First Battle [Private]

[Krystal]

Kat had come to a realization over the last few days: If her pokemon were going to be protecting her, she would have to train them. She still didn't know how she felt about that. On the one hand, it didn't seem right to force these creatures to battle against each other, on the other hand, if it meant they all survived....

Maybe, maybe in this case it was the lesser evil.

She steeled herself and walked into the battle arena.

Contrary to her expectations, it wasn't nearly as oppressive as she'd imagined it to be. There were rows of seats, of course, but the roof was open, allowing the sunlight in. She noticed a few people scattered about, probably here to cheer on the trainers that they knew, but there was still plenty of room for others to use.

Suddenly she felt very small, and definitely out of place. She still had on the same tan clothes that she had worn for her meeting with Professor Hawthorne, having grown used to wearing the same clothes for long periods of time.

I should wash them before I leave Featherwing, she thought. At least she'd had the foresight to leave her fishing rod back at the pokemon center. She didn't think she'd need it during a battle.

I hope my pokemon are ready for this, she thought as she stepped into the box which was reserved for the trainers who were looking for a battling partner. She was grateful that the staff had been friendly enough to tolerate her inane directional requests. Her thoughts turned to the battle itself. Which pokemon did she want to use? She figured a single battle, with one pokemon each would suffice.

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[katya]

Of his pokemon that needed training, there wasn't any huge discussion that it would have to be either Garnet or Bess. The vulpix and togepi waited on a bench in the lockerroom, debating who ought to battle. As far as he understood the argument--which was only barely since the language of pokemon meant nothing to him--Bess thought battling was the trade of the uncouth, and Garnet thought the togepi needed the field practice.

Bess was a strange case. She wasn't pacifist, and she certainly didn't mind battling in the wild, but when it came to other trainers, the togepi wasn't very interested. All her beliefs about proper behavior and manners seemed to get in the way of her appreciation of senseless violence--last time, she'd struggled simply to not fall apart on the field. Yet the idea of a gym battle had piqued her interest before though, and Griff suspected it had everything to do with honor and dignity. Punching other pokemon for sport wasn't to her taste, and being punched was even worse, unless it was to prove her worth--as it would be against Adelaide. Still, if she wanted to become strong enough to take on a gym leader, she needed to battle other trainers, not shy away from the idea of improper violence.

Garnet won the argument. Satisfied, she returned to her pokeball, leaving Bess to follow Griff into the arena proper. The togepi trotted out into the center of the field. This wouldn't be her first trainer battle, but she wasn't very experienced yet. Bess tried to gather her calm and clear her mind in preparation for the battle to come, and Griff knew she'd need every bit of calm she could get to not crumble and panic.

He spotted his opponent on the other end of the field. "Hey, there," he called out. "We're ready whenever you are."

Bess is ready!
lv05 ~ Super Luck ~ Growl / Charm / Metronome / Extrasensory

[Krystal]

Kat glanced around to see if there was anyone else around that the man could have spoken to. There was no one close to her, and the closest trainers didn't appear to be saying attention to either of them.

"M-Me?" She queried even as her legs started moving towards her side of the field.

Well, unless he's talking to himself, Kat... She hated it when the voices in her head were right. At least I recognize the pokemon he has with him. Her father had shown her a sketch and told her a story about Togepi when she was a child, but she had never seen one in person before.

She stopped before she crossed the line that demarcated the trainer's box from the rest of the field, smiling nervously at her opponent. "This is my first battle. I'm Kat, by the way. Um..." She shrugged. "I guess...I should choose a pokemon now, right? Right..." She took out the two pokeballs in question, glancing at each one in turn. She thought that Vulpix might just have enough inner fire to win, but Riolu was quick and strong (for a baby, at least) maybe if she only had a little encouragement...

Her decision made, Kat pocketed one of the pokeballs. "Come on out, Riolu!" She cried, releasing the pokemon.

"Rio..." The pokemon blinked in confusion, then focused on the Togepi in front of her, toddling to her place on the field. It was amazing how she seemed to know that they were about to battle. Did they have any awareness of events from inside their pokeballs? Maybe it was an instinctive thing?

"Ah, I guess, you should go first?" Was that how it worked? In any case, it seemed like the courteous thing to do.

Riolu is ready!
lv 5 Quick Attack, Foresight, Endure, Sky Uppercut

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[katya]

His opponent looked nervous, and when she confirmed that this was her first battle, Griff met her nervous smile with an easy grin of his own. "I'm Griff. Don't worry about the battle too much. We're all here just to train our pokemon. This isn't a gym battle or anything serious like that," he said, simple words of reassurance. They were true though. There wasn't any reason to be nervous in this arena, save for the handful of battles between sworn rivals, and the way Griff saw it, it was best to use every battle at the arena as a chance to learn.

Griff's smile didn't waver when she sent out a riolu--he'd seen a few of them before, especially in the park. They were agile and quick, and Bess was... well, Bess was neither agile nor quick, but that was alright. She had to learn how to do with pokemon that fought faster than her eventually, anyway.

"My mother told me it was always ladies first," Griff teased. "But if you don't mind me leading, then I'm not one to turn down a lead. Bess? Open with some charm and glamour, will you?"

The togepi was nervous for the battle. It wasn't her first, but her first hadn't gone the best, even if Griff thought she put in a good showing for being just a baby. <Pii~ pi!> she twittered adorably, using Charm in hopes of convincing her opponent to go easy.

Bess had all of two attacks in her arsenal, and metronome could hardly be relied upon to turn out a legitimate attack, so the togepi knew what to do for roughly every round of battle to come. Psychic energy gathering around her, she trembled with the metaphysical power and leveled an Extrasensory towards the opposing riolu.

Bess used Charm and Extrasensory!
lv05 ~ Super Luck ~ Growl / Charm / Metronome / Extrasensory

[Krystal]

Kat took a deep breath, giving her opponent--no training companion--she would think of him as a training companion, that way, she wouldn't feel so bad if she messed up and lost the fight.

The tension returned when the first attack was called. He looked as if he had done this a thousand times, and the Togepi seemed confident enough. She would have to be just as sure of herself if they were going to win, not just this battle, but any future battles.

Don't just stand there, Kat! Call an attack! But which one? She didn't have many options. She stole a glance at Riolu, who was blinking in apparent confusion, as if puzzled about something. Charm and glamour, eh? That makes sense. Although how such a display could have impressed Riolu, she had no idea.

"Focus, Riolu!" She called, feeling an unexpected thrill as the pokemon shook her head and shifted into a fighting stance. "Use Quick Attack!" She didn't like the way that Togepi seemed to be gathering energy, but she was bound and determined to meet it head-on!

She bit her lip as she watched Riolu race towards the Togepi, paws kicking up dust, very quick indeed. Someone at the pokemon center had told her that it was said that Riolu could crest three mountains and cross two canyons in a night. She wasn't sure if it was true, but now, seeing the quick attack, she was tempted to believe that it was true after all.

Riolu used Quick Attack because I have so many moves to choose from.

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