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 May 23, 2020 0:17:30 GMT
"Shocking choice, huh?" Hiro asked making a special deviation from his usual pun arsenal to celebrate this unexpected dual type. "You might be pulling some self-imposed challenge, but that doesn't mean that I gotta do the same. 'Sides, now I get to make a challenger walk a mile in my shoes."
"But you're not wearing shoes."
Hiro blinked, confused. And then he practically doubled over in laughter. He clutched his sides, trying to open his eyes but failing through the tears. "That," he started, desperately sucking in air. "That was either the funniest or worst thing I've ever heard. I should give you the badge just for that!" He straightened up, sighing and rubbing some tears out of his eyes. "But, really now, I think it's time we get this battle started. Look at our poor Pokemon! They're so ready to go!" Sure enough, Curly and the Lanturn were squaring up, making the meanest faces they could and swimming around each other in circles.
"Dive on down!" Elliot said. "We can't let Lanturn get the first hit in!" None of Curly's moves, bar one, could deal significant damage to the Lanturn. The one move that could've done the trick, Crunch, required close, prolonged contact. And that was the worst thing to do against an opponent who could break out type advantage so easily. As far as Elliot could tell, hit-and-run tactics would be his best strategy here, and Dive was the bread and butter of those.
"Don't waste your time going after it!" Hiro said, the Lanturn looking back towards him and nodding. Instead of attacking she flexed her antennae, sparks shooting off of the bulbs at each end. "All charged up and ready to go!" Hiro said, him and his Lanturn exchanging confident grins.
Seconds later, Curly emerged from the waves. Water surrounded his head as he aimed a headbutt straight towards the Lanturn, but it swam away before he could make contact. "Knock him out while he breaches! Discharge!" Hiro called. The Lanturn gleefully obliged, the sparks on her bulbs intensifying to a fever pitch.
"Like we practiced, Curly! Keep on breaching, way up high!" Elliot called, the Huntail sailing straight up into the air. By the time his Lanturn foe actually discharged her electric pulse, Curly was able to pull his coils out of the way. He posed in the air, water splashing from his coils as he basked in the crowd's applause. He then sailed down towards the Lanturn, bringing his tail down on her head in a vicious Bounce. He springboarded off of the Lanturn, taking advantage of this momentum to dive back beneath the waves. "Not a bad strategy, huh? If we never need to stop moving, we never need to let up the attack," Elliot said.
"And since you're going up and down, you're hoping we can't get a hit in edgewise," Hiro said. "Prep another Charge, Lanturn! And hold off on your Discharge until his Huntail pops back up!" Lanturn nodded. The Bounce was a solid hit, but that didn't mean it was a very strong one. Frankly, she wasn't impressed! She watched the waters carefully, antennae sparking as she waited to see where Curly would emerge from.
The sound of splashing water caught the Lanturn's ear, and immediately she released her Discharge. However, it wasn't Curly's emergence that kicked up the splash; rather than actually breach from the waves, he simply flashed his lure-like tail. He then pulled away, avoiding the furthest extent of the Huntail's attack. "Nice feint, Curly! Go for the strike!" he cheered, the Huntail emerging from the ground to directly tackle his foe!
The Lanturn didn't react. In fact, she simply grinned, resting forehead to forehead with Curly. "Now that you're healed, you can risk a bit of recoil. Wild Charge, Lanturn!" Hiro said, the Lanturn's grin widening cruelly as its body began to spark. Soon, electricity overwhelmed her body entirely. Curly's eyes widened in shock and he tried to pull away, but it was to no avail. Lanturn smashed him right in the forehead, a bolt of lightning shooting out from the point of impact. Curly crumpled in the water, eyes widened with shock. "Try and brush up on your abilities, yeah? If this was closer to the end of the battle, you could've thrown an easy win." Hiro's voice was still lighthearted, but this was one of the many teaching moments he tried to ease in for his young challenger.
