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Posted by: Kamaitachi Aug 5 2013, 10:48 PM

The main arena, a gargantuan Colosseum overlooking the vast sea, has separated into 8 fields, each with its own set of stands, while the higher seats have a lovely view of all eight battles. Each battle is televised on the giant screens located along the walls, giving spectators the nitty gritty close-up views of each battle.

The battles to come would be fierce, and with so many raging simultaneously, and to be distracted by the neighboring fights could easily spell a loss.

The Match for this field was slated for Darryn Kellor and Jill Cortoma. The field in question was...sickeningly sweet. The obstacles appeared to be stuffed pokemon toys, that upon touch, would release opaque, colourful bubbles into the air. The floor itself was so incredibly pink that...metaphors were not needed.

The referee, holding the trademark flags, floated nearby on what could only be described as a hovering disc; yet another technological marvel of Daioh Scientists. The ref tapped his fingers on his poketch, which revealed a rotating triangular pyramid on the main screen. Once it stopped rotating, it revealed a large number 1:

"This will be a three on three battle conducted in Singles Style If one of the combatants falls, the reserve must be sent in immediately. Trainers, summon your first pokemon now!"

This battle seemed ready to erupt. The stakes? Continuing participation in the tournament.

The crowd roared in anticipation.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Aug 8 2013, 09:15 PM

"Ho-ly shiiit..." Jill muttered with big eyes as she looked at the sea of cute, fluffy pinkness in front of her. "Are you kidding me? How am I supposed to keep myself serious on THIS field?" Even Axis, all though and cute, was stunned by the pink field decorated with pink cuddly stuffed pokémondolls. Not even an inch of their field was left unturned by the pink and dolly folly. "Seriously, someone should get that decorator fired right away." Thinking this to be a joke, because this looked more like a scenario for one of those hidden camera-shows like Jinx'd than a proper battle-stage for the Quarter-finals, she was about to turn around. Then seeing the thousands of spectators piercing their eyes on the eight stages of the arena, she knew it couldn't be.

"Gaahhh" she let out an annoyed cry and faced the other side of the field again. Her opponent, Darryn Kellor, was someone to be cautious with. Her previous battle against Elizabeth Shir was miraculously won due to the splendid, be it somewhat odd, teamwork Vex and Axis had shown upon the field. With teamwork she meant one pumped up pooch obeying and an ignorant chimp doing whatever he deemed best. But nonetheless, it worked, so she wasn't complaining. But this fight, this time she would have to work pretty hard if she ever were to give him a decent match.

After her match she'd walked into the main hall, only to be in time to hear the speakers repeat the line-up for the Quarter-Finals. Which meant she had but a few hours to rest and gain some information on her next opponent. One of those sophisticated computers near the infirmary had caught her attention, as she didn't want to be too far-off when they brought back Carracosta and the rest of her team. Axis had taken the least damage and was already returned to her care within 10 minutes, Vex took a bit longer, since he gave the nurse a rather rough time when wanting to heal his minor wounds. Perhaps she should've mentioned that her chimchar wasn't one of those easy-go-lucky pokémon. But as always, regrets came too late. Now, with her two pokémon back in her care and three Nurses refusing to treat a chimchar ever again, she scrolled down the database for results on Darryn Kellor.

"Fiiiiuuuw!" Jill whistled impressed, as she scrolled down his records and watched the replay of his previous match. At least a half dozen of pokémon in his care, all trained and grown together with him on his journeys... In a nutshell, she was toast. He would have the experience, trust and bonds that she lacked with her own team. Well, the bond she could make up for, at least with Axis she did, Vex would become a problem.

"Now we're pretty much done for, eh Axis?" she asked her poochyena, who only looked at her own reflection in the computer-screen and wasn't paying attention to whatever her trainer said.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, nitwit!" she softly poked the little poochyena, who tried to playfully bite her trainer's finger in reply.

A small bell caught the twosome's attention and both looked at a large screen, seeing that Carracosta was nearly healed. She closed all tabs on her computer and shut off the screen before rising from her chair. Being worried sick about her rental pokémon she made her way towards the large door. Soon after a nurse came walking up to her with a pokéball in her hands. The nurse gave her the pokéball and Jill gratefully thanked her, to which the nurse would only give her a smile before leaving again. The small tracker on her belt beeped, telling her to proceed towards the main arena, as she would have to be there in 20 minutes.

And now she stood there, in the giant arena, which was even more spectacular than where she'd fought her first round. This surely was an impressive stadium, it had to be said. But the fields... she'd seen better, way better. She still found them too cuddly for her being, and she was a girl! Okay, not one of those girly-girl types, but still. Slowly she could feel the tension building, as she waited for her opponent to enter the field with great anticipation. She'd had her daily portion of stress, now she was ready to face Darryn Kellor with a clear mind. He could be here any minute.

Posted by: Living Arrow Aug 9 2013, 02:04 PM

“Shut up, Ly!” Darryn hissed at his cousin as they made their way to the arena for his next round. “It’s not cheating to encourage your Pokemon in battle. Just because I did it that way, doesn’t mean I forced the win. November was more powerful and that’s that.”

“Oh, come on!” Lyla frowned deeply. “November was, like, out of control.”

<Can we just talk about this later?> Darryn demanded with his mind as they moved into thicker crowd where eavesdroppers were likely to be rife. <And stop using that word.>

<What word? Cheater?> Lyla raised an accusing eyebrow. <If the name fits…> She flipped him a disgusted turn of her lips and strutted off through the throng of spectators making their way into the main arena. Darryn watched her go with an interesting blend of irritation and regret but managed to steel himself enough to find his way to the allocated battlefield.

“OK, now this is a joke.” Darryn gagged as he positioned himself in the overly-pink arena. Enormous Pokedolls decorated the Barbie-inspired floor, making effective obstacles for the combatants that would fill the field. He jerked his gaze away from the décor and over to his opponent.

Who was Jill Cortoma? He’d never heard of her. Trainer? Co-Ordinator? Some other profession? Her hair was clean and neat but hid half of her face while her clothes were smart but not stylish. She was probably around his own age but bore no indication that she had been a trainer for more or less time than himself and there was no obvious sign that she specialised in a particular Type of Pokemon. All in all, there was nothing about Jill’s dresscode or way that she carried herself that identified anything particular about her. She was a firmly closed book and that made Darryn a little cautious.

*No way to know how experienced she is…* He mused as the rules for their match were set up.

Singles style. Darryn pursed his lips. His battle style of prefence was always Doubles but he’d had his fair share of Singles, too. Unlike his match with Branwys, this was going to be a lot more direct for him – there was no way he was going to make the same mistake as last time.

