Pokemon Obsidian

[Silver]

Val stood still for a moment, feeling the heat more thanks to her dark clothing as she looked around. Her gaze was drawn to the nearby house as Red kept moving. "Back to back battles.... I don't think we're ready for that...." She paused for a moment then started walking again, trying to catch up to Vulpix as she ran ahead. A cry escaping both of their lips as the ground slid away under the small fox.

Even before the pokemon showed itself, she already saw the aura at the bottom of the sinkhole, and how upset it seemed to be. "R-red! Get out of there... Jump away!"

[Chris_B]

Kaylee and Bianca, who was held in the arms of her trainer, stared in awe at the contestants' amazing displays, not surprised that the three they had witnessed had managed to make it passed the first round. "Yeah, we can stay and watch," she said, smiling. "Plus, we gotta get you signed up to become a contestant!" Bianca chirped happily, pumping her paws in the air in agreement of her trainer.

[panahinuva]

Nicola laughed. "That would be a really boring contest. Your adorable snivy does a little dance and then someone's blastoise makes a bubble statue that explodes into fireworks. Pretty much not even a contest at that point." She said with a wave. "No, we'll be competing with people at the same...um..." She paused, chewing her cheek as she tried to think of the right phrase. "Talent tier?" She suggested hopefully. "You know what I mean." She waved a hand again.

"Of course we'll stay for the battle portion. Wouldn't do to just leave after the primary judging, we need to see the contest all the way through. And don't worry, I'm a junior contest competitor, just like you. I've competed in a couple of contests at the beginner level, but for what it's worth I'm not too far ahead of you, with a little training." She said encouragingly.

She turned to Kaylee. "Inspired to be a coordinator?" She asked playfully. "Or maybe just to stay and watch Marie and I compete?" She added in a more serious tone.

[Chris_B]

Kaylee smiled, but shook her head. "Nah, I just wanna cheer you two on, right Bianca?" she asked, the Minccino in her arms chirping cheerfully. "Besides, I think I'm gonna have my hands full training for the gyms rather than training for contests..." She giggled happily. "But, that won't stop me from cheering the two of you on!"

[Mitsunami]

Ed's Pokédex blipped in reply to his question, speaking from his pocket.

Foresight- one of Riolu's attacks, allowing it to read the aura of its target and perceive their true form. In battle, this technique can counter evasion measures, as well as make Ghost-type Pokémon vulnerable to physical attacks.

The Riolu continued to munch on the berry it already had, glancing at the one being held out to it, as if it wasn't quite certain it wanted to take it yet, still mulling it over. In response to Ducklett's quack, it swallowed, then let out a couple of low growls, as if to say that the water bird wasn't in charge of who ate here and who didn't.

"Emanation," DJ replied to Geana, popping up behind her as he approached for a break himself. "Means emitting, putting out...um...sorta like your Charmander's tail 'emanates' heat and light, follow me? It's talking about how it emits auras...I think."

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

Val's Vulpix would be hard pressed to find enough purchase on the shifting sand in order to climb out, or even try to jump. Her Pokédex quickly explained, beeping to life-

Sand Tomb- this Ground type attack entraps an opponent, drawing them into a sinkhole of sand and preventing escape from battle. This technique is typically used for capturing prey by subterranean Pokémon species.

So, the antlike creature wasn't going to let her go...and if she was going to do something to stop it, she'd have to move fast, as Vulpix liekly couldn't take too many Ground-type attacks.

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

"Um...right...of course..." Marie mumbled, feeling a little silly for even thinking she'd be expected to face the best right off. "And, uh...thanks for the support, Kaylee! You make sure to let us know when your gym battles are so we can be there to cheer you right back!"

She blinked as the lights flickered, then glanced back to the stage, two contestants already walking out- Shroud, and a woman in a business suit. Their pictures appeared on the screen overhead, each with a circle of yellow surrounding their image. A timer of five minutes also appeared on an analog clock.

"Here we go!" the MC declared, twirling her microphone like a baton as she stood in the center of the field that was set up for the combatants. "This battle portion of the Mauville Ribbon Beauty contest will now begin! First up is our own mystery contender, Shroud! Facing them will be Celine from Fallarbor Town! We're hoping to see some beautiful attack combinations here, coordinators, so let your Pokémon's inner beauty shine out! Remember, you'll reduce your opponent's score with dazzlingly beautiful attacks, but be careful! Miss your mark or take damage, and you'll lose those precious points! The time limit is five minutes, and the winner will be whomever has retained the most points at the end of the time limit, or has made their opponent unable to battle first! One Pokémon each! Let the battle begin!"

