11.22.15 -- We are approaching the holiday season very rapidly. I understand that things get busy around this time of year, just try and make sure that you don't forget about us! And, because winter is coming, things in Rakuen are about to change! Our winter event will be starting on December first so keep your eyes peeled for it and be sure to participate. You won't want to miss out. Enjoy the last little bits of your fall!
Pokemon is a copyrighted concept that belongs to Nintendo. The site plot as well as site related threads belong to the staff team. All of the images as well as posts belongs to the respective owners and or creators. The present theme was created by Noemi and Namazu with the help of Adoxography and their beatiful resources. A special thanks to Cloud for unique ideas within the site. Thank you for respecting this and not stealing from us.
Post by nattousai on Sept 28, 2015 23:27:43 GMT -5
"Man, this place is a dump...and I thought my gym was bad....yeesh..." Nattousai walks at a snail's pace with his hands in his pockets around this so called Lost Shrine place. Both his Pokemon are within their rightful Poke' Balls and sheathed for now until further notice. Generally Nattousai was a pretty bold guy, he felt comfortable and safe wherever he went really, and he made every place he's ever graced his home. He was the universal room mate that adapts with everyone, but he was also the assh*le room mate that likes to forget to do the dishes or hog the TV or watch you shower. He paid no mind to the concept of manners or mutual ground, he was always on his own setting, in his own place, and that's where he always stayed, nobody or nothing ever got him out of that place, and he preferred it that way.
Was there alot he wanted to say to Jodie? Possibly. After all the two went way back to when they both became gym leaders roughly around the same time, well, maybe not way way back, but they weren't entirely unfamiliar with eachother. A gym leader and his counter part gym leader had to have crossed paths sooner or later, Poison and Ghost worked so well together as types did they not? And it has been far too long since the two were able to have a decent conversation. "I must say Jodie I do like what you've done with the lighting around here though, I like the dark, you know, me with my photo sensitive eyes and all that nonsense...it's a nice calming undertone. So I give you props for that lady." Nattousai was assuming Jodie was lurking around here somewhere, he hasn't heard her going out recently, and he's walked passed several routes and areas of Rakuen where she wasn't to be found, she had to be home, he wanted to surprise her with this visit, but then again, he didn't think anything really surprised that loon.
"Come on now, I didn't tread all the way over here to be let down with a no show. You gotta be around here somewhere!" In reality, Dizhen City wasn't all that far, but it was far enough to be a sore or two for one's feet. He never understood why some gyms were closer to others, and other gyms were farther apart. Was it a statement thing or just to be annoying on purpose? He figured there needed to be a train system or a taxi service or something to make all the traveling easier, because a shiny red bike or a car on a cluster of islands wasn't going to do it. And boats were too....boaty to Nattousai, he got sea sick easily, and he hated the water. Besides, they were big and bulky and a risky machine on waves. There was nothing in his mind that were safe about them whatsoever, and he was going to complain to the proprietors of the region to change that one day, just not now, even the thought of boats made him queasy.
Already beat from his searching for this girl, he rests against a large tree taking in the spilling shadow the tree provides and keeps his eyes open for her presence nearby. He could make out faint images of faces and eye balls in the shaded parts of the place, and could even catch a few Ghost Pokemon whisking by him if he was super still. But it seemed the Lost Shrine was awake and knew of his intrusion here, now he was waiting to see if Jodie noticed him too.
Last Edit: Sept 29, 2015 18:47:40 GMT -5 by nattousai
Jodie was fixing the gym. For the upteenth time in the last recent bit some kid had thought it was a good idea to break something, with the help of the local residents, before ditching and leaving her with the mess. Last time it was a window. The time before that, someone tried to break into her room. Normally she could charge for vandalism, but gyms, “if they put the trainer’s life in danger, trainers are not responsible for damages dealt to property”. Normally only the ghosts made a habit of knocking stuff down out of spite.
This time, the young trainer girl had been involved in what Jodie assumed to be an epic chase scene through the gym. Dried flower pots were strewn all across the floor, along with their side tables and the occasional painting. One of Jodie’s nice antique chairs with soft green upholstery had been thrown over the banister onto the battle floor, earning itself a new, slightly smaller right armrest. Those were easily fixed. What wasn’t was the door the girl burst through on her way out a window of a reasonable height off the ground. Meaning, the girl had slammed her shoulder into the washroom door, splintering the wood completely and making it completely incapable of serving its purpose of a washroom door.
Most doors she’d let be until she could bring up a new one, because Arceus knows Jodie doesn’t keep a stock of spare doors. No, but she does live in a rotting empty city where the residents don’t usually care if you take their stuff (and if they do, well, it makes her gym all the more interesting). She’d just go out and find a workable door; there had to be one somewhere. Maybe she won’t even have to order a door.
Her plan set and her afternoon free, Jodie departs her gym in search of the elusive door, with Haunter out as her companion. She’d have to go out a ways to have any chance, as everything nearby has already been picked dry. So she went east, off the track and into a part of town she didn’t frequent.
That’s when she hears someone talking to himself. Not the incorporeal sort of someone, either - someone with some flesh behind their voice. She catches the tail end of the one-sided conversation, something about “that lady”. Jodie changes course, and the next time he speaks, identifies the voice.
The ghosts in the area seem to quiet while the man speaks, and the silence continues to hum in the air. Filling the emptiness with her own voice, Jodie says, “Nattousai, long time no see!” She comes around the tree the poison type gym leader has taken as a backrest. Haunter drifts lazy in behind her. “Looking for your dead ghost lover, I assume?” She asks with a sly smile.
Post by nattousai on Sept 29, 2015 22:31:17 GMT -5
As if on cue, the playful ever so familiar chime of Jodie's voice belts out to Nattousai in greeting. It doesn't frighten or catch the Poison Type handler off guard, he was not one to flinch or scare easily, and he had a feeling she was going to pop out and say hello any minute regardless, and he was correct in that sense when she finally showed. "Ah...there you are my youthful little witch, it has been quite the spell since I've seen you hasn't it...get it...spell...cause of ghosts and stuff....eh...whatever nevermind." He cuts to the point sparing her the petty jests. "So listen, like you, I'm kinda going on a journey of my own, starting with a fresh team and only keeping my Toxicroak along with me. But I was wondering lady pants, where would be an awesome place to find a nice, strong rare Pokemon? Preferably Poison types, but doesn't have to be ya know? I'm building a new team to see how I can balance out my gym group in case I need to...you know...change things up or get bored or something. Oh yes, and also for the thrill of a challenge. I'm assuming same goes for you?" Nattousai backtracks in his mind and catches himself being somewhat snarky and rude asking for a favor so suddenly. He tries to save face.
