Rivals Reunited [Private]

[EspaApparition]

Max yawned as he stepped inside the room, in it were three benches, lockers to store your belongings and coat racks to hang up your jackets. He stretched and slipped off his thick coat, underneath he was wearing a baggy hoodie, a blue tshirt and faded grey jeans. He bent down to tighten the laces of his black trainers before standing up again. He unclipped the pokeballs from his belt, one in each hand, they enlarged and he threw them gently. The pokeballs released their contents - two pokemon, before returning to Max's hands. Chikara and Kaji blinked in the sudden bright light before focusing on Max, Chikara ran at full speed towards Max, hitting his legs with a thump. He bent down and stroked the top of her head before reaching out to touch Kaji. Chikara protested "Ni, ni," and butted against his hand, wanting him to focus back on her.

Max straightened, "okay you two, we're here at the battle arena for a trainer battle, it's your first one so it's just to practice, okay?" They nodded in unison and Max smiled, starting towards the exit. "Okay, I'm going to return you to the pokeballs until the match starts." He hit the button on the pokeballs and the two pokemon vanished in a flash of red light.

Max went through the exit and found himself on a dirt field about the size of a football field, another entrance was directly opposite them. He walked to stand in the trainer's box, waiting for the other trainer to emerge.

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[katya]

He'd penned his name down as Sun Griffith, although no doubt Volta's insistent chattering indicated she thought he'd do better to sign the roster as Sunshine. She liked the name a whole lot more than he did, but Griff wasn't sure if she thought it was funny or if she actually liked it. With Volta, it was hard to ever know. A cheerful <Eeemol. Ee!> could mean almost anything, but Griff found it safe to assume it typically meant that she wanted to bask herself under a bloody sun while being serenaded by the screams of the dying.

Griff went to his assigned locker, gave the combo lock a spin, and then left it empty. Decent locks, better than he'd expected, but all he needed was a good ear and some patience to break these open. Griff didn't have anything worth storing in the locker anyway, but supposing other people had traveling backpacks tucked safely away... well, that was something to note down for later. "Volta, it'll be you and Sprite today, I think. You feeling up for a fight?"

Volta replied with a bright <Emolga!>, and Griff supposed it was a stupid question. Volta was always up for a fight. So was Sprite for that matter. Leave it to the trainer to be the one that preferred lying low and avoiding needless violence.

Griff exited the locker rooms to the battling arena. Wasn't much more to it than that; it was a big open ground for pokemon to fight. Both him and Volta were used to non-refereed matches in city alleys, so the level terrain would take some getting used to. He supposed that's why they were here though: to practice playing by the rules.

To Griff's credit, his face did not contort into a scowl when he saw the trainer waiting at the other end of the field. With a dry smile, he waved, a gesture that was casual but not quite friendly. "Been a while, Max. How've you been?" he called across the field, again stopping just short of friendliness.

[EspaApparition]

Max stood in the trainers box at the edge of the field, he'd felt very prepared for the match until he saw who emerged from the other entrance. Sunshine Rainbow Griffith Max almost snickered at the thought. Their parents had introduced them when they were kids, they both lived in the same area of town back in Oxgate City. They used to go around to each other's houses and had 'play dates,' Max didn't remember too much about it, they were both very young. They'd known each other for a fair few months before it happened. Max wasn't too sure exactly what but Sunshine disappeared overnight along with his family and all their wealth. As he dropped out of the inner circle of Oxgate's wealthy elite Max didn't see him again.

At least, they didn't see each other again until much later. A grown boy Max had been given everything and anything he desired, his room a treasure trove of technology. The entire house was wired up to the brim with flat screens, computers and gadgets. Max guessed that that was what attracted Sunshine. He broke in to the house in the middle of the night and had nearly gotten away before the house security caught him. He was brought before Max, his sister and his parents before the police was called. Max was incredulous, his childhood friend had resorted to this? It was beyond his comprehension, he'd never even had to ask twice for something let alone steal it. They were living in separate worlds.