She stepped back as Celine held out a Premier Ball with a confident air. "Come out, Rapidash!"

The crowed let out a long, collective coo of amazement as Celine's choice appeared- an equine Pokémon with an ivory white coat, a powerful-looking horn atop its head, and a mane and tail of brilliant orange and yellow flames, letting out a whinny as it pawed the arena floor with its hard hooves.

Shroud seemed less impressed...or rather not at all. They impassively held up a teal-colored ball with black crisscross markings over the top, throwing it with a bored-sounding "Go."

The ball opened with a stream of white light resembling a spider's web before the webbing broke apart and revealed a large, winged Pokémon. The creature got less of an impressed reaction and instead one or two shouts of disgust- it resembled a huge moth, its scale-coated wings and most of its body being a sickly purple color, while its round, bulging eyes and abdomen were a pale grey shade. It didn't look like something that would be admired for its beauty.

"Huh...let's check it out..." Marie mumbled, aiming her Pokédex.

Venomoth- The Poison Moth Pokémon. The dustlike scales covering its wings are color-coded to indicate their effects. A dark color indicates a high level of toxin, while light colors indicate paralysis effects. By flapping its wings, this bug Pokémon scatters its scales to incapacitate its foes.

"Oh my, what an unusual choice!" the MC remarked. "Not only an unexpected Pokémon to appear in the beauty section of our contest, but it seems that Shroud has intentionally chosen a Pokémon with a type disadvantage! With a fiery Rapidash as its opponent, how will this battle turn out for Venomoth?"

Marie was gripping the seat ahead of her tightly, not daring to blink. "They're...gonna do it...just like last time...they're gonna take this disadvantage and turn it into an amazing win! I gotta see this...I need to see how they make this battle beautiful!"

[SoraWolf7]

Ed nodded as he listened to the explanation. "Well, thanks Dexter," he commented as the Riolu growled at Ducklett.

"Sorry about her, she likes being in charge," he apologized for his Pokemon. "I'd like you to join my crew, if you feel up for it."

He sat down in front of the Riolu, still holding the Oran Berry towards it. He gave a calming, yet confident smile to the Emanation Pokemon, and if it checked his aura, it'd see a very positive, soothing blue.

[Geno XIII]

"Well it's a... I dunno, complicated word." Geana pouted cutely, crossing her arms. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was showing she wasn't as smart as others - if just in terms of book smarts. "I don't get the point of Pokemon species; it's type that matters."

[Silver]

Red yelped as she tried to get out of the sandtrap, only to sink further in. "RED!" Valerie ran forward, spurred on by concern. "Hang on, I'll get you out of there!" She came to a stop, nearly stumbling as she fumbled in her sleeve and pulled out a pokeball which she pointed at the small Vulpix. "Get back!"

No sooner than the red light engulfed her little pokemon did Valerie sigh in relief. Her relief only lasted a moment as she turned to the pokemon angry. "You big meanie! why did you try to hurt Red you... you...." She paused for a second and pulled out her pokedex, trying to figure out exactly what she was yelling at.

[Mitsunami]

Riolu tilted its head the other way before reaching out and taking the Oran Berry, sniffing it, then taking a juicy bite. It took its time eating it, smiling at every flavorful morsel and chewing slowly. After it finally finished, it wiped a bit of the pale purple juice off its muzzle, then performed an impressive backflip, landing in the middle of the path away from the assembled group. It took up an aggressive stance, raising one paw.

"Riolu! Ri! Lu!" it growled, waving the paw towards itself in the classic gesture of inviting a challenge.

DJ snickered. "Guess it has no intention of just going quietly. Probably goes against its pride as a Fighting Pokémon or something."

-------------
(I would have said that a Pokémon can't be called back when caught in a Sand Tomb...but that really doesn't make sense outside of a game setting, so maybe it's best to ignore rules like that...unless it's an ability or an attack like Mean Look, I suppose.)

Val's Pokédex beeped to life, displaying a picture of the creature with its mouth open in a menacing pose.

Trapinch- The Ant Pit Pokémon. This Ground type makes its home in arid deserts, digging conical pits in the sand and waiting for prey to tumble into its powerful jaws. A patient hunter, Trapinch can wait for an entire week without needing access to water.

The creature snapped its large jaws again before ducking back into the sand. Moments later, the ground under Valerie's feet started to sink in as well. The tenacious little monster apparently had no plans of letting them escape easily.

