Pokemon Obsidian

[Silver]

"Quick! Run back away from it, towards that rock!" The Eevee looked at Valerie confused for a moment, realization quickly dawning on her face as she obeyed her trainer. The eevee wouldn't be nearly fast enough to escape the Trapinch, not when she could barely get her footing in the loose sand, but Val hopped that wouldn't matter.

The young girl paused, biting her lip as everything moved into place. A command floated on the tip of her tongue as the Trapinich moved in with it's jaws open. "Jump over it!" The Eevee yipped a response and moved to leap out of the way, leaving the insect pokemon's jaws to clamp down on the hard stone inside of her fluffy tail.

[Chris_B]

"Wow, that was an impressive strategy!" Kaylee said, grinning as she watched such a spectacle take place. "We'll have to keep that in mind when we face gym leaders, Bianca. Strategy's as much a part of battling as strength... and cuteness!" bianca chirped happily, pumping both fore-paws into the air in agreement. The minccino then noticed Marie's Snivy looking frightened by the two pokemon on stage.

Bianca then hopped down, scurrying over to the Snivy. "<Hey, you okay?>" she asked, gently patting it's head.

[Mitsunami]

The Riolu gave a gasp of surprise, knocked backward as the rush of salty water hit it square in the midsection, sending it tumbling backwards. It was visibly struggling to get up after the attack ended- no surprise, given that a Wing Attack was super-effective against it, and this meant that it had likely been pushed below the mid-point of its stamina. This was exactly when a Brine attack would hit its hardest.

Still, it refused to give up, climbing back to its feet and dashing forward, its right paw beginning to glow again as it closed in, aiming another Force Palm.

-----------

Voltorb narrowed its already-squinty eyes at Tyrogue's chuckle, growling menacingly as sparks crackled off of its body. DJ smiled at that.

"Well then...what say we start the battle and use that energy? Voltorb, start rolling and use Charge!"

"Vol~~~torb-orb-orb-orb-ORB!!" the mechanical sphere let out, rolling its body forward, then curving, becoming a reddish blur as it picked up speed, rolling along in a circle around the Tyrogue, the electrical sparks jumping from its body glowing brighter by the second, the Charge attack taking effect and preparing it to let loose an immense electrical attack.

---------------

The Trapinch's Bite attack missed by inches, leading it to clamp onto the stone, its tiny eyes momentarily leaking tears...before it snarled and chomped right through the stone, turning to advance on the Eevee again and actually leaping from the saftey of the sand to aim another Bite. It seemed the fluffy little Pokémon's deception had angered it greatly. That, or it was just tired of being stalled out of easy prey. Maybe both.

---------------

Marie barely nodded to Kaylee's assessment, still grinning giddily as she tried to picture herself utilizing masterful strategy just like that to make something beautiful.

"I...I wonder if I could get their autograph...?" she pondered, eyes still shining with childish glee.

Meanwhile, Snivy looked up as the fluffy-tailed Pokémon touched it, nodding hesitantly. "<Well...it's just...there's been lots of dangerous things down there.>" it replied, wringing its small hands. "<Bugs, poisons, fire...its hard to be a Grass-type some days. Lots of things hurt. I just hope I don't have to face anything like that huge bug anytime soon...>"

[Geno XIII]

"I don't think so, Fake Out, then follow up with a Tackle!"

Tyrogue would then close his eyes as the ball rotating around him, before lunging forward with his open palms, just as Voltorb was right in front of him... and make a rather loud startling clap at point blank range and actually damaging - if minor - force. He would then lunge forward, shoulder first, if the technique worked.

"Nekodamashi, hoh~!" Geana struck an odd pose in a crouching position with her legs apart, one hand on her left knee and her right arm's fist pressing into the ground in front of her.

[SoraWolf7]

Ed grinned as he saw the Brine attack hit its mark. "Atta girl, Ducklett!" he cheered as Riolu regained its composure. Ed felt a strange twinge in the back of his mind as Riolu charged with another Force Palm, but he ignored it as his mind raced to think of a counter-move. He thought maybe he could spin it out somehow...

"That's it! Ducklett, spin on toe and use Defog!" he replied, momentarily confusing his Water Duck before she seemed to get what he meant. Ducklett stood on one toe like a ballerina as her wings began glowing light blue. However, as she flapped her wings, the force of the Defog attack started to make her spin, sending wide waves of harmless blue energy and wind against Riolu, slowly lowering its Evasion and other stat changes. As Riolu got close, it might find that the spinning motion and high winds made slamming its paw against Ducklett in a good spot would become much harder.

