A Journey of Two, a Pokemon Story

[Daemon Hunter]

[X] Plan Gainz

Spoiler: Gainz

Send Out: Blissey
Stance: Standard

Round 1: Rest
Round 2+: Echoed Voice

Use Life Dew if you drop below 50% HP, and rest whenever Togekiss uses Protect.

Violet took a slow, calming breath as she stepped up to the arena. Idly stretching her arms, Violet felt a complex mixture of emotions within her. Curiosity as to how Nurse Joy would fight. Annoyance at being put on the spot for a battle (seriously, Nurse Joy should have just asked her to a fight, she'd have agreed easily). And while feeling petty wasn't exactly an emotion, Violet thought it would count here.

On the other side of the arena, Nurse Joy stood there alongside her Togekiss. Taking a look at the Jubilee Pokemon, Violet frowned as she mentally went through her options for the battle. While Dragonair could be interesting, he would really only be able to use Wrap which would almost certainly result in a loss. There was Magneton … Thumbing their Pokeball, Violet took a moment to imagine how that would go. …okay, maybe that would leave the realm of petty and move into the realm of outright meanness.

"Let's have a fun, quick fight." Nurse Joy said from the other side of the arena, seemingly forgetting that Violet had been awkwardly dragged into this. Frowning, Violet gazed at her opponent, realizing that the Pokemon Nurse did feel a bit guilty over this, it was mainly overridden by Nurse Joy's belief that Violet would genuinely enjoy the fight.

She wasn't entirely wrong, although Violet felt as if she too should get something out of this fight. Nurse Joy clearly wanted a quick fight, but Violet was more focused on training. A smile came to Violet's lips as she replied, "G-good luck."

Nurse Joy's smile turned slightly brittle as Blissey emerged from her Pokeball. Togekiss on the other hand looked interested, sizing up the Egg Pokemon as he lifted himself into the air. Then a few seconds later, the battle began.

Immediately, Nurse Joy called out, "Let's see what she does," as a shimmering Protect sprang to life. Togekiss himself began to fly through the air in unpredictable patterns, first forming the protective screen then as it expired laying down a Light Screen to handle the expected attacks from Blissey.

On the other side of the arena, Violet's words were much quieter, "Wait for Protect to fade," she ordered a moment before Togekiss even began to use the move. "Then keep up Echoed Voice."

Blissey began to sing, causing the air to begin to vibrate as the energy within began to build and build. Nurse Joy, however, wasn't idle, shifting into a steady offensive cadence with a mixture of Dazzling Gleams and Air Slashes Blissey began to have her health slowly decrease even as Echoed Voice built in strength.

From an outside perspective, the battle was an interesting mixture of high intensity and slow. Unlike most Blissey, Violet's Pokemon chose not to simply turtle up and accept the hits. Instead, she chose to try and avoid them as best she could, and while it seemed like a poor choice she was far more graceful than most Blissey around. When combined with a near-constant Echoed Voice that was only broken for the use of Life Dew or when Violet snuck in rest periods when Togekiss tried to break Blissey's rhythm with Protect.

Togekiss and Nurse Joy only broke their constant attacks to either use Roost or to reapply Light Screen. While they initially did well ensuring Blissey couldn't build the power of Echoed Voice, that simply couldn't last forever.

While Togekiss had high endurance, the Chansey line was famed for its stamina. Fights between two Blissey had lasted for days before, while Togekiss was reliant on his admittedly good training.

But eventually, a combination of slight mistakes and exhaustion caught up to him. Used to reapplying Light Screen the moment it fell, both Nurse Joy and Togekiss failed to take into account the level Echoed Voice had built up to. Having been expecting a cycle that had already occurred four times to simply repeat the fifth time, there were two small differences that spelled disaster.

The first was the initial four Light Screens occurred before Echoed Voice had time to build up to a notable level. And the second was that Togekiss had been starting to grow tired.

Nurse Joy attempted to counter this, calling out for a Roost instead of a Light Screen. Diving to the ground, Togekiss felt the intensity of Echoed Voice double as Light Screen fell. Even as he panted, the sound only grew louder as he was thrown backward, too tired to fight against the move and force through a Roost.

Rather than attempt a futile dodge, Nurse Joy quickly called out her surrender, leaving Violet the victory of a rather lengthy match. Blissey herself was visibly injured, something that was rather rare, to say the least. Nonetheless, Violet was quite happy with her performance in the fight.

*Blissey improves Evasion from C+ to C++*
*Blissey improves Echoed Voice from B-- to B-*
*Blissey improves Life Dew from B-- to B-*

Following her victory, Violet felt a bit awkward walking up to Nurse Joy and asking for her to ensure Blissey healed properly after the fight. But once that was done, and Willow's Pokemon were healed from her expected defeat against a Frontier Brain, the two girls made the rather uneventful trip to Pewter City where they had gym battles to get to.

The 35th Week, Pick 1

Pokemon Actions

[] Catch your Sixth Pokemon - Now that you have four badges, you could catch another Pokemon providing a full team.
[] Train with your Pokemon - All of your Pokemon are skilled in battle with unique skills, but they can see some improvements through practice. Especially with their new moves.
[] Buy and Use TMs/HMs - You're a big enough trainer to afford TMs and HMs for your Pokemon. Even if the options are rather limited in Cremini Town.
[] Train with Willow- While it would be nontraditional to train with your rival, both of you have unique skill sets that could complement each other.

Battling Actions

[] Challenge New Trainers - Now that you and your Pokemon have developed, fighting a few trainers in rapid succession would be easy.
[] Challenge an Experienced Trainer - There are at least a few experienced trainers around here that may be worth fighting.
[x] Challenge a Pewter City Attendant - In order to face the gym leader, you have to first defeat one of the attendants.
[] Challenge the Pewter City Gym - Since you're already facing the attendants this week, you could ensure that you finish the gym challenge within a week of arriving.
[] Unexpected Activity - A recent string of wild Pokemon vanishing near Pewter and Sable has led to requests for a state of emergency to be declared. Should it continue the gym may even close.

Exploration Actions

[] See the Sights Inside the City - There are several interesting attractions in Pewter although you have seen many of them before. Still, it may be fun to revisit them.
[] Explore Unorthodox Locations - Pewter City has a lot that you can explore, some of them have been on your list to visit for years. Try and explore them.
[] Explore the Northwest - Partially on the way towards Johto, the area northwest of Pewter City is rumored to hold a Battle Pyramid. There may also be other interesting sights in the mountains there.

Traveling Actions (Must be taken either this turn or the next)

*You cannot travel until you earn the badge from Brock*

Social Actions (For socials, it's assumed you keep up a basic level of contact through text, choosing a social means I write it up)

[] Call Your Parents - Your parents would as usual like a call when you're free.
[] Call Tetsuya - He just left Fuchsia City and is headed to Vermillion City in an attempt to earn his fourth badge.

Spoiler: Battle Log

Round 1 Togekiss: Togekiss used Protect (DC0: Autosuccess). Togekiss Protected Himself!
Round 1 Blissey: Blissey took a moment to rest

Round 2 Togekiss: Togekiss used Light Screen (DC0: Autosuccess). Togekiss set up a Light Screen!
Round 2 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC20: 55). Togekiss lost 3% of his HP (97%)

Round 3 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 66). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (86%)
Round 3 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 20). Togekiss lost 6% of his HP (91%)

Round 4 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC0: 64). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (73%)
Round 4 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 2). Togekiss avoided the attack!

Round 5 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 91). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (59%)
Round 5 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 33). Togekiss lost 8% of his HP (83%)

Round 6 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC0: 90). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (46%)
Round 6 Blissey: Blissey Life Dew (DC10: 78). Blissey regained 25% of her HP (71%)

Round 7 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 15). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (57%)
Round 7 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 40). Togekiss lost 3% of his HP (80%)

Round 8 Togekiss: Togekiss used Light Screen (DC0: Autosuccess). Togekiss set up a Light Screen!
Round 8 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 1). Togekiss avoided the attack!