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

"Battle begin!"

Celine, apparently thinking she was being mocked, pointed for Venomoth with a furious glare. "Rapidash, end it in one blow! Fire Blast!"

The unicorn-like Pokémon pawed the ground with a hoof, holding its ground as it expelled a massive cloud of fire from its mouth, the flames forming into a massive five-pointed shape as they shot towards the giant bug.

Shroud didn't even flinch. "Venomoth, dodge with Quiver Dance."

Venomoth began to move very erratically, fluttering its wings and jerking its legs rapidly, a white glow surrounding its body while it used the jerking motions to slip around the roaring flames, the fiery symbol crashing into a far wall and scorching it black. Meanwhile, Celine's points took a slight dip from the missed attack.

"Now, Poison Powder, aimed at the ceiling."

The Venomoth flapped its wings again, this time releasing a cloud of purple scales that fluttered up, hanging in the air above the stage, descending slowly, like tiny, drifting feathers.

Celine wasn't waiting for that. "Rapidash, force it down, Ember, rapid fire!"

Rapidash replied with several small fireballs, each fired from its mouth one at a time, forcing the Venomoth to descend a bit each time while Shroud's points began taking a bit of damage themselves. Already a minute had passed, leaving only four in the fight. Soon enough, Venomoth was nearly at ground level.

"Rapidash, now! Flame Wheel!"

The fire horse's mane burned brightly, a billowing sphere of flame surrounding its body as it charged forward, looking like a small sun rolling across the battlefield.

"Quiver Dance, again."

Once more, Venomoth's odd, jerky moments managed to pull it out of the way at the last second, the bug glowing a brighter white as it started to rise into the air. Its wing movements seemed sharper now, letting it glide around the battlefield at a greater speed than before.

"Wait...am I imagining it, or did that moth just get faster?" Marie asked, glancing at Nicola. Her Snivy, meanwhile, was shrinking back from the battlefield, apparently nervous from the sight of both a large, poisonous bug as well as all the fire being thrown around. Her Tyrogue was more stubborn, watching the fight with crossed arms and a set jaw.

[Silver]

((Fun fact, I even checked to see if it would stop recall before I made that post, and STILL somehow missed it.))

"Eeeeep!" Valerie's focus from a moment later vanished as the ground gave way. She flung her arm out, a burst of red light shining as her Eevee was released from the pokeball at the edge of the sand trap. A playful expression played over her face until she heard the panic in her trainer's voice.

"G-get ready to tackle the Trapinch." Valerie said as she stumbled for the edge, trying to get out even while the ground sunk. The Eevee nodded in response and crouched down, ready to leap at the first thing it saw.

[panahinuva]

"Nope, you're right on." Nicola confirmed. "Every Quiver Dance speeds up and strengthens the Venomoth. The longer Celine lets this battle drag on without pinning Cloak's Venomoth down, the harder it's going to get." She explained, eyes fixed on the battle with interest. "Hmmm...Still, that type disadvantage might clinch it. Especially since its poison scales are less effective against a pokemon that can burn them off." She added, chin jerking towards the Rapidash's mane. "Flame wheel will make it extremely difficult to maintain the poisonous atmosphere Venomoths need to achieve victory."

[SoraWolf7]

Ed grinned back to the Riolu. "You wanna fight, you'll get it!" he replied, jumping up eagerly and fist pumping once. "Alright, if you wanna challenge, we'll give you one. Ducklett, you're up!"

Ducklett seemed to grin as it quacked in agreement, flapping up to face the dog-like Pokemon.

"Alright, let's start this with a Water Gun!" Ed commanded. Ducklett quacked as it shot a stream of water from its beak, intending to hit the Riolu dead-on.

[Mitsunami]

Ducklett's Water Gun ended up missing its target as the Riolu crouched to dodge, then shot forward, its lower paws pumping hard as it propelled itself at Ducklett, a white line of energy being drawn in its wake, brought on by the sheer speed of its Quick Attack. It would slam hard into Ducklett from the front, but unless the blue water fowl was an easy quitter, this attack would not be enough to bring it down.

"Definitely not an easy target..." DJ snickered before turning to Geana. "So, should we watch and see if he catches it...or did you want to battle, too?"

-----------

Trapinch soon popped its head out of the bottom of the sandy pit, only to receive a mild shock as an Eevee slammed into it from above, lightly damaging it. However, Eevee was now in for some troubles of its own- the sandy terrain had managed to cushion most of the force of its attack for Trapinch, and the Ant Pit Pokémon was now just waiting for the Eevee to fall back into the clutches of its Sand Tomb, its massive mouth beginning to glow white on the jagged parts as it readied a Bite attack.

