Choice, a Pokemon Shifters RP

[PureDark006]

"Hygre good! Lots and lots status moves! Very tricky," Anoma chirped, nodding at the Murkrow's words.

 

The Pori scooted back when touched, sounding like those old TVs when they didn't find a channel, and Laren retracted his hand. "Sorry, sorry. Should have asked before touching it."

 

"Laren! Rude!"

 

He patted Anoma's head, which immediately turned the whining into contented chirps. Even after knowing the many ways Pokémon could communicate with humans, talking to one while it wasn't adopting a human form due to a move or ability was kind of exciting. He briefly considered asking who was the trainer to see if he got permission to borrow it for a while to ask the Kabutos what happened during their unplanned trip outside, but decided to let the fossils have a good night's sleep before. He'd rather text Hygre and ask her to drop by tomorrow with one of the adult foxes.

 

"So, Doubles Level 3? Hm, I think 3 was when held items started being allowed for Leaders... Anoma, was that it?"

"Yap yap!"

"I'll check on the rules before the battle just in case. Oh! Right! Have to fetch that uniform." He stood up and wasted no time going up the stairs, not stepping on anything on the way even without looking down.

 

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Rhapsody hadn't really bothered to head over to the table when the leader started explaining the routes. He had seen back at the Kusba center that he was unable to make heads or tails out of the colored blotches, so he had remained in the kitchen for most of the talk, making short of all the food that was out and only approaching when the conversation turned to Gym fights.

 

Seemed Lambert wanted to go to that 'city', too. Rhapsody would rather go for a walk in the caves, but the prospect of battling strong Fighting-types was tempting. It could be good practice, and maybe it would finally provide a type that Gaes had trouble with. Two types she could resist in a row were already enough luck, even counting the defensive abilities of her Steel typing.

 

Was there a fire Gym nearby? He'd have fun with that one.

 

 

The leader wasn't gone for long. Less than two minutes later he was coming down again, carrying a pair of boots on one hand and a hanger on the other, which had a green shirt with blue and red designs. A pair of shorts, gloves, and a belt were folded and being supported by the hanger's bottom, and the Anorith was now wearing transparent goggles and looking very proud for some reason.

 

"Here it is! Changing into it would take too long, so I just brought it down."

 

The Leader went towards the only non-shifter-occupied sofa, placing the clothes on it and the boots on the floor in front. "If you guys are thinking of joining Helix, the uniform's price is deducted from the first paycheck, so you can take mine if you're short on money. The only part of it I use nowadays are the goggles anyway." Anoma puffed at that, feathers vibrating happily as Laren erased the pencil traces from the first map he had showed the group, after they finished copying the routes he said.

 

"Either way, I'll go get my Pokémon ready for the match. Come to the Gym's basement whenever you're ready!" he called as he exited, while Anoma waved her claws chirping "Bye-bye!"

 

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((Small reminder the uniform is the one on the left. You can read about the colors in Leslar & Vaila's character sheets))

Edited May 7, 2016 by Puredark006

[Moonlight_Eevee]

Chompers listened to Sine as she felt the plates were familiar to her. "It's just like how I can recognize only certain Pokémon," Chompers said. "Driller was a strange Pokémon to me, but I recognized the gym leader's Pokémon because I've only seen them before. I just wish our memories hadn't been wiped, I feel..." he trailed off in thought and looked around after finding the rope to see another Iron Ball, which he immediately tossed, some weird crystal looking thing, and a plain looking rock which felt really light. "So," Driller said. "The bottle you found is called a Revive...I think. My trainer used the item on me a lot. I don't know what the other two are called. I can hold an item if you so desire." Chompers looked down at his claws, the rope felt weird as it was wrapped around each of his right claws as he held the revive in one hand and the stone in the other.

 

"I think I'm good," Chompers said. He waited politely by the elevator for Sine to finish. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen you sit still this long since the Pokémon Center," Driller said, looking up at Chompers. "Why do you care so much about Sine?" "I...she," Chompers stuttered. "I want to say she reminds me of someone." "A trainer perhaps?" Driller asked. "I don't know," Chompers said before noticing Sine coming up. "Ah, I found a rope, a stone and a revive." Chompers then turned and stepped onto the elevator.

 

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Anhew squeaked as Ev held her up. "Um, what's a bird Pokémon?" she asked nervously. "Sorry, I've never actually seen one cause of...you know. Um, can you tell me when you start walking or which way you turn? I think what I can turn into has affected my other half too. I'm still blind." She then listened to what Ev had to say and noticed her heart rate was beating faster. "Hey," Anhew whispered. "I have the feeling I know caves, and you'll be fine, I promise." She then paused as Zoey mentioned something about getting Pokeballs for them. "What's that?" Anhew asked. "And why do my legs feel weird?" Luckily for her, Laren had exited the building.

 

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Zoey turned and watched as this...pink thing floated to Laren. Was it a Porygon? No, Porygons didn't look like that. Porygon2? No, still wrong. She then watched as Laren touched its nose and it spazzed out. It then mentioned it was Porygon-Z. "Porygon-Z?" Zoey asked, walking up to the Pokémon and observed it. "I've never seen anything like you before." From what she knew, this was one of those genderless Pokémon much like Nix. She wanted to touch them, but at the same time she didn't want them to spaz out again. She watched as the guy from earlier hand another lady a cellphone and said he'd be taking the Fastfall City Route. "Ah, if it's alright with you, is it okay if I join you?" Zoey asked nervously. "I'm really interested in this gym leader business." There was another reason she wanted to go to the Fastfall route, she didn't want to travel with Jasper. All he seemed to want to do was battle. "See you soon Laren," Zoey said as the guy exited the madness. "That was quite the exciting event," she muttered. Luckily for them, no one had shifted while in the presence of Laren and the fact that he didn't press the issue of where Anhew and Jasper was.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Raptor of Dragons

[TehUltimateMage]

If Laren was correct about the held items, he'd have to watch out for berries and items that power up moves. It was a useful bit of information for Qrow's Thief, if he were to challenge the rest of the eighteen gyms. He could have sworn that the normal number was eight, and that this entire journey was some kind of lucid dream where normal rules did not apply.

 

Laren came back shortly with a uniform on a hanger, with the same insignia Lambert remembered seeing on the website. It was the sterile green that doctors wore. The color association was no accident. If they were looking for the organization, it wouldn't hurt to take the uniform, except he would need to carry it in his hands unless he got a bag. Hopefully he'd be able to afford one with the gym's winnings.

 

Taking the clothes on the hanger because no one else seemed to -- apart from Qrow who stole the belt and commented to him that he wanted the googles as well but it would be cruel to take them away from Anoma -- he parted ways with the shifters. Z, Rhapsody, Gaes, and Zoey followed him to the Gym right across the road. The purple haired girl wanted to join his group and he had no reason to say no, though he was never used to traveling in such a large group (even if almost everyone was a part-time pokemon). Hopefully, Tama the Litleo wouldn't cause trouble for them as a whole. He had a hunch that Zoey used to be human (or at least a well-socialized pokemon) from how she at least knew how doors worked, and that would be a refreshing change from getting continuously pelted by questions from Rhapsody.