Round 9 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC0: 19). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (44%)
Round 9 Blissey: Blissey Life Dew (DC10: 97). Critical Success! Blissey regained 50% of her HP (94%)

Round 10 Togekiss: Togekiss used Protect (DC0: Autosuccess). Togekiss Protected Himself!
Round 10 Blissey: Blissey took a moment to rest

Round 11 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 54). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (80%)
Round 11 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 87). A Critical Hit! Togekiss lost 6% of his HP (74%)

Round 12 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC0: 42). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (67%)
Round 12 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 38). Togekiss lost 6% of his HP (68%)

Round 13 Togekiss: Togekiss used Light Screen (DC0: Autosuccess). Togekiss set up a Light Screen!
Round 13 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 49). Togekiss lost 8% of his HP (60%)

Round 14 Togekiss: Togekiss used Roost (DC0: 62). Togekiss regained 50% of his HP (100%)
Round 14 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 42). Togekiss lost 11% of his HP (89%)

Round 15 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 73). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (53%)
Round 15 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 58). Togekiss lost 14% of his HP (75%)

Round 16 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC0: 82). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (40%)
Round 16 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 62). Togekiss lost 17% of his HP (58%)

Round 17 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 54). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (26%)
Round 17 Blissey: Blissey Life Dew (DC10: 62). Blissey regained 25% of her HP (51%)

Round 18 Togekiss: Togekiss used Light Screen (DC0: Autosuccess). Togekiss set up a Light Screen!
Round 18 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 50). Togekiss lost 3% of his HP (55%)

Round 19 Togekiss: Togekiss used Roost (DC0: 34). Togekiss regained 50% of his HP (100%)
Round 19 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 37). Togekiss lost 6% of his HP (94%)

Round 20 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC0: 30). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (38%)
Round 20 Blissey: Blissey Life Dew (DC10: 88). Blissey regained 25% of her HP (63%)

Round 21 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 57). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (49%)
Round 21 Blissey: Blissey Life Dew (DC10: 52). Blissey regained 25% of her HP (74%)

Round 22 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC0: 17). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (61%)
Round 22 Blissey: Blissey Life Dew (DC10: 40). Blissey regained 25% of her HP (86%)

Round 23 Togekiss: Togekiss used Light Screen (DC0: Autosuccess). Togekiss set up a Light Screen!
Round 23 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 73). Togekiss lost 3% of his HP (91%)

Round 24 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 17). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (72%)
Round 24 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 90). A Critical Hit! Togekiss lost 12% of his HP (79%)

Round 25 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC0: 63). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (59%)
Round 25 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 33). Togekiss lost 8% of his HP (71%)

Round 26 Togekiss: Togekiss used Dazzling Gleam (DC0: 61). Blissey lost 14% of her HP (45%)
Round 26 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 91). A Critical Hit! Togekiss lost 22% of his HP (49%)

Togekiss is exhausted (DC10: 72). Togekiss continues to fight on!

Round 27 Togekiss: Togekiss used Air Slash (DC50: 72). Blissey lost 13% of her HP (32%)
Round 27 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 70). Togekiss lost 14% of his HP (35%)

Round 28 Togekiss: Togekiss used Roost (DC50: 30). But it failed!
Round 27 Blissey: Blissey used Echoed Voice (DC15: 81). A Critical Hit! Togekiss lost 34% of his HP (1%)

Round 29 Togekiss: Togekiss used Roost (DC50: 36). But it failed!
Nurse Joy surrenders

 

[Daemon Hunter]

[X] Unexpected Activity - A recent string of wild Pokemon vanishing near Pewter and Sable has led to requests for a state of emergency to be declared. Should it continue the gym may even close.

Having already beaten the Pewter City Gym, Willow's choice of activity was notably different from Violet's. Rather than sticking around for Violet's match (which Willow said would probably last a few seconds), she instead decided to see if she could find the rumored Battle Pyramid before circling back to check out the unexpected activity east of the city. After saying a quick goodbye to her friend, Violet began meandering through the city on her way to the gym.

Taking a moment to study the people within the city itself, Violet could tell that it was somewhat different from the cities in the center of Kanto. Rather than focusing on offices and white-collar jobs, Pewter City was instead focused on more physical jobs such as mining. Catching a few sites along the way such as a Pewter Museum and the Rock Museum, Violet was in a good mood. She expected a quick victory against whichever attendant faced her, but she wasn't entirely sure if she should use Magneton or another one of her Pokemon. While Flash Cannon would be very effective, there wasn't much training potential with it.

Humming in thought, Violet eventually decided that decision could wait until she saw who her opponent was. Approaching the entrance to the iconic rock gym, Violet frowned as she noticed a longer line than she had anticipated. Stepping into it, she was forced to spend nearly an hour waiting, although at least she was behind a crowd of trainers who were talking with each other. She really didn't want to get dragged into a conversation while she was paying attention to the attendants at the front of the line.

A set of two gym trainers were conducting tests for who was and wasn't ready for a battle with Brock. Swapping between twelve Pokemon for different skill levels, Violet observed as a trainer after trainer tried their luck. Most of them were rather young, likely children who just got their Pokemon and wanted to try to face Brock immediately.

In the larger Kanto region, the Pewter City Gym was often thought of as the starter gym, a place where you earned your first badge and moved on. In Pewter City, however, the gym was far more well-received thanks in large part to the effort of Brock himself. He was a skilled trainer who was very good with both kids and Pokemon. Having quite literally written a book on the culinary preferences of various Pokemon, it was safe to say that he understood Pokemon at a level very few people could.

As she idly mused about the gym and what stage of the Indigo Plateau Brock could reach, Violet noticed that she was next in line. Steeling her nerves at the realization that much of the crowd was now focused on her, she awkwardly shuffled in place, making sure that all four of her badges were prominently displayed on her shirt so she wouldn't have to ask for a fifth badge test.

As the attendants wrapped up, one of them turned to her. Clearly, about to ask about her relative skill level, he paused when he saw four badges present on her shirt. "Oh, we don't get many people of your level out here."

"Do…" Violet paused, running the words through her mind before finishing her sentence. "I can come back later if you need." Judging by the levels of the twelve Pokemon the attendants had, it might be necessary. Only one of them was at the level of a four-badge test, and even they were banged up from an earlier battle.

"Nah," waved off the attendant, grabbing a hold of two Pokeballs and beginning to play to the crowd. "What do you say to a 2 v 1?"

The other attendant frowned, whispering softly in an attempt to avoid Violet listening in. "Try and play this up, doesn't matter who wins, just make it cool."

The first attendant subtly nodded and grinned. Tossing out the two Pokeballs, Violet wasn't surprised as an Onix and Graveler emerged. "So, what do you say? Wanna see which one of us cracks first?"

Violet didn't reply at first, instead observing the two Pokemon and their trainer. Graveler leaned forward with a smile, clearly playing to the audience, he pumped his arms up as the crowd of trainers began to chant. Onix then rose from their seated position, staring down at Violet in a facsimile of a glare.

Violet simply stared back, content to play up the role she was asked. Tilting her head slightly, several seconds passed as the noise of the crowd died down. Mirroring her head tilt, Onix gazed down on her, his body grinding against itself as he moved.

Choose 1

[] Dragonair - Perfect for making this fight a spectacle, he may have some issues using Outrage against the two physically strong Pokemon. But Twister should work when combined with his evasiveness.
[] Forretress - Having to force herself through their defenses will not be easy, although they lack the ability to really damage her in return.
[] Blissey - Certain to be a slower fight, yet one you'd win. It wouldn't be that entertaining unless you tried some unorthodox moves.
[] Magneton - A quick one-sided stomp would be interesting. And there is the option of having Magneton and you play the villain of the story. Even if that would be a tad awkward. Magneton would definitely love it though.
[] Umbreon - Simply letting Umbreon handle the battle as he wishes would be an interesting experience for everyone present. He would also be rather good at it.

 

[Daemon Hunter]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Umbreon - Simply letting Umbreon handle the battle as he wishes would be an interesting experience for everyone present. He would also be rather good at it.

"Umbreon," Violet said out loud as she gently tossed his Pokeball. "It's your show."

Umbreon emerged from his Pokeball before his eyes glanced first at the imposing Onix and then at the posing Graveler. His eyes briefly seemed to glow in the afternoon light as he swiftly took up a readied stance.

Normally, this would be when Violet either called out a battle plan or stared at her opponents trying to figure out their plans. This time, however, she was here for more than a battle. She was here for a show. Her eyes closed before absentmindedly releasing the rest of her Pokemon. "I hope you don't mind," she said, thinking back to her one attempt at a Pokemon Contest. "But a cheering section is … traditional."

Unsurprisingly, Dragonair immediately understood the assignment followed by Blissey. The two of them began cheering on, even as more than a few trainers looked at the Dragon Pokemon in appreciation. Forretress and Magneton on the other hand were less enthusiastic about their cheering, although Magneton did elect to join Dragonair and Blissey in the cheering.

"Alright," the gym attendant said with a grin. "Are you ready to … battle?" His voice trailed off from the initial roar, petering out into a question as he saw what Violet was doing.

