oh no....Shirou is very much in danger around Sakura...it's just not his life or well being that's in danger...
Eevee Therapy for Little Magi (Pokemon x F/SN)
- Thread starter Tale Swapper
- Start date
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
Please remember that all the kids are... well, kids right now. Rin and Shirou are 11, Illya is 12, and Sakura is 10. Do not take this any further.
- Location
- Gensokyo
Forgive my ignorance, but is Henderson an original character/gym leader? I have wracked my brain but I just can't seem to remember a gym leader by that name.
And trying to google it hasn't yielded any results for me.
EDIT: if there was an earlier post about him that i missed or forgot than I apologize.
And trying to google it hasn't yielded any results for me.
EDIT: if there was an earlier post about him that i missed or forgot than I apologize.
Last edited:
It is implied that he's being replaced by Cilan, Chili, & Cress shortly, and does appear to be an OC
- Location
- Gensokyo
I figured he was the Gym leader before the brothers yeah. And there have been occasions (though few) of a previous Gym Leader or Elite 4 member showing up or being talked about/mentioned in a game or the show. Hence my uncertainty if he is an oc or is an obscure canon character mentioned by some random Npc in a game or even just off handedly mentioned during some conversation in the show.
Miho Chan
One with too many ideas
- Location
- Hummelstown
- Pronouns
- She/Her
He's an OC, and loosely inspired by Old Man Henderson, I think. You'd have to ask @Tale Swapper to confirm that.
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
VERY loosely. Really, just the sort of attitude and ideas the name invokes.
So he doesn't have any Wee Men?
Did he at least drop a yacht on a penthouse or run someone over with a tanker truck?
Do his boots have heelys installed?
Is his starter or significant other named Heather?
Did he at least drop a yacht on a penthouse or run someone over with a tanker truck?
Do his boots have heelys installed?
Is his starter or significant other named Heather?
Chapter 10: Insert Obligatory 'Hard Enough' pun Here
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
A Special thanks to 22, Banh Bao, Bohmej, Brian Lance, Chris Volcheck, Daniel Einspanjer, Daniel Hales, Edward Newkirk, Griffin J, Hart D, laff monster, lawrence black, Manga09, OceanyBlaze, Philip Hunt-Bull, PV2, Russ Stilter, saganatsu, Silver Shadows, Shawn Whyte, SoratheSol, Starfall20, Tanner Maru, Tynstert, and Whyte57Wyrms. Your continued Patronage is a huge impetus for me to keep writing!
Illya yawned as she emerged from her tent, wiping her eyes as Matilda padded out after her. The crackling of the campfire and the hiss of a camp stove drew her to the firepit in the middle of the clearing, and she wandered over to slump on a log. "Morning, Shirou," she mumbled, perking up as the boy in question passed her a mug of coffee. "Best otouto." she mumbled - into the mug, this time.
Shirou nodded as he continued stirring the boiling pot of miso soup, the original fire pit from last night crackling away as he cooked rice over the coals. "Good morning Illya-nee-san. Breakfast will be ready in about five minutes. We're mostly waiting on the rice. What protein would you prefer this morning?" Pausing, he pointed at his cooler. "We have fish, chicken, or pork."
"Pork, please. Do we have bacon?"
"Yes, we do, though I'll have to cook that separately," Shirou said.
"Please?" Illya and Matilda both used Babydoll Eyes. Shirou just nodded, snapping his fingers to have Yagi pull out the package. Minutes later, the scent of frying bacon filled the air.
"Looking good!" Isabella advanced from the treeline, her Growlithe and Roselia trotting alongside. "Enough for us too, or…"
"No," Shirou replied honestly. "I only have enough provisions for myself, my Pokemon, Illya, and her Pokemon. If you don't have your own provisions, I'm willing to share, but I will not be happy about it."
Isabella drooped. "You've said that every morning…" She groaned. "When we get to town, I'll chip in on the next grocery run if only so you'll share." She looked over at the meal coming together, her Pokemon watching with their own shining eyes. "Now I know why Donovan abandoned the mission for your cooking…"
"If you share your own provisions, I am willing to cook for your Pokemon and yourself," Shirou allowed, finally taking pity on the poor girl.
"Yes! Let me go get my stuff!" Moments later, a load of fresh fish, seasonal tubers, leeks, and a few packages of store-bought ingredients were piled before Shirou, and the young man began preparing the ingredients at a will. As he sped up, Isabella turned to Illya. "So! Excited for your gym battle today?"
Illya nodded rapidly, beaming at Isabella, "I am! It'll be my first first step to officially battling with Cynthia-nee!"
"...you don't aim low," Isabella acknowledged. "So! Neither of you have a water or grass type - that's the easy way to take out Roark. I thought you might pick someone up along the way, but no dice. Why?"
"Picking up a pokemon that resists or knows supereffective moves versus rock is pointless when we both already have good coverage against it," Shirou answered, looking at Ritsuka and Yagi with a raised eyebrow. "Ritsuka knows double kick and dig, and despite her wings, she's not a flying type. She's additionally been working on other moves for coverage, including mud-slap. Yagi is a fighting type, Matilda knows enough moves to make a well trained Smeargle blush, and Fubuki knows chilling water."
"Huh. So you both didn't want to pick up another pokemon just to beat the gym?" Isabella leaned back. "Not that I don't get it, but not an attitude seen by a lot of trainers."
"What's the point of catching a Pokemon, most of whom are lifelong companions, for the purpose of overcoming a single challenge?" Illya asked instead of directly
"Competitive trainers sometimes treat Pokemon like that. And honestly? Some Pokemon are just looking for some training, a chance to get stronger, then go home." Isabella shrugged. "A lotta bug types go that way. They stick around, evolve, and then go back into the wild after a year or two."
Illya looked over at Fubuki, who shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere, Illya. I'm a ghost, and there's no rush for me to go elsewhere." She copper her chin with one hand. "Besides, I'm interested to see if or to what extent I can learn magic. I have some ideas."
Yagi looked up from where he was bench-pressing a log. "I haven't sworn an oath to the Kingdom yet, and I think I'd rather stay with you anyway, Shirou."
Reassured, both fallers settled in to eat. In a few hours, they'd be in Oreburgh, and hit the first roadblock on their journey.
Illya looked around the city with wide eyes. "It's kinda… industrial, all over." She mused, looking at the metal siding and tilted roofs rising from the dark stone and earth of the town. Smokestacks from furnaces reached to the sky, white smoke rising into the air.
"That makes sense," Shirou mused, blinking at Illya's look, "What? Oreburgh is a mining town."
Isabella laughed. "Yeah, first mine established by the immigrants here five hundred years ago. The mines here are deep and wide, connecting to the Underground."
Shirou nodded. "Coal and iron, right? Plus tumblestones and many of the materials used in modern technology."
"Yup. And that's why this place has had mostly rock, steel, and ground gyms over the last two hundred years, though there was this one guy who led a fire gym for a while. Might even still be some Rolycoly around from those days," she mused.
Nodding, Illya fell silent as a quartet of trainers moved towards the gym, laughing and joking. Listening in, Illya frowned. "They seem… confident."
Isabella sighed as they advanced. "Rock is a good typing, but a lot of trainers assume just blasting in with a grass or water type will get them a win." As the four boys entered the gym before them, the trio stepped up. "I'll bet they came here for an easy badge. Especially since Roark's only been at the job for a year now."
"His win-rate says otherwise," Shirou pointed out, receiving a knowing look from the Diamond Clan member, "Well over eighty percent on first challenges."
"Yeah, Roark uses a lot of ancient pokemon, which throws a lot of newbie trainers off their game," Illya acknowledged. "Not sure why those boys would think that."
"Want to watch their matches?" Isabella asked, looking up at the clock on the wall. "We've got half an hour before their time slots."
"It'll be good for scouting," Illya mused, looking to her younger brother who shrugged. "Sure."
Entering the bleachers, the entire group winced as a Budew was sent hurtling back across the line, a young man in a red construction helmet watching the field as a sturdy geodude lobbed another stone into the air. "One down. New capture?" He called over cheerily.
His opponent gaped. "But–"
"You need a little training for a first badge." Roark called out, pitching his voice so the whole arena could hear it. "A new capture needs a week of training, if not more, to be ready for battle." He nodded at the boy. "Send out your next Pokemon or withdraw, please."
The boy tensed, before throwing out another ball. "Go, Shinx!" The little electric type landed, looking uncertain at the rock before him. "Focus on Bite!"
"Well, you do know your matchups. Geodude, Mud Slap." The approaching Shinx didn't last long after the bombardment. "Come back when your budew's gotten some training. And maybe another Pokemon for your second." He withdrew his own Pokemon, looking at the three trainers loitering at the base of the battle court. "Who's next, then?"
"Hmmm," Shirou mused, taking a look at the geodude with a glint in his eyes. "That geodude is experienced."
"Typing and power doesn't beat skill and training," Yagi commented. "To be a gym leader… it used to be a lordship. Even a 'weak' gym has power greater than any but the Elite."
Illya watched with interest. The second trainer's Buizel managed to take out the fresh geodude, only to fall to a small, domed creature. "Hmm, I don't recognize that Pokemon…"
"Omanyte, a fossil Pokemon." Isabella identified it. "It's water-rock."
After twenty more minutes, the four challengers had all been sent packing, and Roark looked around before pulling out a radio. "Excuse me, is my one-thirty challenger here yet?" He asked. "I was looking forward to them–"
"We're in the stands, Leader Roark," Illya called, just barely having heard him speak due to the size of the room, giving the man a dainty wave as she continued. "I believe my brother had the first slot."
"Ah, wonderful!" He waved as Shirou hopped down and came up to the challenger's box. "Mr. Emiya, I believe?"
"You've singled us out? May I ask why?" Shirou called, returning Yagi from his place at Shirou's side. Gym etiquette only allowed for one Pokemon to be out at a time, and Ritsuka, as his starter, always had that privilege unless she deferred it to another member of the team.
"Lab-sponsored trainers aren't too common, and a lot of them last year skipped my gym for one reason or another, if they even do the challenge," Roark explained. "A pair of siblings with two sponsorships? Well, you caught my attention." He struck a small pose. "But can you keep it? It's as hard to maintain as my defense, after all!"
Nodding at his starter, who took her place at his side, he answered, "I believe I will."
"This will be a two-on-two battle between Challenger Emiya and Leader Crag. The Challenger is allowed to substitute at any point freely, while the Leader is forbidden from making switches. When I declare a Pokemon is unable to battle, the Pokemon must be withdrawn from the field promptly. Challenger, do you accept these terms?"
"I do," Shirou called. Tradition demanded he did, as it demanded the Referee announce a well known fact before the battle.
"Leader Crag?" The ref called, turning to the Gym Leader.
"I accept," Roark responded, palming a fresh Pokeball from his bag.
"Then begin!" The Ref called, the whine of a barrier snapping into place resounded through the arena as two Pokemon struck the arena, Yagi rising from his crouch even as a new Pokemon spun onto the battlefield.
"Rolycoly!" The little coal pokemon spun its wheel, preparing for battle.
Yagi's gaze narrowed, then pumped his fists as Shirou spoke. "Quick attack." He tapped his palms as he spoke, and Yagi launched forward, speeding up as he came in for a strike.
"Aura's flaring– Rolycoly, dodge into rock polish! We're going to need the edge!" Roark called out, the little Pokemon turning on a dime and skidding to one side as Yagi crashed down, barely avoiding the force-palm that Shirou had ordered.
Frowning, the red-haired boy briefly considered a strategy before deciding that if this was going to turn into a slugging match he'd do it on his own terms, "Bulk up!" Yagi dropped to the ground and started doing rapid-fire push-ups, glowing red as he did so, before springing back upright with a sharp "Ri-lu!"
"Hmm. A lot of trainers forget to boost. Good job on that. Not good enough, though. Throw up a screen and start belching sparks!" The Rolycoly puffed, a cloud of dark smoke filling its side of the arena before small shots of fire began to flick from the ash cloud.
"Poorly chosen, sir!" Shirou yelled, blood quickening. "Vacuum wave! Clear the smog!" Yagi smiled, then whipped his arms in a blur, the roiling air busting the smokescreen while the trailing edges caught the rock-type. "Follow up with a quick strike!"
Roark's eyes widened. "Incinerate! Fire back!" The little rock-type blasted out a glob of coals at Riolu, who took the shot to close the distance and smack his opponent with a force palm, sending him reeling.
"Keep the pressure up, Yagi!" Shirou encouraged, the fighting type grunting as he pursued the reeling rock type, quick jabs filled with fighting type energy slamming into the Pokemon repeatedly. In response, the Rolycoly spun his wheel, kicking sand and mud at Yagi even as he fired more bursts of flame, yet he continued to lose ground. With one final blow, Yagi sent the rock skidding from the field, battered and spent.
"Gym Leader Roark's first Pokemon is unable to battle! Gym leader, send out your second Pokemon!"
Roark nodded, returning the little rock, and then tossing out a second ball. "Go, Archen!" With a cry, the little flying-type took no time before swooping in and smashing Yagi with its wings. With a grunt, the Riolu allowed himself to be flung backwards, a ball of aura forming in his hands. Which promptly fizzled out, rather predictably.
