Whale Island - The Hydro-Electric Zone

[kaisap112]

Cascade Waterfall

Kaisap: Just as you’d settled the pandemonium on the bank, all hell was breaking lose high up on forest canopy. The grouchy Hoothoot hops down the branch on, hooting wildly as Kitty’s claws sink deeper into the bark. You looked to get the feline down from the tree as soon as possible, letting out another set of orders. Attempting to coax the Skitty onto the safety of Donphan’s trunk some twenty feet below, she weighs up this option. The ground below seemed like miles away as vertigo kicked in, the Kitty not looking to release her grip any time soon. You sigh in despair, she was stuck and you’d need to rescue her yourself. The cat’s desperate meows however are quickly drowned out by the loud screeching of the Hoothoot’s Uproar. Waves of sound reverberate from the owl’s beak down the tree causing all of Skitty’s hairs to stand on end. This outburst of noise doesn’t bode well at all with the pink feline, who seems to forget about her fear of heights and peppers off a barrage of Bullet Seeds – only at the Hoothoot instead of the ground. The greenish shower of bullets send the bird tumbling off balance and ruffle up her feathers, although not wholly effective. The Hoothoot, no longer tired looking, quickly regains its footing and shoots off a Confusion in return. The bluish ray of psychic energy pelts Kitty for a nice hit, whilst not causing any confusion. The cat unfastens from the branch now, balancing on it like a trapeze artist and looking to unleash some fury on the owl. Will you let her?

Kitty heard Noriko’s command, but her survival instinct seemed stronger than her trust toward her trainer. Kitty’s eyesight twisted, turned and wrapped around itself as vertigo hit her hard. Noriko watched her partner press tightly against the tree, feeling sorry for the Skitty.

Hoothoot decided to go on the offensive in the meanwhile, launching a vicious Uproar – which somehow pulled Kitty out of her paralyzed state on top of making every single hair on her tiny body stand straight. Kitty forgot all about her vertigo, instead incredibly angry at Hoothoot, who’d gotten her in this situation in the first place. She shot a beam of Bullet Seed at the bird, sending it stumbling backwards, but the attack clearly wasn’t all that effective. Hoothoot, no longer tired, retaliated with Confusion.

Kitty didn’t get confused by the attack, fortunately enough, instead getting herself on top of the tree branch like a talented trapeze artist. Noriko could see her companion was more than ready to make Hoothoot eat its own feathers. For once, Noriko decided to indulge Kitty.

“If you want to battle, then let’s do it! Kitty, use Fake Out and then Tackle!

[Balmund]

Kakatua Lagoon

Balmund: Trying your best, and failing, to resist temptation you decide on fishing up as much about the mermaid to see if her beauty was only scale deep. Narrowly avoiding her question, you manage to turn the conversation back onto her – edging a hair’s distance away with a seductive retort. She pauses for a moment, her thin eyebrows furrowing in bewilderment. As her scarlet eyes light up and she releases a small squeak - you imagine she must not have been used to guys taking an interest in her life. Her eyes dart around in all directions, as though she was struggling to think where to begin. She finally shakes her head decisively, grabbing your hands and locking eyes with you once more.

“Yes”, she nods, “It’ll be much easier if I show you...” Before you can ask any questions, the siren’s eyes start to glaze over a misty blue. You struggle to cling hold of your better judgement as her Hypnotising glare clears your brain of any thought, whisking you out of consciousness... The crystal catacomb swims in front of your eyes, and vanishes. Image after image was racing through your mind like a flickering film, so vivid it blinds you to your surroundings...

Finally your mind settles on the familiar surroundings of Kakatua Lagoon. It was not as you remembered it though. The secluded paradise was overcome with autumn, the outskirting trees coloured a mottled auburn. Red and yellow maple leaves fell from the branches like feathers, bobbing on the water’s clear surface and swirling into its windswept currents. Everything had the appearance of a distant memory, a dreamy mist veiling the lake and the bathing Ducklett’s quacks far more muffled and echoey than usual. You look around for other signs of life, trying to spot anything out of the ordinary when the significance of the memory suddenly pans into view. It was a beautiful serpent, a slender cream body coiled tentatively, its scarlet eyes of striking familiarity. Its blue-pink mosaic patterned tail fin was identical to your new lover’s, albeit longer. Whilst still submerged, its reddish eyebrows stroked against the lagoon’s surface as though it was listening for something in the wind.

Your ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s are quickly stunted as a young figure breaks through the trees. It was a girl with shiny black hair, draped in an auburn kimono. She was holding a small wicker basket under one arm, beaming as she crouched down at the gravelly bank, water gently weaving between her toes. To your surprise, the usually timid species of Pokémon glides toward the bank, until they were just a foot apart. The girl released a cute giggle “Nice to see you again!” The Milotic purrs, nuzzling the girl’s hand affectionately. The bond was beautiful to behold, the girl prizing a few raw fish from the wicker basket and tossing them skyward. She giggled into her hand as the magnificent serpent leaped skyward, catching several fish in her mouth as she twisted suspended in the air. Water ran off the serpent’s scales, refracting the sun’s rays like a dazzling strobe light before summersaulting back into the lake. The Milotic u-turns back toward the girl for another helping of kipper – until. The serpent falters, pausing timidly before withdrawing back to the depths warily. The girl looks incredibly confused, waving a fish in her hand to no response.

“Huh?”

You quickly catch sight of what scared off the Milotic. A scruffy old man with a hunch and a maniacal twitch was limping oddly from the shrubbery. Any screams of warning as the man creeps closer are lost at your throat, she was just an illusion and this was just a memory... “What’s a little girl like you doing all alone in the woods?” he says with a sinister smile. Your heart sinks as the man rounds on the dark-haired girl. Her attempts to escape cut off as the man lunges forward – his dirty fingers rasping around her throat to muffle her desperate screams. You could only look in horror as he started to tear at the girl’s kimono, ripping the hem of the skirt with a triumphant smirk. His insane laugh made your spine contort... this was sick...

Suddenly! A huge swell forms in the water, water running off the Milotic’s craning neck as it releases an uncharacteristically bloodlusting shriek. The rapist recoils from his victim, his eyes widening and his laugh much feebler. “Wait! that wasn’t what it looked like... She’s my daughter you see...” The man’s desperate plea was cut off. The Milotic had cast her judgement, and the once tranquil lake was swirling violently. Spits of draconic energy sparked about the swelling whirlpool, the man frozen in fear as the wind whistled fiercely. A huge Twister was starting to take shape, gathering orange leaves and swigs of water in its wake. The stalker was finally able to break into a run, but it was too late. The typhoon swallowed him whole, uprooting several large trees which clubbed and speared him to a gruesome demise. You feel a sigh of relief, until getting a closer look at the girl who wasn’t spared of the twister’s rampage...

“Thank you”, she whispers solemnly, clenching her blood-stained kimono where she’d been lanced by a large chunk of wooden debris. The girl collapses, the Milotic’s eyes no longer filled with anger, but deep mourning. The serpent bows over the dying girl, tears streaming from its beady scarlet eyes. A moment passes were you feel deep sadness for the Pokémon, who had not intended to kill an innocent girl. But it wasn’t over yet. The serpent’s neck arced further down until its nose was kissing the bloody wound. The Milotic then ignited in a flash of blinding white, as though evolving. Its head was disappearing into the girl, whose hair suddenly started to fade from black to red. Her legs contorted and merged into a singular fin, by this point the glowing Milotic’s tail was all that was visible. As corpse completely absorbed the serpent the transformation was complete. There was a moment of tense silence, until a gasp of air revealed she was alive. Her eyes widened, revealing the hypnotising scarlet iris you’d grown so infatuated with. She was alive...

You quickly jolt back into consciousness, the mermaid gazing at you patiently. She didn’t look as chirpy as before, reliving her most painful memory couldn’t have been easy. “So, the Milotic gave her life to me and I inherited her powers. But it’s also a great curse... I’m bound to this lake forever and ever, watching couples from a distance...” Before you can comfort the mermaid she breaks into a flood of inconsolable tears. You’d taken on a girl with a lot of demons, and for a split second you wonder if her she’s not so lovesick after all as she whisks away from you in a spiral of sobbing. Suddenly – as though she’d been hit with a new personality, the siren fixed eyes on you again “I’m so sorry... you must be starving, should we dine?” Taken slightly aback, you were faced with your first date with the mysterious mermaid, or alternately, you could demand to see Ephriam. What will you do?

Sorry for trolling anyone thinking this was an update. Truth is, work has been brutal at the hotel (they didn't even gave me a single day off this week T-T). They are being written, though slowly. I appreciate your patience.

The siren pulls away from Balmund, confused by his by his actions. She seems to struggle, looking into all directions while thinking about what to do next, and Balmund only observes, curiously and attentively. Making up her mind, it seems as if she had just made a rather hard decisions, and decides to clearly show him rather than tell, grabbing his hands once again as before, and as before, also making use of her Hypnosis. His mind fading out of consciousness and transported into a flicker of images to the familiar sights of Kakatua Lagoon. Before him, he could see a slender and gorgeous figure of a Milotic. Breaking through the trees, the young figure of a maiden with shiny black hair and wearing an auburn kimono. Though normaly shy by nature, the Milotic seemed very taken by the girl, and, probably as many times before, she takes a moment to feed and play with her friend. Clearly, their bond ran deep and strong, and quite moving to Balmund, no doubt.

Suddenly, things have a turn for the dark as the Milotic is scared off into hiding, and it is soon known what the source of her fears is as a grotesque man comes out of the woods. Whatever had led him there was a mystery, but his intentions were clearly not good at all, and Balmund can only helplessly watch as he sees the dramatic scene develop before him. Ever helpless, ever only a witness; this only made him fuming mad with justified wrath as the man easily overpowered the young maiden, scrapping her kimono off in the process. Disgusting! The Milotic takes justice onto herself though, and, driven by anger, she deals with the man with a most ferocious of Twisters. The crook was dispatched into a most gruesome of demises, but sadly, so was the girl accidentaly and fataly wounded from the attack. With her dying breath, she thanks the Milotic for saving her, and the serpent Pokèmon can only bow in deep mourning... and then, a miracle happened. Glowing as if evolving, the she fuses with the corpse of the maiden, transforming her into the mermaid she is today. She was alive again.

Jolting back into consciousness, he could see the mermaid understandably not as chirpy as before, but more geniune and human, so to speak. She wisks away from him in a a spiral of sobbing, and Balmund wanted nothing more than to embrace and comfort her, but he didn't, and instead only looked at her eyes full of pity and sympathy. Quickly recovering herslf however, she then asks Balmund if she would like to go diner. In all honesty, Balmund did not feel hungry at all, especially after witnessing what he just did, but he felt it was the least he could do. Ephraim could wait, he not only was strong, but incredibly patient for a Kingdra, and Balmund knew he was safe. "I'd love to." He kindly responded to her with a gentle smile. "I don't think I asked before, but what is your name?"

[Trainer Andy]

Hyrem and Andy both suit each other up while Delilah and Kray wait for their trainers. Hyrem's new Chinchou was certainly eager to show him just what kind of world she came from. It took them some time, especially with Hyrem's foot still throbbing a little from the Basculin bite, though the pain wasn't nearly as in force as it was before. He looked at his oxygen tank; fortunately, it was full, so they could afford to be diving for quite some time. Delilah and Kray lead the way toward the water slide and slide into the ocean with excitement. Andy lets Hyrem slide before he does, and once they were all in the water they headed beneath the waves. No longer able to hear anything above the surface, all they could hear was the water and any sea creatures rushing past them.

Beneath the surface lay a complete spectacle. Corals of every color surrounded them, and Hyrem was reminded of Sera again, as if each coral was Sera relaying him those colors. As they went in closer, a school of majestic Mantine catches their eyes. Kray shook his claw at a Mantyke that bumped into him, which actually looked a little cute when Hyrem thought about it. Hyrem could also see Corsola walking midst the coral beds in a line before Briney and his Slowpoke started to Dive into the trenches. Delilah became excited and was ready to bring the trainers and a Corphish into her world, so she swam forward, dragging Hyrem along with her and turning on her antennae brightly so they could see. Hyrem was certainly grateful for her light; without it, they would be blind to everything around them, including the... bigger things that might be roaming the deep.

The scenery completely transforms as the bright, vivid coral that could be seen for miles is exchanged for whatever could be illuminated by Delilah... which included dead coral and fish bones. Hyrem could see Kray nearby, pinching Andy's ankle, afraid of the murky waters that surrounded them and wanted to get back into a brighter sea than this. It didn't look like any of the other divers could be seen either... Maybe Briney lead the pair of trainers the wrong way? Finally, Delilah spotted Briney in front of them and stopped, while Briney turned around in surprise. Something wasn't right about Briney's behavior, but Hyrem didn't have much time to think about things as Slowpoke waved just now and Briney smiled.

"Perfect," Briney says through the walkie-talkies installed into the suits. “I think we’re not far from a hoard of lost treasure, perhaps your Chinchou could help us find it, Hyrem...” He could see Kray showing some interest in the treasure, and to be honest, he was kind of interested too. There may well be some sort of big treasure down here, and they wouldn't know unless they started looking.

"Sure, I think we can-" he started to say before a yellow blur of light whisked away Briney's Slowpoke in a flash. Only Delilah's light showed any real idea of what it was. “That was an Eelektrik!" said Briney as Hyrem's Pokedex gave the needed information through the walkie-talkie:

Eelektrik, the EleFish Pokemon. With insatiable appetites, anything that moves in front of them is considered food. Once they spot prey, they coil around it, shock it, then latch on with their sucker mouths to swallow it whole.

"We need to stop that thing before it gets away with Slowpoke! Damn I can’t see a thing down here!” If the Pokedex was any indication, Slowpoke might already be running out of time.