"Uh...I'm sorry. So sorry. I bet you feel like I'm just wanting to use you for a favor like the old days, but I promise it ain't that girlie! I swear, I do care about how you're doing and wanted to check up on you. So let's rewind okay? We can go into details about my journey later, but uhm...so how are ya? How have things been for you? I see your Haunter is as vibrant and annoying as ever." Nattousai jests again, but he figured she knew this about him by now, he was a jokester, and sarcasm, his forte. He smiles at Haunter with a wink reassuring it in his own comedic way that it was a harmless poke. "And I hear...." Nattousai circles over to Jodie and nudges her as if to pal around and acts as if he knows something juicy. "That you and the Dark Type gym leader had a meeting too? Melia is quite a gal...a little dry...a little bland...could use some personality, but woowee, she's a looker and a real live wire!" Nattousai laughs at what he remembers of her and his own take on the woman. He couldn't help it, she really was a bag of hot air and his jokes never went over with her.
"I still say my gym should be the final badge and everything should be in an order. Those damn higher ups and their rules...it's no fun that way." He sighs, sobbing his head halfheartedly. He immediately recomposes himself though truthfully not caring about other gym leaders, or really any trainer that enters his gym, rarely did a real phenomenal and special trainer ever enter his domain for a challenge, but Jodie, was the closest thing to phenomenal he could really think of. He felt more connected to her than most. And he couldn't quite put his finger on it, but she was a bit more unique than the others, a bit more spunky, and she had definitely proved she was gym leader material and there was no doubt she had skills in the field of battle. Respect is a word for her that Nattousai would actually proudly display, and it was hard to earn his respect. "I know I can be a brat to you sometimes...but I'm here, and I wanna catch up. That so bad?" He played coy there for a moment, trying to hide his flirtatious side, he cursed himself for enjoying this woman's company so much. She literally took the term of keeping it cool right out of him, and she didn't have to even try, he just had a weak spot for weird spirit girls supposedly.
Last Edit: Sept 29, 2015 22:33:04 GMT -5 by nattousai
Jodie lets the gym leader talk, having spent enough time talking (mostly complaining) to herself this morning. She lifted herself up onto a tall nearby rock, resting with her arms back and her legs swinging off the ground. He seems to oscillate between wit and apologies several times within his monologue. Jodie grins; Nattousai’s such an interesting person to talk to.
“Come on, Nattousai, if I didn’t want to talk I’d’ve left. Or never’ve shown up.” There was something about him, his wit most likely, that made conversing with the gym leader easier than most. Jodie could speak more freely, she felt.
“After my pokemon got league locked, of course I’ve found another. Going out into the tall grass alone is dangerous.” Jodie says wryly. “But you know, Poison Fang, if I knew of any places with powerful pokemon, don’t you think I’d keep it to myself? I do love my secrets and my good spots not being turned into tourist attractions.” She pauses and tilts her head to the side, looking up through the thick leaves of the trees above. “And I’d probably have more than just Haunter and Beldum with me.”
“I get around.” Jodie says with a shrug. “Best to keep good relations with all your co-workers, or at least try.” She chuckles. “But you mean Malia, the Ice Hall Leader, right? Up the mountain?” Jodie motions behind her with her thumb. Though she couldn’t see it through the thick growth of the surrounding foliage, clearer parts of the shrine gave glimpses to the much nicer residence to the north. “Unless the dark gym leader turned over and the new one’s also named Melia. Or worse, the Ice Hall leader’s taken over the dark gym too!” She puts a hand on her chin, considering the possiblity. “The girl could probably talk her way into duel league positions. And come on, you as the eighth gym leader?” She raises an eyebrow and grins. “I’d say I'm the best suited for the job. I mean, you have to climb a mountain to get here. I’ve got my own Victory Road built in.” Jodie slips off the rock and her hands into her pockets. “Maybe we’ll have to see sometime, which one of our gym teams is best suited for a trainer’s final challenge.”
Her smile drops and she claps her hands. “Oh, that’s right. Nattousai, some kid broke down a door in my gym so I’m looking around the shrine for another. You’re looking for pokemon, right? Why don’t you come with me?” Waving for him to follow, Jodie begins down the path reclaimed by the shrine’s plants. “Don’t think there’s anything especially rare out here. Unless ghastly and zubats count as rare.”
Nattousai was appreciative that his humor and sarcasm was being taken so well by Jodie, he honestly didn't expect her to be so talkative especially after all the sass he gave her, but she was in a good mood it turned out, and this made Nattousai not feel so bad with prying her a bit more. But the fact that she didn't want to share the good spots for catching Wild Pokemon made him feel a little left out. "Aw come on now Jodie, you gotta tell me the sweet spots for good Pokemon! That's not fair, I deserve to know, I've been...SORTA kind to you! That's gotta earn me something." He should have known she would be cheeky with him, he pretty much invited it with his arrogance. When he heard her try to sound humble after her statement of where she hunted for Pokemon by pointing out to him she only possessed two, as if they weren't enough or something, he pieced together that the conversation wasn't going to grant him any answers to his original Pokemon scouting question, and sure enough, the topic was changed to something else. He was okay with that though. He got the picture he was prodding faster than she would have liked; his mistake.
It wasn't long after that in which Nattousai started feeling embarrassed when she brought up the mistake he made of mixing up gym leaders names and the like, unfortunately it was a common mistake he made, because he just didn't care enough about the other gyms or getting to know their leaders, he only cared when it was necessary, and since he had a selective memory, he only remembered what interested him enough to think back on it. His face reddened in a slight flush when she corrected him. "Oh...uh...right, the Ice Type leader, sorry...my head is always in the clouds, you know this. I'm a busy guy and I don't get much sleep, what can you do. I get the leader names confused all the flippin time....it's a curse of my ignorance. Can't have good looks like these and a sophisticated personality without a few minor flaws either right?" He points to himself with a grin flashing his shiny white teeth almost glowing in the darkness surrounding them and attempts to shift her focus from his flub. She changed the topic again pretty quickly afterwards luckily cutting him some slack and teased him for thinking he could make a good eighth gym leader.
"What's wrong with wanting to be the eighth gym leader? I'm not that bad! After all this time you still think you're better than me? That's unfortunate. I don't like proving myself to people, but you and your dead things can battle me any time to find out who's better suited for a top gym position. I welcome it." He was as serious as he could be with that comment, and thought it may be fun going head to head with Jodie, it would be interesting and compelling to see how each would battle, he was intrigued. But she surprised him with an offering to escort her in taking a look around the place, he didn't have any reason to object. "Well, I'm sorry about your door, but yeah sure, I guess I could get more familiar with this quaint little hovel you spend most of your time in." Again, there was the sarcasm that Nattousai was so good at spilling out. He enjoyed that more than he should or anyone should.
