Set in the original region of Arciel, Legends Rising is a route-inspired, but not strictly route-based, Pokemon roleplay. Pick a faction, pick a class, and strike out into the wild to take on the League, master Contest coordination, research the mysteries of Pokemon and Arciel, and much, much more. Will you be a classic trainer? A criminal? A farmer? Choose your destiny on Legends Rising.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 4, 2020 4:38:24 GMT
Elliot looked at the Ultra Ball in his hand, already feeling a bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. He hated how nervous he was about all of this. He had caught this Espeon, darnit. The battle between them was over. Yet all Elliot could do was think about how the Espeon had fought through his entire team with ease. He thought about how it had shattered his walking stick, leaving him literally isolated on the sidelines. He thought about how, were the Espeon not interested in teaching and toying around with the team, they could've been in massive trouble.
Elliot's grip tightened around the ball He squeezed his eyes shut, took a deep breath, and released it onto the desert sands.
Lord Beerus stretched out as he was released from his ball, yawning into the air. He looked around listlessly, only for his eyes to narrow as he realized it was just him and his trainer. He tossed his head dismissively, quite literally turning up his nose as he started to trot away. All the while, he moved with footsteps so ginger that they failed to even disturb the sand around him.
"Wait!" Elliot's call caused the Espeon to stop in its track, tail swishing back and forth with interest. "I just wanted to say . . . I want your help. I know I'm not a fighter. Honestly, I don't even like fighting. But I know if the people I care about are going to be in danger, I need to do what I can to step up to the plate and help them. Please, help me out. Show me what it takes to battle."
The Espeon stopped, back quaking. Was it from rage? Illness? A high-pitched caterwaul made Elliot realize that none of these were the answer. No, it was laughter! Lord Beerus practically rolled onto the ground laughing, kicking his legs in the air and clutching his chest with his front paws. It was a completely undignified display from such a regal-looking Pokemon, but how else was he supposed to react to something so ridiculous? Yet as his laughter started to die down, Lord Beerus noticed that Elliot hadn't moved. Was he serious about the offer?
He rotated seamlessly onto his feet, taking a few steps forward as if to evaluate whether the boy was serious. And while Elliot twitched a little at the Espeon's approach, he never once faltered. Upon seeing this the Espeon blurred back, as if using a Quick Attack to settle a proper distance away from Elliot. A small grin spread across his face, and he nodded a single time.
Elliot smiled, another bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. A sigh of relief escaped his throat. "Thank you. I owe you for this one," he said, starting to reach for a Pokeball along his belt. Who would he pick for this? Joule was his most reliable battler, but did she need further training? Echo was still so young, but she was full of potential. Learning could be way more valuable for her than it would be for anyone else on his team. And Murex? She was just a wildcard. With no knowledge on how to use her moves, this could either be really useful or completely useless for her. Maybe Elliot'd just play it safe, and start out with-
He didn't have a chance to finish his thought before a torrent of sand splashed him in the face.
Elliot staggered back, clutching his face in surprise. As he wiped the sand out of his eyes, he noticed Beerus' eyes were glowing slightly. Had he been aiming his Confusion at the sand itself? That was equal parts brilliant and a real dick move! "H-hey! We didn't even get started yet," Elliot protested. Lord Beerus simply tilted his head in response, as if to ask who had decided that. As he reached for a Pokeball again, Lord Beerus' eyes flashed anew. The sand started to shimmer and shake, then gushed towards Elliot in a miniature geyser. This time he had the good sense to turn away, sparing his eyes but leaving him coughing and sputtering. How was he supposed to grab a Pokeball like this?
Then again, maybe that was what Lord Beerus was trying to teach him. If he really wanted to protect those around him, he couldn't just stand around and hope they'd wait for him to be ready. He'd need to act proactively. Elliot unzipped his hoodie, hiking it up so that half of it was draped over his mouth and nose. It wasn't ideal, but at least now he'd be able to focus on the training without any choking hazards. Lord Beerus took this time to prepare as well, readying another one of his famous barrages. This time, they were aimed at the ground, five shimmering Confusions distorting along the sands.
They each flew one at a time, a series of sandy rights and lefts coming at Elliot en masse. Knowing that dodges weren't his strong suit, Elliot instead focused on endurance. He bent away from the sandy onslaught, one arm thrust out so his hoodie would block as much sand as possible. The other fumbled for a Pokeball, finally settling on Echo's classic red-and-white design. Just as his fingers wrapped around it, he felt the fifth blast of sand roll off of his back. He turned around, ball held high, and promptly turned right into another gush of sand. This one had come from a quick swipe of Lord Beerus' tail. Had he focused on psychic-based sand blasts to lure Elliot into a false sense of security, counting only five when he actually planned six? Or was he just feeling spiteful?
Regardless, Elliot had managed to throw Echo's Pokeball down to the ground. She popped out, looking around curiously before shooting Lord Beerus a cheerful wave. The sight got him face-pawing, letting out a rolling sigh all the while. This was going to be a long day. The Espeon settled into a fighting stance, and Echo mimicked it to the letter.
It was time for the games to begin!
(1018 words!
Extra reward: Through using Confusion to bully around Elliot, Lord Beerus has figured out how to skip the middleman. He would like to forget Baby-Doll Eyes and learn Sand Attack!
In addition, for taking sand to the face over and over again like a champ and weathering Lord Beerus' onslaught, Elliot would like to train up his Stamina.)
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 4, 2020 16:42:50 GMT
Lord Beerus shifted from stance to stance, Echo mimicking his every position. Head held high, stance regal? She copied that. Haunches raised and forearms low to the ground, poised to strike? She mimicked that too. She even tried to mimic his overly serious facial expression, though within seconds it broke down into her usual giggly grin. Elliot looked down at the two, Echo's infectious smile getting one on his face as well. "Alright, Echo. Lord Beerus-" Did the Espeon have a soft, smug smile at a noble title being attached to his name? Or was that his imagination? "-is going to help us learn the ins and out of fighting, okay? I know it was kinda scary last time. For both of us. But we're in a controlled environment now, and I really think this could be good for us. So lets give it a shot, huh?" Echo nodded, then let out an excited chirp to let Lord Beerus know that she was ready.
Maybe it was the fact that they were in the desert, or maybe it was the fact that it amused him so much. But Lord Beerus defaulted right back to kicking sand. This time, Echo was ready, pulling her hood down over her face to try and block the sand out. Lord Beerus stopped letting out a huff. Psychic energy rippled around the tip of her hood and gently untucked it from her head. Elliot couldn't help but snicker a little at such a gentle yet petty response. "I think he's trying to say using human clothes in a Pokemon battle is cheating," he said, Lord Beerus shooting him an offended glare in response. Nevertheless, Echo nodded, letting the hood dangle freely.