*Don’t underestimate her. Don’t experiment with Pokemon teams that could put you out of the tournament. Hit hard and fast – just like a Trainer.* He schooled himself, selecting the first Pokeball for his selection.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Cortoma.” He called across the battlefield in greeting. He looked around the field with distaste. “Not the normal sort of setting for a match like this but I’m sure we can make it a good one.” He maximised the dark blue ball in his hand with a yellow crescent moon marking.

“For my first Pokemon, I choose… Lima!”

The ball flashed open on the field, energy bursting and coalescing amid a puff of purple smoke and pink love heart seals. The Pokemon that emerged from the lovely mists was a round, pink mass with a delicate blue flower barette decorating her hair.

“CleeeFairy!” Lima announced, twirling once on the spot and then stopping with arms spread wide. The crowd cheered for her cuteness and Darryn smiled.

*They might think Lima’s cute but just wait until they see how strong she is!*

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Aug 14 2013, 09:32 AM

Then the doors on the other side opened slowly as a man walked through them. He was about Jill's age, though be it taller than average for his age. His stylish red hair, fancy clothes and his way of walking made him look like a Superstar Model, which made her gasp at the man for a short while. Lucky for her he hadn't seen this awkward moment, as his attention had been drawn to the field. When pulling herself together she noticed he too was a bit surprised by the choice of field, but he recovered himself faster than she'd done. A professional on the stage. Now she could take a better look at him from up close, he'd reached his side of the field, she recognized him from one of the Contests she'd seen on tv.

"So this is Darryn Kellor? Impressive."

She looked at the referee as he explained the rules. This battle would be a single-style one, three on three, no switching out during the battles. So this meant she had to think carefully when sending out her team. With two pokémon she could make sure one watched the other's back but in single combat? No, she'd have to pull up some new tricks if she wanted to get out victorious. A new strategy against a new opponent, yes, this battle should prove to be tempting. And she liked it.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Cortoma.” Darryn called out to her. He then continued to let his gaze cross over the field, his facial expressions showed his distaste. “Not the normal sort of setting for a match like this but I’m sure we can make it a good one.” He took out a the dark blue ball in his hand with a yellow crescent moon marking. With a swift gesture he threw it over the field, making it bounce as a small beam of red light hit the ground.

“For my first Pokemon, I choose… Lima!”

A small silhouette took form and let out an adorably cute shout. “CleeeFairy!”

"Oh my! A Clefairy!!! Uh, sorry. Where are my manners?" she pulled herself back together as she made a small bow.

"The honor is all mine, dear Sir Kellor! Now, let us give them a match to remember, shall we?"

She too took out her pokéball, the original white 'n red round ball, and threw it into the sky. The beam shot out, nicely hitting the ground where Jill had anticipated it to hit. The silhouette of a small wolf-like creature took form before the red blasted away as Axis barked.

"I present to you, Axis, my dearest partner and first choice!" she said with a smile.

Axis herself barked happily, with a flash of eagerness burning in her eyes. Another day to prove how much she'd grown since her last battle. A satisfied roar stirred between her teeth as she looked at the adorable Clefairy. Its cuteness may have her trainer in its grip, but to Axis, an opponent was an opponent. A new rival. A new chance to test her skills.

Posted by: Living Arrow Aug 15 2013, 11:26 AM

“A Poochyena, hmm?” Darryn said to himself, appraising Jill’s Pokemon quickly. It was marginally smaller than Lima, but undoubtedly faster than her, and seemed to be in very healthy condition. Its eyes were clear and intelligent, focused on its target and one hundred percent ready for battle.

From what he could remember, Poochyena were only really capable at battling up close with other Pokemon and usually did damage with their sharp teeth and powerful jaws. Darryn wondered if that would be a problem with Lima. Sure, she could pack a punch herself, but with the technology used on their Pokemon no Trainer could truly rely on their team’s true strength.

“Lima, get ready!” Darryn called to his Pokemon who was still waving at the crowd.

“Fair?” Lima pausing in her adulation of the crowd and looked back to Darryn. He pointed over at the Poochyena and she followed his indication, focusing on her opponent. “Fairy.” She nodded, determination settling on her own brow.

“Good! Now, use Cosmic Power!”

With a spin on the spot, Lima’s took on a glittering aura that twinkled like so many stars before bursting in a pink flash. Nothing else happened and yet Darryn smiled. Lima’s defence was her greatest offence and Jill was soon going to find that out.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Aug 16 2013, 07:08 AM

Darryn asked for Lima's attention to be switched from the crowd to her opponent and ordered her to use Cosmic Power. Being somewhat new in the trainer-business, Jill made some mental notes of this move for future battles. Lima's determination rose as she nodded and made a small, on the spot pirouette. Immediately after performing the pirouette she got engulfed in a glittering aura, which exploded in a pink burst soon after. Nothing seemed to have changed about the Clefairy and it wasn't an offensive attack either, since Axis still stood where she stood, having no physical trouble at all.

"Okay, so that only leaves Stat-raising as an option. But which stat?" she thought to herself.

Now the trick would be to try and anticipate what Darryn was going to do. Jill now knew one of the moves Lima could perform, for the rest she was clueless, so it wouldn't really help to anticipate on the known moves. The only thing she could do was hope to find out what Darryn was planning at the moment, so she decided to take it slow. For now.

"Axis!"

The poochyena glanced at her trainer with one eye, making sure not to make her attention slip off her foe too, waiting for the order to be given. Jill stretched her arm and pointed at the Clefairy.

"Tackle Lima!"

With a swift turn the small poochyena dashed off, focusing on the Clefairy and bracing itself for the impact of the tackle as she came closer and closer, crossing the few meters left between her and Lima.

Posted by: Living Arrow Aug 18 2013, 12:52 PM

The call for a Tackle attack wasn’t wholely unexpected as Poochyena only really used physical moves but Darryn was a little taken aback by the simplicity of the call. Why would a trainer use such a basic attack in an important tournament battle? Was she bluffing away some sort of hidden skill? Maybe she had fluked the previous matches to get this far?

“What is she up to?” Darryn muttered, watching as Axis took off in a head-long charge at his Clefairy. Running in when it was clear he had ordered Lima to increase her own strength the turn before may have seemed like a rookie move but there was simply no telling what level of experience this Jill girl had, nor could he tell if she had a bigger plan up her sleeve.

*Whatever. Maybe this next move will wake her up…* Darryn smiled at his own mental pun and swept his arm out dramatically to order the next move.

