Jory

The title of the post is pretty self-explanatory. After the slow heat death of Pokemon: LD, I've decided that I want to continue hosting RPs. I thought that Pokemon: Luminous Dawn went so well that I'm already hoping to get another thing going. Essentially, the concept is to have each player create a Bounty Hunter character within the world of One Piece. In this world, assume that we are currently in the time skip between Marineford and Shabondy Archipelago. If you don't know One Piece, it basically means that the One Piece canon is on pause. The premise of this RP is to have Bounties act as chapters. Characters will have development and there will be recurring NPCs, but this structure will make it easier for people to drop in and out of chapters without disrupting the natural flow of the narrative. If you're interested in doing some action-oriented One Piece RP, let me know here. Otherwise, I'll see you in the OOC.

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason Mio's stick waved harmlessly through the air. Whatever had picked up the Amateurs, it was gone now. "It looks safe enough to me. Still, we should keep our guard up. No telling what we're going to find inside," Jason said. He walked forward cautiously, leading the way into the building. Once through the threshold, they entered a wide corridor lit by flickering lightbulbs and the infernal excretions of shorting wires. The first thing the pair of Trainers saw was a sign hanging diagonally from the ceiling that read, "ELECTRICAL." He continued, beckoning for Mio to follow him down the hall. On their left, they saw a long, straight hallway. It progressed for a long while before a collapse in the roof blocked access to what appeared to be a door behind it. In front of them, at the end of the hall, was another set of double doors. Well, they would have been had the door on the right not fallen flat on the ground in front of the doorway some years ago. Through the fallen door they could see that the hall opened up into a larger room. Past that was hard to identify. Jason opened his mouth to speak before stopping and pointing ahead. In the larger room, a pack of Magnemite floated by the open door. "I think we're in their territory," Jason whispered. "I know that sounds odd, but I'd be willing to wager that this is their home and they're willing to defend it." He looked pensive. "The way I see it, we have two options. We can either try to fight them, or we can leave them alone and try to sneak by. Up to you."

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason nodded, looking to the others for confirmation. Both Brendan and Jack stared blankly for some time, not responding. Jason shrugged assuming they meant that they were on Mio's side. "You may have a point." He took a step back and gestured for the others to walk through the door, pretending to be gentlemanly. "Alright, so the intrepid adventurers are heading into the abandoned building!" They approached the door, all the Trainers looking around. The air near the door smelled of ozone, and the hairs on the backs of their necks stood on end. Jack and Brendan led the way, pushing through the doors. After cautiously looking around, they took a few steps inside. Then, their vision twisted, their worlds distorted, and they disappeared into thin air before Jason and Mio's eyes. Brendan and Jack The pair came to on their backs, looking up at the remains of what probably used to be a ceiling. The plaster, metal, and concrete showed signs of explosive damage, leaving much of the room open to the night sky. Through the hole in the ceiling and all the floors above it they could see the ring of debris floating immediately around them. All around the room, dust and small objects were suspended in the air. A chair floated harmlessly above the two Amateur Trainers. It continued through the air, moving gently toward the open door in the corner of the room. Desks and shelves lined the room, but most everything lighter had begun its melancholy crawl toward the monolith in the sky above the lab. Through another open doorway to their left, they could see a ways down the hall. At the end of the corridor, a cave-in blocked off access to the rest of the building. Quest updated: "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" -(Optional) Regroup -Find the Energy Imperative Lab -Copy data logs from the Energy Imperative

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason "Thanks for the friendly advice," Jason mumbled as he took Mio's hand and stood up. He brushed the dirt and debris off of his pack and his pants before turning back toward the main building. "We should head inside," he commented. "I'm done leading for now, especially after that disaster. Let's go!" he said quickly. The group made their way uneventfully toward the main building, stopping in front of the first entrance they saw. Upon closer inspection, the building was mostly made out of concrete, glass, and some kind of reflective metal. The architecture had a very contemporary sense of being while also retaining some aspects of older buildings in the area, such as towering white columns in front of the doorway. The facility was five stories tall in some places and shorter in others. In its prime, it would have been quite impressive to look at. Now, it was a ghost town. "This place is huge," Jason commented. "How does Fennel expect us to find one computer in the whole thing? We're gonna be here all day," he began to complain before stopping himself. "Then again, this place seems ideal for training up before our Gym battles. Maybe it wasn't so unfortunate that we ended up here today." He looked at the door. "So, a couple of ideas. We could enter here and see where we end up, or we could try to get in somewhere else. Maybe another door or a window or something," he elaborated. "Anyone got any bright ideas?"

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason Jason chuckled at the mention of the terrifying Normal-type being afraid of something as non-threatening as a Fletchling. "You're serious? She's afraid of those tiny little things? I thought she'd take an Ursaring head-on, but I suppose even a scrapper like her has her fears. I'm sure with the right amount of training she'll be over to get over it," he commented as he continued to look around. Just as he was about to relax his guard, the rustling in the grass sounded again from the direction of the building. This time, a pair of sparkling blue eyes were visible in the shadowy underbrush. "Hey!" Jason called out, not wanting to surprise the Pokemon and have it attack. "We're just here looking around. You can come out, if you want." As quickly as the eyes appeared, they vanished. This time, Jason could see the Pokemon's wake in the grass. "Guys, come on!" he said quickly. "Don't you want to see what it is?" Rascal jumped down from his Trainer's shoulders to land at his side, ready to give chase with him. Jason sprang into action, running into the tall grass after the Pokemon and toward the building. The grass made running slightly awkward, but not impossible for the Amateur Trainer. He chased the rustling in the grass across the field and toward the building, stepping around the shallow pools of water as he made his way through the outlying brush. As he got closer he felt his foot snag on something. Oh, shit, was his only thought as he tumbled forward, landing hard on his back. He looked up at the sky for a moment before laying his head back down, groaning. "I can't believe he got away..." he mumbled to the amused chittering of his Minccino.

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" As Brendan held the Slowpoke out for his friends to see, a bead of sweat grew on his brow followed by another. His arms began to grow tired as the eighty pound, four foot long Pokemon hung suspended in the air by the sheer force of Brendan's excitement. However, he knew he was in big trouble when his back began hurting. That would be the last time Brendan tried deadlifting a new Pokemon. The Slowpoke simply said, "Sloooooow," as if mirroring Brendan's sentiment. Its mouth hung open after the utterance, as it had forgotten to close it. However, its facial expression remained blank. Jason The Amateur was taken aback by Brendan's forthright approach, and couldn't help but laugh as Brendan began to struggle with the heavy Pokemon. "You know, you could also put him in a Poke Ball," Jason suggested. "I've heard that if a Pokemon wants to join you, it won't even resist being encoded." Suddenly, there was a rustle from the grass surrounding the pool. Jason and Rascal were promptly on guard, searching the area using Rascal's keen hearing and the Trainer's sharp eyesight. Just as quickly as the rustling had started, it vanished into the distance. "I think we should keep going ASAP. We got lucky this time." Jason gave the grass around them another look before turning toward the Dreamyard's main facility. "I'm glad you caught a Pokemon though, Brendan. With a Gym right here in Striation, you needed something to shore up your weaknesses." Rascal began to climb down Jason's arm before taking a look at the water and, making a quick decision, turning around and climbing back up to the relative comfort of his Trainer's shoulder. "Next time, we may land near a Pokemon that's looking for a fight. So be on your guard as we walk," he cautioned.

Dreamyard- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" The Slowpoke continued staring blankly ahead. Its eyes stayed totally unfocused as the pink Psychic-type continued lounging in the water.

Dreamyard, Exterior- "Let's Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Jason The Amateur Trainer followed after Brendan and Jack, hanging back to keep Mio compnay as they journeyed through the mysterious area. As Brendan led them closer to the abandoned research facility and the floating rubble above it, vegetation became more sparse. The trees were replaced with strange gray grass that grew up to their hips. The sounds of Pokemon in the forest became but a distant memory, fading with both time and distance as they made their march toward their destination. Before they'd gone more than a hundred yards the group's perception began to become warped. Everything around them began to coalesce into a small spiral, then went white. The landscape reappeared around them moments later; however, Jason could swear that the floating rubble had moved. Before, it was straight ahead in the distance. Now, it was slightly to the left and substantially closer. Taking another look around, he realized the gate back to Striation City was no longer in view. He began to take stock of the situation. The building in front of him was still the same one, for sure. "I think we're on the other side of the facility," Jason said to the rest of the group. "Fennel wasn't wrong about this place being weird, that's for sure." He looked toward the building once more. On the other side, the grass had retaken the area to the point of growing in some of the building's windows. Instead, a series of large yet shallow pools of water dotted the landscape on the way to the Dreamyard's research facility. "Either way, we should keep-" "Slooooooow." Jason looked around once again, looking for the source of the sound. "Did one of you say something?" he asked the group. "Poooooooke." Finally, Jason felt his sock beginning to grow wet. He looked down and, to his surprise, found himself standing in one of the shallow pools he'd seen in front of him. Even more surprising was that when he looked around at his friends' feet, he saw a big pink lump sticking out from under Brendan's. More specifically its tail. "Uh... Buddy?" he asked his friend, trying to get his attention. "Might want to mind your feet."

