Old Lady at the Gym (Done)

[Tarlar]

New team: Cyan, Janus(Resist Wing), Mads(muscle Wing), Placido(Clever Wing), Amanda(genius Wing) and Araceli(Muscle Wing). Please give them each the noted wing to hold.

---

Astrid arrived to Violet City and she did not waste any time and went straight for the Gym.
She was terrified to be honest, as challenging a gym leader was a test all police kadets should pass to prove they knew how to handle pokemon in a battle, and Astrid knew it was something else than a simple battle among fellow trainers.
To get a badge was the first step towards participating in the Pokemon League, challenging the Elite four or perhaps even the Champion.
Astrid hadn't thought so far and didn't expect to do any of that, as her motivation wasn't to be the very best, but to share something with her granddaughters. And since they were trying to get badges and already had the one from Falkner, she needed to catch up.
It didn't make her less nervous that she didn't have anything to use the badge for.

Her nervousness was the reason she went straight for the gym, or else she feared she would never be able to do it. She wasn't completely unprepared as she had talked with Dorthea about their battle and got some tips, had chosen her team carefully, had made sure to bring along healing items and for the first time tried to use some special held items she had had for some time. IT had been a challenge to figure out who to hold which and she hoped they would come in handy for her pokemon.

"It is time," Astrid said as she stood in front of the door and smiled nervously down to Janus, who was sitting on her trolley as usual.
She entered and paused to look at the battlefield and dearly hoped there were some kind of elevator up there as she wouldn't be able to walk that high on stairs. She hadn't thought of that.
She looked around to find anyone to tell she wanted to challenge Falkner and would walk to whoever she first who looked like to belong to the gym.

(ooc: shout out to Tiki for the titel )

[Noerd]

As Astrid walked into the Gym, the lights flicked on in an instant to reveal the battlefield that she'd be fighting on. To her side, thankfully, was a convenient elevator. It started to lower itself as she got closer to it, bringing with it a young lad with striking blue hair. The teenager jumped off near the end of his descent, landing gracefully in front of the next challenger to this Gym. Standing back up to his full height, he turned to Astrid with a welcoming smile on his face.

"Welcome to the Violet City Gym. My name is Falkner; I'm the Gym Leader here. And you..." he started, then realising exactly what was before him. It was unusual to see a woman of her age in this Gym. He wondered for a moment if she was perhaps lost, but a quick glance around brought his eyes to Janus. The man calling himself Falkner quickly put two and two together, the realisation of the situation at hand clear from his facial expression. "Ah, I see. You must be my next challenger. Would you be so kind as to tell me your name?" he asked, internally scolding himself for being so judgemental earlier. Of course this woman had every right to challenge the League, just like anyone else. Once Astrid had replied to him, Falker would signal to the elevator that he had just ridden on.

"Well then... shall we get started?" he continued, before leading his newest opponent onto the rising platform. He made sure to loosely grab her shoulder to support her just in case something happened as the lift took the pair up to the battlefield above. Once at the top, Falkner briskly walked over to the other side of the arena, turning to face Astrid when he'd reached his designated zone. "You know how a Gym Battle, works, I take it? You're free to use any Pokémon or items that you wish, like most other matches. If you beat all of my Pokémon, you'll earn the Zephyr Badge," Falkner explained, rustling around his person for his first Pokéball.

"I think that's all the formalities out of the way. I guess all that's left to say is... I accept your challenge. Now then, go, Pidgey!" Astrid's opponent threw a Pokéball out into the open space between them, revealing his first partner - a small Pidgey. The Flying type chirped readily as it landed on the floor, flapping its wings in lieu of a battle cry.

---

Gym Leader Falkner accepts Astrid's challenge! He has released his Pidgey (Level 10) to battle!
Which Pokémon will Astrid reply with?

