Operation : Firewall[F]

[Marchbaby]

As Kevin and his Pokemon made their way through the fog filled city they struggled to find the Sprout Tower. They could hardly see in front of them at all and they were glad their objective was indoors so they could see what they were doing once they got inside. After walking aimlessly for a few minutes Oracle picked up on the aura of a number of people in a tall building as she ran towards it with the others trying to keep up with her. As she followed the aura she found a pair of large heavy doors attached to a large, tall building and they figured this had to be the place. They push the doors as hard as they could to open them and then walked inside. Just as they entered the lobby they heard a commotion coming from behind the swaying pillar in the middle of the room.

When they walked around to get a better view there were two monks ganging up on a single young Cyndaquil who seemed to be having a rough time against them. The sight was not something Kevin took kindly to at all and before the monks could pick on the young fire type he ran between them along with Samantha and Oracle while Freyja stood on his shoulder. " Who in the hell do you think you are picking on such a young Pomemon. I expect Team Rocket to try something like this but a monk should have far higher honor. I am in no mood to let this go without teaching you both a lesson you shall not soon forget." As he snapped his fingers Samantha stepped forward absoulty furious at the pair of monks. Being a fire type herself she could hardly stop herself from barbecuing both of them for picking on the poor Cyndaquil.

" So the rumors of you monks hating fire types is apparently true, I can assure you whatever this Cyndaquil has done to you I am far worse of a threat to you. I will burn this whole tower to the ground if I must in order to teach you some respect. I hope you have good insurance." As she took a deep breath a stream of fire appeared at the front of her muzzle ready to burn the Bellsprout on the right. As she took aim Kevin gave her permission to fire. " Samantha fire at will with your Flamethrower" The huge flame then left her mouth as it made it's way to its target.



OOC: Samantha steps forward and uses Flamethrower on the Bellsprout on the right.

[latani]

When Kevin barged into the tower, both monks didn't spare him a glance as they ordered their pair of Bellsprout to keep up with their attacks, only stopping when the trainer began to shout at them. One monk flushed a slow, deep red and raised a hand that made the prayer beads wrapped around his wrist rattle ominously. "Begone, intruder! This is no concern of some commoner!" he shouted back, spraying a bit of spittle. His companion was a little more composed in his anger, dark eyes flicking between the Cyndaquil they had been sworn to drive out and Kevin's team. If this trainer decided to intervene, with his tough looking Lucario, it would get them in deep trouble with their master secluded at the top of Sprout Tower. And his wrath was infamous. "Easy, Chow. Intruder, I would ask you kindly to leave. This is our business, and this our temple. You would not like it if we barged into your home, or place of worship, in such a manner," the monk said in a civil tone, as if this excused what they had been doing to Cyndaquil.

Having sensed help in Kevin, the fire mouse backed up closer to him with a soft cry and peered up at Samantha with something akin to delight on its pain-scrunched face. The monk named Chow flushed even darker as he realized not only had Kevin decided to stay, but he had brought another sacrilegious Fire-type into their beloved tower. Roaring in wordless fury, he went to start forwards only to be held back by his partner, who shook his head in despair as Samantha took aim and let loose her flames. Both recoiled with identical looks of horror, Chow's Bellsprout emitting a pained shriek before simply toppling over, smoke rising in wisps from its body. Next to it, the other monk's Bellsprout wrapped its leaves around its shaking body, though this made it an easy target for Cyndaquil to step forwards and add to the firefight.

Squeaking a battle cry, the Fire-type sprayed a small smattering of embers that sizzled loudly upon contact as they met the Bellsprout's leaves. It totted back towards its trainer, pleading for directions, or perhaps just begging to be returned to its ball since it was staring down two horrible, terrible, no-good fire spitters. "So you choose to remain and desecrate our home with the help of this uncouth trainer," the unnamed monk said in a frosty voice, glaring at Cyndaquil who returned the look defiantly. "Vine Whip the insolent rodent. You might get past us, intruder, but don't think your presence, either of you, will be tolerated for very long." Settling back, he watched his quivering Pokemon tentatively extend a long vine to lash across Cyndaquil's snout, the blow stinging but lacking the heart it had before Kevin's timely intervention.