"Detect!" Shirou barked firmly as the Archen pursued his Pokemon, Yagi smoothly dodging the Wing Attack and countering with a Quick Attack. The two pokemon clashed, only for the little bird to eventually bowl Yagi over before Plucking him repeatedly. Shirou watched, before holding up one hand. "Yagi, tap out!"
"But–" Yagi yelled, the ancient Pokemon on top of him pausing.
"You're at a disadvantage, and your loss will not lose the match. You're done."
"Yes, Shirou," Yagi replied, slapping his palm against the ground.
"Challenger Emiya has forfeited his Riolu. Challenger, send out your second Pokemon!" The Ref called dutifully, giving Shirou a nod of respect.
"Ritsuka, I'm counting on you!" Shirou called, the Wyrmeon dashing onto the field from her place at his feet, hackles raised as she glared challengingly at the prehistoric bird. Roark looked her over, before whistling.
"Better to stay in the air, Archen. Even if she can fly–" Seconds later, Ritsuka took off, flapping after Archen, who squawked before swooping away.
"Why do I think I've seen one like you before? I haven't! Why are you so scary?!" Archen shrieked as he wheeled.
"Ritsuka, Dragon Dance!" Shirou called, using the opportunity to boost as the terrified Archen continued to flee the dancing apex predator. Ritsuka's wings beat double time, before she sped up, catching up even as the hopping Archen started spamming Rock Throws. The resulting clash of iron tail went through the rocks and smashed the little bird to the ground, before landing squarely on his head. Bouncing off, she looked back at her target.
"Are you okay?"
"...I wanna go home now," Archen tweeted forlornly as Defeatist kicked in.
"Yeah, no." Ritsuka looked up, letting out a growly chirp. "Gym-leader-san, I think this one's done. Have another, or…"
Roark shook his head and withdrew the teary-eyed birb. "Right. I think I may have underestimated you, challenger. You've earned the Coal Badge, if you'd like."
As Shirou moved to reply, his Wyrmeon cut him off, already guessing what her trainer was going to do. "Shirou, if you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer to be tested more before you accept the badge."
Blinking at the somewhat odd yet somehow totally in character request from his starter, Shirou shook his head in a negative. "My starter would prefer more of a test before I accept the badge, Leader Roark."
Roark nodded. "I can accommodate." He withdrew another pokeball, flicking it into full size. "I always keep a few higher strength mons on duty in case of problem trainers. Go, Aerodactyl!"
The draconic predecessor emerged in a burst of red light, drawing gasps from the crowd. It looked down, squinting at Ritsuka. "...oh, something tells me you'll be a treat to fight," he rumbled. "Never seen an Eevee fossil mon before…"
Adapting admirably to the changing situation, the ref made a note on his device before coughing to gain both the crowd and trainers' attention. "To note; Challenger Emiya has earned the Coal Badge, and will now be continuing this match in exhibition format. This will be a one versus one match using standard Ace level rules. Ratings will remain unchanged for Leader Roark, and depending on his performance, Challenger Emiya may be offered an Ace rating. Do both the Leader and Challenger consent to these rule changes?"
With a brief glance at Illya, who was nodding rapidly, Shirou firmly nodded, as Leader Roark did the same after noticeably longer consideration.
"In that case, begin!"
Immediately, both Pokemon took off, but not before Roark roared out. "If we're taking this seriously… Aerodactyl, set up some course hazards!" The ancient Pokemon grinned, his wings striking off each other and filling the air with jagged floating stones, which began to edge towards Ritsuka as she swooped about. Not fast enough to truly be an immediate threat, Stealth Rock simply wasn't capable of that, but it was enough that the eeveelution would constantly have to keep an eye out on the changing locations of the aerial mines.
"Ritsuka, continue setting up!" Shirou called, his starter continuing her aerobatics as she continued to boost for as long as she could get away with it, each little maneuver getting faster and tighter as time passed.
Roark winced as he saw Ritsuka continue Dancing. "Rock Polish, then start using Ancient Power! We can't let her get fully boosted!" Aerodactly roared, chips of rough stone peeling off to reveal marble-smooth stone beneath, before a cluster of rune-carved stones formed before him and fired at the dancing Eeveelution.
"Ritsuka, Backstab!" As Ritsuka finished her final dance, she blitzed out of her move, taking hits on her wings as she blurred beneath her hovering opponent, then flipping up and smashing into his back with an Iron Tail. The Aerodactyl screeched, rotating even as Ritsuka flapped her wings to remain in the air, the smaller pokemon nimbly circling her opponent.
"Knock her out of the skies! Stone Edge!" Roark called, and Aerodactyl screamed, a web of sharp stones launching from the ground into the skies, forcing a screech of displeasure from the other dragon, who was hit in the torso by one of the barrages, knocking her off course but not into the ground as Roark had hoped.
"Ritsuka, hit and run tactics with Dragon Breath!" Shirou called, Ritsuka chirping her agreement as she blitzed towards the Aerodactyl, violet flames tearing into the ancient dragon as she blitzed past him. With a spin, she catapulted up, before smashing down with another iron tail, slamming him into the ground, before following up with more dragonbreath. As the stone lizard tried to flap up, she continued to hammer him, bashing in wings, only to pause as a golden glow lit the room. With a yelp, she launched herself over the ancient pokemon just before a hyper beam blasted past her and struck the barrier around the arena. As she landed, she watched as the larger Pokemon gasped, trying to steady itself, before looking up and seeing her still standing.
"...Arceus, no more, please," The Aerodactyl gasped, slamming his tail on the ground twice, then slumping over. "I need more agility training."
"Leader Roark's Pokemon has tapped out! Challenger Emiya wins!" The ref called, barrier dropping at the declaration. Nodding to the gym leader, the male official returned his attention to the tablet he was tapping away at for some unknown reason, quite obviously content with the outcome of the battle.
"I was a bad matchup for you, sir." Ignoring the human referee, Ritsuka acknowledged her opponent as respectfully as she could while panting in exertion. Holding that many boosts for that long had taken a toll on her, and it was quite clear that the Wyrmeon wouldn't last much longer herself, given how hard she was pushing herself, "It was a fantastic battle, either way."
"Don't coddle me, little one. I'm too used to fighting ground-pounders," the ancient pokemon grunted, even as Roark advanced, pulling out his ball. "Stay alive; I'll want a rematch when I've figured out how to fight you properly." He said before the red light caught him.
"Well done! Mr. Emiya, please come over here," Roark called. With a short nod of respect, the red-haired boy recalled his flagging starter and marched towards the Gym Leader, bowing respectfully as he arrived.
"First, Mr. Emiya, congratulations for winning my Coal Badge." Roark handed the small circle of steel to Shirou, who looked down at it with a tiny stirring of pride. "Second, for winning so decisively, and against a greater challenge than normal, I'd like to give you a small reward." He reached into one of his jacket pockets, revealing a plastic case. Flipping it open, he handed Shirou a disc. "That's the Technical Machine for Stealth Rock. Highly versatile in skilled hands, but I don't think you have a partner who can use it yet."
With another awkward bow and a declaration of thanks, Shirou took both the badge and technical machine, the latter with no small amount of reluctance. His sister's gaze, however, discouraged any attempt at refusing the reward that he did not personally believe he'd earned.
As Shirou walked up the stairs, Illya flounced down, her smile wide as she approached her podium. "Hello, Leader Roark!" She began, before the man raised one hand.
"Ms. Illya, before we begin, I must ask your brother a question." Turning, he looked up at Shirou, who blinked twice. "Is your sister significantly weaker than you?" Illya pouted as her deception crumbled.
"She is more proficient at battling than I am, though our Pokemon are on fairly even grounds." Shirou answered with a mildly apologetic look on his face as he shook his head. "Sorry, nee-san. I hope you weren't relying too much on deception for your first badge." The subtle snark sent Illya's brow twitching as she took to the field, grumbling something about lippy redheads under her breath.
"Right then." Roark moved back over to his podium, pressing a couple of buttons. A hatch popped open, and he removed a pneumatic canister from the hidden chute and placed several Pokeballs inside. Moments later, a new canister arrived, and he plucked three balls from it. "Alright then. This will be a two-badge level challenge, with commensurate rewards. Is that acceptable, challenger Illya?"
"It is, Leader Roark," The Einzbern half-homunculus answered cheerfully, pulling Matilda's Pokeball from her belt. "I am ready."
"This will be a two-on-two battle between Challenger Einzbern-Emiya and Leader Crag," the ref called, going through the motions rather professionally. "The Challenger is allowed to substitute at any point freely, while the Leader is forbidden from making switches. When I declare a Pokemon is unable to battle, the Pokemon must be withdrawn from the field promptly. Challenger, do you accept these terms?"
"I do!" Illya called, tossing Matilda's pokeball up and down, all the while practically vibrating in excitement.
"Leader Crag?" Once more, the ref turned to the Gym Leader, an ancient ceremony playing out once more.
"I do," The Gym Leader stated rotely, rolling his eyes as the ref turned away.
"Then begin!" The Ref called, the whine of a barrier snapping into place resounded once more, two pokeballs bursting open and depositing an Eeveelution and an angular stone head on the floor.
The Nosepass fixed itself on Matilda, before abruptly shivering as Roark called out. "Rock polish and get set up!" Seconds later, the panels all over the rock-type shone silver, just before a curtain of pointed stones filled the air with an electromagnetic pulse.
"Misty Terrain." Illya called neutrally, her voice losing all inflection as she focused on the battle ahead. At her call, Matilda cried out, pink mist spewing from all around her as the terrain effect snapped into place, halving the strength of dragon type moves and preventing status conditions for grounded pokemon, all the while boosting the power of fairy type moves. "Prepare to intercept their attacks with Iron Defense."
"At once, my Queen." The Sylveon barked, her feelers gaining a metallic sheen as she stood and waited for the Nosepass' move.
Roark frowned. "Misty… hmm. Nosepass, Rock Polish again, then begin Danmaku protocol." He looked at the Sylveon. "Iron Defense… no, that's something else. Pattern three!"
The Nosepass shone again, then began to spin rapidly, rotating like a top before he began to spin around the arena, Power Gem shots filling the air as he rapid-fired at Matilda. "Pattern three; rotation turret! Getsmoked!"
Smoothly deflecting most of the gemlike constructs of rock type energy with her feelers, the Sylveon daintily began yawning, a white-cloudlike substance crawling forth and enveloping the rotating turret. "Ah, you're being too loud. Please, be silent now." The fae complained, eyes glowing with power as she continued to boost herself with Calm Mind. Iron Defense, after all, was all about giving the sylveon time to gain enough strength to sweep with a knockout blow.
"Keep it up Matilda!" Illya cheered, some inflection now entering her voice as the girl began to get excited. "We're almost there!"
"Hmm." Roark studied the board. "Oh, another sweeper. No, not going to let that happen. Switch to Shatter Rocks, Pattern 5."
"Understood, Pattern 5." The Nosepass spun against the ground, causing hundreds of rock fragments to fly up and dart inward from all directions, the Sylveon blocking quickly to keep from being penetrated.
"Why aren't you getting drowsy… right, the mists." Matilda hissed as a few rock splinters burst through her guard and dug in. "Ouch! My lady, may I go on the offensive?"
"Go for it Matilda! Draining Kiss!" Illya called with a sweep of her left arm, her starter bounding forth gracefully as a heart shaped orb of energy began to bound back and forth between the Sylveon and her target. The first volley missed, the second connected, causing the rotating Nosepass to jerk, before rotating and releasing another barrage of Power Gem at the Sylveon. The gleaming shards ripped into Matlida, causing her to lurch before Nosepass closed the distance, spinning across the ground.
Roark smirked. "Should've kept an eye on the mist. Lock her down!" he yelled.
"Deploying paralysis field. Getstunnned." Nosepass yelped as another attack hit him, before releasing a point-blank thunder wave as the mists around the field fell away. Matilda jerked, then winced as sparks ran over her frame, countering with a blue sphere of energy which laid the damaged Nosepass out cold.
"Urk. My lady, I– I believe I'm paralyzed," Matilda winced.
"Nosepass is unable to battle," The ref declared neutrally, "Leader Roark, send out your next Pokemon."
"Right. Larion, finish her off!" The bulky metal armadillo slammed into the ground, then immediately bounded forward, head shining a dull silver as he slammed towards Matilda. With almost savage glee, the Sylveon took the hit, forcibly anchoring herself as a ball of condensed aura form before her maw. Knowing that Illya is about to call for baton-pass, and unwilling to leave without a parting gift of her own, Matilda launches the ball of aura forward at point blank range.
"Baton Pass!"
Acknowledging her queen's command, the fae-fox passes the baton to her fellow member of the court, entrusting the rest of the battle to the lady of ice. Even as Fubuki emerged, the charged Aura sphere slammed into the Larion, sending him sprawling across the ground.
"Aura sphere? I didn't think Sylveon could learn that." Roark remarked as Lairon struggled back to its feet. "Still, an ice-type? Going in with a disadvantage, even with the stacked buffs." He observed.
Lairon was far less sanguine. "Oh shit, ghost! Argh, I hate fighting you guys– gals?" He rumbled, even as the arena started to whirl with ice. "And now it's snowing. Ugh…"
"Deal with it." Fubuki's response was filled with far more smug than was healthy for an individual to consume, even as Illya called out her order.
"Icy Wind!"
