he had taken a noticeable amount of damage. "Helios, turn up the heat! Free yourself!" Using flames from his horns, Helios was able to burn his way out of the vines. He shook his fur off and rocketed back into the air. "Now, let's take care of that annoying little Mudkip. Helios, use Take Down!" The firebug angled its horns, launching itself at high speed toward Loam. A white energy field began to form in front of Helios as he propelled himself forward, recklessly charging Mio's partner.

 

Jason

"Gomez, Quick Attack! Try and knock that Larvesta off-course!" Jason ordered urgently. Gomez obeyed, leaving a cloud of dust and a white trail behind him as he blazed on course to intercept the Larvesta before it could get to his partner. He ran almost directly for Loam, aiming in front of her in order to catch his opponent just before his point of impact. His incredible burst of speed allowed him to cross the battlefield before his opponent, reaching the critical point just in the nick of time. 

 

The Grass-type dropped his shoulder and rammed into Helios, expecting to shift his opponent's course. Instead, he was thrown backward from the sheer force of Helios's Take Down attack. The Larvesta continued toward Loam, having been thrown slightly off course. Gomez ended the exchange rolling end over end before coming to a halt in the dirt. He braced himself on his arms and got up, shaking off the impact and getting ready to continue fighting.

 

"Now, Mega Drain that Misdreavus!" Jason ordered. Gomez slammed his fist into the ground. However, after waiting a second, it was apparent nothing had happened. His move had fizzled, and Loam was still in the path of both of their opponents' attacks. 

 

Leon

"Well well, looks like your bark's bigger than your bite! Just planning on having that pebble stand around all day, or are you going to actually do something?" he asked with a sneer. As he spoke, his Tyrunt continued to glow with ferocious red light. However, he stood his ground. The ancient Pokemon once again roared its challenge to its opponent, encouraging him to engage in a toe-to-toe fight.

 

Leon laughed. "Just look at you! Pathetic! You're so scared, you can't even move! If you don't attack, how are you planning to knock me out?" Leon asked, mocking Brendan. "What, you think I give a rat's ass what you think of me? You're just rabble; a naive Amateur who doesn't even have a Gym Badge!" Rex continued to stand in place, growling menacingly. "So come on then, kid! Prove to me that money doesn't make the man! Show me what that hunk of dirt's got!"

 

[Chim]

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

 

If Leon thought Brendan was going to fall for his taunts he was gravely mistaken. From the very start the Kalos native was one of those types that annoyed Brendan to no end. The only result he was going to get was that the Rookie Trainer was going to do the opposite of what he wanted. Not really the most mature reaction but during his baseball days the strategy had paid off.

 

Leon was eager to go head to head. And Brendan knew if he rushed in the Bide attack would hurt Titan tremendously. The only tactic left for now was to play the slow game. Some, like Leon, may consider it cowardly but for Brendan it was an easy decision. The Tyrunt was strong and there was a big chance the small dragon could overpower Titan head to head.

 

Brendan saw only one way to victory; mess up Leon composure. If he could force Leon to make a mistake, make him lose his patience, an opening to win this battle would eventually come. Pokémon battles were not much different from team sports. Just like in baseball. Even a strong pitcher can’t perform on his best if the catcher made poor decisions.

 

“For someone who talks so much I haven’t seen you do much either. So I think I’ll take my sweet time,” Brendan said, trying to bait Leon into attacking. “Titan, use Harden again.”

 

The Roggenrola repeated the same process as before, waiting for the Tyrunt to come to him.

[starkidcosmo]

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

 

Mio swore. He hadn't noticed the Psywave coming for Loam, and although she hadn't taken much damage from it, it made it clear he needed to step up his game. As the Misdreavus's amulet shone and Confuse Ray appeared in Loam's face. Meanwhile, Helios was charging her with a Take Down. Gomez managed to throw it off a bit, but if Loam didn't dodge, she'd be in bad shape.

 

"Loam!" he shouted, but Confuse ray had done its work. She stumbled from side to side as if drunk. "Come on girl! Dodge!" Mio called, desperate. Loam managed to dive to her left just as Helios careened into her, but she still took a hard hit. Stumbling to her feet, the little Mudkip winced as she stumbled around to face Benga's bug.