VS. Monks

---

Nico's Bellsprout | Level 10
HP: 27% (9/33 HP)
Status: Not... doneses... yets....; Normal
Bellsprout used a successful Vine Whip on Cyndaquil!

Chow's Bellsprout | Level 10
HP: 0% (0/33 HP)
Status: ... ; --Fainted
Bellsprout fainted!

VS

Kevin's Samantha | Level 16
HP: 100% (31/31 HP)
Status: Fire awaaaaay!; Normal
Samantha used a successful Flamethrower!

Wild Cyndaquil | Level 10
HP: 80% (24/30 HP)
Status: burn in our flames; Normal
The wild Cyndaquil used a successful Ember!

[Marchbaby]

The rudeness of the monks only made Samantha all the more angry at them. She had managed to knock out one of the two Bellsprout with ease but for her it was not enough revenge for the way they had treated Cundaquil. " I can assure you we are not commoners, we are proud members of the Pokemon Global Defense Army and by attacking this poor Cyndaquil you have crossed the line. This may be your temple but our protection has no borders, Team Rocket may be our primary foe but we shall destroy anyone who envokes out wrath." She looked over at the young Cyndaquil and smiled ready to help it defeat the other Bellaprout that it could not quite handle on it's own.

Kevin on the other hand was just enjoying the show as the monks were just asking for a beating for their actions. He did not care for one moment how they fwlt about him so long as he got justice for the little Cyndaquil. " I am quite sure we can handle anything you throw at us if that first Bellsprout is any indication of what you monks have at your disposal. You can try and stop me all you wish but remember you are not eveb facing the strongest Pokenon in my party." As much as Oracle wanted to take a shot at the monks herself she knew Samantha would get some really good practice in by defeating them so she just watched while commenting on the situation.

"  These monks really do not know how much trouble they are in. Samantha please show this knuckleheads how a true warrior fights again. I do not think they got the message the first time. Samantha nodded as the mknks were not going to back down now but one more Flamethrower should force them to get out of the way. " I do not think my message was clear either but this next one will be clear as crystal. I hope you two are ready to explain to your leader why you choose to bring our wrath upon you." As she finished her sentence another flame appeared at the end of her muzzle. She waited until Kevin gave the orders to fire as she held the attack back. 

Kevin had no complaints this time either as he felt the monks had this whole situation to blame on themselves for their lack of respect. He looked at Samantha ready to give her another order. " Samantha use Flamethrower again. I want you to bring down that other Bellsprout." 



OOC: I think Samantha has the wrong amount of hp since she evolved at the end of my last thread. She should have 49 hp. Samantha uses Flamethrower on the remaining Bellsprout.

[Lamont]

As the situation became dire for the two monks they began gritting their teeth, desperately trying to think of anything that would allow them to persuade the interloper against the course of action he chose.
"Have you no decency! As a guardian yourself you must understand why we cannot let a fire type do away as it pleases within our Sacred Tower," Nico spoke, thrusting a finger down to the smoldering bits of the floor surrounding the fainted Bellsprout. Luckily the sages spent every day caring for their tower, treating the wood and ensuring its resiliency to the elements, otherwise that series of fire attacks thoughtlessly thrown around would have surely resulted in all of them experiencing a rather toasty death. Though, while the wood treatment aided in the tower's durability it was in no way completely retardant.

Chow had stepped forward to stamp out the embers and recall his beloved pokémon. Even with the fire smothered there now lay a smear and lacing of darkened brown and black. The monk quickly retreated out of the way so as to not be directly on the receiving end of this brash man's attacks.

"Allying yourself with this troublemaker isn't wise, my friend," Nico continued. "It only wishes to wring devastation upon our home, this isn't even the first time it's made an attempt. This tower is lucky to still be standing today, and it wouldn't be if not for our Sacred Sprout banishing this fire mouse from its halls. We have been protecting this tower year after year. We've tried gentle persuasion and it does not dissuade it; thus we've had to resort to extreme measures to keep it away."