Striation City, Fennel's House... Lab... Thing...- "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" Fennel "Quite a useful question, and packed to the brim with information you will surely need. Excellent inquiry. I assume you are Mio, the one Bianca told me actually has two bits of a brain to rub together. No offense to the rest of you; Pokemon Trainers just aren't usually the brightest bulbs in the bunch. Anyhow, the wing of the Dreamyard where the explosion originated was a wing that specialized in doing research on Psychic-type Pokemon. One of the anomalies of the Dreamyard is that the Psychic energy left over from the blast can affect the area in a number of different ways. Floating objects, altered perception, and intra-site teleportation are a few of the more common ones. "Again, though, I'm sure you'll all be fine. Bianca tells me you are a precocious group, so I have full faith in your ability to get this done. Just remember one thing- Psychic energy can do a lot of things, but it cannot harm you directly. Floating objects dropping out of the sky are a different matter entirely." The scientist paused for a moment. "Since you are Trainers, you might be interested to know that Pokemon with Psychic predilections tend to congregate around the Dreamyard. The collapse of the building has created several localized biomes, so you should be able to find some outside. However, once you're inside be on the lookout for stray Electric-types. They are there to feed, not to sightsee. Be on your guard." She then opened a drawer in her desk, taking out a flash drive and handing it to Jason. "Just stick this in the mainframe once you're there. It'll sift through the files by keyword and find what I need. It should take about an hour to hack in and get what I wanted." Jason received Energy Imperative Access Codes (x1)! With that said, Fennel clapped her hands. "Now, kindly get the fuck out of my laboratory. And don't come back without those logs." On cue the door hissed open and the same irritated looking assistant was there to usher them out. On their way downstairs, Mio was able to scan the data of a small Flying-type Pokemon into his Dex: Pokedex Bianca The older Trainer led them to the Northern exit of Striation City. After leading them through the gate, which was virtually identical to all the others, Bianca turned to face the group. "Well, here you guys are! I hope you have fun doing a little dirty work for Fennel. I know she seems a bit weird, but she's a books-first kind of girl!" she said with a giggle. "Anyway, there are some neat-o Pokemon around here, especially if you're interested in Psychic- and Electric-types." She quickly checked her XTransceiver, then put it away. "I'm needed at the Pokemon Gym. Once you guys are done dropping off the data logs at Fennel's, how about you drop by? Hugh's heading over there soon. See you later~" she said loudly, skipping off into the gateway. Jason The group of Amateur Trainers turned around to face the Dreamyard. The gate let them out at the treeline of a large clearing that had obviously been cut in the forest to make room for the research facility. Once Bianca was gone and no longer distracting them, they could feel the Psychic energy that Fennel had described permeating the clearing. Try as they might to see an entrance to the lab from where they were standing, they were impeded by a distorted landscape. There was a ring of debris floating in a perfect circle above the main structure, slowly orbiting the perimeter of one of the wings. Jason pointed to it and Rascal ran out along his arm, standing on his forearm in order to join his Trainer in pointing at the anomaly. "If I were a betting man, I'd say that's the Psychic Energy wing. Even over here, you can feel how weird this place is. It's like the energy has settled into the earth itself." He paused for a moment. "Anyone care to take the lead on this? Psychic-types aren't really in my wheelhouse. I'm more of an earth-tones kinda guy."

Striation City, Main Street- 9:00 AM the Next Day Bianca led the Amateur Trainers back through the city streets, heading for Fennel's house. She'd woken them up an hour earlier, making sure there was time enough for her charges to feed themselves and their Pokemon before resuming their journey. She'd found each of them splayed out on a bed in their hostel-like room in the upstairs of the Pokemon Center. Jason appeared bleary-eyed and duller than usual, exhausted from the excitement of the day before. As usual Rascal reflected his Trainer's mood, his head sticking out of his Trainer's pack. Somehow, Bianca was as perky and energetic as usual. Years of journeying through Unova showed in her attitude, not letting tiredness impact her. Soon enough, the group found themselves at the foot of the stairs leading into one of the many brownstones lining Striation's Main Street. Bianca turned quickly on her heel, smiling broadly at the group of Trainers before her. "Well, here we are. I guess 'here' is kind of vague, but I'll explain! So we're at Dr. Fennel's house. She can be a tad touchy, but I promise she's suuuuper nice! Fennel studies all kinds of different energy that's created by Pokemon and can power all kinds of useful stuff! You know how Castelia City converted from Electrode power to hydroelectric turbine power last year? Well, she figured out that if you use the Electrodes as amplifiers rather than producers of Electric-type power, you can more than quadruple the amount of energy produced!" Bianca grinned. "I'm lucky to know someone as smart as her! I may be Professor Juniper's assistant, but everyone knows that it's the real eggheads like her that make the world go round. Juniper and I learned what we know about Pokemon from living and experimenting with them, but Fennel's really got the theoretical science down. Anything you need to know, she could probably answer twice as well as I could." She then shrugged. "Anyway, we should head inside. Fennel's a... punctual type. We don't want her any more uptight than she is, so let's get moving." Fennel's House Bianca knocked on the door three times. She waited for a few moments before the door was opened by a small man in a lab coat. "Ah, Bianca," he said quickly. He retrieved a metal device from his pocket. When he waved his hand over it, it expanded into a rectangle. The frame filled with light, becoming an interactive display. The man pressed a few buttons, his eyes scanning the holopad. "Dr. Fennel has been expecting you. You're late," he noted, indicating that the holopad read "9:02." Bianca sighed in response, shaking her head. The lab assistant led them through the door. The first sight that greeted Bianca and the Amateur Trainers was a living room converted into a full, working laboratory complete with some of the same high-tech machines that were in Juniper's lab. Mio in particular might have been interested to see several different types of Pokemon connected to electrodes while lab assistants scurried around, taking readings and ensuring the Pokemon remained docile. The diminutive lab assistant led them up the stairs in the back of the first floor and into a second-floor lab. This lab seemed different from the one on the first floor, mostly due to the twin beds scattered throughout it. Each was surrounded by a number of different monitors with different readouts, suggesting that each bed contained a different experiment. Continuing to follow the assistant, the small group ended up at a door marked simply, "Office." The assistant knocked three times, then nodded to Bianca and walked off to resume his usual, non-hosting duties. Shortly after, a pneumatic hiss could be heard as the seemingly ordinary door released a cloud of steam and slid open. A very distraught-looking woman came to the door and ushered them in before tapping a few commands into her holopad, causing the door behind her to close once again. When she finally stopped pacing and sat down, the Amateurs got their first good look at her. Fennel couldn't have been a few years older than Bianca, but the stress of her work had clearly gotten to her. Where once there were laughter lines, the Amateurs could see the beginnings of crows' feet. She had long, navy blue hair and wore glasses with small rectangular frames. They kept sliding down her steeply sloped nose, causing her to push them up with one finger every so often. Her lab coat draped heavily over her slender form, making her look somewhat childish despite her age. "Well? What do you want?" she asked, exasperated already. Bianca giggled and looked over the desk at her friend. "Fennel, that's no way to greet your new guests!" she admonished the scientist. "Right, sorry. I'm Fennel, this is my lab. I apologize for my brusque manner; your visit is causing me a great deal of inefficiency as it is. However, I have a task for you. Bianca said I could make use of you; something about it being good training to run errands." She removed her glasses, rubbing the bridge of her nose for a moment before continuing. She input more commands into her holopad, causing the wall behind her to turn white. A projector above the door displayed a large facility on the whiteboard. "This is the Dreamyard two years ago." She flipped to the next picture. "And this is it today." The large, intact domelike structure suddenly developed a crater in the middle of it, with the rest of the building in ruins and collapsed in various places. "I used to run a project at that lab. I was taking a 'sick day' for health reasons when it went up in a fireball. No one knows what really happened. Those who know are either dead or are halfway across the globe right now. My point," she concluded, "is that I need to know what went wrong. Your task should be simple enough for four Trainers to handle- go in, recover the last set of logs from the mainframe, and bring them back to me." She looked around nervously. "I can't go myself. I'm still a suspect just because I wasn't there, and I don't want any more prying eyes on my research than there need to be. After all, it's hard enough complying with government regulations without being actively investigated. No one's been able to access the mainframe before now because anyone with an Admin level password is, like I said, either dead or missing. Last week I was sent this code through an encrypted channel protected by more than one proxy server. I can't figure out whose it was, only that they worked in a project I'd never heard of: the Energy Imperative. I was hoping maybe I might be able to recover some of their notes to use in my own research. Any questions?" she asked the group. "Yeah, I get that you're a suspect and all, but why us? Why not get some of your assistants to go?" Jason asked. "It's been two years. I'm sure everything that's been recovered has been by now. I doubt anyone's watching the place. "You don't get to where I am without taking precautions. Honestly, I'm sending you because I'm not much of a Trainer and it's safer than going myself. Anyone else?" Quest added: "Let's Go Dig Up the Dreamyard!" -Travel to the Dreamyard -Enter the ruins of the old research complex -Find the Energy Imperative Lab -Copy data logs from Energy Imperative