"Normally, i'd say split up and cover more ground," Andy said as he swam towards Hyrem, "But without Delilah we won't be able to see a thing, so we'll have to stick close. First thing's first, we should head in the direction the Eelektrik went." Hyrem agreed, though if Eelektrik went in a different direction from there, they might not know where it went, and then it'd be too late to save Slowpoke from the eel's dinner plate.

"I guess this is mostly going to be up to you for now, Hyrem, but i'll do whatever I can to help." said Andy.

They did need a strategy for if- hopefully, when- they caught up to the eel. But, once again, he had to think of it fast. "All right, let's go where Eelektrik went," he said. Along the way, he relayed his ideas to Andy and the Pokemon. "Delilah, we'll need you the most since you can take Eelektrik's electric attacks using your Volt Absorb. But Kray's probably going to be better at getting Eelektrik to let go of Slowpoke. Andy, we'll act as backup until you get Eelektrik away from Slowpoke, then we'll try to paralyze and confuse it so we can team up on it from there!"

"Chou!" nodded Chinchou, acknowledging her understanding of the plan. Of course, this all depended on the four finding Slowpoke's assailant. They just had to hope they got lucky.

Andy nodded in agreement as he listened to Hyrem's plan.

As he understood it Delilah would lead the search, her anglers being the only thing to light up the surrounding darkness, and would also serve as a distraction once the Eelektrik was found, as she could naturally withstand the Eel's electrical attacks. Kray, meanwhile, would serve the role of actually rescuing the Captain's Slowpoke and getting it to safety. Once that was achieved, it would be case of them both teaching the Eelktrik a lesson and make sure it didn't come back.

This plan seemed to suit Andy and Kray just fine. Kray's pincer's snapped eagerly at the thought of getting into a good scrap, regardless of the fact that it's opponent was bigger and had a natural advantage over it.
"You're such a roughneck..." Andy said to his Pokemon, who either didn't hear him or was so pumped up for what was to come he let the comment slide.

"Well we'd better get searching then, that Eel's already got a good head start on us." Looking over to Hyrem and his Pokemon, Andy gave another nod. "Lead the way, Delilah."

[Megh]

Whale Island

Laguna Peninsula

The Laguna Peninsula, also known as "Pirate Isle", is mainly forest and is famous for once harbouring a particularly nasty clan of pirates whose treasure is rumoured to still be hidden away somewhere in the vicinity. The peninsula is located on the south east end of Whale Island and although the pirates have long since vacated the land, they've certainly left their mark. Other than a rest house occupied by the peninsula's caretaker, there are no other dwellings here, the entire peninsula being under the protection of the Whale Island Conservation Society (WICS). It is said secret hideouts are cleverly hidden everywhere, so even if you're not aware of it you'll definitely have passed several of them if you're to take a scenic walk across the peninsula. Visit Pirate Isle and you'll be in for a jolly good time.

Laguna Lake: A freshwater lake where the local Pokémon come to drink. People will often picnic here while trainers are more interested in seeing the kinds of Pokémon the lake attracts.

"Well, here we are, Lake Laguna," says Megh to the Spinarak on her shoulder that is munching on her shirt. She gazes out across the rippling water and congregation of Trainers sitting at the water's edge, picnicking and sightseeing. "What should we do first? Go for a walk?" Kiki the Spinarak moves her beady eyes over all the big humans and their Pokemon. There are several types like Fire that she'd never seen before as a simple resident of one of the many bushes in Astoria. She was used to Grass-types and Bug-types like herself. "Wish I had a fishing rod," muses Megh as she plods towards the big blue expanse. "I'm sure it's brimming with fish..." She picks up a stone and flicks it out over the water's surface. It only skips once. "Never really got the hang of that..."
"Spina! Spii!" chirps Kiki, gesturing to a small path along the water's edge. "Oh, you'd like to go for a walk? Well, let's see what we can see." With the sun at their backs (or in Kiki's case, her abdomen), they set off on their morning lakeside stroll...

[Balmund]

Finally! Updates are now up. Thank you all for your patience, it's been kinda tough for me these past few weeks, but I'm looking to speed it up again in the upcoming weeks. Also, let me remind those of you once again that I'm personally allowing up to three moves per Pokémon regardless of how many you have out there (switching or use of items do count as a move though). Of course you're free to not take advantage of this, but your opponents may not be so generous form now on. That said, enjoy!

::Ancient Ruins::

Arc_Angel: A gut feeling told you it was best to follow the flickering of lights, and at the same time a gut feeling warned you of the possibility of danger ahead. No matter! Oblivion was all to eager to inflict unbearable pain on whatever creature showed up before him, even if you had asked him for some restraint, if only a little bit. You swim towards the lights which seem to dance before you, teasing you playfully into following them. What could it possibly be? A guiding light leading you unto treasure and adventure? An evil trap hiding some unfathomable terror? Both?

The lights seem to grow brighter and brighter the closer you got, and their pattern... what was this? And then... they vanish. How ominous... this couldn't just be a trick of the eye. A moment of absolute silence goes by, nothingness in sight and the one thing you could be certain off was that of Oblivion remaining by your side... They flicker again, a brief flash; and then again a second afterward, their position now changed - they were surrounding you; and then again, a very bright flash - no more little twinkling orbs, but rather the long serpentine figure of a collosal monstal. You had been approached by a Pokémon alright, and it just had to be an Eelektross, massive at almost 20 feet in length from head to tail. This was no puny creature Oblivion could easily submit into a painful demise for sure, quite the contrary in fact. The alarm of danger was ringing in your head, but perhaps you could reason with this beast, or was this a matter of fight or flight?

What will you do?

::Pieli Harbour::

MarbleZone: You realize Min was ultimately a poor match-up against Grimer, despite going off a great start, and thus you decide to recall her in favor of two of your other teammates: Crix and Gaius. Figuring that perhaps another Grimer was on its way to provide backup, you decide to forgo your methodical approach in favor of going all out on the poor thing. Crix is the first to move, the Elekid Quickly Attacking the Grimer with a lightning fast tackle. He isn't as nimble enough to retreat as fast as Min however, and in turn takes a well placed slimy Pound to his face; forcing him to stagger back a few steps. A good thing for him however, as now it was only Grimer who was in range of Gaius's attack, the floor underneath the Grimer glowing before suddenly bursting upward with Ground energy, rocks, and water from a broken pipe. The Earth Power had really hit the mark against the Poison-type, and yet, it still seemed to hang on tight, looking very angry and annoyed. Resilient pestilent buggers, aren't they? It would take more than a single one of those to take it out, for sure.

"What are you doing?! Ohmygoshohmygoshimtoastimtoastimtoastarhggfhgakjg. .." The clerk was starting to panic. He was expecting things to go smooth as pie, and instead the damage property caused by Gaius was only adding to the nightmare of Grimer polluting his ice cream. As if it wasn't enough, you all can't help coughing a bit as you feel a pastilent stench suddenly fill the room; a cloud of Grimer's Poison Gas being breathed all over your squad. Fighting in these conditions was going to be big disadvantage to say the least, and it wouldn't take long before your Pokémon found themselves completely poisoned the more they breathed in the noxious gases. As you had expected, another Grimer has now fully made its way out of the storage room to boot! You were already in trouble as is, and now its been made double.

What will you do?

uhhhhh: You fear the worst regarding Angie's fate, though you didn't dare speak it out loud, and more so as you find out who this man was actually targetting was none other than you! Why? What had you done? And what did he want to do with your camera? Whatever it was, this was simply too precious an item to let go, and you would defend it at costs. You recall Humphrey back to his Pokéball before busting out another one of your partners, Marco, the shiny Remoraid. Though he was literally like a fish out of water in this environment, you had planned to do something about that, and you hold him out like one would with a gun. Pointing out towards the Murkrow, Marco fires a chilling Ice Beam in its direction... and misses! The crow Pokémon maneouvering past the beam, it dives its beak straight into your torso and forcing you to drop your weapon from the sudden accute pain. Gaspard eeeks in shock and tries to run to your rescue, but he has his hands and tail are full as he tries to defend himself against the Weavile; swinging another Fire Punch only to have it blocked by a Reflective barrier, and in turn recieving a Poisonous Jab to the face. Lola on her end found herself losing focus as Kim did, and the sight of Angie unconscious didn't help at all either. She couldn't do a thing as the other Weavile rammed against her with a Quick Attack. The Lopunny attempts to defend herself with a one-two Double Hit combo, only to find herself stunned silly by a sudden Rock Smash breaking the frozen section in her abdomen; a flurry of Fury Swipes then falling upon her in turn. Far from immobilized by love, it actually seemed Weavile was all too eager to rip her beloved one to shreds now - the sick bastard.

You look up and find Murkrow hovering above you while indeed holding your precious camera within its beak. How did things turned so ugly all of the sudden? And then, a ray of hope. Acting under his own initiative, Foster swoops in to Knock Off your dear camera from the thief's grasp, falling square in the security of your hands. You could then almost swear you'd heard him say "Cheese" before Flashing a bright beam of light right unto the Murkrow's eyes. Another flash lights up simultaneously, and this time it was Marco! The shiny Remoraid shifts forms and evolves into a dazzling shiny Octillery, and in this form he has absolutely no problem aiming on his own; nailing Murkrow with a far more powerful Ice Beam! Lola also seems to turn things in her favor, suddenly ducking for a Low Sweep and knocking the Weavile off its feet before she leaps high into the air. Weavile seems to try rolling out in defense, but finds its body somehow completely Disabled, courtesy of Taffy. There was nary a thing it could do as Lola Bounced straight into the Weavile's back! Now that was something it probably isn't recovering easily from. On his end of the battle, Gaspard tries shaking off the stinging effect of poison as the Weavile seems to inhale for another devastating Blizzard. Gritting his teeth, the Aipom bears with it and tackles the Weavile once again, having it stagger back and completely misblow the icy storm as Gaspard U-turned back to safety with nimble somersault.He still got his game going, though he probably didn't have enough energy left for more fiery punches or bug dives.

The tide of battles start turning once more however, as the Murkrow now exhales a thick Haze all over the battlefield. With everyone's visibility now impaired, anything could happen. You didn't just have the man's Pokèmon to worry about, but he himself could be extremely dangerous without doubt.

What will you do?

::Ampere Beach::

Emp: Things were looking far less bleak for you right now, you decide to keep up a straight offensive, hoping for the pressure to ward off any surprise attacks from your opponent.. Capitalazing on his previous success, Guppy rushes forward with another Tackle, and likewise so does his opponent who once again plays it safe with a Tackle of her own, both Pokèmon clashing against each other as hard as their pathetically weak bodies allowed them to. Still up for more, Guppy goes for a third Tackle in a row, because one just can't get enough of it, and it's not like he had that many more options. Robbie saw this coming however, and frantically instructed his Pokèmon to employ the same effective tactic you did early on, Snookie immediately pulling off a similarly impressive Bounce as Guppy rammed past where she once stood before being struck from above by all of the female koi's body weight. Slightly numbed as a result of the attack, the male Magikarp can barely do anything as he's Tackled once again, a small bump now forming on his forehead as a result. Robby was ecstatic, but Guppy was not one to take such things quietly, and flings himself full on towards his opponent, Flail all of his body to smack her for all of the damage she had done; Snookie flying backwards upon impact and skidding through the water's surface like a pebble thrown over a pond. That just had to hurt.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Robbie exclaimed. "This is it now! Snookie, show that pest why we're the best! Giga Impact!" He just can't be serious about that, can he? Wether or not it works, what you do about it may just determine the outcome of this battle.

What will you do?

::Seaside City::

Charminions: Blinded, cornered and without escape, you command Apollo to shiled himself against the incoming attack, and he quickly does so on cue, forming a greenish barrier of energy before himelf as he Protects himself against Bubbah's vicious Double-Edge. The entire ring seems to shake upon impact, and it had taken a good bit of effort to guard against the attack, but in the end, Apollo came out unharmed from the exchange whereas Bubbah looked far worse as a result of his own attack backfiring on him. Now was the time to finish things once and for all!. With both of his arms now engulfed in flames, Apollo leaps forward, chopping with a Cross Fire accross a weakened Vigoroth who could only but try and awkwardly guard against the searing attack. Apollo may have had his vision partially impaired, but from up close, it made little difference. Bubbah's staggers back, panting heavily, and tries once again to rush forward, wildly Flailing in a last ditch effort to turn things around, only to be met by a heavy stream of flames; Apollo's Flamethrower charring the Normal-type completely and forcing a deeply pained groan out of him. Bubbah's stands silent and frozen like a statue for only a pair of seconds as the attack ends, and then, like a large tree cut off the base, he falls hard on his back, his blank eyes indicating that he could no longer continue to battle. Level Up for Combusken!

"Dammit!" you hear Devon mutter out loud as he recalled the fallen Vigoroth back to his Pokéball. You notice the chubby guy discretely handing the other one a few bucks with a dissapointed look on his face, though the blonde athlete did grin widely in return. Some of the onlookers started clapping and congratulation you for your marvelous victory; they had certainly been well-entertained. "What is the meaning of this?" You suddenly hear the somewhat intimidating voice of a man. Out of nowhere, the figure comes almost flying into the ring, twirling in the air before landing square in the center of the matt. Before you, a old man nearing his fifty's, bearing a thick black mustache with odd stripes of grey to compensate with his bald scalp. He looked incredibly fit for an old man though, and as you looked at his white trousers and tank top bearing the emblem of a black skullhead, you realize it was none other than the legendary Bucanero Blanco. A Chatot swoops in and perches in his shoulder before the man turns to face you with an intense gaze.

What will you do?