Still, though, flamethrower was called. And within Cyndaquil's maw the sages could see the sparkle of flame rumbling within. "We must protect the Tower Bellsprout!" But there was little they could do in the end. Another powerful burst of fire swept across the grass type and left it and all around it a charred mess. Nico's eyes dropped to the floor, fists clenched. There was nothing they could do now, no way to stop the fiery demons from ascending into their home. Cyndaquil chimed happily and instantly made a beeline for the stairs behind the monks.

"Please, no!" Chow moved to try and block the way but the small pokémon easily evaded the human. He watched for a moment as it started up the stairs then spun around to face Kevin. "This is our home and you, sir, have just endangered it. Not only that, but you have displayed a complete disregard for everyone's safety." The sage paused, keeping up his resolve so as to not result in begging. "I don't know what sort of 'Defense Army' you represent if you're behaving with such recklessness inside a city. For Arceus' sake I hope you find some sense soon. Before this tower, the surrounding forest, and the city pay for your ignorance."

With that all said the two made sure they weren't in Kevin's way should he decide to follow through with what he started.

---

VICTORY!

---

Samantha grew to LV 17 and gained 1 Happiness (+7)!

---

Cyndaquil has begun ascending the tower; follow?

[Marchbaby]

As the monks tried to defend their position Kevin completely blew them off. The Cyndaquil did not seem to mean any harm at all and their abuse was unacceptable. " From where I am standing Cyndaquil has not caused you any harm at all. It seems to me that you just hate fire types as your Bellsprout cannot best them in a fair battle even with their best effort." Even as the battle ended and the Cyndaquil ran up the stairs Kevin was not quite done chewing the monks out and neither was Samantha. Being a fire type the monks words kept making her grow angrier by the second. 

" So just because Cyndaquil wants to battle you think abusing it is righteous? It sounds to me like it only wants revenge for the way you treated it. Maybe if you were notnsuch asinine jerks to itnCyndaquil might just leave you alone. I am half tempted to burn this place down right now to really make you all pay dearly for your lack of decency." Samantha took a deep breath barely keeping her emotions from getting the best of her but she was still absolutely furious as she turned to face Kevin. She spoke the truth and he was going to take one step further as they questioned his honor.

" You dare question my honor after the way you have acted? Last I checked your tower was still standing but if you want to see reckless I can go and grab a tank to knock this tower down if you would like. Nothing my Pokemon or I have done has been reckless to this point at all with all the training we go through but I can assure you if I did something reckless you monks would be just below Team Rocket on my list." Oracle did not even get involved as she was too worried about Cyndaquil to concentrate on a shouting match. She had seen the young fire type running up the steps and knowing the only way to get Kevin to follow it anytime soon was to set after it herself. Kevin saw her and quickly followed after her.

" That first meeting could have gone better but at least it is over with. Let's find that Cyndaquil before it runs into any more trouble. If one more of those monks gives us a hard time I might just have to act on my threats. These guys are not much better than Team Rocket about now." He said as they started searching the next floor for Cyndaquil.




OOC: Heading to the next floor.

[Lamont]

Cyndaquil was hurriedly hopping up the steps; though it was still only one at a time. It had been so long since it had been able to make it to even this point, and with the trainer on its side there was no way it wasn't going to make it to the top this time. Though, that would only be if the strong man and his lovely fire assistant would make it passed the shouting match. With sounds of heavy boots pursuing Cyndaquil though it seemed the little mouse wouldn't be alone in this battle up the tower.

It was quite easy for Kevin and Co. to catch up, the mix of wild and tamed all stepping onto the next floor at about the same time. Across the ways was another set of stairs; and another monk. This one looked much calmer and collected than the previous two, a bit older as well. Though he shared the same garb and loyal Bellsprout.
"I see, that's what all the commotion was downstairs." His eyes moved from Cyndaquil to Kevin's pokémon and finally onto Kevin himself. "I am Sage Neal. I apologize that we couldn't have met under better circumstances sir," he continued, giving a slight bow with his fists together in front of him. "But Cyndaquil knows that this is not a place it is welcome to be. I cannot let you all pass, and humbly request that you turn back now. This place is a sanctuary for our sproutly allies and I intend to do everything in my power to ensure it stays as such."