Striation City- "A Long Awaited Arrival!" Bianca The Emboar's Trainer giggled lightly at Mio's discomfort. "Sorry for snapping at you, but you were nerding out at, like, the worst possible time! It's okay though, Mio! I still love you~" she said jokingly, doing her best to turn her charge bright red. "Anyway, you're right about Twist's biology. If you compare the flame glands in his neck to the one on Typlosion's, you'd find that they have very similar configurations. The Unova Pokemon League actually uses a chart that Professor Juniper and I designed together in their Trainer School!" she said, beaming with pride. If there was one way to get on Bianca's good side, it was discussing Pokemon research. Bianca continued walking merrily along as Twist, Jason, and Brendan followed closely behind her. The group passed through the gate, a rather boring building with white tile floors and blue walls. A news ticker ran along the left wall, accompanied by a TV monitor. The monitor was currently displaying some kind of commercial for a yellow super towel. The group proceeded through the double doors at the other end of the gatehouse, emerging into Striation City proper. Unlike Accumula Town, Striation City was supremely flat. It was a rather small city, with the Trainers able to see the trees at the other end of the area simply by gazing down the main thoroughfare. Most of the buildings were a few stories tall and narrow, pushed up against one another like so many dominoes in a row. Many had small shops on the bottom floor, with the plants and Pokemon seen through windows making it obvious that there were apartments up above. Some of the buildings were built in the townhouse style, with the main entrance on the second floor and a small staircase leading to a basement unit. As they moved farther down the street, the buildings began to space out a little bit. Most, unlike the Pokemon Center they could see peeking its trademark red roof between the buildings, were painted either brown, gray, or left the same color as the red bricks they were built with. "Well, welcome to Striation City! To be frank it's more of a town than a city, but there are more than enough points of interest to warrant the name. I'm sure you're all beat, so the first order of business is to get you all rested up at the Pokemon Center. Tomorrow morning, I'll meet up with you again. A good friend of mine wants to meet all of you." That said, she began walking backward, sure to point out interesting things. "As you all can see, most of the buildings here are residential. The businesses tend to occupy bottom floors, while tenants are up top. Instead of growing outward and negatively impacting the surrounding forest, Striation's city council elected to build up. You can't see it from here, but there used to be a huge laboratory on the Eastern side of town. A few years back, there was a terrible accident. Most of the staff and their Pokemon got out alive, but a ton of research was lost in the flames. The company that owned the building is still trying to recover from the loss. Doctor Fennel, the friend I was talking about, used to work there." Bianca grew quiet for a moment before a huge grin appeared on her face. "It's just around this corner! Come on!" she said, beckoning to the group. They rounded the corner onto a narrower road, one that led straight to another gatehouse. This one was shorter than the main street as well. On their right a few blocks down, they could see the Pokemon Center. It was the same style as the other buildings; narrow, with four floors and a red roof. Bianca walked them to the Pokemon Center, gesturing for Twist to put down the Trainers. Once he did, she returned him to his Poke Ball. "Well, this is where we part ways. I'll be staying at Fennel's. It's just a couple of blocks back the way we came, but I'll be here tomorrow to show you all around." She sighed. "I remember the first day of my journey. Don't worry about it ending; you've all just begun!" Quest complete: "A Long Awaited Arrival!" -Brendan found Half-smoked, smushed cigarette butt on the ground! -The party has gone to sleep -All Pokemon have been fully healed End of Day 1! Stay tuned for the next update!

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Leon Titan's Headbutt attack collided with the Tyrunt after the long wait, knocking him out cold. Leon sighed angrily and returned Rex to his Luxury Ball, shaking his head. "Beginner's luck..." he muttered, not wanting to look Brendan in the eye after all his talk. "Not like a noob like you could have beaten me without those hax, anyway," he said much more audibly. "Still, you won, so I owe you. And next time, you won't get so lucky." He crossed the field and took a bundle of PokeDollars out of his pocket, handing it to Brendan. Without another word, sigh, or condescending snort the arrogant Trainer retreated toward Benga. Jason The Amateur Trainer facepalmed, looking after Mio as he darted toward Bianca's Emboar in a fangasmic frenzy. He then addressed Benga, who had yet to leave. "You know, Benga, I see right through you," he said quietly. The red-haired Trainer glared at his opponent, daring him to continue speaking. Jason accepted this challenge and plowed recklessly ahead. "You may have that whole crew fooled with the tough-guy act, but the way you've bonded with Helios tells me you're not a bad guy. Do what you will with that," he said, shrugging before walking after Mio. That Emboar was pretty interesting, after all. Benga The punk Trainer remained silent, his face a stony mask of disapproval and condescension save for the corner of his mouth turning up in a slight grin. Leon reached him shortly after, and the two shared a meaningful look. The arrogant Trainer's face was contorted in anger and disappointment, still raw from his loss to the Amateur with the Roggenrola. Benga could understand where his friend was coming from; they had never expected to lose so thoroughly to this group. "I know how you feel," he said sincerely. "This is why we train Pokemon. To become stronger. Without a loss here and there, we'd never make progress." That said, he followed the other Trainers to the Emboar, glad for the opportunity to observe such a powerful Fire-type up close. Leon followed him, trying to make sense of how he had managed to lose to the underleveled Roggenrola. The idea that it had been holding an Eviolite never occurred to him. ??? The blonde girl's eyes were practically glittering with excitement. "My, my. What a powerful playmate~." Then, she giggled. "Want to beat up on Ms. Puff? Oh, but I don't think that would be very fair!" she said, beginning to pout. "But he's right. He doesn't owe me anything. We were just playing~" she said happily, her lips curled up in a smile. "But then he wanted to leave! And if he'd left, I wouldn't have had a playmate while my friends finished their playdates. But everyone's done now! And so unsatisfying, too," she continued, her face growing redder and redder. "If you try to leave me behind again, I'll scream!" she warned, her voice getting higher. Bianca The older Trainer pinched the bridge of her nose. "Okay, look. We're just gonna go. You can throw your damn hissy fit whenever, but these Trainers have been traveling all day and they deserve their beauty sleep." She then turned to face Mio, incredulous. "Not the time, Mio. Let's go," she finished, whirling on her heel and striding toward the Striation City Gate. Her Emboar gave Benga's crew one final intimidating glare before stomping off after its Trainer. The Fire-type picked up Jack and Mio by their backpacks and followed Bianca toward the Gate. Jason and Brendan, seeing their fellow Trainers heading for some well-deserved R&R, ran to catch up. Benga's crew was left standing outside the gate, waiting for a bit to separate themselves from the dangerous Amateurs before heading to the Pokemon Center themselves. Jason, Brendan, and Mio have completed their battles! Rank A! -Rascal and Gomez each gained 8 EXP! -Loam and Meena each gained 8 EXP! -Titan gained 8 EXP! Jack has completed his battle! Rank D! -Lara and Leonidas each gained 2 EXP! Quest complete! "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" -All Pokemon have gained 5 EXP! -Jason, Mio, and Brendan gained $500! -Mio picked up Hugh's Money (Key Item) Quest added! "A Long Awaited Arrival!" -Follow Bianca into Striation City -(Optional) Disembark from the Emboar