"When you dodged the dive, I figured it would've done some damage the second time," Elliot said. "That was a really thoughtful feint. But come on, Curly, this isn't over yet! We just gotta find another plan." Dive and Bounce only worked so well when used in concert because of the momentum they gave each other. If Curly was left with just bouncing, it'd be hilariously easy for Lanturn to attack during the time between bounces. This left one game plan, and not one that was in Curly's favor. "All we can do is try and bait these Discharges out, Curly. Keep your distance and try to make an opportunity!"
"Not so fast! Chase him down with Water Pulses!" What started as a battle of ups-and-downs was quick to become one of lefts-and-rights, Hiro's pool turning into a World War 1 style dogfight. Curly weaved his snakelike body from side to side, undulating around pulses of hard water being shot at him by the Lanturn. If he turned around to cut the chase short, he'd be fried for sure. If he tried to get his distance, the Lanturn would continue peppering him from afar. All he had time to do was check over his shoulder.
And that was all he needed to do. "Handle this one like the last race!" Elliot said. Curly turned around, jutting his jaw out and menacingly brandishing his teeth at the Lanturn. In its fear it slowed down, both the speed of its attacks and its ability to pursue Curly hampered by its fright. Now the Lanturn would be off of his tail, but it wasn't without sacrifice. The last Water Pulse slammed Curly right in the chin, his eyes rolling back for a moment. While he shook the pain off, Elliot knew the Huntail wasn't in very good condition. He needed to bring this fight to an end, and fast!
"Now that it's slowed, swim circles around it! It can't keep up with you forever!" Elliot said. The Huntail nodded, water kicking up in its wake as it started swimming circles around the Lanturn. She tried her best to paddle after him, but by the time she resumed the chase Curly had already approached her rear. "You've got her flank! Rush right in, before she can-"
"Discharge!" Even with their speed differential, Curly's reckless approach just wasn't fast enough. By the time he charged in, Lanturn was already sparking like a live wire, and as he stretched his jaws open she burst into electrical energy. The crowd squinted, trying to see by the bright flash of electricity. Was Curly hit?
No! When the flash subsided, there was nothing there. Curly's head popped up from the waves by Lanturn's other flank, a familiar hunting strategy for Huntail. Surrounding their prey across three dimensions of water was ancestral instinct, and when the Discharge fired Curly knew to get low. Grinning triumphantly, he crunches his jaws around the Lanturn, shaking his head to inflict some noticeable damage!
Hiro simply smiled. "If you wanted to win this battle, you would've told Curly to let go a while ago," Hiro warned. "I take it you see what I see?"
"Yeah. At least with his current moves, Curly just isn't a good match for your Lanturn. But I knew he'd never forgive me if I didn't give him the chance," Elliot said. "We've lost this round. But we weren't going down without a fight."
"Then I think we both know what comes next. Lanturn, Discharge!" The familiar flash lit up the battlefield, and when it subsided a very woozy Curly bobbed across the water's surface. His eyes spiraled and his tongue lolled out of his mouth, but even in his KO'd state he was all smiles. Elliot smiled softly at him, then returned him to his Pokeball.
Another dark shadow appeared behind him, Elliot looking towards Hiro and his Lanturn. "You're my last hope! Come on out, HYAH!" Elliot cheered, his Starmie bursting from the waters behind him.
Post by Elliot Sunderland on May 23, 2020 4:57:23 GMT
As Elliot's last Pokemon, it was pretty much HYAH!'s job to drum the audience's hype up for a comeback. And that's exactly what the Starmie set out to do. They zoomed over the heads of the audience, waving their upper points as if trying to raise the roof. Their gem flashed red, purple, yellow, and blue as they sailed through the air. Finally, they turned, illuminating a spotlight right down on a very sheepish looking Elliot. He withered bashfully under the spotlight, only to turn and notice Hiro shooting him an encouraging wink. The blush across Elliot's face brightened, but he stood up straight and pumped a fist into the air. "We might be down, but we're not out!" he cheered, the spotlight circling around him. "HYAH! and I still have all sorts of tricks up our sleeves, and we're gonna be giving you all as good of a fight as we can!"