::Rainbow Reef::

xXKratosAurionXx: You seem in deep in thought as you wonder what the strange figure might be, feeling fascination and excitement is it drifted ever more closely in your direction. Whatever it was you were confident that it would lead you unto the right track to uncover some mystery unlike you had ever seen or heard before. You swim ever expectantly in its direction, Brunhilde following close by as you did. Bit by bit, the the unknown silouette became ever more clear and large as you closed in on it; it's appearance taking on a more cylindrical and familiar shape. You had seen this before, back when training in Fendel, and as you start hearing the ever constant humming of engines running it then became very clear what exactly it was: a submarine! But... here? What is the meaning of this? It wasn't spectacularly big by the standards of the war-machines you knew of, and you gathered it could probably host a crew of about 20 members at most, though it definitely looked to be heavily armed. Something about it definitely calls your attention as you looked on ever more closely, your eyes discerning the vague emblem picturing a large skull and a cross of bones right on the front end of the ship. Pirates?! This was likely unlike anything you had imagined it would be, but if am armed submarine crewed by pirates was lurking around, it could only spell trouble... and perhaps an opportunity for great treasure too!

What will you do?

::The Black Swan::

-Hayward-: Startled by the sudden noise, you instruct your Pokémon to take preemtive measures as the sound of footsteps got ever closer and closer, Medéo boosting his inner strength with Meditate as Hynéo Hones his Claws. A profesional Odor Sleuth, Hynéo tries to discern the identity, or identities, by means of whatever scent he could pick up. He does seem to react to something, though, he turns to the completely opposite direction, and as you turn around to figure out what it was you're surprised to see breach in the ship's hull now mysteriously closed as if it never was tere to begin with! You feel the pressure intensify within the room, and you knew that whatever it was, it was already here. Medéo wastes not a second to flash a bright red beam of light; his Foresight would surely reveal its true identity, and it works to perfection as you now behold the figure of a single, though large Snorlax. You could tell by its appearance that it wasn't the friendly kind by a longshot. Its head was adorned with a simple black bandana, a black eye patch over his right eye, and a pair of iron earrings piercing its left ear. Its left eye drewmost of your attention however, as you saw nothing but a completely empty eye socket; a dark hole which seemed like it could suck you in if you got too close. It glared at you with that single, deep and eternal missing eye, almost as if it was patiently waiting for you to make the wrong move before outright destroying you.

What will you do?

::Crater Lake::

jolteonjak: The incident had certainly triggered a few alarms in your mind, and you decide it was best to find out what it was back at the lodge. The old man would probably know something about this, and you needed a rest anyways. Perhaps this wasn’t that much of a big deal? Making way back to the lodge, you find Pedro outside, quitely staring far into the lake. The overgrown Quagsire turns to you for only a second, before looking back to the lake again. Was it because of that noise you had heard earlier? It was hard to tell what he was thinking, if in fact he was thinking of anything at all. Looking at the lodge, you see the door wide open, and no immediate signs of anyone being inside. How wierd. Walking past you, you see a couple now walk in to the lodge, well equipped with scuba gear you reckon by what little could be seen hanging out of their luggage. They both seemed to be wearing hats and jet black sunglasses, which made it very hard to really take a good look at their faces, though you could distinuish the woman's long pair of golden ponytails hanging on her back. Something about them feels.... off, somehow, though you had no real reason to believe so. Whatever it was, it probably didn't matter, you could choose to rest up, have a decent family meal and see what happens tomorrow, or find some more answers right now.

What will you do?

::The Lighthouse::

Marion Ette: You were curious about what exactly the current state of the Lighthouse would be. Knowing that the prescence of spirits was not even remotely alike what you had experienced before, you knew the only possible explanation was that of something that was yet to happen. A part of you wanted to go back to the basement and perhaps find some answers to this riddle, but rather than following the exact same course of action, you decide to go upstairs instead. Before however, you needed to verify just how well equipped you actually were. You signal to Gastly to hang on for a bit, and he only nods with a grin on his face, curiously observing you as he did. Yu search through your robes to see what you can find, and indeed you few objects amongst your possesions: two Pokéballs, an empty one which probably housed your Gastly, and another one holding a mystery Pokémon; a Silver Dagger was hanging off your waist, beautifully adorned on the handle, and dangerously sharp by the looks of it; a pair of sachets, one containing Powdered White Ink and another one containing medicinal Energy Powder. Overall, it could be said that you were travelling very lightly, to say the least, but perhaps these items could come in handy later on.

"Well then, up we go?" Gastly asks, knowing very the answer already as he already starts floating up the stairs. Following his lead, bracing yourself for whatever layed ahead, you clib the metallic stairs leading up to the top of the lighthouse. Step by step, you climb ever up; the stairway seeming almost endless. You could hear the sound of a door opening and closing up above, probably the old man finally reaching the top floor at his own snail's pace. You climb to the top and Gastly gets ahead of you, seeping through the door's creavaces as you turn on its handle. You see the old man taking seat on a rocking chair, looking out into the ocean, probably out of habit considering the status of his eyes. The beacon itself was alreay lit up, the device was monstruosly huge, large pieces of glass spinned around what seemed like a bright orb of light. It seemed to be running on electricity after all, even now. Its flash of light was intense, and it was hard to resist covering up your eyes as the glass panels faced your way. Who could ever seriously tolerate spending all night in this place?

"Lock the door." The man than said. "I'm not opening it again after sundown until sunrise. You should've gone to your room young missy." He chuckled darkly. "My name's Gustaf." He then said, ever staring outside.

"Kikyo, look." Gastly then cuts off your train of thought, gesturing outside. As the sky darkened ever more and more, you notice a pair of wisps floating accross the ocean's surface, and slowly approaching the tower as if led by its guiding light. Why? Another question without a clear answer, but you could only but wonder what this all meant. Perhaps, you could ask mister Gustaf? He could be a simpe old man, but clearly he was a lot more then meets the eye, and maybe he knows a fair bit more about this.

What will you do?

[Marion Ette]

::The Lighthouse::

Marion Ette: You were curious about what exactly the current state of the Lighthouse would be. Knowing that the prescence of spirits was not even remotely alike what you had experienced before, you knew the only possible explanation was that of something that was yet to happen. A part of you wanted to go back to the basement and perhaps find some answers to this riddle, but rather than following the exact same course of action, you decide to go upstairs instead. Before however, you needed to verify just how well equipped you actually were. You signal to Gastly to hang on for a bit, and he only nods with a grin on his face, curiously observing you as he did. Yu search through your robes to see what you can find, and indeed you few objects amongst your possesions: two Pokéballs, an empty one which probably housed your Gastly, and another one holding a mystery Pokémon; a Silver Dagger was hanging off your waist, beautifully adorned on the handle, and dangerously sharp by the looks of it; a pair of sachets, one containing Powdered White Ink and another one containing medicinal Energy Powder. Overall, it could be said that you were travelling very lightly, to say the least, but perhaps these items could come in handy later on.

"Well then, up we go?" Gastly asks, knowing very the answer already as he already starts floating up the stairs. Following his lead, bracing yourself for whatever layed ahead, you clib the metallic stairs leading up to the top of the lighthouse. Step by step, you climb ever up; the stairway seeming almost endless. You could hear the sound of a door opening and closing up above, probably the old man finally reaching the top floor at his own snail's pace. You climb to the top and Gastly gets ahead of you, seeping through the door's creavaces as you turn on its handle. You see the old man taking seat on a rocking chair, looking out into the ocean, probably out of habit considering the status of his eyes. The beacon itself was alreay lit up, the device was monstruosly huge, large pieces of glass spinned around what seemed like a bright orb of light. It seemed to be running on electricity after all, even now. Its flash of light was intense, and it was hard to resist covering up your eyes as the glass panels faced your way. Who could ever seriously tolerate spending all night in this place?

"Lock the door." The man than said. "I'm not opening it again after sundown until sunrise. You should've gone to your room young missy." He chuckled darkly. "My name's Gustaf." He then said, ever staring outside.

"Kikyo, look." Gastly then cuts off your train of thought, gesturing outside. As the sky darkened ever more and more, you notice a pair of wisps floating accross the ocean's surface, and slowly approaching the tower as if led by its guiding light. Why? Another question without a clear answer, but you could only but wonder what this all meant. Perhaps, you could ask mister Gustaf? He could be a simpe old man, but clearly he was a lot more then meets the eye, and maybe he knows a fair bit more about this.

What will you do?

After taking a quick inventory of her worldly possessions, two items in particular catch Kikyo's eye; the mystery Pokeball, containing some sort of Pokemon, and the Powdered White Ink. Marion wondered what this priestess might be using the ink for... Rituals? Record-keeping? She knows that she probably shouldn't dwell on it too much, though the identity of Kikyo's second Pokemon is a much harder mystery for Marion to shake out of her mind. After all, she loved meeting and learning about new Pokemon, and if this one recognized her as its trainer like the Gastly did, they could become fast friends... Then again, what if it was a Psychic type who could call her out on her true identity? Marion decides it's best to wait until the Pokemon is needed before calling it out; besides, Marion has a distinct feeling that her claim of "amnesia" will only go so far when she can't even remember her own Pokemon!

Kikyo follows Gastly up the stairs and apologizes for holding him up. As the two finally reach the top of the lighthouse, Marion is finally able to see that the light positioned at the top of the lighthouse was, indeed, powered by electrical means... Of course, Marion is sure to avert Kikyo's eyes, as Marion has a sneaking suspicion that the poor lighthouse tender is likely blind for a reason. Then again, as Marion had thought to herself previously, appearances can be deceiving. After all, wasn't she herself walking around in a borrowed body, pretending to be someone else?

Not wanting to upset the lighthouse-keeper, Kikyo locks the door as instructed, though she is haunted by the ominous statement that follows the instruction... Should have gone to her room, huh? Trying to sound as polite and gentle as possible (which is easy given Kikyo's voice), Marion decides to pursue that line of thought a little bit farther... "Oh, I figured that you might want a bit of company on your lonely vigil, Gustaf. It must be lonely tending the lighthouse by yourself all night. If you don't mind me asking, why do you lock the door at night? Are there thieves in this area?" Marion decies to go with what sounds like a reasonable explanation for her concern, though in the back of her mind, she wonders if the reason that she could not perceive the presence of the spirits was because night had not yet fallen... She had not even thought of that before now! Of course, it could still be that the Lighthouse had yet to be haunted by whatever tragic event had befallen it, but still...

Suddenly, Marion's train of thought is interrupted by Gastly calling her over. "Wisps..." Kikyo stands unmoving, focused on the strange sight before her. "I apologize for being so full of questions tonight, but I must ask one more... Do you know what those wisps are in the distance? They seem to be coming towards us." In all of Marion's research, she had yet to come across a phenomenon like this... Certainly, she knew quite a bit about the fire-type Will-o-Wisp attack that ghosts often learned, but these wisp-like beings... What could they possibly be? The curious Marion stares through Kikyo's eyes in baffled wonderment.

[Arc_Angel]

Finally! Updates are now up. Thank you all for your patience, it's been kinda tough for me these past few weeks, but I'm looking to speed it up again in the upcoming weeks. Also, let me remind those of you once again that I'm personally allowing up to three moves per Pokémon regardless of how many you have out there (switching or use of items do count as a move though). Of course you're free to not take advantage of this, but your opponents may not be so generous form now on. That said, enjoy!

::Ancient Ruins::

Arc_Angel: A gut feeling told you it was best to follow the flickering of lights, and at the same time a gut feeling warned you of the possibility of danger ahead. No matter! Oblivion was all to eager to inflict unbearable pain on whatever creature showed up before him, even if you had asked him for some restraint, if only a little bit. You swim towards the lights which seem to dance before you, teasing you playfully into following them. What could it possibly be? A guiding light leading you unto treasure and adventure? An evil trap hiding some unfathomable terror? Both?

The lights seem to grow brighter and brighter the closer you got, and their pattern... what was this? And then... they vanish. How ominous... this couldn't just be a trick of the eye. A moment of absolute silence goes by, nothingness in sight and the one thing you could be certain off was that of Oblivion remaining by your side... They flicker again, a brief flash; and then again a second afterward, their position now changed - they were surrounding you; and then again, a very bright flash - no more little twinkling orbs, but rather the long serpentine figure of a collosal monstal. You had been approached by a Pokémon alright, and it just had to be an Eelektross, massive at almost 20 feet in length from head to tail. This was no puny creature Oblivion could easily submit into a painful demise for sure, quite the contrary in fact. The alarm of danger was ringing in your head, but perhaps you could reason with this beast, or was this a matter of fight or flight?

What will you do?

With her mind made up Oblivion began to swim towards the faint glowing orbs in the distance. Stacey kept her torch along the ground looking for any signs of life, anything to suggest that something had once been here recently or a lifetime ago. All she could see so far was more rocks and the odd smattering of coloured coral. She turned her attention back up the lights that appeared to grow more intense the close they go to them. She could feel Oblivion's grip around her waist tighten instinctively and she soothed him with a stroke of her hand.

The lights appeared to have a distinct pattern but suddenly they went out and Oblivion came to a stop. The darkness swallowed the pair whole and Stacey felt a brief moment of panic bubble in her chest but she held onto Oblivion, his presences grounding her. Before she can move her torch higher the lights returned again but they were no longer in front of them, but to the side. They don't remain there for long as they dim before reappearing at her other side and then behind her. Now the lights were surrounding them and Oblivion blew angry bubbles from his mouth at the thought of being trapped.

A bright flash filled their vision and their eyes struggle against the white but soon they saw what had them surrounded. A long serpentine figure was wrapped around their position. She had never seen one of these up close before and she wished she could use her Pokedex under water but she was sure it would fizzle and break. She thought it might be an Elektross, she had heard about the new Pokemon being discovered around the world but she was sure this species wasn't supposed to be this big!! Oblivion had his narrowed gaze upon the behemoth ready to defend his trainer, to prove he was no weak little jellyfish. Stacey felt her breath catch in her throat and wondered if her oxygen was no longer pumping from her breathing tubes but realised that is was the fear of looking into this beasts eyes.