[panahinuva]

Nicola did her best to look impressed. It didn't take too much effort, given the show that had just been put on. "That was a truly impressive strategy." She commented, brain already buzzing as she tapped her fingers on her belt. "Hmmm...MIght've looked cooler if the Venomoth had dived down through the corona of dust and made, like, a big swirling trail before it hit the Rapidash...But that might've been the plan if it had been anyone other than a fire type. Heck, might've been the plan for anyone who wasn't actively on fire." She giggled, realizing she had been zoning out and muttering to herself again.

"Hm, maybe." She said, in response to Marie's question. "Like, most performers stop by in the lobby to meet their fans, but some people like to just disappear out the back so that they don't have to deal with the attention. That Shroud person seems like the type to go with option B, but we can stop by and see after the whole thing is over and prizes are given."

[Silver]

"Yes!" Valerie cried out, jumped at her successful plan, only for her joy to be cut short as Trapinch cut to the chase and charged right at Eevee again. She stomped her foot down, fuming at it's stubbornness. Though.... she paused for a second thinking.... perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea to try and capture this Trapinch.... a strong pokemon like this would help her a lot if she decided to go after gym battles...

She looked down at the two pokemon, realizing that she didn't have a moment to think about this as the battle continued in earnest. Stepping forward she called out to her pokemon, giving her a few instructions. "Eevee! Tackle it from the side and wear it down, watch out for it's big mouth!" She looked down, hoping her pokemon would be fast enough to get out of the way again and counter attack as she fumbled around for an empty pokeball, ready to throw it at Trapinch the moment it was stunned for a second.

[Mitsunami]

Voltorb skidded to an awkward halt as the smacked hands interrupted its concentration, only to be collided into by the Tyrogue's shoulder. It rolled backwards like an errant marble, stunned for a second, before flipping right-side up and giving another metallic growl.

"That's it, Voltorb!! Shake it right off, and get in there with a Spark attack!" DJ ordered, the ball Pokémon replying by rolling forward, the electrical charge building up again, but this time with blue sparks. The jolt was stronger than it normally would be, thanks to the Charge, the massive sphere of blue electricity rolling towards the Tyrogue all while the red and white ball crackled angrily with its tinny voice.

---------------

The Riolu tried to rush closer, the blue waves flowing over it and making it struggle, growling as its Force Palm fizzled out, forcing it to jump back. It glared across the battlefield at Ducklett before apparently trying to end it fast, dashing straight with a Quick Attack.

---------------

The Trapinch had nearly caught up with the Eevee, before the tail it was aiming to bite was suddenly whisked away. It skidded to a stop in the sand, only to be tackled from the side and almost flipped onto its back. It tottered for a moment, balanced on one set of legs as it tried to avoid falling over.

--------------

Marie picked up her Snivy and hugged it, ideas already starting to bloom in her head as she tried to think of what to try with it first. Below, the battles continued apace, all of them with beautiful attacking combinations- a long and elegant Milotic defeated a Togetic with a well-aimed Iron Tail wrapped in an Aqua Ring; a Mawile brought down a dancing Lilligant with an adorable Play Rough attack followed by an Ice Punch; a Ninetales walled a Glaceon in with Will'o'wisp before crushing it with a blazing Overheat.

All of the battles were amazing, but none with the same level of impressive skill that Shroud had displayed, winning despite their disadvantage in type and beauty.

[Geno XIII]

Geana winced as her Pokemon braced for the violent shock. It did its best to shake it off, but it was such an large blow. "Come on! Walk it off- or should I say tackle it off!" she ordered as Tyrogue did his best to strike the ball once more, not having much other options for offense against a Pokemon of Voltorb's type.

[SoraWolf7]

Ed grinned as Riolu was pushed back. "Great job, girl!" he cheered as Riolu shot at Ducklett for a Quick Attack. "Quick, dodge it!" Ed commanded as Ducklett tried to dodge. However, the Quick Attack's priority took precident, and Riolu managed to nail Ducklett, sending the water bird spinning.

"Ducklett!" Ed screamed as Ducklett managed to regain its balance mid-air and glided back to the ground. "You still wanna keep fighting?"

Ducklett quacked eagerly, but looked rather weary as well. "Alright, let's wrap this up. Use Brine, one more time!" Ducklett quacked and shot the salty shot of water at Riolu, intent on hitting it again. Ed also pulled a pokeball out so he could end this fight soon.

[Silver]

"Perfect!" Valerie cheered, her Eevee landing on its feet with a happy bounce in it's step as a small white and red orb sailed at the Trapinch, the bug pokemon starting to tip over before it was engulfed by red light. Valerie stopped cheering, standing on the tips of her toes as she watched the pokeball intently. "Come on...."

[Chris_B]

"<Don't worry, you'll do great! Just like that big moth in there~!>" Bianca chirped before she was picked up by Kaylee as well.