By now, the fight had left an infectious energy in the stadium. Elliot's little speech got quite a bit of applause, even if Elliot sheepishly withered under all the attention after. Content, HYAH! spiraled back to his side, excitedly tackle hugging him for good luck. The two looked at each other, nodded, then parted. The time for showmanship was over. The time for the comeback was now.
Rather than touch down into the water, HYAH! kept a safe distance and hovered atop the stadium's platforms. Hiro stroked his chin as he evaluated the strategy. "Not a smart idea for most Pokemon. But your Starmie could really fight this land, air, or sea, huh?" he asked. "For once, you've got the mobility advantage here. Now let's see if you can use it."
With what Hiro said, it may have been a better plan for HYAH! to keep a distance and pepper the Lanturn from a range. With an area burst Discharge instead of a far-reaching Thunderbolt, HYAH!'s own Thunderbolt and Psychic would've commanded a powerful range advantage. Wild Charge would've been next to useless unless Lanturn wanted to risk being vulnerable in midair. That would leave Lanturn with just Water Pulse for known combat options, a move HYAH! could easily fight through and overpower. By all accounts, this fight would be a slam dunk.
The problem was that slam dunk would be for this fight. All of those high-energy attacks would leave HYAH! worn down and unprepared for Hiro's next Pokemon. Maybe that was why, instead of taking the safe option, Elliot pointed right towards Lanturn. "Charge right in for a Rapid Spin, HYAH!" he declared, the Starmie nodding and whirling towards Lanturn.
Both the fish and the gym leader were so flabbergasted that they could barely muster up reactions in time. By the time Hiro could even order a "Discharge!" HYAH! had grazed right past Lanturn. While she was too stunned to ready her attack, the Lanturn was at least able to keep her guard up, reducing the already-weak attack to a glancing blow. Yet Elliot didn't seem to mind. He simply grinned, watching as HYAH! kicked themselves into their second gear. Their speed through the air increased by a few notches, and their prongs whirled around each other with renewed vigor. Hiro nodded as he watched the Starmie's speed boost. "We're gonna have to take the initiative before they speed up too much, Lanturn," he warned. "See if you can Scald her out of the sky!"
Oh, that wasn't a move Elliot had prepared for. "Drown it out with a Hydro Pump, HYAH!" Elliot warned. Lanturn's cheeks puffed up with superheated water, and HYAH!'s gem glowed a bright blue. It was time for this water vs water battle to get literal! Lanturn's Scald fired off first, but the power of Hydro Pump was able to overwhelm it the boiling water could reach HYAH! The Hydro Pump smashed into the water, but Elliot watched it with bated breath. "Don't just wait there, HYAH! Juke to the right, and slam in with a Rapid Spin!" HYAH! obliged, just in time for Lanturn to come bursting from the seaspray. It seemed Hiro had copied Elliot's strategy the past few rounds and masked his own attack in the aftermath of another.
Unfortunately for the Lanturn, she couldn't change directions in midair. Her eyes widened as HYAH! looped around her attack, electricity discharging from her body. With the threat of the Wild Charge past, HYAH! was able to slam into her side for another Rapid Spin. This one was a direct hit, landing right on a tender area from Curly's earlier Crunch. Lanturn's head went fuzzy and she hit the water in a graceless tumble. HYAH! celebrated by flying a loop around the arena, now kicked into their third gear.
Hiro straightened his posture somewhat, clenching a fist by his side. While he was still ahead in this battle, he had been backed into quite the corner. Lanturn was weary. HYAH! was fresh. He had no information on the Starmie's moves besides Rapid Spin, and Starmies had notoriously deep movepools to pull from. They were already on two layers of speed boosts, and the chance of clipping off much of its health with a lucky Discharge or Wild Charge was getting smaller by the second. Hiro's eyes narrowed as he stared down the Starmie, trying to figure out what the best game plan was here.
