Forward movements
OOC: Taking off from Miv's last.
Trina cast the phone a slightly worried look, wondering if she should call back. Then again, Miv had been out training, and he could certainly take care of himself. Well, his team could; there were very few teams out there that could best her brother's companions. Knowing he'd contact her when he had the chance, Trina instead stowed the phone, turning back to her own companions.
A sharp whistle grabbed their attention, the two sinuous pseudo-serpents lifting heads out of the water, the staticy Jolteon perking her ears, the Altaria and Charmander turning toward her, and the sulky Bagon glaring out of the corner of his eye. "C'mon, guys, we should probably find a place to rest for the night."
"[One more battle!]" Bahamut demanded, stomping one little dragon foot on the ground and looking up at her defiantly. Roxy looked about to speak up to the brash dragon but instead shook her head, her ears flapping, and Tiamat made eye contact to share an aggrieved look with the Jolteon.
Trina frowned, then sighed softly. "Fine, one more battle. You should be making Shelgon soon. Rhapsody, can you scout? Everyone else, gather up," and she gestured to the Pokéballs as the Altaria took flight to find an opponent. One by one the other Pokémon returned to their balls, the Charmander last, until only the Bagon and the scouting Altaria remained.
"Let's make this reasonably quick," she lectured Bahamut, who snorted derisively. "I'm serious. We've got a lot of preparations to make for this journey, and I don't want you to just fool around. I should be trying to get Blayze up to level with the rest of us, since that's going to take quite a while."
She was cut off by the fluting trill of the Altaria, and as she looked to the sky it took her a moment to make Rhapsody out; her kind blended so easily with the blue and white-fluff. Not far away...probably a rock type, here in the mountains, but if Bahamut was going to be stubborn, he'd have to take what they found. She started off along the rocky trail, Bahamut jogging behind with determined puffs of breath.
As she rounded a bend in the path below Rhapsody's location, she came nearly face-to-face with a grazing Donphan. She yelped, the Donphan snorted and raised its trunk, and Bahamut charged forward, not even giving the pachydermine Pokémon a chance to react as he bashed his helmeted head into the tough hide of his opponent. With that Headbutt, the battle was on, and the Donphan so surprised that he flinched. Bahamut didn't hesitate; the diminuative dragon followed up his lead-off attack with a nasty Leer, having sensed in his Headbutt that the Donphan's tough hide gave it plenty of Defense.
Trina, meanwhile, was taking stock of the situation, nodding to the Altaria that landed behind her to watch. There were no other Donphan around, making this one a young bachelor, possibly just recently evolved and on his own, unable to impress a female Donphan because he had not yet learned Rollout. He was on fairly even level with Bahamut, and the Bagon's strong showing in the opening gave him an edge. The Donphan trumpeted angrily as he reacted to the Headbutt and Leer, charging and lashing with his tusks in a strong Fury Attack at the smaller dragon. Bahamut tried to evade but was scored three times by the growing tusks of the wild Pokémon, but instead of retreating back, he took advantage of the close quarters to deliver a sharp Bite to the Donphan's trunk.
The Donphan immediately Flailed, tossing the Bagon off his trunk with a startled trumpet, and Bahamut crashed down against a rock--fortunate for the Bagon, his fall was headfirst, and his hard helmet protected him. He was rather shaken by the attack, and he got up a bit slower than usual. Though he'd been doing well on his own, Trina now gave him some guidance. "Strength!" she shouted, indicating the HM attack he'd earned, and the dragon snorted, bashing his head into the rock he'd fallen against and using his Strength to push it into the startled Donphan. It trumpeted in alarm and tried to Defense Curl to protect itself, but its reaction wasn't in time. Eyes blazing with a Leer attack to counter his foe's attempt at improving its Defense, Bahamut took on a ready stance, and then the Donphan charged, ducking its head to try to connect with a Horn Attack.
The Bagon was again tossed through the air, this time landing on his feet with a snarl as the momentum of his landing was translated into furrows torn into the ground by his claws skidding on the turf. Lowering his head again, Bahamut charged for another signature Headbutt...but missed sight of the small rock in his path, tripping on it and immediately falling into a tumbling roll that made the Donphan snort a derisive note of laughter while making an Odor Sleuth sniff.
Trina winced, knowing that the headstrong Bagon would not do well with being ridiculed by his opponent, especially one he'd been dominating on the battlefield, and she thought she saw the gathering flicker of Rage glowing around the still-tumbling dragon. But Rage didn't have that shade of red associated with it...