-----------

"Ah...so that's why they've been using that weird-looking dance instead of just dodging the attacks...defense and support in one move...this Shroud person's got some skills..." Marie mused, picking up her Snivy and hugging it close to offer it some comfort, just as it had for her.

"Venomoth, aim and the ceiling again and release your Sleep Powder," Shroud commanded, their Bug-type responding by flapping its wings and letting out a blue dust, this one covering pushing the purple Poison Powder back upward, as well as mixing together, creating a blue and purple swirling tapestry in the air. The crowd let out an appreciative chorus of oohs and ahhs, the mystery trainer's plan becoming a little more clear with this.

Celine was getting visibly annoyed. Shroud's points had barely taken a single hit, while her own had dipped nearly to half thanks to her missing her mark with Rapidash's every attack. She needed to find a way to land a blow quickly- there were already less than three minutes left in the match! Well, if that bug wanted to battle with speed...

"Rapidash, Fire Blast, once more!" she called, her fiery unicorn taking the cue and expelling another five-pointed flame before its trainer spoke again. "Now use Flame Charge! Join your attacks!"

Rapidash stomped its hooves into the ground before its mane flared again, surrounding its body with a curtain of flame as it charged after its released attack, its body colliding with the Fire Blast and making its entire cloak of fire become an enormous kanji shape around the middle of its body, the entire hot attack charging straight for the Venomoth.

"Quiver Dance and evade," came Shroud's automatic reply. The Venomoth did its best to obey, twitching and jerking as it sailed upward, but the lower end of its abdomen still ended up taking a hit from the fire, leaving the bug's large eyes cringing in pain from the super-effective hit before it started to totter unsteadily in the air, drifting lower to the ground.

"Now, turn and use Flame Charge again!" Celine commanded. "Quiver Dance might speed up your Venomoth, but Flame Charge works the same for my Rapidash...and it's certainly not slow to start!"

Indeed, her Rapidash had already turned and was now racing towards the battered bug, its body once more coated in flame and ready to deliver the final blow.

[panahinuva]

Nicola watched the action with cool interest, taking in the fight. "Hm. That fire blast might have been Rapidash's last chance at taking out that Venomoth." SHe commented to her two compatriots. "If I'm right, Shroud is about to set their plan into motion and win the fight. However, the question is, will it be enough? That Rapidash is definitely a tough customer..." She seemed to be only half talking to her friends, mind rolled up in musing on the current battle.

[SoraWolf7]

Ducklett squawked a bit as the Quick Attack hit, flapping her wings to stop her fall.

"Not bad," Ed commented. "Alright Ducklett, strike back with Wing Attack!"

Ducklett quacked eagerly and charged Riolu with glowing wings, ready to slap it silly.

[Geno XIII]

Geana looked a bit nervous as she looked at her two Pokeballs.

"Um... maybe...?" she said hesitantly, seeing as DJ was way more experienced then her, but she didn't want to chicken out. "One on one?"

[Silver]

Valarie used the minor distracter to get some better footing, though her concern was aimed right back at her Eevee even though she herself wasn't fully safe yet. She watched for a moment, Eevee slowing down as she started to fall back into the Trapinch's jaws. She had to get away but there was nothing but it and the sand....

"Sand attack, then try and jump off it when it's blinded." She got a quick yelp from her Eevee as she aimed for the sand, getting ready to obey her instruction. Val though couldn't help but be worried. For something that lived underground, she wasn't sure if sand attack would even work on it....

[Mitsunami]

Riolu was hit first by one, then a second wing, staggering backward with a pained bark each time before holding its ground with a growl and putting out one fore-paw. It seemed to flicker as it slipped under Ducklett's outstretched wing, then place the paw directly over the blue bird's chest. With a growl, it released a surge of energy, the burst passing right through the water fowl and exploding out from between its wings. There appeared to be no visible damage to Ducklett's body, but the pain would be there...though it fortunately hadn't been paralyzed, as could sometimes happen with a Force Palm attack.

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

DJ smiled and nodded to the suggestion. "One on one works fine...and it'll give me an opportunity to give this guy a bit more training. Voltorb, come on out!"

With a mechanical pop, the ball opened, releasing...another ball, one that slowly rotated to face Geana, rocking back and forth on its smooth, round body and giving a menacing cry that crackled with electricity.