[Tarlar]

Astrid looked up surprised when the light licked on as she hadn't seen it as dark in here, but she quickly forgot when she noticed the elevator moving down. She recognized the young man instantly as she had found pictures of the gym leader while she had researched a bit before coming here to challenge him. He was taller than she had expected.
He introduced himself and when he after a small pause realized she was a challenger and asked her for her name, she discovered she had held her breath.
She exhaled loudly and laughed sheepishly.
"Yes, I am here to challenge you and I must admit that I am quite nervous! But I assume that is natural now you are a gym leader and all," Astrid said with a laugh.
"My name is Astrid and I am as ready as I can be for this battle, though I do not know if it enough," she introduced herself with a smile. She thought it wouldn't be too bad to have to try again if she lost, he seemed polite.

"Yes, let us do that," Astrid said and exhaled once more to try calm down a bit. It was good she wasn't worried about her heart, since she couldn't remember when it had last beaten this fast.
She followed him to the platform and let Falkner hold on to her arm while she looked around and down. She was happy she wasn't afraid of heights!
"Is is to give a feeling of flying that you have placed the field so high up in the air?" Astrid asked Falkner curiously, trying to distract herself from the upcomming battle by chatting.
"It must be wonderful to be flown around, do you do that often?" she then asked.

Astrid nodded to what Falkner had said about the rules, she had worried about being able to remember those, but had found them really simple, she wouldn't really classify them as rules. It shouldn't be a problem.
The battle could be though.

"Now there is no going back," Astrid said quietly to herself and turned to Janus.
"Are you ready dear? Do you remember the plan?" Astrid asked the tiny joltik, who waved a tine frontleg as answer. Astrid knew she wasn't going to be fast enough to react and give advices throughout the battle but she had presented different tactics to her pokemon and explained what they were going in to, and she was going to help them all the way she could of course.
"Then let us do this and test how good we are," Astrid cheered and Janus jumped down from her trolley to enter the battlefield. He raced towards Pidgey and as soon as he was close enough, he would release a weak Thunderwave.
Astrid sat down on her trolley to watch.

(ooc: Janus starts out and uses Thunder Wave.)

[Marchbaby]

Falkner understood Astrid's feelings completely as he had only been a gym leader for a short time. He was still a bit nervous himself as he waited for her to select a Pokemon. As he waited Astrid asked him two questions that were not usually brought up but he was compelled to answer them. " Yes my dear Astrid, when my father designed this gym he had invisioned the sensation of flying. As much as I love flying types it can be quite overwhelming at times. As for your other question, I do not have as much free time as I did growing up, but my Pokemon still fly me around from time to time."

As Astrid selected her Pokemon, Falkner was a bit stunned as few trainers tried to use bug types in his gym. Given their type disadvantage, it was not too surprising that they were a rare sight here. Unlike other bugs however Janis was special not only because of his typing, but also because of the item he was holding. His Resist Wing began to glow as his defense rose. It was a strategy Falkner had never seen before and he was quite impressed. " I cannot say anyone has tried a strategy like this before. I look forward to the results of the first round." He said as his Pidgey readied itself for the first round.

Falkner's Pidgey may have looked like it had the upper hand when it came to speed, but Janus was a tiny bit faster. He fired a weak jolt of electricity at Pidgey leaving the bird paralyzed. " I must say bravo, I usually cannot stand electric types but as yours is part bug I cannot blame too much on a type disadvantage. Your Joltik also has boosted defense but I have a way around that, Pidgey use Gust!" Sand and debris swirled around the battlefield as Pidgey flapped its wings. The damage caused by the attack was not catastrophic but it did bypass Janus's boosted defense. As the attack subsided Falkner looked over at Astrid as he spoke again.

" It looks like paralysis was not enough to stop my Pidgey this round but that does put me in a bind nonetheless. I am very eager to see what other tricks you have up your sleeve?"



Gym Battle

---

Falkner's Pidgey| Level 10
HP: 100% (31/31 HP)
Status: Paralyzed
Move: Gust

VS

Astrid's Janus | Level 10
HP: 78% (26/33 HP)
Status: Normal, Defense +1 (Resist Wing Consumed)
Move: Thunder Wave

[Tarlar]

"He has managed that well I think," Astrid answered as she looked over the site and down to the ground far below.
"This is probably the closest I ever get to flying," Astrid muttered to herself, thinking she wasn't strong enough to stay on top of the bird.
She turned to look serious at Falkner when he admitted he didn't get much time to fly around.
"You like flying?" She asked but didn't give him time to answer, "if you do and you feel you do too much Gym work, then you need to take some time off to take care of yourself. I know people say you can do it when you get old, but believe me, you cannot do everything when you are retired and your life will be a sad one if you push everything you like to do until then," she said seriously.
"You are still young, make sure you enjoy your life," she continued with a warm smile.