Beerus kicked up another blast of sand with a sweep of his wide tail, and Echo dutifully ducked it. Another came and she stumbled to the side, slipping over her own feet as her dress caught in the desert sands. This allowed Lord Beerus to nail her right in the face with his next Sand Attack, sending her stumbling back in surprise. Dodging, especially in a way that forced her to use her legs, was clearly a weakness of the stubby psychic types. This was why, as Lord Beerus pulled his tail back for another Sand Attack, Elliot had an idea. "Don't try dodging this one, Echo," he suggested. "Try using a Confusion to knock it away!" Echo put one hand to her head and outstretched the other. Her outstretched hand trembled from exertion as her horn glowed a bright white. And unfortunately it was all for nothing, because the sand blast pierced right through her guard and hit her right in the face. She stumbled back, sputtering and spitting up sand.
"That's okay, Echo. We can't always get it the first time. But can you not aim right at Echo's face next time, Lord Beerus?" Elliot asked. "She's still really new to this." Lord Beerus nodded, but his eyes glimmered mischievously. The next sweep of his tail send the sand at a much wider angle, flying clear over Echo's shoulder-
-And blasting Elliot right in the face. This time he was so surprised that he slipped and fell in the sand, leaving Lord Beerus laughing uproariously.
Echo turned to Lord Beerus, huffing as she put her hands on her hips. This only left Lord Beerus laughing harder, kicking his legs in the air and practically howling into the air. It was hilariously undignified, and honestly at this point even Elliot found himself laughing a little. "Well, he did listen to what I asked him," he admitted, even as he he wiped his eyes with a sleeve. "So I mean, can I really be that mad?" Nevertheless, Echo settled back into her Confusion stance, priming the technique so she'd be ready when Lord Beerus actually used it.
Sure enough, when Lord Beerus recovered, he started off with another blast of sand. This one was slow and unfocused, the cat still trembling from his laughter. Did he seriously find Elliot's suffering that funny? Nevertheless, between the sloppy technique and her pre-preparation, Echo was actually able to start countering this one. The grains of sand started to pulse and shimmer, and after a moment's focus she dropped the sand right on the floor. Lord Beerus fired off another, and Echo caught it again. However, this time, instead of letting it go she swept her hand to the side. The sand shot off in the other direction, settling into a little dune a few feet away. Watching this left Elliot grinning ear to ear, inspiration flashing in his eyes. Picking up on the emotion coming from him left Echo laughing evilly, as Lord Beerus tilted his head in confusion.
"Catch the next one . . . and throw it right back at him!" Elliot suggested. Echo practically leaped into the air, floating down in her Confusion stance. Lord Beerus reared back, affronted, but scowled as he prepared to answer the challenge. He swept at the ground in several feints before launching a thick torrent of sand directly at Echo. This time, she had the timing down, stopping it mere inches away from her face. She did a little spin, then send it flying right back at Lord Beerus. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be: Lord Beerus stopped it with relative ease, his superior strength letting him launch it at her with twice the speed.
The volley was on.
Back and forth the two went, Echo's nick-of-time catches countered by Lord Beerus' effortless parries. He aimed his blasts at all sorts of angles and twists, leaving Echo scrambling just to be hit. Meanwhile, anything Echo could toss at him was caught nearly the second it was thrown, Lord Beerus simply giving her quizzical glances in response. His telekinetic attacks created tight, focused streams of sand, whereas Echo's were nearly as messy as the initial Sand Attack itself.
But that didn't stop her from trying her best. When streams of sand went high she hit the deck, letting the sand blot out the sun above her as she caught it before it could make contact. When Lord Beerus bent them at angles, she started holding her Confusion to avoid focusing her energy on an area that he wouldn't target. At one point Echo had to jump off of a nearby rock just to get enough air time to avoid a widened-out blast, catching it and lobbing it back at Lord Beerus in mid-air. Elliot was on the edge of his seat, eyes darting back and forth between the two "fighters."
Yet all games needed to come to an end. As Echo caught one last volley, stroking her chin and deciding where to send it, she saw Lord Beerus blur out of sight. Sure enough, he had Quick Attacked right behind her, tackling her and sending her stumbling right into the floating Sand Attack. It fell onto her in a little pile, only her horn sticking out. Lord Beerus grinned coolly, stretching out and lying down to start sunning himself.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 5, 2020 0:53:07 GMT
"Lord Beerus! That's cheating!" Elliot complained. And he complained about Echo wearing a hood? That wasn't even coming close to following the spirit of Sand Catch! Nevertheless, Lord Beerus didn't play Elliot any mind. He simply swished his tails in a dismissive fashion, then went back to sunning himself. As he did so, the sand pile near him started to shake and tremble. It caught Lord Beerus' eye for moment, but his focus quickly faded. If the sand popped off again, he was fairly certain that he could catch it without any effort.
He didn't expect the sand pile to pretty much explode, Echo's arms raised to the sky and her horn glowing a bright white. She opened her mouth in a high-pitched, keening war cry, then practically flung herself at the Espeon. He was so surprised that he couldn't even Quick Attack away in time. As soon as the Ralts landed she unleashed a flurry of slaps, her tiny arms and soft hands hitting at a mile a minute. Did they actually hurt Lord Beerus? No, not at all. In fact, if anything, he was just trying to awkwardly slide the Ralts off of his side with his tails. But Echo did not let up her assault. In fact, if anything she actually started slapping faster! After a few half-hearted attempts Lord Beerus gave up on even stopping her, instead just waiting until she got this out of her system.
What nobody could've expected was for Echo's hand to catch fire, one last flaming slap sending the Espeon skidding away.
Elliot gasped in shock. Echo froze up, looking at her hand and tilting her head curiously. But Lord Beerus? He scowled, blurring forward and lecturing Echo for so recklessly attacking him. At first Elliot cringed a bit, but soon a small, mischievous smile spread across his face. "I dunno, Lord Beerus," he said, trying hard not to smirk. "Didn't you say a fight can't just start on the terms we want it to?"
Elliot got another torrent of sand to the face for his troubles.
Nevertheless, he smiled, even if he needed to spit some sand out of his mouth so his smile didn't look all lumpy. "Echo, did you know you could do that?" Elliot asked, the Ralts shaking her head vigorously in response. "Can you try doing that again?" The Ralts nodded, walking up to a little sand dune and drawing her hand back. She looked at it, bounced back and forth a little to warm herself up. She drew her hand back, held it in place for dramatic effect, and swung a big slap right at the dune!
It was just a normal slap, no fire present. Echo huffed in disappointment, then tried again. Nothing. Maybe if she tried from another angle? Nope. Still nothing. Lord Beerus simply stared in disbelief as the Ralts completely failed to replicate her earlier results. Was this the Ralts that had been vexing him days ago and hit him with a flaming-hot slap? How could she swing so often between natural talent and incompetence? A bead of sweat rolled down his head as he tried to reconcile the two things.
The sand pile exploded all over the place as Lord Beerus' eyes flashed, using a Confusion to send it scattering away. Echo turned around, gasping in shock and anger, and once more her hair lit on fire. Immediately, Elliot perked up, the sudden flash of excitement and inspiration popping off of him causing Echo to turn to Elliot and lose her focus. "Echo, I think I get it!" Elliot said. "You're a really emotional Pokemon, right? Maybe you're so emotional that when you get angry, your hand gets all flame-y. And that's how you use that move!" Echo looked up, curiously, as she turned over what Elliot said in her mind.