 

With the battlers having shifted inside the gym entrance and Qrow and Pooch out to spectate, Lambert put a hand on the door leading to the main room. "Showtime."

 

Unlike the grand forest that Hygre had set up, he was faced with another room no bigger than the entrance, with large steel elevator doors and a button that looked positively tiny in comparison. He pushed it and it lit up, taking the time to read the sign out loud for the group while waiting for the elevator.

 

"First floor, gym entrance, basement two, laboratory one, basement three, laboratory two, basement four, excavation site, basement ten, gym battleground." Laren wasn't kidding about the gym in the basement. It was ten floors underground.

 

Realizing he was still holding the uniform, he handed the set to Zoey since Z already had enough to worry about. Another benefit to an additional group member.

 

The doors finally opened, and Lambert and his group stepped in. It closed behind them and the elevator began to travel downwards. "...Showtime, for real, this time."

Edited May 7, 2016 by TehUltimateMage

[hazeh]

Allison leaned her hip against the table and accepted Laren's extra map with a curt nod and a tight "Thank you." As the others spoke amongst themselves, she quickly copied over Laren's route suggestions onto her map, and found with small surprise that her handwriting was quite neat when she annotated each route with quick notes from Laren's explanations. Considering her earlier reaction to his textbooks, she wondered if her previous life had something to do with academia. She took a quick look at the uniform he presented for future reference. Allison glanced up when Jasper and Ev voiced their agreements for the cave route. She wasn't one to gloat, but with Cass she felt a strange glimmer of pleasure at their responses. One eyebrow rose when she looked at Cassandra. "Well, that seems to be settled," she remarked coolly, rolling up the map.

 

Cass shrugged. She wasn't particularly bothered with going the cave route. The primary concern was for the welfare of the younger shifters, especially since the youngest was having trouble in general with a human body. Cass wouldn't complain, though, despite the flicker of a smug smile that flashed across Allison's mouth just seconds ago. She could make do with protecting them in a cave just fine. "Sounds like a plan to me," she said, smiling at the others.

 

Allison glanced over at Lambert as he handed her a cell phone. She took it from him and examined the phone quickly. It was shabby, but would do the trick. Not that she really planned on keeping tabs on any of the other shifters, but she supposed it wouldn't hurt to have methods of contact. Besides, if the others happened to reach the abandoned building before her group, it was imperative that she became aware of any new discoveries immediately. "Let me know if you find out anything," she told him, and the firm tone of her voice suggested she was not playing games about the matter. "I'll do the same for you." She tucked the phone into one of her pants pockets and nodded.

 

Cass, however, grinned at Lambert's statement. "You do care about kids," she said, folding her arms and smiling in a way that mirrored Allison's triumph just moments before.

 

Allison glanced at the Porygon that backpedalled quickly from Laren's unsolicited touch. She had seen Z on the shelf earlier, and wondered how the anxious teen was faring. Considering how non-climactic the pokemon's reaction to the poking went, she figured they were fine. "No, I don't," she said, eyes narrowed.

 

Cass laughed, and then leaned over to Ev and whispered with a wink, "She's totally lying. Allison's a big softie at heart, I just know it."

 

The white-haired woman rolled her eyes, but refrained from commenting. She gestured at the door after Laren left and said pointedly, "Get your things. Let's get a move on."

 

Cass peered out the window and noticed the deepened hue of sunlight. There was likely only a few hours left of light in the day. She shook her head. "We're not going to make it very far if we start tonight. We need to get some supplies first and rest up," she said. Cass placed a hand on Ev's shoulder as reassurance, and than glanced over at Jasper to see if he'd be amicable to her suggestion. "Let's stay the night at the PokeCenter. It's free, we can stock up on food and other items, and in the morning we can make a start for your cave. Alright?"

 

Allison opened her mouth to argue, but the protest appeared to deflate before she could voice it. "Whatever. But we leave first thing in the morning. No more delays." With that, she turned and exited the house, brushing past Z and Rap with a barely noticeable nod of acknowledgement.

 

Cass rolled her eyes, but smiled. "Don't mind her. In the few days we've spent together, I've noticed she gets a little moody. You'll get used to it," she said, smiling at the two girls. Then, noticing that Anhew was having difficulty with her legs, Cass crouched in front of the Deino-girl and moved Anhew's hand to her own shoulder. "Here, I'll give you a lift, okay? You can practice walking in the room at the Pokémon center instead of inside Laren's messy house," she said with a small laugh. Cass gently maneuvered the young girl's limbs around her backside, and then hefted the teenager onto her back and stood. Anhew was surprisingly light, and Cass mused that carrying her around for the entire trip wouldn't have been difficult at all.

 

"Jasper, would you mind if we stayed the night? You're not obligated to go with us," she said, "but you're welcome to join us if you want." Cass gave Anhew's legs a little squeeze as she added, "Even if you don't, I'm sure the PokeCenter will have some supplies for your trip." She looked over at Ev and smiled. "It's up to you too, but I'd really like your company if you're up for it."

 

Allison was at the counter of the PokeCenter when Cass walked in, Anhew on her back. She blinked at the two of them before saying, "There are two rooms left, according to the nurse, so I requested both keys as I figured the others might stay here as well. I had the nurse hold onto one of the keys so she could give it to Lambert."

 

Cass grinned again. "You sure go to a lot of effort for someone who doesn't care," she said lightly. She laughed when Allison rolled her eyes.

 

"Let's get settled in. We've got daylight to burn," Allison said, shooing them toward the back of the Center where their room awaited. Once they were inside, she instructed, "Cassandra, why don't you and Jasper go be useful and train somewhere. I can teach Anhew how to walk. Evelyn, you are free to join them or help me with Anhew. Your choice."

 

The redhead slowly lowered Anhew to the ground and guided the girl's feet so that they were firmly planted on the floor. Her initial reaction was to counter Allison with "You go and train, I'll stay here," but she recalled that Allison wasn't all that fond of battling and preferred remaining as a human. Cass, on the other hand, got a thrill out of fighting as a Pyroar. And if she was going to be any use in protecting them in a cave, it'd be beneficial to have some extra levels and practice under her belt. The only thing that concerned her was Allison's rather distant demeanor. So far, Cass felt like the two girls liked her okay, but she wasn't so sure how they felt about Allison. "Well, I suppose," she said, rubbing her chin. She'd thought about going to watch the gym battle, but training seem to be of more import at the moment. Cass touched Anhew's arm kindly to keep her steady and continued, "Just be nice to them, Allie."

 

"I am nice!" Allison answered defensively, though even she didn't quite believe that. She didn't even know why she felt the need to defend herself to the implication that she wasn't nice-- it wasn't like she cared, anyway!

The Joltik on her shoulder chirped, "Nice to new friends! Everyone happy! Friends!" He plopped off her shoulder onto the floor, and scurried around the room buzzing his approval.

 

Cass handed Allison the small backpack she'd been holding onto. After checking that the door behind them was shut, she stretched her arms above her head before tipping forward. White light glittered from her body and enveloped her figure; in several moments, Cass's outline morphed and fluctuated, until a four-legged figure rested all paws on the ground, and the light dissipated to reveal the brown lioness and her mane of gold and crimson.