She had taken out her phone and was currently texting her parents and Tetsuya about what she was up to. Violet could practically feel her embarrassed blush at what she was doing, along with the Butterfree in her stomach. "D-don't mind me," Violet said, wincing at her slight verbal misstep. "But Umbreon is ready, right?"

Umbreon leaned forward and growled in agreement. His eyes were locked onto Onix, noting the threat of being caught in a Bind in the fight. For a moment, his staredown halted as he turned towards the opposing trainer and gave them a nod, approving the start of the battle.

The attendant let out an amused huff, "Then it's time to battle!" He yelled with a roar while his partner stepped back to act as a referee.

"Begin," the second attendant ordered as all three Pokemon burst into motion.

Umbreon's head snapped upwards as he unleashed a Dark Pulse towards Onix. Already flowing into motion, the Moonlight Pokemon began charging a Hyper Beam. Even as they attempted to evade the charging Graveler.

A thunderous boom echoed as the Dark Pulse struck Onix's Protect. The air seemed to vibrate as the Rock Snake Pokemon continued to stare. "Just hold their attention a little longer," the attendant ordered. "Tank this next shot and we can do this."

At the same moment, Graveler Bulldozed over Umbreon, causing the dark type to briefly slide across the ground. Slowed by the attack, he was still nonetheless the fastest Pokemon here, although Graveler was doing his best to change that with a second charge.

Burying herself into her phone, Violet kept an eye on the battle as a whole, internally wincing as Onix powered through the strain of holding Protect up for several seconds. Umbreon, not noticing the signs that the move wasn't about to wear off as normal, followed up his first Dark Pulse with a Hyper Beam. The move struck Onix, unleashing a cloud of dust. Incorrectly assuming the Rock Snake Pokemon had fainted, Umbreon put him out of his mind. Mentally switching gears, the Moonlight Pokemon immediately pivoted his attention to Graveler, practically dancing out of his path to avoid a second Bulldoze.

Undeterred, Graveler stuck a hand into the ground before charging for a third time. Umbreon simply began the use of Dark Pulse before Onix roared in defiance. The shimmering Protect finally fell as the Rock Snake Pokemon emerged from the dust, moving towards Umbreon in an attempt to bind him.

Immediately identifying the quite literally larger threat, Umbreon twisted, leaving himself open to Graveler entirely so that he could ensure this move landed. A powerful Dark Pulse slammed into Onix's skull causing them to fall. Yet Umbreon was left open to Graveler's attack as the Rock Pokemon bulldozed over him.

For a moment, Violet worried. Slowed as he was by two Bulldozes, Umbreon would be left vulnerable to Self-Destruct. Then she looked at the Moonlight Pokemon and her worries dissipated. She wasn't the only one that noticed.

"Take him out!" Yelled the attendant as Graveler charged forward. Glowing with energy the Rock Pokemon made for an imposing sight, yet one Umbreon had expected.

His stance shifted from one trying to avoid attacks into one that guarded the weaker parts of his frame from damage. And a moment later, a shimmering cloak appeared across his body before Graveler used Self Destruct.

A cloud of dust followed the explosion, causing everyone to briefly lose sight of the Pokemon involved. Dragonair, Blissey, and Magneton quieted down as they tried to see who the victor was.

Then Graveler let out a roar of defiance, refusing to yield until all was done. And a second Self-Destruct could be heard in the dust.

Silence reigned before a small figure with glowing yellow eyes could be seen. Umbreon still stood, his body damaged from the Bulldozes, but missing any signs of damage from Self Destruct. And at his feet lay Graveler who was unable to stand the strain of back-to-back Self Destructs.

*Umbreon improves Detect from B-- to B-*
*Umbreon improves Dark Pulse from B-- to B-*
*Umbreon improves Tactician from B to B+*

Unlike what Violet had initially planned, following her victory against the attendants, she didn't face the gym challenge. Hearing that gym leader Brock was heading east of the city to investigate the disappearance of wild Pokemon between Pewter and Sable City, Violet decided to join in and assist. The gym attendant (named Ben), was very happy about it and swiftly explained what the problem was expected to be.

An Onix herd from the mountains was expected to move through the area shortly. A semi-regular occurrence, the vibrations from their movement had caused the wild Pokemon present to evacuate the area. However, this was still unconfirmed and was primarily conjecture from the Pewter Gym based on their experience with the area.

Having already decided to help, Violet had a choice to make on where she would be most helpful.

[] Spotting the Herd - Finding the herd to confirm it is the cause is an important step in the process that Ben will be attempting to do. It may be good to help him out.
[] Guarding Pewter City - A task for the various Pokemon trainers that have volunteered, this is expected to be somewhat routine due to their number and the expectation that Onix will avoid the larger city. You would be one of the stronger trainers present.
[] Guarding Sable City - The city Gym Leader Brock will be defending, it lacks the population or trainers of Pewter City so he is reinforcing it himself. It may be good to assist him.
[] Write-in

Spoiler: Battle Log

Stances:
Onix and Graveler are in Standard
Umbreon is in Evasive

Round 1 Onix: Onix used Protect (DC1: Autosuccess). Onix Protected himself!
Round 1: Umbreon used Dark Pulse (DC0: 7). Onix Protected himself!
Round 1: Graveler used Bulldoze (DC30: 52). Umbreon lost 11 of their HP (88). Umbreon's Speed fell to D!

Round 2 Onix: Onix used Protect (DC70: 83). Onix Protected himself!
Round 2: Umbreon used Hyper Beam (DC0: 91). Onix Protected himself!
Round 2: Graveler used Bulldoze (DC30: 14). Umbreon avoided the attack!

Round 3: Umbreon used Dark Pulse (DC0: 79). Onix lost 72 of their HP (0). Onix Fainted!
Round 3: Graveler used Bulldoze (DC30: 96). Umbreon lost 22 of their HP (62). Umbreon's Speed fell to E!

Umbreon switches to Turtle

Round 4: Umbreon used Protect (DC1: Autosuccess). Umbreon Protected himself.
Round 4: Graveler used Self-Destruct. (DC30: 41). Umbreon Protected himself! Graveler lost 71 HP (1).

Round 5: Umbreon used Detect (DC55: 91). Umbreon detected the incoming attack!
Round 5: Graveler used Self-Destruct. (DC30: 95). A Critical Hit! Umbreon avoided the attack! Graveler fainted!

 

[Daemon Hunter]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Guarding Pewter City - A task for the various Pokemon trainers that have volunteered, this is expected to be somewhat routine due to their number and the expectation that Onix will avoid the larger city. You would be one of the stronger trainers present.

Relaxing on the outskirts of Pewter City, Violet kept an ear out for the satellite phone Ben (one of the Pewter City Gym's attendants) had provided her. With the relative lack of strong trainers in the area, Violet had been forcibly thrust into a leadership role against her will. Ben himself took two other trainers that were slightly above her skill level while Brock would be the sole strong trainer guarding Sable City.

Which left Violet in the nerve-wracking position of being one of the main authority figures guarding Pewter City. By the grace of Arceus, she wasn't forced into a leadership role, that was thankfully taken up by a trainer the city had on retainer. But due to her position as the only four-badge trainer for miles (Willow was still in the northeast seeking the Battle Pyramid), Violet was forced to provide her insight into the meeting discussing the scout's findings.

Up north of the city, Ben had located the Onix herd and had started to track it before having a brief clash with another set of trainers who were trying to catch the herd. A group of four trainers that were notorious for selling large numbers of Pokemon to breeders and private buyers, their actions had aggravated the herd into migrating early resulting in a notable increase in both the size and aggression of the Onix herd itself. It was here that Violet was suddenly thrust into the forefront when she was suddenly asked, "Could you take the leader?"

Everyone else in the room turned to look at her as they awaited an answer. Feeling her throat dry up, Violet's eyes flickered towards the image Ben had taken of the main Onix in the middle of an Iron Tail, a goliath of a Pokemon with substantial scars from hundreds of battles. "I…" Violet began as she briefly glanced down at the Pokeballs she had. "Yes." She eventually said without elaborating.

Thankfully the rest of the room noticed she didn't want to get into an in-depth discussion of battle tactics. That or they correctly understood that Violet was the most experienced trainer here.

The rest of the briefing mainly focused on the four trainers responsible for the incident and then began to delve into some legal gray areas. Strictly speaking, the capture of large numbers of Pokemon wasn't illegal per se, but causing the Pokemon to deviate from natural behaviors that disrupt the livelihood of those around them was. An intentionally vague law for occasions such as these, Ben and the two trainers with him did manage to capture three of the four trainers responsible, but the fourth had managed to evade battle entirely.