It made sense. But how does she just get angry?
Elliot looked down at Echo, considering what he could do to help her. Ralts weren't just emotional, they were also empathetic. Maybe if he got angry, she'd be able to take a shortcut towards that? "Uh . .. I'm so mad today, Echo!" he said, huffing his arms over his chest and scowling in exaggerated fashion. His voice glazed over with the familiar tones of bad acting. "You know why I'm so mad? Cause everyone forgot my birthday! I'm a lonely, grumpy, angry birthday boy!"
What he didn't expect was for Echo to run over and cling to his leg, tears streaming down her face as she held him tightly. Elliot's eyes widened in surprise, and he held out his hands in a placating fashion. "H-hey, hey!" he stammered, even as her loud wailing left Beerus cringing away. "Come on, don't be sad! I just had my birthday, nobody missed it! Come on, please, don't worry." The Ralts looked up at him, sniffling as her eyes trembled with freshly-welled tears. Her small was small, understanding, and trusting.
Then Lord Beerus blurred over to them, letting out a series of frustrating yips and snarls. Echo cringed away at first, but as she opened her eyes they flashed with anger. She leaped forward, chopping the ground, as Lord Beerus hopped back to leave a Confusion-directed torrent of sand in his wake. Echo's hand sliced through the sand, the heat from it searing it into a glass statue of Lord Beerus. Elliot blinked in surprise as he looked at the statue. "Huh. Guess that answers how you get mad," Elliot said, ducking under the torrent of sand that he knew Lord Beerus would be kicking towards him this time. Yet surprisingly, there wasn't one! Elliot squeezed his eyes opened, then grid as he straightened himself back up.
And was promptly struck by another blast of sand. Damn, Lord Beerus saw through his dodge.
After sandblasting Elliot for his insolence, Lord Beerus took a few dainty steps forward to take a look at the statue. It was really more of a lumpy silhouette vaguely in the shape of an Espeon, but it still wasn't half bad! He looked the statue up and down, then turned to Echo to give her a nod of approval. She immediately jumped up and down, clapping giddily towards herself. The look of approval gave way to another incensed scowl.
(2264 + 1049 = 3313!
Echo will be learning Fire Punch, using one of her many free moveslots from her gems!)
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 5, 2020 5:11:23 GMT
Elliot looked at the clumsy statue that Echo had punched into existence, whistling in approval. "Would you look at that!" he said, quickly snapping a picture of it. "Oh man, I gotta send this to Elise. I bet her team's never done this in a contest before. I wonder if that might give her some ideas for her Spring Fling routine? Hm. Gotta wonder."
As Elliot zoned out to start texting, Lord Beerus walked up to Echo. He looked her up and down, curious, then looked at her hand. It still had the occasional spark here and there, but the blaze that had overtaken it before was nowhere to be seen. The Espeon motioned towards her hand with his tail, tilting his head in curiosity. Picking up on what Lord Beerus was putting down, Echo hunched down, trying to channel as many angry thoughts as she could. Stubbing her toe! Dropping food on the ground and getting it all sandy! Loud noises! Getting slapped across a stage by someone she thought was totally cool! She even started stomping her feet in frustration to try and focus her anger into a single point. Yet, no matter what, only the slightest tongues of flame started to wrap around her hand.
Lord Beerus peered at the hand, eyes flashing. A psychic pulse spread from Lord Beerus to Echo, his own bountiful psychic power intermingling itself with her own. Would his Helping Hand have what it took to get her using Fire Punch properly? It certainly had the right effect, leaving the Ralts' hand bursting into flame. However, she didn't seem to have much interest in actually utilizing it in her current joyous state. After a few test punches in the air, she promptly turned around to start making glass doodles in the sand. Lord Beerus slowly walked up to the Ralts, only to facepaw when he noticed what she was working on.
It was a simple doodle of Elliot, Echo, and Lord Beerus standing next to each other, holding hands. They were all little more than stick figures.
Lord Beerus let out a low growl of irritation, then promptly retracted his power. If Echo was going to squander his gifts, she didn't get to use them! However, it felt a little bit weird as it flowed back into Lord Beerus' body. When he looked down at his paw, he noticed his right paw was wreathed in flames. The sand beneath his feet started to heat into glass so shiny that he could see his reflection in it. A sharklike grin spread across Beerus' face. Could he just steal another Pokemon's power like that? This was incredible! It was a way better use of his Helping Hand than actually using it to help people! He rolled onto his back, watching the flaming fist with intrigue as he batted it in the air a few times.
Unfortunately, just as quickly as he got used to move, it fizzled out of his paw. He shook the paw a few times, trying to make more fire come out, but unfortunately it seemed he had expended all of its usage. It seemed unlike proper mimicry techniques, this stolen power only lasted for a short amount of time. Yet it seemed like his borrowing hadn't gone unnoticed. Elliot, who had started out texting, had just finished recording the whole thing on his phone. "How'd you do that, Lord Beerus?" Elliot asked. "I'm sure this one's not based on anger. Otherwise you'd be having no trouble using it, right?" The Espeon let out a sarcastic, barking laugh, then used the same psychic catch-and-release to steal more of Echo's power. The fire lit up around his paw, burned for about half a minute, and then fizzled away.
"Mimicry, huh? Sounds like you're trying for the name Echo, too," Elliot joked, leading to Echo gasping, huffing, and folding her arms. Elliot smiled down at her, laughing a little. "It was just a joke, silly! But it is a seriously useful move. Especially since half of why we're here is to learn how to fight better, right? I know you're new to using a lot of techniques, so letting Lord Beerus borrow them and show you how to use them could be seriously helpful." Echo nodded eagerly, and while Lord Beerus rolled his eyes he ultimately gave Elliot a small nod as well. He had to hand it to Elliot on the rare occasions where he was right.
"Lord Beerus already knows Confusion, and I think you two've done more than enough work with that one," Elliot started. "So why don't we try playing with Disarming Voice a bit? Then you can take a break and I can cycle in Joule." Echo nodded and took on a wide stance, while Lord Beerus groaned and folded his ears down to blot out the noise. Then, as soon as Echo started screaming into the distance, Lord Beerus snatched the power away from her. He could tell it worked when he felt a loud, powerful rumbling in the back of his throat.
He then blurred over to the Ralts, towering over her and shouting the Disarming Voice at point blank range. She cringed away, covering her ears, and Lord Beerus laughed spitefully. Ha! How did she like her ears being blown out?
Elliot tapped his walking stick against some conveniently-placed glass to get their attention. "Hey, come on. Stop being a brat," he chided, the undignified name leaving Lord Beerus reeling back in shock. "I don't know who I can trust better with this. Please, I need you to help me. Is there anything about that move that it seems like I'm missing?"