"Baaaagbagbagbaaaa-" the dragon yowled as he got to his feet, scowled at his opponent, and then charged again with head down and on all fours. But in the middle of his charge he was suddenly lost in a blaze of brilliant light, and Trina held her breath with wide eyes. Was this what they'd been trying to attain for so long?
"SHELLLLGONNNN!" came an echoing roar from within a near-perfect sphere of armor to put the Donphan's to shame, stubby legs powering him straight into the shocked Donphan and slamming it off its feet with a Headbutt augmented by the power of new evolution. The Donphan collapsed hard into the ground, casting up a cloud of dust, and when it cleared, she saw her now-Shelgon standing victorious over his vanquished foe.
"You did it!" she squealed in delight, rushing over to hug the Shelgon and struck by how much bigger and harder he was. Rhapsody trilled in amusement at the reaction; even knowing what was due to happen, Trina always seemed completely startled at how much her teammates changed when they evolved.
The Shelgon snorted. "[Of course I did! It wasn't that hard, really,]" he replied in a voice that was deeper and echoed from within his shell, and Trina had to smile. He sounded more mature, maybe a bit more thoughtful? Evolution did change the most basic parts of a Pokémon and left its mark on their personalities, as well, but somehow the trainer was sure he'd still stay headstrong and self-assured.
"C'mon, let's get you healed up and then have some well-earned rest," she said proudly, patting the hard shell of her friend as she stood up. Looking at the still-dazed Donphan, she fished a potion out of her vest pocket and applied it to the wild Pokémon; it wasn't much, but it was enough to get it back on its feet and help it evade danger while it healed. Pokémon husbandry such as that had been drilled into the Andrews kids by their father, and she wasn't about to forget those lessons even in the excitement of a teammate attaining evolution. The Donphan surged to its feet and gave her a wary look, then eyed the Shelgon and decided it didn't want to stick around, taking off at a surprising speed into the rougher terrain.
Turning back to Bahamut, Trina grinned and gestured to the Pokéball; his whole body had to bob to give the effect of a nod, and she returned him to the ball, now looking to the waiting Altaria.
"[About time he faced it,]" Rhapsody remarked as she crouched to let Trina climb on.
"Face what?" the trainer asked as she settled into place.
"[His fears of being hurt and humiliated. It's what's been holding him back. He feels he has much to prove, and I'm afraid that my easy flight helps matters little,]" the singing dragon clarified, tensing as she took a leap into the air and spread her cottony wings to Fly. "[But now he's on the right road. All should be well.]"
"I hope so," Trina called into the wind, hanging on as her teammate carried her to a safe bed for the night.
----
"Zleeaf." Sharp eyes over a pointed nose turned to look at the concealed girl.
"I know," Tekiya answered, watching the Altaria fly away from where she'd hidden to watch the fight. "She's stronger than I anticipated, too. Andrews...where have I heard that name before..." Frowning, Tekiya pulled out her PDA to make a note to check records for both Selene Montgomery and Trina Andrews. The more she knew of her targets, the easier this assignment would be to finish, and the sooner she could get back into the thick of the far more important action.
The Nuzleaf snorted. "[Not that strong. Reisui could handle fair most of her team. Dakatsu, the Jolteon. See if she falls for the trick of him and actually tries to zap him. His Earthquake will be a shock.]" Ishin smiled an unkind smile. "[Karai for the Gyarados, and that's only three of us to all of hers. Not much of a challenge.]" He tossed his head, flicking back his leaf; it was an affecation he had taken on from watching certain entertainment on TV, one of those gestures made by the mysterious and potentially dangerous males of those shows, and Tekiya had to admit he pulled it off well.
"Fair enough," she admitted, thinking over the strategy. A few Blizzards for the dragons, Surf to knock away the new little fire-lizard, Thunder to eliminate the Gyarados, and Dakatsu's Earthquake... Yes, it'd be over soon. She'd just need Karai to protect Reisui from electric attacks and that would be easily done, and Dakatsu would handle the Jolteon after that. "But the other girl."
"[Psychics,]" the Nuzleaf said disdainfully. "[Kijo-Gouka and I can make short work of them. Though we don't yet know what all she carries,]" he admitted.
"Exactly. More scouting to be done. Dakatsu will be gliding low by the time this is finished. And damned if I can't figure out where she is right now." Tekiya frowned, leaning back against the rock she'd hidden behind. "I'll just have to keep tailing this one for now. Headed back to Blackthorn, I imagine."
"[And when can we test them head-on?]" Ishin asked, looking particularly predatory for a grass-type as he turned toward his trainer.
Tekiya smiled, an echo of her Nuzleaf's earlier expression. "Soon," she promised. "Soon."