"As you command, my queen." The Froslass grinned, fading into the snow and taking her sweet time to reeappear behind the Larion, dousing the steel-type with gusts of icy-wind. The Lairon grunted, enduring the strikes before responding with a headlong rush, head glowing silver as he dove for a strike. Fubuki swirled, grazed by the headlong rush. "Ouch! You'll pay for that. Get doused, lout." She lashed out with a burst of Chilling Water, the attack bolstered by the Calm minds she'd inherited.
Larion cursed as the douse of frigid water connected. "Alright, let's pin you down." He stomped, hundreds of Stealth Rock thorns poking through the ground before they fired upward, homing in on the ice-type.
"Retaliate with Ominous Wind!" Illya commanded firmly, sweeping her left arm across her body grandly. With admirable alacrity, Fubuki swept her own tiny arm out, a wave of ill colored wind turning aside several of the stones as they came. The burst repelled the most direct stones, but the indirect shots dug in, the Froslass wincing as the ancient variation of stealth rock began digging into her, sapping her endurance. Almost by reflex, Fubuki shot a blast of ultra-chilled water towards her attacker, seemingly preempting her trainer's call to do so.
"This is now a battle of attrition, Ms. Illya." Roark called out. "It could be anyone's game, or can you insure a win?"
Illya scowled. "I think it's going to be my win. Are you sure this is a two-badge team?" she shot back. "Fubuki, keep up the pressure. You're wearing down his offensive power."
"Yes ma'am." Fubuki replied, summoning another blast of water. As Larion charged, she blasted the ground, then let him slide past her, hitting his rear with another pulse. "You know, do you have any ranged attacks other than those little splinters?" She asked as she floated into the air. "You may want to use them."
The armadillo pokemon hacked, then tried blasting upward with a Rock Blast. Fubuki chuckled as she danced through the falling snow, fading in and out of sight before wincing as the stone splinters dug into her. Below her, the Lairon growled, digging underground.
"Fubuki, we've got our chance! Follow that rock!" Illya cried victoriously, a vicious grin flashing across her face. Finally! She'd been waiting for Leader Roark's Larion to use dig forever now. With a cry, Fubuki complied,. melting into the ground like an apparition in the night. Roark flinched, even as a blast of icy water blew Lairon into the air, Fubuki emerging from beneath with a cackle. Spreading her arms, she began to fire blasts of icy wind, each shot juggling Lairon and keeping him airborne and helpless.
Roark slapped his hand on the podium. "It's your win, young lady. Well exploited," he acknowledged.
"Gym Leader Roark concedes! Challenger Illya has won!" Pausing, the ref nodded firmly to himself. "Challenger Illya has won the Coal Badge. Trainers, please meet at the center and exchange pleasantries. This concludes Challengers Emiya and Einzbern-Emiya's Gym Challenge. We will now have an hour recess for Lunch. Challenges for the Coal Badge will resume afterwards."
As the various watchers applauded, Illya hopped over the bannister surrounding the court and easily stepped over the wrecked field, approaching Roark as he returned his Lairon. Roark looked up, a smile on his face. "Well, I'm glad you told the truth about your competency. Facing a one-badge team with those two… it wouldn't have looked good for either of us." He reached into his pocket and removed his badge from it. "Here you are, young lady."
"Thank you." Illya accepted the badge, then looked up at Roark intently. "I also want to meet with you in your role as Master of the Underground," she said formally, then looked him over a little more closely. "Also… you wouldn't happen to know the location to challenge Lord Kleavor, would you?"
"Going on the Warden's Journey?" Roark smiled as the girl nodded. "Well, I might be able to help," he admitted as the two left the room. "But it might be a couple of days…"
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
Illya yawned as she emerged from her tent, wiping her eyes as Matilda padded out after her. The crackling of the campfire and the hiss of a camp stove drew her to the firepit in the middle of the clearing, and she wandered over to slump on a log. "Morning, Shirou," she mumbled, perking up as the boy in question passed her a mug of coffee. "Best otouto." she mumbled - into the mug, this time.
Shirou nodded as he continued stirring the boiling pot of miso soup, the original fire pit from last night crackling away as he cooked rice over the coals. "Good morning Illya-nee-san. Breakfast will be ready in about five minutes. We're mostly waiting on the rice. What protein would you prefer this morning?" Pausing, he pointed at his cooler. "We have fish, chicken, or pork."
"Pork, please. Do we have bacon?"
"Yes, we do, though I'll have to cook that separately," Shirou said.
"Please?" Illya and Matilda both used Babydoll Eyes. Shirou just nodded, snapping his fingers to have Yagi pull out the package. Minutes later, the scent of frying bacon filled the air.
"Looking good!" Isabella advanced from the treeline, her Growlithe and Roselia trotting alongside. "Enough for us too, or…"
"No," Shirou replied honestly. "I only have enough provisions for myself, my Pokemon, Illya, and her Pokemon. If you don't have your own provisions, I'm willing to share, but I will not be happy about it."
Isabella drooped. "You've said that every morning…" She groaned. "When we get to town, I'll chip in on the next grocery run if only so you'll share." She looked over at the meal coming together, her Pokemon watching with their own shining eyes. "Now I know why Donovan abandoned the mission for your cooking…"
"If you share your own provisions, I am willing to cook for your Pokemon and yourself," Shirou allowed, finally taking pity on the poor girl.
"Yes! Let me go get my stuff!" Moments later, a load of fresh fish, seasonal tubers, leeks, and a few packages of store-bought ingredients were piled before Shirou, and the young man began preparing the ingredients at a will. As he sped up, Isabella turned to Illya. "So! Excited for your gym battle today?"
Illya nodded rapidly, beaming at Isabella, "I am! It'll be my first first step to officially battling with Cynthia-nee!"
"...you don't aim low," Isabella acknowledged. "So! Neither of you have a water or grass type - that's the easy way to take out Roark. I thought you might pick someone up along the way, but no dice. Why?"
"Picking up a pokemon that resists or knows supereffective moves versus rock is pointless when we both already have good coverage against it," Shirou answered, looking at Ritsuka and Yagi with a raised eyebrow. "Ritsuka knows double kick and dig, and despite her wings, she's not a flying type. She's additionally been working on other moves for coverage, including mud-slap. Yagi is a fighting type, Matilda knows enough moves to make a well trained Smeargle blush, and Fubuki knows chilling water."
"Huh. So you both didn't want to pick up another pokemon just to beat the gym?" Isabella leaned back. "Not that I don't get it, but not an attitude seen by a lot of trainers."
"What's the point of catching a Pokemon, most of whom are lifelong companions, for the purpose of overcoming a single challenge?" Illya asked instead of directly
"Competitive trainers sometimes treat Pokemon like that. And honestly? Some Pokemon are just looking for some training, a chance to get stronger, then go home." Isabella shrugged. "A lotta bug types go that way. They stick around, evolve, and then go back into the wild after a year or two."
Illya looked over at Fubuki, who shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere, Illya. I'm a ghost, and there's no rush for me to go elsewhere." She copper her chin with one hand. "Besides, I'm interested to see if or to what extent I can learn magic. I have some ideas."
Yagi looked up from where he was bench-pressing a log. "I haven't sworn an oath to the Kingdom yet, and I think I'd rather stay with you anyway, Shirou."
Reassured, both fallers settled in to eat. In a few hours, they'd be in Oreburgh, and hit the first roadblock on their journey.
Illya looked around the city with wide eyes. "It's kinda… industrial, all over." She mused, looking at the metal siding and tilted roofs rising from the dark stone and earth of the town. Smokestacks from furnaces reached to the sky, white smoke rising into the air.
"That makes sense," Shirou mused, blinking at Illya's look, "What? Oreburgh is a mining town."
Isabella laughed. "Yeah, first mine established by the immigrants here five hundred years ago. The mines here are deep and wide, connecting to the Underground."
Shirou nodded. "Coal and iron, right? Plus tumblestones and many of the materials used in modern technology."
"Yup. And that's why this place has had mostly rock, steel, and ground gyms over the last two hundred years, though there was this one guy who led a fire gym for a while. Might even still be some Rolycoly around from those days," she mused.
Nodding, Illya fell silent as a quartet of trainers moved towards the gym, laughing and joking. Listening in, Illya frowned. "They seem… confident."
Isabella sighed as they advanced. "Rock is a good typing, but a lot of trainers assume just blasting in with a grass or water type will get them a win." As the four boys entered the gym before them, the trio stepped up. "I'll bet they came here for an easy badge. Especially since Roark's only been at the job for a year now."
"His win-rate says otherwise," Shirou pointed out, receiving a knowing look from the Diamond Clan member, "Well over eighty percent on first challenges."
"Yeah, Roark uses a lot of ancient pokemon, which throws a lot of newbie trainers off their game," Illya acknowledged. "Not sure why those boys would think that."
"Want to watch their matches?" Isabella asked, looking up at the clock on the wall. "We've got half an hour before their time slots."
"It'll be good for scouting," Illya mused, looking to her younger brother who shrugged. "Sure."
Entering the bleachers, the entire group winced as a Budew was sent hurtling back across the line, a young man in a red construction helmet watching the field as a sturdy geodude lobbed another stone into the air. "One down. New capture?" He called over cheerily.
His opponent gaped. "But–"
"You need a little training for a first badge." Roark called out, pitching his voice so the whole arena could hear it. "A new capture needs a week of training, if not more, to be ready for battle." He nodded at the boy. "Send out your next Pokemon or withdraw, please."
The boy tensed, before throwing out another ball. "Go, Shinx!" The little electric type landed, looking uncertain at the rock before him. "Focus on Bite!"
"Well, you do know your matchups. Geodude, Mud Slap." The approaching Shinx didn't last long after the bombardment. "Come back when your budew's gotten some training. And maybe another Pokemon for your second." He withdrew his own Pokemon, looking at the three trainers loitering at the base of the battle court. "Who's next, then?"
"Hmmm," Shirou mused, taking a look at the geodude with a glint in his eyes. "That geodude is experienced."
"Typing and power doesn't beat skill and training," Yagi commented. "To be a gym leader… it used to be a lordship. Even a 'weak' gym has power greater than any but the Elite."
Illya watched with interest. The second trainer's Buizel managed to take out the fresh geodude, only to fall to a small, domed creature. "Hmm, I don't recognize that Pokemon…"
"Omanyte, a fossil Pokemon." Isabella identified it. "It's water-rock."
After twenty more minutes, the four challengers had all been sent packing, and Roark looked around before pulling out a radio. "Excuse me, is my one-thirty challenger here yet?" He asked. "I was looking forward to them–"
"We're in the stands, Leader Roark," Illya called, just barely having heard him speak due to the size of the room, giving the man a dainty wave as she continued. "I believe my brother had the first slot."
"Ah, wonderful!" He waved as Shirou hopped down and came up to the challenger's box. "Mr. Emiya, I believe?"
"You've singled us out? May I ask why?" Shirou called, returning Yagi from his place at Shirou's side. Gym etiquette only allowed for one Pokemon to be out at a time, and Ritsuka, as his starter, always had that privilege unless she deferred it to another member of the team.
"Lab-sponsored trainers aren't too common, and a lot of them last year skipped my gym for one reason or another, if they even do the challenge," Roark explained. "A pair of siblings with two sponsorships? Well, you caught my attention." He struck a small pose. "But can you keep it? It's as hard to maintain as my defense, after all!"
Nodding at his starter, who took her place at his side, he answered, "I believe I will."
"This will be a two-on-two battle between Challenger Emiya and Leader Crag. The Challenger is allowed to substitute at any point freely, while the Leader is forbidden from making switches. When I declare a Pokemon is unable to battle, the Pokemon must be withdrawn from the field promptly. Challenger, do you accept these terms?"
"I do," Shirou called. Tradition demanded he did, as it demanded the Referee announce a well known fact before the battle.
"Leader Crag?" The ref called, turning to the Gym Leader.
"I accept," Roark responded, palming a fresh Pokeball from his bag.
"Then begin!" The Ref called, the whine of a barrier snapping into place resounded through the arena as two Pokemon struck the arena, Yagi rising from his crouch even as a new Pokemon spun onto the battlefield.
"Rolycoly!" The little coal pokemon spun its wheel, preparing for battle.
Yagi's gaze narrowed, then pumped his fists as Shirou spoke. "Quick attack." He tapped his palms as he spoke, and Yagi launched forward, speeding up as he came in for a strike.
"Aura's flaring– Rolycoly, dodge into rock polish! We're going to need the edge!" Roark called out, the little Pokemon turning on a dime and skidding to one side as Yagi crashed down, barely avoiding the force-palm that Shirou had ordered.
Frowning, the red-haired boy briefly considered a strategy before deciding that if this was going to turn into a slugging match he'd do it on his own terms, "Bulk up!" Yagi dropped to the ground and started doing rapid-fire push-ups, glowing red as he did so, before springing back upright with a sharp "Ri-lu!"
"Hmm. A lot of trainers forget to boost. Good job on that. Not good enough, though. Throw up a screen and start belching sparks!" The Rolycoly puffed, a cloud of dark smoke filling its side of the arena before small shots of fire began to flick from the ash cloud.
"Poorly chosen, sir!" Shirou yelled, blood quickening. "Vacuum wave! Clear the smog!" Yagi smiled, then whipped his arms in a blur, the roiling air busting the smokescreen while the trailing edges caught the rock-type. "Follow up with a quick strike!"
