Sprouting Cat Burglar (F)

[Thirdie]

Martin Growth

Gardener

Martin stayed out of the streets for the rest of the day. He rested casually in the pokemon center, and seemingly made preparations to leave for Azalea within the next few days. He changed most of his team out, only keeping Thief. What he planned for the night couldn't be handled by anyone else of his official gardening Pokemon. Thief on the other hand was about to get a crash course in leadership. When evening arrived Martin retired to his room like any other trainer after dinner, but as soon as he felt the quietness soothed the noises of the night, he changed his clothes and made his bed look like someone was sleeping in it. Thief was so far the only one out of his ball, and he watched the change intrigued. When Martin was done the gardener had disappeared, and in his stead stood a dark clad figure able to fade into shadows of the unlit room. "Follow me," Martin whispered and dropped out the window, disappearing into the night. Thief jumped after on silent paws and easily followed in his heels.

On an isolated spot near the lake by the Sprout Tower Martin let out the rest of his team, even the naughty Skarn, though he took ahold of the fur in her neck to keep her from moving anywhere. Half of the team was new and unfamiliar with the others, but that didn't deter Martin from his agenda. If they couldn't learn on the spot, they weren't worth his time. The tiny bird he had traded from a painter settled down on his shoulder with a nervous glance at all the cats at his feet. Martin didn't exactly blame it. Thief was looking at it with a hungry eye and certain lick to his mouth. Martin pulled out the Experience Share he had aquired recently. The Fletchling was too small yet to actually do much. He had only taken it, so it could watch and learn the working of things, and an extra lookout from the sky. He gave it the item to hold, and immediately it settled down and relaxed more. He let it be on the shoulder, as he was when secure knowing where it was.

Skarn tried to pull out of his grip, but he just had to shake her a little to stop her. He squatted down and looked each of the cats in the eyes. The Espurr was the fastest to look away. He stood shivering a bit off from the others, but the longest from Thief. The Espurr still seemed a long way from getting rid of his anxiety. Martin pointed at him. "You are named Tom." he told it matter-of-fact, and Tom nodded quickly. Martin gazed at the Litten and Alolan Meowth next. He had gotten the two alolan cats in a spur of the moment, because he liked their dark colours, and he had met a very curious Alolan Meowth before that. He pointed at the Litten. "You are Azrael," he told it, and it gave a wicked smile that could almost compare to Thief's cunning. Martin liked the look in its eye. The Alolan Meowth looked more docile, but it had an awareness in its eyes that looked promising. "And you will be called Hannibal, Baal for short." he said, and the Meowth gave an almost invisible sign of agreement. Martin then held out Skarn and indicated Thief with a nod. "This is T'ief and Skarn. T'ief will overlook things, and you will follow his orders when I'm not around. We are going on an expedition tonight. Stealth is key, but I will be counting on you guys to provide a distraction if nessecary."

Martin looked to the tower by the lake as soon as the cats had indicated understanding. He had decided to see how the monks' security held up, and though monks weren't exactly known for having much in the way of money and riches, he still was curious to see if he would get anything profitable out of it. First however he needed to settle one little detail. He held out his free hand towards Thief. "If it gets to fighting any of the monks Azrael needs the more experience. Give your Amulet here." he ordered. Thief beat his tail down in the ground in obvious refusal. Martin scowled. "You'll get it back afterwards, stupid. Now, give it!" Thief ducked his head and complied, and Martin beckoned Azrael closer putting the Amulet's string over his head. Azrael grinned proud and jiggled the coin when he shook his body to get familiar with the new weight. "Quiet," Martin demanded, and Azrael immediately stilled reprimanded. "We sneak in and keep out of sight. Let's see what these monks are hiding."

Wordcount: 794
(Ooc: Changing team out. Thief stays. The Litten Azrael, the Alolan Meowth (name: Hannibal 'Baal'), the Espurr (name: Tom), the Litleo Skarn, and the Fletchling Kiwi joins.
Kiwi is given Exp Share to hold, while Thief's Amulet Coin is given to Azrael. Azrael has Adamant nature.)