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" ??? As Jack once again engaged with the blonde girl, he failed to notice the two who hadn't been participating in battles circle around behind him. So, when he tried to walk away, he found his path blocked by the lanky, greasy Trainer and the well-dressed one. The greasy Trainer wore a blank expression save for his eyes, which practically glittered with excitement and joy. On the other hand, the well-dressed Trainer seemed kind of uncomfortable. He shifted from foot to foot and kept looking around, as though expecting someone to come charging in to save Jack at any moment. Meanwhile, the blonde girl giggled to herself for a moment before replying to Jack. "If I'm being completely honest, the appetizer was more fun than the entree. That cute little Trainer from earlier was much feistier than you were. Judging by how quick you were to mouth off, I thought you'd put up more of a fight. And don't forget that you had two advantages, Mr. Sore Losery Pants!" she said sweetly. "You had two Pokemon, and poor widdle me only had Ms. Puff! And even though she was healed after the last battle, she hasn't slept or been returned to her Poke Ball. Make all the excuses you want, but if you're just going to give up every time you're down on your luck then I'm done playing with you for good. It's no fun when people can't accept the blame for losing~" she chided him, stepping close enough to waggle her finger in his face. "Now that one," she said wistfully, licking her lips as she looked over to Brendan's battle. "He looks like he'll be fun to play with next time. I hope he's readyyyy~" she nearly sang, daydreaming about beating down Brendan in a Pokemon Battle. Leon Titan fired five shots one after the other, putting all of his strength into stopping the Tyrunt in its tracks. As the attacks sped along their collision course, time seemed to slow down for both Trainers. A line of five boulders soared through the air, opposed by a Dragon- and Rock-type bullet. The flying dinosaur broke through the first of Titan's attacks, wincing as it exploded into dust. The second rock impacted Rex directly on the nose, missing the focal point of the Tyrunt's attack and impacting cleanly. The second rock hit Rex in the face again, slowing his movement toward Titan. Then, the next three hit one after the other, sending the Tyrunt crashing to the ground directly in front of Titan. He streaked toward the rocks already on the ground, landing precisely in the runway titan had constructed. Hurt but still able to fight, Rex began to stand up, a mere foot and a half separating Leon's Pokemon and Brendan's. He made it to a crouching position, then began to strain upwards. He kept attempting to move, but found himself unable to. Upon closer inspection, the truly devastating result of Brendan's strategy was revealed. The Tyrunt's hips were stuck between the rocks, unable to rise above a certain point. His crash to the ground had occurred at an unnatural angle and at a relatively high speed and with the assistance of the force of gravity. That much had been enough to get him wedged. However, without assistance from those sources he found himself hard-pressed to stand up, let alone move in for an attack. Benga "Counter with Take Down!" Benga ordered. His Larvesta hovered and began thrusting itself harshly and recklessly toward Meena, aiming to at least bring down one of his opponents before the fight was finished. His Trainer was right; there was no point in quitting now, not after coming this far. Jason "Mega Drain! Stop him in his tracks!" came the order from Mio's side. Gomez's fist glowed green and he slammed it into the ground, once again trapping the Larvesta in a sizable rush of creepers while managing to circumvent the String Shot field effect. Despite the larval moth's powerful jet boosts, Helios found himself trapped in his enemy's web and waiting for the finishing blow to land. It didn't take long for Meena's claws to find their target after that, slicing through the creepers and hitting her opponent hard. Helios fainted almost instantly, having sustained more damage than any Larvesta should have been able to take. Benga The punk Trainer sighed and pulled his Ball off his belt, returning his Larvesta. "Thanks, Helios. You did your best," he muttered to the Ball before hooking it back onto his belt. He then took the cash Hugh had handed him from his pocket in a wad, waving it around. "You guys did this for your buddy, right? Here's his cash," he said, stepping forward into the Battlefield. "You two scrubs got lucky this time, you know." He shook his head, fuming. "I can't believe we just lost to you two." He then looked Mio in the eyes, unblinking. "You have balls, kid," he admitted, continuing toward Jason and Mio. "I can't deny that. Far as I know, no other Trainer with one Badge is on my level." He looked to Jason, and then over at Leon's less-than-ideal situation. "We picked the wrong fight today, but you can be damn sure you haven't seen the last of me. Now that you've beaten me, I have an obligation to myself to kick your asses," he said with his first genuine grin of the day. "And you both know how I like a challenge." He paused for a moment, seeming to think as he reached his opponents. "You two are more than strong enough to beat the Striation City Gym. So do me a fuckin' favor, will you? Earn that badge so I don't have to say I lost to a couple of rank Amateurs." The thug reached his hand out toward Mio, Hugh's money folded neatly in his palm. "A loss is a loss, even if it's to a couple of losers like you. Take this as the prize money." Bianca The Veteran Trainer strode toward Jack, brushing past the blonde girl as she went. Even though the creepy Trainer began ranting something or other about how she was a horrible tramp, Bianca wasn't fazed. The older Trainer stood casually next to her charge, staring down the blonde girl. "I toooootally get where you're coming from about the excuses," she led off, patting Jack on the head. "He needs to be more accountable. He also needs to give you your prize money, right Jack?" she asked with concern as she turned toward the Amateur Trainer. She then looked to the other two Trainers as if noticing them for the first time. "You know, usually I say the more the merrier, but this is a liiiiittle ridiculous. Can you please move? Jack needs a Pokemon Center, and you're in his way," she asked politely. The two Trainers seemed taken aback by her more relaxed approach. The blonde girl, however, wasn't having any of it. "Do Ms. Puff and I need to teach more lessons today?" she asked hopefully. "Do we get to play with you, too?" she continued with her trademark horrifying giggle. Bianca scratched her head, shifting her overly large hat as she did so. "Oh, no, I don't think you want to play with me," she said with a smile, closing her eyes. "Besides, you've already had so much fun today!" The Fairy Girl giggled once more, shaking her head. "But I want to play with you! If you're with him, I won't let him leave until you do!" Bianca sighed. "Why? Why is it always the hard way with people like you?" she asked aloud, mostly to herself. She shrugged. "Maybe I have something that can make you reconsider?" she asked sweetly. "Unless it's another playmate, I don't think so~" Bianca quickly reached down to her belt and pulled the regular Poke Ball from her fifth slot. "You could call him that," she said, her tone suddenly more serious. "Pumba, come on out." Bianca snapped her fingers and flung her ball skyward. A huge flash of light erupted from the ball, followed by a shadow that seemed to block out the sun. It dropped quickly to the ground, a huge crash causing the Gate Battlefield to rumble in response. The impact threw up a dust cloud around the new arrival. It began dissipating quickly, revealing the recently released Pokemon. A pair of jet-black ears on an orange head cleared the dust, followed by a collar of flames. The cloud cleared completely, a seven-foot tall Emboar standing in its place. He growled menacingly at the Fairy Girl and her goons, causing them all to take a step back in fear. "Jack, give the girl her prize," Bianca said without turning to the Amateur Trainer. "Since she doesn't care about money, two hundred dollars should do."