The bellsprout skittered forward on its tiny root feet, taking up a position on the field and spreading its leafy appendages as wide as it could as if to signal that no one shall pass it. Cyndaquil squeaked its objection and jumped forward, fire spouts erupting on its back as it prepared for a fight. The monk shook his, a look of disappointment crossing his face as he turned to his side and adjusted a small switch that was on the wall near him. Suddenly a spray of water rained down from above, catching the bellsprout and cyndaquil that had moved toward the center of the room. Looking up one would note a string of sprinklers from which this water came.
"Not in here little one," the sage calmly spoke. He then turned the sprinklers off. Cyndaquil whined, shaking itself free of as much of the water as it could but it was still drenched. The fire type turned around to Kevin, looking up at the military man with a hopeful expression.

Sage Neal is standing in Cyndaquil's way and has sent forth his Bellsprout (LV 9)!
Cyndaquil is too wet to fight right now, will Kevin help Cyndaquil a second time?

[Marchbaby]

Though Kevin was annoyed to no end by the appearance of another sage this one was at least a bit more respectful then the last two were. Even so he was not about to leave after watching the sages treat Cyndawuilnso badly. Before he could even speak however as the sage activated a sprinkler to douse Cyndaquil to such an extent that it could not battle. Kevin was just about ready to punch the sage with all his might when Samantha got between them. These attacks on thenpoor Cyndaquil were an insult tonher personally being a fire type herself and she was not about toneven give the sage a moment to enjoy his short term voctory.

" I see thatbyou are like the others. You might think you are clever but you victory over this poor Cyndaquil will be short lived. You might douse it's flames but let's see how you handle hellfire." Kevin chuckled knowing that nothing would talk the young sorceress out of unleashing her fury now. " Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned or in this case a sorceress fox scorned. Even with all the years of combat experience I have I would not dare stop her now. I sure hope you are ready for the flames of hell to scorch you and this blasted tower into nothing but ash and dust." 

Oracle at this point was the only one who could stop the madness from getting out of hand butnwith the respect she had for Samantha along with knowing how personal this battle was to her she cheered on the coming battle. " Usually wonton destruction is not something I condone but in this case I think utter annihilation is the only way you sages will learn your lesson. It is beyond clear that this Cyndaquil is no real threat to you with the defenses you have prepared. Samantha give them both everything you have." Hearing even Oracle praise her decision to hold no bars against the sages was all she needed to hear to believe her next attack was fully justified.

" Cyndaquil do not worry sweetheart, I will make this monster pay dearly for drenching you. When I am through with these disgusting excueses for humans they will change the name of thisntower to the Cyndaquil Tower and be your slave. Now then down to business have a taste of my Flamethrower." The fire type fox then fired a streamlined flame at the sages Bellsprout hoping to end the battle as soon as it could.





OOC: Samantha uses Flamethrower on Bellsprout.

[latani]

Seeing Samantha's angry reaction, and hearing Kevin's own input, had Sage Neal frowning deeply, grooves bracketing the flat line of his mouth. He was a good deal gentler than the disciples on the first floor, but that didn't mean he was no shrinking violet either. There was no way to resolve this without violence, even with his ploy of making use of the sprinklers to keep Cyndaquil's destructive fire out of commission. But had he just inadvertently made things worse by incurring the wrath of this trainer's foreign Pokemon? "I see. You have little respect for our beliefs here, and while I wish the circumstances where different, I will do my best to stand up for what it is we worship here," Neal replied in a voice filled with tired sorrow. Even though he himself had not outright touched Cyndaquil, he was still implicit by not acting to stop his more rash-natured fellow monks, and even more so by sending out his own Bellsprout to stop it.