 

Mio gritted his teeth, but he wasn't ready to call Loam back just yet. If she could just take out that Larvesta, Meena and Gomez could handle the rest with relative ease. "Loam! Give me one last Water Gun! I know you can do it! Aim straight ahead!" Loam planted all four feet as best she could and inhaled, her cheeks swelling with water. Her vision was swimming and doubled, but she managed to fire her attack in the general direction of Helios. 

[K_H]

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

Jack took on an intrigued look when he learned that the girl wasn't interested in money, either. When his opponent instructed her Pokémon to use Defense Curl, he took on a ready-for-battle look, and then spoke to Lara, giving her a command.
"All right, Lara, let's show our opponent what we're made of! Sand Attack!"
Lara then used her back legs to toss the sand, dirt, and dust of the ground at the balloon pokémon's face.

[Jory]

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

 

Mio

The Water Gun missed wide, whizzing harmlessly past Helios's head. In the process, Loam fell forward hard onto her face from the effort of spitting the high-powered jet of water and took a small amount of damage. 

 

Perona

"It seems that attack was destined to fail," Perona said snidely.The medium took her cards out of her bag once more and shuffled them quickly by hand, drawing three. She examined them briefly before laughing eerily, shaking her head. "How can you two hope to win when I have the Fates on my side? Talzin, use Astonish on that Treecko!" Perona said. Her Misdreavus faded from view.

 

Jason

"Stay on guard, Gomez," Jason said cautiously. With the threat of a free attack from Misdreavus, there was no way he would be able to get to Loam in time. He felt his frustration boiling inside him. There just didn't seem to be anything to do except to engage the Misdreavus. Suddenly, Talzin appeared directly in front of Gomez. She rammed herself into him, knocking him back a step. The attack lacked power, though, and failed to knock the Grass-type off his feet. 

 

"Now, counter with Mega Drain!" Jason said, grinning widely. Gomez brought his fist back to launch a cluster of vines at his foe, but Talzin feinted forward and made a frightening expression. Gomez balked and jumped back in surprise, his attack failing once again. Damn it, he swore inwardly. This Misdreavus is a pain in the ass!

 

Benga

"What's the matter, runt? Seems like your Pokemon can't even shoot straight at point-blank range!" he commented. He cocked his head to the side and pointed forward. "Helios! Finish off that Mudkip with an Absorb attack!" he ordered. The Larvesta pounced on the prone Mudkip, landing on top of Loam before extending creepers around her. He began to sap her remaining energy. As he began looking more vital, Loam suddenly looked pale and sleepy. Before Mio knew it, Loam had fainted from the super-effective attack. Helios crawled off the Mudkip and back to his side of the field as Benga laughed. 

 

"Is that all you two have? If that's the case, you might as well surrender now. You haven't even laid a finger on Talzin, and my boy Helios isn't exactly hangin' on by a thread. So what's it gonna be, little man? You gonna throw in the towel yet?"

 

???

"A little sand in her eyes won't stop Ms. Puff from steamrolling you~" the scary blonde girl sang. "Now, Ms. Puff, Rollout!" With the order given. the Jigglypuff curled herself into a ball once more. She began spinning rapidly in place, throwing up a cloud of dust. Finally, like a bullet from a gun, she barreled toward Lara with the most malicious of intent. The Jigglypuff's attack left a furrow in the ground behind her, a testament to the power and speed of the assault. Lara would barely have time to escape, let alone counter.

 

Leon

"You can taunt me all you want, but such depraved strategies aren't enough to fool me. Then again, I shouldn't expect some street urchin to have the faintest hint of honor," he complained. "Even if you're just going to stand there and try to bait me, it won't save you now! Rex, unleash!" the arrogant Trainer commanded. The Tyrunt took a wider stance. His burning red aura burst outward before being sucked into his small body entirely. Rex threw his head back and, with a mighty roar, unleashed a blazing white beam of light directly at Titan.

 

 

 

[K_H]

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

Jack saw the Jigglypuff start to use a Rollout, and spoke to Lara in an urgent tone of voice.
"Lara, watch out!"
Lara looked around her, and saw the Rollout charging up...

But it was too late.

As Lara coiled up to spring to the side and out of the way, the Balloon pokémon shot at the poochyena like a cannonball. Lara was hit cleanly on the feet in the middle of her jump, sending her into a spin, and she hit the ground splayed out on all fours. However, she quickly managed to get back up, now prepared for the Rollout headed her way. After giving off a Howl, she kept a close eye on the jigglypuff, watching where it was headed.