Astrid didn't have much to say to Falkner's commentaries about her strategy, but she did not when he talked about not liking electric types.
"I can assure you, that I am not taking any pokemon to this with a big advantage, what challenge would that be?" Astrid said with a smile, Janus was part electric type but he didn't know any damaging electric moves so she didn't think that counted.
She wasn't surprised Falkner had a way around her boosted defense, he was a gym leader after all.
"What about ice and rock types? Do trainers use those often against you as well?" Astrid would ask curiously.

As the wind whipped up, Janus laid down flat on the ground which made sure he wasn't blown away. He was so small not much wind was needed for that, but it still hurt as it beat against his sides and scratched him with sand and debris.

"We cannot be lucky everytime, but I think we can manage even if your pidgey is too strong to ever be affected by it," Astrid answered with a smile before looking at Janus.
"Are you alright dear? You must come to me, if you need my help," she told the tiny joltik.
Janus didn't need any help at the moment, and instead he rose as much as he could on his tiny legs and let out a screech which was surprisingly loud for such small creature.

(ooc: Janus uses Screech)

[Marchbaby]

Falkner was in agreement with Astrid about how well his father had designed the gym, however he was baffled over her next point. Though he could close the gym at any time to take a break he still felt a sense of duty by following in his fathers footsteps, though a break after some of his recent battles sounded nice. " You might just be right on that, it has been rough recently and a break might do me some good. I would hate to make anyone wait to get their first badge but maybe I could find a stand in for a week or two?" He was not exactly sure who would want to run his gym temporarily but if he found someone it could work. For now he had to deal with the battle at hand.

It was a wonderful thing to hear that Astrid wanted a challenge. He certainly needed a boost of confidence a close battle could provide. Her question about Rock and Ice types only increased his interest in responding. " It is so heartwarming to hear you want a challenge. Close battles are almost always the most fun. To answer your question, I do see a few Rock types but their low speed makes them unpopular. Ice types are a very rare sight given their rarity in these parts but when I do face them they are formidable foes." He smiled as Astrid mentioned luck as it was something he had been hoping would turn around and it appeared it finally was.

" It is so true luck is not always on our side. Mine has been awful lately but meeting you, I feel it is slowly turning around. I really do admire your confidence." Now that he had answered all of her questions he gave his Pidgey an order. " Pidgey use Gust again, our luck might finally turn around." Janis was faster however and her loud screech deafened the poor bird. Its ears rung while its body refused to cooperate as it stood in place from Paralysis. Falkner was a bit disappointed but he did get lucky in the last round.

He looked over at Astrid as he spoke in a soft tone. " I spoke too soon, my luck still has not panned out. Maybe the next round will be more fortunate."




Gym Battle

---

Falkner's Pidgey| Level 10
HP: 100% (31/31 HP)
Status: Paralyzed, Defense -2
Move: Paralysis prevented Pidgey from attacking.

VS

Astrid's Janus | Level 10
HP: 78% (26/33 HP)
Status: Normal, Defense +1
Move: Screech

[Tarlar]

"Of course I am right," Astrid laughed with a wink, she was beginning to relax with how friendly Falkner was. It made her feel at ease and she would have no trouble having to come here several times to try get her badge. She doubted she could get it in one try.
"A vacation would be good," she agreed more serious and looked worried at Falkner for a moment.
"Are you saying, that you work all days in a week?" She asked concerned.
"I do not hope so, and if you do you need to decide which day should be your weekend. No-one can work all the time not even if one loves his work," she said quietly, "I have seen several of my colleagues who burned out due to that."
Astrid smiled sheepishly.
"I am sorry, here I come and tell you what to do. I tend to forget that you are not all children and can make your own decisions," she apologized with a laugh.