Cyndaquil looked equal parts unimpressed by the sage's words and determined to get up those stairs that lay tantalizingly behind the man garbed in robes. Samantha's presence was a bolstering one for the young shrew, and it looked up with an expression akin to hero worship as the Braixen stepped forwards with both eyes burning literally and figuratively. Bellsprout trembled, droplets of water sliding off its leaves from the action - it didn't need to be a mind reader to know what Samantha was about to do. Oh, no - her words were loud and clear, and Bellsprout could do nothing but watch, utterly horrified, as the fox opened her mouth on a particularly savage grin.

Flames sizzled through the air in a narrow torrent that struck the quivering Grass-type full on, sending it toppling over silently at its trainer's feet. Neal didn't look down, eyes closed as he returned his partner to safety, lifting his head to meet Kevin's gaze solemnly. "It is near impossible to stop you, I understand that now. However, we only act to protect the tower. It has stood for years, and will stand for years more. Please, keep this in mind as you proceed," he said with a weary sigh as he stepped aside to let them pass, head bowed in defeat. He did not want to sense the elder's disappointed gaze upon him again, something that was sure to happen as Cyndaquil made a beeline for the stairs, pausing to glance back at Kevin and his team. Excitement boiled through its small form - finally, it was time to finish this.

Trainer Battle

---

Neal's Bellsprout | Level 9
HP: 0% (0/30 HP)
Status: ... ; --Fainted
Bellsprout fainted!

VS

Kevin's Samantha | Level 17
HP: 100% (52/52 HP)
Status: GLORY TO THE FIRE-TYPES; Normal
Samantha used a successful Flamethrower!

---

Samantha immolated her foe and grew to Level 18!
Samantha can learn the move Psybeam, but knows four moves. Replace one?
Gained +1 Happiness.

---

Cyndaquil has begun the final ascent! Follow it?

[Marchbaby]

As the Sage stepped aside Kevin did not even say a word to him realizing that nothing he said would convince him that what they were doing was wrong. Regardless of if he could convert the sage to see just how misguided he was he had at least eliminated the final obstacle in the way of facing the elder. Kevin could hardly wait to give him a piece of his mond and he knew Samantha would unload on him as well as soon as she laid eyes on him. Her anger was still at a boiling point as the vixen suddenly learned how to use her first psychic attack. " Ah it appears you have learned to use Psybeam Samantha, it is not as powerful as Psychic but it will do for now. You really are a sorceress now that you can take advantage of your psychic powers."

Samantha started to laugb in tone tone reminiscent of a wicked witch as she realized he was right. " Oh joy, this new move will be very helpful should we come across any poison types or fighting types on our travels. I do wish to try it out as soon as I can but for now I think Flamethrower is our only option. Seeing as how these sages all use Bellsprout I am willing to bet the Elder will use one as well." She said as Oracle tried to get a reading of what was on the next floor. Her aura reading powers had improved greatly over time and she saw just a single.person on the floor above along with the Cyndaquil. Unless the sages had found a way to.hide their aura there would only be the elder left in their way before they could complete their goal of helping the young Cyndaquil get revenge. 

" I only sense a single life form other than Cyndaquil above us so we should be just about ready to wrap this up. I do not even feel a need to step in with how well Samantha is doing so far. She should have no trouble putting the elder in his place once and for all." With Oracl's encouraging words the group started to ascend the stairs. They all could hardly wait to put an end to the elders heartless teachings once and for all. As they reached the top of the stairs they could see both the elder and Cyndaquil standing across from one another and waited to see what would happen next before making their move. 




OOC: Samantha forgets Scratch and learns Psybeam. Kevin follows Cyndaquil up the stairs.

[Lamont]

They were able to pass up to the next, and final, level of Sprout Tower without any resistance or final words from Neal. Though, despite his lack of vocal rebuttals it was impossible not to feel the quiet pleading aura that surrounded him. There was a mix of anxiety as well. Considering the monks' position it wasn't surprising to pick up on such a thing. The absense of it in the one man that stood at the center of a large ceremonious platform surrounded by expertly carved bellsprout totems however was a bit odd.

He was elderly; experienced. But his visage was not that of a kind wise old man with soft words. His thick eyebrows were furrowed over harsh cut features and deep set eyes. The elder sage was a hardened man. A disgruntled growl met them when Cyndaquil and Kevin's group stomped their way up toward him.
"Of course, it could only be you trampling your way up here," he barked. "And this time you brought a powerful friend it seems. Can't fight your own battles anymore Cyndaquil? I think I'd prefer you a quitter than a coward."