[starkidcosmo]

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

 

"Ah, shit," was the only thing Mio could think to say as Loam's shot of water whizzed into the distance. Helios's absorb drained her straight into unconciousness, and Mio was forced to return her to his Pokeball.

"Sorry girl," he said. Benga's taunts were definitely hitting home, but Mio refused to respond. He'd been too riled up and it cost Loam another battle, so this definitely wasn't the time to get bent out of shape about some ginger prick's jibes. He nodded at Meena, who stepped forwards into the battlefield. Time to step it up, he thought. Helios was still a problem, but this Talzin was too good of a support to be left alone for long.

 

"Meena, let's start things off with Bite on that Misdreavus!" Meena darted past the Larvesta as fast as she could, bounding towards Gomez. She leaped over him, her fangs covered in an evil aura, ready to take out a chunk of Talzin's health.

[Chim]

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

 

The moment Brendan had been waiting for finally approached. There was no way Titan would be able to dodge the incoming Bide attack. Instead he decided to raise Titan’s eviolite boosted defenses even more to even the playing field.

 

“Rock Blast straight ahead!”

 

The Roggenrola obeyed shooting massive rocks to collide with the incoming Bide attack. It didn’t matter if the rocks blew through or not, the real opportunity was waiting after the moment of the two attack colliding.

 

“Depraved tactics? All I did was do the same thing as you. Did you really think I was going to attack recklessly to power up your own attack? I’m well aware your Tyrunt is strong. That’s why I bought some time to raise Titan’s defense and even my odds by a little.” Brendan said, looking straight into the eyes of his opponent. “One more thing; you talk about honor sounds like a joke. You claim to be wealthy enough to buy rare Pokémon. Yet here you are bullying a 12 year old who just started his journey...”

 

Brendan wanted to say so much more. He had a hard time not to start ranting how Leon was a sad excuse for a trainer and a person. Bragging about the money his parents made like he stood above the common people, watching like a vulture until his friend beat Hugh just to take his money, and now they were targeting Mio. It had been a long time since Brendan was this angry and it took all his self-control not to let it out. The rookie trainer pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. This wasn’t the time to let his emotions take over control. He had to focus. As soon as the Tyrunt made his next move, that was when they were going to strike.

 

[Jory]

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

 

Perona

The spooky Trainer was caught off-guard by the sudden onslaught from the Meowth, having been laughing along with Benga's insults. Mio's sullen manner and lack of a comeback had lulled her into a false sense of security, causing her to believe he was ready to give up. As a result, Talzin was hit dead-on with a super-effective Bite attack. The Meowth's fangs dug into the incorporeal body of the Misdreavus, causing her to cry out in pain. Meena, the psychopathic motherfucker she was, hadn't had enough; she held onto the Misdreavus and attempted to dig her claws in, causing her limbs to pass through the Ghost-type repeatedly.

 

"Shake that filthy... thing!" Perona cried out. Talzin began flying erratically, attempting to rid herself of the malign feline. Meena went flying off the Misdreavus, flipping wildly through the air. However, when it came time to impact the ground, Meena landed perfectly on all fours.

 

???

"Keep going, Ms. Puff! The show doesn't stop here!" the girl said cheerily as Ms. Puff rolled through her opponent, dealing a noticeable amount of damage to the Poochyena. Still, Lara was able to fight and showed no signs of giving in soon. The girl wasn't worried; she had the type advantage, after all. The Jigglypuff rolled in a wide circle around the perimeter of the battlefield, preparing for another strike. Just as Lara got up and into her battle stance, Ms. Puff completed her turn and began barreling toward the Dark-type. Her velocity and momentum had only increased since the last hit. Ms. Puff went straight for the tiny canine, preparing to adjust in case the pup tried anything cute.

 

Jason

"Alright, Mio! Great work! Now Gomez, use Mega Drain on that Misdreavus!" the Amateur Trainer ordered enthusiastically, pointing at the injured and pre-occupied Ghost-type. Gomez once again brought his fist back, preparing to assault Talzin directly with a flurry of life-draining creepers. A green glow formed in his hand, starting as a bright green orb and expanding outward in a forest-green corona. Small creepers grew from the points where his digits touched his palm, a precursor to the dangerous plants that would be summoned by this attack.