Roark's eyes widened. "Incinerate! Fire back!" The little rock-type blasted out a glob of coals at Riolu, who took the shot to close the distance and smack his opponent with a force palm, sending him reeling.
"Keep the pressure up, Yagi!" Shirou encouraged, the fighting type grunting as he pursued the reeling rock type, quick jabs filled with fighting type energy slamming into the Pokemon repeatedly. In response, the Rolycoly spun his wheel, kicking sand and mud at Yagi even as he fired more bursts of flame, yet he continued to lose ground. With one final blow, Yagi sent the rock skidding from the field, battered and spent.
"Gym Leader Roark's first Pokemon is unable to battle! Gym leader, send out your second Pokemon!"
Roark nodded, returning the little rock, and then tossing out a second ball. "Go, Archen!" With a cry, the little flying-type took no time before swooping in and smashing Yagi with its wings. With a grunt, the Riolu allowed himself to be flung backwards, a ball of aura forming in his hands. Which promptly fizzled out, rather predictably.
"Detect!" Shirou barked firmly as the Archen pursued his Pokemon, Yagi smoothly dodging the Wing Attack and countering with a Quick Attack. The two pokemon clashed, only for the little bird to eventually bowl Yagi over before Plucking him repeatedly. Shirou watched, before holding up one hand. "Yagi, tap out!"
"But–" Yagi yelled, the ancient Pokemon on top of him pausing.
"You're at a disadvantage, and your loss will not lose the match. You're done."
"Yes, Shirou," Yagi replied, slapping his palm against the ground.
"Challenger Emiya has forfeited his Riolu. Challenger, send out your second Pokemon!" The Ref called dutifully, giving Shirou a nod of respect.
"Ritsuka, I'm counting on you!" Shirou called, the Wyrmeon dashing onto the field from her place at his feet, hackles raised as she glared challengingly at the prehistoric bird. Roark looked her over, before whistling.
"Better to stay in the air, Archen. Even if she can fly–" Seconds later, Ritsuka took off, flapping after Archen, who squawked before swooping away.
"Why do I think I've seen one like you before? I haven't! Why are you so scary?!" Archen shrieked as he wheeled.
"Ritsuka, Dragon Dance!" Shirou called, using the opportunity to boost as the terrified Archen continued to flee the dancing apex predator. Ritsuka's wings beat double time, before she sped up, catching up even as the hopping Archen started spamming Rock Throws. The resulting clash of iron tail went through the rocks and smashed the little bird to the ground, before landing squarely on his head. Bouncing off, she looked back at her target.
"Are you okay?"
"...I wanna go home now," Archen tweeted forlornly as Defeatist kicked in.
"Yeah, no." Ritsuka looked up, letting out a growly chirp. "Gym-leader-san, I think this one's done. Have another, or…"
Roark shook his head and withdrew the teary-eyed birb. "Right. I think I may have underestimated you, challenger. You've earned the Coal Badge, if you'd like."
As Shirou moved to reply, his Wyrmeon cut him off, already guessing what her trainer was going to do. "Shirou, if you wouldn't mind, I'd prefer to be tested more before you accept the badge."
Blinking at the somewhat odd yet somehow totally in character request from his starter, Shirou shook his head in a negative. "My starter would prefer more of a test before I accept the badge, Leader Roark."
Roark nodded. "I can accommodate." He withdrew another pokeball, flicking it into full size. "I always keep a few higher strength mons on duty in case of problem trainers. Go, Aerodactyl!"
The draconic predecessor emerged in a burst of red light, drawing gasps from the crowd. It looked down, squinting at Ritsuka. "...oh, something tells me you'll be a treat to fight," he rumbled. "Never seen an Eevee fossil mon before…"
Adapting admirably to the changing situation, the ref made a note on his device before coughing to gain both the crowd and trainers' attention. "To note; Challenger Emiya has earned the Coal Badge, and will now be continuing this match in exhibition format. This will be a one versus one match using standard Ace level rules. Ratings will remain unchanged for Leader Roark, and depending on his performance, Challenger Emiya may be offered an Ace rating. Do both the Leader and Challenger consent to these rule changes?"
With a brief glance at Illya, who was nodding rapidly, Shirou firmly nodded, as Leader Roark did the same after noticeably longer consideration.
"In that case, begin!"
Immediately, both Pokemon took off, but not before Roark roared out. "If we're taking this seriously… Aerodactyl, set up some course hazards!" The ancient Pokemon grinned, his wings striking off each other and filling the air with jagged floating stones, which began to edge towards Ritsuka as she swooped about. Not fast enough to truly be an immediate threat, Stealth Rock simply wasn't capable of that, but it was enough that the eeveelution would constantly have to keep an eye out on the changing locations of the aerial mines.
"Ritsuka, continue setting up!" Shirou called, his starter continuing her aerobatics as she continued to boost for as long as she could get away with it, each little maneuver getting faster and tighter as time passed.
Roark winced as he saw Ritsuka continue Dancing. "Rock Polish, then start using Ancient Power! We can't let her get fully boosted!" Aerodactly roared, chips of rough stone peeling off to reveal marble-smooth stone beneath, before a cluster of rune-carved stones formed before him and fired at the dancing Eeveelution.
"Ritsuka, Backstab!" As Ritsuka finished her final dance, she blitzed out of her move, taking hits on her wings as she blurred beneath her hovering opponent, then flipping up and smashing into his back with an Iron Tail. The Aerodactyl screeched, rotating even as Ritsuka flapped her wings to remain in the air, the smaller pokemon nimbly circling her opponent.
"Knock her out of the skies! Stone Edge!" Roark called, and Aerodactyl screamed, a web of sharp stones launching from the ground into the skies, forcing a screech of displeasure from the other dragon, who was hit in the torso by one of the barrages, knocking her off course but not into the ground as Roark had hoped.
"Ritsuka, hit and run tactics with Dragon Breath!" Shirou called, Ritsuka chirping her agreement as she blitzed towards the Aerodactyl, violet flames tearing into the ancient dragon as she blitzed past him. With a spin, she catapulted up, before smashing down with another iron tail, slamming him into the ground, before following up with more dragonbreath. As the stone lizard tried to flap up, she continued to hammer him, bashing in wings, only to pause as a golden glow lit the room. With a yelp, she launched herself over the ancient pokemon just before a hyper beam blasted past her and struck the barrier around the arena. As she landed, she watched as the larger Pokemon gasped, trying to steady itself, before looking up and seeing her still standing.
"...Arceus, no more, please," The Aerodactyl gasped, slamming his tail on the ground twice, then slumping over. "I need more agility training."
"Leader Roark's Pokemon has tapped out! Challenger Emiya wins!" The ref called, barrier dropping at the declaration. Nodding to the gym leader, the male official returned his attention to the tablet he was tapping away at for some unknown reason, quite obviously content with the outcome of the battle.
"I was a bad matchup for you, sir." Ignoring the human referee, Ritsuka acknowledged her opponent as respectfully as she could while panting in exertion. Holding that many boosts for that long had taken a toll on her, and it was quite clear that the Wyrmeon wouldn't last much longer herself, given how hard she was pushing herself, "It was a fantastic battle, either way."
"Don't coddle me, little one. I'm too used to fighting ground-pounders," the ancient pokemon grunted, even as Roark advanced, pulling out his ball. "Stay alive; I'll want a rematch when I've figured out how to fight you properly." He said before the red light caught him.
"Well done! Mr. Emiya, please come over here," Roark called. With a short nod of respect, the red-haired boy recalled his flagging starter and marched towards the Gym Leader, bowing respectfully as he arrived.
"First, Mr. Emiya, congratulations for winning my Coal Badge." Roark handed the small circle of steel to Shirou, who looked down at it with a tiny stirring of pride. "Second, for winning so decisively, and against a greater challenge than normal, I'd like to give you a small reward." He reached into one of his jacket pockets, revealing a plastic case. Flipping it open, he handed Shirou a disc. "That's the Technical Machine for Stealth Rock. Highly versatile in skilled hands, but I don't think you have a partner who can use it yet."
With another awkward bow and a declaration of thanks, Shirou took both the badge and technical machine, the latter with no small amount of reluctance. His sister's gaze, however, discouraged any attempt at refusing the reward that he did not personally believe he'd earned.
As Shirou walked up the stairs, Illya flounced down, her smile wide as she approached her podium. "Hello, Leader Roark!" She began, before the man raised one hand.
"Ms. Illya, before we begin, I must ask your brother a question." Turning, he looked up at Shirou, who blinked twice. "Is your sister significantly weaker than you?" Illya pouted as her deception crumbled.
"She is more proficient at battling than I am, though our Pokemon are on fairly even grounds." Shirou answered with a mildly apologetic look on his face as he shook his head. "Sorry, nee-san. I hope you weren't relying too much on deception for your first badge." The subtle snark sent Illya's brow twitching as she took to the field, grumbling something about lippy redheads under her breath.
"Right then." Roark moved back over to his podium, pressing a couple of buttons. A hatch popped open, and he removed a pneumatic canister from the hidden chute and placed several Pokeballs inside. Moments later, a new canister arrived, and he plucked three balls from it. "Alright then. This will be a two-badge level challenge, with commensurate rewards. Is that acceptable, challenger Illya?"
"It is, Leader Roark," The Einzbern half-homunculus answered cheerfully, pulling Matilda's Pokeball from her belt. "I am ready."
"This will be a two-on-two battle between Challenger Einzbern-Emiya and Leader Crag," the ref called, going through the motions rather professionally. "The Challenger is allowed to substitute at any point freely, while the Leader is forbidden from making switches. When I declare a Pokemon is unable to battle, the Pokemon must be withdrawn from the field promptly. Challenger, do you accept these terms?"
"I do!" Illya called, tossing Matilda's pokeball up and down, all the while practically vibrating in excitement.
"Leader Crag?" Once more, the ref turned to the Gym Leader, an ancient ceremony playing out once more.
"I do," The Gym Leader stated rotely, rolling his eyes as the ref turned away.
"Then begin!" The Ref called, the whine of a barrier snapping into place resounded once more, two pokeballs bursting open and depositing an Eeveelution and an angular stone head on the floor.
The Nosepass fixed itself on Matilda, before abruptly shivering as Roark called out. "Rock polish and get set up!" Seconds later, the panels all over the rock-type shone silver, just before a curtain of pointed stones filled the air with an electromagnetic pulse.
"Misty Terrain." Illya called neutrally, her voice losing all inflection as she focused on the battle ahead. At her call, Matilda cried out, pink mist spewing from all around her as the terrain effect snapped into place, halving the strength of dragon type moves and preventing status conditions for grounded pokemon, all the while boosting the power of fairy type moves. "Prepare to intercept their attacks with Iron Defense."
"At once, my Queen." The Sylveon barked, her feelers gaining a metallic sheen as she stood and waited for the Nosepass' move.
Roark frowned. "Misty… hmm. Nosepass, Rock Polish again, then begin Danmaku protocol." He looked at the Sylveon. "Iron Defense… no, that's something else. Pattern three!"
The Nosepass shone again, then began to spin rapidly, rotating like a top before he began to spin around the arena, Power Gem shots filling the air as he rapid-fired at Matilda. "Pattern three; rotation turret! Getsmoked!"
Smoothly deflecting most of the gemlike constructs of rock type energy with her feelers, the Sylveon daintily began yawning, a white-cloudlike substance crawling forth and enveloping the rotating turret. "Ah, you're being too loud. Please, be silent now." The fae complained, eyes glowing with power as she continued to boost herself with Calm Mind. Iron Defense, after all, was all about giving the sylveon time to gain enough strength to sweep with a knockout blow.
"Keep it up Matilda!" Illya cheered, some inflection now entering her voice as the girl began to get excited. "We're almost there!"
"Hmm." Roark studied the board. "Oh, another sweeper. No, not going to let that happen. Switch to Shatter Rocks, Pattern 5."
"Understood, Pattern 5." The Nosepass spun against the ground, causing hundreds of rock fragments to fly up and dart inward from all directions, the Sylveon blocking quickly to keep from being penetrated.
"Why aren't you getting drowsy… right, the mists." Matilda hissed as a few rock splinters burst through her guard and dug in. "Ouch! My lady, may I go on the offensive?"
"Go for it Matilda! Draining Kiss!" Illya called with a sweep of her left arm, her starter bounding forth gracefully as a heart shaped orb of energy began to bound back and forth between the Sylveon and her target. The first volley missed, the second connected, causing the rotating Nosepass to jerk, before rotating and releasing another barrage of Power Gem at the Sylveon. The gleaming shards ripped into Matlida, causing her to lurch before Nosepass closed the distance, spinning across the ground.
Roark smirked. "Should've kept an eye on the mist. Lock her down!" he yelled.
"Deploying paralysis field. Getstunnned." Nosepass yelped as another attack hit him, before releasing a point-blank thunder wave as the mists around the field fell away. Matilda jerked, then winced as sparks ran over her frame, countering with a blue sphere of energy which laid the damaged Nosepass out cold.
"Urk. My lady, I– I believe I'm paralyzed," Matilda winced.
"Nosepass is unable to battle," The ref declared neutrally, "Leader Roark, send out your next Pokemon."