"Oblivion," she mumbled out, her voice distorted and sending bubbles into the water and rising towards the surface.

"I think we should ask the snake if it knows what we are searching for, perhaps its a guardian it's certainly rare and big enough to protect ancient ruins. You better ask, it'll understand you. Let it know that we are just explorers and mean the sacred grounds no harm."

Oblivion bristled at the thought of her plan but staring at the creature four times his size he realised that an all out attack might not prove successful right now. Still, he would damn well try if she only gave the order.

"If things don't go as planned though you have my permission to attack, to stun it long enough for us to get away. I don't want to think what it could do to us if we piss it off. The thought of being electrocuted to death beneath the sea is not my idea of fun, I doubt you want that either."

Oblivion snorted sending much larger bubbles floating on up but he nodded slowly.

"Should you need to shoot it down with Toxic before filling the water with Haze and get out of dodge, but lets try the diplomatic approach first"

Oblivion raised his head to stare down the Elecktross and spread out his tentacles to fill the water making his form much larger before speaking to the creature, Stacey could only hope he knew how to be diplomatic

[myahoo]

Hydro-Electric Dam

Myahoo: With the battle in full swing you gaze ahead apprehensively at the pillars of billowing smoke covering the arena. You could vaguely make out a twinkle of the zebra’s electric blue eyes as it neighed in bewilderment – Cyndaquil’s backside igniting like a gasfire as he readied himself for another round. You spur the echidna on with a fresh set of orders, your ears straining as both Pokémon fell out of view. With a flash of Embers you catch sound of the Blitzle cantering rearward in pain, another successful hit! The feeling of confidence is short lived though as yellow sparks break through the smokescreen, a Wave of electricity erupting from the equine’s position and Shocking the fire mouse. Wildfire squeals as he tumbles toward you, quickly ricocheting forward and letting off another jet of smoke from his back. The Smokescreen, which had been dying away, was restored to a thick black – the foal coughing as the voltage it’d been Charging diffracts into thin air. Fuelled with determination, Wildfire finally veers back into the smoke toward the Blitzle, its fur bursting into Flames. Charging at full speed he rams into the foal’s saddle causing it to stumble sideways. Neighing defiantly, the zebra lets off a Thunder Wave in return, sparks flying up and down the echidna and locking up his muscles. What will you do?

Um, I don’t know if this was a typo, but Cyndaquil doesn’t know Flame Charge yet, and I’d told him use Flame Burst. If Flame Charge was intentional, then never mind. If it wasn’t, then should we just go with it?

”Yes,” Melissa cheered, as they got another successful hit in. That horse was going—She gasped when the Shock Wave caught Wildfire, but sighed when he immediately shot back towards the Blitzle, another Smokescreen making sure the zebra couldn’t see him. She caught the sound of shorting electricity and cheered again, though softer, at the other Pokemon losing control of its move. As Wildfire started charging towards the foal, though, Melissa began to panic. Waitwhat? I didn’t order any contact moves, did I? I don’t think I did. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, erk. “Wildfire, don’t!”

She didn’t know whether he heard or not, but either way, he was going too fast and was too close to the Blitzle to break off. He hit the Pokemon at full speed, making it stumble, and Melissa held her breath; if the foal had any brains, it’d take the opportunity given to it with everything it had. Aaaand there it went. She winced as her Cyndaquil was undeniably paralyzed by the resulting Thunder Wave.

Alright, time to get as far as possible. “Wildfire,” she called out, “use Quick Attack to get out of the way and Smokescreen again to keep it blind. Then, if you can, throw it another Extrasensory.” Oh, I hope he can get away, she worried, clenching her fist at the thought that the paralysis would freeze him in his tracks.

[Emp]

::Ampere Beach::

Emp: Things were looking far less bleak for you right now, you decide to keep up a straight offensive, hoping for the pressure to ward off any surprise attacks from your opponent.. Capitalazing on his previous success, Guppy rushes forward with another Tackle, and likewise so does his opponent who once again plays it safe with a Tackle of her own, both Pokèmon clashing against each other as hard as their pathetically weak bodies allowed them to. Still up for more, Guppy goes for a third Tackle in a row, because one just can't get enough of it, and it's not like he had that many more options. Robbie saw this coming however, and frantically instructed his Pokèmon to employ the same effective tactic you did early on, Snookie immediately pulling off a similarly impressive Bounce as Guppy rammed past where she once stood before being struck from above by all of the female koi's body weight. Slightly numbed as a result of the attack, the male Magikarp can barely do anything as he's Tackled once again, a small bump now forming on his forehead as a result. Robby was ecstatic, but Guppy was not one to take such things quietly, and flings himself full on towards his opponent, Flail all of his body to smack her for all of the damage she had done; Snookie flying backwards upon impact and skidding through the water's surface like a pebble thrown over a pond. That just had to hurt.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Robbie exclaimed. "This is it now! Snookie, show that pest why we're the best! Giga Impact!" He just can't be serious about that, can he? Wether or not it works, what you do about it may just determine the outcome of this battle.

What will you do?

Wes ran his fingers through his hair in distractedly, combing out flakes of rock salt that had treaded off the Situation’s sandy soles. Battling usually came second nature to the kid, but with such a weak Pokémon and such an unpredictable enemy his nerves were running high. The jet of foamy water is enough to kick the trainer out of his daze, Guppy veering toward Snookie who mirrored his action with a great deal of effort. The two koi laughably collided before breaking apart, neither looking too hard done by the hit. He knew he’d have to up their game to win, but what did they have to work with? Splash, Tackle and Flail. Wes’s karp hadn’t been raised on steroids like Robbie’s and couldn’t even summon a Whirlpuddle no less a giant twister. The kid sighed, focusing back on the battle where Guppy had ricocheted back from the hit with another Tackle. Robbie was already a step ahead though, the fish catching almost ten feet of air as it Bounced over the attack and flopped against Guppy’s dorsal fin. The kid’s frustration sharpened. ’He used my own idea against me!’ His fists coiled until his nails started digging into his palms – it was on.

Caught off guard, the golden koi huffs feebly whilst buoying in place, leaving him wide open for another attack. Tailing off her combo, Snookie pulls a u-turn back toward Guppy landing another Tackle. The fish skimmed toward Wes like a pebble flung skilfully down a pond, taking a good five seconds to crash back into the salty depths. Wes spotted a large bruise swelling on the Magikarp’s crown, the odds growing ever slimmer. Guppy wasn’t out just yet though, Flailing desperately toward the enemy with a glitter of determination in his glossy eyes. Shaking every muscle in his body like a fish out of water, the Karp’s attack sent Snookie reeling backwards. Wes knew they’d managed to narrow the health lead, the thrashing only fuelled by the amount of pain running through the fish’s scales. The boy was hit with a wave of satisfaction as Robbie’s swearing rang down the coast, the look of an feral Primape painted across his face. Wes guffawed as Scraggy thumped on his temple in side-splitting hilarity. It was only until the word Giga Impact pierced his eardrums that his laughing faltered. If he hadn’t been around for the last half hour this would have only set him into a fit of amusement – but he wouldn’t fall for the same trap twice. Fixing eyes on the golden Karp, Wes racked his brains for another plan.

“Now’s your chance, Guppy! Leap over the attack with a Bounce, then smack her with a Flail”, Wes grinned - knowing that even if the enemy karp could outspeed him, the extreme damage would only fuel the power of Flail “If you think you can take her then go for another Bounce!”

FB

[Charminions]

::Seaside City::

Charminions: Blinded, cornered and without escape, you command Apollo to shiled himself against the incoming attack, and he quickly does so on cue, forming a greenish barrier of energy before himelf as he Protects himself against Bubbah's vicious Double-Edge. The entire ring seems to shake upon impact, and it had taken a good bit of effort to guard against the attack, but in the end, Apollo came out unharmed from the exchange whereas Bubbah looked far worse as a result of his own attack backfiring on him. Now was the time to finish things once and for all!. With both of his arms now engulfed in flames, Apollo leaps forward, chopping with a Cross Fire accross a weakened Vigoroth who could only but try and awkwardly guard against the searing attack. Apollo may have had his vision partially impaired, but from up close, it made little difference. Bubbah's staggers back, panting heavily, and tries once again to rush forward, wildly Flailing in a last ditch effort to turn things around, only to be met by a heavy stream of flames; Apollo's Flamethrower charring the Normal-type completely and forcing a deeply pained groan out of him. Bubbah's stands silent and frozen like a statue for only a pair of seconds as the attack ends, and then, like a large tree cut off the base, he falls hard on his back, his blank eyes indicating that he could no longer continue to battle. Level Up for Combusken!

"Dammit!" you hear Devon mutter out loud as he recalled the fallen Vigoroth back to his Pokéball. You notice the chubby guy discretely handing the other one a few bucks with a dissapointed look on his face, though the blonde athlete did grin widely in return. Some of the onlookers started clapping and congratulation you for your marvelous victory; they had certainly been well-entertained. "What is the meaning of this?" You suddenly hear the somewhat intimidating voice of a man. Out of nowhere, the figure comes almost flying into the ring, twirling in the air before landing square in the center of the matt. Before you, a old man nearing his fifty's, bearing a thick black mustache with odd stripes of grey to compensate with his bald scalp. He looked incredibly fit for an old man though, and as you looked at his white trousers and tank top bearing the emblem of a black skullhead, you realize it was none other than the legendary Bucanero Blanco. A Chatot swoops in and perches in his shoulder before the man turns to face you with an intense gaze.

What will you do?

Not many options are available to Apollo, who is left cornered in the ring while a raging Vigoroth edges forward with all his might. Preparing himself for the coming onslaught, the Combusken creates a protective green barrier around him which Bubbah mightily slams into. The whole ground shakes from the clash but fortunately Apollo remains unharmed while Bubbah suffers from his own recoil. "Excellent," Charm remarked, seeing his orders go as planned.

Defenses down, Apollo moves on the offensive. His arms engulf in flames as he charges forward, crossing his flaming arms to make an X before charging into a very feeble Bubbah. The attack makes impact, causing Bubbah to stagger back in pain. Breathing heavily and severly battered, the Vigoroth makes a last ditch effort by flailing his arms wildlys at the Young Fowl. "Finish him," Charm commanded, trying to sound badass. Despite the lame remark, Apollo does so. Breathing out a powerful stream of fire out of his beak. The Flamethrower devours Bubbah, who groans in pain. He remains standing after the attack, before collapsing like a chopped off tree. "Hell yeah!" Charm cheers, running over to Apollo to him a high-five of bro-ific magnitude.

"Dammit!" Devon pouts as he sends Bubbah back in his Pokeball. The onlookers start clapping, and Charm notices the blonde athlete grinning at him. He blushes and looks away to see the chubby guy handing his friend some cash, clearly losing a bet. Know where to put your money next time, chubs, Charm thinks to himself, smirking. In the midst of the all the cheering a loud "What is the meaning of this?" is heard from an angry voice. The angry man suddenly soars into the ring, giving a spin in the air before landing in the center of the wrestling ring. The man looked quite old, probably in his fifties. He had a thick black stache with some stripes of grey, as well as a bald head. He was extremely fit for his age. Much fitter than I am, Charm thinks to himself, remarking his relatively thin and slightly built body. The man wore a tank top and white trousers, with a black skull emblem displayed on his top. So this is the Bucanero Blanco guy who is supposed to teach us, Charm realizes. A Chatot soon follows Blanco and perches himself on the the old man's shoulder. Now turning towards Charm, he stares at the young trainer with an angry look. Oh crap, now we're in trouble.

"Sorry sir, Devon here suggested that we should have a battle while we waited for you to get here," he says pointing to Devon. If anyone is going to get the heat for this, he definitely didn't want it to be him. "I hope this isn't a problem for you..." Charm adds in, "sir."

[-Hayward-]

::The Black Swan::

-Hayward-: Startled by the sudden noise, you instruct your Pokémon to take preemtive measures as the sound of footsteps got ever closer and closer, Medéo boosting his inner strength with Meditate as Hynéo Hones her Claws. A profesional Odor Sleuth, Hynéo tries to discern the identity, or identities, by means of whatever scent she could pick up. She does seem to react to something, though, she turns to the completely opposite direction, and as you turn around to figure out what it was you're surprised to see the breach in the ship's hull now mysteriously closed as if it never was there to begin with! You feel the pressure intensify within the room, and you knew that whatever it was, it was already here. Medéo wastes not a second to flash a bright red beam of light; his Foresight would surely reveal its true identity, and it works to perfection as you now behold the figure of a single, though large Snorlax. You could tell by its appearance that it wasn't the friendly kind by a longshot. Its head was adorned with a simple black bandana, a black eye patch over his right eye, and a pair of iron earrings piercing its left ear. Its left eye drew most of your attention however, as you saw nothing but a completely empty eye socket; a dark hole which seemed like it could suck you in if you got too close. It glared at you with that single, deep and eternal missing eye, almost as if it was patiently waiting for you to make the wrong move before outright destroying you.

What will you do?

In the wreckage of the pirate galleon known as the Black Swan, Will bolts in astonishment as the massive form of a swashbuckling Snorlax suddenly fades into view in front of him and his comrades. Dressed in the traditional garb of a roguish seafarer, including a bandana, eye patch, and pair of earings, the colossal creature silently regards Will through a hollow, eyeless socket, giving the lad the sensation of falling headlong into a bottomless pit. Will freaks at the eerie sight of the buccaneer bear, and falls back in horror while his Pokémon, Medéo the Medicham and Hynéo the Mightyena, quickly take up defensive positions on either side of him. Hynéo lets out a low warning growl while Medéo adopts the kung fu stance known as 10,000 Butterfree Shield.