 

Leon

The Bide attack blew through the Rock Blasts and hit Titan dead on. "How dare you insult my honor!" Leon fumed, his face becoming red. "I'll have you know that I've attended the finest schools, been given the best education, and I have all the resources a Trainer could need! Who are you to lecture me about honor, you baseborn ingrate!" he shouted angrily. "Rex, let's show this clown that nobody messes with us like that. The Busset family's honor is on the line, now! Let's test those defenses! Use Bite!" Leon ordered. 

 

Rex charged at Titan, his fangs fading to a glistening new moon black. Once he got within a few yards of his opponent he began juking from side to side as he ran in, hoping to confound his slow opponent with a series of quick movements. Once he got close enough, he feinted left then launched his attack, snapping his black-clad teeth at Titan.

 

Benga

"Not so fast! Ember!" Benga interjected. Without warning, Helios fired an Ember attack toward Gomez. The three streams of flame converged from the Larvesta's topmost horns and formed a larger column, speeding toward the vulnerable Grass-type from his side. Though it was hardly a charged up attack, it was definitely threatening to the Treecko and would suffice to protect the Larvesta's teammate.

 

Jason

"Abort and retreat!" Jason countered. Gomez pulled his hand down from its attacking position and adroitly leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding the dangerous Fire-type attack but having to stop his assault on Talzin. During the lull in the action, Jason took stock of each combatant. Benga's Larvesta had taken a substantial amount of damage earlier in the fight. However, it had managed to heal some of that off when it knocked out Mio's Mudkip with his Absorb attack. Gomez was looking battered, but still capable of fighting. However, he did not look up to taking too many more hits. Talzin, the Misdreavus, had been faring well until Meena's surprise attack. Her Bite attack looked like it had done quite a bit of damage; still, Talzin was definitely in the fight. Meena looked fresh and, unlike the other combatants, had not a scratch on her.

[starkidcosmo]

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

 

Mio glowed with pride as Meena sank her teeth into Talzin, though as usual, she seemed a bit too enthusiastic. He wasn't exactly in the mood to tell her to take it easy, though. 

 

She landed gracefully on her feet after the Misdreavus threw her off, but Gomez had barely managed to dodge an Ember from Helios. The treecko was obviously having a hard time, and probably wouldn't survive a hit from Benga's Pokemon. Meena wouldn't be able to take him out on her own, but maybe she was fast enough to harry him into ignoring Gomez until Talzin was out. 

 

There wasn't a lot of time to strategize, but Mio addressed Jason quickly and quietly without taking his eyes off the fight.

 

"I think we can keep that Larvesta off of you guys until the Misdreavus is out," he muttered. "But if you have any better ideas I'm definitely listening."

[K_H]

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

Jack and Lara both saw the Rollout continue, and Lara was preparing to run away from the move using Tackle when Jack stopped her.
"Nuh-uh, Lara, you know the rules: no running from Trainer Battles. Now, Sand Attack!"
Lara considered her options for a split second, then decided that her trainer really did know what he was doing, and thusly used Sand Attack, trying to lower the Jigglypuff's accuracy by another tier so that when Leonidas took the field, he'd have an easier time fighting.

[Chim]

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

 

Titan took the attack head on. His excellent hearing allowed him to keep track of the Tyrunt’s location. The dragon’s teeth found the Roggenrola’s rocky body on the right side of the crevice. Brendan hesitated just for a second before the impact. He could’ve ordered Titan to shoot some more rocks from close distance or go head to head with a wild headbutt. But neither of those options would allow him the result he was going for.

 

His hesitation led to Titan being bit and Brendan mentally apologized to Titan. He had to receive some damage in order to get this Tyrunt down. A risky strategy but luckily Leon’s annoying personality gave Brendan the time to raise Titan’s defenses just for this purpose.

 

“Jump and shake him. Follow up with Rock Blast, aim for the legs!”

 

Titan obeyed. His little feet left marks in the dirt as he jumped as high as he could while turning his entire body to the right. According to Brendan’s plan the Tyrunt would either let go or his body would move alongside Titan’s movement, bringing the legs right in front of Titan’s crevice.