Max stared at the red-haired boy across the field, considering the other trainer's near-friendly tone before replying. "Morning, Sunshine," he replied casually, knowing using his full name would irritate him, "I've been good, how's life been treating you?" He'd considered a snide remark but thought better of it, no need to make the situation confrontational too quickly.

[/justify]

[katya]

Griff had once slept with a girl that said "Morning, Sunshine" to him when he woke, and that was the last time he'd wanted to be anywhere near her. It wasn't her fault since next to no one knew his real name, but Griff just didn't appreciate being called Sunshine for a host of reasons, the first of them being that Sunshine's life ended with the Griffith fortune. Plus, it was a bloody stupid name no matter how you went about it--his parents had no right to complain that Griff had abandoned them when they saddled him with that on his birth certificate.

His smile, false it was, strained and started looking more like a smirk, but Griff managed a careless shrug. "Not so bad. I got a lot of reading done in the last year, and I never dropped the soap--unless I wanted to. It could've used a bit of excitement though, so now that I'm a free man, I thought I'd come here for a good battle. Think you're up for one?"

He'd planned on starting with his solosis Sprite, but Volta appeared out of the pokeball of her own will. Griff figured she'd heard the talking and wondered if it was anyone she'd recognize. Well, Volta recognized Max right off the bat. She hadn't ever known him, but she'd been with Griff when they tried getting their hands on the Sanders' security codes (and everything else they could get their hands on, mind you; Volta in particular wasn't one to miss an opportunity if it presented itself), but he'd commanded her to fly away unseen as soon as he'd heard footsteps and felt the dread of inevitability.

<Mo?> she asked Griff with a gesture toward the battlefield, and he shrugged. "Go ahead, if you want. Sprite won't mind waiting his turn." Volta rolled her eyes at him, as if saying that Sprite wouldn't get a turn with her in charge, but Griff couldn't share her confidence.

The emolga took a step and then a flying leap, landing in the center of Griff's half of the field. Cheerfully, she waved at Max. <Emolga! Emo!>

[EspaApparition]

Max smirked at Sunshine's description of life in prison, before grinning and nodding, "Sure, just don't except me to give you an easy time." He blinked in surprise as Sunshine's pokemon popped out of the pokeball unrequested. Sunshine let the pokemon go out onto the battlefield and Max smiled, "Sure you can control that one in battle?" he laughed. Unclipping a pokeball from his belt he hit the button and enlarged it, "Kaji, you're up!" Max tossed the ball out on to the battle field and it sprang open, Kaji - Max's magby appeared in a flash of red light and the pokeball returned to his hand.

Sunshine's pokemon - an emolga, waved excitedly and Kaji wasn't sure what to do, "Mag-by" he said by way of greeting and then looked to Max for instructions. Max had no time for pleasantries, he might as well start the battle quickly. "Kaji, get things started with a smog attack." Kaji nodded and opened his mouth, breathing out a thick black smog. It was dark and masked the vision of the other pokemon and, somewhat unfortunately, the trainers. "Make sure you can still see emolga, use your instincts because I won't be able to see as much." The battlefield was cloaked in a dark grey smoke which was hard to see through.

Kaji used smog

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[katya]

Volta mistook the smog for a smokescreen rather than an attack, and the noxious fumes struck her square on and caught her by surprise. <Mol,> she rasped through the black smog, her tone more annoyed than terribly pained--but Griff couldn't tell how much of that was sheer bravado. "Get out of that smoke," Griff called out to her. Perhaps he didn't need to tell her, because as soon as he'd spoke, the emolga appeared gliding up through the clean air out of the smog.

Emolgas were fine in the air, being flyers themselves, but Griff felt she'd have more dexterity with the ground at her feet. "Air Slash, Volta, try to clear out that smog, then Charge," he commanded. If they were lucky, Volta could blow away all of the black smog. If not, it was still an attack made safely from above.