Lord Beerus raised a paw to his chin, thinking. Frankly, Elliot and Echo had enough of a grasp on that move as is, if their battle was any indication. Yet sound did have a few unique properties. He sneaked far behind Elliot, then used the hyper-enhanced sound to make a loud noise behind him, leaving Elliot jumping from shock. It didn't take long for him to turn around, at which point Echo ran up and tackle-hugged him from behind. "Distractions. That's a good one," Elliot said as Echo aggressively cuddled the small of his back. Then Lord Beerus trotted over to a spot of frozen glass, shouting his Disarming Voice into it until it hit enough of a pitch to leave the glass shattering. "Breaking fragile objects. Not sure how much utility that has in a battle, but if I ever tried a show that could come in handy," he remarked. "Anything else?"
Lord Beerus shook his head at that one, and Elliot grinned. "Alright. That's all on your end for today, Echo. Take a well-earned rest," he said. The little Ralts cheered, promptly scampering up Elliot's back. He reached for the Premier Ball on his belt, hurling it down at the sands. "Come on, Joule! You're up next."
(3313 + 1156 = 4469!
Through the power of spite at his rare attempt at helping being squandered, Lord Beerus will be forgetting Helping Hand to re-learn Copycat.)
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 5, 2020 16:49:22 GMT
Joule rubbed a single eye as she got used to the desert light, looking around to see what she had been called out for. Fortunately, Elliot was quick to explain. "Alright, Joule. Lord Beerus here just learned how to copy moves, so he's going to be helping us learn how to best use them, okay?" Elliot explained. Joule looked at the Espeon as he lazily sunned himself, tilting her head curiously. She then looked back to Elliot, eyes narrowed a little in distrust. "Hey, don't worry," Elliot said, voice soft. "He's still pretty cranky, but I promise. He isn't out to get us or anything like that. He actually helped Echo out a lot."
Upon hearing that Lord Beerus had handled her young charge gently, Echo's expression softened a little. She walked over to Lord Beerus, offering him a hand to shake. The Espeon looked up from his nap, rolling his eyes. Upon seeing that she wasn't going anywhere, he lazily offered the the Dedenne a paw.
That was when she grinned mischievously, her fur standing on end as a blast of electricity shot from her body. Lord Beerus didn't even have a chance to dodge, scrambling away in a graceless tangle of limbs. His hair poofed in all directions out from the direct attack, leaving him looking like a giant lavender puff of hair. He let out a string of yips and owls in protest, but Joule was way too busy laughing to actually take any issue with his grumpiness. She walked up to him, not intimidated in the slightest. As Lord Beerus continued ranting she licked her paw, then started smoothing down his frizzed up fur. The grooming got Lord Beerus to finally stop ranting. In fact, the Espeon froze up entirely from surprise, even his tail stopping its usual swishing. Elliot giggled as he watched, recording it on his phone. "Didn't know you were the shy type, Lord Beerus," Elliot teased, only for the Espeon to send another gush of sand at his face. Elliot ducked this one, but felt a tingly sensation at the back of his head. It was another Confusion, which Espeon used to promptly shove his head into the sand.
Joule stepped back to see her handiwork. She winked, flashing Lord Beerus a thumbs up. He turned his head up, eyes closed and a proud grin on his face. He was content to just stand there, modeling. Instead, Joule promptly ran into him with a Tackle, sending the Espeon tumbling across the stands. She tilted her head, an innocent smile on her face. This got Lord Beerus a little fired up, but as he started to growl again he stopped short. He motioned for her to make the movement again. Joule chittered curiously, then launched forward for another tackle. This one Lord Beerus sidestepped with ease, blurring behind her to hit her with a paw strike.
A pulse of psychic energy surrounded Joule, then flowed back into Lord Beerus. He held up a tail, motioning for her to stop and watch, and raised up two sand dunes with his Confusion. He hunkered down into a fighting stance as he prepared to demonstrate the difference. First he copied her Tackle, skipping forward towards the dune in a full body rush. He slid through without any problems, bowling the dune over. Then he demonstrated his own Quick Attack; faster, stronger, and with much more precision than her own technique. A single hard paw strike cleaved right through the dune with no problems.
He then turned to demonstrate the difference on empty air. Tackle, needing all of his body weight behind it, left him stumbling away. All of his momentum and body weight, used through such a graceless technique, made it incredibly difficult to avoid stumbling after a miss. Quick Attack, meanwhile, both started and stopped on a dime, and the attack being concentrated in Lord Beerus' paw meant he had a far shorter recovery time. He turned to Joule, tilting his head as if asking why she even bothered using Tackle. She demonstrated her own very tiny paws in turn, showing that her swipes were a lot shorter and weaker than Lord Beerus'.
Lord Beerus sighed, rolling his eyes, then shook his tail back and forth in demonstration.
Joule shook her head. She walked up to Lord Beerus and whipped him with her tail. It stung mildly, but didn't even hurt. Her tail was just too soft and flexible to actually be used as a weapon. Lord Beerus nodded, then raised a sand dune with Confusion. Joule walked over to the dune, hitting it with a tail swipe. A few grains fell off, but it didn't react strongly otherwise. Lord Beerus barked in response. Harder! Joule whipped the dune again, but her tail just wasn't suited for it. Another bark. Another whip. And yet the dune still stood.
Finally, Joule hopped back. Maybe if her tail was too flexible, that was the part she needed to work on. She built up a little bit of momentum, swung her tail back, then leaped towards the dune with a momentum-fueled whip. As her tail reached its straightest point she tensed it up, making sure it wouldn't just flop harmlessly off of the dune. It shined bright, as if made of iron, and cleaved straight through the dune. Not quite used to the heaviness of her tail, Joule found pretty much her entire body spun around by it. She stumbled awkwardly as the technique finished, giving her tail a few shakes as it returned to normal.
Lord Beerus paced around her, nodding proudly. As if to confirm this was a new technique and not a fluke, he promptly borrowed her power to check it out. Surely enough, his tail been taking on a steely glow, sending a small yet immensely satisfying explosion of sand into the air as he whipped it into the sands. Joule nodded in approval, watching his form and repeating it to similar results.
Unlike Echo, this one was quite the reliable student. The two looked at one another, smiling and nodding. How would they continue this lesson, then?
(4469 + 1024 = 5493!
Now that she knows a more efficient battling technique than flinging her entire body at her foes, Joule would like to fill her free moveslot with Iron Tail!)
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 5, 2020 21:01:02 GMT
Elliot looked at his two Pokemon as they stared each other down, moving their stand-off in a small circle. Lord Beerus' tail was raised high in the air, swishing with anticipation. Joule had lowered herself down onto all fours, ears twitching as she focused herself. The tension in the air was palpable, and Elliot found himself lost for words all the while. What could he even say that wouldn't feel like an interruption? It was like seeing two wild west gunslingers going at it! He just bit his tongue, letting whatever was going to happen unfold before him.
Lord Beerus' eyes flashed, and Joule preemptively dodged out of the way. However, for once Lord Beerus wasn't aiming at her. Instead, his Confusion launched a ball of sand upwards, holding it in midair within a shimmering globule. Joule looked at it, confused, but Lord Beerus swished his tail in a circular motion. By now, Joule knew that was his sign to proceed. She nodded in comprehension, then started sparking from her fur. She pointed a finger at the glob of sand and psychic energy, launching a spark of electricity right at it. It arced towards the ball, on course for a direct hit, but at the last minute Lord Beerus moved it out of the way. Still sparking like a livewire, Joule's smile spread a little bit. So that's how Lord Beerus was going to play, huh? She could work with that.