 

[Jory]

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" (BGM in spoiler)

As their battles continued in earnest, our heroes couldn't help but feel as though they were fighting uphill. Still, they persevered in hopes of avenging the humiliation of their friend and comrade, Hugh.

 

 

 

https://listenonrepeat.com/?v=6pfXK2mGn1Y#Pokemon_Sun%2FMoon_-_Vs__Guzma_Remix
 

 

 

Leon

"WHAT!?" Leon cried out in disbelief as his opponent's Roggenrola took full advantage of Rex's attack, taking his Trainer completely by surprise. The Roggenrola's twist worked exactly as Brendan had planned, swinging the Tyrunt's midsection and legs over Titan's facehole. Rock after rock fired like bullets from a gun at point blank range into the Tyrunt, landing a series of four critical hits. Rex was knocked loose as he cried out in pain, flying backward and away from his opponent. Titan didn't look too bad after the Bite attack; after all, he had doubled his defenses on top of the Eviolite that was already hidden inside Titan's body.

 

The small Dragon type stood up and shook off the dirt that had accumulated on him, letting out yet another defiant roar. "Are you okay, Rex?" Leon asked, an uncharacteristic concern apparent in his voice. However, once Rex gave a growl of affirmation, Leon smirked. "Even a point-blank attack like that can't slow us down. You're just outclassed you know? It's okay to lose to someone who's flat out better than you," he elaborated as he lifted his arms in a shrug and gave a cocky smile. "Still, that wasn't a bad move. You're makin' me go all out, here!" Leon announced. "Rex, Dragon Dance!" The Tyrunt began stomping on the ground, working himself into an attacking frenzy. He became cloaked in a red and black aura as he danced, slowly absorbing the radiant energy.

 

Jason

"Right!" Jason affirmed, still watching the battle. "Gomez, go for it! Mega Drain on that Misdreavus one more time!" the Trainer ordered, counting on Mio to deter attacks from Benga's Larvesta. As the battle began once more in earnest, Jason couldn't help but smile. This was why he'd come on this adventure. For high-stakes, blood-pumping, intensely fierce battles with other Trainers.

 

Gomez dashed forward, leaving small puffs of dust in his wake as he zipped from side to side, using his high Speed to confound the opponent's Misdreavus. As he grew closer he watched for a counter-attack from the Ghost-type and began channeling his energy toward his hand, causing it to glow green and sprout once more. Once he was close, Gomez suddenly sprang into the air, preparing to launch his attack.

 

Perona

"Talzin! Psywave again!" Perona ordered as she frantically looked at her cards. Despite being in the best position out of all the battlers, she seemed to be having trouble keeping up with Jason and Gomez's fast-paced battling style. The Misdreavus's amulet began to glow once more, then emitted a harsh red wave that traveled quickly upward toward Gomez in a cone. It crackled with malicious intent, but had no chance of hitting anything on the ground.

 

Benga

"Helios, protect Talzin! Use Ember!" Benga cut in, not one to crack so easily under pressure. His voice had a commanding, charismatic quality to it. Even in battle, it was clear that Benga was the leader of this group. Helios once again took to the air so he was on the same level as Gomez and began shooting sparks out of his horns and toward Gomez once more.

 

Jason

Time seemed to slow as Jason watched the incoming attacks heading for Gomez. "Dodge!" he commanded, having full faith in his partner's ability to react to the situation appropriately. Gomez rolled his body in the air, changing his trajectory just enough to avoid the powerful Psywave attack. He shot his hand toward Talzin, extending a large cluster of vines toward the now-vulnerable Pokemon. He began draining its life energy, sapping the strength from Talzin and using it to replenish his own reserves. He looked more refreshed with every passing moment, to the point where he appeared to be at full health. I hope it's enough... Jason thought to himself, watching the Ember head for his Grass-type.

 

Gomez turned to face the Ember as he continued to suck energy from Talzin, his eyes wide in fear. He knew there was no way to avoid it. Instead of trying in vain to roll out of the way he simply covered his face with his arms and tail, hoping to mitigate the damage to his vital areas. The attack hit full-force, cloaking Gomez in flames for a full second before subsiding. Gomez fell to the ground, his movements weak and his breathing heavy. Another attack, and he'd surely be down for the count.

 

???