"Right. Larion, finish her off!" The bulky metal armadillo slammed into the ground, then immediately bounded forward, head shining a dull silver as he slammed towards Matilda. With almost savage glee, the Sylveon took the hit, forcibly anchoring herself as a ball of condensed aura form before her maw. Knowing that Illya is about to call for baton-pass, and unwilling to leave without a parting gift of her own, Matilda launches the ball of aura forward at point blank range.
"Baton Pass!"
Acknowledging her queen's command, the fae-fox passes the baton to her fellow member of the court, entrusting the rest of the battle to the lady of ice. Even as Fubuki emerged, the charged Aura sphere slammed into the Larion, sending him sprawling across the ground.
"Aura sphere? I didn't think Sylveon could learn that." Roark remarked as Lairon struggled back to its feet. "Still, an ice-type? Going in with a disadvantage, even with the stacked buffs." He observed.
Lairon was far less sanguine. "Oh shit, ghost! Argh, I hate fighting you guys– gals?" He rumbled, even as the arena started to whirl with ice. "And now it's snowing. Ugh…"
"Deal with it." Fubuki's response was filled with far more smug than was healthy for an individual to consume, even as Illya called out her order.
"Icy Wind!"
"As you command, my queen." The Froslass grinned, fading into the snow and taking her sweet time to reeappear behind the Larion, dousing the steel-type with gusts of icy-wind. The Lairon grunted, enduring the strikes before responding with a headlong rush, head glowing silver as he dove for a strike. Fubuki swirled, grazed by the headlong rush. "Ouch! You'll pay for that. Get doused, lout." She lashed out with a burst of Chilling Water, the attack bolstered by the Calm minds she'd inherited.
Larion cursed as the douse of frigid water connected. "Alright, let's pin you down." He stomped, hundreds of Stealth Rock thorns poking through the ground before they fired upward, homing in on the ice-type.
"Retaliate with Ominous Wind!" Illya commanded firmly, sweeping her left arm across her body grandly. With admirable alacrity, Fubuki swept her own tiny arm out, a wave of ill colored wind turning aside several of the stones as they came. The burst repelled the most direct stones, but the indirect shots dug in, the Froslass wincing as the ancient variation of stealth rock began digging into her, sapping her endurance. Almost by reflex, Fubuki shot a blast of ultra-chilled water towards her attacker, seemingly preempting her trainer's call to do so.
"This is now a battle of attrition, Ms. Illya." Roark called out. "It could be anyone's game, or can you insure a win?"
Illya scowled. "I think it's going to be my win. Are you sure this is a two-badge team?" she shot back. "Fubuki, keep up the pressure. You're wearing down his offensive power."
"Yes ma'am." Fubuki replied, summoning another blast of water. As Larion charged, she blasted the ground, then let him slide past her, hitting his rear with another pulse. "You know, do you have any ranged attacks other than those little splinters?" She asked as she floated into the air. "You may want to use them."
The armadillo pokemon hacked, then tried blasting upward with a Rock Blast. Fubuki chuckled as she danced through the falling snow, fading in and out of sight before wincing as the stone splinters dug into her. Below her, the Lairon growled, digging underground.
"Fubuki, we've got our chance! Follow that rock!" Illya cried victoriously, a vicious grin flashing across her face. Finally! She'd been waiting for Leader Roark's Larion to use dig forever now. With a cry, Fubuki complied,. melting into the ground like an apparition in the night. Roark flinched, even as a blast of icy water blew Lairon into the air, Fubuki emerging from beneath with a cackle. Spreading her arms, she began to fire blasts of icy wind, each shot juggling Lairon and keeping him airborne and helpless.
Roark slapped his hand on the podium. "It's your win, young lady. Well exploited," he acknowledged.
"Gym Leader Roark concedes! Challenger Illya has won!" Pausing, the ref nodded firmly to himself. "Challenger Illya has won the Coal Badge. Trainers, please meet at the center and exchange pleasantries. This concludes Challengers Emiya and Einzbern-Emiya's Gym Challenge. We will now have an hour recess for Lunch. Challenges for the Coal Badge will resume afterwards."
As the various watchers applauded, Illya hopped over the bannister surrounding the court and easily stepped over the wrecked field, approaching Roark as he returned his Lairon. Roark looked up, a smile on his face. "Well, I'm glad you told the truth about your competency. Facing a one-badge team with those two… it wouldn't have looked good for either of us." He reached into his pocket and removed his badge from it. "Here you are, young lady."
"Thank you." Illya accepted the badge, then looked up at Roark intently. "I also want to meet with you in your role as Master of the Underground," she said formally, then looked him over a little more closely. "Also… you wouldn't happen to know the location to challenge Lord Kleavor, would you?"
"Going on the Warden's Journey?" Roark smiled as the girl nodded. "Well, I might be able to help," he admitted as the two left the room. "But it might be a couple of days…"
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
Yeah, I can never get that spelling right... should've used find and correct. Thanks for the heads up.
Miho Chan
One with too many ideas
- Location
- Hummelstown
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Glad you liked them! Battles are definitely the thing that come easiest to me in writing, so I'm extremely happy when people enjoy them.
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
I'm really glad she's good at battles, because I'm not nearly so inclined.
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
...hey, @Miho Chan ? I think this guy remembered what we forgot to do...
Give us until a few days, and we'll have something put together. We've both been writing all day today, and I have work the next two days, so it won't be tomorrow
Miho Chan
One with too many ideas
- Location
- Hummelstown
- Pronouns
- She/Her
He had just finished becoming a living murderblender against Team Flare, and had talked to Looker.
Edit: Also, thank you!
DarkJediLiteSith
Grown-up Squirrel
- Location
- Colorado
Seconded! I liked the chapter a lot, and I'll have to reread Kiritsugu's pov, both to keep myself apace and to remind myself of his awesomeness:}
Keep up the good work @Miho Chan , @Tale Swapper !!
Miho Chan
One with too many ideas
- Location
- Hummelstown
- Pronouns
- She/Her
Thanks for bringing this up, I'll bring it to @Tale Swapper's attention!
Interlude 1: Pokenet 1
Tale Swapper
(Unverified Madman)
- Location
- Lost Among a Sea of Imaginings and Dreams
A Special thanks to 22, Banh Bao, Bohmej, Brian Lance, Chris Volcheck, Daniel Einspanjer, Daniel Hales, Edward Newkirk, Griffin J, Hart D, laff monster, lawrence black, Manga09, OceanyBlaze, Philip Hunt-Bull, PV2, Russ Stilter, saganatsu, Shawn Whyte, SoratheSol, Starfall20, Tanner Maron, Tynstert, and Whyte57Wyrms. Your continued Patronage is a huge impetus for me to keep writing!
I suppose we should start by laying out the facts. Six weeks ago, the high priest of Hoopa and the Space-Time bureau reported the arrival of no less than five fallers on the same day, at three different (undisclosed) locations. Normally, this would result in local chaos (I think we all recall the '54 man who stole a master ball and attempted to catch Johto's Lady Suicune) but after three weeks of no explosions, stupid thefts, or known rampages with unknown causes, everyone got the idea that this batch wasn't going to cause problems.
It was only at this point that reports came in that Aurea Juniper, one of the foremost professors of the Unova region, had adopted two girls out of the blue. It didn't take long before someone figured out both girls had no history, and newly issued trainer cards. Two and two make four.
A little more digging (in public records; no one's getting past the Unovan Porygon Union) revealed that the girls were sisters, Sakura and Rin. They seemed content to learn more about the world before running off on their journey, but both were noted to be accompanied by Eevee, though one evolved into an Espeon soon after this information was revealed. Two fallers and two Eevees led people to a wards application for two more kids, this time in the storied Sinnoh region. Shirou and Illya already had an indirect media presence in the town of Celestic, where Shirou was known as the Auric Handyman. Apparently, the kid has been Lucario-vetted; a very good sign.
One week ago, all four kids took off on their journeys, and hit their first gyms with teams of two pokemon each. So far, Rin Toshaka has an Espeon and a Litwick, Sakura has an Umbreon and a Snivy, Illya has a Sylveon and a Snorunt (since evolved into a Froslass), while Shirou has a Riolu and a previously unknown Eeveelution, now dubbed Wyrmeon.
All four demonstrated considerable skill and flexibility in their first gym battles. Rin and Sakura fought Dark gym leader Henderson (videos here and here) while Shirou and Illya battled Rock gym leader Roark (here and here).
It seems to be a good year for newbie trainers across the world. Kanto's Samuel Oak's grandson, Gary Oak, has already swept two gyms only one month into the circuit. His rival, Satoshi 'Ash' Ketchum, defeated Brock of Pewter at an absolute type disadvantage, in addition to receiving several commendations for thwarting organized crime incidents (their threads are here and here). Other names which already have more traveled pages include Brendan Birch, Wally Verdant, Alain Grenadier, Ayumi Sakudo and Leon Dande; all of these new trainers have made significant impacts in the regions they're journeying through. Add in four new fallers, and this looks like it's going to be a great year for Pokemon fans.
Edit: no word yet on the fifth and solo faller yet. I've heard a few rumors that an unknown man was sighted in Kalos, but there's no public records spotted, and he's not shown up on any gym circuits.
Edit2: And now we know where the fifth one is. He has his own thread here, and he's apparently Illya and Shirou's dad. Though that's not the big thing people know about him…
"Hmm, those four will be trainers to watch for," a young dark-magenta-haired girl with waist-length hair remarked to herself as she paged through Sufficient Battling on her Rotom Phone, the official Pokemon League forum utilized by everyone from fans to professional trainers. Pausing, she opened a video showing one of the gym battles that had taken place in Roark's Gym. "Especially the one with the Wyrmeon. Not often we see a new eeveelution, right Mana?"
"No need to be patronizingly smug because you and I discovered the normal type evolution, Misora," the Eeveelution that the now named Misora was snarking at answered in fluent Almian. "Just because we discovered it doesn't mean we have a monopoly of understanding on my pre-evolution's evolutions. We've talked about this, partner."
"Blah blah blah ego, blah blah blah size of the sun," Misora grumbled, blowing a raspberry at her starter and partner. "But it is rather interesting that four fallers appeared at the same time, especially with Mystery Gifts like you, Mana," the ACE trainer continued, a thoughtful look on her face. It was, after all, rather uncommon for that many mystery gifts to show up in the hands of fallers. Those jackasses tended to never get one in their whole lives.
The Primeon shrugged, lazily flicking her tail against her trainer's foot. "Eevee and Pikachu are the most common mystery gifts, dumbass," she chided with exasperated fondness, completely missing her trainer's point. "It's not that odd, especially with how active the Legends have been getting lately," Mana remarked with considerably less amusement, a note of somberness entering the air surrounding the pair.
After all, just last week, a small settlement had been wiped off the face of the Earth by a royally pissed off Galarian Moltres in the Crown Tundra. That the settlement had been primarily composed of smugglers was a cold comfort to the sheer amount of lost life, largely among the innocents they'd kept in cages.
Misora pursed her lips as she nodded, returning her attention to the forum in an effort to put the scene out of her mind. Thankfully, the thread was exploding. Something that almost always happened during the beginning of the season.
QueenofKalos<3
Typical. Only showing Gym Battles. God, can't we get some Contests in here?
Writer_of_Bad_Fiction
@QueenofKalos<3, you do realize this is the battling circuit section of the forum, right? The coordinator circuit section can be found here. They should have posted this year's 'rookies to keep an eye on' already. Go take a look!
Machop_Stronk
Huh, kid with a Pikachu won against an Onix. With an… Electric Attack? HOLD UP! I CALL BULLSHIT
QueenofKalos<3
Huh, @Writer_of_Bad_Fiction completely missed me trying to stir shit. Damn, now how am I supposed to entertain myself?
KirliaGurl
@QueenofKalos<3 You know the mods get bitchy when you do that. Stop it. Go home. Get some help.
Mana's amused snort jarred Misora out of her reading momentarily, the Primeon somehow having managed to climb her way up onto her shoulders without her noticing.
"Oi-" Was as far as the ACE trainer got before a rather furry appendage was placed over her mouth.
"Shhhh, my dear trainer. I'm amusing myself," Mana stated rather smugly, removing her tail before Misora inevitably got it wet with her saliva. Just in time too, her trainer's tongue was visibly out of her mouth just as the furry appendage was flicked away. "And I told you not to lick my tail. It's weird."
"And I told you-" And once more, the tail was back over her beloved trainer's mouth. Practically vibrating in amusement, the Eeveelution was unfortunately too late to notice her trainer grabbing her and yeeting her off her shoulder. Yowling in discontentment, Mana leveled a baleful glare towards the smug human as she landed, spitefully managing to land gracefully despite sudden thrown.
"Bitch." She muttered mulishly in her native language.
"I can understand you, whore!" Misora snarked back, before returning her attention to her phone, grumbling only a bit as Mana made her way back around her neck, the Primeon's chin resting against her right shoulder blade as she attentively kept her eyes on the Rotom Phone.
QueenofKalos<3
@KirliaGurl did you just tell me to stop spreading the glory of Contests in the Battling Circuit Sub-Forum in meme format! How dare you!
KirliaGurl
@Machop_Stronk Yes. The kid won against an Onyx with a Pikachu using an Electric Type attack. After the Onyx was hit by the environmental equivalent of Soak. Try to keep up.
Writer_of_Bad_Fiction
@KirliaGurl @QueenofKalos<3, please take this argument elsewhere. Queen, you're just fishing for fights now, and that's not something this forum needs.