Despite the creepy atmosphere brought on by Snorlax's supernatural arrival, Will quickly recovers his composure, putting on a brave face and introducing himself as a treasure hunter and trainer from Pacifidlog Town, Hoenn, and states that he has traveled to the derelict vessel in search of rare relics, ancient artifacts, and long-lost loot, as well as strong wild Pokémon, and as he withdraws a Premier Ball out of his sidestrap courier bag, wonders if Snorlax would be willing to join his squad and aide him in his quest...

[MarbleZone]

::Pieli Harbour::

MarbleZone: You realize Min was ultimately a poor match-up against Grimer, despite going off a great start, and thus you decide to recall her in favor of two of your other teammates: Crix and Gaius. Figuring that perhaps another Grimer was on its way to provide backup, you decide to forgo your methodical approach in favor of going all out on the poor thing. Crix is the first to move, the Elekid Quickly Attacking the Grimer with a lightning fast tackle. He isn't as nimble enough to retreat as fast as Min however, and in turn takes a well placed slimy Pound to his face; forcing him to stagger back a few steps. A good thing for him however, as now it was only Grimer who was in range of Gaius's attack, the floor underneath the Grimer glowing before suddenly bursting upward with Ground energy, rocks, and water from a broken pipe. The Earth Power had really hit the mark against the Poison-type, and yet, it still seemed to hang on tight, looking very angry and annoyed. Resilient pestilent buggers, aren't they? It would take more than a single one of those to take it out, for sure.

"What are you doing?! Ohmygoshohmygoshimtoastimtoastimtoastarhggfhgakjg. .." The clerk was starting to panic. He was expecting things to go smooth as pie, and instead the damage property caused by Gaius was only adding to the nightmare of Grimer polluting his ice cream. As if it wasn't enough, you all can't help coughing a bit as you feel a pastilent stench suddenly fill the room; a cloud of Grimer's Poison Gas being breathed all over your squad. Fighting in these conditions was going to be big disadvantage to say the least, and it wouldn't take long before your Pokémon found themselves completely poisoned the more they breathed in the noxious gases. As you had expected, another Grimer has now fully made its way out of the storage room to boot! You were already in trouble as is, and now its been made double.

What will you do?

Damn it! I should’ve knocked it out faster!

Things really hadn’t gone according to plan. Now there were two Grimer to take down, and the room was starting to get filled with Poison Gas. But there were brighter sides to both issues.
One of the Grimer wouldn’t take much longer to defeat. It was visibly angry at the beating it had received, but it wasn’t retaliating with anything particularly dangerous. Not only that, both Crix and Gaius still had some tricks up their sleeves. And the gas, while it put a timer on the battle, served a different purpose – an excuse.

- Calm down and think! – he said to the panicking clerk – Grimer aren’t just a threat to your ice cream shop. Whoever planted them here cleary meant to harm you and the other employees as well! Can’t you see that this Poison Gas will affect us just as bad as it will Pokémon? The property damage is collateral here, and nothing the League can’t pay for if you insist; right now, I am saving your life and that is my priority as an Official Trainer!

He grinned inside. Ah, the faithful silver tongue. But now to focus on the increasing threat… The gas still wasn’t placing too much of a toll on either of his Pokémon, but that would change. He needed to speed things up, but admittedly, more damage to the storage room would be hard to explain from here on out. So, alternatives… Oh, he had some.

- Crix, Gaius, listen up! I know you too don’t exactly get along, but use your rivalry for the greater good now! Team up and take down these annoying Grimer, they’re no match for either of you alone, let alone with your powers combined! One’s already ripe for the picking, so let’s finish what we’ve started!

The Gible and Elekid looked at him, clearly upset that they had to work together when the one thing they loved the most was to fight each other. But the response was surprisingly positive, as both nodded and turned to the weakened Grimer. All was good, then.

- Okay Crix, you go first! Arms crossed and stay focused, remember what we’ve trained! Hit your Crossfire*! Gaius, you follow it up immediately with your fearsome Outrage, and if one doesn’t bring it down, a second round will!

He was pulling out the big guns much faster than he used to, and certainly much earlier than he had anticipated, but the situation did just take a turn for the worse and he wasn’t going to let it spiral further out of control.

((OOC: I will be unable to reply to any updates for the first two weeks of August (possibly a little longer), so if you can, please don’t drop me for inactivity! Thanks in advance.))

--

*Crossfire (Fire)
Much Similar to the move Cross Chop, but with an added fiery bonus, when used the user's arms engulf in flames, when hit the opponent takes the same damage as Cross Chop and has a 10% Chance of being burned, the user if not a fire type takes small damage from the move for every second it's used and also has a 10% chance of being burned.

[Pengyzu]

Raine’s Wildlife Park

Pengyzu: Hanging over the barrier of the heavily air conditioned Polar Exhibit, the lost Wailmer calf was the last thing on your mind as you gaze in awe at the waddle of Piplup. Your enthusiasm is quickly cut short however as one of the smallest of the crèche strays too far to the edge of the glacier, splashing into the icy cold water and struggling to stay afloat. The chick flails frantically as you yell for a park trainer, your heart sinking as no one comes to the rescue. The Piplup starts to chirp for help, spurring you into action. You decide to take things into your own hands – Allon now reeling to your side with a smooth hum. With orders volleyed the Magnemite sparks with animation, drifting over the barrier and toward the ice berg. The baby penguin’s tweets become slightly muffled now as it splutters icy cold water, the rest of the rookery assembling at the coast of the glacier in alarm. The magnet breaks to a halt as he reaches his coordinates, who twin magnets sliding down his body as he descends. Like a claw crane in an arcade, Allon successfully latches onto the penguin’s crown, ascending and drifting over the ice berg. Whilst the alien abduction seems to frighten the bubba more than drowning, it quickly gets over the ordeal as the Magnemite plops it down in the snow. Allon beams proudly as you sigh in relief, until a large shadow casts over the magnet...

“MWAP!”

A piercing squawk resonates across the warehouse as you almost bowl over the barrier in surprise. Allon gyrates to the source of the racket, a towering penguin clipping its trident-like beak aggressively. Its armour was sleek and black in comparison to the rookery’s downy white feathers, blue metal blades extending from its wings and collar. Its sapphire eyes were bloodshot in frenzy, shuffling its webbed toes and easily cornering the electric type into a glacier wall where he couldn’t slip away. You notice a caption further down the barrier: “Empoleon (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to the Glacier Islands. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 170 cm in height and weighing anywhere from 170 to 200 kg. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed” Your reading is suddenly cut off as the Empoleon lunges into Allon with a Peck, the attack chinking his armour for a mild hit. The magnet tumbles rearward his back knocking against a wall in the glacier. Before you can communicate with the Magnemite you catch sight of another caption scrawled in red lettering “Warning! The male Empoleon is not to be interacted with whilst his young in its incubation period”. It was too late for that, the emperor penguin closing any of Allon’s escape routes with a stretch of his jagged flippers. There was no way Allon could match such a huge foe, but with a good plan you could aid his getaway. What will you do?

Allon springs into action hovering above the water at lightning speed. He reaches the coordinates of the target and uses his magnets to rescue to baby penguin in need. The baby freaks out as an alien-like device lifts it onto land where the other chicks have gathered in panic. This stops as the baby is laid down on the soft snow. Allon brightens up as happiness and pride overrides his system as a shadow towers over him.

"Uh oh. It looks like that baby's parent isn't too happy to see a foreign Pokemon come close to the flock."

An ear-piercing squawk echoes throughout the exhibit as the Empoleon makes its presence known to Allon.

"Wait a minute... what's that down there."

“Empoleon (Aptenodytes forsteri) is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to the Glacier Islands. The male and female are similar in plumage and size, reaching 170 cm in height and weighing anywhere from 170 to 200 kg. The female lays a single egg, which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed”

"Oh no. I didn't... see that there... But its baby was in danger! What's wrong with him! Okay! No time to think now and reason out! That thing is ready to attack any-"

He is cut of as the Empoleon lunges in for a Peck, pushing the Magnemite against a glacial wall. Allon's gravitation becomes out of whack as the impact messes with him. Before the kid can communicate with his friend, he notices another note, this one in red.

“Warning! The male Empoleon is not to be interacted with whilst his young in its incubation period”

The emperor penguin corners the Shiny Magnemite, who's now vibrating out of terror. The wing span of the Empoleon blocks all exits and it looks like this penguin will remain hostile until false justice has been served.

"This penguin is nuts! If I didn't save the Piplup, then he would have been the dead one from the mother's rage. Ugh! I need help, fast! Come out, Kara!" as he throws a Pokeball up into the air.

"Kara! Stand by for orders. Allon! Hear me, please! Use a Thunder Wave to stop it in its tracks temporarily. Follow with a Flash. Now here's where you come in Kara, I want you to Teleport Allon out of that tight spot, to here beside us once the Empoleon has been successfully dazed... Let's do this quickly before any of the other Empoleons attack. I feel happy for the Piplups to have such protective fathers, but they could be protective without being jerks!" he sighs, preparing the Pokeball of Allon, so that once he escapes, he can recall him.

[jolteonjak]

::Crater Lake::

jolteonjak: The incident had certainly triggered a few alarms in your mind, and you decide it was best to find out what it was back at the lodge. The old man would probably know something about this, and you needed a rest anyways. Perhaps this wasn’t that much of a big deal? Making way back to the lodge, you find Pedro outside, quietly staring far into the lake. The overgrown Quagsire turns to you for only a second, before looking back to the lake again. Was it because of that noise you had heard earlier? It was hard to tell what he was thinking, if in fact he was thinking of anything at all. Looking at the lodge, you see the door wide open, and no immediate signs of anyone being inside. How weird. Walking past you, you see a couple now walk in to the lodge, well equipped with scuba gear you reckon by what little could be seen hanging out of their luggage. They both seemed to be wearing hats and jet black sunglasses, which made it very hard to really take a good look at their faces, though you could distinguish the woman's long pair of golden ponytails hanging on her back. Something about them feels.... off, somehow, though you had no real reason to believe so. Whatever it was, it probably didn't matter, you could choose to rest up, have a decent family meal and see what happens tomorrow, or find some more answers right now.

What will you do?

Chad returned Wooper to his Pokeball. He stood by the edge of the lake admiring the ball that contained his first capture. He decided to return to the lodge when he heard his stomach growling. He also noticed Cyndaquil and Heracross could use a rest after the battle.

Chad was looking forward to a home-cooked meal with a gracious host and his family. He hoped the old man would share some stories of the goings-on here. Surely there would be some. He wondered if his parents had an adventure when they were here and if they met the old man and his family. Most importantly he was wondering if the family would know anything about the thunderous noise that just rumbled the lake.

As he approached the lodge, Chad noticed Pedro standing outside looking at the lake. ‘I bet it heard the commotion, and it came out to investigate,’ he thought to himself. Not that he would be able to understand Pedro if it answered, but Chad took his Spanish dictionary out and pieced together a question. “Hola Pedro. ¿Sabía usted que saliera a investigar el ruido en el lago?” Chad’s Spanish still sounded strange to him, but he got the feeling he was getting better the more he attempted to communicate with Pedro. “Umm… Tengo muchas ganas a la cena de esta noche. He also kept it in the back of his mind just how vicious Pedro could be, so he always tried to treat Pedro with respect.

Chad turned his attention to the lodge. He was almost there, so he and his Pokémon could rest a bit. He noticed the door was wide open, and there was no one immediately around. “¿Pedro hizo que dejar la puerta abierta?” Chad turned back to Pedro to ask. He approached the lodge slowly in case he needed to act quickly. Before he reached the lodge, he saw a couple walk inside. They were dressed incognito in hats and dark sunglasses. Chad couldn’t recognize them even if he knew them. One of the pair was a woman with two blonde ponytails. He saw in their luggage that they appeared to be divers due to the various pieces of gear hanging out of it.

Chad felt a little bit of relief. The divers must have come to investigate the noise in the lake. It was either that or coincidentally they were on a getaway to do some diving. Before he could think of anything else, he revisited the investigator idea. The incident happened only a short while ago, so how could anyone have gotten up to the top of the volcano so quickly? He decided that if the couple were indeed staying at the lodge, he would keep an eye on them. For the meantime, he was hungry, and dinner must be close to being ready. His Pokémon also needed to rest up from their battle. He and Cyndaquil and Heracross entered the lodge.

Stats

[Itzatrap]

Crater Lake

Itzatrap: With your decision to work on breaking the juvenile Blitzle, the old farmer nods gruffly. Flannery beams, her fists tightenting with a sense of adventure as you make your way toward the back door of the ranch. The sun washes over you again as you break through the threshold, dirt tracks snaking off to several farming pastures – Amos escorting you down one of the furthest ones. The rancher stops at a great wooden corral at least twice the size of a standard battle arena. The surrounding grass worn and scarred, you could only assume many tame Blitzle and Zebstrika had been given free reign over these pastures. Directly adjacent to the corral was an oblong stable easily matching its length. By first impression it looked as though it’d hold a couple dozen stallions at least. The oldtimer pauses at the stable’s entrance, its interior too dark to make out at dawn. He passes you a lasso, “Bolt is jus’ ahead. He’s one of ar more unruly foals but he’s sure to tame under the firm hand of a trainer like yerself”. You nod reluctantly, only half sure what you’re doing as Flannery scooches beside you again.