She watched the globule, primed herself for another shot, but before she shot it rolled to the side. Now her jolt would come from a different direction than what Lord Beerus had expected, and this one almost seared the sand before Lord Beerus could pull it away in time. Nevertheless, the strong psychic control that Lord Beerus could exert over his surroundings meant that Joule just couldn't get a hit in, even with such a feint. Nevertheless, Joule wasn't about to just give up. She continued bounding through the sands, looking for opportunities to try and throw off Lord Beerus' focus. First she tried her previous strategy, jumping and rolling to attack from a variety of angles. However, no matter what angle she picked, Lord Beerus was always able to see what was coming.
Next, Joule reached down into the sand, grabbing a handful and flinging it upwards. On reflex, Lord Beerus yanked the glob of sand away from Joule, opening up an opportunity for her to launch a jolt in the direction the globule was heading. This one almost hit, but Lord Beerus was barely able to move the ball away. About a quarter of it broke apart from the whole by surprise, Joule smirking as she saw the sand fall. Now that was a sound strategy. However, she could tell by the firmness in Lord Beerus' eyes that he wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
Fortunately, Joule had another trick up her sleeves. She looked down at the sand beneath her feet and started pawing at it furiously, kicking up many clouds of dust in her wake. Lord Beerus squinted, trying to peer through the clouds, but when he looked down at them Joule had vanished entirely. Where could she have even gone? He tried to feel her presence through his sixth sense, but she wasn't close enough for him to detect. He kept his guard up, hackles and haunches raised in unison, but he was so focused on trying to sense Joule that he didn't notice a small, orange finger poking out through the sand. Sparks gathered at the tip of the submerged Joule's finger, and a third jolt flew right towards the ball of sand. Again, Lord Beerus was able to react in time, but at the cost of more of the ball's structural integrity. Only a third of it remained intact.
Joule popped from the sand, dusting herself off and smiling sweetly. Lord Beerus growled under his breath, lifting the ball higher into the air so he'd have more time to move it. Things were heating up heading into what was most likely the last round of their little game.
With how carefully Joule had been playing it so far, Lord Beerus didn't expect Joule to come charging forward like a bat out of hell. Unfortunately for Lord Beerus, he couldn't exactly return fire with attacks of his own while maintaining the ball. Instead, he simply braced himself, wondering what plan Joule even hoped to accomplish here. She had ignored the ball entirely, instead beelining straight towards Lord Beerus. Elliot watched, practically burning with curiosity and at the edge of his metaphorical seat. Echo was leaning so forward that she risked tipping over and falling off of Elliot. And Lord Beerus? He was actually starting to sweat a little from nerves, especially once Joule sailed through the air to leap at him.
And then she gave him a gentle kiss on his nose.
Lord Beerus' jaw dropped. Was he surprised? Was he offended? Was he embarrassed? Who even knew? But Joule simply grinned mischievously, pointing in the air and obliterating the sand ball with a point-blank Thunder Shock. Lord Beerus was still so flabbergasted that he didn't even try pulling the ball out of the way in time. She turned towards Elliot, giggling, before turning to offer Lord Beerus a handshake. He simply turned away, raising his nose in the air in snooty fashion. "I think you broke him, Joule," Elliot joked, Echo giggling up a storm. Lord Beerus turned toward the two, angrily ranting at them, then resumed turning away from everybody.
Joule scampered back over to Elliot, hopping to join Echo on his shoulders. "Ending on a win. Good idea," Elliot said, laughing warmly. "That means there's only one of you left. Come on out, Murex!" Elliot fished the Shellder's Dusk Ball from his pocket. It was still a bit dented and ramshackle, but he'd polished it up quite a bit compared to the ruined mess he had taken from the Surskit gang way back when. He looked at his reflection in the ball and smiled; it was such a nice reminder of how far he had come. He gave it a quick toss up and down in his hand, then hurled it at the sands.
Would the seemingly-moveless Shellder be able to step up to the plate?
(5493 + 1057 = 6550!
In addition, Elliot had followed the rules and flow of Joule and Lord Beerus' game very closely, learning a lot about theory to reinforce his practice. Would this study count for training his Gaming skill?)
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 6, 2020 22:32:56 GMT
Unlike Joule, Murex was a lot less eager to get started. As soon as the Shellder looked over the horizon and saw Lord Beerus looking back at him, she let out an alarmed squeak and dove for the sands. Her tongue spun like the rotor of a plane, sending sand flying in every direction. When Lord Beerus had faced off against Joule, the controlled digging of the Dedenne allowed her to easily tunnel under the sand to play a trick on him. Murex, who had all the control of a drunkard and way less of a plan in mind, did little more than wiggle herself into a big, obvious looking crater. Nevertheless, she settled once she had dug about six feet into the sand, sighing in relief.
This lasted for about three seconds before Lord Beerus walked to the edge of the crater, narrowing his eyes in irritation. He looked down at the Shellder, sending a shimmering force rippling underneath the Shellder's body. His tail swished from side to side, then lashed out as he send the Confusion pushing upwards. Murex would be joining the rest of the group topside any second now!
Except she hadn't moved. Lord Beerus let out a huff, then slid down the sandy crater to try and see what had happened. There he saw Murex, shell clamped tightly against a desert scrub. She had completely engulfed the little plant, and the same thin, flexible branches and elaborate root networks that let it withstand the desert winds were now letting it survive the pull from Murex's shell and Lord Beerus' telekinetic abilities. Lord Beerus rasped as he realized what was going on, laughing a little under his breath. It was a clever technique, true, but cleverness for the sake of shirking training simply wasn't acceptable! Now that he was at point blank range, Lord Beerus settled into a focused stance, eyes and gem glowing brightly once again. This time, the Confusion had to do the trick, right?
The answer was still no. While Murex visibly moved, and the shrub swayed back and forth as if it were stuck in a wind tunnel, no amount of telekinetic force was getting Murex's grip to slacken. Even as sweat started to gather at Lord Beerus' brow, and his paws started to sink into the dirt, the ever-increasing psychic force did little more than leave the Shellder wiggling. At this point, it wasn't even a question of starting this training! It was about Lord Beerus' pride being set on the line! He could've snipped the shrub with a psychic cut at any point, but that would be admitting defeat. If he couldn't do it with his psychic power now, then he'd simply keep trying until one of them tired.
Elliot looked over the lip of the crater, Echo and Joule joining him shortly thereafter. "Do . . . do you think we should do something?" Elliot asked. Echo gave him a blank look in return, then shrugged. Joule simply watched, trying to hide the amusement in her little smile.
If only they knew what they had just signed up for.