FlareonBurnstheHottest
Dammit, another new Eeveelution? I love me some new fluff, but every time my best boi drops even further down the list of best eevee. Can't we get a bug type, or maybe a Normal eevee? Those have to be worse…
Mana didn't even get a chance to furiously hiss before her trainer was trying away at her phone's keyboard, spitting furiously as she muttered under her breath, "Punk thinks Primeon is bad huh? Punk thinks normal types are shit huh?! Imma make this little shit rue the day they were born!"
MisoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
EXCUSE ME!? Did @FlareonBurnstheHottest call the Normal Type Eeveelution I discovered worse than Flareon?! I'll have you know that Primeon has all the versatility of a normal type along with STAB-Adaptability-Extremespeed, you punk! Don't you call my Mana worse than Flareon, who are fighting at a disadvantage cause no one's managed to make a actually good Fire Type physical move that isn't Flare Blitz yet!
On a completely unrelated note, props to the Emiya kid for discovering Wyrmeon. Eeveelutions tend to be tricky, as I can attest. We're pretty sure Primeon isn't a Pure Bond Evolution, nor is it a Stone Evo given that all of them have been tested uh, rather extensively. We're currently thinking it has something to do with a mix of bond and environmental conditions, thought hell if we know.
FlareonBurnstheHottest
No supereffective STAB, can't hit Ghost with STAB, no resistances… yeah, pure normal has some serious flaws. Fire is just outright better, though I'll give you that the lack of good fire physical moves hurts. We're working on it, but so far Meteor Impact hasn't worked out as we hoped.
We'll do it! But it's not ready yet.
JolteonisBesteon
I just came over to see what fbth was doin but now im interested
new eeveelution looks cool
give up fbth, flareon is never going to be cool
VaporeonLiker3 (Original Poster)
Bros, please don't come and pollute my thread…
GaeSylveon
Oh wow there's a lot of familiar names from the Eeveelution Subforum in here. @VaporeonLiker3 are you still in denial about loving Vaporeon? After all, it is the most compatible for human-pokemon relations~. Now to stay on topic so the mods don't nuke me from orbit, it's always nice seeing fallers that aren't unironic morons who people wonder if they were dropped on their head as an infant. God, I can still remember that moron a few years back who tried to use a friggen Hypno to catch one of the Legendary Birds over here in Kanto. Mew that was a mess. The fact that these fallers are actually respecting our traditions is always a good sign.
SageLeafeon
Oh dear, is that a Flying Eevee? No, Dragon. How the hell do you evolve one of those?
Seriously, do we know any details about that?
AuraGardian
Forget the Eevee, the boy has a Riolu! That's amazing! Shit, did he even ask for one, or did one go to him? That's huge!
WeLoveTape
I'm more wondering about the Rin girl's outfit. Seriously, did she mean to dress up like a Mismagius, or was that just an accident?
Also, WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
WitchyBusiness
@SageLeafeon No, we do not know how Emiya-san managed to evolve his Eevee into a Wyrmeon. He claims that a Time-Space Distortion was involved, which is corroborated by Eiznbern-Emiya-san and Champion Cynthia, and given that said Wyrmeon is already considered odd by everyone close to them, we will likely not know in the near future.
As for the outfit, I will neither confirm nor deny that it was intentional. After all, I'm sure all of you can come to your own conclusions given my User Name. I am rather amused to see that Sufficient Battling, as per usual, cannot stay on topic to save their lives.
AuraGardian
@WitchyBusiness Can you at least confirm you are Rin Tohsaka? And if so, do you know how Shirou got his Eevee?
My_Espeon_is_a_King
Hey, it's one of the subjects! How is it to have an Espeon as a partner??
WitchyBusiness
@AuraGardian
[A Selfie of Rin is present here. She is looking at the Camera in an utter deadpan]
All of the four fallers that have an Eevee received them the moment they awoke. As far as we are aware, they are mystery gifts.
@My_Espeon_is_a_King
Agate is a gem, and her intelligence is a sight to behold. I'm not only certain she's smarter than everyone around her, I am also certain she is remarkably kind, and cares for everyone around her.
I also do not doubt that she would end someone for daring to hurt those she cares about, but given my research into the Friendship Trio of the Eeveelutions, that is a fairly normal takeaway.
MisoraOfficial
She's on your shoulder, isn't she?
WitchyBusiness
Yes, yes she is. You too?
MisoraOfficial
Mana is indeed judging me right now, yes. And laughing like a Chatot. The gremlin.
QueenofKalos<3
All three of you girls have such pretty Eeveelutions. Any plans to hit the contest circuit?
MIsoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
I'm a veteran trainer of five years, QueenofKalos. Bold of you to assume I haven't. You can probably find some footage of my appeals and few contest wins in my dedicated thread, along with a few of the 'rookies to keep an eye on', where they keep mistaking me for a new coordinator. I can safely say it's not for me, not at the level I invest into the battling circuit, but I do occasionally coordinate to keep that thinking outside the box.
QueenofKalos<3
Was asking Witchy and her friends, Misora. Don't make everything about you.
KirliaGurl
Oh, that's rich. Still, I am also curious, @WitchyBusiness
WitchyBusiness
I'm a little too busy to go joining contests in any serious capacity, and I refuse to do anything at less than my best. Sakura might, though one of her pokemon is opposed, so it depends on any future recruits she picks up. Illya doesn't seem to have any contest aspirations, but I don't speak nearly as often with her as I do with my sister.
WallaceOfficial (Verified Gym Leader) (Hoenn League) (Verified Grand Coordinator)
Dabbling is actually something that is universally advised against for 1st year trainers, @WitchyBuisness. For a trainer's first year, they should be focused on the circuit they are competing in, be it Gyms, Contests, Showcases, or just the Journey for the sake of it. Once you accumulate accolades, fame, and sponsors, you should most certainly dabble so you don't stagnate. As @MisoraOfficial has stated, most battling trainers tend to dabble in contests or showcases, largely to develop outside the box thinking. Speaking of, Ms. Misora, are you still committed to this being an off year?
MisoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
@WallaceOfficial Yeah, I hashed things out with my sponsors, so I'm committed to this year being spent relaxing or handling League Jobs. I needed it after my Elite Four gauntlet last year. I'm burnt out. Word of advice kids? Don't push so hard that just the thought of battling makes you ill. It's not fun, realizing that something you enjoy doing is something you can't enjoy doing due to burnout.
"God, I hate Wikstrom's Aegislash," Mana growled, eyes flashing in annoyance. Misora nodded along sympathetically, patting the poor floof around her neck pityingly, memories of their climactic loss against Wikstrom flashing before her eyes as well.
"There, there, Mana. At least we utterly stomped Seibold and managed a win against Gurkinn," the veteran trainer soothed, scratching her Primeon between her ears. "And hey, it was a narrow loss. Next year, when we take on another circuit, we'll definitely make it to the Champion, though I'm not sure which region we'll do a run through yet."
"Bah, stupid freaking Sword-Ghost thingie," the irritated normal type grumbled, before snickering as she returned her attention to the phone still held in her trainer's hands, "Hey, Misora, drama!"
Rolling her eyes fondly, the ACE Trainer returned her attention to her rotom phone, raising her eyebrows at the new posts.
WitchyBusiness
Thank you for the advice, Mr. Wallace. I believe we all have side projects as well as the League Challenge, myself with my research, Illya with the Warden's Journey, and Shirou with his training. We're also working local side jobs to fund our travels.
White_Fairy_Queen
@WitchyBusiness Toshaka, stop talking about us behind our backs. Also, this site is really cool, going to need to spend more time here.
@GaeSylveon any advice on how to teach my girl how to keep track of all of the battlefield at once? She tends to monofocus, and that's dangerous. Is that a Sylveon thing, or just Matlida?
GaeSylveon
That'd be a Pokemon thing in general, actually. It's why trainers exist in the first place, though there are drills you can run to get them better at it. Sufficient Battling has a few resources. You can find them here, here, and here. There's also a Eeveelution specific subforum here, where you can talk to experts in handling Eevee and their evolutions, of which @MisoraOfficial is considered a member of (her by technicality, sorry Misora), as is @FlareonBurnstheHottest (not by technicality. He's one of the acknowledged experts on Flareon). Honestly, it's kinda surprising to find them out here, though the discovery of a new Eeveelution does tend to do that.
WitchyBusiness
Oh, hello Illya. I didn't know you had an account. Does Shirou?
White_Fairy_Queen
He hasn't made one yet, but he probably will at some point.
FlareonBurnstheHottest
Well, all four of you guys picked up non-standard Eeveelutions. You must really trust them, to have them all bond evolve so soon. I've heard of some folks who go years without their Eevee evolving, though that usually happens because of lack of battling, not lack of care.
Trainspotter214
@WitchyBusiness someone noted that the Subway bosses put in a commission for a lavender coat; and rumor has it that Ingo was seen in Nuvema a couple days before. Any gossip you'd like to share?
WitchyBusiness
We did have a meeting with Ingo, yes. First I've heard of him commissioning a coat, though. It might not be related.
SubwayMasterOfficial_Zekrom (Verified Facility Master)(Time Traveller)(ALL ABOARD)
@WitchyBuisness We are looking forward to your challenge, both you and your sister, Ms. Tohsaka. Please stay behind the yellow lines and do not lose your luggage. Also, congratulations on beginning your journey.
PikachuKing (Moderator)
*Ahem* if we could attempt to stay on topic, it would be appreciated. Additionally, Trainers, if you could keep your communications to Private Messages, it would be greatly appreciated.
That said, it's nice to see two of the many rookie trainers being discussed chatting within their current thread answering questions. Just keep in mind that Sufficient Battling does have rules, and we'd appreciate if you followed them so we don't have to issue infractions. Carry on.
Writer_of_bad_Fiction
Thank you, PikachuKing. So, I have to ask, @White_Fairy_Queen, how did you teach your Sylveon aura sphere, if that's what she actually used?
AuraGardian
@WitchyBuisness @White_Fairy_Queen rewatching your videos, I noticed you react really dynamically to your Pokemons' cries. Do you guys have aura training?
"Riolu kid is definitely using Aura." Mana chirped immediately, Misora nodding along with a smile, "I'm guessing the one with the Mismagius aesthetic is using magic, which is odd considering that there hasn't been a serious mage in a long time. I dunno about cherry blossom, and I'm fairly sure the albino is using a variant of aura."
"Agreed on the Riolu kid, though I doubt the one with the Mismagius aesthetic is using magic. My- Nevermind, they actually blatantly told us, except the albino." Misora grumbled, throwing a mild glare at her starter, "You're insufferable when you're being smug, you know that?"
"Bitch, I'm always right." Mana crowed triumphantly in her native tongue in response to her trainer's use of it, snickering as the exasperated individual in question yote her from her resting place on her trainer's shoulder. Really, messing with Misora was far too easy these days.
WitchyBusiness
I can confirm that my sister and I have ways of speaking to Pokemon directly; I use magitech, and Sakura has a psychic talent she's cultivating. I don't know about Illya, and I won't speak for Shirou without his permission.
White_Fairy_Queen
All I'm going to say about me is that I bent the rules far enough they work really well for me. Shirou isn't bothering to hide his Aura training. It's why he has his Riolu training buddy, so they don't go overboard too much.
KirliaGurl
If these kids all have special powers, it might be easier for them to teach their Pokemon non-standard moves. Easier to teach when you can practice and demonstrate alongside them. Too bad I'm not actually psychic. Would make things a lot easier…
FocusSashesSave
There's been a lot of chatter about the kids, but almost nothing about the leaders. Roark flubbed the Emiya match at first, and Henderson still has problems coming up with measured challenges for newbies. Seems like the matches were a little off-kilter. Thoughts?
JolteonisBesteon
ease up on them
new trainers with no battle experience but well-trained partners are difficult to manage
Lt. Surge has similar problems, when he's not just being aggressive
WeLoveTape
Henderson is retiring soon, and as a Unovan native, I'm sorry to see one of the few Dark-type major circuit gym leaders leave. Unova will be less for his absence. Still, he was always best at the 3-8 badge levels. I do think his challenge for Sakura was fine, but for Rin, he overestimated the edge type advantage gave him. Rin was well-prepared to deal with dark-types, and considering her sister's ace, that makes a lot of sense.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
MisoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
To be fair to Henderson, Miracle Eye isn't actually something Espeon is "supposed" to be able to learn. Nor is it something most rookie trainers actually think of, given the prevalence of thought that psychic types are 'overpowered' among the masses. I swear, one Gym Leader *cough* Sabrina *cough* uses an extremely well trained Abra to throw a Pokemon's attack back at them, and everyone suddenly thinks Psychic Types are the best thing since sliced bread.
As for Roark, I genuinely don't think he has an excuse. He underestimated the fallers, plain and simple, and got his ass kicked, and actually lost a serious amount of ACE circuit rating as a result. By the way, @White_Fairy_Queen, please extend your brother a warm welcome to the ACE circuit. You aren't in at the moment, but we expect you'll find your way into the leaderboards at some point in the near future.
White_Fairy_Queen
My brother is currently confused. I mean, he knows he's part of the Ace circuit, but I don't think he 'gets' what that means. He just wanted to give Ritsuka (Wyrmeon) a good fight.
SageLeafeon
Speaking of which, is that Eeveelution a trade secret? Misora has been less-than-clear on how Mana evolved, so a straight answer would be nice.