Astrid nodded as Falkner explained about the other types that had advantage over his birds. She had guessed that ice types weren't used much as they were difficult to find, but she hadn't thought about that slow speed could be a problem. She hadn't brought any rock types but she didn't know if any of her pokemon were too slow for this battle, she just had to wait and see.
She had prepared for Falkner's strength and expected her pokemon to miss a lot of their attacks, but not much more.

She laughed when he praised her for her confidence.
"That is because I expect to lose but know that we are doing our best. That, and that you are not too bad to face again, you are good at making people relax. If anyone has confidence it is a gym leader like you, who has the courage to face whoever appears while knowing most people go for the easy solution," Astrid said though she feared Falkner's confidence had taken some beatings. There were something in his comments that made it sound like he was doubting himself and his pokemon, and that was not good at all!

Astrid had to hold her ears as Janus screeched and looked surprised when Pidgey stayed where it was.
"Aw, come on now, do not let one small thing take all your hope from you!" Astrid exclaimed with a smile.
"You must remember that I have spent days trying to figure out to give my pokemon any chance against your team. If we had not laid a plan you would have blown us out without much trouble, and with all the electric pokemon you have met, you must have tried this before and know what to do," Astrid said confidently.
"There is a reason the IPF is using you as a test for its members and not one of the other Gyms," Astrid continued to try boost Falkner's confidence and remind him in how high regard a lot of poeple were holding him and his gym.

Janus had expected another strong gust of wind and were laying flat down. When nothing came he look puzzled for a moment before he let out another screech, forcing Astrid to cover her ears once more. He threw himself flat down again in the expectation of another counter attack, and then he would run after Pidgey in the attempt pinch its back.

(ooc: using running shoes~ Janus uses Screech and then Pursuit)

[latani]

Vs. Gym Leader Falkner

He shrugged off her concern with a good-natured chuckle. "It's not really that bad, I guess. But trainers come in at all hours, and it's my duty to face them if they want my badge. Some days it seems like there's no end to them, others there's one if I'm lucky," Falkner replied, putting a finger to his chin thoughtfully. "I see your point, though, and I won't forget it. Much as I love this job sometimes, it can be tiring." If it hadn't been for his father passing the reins on to him, perhaps Falkner wouldn't even be the gym leader, but he couldn't be away from his precious birds for long. Maybe even one day he could travel abroad and interact with other birds from faraway regions, a long-held dream of his. Today he had to focus on his challenger however, and not on a childhood fantasy that seemed a lifetime away. Shaking his head, he seemed surprised at her candor of not expecting to win.

"Oh, I doubt you'll lose to me. A lot of trainers come in here just hoping to bull through with strength alone, but you clearly planned this strategy out for some time. You're a lot more clever than you give yourself credit for," Falkner said, teal-eyes still wide. Still, even at Astrid's age, she was a trainer, with all the confidence and fears that came with it. Even the most sturdy of plans could go awry with just a dash of bad luck; just look at what had happened with Pidgey suffering from paralysis. Astrid wasn't done speaking, but when she did, the leader was grinning as he ruffled his hair sheepishly. "Thank you. You don't know how much it means to me to hear that. But that goes for you too - have faith! I'm sure you'll excel more than you think you will." Falkner wasn't sure he would win here, but he didn't want any of his challengers thinking they didn't stand a chance either.

Janus' sudden screech made all four present flinch, Pidgey struggling to lift its wings to cover its ears. "Alright Pidgey, let's try using Tackle this time," Falkner called when he could finally hear again. Nodding, the avian wisely decided not to take flight, instead hopping awkwardly over to where Janus was pressed against the floor. Turning to one side, Pidgey rammed into the Joltik and sent him skittering wildly away with the blow, turning round to return to Falkner. Taking advantage of this, Janus recovered quickly and gave chase, using his strong little legs to launch himself onto Pidgey's back. He gave the bird a quick, painful pinch, leaping clear when the bird cried out in surprise and began to flail about.