Finally, he adjusted his stance, a slight grin on his face. "Well, I think that's it for this one. Return, Lanturn!" Hiro said. The Lanturn looked shocked at first, but after a wink from Hiro nodded in understanding. She swam over to the gym leader, the two exchanging a high five to tag out. Hiro then returned her to her Pokeball, giving the ball a pat on the top for good measure.
Elliot, on the other hand, just looked baffled. "Didn't Lanturn still have a good bit of fight left in her?" he asked. "One hit from that Discharge or Wild Charge, and I think HYAH! could've been at a serious disadvantage."
"If she was my last? Oh, you'd better believe I would've found a way around that plan," Hiro said. "But I saw what you were doing. You could've outranged my Lanturn at any time, and as soon as she got too threatening I'm sure you would have. Instead, you were fishing for those Rapid Spin speed boosts, yeah? I'm sure you would've stretched this battle out until you got a full set if you had the chance."
"Of course! If your Miltoic taught me anything, it's that your most powerful moves are sometimes your least damaging," Elliot said.
"Well I just used my most powerful move that fight, and my Pokemon didn't even need to do a thing for it," Hiro said, flashing Elliot a winning smile. "I'll take a fresh Starmie I can catch over an injured one I can barely keep track of any day of the week. Never forget that you're just as much of a part of this battle as your Pokemon is, yeah? And always remember that each fight's just one part of a battle. And those are never over til' the last Pokemon comes out!" Hiro struck a pose, pointing towards Elliot dramatically. "It's high tide for you! Here comes my ace in the hole!"
Post by Elliot Sunderland on May 23, 2020 19:12:38 GMT
When Elliot heard Hiro's trump card, he didn't expect a rather petite looking Lapras to come bursting out from the waves. The distant, elegant grace of Kanto's finest sea monster was almost adorable when fun sized like this, and even its graceful cry was higher pitched than usual. The crowd audibly cooed over the Lapras, but it didn't seem very distracted. It just bobbed peacefully in the waves, looking lazily towards Elliot and HYAH!
Elliot's look wasn't so lazy, however. While the Lapras wasn't as big as most of its kin, its shell and neck were wide and sturdy. They were the perfect height for riding on. He looked towards Hiro, then towards Lapras, then towards HYAH! and then grinned. "Why don't we make this a bit more of a show for the crowd?" Elliot asked. Considering this strange teen had already bumbled into the gym, fell into the water enough times to lose an entire season of Greninja Warrior, challenged the leader to a water vs water fight, and had a Starmie-driven halftime show to pump up the energy in the room, the crowd was left murmuring among themselves. How the heck could this become more of a show? "Both of our Pokemon are big enough to ride on, right? We could just have a normal battle . . .
Or we could have a surf duel."
The crowd's murmurs fell to a hush. All eyes were on Hiro, waiting to see if the gym leader would step up to Elliot's challenge. He certainly played up his decision, standing up straight and stroking his chin thoughtfully. A few spotlights fell on him. Some people in the crowd were working up a drum roll with their hands. His Lapras bobbed in the water without a care in the world. HYAH! once more started raising their prongs to pump up the crowd. The atmosphere in the gym was electric. But would Hiro respond to the offer?
He grinned, dove into the water, and gracefully breached from the waves onto Lapras' back. "Surf's up, Bass City!" he cheered, throwing a "hang ten" gesture high. The room exploded into cheers, the fans returning the gesture right back at him. Elliot withered a little under the excitement, but at the very least Hiro had taken up most of the attention. He stirruped his feet against HYAH!'s lower-rear prongs, while gripping onto the upper-rear prongs with his hands. He looked towards Hiro, flashing a shy yet excited smile.