Returning herself to the present, Violet was more than a little bored with how this had gone. Most of the work had been taken care of by the Pewter City Gym, leaving her to just sit down and relax. While it was good that problems in Kanto didn't need her to resolve, a part of Violet did crave action.

Ah well, at least it meant she could plan out her week a bit in advance.

The 36th Week, Pick 1

Pokemon Actions

[] Catch your Sixth Pokemon - Now that you have four badges, you could catch another Pokemon providing a full team.
[] Train with your Pokemon - All of your Pokemon are skilled in battle with unique skills, but they can see some improvements through practice. Especially with their new moves.
[] Buy and Use TMs/HMs - You're a big enough trainer to afford TMs and HMs for your Pokemon. Even if the options are rather limited in Cremini Town.
[] Train with Willow- While it would be nontraditional to train with your rival, both of you have unique skill sets that could complement each other.

Battling Actions

[] Challenge New Trainers - Now that you and your Pokemon have developed, fighting a few trainers in rapid succession would be easy.
[] Challenge an Experienced Trainer - There are at least a few experienced trainers around here that may be worth fighting.
[X] Challenge the Pewter City Gym - Willow is a bit antsy at the idea of not leaving as soon as possible. While she is willing to wait a few days, she has a hard deadline of next week before she leaves. As such, defeating the gym this week is a must.

Exploration Actions

[] See the Sights Inside the City - There are several interesting attractions in Pewter although you have seen many of them before. Still, it may be fun to revisit them.
[] Explore Unorthodox Locations - Pewter City has a lot that you can explore, some of them have been on your list to visit for years. Try and explore them.
[] Explore the Northwest - Partially on the way towards Johto, the area northwest of Pewter City is rumored to hold a Battle Pyramid. There may also be other interesting sights in the mountains there.

Traveling Actions (Must be taken either this turn or the next)

[] Leave Pewter City - Once you defeat Brock you plan on leaving the city within a few days. Heading out immediately after the gym battle is a viable option (opens sub-vote).

Social Actions (For socials, it's assumed you keep up a basic level of contact through text, choosing a social means I write it up)

[] Call Your Parents - Your parents would as usual like a call when you're free.
[] Call Tetsuya - He just arrived in Vermillion City and is going to try and earn his fourth badge.

 

[Daemon Hunter]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Train with your Pokemon - All of your Pokemon are skilled in battle with unique skills, but they can see some improvements through practice. Especially with their new moves.

Training her Pokemon was an extensive process, where the first step was to determine what exactly she wanted to accomplish. The first step was to adjust her move set somewhat, Magneton needed to learn Magnet Rise for this fight. Without it, they would be annihilated by any Ground move. Thankfully Violet could see a few different methods of doing so, with her preferred option focused on Magneton completely incorporating Flash Cannon into his moveset before regularly practicing Magnet Rise to get familiar with it. Dragonair was a bit similar when it came to Thunder Wave and Aqua Tail.

Beyond that, there were other things to focus on. Blissey clearly needed more practice in her fundamentals of battling, although that was not unexpected considering the Chansey line's focus. Similarly, while Umbreon had been making progress, he could do with some more polish on how he absorbed hits. Forretress was more complicated, as she could get quite a bit from both training her fundamentals as well as improvements on existing moves. Either way, Violet and her team had quite a busy week ahead of them.

Some additional good news for Violet was that she was pretty sure four of the five Pokemon Brock would use against her. Golem, Onix, Rhydon, Omastar, and one other. It made her planning a good bit easier, and ideally, she'd be able to use Magneton to easily eliminate Omastar thanks to the type advantage. More problematic would be the TMs in use which would make it hard to truly predict what moves she would be facing.

Shaking off her thoughts, Violet began to train her Pokemon in preparation for the battle with Gym Leader Brock.

*Dragonair improves Special Attack from C++ to B--*
*Dragonair improves Special Defense from C++ to B--*
*Dragonair improves Thunder Wave from C++ to B--*
*Dragonair improves Aqua Tail from E++/C- to C*

*Forretress improves Special Attack from C to C+*
*Forretress improves Bug Bite from C++ to B--*
*Forretress improves Spikes from C to C+*
*Forretress improves Zap Cannon from E++/C-- to C-*

*Blissey improves Special Attack from C to C+*
*Blissey improves Echoed Voice from B-- to B-*

*Magneton improves Stamina from C+ to C++*
*Magneton improves Speed from C to C+*
*Magneton improves Flash Cannon from C++ to B--*
*Magneton improves Magnet Rise from E++/C++ to C++

*Umbreon improved Defense from B- to B*

It was a tiring week, filled to the brim with training at almost every possible point. From having Dragonair bring Thunder Wave to the next level and incorporating Aqua Tail for additional type coverage to having Forretress gain a viable ranged option with Zap Cannon, Violet could say that she was quite well prepared for the battle with Brock. She had more options, stronger Pokemon, and a schedule to meet.

Violet could tell that Willow was getting a little impatient and nervous. With both of them at four badges and needing to visit four more cities after this, there was a definite time crunch present. More so for Willow due to having to face Sabrina for her planned eight badge, the energetic girl was starting to feel a little worried that she may miss the Indigo Plateau. The two of them promised to talk about their travel plans after they beat the Viridian City Gym, and Violet began to think about them in the back of her mind.

For now though, she had a gym badge to win.

GM Note: Please vote in plan format for this.

[] Her Pokemon's movesets were fine as is
[] Have Dragonair swap out Dragon Tail for Water Gun
[] Have Dragonair swap out Dragon Tail for Fire Blast
[] Have Forretress swap out Stealth Rock for Payback
[] Have Forretress swap out Rapid Spin for Toxic Spikes
[] Have Magneton swap out Supersonic for Electric Terrain
[] Have Umbreon swap out Growl for Protect
[] Have Umbreon swap out Grow for Taunt
[] Have Umbreon swap out Helping Hand for Taunt
[] Write-in

 

[Daemon Hunter]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Plan Moveset Shuffle
- [X] Dragonair
-- [X] Swap Dragon Tail for Fire Blast
- [X] Forretress
-- [X] Swap Zap Cannon for Explosion
-- [X] Swap Stealth Rock for Toxic Spikes
- [X] Blissey
-- [X] Swap Sweet Kiss for Fire Blast
- [X] Magneton
-- [X] Swap Electro Ball for Zap Cannon which should be learned from Forretress
-- [X] Swap Supersonic for Electric Terrain
- [X] Umbreon
-- [X] Swap Growl for Protect
-- [X] Swap Quick Attack for Taunt

Entering the Pewter City Gym, Violet took a moment to study the terrain at play. While Pokemon arenas generally had regulations to them, and the ones at high-level battles were usually uniform, gyms could and usually did modify their arenas to better represent the general theme of the fight. Brock had done so by the simple task of not having a constructed floor across most of the gym. Instead, his gym floor was replaced by dirt and rock.

There were a few ideas that came to mind for Violet, throwing the rocks was certainly an option, not to mention the use of Dig wouldn't require replacing sections of the flooring afterward. While she hadn't prepared anything of note, in a pinch she could attempt to have one of her Pokemon use the boulders as thrown objects. Then again considering the speed of rock types, that was almost certainly unnecessary.

As she was studying the gym, Brock wrapped up his battle and began to head in her direction. Turning her attention from the gym to the gym leader, she spotted the expected five Pokeballs on his belt as well as his general demeanor. Glancing toward the general placement of the Pokeballs on his belt, Violet noted some slight alterations between the two of them. Likely related to the fossil Pokemon the nearby lab had been reviving, it helped confirm her suspicion that she would be facing an Omastar and either an Aerodactyl or Kabutops.

"I recognize that look," Brock began, sounding suitably impressed. Snapping her gaze back to his face just in time to catch his next words. "I don't get to see it that often around here."

Violet didn't say anything at first, trying to piece together any hidden meaning in his words. She knew by now that her perceptiveness was well beyond most trainers. Although she had always suspected that elite trainers would have eyes similar to hers. Even if Brock made it sound like they were rare. "It's how I fight." Violet eventually said after a second or two of awkwardness.

Brock nodded in approval. "Most trainers tend to overlook the minutiae of Pokemon comfort." Holding up to the two Pokeballs with fossil Pokemon so Violet could have a better look, she could easily see the slight differences from a normal one. "These two are a little apprehensive of regular Pokeballs, which is why I asked Professor Oak for some vintage models."

Violet hummed a little at that. While the topic might be useful for her eventually, she did have a notable lack of fossil Pokemon to take advantage of that. "How … how long have you been training fossil Pokemon?" Nonetheless, she could easily recognize when someone wanted to engage in a conversation. And Brock was polite enough about it that she could humor him.