"Yeah! Marie'll train you up to be the best, cutest competitor ever!" the blond trainer agreed, smiling to the Snivy. "Then, you'd both win all sorts of awards and contests! And Bianca and me will be right there, cheering you on every step of the way!"

[Mitsunami]

DJ frowned as his Voltorb's collision with the Tackle apparently failed to have a result he had been expecting, opening up his Pokédex for a moment and examining the sphere's attributes, comprehension dawning as he noticed that this one had the Soundproof ability, rather than Static.

"Okay, no chance of easy paralysis, then...so for now, strike back with Sonic Boom!"

"Volllll~~~~torb-orb-orb-orb-orrrrb!"

Voltorb began to spin again, twirling like a top this time and sending out sharp edged waves of sound at the half-pint scuffler.

--------------

Riolu was caught in mid-stride, blasted backwards by another jet of salty foam, digging in its heels and driving trails into the earth as it was pushed. The attack was that much more effective now that Riolu had been worn down, and as soon as the attack stopped, the Emanation Pokémon fell to one knee, panting as it tried to recover enough to charge at Ducklett again. It wasn't quite out of the fight yet, but too worn out to take another step just yet.

---------------

The ball took an unusually long time to stop shaking, probably due to how angry the Trapinch had been, but after a few more shakes, there was finally a tell-tale click as the red core of the ball dimmed, signalling Valerie's successful capture. Thankfully, Trapinch's influence over the sands faded as it was caught, making the Sand Tomb attack finally sputter to a stop.

-----------------

Marie smiled, imagining herself standing with the Grand Festival cup, her Snivy and Tyrogue by her side, colorful ribbons adorning them all. She was so busy fantasizing that she almost didn't hear the announcement for the final match.

It was once again Shroud competing, facing off against a slightly older man that had gotten to the finals with his Milotic. Shroud altered her strategy this time, her Venomoth sending the Milotic's Hydro Pump skyward with a powerful Psychic attack, then blowing back the falling raindrops like needles with a grating Bug Buzz. Milotic's attempt to counter with Iron Tail was dodged with ease by a Quiver Dance, followed by a seven-colored Signal Beam that lit up the whole stage like a neon city. Once again, the opponent was felled by a knock-out.

"And so...it is with pleasant surprise that we award the Mauville City Beauty Ribbon to a coordinator that has taught us all some new lessons about contest battles today...here is your winner of the Beauty Stage, Shroud and their amazing Venomoth!!"

Marie was among those cheering the loudest as the ribbon was handed over. Only Shroud themself did not seem excited, accepting the ribbon witout a word and raising it up to show the audience before disappearing behind stage, followed closely by their masterfully battling bug.

[SoraWolf7]

"Let's give it a shot!" Ed called as he threw the Pokeball at the exhausted Riolu. The ball hit its mark, drawing the Pokemon in, and so began the waiting battle of the wiggles. Ed hoped that the Riolu was tired enough to not escape and break the ball.

[panahinuva]

Nicola watched with a grin, arms folded, as the battle progressed. "Oh yeah, that's pretty awesome." She commented as the hydro pump became a torrent of bullets. "The judges give big points for turning your opponent's displays against them. It's tough and easy to mess up, so there you go." She explained to the other two. "Some people build their partner's entire arsenal towards that goal, just to show off."

She joined in the cheering when Shroud won, although she leaned away from Marie with a grin as the other girl cheered so loudly it was almost deafening at close range. "Sheesh, take it down a notch." She said teasingly. "Other people need to hear, y'know. Wanna see if we can find them?" She suggested. "Ask them for some battling tips?"

[Silver]

Valerie let out a deep sigh of relief, her Eevee runing back to jump into her arms. "You did great!" She looked over to the pokeball with her freshly captured pokemon, and moved over to pick it up as she pet the fluffy Pokemon in her arms. "So....." She looked down at the pokeball for a moment, her Eevee jumping from her arms down to the ground, a flash of light on her other side as she released Red once more, a yip from the small fox answering her question before she could even ask it.

"I'm glad we're all alright... Well... let's met our new friend." She held the pokeball out, sending out the same pokemon that just caused her so much trouble.

[Geno XIII]

"Mmmmn...come on kiddo, tank it!" Geana cheered on as the tiny fighter tried crossing his arms again, visibly shaken and hurt by the attack to the point of his tiny legs dragging back in the ground. "Ummm... OK... is... is tackle really all you have? How about something el-?"

The tiny Tyrogue reared back with one fist that began to glow blue... before dashing forward in a flickering streak and decking the ball Pokemon between the eyes!

"Eh!?"

[Mitsunami]

The Trapinch would appear in a short burst of light, stretching its jaws open wide in a yawn, apparently still worn out from the fight. All the same, it turned to orient on Valerie, taking a few steps closer before stopping with a questioning "Pinch?"