“Lima, take the hit and counter attack with a Wake-up Slap!”

“Cle…” Lima crossed her arms over her chest and firmly planted her feet, accepting Axis’s Tackle and taking the hit as instructed. The force of the Tackle knocked Lima back a little, her stubby legs tottering back awkwardly. Once she came to a stop, however, Lima’s brow narrowed down and she charged right back at the Poochyena with a palm raised high and glowing red.

“Cleee…FAIRY!” Lima swung her fist straight for Jill’s Pokemon with a primal cry.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Aug 18 2013, 06:45 PM

Jill's primary objective was to find out which stat had been increased. A simple tackle could point out whether the defense had been increased or not, and since Darryn hadn't seen the urge in avoiding the attack, which actually surprised her a bit, she noted that the defense hadn't been raised or at least not as much as she'd thought, which was a good thing. With that cleared out she was surprised to see her attack only landed so Lima could counter it with a, by Darryn dramatically ordered, Wake-Up Slap.

Axis flew back from the impact and Lima thankfully took advantage of that moment of unwariness. Charging at Axis with a red-glowing raised palm, Lima slapped Axis in the face several times, each of them landing painfully accurate. Though the power this attack had was far greater than Jill had expected. A normal Wake-Up Slap shouldn't be able to make Axis suffer this much damage, which only made one thing more clear to her. This Cosmic Power seemed to be having the ability to raise both the defense and attack stat, which meant she was in for a serious beating if she didn't come up with a good strategy right now.

Axis in the meanwhile tried to take all slaps as well as she could while trying to land decently, which she managed after the fourth hit. The small Poochyena made a back-flip and landed on one of the small, cute dolls on the side of the field. The thing exploded and sprouted a large cloud of pink bubbles, making Axis look at them with a surprised look. Jill noticed her partner dwelling off and called her back to order.

"Axis, Focus!"

Axis looked at her trainer, nodded and looked back at the Clefairy. Jill looked at the bubbles and thought of a way to use them, be it properly. If the environment lets you, you should use it in your advantage. Axis glanced back at Jill for a moment, seeing the smile on her face when she looked at the bubbles. She knew what to do.

"Now then, show them some creativity and a well-performed Assurance!!!"

Axis nodded and started pumping her lungs full with oxygen. The next moment she unleashed everything with a mighty and vicious roar, one so loud none would expect it to come from a pokémon so small. The vibrations in the air made the bubbles move, so the little Poochyena roared from a corner where all the bubbles would move towards her opponent. Some of those bubbles exploded due to the vibrations. Axis' eyes turned a soft purple as she dashed off and jumped through the wall of bubbles, making them burst as she soared through the air. Surrounded by pink bubbles and sparkles, which fitted perfectly with the Poochyena's purple eyes, Axis again braced herself to land her attack on Lima.

Posted by: Living Arrow Aug 20 2013, 11:07 AM

The satisfaction of the super effective Wake-Up slap connecting with the Dark-type allowed Darryn a little space to settle into the battle. Jill’s Poochyena had, so far, not displayed anything out of the ordinary and he had identified the move in Lima’s arsenal that would shut Axis down the fastest.

“Keep it up, Lima!” He cheered to his Pokemon, “You’re doing great!”

“Fair, clefair!”

Darryn found himself watching Jill’s Poochyena with fascination as she burst through the pink bubbles and sparks generated by the battlefield on a collision course with Lima once more. The way in which the sparks and bubbles danced around Axis’s form led Darryn to consider that maybe Jill was not a regular Trainer but possibly a Co-Ordinator like him – who else would use the field in such a visually impressive way? But that could also mean that battling in a straight-forward manner might not work against tricky combinations that Co-Ordinators put together for flashy displays.

“Take the hit again, Lima!” Darryn urged his Clefairy as the Poochyena came surging in. “Then use the sparks to show off your Sing attack!”

With a bark, Axis slammed into Lima once more and the Clefairy staggered a little but found her feet after a moment and twirled expertly on the spot. Sparks of shiny dust that Axis had carried with her became swept up around the Clefairy as she pirouetted and began to Sing a beautiful melody for her canine opponent.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Aug 30 2013, 07:06 AM

When hearing Darryn say that his Clefairy had to take the hit again, she became a bit wary.

"Again? Why would he let his pokémon take all the hits? Don't tell me..."

Axis slammed into the Clefairy with considerable force, making it stagger a bit, but it soon found its balance again by making a graceful pirouette on the spot. The dust that first shrouded Axis now twirled around the Clefairy, while the hit turned some into sparks. It was a nice sight to behold, that was for sure. But then again, she hadn't expected anything else from a coordinator. Lima opened her little mouth and a soft, soothing melody resonated over the field. Small music note's floated around the field, as Axis was too close to be able to dodge them all.

"Dodge them, get away from Lima!" Jill said to her poochyena.

The small pokémon jumped back, getting missed by such a grade by just three inches. Axis kept going back, occasionally jumping and rolling backwards in order to dodge the attack. When having gone back quite a bit, Axis stopped and looked at the Clefairy triumphant. Then its eyes become dull, as the irises faded and the pupil turned solid black. Axis' paws shook, becoming unable to carry its own weight any longer. A small pop, and Axis fell down on the field, asleep.

"Darn it! Axis, you've done well, get back!"

A small beam engulfed the poochyena as it was sent back into its pokéball.

"I know this will prove difficult..." she said as she took a new pokéball of her belt. "Go! Vex!"

The chimchar appeared as it always did, silent and not even interested a slightest bit in what was happening. He ignored Jill completely and only glared at the Clefairy with hate in its eyes. Vex inhaled deeply, his chest growing surprisingly big, before it exhaled a large amount of tiny flames towards the Clefairy.

"Goddamn- Vex, you got to listen to me!" she shouted at the Chimchar, who looked back at her, the same gleaming hate burning in its eyes.

"Still... You still blame me?" Jill thought as she looked back into those piercing eyes.

Posted by: Living Arrow Sep 3 2013, 10:47 AM

Darryn was a little surprised that Jill went for the quick-switch, opting to remove her sleeping Pokemon for another but when all things were considered it wasn’t the strangest move she could have pulled. He weighed up the fresh Chimchar as fast as he could, remembering the moves and speed that Cesc Rojas’s Valentine had shown in the forest south of Port Barley. If the fire monkey was anything like the other he had encountered, Darryn suddenly had something to worry about.

Without warning, the Chimchar unleashed what looked like an Ember attack.

“Lima!”