"A little over a year now," a mixture of pride and regret at the decision warred within him before switching to pride entirely. "Some of them are more trouble than others." He let out a little chuckle, allowing Violet to realize who she would be facing.

"Does … does the overlap in types for Omastar and Kabutops cause any problems?" Violet asked, recognizing by Brock's tone that one of the fossil Pokemon was far too much trouble to be used in a gym battle. And only Aerodactyl matched that description.

An expression of surprise crossed Brock's face before a dawning realization took hold and he let out an amused chuckle. "I see you know who you'll be facing." He leaned forward, opening up his arms subconsciously, and lowered his voice. "But who will I be opening with?"

Violet's lips curled into an amused smile. "Golem."

Spoiler: Golem Stats

Health: B++ (133)
Stamina: A--
Attack: B++
Defense: A
Special Attack: C-
Special Defense: C
Speed: D++
Evasion: D++

Moves

Rollout: B
Earthquake: C+
Explosion: C-
Thunder Punch: C++
Focus Punch: C++

Special Skills

Sturdy

Violet's Thoughts: A Pokemon Brock uses as his opener for battles, Golem is likely the strongest Pokemon he'll have for this fight. A powerful defensive wall with Explosion to ensure at least one Pokemon goes down with him, he also has a variety of coverage with Thunder and Focus Punches.

Violet's Perceptive Trait Kicks in!

Golem will open with Earthquake before switching to Rollout, aiming to have it build in power rapidly. If he sees a chance during the first three rounds to use Focus Punch, he'll do so.

If Magneton enters the battle, Brock will immediately use Earthquake followed by Explosion. If Umbreon enters the battle, Brock will attempt to feint with Rollout then use Focus Punch, only sticking with Rollout if it's already been used thrice in a row successfully. After which he'll continue to use Rollout.

During all of this, Golem will be in the Turtle Stance. Willingly refusing to dodge in exchange for managing to reduce incoming damage.

[]

Spoiler: Hard Read

Send Out: Magneton
Stance: Steady Offense
Round 1: Magnet Rise
Round 2: Protect
Round 3: Flash Cannon

[]

Spoiler: Clash of the Titans

Send Out: Dragonair
Stance: Reckless
Round 1: Protect
Round 2: Thunder Wave
Round 3+: Outrage

[]

Spoiler: Setting Up

Send Out: Forretress
Stance: Turtle
Round 1: Toxic Spikes
Round 2: Spikes
Round 3: Spikes
Round 4: Spikes
Round 5: Bug Bite

[]

Spoiler: Indepence Up Front

Send Out: Umbreon
Stance: Counter Feint Round 1 then Stand-off

All of these orders can be ignored by Umbreon if he thinks it best.

Round 1: Dark Pulse
Round 2: Dark Pulse
Round 3+: Dark Pulse

[] Write-in

 

[Daemon Hunter]

[X] Plan Twisted Set Up

Spoiler: Twisted Set Up

Send Out: Forretress
Stance: Turtle
Round 1: Toxic Spikes
Round 2: Spikes
Round 3: Spikes
Round 4: Spikes
Round 5: Toxic Spikes
Round 6+: Bug Bite

Notes

Repeat any hazard moves that fail, block Explosions with Protect, disrupt Focus Punches with Bug Bite, use Explosion if Golem is about to trigger Sturdy and attempt to get Golem to step into the Toxic Spikes where possible such as by standing in them when he attempts to attack you so that he's forced to poison himself to get to you. Failing that and presuming it doesn't disrupt the laying of hazards then attempt to shove, push, drag, corral, force or trick Golem into stepping onto the Toxic Spikes however possible even if that means using Explosion to fling him into it or by deliberately leaving Toxic Spiked ground open as the only way to dodge the attack.

"Standard rules?" Violet asked a moment later as a set of plans formed in her mind.

Brock huffed in amusement and nodded. "I see you have a plan already." For a moment, a thoughtful expression crossed his face and he considered switching to a different Pokemon. He glanced at the Pokeballs on Violet's hip, trying to piece together any hints as to her strategy.

Violet was tempted to raise an eyebrow but kept silent as she brushed her hair with a hand. And with the other, she grabbed Forretress' Pokeball and made her way to the arena. Across from her, Brock was clearly deep in thought as he debated which of his Pokemon to use. Did Violet wish to face Golem or someone else was a question that practically etched itself into his face. But eventually, his hand drifted towards the Pokeball that held the Megaton Pokemon.

Then a second later, the battle began. "Earthquake!" Brock shouted and Golem obeyed, beginning the move before even fully registering who he was fighting.

"Fully set up the battlefield," Violet ordered as Forretress looked at the encroaching vibrations within the earth and replied with a spray of toxic spikes that coated the field. A moment later, the Earthquake spread to the full arena, causing Violet to stumble from the force of the move while Brock fared better having grown used to high-power ground moves.

"Rollout Golem, get it built up." Brock kept his orders short and succinct, ensuring that his Pokemon could react as soon as possible. The first word would always be the move name, only after that would a clarification of the intended goal come out.

Violet didn't need to provide orders in the same way, at least not for another four moves. Forretress knew how to set up the battlefield, they discussed what that meant previously. Turtling in on herself, the Bagworm Pokemon accepted the low-speed blow from Golem and unleashed a spray of thorns.

The rolling Megaton Pokemon then turned, striking Forretress once more only for a second spray of thorns to spread across the arena. On the following pass, however, Golem lost track of Forretress, the combination of the fast movement and rotation disorienting them enough to simply slam into one of the many rocks in the arena. "It's alright," Brock interjected before Golem's frustration with himself could build. "Rollout is a hard move to build up, you can't expect perfection every time."

Golem replied with an accepting growl. Rollout was a hard move, but it was one he had known for a long time. He'd master it soon. The Megaton Pokemon's eyes narrowed as Forretress took the moment to lay out the third and final set of Spikes. Golem took a breath and cleared his mind, he could be frustrated later. For now, he had a battle to win.

Once more, Forretress focused on her move rather than trying to avoid the slow-moving Rollout. The last hazard was put into place, and Violet gave her next order. "Forretress," she ordered, staring at Golem with both eyes with an intensity that caused several members of the audience to flinch. "Get Golem into the spikes."

The Bagworm Pokemon's look shifted instantly as she realized she was not just in this battle to set up hazards. No, she was here to set up and win. Staring with an intensity comparable to Violet, both Pokemon and trainer gazed at Golem as they tried to time Bug Bite to redirect the Megaton Pokemon into the Toxic Spikes. Time almost seemed to slow as Golem approached for another pass. He rolled across the ground and then flexed slightly, lifting off to strike the floating Forretress.

"Now!" Violet roared. Immediately Forretress shot forward as Golem and her collided in midair. The collision tossed the Bagworm Pokemon backward, clearly having gotten the worst of the exchange. But Golem had not come away unscathed as they landed in the poison-coated spikes, a brief yelp of pain confirming that Violet's plan had worked.

"Attack, attack, attack!" Brock ordered. "You're on a time limit Golem!"

"Stay defensive," Violet ordered, "But keep using Bug Bite."

Golem's Rollout grew far more aggressive, as the Megaton Pokemon began to stop trying to mitigate the damage. With each pass, his vitality drained and with each pass, Forretress responded with another Bug Bite. Despite building the power of Rollout, Forretress clung to consciousness, her inherent drive and sturdiness refusing to remove her from play.

It culminated in a climax where after missing a near-max power Rollout, Golem slammed into Forretress with one last attack causing her to finally faint. The Megaton Pokemon remained standing long enough to grin and roar in victory before the poison fully finished him off.

Both trainers returned their Pokemon, whispering near-identical words of approval for their performance. "You did everything I asked and more," Violet said with a smile to the resting Forretress within her Pokeball. "Thank you."

On the other side of the arena, Brock told Golem, "You fought a strong Pokemon and came out even, you've grown strong Golem."

*Forretress improves Stamina from B-- to B-*
*Forretress improves Bug Bite from B-- to B-*
*Forretress improves Spikes from C+ to C++*
*Forretress improves Toxic Spikes from C to C+*

A moment later the referee interrupted, and both trainers threw out their next Pokemon.

Spoiler: Onix Stats

Health: B-- (99)
Stamina: B
Attack: D++
Defense: A
Special Attack: D
Special Defense: D++
Speed: C+
Evasion: C++

Moves

Bind: C++
Rock Polish: C++
Dragon Breath: C++
Sand Tomb: C++
Protect: B
Explosion: B--

Special Skills

Sturdy

Violet's Thoughts: A defensive Pokemon, but one that lacks an offensive punch. Onix relies heavily on trapping the other Pokemon with Bind and Sand Tomb and simply outlasting the other Pokemon and uses Explosion when he becomes too weak to continue.