"Zubats and Ghastlies? Already got a Crobat, as for Ghastly, that's also a Poison type right? That does sound enticing to add one of those guys on my team, but you already have a Haunter, and I think it wise to let you keep your Ghost Type specialty without stealing any thunder and raising a Ghost Type of my own. Gengar would be amazing to have on my team after training a Ghastly up to that level, but also weird and unsettling because I'm not exactly fond of Ghost Type Pokemon. I don't do well with battle strategies involving them. Their a whole nother animal to figure out and require a certain kind of care to raise. I'm good with just watching someone like you utilize them better." He was being frank, and he wasn't lying, he really didn't know how to handle a Ghost Type Pokemon, they were a mystery to him, and he didn't have even a sliver of interest in undertaking such a different breed of creature. "But I WILL meander with you and help you find your door, cause that really sucks someone did that to you." He could be nice, sometimes.
“Doesn’t it?” Jodie asks. “I mean, I break stuff in abandoned houses all the time, but even if it looks like junk I live in my gym. You don’t see me rampaging through occupied houses. Often.” The plants let up a little closer to the houses, but still, whatever rain and rust hasn’t taken, plants have claimed as their own. Though most of the roofs in this part of town remain standing, they won’t be of much use in a storm. The floor just floods.
This part of town was mostly left to itself. Trainers seeking thrills preferred the market district, with the old mart and center, and the plethora of shops from a time past. Plants from the old herb shop, free from human interaction, had sprouted and taken over that block. Pokemon generally avoid it. This section, when snow fell, would see only the occasional human track. It was mostly residential. One-story houses lined the dirt road, windows empty and mostly broken. Odd sets of eyes can be seen within every so often. Forms dart among the shadows. A chill has settled into Jodie’s upper back, signifying the presence of ghosts in the near vicinity.
Though it was obvious they were being watched, the pokemon around them seem to wish avoid confrontation. “No ghost types though? Then why’d you come here?” Haunter leisurely meanders around her, occasionally glancing at a by then empty window or doorway. Jodie scans the houses for viable doors. “I’d have about as much luck finding a non-poison type at your toxic factory. Though probably find zigzagoons, those little pests can live anywhere. I swear, enter any old building and it’ll have its own pack of zigzagoons to greet you. And eat all your food preserves.”
One old building catches her eye. Abandoned flower beds hide the entrance in a bramble of bushes and rotted wood, but behind them - no, as she tromps through the leaves and branches, what looked like a full front door has been snapped at the bottom. Jodie leans against the building and sighs. “Looks like we’ll have to actually go in stuff to find anything.” She gazes down at the ground, considering.
“You know how I said I didn’t know of any good places?” Jodie pauses, not sure if she wants to continue. The logical side of her said really, she should just keep looking around her, but several other members of her brain parliament where voting for the other, much more fun option. The majority was easily reached. “There’s this mansion. Small mansion; it’s mad expensive to bring anything up the mountain. But it’s got fancy rugs, three floors, and a cellar; the whole shebang. Bit north then a bit west, past the big oak tree. Problem is, it’s built on a hill so after lots of rain and no caretaking it’s not especially sound. It also has extensive berry farm out back that still has a good harvest through the spring and summer. Some of the stronger pokemon around have been fighting for it as territory.”
Jodie was already walking away. A grin has found its way to her face. “Normally I wouldn’t go in without Dusknoir, but there’s two of us. I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
Ah, actual, human, interaction. Human interaction that wasn't battling another hot headed amateur Trainer at his gym, he never counted those instances, but this...this was nice. Having a stroll in a dark wood, no light really and pretty far away from civilization located on a ragged path leading who knows where with a young lady, yep, it was real nice, and not creepy or weird or anything, just two gym leaders having a good time. Now all he needed was a windowless van. Ugh...it sounded just plain weird in his head. He was going to go moment by moment, and just let the day float by, like a Ghost Pokemon...float. He thought his own puns were funny, but he didn't actually say that, he didn't want to ruin the nice conversation him and Jodie were having with stale humor. He heard her ask a question as to why he was at her shrine, as if interrogated for his thoughtful visit, but he answered her not faulting her for her unnerving curiosity. "Why did I come here? Dear girl, I told you, I just wanted to check in and see how you've been. This is your place of choice to hang out isn't it? It's not like I'm here to be a pest or anything, I just wanted to be updated on your ghostly life. But if you wish for me to leave, just say the word and I will." Nattousai was starting to feel a little unwelcome by her questioning, and if desired by her, he would leave, but if she favored his company, he would keep obliging her with friendly chatter.
"It's just harmless catching up. That's all, and we also need to find you a door, so I'm here to support you in that as well." He kept his conversation more buddy like, and professional from gym leader to gym leader, he felt he was starting to make her kind of uncomfortable with his manner of conversing, so he toned it down a bit. "And don't critique my toxic gym, it's a masterpiece, and took years to build it to a favorable condition as it is now. If you have...ideas...to make it more, well, appealing, I'm all ears, but I won't be gloom and dooming it up with dead trees and apparitions everywhere like yours. It's supposed to intimidate and instill motivation for my trainers, not spook them and make them soil themselves." He was very passionate about his gym and his technique of gym leadership, he thought of his challengers and trainers as students who wish to progress and learn, and he did actually enjoy giving out badges, there was something refreshing and exciting in battling young trainers, such fire so many had in their bellies, but he just didn't like how repetitive it can get sometimes.
"Every gym leader has their own style....that's what makes all of us stand out on the road to obtaining all the badges and going to the league much more fun. Although, a visiting Zigzagoon here and there around the facility isn't the worst idea, they could gobble up the rotten food always laying around that the Poison Pokemon keep sneaking in and chase off the Rattata that occasionally lurk in the corners. I need to plug those holes and loose ends in the place one of these days, my gym is not as old and rickety as yours, but its pretty roughed up from all the chemicals inside it rusting it up and from using it for so long without constant upkeep. It is a tedious chore let me tell you." He always was meaning to hire someone to liven up his gym every now and then and keep it clean and fresh, but if it was too clean and spotless it would chase the Poison Types away lurking inside of it and probably would make the place not stand out as much as well as making it too different than the look and feel Nattousai was going for with it.