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Benga The punk Trainer nodded his head, snorting. "Well, I guess you're not a complete waste of space after all, kid. You're half right about Overgrow, but you're an ignorant piece of trash if you think all it does is power up your moves. Since you're clearly such a no-lifer bookworm, I was sure you'd know that research has shown that in addition to powering up moves, it also makes your Pokemon stronger across the board. But, when it wears off, the boosts go with it." He grinned, cocking his head. "This sure ain't looking good for me, though. My partner getting her ass kicked like that is a real drag." He said, crossing his arms. "Still, we're giving it everything we've got 'til the end." Jason The Amateur nodded appreciatively at Mio. "Thanks," he said quickly, not noticing his partner's blush. He turned to Benga. "Guess you're regretting accepting that challenge, huh?" Without looking he spoke to Mio. "Gomez looks good to battle. So let's hit him hard with a double attack!" He turned back to the battlefield. "Gomez, Quick Attack!" The Treecko, newly re-energized, powered down, and very pissed off, dashed toward the Larvesta in a serpentine pattern. He zigzagged forward, leaving a white trail behind him as he began maneuvering in for an attack against his weakened foe. Leon The Tyrunt was caught by surprise, not having expected the Roggenrola to go full tilt on the attack. The Hardened body of the Roggenrola cracked the Tyrunt in the mouth and landed a critical hit as he attempted to attack, causing him to stumble backward after landing his Bite! "Grrr...." came a growl from Leon's Trainer Box. The pompous rich boy was steamed, annoyed that his ace in the hole hadn't secured him victory already. Still, he was confident in his ability to win the battle. "Rex, that's it! Just Dragon Dance again!" he ordered. The Tyrunt stumbled from leg to leg for a moment before nearly falling over to the side. He barely caught himself in time, shifting his weight to remain upright. "What kind of nonsense jig are you doing over there? I said Dragon Dance!" the Trainer cried out in frustration. As Leon dealt with his technical difficulties, the stoic Titan fired off two Rock Blast attacks for a total of seven boulders, making the path that his Trainer had suggested. He carefully positioned himself at the outlet, awaiting the Tyrunt's next move. "Screw it! Attack! Use Bite!" Leon commanded. " The Tyrunt shook his head, clearing his vision, and began to charge toward the Roggenrola once more. This time, he was sure to keep his mouth closed until just before he reached the Roggenrola. Rex leapt into the air, clearing the boulders and diving toward his opponent. ??? The two attacks collided essentially head-on as Jack had planned, completely negating any positive impact that using a serpentine movement pattern might have had on the battle. The Shinx was absolutely destroyed by the attack, having absolutely wasted his teammate's sacrifice by confronting the Jigglypuff's fourth consecutive Rollout with what at an Amateur level amounted to a full frontal assault against an opponent who was a higher level and full evolutionary stage ahead to begin with instead of simply attempting to move to the side. He flew backward out of the battlefield and into Jack's chest, once again pummeling him with his own partner. It was a clean one-hit KO, and Jack should have considered himself lucky that his Pokemon's injuries were not severe enough to warrant immediate emergency treatment. The girl burst out laughing, joined by her Jigglypuff and the rest of her team, including Perona. Even her loss seemed to pale in comparison to how thorough a thrashing Jack had gotten due to his lack of forethought and refusal to reuse a successful tactic. "Thanks for playing~" the girl said with an evil grin. "You're obviously an Amateur. I can't see you winning at the Striation Gym with moves as bad as those ones," she taunted. Benga "Like I said, we won't give up! String Shot around you, and make them attack from the air!" came the command from the flameheaded Trainer. His Larvesta began spewing goo all over the battlefield in front of him. Unable to stop in time, Gomez ran directly into it. He felt himself slow considerably as the gunk began to cling to his feet, making it somewhat difficult to move them at their normal breakneck pace. The Trainer looked at his opponents, his face hiding well the panic he was feeling deep inside. I can't lose to them. I'm the greatest there will ever be! he thought to himself, trying to rally his fighting spirit. "Great work, Helios! This is our moment! Ember!" Jason Noting that Gomez's Quick Attack had failed due to the String Shot, Jason thought on his feet. "Abandon the attack! Get out of the way!" he ordered. Gomez sprang backward toward Meena, narrowly avoiding another blast of sparks from the fiery little Bug-type. Despite its benign appearance, Benga's Larvesta definitely packed a punch. Getting hit by another one of those Embers was not exactly at the top of the Treecko's to-do list. "Nice!" he commended Gomez, earning a nod of acknowledgement from the Grass-type. "Mio, you started this! Finish it, and I'll back you up!" he said, pumping his fist back. Maybe Meena would have better luck landing a blow on the Larvesta. Bianca After chatting and catching up with Juniper for awhile, the Research Assistant had ducked into the woods to change out of her skirt and into green pants more suitable for an adventure than for lab work. To her dismay, the first sight she was greeted with was Jack being rocked in the sternum with a flying Leonidas. "Crap!" she exclaimed, running down toward the battlefields. It seemed to be about the time for her to intervene on Jack's behalf.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" ??? Lara's attack connected, hitting the Jigglypuff hard from behind, dealing a bit of damage; however, as Ms. Puff was rolling, this only served to speed her up. "Again! Again!" the blonde girl cheered, clapping her hands rapidly as she jumped up and down. Her hair followed her, bouncing on top of her head and making her look quite doll-like. The Jigglypuff turned around once more and charged toward Lara. This time, the furrow grew deeper and the aura around Ms. Puff grew larger. She continued to speed up, barreling into the tiny Poochyena once again and sending her flying back. Lara was thrown into Jack's chest, knocking him over. Lara tried to get up again and failed, flopping on her Trainer's chest after a valiant effort to rise on shaky legs. Jack's opponent licked her lips, smiling devilishly. "Yay! I won that round! But I see two Poke Balls on that belt of yours~" she continued, gesturing for Jack to continue. "Come on, little Amateur. I thought you were going to play with me, but you could barely land a hit! You're gonna have to do better than that, or I'll need to find other ways to entertain myself," she said with a sinister giggle. "Who's my next playmate~?" Jason "Gomez!" Jason shouted in fear, restraining himself from running onto the field to check on his Pokemon. If he did that, it would be the same as saying Gomez was unable to battle, and he wasn't willing to forfeit just yet. "Gomez, please get up!" he shouted again, desperation creeping into his voice. He wasn't going to lose this early in his career, and especially not to an asshole like Benga. He looked out toward his Treecko, doing his best to see how his Pokemon was faring. "Gomez!" Benga Helios cringed as the Screech attack landed, the horrible yowling noise making him want to do nothing more than plug his ears and fly away. The only problem with that strategy was the lack of hands to cover his ears with. Instead he was left sitting in place, shaking his head back and forth as he attempted to clear the ringing in his ears. "Helios, get out of the way! It's an easy dodge!" Benga shouted. Unfortunately for him, his Pokemon was unable to hear his command. Meena's Scratch attack landed flush on the Larvesta's face, dealing significant damage to the crippled Bug and Fire-type. Due to the slashing nature of the attack Helios was able to hold his ground despite taking a lot of damage, and the pain from the Scratch worked perfectly to help him regain his focus. "Counter with Take Down!" Benga ordered. Before Meena had a chance to react, Helios fired his jets, traveled the roughly foot and a half between the two Pokemon, and slammed himself head-first into Meena's abdomen, knocking her back across the field and dealing a substantial amount of damage. Another point-blank hit like that and she'd be toast. Benga laughed at Mio, pointing his finger at the Amateur Trainer. "You're such a dunce! I can't believe you fell for that! Now your partner's Pokemon are down, and you're the only one left!" he taunted, ignoring the rest of the battle. Perona "What's the matter, Amateurs? Can't hang with us Rookies?" the girl said mockingly, making crying gestures with her hands. "I guess you'll just have to go home to Mommy and rest up after this one! Those of you that have one to go home to, anyway," she said cruelly, jabbing a finger toward Mio. "You little twerps think you're so tough? Just look at what happens when you step up to the Big Leagues. Go home, losers." Leon "Dodge, and use Bite!" Leon countered. "Those Rocks are too slow for us now!" His Tyrunt replied instantly, dispelling its aura. Rex ran to the side, dodging the first rock. He stopped quickly and jumped straight up, dodging the second. When he came down, he was hit directly by the third rock and was briefly dazed. He was able to shake off the attack and charged at Titan jaws first, gnashing his teeth at the annoying little pebble. "Crush this peasant into dust!" Leon shouted, closing his fist and smiling evilly at Brendan. Jason "Gomez, get up! Gomez!" came a voice from the void. The Treecko felt himself floating through space, watching his battle from a distance. He could see his burnt, limp form on the ground. Then, he looked to his Trainer. Although the two had met very recently, Gomez had taken a liking to Jason. He'd shown his Pokemon nothing but compassion and respect, a fact that Rascal had been able to corroborate earlier in the day. He recalled asking the Minccino if he would be okay, and having the Normal-type laugh at him. But now he understood. With Jason, as it seemed to be with his friends, there was no "if." These Trainers weren't just any Trainers; they had been selected from a huge field of applicants. And the one thing that they all had in common was simple- they didn't want Pokemon simply to accomplish their own goals, only to share their successes with their partners. Suddenly, Gomez's eyes snapped open. He pushed himself up off the ground slowly, using his arms and tail to support himself as he rose groggily. When he stood, he wobbled for a moment, weakened severely by Benga's attack. But this wasn't a battle he was willing to lose; not yet, at least. Gomez looked inward, searching for the last bit of strength he could offer his Trainer in this battle. He clenched his fists, frustrated by his weakness. Not only by his weakness, but by the taunts the other Trainers were levying at their team. The more they insulted Jason and Mio, the more he could feel his anger rising. Finally, Gomez couldn't take it anymore. "Tree... KOOOOOOO!" he screamed, an aura of bright green energy exploding outward from his body. The light covered poured out of him in waves, illuminating the Gate Battlefield in the dim light of dusk. Jason could feel his clothing billowing back from the sheer force of the energy released by his Pokemon, the Amateur Trainer's eyes widening in shock at this impressive display of latent power. The Grass elemental's eyes began glowing a fierce yellow and he once again took a fighting stance, looking back to Jason and nodding. Jason recovered from his state of shock and looked toward Mio, clearly seeking an explanation. Then, he remembered he was in a battle, and that this was probably the time to do something about the Misdreavus that had been giving them so much trouble. He nodded back to Gomez. "Right!" he said quickly, affirming their shared mindset. "Gomez, Mega Drain!" he shouted. The Grass-type was off like a shot toward Talzin, even faster than before. To Gomez, the world was composed of three things: him, his Trainer, and that Misdreavus, and he'd be damned if he was going to let that witch off the hook easily. Perona "What the shit!?" Perona cried out in surprise, never having expected something like this to happen. "Talzin, Astonish!" she ordered. The Misdreavus disappeared and reappeared in front of Gomez, attempting to finish him off before he could do any damage. Jason "Finish her!" Jason commanded, growing more confident by the second. Gomez sprang up and over the Misdreavus, avoiding her attack. His fist glowed a bright green, a supernova compared to the twinkling light from earlier. He threw his fist toward her, releasing a frenzy of creepers that quickly overtook and completely enveloped her. She was sent crashing to the ground, trapped under a net of vines that continuously drained her energy. It became clear after a few seconds that Talzin was unable to battle. Then, Gomez's aura began to fade. He looked at his hands, puzzled by the sudden loss of his overwhelming power. Jason looked equally puzzled and turned to Mio, hoping for an explanation. Perona "GAH!" the Ghost girl shouted in frustration, stamping her feet. "That's not what the cards said would happen! It's not fair!" she wailed, reaching to her belt and taking off Talzin's Poke Ball. She returned her Pokemon, red-faced and ashamed of her loss. "Still, that doesn't mean Benga can't win! You two Amateurs stand no chance! He's the Champion's-" Benga "Enough!" Benga shouted, turning toward Perona and glaring at her. "I told you never to mention that coward," he growled at her, taking a menacing step toward his battle partner. "Am I clear, Perona? Or have you not disgraced yourself enough already?" he asked, nearly spitting her name with disdain. "Get off my battlefield," he ordered, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Before I make you." At that, the girl meekly withdrew from the battlefield, joining the rest of her group in spectating the Multi Battle. "Now, little Amateur, that was an impressive move. But I doubt you even know what happened," he laughed, quickly returning to bullying his opponents. "Beginner's luck, as they say. I guess that just means I'll have to find a stronger partner for next time. Care to explain what just happened to your little boyfriend before I continue the beatdown?" he asked Mio pointedly.