"Tackle, again!" came Falkner's orders, Pidgey eager to repay the indignation of a sneak attack. Managing to overcome paralysis once more, Falkner's partner hopped after the small Electric-type and bodily tackled Janus hard enough to send him careening towards Astrid. With his defense bolstered, the blows didn't hurt quite as much, Janus relieved that he hadn't been struck with the wind he feared. "It's true I've dealt with a lot of Electric types, but they're not all the same. What might work on one Pokemon could be completely ineffective on another. But the challenge of figuring that out is part of the fun," Falkner said in reply Astrid's comment. What remained unsaid was that he'd lost to most of those Electric-types, though he wouldn't let that rattle his confidence now, not when it was being shakily rebuilt.

Trainer Battle

---

Falkner's Pidgey | Level 10 |
Health: 51% (16/31 HP)
Status: Where's the exterminator's number?; Paralyzed, Def -4
Pidgey used a successful Tackle x2!

VS

Astrid's Janus | Level 10 |
Health: 63% (21/33 HP)
Status: I'm small fear me; Def +1
Janus used a successful Screech!
Used a successful Pursuit!

[Tarlar]

Astrid was pleased to hear that Her words had made an impact on Falkner, and that he would think about taking some time off and relax a bit once in a while. She hoped it was enough to keep him going and not stop enjoying what he was doing, as it was clear he loved his birds and to fly with them. It was good he and realized that it could be tirering and that he had to take care of himself, and if he had already known, hopefully this would be the thing that would get him to do something about it too.

Astrid couldn't help but laugh a bit as Falkner fed her with her own words, and did what he could to strengthen her confidence as well. She found it silly they both cared more about the others mental health and determination than anything else.
It warmed her heart when he told her how much it meant to him to hear that. Even though he may not had needed it, it was good for everyone to get reminded once in a while. Mostly at least, a few people needed to be pulled down instead, but that was another topic.

Astrid's happiness and calm were soon destroyed when she saw how easy Pidgey threw around with Janus. He was tiny compared to most others and he was so brave daring to go up against a pokemon that usually would think of him as a nice afternoon snack!
She was happy it hadn't used its wing to give Janus a slap, as it could easily have sent him flying.
Janus wasn't faced by it and raced after the pidgey while it was down at the ground and used the chance to retaliate a bit, only to be pushed back once more.
Janus was now panting but he refused to give up or waste any time, the strength he had got from the strange feather he had been given had made him feel much stronger and he couldn't feel the Pidgey's attack as much as he had expected. He felt he could continue and he wanted to be the one to take down one of his nemesis', birds had been the reason he had hidden in Astrid's house to beging with, back when he was a new hatchling.
He crawled as fast has he could towards the pidgey to attack it once more.

Astrid nodded as Falkner told her there were many types of electric pokemon, just like there were of so many other types. She found it a bit intimidating having to learn how to handle each one of them, should she be against them in a battle. It was a lot to remember!
"You must really meet many different kinds of pokemon here, what do you do when you meet something you have no idea what is?" Astrid asked impressed.
After a bit, she would ask more curiously, "how often does people bring Flying types to challenge you?"
She herself had only brought Araceli as Alfred hadn't seemed interested and her young zubat clearly wasn't strong enough.

(ooc: Janus uses Pursuit)
~Wordcount:400+

[Marchbaby]

As annoying as losing could be to Falkner this battle had evolved into something special. Astrid's planning had given her an impressive upper hand and her lead was only getting bigger, yet it impressed him that she had come up with such an elaborate strategy. He really was stumped in the current situation with no good way out and he could not risk Pidgeotto taking a free hit from Astrid. As painful as it was he would have to let Pidgey keep taking blows for the team. He was still unsure how to handle Janus even if things did not get worse. The tiny spider was wrecking havoc on his poor Pidgey and Pidgeotto was weak to any of its electric attacks.

Pidgey had softened the spider up a bit nonetheless and maybe if Pidgey hit it one more time Pidgeotto might be able to pull this battle more in his favor. With no other options it was worth a shot. " Pidgey try a Gust attack." The numbness in Pidgey's body slowed her down so much however that Janus was able to pursue the bird as it tried to attack landing a powerful finishing blow. Falkner had to admit it was a disappointing yet exciting outcome. He still had Pidgeotto though so it was not over yet. The extra Pokemon also meant a chance to answer Astrid's questions.