Nattousai caught himself droning on, sounding like a broken record, and he could tell Jodie was in an adventurous mood, so he aims for keeping shorter conversation while she scouts for the door and treks the land with him. She mentions a mansion as if it was this wondrous anomaly, and he sensed a great joy overcome her as she talks in detail about it, so it must be quite the commodity. He liked seeing her get pumped up like this, it was a pleasant feeling, and the uppity vibes she had were rubbing off onto him just the same. "Strong Pokemon at this mansion, eh? I like the sound of that. Even if there weren't any Pokemon around there I'd be interested in, the way you promote this so called mansion has got me wired to see it. So if you say it is an amazing place, I'll believe it. I trust your judgment my lady." He was just happy to be out of his gym and doing something else, and her eager energy got him just as excited. "Lead the way." She was already five steps ahead of him as he said this, so he picks up the pace and keeps to her side as they both move forward.
Last Edit: Oct 2, 2015 8:37:11 GMT -5 by nattousai
“It takes forever, right? Keeping the gyms in shape.” Jodie says, stepping high over tall plants. The mansion had but one road leading to it, and as per town fashion it’s been thoroughly claimed by various leafy life forms that made it difficult to follow. “No one wants to help me either. Apparently not many people like the combination of ghosts and non-potable water. Those that do spend their time telling silly ghost stories to kids out in the swamp. That leaves me with all the dusting, fixing, finding doors… I assume it’s the same for you. Can’t imagine toxic waste lends itself to employee safety.” Jodie sighs. “So hard to find good help.”
This was refreshing. A walk through the cold mountain forest, plant life beneath her feet, many sets of eyes trained on the two leaders, and a quest to drive them forward. Nattousai was a great companion. His turns of phrase were a nice break from the norm. Him calling her “my lady” made her feel like this was a medieval quest.
For which, the mansion was a perfect setting. The old thing clings to the hill like a spider to the side of a wall in a rainstorm. One more fallen leg would bring the whole structure down. Bits of the mansion seemed to have gotten a head-start on their fate; a few planks of scrap wood lay beneath the structure. The floor inside would likely be unstable. Hopefully Jodie wouldn’t lose a boot like last time she stepped straight through an old floor.
In a kind of ironic justice, what was once a nicely trimmed hedge has overtaken the path up to the house, requiring a bit of a roundabout route. Jodie pauses at the door leading in (ten feet tall, half stained glass, and once covered in white paint). Haunter has drifted close to her. Something strong’s in the area, no doubt.
“Say, Nattousai, how much do you know about legendary pokemon?” The knob doesn’t work. Forcing her weight on it, Jodie pushes the tall wood and glass door open. “For instance, the legendary Celebi?” Perhaps it’s the green, shredded drapes that greet them with a complimentary puff of dust. Celebi was the first thing to pop into Jodie’s head.
Nothing else comes to greet them, not even the complimentary pack of zigzagoons. Jodie slips inside and waits for Nattousai to follow.
The conversation was flowing much better than expected. It may have been partly due to the pace of the walk and how oddly enjoyable it was for Nattousai to partake in. Jodie was also so down to Earth that time just seemed to fly by when he was around her, this was what Nattousai needed more of. "Gym upkeep is part of the job I guess. Being a leader of a gym you kind of have to keep it battle ready and appropriate for Trainers of all ages and abilities. I mean, you don't wanna get sued or something or have your Gym Leader privileges revoked because of a broken floor that some poor kid fell in or something you know?" Though it was mandatory, Nattousai hated livening up his gym. He just didn't have the time to keep it fresh and reinforce all the holes and nooks and crannies. He was too busy focusing on forming a new team and this journey he had undertaken, it was much more interesting and fun than standing and waiting around in a gym that always felt like you could never leave being full of disrespectful Trainers that thought they were the best at what they did, only to be vaguely disappointed. At times it was like a prison, and Nattousai wasn't having any of that.
Finally the two had reached the mansion, and it was not nearly as magical and exciting as Nattousai originally thought and what Jodie hyped it up to be. Nattousai saw it as a rickety old shack which needed to be condemned and demolished, but then he glanced over at Jodie and saw a glint in her eye and how taken by this building she was as if it was a treasured gem, and he couldn't help but see it in her perspective after that. Maybe there was something about it that was special and desirable, it had some charm, and he could grow to like it. She then mentioned the term Legendary Pokemon, and this struck a chord with Nattousai, though he's never seen one himself, well not all of one anyway, he recalled a moment at the Tin Tower in Johto when he visited there as a kid and what he perceived to be a Legendary Pokemon.
"Legendary...Pokemon?" He remembers standing at the bottom of Tin Tower and hearing a loud cry that sounded like a large bird, he looked up and saw one rainbow colored wing expand over the roof and shimmer in the sunlight as the bells of Tin Tower rang. He had heard the Legendary Pokemon Ho-Oh lived there, and though he once believed Legendary Pokemon to be only myth, he thought he had almost witnessed the Legendary Bird Ho-Oh on the tower that day. "I am...familiar with Legendary Pokemon, yes. And Celebi is one of them I know of." He knew Celebi was a powerful Psychic and Grass type, but he didn't think it would hide out in a place like that mansion. "Um..are you really thinking a Celebi is in there? And I bet it's pretty dangerous too so you should probably get away from there." He didn't like how damaged the mansion was, and Jodie going in was only putting her life in grave, grave danger. The building could collapse at any time, and Nattousai needed to be ready for it in case he had to rescue Jodie and get her outta there, and he wasn't like a certified Pokemon Ranger or anything to do it either.
Jodie was ferociously ambitious, entering the mansion without another word and showing up Nattousai as he became the more cowardice of the two with her bravery showing vividly, but a coward he was not. He stopped questioning the dangers and proceeded to enter the building with Jodie. "If there is a Celebi in there we might wanna go back and swap out our current team with our gym team, or that thing will cream us right quick." There was no telling what lurked in that mansion, but in a rundown place like that, it had to be a breeding ground for who knows what kind of Pokemon, and furthermore, who knew how powerful anything would be in there either. "Well, right then, guess I'll just be right behind ya." Nattousai follows closely behind Jodie shutting the door behind him quietly, and lets her lead them to a new door.
The house smells of mold. Walking further in, Jodie finds a healthy and flourishing colony expanding its territory up the west wall, slowly turning the once extravagant wallpaper green. The nearest door, like the curtains and parts of the wall, was unartistically stroked with claws. The quest for a door continues.