[Noerd]

Sitting proudly near the back of Violet City, Sprout Tower had long been regarded as a symbol of peace in the Pokémon world; it was a place that promoted the cooperation and peaceful coexistence between humans and Pokémon. And yet, as Martin stood outside the grand entrance to Sprout Tower, he'd be able to make out what sounded like a bullwhip cracking down onto... something. The doors muffled the sound quite considerably, so it was hard enough to make out the whip noise. For some reason, the famously tranquil tower was now host to some kind of commotion; that much was certain, at least. As Martin made his way inside, the cause of this trouble would become immediately clear, as unbelievable as it might've seemed at first.

In the middle of the ground floor stood two monks, both in very traditional garb. However, the priests themselves were far from the kind, gentle souls that one would've expected. Both looked positively irate, glaring at a small, blue and beige creature opposite them. Between the pair and their quarry stood two Bellsprout, who were equally transfixed by the small lump of a Pokémon. No-one seemed to have noticed their visitor at all, thankfully for Martin and his team. The rodent let out a pained squeal, which earned little sympathy from the religious duo.

"If you can't stand the pain, then begone already!" barked one of the sages, casting his arm forward as he spoke to emphasise the matter. "Yes, let us live in peace for once! Why must you continue your rampage?" continued the second, who sounded quite fatigued by the whole matter. Their opponent didn't seem to notice the requests, slowly rising to its feet. The bruised creature could barely stand, though, swaying softly from side to side as it tried to steady itself. Then, without warning, the animal's back burst into flame.

The two monks looked quite alarmed by this, both taking a step back while their faces momentarily lost their fire. "I-I see you still refuse to accept defeat graciously. Bellsprout, if you would!" one of the pair replied, nodding to his Grass typed companion. The plant extended one of its arms, lifting it up high before bringing it down hard and smacking the Cyndaquil with it. The Fire type cried weakly, apparently unable to muster much energy any more. Twitching, Cyndaquil remained on the floor this time. It wasn't out for the count, but it certainly didn't appreciate all of these Vine Whips. Nevertheless, the mouse-like creature crawled across the wooden boards beneath it. It was certainly determined to do something here, but what that "something" was would be quite unclear to anyone watching.

"A terrorist until the end, I see. It's a shame, but I suppose we'll have to finish you this time. This is goodbye, Cyndaquil," the second monk uttered ominously. Still, the battlers had yet to notice Martin. Well, that is to say, if they had noticed him then they weren't letting on. However, a quick survey of the room would show the young cat-burglar that there was little to speak of on this floor in terms of riches. More to the point, the only notable things here were the iconic wooden pillar in the centre of the room, which was clearly immovable, and what seemed like stairs to the next floor. Unfortunately for Martin, said stairs were a mere few paces behind the two sages before him. He would most likely have to interact with these two if he was to make any progress through the Tower. But would he dare interrupt these two in the middle of this one-sided confrontation?

---

Two Sprout Tower monks are assaulting a battered-looking Cyndaquil with their Bellsprout (both Level 9)!

How will Martin proceed?

[Thirdie]

Martin Growth

Gardener

Nearing the Tower Martin had to wonder what that noise was about in the middle of the night. He would have thought the monks slept by now, but apparently that wasn't the case. Martin opened the door just a smidge to get an idea of what was happening, before entering entirely. The sight that met him was partly worrying, but could be exploited he decided. Martin and his entourage snuck inside, and luckily they all understood to follow in silence and keep to the shadows. Even Skarn crept along without antics. Martin left the door slightly ajar, and took stock of the situation. The two humans hadn't indicated any notice of his little group, and Martin hoped to keep it that way, though the fire mouse didn't look to be able to keep their attention for very long with how they were going at it. He crouched down and waved to Thief and Azrael, before whispering below the sound of the whipping. "Help the mouse out. Keep the distraction going" He made gestures, and pointed them to the Bellsprouts.