Hours later, Lord Beerus was practically flopped over into the desert stands, tail thrashing furiously from side to side. Occasionally he looked up, eyes glowing a pure white before another Confusion yanked at Murex. When it failed to work, he simply flopped back down into the desert sands. Joule slid down the crater, pouring a bottle of water into a small bowl that was set down next to him. He turned to it, took a few lips, then tried another fruitless effort. Sighing, Joule tossed the bottle out of the crater, Echo catching it with a Confusion of her own and dropping it into a plastic bag Elliot was holding. Elliot looked down at the bag, then glanced up with a puzzled look on his face. "That's five so far. He's really not gonna quit at this, huh?" Elliot asked.
Lord Beerus looked back over his shoulder, slurring out a few dizzy barks. He then turned back to try again, this latest blast of psychic power actually separating Murex from the shrub. Elliot dropped the bag in surprise, scrambling to the lip of the crater to see what was going on. Echo waved a tiny flag with a poorly drawn picture of Lord Beerus' face on it. Joule simply leaned back, a content and somewhat proud grin on her face. Lord Beerus himself immediately perked back up, ears pointing to the sky and tail on alert. He let out a delighted, almost over-the-top laugh, eyes closing in relief.
Then Murex's tongue shot out from her shell, wrapping right back around the shrub. The excited chatter from the rest of the team fell silent, with the exception of Lord Beerus. He just clutched his head with his forepaws, sinking down and groaning.
Echo paused, then put down the tiny Lord Beerus flag to instead wave an equally tiny, equally poorly drawn Murex flag. Joule walked over to him, gently fussing with his hair as he faceplanted into the sand. Elliot headed over to Murex instead, putting a gentle hand on Murex's shell. "I think you won this round," Elliot said, trying to keep himself from snickering too much. "But c'mon, Lord Beerus was just trying to help, you know? I know, he can be a bit scary. And a bit rude. And sometimes he can be really harsh-"
Another torrent of sand splashed against Elliot's back, Lord Beerus slurring something incomprehensible into the ground. "But I promise, he means the best for us. So what do you say? We have a snack break, then give him a chance?"
The words "snack break" were the first thing out of Elliot's mouth that Lord Beerus hadn't completely hated. He hopped out of the crater, Joule grabbing onto his tail to follow him out. Murex released her hold on the branch and flopped into Elliot's arms, sighing in relief as Elliot got them out of the crater. Echo had already turned Elliot's backpack over, shaking out all manner of snack foods and ingredients that he had packed for the trip.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 7, 2020 0:25:04 GMT
Elliot looked down at the freshly vacated crater, grinning a little as some ideas came to mind. "You guys think we can go looking for another shrub or two?" Elliot asked, pacing around the crater and making a few measurements in his head. He's done enough cosplay work to get good at eyeballing. Clothes and sinkholes weren't too different, right? "Some old logs, maybe. A dead cactus? Anything that you guys think'd catch easy, without me needing to lose another hoodie. I've got a plan." Echo saluted, running off into the distance before tripping over her own feet. Joule was quick to help her up, fixing the Ralts' bowl cut and motioning for her to scamper along on her way. She then fanned out in the opposite direction. Lord Beerus watched them run off, then lifted his nose high and walked off to complete the triangle.
That just left Elliot and Murex. Elliot set the Shellder in the sand, the Pokemon looking up at him with big, blank eyes. "So, you're really not sure how to fight, huh?" Elliot asked, the Shellder shaking her . . . head? Body? Face? Pearl? Whatever the black shape inside Murex was, she was shaking it quite vigorously. She averted her eyes afterwards, letting out a guilty sigh. "Hey, hey, hey, that's okay," Elliot said. "I don't like it either, you know? If I had it my way, I don't think I'd ever be fighting. But . . . "
He blinked as the memories washed over him. A trio of Surskit chasing him down, firing bubbles on all sides to taunt and harass him. The first emergence of Lord Beerus, effortlessly taking out his team 3 to 1 before finally being winged by a lucky Ultra Ball. The swarm of Seviper, systematically taking out a far stronger trainer's team before-
Elliot shuddered a little. He closed his eyes and forced himself to stop thinking before his breathing got funny again.
"Sometimes we have to fight," Elliot forced himself to say. "So that the people we care about don't get hurt." He slowly let his eyes flutter open, a small smile spreading across his face. "But if we only fight because we need to, we're never going to be ready. So that's why we need to keep sharp now, you know? When there's no pressure. Nothing at risk. And maybe even the chance to have a little fun with it. That way, when disaster strikes, it won't get the better of us.
Besides. It's not like moves are just for fighting, right? Look at this." Elliot walked over to the glass drawing of him, Lord Beerus, and Echo that the Ralts had drawn, Murex hopping next to him to look at it. "See what she can do with her Fire Punch? Isn't that pretty?" Elliot said. Murex's eyes widened in shock and appreciation. She traced along the picture with her tongue, giggling a little. "Or how Joule's used her Thundershock to cook berries for us. Or how Lord Beerus can use Confusion to play catch. They're not just ways of fighting. They're ways of expressing yourself.
So c'mon. Express yourself for me."
Murex looked at Elliot, tongue lolling to the side, before firing a small spurt of water into the air. It rained around the two, leaving small brown spots in the sand. It wasn't very impressive, compared to what Echo, Joule, and Lord Beerus had pulled off. But you know what? It was a start. Elliot grinned, gently stroking the Shellder's shell. "See? I told you that you could do it!" he cheered.
Right on cue, the lumber-hunting trio arrived. Joule's cheeks were puffed up to a comedic degree, the Dedenne running up to Elliot and spitting a pile of evenly-cut shrub trimmings at his feet. Echo levitated a large log above her, swaying uneasily back and forth as she tried to ease it over to Elliot. As it landed she fell to her knees, gasping for breath. Lord Beerus had something small, green, and writhing dangling from his mouth; wait, was that a Cacnea? "No, Lord Beerus," Elliot said, voice stern. Lord Beerus rolled his eyes, dropping the Cacnea. It shook its fist at the Espeon, chittering up a storm before hopping away into the distance.
Elliot gathered all of the non-sapient firewood and rolled it into the sand pit, turning towards Joule. "Care to do the honors?" he asked, the Dedenne's cheeks sparking eagerly in response. She jumped at the log, bashing it into pieces with a few expertly-placed tail smashes. As she sailed back from the force of her tail smashes she let loose one last electric jolt, the force of impact setting the pile ablaze.
As the sun started to set on the desert, Elliot and his team looked with pride on the bonfire that they created. That was when Elliot got to work, taking advantage of the mess that Echo had made of his backpack to grab some staple supplies. First up were the skewers. Elliot passed one out to each Pokemon, sticking two marshmallows at the end of each. Echo swayed back and forth while holding hers, whereas Lord Beerus opted to carry his with psychic energy. The other two held theirs in perfectly ordinary fashion. Elliot held his own, gingerly keeping it over the fire. "You might be the expert in battle, Lord Beerus, but this is my wheelhouse," Elliot said, grinning from ear to ear. "So I'm going to need you all to turn them at my signal, okay? Ready . . . steady . . . now!" Everyone turned at Elliot's pace, except for Murex, whose marshmallows fell right off of the stick.