Her wings beating in the air like a bat's, Volta hurled a blade of wind down to the smog, and then she darted skywards. Sparks of electricity crackled about her body as she stored its power for her next attack.

Volta used Air Slash and Charge
lv10 ~ Static ~ Thundershock, Quick Attack, Tail Whip, Charge, Air Slash

[EspaApparition]

Max grimaced as the flying type rose above Kaji. The smog still gave him a shroud with which to hide beneath but the wind from emolga's wings would soon blow that away. Max heard the order for the air slash and knew Kaji would have done too. There was little offensively he could do and since he could only see emolga not his own magby he couldn't advise him on how to dodge it.

Max thought quickly, "Kaji, listen for the sound of the wind coming then try and dodge." It didn't take long to see what happened, the ball of air came rushing down from above, clearing most of the thick smog, at least enough that it was only a haze in the air. Max saw Kaji hesitate then dive to the left. He missed the worst of the air slash but the wind caught him and buffetted the fire-type to the side. Kaji fell and landed awkwardly, scrambling to his feet. "Kaji, now the fog is gone use a leer attack."

Kaji spun around, not so graceful after his fall, and narrowed his eyes. He fixed his gaze on the emolga, trying to intimidate it, his eyes glowing red. Leer was the one move Max and Kaji had practised but the emolga wasn't in close range so it would be harder for the leer to be effective. Max bit his lip, as long as the opponent stays in the air, there's little Kaji can do to cause damage.

Kaji used leer.

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[katya]

Volta felt the leer even despite the distance. It put her off and she stumbled for a moment in the air before catching herself on an uplifting breeze. Griff saw the emolga brace herself for a follow-up attack in that moment of weakness, but thankfully, none came. Still, it looked like her defenses were shakier than they were before she saw the Magby's leer.

Even as she fell ungracefully though, Griff rolled his eyes when he saw Volta returning to her old habits of unwittingly adorable charm. She gathered herself together in the sky, eyes wide and sparkling, and she whipped her tail about like an overjoyed puppy, terribly pleased with herself for managing to stay afloat. She wasted valuable time with her Tail Whip, in Griff's opinion, but he'd seen her tactical instincts pull through often enough that he didn't mind her choosing her moves of her own accord. ...Not too much, anyway.

"Still got the charge saved up, yeah? Good. Thundershock," Griff said lazily. As long as Volta stayed in the air--and he was aware that it was a cheap tactic, although a very legitimate one that any trainer worth their salt would utilize shamelessly--she seemed safe from the Magby's smog attack, but he couldn't know what else Max's pokemon had learned. "Stay en guarde, Volta. You don't know what he can do."

A bright torrent of electric energy crackled around Volta and zapped downward toward the Magby. <Emol!> Volta cried as she discharged all the electricity she'd stored from her last Charge.

Volta used Tail Whip and Thundershock
lv10 ~ Static ~ Thundershock, Quick Attack, Tail Whip, Charge, Air Slash

[EspaApparition]

Max saw Kaji waver as the tail whip took effect, his legs trembled and his defenses didn't seem as strong as they had been. "Kaji, move!" Max saw the emolga preparing a thundershock attack, that coupled with the charge meant that the zap of electricity would be a painful one. He shouted to magby but the pokemon's legs didn't look like they could carry him away from the imbending electric attack. "Kaji try using your flame." Magby tried to breathe fire but only a small puff of smog escaped, "again, Kaji!" Kaji released a small flame but that was it. His body was shaking from the force of powering up his flame, it was glowing a faint red.

Max bit his lip, worried, he hadn't seen this before, "Kaji, are you okay?" He knew he should bring him back but he didn't understand what was happening. Kaji turned his head to the sky, staring up at the emolga just as the thundershock approached. He tried his hardest to release a flame and his body shook more and more. As the thundershock first entered his body Kaji's mouth snapped open and he released a white-hot flame upwards at the emolga.