The little fire mouse huffed, a puff of smoke emitting from the holes in its back. Cyndaquil squeaked its name angrily and stomped its foot preceding an approach. The fire type scampered its way into the central area and roared its name in a high pitched squeal; a challenge issued.
"Hmph. If you say so. I shall cast you and your blasphemous allies out of this Tower." Elder li reached into his robes and withdrew a pokéball for each hand. Two pokémon emerged to defend the sage. One was a run of the mill Hoothoot, the owl blinking a bit to get used to the light level in the room, but the other was a bit more extraordinary. It was a Bellsprout as Samantha predicted, but this one shone a golden color and seemed to shimmer against the light as it moved. It also bore a red symbol on its forehead, the likes of which could be seen all throughout the Tower.

Elder Li sent out his Shiny Bellsprout & Hoothoot (LV 12 & 10)
Choose a pokémon to fight with Cyndaquil!

[Marchbaby]

Having made eye contact with the elder Kevin knew there was no friendly way to settle matter with how close Cyndaquil was to it's goal. The fact that the Elder was going to try and double team the fire type if he did not fight along side it made it clear as crystal that even the elder needed to be taugh a lesson about honor as Samantha stepped forward. Her eyes were filled with anger as she stood next to Cyndaquil ready for one final showdown to put the matter to rest once and for all. She was disgusted by the monks treatment of the young fire type and was ready to raise hell yet again.

" I guess you are the moron in charge here. After seeing how your goons treated this poor Cyndaquil nothing you say will stop me from burning you in hellfire. You sicken me to the core and I look forward to disposing of you after we defeat your two brainwashed Pokemon." She said as a large ball of flame appeared at the tip of her snout ready to fire as soon as Kevin gave the order. Oracle could not even feel sorry for the monks by now as they had treated Cyndaqui so awfully. Her merciful nature was still not enough to get her to jump in to try and talk Samantha out of it as the fox held the flame in place.

" Hellfire sure sounds like a fitting punishment about now. These idiots lack any honor or respect at all so I feel no pity in burning this place to the ground. Whatever you do to them is well justified at this point if you ask me." As Kevin looked at Samantha the vixen nodded at him before turning back to face the Hoothoot across from her. She saw it as the far more dangerous of the two Pokemon the elder owned and she wanted to knock it out as soon as she could before itncould resort to any of it's tricks. As her flame reached it's maximum size Samantha made it clear just how much trouble it was in.

" You may think abusing fire types to keep your tower safe is a good idea but you have never faced the likes of me. Once you see the might of my Flamethrower as it burns your Hoothoot to a crisp you might just gain some appreciation of my kind." She then fired her Flamethrower hoping to score a direct hit.


IOC: Samantha uses Flamethrower on Hoothoot.

[Lamont]

The elder listened to Kevin's words, utterly unmoved by the lashing between him and Samantha. The older man merely moved his hands in front of him so that the long sleeves consumed his hands, leaving just the Elder's head to be seen outside of the flowing robe.
"I don't expect any of you to understand, it's clear any words would simply fall upon brash hot-headedness," the man began, mustache catching a trickle of spittle that had escaped his mouth. "You are like children. Told of something you cannot have and so you throw a tantrum and destroy whatever it is you're denied. But we will now bow to such an immature will!" spat the Elder Li. His pair of pokémon shuffled in agreement, puffing up feathered chests and readying vines.
"Go, protect Sprout Tower."

It was a simple order, but one that the elder's pokémon understood. Though, it would not be them that moved first. Samantha plucked the twig from her tail, a rush of friction igniting sparks into the air around her. The match-like strike of her twig swiftly built into a slim trail of flames of which she expertly maneuvered into a torrent of fire. The rage full embers engulfed the poor brown owl completely, and by the time they had fully swept over Hoothoot he was nothing but a blackened sizzle motionless on the ground.