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" (BGM in spoiler) As their battles continued in earnest, our heroes couldn't help but feel as though they were fighting uphill. Still, they persevered in hopes of avenging the humiliation of their friend and comrade, Hugh. Leon "WHAT!?" Leon cried out in disbelief as his opponent's Roggenrola took full advantage of Rex's attack, taking his Trainer completely by surprise. The Roggenrola's twist worked exactly as Brendan had planned, swinging the Tyrunt's midsection and legs over Titan's facehole. Rock after rock fired like bullets from a gun at point blank range into the Tyrunt, landing a series of four critical hits. Rex was knocked loose as he cried out in pain, flying backward and away from his opponent. Titan didn't look too bad after the Bite attack; after all, he had doubled his defenses on top of the Eviolite that was already hidden inside Titan's body. The small Dragon type stood up and shook off the dirt that had accumulated on him, letting out yet another defiant roar. "Are you okay, Rex?" Leon asked, an uncharacteristic concern apparent in his voice. However, once Rex gave a growl of affirmation, Leon smirked. "Even a point-blank attack like that can't slow us down. You're just outclassed you know? It's okay to lose to someone who's flat out better than you," he elaborated as he lifted his arms in a shrug and gave a cocky smile. "Still, that wasn't a bad move. You're makin' me go all out, here!" Leon announced. "Rex, Dragon Dance!" The Tyrunt began stomping on the ground, working himself into an attacking frenzy. He became cloaked in a red and black aura as he danced, slowly absorbing the radiant energy. Jason "Right!" Jason affirmed, still watching the battle. "Gomez, go for it! Mega Drain on that Misdreavus one more time!" the Trainer ordered, counting on Mio to deter attacks from Benga's Larvesta. As the battle began once more in earnest, Jason couldn't help but smile. This was why he'd come on this adventure. For high-stakes, blood-pumping, intensely fierce battles with other Trainers. Gomez dashed forward, leaving small puffs of dust in his wake as he zipped from side to side, using his high Speed to confound the opponent's Misdreavus. As he grew closer he watched for a counter-attack from the Ghost-type and began channeling his energy toward his hand, causing it to glow green and sprout once more. Once he was close, Gomez suddenly sprang into the air, preparing to launch his attack. Perona "Talzin! Psywave again!" Perona ordered as she frantically looked at her cards. Despite being in the best position out of all the battlers, she seemed to be having trouble keeping up with Jason and Gomez's fast-paced battling style. The Misdreavus's amulet began to glow once more, then emitted a harsh red wave that traveled quickly upward toward Gomez in a cone. It crackled with malicious intent, but had no chance of hitting anything on the ground. Benga "Helios, protect Talzin! Use Ember!" Benga cut in, not one to crack so easily under pressure. His voice had a commanding, charismatic quality to it. Even in battle, it was clear that Benga was the leader of this group. Helios once again took to the air so he was on the same level as Gomez and began shooting sparks out of his horns and toward Gomez once more. Jason Time seemed to slow as Jason watched the incoming attacks heading for Gomez. "Dodge!" he commanded, having full faith in his partner's ability to react to the situation appropriately. Gomez rolled his body in the air, changing his trajectory just enough to avoid the powerful Psywave attack. He shot his hand toward Talzin, extending a large cluster of vines toward the now-vulnerable Pokemon. He began draining its life energy, sapping the strength from Talzin and using it to replenish his own reserves. He looked more refreshed with every passing moment, to the point where he appeared to be at full health. I hope it's enough... Jason thought to himself, watching the Ember head for his Grass-type. Gomez turned to face the Ember as he continued to suck energy from Talzin, his eyes wide in fear. He knew there was no way to avoid it. Instead of trying in vain to roll out of the way he simply covered his face with his arms and tail, hoping to mitigate the damage to his vital areas. The attack hit full-force, cloaking Gomez in flames for a full second before subsiding. Gomez fell to the ground, his movements weak and his breathing heavy. Another attack, and he'd surely be down for the count. ??? Lara's Sand Attack did pretty much nothing, serving only to annoy the Jigglypuff as it was deflected by the centrifugal force of her constant rotation. She continued on her trajectory toward the Poochyena, wondering why on Arceus's green earth the poor thing's Trainer wasn't asking her to move out of the way. Ms. Puff once again barreled into her opponent at maximum speed, pummeling the small Dark-type with a double-power Rollout and knocking her nearly to the edge of the battlefield. If Lara took another hit, she'd faint for sure.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Perona The spooky Trainer was caught off-guard by the sudden onslaught from the Meowth, having been laughing along with Benga's insults. Mio's sullen manner and lack of a comeback had lulled her into a false sense of security, causing her to believe he was ready to give up. As a result, Talzin was hit dead-on with a super-effective Bite attack. The Meowth's fangs dug into the incorporeal body of the Misdreavus, causing her to cry out in pain. Meena, the psychopathic motherfucker she was, hadn't had enough; she held onto the Misdreavus and attempted to dig her claws in, causing her limbs to pass through the Ghost-type repeatedly. "Shake that filthy... thing!" Perona cried out. Talzin began flying erratically, attempting to rid herself of the malign feline. Meena went flying off the Misdreavus, flipping wildly through the air. However, when it came time to impact the ground, Meena landed perfectly on all fours. ??? "Keep going, Ms. Puff! The show doesn't stop here!" the girl said cheerily as Ms. Puff rolled through her opponent, dealing a noticeable amount of damage to the Poochyena. Still, Lara was able to fight and showed no signs of giving in soon. The girl wasn't worried; she had the type advantage, after all. The Jigglypuff rolled in a wide circle around the perimeter of the battlefield, preparing for another strike. Just as Lara got up and into her battle stance, Ms. Puff completed her turn and began barreling toward the Dark-type. Her velocity and momentum had only increased since the last hit. Ms. Puff went straight for the tiny canine, preparing to adjust in case the pup tried anything cute. Jason "Alright, Mio! Great work! Now Gomez, use Mega Drain on that Misdreavus!" the Amateur Trainer ordered enthusiastically, pointing at the injured and pre-occupied Ghost-type. Gomez once again brought his fist back, preparing to assault Talzin directly with a flurry of life-draining creepers. A green glow formed in his hand, starting as a bright green orb and expanding outward in a forest-green corona. Small creepers grew from the points where his digits touched his palm, a precursor to the dangerous plants that would be summoned by this attack. Leon The Bide attack blew through the Rock Blasts and hit Titan dead on. "How dare you insult my honor!" Leon fumed, his face becoming red. "I'll have you know that I've attended the finest schools, been given the best education, and I have all the resources a Trainer could need! Who are you to lecture me about honor, you baseborn ingrate!" he shouted angrily. "Rex, let's show this clown that nobody messes with us like that. The Busset family's honor is on the line, now! Let's test those defenses! Use Bite!" Leon ordered. Rex charged at Titan, his fangs fading to a glistening new moon black. Once he got within a few yards of his opponent he began juking from side to side as he ran in, hoping to confound his slow opponent with a series of quick movements. Once he got close enough, he feinted left then launched his attack, snapping his black-clad teeth at Titan. Benga "Not so fast! Ember!" Benga interjected. Without warning, Helios fired an Ember attack toward Gomez. The three streams of flame converged from the Larvesta's topmost horns and formed a larger column, speeding toward the vulnerable Grass-type from his side. Though it was hardly a charged up attack, it was definitely threatening to the Treecko and would suffice to protect the Larvesta's teammate. Jason "Abort and retreat!" Jason countered. Gomez pulled his hand down from its attacking position and adroitly leapt out of the way, narrowly avoiding the dangerous Fire-type attack but having to stop his assault on Talzin. During the lull in the action, Jason took stock of each combatant. Benga's Larvesta had taken a substantial amount of damage earlier in the fight. However, it had managed to heal some of that off when it knocked out Mio's Mudkip with his Absorb attack. Gomez was looking battered, but still capable of fighting. However, he did not look up to taking too many more hits. Talzin, the Misdreavus, had been faring well until Meena's surprise attack. Her Bite attack looked like it had done quite a bit of damage; still, Talzin was definitely in the fight. Meena looked fresh and, unlike the other combatants, had not a scratch on her.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Mio The Water Gun missed wide, whizzing harmlessly past Helios's head. In the process, Loam fell forward hard onto her face from the effort of spitting the high-powered jet of water and took a small amount of damage. Perona "It seems that attack was destined to fail," Perona said snidely.The medium took her cards out of her bag once more and shuffled them quickly by hand, drawing three. She examined them briefly before laughing eerily, shaking her head. "How can you two hope to win when I have the Fates on my side? Talzin, use Astonish on that Treecko!" Perona said. Her Misdreavus faded from view. Jason "Stay on guard, Gomez," Jason said cautiously. With the threat of a free attack from Misdreavus, there was no way he would be able to get to Loam in time. He felt his frustration boiling inside him. There just didn't seem to be anything to do except to engage the Misdreavus. Suddenly, Talzin appeared directly in front of Gomez. She rammed herself into him, knocking him back a step. The attack lacked power, though, and failed to knock the Grass-type off his feet. "Now, counter with Mega Drain!" Jason said, grinning widely. Gomez brought his fist back to launch a cluster of vines at his foe, but Talzin feinted forward and made a frightening expression. Gomez balked and jumped back in surprise, his attack failing once again. Damn it, he swore inwardly. This Misdreavus is a pain in the ass! Benga "What's the matter, runt? Seems like your Pokemon can't even shoot straight at point-blank range!" he commented. He cocked his head to the side and pointed forward. "Helios! Finish off that Mudkip with an Absorb attack!" he ordered. The Larvesta pounced on the prone Mudkip, landing on top of Loam before extending creepers around her. He began to sap her remaining energy. As he began looking more vital, Loam suddenly looked pale and sleepy. Before Mio knew it, Loam had fainted from the super-effective attack. Helios crawled off the Mudkip and back to his side of the field as Benga laughed. "Is that all you two have? If that's the case, you might as well surrender now. You haven't even laid a finger on Talzin, and my boy Helios isn't exactly hangin' on by a thread. So what's it gonna be, little man? You gonna throw in the towel yet?" ??? "A little sand in her eyes won't stop Ms. Puff from steamrolling you~" the scary blonde girl sang. "Now, Ms. Puff, Rollout!" With the order given. the Jigglypuff curled herself into a ball once more. She began spinning rapidly in place, throwing up a cloud of dust. Finally, like a bullet from a gun, she barreled toward Lara with the most malicious of intent. The Jigglypuff's attack left a furrow in the ground behind her, a testament to the power and speed of the assault. Lara would barely have time to escape, let alone counter. Leon "You can taunt me all you want, but such depraved strategies aren't enough to fool me. Then again, I shouldn't expect some street urchin to have the faintest hint of honor," he complained. "Even if you're just going to stand there and try to bait me, it won't save you now! Rex, unleash!" the arrogant Trainer commanded. The Tyrunt took a wider stance. His burning red aura burst outward before being sucked into his small body entirely. Rex threw his head back and, with a mighty roar, unleashed a blazing white beam of light directly at Titan.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Perona The Psywave hit Loam directly, scoring a solid hit. However, Loam was barely pushed back. Evidently, their mistake wasn't going to cost them that time. The Water Gun managed to intercept the Psywave on the way to Gomez, causing an open space to form behind it in the energy cone; it left an orb of water suspended in midair, rotating slowly above the battlefield. "Talzin, Confuse Ray!" Perona said quickly, taking stock of the situation. The cowardly boy's Mudkip could become an issue quickly if it wasn't checked. The Misdrevus's pendant began to glow once more, and the same eerie green light that had incapacitated Rascal appeared in front of Loam. Benga Helios took the Water Gun head on. Between that and the surprise hit from Mega Drain, he had taken a noticeable amount of damage. "Helios, turn up the heat! Free yourself!" Using flames from his horns, Helios was able to burn his way out of the vines. He shook his fur off and rocketed back into the air. "Now, let's take care of that annoying little Mudkip. Helios, use Take Down!" The firebug angled its horns, launching itself at high speed toward Loam. A white energy field began to form in front of Helios as he propelled himself forward, recklessly charging Mio's partner. Jason "Gomez, Quick Attack! Try and knock that Larvesta off-course!" Jason ordered urgently. Gomez obeyed, leaving a cloud of dust and a white trail behind him as he blazed on course to intercept the Larvesta before it could get to his partner. He ran almost directly for Loam, aiming in front of her in order to catch his opponent just before his point of impact. His incredible burst of speed allowed him to cross the battlefield before his opponent, reaching the critical point just in the nick of time. The Grass-type dropped his shoulder and rammed into Helios, expecting to shift his opponent's course. Instead, he was thrown backward from the sheer force of Helios's Take Down attack. The Larvesta continued toward Loam, having been thrown slightly off course. Gomez ended the exchange rolling end over end before coming to a halt in the dirt. He braced himself on his arms and got up, shaking off the impact and getting ready to continue fighting. "Now, Mega Drain that Misdreavus!" Jason ordered. Gomez slammed his fist into the ground. However, after waiting a second, it was apparent nothing had happened. His move had fizzled, and Loam was still in the path of both of their opponents' attacks. Leon "Well well, looks like your bark's bigger than your bite! Just planning on having that pebble stand around all day, or are you going to actually do something?" he asked with a sneer. As he spoke, his Tyrunt continued to glow with ferocious red light. However, he stood his ground. The ancient Pokemon once again roared its challenge to its opponent, encouraging him to engage in a toe-to-toe fight. Leon laughed. "Just look at you! Pathetic! You're so scared, you can't even move! If you don't attack, how are you planning to knock me out?" Leon asked, mocking Brendan. "What, you think I give a rat's ass what you think of me? You're just rabble; a naive Amateur who doesn't even have a Gym Badge!" Rex continued to stand in place, growling menacingly. "So come on then, kid! Prove to me that money doesn't make the man! Show me what that hunk of dirt's got!"