“If you see a celebi, please let me know.” Jodie laughs. “But I really doubt it’d choose this stinky old house to live in.” She knocks down the old broken door with a hard kick. Behind lays an old, large kitchen, complete with that old wooden box people used to store milk in. “Nah, I was just curious if you knew the old tale about Celebi and the wurmple.” A wooden spoon, stained a light red, hung on a hook beside the kitchen’s entrance. Peering around the ice box, Jodie found… yet another broken door.
“It’s from around here, you know.” She continues. She steps further into the kitchen, making sure the two trainers aren’t too far away to help each other if necessary. Haunter still hangs close to her side. “Story goes, long before humans made this settlement on the mountain, there was a second shrine. South east of here. It was a small wooden shrine, and at the base a sapling was planted. Over time it grew and absorbed most of the shrine into its trunk. Back then, people said if you visited the shrine you’d be sure to see the legendary Celebi, who had taken residence.”
No more doors here. She returned to the opening room. “Anywhere around here catch your eye as a good spot to look?” She asks Nattousai.
All this time Nattousai thought he was the jokester with the sarcasm, but he was way wrong, Jodie had just as much pep, if not moreso, than he had, and he praised that. The whole Celebi thing turns out was just a ruse from her, and for that he applauded her and made a mental note to be peppier than her next time. "Well you sure know how to give someone an arm twist that's for certain. Nicely done Jodie, you got me good. Celebi being here did seem a bit unrealistic, I should have known that, but you sounded so believable heh...you'd be a great actress." There weren't enough actors in the world, and the magic of performing arts was so seldom lately, and unappreciated, so ofcourse he was serious about that. He wanted art to flood the world in every aspect, things would be alot more bearable if that were the case. She goes on to agree with Nattousai though, about the place being a crap hole, and whatever Pokemon liked hanging around here must not be the cleanest or nicest Pokemon out there. "You really wouldn't want to live here though? Oh that's a shame. All it needs is a bellhop and a dusting and this joint could be a usual five star hotel!" He was just being competitive with the joking now, and it was unnecessary, but he loved thinking of new material, and he holds nothing in.
"Celebi and Wurmple....now that's a combination of Pokemon I could never see together..." He thought of the two Pokemon side by side, on a Trainer's team, and thought that maybe it could work, but a Bug Type and a Grass Type are both weak against similar things, but a Celebi's psychic side could be a wild card and prove deadly in that sense. Plus, Wurmple was capable of Poison Type moves, which also helps odds in battle slightly as well. He figured it could work with a smart Trainer utilizing them in the end, but not easily. She goes on to speak about a folk tale concerning Celebi and a tree trunk in a shrine, apparently it was nearby, which made him curious, but he knew they weren't walking around to hunt a Legendary, so he dismissed fancying the idea. "A plant consuming an entire shrine? Oh dear, I wouldn't want to be the gardener of that place...I'd need me some big tools to tackle that job. The Grass Type Gym Leader might jump on that task though, and to them I say, have at it!" He just keeps rolling with those jokes. As long as it didn't bother Jodie, which so far he didn't think they did, he would keep em coming.
"I don't think there's anything around here but rotting wood and dusty broken furniture. The only good door you'll find is the one you probably kicked down back there. I was impressed by the way with that footwork, you do Martial Arts?" He was halfway kidding, but he didn't want to discredit what he said, she may have practiced Martial Arts in the time the two have been busy and unable to speak to one another and he could have never known. He learned long ago that assuming is never respectful at any level, and could land someone in alot of trouble, but in this case, he assumed in a nice and kind hearted manner, she might even be flattered by the statement. Even so, she would be dense to throw out a compliment, which it was. Ransacking an old mansion wasn't exactly thrilling anyway, and his silliness would make it much more pleasant.
“Yes, with mother nature as my teacher.” Jodie jokes. “Though,” she rubs the back of her head, “I really hope that wasn’t the best door in this house. It only had half a top.” And now it was missing its hinges. Scanning the room, she searches for any promising places to search. Sadly, no glowing quest markers appear to show her the way.
An idea strikes her. “Doesn’t this place have a basement?” Bad question, of course Nattousai wouldn’t know. “I think it does. Those places are great for keeping spare doors in.” It’s a long shot, Jodie knows, but it’s about as likely as finding the doors upstairs in good shape.
Plan made, Jodie sets out on finding the cellar and continues her story. “Oh ho, Nattousai, there’s only more twists to come. Like, spoiler, the celebi and wurmple don’t get along at all. That’s the whole point, you see; the tree had absorbed the shrine, and like you said, that was a bit of a problem. The resident celebi thought it was kinda cool at first, but once she couldn’t get in the little celebi-sized front door, well, that was a bit of a bother.”
Jodie finds a door (or doorway, the actual door that once hid what was behind seems to have vanished completely) built into the side of the stairway, leading to another downward set of stairs. The cover provided from the stairs above and the lack of lighting makes it hard to see past the fifth step. Pausing for a moment, Jodie fishes in her backpack for her flashlight. “That’s when wurmple showed up. He said he could help celebi - he was a gardener, you see.” She says. With a click of a button, the flashlight illuminates the short stairway down to a wide landing, at the bottom of which is a large metal hatch in the floor.
“That was easy.” She grins. “But anyways,” Jodie was far enough into this story she was pulling out of her hat that she didn’t want to stop. “Celebi gladly accepted the help. She decided to go on a quick vacation while the nice young wurmple trimmed the tree back. She returned a couple of days later,” Jodie steps onto the landing, and the wood creaks loudly under her boot. “And she found a big stump. The wurmple was a self-proclaimed gardener, you see. Everyone else called him a garden-killer.”
The metal hatch was built into the floor, but had a handle to pull it open. It was rather big; big enough to fit large kegs of alcohol through, which was the other main reason to have a cellar. Jodie doubts it could be very thick. The old wooden floor wouldn’t be able to hold something too heavy up. Holding her flashlight in her mouth and widening her stance beside the hatch, Jodie grabs the metal ring and pulls. It puts up a fight and makes a ruckus of loud screeches, but it’s no match for the gym leader. The hatch door, now lain against the wall, reveals a creaky wooden ladder down into a dark room.
Jodie shoots a grin at Nattousai. She points the flashlight down into the hole, and seeing nothing sharp she’d land on, slides down the ladder. Down underground, the air was cold. The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. As she waited for Nattousai to follow her, she shone the flashlight around the large room. The walls and floor were stone, and the wood that made the ceiling also made the dozens of shelves lined in rows.
“Now here’s your five-star hotel.” Jodie says. “No renovations necessary.” For just a moment, something seems to move in the light. Quickly Jodie swings the flashlight back. The light finds nothing but a half-empty shelf of preserves. Something creaks, though not from the wood above or the ladder behind her. This was a heavier sound. Haunter, glowing a dim purple in the darkness, hangs very close. Is something else down here?