That was okay, though. She licked it up without a care in the world, letting out a content burp that left the group giggling.
With a few, steady turns, the marshmallows had reached a nice golden crisp. Gooey on the inside, but with that little crunchy layer; it was perfection in the making. Elliot handed his own stick to Echo, then sped off to grab some graham crackers for the group. He caught each marshmallow onto one, leaving them safe and secure in his teammates' hands. After that, he smirked, whipping out ingredient after ingredient. "And now, we improvise!" he cheered, letting himself white out into culinary fury. He was a blur of limbs, grabbing classics like graham crackers and chocolate, but also peanut butter, nuts, a variety of sweet berries, and even a tiny bit of candied bacon. By the time he finished he stepped aside, gesturing with a flourish.
Eight completely different s'mores sat arranged on a plate. "Classic, rocky road, Elvis, berry, and so much more," he said, his team scampering up to check the dessert platter out. "And I made sure to get one for each of your tastes. So pick carefully, okay? Echo, I'd say you should have-" His explanation was cut short his Pokemon rushed past him, the mini-stampede almost bowling him over in the process. Forget carefulness! Heck, forget individual choices! They were going to pig out on these s'mores as if they were a single, solid mass, and nothing in the world could stop them.
Elliot simply sighed in relief, watching as the sun dyed the desert sands a spectacular orange. Times like this, he knew he'd made the right decision.
(7578 + 1215 = 8793!
For being a little s'more-met and making some fancy desserts in the desert for his Pokemon, Elliot would like to boost his cooking skill! This uses all of Elliot's training thread skill-ups for this page.)
Post by Elliot Sunderland on Apr 7, 2020 2:22:32 GMT
Elliot and his team feasted on s'mores until the sun rolled down the last of the dunes, plunging the desert into darkness. Normally, the cold and darkness would mean it was time to pack it up and go home. However, the bonfire was still raging, the night was still young, and Elliot may've been slightly amped up from the sugar hitting his system. That was why, as he started heading over to the bonfire to put it out, he stopped himself to reconsider. "You know, for battle training, we sure didn't do a lot of battle," Elliot said. "Why don't we change that? Every mon for themselves, last one standing wins! What do you guys say?"
Echo raised two tiny fists in the air, cheering. Whether from agreement or just Elliot's infectious enthusiasm, it was hard to say. Murex looked around nervously, but considering Elliot's pep talk earlier gave a shaky nod. Joule let out an approving squeak, already sinking into a fighting stance. And Lord Beerus? He was still pigging out on a third round of s'mores, but made sure to look up from his plate and give a half-hearted wave of his tail. Did he even need to be focusing on the fight to be a threat? Elliot couldn't be sure.
Regardless, with everyone's approval, the boy grinned. "Alright! Then let the First Annual Elliot Sunderland Memorial Battle Royale Begin!" he cheered. Joule immediately scampered away, searching the dunes for anything she could use in her favor, while Echo made a beeline for Murex. Was she so callous as to pick on the weakest fighter here? Apparently not! Instead of opening with an attack, she instead looked at the Shellder, babbling excitedly in her general direction. The Shellder tilted her head curiously, and after a moment's pause nodded. They then turned their attention to Lord Beerus, who was still too busy snacking to get his head in the game, and sunk into fighting stances.
Echo lifted a hand to her head, raising to other as she raised Murex in the air with a gentle application of telekinetic force. Once the Shellder was there, Echo began shaking her up and down like a can of soda, leaving the poor Shellder's eyes swirling and cheeks puffing out. She coughed, sputtered, and groaned, but that didn't stop Echo from flinging her right at Lord Beerus. As she sailed through the air, she steadied herself, the freshly-shaken Shellder letting out a massive torrent of water behind her. It seemed Echo knew she'd need a bit more spew than just a simple Water Gun could provide! The speed of Echo's punt was accelerated by this new hydro-powered tackle, giving Murex enough edge to wallop Lord Beerus hard. The cat let out an alarmed yowl as he tumbled gracelessly through the sand, s'mores flying away in all directions.
Murex bounced off of the Espeon and into the air, Echo running towards her like a mon on a mission. She leaped above Murex, aiming a pulse at the top of her shell to send her spiraling right down towards Lord Beerus. Another burst of water accelerated this fall, leaving her landing on the unprepared Espeon at full force. Once more she bounced away, Echo landing to catch her one last time. She spun around a few times for momentum, Murex orbiting her like a ball on a chain, before she sent her sailing back at Lord Beerus. Could this 1-2-3 punch knock out the battle's biggest threat before he even got started?
An orange blur from above said no to that, the only sign of its approach a flash of metal sparks that sent Murex sailing away. Joule had arrived to protect Lord Beerus, an Iron Tail parrying Echo and Murex's attempted double team. She looked over her shoulder and winked at Lord Beerus, before motioning for the lazy cat to get up. Fortunately, he was more than irritated enough to do that on his own. As they paired up, Echo leaped up to catch Murex, using telekinetic force to gently bring the dazed Shellder back down to earth.
The battle lines had been drawn, and the real fight started now.
Lord Beerus may have been slow to start this battle off, but now that he started he wanted to end it quick. He reached out to snatch Murex's power, feeling a watery power settling within him as he did so. He charged forward towards Echo, leaping up as his rear paws started to bubble. Without any warning jets of water burst from behind them! Undaunted, Lord Beerus surged forward, launching himself at the Ralts like a water-propelled Superman. It would have been a surefire hit had Echo not pulled Murex in front of her at the last minute, the Shellder withdrawing into its shell to minimize the damage that either of them took. It wasn't a perfect strategy. Lord Beerus' stolen move was strong enough that it pushed Murex right into Echo, leaving her squished into the sands. However, a minor inconvenience that they could account for was far preferable to Echo getting charged across the horizon.
Unfortunately, that put them in an awful position to avoid Joule's first strike. The Dedenne scaled Lord Beerus like a colossus before leaping off of his snout, sparks gathering at the tips of her fingers. She flipped in midair, aimed her fingers down at the pile of Pokemon bodies, and fired a rippling Thundershock right down at them. The still-dripping Murex made for a natural target, and with her pinned down the shock could easily leap over to Echo. The force of the blow lit up their corner of the desert, and Echo had to scramble away from Murex to avoid taking serious damage.
By the time they recovered, Lord Beerus approached them from one side and Joule scrambled from the other. They were outflanked, outgunned, and currently on the defensive back foot. They looked at each other, at a loss for what to do, until Murex reached out with her tongue and started making a mess of Echo's bowl cut. The Ralts tensed up, offended, as her hand lit up in brilliant flames. It was exactly what Murex had intended to do. She sputtered water all over the flaming hand, shrouding their current location in a rolling cloud of steam. Murex grabbed hold of Echo and began bouncing away from the cloud, sneaking away from Joule and Lord Beerus under the cover of darkness.