" Whenever I encounter a unknown foe I go with my gut and try my best to overcome them, Pidgeotto here even has a special move I taught her to heal her wounds in battle to bide our time to find weakspots. Flying type foes are uncommon here but they are always a welcomed sight. They are pretty interesting battles in most cases since there are so many flying types. I always look forward to flying type battles when they happen." He smiled at Astrid before he spoke again. " You are allowed to switch Pokemon if you would like for defeating my Pidgey. Pidgeotto here is my last Pokemon."





Gym Battle

---

Falkner's Pidgey| Level 10
HP: 0% (0/31 HP)
Status: KO'ed
Move: KO'ed

VS

Astrid's Janus | Level 10
HP: 65% (21/33 HP)
Status: Normal, Defense +1
Move: Pursuit

---

Janus fought well and gained 3 levels and is now level 13. He also gained +1 happiness and has +2 happiness overall. He is trying to learn Fury Cutter but he already knows 4 moves. Would you like him to forget a move and learn Fury Cutter?



Falkner is now done yet. He sends out Pidgeotto(Level 15)

[Tarlar]

Astrid was really proud that her first pokemon had come so far. From spending his day sucking electricity from her old television and hiding from the outside world, to now winning a part of a gym battle! The decision to start on a pokemon journey had certainly brought a lot of unexpected changes and luckily most of them were for the good.
Until now her plan had worked better than she had dared to hope for and Astrid began to hope just a bit, that she actually had a chance of winning this. That was, until Pidgeotto arrived.

Janus had thrown himself to the ground again after having hit the bird in the expectancy of the retaliation and being blown around. He was surprised when the pidgey didn't got to its feet again, and he swiftly crawled closer to see what was going on and if it needed any advice from him.
It disappeared in a red flash right in front of him, and then a shadow loomed over him. He slowly looked up at the, to him, huge pidgey and he froze in shock.
A moment later the raced back towards Astrid.

Astrid listened curiously to what Falkner had to say and expected that if a tactic had been used against him before, he could have plans for ways to overcome them. He was a bit limited in what he could do though as the rules required him to answer all challengers with pokemon of the same strength and moveset, to avoid it being unfair for some.
She realized how much disadvantage it put the young man in, especially if people only chose to go with electric types, and how many battles he must have lost over time. Her respect for him grew since she was pretty sure she couldn't have kept up her determination to continue to face new challengers without becoming bitter.

"I know," Astrid whispered in response both to the information about Pidgeotto being able to heal herself, but also to the reminder that she could switch to another pokemon if needed. She licked her lips nervously as she found the pidgeotto impressive, it looked well cared for and strong and she wondered for a moment what this pokemon needed a third evolution for.

Astrid looked down at Janus who was hiding between her legs and the trolley and she leaned forward.
"Are you hurt?" She asked the joltik, who shook his head.
"You are doing marvelous Janus and I know Pidgeotto is terrifying, but I need you to go out and try paralyse it, that is all I am asking for. After that your job is done," Astrid told him and added that she thought he was really brave.
Janus hesitated a moment before he made his way to the battle arena once more. He was so tiny his shaking would only be visible if you were close.
He would do his best to stay clear of the big bird until he got a chance to zap it with his Thunder Wave.

Astrid cleared her voice as she found it impolite not to answer the gym leader.
"Thank you for your reminder, I know but this is necessary I fear," she told him with a nervous smile.
"Beside it is not her healing I am most worried about," she said with a little laugh.

(ooc: Janus stays in and uses Thunder Wave. He does not learn Fury Cutter)
~Wordcount: 400+

[Marchbaby]

Falkner had to be aggressive with his final Pokemon if he wanted any hope of turning this battle around. He may have seemed confident in Pidgeotto's abilities outwardly but in his mind he was really panicking. If she was paralyzed like Pidgey things would get much worse. Her ability to restore health was no good if she could not make a move. " We are back in the hot seat again my dear, this has been quite an exciting battle but we have won in situations like this before." He said as the two Pokemon were ready for the next phase of the battle.