Thief bowed his head in acknowledgement of the plan and took the lead into the middle of the floor. He made a show of strolling up beside the Cyndaquil, like he didn't care for the slashes of vines through the air. "Want some help?" he purred, before sending the Bellsprouts a cunning smile and growling in warning. Azrael sat down a little behind them, looking on the display of battle like some curious spectator.

Martin watched Thief and Azrael's proceedings with half an eye, while he looked around to see, what he had to work with more. He hoped the monks would just assume the cats was there on their own, especially with the front door still being open, and if he was lucky they would move away from the stairs with enough motivation from the Pokemon. Martin moved slowly along the wall, all the while keeping a close watch on the monks' behaviour. It was exciting trying to sneak past people that was right there and awake. It wasn't often he had come across such a scenario.

Wordcount: 357
(Ooc: Thief uses Growl
If it wasn't obvious I'm trying a little different approach here, and am hoping I can get Martin through most of this with only his Pokemon seen)

[Lamont]

Before much could get started the pair of sages caught the dark patterned pokémon padding up toward the cyndaquil and paused. "Huh, how did you two get in here?" Jin asked in a rhetorical manner, eyes trailing up toward the door to spot it slightly ajar.
"Did you bring some wild friends with you this time Cyndaquil?" the other piped up, brows furrowing. This was quite the annoyance.

The fire type however greeted the purrloin with a curious chirp at first, however when the feline made it clear that he was here to lend a hand against the sprouts Cyndaquil was more than happy to accept the offer. The cold calm coming from Thief was inspiring. The rumbling growl rippling from his lips thereafter sent a tickle down the fiery mouse's belly and made its back itch. Flames rose once again from Cyndaquil's back as it prepared to properly engage the two grass types. Of who were less pleased with the new player.

"I see," Chow began, a look of uncertainty overcoming his visage.
"It's hard enough just to keep it alone at bay with the two of us..." Jin mumbled.
"We can't let you pass! Our Bellsprouts will turn you away just as we have done before, whether or not you've brought aid to your destructive cause."

The strength from Chow's words bolstered the grass types' confidence, as well as Jin's. The two spindly grass pokémon gave a nod and readied their vines as the instructions came to continue whipping; one to each of the opposing pokémon. Thief's growl still radiated in their minds though, affecting them just a bit as the battle begun. Cyndaquil opened up with a bellow of blackened smoke. The stream settled over Jin's Bellsprout, but it wasn't quite enough to prevent the incoming vine whip to lose its mark. A series of the fresh green whips slipped forward, one set for each Thief and Cyndaquil as they lashed out and crackled through the air.


vs. Sages Jin & Chow

---

Weather: Clear

Chow's Bellsprout | LV 9 | Chlorophyll
HP: 100% (30/30)
Status: -1 ATK
Used Vine Whip on Thief!

Jin's Bellsprout | LV 9 | Chlorophyll
HP: 100% (30/30)
Status: -1 ATK & ACC
Used Vine Whip on Cyndaquil!

VS

Martin's Thief | LV 15 | Limber
HP: 85% (35/41)
Status: Normal
Used Growl!

Wild Cyndaquil | LV 10 | Blaze
HP: 90% (27/30)
Status: Normal
Used Smokescreen!

[Thirdie]

Martin Growth

Gardener

Thief put down his ears as the vines hit him for real. It smarted some, and he hissed in displeasure. As per usual he used the hurt as excuse to get nasty in revenge. He shot his back and tail in the air, and suggested very pleasant to the Cyndaquil "How about we give those vegetables some real heat?" He eyed the closest one. "You take the one, I take the other?" He went on so low the Bellsprouts hopefully wouldn't hear. He didn't exactly leave room for Cyndaquil to respond, before he set off in pursuit of his target. He wanted to draw blood; or whatever fluids plants bled when hurt at least.