Trina cast the phone a slightly worried look, wondering if she should call back. Then again, Miv had been out training, and he could certainly take care of himself. Well, his team could; there were very few teams out there that could best her brother's companions. Knowing he'd contact her when he had the chance, Trina instead stowed the phone, turning back to her own companions.
A sharp whistle grabbed their attention, the two sinuous pseudo-serpents lifting heads out of the water, the staticy Jolteon perking her ears, the Altaria and Charmander turning toward her, and the sulky Bagon glaring out of the corner of his eye. "C'mon, guys, we should probably find a place to rest for the night."
"[One more battle!]" Bahamut demanded, stomping one little dragon foot on the ground and looking up at her defiantly. Roxy looked about to speak up to the brash dragon but instead shook her head, her ears flapping, and Tiamat made eye contact to share an aggrieved look with the Jolteon.
Trina frowned, then sighed softly. "Fine, one more battle. You should be making Shelgon soon. Rhapsody, can you scout? Everyone else, gather up," and she gestured to the Pokéballs as the Altaria took flight to find an opponent. One by one the other Pokémon returned to their balls, the Charmander last, until only the Bagon and the scouting Altaria remained.
"Let's make this reasonably quick," she lectured Bahamut, who snorted derisively. "I'm serious. We've got a lot of preparations to make for this journey, and I don't want you to just fool around. I should be trying to get Blayze up to level with the rest of us, since that's going to take quite a while."
She was cut off by the fluting trill of the Altaria, and as she looked to the sky it took her a moment to make Rhapsody out; her kind blended so easily with the blue and white-fluff. Not far away...probably a rock type, here in the mountains, but if Bahamut was going to be stubborn, he'd have to take what they found. She started off along the rocky trail, Bahamut jogging behind with determined puffs of breath.
As she rounded a bend in the path below Rhapsody's location, she came nearly face-to-face with a grazing Donphan. She yelped, the Donphan snorted and raised its trunk, and Bahamut charged forward, not even giving the pachydermine Pokémon a chance to react as he bashed his helmeted head into the tough hide of his opponent. With that Headbutt, the battle was on, and the Donphan so surprised that he flinched. Bahamut didn't hesitate; the diminuative dragon followed up his lead-off attack with a nasty Leer, having sensed in his Headbutt that the Donphan's tough hide gave it plenty of Defense.
Trina, meanwhile, was taking stock of the situation, nodding to the Altaria that landed behind her to watch. There were no other Donphan around, making this one a young bachelor, possibly just recently evolved and on his own, unable to impress a female Donphan because he had not yet learned Rollout. He was on fairly even level with Bahamut, and the Bagon's strong showing in the opening gave him an edge. The Donphan trumpeted angrily as he reacted to the Headbutt and Leer, charging and lashing with his tusks in a strong Fury Attack at the smaller dragon. Bahamut tried to evade but was scored three times by the growing tusks of the wild Pokémon, but instead of retreating back, he took advantage of the close quarters to deliver a sharp Bite to the Donphan's trunk.
The Donphan immediately Flailed, tossing the Bagon off his trunk with a startled trumpet, and Bahamut crashed down against a rock--fortunate for the Bagon, his fall was headfirst, and his hard helmet protected him. He was rather shaken by the attack, and he got up a bit slower than usual. Though he'd been doing well on his own, Trina now gave him some guidance. "Strength!" she shouted, indicating the HM attack he'd earned, and the dragon snorted, bashing his head into the rock he'd fallen against and using his Strength to push it into the startled Donphan. It trumpeted in alarm and tried to Defense Curl to protect itself, but its reaction wasn't in time. Eyes blazing with a Leer attack to counter his foe's attempt at improving its Defense, Bahamut took on a ready stance, and then the Donphan charged, ducking its head to try to connect with a Horn Attack.
The Bagon was again tossed through the air, this time landing on his feet with a snarl as the momentum of his landing was translated into furrows torn into the ground by his claws skidding on the turf. Lowering his head again, Bahamut charged for another signature Headbutt...but missed sight of the small rock in his path, tripping on it and immediately falling into a tumbling roll that made the Donphan snort a derisive note of laughter while making an Odor Sleuth sniff.
Trina winced, knowing that the headstrong Bagon would not do well with being ridiculed by his opponent, especially one he'd been dominating on the battlefield, and she thought she saw the gathering flicker of Rage glowing around the still-tumbling dragon. But Rage didn't have that shade of red associated with it...