Lara's Sand Attack did pretty much nothing, serving only to annoy the Jigglypuff as it was deflected by the centrifugal force of her constant rotation. She continued on her trajectory toward the Poochyena, wondering why on Arceus's green earth the poor thing's Trainer wasn't asking her to move out of the way. Ms. Puff once again barreled into her opponent at maximum speed, pummeling the small Dark-type with a double-power Rollout and knocking her nearly to the edge of the battlefield. If Lara took another hit, she'd faint for sure.

 

[K_H]

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

Jack's face took on a somewhat surprised look, as if he wasn't quite expecting the move to be so easily deflected, but he did see that Lara was still standing after the hit, even if just barely. Taking on a determined look and realizing that now was the time to press the offensive if he was going to, he gave Lara a command.
"You've got this under control, Lara! Now hit it where it counts!"
Lara heard her Trainer's command, and looked to where her opponent was rolling around, and then darted at the jigglypuff from behind and at an angle, taking both its motion and her own into account as she tried tackling the balloon pokémon, aiming where the center of her opponent's side would be when she landed the move if she was successful.

[starkidcosmo]

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

 

"Alright Meena, let's go!" Mio called. They were too slow to stop Helios from scoring a hit on Gomez, but the Treecko was still in the fight and they were going to make sure he stayed that way. "Use Screech, then follow up with Scratch!" 

 

Meena turned on Helios and took a deep breath before letting out a horrible yowl in an attempt to throw him off-guard. Wasting no time, she then sprinted towards the bug-type, feinting to the left before going in with claws bared.

 

[Chim]

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

 

Brendan’s entire plan went down the drain when Leon spoke one simple command: Dragon Dance. He flat out ignored his opponent while trying to plan his next move. Titan could probably handle the Tyrunt’s attack after one boost but just to be safe Brendan would’ve liked to raise his partner’s defence once more. The chances of Leon allowing Brendan to execute his plan again were low.

 

There really was only one way for now. Brendan hoped Titan’s earlier attack was enough to restrain his opponent from going maximum speed. “Keep up the pressure! Rock Blast! Keep aiming at his legs!”

[Jory]

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

 

???

Lara's attack connected, hitting the Jigglypuff hard from behind, dealing a bit of damage; however, as Ms. Puff was rolling, this only served to speed her up. "Again! Again!" the blonde girl cheered, clapping her hands rapidly as she jumped up and down. Her hair followed her, bouncing on top of her head and making her look quite doll-like. The Jigglypuff turned around once more and charged toward Lara. This time, the furrow grew deeper and the aura around Ms. Puff grew larger. She continued to speed up, barreling into the tiny Poochyena once again and sending her flying back. Lara was thrown into Jack's chest, knocking him over. Lara tried to get up again and failed, flopping on her Trainer's chest after a valiant effort to rise on shaky legs.

 

Jack's opponent licked her lips, smiling devilishly. "Yay! I won that round! But I see two Poke Balls on that belt of yours~" she continued, gesturing for Jack to continue. "Come on, little Amateur. I thought you were going to play with me, but you could barely land a hit! You're gonna have to do better than that, or I'll need to find other ways to entertain myself," she said with a sinister giggle. "Who's my next playmate~?"

 

Jason

"Gomez!" Jason shouted in fear, restraining himself from running onto the field to check on his Pokemon. If he did that, it would be the same as saying Gomez was unable to battle, and he wasn't willing to forfeit just yet. "Gomez, please get up!" he shouted again, desperation creeping into his voice. He wasn't going to lose this early in his career, and especially not to an asshole like Benga. He looked out toward his Treecko, doing his best to see how his Pokemon was faring. "Gomez!"

 

Benga

Helios cringed as the Screech attack landed, the horrible yowling noise making him want to do nothing more than plug his ears and fly away. The only problem with that strategy was the lack of hands to cover his ears with. Instead he was left sitting in place, shaking his head back and forth as he attempted to clear the ringing in his ears. "Helios, get out of the way! It's an easy dodge!" Benga shouted. Unfortunately for him, his Pokemon was unable to hear his command. Meena's Scratch attack landed flush on the Larvesta's face, dealing significant damage to the crippled Bug and Fire-type. Due to the slashing nature of the attack Helios was able to hold his ground despite taking a lot of damage, and the pain from the Scratch worked perfectly to help him regain his focus.