Martin blew out a withheld breath slowly, as he from the monks' conversation could hear they had assumed what he hoped they would. It had been a bit of a gamble, as none of the two cats were natural to the area. He wondered briefly why they were so intend on getting the Cyndaquil out of here, but saved that thought for later. What mattered was getting as close to the stairs as possible without being noticed, and waiting for the most opportune moment to proceed. The Fletchling gave a little chirp, when Martin tried to move next, and it moved its body up and down as if agitated by something. It was trying to watch Thief and Azrael he realised. Martin considered shortly. "You are small yet" he told it in a whisper. "If you want to watch, alright, but hide in the rafters then, and be ready to move, when the stairs clear."
The Fletchling immediately took to the air, and Martin winced at the fluttering noise. He waited another breathless moment to see if the monks had noticed, before he dared move again. Martin watched the last three cats around him to ensure there were no surprises from that direction. Baal looked the most calm, with an intense look at the battle in progress. The Espurr Tom was hiding behind Martin's legs, trying to squash himself against the wall, and Skarn just looked bored, only her tail moving slowly over the floor planks, as her whole body almost lay down in her effort to be as small as possible in the shadow. Satisfied with his inspection Martin watched for another moment to move.

Wordcount: 390
(Ooc: Thief uses Pursuit on Jin's Bellsprout. Suggesting Ember to Cyndaquil...)

[Marchbaby]

Taking a moment to assess their current situation Jin and Chow knew that the reduced stats their Bellsprout were suffering from was going to be quite a setback. Vine Whip would not be as powerful and they did not have many other options to go with as Cyndaquil could cause a lot of damage if it used a fire type move. The pair of monks were quite lost in the moment as Theif started her attack catching them completely off guard as she chased down Jin's Bellsprout and tackled it. As it fell to the ground Cyndaquil fired an Ember attack scoring a direct hit knocking out the plant Pokemon before it could even stand up.

" Wonderful, now we only have your Bellsprout left Chow. We look like an utter embarrassment right now. The Elder will have our skins if we do not stop that Cyndaquil from reaching him." Chow was still in disbelief himself but he knew Jin was right. Being outnumbered did not help him out at all but he had to try and find a way to stop Cyndaquil. Thief was a bigger threat at the moment however and he decided to focus on the cat Pokemon before she could cause any more damage. " Bellsprout use Vine Whip on that Purrloin before it can strike again."

The plant Pokemon extended its vines at a high speed towards Thief but unlike the first attack this one was far more powerful as it struck her. A critical hit allowed it to overcome its reduced attack causing quite a bit of damage. Bellsprout was still in a lot of trouble but for now at least it had gained some ground despite still being outnumbered.





vs. Sages Jin & Chow

---

Weather: Clear

Chow's Bellsprout | LV 9 | Chlorophyll
HP: 100% (30/30)
Status: -1 ATK
Used Vine Whip on Thief (Critical Hit)!

Jin's Bellsprout | LV 9 | Chlorophyll
HP: 0% (0/30)
Status: KO'ed
KO'ed!

VS

Martin's Thief | LV 15 | Limber
HP: 60% (25/41)
Status: Normal
Used Pursuit on Jin's Bellsprout!

Wild Cyndaquil | LV 10 | Blaze
HP: 90% (27/30)
Status: Normal
Used Ember on Jin's Bellsprout!

[Thirdie]

Martin Growth

Gardener

When the first Bellsprout fell, Azrael stood up and meowed. "Hey, leave some for me too." Thief got distracted for a tiny second and snarled at the powerfull whip from the remaining opponent. He looked back at the eager Litten with slight annoyance. Of course Azrael was meant to help out. Otherwise Martin wouldn't have told them both to get out here, but Thief wasn't happy with the kitten's timing. On the other paw, maybe a little painful battling would teach it decorum. Still pretending to be rather unwilling for it, his ears bend close to his head, Thief growled low. "Ugh, fine. You help Cyndaquil with the last one." Thief backed away, and let Azrael jump in front of him.
Azrael strutted forward, looking closely at Cyndaquil's way with its embers. He could do that too, he knew, and it was finally time to put his fire to proper use.