“Fairy!” Lima gasped, holding up her broad arms to shield herself from the onslaught of tiny flames. The fire attack soon sudsided, Darryn’s Pokemon covered in dark marks where she had been charred by the attack. The flower barrette on her head was destroyed – a grey mass of soot atop her curls that crumbled with every move she made.

Darryn frowned, watching how the Chimchar glared back at its trainer with disrespect.

“Fight back with Stored Power!” Darryn ordered, using the opportunity to assault while the Chimchar’s back was turned.

Lima nodded and held her amrs wide, a purple psychic aura swelling around her body like a cloak. With a spin on the spot, Lima threw her arms forward to point accusingly at the Chimchar, releasing the light around her into a ball of swirling energy at her foe.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 5 2013, 11:13 AM

As Vex' embers hit Lima several times, doing more damage than expected, he didn't even look back. The hate in his eyes still gleamed as he heard how the small flames made the Clefairy squeal a little, those hating eyes still looking at Jill whilst an evil grin appeared on his face. Both Jill and vex heard how Darryn commanded Lima to use stored power, and Jill saw how she twirled on the spot as a purple aura cloaked her. The Clefairy gathered the light between her arms and than pointed towards Vex, with a gesture slightly more dramatic than necessary, shooting the orb that was formed by that light towards him.

"Vex! Watch out!"

Jill gasped as the orb closed up on Vex fairly quickly. Vex however didn't flinch, he only turned back towards the Clefairy and stretched his hand towards the orb, stopping it with its palm. Such a reckless moved did had his consequences, as Vex obtained a fair amount of damage by the attack, though he didn't show it to his opponent. Instead of attacking, Vex sat down and closed his eyes, seemingly enjoying he sun that shone on his small chest. Jill knew that he was planning something, and that this attack was Slack Off. her previous adventures had learnt that Vex didn't need her help in order to fight, he was by far-most one of the smartest pokémon she had ever encountered. As expected from her brother's favorite. Deciding that calling for him to listen wasn't going to work, she decided to wait for her opponent to make the next move.

Posted by: Living Arrow Sep 8 2013, 12:50 PM

“Woah!” Darryn gasped, amazed that the foe Chimchar could show such guts against the power of Lima’s Stored Power. Although the Pokemon would have taken damage from the move, somehow the fire-type managed to shrug off any outward display of his injury and instead settled down to meditate in the middle of the field.

*This is weird… Clearly that Chimchar isn’t following orders right now.* Darryn shifted uneasily. The normal way for him to battle was to play off his opponent’s calls for attacks as soon as possible to make glamorous and flashy combinations but the way this Chimchar was behaving made such a strategy impossible.

“Lima, while that Chimchar is slacking off, use Sing one more time!” Darryn ordered, his Clefairy more than happy to oblige.

“Faaaiiir, faaaiiir, cleee! Faaaiiir, clefaaaiiiry!” Lima sang solemnly, holding her hands to her chest as though in prayer. Darryn could tell, however, that from her subdued performance the battle with Axis had made her tired and her strength was waning.

*Hang in there, Lima!* Darryn urged her silently.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 10 2013, 12:05 PM

As soon as she heard Darryn saying Lima had to use Sing again, she replied the same words she'd done when Sing was used on Axis. Though it wasn't necessary, as Vex had been listening to his opponents orders as well.

"Vex, watch out!"

Vex opened his eyes, be it irritated as ever, but stood up and quickly dashed backwards to evade the incoming attack. He shook his head and managed to stay awake, though drowsiness got the better of him; he tilted towards one side and tried to keep himself right up, although his eyes had a faint, dull look, he kept upright and put himself on hands and feet to get a better grip.

Jill looked at Vex and then turned her gaze towards the Clefairy again, who seemed to be growing more tired the longer the battle raged on. She knew that if Vex were to land a decent hit on her, the battle would be one down and two ready for battle, for both sides. But before that were to happen Vex had to get himself back up and running, so he couldn't do any offensive attacks just yet.

"Perhaps this will do? Vex, use Taunt!"

The chimchar shivered a bit, but Jill knew that this was rather a small laughter. Vex knew that he couldn't move that well, so once again he and his trainer shared the same ideas. An invisible nod followed as he looked at the Clefairy with a taunting smile. His sharp teeth became visible and although he looked drowsy, his taunt still had an eerie and scary look.

Posted by: Living Arrow Sep 10 2013, 03:27 PM

Lima fell for the Taunt hook, line and sinker. Darryn inwardly groaned. Sing had failed – nothing completely unexpected since it wasn’t always effective – and now his Clefairy was trapped into assault-only mode. This left him with very little in the way of options.

One. He could go with Stored Power again. This was the strongest move in Lima’s arsenal after using Cosmic Power and it kept her at a relatively safe distance so the Chimchar would have a chance of missing her with any long range attacks. The chance of this was small since Lima was so slow on her feet and she was flagging already so the next hit would likely take her out, anyway.

Two. Lima could attempt a close-quartered offensive surprise attack. Out of the question.

Three.

“Lima, return now!” Darryn held up the Moon Ball, reclaiming the Clefairy swiftly. The look on her face was one of weakened startlement for a brief moment before a knowing smile crossed her lips and her pink body exploded into scarlet energy. Darryn minimised her ball rapidly and selected the next ball on his belt.

“I choose you, Victor!”

“Squirtle!” Victor announced himself proudly from the Dive Ball, tapping the front of his shell with a fist while offering the crowd a wave with his other hand.

“Go, Rain Dance!” Darryn ordered his Squirtle.

With a nod, Victor clapped his hands together then spread them wide, a ball of blue energy swirling in the palm of one. With a cry and a mighty swing, he flung it high into the air where it exploded into a swirling grey cloud. Droplet after droplet began to fall once the cloud had formed and, in only a moment or two, the battlefield was subject to a rainstorm.

Darryn narrowed his eyes.

*Will this draw that Chimchar into close combat? Or will there be another switch?* He felt for the last ball at his belt. The Quick Ball. *This is too unpredictable!*

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 10 2013, 05:08 PM

Darryn chose for an option Jill would've opted as Vex were a pokémon she'd had to face. Vex himself was like lightening, you'd never know when it would strike, even if it would strike. But when he does, the damage will be terrifying. And today of all days, his face was even more dangerous than that of a tropical storm. Darryn called his Clefairy back to exchange it for a healthy, and why wouldn't he choose for it, water-type pokémon. As Lima did before him, the Squirtle showed the spectators he was there instead of facing Vex immediately, which irritated Vex even more.