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" -Objective complete!: Prevent Hugh from coming to harm -New Objective: Battle Benga and his goons ???- Jack "My first Pokemon is my one and only! Ms. Puff, come out and play!" she said excitedly. Her Jigglypuff looked perfectly fine after its battle with Hugh's Oshawott. Little did Jack know, the girl had used a Potion to heal her Jigglypuff after the first battle. The Jigglypuff floated out onto the battlefield, its eyes narrowing. Ms. Puff tilted her round head to the side, then extended one of her arms toward Lara. She beckoned to the hound, taking a combat stance. "I don't need your money. I just want to beat someone down!" she said sweetly. Her expression immediately made Jack uncomfortable. While her smile seemed girlish and innocent, it extended only halfway up her face. Her eyes, bottomless reservoirs of longing though they were, sank dully against her cherubic glow. "Ms. Puff, start the match off with a Defense Curl, please!" she asked, giggling. The Jigglypuff curled into a ball. It was surrounded by a blue sphere for a few moments. When the sphere disappeared and Ms. Puff stood back up, she was surrounded with an orange, skinlike aura. "Come and play with us, little boy! We're getting boooored~" she said, her smile much more terrifying than it was reassuring.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Leon "Rex, Bide!" the older Trainer countered. The Tyrunt began emanating a red aura just before the rocks impacted. Three medium-sized rocks collided with the Tyrunt, sending him skidding back. However, he stayed on his feet, looking not much worse for wear after the attack. The aura around him grew in size and intensity after the attack as the Tyrunt roared belligerently at his opponent. "Leading off with your strongest attack, huh? A bold strategy, kid, I'll give you that, but can you match us blow for blow?" He sneered at Brendan, using a hand to make sure his hair was still sculpted in place. "Still, thanks for the compliment. It's not every day some snot-nosed kid recognizes true greatness where he sees it." Benga "Good choice, punk. That type advantage is gonna be a big help in this round," he said, smiling his phony smile. "That's a nice little Mudkip you got there. Since you challenged me, we'll take the first move." He looked toward Perona. The two appeared to communicate wordlessly for a moment. "Helios, give that fuzzy little shit an Ember to lead off!" he commanded. Flames shot from the Larvesta's bottom two horns and it took to the air, rocketing straight up about ten feet. It gave a shrill cry before using the remaining horns to fire a stream of burning sparks at Rascal. Perona "Now, Talzin, Confuse Ray!" Perona said calmly. At the same moment, Helios was ascending using his flame jets. The Ghost-type's amulet glowed with red energy once more. An eerie green light appeared in front of Rascal. He followed it with his eyes, the luminescent orb mesmerizing the Minccino. As the orb faded, the flames grew dangerously close to Rascal. Jason "Rascal, dodge!" Jason shouted. He shouldn't have any problem dodging an outright attack, he thought to himself. But, when Rascal went to move out of the way, he stumbled. The Minccino went down on his stomach, lying prone as the Ember impacted his small, vulnerable form. Rascal was sent flying backward, nearly reaching Jason and Mio. His fur was lightly singed, but other than that he seemed unharmed. Still, he was having a hard time getting up. When he finally did, he began to stumble once more. "Alright, Rascal, come back!" he said quickly. The Minccino stumbled toward his Trainer's voice, his acute hearing faring much better than his eyesight in his dazed state. When he finally crossed the line marking the edge of the battlefield, Gomez quickly entered the fray. "Stay ready, Gomez!" he said quickly. "These guys are no joke. Rascal's in rough shape, and we haven't even launched an attack." Rascal staggered around behind Jason as he spoke, trying hard to regain his balance. Benga "That's all you've got?" the black-clad Trainer said, bursting out laughing. "Ohohoho man, you guys are screwed! You can't even bring it in a Multi Battle! What makes you think you'll be able to win this, let alone a battle against the Striation City Gym Leaders?" he continued. "You'll have to bring your A-game today, hombre!" Jason "We'll win because there's no way I'm telling Juniper that we lost to a bunch of bums like you," he said firmly. "Then again, maybe if you spent the amount of time you all spend getting dressed in that ridiculous getup every morning training instead, you'd have more than one Gym Badge." he said with his trademark grin. "Now let me put my money where my mouth is. Gomez, Mega Drain," he ordered. Gomez slammed his fist into the ground in a superhero pose. A split-second later, a group of vines exploded out of the ground beneath Helios. The Larvesta, caught off-guard, was quickly entangled in the roots and brought low to the ground. However, he was still able to fire his jets, and resisted being outright slammed into the dirt. As it stood, he was hover slightly off the ground, his energy being sapped by Gomez's attack. "Mio, now!" Jason shouted. Perona "Talzin, Psywave," Perona ordered. Her Misdreavus fired a pink wave from her amulet. It glowed softly as it snaked its way slowly toward her opponents, expanding constantly in a cone shape. At the rate it was moving, it would definitely hit Gomez.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Benga The punk Trainer gave a derisive snort at the other team's Pokemon. "That's the best you've got? Jeez, this is gonna be over even faster than I expected. Come on out, Helios," he said as he casually unclipped his Poke Ball and tossed it underhand. The ball split open and, in a flash of light, a Larvesta appeared on the battlefield. It gave a shrill battlecry before jetting flames from its spikes, showing he was raring to go. "Well? We're waiting," he said expectantly. Perona looked bored, checking her fingernails. Jason "Alright, now that we know what they've got going, let's plan accordingly! Rascal, you're up first!" Jason said confidently. Rascal's versatility will give us an opportunity to figure out just what it is we're up against. Rascal stepped forward, crossing his arms and staring down their opponents. He turned to Mio, looking to his friend to strategize briefly. "What do you think? Loam will give us an early lead against that Misdreavus, but I don't think we should underestimate that guy's Larvesta." ??? "The name's Leon, by the way. You'll want to remember it so when you see me up on the big screen someday, you can say you've lost to me in a battle!" He laughed and reached down to his belt, grabbing a Luxury Ball off of it. "My family comes from the Kalos Region. We're descended from a long line of nobles, so it should be no surprise to you when you lose. After all, you just can't buy this kind of class," he gloated, shrugging as though he just couldn't help but be a cut above the rest. "Anyway, we'll show you what it feels like to be subservient. Let's go, Rex." With that, he tossed the Ball into the air, producing a flash of light. A Tyrunt coalesced from the energy, roaring in defiance as it was let out of its ball. It eyed Titan with contempt before turning up its snout and closing its eyes, snorting.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Jason The Amateur Trainer nodded, stepping forward to be even with his friend. "I've got your back, Mio. Let's do this," he said resolutely. He sized up their competition; Perona had a Misdreavus, and Benga... they didn't even know what he had. Still, Jason couldn't help feeling as though he would be at a disadvantage in this fight. With one of his Pokemon completely unable to damage the enemy Misdreavus, they'd be forced to rely on Loam and Gomez's elemental attacks to come out on top. It was well known that Ghost-types tended to dominate low-level fights due to the prevalence of Normal-type moves. ??? "Hey, you guys weren't planning on leaving me out, were you?" the crown-haired Trainer added. "I want a little punk to beat the crap out of, too!" He looked over Jack and Brendan, taking stock of the number of Poke Balls on each of their belts. "Hey Peanut Gallery," he said, pointing to Brendan. "Let's have a battle, mano a mano. These other guys have me just rarin' to go!" ??? "NO WAY! NO WAY!" the blonde girl screeched. "I won't just stand here and be insulted! If Leon gets to play too, then I'll just go ahead and claim the other one." She whirled, glaring at the greasy-haired and clean-cut Trainers. They took a step back and raised their hands, not wanting to end up in her line of fire. "Come on, little boy. I'm still hungry. And you can't run away this time~" she nearly sang, licking her lips in anticipation. 2 minutes later... Things were starting to heat up, and quickly. Each group had found a spot in the semi-circle to battle in. Benga and Perona had lined up across a large space from Jason and Mio. Rascal and Gomez had already come out of their Balls and was standing on the ground next to Jason, ready to battle. The crown-haired Trainer was standing across from Brendan, while the pink-clad girl was across from Jack. All that was left was final preparations, and the battles would start.