Violet's Perceptive Trait Activates!

Onix will start with Bind then Sand Tomb (unless Magnemite is sent out in which case only Sand Tomb will be used). After both moves are active, he will then use Protect to keep himself in the fight until the other Pokemon faints. Should he be worn down and about to faint, he'll use Explosion.

Choose 1 Pokemon to Send Out

[] Dragonair
[] Blissey
[] Magneton
[] Umbreon

GM Note: Due to Magneton being able to just sweep the gym from here, the rest of the battle will be in the next update. This vote is effectively who do you want to give XP to for the Onix battle before Magneton gets sent in to clean up.

Spoiler: Battle Log

Round 1 Golem: Golem used Earthquake (DC0: 18). Forretress lost 25 of their HP (91).
Round 1 Forretress: Forretress used Toxic Spikes (DC25: 57). Forretress laid a trap of poisonous spikes!

Round 2 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC10: 38). Forretress lost 7 of their HP (84).
Round 2 Forretress: Forretress used Spikes (DC30: 66). Forretress laid a trap of thorns!

Round 3 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC19: 35). Forretress lost 14 of their HP (70).
Round 3 Forretress: Forretress used Spikes (DC30: 42). Forretress laid another trap of thorns!

Round 4 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC27: 4). Forretress avoided the attack!
Round 4 Forretress: Forretress used Spikes (DC30: 90). Forretress laid another trap of thorns!

Round 5 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC10: 76). Forretress lost 7 of their HP (63).
Round 5 Forretress: Forretress used Toxic Spikes (DC35: 76). Forretress laid another trap of poisonous spikes!

Round 6 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC19: 69). Forretress lost 14 of their HP (49).
Round 6 Forretress: Forretress used Bug Bite to force Golem into the Toxic Spikes (DC75: 75). Golem lost 6 of their HP (127). Golem was badly poisoned! Golem lost 8 HP (119).

Golem switches to an Aggressive Stance

Round 7 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC22: 65). Forretress lost 28 of their HP (21).
Round 7 Forretress: Forretress used Bug Bite (DC0: 75). Golem lost 8 of their HP (111). Golem is badly poisoned! Golem lost 16 HP (95).

Round 8 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC29: 58). Forretress lost 20 of their HP (1). Forretress weathers the blow! (1)
Round 8 Forretress: Forretress used Bug Bite (DC0: 55). Golem lost 8 of their HP (87). Golem is badly poisoned! Golem lost 25 HP (62).

Round 9 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC36: 31). Forretress avoided the attack!
Round 9 Forretress: Forretress used Bug Bite (DC0: 7). Golem lost 8 of their HP (54). Golem is badly poisoned! Golem lost 33 HP (11).

Round 10 Golem: Golem used Rollout (DC5: 39). Forretress lost 1 of their HP (0). Forretress fainted! Golem is badly poisoned! Golem lost 11 HP (0). Golem fainted!

 

[Daemon Hunter]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Dragonair

Both trainers threw out their next Pokemon. With a smooth flourish, Dragonair emerged from his Pokeball and curled around his body, flicking his tail in the process. Onix on the other hand emerged with a roar of pain as dozens of spikes drove into his rocky body both poisoning and injuring him.

"Aqua Tail," Violet ordered as Dragonair lunged forward deceptively quickly. "Avoid the bind."

"Bind," Brock called out simultaneously before one of his eyes twitched at Violet correctly reading his intentions. "Mitigate the hit as much as possible."

The first exchange was over in an instant, with Dragonair twisting to land an Aqua Tail then smoothly using the recoil to get away from Onix's attempt at a Bind. Lunging forward a moment later, the second Aqua Tail landed and Onix fainted.

Brock forced the frustration off his face, he expected a water-type attack but had hoped Onix would have been able to drag it out. Perhaps he should have transitioned to the defensive immediately as he would have against an electric or steel type. "It's alright Onix," Brock soothed his Pokemon, "sometimes you just get a bad matchup," Brock smirked as he said the last words. Sending in his third Pokemon, Omastar emerged, their entrance dampened by the grunt of pain at the sheer number of hazards on the field.

Violet's hand drifted towards Magneton before stopping. While the stage was set for the Magnet Pokemon, a series of one-shots wouldn't be great for practicing anything besides Flash Cannon. "Dragonair," Violet's eyes narrowed and subconsciously her stance widened as if she would be facing the incoming move. "Protect, watch out for the Ice Beam."

"Ice Beam!" Brock ordered, not as annoyed as before at Violet reading his intentions. In truth, he was expecting a switch to a more unfavorable matchup, but with the poison on Omastar, it made sense that she was simply trying to stall out the clock.

Dragonair stood in place, a shimmering Protect blocking the first Ice Beam even as the poison from the Toxic Spikes began to drain away at their vitality.

"Again!" Came the expected order as Violet briefly debated if she should call for another Protect, switch to Magneton, or use Dragonair's speed advantage to land an Outrage.

In the end, she chose the more practical but boring route. "Keep it up, Dragonair!" She yelled out, noticeably quieter than Brock's shout. Perhaps it was a lack of practice at using back-to-back Protects, perhaps it was a preference to attack rather than defend, but to Violet's mild surprise Ice Beam simply shattered the shimmering protective field. Dragonair let out a cry of pain even as they were thrown out of the arena, coming to a halt by one of the walls.

For a moment, Violet's heart rate shot through the roof. It'd been the first time Dragonair had fainted in a battle, and it took her a few seconds to fully internalize what had happened. Forcing herself to take a deep shuddering breath, she returned him to his Pokeball. "I'm sorry about that," she whispered to him despite knowing he was slumbering after the hit and was unlikely to hear her words. "Magneton," she stated as she threw his Pokeball out onto the arena, "you're up."

"Dodge!" Brock ordered, "You've got a Discharge incoming!" Violet tilted her head at that, it wasn't exactly her plan but it was close enough that the gym leader knew what was coming.

A bolt of steel-type energy shot out from Magneton crossing paths with the incoming Ice Beam. Violet let out an involuntary smile before the move had even landed, all but certain the battle was won. Then that smile was wiped off her face as Omastar abruptly moved, Flash Cannon missing by inches even as Ice Beam slammed into Magneton with far more force than she had expected.

"Again!" Brock ordered, "You have them on the ropes!" The gym leader's grin widened as he saw a chance present itself and a second Ice Beam struck out towards Magneton.

"Protect!" Violet yelled. Magneton instinctively complied with the order, the beam striking their protective coating causing crystals of ice to drop to the floor.

"Again!" Brock roared even though it was entirely unnecessary. Omastar had already been preparing a follow-up attack before an order had even come.

Faced with yet another choice between switching or using Protect, Violet chose to play it safe this time. "Dodge!" Violet ordered, quickly switching out Magneton and putting Umbreon out onto the field. The Moonlight Pokemon immediately twisted, minimizing his profile. However, a quick correction by the Spiral Pokemon allowed the Ice Beam to strike him, forcing out a small grunt from Umbreon.

All of this, however, had not been in vain. Throughout the fight, Omastar had been growing weaker and weaker from the poison coursing through their body. And after several, consecutive Ice Beams, it proved to be too much as Omastar finally fainted.

Violet let out a sigh of relief, that had been far too close for comfort. Brock on the other hand had the expression of a trainer that had come so close to a comeback only for reality to slap him in the face. "That was fantastic, Omastar," he said.

Down to his last two Pokemon, Brock let out a sigh even as both trainers knew what the outcome of the match would be. Rhydon was sent out first while Violet swapped Magneton back into the fight. A single Flash Cannon was enough to win the fight. Then Brock sent out Kabutops, ordering him to do everything possible to avoid the incoming Flash Cannon.

It proved to be insufficient, and as Kabutops fell to the floor Violet let out a smile as she realized the Boulder Badge was now hers.

*Dragonair improved Aqua Tail from C to C+*
*Dragonair improved Protect from C to C+*
*Dragonair learned Safeguard at E++/C-*

*Magneton improved Flash Cannon from B-- to B-*
*Magneton improved Protect from C to C+*
*Magneton learned Discharge at E++/C+*

While she did still have to go through the ceremony for the badge, and likely be introduced to some new options when it came to battling, Violet knew what her next step was. Traveling to Viridian City for her next badge.