"Baaaagbagbagbaaaa-" the dragon yowled as he got to his feet, scowled at his opponent, and then charged again with head down and on all fours. But in the middle of his charge he was suddenly lost in a blaze of brilliant light, and Trina held her breath with wide eyes. Was this what they'd been trying to attain for so long?
"SHELLLLGONNNN!" came an echoing roar from within a near-perfect sphere of armor to put the Donphan's to shame, stubby legs powering him straight into the shocked Donphan and slamming it off its feet with a Headbutt augmented by the power of new evolution. The Donphan collapsed hard into the ground, casting up a cloud of dust, and when it cleared, she saw her now-Shelgon standing victorious over his vanquished foe.
"You did it!" she squealed in delight, rushing over to hug the Shelgon and struck by how much bigger and harder he was. Rhapsody trilled in amusement at the reaction; even knowing what was due to happen, Trina always seemed completely startled at how much her teammates changed when they evolved.
The Shelgon snorted. "[Of course I did! It wasn't that hard, really,]" he replied in a voice that was deeper and echoed from within his shell, and Trina had to smile. He sounded more mature, maybe a bit more thoughtful? Evolution did change the most basic parts of a Pokémon and left its mark on their personalities, as well, but somehow the trainer was sure he'd still stay headstrong and self-assured.
"C'mon, let's get you healed up and then have some well-earned rest," she said proudly, patting the hard shell of her friend as she stood up. Looking at the still-dazed Donphan, she fished a potion out of her vest pocket and applied it to the wild Pokémon; it wasn't much, but it was enough to get it back on its feet and help it evade danger while it healed. Pokémon husbandry such as that had been drilled into the Andrews kids by their father, and she wasn't about to forget those lessons even in the excitement of a teammate attaining evolution. The Donphan surged to its feet and gave her a wary look, then eyed the Shelgon and decided it didn't want to stick around, taking off at a surprising speed into the rougher terrain.
Turning back to Bahamut, Trina grinned and gestured to the Pokéball; his whole body had to bob to give the effect of a nod, and she returned him to the ball, now looking to the waiting Altaria.
"[About time he faced it,]" Rhapsody remarked as she crouched to let Trina climb on.
"Face what?" the trainer asked as she settled into place.
"[His fears of being hurt and humiliated. It's what's been holding him back. He feels he has much to prove, and I'm afraid that my easy flight helps matters little,]" the singing dragon clarified, tensing as she took a leap into the air and spread her cottony wings to Fly. "[But now he's on the right road. All should be well.]"
"I hope so," Trina called into the wind, hanging on as her teammate carried her to a safe bed for the night.
----
"Zleeaf." Sharp eyes over a pointed nose turned to look at the concealed girl.
"I know," Tekiya answered, watching the Altaria fly away from where she'd hidden to watch the fight. "She's stronger than I anticipated, too. Andrews...where have I heard that name before..." Frowning, Tekiya pulled out her PDA to make a note to check records for both Selene Montgomery and Trina Andrews. The more she knew of her targets, the easier this assignment would be to finish, and the sooner she could get back into the thick of the far more important action.
The Nuzleaf snorted. "[Not that strong. Reisui could handle fair most of her team. Dakatsu, the Jolteon. See if she falls for the trick of him and actually tries to zap him. His Earthquake will be a shock.]" Ishin smiled an unkind smile. "[Karai for the Gyarados, and that's only three of us to all of hers. Not much of a challenge.]" He tossed his head, flicking back his leaf; it was an affecation he had taken on from watching certain entertainment on TV, one of those gestures made by the mysterious and potentially dangerous males of those shows, and Tekiya had to admit he pulled it off well.
"Fair enough," she admitted, thinking over the strategy. A few Blizzards for the dragons, Surf to knock away the new little fire-lizard, Thunder to eliminate the Gyarados, and Dakatsu's Earthquake... Yes, it'd be over soon. She'd just need Karai to protect Reisui from electric attacks and that would be easily done, and Dakatsu would handle the Jolteon after that. "But the other girl."
"[Psychics,]" the Nuzleaf said disdainfully. "[Kijo-Gouka and I can make short work of them. Though we don't yet know what all she carries,]" he admitted.
"Exactly. More scouting to be done. Dakatsu will be gliding low by the time this is finished. And damned if I can't figure out where she is right now." Tekiya frowned, leaning back against the rock she'd hidden behind. "I'll just have to keep tailing this one for now. Headed back to Blackthorn, I imagine."
"[And when can we test them head-on?]" Ishin asked, looking particularly predatory for a grass-type as he turned toward his trainer.
Tekiya smiled, an echo of her Nuzleaf's earlier expression. "Soon," she promised. "Soon."