White_Fairy_Queen
I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you, actually. @GarchompChampion, are Shirou and I allowed to tell people?
GarchompChampion (Totally Not Cynthia)
Illya, we've talked about this. For official questions involving League Business, please ping my official Pokemon League account. Not my personal account that I use purely to post memes and fuck with people. But since you asked…
CynthiaOfficial (Verified Champion) (Verified Masters 8) (Sinnoh League)
Yes, you are allowed to tell people about your own suspicions and assumptions on how Ritsuka evolved into a Wyrmeon. You are not, however, allowed to release Professor Rowan's conclusions and research until he does so in the scientific paper he's working on.
JolteonisBesteon
how do you have champion cynthia on quick-response
White_Fairy_Queen
I think she counts as like… one of our legal guardians? Maybe a big sister. IDK if we were ever actually adopted by Professor Caroline. I don't think so, but…
As for the Wyrmeon thing… we don't quite know, but it involved both a one-on-one fight with a primeval dragon and a battle within a Time-Space distortion. We're not certain whether either of those were what did it, or if it was both, or if Shirou is just bs.
SageLeafeon
What's a time-space distortion?
Edit: Wait, those are a THING in Sinnoh? WTF?
MisoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
@SageLeafeon I'm not being coy on purpose. I genuinely have no fucking clue how Mana evolved. Neither does she. Best we can tell, it was a combination of bond, circumstance, and a seriously tense and heightened emotional state, given she evolved during the finals of the Lumiose Conference as we were about to lose. Which, as you know, resulted in us winning instead when she clapped the other trainer's Dragonite.
That aside, yes, Time-Space Distortions still happen on Coronet and in the wildlands of Sinnoh. They're utterly miserable to be caught in, and even more miserable to rescue someone who got caught in one in. They also have recently been picking up again, though the Hero of Hisui has actually stated it should die down by the end of the decade. Given that we know she comes roughly from this time period, it makes sense.
Walked500Years (Hero Of Hisui) (Time Traveller) (God-Llama Chosen)
No spoilers, but yeah, I originally came from this time. I'm really happy to have indoor plumbing again.
@White_Fairy_Queen please let Shirou know that I will be sending another test his way soon. Also, I've told the Nobles you're on your way. Some of them are excited!
KirliaGurl
What. The. Fuck.
"Why the fuck is the Hero of Hisui casually chatting with the albino and aura brats?" Mana blinked from her position atop Misora's head; having climbed there while her trainer had been utterly engrossed in the drama, looking utterly baffled. Misora could only shrug in response, and as one of the many leaves surrounding the clearing she was in rustled, she stood up, sighing as she put away her entertainment.
"Mana, I assume you've noticed our company?" she asked, receiving a nod from her starter, hand going to her belt, where the rest of her team was resting. "You can come out now. It takes a lot more than that to sneak up on an ACE trainer, even one that's completely distracted by absurdity."
"I would hope so, miss. Come, we have a lot to talk about…"
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
Faller Four: The Eevees Enter
Original Poster: VaporeonLiker3I suppose we should start by laying out the facts. Six weeks ago, the high priest of Hoopa and the Space-Time bureau reported the arrival of no less than five fallers on the same day, at three different (undisclosed) locations. Normally, this would result in local chaos (I think we all recall the '54 man who stole a master ball and attempted to catch Johto's Lady Suicune) but after three weeks of no explosions, stupid thefts, or known rampages with unknown causes, everyone got the idea that this batch wasn't going to cause problems.
It was only at this point that reports came in that Aurea Juniper, one of the foremost professors of the Unova region, had adopted two girls out of the blue. It didn't take long before someone figured out both girls had no history, and newly issued trainer cards. Two and two make four.
A little more digging (in public records; no one's getting past the Unovan Porygon Union) revealed that the girls were sisters, Sakura and Rin. They seemed content to learn more about the world before running off on their journey, but both were noted to be accompanied by Eevee, though one evolved into an Espeon soon after this information was revealed. Two fallers and two Eevees led people to a wards application for two more kids, this time in the storied Sinnoh region. Shirou and Illya already had an indirect media presence in the town of Celestic, where Shirou was known as the Auric Handyman. Apparently, the kid has been Lucario-vetted; a very good sign.
One week ago, all four kids took off on their journeys, and hit their first gyms with teams of two pokemon each. So far, Rin Toshaka has an Espeon and a Litwick, Sakura has an Umbreon and a Snivy, Illya has a Sylveon and a Snorunt (since evolved into a Froslass), while Shirou has a Riolu and a previously unknown Eeveelution, now dubbed Wyrmeon.
All four demonstrated considerable skill and flexibility in their first gym battles. Rin and Sakura fought Dark gym leader Henderson (videos here and here) while Shirou and Illya battled Rock gym leader Roark (here and here).
It seems to be a good year for newbie trainers across the world. Kanto's Samuel Oak's grandson, Gary Oak, has already swept two gyms only one month into the circuit. His rival, Satoshi 'Ash' Ketchum, defeated Brock of Pewter at an absolute type disadvantage, in addition to receiving several commendations for thwarting organized crime incidents (their threads are here and here). Other names which already have more traveled pages include Brendan Birch, Wally Verdant, Alain Grenadier, Ayumi Sakudo and Leon Dande; all of these new trainers have made significant impacts in the regions they're journeying through. Add in four new fallers, and this looks like it's going to be a great year for Pokemon fans.
Edit: no word yet on the fifth and solo faller yet. I've heard a few rumors that an unknown man was sighted in Kalos, but there's no public records spotted, and he's not shown up on any gym circuits.
Edit2: And now we know where the fifth one is. He has his own thread here, and he's apparently Illya and Shirou's dad. Though that's not the big thing people know about him…
"Hmm, those four will be trainers to watch for," a young dark-magenta-haired girl with waist-length hair remarked to herself as she paged through Sufficient Battling on her Rotom Phone, the official Pokemon League forum utilized by everyone from fans to professional trainers. Pausing, she opened a video showing one of the gym battles that had taken place in Roark's Gym. "Especially the one with the Wyrmeon. Not often we see a new eeveelution, right Mana?"
"No need to be patronizingly smug because you and I discovered the normal type evolution, Misora," the Eeveelution that the now named Misora was snarking at answered in fluent Almian. "Just because we discovered it doesn't mean we have a monopoly of understanding on my pre-evolution's evolutions. We've talked about this, partner."
"Blah blah blah ego, blah blah blah size of the sun," Misora grumbled, blowing a raspberry at her starter and partner. "But it is rather interesting that four fallers appeared at the same time, especially with Mystery Gifts like you, Mana," the ACE trainer continued, a thoughtful look on her face. It was, after all, rather uncommon for that many mystery gifts to show up in the hands of fallers. Those jackasses tended to never get one in their whole lives.
The Primeon shrugged, lazily flicking her tail against her trainer's foot. "Eevee and Pikachu are the most common mystery gifts, dumbass," she chided with exasperated fondness, completely missing her trainer's point. "It's not that odd, especially with how active the Legends have been getting lately," Mana remarked with considerably less amusement, a note of somberness entering the air surrounding the pair.
After all, just last week, a small settlement had been wiped off the face of the Earth by a royally pissed off Galarian Moltres in the Crown Tundra. That the settlement had been primarily composed of smugglers was a cold comfort to the sheer amount of lost life, largely among the innocents they'd kept in cages.
Misora pursed her lips as she nodded, returning her attention to the forum in an effort to put the scene out of her mind. Thankfully, the thread was exploding. Something that almost always happened during the beginning of the season.
QueenofKalos<3
Typical. Only showing Gym Battles. God, can't we get some Contests in here?
Writer_of_Bad_Fiction
@QueenofKalos<3, you do realize this is the battling circuit section of the forum, right? The coordinator circuit section can be found here. They should have posted this year's 'rookies to keep an eye on' already. Go take a look!
Machop_Stronk
Huh, kid with a Pikachu won against an Onix. With an… Electric Attack? HOLD UP! I CALL BULLSHIT
QueenofKalos<3
Huh, @Writer_of_Bad_Fiction completely missed me trying to stir shit. Damn, now how am I supposed to entertain myself?
KirliaGurl
@QueenofKalos<3 You know the mods get bitchy when you do that. Stop it. Go home. Get some help.
Mana's amused snort jarred Misora out of her reading momentarily, the Primeon somehow having managed to climb her way up onto her shoulders without her noticing.
"Oi-" Was as far as the ACE trainer got before a rather furry appendage was placed over her mouth.
"Shhhh, my dear trainer. I'm amusing myself," Mana stated rather smugly, removing her tail before Misora inevitably got it wet with her saliva. Just in time too, her trainer's tongue was visibly out of her mouth just as the furry appendage was flicked away. "And I told you not to lick my tail. It's weird."
"And I told you-" And once more, the tail was back over her beloved trainer's mouth. Practically vibrating in amusement, the Eeveelution was unfortunately too late to notice her trainer grabbing her and yeeting her off her shoulder. Yowling in discontentment, Mana leveled a baleful glare towards the smug human as she landed, spitefully managing to land gracefully despite sudden thrown.
"Bitch." She muttered mulishly in her native language.
"I can understand you, whore!" Misora snarked back, before returning her attention to her phone, grumbling only a bit as Mana made her way back around her neck, the Primeon's chin resting against her right shoulder blade as she attentively kept her eyes on the Rotom Phone.
QueenofKalos<3
@KirliaGurl did you just tell me to stop spreading the glory of Contests in the Battling Circuit Sub-Forum in meme format! How dare you!
KirliaGurl
@Machop_Stronk Yes. The kid won against an Onyx with a Pikachu using an Electric Type attack. After the Onyx was hit by the environmental equivalent of Soak. Try to keep up.
Writer_of_Bad_Fiction
@KirliaGurl @QueenofKalos<3, please take this argument elsewhere. Queen, you're just fishing for fights now, and that's not something this forum needs.
FlareonBurnstheHottest
Dammit, another new Eeveelution? I love me some new fluff, but every time my best boi drops even further down the list of best eevee. Can't we get a bug type, or maybe a Normal eevee? Those have to be worse…
Mana didn't even get a chance to furiously hiss before her trainer was trying away at her phone's keyboard, spitting furiously as she muttered under her breath, "Punk thinks Primeon is bad huh? Punk thinks normal types are shit huh?! Imma make this little shit rue the day they were born!"
MisoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
EXCUSE ME!? Did @FlareonBurnstheHottest call the Normal Type Eeveelution I discovered worse than Flareon?! I'll have you know that Primeon has all the versatility of a normal type along with STAB-Adaptability-Extremespeed, you punk! Don't you call my Mana worse than Flareon, who are fighting at a disadvantage cause no one's managed to make a actually good Fire Type physical move that isn't Flare Blitz yet!
On a completely unrelated note, props to the Emiya kid for discovering Wyrmeon. Eeveelutions tend to be tricky, as I can attest. We're pretty sure Primeon isn't a Pure Bond Evolution, nor is it a Stone Evo given that all of them have been tested uh, rather extensively. We're currently thinking it has something to do with a mix of bond and environmental conditions, thought hell if we know.
FlareonBurnstheHottest
No supereffective STAB, can't hit Ghost with STAB, no resistances… yeah, pure normal has some serious flaws. Fire is just outright better, though I'll give you that the lack of good fire physical moves hurts. We're working on it, but so far Meteor Impact hasn't worked out as we hoped.
We'll do it! But it's not ready yet.
JolteonisBesteon
I just came over to see what fbth was doin but now im interested
new eeveelution looks cool
give up fbth, flareon is never going to be cool
VaporeonLiker3 (Original Poster)
Bros, please don't come and pollute my thread…
GaeSylveon
Oh wow there's a lot of familiar names from the Eeveelution Subforum in here. @VaporeonLiker3 are you still in denial about loving Vaporeon? After all, it is the most compatible for human-pokemon relations~. Now to stay on topic so the mods don't nuke me from orbit, it's always nice seeing fallers that aren't unironic morons who people wonder if they were dropped on their head as an infant. God, I can still remember that moron a few years back who tried to use a friggen Hypno to catch one of the Legendary Birds over here in Kanto. Mew that was a mess. The fact that these fallers are actually respecting our traditions is always a good sign.
SageLeafeon
Oh dear, is that a Flying Eevee? No, Dragon. How the hell do you evolve one of those?
Seriously, do we know any details about that?
AuraGardian
Forget the Eevee, the boy has a Riolu! That's amazing! Shit, did he even ask for one, or did one go to him? That's huge!
WeLoveTape
I'm more wondering about the Rin girl's outfit. Seriously, did she mean to dress up like a Mismagius, or was that just an accident?
Also, WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
WitchyBusiness
@SageLeafeon No, we do not know how Emiya-san managed to evolve his Eevee into a Wyrmeon. He claims that a Time-Space Distortion was involved, which is corroborated by Eiznbern-Emiya-san and Champion Cynthia, and given that said Wyrmeon is already considered odd by everyone close to them, we will likely not know in the near future.
As for the outfit, I will neither confirm nor deny that it was intentional. After all, I'm sure all of you can come to your own conclusions given my User Name. I am rather amused to see that Sufficient Battling, as per usual, cannot stay on topic to save their lives.
AuraGardian
@WitchyBusiness Can you at least confirm you are Rin Tohsaka? And if so, do you know how Shirou got his Eevee?