 

The Pyroar gave herself a shake and nudged Anhew's hand with her muzzle. She was the same height as human-Anhew, which brought upon a purr of amusement from the lioness's furry chest. "Maybe once you're done with Allison, you both can come join us outside. Allison will take good care of you, I promise," the Pokémon said, her tail swishing in anticipation of training. Then, satisfied that Allison wasn't going to behave like drill sergeant, Cass pawed at the door until it opened and made for the outdoors again.

 

[PureDark006]

Instead of the battleground Rhapsody was expecting, the inner room consisted of a large silver box and some of those human Torchic scratches next to it. The doors opened with a small sound, and everyone stepped inside, so Rhapsody followed even if he wasn't exactly comfortable being in a closed space. At the very least it was big enough to fit the entire group. And considering that group consisted of Z, Lambert and New Girl in their human forms, plus Rhapsody and Gaes in their Pokémon form, and Pooch, Bugface, Qrow and the little cat that he thought was called Tana or something like that out to spectate, that was saying a lot about the box's capacity.

 

They went down, until the box smoothly stopped in its tracks and made another sound, the doors opening. Rhapsody exited quickly, hovering up to get a good look at the battleground.

 

And Arceus, was he not disappointed.

 

The ground they stepped on when exiting the silver box only continued a few more meters. Then, a chest-high fence separated it from a massive drop that put the rest of the floor at least 20 meters below them. The arena below was made out of smooth rock, with a patch of ground in the middle and pools on the left and right side, and it was so massive, it looked like it could easily house a pair of Wailords if the water level had reached the fence. The whole area was illuminated by the lights embedded on the ceiling, making it as bright as day, and the ventilation system on the highest part of the walls provided fresh air.

 

Laren was waiting with his back leaning on the fence, five Repeat Balls in his hands as he talked to them. Next to him was a wide chair with a brown box placed on top of it, and Anoma perching on top of that, still wearing the goggles. "If there are any Grass-types, remember to go on the defense and let Neggie deal with them. The challenger has beaten Hygre while not taking the lowest setting, so he might be stronger than the current level. Don't panic and remember our training, and don't worry if the attacks are too powerful to handle."

 

He noticed the group then, and greeted them with a welcoming smile. "Ah, hello! You sure came fast. Faster than Matthew!" he commented, placing the Repeat Balls next to Anoma. "Don't know if you know him, that guy at the Mart's counter? He's going to be our referee for today."

 

As soon as he said that, there was again that sound the elevator doors made when they opened, coming from the other side of the room. Now that Rhapsody was paying attention, he noticed a balcony much like the one they were currently at, and some guy with black and white striped clothes walking towards the fence with a Shieldon trotting next to him. The new guy put a megaphone to his mouth, the sound of his voice sounding loud and clear, with no echo despite the cavern. "Can you hear me?"

 

"Loud and clear!" Laren answered, hands on both sides of his mouth to be heard across the drop. He then turned to Lambert while pointing down. "The battle will take place down there, with us here in the balcony for safety. The room is built in such a way that sound carries easily, so as long as you say the commands clearly, your Pokémon will hear them. Also don't worry about using strong attacks, this room won't come down even with six consecutive Earthquakes. Believe me, we've been there before," he said as he chuckled a bit at the end.

 

On the other side of the room, Matthew started speaking again. "Now, before starting, let's review the rules of official Gym battles. First, rules for trainers. Challengers cannot talk to or interact with the Gym Leader. This rule applies both ways. Laren, that means grabbing a challenger by the shoulders and shaking them if one of your fossils does something unexpected is forbidden."

 

"That only happened once! And it was Kargo's first official battle!" Laren shouted back.

 

"Trainers are forbidden from interacting with battling Pokémon, aside from the usage of items and the commands for moves and actions. Laren, that means no high-fives. Trainers are forbidden from using items on non-battling Pokémon and calling commands at the same time, though any of those actions can be performed independently. Trainers must also call for a move before the Pokémon executes it, and not after."

 

"You weren't even here back when that was a problem!"

 

Matthew sighed, his Shieldon rubbing against his leg as if to give him patience. "Second, rules for Pokémon. When items are used - or in this case, thrown down - by trainers, all other Pokémon are forbidden from interfering or preventing the use of said item. Pokémon are forbidden from purposefully targeting the held item of any other Pokémon, or from preventing its usage. Pokémon are forbidden from engaging in melee combat or taking advantage of any special power they have, if said actions aren't part of their move's or ability's effect. That includes grabbing or pinning down opposing Pokémon with any kind of body part or power, or messing with their senses. Pokémon are forbidden from intercepting a move with another move, and from preventing the return of any other Pokémon to their Balls. Pokémon are forbidden from using consecutive moves in a short period of time without letting their opponents react, and from using the elements of the environment to attack or for cover. Pokémon must always stay within the attack range of all the other Pokémon in the field. Pokémon in the same team are allowed to interact and cover for each other, but are not allowed to trade items. Pokémon are allowed to use their positions in the field to their advantage. Now, the only exceptions for any rule included in this second group is if the Pokémon uses a move or has an ability that entails that specific effect, like Knock Off or Unnerve to prevent an item's usage or Fly to be out of range momentarily."

 

"Third, rules for the referees. Trainers cannot argue against any referee's judgement. Trainers and Pokémon alike are forbidden from interacting with referees. Purposefully attacking any referee is an instant loss regardless of circumstances. These rules also apply to any Pokémon the referees have with them. Are we all clear?"

 

"You've said this same speech so many times even I could recite it by heart now!" Laren called.

 

"I'm not taking any risks with you," Matthew retorted. While it was true the Vertia Gym Leader hadn't given him much trouble, he had heard enough stories from his predecessor to know this precaution should not be skipped. "Now, is everyone ready?"

"Ready over here!"

"Yup yup!" Anoma chirped.

"Place your Poké Balls or Pokémon on the lifts."

 

There was a whirring sound from the sides of the balcony they were on, and two platform the size of a tray rose up to their ground level, each with six indentation in which to put Poké Balls. Laren went to the one on the left, placing the five Repeat Balls there.

 

Rhapsody guessed that was his cue to move. The tray thing was big enough for Gaes to ride, so he didn't wait for her and flew down, until he was hovering a few centimeters above the lower ground. As soon as both sides were ready, the lifts descended.

 

Matthew waited for a second and then nodded, and spoke again. "Battle start!"

 

"Didria, Saron!" Laren called. Two of the Repeat Balls opened, releasing two full-size Anoriths, both standing side by side at the edge of one of the pools.

Edited May 7, 2016 by Puredark006

[TehUltimateMage]

The doors opened. Lambert was hit with the crisp smell of underground water as he stepped out and took a look around. The cavern was immense and it dawned on him why the room was listed as B10 -- the rock stretched a dozen stories both up and down, ending in a pit with some natural pools at the very bottom. He, Laren, and the spectators were on the same steel-grilled balcony, and the Gym Leader gave them another warm welcome before the referee arrived to make sure nobody pushed anyone else over the fence.

 

That was... reassuring. Lambert took a step back from the railing.

 

After a brief announcement of the rules, the pokemon were sent down to battle. He found himself back up against the railings to get a better look at the battlefield, but the tension in his body was visible from how tightly he was gripping the top of the safety fence. Laren's pokemon were Anorith like Anoma, but visibly larger. Since they both looked the same to him, Lambert would have rather not deal with specifying targets. "Start out strong with Surf and Iron Defense!"