Up in the rafters Kiwi maneuvered into a good position for spying on all the participants. He wished he could get an even closer look, but he had found the closest rafter possible. If he wanted to get closer than that he would have to keep afloat in the air, and that was more work than he was willing right now. Incidentally, he could also see the staircase from here, so if he paid enough attention, he could spot when Martin's group moved again.

Martin decided he couldn't come closer to the stairs without revealing his position, so he stood still and leaned against the wall behind him. Tom quickly moved to the side, so he didn't accidently get touched. The only thing left was to wait for the battle to end, and see if that didn't get the monks away from the stairs. Hopefully, their fainted Bellsprouts would force the monks to find a place to let their 'dear' Pokemon rest out. Martin watched Thief leave the spot to Azrael, and smiled satisfied with his behaviour. He was acting clever, taking care of himself, and wasn't afraid of putting his team mate on the spot, despite the smaller cat obviously being weaker. It was harder to tell if Azrael was just overconfident or slightly stupid for walking into the battle so carelessly, but either way he would learn from this. Overconfidence could be beaten out fast. Stupidity was slightly harder to deal with, but Martin had seen fire in the cat's eye, and he had reminded him of Thief, so he doubted it was the last. Martin waited in anticipation. "Nearly there," he mumbled to himself.

Wordcount: 428
(Ooc: Azrael changes in, and prepares for Ember. Hoping Cyndaquil continues its own attack.
Could the sprites be fixed for Martin's team? I think they are all postimg pictures, so just .org to .cc)

[Fallen]

Azrael seemed to finally have its chance to join in on the fun of defeating the Bellsprouts after having to sit and watch as the Purrloin and the Cyndaquil had all the fun of the battle. With the lower-leveled fire-type Litten taking the spot of Martin's Purrloin, the battle was even more apparently one-sided at this point. Before the remaining Bellsprout could land even another Vine Whip attack onto the Cyndaquil, it was brutally burnt by flames from both Azrael and the Cyndaquil. "Bell-Bellsprout..." The Bellsprout let out a small cry before falling onto the ground, fainted and defeated by the challengers visiting the Sprout Tower. Up in the rafters, the other fire-type Pokemon Kiwi had a decent view of the battle and gained a small bit of experience as well just from merely watching it.

"Try as you might, Cyndaquil-" said Sage Jin after having been defeated by both of the fire-type Pokemon and the Purrloin. "Even if you make it to the top, the Elder and his Bellsprout will just defeat you yet again! Even if you do have help." Chow finished up what his partner was saying. They quickly returned their almost flame-charred grass-type Pokemon back to their Pokeballs and ran outside of the tower, likely to heal their Pokemon. They made no attempt to continue to stop the Cyndaquil from progressing, because they were fairly sure that they had done a decent job at whittling down its health and that the Elder could mostly certainly defeat it now with his Sacred Bellsprout, even if the Cyndaquil may have help on its side.

With them gone, that left the stairway to the First Floor and whatever challenge awaited the Cyndaquil, Martin, and his Pokemon up there completely unprotected. With nothing stopping it from continuing on, the Cyndaquil wasted no time and waited for no one as it quickly charged up to the next floor, a rather headstrong thing for the mouse Pokemon to do alone, even if it was a fire-type. It would still likely need the help of Martin's Pokemon to get to the top if it had any chance of defeating the Elder and his Sacred Bellsprout, but for whatever reason, the Cyndaquil seemed to be in a huge hurry to get to the top. It was clear that it hadn't enjoyed getting beat by the Bellsprouts' Vine Whip attacks and that it was glad that Martin's Pokemon had came to its aid, however. Maybe the Cyndaquil expected the trainer's Pokemon to follow?


vs. Sages Jin & Chow

---

Weather: Clear

Chow's Bellsprout | LV 9 | Chlorophyll
HP: 0% (0/30)
Status: KO'ed!
.... KO'ed!