My_Espeon_is_a_King
Hey, it's one of the subjects! How is it to have an Espeon as a partner??
WitchyBusiness
@AuraGardian
[A Selfie of Rin is present here. She is looking at the Camera in an utter deadpan]
All of the four fallers that have an Eevee received them the moment they awoke. As far as we are aware, they are mystery gifts.
@My_Espeon_is_a_King
Agate is a gem, and her intelligence is a sight to behold. I'm not only certain she's smarter than everyone around her, I am also certain she is remarkably kind, and cares for everyone around her.
I also do not doubt that she would end someone for daring to hurt those she cares about, but given my research into the Friendship Trio of the Eeveelutions, that is a fairly normal takeaway.
MisoraOfficial
She's on your shoulder, isn't she?
WitchyBusiness
Yes, yes she is. You too?
MisoraOfficial
Mana is indeed judging me right now, yes. And laughing like a Chatot. The gremlin.
QueenofKalos<3
All three of you girls have such pretty Eeveelutions. Any plans to hit the contest circuit?
MIsoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
I'm a veteran trainer of five years, QueenofKalos. Bold of you to assume I haven't. You can probably find some footage of my appeals and few contest wins in my dedicated thread, along with a few of the 'rookies to keep an eye on', where they keep mistaking me for a new coordinator. I can safely say it's not for me, not at the level I invest into the battling circuit, but I do occasionally coordinate to keep that thinking outside the box.
QueenofKalos<3
Was asking Witchy and her friends, Misora. Don't make everything about you.
KirliaGurl
Oh, that's rich. Still, I am also curious, @WitchyBusiness
WitchyBusiness
I'm a little too busy to go joining contests in any serious capacity, and I refuse to do anything at less than my best. Sakura might, though one of her pokemon is opposed, so it depends on any future recruits she picks up. Illya doesn't seem to have any contest aspirations, but I don't speak nearly as often with her as I do with my sister.
WallaceOfficial (Verified Gym Leader) (Hoenn League) (Verified Grand Coordinator)
Dabbling is actually something that is universally advised against for 1st year trainers, @WitchyBuisness. For a trainer's first year, they should be focused on the circuit they are competing in, be it Gyms, Contests, Showcases, or just the Journey for the sake of it. Once you accumulate accolades, fame, and sponsors, you should most certainly dabble so you don't stagnate. As @MisoraOfficial has stated, most battling trainers tend to dabble in contests or showcases, largely to develop outside the box thinking. Speaking of, Ms. Misora, are you still committed to this being an off year?
MisoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
@WallaceOfficial Yeah, I hashed things out with my sponsors, so I'm committed to this year being spent relaxing or handling League Jobs. I needed it after my Elite Four gauntlet last year. I'm burnt out. Word of advice kids? Don't push so hard that just the thought of battling makes you ill. It's not fun, realizing that something you enjoy doing is something you can't enjoy doing due to burnout.
"God, I hate Wikstrom's Aegislash," Mana growled, eyes flashing in annoyance. Misora nodded along sympathetically, patting the poor floof around her neck pityingly, memories of their climactic loss against Wikstrom flashing before her eyes as well.
"There, there, Mana. At least we utterly stomped Seibold and managed a win against Gurkinn," the veteran trainer soothed, scratching her Primeon between her ears. "And hey, it was a narrow loss. Next year, when we take on another circuit, we'll definitely make it to the Champion, though I'm not sure which region we'll do a run through yet."
"Bah, stupid freaking Sword-Ghost thingie," the irritated normal type grumbled, before snickering as she returned her attention to the phone still held in her trainer's hands, "Hey, Misora, drama!"
Rolling her eyes fondly, the ACE Trainer returned her attention to her rotom phone, raising her eyebrows at the new posts.
WitchyBusiness
Thank you for the advice, Mr. Wallace. I believe we all have side projects as well as the League Challenge, myself with my research, Illya with the Warden's Journey, and Shirou with his training. We're also working local side jobs to fund our travels.
White_Fairy_Queen
@WitchyBusiness Toshaka, stop talking about us behind our backs. Also, this site is really cool, going to need to spend more time here.
@GaeSylveon any advice on how to teach my girl how to keep track of all of the battlefield at once? She tends to monofocus, and that's dangerous. Is that a Sylveon thing, or just Matlida?
GaeSylveon
That'd be a Pokemon thing in general, actually. It's why trainers exist in the first place, though there are drills you can run to get them better at it. Sufficient Battling has a few resources. You can find them here, here, and here. There's also a Eeveelution specific subforum here, where you can talk to experts in handling Eevee and their evolutions, of which @MisoraOfficial is considered a member of (her by technicality, sorry Misora), as is @FlareonBurnstheHottest (not by technicality. He's one of the acknowledged experts on Flareon). Honestly, it's kinda surprising to find them out here, though the discovery of a new Eeveelution does tend to do that.
WitchyBusiness
Oh, hello Illya. I didn't know you had an account. Does Shirou?
White_Fairy_Queen
He hasn't made one yet, but he probably will at some point.
FlareonBurnstheHottest
Well, all four of you guys picked up non-standard Eeveelutions. You must really trust them, to have them all bond evolve so soon. I've heard of some folks who go years without their Eevee evolving, though that usually happens because of lack of battling, not lack of care.
Trainspotter214
@WitchyBusiness someone noted that the Subway bosses put in a commission for a lavender coat; and rumor has it that Ingo was seen in Nuvema a couple days before. Any gossip you'd like to share?
WitchyBusiness
We did have a meeting with Ingo, yes. First I've heard of him commissioning a coat, though. It might not be related.
SubwayMasterOfficial_Zekrom (Verified Facility Master)(Time Traveller)(ALL ABOARD)
@WitchyBuisness We are looking forward to your challenge, both you and your sister, Ms. Tohsaka. Please stay behind the yellow lines and do not lose your luggage. Also, congratulations on beginning your journey.
PikachuKing (Moderator)
*Ahem* if we could attempt to stay on topic, it would be appreciated. Additionally, Trainers, if you could keep your communications to Private Messages, it would be greatly appreciated.
That said, it's nice to see two of the many rookie trainers being discussed chatting within their current thread answering questions. Just keep in mind that Sufficient Battling does have rules, and we'd appreciate if you followed them so we don't have to issue infractions. Carry on.
Writer_of_bad_Fiction
Thank you, PikachuKing. So, I have to ask, @White_Fairy_Queen, how did you teach your Sylveon aura sphere, if that's what she actually used?
AuraGardian
@WitchyBuisness @White_Fairy_Queen rewatching your videos, I noticed you react really dynamically to your Pokemons' cries. Do you guys have aura training?
"Riolu kid is definitely using Aura." Mana chirped immediately, Misora nodding along with a smile, "I'm guessing the one with the Mismagius aesthetic is using magic, which is odd considering that there hasn't been a serious mage in a long time. I dunno about cherry blossom, and I'm fairly sure the albino is using a variant of aura."
"Agreed on the Riolu kid, though I doubt the one with the Mismagius aesthetic is using magic. My- Nevermind, they actually blatantly told us, except the albino." Misora grumbled, throwing a mild glare at her starter, "You're insufferable when you're being smug, you know that?"
"Bitch, I'm always right." Mana crowed triumphantly in her native tongue in response to her trainer's use of it, snickering as the exasperated individual in question yote her from her resting place on her trainer's shoulder. Really, messing with Misora was far too easy these days.
WitchyBusiness
I can confirm that my sister and I have ways of speaking to Pokemon directly; I use magitech, and Sakura has a psychic talent she's cultivating. I don't know about Illya, and I won't speak for Shirou without his permission.
White_Fairy_Queen
All I'm going to say about me is that I bent the rules far enough they work really well for me. Shirou isn't bothering to hide his Aura training. It's why he has his Riolu training buddy, so they don't go overboard too much.
KirliaGurl
If these kids all have special powers, it might be easier for them to teach their Pokemon non-standard moves. Easier to teach when you can practice and demonstrate alongside them. Too bad I'm not actually psychic. Would make things a lot easier…
FocusSashesSave
There's been a lot of chatter about the kids, but almost nothing about the leaders. Roark flubbed the Emiya match at first, and Henderson still has problems coming up with measured challenges for newbies. Seems like the matches were a little off-kilter. Thoughts?
JolteonisBesteon
ease up on them
new trainers with no battle experience but well-trained partners are difficult to manage
Lt. Surge has similar problems, when he's not just being aggressive
WeLoveTape
Henderson is retiring soon, and as a Unovan native, I'm sorry to see one of the few Dark-type major circuit gym leaders leave. Unova will be less for his absence. Still, he was always best at the 3-8 badge levels. I do think his challenge for Sakura was fine, but for Rin, he overestimated the edge type advantage gave him. Rin was well-prepared to deal with dark-types, and considering her sister's ace, that makes a lot of sense.
WHAT'S IN THE BOX?
MisoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
To be fair to Henderson, Miracle Eye isn't actually something Espeon is "supposed" to be able to learn. Nor is it something most rookie trainers actually think of, given the prevalence of thought that psychic types are 'overpowered' among the masses. I swear, one Gym Leader *cough* Sabrina *cough* uses an extremely well trained Abra to throw a Pokemon's attack back at them, and everyone suddenly thinks Psychic Types are the best thing since sliced bread.
As for Roark, I genuinely don't think he has an excuse. He underestimated the fallers, plain and simple, and got his ass kicked, and actually lost a serious amount of ACE circuit rating as a result. By the way, @White_Fairy_Queen, please extend your brother a warm welcome to the ACE circuit. You aren't in at the moment, but we expect you'll find your way into the leaderboards at some point in the near future.
White_Fairy_Queen
My brother is currently confused. I mean, he knows he's part of the Ace circuit, but I don't think he 'gets' what that means. He just wanted to give Ritsuka (Wyrmeon) a good fight.
SageLeafeon
Speaking of which, is that Eeveelution a trade secret? Misora has been less-than-clear on how Mana evolved, so a straight answer would be nice.
White_Fairy_Queen
I don't know if I'm allowed to tell you, actually. @GarchompChampion, are Shirou and I allowed to tell people?
GarchompChampion (Totally Not Cynthia)
Illya, we've talked about this. For official questions involving League Business, please ping my official Pokemon League account. Not my personal account that I use purely to post memes and fuck with people. But since you asked…
CynthiaOfficial (Verified Champion) (Verified Masters 8) (Sinnoh League)
Yes, you are allowed to tell people about your own suspicions and assumptions on how Ritsuka evolved into a Wyrmeon. You are not, however, allowed to release Professor Rowan's conclusions and research until he does so in the scientific paper he's working on.
JolteonisBesteon
how do you have champion cynthia on quick-response
White_Fairy_Queen
I think she counts as like… one of our legal guardians? Maybe a big sister. IDK if we were ever actually adopted by Professor Caroline. I don't think so, but…
As for the Wyrmeon thing… we don't quite know, but it involved both a one-on-one fight with a primeval dragon and a battle within a Time-Space distortion. We're not certain whether either of those were what did it, or if it was both, or if Shirou is just bs.
SageLeafeon
What's a time-space distortion?
Edit: Wait, those are a THING in Sinnoh? WTF?
MisoraOfficial (Verified ACE Trainer)
@SageLeafeon I'm not being coy on purpose. I genuinely have no fucking clue how Mana evolved. Neither does she. Best we can tell, it was a combination of bond, circumstance, and a seriously tense and heightened emotional state, given she evolved during the finals of the Lumiose Conference as we were about to lose. Which, as you know, resulted in us winning instead when she clapped the other trainer's Dragonite.
That aside, yes, Time-Space Distortions still happen on Coronet and in the wildlands of Sinnoh. They're utterly miserable to be caught in, and even more miserable to rescue someone who got caught in one in. They also have recently been picking up again, though the Hero of Hisui has actually stated it should die down by the end of the decade. Given that we know she comes roughly from this time period, it makes sense.
Walked500Years (Hero Of Hisui) (Time Traveller) (God-Llama Chosen)
No spoilers, but yeah, I originally came from this time. I'm really happy to have indoor plumbing again.
@White_Fairy_Queen please let Shirou know that I will be sending another test his way soon. Also, I've told the Nobles you're on your way. Some of them are excited!
KirliaGurl
What. The. Fuck.
"Why the fuck is the Hero of Hisui casually chatting with the albino and aura brats?" Mana blinked from her position atop Misora's head; having climbed there while her trainer had been utterly engrossed in the drama, looking utterly baffled. Misora could only shrug in response, and as one of the many leaves surrounding the clearing she was in rustled, she stood up, sighing as she put away her entertainment.
"Mana, I assume you've noticed our company?" she asked, receiving a nod from her starter, hand going to her belt, where the rest of her team was resting. "You can come out now. It takes a lot more than that to sneak up on an ACE trainer, even one that's completely distracted by absurdity."
"I would hope so, miss. Come, we have a lot to talk about…"
If you want to see more of my writing or that of my partner in literature, go ahead and take a look at our Patreons. Mine is here, and Miho's is here. We've got several chapters of Pokémon fanfiction waiting for discerning viewers!
Is this Kiritsugu? Mana is in Kalos, and I think he is too?
Edit:
I checked, he was fighting Team Flare, so yes, he's also in Kalos.
And Mana talks about fighting Wikstrom, who's part of the Kalos Elite Four.
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