[HomeForFlowers]

It didn't take long for everyone to decide where they were going. It seemed like the little group Jasper found in front of the Pokémon Center was going to stay together for a little while longer. Although Jasper wasn't exactly ecstatic on the decision, he didn't really loathe anyone in the group so he figured it would be alright. At the very least, none of them grated on his nerves like Zoey did. Of course, Zoey had been perfectly fine until he actually started talking to her so there was always the chance that Jasper would end up hating everyone in the group by the time they reached their destination. For a moment, right after the man Jasper thought was named Lambert inquired about a gym battle, Jasper considered jumping into the battle but quickly dismissed the thought. He was always up for a fight, but taking orders from someone he didn't know or fighting alongside a complete stranger didn't sit well with him. Besides, he had already said he was going to go into the caves and Zoey was going with the gym group. While laughing at her sounded fun, hanging out with her for an extended length of time would be more tiring than amusing and the last thing Jasper wanted to do was subjugate himself to an unpleasant experience.

 

While everyone began to wrap up their plans, Jasper folded his arms against his chest and watched as Allison and Cassandra began to speak with one another. It wasn't until Cass began to tease Allison about "caring about the kids" did Jasper suddenly take notice of just how young the majority of the shifters were. Taking a moment to look at the other shifters, Jasper scoffed silently as he rubbed his mouth uncomfortably. Arceus, how had he not noticed earlier? There were adults among the shifters, but there were quite a few teenagers as well. Heck, Anhew didn't look any older than fourteen. She was practically a child. All of the fussing and commotion over the young shifters that Jasper had dismissed as unnecessary worrying earlier suddenly made sense. Weren't the children going to be more of a liability than an asset? Sure, Jasper barely knew anyone in the room but he wasn't sure how someone like Anhew would turn out to be a tremendous fighter or great navigator. It would be easier to find someplace to drop the children off but Jasper figured they wouldn't appreciate that. He knew for a fact that he wouldn't. Still, it seemed a bit wrong to drag anxious children along for the ride. Not that there was anything that could be done about it.

 

Jasper was so lost in his own thoughts that he had completely lost track of what was going on. It wasn't until Cassandra began to speak to him directly did he regain his bearings.

"Staying at the PokeCenter is fine by me," Jasper said as he waved his hand in passing. "Although I'm not sure what you mean by "join you". I already said I'm coming along, didn't I? It would be ridiculous for us to go in the same exact direction at the same time and not go together, wouldn't it?" Without waiting for a response, Jasper whistled over to Garrett, who promptly trotted to his side after giving Anhew a quick farewell, before walking outside with his partner at his heel. When they arrived at the center, Jasper stood in the corner of the room Allison had shooed the group into while Garrett sat next to Cassandra and Anhew patiently. He had planned on heading straight to bed once he had the chance but the mentioning of training got his hopes up. Garrett, on the other hand, didn't seem too keen on joining in the fight.

 

"Ah, Allison?" Garrett said as she looked up at the woman. "You wouldn't mind if I stayed with you and Anhew, would you?"

"I certainly don't mind," Jasper said as he cracked his knuckles. Seeing Cassandra transform only prompted him to follow her lead. A blinding white light emitted from Jasper's body and he rapidly began to shrink down. The light suddenly dissipated and in its wake was a small blue bunny-like creature whose appearance clearly did not match his personality. Realizing that Cassandra was still taller than him even as a Pokemon was somewhat irritating to Jasper. He let out an annoyed huff at the realization but quickly shook of the feeling as he remembered about the training. Attempting to make a finger gun (which was rather hard considering he had no fingers) at the shifters, Jasper followed Cassandra's lead and headed outside. "So," he said casually as he walked by her side. "do you have anything planned for this training session or are we just winging it?"

[PureDark006]

With a flick of his tail, Rhapsody took flight, a column of water sprouting from the ground and following him like a watery trail. He had intended to leave Gaes behind, but the sudden weight he felt on his back confirmed the Steel-type had managed to jump to safety on time. He briefly considered shaking her off, but decided against it to not give her any excuses to use her massive jaws to latch onto him. He could deal without that.

 

"Sandstorm, Protect!" The Leader called as Rhapsody reached the peak of his flight, sending the column of water crashing down into a massive wave that engulfed the battlefield.

 

The first Anorith dug its claws into the ground, a shimmering spherical green shield materializing around it right before the wave collided. The second Anorith was washed away into the pool behind, but as Rhapsody descended from his flight, it climbed out again, the red band with yellow borders tied to the beginning of its tail releasing a faint glow before dissolving into thin air. The Pokémon looked like it was barely clinging to consciousness, but it still managed to raise its claws, wind picking up around it and enveloping the lower level in a raging sandstorm.

[TehUltimateMage]

His opening move failed to take out either of his opponent's pokemon, but Lambert figured it was natural that the Gym Leader would be prepared for something like that. And like he thought, the Anorith holding the Focus Band (or was it a Focus Sash?) set up a sandstorm, which rendered special moves less effective against Rock types and would gradually damage Rhapsody. If he had more time and more money, he would have prepared for it by giving the Hydreigon some goggles to hold, but right now he had to make due with what they had.

 

The sandstorm raged below, but wasn't thick enough to obscure what was going on. "Finish the weaker one off with Feint Attack, and Dragon Pulse on the one you missed!"

[ValidEmotions]

Following Laren to his home, Emil recalled Nix to their Pokéball, slipping the small sphere back into his bag. It wasn't long until the trio reached the destination in question and each one filed inside a surprisingly full room. Emil couldn't immediately make out how many others were inside since a few were moving all over the place. Whatever space wasn't occupied by a human or Pokémon, chaotic stacks of paper and objects took up the spot. A faint chuckle rose from Emil's lips as he tugged on his earlobe, shifting over to find a place to stand.

 

While Laren went about answering questions that the group of strangers asked, Emil examined the map that had been laid out. The details regarding the routes seemed straight-forward enough but Emil wasn't going to take any chances. When the extra maps were brought out as others decided on where they were going to go, Emil took the remaining map. The direct route to Taismog and Fastfall saw the large group divided almost evenly. That left Route 90 and Lifferoad.

 

Scribbling a few notes down on the map (including those regarding the first and third options just incase Route 90 wouldn't cut it), Emil soon rolled the piece of paper back up and carefully put it into his bag. It seemed a gym challenge would be underway in a little bit and everyone was making their leave. Perhaps it was time that Emil did the same. Unable to thank Laren before the man disappeared, Emil ushered himself out of the house and back towards the gym.

 

He hadn't considered it earlier when waiting for Laren but now he felt exploring the dig site for a little while might prove beneficial.