“If you get to work on the farming, it’ll give me and Biscuit a good chance to look for the deed”, she mutters under her breath. Before you have time to ask who or what on earth Biscuit was, the gym leader brandishes a cherry-red Pokéball. Tossing it in the air, it splits open against the straw-covered terra, revealing a Growlithe pup that bounds circles around you both eagerly. “Biscuit, Odor Slueth!” The canine yaps obediently as Flannery tosses it a doggie treat. Catching the bone-shaped snack in its mouth, Biscuit nuzzles the floor of the mucky stable and starts sniffing around for the lost deed, his tail wagging high in the air. Flannery nods, it was time for you to get to work! The farmer hands you a rope to lasso the adolescent zebra, assuming you’d be capable without assistance. Your grab ahold of the lasso and press on, entering the dimly lit stable which was in tatters. The narrow dirt path was strewn with bales of hay and wooden crates. You check past each pen in the stable: empty, empty, empty. Beside the occasional horse shoe the space appeared vacant. You could only assume Bolt had gone walkies himself until a gruff neigh proves otherwise. At the far end of the tattered stable, a stripy steed attempted to go unnoticed.

Sparks fly up and down its body in warning as it fixes its lightning blue eyes on yours. In light of your advances Bolt rasps a second hee-haw, his body language more hostile. He was warning you to keep distance. Now nearing feet from the Blitzle’s pen he kicks his forelegs aggressively. The Blitzle could smell your determination, matching it as he hurdled over his steeple causing an instinct within you to back off into the corner barely inches from the rowdy zebra. He was headed straight out now and you’d need to stop him!

Here’s the Stable which has become a makeshift obstacle course. You’ll need to pick a Pokémon who can reach the exit the fastest way possible and draw out the quickest route via MS Paint. Upon beating Bolt to the finish, your Pokemon will be able to lasso the Blitzle into the corral. From there you’ll have to battle it using a Pokemon of your choice to prove yourself a worthy trainer. You have to navigate around obstacles. Your Pokemon can only go forwards, left and right – it cannot go from one tile to the diagonal tile.*

Pokemon with the following Performance*stats will have the following advantages:

Pokémon with *Speed get a head start of 7 tiles.
Pokémon with *Jump can effortlessly hurdle over bales of hay. This means tiles with bales of hay are treated as though they are a normal tile.
Pokémon with *Power can punch their way through boxes. This means tiles with boxes are treated as though they are a normal tile.

Note: These advantages do not stack. So if you used a Sunkern for example, you’d have to choose which stat to use. PM me if you're having any trouble. Best of luck!

Rob grabbed the lasso Amos gave him and entered the stable. It looked quite disorganized, with boxes and hay all over the place. "Wow and I thought my room was messy..." The pens were empty as he looked through them, one by one, "Huh, that's odd, wonder where it is hiding..." the trainer mumbled to himself. His question was answered as he heard the zebra neigh in the back.

Rob went further back until he saw the Blitzle. It's stunning eyes where only matched by the electricity flowing through it body. Rob got closer to the Blitzle, only for it to react aggressively, eventually cornering the trainer and running towards the door.

"Oh no you don't! Olli, Keane, come on out!" The trainer released his fiery monkey and mantis like Pokémon, who were as energetic as ever, Olli somersaulting as soon as his feet touched the floor, and Keane looking around for his prey. "Keane, follow my directions to the end of the stable to help me lasso the Blitzle, Olli I need your help as well to help corral it, then if we can corral it, start the battle by using a Leer on it to make it back down a little. Think of a Nasty Plot to take it down and then hit it with a Flame Wheel! Let's go buddy!" Olli and Keane quickly took the bait, a challenge they could not resist as they raced after the Blitzle, Keane ready to catch up with the Blitzle and Olli also ready to start the battle if nessesary.

[Balmund]

::Ancient Ruins::

Arc_Angel: Stricken with fear at the sight of the oversized eel, you choose to try a more diplomatic approach in hopes that maybe it wouldn't see you as a threat, or even lunch for that matter. Engaging an electric eel in underwater combat was, after all, deadly dangerous, and trying to escape it was also an equally risky and hard endeavor, to say the least. Though you weren't sure about Oblivion's diplomatic ability, it was at least worth a try, and maybe the Tentacruel would have enough tact as to not immediately incurr the Eelektross's wrath.

Oblivion spreads his tentacles so as to appear large and threathening - a creature worthy of being listened to. With a rough growl, he explains your intentions to the creature whom you had gathered was likely the guardian of the ruins, Oblivion looking ready to step into your aid at the least sign of danger as he does so. The Eelektross seems to carefully assess the jellyfish's words, seemingly undisturbed by Oblivion's tone of voice. In return, it emits a long whistling sound, as if asking "Who asks?".

The guardian carefully looks at you as it tried to figure out if you were worthy, but then things take a sudden turn for the unexpected as you're shocked to see a harpoon suddenly dart right past you and sink into the eel's flesh; the Electric-type roaring and twisting in pain as a small trickle of blood flowed from the still half-clogged wound. As you turned to the source of the assault, you see two divers emerging from the darkness, looking well armed and equipped with specialized gear; their night vision diving masks in particular standing out the most as a single and small circular lens glowed a faint green right between where their eyes would be. In their company, a Huntail and Gorebyss both seemed ready to engage the beast while the divers took aim once again; one of them pointing a finger towards you before his partner nodded in understanding. What did they mean with that? Eelektross wasn't going to just sit there idly however, as its entire body now starts cackling with electricity, looking ready to Discharge you all. Was it grouping you with them? Who were these people anyways and should you take any part in this developing battle?

What will you do?

::Pieli Harbour::

Flame Mistress: You can find your latest update here.

MarbleZone: Things were starting to look very dire, and you knew you had to do something before it got even worse, even if it meant a bit of collateral damage. You try to ease Andrew up, letting him know that everything was under control, and that he should focus on the important task of staying alive and unharmed. Besides, somebody would cover for the necessary repairs, and hopefully, it wouldn't have to be you.

Facing against two Grimer, you choose to go full offensive, focusing all of your attacks on the weakened one in hopes of taking it down as soon as possible. Both of your Pokémon are quick to follow orders, Crix, going in first as both of his forearms are covered in flames, chopping accross the Grimer with a Cross motion traced with fire. Before the Grimer could even react, Gaius jumps in, thrashing about violently in mighty Outrage. The Grimer had clearly taken a beating, but somehow, it still held on to consciousness! Woe to you, it breathes even more Poison Gas over your Pokémon, both of them coughing heavily as a result before Crix pulls off an encore of his previous attack to finally shut the Grimer down for good. By the looks of it however, it seemed your Pokémon were now unfortunately Poisoned, and the gas would only worsen the situation by forcing them to expend extra energy on their attacks. You yourself were already feeling slightly faint and sick as the stench filled your nostrils. You felt like throwing up your breakfast, and Andrew makes no effort to retain his own as he starts barfing it all up. Nasty! To top things off, the other Grimer looks really pissed after witnessing his partner being so roughly mistreated, and dives towards your Pokémon in anger, arms flailing as he Pounds the both of your Pokémon. Gaius unleashes his might yet again with another burst of Outrage in retaliation, pounding the Grimer over and over again with a combo of bites, slashes and dragon flares, only to be stopped short by a single, but well-placed Pound to the face. Gaius tries to regain his bearings, but it seems that after all that thrashing, plus the slight concussion to his head, that may just take a while; by his looks you could tell he was very much Confused! The Grimer may be slow, but they were bulky, and it was almost like they had bricks for fists. If what Andrew said was correct, there was probably still yet another Grimer inside, but given the current circumstances, it was probably best to take things outside. The ventilation system seemed to be damaged, and with the poison gas floating around, time was ticking even more against you.

"D-dude!" Andrew exclaimed while still trying to control his excessive coughing, gagging a bit spastically in between coughs. "Don't you guys work in groups or something? You have to call for back-up man! This is too much!" Call for back up... as if. A little bit of extra pressure always brings the best in someone though, right?

What will you do?

::Ampere Beach::

Emp: You knew you had to take Robbie's commands seriously. Last time, Guppi had payed dearly by underestimating his opponent, and this time around, you wouldn't want to take any risks. As Snookie starts gathering massive amounts of energy while rushing towards her rival, you order your own golden karp to take evasive maneouvers to dodge the attack at all costs. Guppi waits for the perfect opportunity to Bounce high into safety, but Snookie simply had gathered too much momentum and rams your Magikarp with her Giga Impact explosively like a torpedo. It was like trying to jump over a bullet, and luck simply wasn't on your Pokémon's side. But Guppi wasn't down and out from that just yet, and though he was certainly reeling from the attack, he had the guts to keep fighting until the very end, Flailing back even stronger and wilder than before, with almost as too much power for a Magikarp. The crowed was wowed; they had gathered expecting a senseless Splash-fest and instead they were treated with a far more epic battle than they could have ever hoped from these combatants. Taking the attack in full, Snookie looks clearly in pain, and Robbie cursed so much even a sailor would turn his head in secondhand embarassment. She tries to retaliate, but her body is far too exhausted for more, and though Guppi was looking similarly tired, he takes the opportunity to succesfully Bounce yet once again, falling like a sack of potatoes straight into his opponent. This time, the attack seems to be extra effective as Snookie finds herself Paralyzed from the impact. A critical hit! You were sure you had this in the bag, and yet, she still seemed lively enough to keep fighting. In the end, both Magikarp were simply too weak to overcome each other's endurance, and by the looks of things, either one would more likely faint from exhaustion than from a solid KO. After all this, it would be a real shame if you still wounded up losing to this punk...

Robbie wasn't one to stall for time, and he encourages his Pokémon to keep fighting hard. A moment you see the hulked up man pointing fingers and screaming orders; the next you see a Pelipper swooping down in front of you; and the next, there was no Snookie.... wait, what? Robbie seems completely perplexed about the event that suddenly unfolded before him, and it takes a while to digest what had just happened. "S-S-SNOOOOOOOKIIIIIIIIIEEEEE!!!!!!!" He then screams in despair. "WOWOWOWOWO- HEEEEEEY! THAT'S MY MAGIKARP! HEEEY!" He starts swimming in vain as the Pelipper flew into the ocean. Good thing it wasn't yours, but then again, nobody deserves to have their Pokémon eaten like that. Perhaps you could do something about it, but on the other hand, why should you? This isn't your fault... right?

What will you do?

::Seaside City::

Charminions: Buckling under the intensity of the old man's gaze, you're quick to point fingers to the one who started this all. "Hey, what da hell?" Devon snapped. "You agreed to this, man! But yeah, I started it. What of it?" He returned a gaze almost as intense to the bald-headed luchador. The Bucanero combs his 'stache with his huge fingers, as if thinking about the situation carefully, turning his eyes to and fro between opposites ends of the ring as he studied you both. "Son, that Combusken of yours got potential. Could make it to the league if he wanted to." He then finally said. Potential! Potential! The Chatot began cawing. "But you need to work on your attitude, boy. Wrestling isn't only about flashy moves, it's about attitude and guts. Right or wrong, if you're commiting yourself to something stick to your guns until the end! You will learn to develop your character. You will learn to have your wits about and you will learn to use your environment - your ring - in your favor as if it was an extension of your body! Wrestling, is for those with passion!" Passion! Passion! "And this goes for you all! First, from this moment onwards, this is my ring! If you want this to be yours, you'll have to prove yourselves to me! You came here because you needed guidance to be strong, to be charismatic, to be a star! Stick through my training today, and you will be rewarded for your efforts! Now..." he paused, carefully looking at each and everyone of the students, his gaze eventually meeting once again with yours, "who will volunteer into this ring with me?"

What will you do?

::The Black Swan::

-Hayward-: You were caught off guard by the appearance of the eerie Snorlax, and right off the bat your Pokémon position themselves to strike at a moment's notice; Hynéo growling menacingly while Medéo adopts the approriate stance for the situation. Though its gaze was unnerving, you regain your composure and figure that perhaps you could reason with it and have it join you. Introducing yourself and explaining your intentions, you open the invitation to have it accompany you in your quest for loot and treasure, trying to appeal to the pirate Pokémon's greed as you showed him a neatly polished Premier Ball. Hopefully, and just like that, he would join you in your merry exploration throughout the haunted ship!

His expression remaining ever the same, the Snorlax studies you for a good and long moment, as if trying to figure out if this was some sort of trick, or if you were actually serious. Suddenly, it bursted out in laughter, his bellow echoing eeriely throughout the ship, sounding both grave and shrill at the same time, as if voiced by some mismatched chorus of people. Wether or not this was your intention, it seemed to have regarded your gesture as highly amusing somehow. Quieting down, it simply smiles wide before shaking its head from side to side. Its answer was clear: No. However, it then extends its arm towards you, paw facing upwards as if expecting you to give him something. A sense of great danger still inpregnated the air, but perhaps you could resolve this without resorting to violence, and even gain an ally in the process... for the right price.

What will you do?

::Crater Lake::

jolteonjak: You attempt to ask Pedro about what is going on, using your rough Spanish for communication, though unfortunately he gave you no answer at all, looking rather entranced as he stared off into the horizon, paying no attention to either you, Cyndaquil or Heracross. Though you would press the issue further, you're surprised at the sight of the other two guests, and you feel relief as you notice their scuba gear. They're probably here to investigate the incident after all! That kinda seemed unlikely though, how could they possibly have come here so fast? Probably it was merely a strange coincidence? This wasn't time to be mulling over it though; rest and food was top priority. You make a mental note to keep a close eye on those two before moving in with your partners, closing the door, of course, as you do. You hear the footsteps of the duo going up to their rooms, though other than them, the lodge felt rather vacant for the most part. You wander around until you hear the sudden sound of plates being moved around. Following the source of the noise you find yourself walking into a large dinning room. A long table was set up, and you gathered it could easily hold over twenty seats. At the far end you see what appears to be a young woman with long, braided, brown hair, wearing a simple one-piece, forest-green dress. She seemed to be busy moving about, setting up the table with such grace even a Liepard would be jealous. Barely any noises were made.