"Thankfully Jodie, doors are not a withering resource." Nattousai was beginning to think Jodie belonged to that stemming pool of picky people in the world with her very distinct mindset on what a good door should be. "Perhaps the door should be made of crystal...or gold...have a large Pyroar knocker on its frame maybe? I bet such detail would make your Gym just shimmer." He may have stretched that lie just a tad farther than he should have, but when you have a sarcastic ding bag like Nattousai with you shopping for doors, what else can be expected? He wasn't a spokesperson for the best door store in town that was certain, but he was a man of strange taste for the weird and witty. "A basement you say? Sure, because that's not terrifying at all. Let's go into a basement of a creepy decrepit house in darkness and find a door." He pauses not fond of the suggestion, but he's been proven wrong before, so he can't tease her for it too badly. "You can't be to blame for that thought though, there really isn't alot in terms of decent doors offered around here in the open, so the basement may be our best bet. The almighty door you need may be hidden away somewhere hard to reach. A basement can conceal many things without a problem, so that's actually believable of you to say." He was going back to a sweet, sensible version of himself to overlap and cover up his sass from earlier.
Jodie ends up going into the ending of her previous Celebi story, and Nattousai did not like its finish at all. In fact, he hated endings like she mentioned, and preferred not to hear them. Nattousai follows Jodie to a downstairs landing staying close to Jodie's Haunter and flashlight knowing his Toxicroak and Geodude would be useless to traverse quite the dark place. "So wait...the Wurmple could actually use gardening tools like clippers and hedge trimmers and stuff to cut down a tree? There's no way it could have done that with its teeth. I find this story more like a fable, and hard to believe. Are all supposed legends and tales like this so nonsensical?" There Nattousai went again with his cheekiness. After the story ended there was silence, and the search went into an intense scouting game. They were going into deeper unfamiliar territory so caution arose to a level of extremity, and alertness between the two, and the Haunter, broadened as well. The group goes down a hatch to what looked like an even darker and dirtier part of the home. "Who would ever live here?" Nattousai whispered this as they stuck close and kept searching.
"Dang, five star hotels have really went down hill these days..." The further the group went, the more he wanted to go back out into the fresh air. He would have rather been playing with ghosts outside than being trapped in this hell hole. "Gosh this place could cave in any second on us, let's try to be careful." He was starting to feel a bit nauseous, but kept going. As they went on a noise was heard, a very audible noise of a dense creaking. He raises a brow, keeping a hand on his backpack in case he needed to send out one of his Pokemon for safety, and stays deathly quiet, trying not to lure out whatever made that noise.
Last Edit: Oct 5, 2015 10:20:20 GMT -5 by nattousai
Jodie was more than glad Nattousai was coming along. Most people would have wimped out by now, if they’d even stuck around this long. Even so, the poison gym leader seems to be on edge. Not that Jodie could say she wasn’t feeling the same.
“Alright, Nattousai, here’s a business proposal.” Now that Nattousai was with her, she moves the flashlight slowly through the darkness. An occasional glass or aluminum can reflects back a bit of light. Many of the glass things are broken, letting the contents mold up on the shelves and scattering glass on the floor. Jodie watches her step.
“No one owns this place, not any more, so let’s claim it and open shop. We’ll make millions.” Jodie’s muscles are tense.
Something darts across the beam of the flashlight. Quickly, she tries to swivel it to track the object, but its vanished back into the darkness before she can gauge so much as a color. Jodie feels her fight or flight response kick in. But the butterflies bring with them a wide grin; how could she not enjoy this? Here she was, in a dark place she’d never been with another gym leader who was just as quick to crack a joke as she was.
Jodie bumps into a shelf. It startles her enough to make her jump back - and something else enough to make it yap. The high-pitched call is followed by skittering footsteps. That’s it; there’s no doubt anymore. “Yep, something’s definitely down here.” Jodie says.
Her statement is met with a confirming crash of glass against stone floor. Haunter, too, is tense. He never liked it when he couldn’t see the enemy - it was his job to hide in the darkness and scare stuff.
The immediate exit from the ladder is walled on either side by tall shelves containing preserves. Similar shelves run parallel beside them. Facing forward, however, her light shines without interruption until the darkness overtakes it. To the sides are large wooden kegs, and beside those are more shelves.
Whatever was here, Jodie doubts it’s a ghost. Those don’t make the pitter-patter sound when they move. This was a pokemon. That, or a little old man looking for a precious ring.
Jodie couldn’t forget her main goal. There had to be a door here somewhere. The flashlight doesn’t reveal any in the near vicinity, so perhaps further in? Jodie walks slowly deeper into the cellar. A few meters in, her footfall is met with a loud hiss. To the left, where she heard it, the light reveals nothing. She glances back at Nattousai, but takes another step forward.
As if on a cue, the other occupants of the room shoot out of the shadows on either side of her. Jodie jumps back, barely reacting in time to avoid the collision. The two pokemon, aiming to hit Haunter with a fake out, phase through the ghost pokemon. They skid a landing between the two trainers, revealing themselves in the light; a pair of meowstic, one blue and one white. Their hair stands on end and their teeth are bared.
Nattousai tries to hear for the loud noise again, but he doesn't pick up on anything. He continues his conversation with Jodie to quell his foreboding. "Owning a shop with you I think won't be so bad, though you might decorate it so it's practically Halloween all year round in the joint...I may not be a fan of that part..." Just as he finishes his sentence something jets across the room, and Nattousai just barely manages to catch a glimpse of a shadowed figure running around. "Nobody move." He freezes, trying to pretend he's a statue or something and being silent, so hopefully he doesn't get noticed. Jodie's Haunter was pretty useless at the moment though, it was just as scared as everyone else was, it barely had any courage at all. Nattousai was only scared due to one factor and one alone, he was in pitch black and really could hardly see a damn thing. "So this is the life of a blind person?" He whispers, knowing he probably shouldn't have said anything. They were sure to be discovered now.
Another figure bangs around the room, there are two different noises heard overlapping eachother and two different shadows prancing about. This was not just one creature in the night, there was two, Nattousai could make out that much. Pokemon, two Pokemon taking shelter here, times must be rough. "I think we both know at this point, that obviously something is down here Jodie..." He was dogging her for missing her common sense a moment there, but he hears a hiss, the noises get closer, and the figures can be witnessed fast approaching the Trainers. In a flash they do some kind of quick hit on Haunter and land between Nattousai and Jodie revealing themselves to be two differently colored Meowstic, which from Nattousai's understanding, were not weak Pokemon by any means to pick a fight with. Their psychic ability was tenacious, and should not be taken lightly.