Cyndaquil watched in awe of her power and speed before taking a deep breath and igniting its own fires. After such a display it wanted to impress. Show this powerful fire fox that it was worthy of its aid and attention. Though, there was simply no way that it could even compare to her flamethrower. So instead it went tactical. The fire mouse chucked a smokey barrage that stuck to the shiny bellsprout making it harder for it to lash out as it normally would. Though, Bellsprout was prepared, and just as the smoke overtook its vision it extended a whip that lashed against Cyndaquil's side.


Elder Li Battle

---

Hoothoot | LV 10 | Insomnia
HP: 0%
Status: Fainted
Was obliterated

Elder Bellsprout | LV 12 | Chlorophyll
HP: 45% (17/37)
Status: -1 ACC
Used Cut on Cyndaquil!

VS

Cyndaquil | LV 10 | Blaze
HP: 63% (19/30)
Status: Normal
Used Smokescreen on Bellsprout!

Samantha | LV 18 | Blaze
HP: 100% (54/54)
Status: Normal
Used Flamethrower on Hoothoot!

[Marchbaby]

With one of the two elder's Pokemon down and the other suffering from reduced accuracy thanks to the wild Cyndaquil's quick thinking Kevin had no doubt that this would be the last round. He did not even respond to the elder's words knowing that his actions would prove once and for all just how misguided he was. Samantha could hardly wait to put a stop to the man who had shown her kind no respect at all as Oracle read his aura. She got the feeling that the elder's will was about to break and maybe by losing this battle he would have a change of heart.

" I can feel his will slipping, this poor old man is finally seeing the error of his ways within his heart. I do believe he will be humbled by this defeat enough to know what he is doing is wrong. He might not be such a bigot after all." She said as she turned to face Samantha who was still so angry that mercy was not even on the radar at the moment. She felt a merciless conclusion to this battle was quite fitting as he had shown none to the poor Cyndaquil and felt returning the favor was a wonderful way to get revenge.

" If he learns his lesson afterwards so be it but for now I shall engulf his Bellsprout in hellfire. Once I am through with that thing he shall truly see what he has unleashed. This ends right here and right now." As she finished her small rant another large flame appeared at the tip of her snout ready to end this battle without hesitation. She had more than earned dealing the victory blow as Kevin began to chuckle waiting for the battle to finally be over. He looked forward to being able to rub the elder's ignorance in his face as Samantha stood ready to attack.

" Ah so here we are at the tail end of the battle so soon, such a pity you did not put up more of a fight but just making you see the error of your ways is good enough for me. Cyndaquil will finally accomplish it's goal and Samantha will finally be able to calm down knowing there will be one last bigot in the world. Samantha use Flamethrower one final time on Bellsprout so we can claim victory."


OOC:

Samantha uses Flamethrower on Bellsprout.

[latani]

Vs. Elder Li

Knowing his back was figuratively against the wall, Elder Li nevertheless kept his composure and didn't let his face show any of the emotions raging within. "Fire is chaos incarnate. The user may not be so," the man said, pausing to nod in Cyndaquil's direction, "but once unleashed it can hardly be controlled. It is that reason that we do not permit entry to Fire-types, out of fear of this ancient, beloved tower crumbling to ash with a careless flame. Bigots we may be, but it is out of love and respect for our home and place of worship." The manner of their 'dissuasion' could obviously use some work, though one couldn't completely fault the monks here for wanting to protect the tower. Li's Bellsprout remained standing strong in the face of Samantha's fiery tirade, facing her with an expression that echoed that of its trainer's - utter calm. Even though it knew, just like its trainer, that there was little chance of victory here, it would not let Li down by cowering away.

Cyndaquil lapsed back, entranced completely by Samantha and her amazing prowess with fire. She was a hero to the small rodent, and seeing her sweep aside with ease the obstinate monks that had barred it from reaching the tower's pinnacle was nothing short of incredible. Kevin's Braixen let loose a powerful gout of fire, superheated by her anger to an intensity that made the air shimmer for several seconds. When she finally ceased her firebreathing, Bellsprout was, somehow, still standing despite most of its body scorched and ashy in places. But this lasted only the span of a heartbeat before the Grass-type pitched forwards and landed upon the wooden floor with a quiet thump. Li recalled his Pokemon without a word, lined face looking even more haggard than before.