"Oh, hello there!" She greeted you with a warm smile. "Dad told me about you! Please take a seat, I'll give you some nice grub in a minute. You all must be starving! Saw anything interesting out there, by the way?" She took the initiative with the questions. Curiously enough, she did not seemed troubled at all by the event earlier, or perhaps it was something she didn't want to talk about.

How will you respond?

::The Lighthouse::

Marion Ette: Your curiosity piqued by Gustaf's comment, you press the issue further, politely asking about the why's of the statement. Why did he need to lock the door? Thieves? Probably not, but it was a safe enough question to probe for the truth. However, at the sight of the blue-ish wisps of flame floating overseas, you stop playing games and instead straightforwardly ask about what those could possibly be.

"Hitodama." You hear a response, though the answer came not from the old man but rather from Gastly himself. "Yet another of the many manifestations of a living creature's soul. It's sentient flame in appearance, but far different in essence from my own Onibi. If I recall properly, you should've been most familiar with these, in fact. Amnesia must've struck you hard, eh Kikyo? Hopefully it at least boosted your special defense!" He started laughing out loud. "Ignore the horrible joke. What is this, a role-playing game?" He kept chuckling as if being remembered of some inside joke.

"Your partner would be correct; those were once people." Gustaf seconded. But, wait... he understoood? Gastly wasn't speaking in human language moments ago, though your ethereal companion wasn't particularly shocked by this new revelation; he almost seemed to be expecting it even. The old man simply continued speaking, his eyes fixating ever in the same spot. "It's history, though recent. Must've been five decades ago when these lands were ravaged by war. A prince from a far away country, murdered on a public appearance. Fingers were pointed, alliances were made, and all hell broke loose for seven long years. Many ships were swallowed by the blood-tainted ocean. So many lives lost at sea; angry lives, sad lives, frustrated lives, proud lives, courageous lives. They wander aimlessly, oh yes, they wander the vast and almost endless ocean, looking for a guiding light to follow. This beacon draws them near, it gives them hope, but what they don't know, priestess, is that beneath this tower lies a ancient terror far more terrifying than the petty squabble of men. They come here only to have their essence consumed, like moth to flame. You ask why I lock the door? It's safe up here, and I don't want to risk that thing coming in. So is the room downstairs, I've taken measures. Anywere else you won't want to be once night falls. Now, let me ask you this, lass, do you believe in death after death?"

How will you respond?

[Marion Ette]

::The Lighthouse::

Marion Ette: Your curiosity piqued by Gustaf's comment, you press the issue further, politely asking about the why's of the statement. Why did he need to lock the door? Thieves? Probably not, but it was a safe enough question to probe for the truth. However, at the sight of the blue-ish wisps of flame floating overseas, you stop playing games and instead straightforwardly ask about what those could possibly be.

"Hitodama." You hear a response, though the answer came not from the old man but rather from Gastly himself. "Yet another of the many manifestations of a living creature's soul. It's sentient flame in appearance, but far different in essence from my own Onibi. If I recall properly, you should've been most familiar with these, in fact. Amnesia must've struck you hard, eh Kikyo? Hopefully it at least boosted your special defense!" He started laughing out loud. "Ignore the horrible joke. What is this, a role-playing game?" He kept chuckling as if being remembered of some inside joke.

"Your partner would be correct; those were once people." Gustaf seconded. But, wait... he understoood? Gastly wasn't speaking in human language moments ago, though your ethereal companion wasn't particularly shocked by this new revelation; he almost seemed to be expecting it even. The old man simply continued speaking, his eyes fixating ever in the same spot. "It's history, though recent. Must've been five decades ago when these lands were ravaged by war. A prince from a far away country, murdered on a public appearance. Fingers were pointed, alliances were made, and all hell broke loose for seven long years. Many ships were swallowed by the blood-tainted ocean. So many lives lost at sea; angry lives, sad lives, frustrated lives, proud lives, courageous lives. They wander aimlessly, oh yes, they wander the vast and almost endless ocean, looking for a guiding light to follow. This beacon draws them near, it gives them hope, but what they don't know, priestess, is that beneath this tower lies a ancient terror far more terrifying than the petty squabble of men. They come here only to have their essence consumed, like moth to flame. You ask why I lock the door? It's safe up here, and I don't want to risk that thing coming in. So is the room downstairs, I've taken measures. Anywere else you won't want to be once night falls. Now, let me ask you this, lass, do you believe in death after death?"

How will you respond?

Hitodama. The moment Kikyo hears the word, a flood of memories washes over her; not Kikyo's memories, of course, but Marion's own recollections of pouring over books in the wee hours of the morning as her dear Litwick, Gwyn, provided his light and peered over her shoulder at the articles and books she had collected soon after trading for the little candle Pokemon. These sources mentioned the lore surrounding these ghostly flames, and how they may be connected somehow to Litwick and its evolution chain. Even Gustaf's description of the "Terror," with its consumption of lost souls, was reminiscent of lore surrounding Litwick and its evolved forms. Marion dearly wished that little Gwyn could be with her right now... Perhaps he would be able to shed some light on the situation (no pun intended).

Marion is struck by Gastly's little joke about Role-Playing Games. Would a priestess in a lighthouse know anything about such things? Could Marion even be sure of what time period they were in? Certainly, she could be inhabiting the body of a more contemporary miko... She was carrying Pokeballs, after all. Of course, Pokemon-related technology was not really her area of expertise. Let's see, when were Pokeballs invented, again...? Marion decides to respond with a melodic laugh and a simple response; "If life were a game, I'd like to think that the rules would be a little more clear-cut. Of course, I would likely break them anyhow~"

The tone becomes more serious as Gustaf chimes in. It was certainly strange that he could understand what her Gastly was saying, but Marion was less inclined to think of it as odd considering that she had grown up with a similar talent. Instead, her mind focuses on the story that Gustaf tells, which sounds to Marion like a retelling of the events leading up to the First World War. Five decades later... That would be... Well, if the war began in 1914, they would probably be somewhere in the mid 60's or early 70's. Then again, even if she were right, how would that knowledge help her with this Ancient Terror?

It is around this time that Kikyo is asked a question that many people would find strange, even nonsensical; "Do you believe in death after death?" The thought of it sends a chill up Marion's spine. She imagined that this awful feeling deep within her gut was what most other people felt about physical death. No, what Gustav described was far more terrifying... a true death, a death that erased body, soul, mind and heart... An end so complete that nothing would be left. If this Ancient Terror was indeed consuming souls and destroying the very essence of being as Gustaf had described, then the Terror truly was a horrific thing, far beyond the danger than even Man presented against Himself.

"I shudder to think that such a concept could be true... but I am not so presumptuous to confirm or deny such a phenomenon occurring. Indeed, it may be so. I would very much like to say I believe it to be false, but something inside nags at me, tells me that I cannot let my fear throw me into denial of what may be the truth."

Kikyo pauses for a moment. "...What of this Ancient Terror, then? Please, Sir Gustaf... Please tell me more about it. As terrifying as it may be, I want to understand exactly what is going on here. I want to know if there is a way that I can save these wayward spirits from utter destruction, and bring them the hope they so desperately long for. Please..." Marion peers through Kikyo's eyes with an intense expression, indeed hoping that she may be able to provide some help to these lost souls.

[Emp]

Raine’s Wildlife Park

Pengyzu: The arctic winds chill against you face which was growing paler by the second, if there was one thing you’d learnt about Empoleon it was not to get too close to their chicks. The emperor penguin was rounding on Allon who rattled in fear, his neck craning overhead and his jagged flippers closing off any escape routes. There was no way you could take the towering avian, so you start to rack together a getaway plan with a considerable amount of effort. Plucking a Pokéball from your inventory, you toss behind the barrier. Cracking open on the floor, Kara quickly takes shape on the brink of the enclosure – still not rested from her earlier skirmish. She stays put as you bowl over the barricade, yelling orders to Allon whose eye flicks toward you and quickly back to Empoleon. You could only cross your fingers as the events unfolded. The penguins head jerked forward in quick pecks as he Attacked the magnet with paternal Fury – the chinking of metal suggesting that whilst ineffective they were still taking their toll on Allon. Sooner or later the Magnemite returns fire, sparks flying from the poles of his magnets as he let loose a Thunder Wave.

The Empoleon’s attempt to jerk in for another peck falter as his neck seizes up in paralysis, Kara seeing this as his queue. He suddenly disappears in a blink of purple light, reappearing on the iceberg inches behind Allon. The bird squawks in a mixture of surprise and rage as he starts to charge a Water Pulse within his beak. The magnet blinks and lets out a Flash of light reminiscent of a Polaroid camera, momentarily blinding the penguin and sending his attack over Kara’s shoulder for a complete misfire. The watery blast smashes against the wall of ice causing it to collapse – the two Pokémon seeing this as their queue to leave. Kara quickly seizes onto Allon’s handles and Teleports them safely out of the enclosure as falling chunks of ice crash where they were stood. You let out a sigh of relief as the Empoleon sways drunkenly in its daze, mwaping blindly at the culprits who were safe out of harms way. Although you could stare at the rookery of Piplup for hours, the Empoleon’s stony glare is enough to spoil the view. Looking to settle your unease, you make your way toward a Dewgong exhibit until a young kid tugs you on the pant leg, “Excuse me, sir. I heard you say something about losing a Pokémon. Well, I’ve just come from The Sharpedo Tanks and there was loads of commotion!” Looks like you had your destination set, but could you brave it?

Rainbow Reef

Trainer Andy and Dark Searchman: Without a second to spare, you put your heads together and decide to set course for Eelektrik’s tail with the help of Delilah’s illumination. Worried sick for his partner, Briney takes the lead – his expert breaststroke on par with a high levelled Poliwrath. Stitches start to grow in your guts as you desperately swim in tow trying your best to stay in the Chinchou’s light. Your oxygen tanks were taking the toll of your exhaustion as your heart starts to race. Hope seems to dwindle as the patches of illuminated seafloor show nothing but desolate miles of fish carcasses and hollow shells. Even if you were on the right trail, the lightning fast eel would be hours ahead by now. Until it hits you like a tonne of bricks – the side of an old sunken ship, its splintered mast just meters ahead. The wooden vessel was semi submerged in cold sand and emitted a greenish hue from the slimy moss rotting it.

Scepticism fills the party as you glance at one another, but Delilah seems to insist that this sunken ship would be the dwelling of any deep sea predators. With a deep gulp you press on through a large tear in the side of the vessel. The silence is unnerving as you inspect the once inhabitable rooms that had decayed over the ages. Passing through a wide hole in the floorboards you find yourself in what appeared to be the captain’s quarters. Delilah’s antennae do a full scan of the room: You spot a table snapped in two on the floor, a shelf full of wine bottles that had shattered under the intense pressure and... A skeleton! You all reel back in panic, barely catching sight of a strange Red Orb clasped jealously within its bony fist. Briney however remains fixated on the relic, his eyes reflecting its redish hue until danger strikes again. This sudden jolt of panic seems to have lured the Eelektrik out of the shadows, Delilah now moving her light onto the predator who’d blocked the way out. It was holding a comatose Slowpoke by its tail, its pink skin pale white through loss of blood... What will you do?

The Caverns

Celebii: Whilst you’d made it this far, dreams of an early retirement in a Seaside City condo are quickly cut short as you manage to inadvertently trip the trove’s security system. Soulless marching sends ripples down the mound of gold as the half a dozen Golett round in on you - their flashlight eyes moving up your body, then over to your ragtag accomplices who had their hands held high in surrender. Harshly outnumbered, you quickly call on reinforcements in hopes of escaping the caverns in one piece. Two balls clunk on the coin-strewn floor before cracking open in a flash of light, Larry giving off a faltered bark which is immediately drowned by Nahkrin’s bloodthirsty roar. The guards look as stone-faced and emotionless as ever by this impressive entrance, communicating in strange beeps as they rally toward you. You quickly rack up a plan to take out the sentinels – focusing on one Golett at a time as you volley a set of orders.

Pumped for battle Nahkrin kicks off the skirmish, by sharpening his white Claws and homing in on the centremost Golett. Neptune quickly follows up as he slides down his mound of gold and by your side, spurring off a jet of Scalding water that hits one of the robots its bluish metal hide colouring a shade of red for a second. It doesn’t have a chance to regain its footing as Boing springs into action, volleying an Energy Ball which smacks it further out of the firing line. Larry finishes this assault by shooting off a Pulse of Water, the blue sphere bursting against the sentry causing it to rattle as it slides back a few feet. To your amazement the Pokémon continues to march toward you, although he seems a bit out of the loop as the rest of the guard form retaliation... In complete unison, five of the unscathed Golett slam their boots into the ground making the whole cave shake and shudder. Coins ripple down the trove as rubble falls from the ceiling - the Earthquake knocking a few of your smaller recruits off their feet whilst Nahkrin attempts to take flight. Larry whimpers as he struggles to his feet, the most hard done by the assault.

Once the seismic activity passes, Nahkrin gives up trying to lift off the ground and stomps forward claws bared. The spiny dragon quickly lets loose a Night Slash, swiping across the target Golett’s chest. For a split second, nothing happens. Then, the robot starts to rattle and clank, his yellow eyes flickering off as he falls apart on the cave floor. One down! Five to go! Neptune wags his fingers rhythmically, the tips flickering white as his Metronome conjures a random attack. Boing pumps the last of his grass reserves into another Energy Ball which bowls into a new target. Larry narrowly avoids the attack as he Charges into the firing line, his body combusting as he rams into the same robot. Flames burst from the impact as the two break away, the metal monster panting in fatigue. The sentinels once again slam the earth with all their weight – however the target Golett is cut off as Wartortle finally leaps in with a Sucker Punch - causing a Magnitude 10 on the Richter Scale. Your squad quickly regain their footing looking ready for more action; bar Larry who’s hanging on by the skin of his teeth after another super effective blow. What will you do?