It was just in time, too. Joule had launched another jolt of electricity into the air, Lord Beerus using his psychic power to compress it into ball lightning and smash it down onto the sands. It exploded into a mass of sparks that left Murex and Echo feeling lucky they weren't still down there. Lord Beerus was quick to capitalize, starting to blur forward with a Quick Attack, but Joule held up a finger to stop him. She sniffed the air, then shook her head. She couldn't smell them there anymore, so it wasn't worth wasting their time.
The two fanned out in different directions to hunt for the duo, Joule going north and Lord Beerus going south. This meant that Joule was on the right track. She hunkered low to the ground, running her hands over the large, shell-like prints that Murex left in her wake. Tracking them down would be trivial, and from how desperately they ran forward Echo and Murex didn't even know they were being tracked. She raised her fingers high, sparks gathering at the tip before arcing out towards them.
It was a good attempt, but not good enough. Echo spun around before the attack landed, swiping her hand to parry the jolt with a shimmering field of energy. Jolt after jolt rained down upon Echo, but she kept parrying the blows with surprising speed and accuracy. Her catch training with Lord Beerus had done wonders for her telekinetic control. However, it never occurred to Echo that this might've been too easy. While she was busy parrying the big, obvious lightning strikes, she didn't even notice Joule's ruddy fur blending in with the desert sands. The electric hamster was able to sneak up on Echo, leaping at her and swiping her tail right in front of her face. The Tail Whip left Echo jumping back, her psychic focus splintered by such a distracting move. Murex anxiously hopped back and forth, wondering how she was going to capitalize on Echo's lowered guard.
The answer was that she wasn't. Instead she scampered around Echo and leaped right for Murex, landing on the Shellder's lower shell. She tried to clamp it around Joule, but to no avail. The Dedenne's tail hardened like iron as she wedged it between the two halves of the shell, holding it open just enough to make a full withdrawal impossible. She gave Murex a small, apologetic smile, then fired off a point-blank jolt of electricity. With no way to avoid it, the Shellder's eyes swirled, leaving it fainted in a pile on the floor.
Echo, realizing what had happened, let out an angered shout towards the sky. Her hand burst into flame as she charged towards Joule, sweeping the Dedenne into the air with a flaming uppercut. Joule let out a squeak as she sailed into the air, embers trailing in her wake, but righted herself in the air to fire a jolt of lightning down at Echo's current position. The Ralts watched the lightning, waiting for the last possible moment that it could hit, then fired a psychic pulse at her own feet. It launched her into the air, higher than she could have normally jumped, and gave her enough hang time to slam Joule back down to the ground with another flaming punch. The Dedenne steadied herself to her feet, wincing a little in the process, but smiled proudly at Echo. Her progress had been incredible!
Letting their matchup fall to the fates, Joule charged forward, drawing back another gleaming tail swipe. Echo returned her charge head-on, her hand bursting into flame. The two dashed past one another, metal and fire shooting sparks into the sky upon collision. They then skidded to a halt, the silence around them broken only by the wind blowing past.
It was Joule who toppled forward into the sand, smoke rising from her fainted body. Yet the steel-type tail smash had hit Echo hard. She stumbled as she rose to her feet, clutching her shoulder where the tail had connected. She sat down in the sands, sighing in relief as she tried to recoup her energy, only to notice that the skies above her had turned even darker.
Lord Beerus had returned, and he was using Confusion to hover a large rock above the Ralts' head. With a whip of his tail he let it drop, but to his surprise Echo raised her hands to her head. Her horn glowed as she jumped out of the way, a psychic pulse of her own repulsing the rock just enough to let her slip away unharmed. She tumbled through the sand, dusted herself off, then turned to face Lord Beerus. What followed was pure psionic warfare. Confusions flew in both directions, the shimmering pulses of psychic power leaving the whole battlefield looking distorted. Whatever Echo could throw, Lord Beerus could dodge with the smallest, most trivial motions. Whatever Lord Beerus could throw, Echo found a way to maneuver around, even as it left her desperately jumping and tumbling around the battlefield. By the end they were going blow-for-blow, parrying each others' Confusions with their own Confusions in mid-air. Echo's massive potential and Lord Beerus' expertise collided head-on, and each had brought them to a stand-still.
Lord Beerus roared in frustration, a larger Confusion than he had ever mustered up before swirling over his head. The air around it distorted so heavily that, rather than remaining transparent, it separated into all colors of the rainbow. The psychic nexus pulsated, dangerous and unstable, but Lord Beerus forced himself to hold it together. He had to demonstrate superior psychic knowledge to this upstart! Echo, seeing this advanced psychic technique, did what she did best: mimic those that she respected. She drew her hands back, focusing Confusion after Confusion between them until a similar colored nexus of power started to form.
Lord Beerus let the attack loose, a swirling rainbow beam shooting down from the nexus of energy. Echo followed suit, thrusting her hands froward to fire her own beam back at it. For a single, beautiful second the two collided, pulsating unstably all the while. Then they exploded, a rainbow-colored ripple knocking both fighters away. A silence settled over the battlefield. Elliot, who had been recording the whole thing on his phone, watched in quiet awe. For an agonizing minute the battle was left with no result, but ultimately it was Lord Beerus who staggered back onto his feet. He walked towards the KO'd Echo, gently batting her on the shoulder, and fell unconscious by her side.
On one hand, Elliot's Pokemon had battled at a level he didn't even know they were capable of. His little Battle Royale plan was a success! On the other hand, he now had four unconscious Pokemon slumped over each other in the middle of the desert. He sighed, chuckling fondly as he unhooked his Pokeballs from his belt. "Either I did this really right, or really, really wrong," he said, making his rounds to get each Pokemon safely tucked away in their balls.
They were so getting a spa trip and more s'more-met cooking for this.
(8793 + 2270 = final wordcount 11063!
With the power of friendship, yeeting, and way too much water spewage to handle at once, Murex has learned the tutor move Liquidation!
As a recap, the following skill, move relearner, and tutor trainings are listed again below:
Lord Beerus: Sand Attack, Copycat Echo: Fire Punch Joule: Iron Tail Murex: Liquidation Elliot: Gaming, Cooking, and Stamina
Thank you so much for reading this giant ramble! I hope you enjoy it!)
Congratulations, for 11,063 words you receive: 44 levels for your party Pokemon, 440 pen, 22 random common items, 11 random Pokeballs, and 23 rare candies.
Random Items are: Nest Ball (2), Chesto Berry, Yellow Apricorn (2), Purple Apricorn (3), White Apricorn (2), Potion, Black Apricorn (2), Ice Heal, Honey, Green Apricorn, Heal Ball, Dive Ball (3), Oran Berry, Blue Apricorn.
Random Pokeballs: Dive Ball (2), Ultra Ball (2), Quick Ball, Pokeball (2), Great Ball, Net Ball, Quick Ball, Heal Ball.
In addition, Espeon relearned Sand Attack and Copycat. Ralts learned Fire Punch (one Move Tutor removed). Dedenne learns Iron Tail (one Move Tutor removed). Shellder learned Liquidation (one Move Tutor removed). Elliot gains one Stamina and one Cooking skill. (The point for Gaming was too much of a stretch as the writing focused more on Joule and Beerus than Elliot.)