As soon as Victor, as this was the Squitle's apparent name, shifted his focus back unto the field Darryn commanded him to use Rain Dance. A smart move, especially with the type advantage, so she'd have to worry about that above the fact she'd need to get her stubborn chimchar to listen to her. Only in tough situations he permitted her to boss him around, only then.

In the meanwhile the Squirtle had formed an orb between its paws and pointed it at the sky, which soon became clouded. One drop fell, followed by many others before the entire field was covered in this screen of rain, including herself.

"A shower wasn't necessary, really..." Jill muttered.

The rain was rather cold, on top of the fact that Vex was a fire-type, this wasn't good. Not only would it be harder to take Victor on with fire-based moves, thanks to the weather changing so suddenly Vex became agitated, which never was a positive turn of events. Entirely awake the chimchar stepped closer towards the Squirtle, the flame on his little tail burning brighter than it should when Rain Dance was in effect.

"Vex? You're still going to continue-"

Her sentence was cut off by a loud burst of lightening that crashed down and engulfed the chimchar's fist completely. The anger burning it its eyes lead him to become more reckless, and even less obedient than he already was. Thus Vex dashed towards Victor, ignoring the droplets who conducted the electric sparks. It left behind an afterimage that seemed to be surrounded by small sparks, leaving electrified raindrops in his wake. The lighting around his fist made a cracking sound as e came closer to the Squirtle.

Jill couldn't do anything else but hold her breath with disbelief. She'd never seen him like this before.

Posted by: Living Arrow Sep 12 2013, 11:47 AM

“What!?” Darryn gasped as rain fell over their section of the battlefield, soaking his hair and clothes thoroughly in the process. He had issued the move with the intention that Victor follow up with powerful water attacks but something unexpected had put paid to those plans all too quickly. The Chimchar named Vex was attacking of its own accord but with a move that the Co-Ordinator would never have thought possible of the flaming monkey Pokemon. “Is that Thunderpunch?!”

“Squir!?” Victor cried as he tried in vain to dodge, the Chimchar’s fist catching him square in the shell. Lightning flashed violently within the impact and thunder tolled loudly, drowning out Victor’s scream. The Squirtle was knocked clear from his feet, sailing limply through the air to land on the pink ground with a wet slap. He rose shakily, sparks dancing over his shell ominouslywhile a pained moan left his lips.

“Victor?” Darryn peered closely at his Pokemon. The hit had been a very powerful one – super effective, too. The match would be over all too quickly if Victor couldn’t land a decent hit on that Chimchar before he got hit himself again. “Victor! Return now!”

The rapid switch was a necessary move in this instance, Darryn’s Squirtle leaving the battlefield in favour of…

“JOLTEEE!” Romeo yelled as he was summoned from the Quick Ball, lightning dancing over his fur and raising it to pinpoints in an instant. The erratic energy of battle filled the Jolteon’s bones and in a flash, the canid was attacking.

“Use Charge Beam, now!” Darryn ordered, his command unleashing a spear-like lance of electricity from the Jolteon’s mouth as he dashed amid the pink stuffed toys that decorated their battlefield. The beam sliced neatly through a toy that erupted into pink bubbles and pierced the air like a crackling needle on its course towards the Chimchar, drawing a groan of awe from the onlookers.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 12 2013, 01:28 PM

"He's really going for a winning streak isn't he...?"

Jill whispered as she was a surprised as her opponent to see Vex' display of power. ThunderPunch was a move that chimchar's could only learn when having a typical type of parent, so she knew this would come in handy later on. Her face cracked in half a smile, a she was glad Vex's sudden attack was successful, and yet she was sorry for the poor Squirtle to be hit like that. Darryn didn't want to risk anything and withdrew Victor to exchange it for his last pokémon, a Jolteon. At least this action would help her to anticipate, but nothing more then that. A healthy pokémon meant more trouble for her as well.

Now she had to think quickly, withdrawing Vex or going on with him. But her time was cut short when the Jolteon roared and charged forward in a flash, ready for the attack. Soon after Darryn, who she saw was now soaked as well, shouted his attack and his Jolteon obeyed. "Charge Beam!" A spear-like lance of cheerful electricity was shot from the Jolteon's mouth and pierced right through the stuffed toys that stood as decoration around the field. The pink bubbles around it were a beautiful sight to behold, as they together with the Charge Beam pierced the sky. The spectators all looked in awe, yet Jill did her best not to look as well. Her focus was needed elsewhere.

With a swift movement she had already taken Vex' pokéball in her hand and pointed it towards the chimchar. The crimson ray engulfed him, before it broke and showed the chimchar again, his left arm raised to break the beam. She knew what this meant. 'Not now... Not yet.'

"Fine... Vex, show them what you got! Flamethrower to intercept the Charge Beam!"

Jill stretched her arm towards the incoming beam and Vex, surprisingly, obeyed. With a double salto Vex catapulted itself in the air, filling its lungs with heated air. The rain still fell down and showed his silhouette as he spit out the raging tempest of fire directly towards the beam. The raindrops that hit the flamethrower evaporated, creating a slightly dense fog through which the pink bubbles appeared, all lit up by the light the flamethrower emitted. Only now Jill dared to look up, seeing what a beautiful scenery she and Darryn had created. Almost as if the sky was filled with small lampoons.

A small cry interrupted her thoughts as she noticed how the flamethrower had hit the Charge Beam. Unlike she had thought, the Flamethrower didn't stop the beam but deflected it so it changed direction, which oddly enough was the area where Vex was trying to land. The power wasn't as strong as the original Charge Beam should've been, but it still dealt enough damage to the small chimp. It shivered as the lightening-sparks crackled around his body before disappearing.

"Damn it... He can't go on like that! Vex, get back. Now."

Her voice was stern as she pointed the pokéball towards the chimchar, who didn't do anything this time except wait for him to be returned to his safe haven. Jill let out a small sigh as she rapidly changed the pokéball in her hand. Now she would show her last trump card as well. She flung the pokéball high into the sky and the crimson beam shot out, showing the form of a tortoise as it vanished.

"Show them the power of the ancient pokémon, Carracosta!"

A tomboyish grin appeared on the Carracosta as it stood ready and looked at the Jolteon with an playful glance.

Posted by: Living Arrow Sep 16 2013, 11:24 AM

“Carracosta?!” Darryn gasped, unsure what to make of his next opponent. The turtle that emerged had clear indications of the Water-type, making it a perfect opponent for Romeo, but there was something sturdy about the Pokemon’s build that put him on edge. Both Victor and Lima were built to take hits but somehow this Carracosta thing looked even more bulky.