Jin's Bellsprout | LV 9 | Chlorophyll
HP: 0% (0/30)
Status: KO'ed
KO'ed!

VS

Martin's Azrael | LV 5 | Blaze
HP: 100% (21/21)
Status: Normal
Used Ember on Chow's Bellsprout!

Wild Cyndaquil | LV 10 | Blaze
HP: 90% (27/30)
Status: Normal
Used Ember on Chow's Bellsprout!

---

Sages Jin and Chow were defeated!

Thief gained one level and grew to level 16!
Thief gained one happiness for helping to win the battle! Total +3 happiness

Azrael gained two levels and grew to level 7!
Azrael gained one happiness for helping to win the battle! Total +1 happiness

Kiwi observed the battle from the rafters and gained two levels from its EXP Share, growing to level 4!

---

With the duo of sages and their Bellsprouts defeated, and without a moment's hesitation, the Cyndaquil charged up the stairs to the First Floor. Will Martin and his Pokemon follow the Cyndaquil and help it on its quest to challenge the Elder's Sacred Bellsprout on the top floor?

Thief: 1/2 (Bellsprout) + 1/2 (Bellsprout) = +1 level
Azrael: 3/2 (Bellsprout) = 1.5, rounded to +2 levels

[Thirdie]

Martin Growth

Gardener

Azrael smacked his lips together in pride, when the last Bellsprout fell. He fully interpreted himself as the soul reason for the win, though Cyndaquil had done most of it. He gave Thief a superior smile, but Thief just smiled back smugly, cast a quick glance at Martin, and nodded towards the stairs, where Cyndaquil was already disappearing up. "Go on then, Azra. Go after it. I'm right behind you." Thief growled sweetly. Azrael faltered a bit, confused at the Purloin's behaviour. He had expected something like jealousy for his great victory. This felt more like Thief was being condescending. He looked to Martin for guidance, but the trainer just gave a similar nod towards the stairs, and though the human didn't say anything, Azrael understood the point and hurried after the Cyndaquil. Azrael had been taught not to question the wishes of one's trainer. "Wait up!" He called after the Cyndaquil. Thief followed more leisurely behind.

First when the three 'wild' Pokemon had disappeared up the stairs, did Martin follow suit with the rest of his team. He signaled for Skarn to walk front. "You first, Skarn. Figure out which steps make sounds under weight." He told it. She was the heaviest of the cats. She jumped up eager enough. Martin had to hush her. "Be quiet about it!" he hissed. She lowered her ears and ducked her head, duly reprimanded. She tested the steps one at a time, and Martin listened closely, so he would know which to skip. He still sent Baal and Tom ahead in succesion. If anyone was present up the stairs and noticed anyone coming up after Azrael and Thief, it could be presumed as an invasion of cats. Kiwi overcame them all through the air, as he didn't have to worry about the stairs making sounds or not. "Stay up near the ceiling, Kiwi." he whisper called to the bird, which gave a little chirp in recognition. At the top of the stairs Martin stuck to the deepest shadow and tried to get a glimpse of the floor before deciding where to go next. Azrael had run in to the middle of the room, and Thief stayed in the background but did make sure to stay in the light, so he was visible to all. Baal and Tom stayed in the shadows with Martin, while Skarn seemed unsure how to hide herself and had left the stairs walking on the edge of the shadows looking at Thief and Azrael while they faced what was ahead.

Wordcount: 422
(Ooc: ~)

[Marchbaby]

Sage Neal had just finished training with his Bellsprout for the day when he noticed Cyndaquil run up the steps. He knew the appearance of the fire type was a bad omen but before he could attack the foul creature he could hear the movement of something in the shadows along with seeing Azrael in the middle of the room and just being able to make out Thief. Though it would make sense for Cyndaquil to partnet with another fire type the noises in the shadows had convinced him that there were more visitors in the room than he could see. As he was blocking the stairs to the next floor he could at least stop anyone from slipping by but he was helpless if something ambushed him from the shadows.