"I hate Psychic Types..." Nattousai grumbled, realizing that using Toxicroak against them would be a mistake, so he grabs further down in his backpack and pulls out his alternative Pokemon he caught not long ago. It was stubborn, and rebellious, but it was his best bet in this fight, and it was tougher than most Wild Pokemon out there. "Okay, let's go...GEODUDE!" Nattousai flings a Poke' Ball to the ground and a Geodude appears groaning with flexed muscles at the cats. "You're going to listen to me right?" It groans again and turns its back to Nattousai, putting all its focus and attention on the cat Pokemon not giving him any satisfaction. "Oh boy...." He wasn't liking the response his Geodude was giving, but at least it was willing to fight. "Well Jodie, I hope you like messes, because Geodude likes to make big ones. He's gonna tear this place up and I can't stop him." Geodude lets out a roar pounding the ground and with arrogance, uses Magnitude to shake and harm the Meowstic before they can attack.
"Oh no. Maybe he was a bad choice. If he uses Earthquake even once he will bring this whole place down on us!" The Magnitude attack was strong enough to cause bits of the building to crumble such as pieces of the roof and the paint chips on the walls, while also sending some furniture crashing to the floor. Afterwards, the Geodude uses Rock Polish to lighten its body and raise its speed for quicker attacks and higher impact when it comes to tackling and take down moves. "Jodie, Haunter may have to be the reliable one here, hate to say it." Nattousai hasn't even been able to mouth a single command yet and the Geodude was happily doing its own thing. Control was everything in a battle, and Nattousai wasn't a person that thrived on chaos or disaster, especially not in a building bound to break any second.
Geodude HP: 100%
Magnitude 7-->Rock Polish
Last Edit: Oct 6, 2015 0:39:24 GMT -5 by nattousai
ooc: I did 1 move for each rather than 2 if you'd like to give them attacks
The ground rocks. The other occupants of the room stumble with the sudden shake (baring Haunter, who just hovers in the air). The floor above them creaks. Dust and dirt fall in clumps from the shifting ceiling, bringing chunks of the wood above down with them in a few cases. Jars shake and shatter on the ground. A few pieces of furniture upstairs and a shelf from behind them topple. Jodie grabs onto the nearest thing, being the side of the large wooden keg.The two wild pokemon struggle to get their bearings, and seem jostled by the magnitude to say the least.
Old houses, already just hanging on by threads, are prone to damage when shook. When the shaking settles a few moments later, she gathers herself and shoots Nattousai a thumbs up.
The thing about meowstic, males and females learn different moves, and of the two, the female is the one to hit the hardest. “Eddy, sucker punch on the white one!” Jodie yells.
Haunter reacts at the same moment the female meowstic jumps to action. As Jodie had anticipated, she attempts to fire off an attack at the geodude who caused the ruckus - only to be struck by the ghost’s dark attack. She skids backwards. Her attack had already been prepared, and simply refocuses it to the haunter in front of her.
Haunter recoils at the short-range psybeam. The male meowstic, unperturbed by the scrabble between the other two, fires off his own psybeam at the original target: Geodude.
Jodie gets to her feet and retreats back beside the keg. She wanted to make sure she had some kind of shield if stuff started toppling down. Haunter puts some distance between him and his adversaries. “Hypnosis, white one!” Jodie says.
Haunter fires off his own beam, but the meowstic jumps out of the way.
Nattousai waits for the building to stop shaking and settle grasping a chunk of a wall for balance before issuing a command to his Geodude; though the Geodude may not bother to listen. But before he could give a command the Geodude was blasted with a beam of varied colors and intense rays of light. The Rock Type Pokemon was too sturdy though to budge from the beam's impact, and just kind of winced slightly at the attack. Geodude is now rightfully upset that it was attacked first, and lets out a very loud battle cry. "Uh oh...he's really not gonna listen now, it'll turn into a fit of blind fury. Geodude, focus, use Rock Polish and then Rock Throw at the male Meowstic!" But the Geodude was too caught up in its rage and own mindset to follow Nattousai's commands and was about to start an Earthquake as the building started to shake again, but the same male Meowstic that attacked it was fast enough to attack again taking advantage of Geodude's tantrum and screaming at Geodude right back, but with a much louder and actually harmful sound shooting out a Disarming Voice attack at the floating rock with intense vibrations heading Geodude's way.
The Geodude, in his madness, rolled into a tight ball and bounced out of the way of the vibrations after learning its lesson the first time the cat caught it off guard with an attack. It stopped its preparation to use Earthquake and goes from a rolling dodge to a Defense Curl maneuver raising its defense. The Meowstic mimics this, but only better, raising its little arms in the air and putting up a solid magical screen of defense in front of it and its partner creating a Light Screen for the two Pokemon to help keep them safer in battle. The Geodude then begins spinning its body at a ridiculous pace right where it was grinding its skin into the ground and quickly rolling a circle practically creating a hole in the floor to raise its speed yet again using Rock Polish. It became a contest of buffing eachother up between the male Meowstic and the Geodude, and it then became a matter of who would attack next. For now both kept with a defensive strategy, with the male Meowstic keeping a watchful eye over the female, and sticking very close to her to keep them both safe.
"This Geodude really is a pain to train....seriously, do you ever listen!?" The Geodude says nothing and stays focused in polishing its body finishing up the process for a speedier assault. "Crap, maybe I do need to get my Toxicroak out Robin...what do you think?" While Nattousai is getting Robin's attention, the female Meowstic goes right back to work on Haunter the same time the male Meowstic and Geodude keep with their own tussle. The female growls and raises two fingers to its head as if saluting, and emits a radial wave of energy at the Haunter to inflict a Confusion attack. It then meows lovingly to its male companion and unleashes an invisible barrier of air in front of them adding an extra layer of protection to the Light Screen to also protect them from fast acting moves such as the Haunter's Sucker Punch. The kitties now had a prominent field of protection around them protecting them from both Special Attacks and priority moves. They worked terrifyingly well together in battle, and they weren't going down so simply.
Geodude HP: 89%
Defense Curl-->Rock Polish
Meowstic(M) HP: 90%
Disarming Voice-->Light Screen
(Light Screen In Effect. 5 turns left.)
Meowstic(F) HP: 75%
Confusion-->Quick Guard
(Quick Guard In Effect.)
Last Edit: Oct 9, 2015 9:43:03 GMT -5 by nattousai
Meowstic M: 90% Psyshock to Haunter -> Psyshock to Geodude
Meowstic F: 60% Asleep for 3 turns under the effect of a weaker Nightmare
Haunter shutters as he’s hit with another psychic attack, courtesy of the female meowstic. Nattousai wasn’t the only one considering swapping pokemon.