Before he could declare an order, however, Hiro held out a finger. "Just one second!" he said, the crowd gasping. "You're not the only one here that can up the ante!" And with that he jumped off of Lapras' back, a bounce from its shell helping him flip into the air. He held his necklace aloft, and Lapras began glowing with a strange power. By the time he landed back on its shell, it was no ordinary Lapras anymore. Elliot's jaw hit the floor, and the crowd erupted into another round of uproarious cheers. "Why so shocked? This your first time staring down a Mega?" he asked, Elliot barely able to nod in response. "Good! After you gave my supporters such a treat, the least I can do is leave one last surprise for you." The Lapras let out another cry, the deep, echoing reverberations of a Mega Evolution giving it a uniquely haunting feeling.
Elliot blinked. And then, clutching tightly to HYAH!'s prongs, he made the first order of the battle. "Mega or not, I know we can do it!" he said, half hyping up HYAH! but half convincing himself. "Thunderbolt, now!" He was thankful the Lapras' tree trunk like neck completely obscured Hiro, but the gym leader wouldn't have signed up for this if it wasn't a stupidly dangerous idea, right? The technique was a direct hit, but the Lapras didn't even seem rattled. Its eyes pulsed brightly, and with it HYAH!'s gem started going haywire. It began flashing between red, blue, purple, and gold at rapid speeds, the Starmie jittering unsurely from side to side.
Of course. Confusion. Elliot worriedly gripped HYAH!'s prongs tighter. "Come on, HYAH! Snap out of it!" he said, but HYAH!'s vision was a complete mess. This wasn't the shy distraction of a Sweet Kiss or the loud ringing of a Supersonic, which could be shaken off before setting in too hard. This was a Confuse Ray, and as soon as HYAH! was in the line of fire their mind was scrambled. They turned to the Lapras, trying to fire off another Thunderbolt, but as they did their gem let out a shower of uncoordinated sparks. The backlash left them reeling, and they began darting around the arena to try and dodge their unseen attacker.
Hiro and his Lapras didn't even try to attack. Their eyes pulsed again, this time a soft blue rather than a menacing purple. Clouds swirled around them, rose to the top of the gym, and began raining down on the battlefield. Shutters unfolded over the audience to keep them from being rained on, and Elliot reached back to pull up his hoodie. In contrast, Hiro stretched back, spreading his arms and letting the rain washing over him. "Hey, come on, don't hide. The water's great!"
For a second, Elliot blinked in confusion. Lapras didn't tend to know moves that benefited from rain, such as Thunder or Hurricane. It'd power up water techniques, but in a water vs water battle those seemed like questionable choices at best. Elliot wondered just what Hiro's game plan was . . . at least, of course, until he felt a chin running up his spine. "Pick a direction, any direction, and dodge!" Elliot pleaded, HYAH! dutifully darting towards the Lapras. It wasn't the ideal choice of a direction, but the dodge was just in the nick of time. The air behind Elliot and HYAH! had snap-frozen behind them. "Freeze Dry, of course!" Elliot said. "With how moist the air is, he can snap freeze-"
"Pretty much any point on the battlefield, yep!" Hiro said. Elliot swallowed nervously. It was a super effective move with a range of Yes, little tell beyond a chill in the air, and the potential to freeze HYAH! solid if Lapras got a good hit in. While Elliot could try and race the Lapras to a faint, HYAH!'s severe confusion left the duo in a bad spot. There was no way they could out-punch the bulky sea monster when they were only hitting half the time. Elliot just needed to think of a plan on the fly.
"Keep on moving, HYAH! Try coming in for a Rapid Spin!" HYAH! nodded at Elliot's suggestion, spiraling towards the Lapras' flank. With their superior speed and wavering flight path, they managed to skim past another Freeze Dry, their front prongs battering the Lapras on all sides. Despite this, Hiro didn't seem too concerned. He simply nudged a leg on Lapras' side, the Lapras lifting a flipper high above Elliot and HYAH! "Uh oh," Elliot muttered, taking a deep gulp of air seconds before Hiro's flipper plunged him and HYAH! into the water.