Kakatua Lagoon

Balmund: Deciding to hold off any escape plans for just a little longer, you courteously accept the mermaid’s dinner invitation. You then feel a slight pang of guilt, too caught up in the day’s events to learn the girl’s name. She pauses for a moment as she considers you “Melæna. Is what the land people called me...” She then giggles and tugs your arm, pulling you toward a wide fissure which led to a large network of tunnels – barely illuminated by the sapphire stalagmites. It takes a great deal of effort to get the hang of your tail, but one swish of it would propel you much further than your legs ever could. You bump into the sides of the channel several times, but your skin seems tougher somehow. A spike in the ceiling crumbles against your shoulder as you lose control of your tailfin – it should’ve torn through your skin like paper but it didn’t. Not long passes until you get used to the newfangled appendage, your steamline fins and water-resistant scales making it easy to keep in tow of the siren. “You’re a natural!” she comments.

After a long swim through the labyrinth of tunnels you finally break into another large chamber made into an extravagant dining room. A long rock table separated two crystal-strewn thrones. A great sapphire chandelier dangled in the centre of the cavern as long thickets of seaweed danced around the empty corners. Being the gentleman you pull out a chair for the mermaid before gliding toward the opposite end of the table. Sitting as best you could you spot something carved into the side of the table that you have to squint to decipher. SHE LIES You jerk back in momentary shock before attempting to mask your fear. She beams at you, looking down at the vacant table top before pursing her lips and releasing a sharp whistle.

Your ears ring for a few moments, until your attention is suddenly drawn to fissure where a brigade of servers just barged in lugging large platters of food. The kitchen team of Crawdaunt, Qwilfish and Octillery weren’t merfolk, but you can’t help but notice human characteristics etched in their faces. Indeed, the crustacean’s moustache-like appendage above his beak that gave him a haughty French look. You lose your chain of thought as the silver cloches slide down the table, the Octillery wrapping its tentacles around the lids and unveiling a feast fit for a king... Dishes of Shellder were still steaming as goo drizzled from their cores, a platter of Remoraid kippers lined in a perfect circle and what looked like a Krabby cocktail lay marinated in a rich sauce. You wanted to try everything until the largest cloche was removed, unveiling a plump Whiscash cut into segments – brandishing an apple in its mouth like a hog roast. The second you stare into its unblinking eyes you spot the resemblance. There was no doubt about it. It was your friend Moku...

Hydro-Electric Dam

Myahoo: The battle raged on and your plan to evade damage seemed to have backfired as sparks flew up and down the echidna’s fur – his muscles stiff and immobile. You let off another volley of orders in hopes of helping Wildfire out of this sticky situation. You strain your eyes amidst the pillars of black smoke, barely able to spot two shadows in the fray. One of the silhouettes lights up in a flash of electricity, letting loose another Shockwave which resonates down the arena. Wildfire attempts to make a run for it, but his paralysis kicks in and his hindlegs lock up. The Blitzle then cantors forward, its hooves catching fire as he rams the rodent with a Flame Charge. Wildfire tumbles out of the smoke like a rag doll, which indirectly creates the distance you hoped for. He paws back to his feet before belching up another cloud of haze, adding another Screen of Smoke to the riverside. The foal seems to have cottoned onto this tactic by now and discharges a second Shockwave. The wave of electricity courses outward, smacking Cyndaquil who squeaks in pain. Keeping his footing, Wildfire tails off the round with an Extrasensory. The golden beam of ploughs through the smoke hitting the Blitzle in the nuzzle. The equine kicks its forelegs in bewilderment, the psychic attack managing to bewilder it. Both Pokémon were looking beat up, it was now all or nothing. What will you do?

Crater Lake

Itzatrap: The Blitzle’s hooves barely miss you by inches as you reel into the corner of the stable. As quick as it had leaped from its pen the foal was now cantering toward the exit, veering past the haystacks and boxes at breakneck speed. Thinking almost instinctively you brandish another Pokéball which cracks open on a mesh of hoof prints revealing the Keane the Scyther. Without a second to lose you toss the lasso to the Mantis who manages to wrap it around his scythe without cutting it – sending him in hot pursuit of the zebra. Keane’s wings flicker to blurs as he picks up off the ground, taking chase with a piercing buzz. Despite the significant head start, the bug proves to be the right Pokémon for the job as he zooms toward the stable doors at mach speed. He acrobatically arcs over the haystacks in his way, quickly closing the distance much to Bolt’s chagrin. The two were nearing the bright daylight of the corral when Keane slowed down to take aim, the foal letting off a bolt of lightning which missed by inches. The tangles of rope suddenly shot forward, your heart racing as the noose flew ahead of the Blitzle who was still at top speed. In the blink of an eye, the lasso slung around the zebra’s nuzzle and slipped down to its neck. It hadn’t decelerated, now galloping faster than ever in hopes of shaking the mantis free.

The two broke out into the corral and you see this as your queue to call on Olli to finish the job. Catching up - albeit with a painful stitch - a quick switcheroo lands Keane back in his Pokéball and Olli hanging onto the lasso with great difficulty. The monkey meets eyes with his foe and lets off a Leer, which manages to startle the Blitzle out of its aggressive kicking but isn’t nearly enough to tame it. Digging his feet into the loamy soil, Olli follows up quickly with a Nasty Plot which boosts his brainpower. The zebra neighs again, kicking its hind legs and giving the chimp a boot to the face! Olli squeals in a mixture of pain and rage, the Stomp causing a hoof shaped bruised underneath his eye. This act of rebellion is enough to coax him into attack, bursting into Flames and Wheeling forward. Fires scorching the arid pasture, the Chimchar finally closes into the foal ramming into his saddle and knocking him off balance. Showing he’s still got fight left in him yet, Bolt finishes with a Shock Wave – the outburst of energy knocking Olli off his feet as he struggles to get a hold back on the zebra’s lasso. What will you do?

Cascade Waterfall

Kaisap: Mulling over your options, you finally cave and let Kitty fight the grouchy owl. The kittens pink fur was on end as she raised her rump into a pouncing motion – licking her lips as her paw-like tail swayed in the breeze. The Hoothoot was clipped its beak again as it swooped forward for a Peck. Claws suddenly bare, the feline suddenly Faked left before taking the bird Out from the right with a swipe! Knocking the owl off its perch it hooted wildly before landing on a lower branch. Its bloodshot eyes dawned on Kitty, flickering a shade of blue as pulsed off another Confusion. The psychic salvo knocks the Skitty off balance, nearly falling off the branch before catching herself with her tail. You brace yourself to try and catch the cat, but she’s quick to hoist herself up and leap toward the Hoothoot. Lowering her head Kitty Tackles into the owl sending brown feathers everywhere as the two struggle the break apart. The owl concedes, jumping off the branch and flapping its stubby wings to stay airborne. Still in mid-air, the Hoothoot lets loose another screech, Kitty sticking her paws in her ears in a feeble attempt to block out the painful Uproar. What will you do?

[Balmund]

Kakatua Lagoon

Balmund: Deciding to hold off any escape plans for just a little longer, you courteously accept the mermaid’s dinner invitation. You then feel a slight pang of guilt, too caught up in the day’s events to learn the girl’s name. She pauses for a moment as she considers you “Melæna. Is what the land people called me...” She then giggles and tugs your arm, pulling you toward a wide fissure which led to a large network of tunnels – barely illuminated by the sapphire stalagmites. It takes a great deal of effort to get the hang of your tail, but one swish of it would propel you much further than your legs ever could. You bump into the sides of the channel several times, but your skin seems tougher somehow. A spike in the ceiling crumbles against your shoulder as you lose control of your tailfin – it should’ve torn through your skin like paper but it didn’t. Not long passes until you get used to the newfangled appendage, your steamline fins and water-resistant scales making it easy to keep in tow of the siren. “You’re a natural!” she comments.

After a long swim through the labyrinth of tunnels you finally break into another large chamber made into an extravagant dining room. A long rock table separated two crystal-strewn thrones. A great sapphire chandelier dangled in the centre of the cavern as long thickets of seaweed danced around the empty corners. Being the gentleman you pull out a chair for the mermaid before gliding toward the opposite end of the table. Sitting as best you could you spot something carved into the side of the table that you have to squint to decipher. SHE LIES You jerk back in momentary shock before attempting to mask your fear. She beams at you, looking down at the vacant table top before pursing her lips and releasing a sharp whistle.

Your ears ring for a few moments, until your attention is suddenly drawn to fissure where a brigade of servers just barged in lugging large platters of food. The kitchen team of Crawdaunt, Qwilfish and Octillery weren’t merfolk, but you can’t help but notice human characteristics etched in their faces. Indeed, the crustacean’s moustache-like appendage above his beak that gave him a haughty French look. You lose your chain of thought as the silver cloches slide down the table, the Octillery wrapping its tentacles around the lids and unveiling a feast fit for a king... Dishes of Shellder were still steaming as goo drizzled from their cores, a platter of Remoraid kippers lined in a perfect circle and what looked like a Krabby cocktail lay marinated in a rich sauce. You wanted to try everything until the largest cloche was removed, unveiling a plump Whiscash cut into segments – brandishing an apple in its mouth like a hog roast. The second you stare into its unblinking eyes you spot the resemblance. There was no doubt about it. It was your friend Moku...

"Melæna..." He had whispered to himself as she said her name. It had a sweet ring to it, just like honey.

Accepting her invitation for dinner, Balmund is lead through a network of tunnels before ultimately reaching their dinning spot. His swimming was clumsy at best, but he could definitely swim better than without his tail by far, and moreover, he felt strong and tough, more than he ever had during his entire life. Even rock crumbled against his skin. The power... that was something he could definitely get used to.

Reaching the fabulous dinning table, Balmund pulls out a chair for the mermaid like a true gentleman before taking one himself on the opposite end. The sight of a warning carved unto it suddenly started ringing alarms in his head. He already had the suspicion that he definitely wouldn't be the first to be charmed by this dangerous lady. His expresion darkened just a little bit, but Balmund pretended nothing was going on for the time being, at least until he gathered more information and got to the bottom of this. He knew how she was transformed, but he still didn't how he got into his current state.

With a kitchen-full of marine Pokémon preparing their dishes, the couple is served a royal feast unlike what he had ever seen before. It was enough to get any mouth watering and possibly even turn tofu lovers to the proper path once again. Everything changes completely however, as the final and main dish is reveal: a large and plum roasted Wiscash. There was something very off about its face... its expression. Could it be... Moku?! How? Balmund had a hard time believing it, but at the same time he knew, deep inside, what the horrifying truth really was. Had she gotten to the other two as well? What about Chris and Sothe? He just had to find out, and for that, he had to get back into his mental game. He too was a man of many inner demons. He had seen horrible things, and he was sure capable of many himself if he absolutely needed to.

Balmund glares at the siren with accusational eyes, as if letting her know through his gaze that he was not oblivious at all to what exactly was before him. And then, he transforms... Balmund's face adopting a sweet yet somewhat twisted grin as he extends his arm to take a piece of Moku with his hands; his eyes ever locked with that of Melæna as he takes a nice bite out of it. Your move now, hun. He thought to himself. Sorry, Moku. I guess you, of all people, wouldn't mind, eh? You're delicious, by the way.

"Melæna, can I ask you something? Do you still hate men?"

[myahoo]

Hydro-Electric Dam

Myahoo: The battle raged on and your plan to evade damage seemed to have backfired as sparks flew up and down the echidna’s fur – his muscles stiff and immobile. You let off another volley of orders in hopes of helping Wildfire out of this sticky situation. You strain your eyes amidst the pillars of black smoke, barely able to spot two shadows in the fray. One of the silhouettes lights up in a flash of electricity, letting loose another Shockwave which resonates down the arena. Wildfire attempts to make a run for it, but his paralysis kicks in and his hindlegs lock up. The Blitzle then cantors forward, its hooves catching fire as he rams the rodent with a Flame Charge. Wildfire tumbles out of the smoke like a rag doll, which indirectly creates the distance you hoped for. He paws back to his feet before belching up another cloud of haze, adding another Screen of Smoke to the riverside. The foal seems to have cottoned onto this tactic by now and discharges a second Shockwave. The wave of electricity courses outward, smacking Cyndaquil who squeaks in pain. Keeping his footing, Wildfire tails off the round with an Extrasensory. The golden beam of ploughs through the smoke hitting the Blitzle in the nuzzle. The equine kicks its forelegs in bewilderment, the psychic attack managing to bewilder it. Both Pokémon were looking beat up, it was now all or nothing. What will you do?

Melissa cursed under her breath when the paralysis prevented her starter from escaping under his own terms and when the Blitzle sent out another Shock Wave; at least Wildfire had been able to pull off the Extrasensory, even if the Smokescreen wasn’t doing much to help anymore. From the brief moment she’d been able to see the echidna, though, it looked like he was getting tired. The teen once again cursed the paralysis her Cyndaquil was afflicted with, as she would otherwise have ordered him to use Dig without a second thought. She ran a hand through her hair, running her mind over the moves available to them and settling on something simple.

Pulling out a Pokeball (4/5), she called out to Wildfire, “Use Leer to frighten it and then move a little before you use Ember, so it won’t get you too easily. Then, use another Extrasensory. Try to watch out for that Shock Wave, if you can, Wildfire.” The teen bit her lip as she anxiously watched the two Pokemon, rolling the empty Pokeball between her fingers; after all this effort into wearing it down, she figured she might as well take the Blitzle with her. Besides, who knew when she’d next need a Pokemon that could help her move fast?