But then again all she has on her is Eddy and Beldum, and she still had yet to use Beldum in a battle. This was not the sort of fight a young pokemon wanted to start their training on.
“Geodude’s already buffed himself, I’d keep him in.” Jodie calls. Not that she knew his other pokemon’s abilities.
What she did know was the psychic types had an advantage on the poison and ghost type haunter. Those two attacks hit hard - Haunter had only hit hard back because of a dark type move, but with the two pokemon’s defences raised, that’s no longer an option. Brute force will not carry this day.
She just had to hope, “Haunter, hypnosis again, white one!” The ghost pokemon takes a moment this time, centering his gaze on the mobile meowstic. The two pokemon lock eyes. The tense speed in psychic pokemon disperses as her eyes flicker and her body goes limp.
Jodie breaths a sigh of relief. The male meowstic looks between his fallen comrade and the perpetrator. His hair bristles, his eyes light up - psychic energy resonates in the air, gathering and solidifying. The waves shoot at the unsuspecting Haunter. Jodie jumps back as several more fly past, striking the ground and other nearby objects. Dust rises up from where she stood moments before. Liquid trails down her hand and pools on the ground from the keg beside her. The meowstic turns again, focusing the same attack on his other opponent. Psychic waves fly through the air again, ripping shelves in their way.
The female meowstic wouldn’t be asleep forever, and when she woke up, the cannon of the team would resume her attack. They’d have to take her out before then.
Jodie decides to take a risk. “Nightmare!” She commands. Nightmare sits as one of the most difficult moves Haunter knows, and the ghost pokemon hasn’t had much for practice. Haunter moves away from the male meowstic, back behind a shelf, and focuses again on the sleeping pokemon. For a moment something sinister radiates in the air. The white meowstic shifts restlessly in her sleep.
"Oh man what I wouldn't give to have my Nidoking or any of my Gym Pokemon with me right now really..." He couldn't stand working with a Pokemon that wouldn't listen, but Jodie was right, it was already out and strengthened itself, no need to waste a turn switching out and having his Toxicroak clean up the mess Geodude made to begin with. That wasn't fair, especially not to his more loyal and deserving partner. He wanted to finish this battle as quickly and easily as possible before his Geodude takes down the whole place with his stubbornness. He could see that the female Meowstic was really struggling as of late, and it would be the easiest target to finish off, Nattousai was thinking it best to take her out first. The Geodude may be more reasonable to command with one less opponent out of the way and it could maintain its temper better as well. But Nattousai could also see Jodie's Haunter was in turmoil, even though it may have whittled down and exhausted the female to a slumber, the Haunter wasn't doing so hot right now.
As Nattousai was contemplating where to go from here, a wave of psychic energy shot out and hit both Jodie's Haunter and his Geodude. The rock Pokemon shook as the wave washed over it but thanks to its buffing up, it didn't hit too hard, but it did make the Geodude that much more irate. "Geodude keep it together. Rock Throw on the sleeping one. And then Rock Blast on the same one!" The ticked off Geodude heard Nattousai, but once more, it did its own thing instead. The Geodude creates a massive rock out of thin air and then chucks it at the sleeping Meowstic, but afterwards, instead of Rock Blast, it grinds itself into the ground spinning like a bowling ball and then launches itself at the Meowstic for a Rollout attack. It would keep bowling this Meowstic over again and again from here on out with the same attack until it would faint. "No, no that's not what I asked!" The Geodude lets Nattousai down again with its disobedience, and Nattousai stomps the ground fed up.
His frustration turns to guilt and shame as he looks at Jodie and apologetically sobs his head. "I'm so sorry....I really am." All he could really do was watch as his Geodude takes its own initiative and slams itself into the sleeping Meowstic several times over with a Rollout. He couldn't stop it. The awake Meowstic sees this and grows dangerously violent and defensive of its female companion. It shrills widening its arms and sprouting a pink mist from its hands using the attack Misty Terrain to make it so the Geodude and the Haunter would have more difficulty seeing the opponents and landing their attacks. After the room was shrouded in pink gas, Meowstic taps into its brain power and unleashes a circular sphere or painful rays at the Geodude using Psychic to throw it off its course of the Rollout attack. The move hits the rock Pokemon but doesn't veer it off course really, just barely slows its path as it keeps rolling away into the female.
Geodude HP: 60%
Rock Throw-->Rollout
(Rollout In Effect. 5 turns left. Defense Curl used previously, Rollout's power doubled.)
Meowstic(M) HP: 90%
Misty Terrain-->Psychic
(Light Screen In Effect. 4 turns left.)
Meowstic(F) HP: 25%
Asleep.
(Quick Guard In Effect.)
Last Edit: Oct 12, 2015 9:28:01 GMT -5 by nattousai
Meowstic F: 10% Asleep - 2 turns left Affected by a weak Nightmare
The smell of alcohol mixes with the meowstic’s attack, creating pungent fumes that fill the stale air. Retreating, moving carefully in the ruckus between the psycic type and geodude, Jodie circles back to where the battle has not quite yet reached. She winks at the other gym leader. “Come on, Nattousai, this wouldn’t be fun if it wasn’t a challenge!”
While the quick guard had dispersed, the defences the male meowstic had set up still remained in place. The female was all but down for the count. Normally, Jodie would move in for a curse on the male, since she had Nattousai’s pokemon to back her up, but Eddy had sustained more damage than what Jodie would consider safe. At this point, her best bet was to gang up on the last pokemon standing. “Haunter, dark pulse, blue one!”
Haunter, since the psyshock, had retreated back from the battle. His gaze had remained ever locked on the standing pokemon. Even in the misty and dark basement, when Jodie gave the command, he knew exactly where the meowstic was. The air around the ghost type grew cold - colder than before - and in a sudden moment of tension, a beam of dark thoughts fires at the psychic type.
“Again!” Jodie yells, before the dust from the impact can even settle. Haunter fires another blast, hitting the meowstic twice in quick succession.
Dirt and dust disperses into the pink mist. The meowstic gets up and shakes himself off. Jodie blinks in surprise - that should have at least have knocked a large chunk off the pokemon’s stamina.
Then it dawned on Jodie. “Wait, you mean, that wasn’t reflect?!” Jodie says in alarm.
Meowstic is not amused. He doesn’t hesitate, shooting another round of psybeams, first at Haunter (to get him off his back) then quickly at the geodude threatening the other pokemon.