Elliot's grip on HYAH! wavered, but he felt a psychic force from the Starmie holding him close nonetheless. He opened his eyes just enough to see that the Starmie was doing their best to "turn" towards him, a sliver of his gem visible from this angle. It was still flickering, but not as quickly. Elliot nodded, and in turn HYAH! nodded back. They could do this. HYAH! looked towards the surface of the water, prepared to breach, but Elliot stopped them. Instead, he held up a single finger. He could hold his breath for a little bit longer.
Hiro looked towards where the duo landed, prepared to dive into the water and fish them out, only to see a star shape breaching from the waves. "There they are! Freeze Dry, hurry!" Hiro said, the air around the star starting to shimmer. Crystals of ice formed around it, then shattered it with ease; it was little more than a Swift! Elliot and HYAH! burst from the water, gem glowing gold, and fired a Thunderbolt right towards Lapras. It would have been a beautiful, direct hit . . . yet Elliot was so confident in the gambit that he didn't notice the air chilling around HYAH! until it was too late. Both Super Effective techniques made contact simultaneously, sending the Pokemon on each side of the battlefield recoiling. "You might've gotten me with tricks like that before, but you can't keep using the same one and hoping it'll keep working," Hiro warned. "I know by now you're one feint-happy kid!"
"And what if we borrow one of your tricks?" Unlike Murex or Curly, HYAH! had an ace up their sleeve; they could heal. Their gem sparkled as they basked in the stadium lightning, the scuffs, scratches, and frostbite on their carapace starting to buffer out. Lapras moved to intercept the technique, eyes shimmering for another Freeze-Dry, but by the time the air began to chill HYAH! had rushed away from the blow.
Lapras was starting to show some pain from the two Thunderbolts it had endured. Its head was starting to droop a little lower, and the glow to its eyes had died down. However, HYAH!'s frantic rushing was starting to leave it quite fatigued, its head was still ringing from the Confuse Ray, and were it not for the Recover it would have been hanging at the edge of a KO. Health and stamina were the names of the game here. Would HYAH! be able to get in position for one last Thunderbolt before the fight ended?
Not if Lapras had anything to say about it. Hiro was ready to put the surf in surf battle, nudging Lapras to get into the fray. It let out a keening, ominous cry, then began swimming towards Elliot and HYAH! at surprisingly fast speeds. "Don't let yourself get cornered, HYAH! We have to do something!" Elliot said. First HYAH! tried firing a round of Swifts, though the stars sailed in a perfect circle and punched it right in the gem. The glow from HYAH!'s gem started to subside, and Elliot knew more bad luck like that would spell an anticlimactic end to this battle. Next HYAH! tried another Swift, but the Lapras simply ducked her head and barreled through the shots. They were nowhere near as strong as the Thunderbolt, and Elliot knew relying on them would get him pinned down fast. But what other options could he count on?
Of course! There was the float he had long abandoned to the corner of the pool. "HYAH!, bring over as many floats as you can!" Elliot said, pointing towards the area between them and Lapras. HYAH!'s gem glowed purple as it stretched towards the pool's floats, gripping them with pure psychic energy. The flight path of each float was erratic, haphazard, and slower than Elliot could like, and rather than forming a wall of foam they formed a haphazard minefield of obstacles, but Elliot could only hope that the same platforms that vexed him at the start of the challenge would help block the Lapras' path. For a second, it seemed to be working! Unable to weave through the obstacles, Lapras was left pushing past them, slowing her inevitable approach. "That bought us some time. Circle around and go for a Thunderbolt!" Elliot said, HYAH!'s gem flashing a bright gold. It sailed around the perimeter of the arena, worming itself out from the corner and closer to the center of the pool. Now Lapras would be the one cornered instead! Sparks flew furiously from each facet of HYAH!'s gem.