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

The Sand Attack would land squarely on Trapinch's face. As expected of something that lived in the desert, it didn't seem bothered, but it did have to pause for a second to get the grit off of its face. The glow from its bite attack faded as it sat at the bottom of the pit, staring at the Eevee. It probably could have gone back underground to try its tactic again, but it didn't seem willing to wait for that, instead scuttling with surprising speed up the edge of the pit, igniting the white glow on its jaw again as it readied to clamp down on the fluffy-tailed Pokémon.

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

"Use Gust on the battlefield," Shroud commanded, the response of rapidly flapping wings kicking up a strong wind that both forced Venomoth high into the air and over the Flame Charge just in time, while also kicking the wind off of the ground to stir all of the colored scales still hanging in the air overhead and keep them from fully descending. The mixing purple and blue managed to look quite pretty, almost like the sky just as dusk was setting in.

Celine grit her teeth and clenched a fist. "Alright...in that case...I wanted to save this one for the Grand Festival...but this is going to have to be all or nothing! Rapidash, use Flare Blitz!"

Rapidash turned at the end of its Flame Charge attack, pawing the ground as it tossed back its head with a sharp whinny. The flames making up its mane as well as those surrounding its body began to brighten in color at an amazing rate.

Shroud reacted quickly, pointing up to her Venomoth. "Lay the final piece. Stun Spore, aimed upward with the rest."

The resulting attack created a rush of yellow scales, rising up into the blue and purple almost like a scattering of golden sunlight, earning more appreciative calls from the audience.

"Now fly above it and prepare to push it down."

"Too late!" Celine called. "Whatever you were going to do with those, it doesn't matter! Rapidash can burn all your Grass attacks down before they hit! Now go!"

The Rapidash reared up once, then charged, its whole body engulfed in furious, blue-white flames, creating a dazzling display.

"Venomoth, your turn- use Silver Wind."

The Venomoth began flapping harder than ever, the burst of wind coming off of its wings filled with shimmering silver scales that passed into the mix of attacks it had used before, swirling the colors and decorating the entire mixture with what appeared to be dots of starlight. The Silver Wind connected with Rapidash's Flare Blitz, pushing the front third of the flames back...just in time for the entire miasma of different toxic scales to wash over the fire horse. The ones contacting the fire were burning up harmlessly, but the poor flame-unicorn's entire head was engulfed in such a strong mix of natural toxins that it soon put out the entire Flare Blitz attack as Rapidash fought to breathe.

"What?!" Celine stood frozen, unable to believe what had happened while her points took a sharp dip, well below halfway now.

"Now end it. Zen Headbutt, Venomoth."

The last command sent Venomoth rocketing down, its body surrounded in a wavering blue aura that made for a shockingly pretty visual, slamming into Rapidash and sending the stunned fire horse skidding out of the ring...where it finally collapsed, coughing out different colored clouds as its eyes converted to dizzy spirals.

The MC had nearly dropped her microphone, but had enough presence of mind to remember her job, striding forward and raising a hand. "Rapidash is unable to battle! Therefore, the winners of this stunning victory are Shroud and her Venomoth, who will be moving on to the Final Stage!"

Marie's friends would find her staring down at the stage, frozen in place with her eyes and mouth stretched comically wide as bright sparkles danced in her pupils. She looked exactly like a child who had just been shown that there was in fact an entire mountain made of ice cream and candy and then been handed a spoon.

[SoraWolf7]

Ducklett quacked in pain as the aura of the Force Palm's strike shot it back, causing it to squawk and quack in surprise for a bit.

"Ducklett!" Ed cried out in concern. "You okay?!" Ducklett quacked back, seeming to snap at Ed for using such a common expression and question.

"You wanna keep going?" he asked cautiously. She looked at him, then to the Riolu, and then back to him before nodding. "Alright, let's show him your Brine!"

Ducklett quacked again, shooting the salty sea-like blast of water at Riolu, intending to hit hard.

[Geno XIII]

DJ smiled and nodded to the suggestion. "One on one works fine...and it'll give me an opportunity to give this guy a bit more training. Voltorb, come on out!"

With a mechanical pop, the ball opened, releasing...another ball, one that slowly rotated to face Geana, rocking back and forth on its smooth, round body and giving a menacing cry that crackled with electricity.

"OK... do your best Torogue!"

She tossed out her recently healed fighting type and took on a slightly uneven fighting stance upon seeing his opponent... though seeing that he was fighting a ball made him snicker cockily.