But then he smiled, a change that left Cyndaquil staring in shock. "Now, that is something. Cyndaquil, you have defeated us at last, achieved what you sought after so long. Will your spirit rest now?" he spoke in far kinder tones, shifting attention to Kevin and his team. "I understand we have acted far too harshly towards this Cyndaquil in order to protect our tower. We will learn from this humbling experience, though I do not expect you to believe me," Elder Li admitted with a faint sigh. It was one thing to say as such to a trainer with a Pokemon as spirited as Samantha, and to expect her to believe he spoke truthfully. He approached Kevin with a gift, ensuring the young man accepted it before stepping back.

"This is a TM for Flash, to light the way should you stray from the path. And if I am not mistaken, there is another who wishes to thank you for what has happened today," he concluded, stepping away before halting and looking over his shoulder. "If you should be so inclined, there is an Escape Rope you may use to descend the tower more quickly than the stairs." He indicated a coil of rope piled in the corner before finally disappearing from view. Cyndaquil squeaked at Samantha, conveying its deep gratitude to her and then ambling over to Kevin with a hopeful expression.

Elder Li Battle

---

Hoothoot | LV 10 | Insomnia
HP: 0%
Status: ... ; --Fainted

Elder Bellsprout | LV 12 | Chlorophyll
HP: 0% (0/37)
Status: ... ; --Fainted
Bellsprout fainted!

VS

Cyndaquil | LV 10 | Blaze
HP: 63% (19/30)
Status: Normal

Samantha | LV 18 | Blaze
HP: 100% (54/54)
Status: Normal
Used Flamethrower on Bellsprout!

---

Congratulations!
You defeated Elder Li!
Kevin received £1,000 and TM70 (Flash) for winning!


Samantha torched the enemy and grew to Level 19!
Gained +1 Happiness.


Cyndaquil was delighted for your help and would like to join your team!
If you wish to capture it, please fill out the following form:

[img]http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/gen5/blackwhite/155.png[/img]
[b]Cyndaquil[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 10
Attacks: Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, Ember
Ability: Blaze
Nature/Personality: [choose]

[Marchbaby]

As the elders final Pokemon fell in defeat Samantha finally started to calm down. She had done more than her fair share and figured that regardless of if the elder changed his ways or not she had helped the young Cyndaquil accomplish it's goal of defeating the elders Bellsprout and that was enough for her. The elders words showed he had finally started to learn the error of his ways which was quite a nice bonus for her. Now that he would show more respect for her type in the future she was happy to leave having made her point when the young Cyndaquil squeaked at her as if it wanted something else.

She could not even say a word before Kevin took a guess at what the young fire type wanted. " I think Cyndaquil was so impressed by how well you fought that it wants to come along with us. It may not be as strong as you are but that Smokescreen attack might come in handy and having a backup fire type could be useful in the next gym. It already has a liking towards you so you would be a good mentor." He said as Samantha looked at the young fire type falling for the cute look on it's face.

" If you wish to come along I have no problem with training you but I do expect you to give it your all. If you want to become as strong as me you will have to train a lot and it will not be easy." As Cyndaquil ran up to her and rubbed it's head on her leg Oracle finally decided to speak up again as they had wasted a lot of time now that the battle was over and she wanted to get back on the road as soon as she could.

" Not to be rude but we are taking up a lot of time. There is still a lotnof training to be done and we are not going to get any of it done standing around. Freyja needs to catch up with the rest of us so she will not be dead weight and with this Cyndaquil joining us we have even more to worry about now." Kevin knew she was right and accepted the items from the Elder before making use of the Escape Rope to get back to the street level. Once there they made their way back to New Bark Town to do more training.



OOC:

Heading back to New Bark Town. Boxing Krakatoa for now.



Cyndaquil
Name: Krakatoa
Gender: Male
Level: 10
Attacks: Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, Ember
Ability: Blaze
Nature/Personality: Modest