And then Hiro descended beneath the waves. The Thunderbolt dispersed harmlessly atop the surface of the water, much like Hiro's Lanturn's earlier discharge. Was Hiro just trying to dodge? Elliot wasn't sure, but his answer came as soon as the Lapras breached from the water. As wide as it was tall, with a towering pillar for a shell and with an unbelievably long neck, the visual was equal parts majestic, impossible, and strangely ridiculous. Yet before Elliot could question it, the Lapras' body blocked out the stadium lights. He looked up from the shadow of the beast, just in time to see a confident grin on Hiro's face. "Body Slam!"
At Hiro's command, the Lapras dunked Elliot and HYAH! right back into the pool. The water to the pair's left flashed, then froze, leaving a thin yet sturdy layer on top. HYAH!'s gem flashed purple, but they were starting to run out of steam. Their psychic power was no match for the ice of a Mega Lapras. The ice to their right was next. Then the ice behind them. Then the ice in front of them. Soon, there was just one hole from which Elliot and HYAH! could emerge.
It was clearly a trap, but Elliot didn't want to risk being under the water long enough to find an alternate exit. He looked at HYAH!, gently setting a hand on his gem, and nodded. The pair hung underwater long enough for HYAH! to start recovering. Their gem regained its vivid glow, the impact scratches from the Lapras' body slam subsided once more, and even the worst of their headache started to fade. An excited HYAH! echoed through Elliot's head, and he knew deep down that he had just bought himself a third chance. Yet they'd need to take that chance soon. Elliot's chest started to feel the strain of his own held breath, and he tapped frantically to let HYAH! know it was time to come up for air. Trainer and partner breached, ready for their miracle turnaround!
And that was when they heard the whirring.
HYAH! barely had time to turn around before being struck right in the gem by Lapras' Horn Drill. It may have been an unreliable technique in most bouts, but Hiro and his Lapras had stacked the deck by cutting off any routes of escape. While Elliot and HYAH! were busy healing, Hiro had guided Lapras to begin charging her technique, getting the long start time out of the way in advance. Without its famously-long start-up time, or the pinpoint accuracy required to use it, Horn Drill went from a party trick to a sure-kill technique.
HYAH!'s gem blinked rapidly, the Starmie letting out a pained cry, before fading to an inert grey. Their prongs drooped to their sides, and then both Pokemon and rider clattered onto the ice. Lapras held its head up high, Hiro standing tall atop its back and pointing victoriously towards the sky. The stone on his necklace pulsed twice, the duo vanished into a flash, and soon only a regular Lapras was left in the arena.
Hiro hopped off of his Pokemon's back to help Elliot up, the ice steadily melting around them. "That was a heck of a fight you gave me there," he admitted, giving the downcast-looking kid a gentle punch on the shoulder. "You proved yourself in a lot of ways out there, you know? Earning Bass City's badge wasn't one of them. But I don't think this crowd's gonna forget what they saw anytime soon.
You come back for your rematch, you hear? We're not letting this one go without a round two."
Elliot blinked rapidly, trying to push back the agony of having come so close only to lose it at the last hurdle. Why was he so stung? He wasn't here to go after the gym badges, right? And yet, for a beautiful little moment, he seemed poised to do the near-impossible. He couldn't lie. It hurt. Bad. But the crowd was cheering up a storm at the conclusion of such an intense match, the gym's leader was giving him such warm encouragement, and he could feel a deep pride stirring within his chest. He may've lost today. But it was okay! "I can't thank you enough for going with all my silly ideas," Elliot said, taking Hiro's hand in an excited shake. "And for teaching my some lessons I won't be forgetting anytime soon. You bet we're on for a rematch!"
He released his Pokemon from their balls, the KO'd Curly and Murex resting on the ice by HYAH!'s side. A few sprays of medicine and the three were back up, excitedly looking around the arena. "Not this time, guys. But, hey. There's always the rematch, right?" he asked. Curly's face drooped in disappointment, the eel tracing a circle on the ground. HYAH! charged into Elliot for another snuggle, the two skidding across the ice and laughing. Murex, upon realizing she was still in the Bass City Gym, let out a bashful squeal and hid within her shell. What if Milotic was watching!? She still looked like a total mess!