 

~~~~

 

Gaes remained silent for pretty much the entire time at Laren's house, listening and looking over everyone's shoulders while there. She didn't have any questions at the time being, leaving it to Lambert and the others instead. Some of them seemed to know things better than her anyways, including what the maps showed. Lambert grabbed one while a few others grabbed more still.

 

Moving closer to Lambert, she rose on her toes just enough to peer around his arm and view the map he grabbed. She tried to follow the pencil scratches the man had made but the meaning of it was lost to her. Her eyes fell on what had to be Fastfall, given Laren's earlier description. "Oh, hey! That's a Contest Hall symbol!" Gaes shouted suddenly, gripping Lambert's arm out of excitement.

 

She didn't know why she was particularly thrilled. Maybe she was happy she found another thing she understood. Yeah, that was probably it. "Can we go to the Contest Hall?" she pleaded, lightly shaking the man's arm as she looked up at him with her large, round red eyes. She continued to assail him with a series of "pleasepleaseplease" until he finally relented and told her that they would go. She cheered excitedly and hopped about with glee before quickly trapping the man in a hug from his side. "Thank you!"

 

----

 

Inside the gym, Gaes glanced about before immediately shifting. Her form shrunk as it flashed momentarily with light, hair replaced by an oversized, snapping maw. Yellow and black flesh replaced human skin and clothes. Stretching her arms out before her, Gaes smirked. "Much better," she commented. It was a shame she couldn't stay like this all day but she figured the human body had its uses. Glancing over at Rhapsody revealed that he was likewise changed and ready to go. "After you, boss!" she remarked. Sniffing once, she continued to smirk. "Promise I won't cause any grief this time."

 

They took the elevator down to the lowest floor and Gaes whistled in awe at the size of the battlefield below. She was sure the last gym was just as big but the darkness and tree decorations had made it a difficult task to properly examine the layout. Here, she gripped the railing firmly, not wanting to take the plunge to the field beneath. Laren was already here and waiting, turning to greet them once he realized their presence. Words were exchanged but Gaes didn't make any response - what would be the point anyways since the man couldn't understand.

 

Soon enough, the referee showed up. It was the same guy in the Pokémon Center who had scolded her for kicking the vending machine. When he wasn't paying attention to her, she used a finger to tug down her right eyelid and stuck her tongue out at the man's back. Geez. This guy was such a stickler! And what was with all of the rules all of a sudden? None of that had been part of the battle with Hygre. He acted as if Pokémon were some sort of gang of two-timers!

 

When it was time, Gaes moved onto the platform, examining the Pokéballs that Laren had placed in the slots. These ones look a lot different from the one she'd used on Bree. Actually, now that she thought about it, hadn't Hygre used different balls from even these ones? She started to wonder just how many types of Pokéballs existed. She suspected that there were several different ones but she couldn't place why or how she might have known.

 

Shaking her head, she pushed the concern away. It really didn't matter. The platform jolted to life and started its descent to the battlefield. Rhapsody glided down, coming to rest long before the platform did. She jumped off and quickly took a stance beside the dragon- and dark-type just as Laren called out his first pair. It wasn't very surprising to see that they were both Anoriths, but bigger than Anoma.

 

Then the battle started. Lambert's voice reached her from above prompting things into action. Rhapsody took off and water began to surge. Before it could swipe her feet out from beneath her, Gaes leapt up, flipping once for the flair before landing on the Hydreigon's back. Secure in her position, her body gleamed like metal as she used Iron Defense. She was excited, she couldn't help it, and a grin found its way on her face.

 

Rhapsody's Surf knocked on Anorith into the pool of water behind it but was deflected by the other's Protect. The first crawled back out of the water, however, and something on its tail flashed. A Focus Sash. Sand instantly filled the field, kicked up into a storm. Gaes wasn't bothered by it at all though but Rhapsody would be.

 

"Finish the weaker one off with Feint Attack, and Dragon Pulse on the one you missed!"

 

Dropping down from Rhapsody's back, Gaes charged at the weakened Anorith, rushing at it from the right. Just before she struck, however, she vanished from sight, only to reappear on the Anorith's left. Moving quickly, she twirled, catching the Anorith with a kick.

[PureDark006]

Rhapsody narrowed his eyes at Lambert's next yell. Dragon Pulse? Really? Had the guy never fought in a Sandstorm or what?

 

He growled in frustration, but still charged and released the green sphere of Dragon Pulse towards the Pokémon who had used Protect. The attack threw the Anorith back and against the ground, making it land on its back, but it quickly flipped over; injured, but still not down.

 

It didn't surprise him. "Sandstorm raises their special defense, use moves with a friggin' type advantage!!" he yelled up, as Gaes rushed towards the other Pokémon and defeated it. Sure, have the one not affected by Sandstorm finish off the one who was barely hanging there, and make the one with a disadvantage take on the healthy one. Hadn't Gaes specifically told him Steel was strong against Rock? Why hadn't he ordered her to attack the first one?? They could have defeated the two of them right now!

 

"Saron, X-Scissor! Didria, return! Nistia, out!"

 

Oh, you have got to be kidding me.

 

One of the Repeat Balls activated, shooting a red beam towards the Anorith Gaes had attacked, who was laying down on the ground after fainting from the Feint Attack. The other rustled its feathers and charged at Rhapsody, claws shinning a bright light blue as it crossed them and slashed at him in an X shape.

 

The first Anorith was returned, as the third Repeat Ball opened, releasing a Relicanth who wasted no time leaping and landing in the pool closest to the Leader's side of the field.

Edited May 9, 2016 by Puredark006

[TehUltimateMage]

One down. Four to go, judging by the number of Repeat Balls. He thought the Dragon Pulse would have finished the other Anorith off, but it held on. Rhapsody's complaining was not helping the matter. (True, he could have ordered Surf again to finish both off at once, but he wanted to keep Gaes relatively safe in case Laren sent out something big.

 

He figured he'd have to pay more attention to his opponent's pokemon when the Anorith struck the Hydreigon with a super-effective X-Scissor. The next pokemon Laren sent out was a Relicanth, which he knew he had seen before -- they were sometimes more Sturdy than they looked.

 

One thing he did seem to recall, though, was that a Relicanth's Head Smash hurt.

 

"Fine, try to get the fish with Earth Power but get ready to dodge," Lambert retorted. "Gaes, finish the Anorith with another Feint Attack!"

Edited May 9, 2016 by TehUltimateMage

[ValidEmotions]

The Anorith fainted and an ugly looking fish took its place, appearing in the pool of water. The Anorith Rhapsody attacked with a Dragon Pulse wasn't down and struck back with an X-Scissor, hitting the Hydreigon pretty good. Damn. With how things were looking, Gaes hoped Rhapsody could pull through. While she had a type advantage, she didn't know what other Pokémon Laren would call out. Sure of herself as she might have been, she hoped she wouldn't need to face other three or four all on her own.

 

...other Feint Attack!

 

Focusing on the remaining Anorith, Gaes darted forward. Again, just before she reached her opponent (this time from the front), she disappeared in the blink of an eye. Reappearing from behind, she leapt up and flipped once, slamming the Anorith into the ground with topside of her maw. For sure, the Pokémon had fainted but, out of caution, Gaes jumped aside and put distance between her and her opponent (and the pool).

[PureDark006]

Damn, that had hurt. Not only were these Pokémon stronger than the ones back at the Kusba Gym, the move was super-effective, and Rhapsody had always had bad defense for an Hydreigon.

 