 

"Counter with Take Down!" Benga ordered. Before Meena had a chance to react, Helios fired his jets, traveled the roughly foot and a half between the two Pokemon, and slammed himself head-first into Meena's abdomen, knocking her back across the field and dealing a substantial amount of damage. Another point-blank hit like that and she'd be toast. Benga laughed at Mio, pointing his finger at the Amateur Trainer. "You're such a dunce! I can't believe you fell for that! Now your partner's Pokemon are down, and you're the only one left!" he taunted, ignoring the rest of the battle.

 

Perona

"What's the matter, Amateurs? Can't hang with us Rookies?" the girl said mockingly, making crying gestures with her hands. "I guess you'll just have to go home to Mommy and rest up after this one! Those of you that have one to go home to, anyway," she said cruelly, jabbing a finger toward Mio. "You little twerps think you're so tough? Just look at what happens when you step up to the Big Leagues. Go home, losers."

 

Leon

"Dodge, and use Bite!" Leon countered. "Those Rocks are too slow for us now!" His Tyrunt replied instantly, dispelling its aura. Rex ran to the side, dodging the first rock. He stopped quickly and jumped straight up, dodging the second. When he came down, he was hit directly by the third rock and was briefly dazed. He was able to shake off the attack and charged at Titan jaws first, gnashing his teeth at the annoying little pebble. "Crush this peasant into dust!" Leon shouted, closing his fist and smiling evilly at Brendan.

 

Jason

"Gomez, get up! Gomez!" came a voice from the void. The Treecko felt himself floating through space, watching his battle from a distance. He could see his burnt, limp form on the ground. Then, he looked to his Trainer. Although the two had met very recently, Gomez had taken a liking to Jason. He'd shown his Pokemon nothing but compassion and respect, a fact that Rascal had been able to corroborate earlier in the day. He recalled asking the Minccino if he would be okay, and having the Normal-type laugh at him. But now he understood.

 

With Jason, as it seemed to be with his friends, there was no "if." These Trainers weren't just any Trainers; they had been selected from a huge field of applicants. And the one thing that they all had in common was simple- they didn't want Pokemon simply to accomplish their own goals, only to share their successes with their partners. 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tU5EMlT3Uzw

Suddenly, Gomez's eyes snapped open. He pushed himself up off the ground slowly, using his arms and tail to support himself as he rose groggily. When he stood, he wobbled for a moment, weakened severely by Benga's attack. But this wasn't a battle he was willing to lose; not yet, at least. Gomez looked inward, searching for the last bit of strength he could offer his Trainer in this battle. He clenched his fists, frustrated by his weakness. Not only by his weakness, but by the taunts the other Trainers were levying at their team. The more they insulted Jason and Mio, the more he could feel his anger rising. Finally, Gomez couldn't take it anymore.

 

"Tree... KOOOOOOO!" he screamed, an aura of bright green energy exploding outward from his body. The light covered poured out of him in waves, illuminating the Gate Battlefield in the dim light of dusk. Jason could feel his clothing billowing back from the sheer force of the energy released by his Pokemon, the Amateur Trainer's eyes widening in shock at this impressive display of latent power. The Grass elemental's eyes began glowing a fierce yellow and he once again took a fighting stance, looking back to Jason and nodding.

 

Jason recovered from his state of shock and looked toward Mio, clearly seeking an explanation. Then, he remembered he was in a battle, and that this was probably the time to do something about the Misdreavus that had been giving them so much trouble. He nodded back to Gomez. "Right!" he said quickly, affirming their shared mindset. "Gomez, Mega Drain!" he shouted. The Grass-type was off like a shot toward Talzin, even faster than before. To Gomez, the world was composed of three things: him, his Trainer, and that Misdreavus, and he'd be damned if he was going to let that witch off the hook easily.

 

Perona

"What the shit!?" Perona cried out in surprise, never having expected something like this to happen. "Talzin, Astonish!" she ordered. The Misdreavus disappeared and reappeared in front of Gomez, attempting to finish him off before he could do any damage. 

 

Jason

"Finish her!" Jason commanded, growing more confident by the second. Gomez sprang up and over the Misdreavus, avoiding her attack. His fist glowed a bright green, a supernova compared to the twinkling light from earlier. He threw his fist toward her, releasing a frenzy of creepers that quickly overtook and completely enveloped her. She was sent crashing to the ground, trapped under a net of vines that continuously drained her energy. It became clear after a few seconds that Talzin was unable to battle.