Evidently, it wished to know why it had been called out. Its aura was no longer wild and fierce, instead radiating gently as a calm blue shade.

--------------

"Hmm...turning attacks against them..." Marie pondered. "Well, I'll have to see if I've got any moves that can do that...maybe Snivy can manage with a Leaf Tornado...but anyway, strategy later! Come on, let's see if we can find the backstage door!"

Once outside the stands for the Beauty portion, they'd once again find themselves in the long hallway. A sign at the top of the hall would point the way to all of the different stages, while also indicating a locker-room for universal use by coordinators in all of the contests. That was likely where they would find the mystery trainer.

On the way, a series of television screens that were placed along the hallways would light up, displaying one of the stages.

"Here it is again, folks, coming to you straight from the Toughness competition, and it is definitely all over here! Andrea from Mossdeep City takes home the Toughness Ribbon! Let's see the instant replay on that one..."

The screen flickered to show the battle and it was a couple of familiar faces that greeted the trio of girls- The punkish girl with her Honchkrow, facing off against a massive, burly Pokémon with a bulbous nose and a couple of rounded, concrete pillars gripped in is mighty hands- a Conkeldurr. While normally at a disadvantage against a Flying-type, the muscular Fighting-type did have a small edge over the Dark half of a Honchkrow, and was trying to put that to use, aiming one of its pillars in a devastating Superpower attack. However, the attack was then brutally overpowered as Honchkrow went into a dive, blue flames flaring up around its body and allowing it to shatter right through the pillar, crushing the stone and slamming hard into its opponent with a Brave Bird. Unable to stand up to the powerful blow, the Fighting Pokémon quickly passed out and the screen then switched to the smirking Andrea accepting her shiny new ribbon.

Marie stared for a moment before simply letting out an impressed whistle. "They weren't kidding about that portion...power counts for a lot in that..."

-------------

"What in....how'd you manage that one!?" DJ asked, taken completely by surprise as he pulled out his Pokédex and aimed it. "What in the world was that...?"

Mach Punch. A Fighting-type attack in which a Pokémon moves at blinding speeds to deliver an exceptionally hard and fast punch. Because of its high speed, this attack usually lands first regardless of differences in Pokémons' speed abilities.

"Oh...well, that would explain it. I didn't know that a Tyrogue could do that. Well, no problem! You want speed, we got plenty! Voltorb, answer with another Sonicboom!"

He held his fist out in an encouraging pose for several moments, before glancing at his unresponsive Electric-type and finally taking note that it had rolled onto its top after the attack, its angry eyes transformed into dizzy spirals as a plume of smoke rose from its electrically-crackling form. The ball Pokémon was already out cold.

"Oh, uh...guess that means I lost, then..." DJ mumbled with an embarrassed chuckle, scratching the tip of his nose.

While that battle was ending, so was Ed's, the ball stopping its shaking after only one wobble, clicking into place and announcing that he was the proud owner of one of the most sought-after Fighting-types that originated from the Sinnoh region.

[SoraWolf7]

Ed practically leaped a good two feet in the air as the ball clicked, signalling his victory. "Yes! We did it! I caught a Riolu!" he cheered as Ducklett quacked in agreement, flipping her wing up like a thumbs-up. Ed moved over to the Pokeball and picked it up, grinning ever still.

"Let's see how our new crewmate is doing," he commented as he tossed the Pokeball, calling out his new Riolu. "How do ya feel Riolu?"

"Rio!" Riolu cheerily replied as Ed pulled out a Potion.

"This might sting a bit, but it'll help undo that damage we just did," he said, also using another on Ducklett. "Before we hit the gym, I'd like to make sure we're in synch, right?"

Ducklett quacked again, Riolu nodding as well. Ed did a quick check on Riolu's moved with his Pokedex, knowing the Emanation Pokemon had used Quick Attack and Force Palm in their fight, and Foresight before. He also wanted to see its ability, and might as well check Ducklett's as well.

[panahinuva]

Nicola watched the battle with mild interest, occasionally muttering to herself. If the other two were listening closely, they would catch words and phrases like "Type advantage", "No style" and "brute force baby time". She did finally deign to look impressed when the Honchkrow obliterated its way through the concrete pillar and knocked out the fighting type pokemon.

"That was pretty cool." She commented grudgingly. "Well, tough." She corrected with a grin. "Anyway, I've never really been impressed by or understood the tough competition. It's like, who can be the biggest and loudest? Is it you? Good, you win!" She said, her tone going mocking. She shook her head. "Sorry, my biases are showing. I really love the cool and beauty competitions. They're my jam. I definitely think cute and clever have their places as well, but tough...I dunno. Not my thing." She walked on before the camera switched to the ribbon awards.