Soon, Elliot and his team were back on the gym's starting platform, Hiro watching them by the other side of the gym. By now, much of the crowd had dispersed, but the two nonetheless exchanged one last wave. "Next time we meet, you're gonna see a brand new Elliot!" he said, turning to triumphantly walk out of the gym.
At least, of course, until he slipped on some water by the edge! Hiro facepalmed, Murex's eyes widened in shock, Curly burst into laughter, and HYAH! raised their prongs to their gem in surprise as Elliot fell right back into the water!
As Elliot slipped headed straight for the water, his hand would be seized, and he’d be pulled back right before he fell in. Instead, he would be pulled into a tight hug from none other than Elise. “You did so well, Elliot!” she squeaked, her voice about an octave higher than normal. As she pulled back, again, it was clear her eyes were just a little wet. The mascara she was wearing, however, was untouchable, as if perhaps she’d had enough foresight to wear waterproof makeup to a pool. “That was such an amazing performance!” Above her, Shimmer who had somehow stayed out of her Pokeball, smiled and spiraled about happily offering up Pollen Puffs to her ‘allies’!
Of course Levy had the slightest of ideas as to what Elliot had planned, though she was still somewhat surprised when Echo teleported over, giving her an enthusiastic hug which Levy returned. Elliot had a chance of doing this, Levy knew it. The kid may not have realized it, but he was quite stubborn when he put his mind to something, his insistence on paying rent a very good example.
Levy actually frowned a bit as she saw just who Elliot was using though. Sure, Murex was evolved and impressive in her own right. But was she the smartest choice? Levy bit her lip, already on the edge of her seat, leaving little room in her lap that Zei had to cling to. She had to admit, it was a very cool idea, but not the most practical? Not if you were actually looking to win.
Though watching the battles was interesting, they were so intense! Definitely not what Levy expected from such a kindhearted boy. And for a second Levy was worried about Elliot's head not being screwed on right when he mentioned a surf duel! Just what was he thinking! And Hiro accepting it?! Levy wanted to scream and shout that it was a bad idea, and she felt panic flare in her chest. What if they actually got seriously hurt?! And sure, this was Hiro they were talking about but what if Elliot drowned?!
Levy wouldn't be able to live with herself if that happened! Granted, now she probably knew just how he felt during the aftermath of that Seviper fight. Still, she cuddled Zei in her arms and watched with her continued mixture of intrigue and horror.
But in the end, Elliot still lost, and that was hard to see. He had tried so hard... trained so hard. Though Hiro still acknowledged him and Levy whistled again to be heard over the crowd. Levy wasn't the first to leave and get down to see Elliot as he was leaving, but being second was alright too. Levy stared at the boy, a little teary eyed but held her arms open for a hug, scooping him up whether he liked it or not and giving him the tightest hug possible before releasing him. She smiled, looking down at him before ruffling his still damp hair. "You still did good. But now you know some of his tricks. You'll totally get him next time."
Post by Elliot Sunderland on May 24, 2020 5:56:16 GMT
Elliot squeaked in surprise as Elise caught him mid-fall, stopping his entire descent with just one hand. He couldn't help but blush from a mixture of surprise and awe. She was seriously strong! She scooped him into a backbreakingly tight hug, and before Elliot could even process it Levy had joined in for a tight hug of her own. Surrounded on both sides, all Elliot could do was laugh and hug them back as tightly. "You guys," he said, voice hitching some and eyes watering with tears. "You're really some of the best friends I could've ever met.
Honestly? Journeying so far, training so hard, all of the time, effort, and dedication I've put into all of this . . . meeting you guys has made it all so, so worth it.
I really can't thank you enough, can I?"
He may've been leaving the gym empty-handed, but he wouldn't be leaving empty-hearted. And he most certainly wouldn't be leaving alone. With his dear friends by his side, his Pokemon following in his path, and the promise of a rematch ahead of him, Elliot couldn't be happier.
06
00
Lv35