Max gasped in shock, he knew that move, it was overheat, a powerful fire-type move but his Kaji could barely produce a small flame at the best of times. He suddenly felt terrible, Kaji had overheated because he had pushed him to produce a fire attack instead of calling him back.

Kaji used overheat

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[katya]

"Volta, move," Griff yelled as the Magby trembled with its own power. To her credit, Volta did as she was told, with all the haste that he required of her. Unfortunately, she dodged the attack with none of her usual grace.

Wrapping her body into a tight ball, she promptly stopped flying and started dropping to the ground like a rock. Volta landed in a safe but graceless heap. "Don't touch him!" he warned, and in response, Volta darted backwards as fast as she could. To his approval (for once), she didn't take to the sky again, wisely staying on the ground in case she needed an emergency lift off to avoid another blazing-hot fireball like the last.

"Stay there! Let him come to you, you can take to the air if you see another blast like that," Griff said. Despite his own opinions, he didn't normally impose caution on Volta, but now, after seeing the power overheat, Griff wasn't inclined to let her swoop about witlessly in the air. She was faster than the Magby even when rooted to the ground, and if the fire pokemon made contact, at least the emolga's static could cause a temporary paralysis. "Attack from the ground for now."

Without the deftness she had in the air, Volta beat her wings, unleashing another Air Slash as a sharp gust of wind contained in the form of a blade.

Volta dodged and used Air Slash!
lv10 ~ Static ~ Thundershock, Charge, Tail Whip, Air Slash

[EspaApparition]

Kaji finally stopped breathing fire, he staggered slightly to the side, barely noticing that the emolga had dodged his overheat attack. The magby stumbled and fell, sitting down heavily. Emolga landed in a heap but managed to avoid the fire. The other pokemon's wings started to beat hard, unleashing another air slash attack. "Kaji, she's attacking again, move!" Max shouted the warning to his pokemon but it was too late. The attack hit him directly and tossed him backwards several feet like he was no heavier than a leaf.

Max gasped and ran forward to catch him, his arms reaching to scoop him up before he hit the floor. Kaji was breathing hard, conscious but in no state to battle. "Kaji return, take a rest," Max hit the button on his pokeball and the magby vanished in a flash of red light. He breathed out, trying to calm down. He touched the other pokeball at his belt, deciding whether or not to carry on, the emolga was tough. Max couldn't let Sunshine win though, not easily at least, he was too proud.

Max made his decision and unclipped the pokeball, tossing it out he released Chikara his nidoran. "Ok, Chikara, are you ready?" The nidoran looked excited to be in a fight but ran back to nudge Max's legs affectionately, Max grinned but pointed back to the battle field. "Focus, Chikara start with a growl attack and then try an ice beam." Chikara growled cutely, sitting on her hind legs and making her eyes wide and adorable. Shortly afterwards the cuteness was ruined as her mouth opened wide, a blue ball of energy forming. The ball split into three beams which fired out towards the emolga. Max crossed his fingers, hoping Chikara would do better than Kaji.

Kaji fainted.


Chikara used growl then ice beam.

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[katya]

When the Magby fell, Volta leaped to Griff's shoulder for a quick kiss on the cheek. "Are you alright?" he asked softly, so no one else could hear. "You put in good work out there--we don't need to win here today, you can rest if you want--"

<Emol ga,> she said lightly before prancing back onto the field. That didn't surprise Griff. When Volta had implied that Sprite wouldn't need to fight today, that was pure bravado despite her competence, but Volta had every intention of trying in earnest to win the battle all by herself.

A Nidoran met Volta on the field. At first, Volta didn't do anything, staying planted on the ground, and waiting to see what the other pokemon was capable of. She and Griff both found out soon enough when Max called out his attacks. Griff cursed under his breath. The ice beam was going to hurt, and that worried Griff because Volta wasn't fresh on the field anymore. Her stamina was never the best, not with the high speeds she always kept up, and he didn't want to waste her energy dashing about to avoid a three-pronged ice beam. "Take it," Griff said, hoping it wouldn't prove to be a horrible idea. "Charge first, Volta, then thundershock."