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" Benga Benga looked down at Mio, the height difference between the two substantial enough for him to have to bend his neck. "Calm down there, Batman. You know I'll accept your challenge anytime, anywhere. So let's battle, right now. Pick one of your friends, and let's make it a Multi Battle. My partner in crime'll be Perona. She's the scary girl in the back." The white-haired girl nodded and stepped forward, even with Benga. The Misdreavus appeared next to her "So, which of your guardian angels here is gonna be helping you out? After all, every Dark Knight needs a sidekick." Perona The girl reached into her bag and pulled out a deck of cards roughly the size of her hands. The Misdreavus's necklace began glowing as the cards shuffled themselves in the air in front of the girl, glowing in the same light as the red amulet. Suddenly they stopped and, organized in a deck, floated at the medium's fingertips. She drew one card and looked at it, furrowing her brow. She then drew another, giving it the same treatment. Finally, she took and analyzed a third card. She fanned them out in front of her and placed each one facing the Amateur Trainers in midair, suspended by the Ghost-types psychokinesis. The first card depicted a soldier. The second, a crown. The third, a skull. "The cards tell me you will lose, Trainer. I wonder if you will have the wherewithal to change your fate," she said, her voice sounding as though it came from far off. "So, who shall be joining you?"

Striation City, Gate Battlefield- "Beaten and Bloodied! Stop the Feeding Frenzy!" ??? The red-haired Trainer laughed and snatched the money out of Hugh's hand. He licked his finger and counted it. "1000$, huh? Looks like you were about to skip out for no reason. Still, that should cover the 'interest.' You're not as dumb as you look, kid." He laughed and stowed the money in his back pocket. When he lifted his vest, a single Poke Ball was clearly visible on his belt. "Your friend there, on the other hand..." he said, grinning wryly and pointing at Mio. "He was about to pay up no question." He directed his attention to Mio. "What's the matter, kid? Mommy forget to pack you a spine in that backpack?" The other group of Trainers laughed along with him at Mio's expense. Jason As the black-clad thug demanded they pay up extra, Jason began to ball up his fist tightly. His heart began racing as he watched Mio try to hand over his money and Hugh stopped him, giving the Trainer exactly what he wanted. Still, he was proud of Hugh for the way he'd refused to allow others to pay his debts. Despite his brash nature, the kid had good intentions. It was clear who was in the wrong, here. Then, he directed his attention to Mio. Arceus, what a shithead. the Trainer thought to himself. Their leader had picked up on the easy target. Once he kept up the assault, though, Jason had had enough. As they had their laugh at Mio's expense, Jason placed himself between Mio and the older Trainers. Getting loud won't solve anything here. He took a deep breath, trying to resist the urge to do something, anything stupid. "Hey, he was just trying to help his friend out. Leave him alone," he said firmly. He looked to Brendan and Jack, neither of whom seemed as fazed by the intimidating group of Trainers, for backup. ??? "What's the matter, kid? Trying to play hero but you don't have the cajones to do it yourself? Tch," the guy with the crownlike hair chimed in, making his way forward to stand with his redheaded comrade. "If you're calling for backup already, then I don't think you're willing to do what it takes to get yourself out of this jam. Me, on the other hand," he said cordially, raising his arms in a shrug. "You'd never catch me dead playing Purrloin like you right now. If I were you, my boy Benga here would be flat on his back by now. But I guess that's the kind of Trainer Juniper's pumping out these days."