Astrid was very wise to know everything he said and Falkner was not sure what to say next. He was struggling enough trying to come up with a strategy to defeat Janus. Falkner had never met such a determined bug type especially one that could counter all his usual tricks. " This is a tough choice for me to make but Pidgeotto use Gust on our foe, it is our most useful option here." Pidgeotto took off and started to flap her wings causing a moderate gust that kicked up various debris. A few small rocks were picked up by the gust flying right in Janus's face.

The bug type was hit pretty hard but his increase in level gave him the strength to keep going. He began building up a small charge of electricity and waited for the moment to strike. As Pidgeotto went to land he fired the weak jolt of electricity paralyzing the bird from the shock it caused. " Oh no not you too! This is not very good at all! Luck will really need to be on our side if we want any hope of a comeback now." He said while still in shock. This battle kept getting worse with no silver lining on the horizon.




Gym Battle

---

Falkner's Pidgeotto| Level 15
HP: 100% (48/48 HP)
Status: Paralyzed
Move: Gust

VS

Astrid's Janus | Level 13
HP: 40% (16/40 HP)
Status: Normal, Defense +1
Move: Thunder Wave

---

OOC: Janus gained 7 hp by leveling up. Gust caused 12 damage. Editing the text in now.

[Tarlar]

Astrid's confidence had been shaken quite a bit by the look of the strong pidgeotto and she hoped what she had planned was enough for her pokemon not be wiped off the floor. It was a long way down.
She looked worried and clenched her cane as the pidgeotto threatened to send her dear Janus on a flight, but he managed to stay low and on the ground and she exhaled with relief. She looked closer at the bird as she was a bit surprised her young joltik had endured the attack, had it held back or had she overestimated it a bit?
She did not dare to think it was so though, it would be humiliating if she started to underestimate it in the middle of the battle and then lost!

Janus had braved the harsh winds though he had had to fight to stay in place, and there were fine marks from where he had dug his claws in. Psychically he wasn't able to withstand anymore though, he knew the bird could swallow him in almost one gulp if it wanted to, and he was sure it would. It had been nice to him to keep its distance but he wasn't willing to take any more chances and he ran back to Astrid in fright to hide under her skirt now he couldn't get into the trolley.

"You did wonderful! More than I could possible ask of you," Astrid said with a shaking voice. She hadn't feared for his life as she trusted Falkner as a Gym leader would have full control over his pokemon and their instinctive behavior. She had never heard of any challengers pokemon being eaten at least.
Astrid turned back to the battle and frowned when she saw how affected Falkner was. He was apparently younger and shaken than she had thought and she wondered for a moment if he had been given the responsibility too early. He couldn't possible not having tried his birds being paralyzed before, not if the majority of the challengers used electric types. Either they were just shocking his birds out of the sky too quickly or else he had had really bad experiences with paralysis. It was probably the last and she felt sorry she had to use all tricks she had been able to come up with, though truth to be told, she didn't have many at all.

The next pokemon that appeared on the field was a pink chubby one. Placido looked around and murmured something that only he himself could hear.
"Pidgeotto is the one he has left, Janus won the first match and has managed to paralyse this one as well," Astrid informed and Placido looked impressed.
Astrid had talked with them about what they could do but had also warned they might not win in the first try and that she couldn't tell them a solid plan, since things could change and they had no idea what Falkner and his pokemon would do in the specific situation.
Placido knew that the main goal first was to hinder the Pidgeotto as much as possible, and with Janus having done his part, it was now his task to lower its defenses.
He let out an ear piercing screech.

"And luck needs to be on my side for it to work, I cannot rely on that alone," Astrid finally answered Falkner, after having held her ears to protect them.
She laughed sheepishly once more.
"I hope your ears will survive but otherwise we are more or less down to a test of strength I think," she said and looked thoughtfully at her hands as she tried to remember if she had forgotten something.
"No, since you cannot sleep while being paralysed, there should not be anything else," Astrid said slowly before grinning and looking up into her sleeve.
"Nope, no trick hidden up here!" She laughed as she shook it to show it was empty.