Lambert's next set of commands came. Though he was pissed that Gaes was doing all the finishing off of opponents, at least Earth Power made more sense than Dragon Pulse. Flying up, he then accelerated straight down and flipped forward, slamming his tail into the ground. Cracks appeared, the insides glowing golden, extending towards the pool until they reached the border and erupting into loose stones and red lava-like energy that hit the Relicanth and forced it out of the pool momentarily.

 

"Yawn to yellow! Saron, return! Arch, out!"

 

The Repeat Balls activated, one returning the fainted Anorith and the other one releasing a Carracosta, which stood at the edge of the pool. The Relicanth jumped out of the water again, releasing a huge Yawn in the direction of Gaes.

[TehUltimateMage]

Two down, three to go? There were two on the field now, both part water types, with Laren's last pokemon being unknown. And with Gaes getting drowsy and the sandstorm still raging on, it was probably time to stop playing so conservatively.

 

He kind of wished he picked Level Two.

 

"Earth Power, finish off the fish. Iron Head on the turtle, go!"

[ValidEmotions]

Oh, a giant sea turtle. Well, not too giant. The Carracosta was only around two feet taller than she was. In her examination of the new Pokémon, she wasn't paying attention to the fish. She heard the command Laren gave, the description of 'yellow', but the dots didn't connect until a bubble popped on her nose. She blinked rapidly, a frown crossing her face. A moment later, a yawn found its way free and she sighed, a wave of drowsiness crawling into her mind.

 

"Iron Head on the turtle, go!" Perfect. Except for the Pokémon's position. Shaking her head furiously, she cleared away the feeling of exhaustion and focused. Gaes couldn't attack it head on; she'd land in the pool and that didn't seem safe. From the side then.

 

Sprinting towards the Carracosta, the Mawile came from its right, her body starting to glow white until she appeared as a black outline. Head first, she pushed off the ground and slammed into the Carracosta. Her momentum carried her onward as the larger Pokémon fell backward. Hitting the ground, she rolled back onto her feet, crouched and ready.

 

The drowsiness returned and she shifted her position, rubbing at her face. This isn't go- She toppled forward, face first into the ground and out like a light.

[PureDark006]

Rhapsody repeated his move, flying up again and slamming the ground. This time, the fish was thrown away from the pool and it landed on solid ground, not moving.

 

He turned in time to see Gaes knocking the turtle on its shell - and falling asleep immediately after. He would have laughed in her face about how it feels to have a status condition, but there was no point if she wasn't conscious to hear it out.

 

"Nistia, back! Neggie, out!" Laren called, skipping Arch until it got back on its feet again.

 

The final Pokémon to materialize was a Tyrantrum, crouching down in an attacking position.

[TehUltimateMage]

Three down, two to go. He watched the final ball intently, hoping that at least it would be something manageable like an Aerodactyl, or even a Cradily. His heart nearly skipped a beat when he was proved wrong, and the white light materialized into the form of a massive pokemon two feet taller than Rhapsody. It looked like a physical attacker, and with Gaes currently out of the picture this turn and the sandstorm still raging, he doubted that they could knock that thing out in one turn.

 

"Earth Power, turtle first! Keep your distance from the dino...!"

 

[PureDark006]

Rhapsody felt his fur bristle at the new Pokémon. It looked like a Dragon-type, though he wasn't exactly sure if it was one. But even if it wasn't, he could tell it was a predator like himself, and couldn't suppress the need to rub its face into the ground to show who was stronger.

 

He followed Lambert's orders, if only to make sure the turtle didn't interfere with the fight. The Carracosta hadn't even finished righting itself when the cracks reached it and erupted below, sending it into the air and splashing into the pool behind it. Only one more to go.

 

"Arch, return! Neggie, Earthquake!"

 

The Tyrantrum raised one of its legs and brought it back hard, making the whole battlefield shake and some loose pebbles to come down from the walls. Rhapsody immediately took flight, avoiding the move with his ability and putting enough distance that if the opponent came running he'd be ready.

[TehUltimateMage]

Earthquake? He was glad that he asked for an Iron Defense at the beginning, which took an edge off of the super-effective move. It had been a turn, so he just had to hope that Gaes would wake up. "Rap, Dragon Pulse! Gaes, Iron Head!

[PureDark006]

Good. Now was the time for a Dragon Pulse.

 

Rhapsody flew up, releasing the green sphere. It sailed directly towards the Tyrantrum and hit directly on its chest, sending it back with a pained roar. It then collapsed into the ground on its side, before having been able to do a second attack.

 

"Battle end!" Matthew declared through the megaphone, as Laren called for Neggie to return to the Pokéball.

 

Rhapsody breathed out in contentment. He had proven the Kusba fight was a fluke, Gaes had been out during the last turns, and he got to knock down a 2-meter possible dragon. All in all, this day had been good.

 

He picked up Gaes with his main mouth, carrying her still sleeping form to the upper level where Lambert and the others were watching.

 

"Ah, that was a good fight!" Laren said, as Anoma chirped repeatedly. "We weren't sure if your dragon could evade Ground moves since the pre-evolutions can't. Seems we were wrong about that."

 

The lifts reached the upper level, but Laren didn't collect his Repeat Balls just yet. "In any case, congratulations on defeating the Vertia Gym! I have the rewards prepared right here. Anoma?"

"Got it, got it!" The Anorith chirped, jumping down from the box. Laren picked it up and opened it, offering the contents to Lambert; a TM, the prize money, and a Badge made of an opaque brown rectangle, divided horizontally by two black zigzagging lines, each lower section darker than the last. Small shards shone from their apparent random places inside the rectangle, in different shades of whites, and looking as if buried within the brown.

 

"This is the Level 3 Ancient Badge, along with 6250P and the TM80: Rock Slide. Congratulations on winning, you really deserved it!"

 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

[[Gaes and Rhapsody grew stronger from the battle! (Finally a battle where both did the same amount or work)]]

 

[[Lambert's items have been updated]]

 

[[The entirety of Laren's character sheet has been unlocked]]

Edited May 10, 2016 by Puredark006

[TehUltimateMage]

Lambert relaxed his grip on the railing. "Yeah, I expected that last one to put up more of a fight," he replied, while Qrow echoed Anoma's cries of "Good fight! Good fight!" It was hard not to feel elated at the victory. The prize money was double the winnings of the level below. It was well worth the added challenge, though Lambert wouldn't do it again without having more pokemon ready in the wings. That, with the sleep, was close. But it was a testament to how much stronger shifters seemed to be compared to other pokemon -- fossils tended to evolve somewhat late, and the dinosaur definitely looked like a final stage.

 

With delicate fingers he took the badge and pinned it to the inside of his jacket. He then took the cash to split later and slipped the TM into his pocket alongside the one he got in Kusba. From the top of his head he knew Bugface could learn the move, so he made a mental note to mention that to Rhapsody later.

 

"Thank you." Lambert nodded to Laren.

[Kiran]

Ev paused. Explaining things would be more difficult than she thought. Her mind jumped to skeletal structures and different hip bone shapes, but Anhew wouldn’t be able to understand stuff like that. She didn’t think she'd be able to form the right sentences to talk about them properly, either. “Well-well, uh, bird pokemon have four limbs like Deino do, but two of those are actually wings, because they need those for flying. I’m so, so sorry, uh, this doesn’t help at all, apologies. Of course I’ll tell you when we change direction.”

 