Choose 1 Path to Take

[] The Viridian Forest - The most common path taken, yet one where running into other trainers is difficult, this thick forest is filled with a large number of bug Pokemon. Moreover, it's quite difficult to navigate so all trainers within are advised to have a method of contacting Pokemon rangers.
[] Diglett's Cave - A long tunnel dug by Diglett and Dugtrio that connects Pewter and Vermilion there are lesser known tunnels that can take trainers by Viridian City. These are unmapped, however, and it's recommended that only skilled or experienced cavers attempt to traverse them.
[] Fennel Valley - A valley west of the Viridian Forest where archaeologists are seeking a series of ruins, there are a surprising number of amenities within it due to being rather close to the Indigo Plateau. Most of the trainers present are rather powerful.
[] Write-in

Spoiler: Battle Log

Brock sent in Onix! Onix was hurt by the Spikes. Onix loses 25 HP (74). Onix is badly poisoned by the Toxic Spikes.
Violet sent in Dragonair!

Round 11 Dragonair: Dragonair used Aqua Tail (DC0: 84). It's Supereffective! Onix lost 36 of their HP (38).
Round 11 Onix: Onix used Bind (DC35: 3). Dragonair avoided the attack! Onix is badly poisoned. Onix loses 6 HP (32)

Round 12 Dragonair: Dragonair used Aqua Tail (DC0: 8). It's Supereffective! Onix lost 32 of their HP (0). Onix Fainted!

Brock sent in Omastar! Omastar was hurt by the Spikes. Omastar loses 25 HP (87). Omastar is badly poisoned by the Toxic Spikes.

Round 13 Dragonair: Dragonair used Protect (DC1: Autosuccess). Dragonair protected himself!.
Round 13 Omastar: Omastar used Ice Beam (DC30: 88). Dragonair protected himself! Omastar is badly poisoned. Omastar lost 7 HP (80).

Round 14 Dragonair: Dragonair used Protect (DC35: 5). But it failed!
Round 14 Omastar: Omastar used Ice Beam (DC30: 96). A Critical Hit! It's Supereffective! Dragonair lost 99 of their HP (0). Dragonair Fainted! Omastar is badly poisoned. Omastar lost 14 HP (66).

Violet sent in Magneton!

Round 15 Omastar: Omastar used Ice Beam (DC5: 44). Magneton lost 57 of their HP (42). (should have been half this as this doesn't include the ice resist).
Round 15 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC5: 4). Omastar avoided the attack! Omastar is badly poisoned. Omastar lost 21 HP (45).

Round 16 Magneton: Magneton used Protect! (DC1: Autosuccess). Magneton protected themselves!
Round 16 Omastar: Omastar used Ice Beam (DC5: 88). Magneton protected themselves! Omastar is badly poisoned. Omastar lost 28 HP (27).

Round 17 Magneton: Violet switched in Umbreon for Magneton.
Round 17 Omastar: Omastar used Ice Beam (DC30: 39). Umbreon lost 31 of their HP (68). Omastar is badly poisoned. Omastar lost 27 HP (0). Omastar fainted!

Brock sent in Rhydon. Rhydon was hurt by the Spikes. Rhydon loses 40 HP (120). Rhydon is badly poisoned by the Toxic Spikes.
Violet sent in Magneton for Umbreon.

Round 18 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC0: 66). It's Supereffective! Rhydon lost 120 of their HP (0). Rhydon Fainted!

Brock sent in Kabutops. Kabutops was hurt by the Spikes. Kabutops loses 29 HP (87). Kabutops is badly poisoned by the Toxic Spikes.

Round 19 Magneton: Magneton used Flash Cannon (DC15: 44). It's Supereffective! Kabutops lost 87 of their HP (0). Kabutops Fainted!

 

[Daemon Hunter]

Spoiler: Winning Vote

[X] Fennel Valley - A valley west of the Viridian Forest where archaeologists are seeking a series of ruins, there are a surprising number of amenities within it due to being rather close to the Indigo Plateau. Most of the trainers present are rather powerful.

Violet could tell that the presentation of the Boulder Badge to her was abnormal compared to a normal victory at the Pewter City Gym. Rather than a generic platitude, Brock genuinely considered what he should say and tailored it to her battle. He was rather impressed with Forretress in particular and also used her as an example to the other trainers about the importance of hazards and their prevention. Having been the center of attention for the duration of the battle, Violet was used to the stares she was getting.

Additionally, Brock warned her to expect some of her next gym challenges to begin using items. According to him, it would vary based on the gym in question with Blaine being the only one to use them across his Pokemon for a sixth badge fight. For other gyms, Violet should expect to face at least one Pokemon with a held item.

Following her victory, Violet spent a day at the Pokecenter ensuring her Pokemon were fully healed. Then, early in the morning, she headed towards the southern edge of Pewter City where Willow was meeting her. As the first rays of sunlight began to crest over the nearby mountains, Violet arrived, spotting Willow who had just returned from her adventures in the nearby wilds.

"Hey," Willow waved with a tired grin, having clearly had an eventful few days. "Let's hit the road, I want to make it to the Pokecenter in the valley before nightfall."

Violet looked at her friend and rival with a worried expression, "Are … are you sure?" She hesitantly asked. While hiking to the Pokecenter in Fennel Valley was possible, that was when both of them had enough sleep, not with whatever Willow was operating off of. "I, uh …" Violet trailed off, not sure how to ask if they could take a less ambitious route.

"I'll be fine," Willow said unconvincingly. "Come on, we're wasting daylight."

Violet hesitated for a moment before Willow began to walk south. Forced into action, Violet began to follow. Mentally stumbling over herself, she tried to formulate a sentence in her mind before speaking it out loud. After several seconds, Violet spoke once more. "How were the sights near Pewter?"

Willow didn't reply at first, her body radiating a mixture of discomfort and embarrassment at the question. "Pretty good," she said, interjecting false cheer into her voice. "The mountains are hard to climb, but the view from them is incredible." Slowing so Violet could walk alongside her, Willow showed a set of pictures of her trip. "See, check it out."

Looking through the images, Violet agreed that they were certainly pretty pictures. Taken from the tops of a few mountains, she could see Pewter City through them. Noticing something, Violet frowned. Swiping through the pictures showed that all of them had a noticeable landmark in them. Looking away from the app, Violet noticed a few odd scratches in the case itself. "Willow…" Violet said slowly as if confirming her suspicion before asking. "Did you get lost?"

"No," Willow lied unconvincingly as her face bloomed into a full blush. Violet stared at her, unimpressed. "I … I just saw some unexpected sights?" Violet continued to stare. "There weren't supposed to be Murkrow there okay!"

Violet let out a giggle, glad that her previous worry could now be replaced with humor. Piecing together the story, she asked, "How long did you chase it?"

"I caught them in less than a minute," Willow whined, clearly trying to downplay the story. "Then one of its friends grabbed my phone and I had to chase them."

"How long did that take?"

"A day," Willow groused, causing Violet to laugh at the mental image. "Then after that, I realized I had no idea where I was."

"Which meant you didn't have time to arrive before nightfall yesterday," Violet surmised. Feeling more confident about how her friend felt, she pointed out. "We could stop at a campsite instead of the center, there's bound to be a few trainers there."

"I don't want to be delayed though," Willow replied. "I'll get my next badge next week, which leaves me 9 weeks for three badges. That's so little time …"

"We'll head out before the sun rises," Violet assured Willow. "And you need to sleep."

"Fine," Willow reluctantly accepted, causing Violet to let out a sigh of relief.

After several hours of hiking, the two girls arrived at the campsite in question. Despite the sun still being up, Willow fell asleep immediately after pitching her tent. Unwilling to wake her, Violet simply sat by the fire alongside her Pokemon who were enjoying themselves taking a look at the nearby area.

Unsurprisingly, in a camp filled with trainers, one of them eventually approached her. The only problem as Violet came to find out, was who it was that approached her. "Care for a match?" An older girl with pitch-black hair asked with a cocky smile. "It'll be fun for both of us."

The girl threw out a Pokeball and a Gastly emerged from it. Narrowing her eyes in suspicion, Violet looked at the Pokemon and then back at the girl. Spying an Everstone hidden within Gastly's body, Violet looked closer at the Pokemon in question. Certain now that the girl in front of her simply wanted an easy win, Violet replied. "...No thanks."

Hiding her surprise well, the older girl raised an eyebrow. "What? Are your Pokemon too weak to beat a Gastly?"

Violet momentarily felt a surge of anger. Even realizing the other girl simply wanted to rile her up, it was effective. "Who are you?" She asked with disguised malice.

"Amber," the older girl replied.