(Placido switches in and uses Screech)
~Wordcount: 600+

[Marchbaby]

Falkner could not help but agree that Janus had done more than his fare share of the work. The bug had been a huge blow to his team and with Pidgeotto in her current shape he secretly wondered if he would have been able to handle the rest of the battle on his own. He certainly had the bravery for the task. " I will be perfectly honest here, it is a relief to see you switch Pokemon here. That Joltik of yours is very impressive and I was dreading facing it another round." With no Pokemon left to back Pidgeotto up a single critical hit might have ended the match this round but Astrid's switch meant Falkner would get a free move. His luck however did not pan out very well at all.

" Pidgeotto use Gust on that Whismur." She heard the order but her body refused to move. The paralysis had taken quite a toll on her and she could not move a muscle. It was an awful thing to happen for Falkner as this would have been a great chance to strike back. Before he would even get another chance to try again Placido's deafening Screech echoed off of the walls of the gym nearly causong Falkner and Pidgeotto to go deaf. " Pidgeotto are you ok? I can hardly hear a thing after that Screech. That Whismur has quite a pair of lungs to make that much noise." As theit ears finally stopped ringing Falkner quickly ordered another attack.

" Pidgeotto try another Gust. We cannot fail a second time in a row. I believe Astrid is being quite honest about no more tricks but I still want to be safe rather than sorry." Despite her lowered speed Pidgeotto was able to work up enough strength to regain flight long enough to kick up a Gust. The wind picked up various debris sending it towards Placido scoring a direct hit resulting in moderate damage. " Good job Pidgeotto, we are still behind but by hitting that Whismur we are at least on the right track." He said as Pidgeotto landed next to him hardly able to feel any part of her body as the round came to a close.






Gym Battle

---

Falkner's Pidgeotto| Level 15
HP: 100% (48/48 HP)
Status: Paralyzed, Defense -2
Move: Paralyzed, Gust x1

VS

Astrid's Placido | Level 15
HP: 75% (36/48 HP)
Status: Normal, Special Defense +1(Clever Wing Consumed)
Move: Janus swapped out for Placido, Screech

---

[Tarlar]

Astrid was quite surprised when Falkner admitted he was happy to see Janus being off the battlefield again, and she tried to looked at him, but he had hit too well. Instead she looked confused at Falkner as she tried to figure out what had worried the gym leader so much. Janus' only electric type move was the Thunder Wave and though it had been impressive that he had been able to hold out against the pidgey, he was not her strongest pokemon. Astrid herself had been quite worried for him due to his type and the disadvantage it gave him to these skilled birds.
The question was if there was something there she hadn't seen, or if Falkner had met too many electric types so he overestimated all of them.
"Janus clearly dreaded another round too," Astrid said with a smile, "He needed quite a bit persuasion to accept facing your Pidgey as he has spent most of his life hiding for birds."

Placido tried to look back at his pokemon partner, but Janus was still nowhere to be seen, and Placido missed how Pidgeotto was unable to move.
He turned back to scream at it as he remembered how important the battle was, and he looked pleased as he heard Falkner worrying for his pokemon after being affected by his own screech and took it as a compliment that Falkner thought he had good lungs. He was going to show them just how good.

He staggered though as the gust hit him and his round little body were easy for the wind to grab and push around with, unlike Janus who could make himself flat up against a surface.
He gasped a bit as he regained his balance and coughed from the dust he had inhaled.
"Careful! The wind it stirs with its wings are powerful, stay low to the ground!" Janus suddenly shouted his advice and Placido sighed. The joltik had may proved his worth in battle but he was still annoying.
"Oh thank you, I hadn't noticed at all and your warning hasn't been a moment too late" he commented dryly, though too quiet for Janus to hear it.
Placido took another deep breath to let out another deafening screech.

Astrid had been prepared and covered her ears before he started.
"How are your ears Falkner?" She called out to him. Pidgeotto was the target but as Falkner was in the same direction he surely would get affected by it too, and Astrid thought it was bad enough even sitting in the opposite direction of where the sound was moving.

(ooc: Placido uses Screech again. Has his Clever wing been activated?)
~Wordcount: 434 (heatlamp)