She tensed for a second, the relaxed when Anhew comforted her about the cave. She didn’t know how the girl had been able to tell that she was bothered, but it was appreciated. “...Thanks,” she whispered, eyes downcast. Anhew was right, of course. She didn’t have any reason to be scared of caves; they were a common enough travel route, after all. She wasn’t even sure if ‘frightened’ was the right word to describe was she was feeling, either, and she didn’t think it was the idea of actually entering the cave that bothered her. There was some kind of strong, negative feeling, but she couldn’t figure out the source. Her frustration morphed into confusion when Anhew asked about her legs. “Weird?” She hoped that it was just from standing in a new way, and not something serious.

 

It was difficult to sort through all of Anhew’s questions, and for half a second she regretted offering her help. That thought was quickly shoved from her mind with some guilt. Questions were a good thing, after all, and it wasn’t Anhew’s fault if she was having trouble keeping up with them all. She was relieved that they had all managed to agree on a route, at least. For now, the arguing seemed limited to Cassandra and Allison’s squabbles.

 

“Ah, right,” she said in reply to Cassandra. She couldn’t say that she cared all that much about their conversation. Allison didn’t seem like a bad person, and that was all that really mattered to her at the moment. She liked Cassandra, and trusted her to an extent, but was glad that Allison wasn’t like her. Cassandra was nice and understood a lot of things, but she could be a bit overwhelming. It was good to have someone more serious in the group, and it seemed like Allison was the most reliable of them.

 

In any case, she was glad that they weren’t leaving until the next day. There was no way to avoid sleeping in the wilderness (a fact Ev wasn’t at all pleased about), but by the time they got all of their supplies organized it would be nearly dark. She was exhausted, anyway, and being able to sleep in a real bed sounded amazing. A shower would have been lovely as well.

 

It took her a few seconds to decide whom to go with. She certainly needed practice with her pokemon form, and didn’t know if she’d be much help teaching Anhew. On the other hand, Cassandra and Jasper clearly knew what they were doing. Whatever Cassandra meant when she said ‘training’, it was more advanced than simple movement. Ev cringed at the thought of floundering around. No, she’d go help Anhew. “I’ll go help you, if that’s alright.” In the back of her mind she knew that putting it off wouldn’t help her, but there had to be other opportunities to practice later. It wasn’t like anyone was expecting her to fight. “Come on; it’s a bit twisty, but we’ll go slowly, alright?” she said softly, guiding Anhew’s hand to rest on her arm again.

[hazeh]

The lioness maneuvered through the Pokémon center with ease, careful to flick her tail in a casual, tame manner when the nurse cast a nervous look her way. Cass supposed a random Pyroar strolling through the center unattended was not the most common occurrence, especially if there had been no sign of one earlier. Still, she made sure to tilt her head at the other trainers in the area and send a few languid blinks at their curious Pokemon, as to suggest that yes, she knew where she was going, and no, she didn't need anyone's supervision. She padded over the doormat and waited for the sliding doors to whoosh open.

 

When Jasper joined her, Cassandra adjusted her pace to match his as to not leave him waddling furiously behind. Her big paws pressed silently into the earth and she flexed her claws with each step. The Pyroar gave herself another shake. This body was still new, but it excited her; the power twisting in her chest, a comfortable but noticeable ball of heat, and the limber flow of the muscles beneath her fur filled her with fresh, warm adrenaline. This eager energy slipped into her step as she moved into a brisk trot, though she was careful not to leave Jasper's side. "The plan is to find some wild Pokémon and beat the ones that put up a fight," she answered, amused. She side-glanced him with glowing, slit-pupiled eyes. "Allison's the one with plans. I prefer the challenge of the unknown." The lioness's teeth gleamed as she bared them in a grin.

 

The town was not terribly large. Cass nosed the air briefly once they managed to reach the tree line that surrounded a good portion of Vertia's border. She wouldn't fool herself into believing she was anywhere in the caliber of hunter as true Pyroars were. It had been a disappointment to learn that the instincts of the Pokémon she'd been assigned hadn't surfaced with its form, but she would make do with what she knew of Pyroars in general. The body had its advantages, though, and there was no mistaking that the lion's highly developed sense of smell was not just in her head. The low rumble of a pleased growl rose from Cass's chest. "This way," she said, launching herself toward the shrubbery.

 

The leaves rustled softly around her. She forced herself to stay low, body slinking over the densely carpeted forest floor. Heavy shadows rolled off her figure like blotches of ink. Up ahead, the foliage broke in the dulling sunlight into a small clearing. She paused by the edge of the clearing and glanced over to Jasper. In the clearing, she spied a few bug Pokémon inching their way up the trunks of trees, some Pidgey and Pidove nesting in the branches, and a pair of Aipom racing around in the grass. Across the other side, she made out the silhouette of a Stantler's horns, but from the size of it, the Stantler didn't appear all that tough. The Pyroar frowned. This didn't seem very challenging at all.

 

Still, she needed the practice. Emitting a deep growl, Cass stalked into the clearing. Immediately the birds took to wing and fluttered away, chirping their alarm, and the bugs stilled against the trees. That left the Aipom and the Stantler who jerked to attention, but did not flee.

 

"What do you want?" the Stantler demanded, lifting its chin. Its spindly legs quivered.

 

Cass's vivid blue eyes raked over the Pokémon. "Well," she started, sounding disappointed, "I wanted to challenge someone, but I'm not about to fight a child."

 

The Stantler stomped a hoof, offended. "I am not a child," it objected, nostrils flared. A moment later, the two black orbs in its antlers began to shine, and a fuzzy sensation began to drift into Cassandra's mind. She blinked rapidly and broke eye contact, and the feeling vanished.

 

"What was that, confusion?" she asked, shaking off the remnants of the mild mental probing. Something like a headache began to form in tiny pin pricks across her skull before spreading down her spine like an extremely uncomfortable back massage.

 

"Ex-extrasensory," it sputtered.

 

Damn. This really wasn't as exciting as Cass hoped it would be. Where were the stronger Pokémon? Surely a Liepard or Persian made its home around here? Cass huffed her breath. Some training session.

 

"Don't you travel in herds?" she asked, and in that moment, movement behind the young Stantler interrupted the scene. As if summoned psychically, a pair of robust Stantler stepped up in front of the first, their statures far more impressive. Alright, perhaps not that impressive, but at least more so than the lanky fawn peeking out from behind them. Cass regarded them with interest.

 

One of them snorted and pawed at the grass. "You want to pick a fight?" it asked, eying her.

 

"That depends," she said, "can you fight back?"

 

As if to answer, the one that spoke leapt forward in a determined charge. Its hooves dented into the ground with its speed. Cass crouched low, muscles coiled and taut, talons sunk into the earth to establish a firm grip. Just as the Stantler tossed itself toward her in a courageous tackle, Cass sprung off the ground and slammed into its chest, claws scrambling for purchase on the Pokémon's tan hide. In the same moment, her glinting fangs-- which looked far more severe in that second-long flash of light than they had just moments before-- sank into the Stantler's shoulder. The Pokémon bellowed; its momentum from its Take Down caused them to crash into the ground, ramming Cass into the grass. She disengaged her Crunch and rolled back onto her feet, slightly winded.

 