 

Then, Gomez's aura began to fade. He looked at his hands, puzzled by the sudden loss of his overwhelming power. Jason looked equally puzzled and turned to Mio, hoping for an explanation.

 

Perona

"GAH!" the Ghost girl shouted in frustration, stamping her feet. "That's not what the cards said would happen! It's not fair!" she wailed, reaching to her belt and taking off Talzin's Poke Ball. She returned her Pokemon, red-faced and ashamed of her loss. "Still, that doesn't mean Benga can't win! You two Amateurs stand no chance! He's the Champion's-"
 

Benga

"Enough!" Benga shouted, turning toward Perona and glaring at her. "I told you never to mention that coward," he growled at her, taking a menacing step toward his battle partner. "Am I clear, Perona? Or have you not disgraced yourself enough already?" he asked, nearly spitting her name with disdain. "Get off my battlefield," he ordered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Before I make you." At that, the girl meekly withdrew from the battlefield, joining the rest of her group in spectating the Multi Battle. 

 

"Now, little Amateur, that was an impressive move. But I doubt you even know what happened," he laughed, quickly returning to bullying his opponents. "Beginner's luck, as they say. I guess that just means I'll have to find a stronger partner for next time. Care to explain what just happened to your little boyfriend before I continue the beatdown?" he asked Mio pointedly.

[K_H]

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

Jack returned Lara to her pokéball, then got up, brushing the dust off of his clothing.
"If you thought that was fun, you're going to love what happens next."
He then put Lara's capsule back on his belt, and sent out Leonidas.
"All right, Leonidas, it's your time to shine!"
Leonidas seemed rather intimidating, even for a mere lion cub, his Ability activating.
"Charge, then Spark!"
Leonidas crackled with electricity, a shell of which stayed around the lion cub, then sped at the Jigglypuff as it rolled towards him with an electrified tackling maneuver, ready to jump to the side and then throw himself at it from a roughly-45-degree angle and the front in a sudden zig-zag pattern when it got a bit closer.

[starkidcosmo]

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

 

Mio gritted his teeth as Meena took a full-on hit from Benga's Larvesta, but judging by Jason's anguished cries, Gomez was in much worse shape. After making sure Meena was getting back up, Mio whirled around to see Gomez laid out flat on the ground, barely awake. He sucked in a breath, but the Treecko wasn't out of the fight just yet, although Benga and Perona seemed to think differently.

 

Speaking of the pair of bullies, they were starting to get under Mio's skin yet again. Perona in particular was having an effect, although not in the way she was probably expecting. What was with these people and the "Mommy" thing? All his life people were asking where his mother was. He was tired of hearing about it, and tired of explaining that she'd never existed. Even before his papa had died, everyone was always asking about it. Mio had never understood why it was so damn impossible for people to understand that he had two dads. Then again, Perona and Benga were clearly just plain jerks. They made fun of Rascal, of Loam, they called Meena filthy, and now they were using Gomez's near-defeat as fuel for their insults. Mio didn't mind a little trash-talk, but this utter lack of respect for Pokemon was obscene. He reared back, ready to snap, but Gomez got there first.

 

Mio's jaw dropped as the little Treecko practically exploded with power and totally overwhelmed the Misdreavus, providing the best comeback possible in the midst of a battle. Mio had to restrain himself from cheering as Perona recalled Talzin. Respect, he reminded himself. He didn't want to be anything like these two. Benga insulting his own friend cemented that feeling, although the following jab at Jason threw him for a loop. 

 

"Boyfr--" he cut himself off, shaking his head and trying desperately to stop himself from blushing. Judging from the burning sensation in his face and ears, he was failing. Praying no one would notice, he turned to Jason.

 

"I, uh, I've only heard about it in class, but I'm pretty sure that was Gomez's ability." he began, stuttering slightly out of embarrassment. "It's called Overgrow. When a pokemon with Overgrow is low on health, they get an increase in power that strengthens their grass-type moves. Once they're out of danger, it dissipates." Mio had to physically restrain himself from blabbering on about similar abilities in other types. They were still in the middle of a battle.