“Jol?” Romeo barked back at Darryn after his brief pause, the electric dog’s ears lying flat to his head in anticipation. Readiness and confidence fluttered through Darryn’s link to his Pokemon. Darryn smiled in spite of the situation, amazed that Romeo still felt so unbelievably keen against an unknown foe like this one.

*It’s almost definitely a Water-type which means Rain Dance is now working against us… Then again, Electric-attacks cant miss with all of this water around and Romeo is sure to be a tonne faster than that thing.*

“OK, Romeo!” Darryn swept a hand back through his hair to slick it over his head. “Don’t get hit! Use Double Team and then attack again with Charge Beam!”

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 16 2013, 03:29 PM

"Will the tables finally turn or am I bound to loose this match?"

Jill thought about her possibilities. The Jolteon was still very sure of his case, but so was Carracosta. There were pro's and cons on her last choice, not that she really had a choice between her pokémon but still. Con; Carracosta was a water-type, which would put up measly against an electric type, but it gave her an advantage with the Rain Dance. A second pro was the fact his secondary type was Rock, which would even the odds against electric attacks.

"The Rain Dance... I should make use of it now I still can!"

Some quick thinking brought up a strategy while at the same time Darryn called out his orders. Double Team and Charge Beam. Just a few seconds later Jill called out her orders to counter those moves.

"Carracosta! Protect and start your Aqua Tail!"

The Carracosta smiled and let out a small cry as he crossed his fins. He started glowing a bright green and white, before reflecting the stored energy and made a transparent shield with green glow appear in front of him. At the same time Carracosta's tail started glowing and a burst of water appeared out of nowhere, engulfing his tail. It let out a cry as it awaited for Romeo to land his attack.

Posted by: Kamaitachi Sep 16 2013, 05:53 PM

Millions of lights burst out all over the stadium. Radiating from every single trainer's belts, purses, pouches, etc, light shot out, blinding everyone for the moment in its brilliance.

As the light began to fade, a shout pointed everyone's attention skywards, where a hover of helicopters had appeared in the sky. Without warning, several objects began to fall from them, flung from the helicopters.

As they fell closer to the stadium, the sharper eyes began to note the perfectly spherical shape. The sharper ears would hear the bone-chilling monotone cry of:

"ELECTRODE."

Dozens. Hundreds of the Pokemon fell to the stadium. The swiftly reacting trainers threw out their pokeballs, yelling commands...only to realize that the Pokemon they released were not the ones they had summoned. In fact, they weren't even Pokemon they had caught.

The flashes of light had randomized and shuffled everyone's pokemon.

With the confusion at hand, the Electrode began to impact in the various stadiums, exploding on contact, causing widespread panic throughout the arena.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 17 2013, 11:54 AM

At first Jill was still focused n her battle, the next moment Carracosta, together with the other pokéballs she owned, shot away from her. She tried to grab them but was forced to cover her eyes from the blinding light that illuminated the entire stadium. A strange sound appeared soon after, a chopping sound of a helicopter... Quickly glancing upwards she, as did the entire stadium, noticed several helicopters hoovering above the stadium, dropping several objects down.

"What the hell is goin- Fuck!"

Electrodes. Electrodes came dropping from the sky towards her at such a rate she rather didn't want them to hit her. As the other trainers did as well, she too grabbed hold of her pokéball and threw it towards the sky, shouting an order to stop the incoming thread. The pokémon she called upon smiled vividly, punched one of the electrodes in mid-air with incredible force and sent it flying back to where it came from. The electrode hit several others, who immediately flew back towards the helicopter they came from, to much surprise of the one controlling it.

"All right! Good job Ve- eh? Wait a minute... Azumarill? I don't have an Azumar- What have they done with our pokémon!?"

Jill looked at the Azumarill, who now looked at her with those same eyes. This wasn't her trainer, not even close. The watermouse pokémon shifted its ears quickly and walked towards Jill, as did Jill walk towards the Azumarill. Its ears twitched as some Electrodes landed around them, and both trainer and pokémon stood back to back facing the pokémon surrounding them. Jill took out her pokédex and checked through the moves Azumarill knew as she kept a close eye on the Electrodes.

"Interesting... Well, we don't have any other choice, have we?" she muttered.

"Azumarill, charge for Aqua Tail and start twirling around, then unleash Aqua Tail to hit the lot of them!" she ordered her new pokémon.

"Azuu!"

With a swift turn it started making pirouettes as at the same time its tail emitted a blueish colour. Then Aqua Tail was released, making a large crescent wave of water burst through the foes surrounding them. The wave had the same effect of a boomerang, hitting multiple opponents with great accuracy. With those Electrodes out of the way Jill made her way towards Darryn, who'd probably still be standing on his side of the field.

"Darryn! Are you alright?" she shouted as she tried to get closer.

Posted by: Living Arrow Sep 17 2013, 01:58 PM

Romeo Jolteon leapt back into action, his needle-like fur singing with electricity as all six copies of the Lightning Pokeon screamed forth a blast of crackling energy at the opponent Carracosta.

*Yes!*

Darryn’s thoughts were rudely interrupted with blasts of light instantly began to flash around the entire arena in a blinding frenzy. He winced and held up an arm to shield his face, shock gripping him as both Carracosta and Romeo exploded into red energy and swept straight back into their Pokeballs. Darryn reached towards the Quick Ball in confusion, holding it up to see if something was wrong with it when the orb flashed with the same brilliant white light that had been engulfing the battlefield and stands.

“Ngh!” Darryn grunted, squeezing his eyes shut before gingerly opening them once more, watching stars dance merrily throughout his vision. “What the hell?”

[THUD]

“Electrode!”

“What!?” Darryn stumbled back, the ball Pokemon hitting the arena only a few metres from him. “An Elec-“

“ELECTRODE!” The Pokemon yelled with intensity, its eyes growing wide and fierce and its body beginning to swell.

“No! Romeo, use Protect!” Darryn instinctively threw down the Quick Ball once more and ducked low to use the green bubble to shield himself from the Explosion.

“Pass!” A low rumble intoned, the shadow of a large and solid Pokemon falling over the Co-Ordinator in place of where his Jolteon should have been. With no time to think about what was happening, Darryn clapped his hands to his ears just in time to feel the air (complete with pink fairy dust from a fake beach ball caught up in the blast) around him rip apart with the force of the Electrode’s Explosion , the Probopass that he had summoned standing firm against the onslaught.

More explosions decorated the arena, creating panic and confusion in every direction and causing more than a little destruction to boot. Now knowing that something was seriously wrong, Darryn opened up his Empathy to search for Lyla.