The Stantler stumbled to its hooves again. Its antlers swayed with its movement, and Cass noticed a gathering of purple energy forming between the golden arches. Just as the Psychic attack rocketed off her foe's antlers, Cass pulled from a store of mental energy and felt it manifest quickly in her jaws. A vicious Snarl echoed out from the Pyroar, disrupting the psychic waves and blasting the ears of the Stantler with pulses of discord and rage. The Stantler wavered for only a moment on its hooves before toppling over.

 

Cass twitched her ears. "Well," she stated, looking over to Jasper, "that certainly wasn't as fun as I hoped." Her tail whipped behind her in brief agitation. And then, an idea occurred to her.

 

Nearly purring, the Pyroar bounced through the grass toward the Azumarill and planted her paws squarely on the earth a few yards away. "Alright then," she said, grinning, "Come at me, Jasper. If I can't count on wild Pokémon for a fight, a little friendly match can't hurt, right?"

 

 

 

Allison glanced down at the little Deerling that approached her. What was her name again? She couldn't remember. "That's fine," she said, waving her hand dismissively. Though she didn't say it, Allison figured the Deerling's presence would help the blind girl feel less alarmed. However, when Evelyn mentioned she would be staying, Allison nodded briefly and remarked, "Good. She'd probably prefer you to me, anyway." The comment was nonchalant, a simple observation, and undoubtedly true in Allison's mind.

 

As Cass and Jasper left, Allison closed the door behind them and held back a sigh. When she looked back over to Ev and Anhew, the Fletchinder-girl had already begun the process of helping her blind friend. Allison watched for a moment, analyzing. Then, she unzipped her jacket, revealing the similarly striped pattern of her camisole beneath, and slung the leather jacket onto one of the nearby mattresses.

 

Here she went again with helping children she didn't intend to help. "Anhew," Allison said simply, moving to stand in front of the blind girl. She figured the girl's primary sense would be sound and physical touch, and continued, "I'm going to hold your other arm. Evelyn will support one side, while I support the other." As she said, Allison slowly gripped Anhew's left arm, the muscles in her own contracting in order to brace the teenager's weight. She glanced around; some sort of stick, or pole, would be useful for helping Anhew navigate on her own. But then she thought, that might cause more issues for the girl, if she couldn't even figure out walking on her own. What Anhew needed was a Seeing-Eye Pokémon.

 

Allison looked down at the Deerling. Perfect.

 

"You are a human now, Anhew, so you cannot use your front legs to walk. Let's try to balance you on your hind legs first. Keep your weight centered. Shakiness is to be expected. When you're ready, move one of your hind legs forward; slide your foot over the ground if that helps you," Allison instructed, changing her grasp on Anhew's arm until she was merely holding the girl by the elbow. Her voice was firm and strong, as if she were accustomed to giving orders, but not so steely as to be insensitive-- rather, her tone sounded more controlled, calculated, as if she were conducting a routine inspection. "Evelyn and I are close by if you start to feel like you are falling."

 

Great, I sound like Cassandra, Allison thought, feeling a prickling of annoyance at the idea. I'm not cut out for this motherly crap. They'd better not start acting like lost ducklings since Cassandra is gone. Not that she really expected that sort of reaction from either girl, but that sort of dependence was certainly not something Allison was equipped to deal with. Besides, neither of them appeared particularly attached to Cassandra, either. "Spreading your arms out can help you catch your balance, if you have trouble," Allison suggested idly, her hand steady on Anhew's elbow.

[Moonlight_Eevee]

Anhew listened as Cass and Allison bickered. She somehow managed to calm Ev down before she explained what birds were. "I'm not used to walking like this," Anhew said before she heard Cass come over and picked her up in some weird way. She was clinging to Cass now and they headed back to the Pokémon Center, whatever that was. But she recognized the smell and sound, she had been there before. A few minutes later of listening to Cass and Allison, Cass put her feet back on the ground. Anhew squeaked in surprise at being at a weird angle. She felt Cass rub against her hand. Cass had transformed into something big, and pretty soon she and Jasper left the room. That left her with Sweet Voice, Ev, Allison, and the hyper active voice running around the room.

 

Luckily for Anhew, Ev came and helped her, shortly followed by Allison. "You are a human now, Anhew, so you cannot use your front legs to walk. Let's try to balance you on your hind legs first. Keep your weight centered. Shakiness is to be expected. When you're ready, move one of your hind legs forward; slide your foot over the ground if that helps you." "Would it be weird if I just walked on all four of my legs?" Anhew asked. "I don't remember anything before today but this is not natural to me, standing on my hind legs only." She breathed deep, slowly moved her right leg forward. "Spreading your arms out can help you catch your balance, if you have trouble." "Arms?" Anhew asked, swiveling her had to Allison in confusion. "What are arms? Is that another name for my front legs?" Anhew felt like she completed one step, time to focus on the other.

 

----------------------------------

 

Zoey walked with the gym group and watched as both the tall looking dude and the woman in yellow transform into Pokémon. The first one was black and blue with three heads. She only recalled one Pokémon on the top of her head with three heads and that was Dodrio, but this wasn't no Dodrio. The other one she recognized as a Mawile. She frowned, something about that Pokémon irked her, but she wasn't going to complain. As soon as they got out of the elevator, a whiff of feelings came back to her as she stared out of the balcony. It felt familiar to her. She inhaled sharply as she noticed Laren talking to his Pokeballs. She blinked, wondering why he was talking to them.

 

She looked down at Tama before she noticed Matthew on another balcony on the other side. Tama seemed to be a bit scared from the height, but wasn't about to complain as long as he sat by Zoey. She listened to the rules as Matthew ratted them on. Seems like Laren seemed to be rather hasty on certain things. She watched as the three headed Pokémon and the Mawile went down for the battle. Then the guy started telling them what to do while Laren ordered his Anoriths to defend back. Zoey resisted the urge to face palm as the guy made a mistake to order the three headed to attack the much healthier Anorith when the Mawile should have attacked it.

 

As soon as the first Anorith got knocked out, it was returned and a Relicanth came out. Pretty soon, the second Anorith got knocked out, returned and a turtle looking thing came out. She watched with interest as the Mawile took on a yawn attack before hitting the turtle and before falling asleep. Then the three headed Pokémon finished off the Relicanth and was replaced with a Tyrantrum. It wasn't as big as the one from earlier, but still freaking huge. The three headed Pokémon finished off the turtle before the Tyrantrum let loose an Earthquake, which the three headed one dodged easily, but the Mawile got hit, not enough to make it faint. Then the three headed Pokémon easily knocked the Tyrantrum off with one move, signaling the end of the match.

 

Zoey inhaled sharply from excitement that buzzed from her. Something about that match was amazing! She looked down at Tama. Maybe when Tama got stronger, she could be a gym leader. She then frowned as something hit her. Love is weakness. Love is weakness? Zoey thought to herself. Where did that come from? She then watched as Laren gave the guy who was giving commands a TM, a badge, and...money! They gave out money!? She know felt conflicted as she struggled with the fact she wanted more then ever to be a gym leader, but then she didn't want to hand out free money. But it was a battle, she tried not to look nervous as she struggled, but would she be a gym leader because of it?

 

"How does one become a gym leader?" Zoey finally asked after a few seconds.