The ice beam through her back, the first solid attack that she'd taken. While the smog had only made her wince and cough, this attack sent her flying back with a sharp <Mol!> She tumbled backwards before she spun herself up onto her feet, electricity already gathering at her feet even before she'd found her footing again. She only had a couple rounds of attack left in her at this rate, Griff could tell, but Volta could make her last few attacks count. Sparks flew as she cried <Emol!> and sent the powered up bundle of electricity crackling and hurtling towards the Nidoran.

Volta used Charge and Thundershock!
lv10 ~ Static ~ Thundershock, Charge, Tail Whip, Air Slash

[EspaApparition]

Max was surprised that the ice beam hit emolga, he was expecting the fast pokemon to dodge it but he soon got the explanation. The emolga hadn't moved because it was charging up for another powerful thundershock. "Chikara don't dodge it, get close to emolga and use a scratch!" Chikara ran forwards on powerful legs, her claws out and ready to use a scratch attack.

She was only about 1.5metres away when the thundershock was about to hit, Chikara dug her claws in and let the electricity go through her. With a grimace she shook it off ignoring the damage that had been done and ran forwards, attempting a scratch attack. Unsure whether the attack would hit or not now that emolga had used her attack Max ordered a follow up move. "Try an ice beam from close range next."

Chikara used scratch then ice beam.

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[katya]

You couldn't fault Volta's presence of mind in a fight. Smart, street-savvy pokemon that made a living off a taking risks rarely had problems operating under stress, and Griff was thankful for that. Volta saw the Nidoran surge forward, same as Griff, and they both heard Max's orders for his pokemon. As such, there was really only one course of action for Volta to take in response.

She parried the scratch as well she could, taking the claws onto the thick skin on the back of her wing. Her skin tore, and sustained flying wouldn't be so easy for her anymore, but at this point, Volta was only laying out a red carpet for Sprite's entrance. She and Griff both banked on her natural ability though: the static on her body crackled about as the Nidoran made contact.

With all the strength that remained in her legs, Volta leapt off from the ground, up and over the Nidron. In tight twists and turns through the air, she weaved through the ice beams with skill if not ease. If she were fresh into the battle, she'd have soared further up, but now Volta landed back on the ground with all due haste, trusting her feet to keep her steadier than her wings.

Volta glanced at Griff for orders. "Air slash," he suggested. It was the stronger attack than thundershock when she hadn't charged herself beforehand, and she didn't have time now to charge before the Nidoran could react.

It took a single wingbeat for Volta to call up the blade of wind and send it slicing through the air towards the other pokemon.

Volta dodged and used Air Slash!
lv10 ~ Static ~ Thundershock, Charge, Tail Whip, Air Slash
ooc not a big deal, but you can only use one offensive move per turn

[EspaApparition]

Chikara was a fierce battler and very protective of her trainer, determined to win. The scratch attack had done sufficient damage to prevent the emolga flying for long periods. The emolga's static crackled over Chikara's body (rolled for paralysis, not paralysed) but she shook it off, spinning around as emolga jumped and flew over her. The weaving flight path meant Chikara's ice beam missed.

The emolga landed and began beating her wings, an air slash was sent towards the nidoran. "Duck!" shouted Max as he saw the emolga's wings begin to beat the air into a blade of wind. Chikara dropped to the floor, avoiding the worst of the wind attack, feeling the wind pass above her head.

"Chikara, use another ice beam," the nidoran lifted herself to her feet and sent out another blue ball of energy which split into three beams. Max hoped that now the emolga was restricted slightly by the damaged wing the ice beam would have a greater chance of hitting. If they hit the beams could even freeze the oponent.

Chikara dodged, then used ice beam.

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