Spoiler: Gastly Stats

Health: B+ (124)
Stamina: B--
Attack: D++
Defense: D++
Special Attack: A--
Special Defense: C-
Speed: B+
Evasion: A--

Moves

Mean Look: B
Night Shade: B (60 HP)
Dark Pulse: C++
Shadow Ball: C++
Dream Eater: B+
Disable: B++
Will-O-Wisp: C++
Skitter Smack: C++

Special Skills

Levitate
Prankster

Items

Everstone

Violet's Thoughts: A Pokemon that's very dangerous due to her high special attack, albeit weak against more traditional physical attacks. Very hard to hit with a move that halves physical attack damage, Gastly is an extremely deceptive Pokemon that's stronger than she looks.

Violet's Perceptive Trait Activates!

Gastly will be using a standard stance for everything. Amber will order Gastly to use Will-O-Wisp at the start of the battle, confident that she will have a speed advantage. After this, she'll then have her repeatedly use Shadow Ball unless against Umbreon in which case she'll use Skitter Smack instead.

[]

Spoiler: Faster than you think

Send Out: Dragonair
Stance: Reckless
Round 1: Outrage
Round 2: Outrage
Round 3+: Outrage

[]

Spoiler: Type Advantage

Send Out: Umbreon
Stance: Aggressive
Round 1: Protect
Round 2: Dark Pulse
Round 3+: Dark Pulse, use Protect as needed

[] Refuse to fight Amber
[] Write-in

 

[Daemon Hunter]

[X] Plan Rest Assured

Spoiler: Rest Assured

Send Out: Umbreon
Stance: Ambush into Steady Offense
Round 1: Protect
Round 2+: Assurance

Protect against attempted uses of Will-O-Wisp. During Round 2 feint the use of Taunt to disable Will-O-Wisp and Disable to lure Gastly into attacking before ambushing it with Assurance to knock it out.

"So, you in or out?" Amber asked with a smirk, to which Violet had only one response. The older girl had been annoying her significantly, and a humbling was in order.

"Umbreon," Violet pitched her voice so that her Pokemon could hear her from where they were playing.

The Moonlight Pokemon trotted over, a confident expression growing across his face when he realized who his opponent would be.

Amber's smirk deepened as Umbreon took his place in the makeshift arena. "A dark type, huh?" She drawled, waving Gastly forward with a flick of her wrist. "This'll be quick."

Violet folded her arms, suppressing her irritation at Amber's attitude. "You're right," Violet replied. "It'll be quick."

"Will O Wisp," Amber ordered dismissively as the battle began. Violet in contrast didn't have to say a word, Umbreon had been taught what various moves did and he knew not to be caught by a burn if he could avoid it. A shimmering Protect sprang to life while Umbreon began to glow with dark-type energy.

Violet looked at Amber and raised an eyebrow, as if asking 'Was that it?'

Amber's smirk faltered. "Gastly, use Skitter Smack!"

In contrast, Violet's lips curled into a slight smile as she leaned back. While her opponent hadn't mistaken the gathering of Dark-type energy as Taunt, the result was more than acceptable. "Assurance," came the order.

The two Pokemon charged each other, twin strikes landing one after the other. Gastly with her far weaker physical attributes barely damaged Umbreon at all even with a supereffective move. Umbreon on the other hand did far more damage with his move. The dark type attack was incredibly powerful, slamming into Gastly and creating a cloud of dust where the Gas Pokemon was hit into the ground.

Umbreon turned towards Violet with a bored expression. Asking if that was all he was brought here for.

Waving him on, the Moonlight Pokemon trotted over to the rest of Violet's Pokemon apart from Magneton who was oddly absent. Violet's eyes narrowed when she noticed this, wondering what mischief they were up to.

"I…" Amber started, confused as to what transpired. "That's not … I was supposed to win!"

Violet shifted at the rise in volume. Glancing over at the tent Willow was sleeping in, she momentarily thought about asking Amber to keep it down. Violet immediately decided against that, from what she could see of her opponent she wasn't the type that'd be willing to listen. "Do you want a rematch?" Violet asked neutrally.

Amber growled in anger, almost agreeing before biting her tongue. Violet, however, was more concerned with the sighting of Magneton who was behind Amber, and using Magnet Rise to slowly levitate one of her Pokeballs down to the ground. Momentarily frozen with indecision, Violet wasn't paying attention to whatever it was her opponent said. "Forget it," Amber eventually decided, storming away in a huff.

Waiting for her to walk away, Violet immediately pounced on Magneton. "You can't just steal from someone," she explained. "What do I even …" Violet's words trailed off as she saw the Pokeball itself. It wasn't any design she was familiar with, appearing like a regular Pokeball albeit with black lines running across it that looked superficially like a cage.

Magneton, oblivious to Violet's thoughts, hummed in disagreement. She clearly deserved it.

Jarred back to the present, Violet acknowledged the point. "She was mean, but you can get in trouble for this." Pressing the button on the ball, Violet sighed in relief once she realized there wasn't a Pokemon in it. "Take her lighter instead, that'd be a lot less noticeable. And more annoying."

The Magnet Pokemon hummed in surprise at the suggestion. Didn't most trainers also carry matches as backup?

"Most do, but she didn't." Violet had been surprised at the lack of backup equipment Amber had carried. There was no sign that she even had a compass or flashlight. It was almost like she had only received Gastly a week ago. "She … probably bought Gastly from someone."

Violet frowned at that. While it wasn't unheard of for trainers to sell strong Pokemon, it was generally frowned upon due to said Pokemon usually being unwilling to fight under an inexperienced trainer. However, Gastly hadn't shown any signs of discomfort at the arrangement despite the clearly suboptimal battle strategy used. "Magneton, did you sense any badges?"

Magneton's reply of 'no' only made the mystery stranger.

The 37th Week, 1 Locked. Pick 1

Pokemon Actions

[] Catch your Sixth Pokemon - Now that you have five badges, you could catch another Pokemon providing a full team.
[] Train with your Pokemon - All of your Pokemon are skilled in battle with unique skills, but they can see some improvements through practice. Especially with their new moves.
[] Buy and Use TMs/HMs - You're a big enough trainer to afford TMs and HMs for your Pokemon.
[] Buy Items - Now that you've earned the fifth badge, you can start looking into buying items for your Pokemon.
[] Train with Willow- While it would be nontraditional to train with your rival, both of you have unique skill sets that could complement each other.

Battling Actions

[] Challenge New Trainers - Now that you and your Pokemon have developed, fighting a few trainers in rapid succession would be easy.
[] Challenge an Experienced Trainer - There are at least a few experienced trainers around here that may be worth fighting.
[] Challenge a Viridian City Attendant - In order to face the gym leader, you have to first defeat one of the attendants.
[-] Challenge the Viridian City Gym - While you wish to face the gym, you'll first have to face one of the attendants to gain entry for a six-badge fight.

Exploration Actions

[] See the Sights Inside the City - There are several interesting attractions in Viridian City that would be worth exploring.
[] Explore Unorthodox Locations - Viridian City has a lot that you can explore, some of which would certainly be atypical. Who knows what you may find?
[] Explore the Viridian Forest - A thick patch of jungle north of the city home to mainly bug types with a few ghost types here and there, it'd make for a fun adventure for a few days.

Traveling Actions

[X] Head to Viridian City - You spent the first half of the week travelling through Fennel Valley.
[-] Leave Viridian City - Once you defeat Giovanni you plan on leaving the city within a few days. (opens sub-vote).

Social Actions (For socials, it's assumed you keep up a basic level of contact through text, choosing a social means I write it up)

[] Call Your Parents - Your parents would as usual like a call when you're free.
[] Call Tetsuya - Having just earned his 4th badge, Tetsuya is now headed towards Saffron City to face Sabrina.

Other Actions

[] Look into the Odd Pokeball - You've never seen a Pokeball like this nor is there an example available online. Your curiosity drives you to investigate.

Spoiler: Battle Log

Round 1 Umbreon: Umbreon used Protect (DC1: Autosuccess). Umbreon protected himself!
Round 1 Gastly: Gastly used Will O Wisp (DC15: 15). Umbreon protected himself!

Round 2 Gastly: Gastly used Skitter Smack (DC15: 49). It's Supereffective! Umbreon lost 4 of their HP (95).
Round 2 Umbreon: Umbreon feints with Taunt. Gastly doesn't fall for the taunt. Umbreon used Assurance (DC30: 84). It's Supereffective! Gastly lost 124 of their HP (0). Gastly Fainted!
Round 2 Magneton: Magneton used Magnet Rise on an Odd Pokeball (DC50: 69). Magneton made Amber drop an Odd Pokeball.