<Ly->

“ARGH!” Darryn screamed, holding his head between his hands in a vicegrip of Crawdaunt proportions as the mental assault of fear and distress drowned him with its intensity. Only once before he had experienced this sort of emotional trauma and that had been at the disaster at Starfall Field but being through it once didn’t mean he was ready for it again.

With overwhelming ferocity, the feelings of the Pokemon and people around Darryn crushed him mercilessly and he lost himself to unconsciousness.

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 17 2013, 02:53 PM

"Darryn!"

Jill saw the man grabbing his head and pressing unto it fiercely, as if he wanted to get specific thoughts out or had a serious migraine coming up all the sudden. She sped up, the Azumarill still tagging along, and reached him fairly soon. Darryn had fallen unconscious and Jill just wasn't fast enough to grab hold of him, thus could only grab the collar of his jacket instead and pulled him towards her.

"Hey Darryn? C'me on dude, get yourself back together, wake up!"

She shook him gently, knowing that rash actions could have rash consequences as well. She had no idea what had caused this, so she should be careful as well. But, even though she was worried about Darryn, a stranger she'd just met, she felt awfully calm. As if this situation was just a movie-script she was following. Jill stretched her hand towards Azumarill, still keeping Darryn tightly against her, she would take action right here.

"Azumarill! Use Roll Out on the Electrodes that are trying to hurt the harmless, quickly!"

She hadn't even noticed her surroundings yet, but Azumarill had understood what she meant, and so several rocks flew through the stadium, hitting Electrodes from close and far. In the meanwhile she unconsciously grabbed another pokéball from her belt and pointed it towards the floor before her. She had no idea which pokémon would appear before her, but her guts had taken over, as if she was an entirely different person from a few moments ago.

"Make sure none of those Electrodes gets near us!"

A moderately sized pokémon appeared before her, looking at Jill with a surprised face before nodding and turning towards the Electrodes that came too close. The leaf on its head shook as a breeze blew past it. A small snort and the small buds around its neck, that somehow seemed like a collar, started to glow. Large vines shot out of it as the Electrodes got whipped with them. Jill herself pointed her attention back towards Darryn, who still seemed unconscious.

"Darryn, please wake up! I can't do this alone right now!"

Her face showed an expression she hadn't shown in a long time. Last time she'd used this expression was when her father was still alive, when she last saw him before... it happened.

"Darryn, please!"

Her voice sounded desperate a she looked at him with fear in her eyes. If something had happened, she wouldn't forgive herself. She never would.

Posted by: Living Arrow Sep 17 2013, 03:36 PM

Darryn could hear his name being called but it sounded like it was coming to him through a wall of syrup – thick and cloying cotton wool muffling even the loudest of screams to his ears. Lost in the blackness of his mind, the Co-Ordinator was aware of little other than his name piercing the dark and pressure against his neck. Was it Lyla? Or Cleo? Was he sleeping? Was Meiko playing a prank on him in the tent again? Maybe Tuesday had left books under his pillow… Or Jaima was waking them all for breakfast. Yeah, that’s more like it – one of Jaima’s breakfasts to start the day!

“Jaima?” Darryn said to the dark, reaching towards the sound of someone calling his name. “I’m getting up! Tell Tuesday to clean up her stuff before bed – my neck is sore and-“

“Hnngh?” Darryn moaned, his eyes cracking open slowly. Understanding was slow to reach hhis eyes but his brief foray out of consciousness wasn’t enough to make him forget what had happened before the lights went out.

*Idiot! That’s what you get for using it before knowing what’s going on!!!*

“Jill.” He confirmed to himself, finding the girl he had been battling hauling him by the collar while trying to fight off the surrounding Electrode with a Bayleef. The Probopass that had somehow replaced Romeo sat nearby, not seeming to react to anything going on around them.

“What?” He didn’t bother finishing the question – noise and confusion was abound in all directions and no-one was going to have answers in the madness that surrounded them. He reached for the Quick Ball that had dropped from his hand when he had blacked out and examined it closely. It was definitely Romeo’s Quick Ball. “So where’s Romeo?” He wondered out loud, sharing a confused look with Jill who seemed altogether more confident in their situation than he was.

*I can’t risk calling Lyla again – not without Lady.* He reached for his Vulpix’s Heal Ball. *But who’s to say she’s even in here anymore? First things first though – let’s get out of here!*

“I’m OK, Jill.” Darryn reassured the girl holding him, blinking through his short-lived daze. “Just felt a bit faint is all – it’s fine, really. Let’s just get out of here, please?”

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 17 2013, 04:22 PM

Darryn squirmed a bit, whispering the name Jaime, which made Jill wonder what or who he was thinking about. But that was none of her concern right now, she was just glad he was coming to. His eyes, who were first shrouded and faint, now became livid again which was a good sign, he was awake. Her name was said, be it in a way to be certain he wasn't mistaking her for someone else, but it wasn't a question either.

"Thank god you're awake! I really thought you were a goner just now..." Jill whispered this last phrase, unable to be heard by anyone other than herself.

The man seemed to recover impressively fast, and ensured her he was fine. The request of getting out of the arena as quick as possible was encouraged by her rapidly beating heart, but her guts told her something else. Something was clearly wrong, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. It wasn't those helicopters with the electrodes or the pokémon suddenly changing, no, she was sure it was something else. But what? Jill slowly nodded and backed away a bit to oversee the situation. Her eyes shot from left to right, accessing the situation incredibly fast.

Azumarill was still shooting rocks, but most of the people seemed to be out of danger for now, so it returned to Jill post-haste. Bayleef kept smashing its vines against the Electrodes and Jill saw a Probopass sat down at their left. She hadn't noticed it before. It reminded her of the sudden flashes and the switched pokémon, they had to be linked!

"Those flashes and the fact our pokémon are exchanged... it has to do something with this situation."

She pointed at the other trainers who were still on the field, fighting the Electrodes and helping people.

"The looks in the eyes of those trainers and their pokémon, they aren't familiar with each other. They have the same problem as we have here, they don't even know each other at all!"

Her mind spun like an overloaded factory, strategies, plans and theories, everything rushed through her brain at incredible speed. A puzzle had been represented here, and each and every thing present was a clue to solve the mystery. One link was enough to get the ball rolling, and Jill spoke confidently towards Darryn.

"It may seem odd but... I think this is a set-up. All our pokémon changed with ones we don't know... they want us to be confused, unable to be of aid somehow... Something big is happening and they're preventing us from butting in. I'm almost certain that whatever it is they're doing, the fact they don't want all of us to interfere... it must be life-threatening!"

Jill silenced a bit. Her eyes, ever alert as they were, shifted to all the sides of the stadium in search for something.

"Anyway, left's an entrance, but it's guarded by several Electrodes... The entrances on the higher spectator-grounds are all clear an able to venture thorough, but it'll be a climb to get up there. The other exits are blocked, except for the one at the very edge of the field besides us, the rocks seem impenetrable, but there are holes large enough for us to fit through."

She glanced at Darryn with a playful grin, unable to think she could smile like that. The accuracy of her eyes somehow scared her, but it came in handy as well at times like these. Her hand disappeared in her bag and brought out a small ball with an even smaller button on it, which she tapped so the pokéball extended. Pointing at the Azumarill she smiled, being pleased with such a pokémon at her side. The Azumarill made a little bow before gratefully being absorbed by the crimson ray. Putting the pokéball back inside her bag Jill gestured the Bayleef to come closer. Se than turned back towards her companion, gesturing it was up to him to decide the way they were to follow.

"Lead the way, I'll follow."

Posted by: Living Arrow Sep 18 2013, 11:48 AM

Jill’s potential explanation of their situation was riddled with holes but Darryn couldn’t fault her logic. Either the worst accident in the history of Furoh was going down or they were witnessing something altogether deliberate and nasty. If the latter was true then who was this ’they’? A sinking feeling gripped Darryn’s stomach as he joined Jill back on his feet and took a moment to survey the destruction and panic around them while she indicated what exits were left after the Electrode had blown most of the place up.
Lyla was somewhere out there but there was no way Darryn could track her without exposing himself to the mental pressures of the chaotic crowd so he would just have to pray that she had made it out of the arena in one piece until he could search for her.

“Bravo…” Darryn picked out his Premier Ball then paused. Had Jill said that all of their Pokemon had been changed? He grabbed for his Pokedex and immediately scanned the balls pinned to his belt.

[Probopass. Roselia. Minccino. Kingler. Stantler. Gallade.]

“Dammit!” Darryn hissed, snapping the Pokedex shut and glaring around at the dispersing crowd. Someone here had to be to blame! Someone had his Pokemon! Had Lady!

“Fastest way out of here is through those Electrodes, right?” He gestured to the few milling around at the edge of their portion of arena. “Then we smash through them and get our Pokemon back – no messing around. Right… Ready Probopass?!”

“Pass.”

“Then go, use Earth Power on the Electrode!”

Posted by: Aura Dynasty Sep 19 2013, 09:20 AM

To admit it, Jill was surprised that her explanation about all of their pokémon being changed also counted for Darryn. She only had three pokémon to begin with,of which two were hers, so it wasn't hard to think of such things if you suddenly had six pokéballs at hand instead of three. Well, since he'd checked all of his pokémon, perhaps she should do that as well. Jill clicked her pokédex open and read through the names that appeared on the little screen. Azumarill and Bayleef, she already knew those, but the other four, especially the last one, made her heart jump from joy.

[Krokorok. Kricketune. Breloom. Bastiodon.]

Bastiodon! Her father had once owned a Bastiodon, so she knew their moveset as well as little kids knew the name 'MacDucklett's' Her hand already reached towards her pocket as her subconscious stopped her. Showing all your pokémon right now isn't smart. Right. With her left hand she scrolled through the moveset of the Bayleef she had received and already found a way to be of aid as well. Darryn's choice had fallen upon the left entrance, which indeed was the fastest way out of the arena, and had ordered the Probopass to start Earth Power.

"Through the Electrodes it is then! Bayleef, are you ready?"

The Bayleef nodded and looked at her with anticipation. The Probopass started to radiate a golden hue and soon the ground around him started to break, the cracks emitting that same golden light. The only thing those Electrodes could do to avoid it was to jump up, but Jill had already thought of a way to counter that as well. If she attacked from the sky, they would be forced to stay on the ground and get hit by Earth Power.

"Let's go then! Bayleef, jump as high as you can and use Magical Leaf!"

Bayleef spread its legs a bit and charged power before it catapulted itself into the sky with a majestic leap. Bayleef's skin started to glow green as it threw its head back, to thrust it forward again with a 180° turn. The leaf on its head had absorbed the green glow and now shot it back out with a burning intensity. Hundreds of colorful leaves rained down on the Electrodes before them. Those who'd jumped up to avoid the Earth Power, were hit immediately and crashed back down upon the ground. Those who were still on the ground couldn't jump up due to the continuing rain of brightly colored leaves.

"Keep it up Bayleef!"

The Electrodes had nowhere to hide from the Magical Leaf and Earth Power, so just keeping them there would be good enough to defeat the entire lot of them. Jill saw how Electrode after Electrode fell down upon the ground, badly hurt or knocked out. She actually felt sorry for them, since they hadn't chosen to be doing this, they were just being used as tools.

"Just a little while longer... then we'll be able to run for the exit. Darryn, as soon as you see a hole, we'll make a run for it, 'kay?"


Darryn nodded as he kept his eyes glued upon the field. Probopass was doing its very best and eventually a path revealed itself between the knocked-out Electrodes and those who had managed to still get up. With a smooth movement of his left arm he took out a blue pokéball with yellow markings and pointed it towards the Probopass, who got captured by the crimson light and disappeared inside it.

"At your left, close to the inner circle of the field, they've seemed to have opened up a gap! Let's go, quickly!"

"Okay, I'm right behind you! Bayleef come!"

Jill started running as soon as Darryn dashed forward too. Her Bayleef trotted behind her, finding it no issue at all to follow her. Even though, Jill searched for its pokéball and pointed it towards Bayleef, whispering a small thank you as it returned to its pokéball. It'd be safer this way, you'd never know whether they'd drop another load of Electrodes and who knows what would happen then?

It almost seemed as if she and Darryn had the same 'what if' thought, because both of them sped up even more, running down the deserted hallways of the Main Arena. All of the sudden the lights in the hallway faded away, which made the underground hallway they ran in pitch black. Swearing in mouth Jill pulled back her sleeve and pointed her right hand towards the darkness in front of her, which was suddenly lit up by a flashlight.

"Sometimes those pokégear-gadgets come in quite handy." she muttered as their environment slowly became brighter. There, in front of them, was the exit.

"We're out, finally!"

Jill exclaimed as both trainers ran into the bright light that shone through the open doors. She wondered what they'd be facing now, or what they were supposed to do. No idea what Darryn was going to do now, but Jill knew she wasn't backing down until she had gone to the bottom of this. And if her feeling for human understanding was correct, neither would Darryn, or any other trainer here.