" I might not be a young man anymore but I know there are more of you out there. I will not let anything get passed me as the elder would be most displeased to get an unexpected visit from uninvited guests. If you know what is good for you then show yourself and state your business. If you are helping this Cyndaquil I will stop you at any cost." He said trying to act tough despite being outnumbered at least three to one as far as he could tell. Minus his macho attitude he had very little advantages in his current position but his Bellsprout did know a move that could draw out some of the intruders rather quickly.

" Bellsprout use Vine Whip in every shadow you see, we will draw them out of hiding if they will not come out peacefully. Once you draw them out be ready to use Vine Whip again unless they have an acceptable reason for being here. We do not want to make the elder mad."

Sage Neal is trying to draw you out of the shadows using Vine Whip. You will have to battle him to proceed.

His Bellsprout (Level 9) is ready to battle. Please select a Pokemon.

[Thirdie]

Martin Growth

Gardener

Martin held his breath shortly, when the munk on the second floor began talking to 'someone'. This one was a bit more observant than the two from the first floor, and they hadn't managed to be quiet enough on the stairs apparently. Martin was stubborn however. He would never have amounted to anything if he had revealed himself at the first indication someone had seen him. The munk could very well just be paranoid, and there was more Pokemon to go around than just the two in the light anyway. Stupid Skarn for example was looking to Martin for guidance, and he waved her forward with a scowl. Whether it was Martin's signal or the first slashes from the Bellsprout's vines, Skarn jumped into the lit part of the floor with a broken yowl, shook herself and tried to lick the place, where the Bellsprout had hit her. She send the munk and his Bellsprout a pitiful look while doing so.

Thief on the other hand was clever enough not to look in Martin's direction at the munk's word. Instead he yawned in pretended boredom, and mewed to Azrael. "Are you going to do something about that Bellsprout or what?" Azrael gave a start. He had been busy seeing what would happen, but at Thief's word he realised the plant would reveal the rest of the team, if he didn't do something fast. He called in challenge to the Bellsprout and prepared to let his embers fly. "Hey! Take me instead. I'm the real threat here!" He boasted.

Martin stayed put, waiting to see if more vines would strike the dark areas. He hadn't entirely left the stairs yet, but the munk's placement indeed made it difficult to move further without being spotted for real. In cover of the noises from Skarn and Azrael, he whispered to Baal. "If he keeps looking to these stairs, Baal, you'll have to draw his attention away next." Tom's ability to infiltrate could probably have showed useful here, but he didn't trust the Espurr to keep it together long enough yet to be useful in situations like this. He just hoped the Espurr was taking notes on this excursion, and what it meant to be on his team.

Wordcount: 374
(Ooc: Azrael tries to save the day and uses Ember)

[Fallen]

    

Sprout Tower Quest - First Floor   

---

The Cyndaquil seemed to be able to not worry about the battle on this floor now, with Azrael taking to Thief's command to attack the Bellsprout before it could reveal Martin and the other Pokemon. It was just another fire-type Pokemon like the Cyndaquil, Just what the Sage needed. At least, with any luck, the Sage's Bellsprout would be able to wittle the Pokemon's health down just a bit more, which could be just what the Elder and his Bellsprout would need to defeat the Cyndaquil once again, even if it did have back-up this time.

The Cyndaquil seemed to move out of the way as the other fire-type, Azrael, released a super-effective large flame from it's mouth towards the Grass-type Pokemon, before the Bellsprout could redirect its attention from attempting to vine whip around the shadows. It sure did a lot of damage to the Bellsprout, but it was definitely not defeated yet. "Ha!" The sage laughed as he continued to hold his guard of the stairs leading to the next floor from anyone that was hiding in the shadows, even if he could not be certain they were there. "Young fire kitten, it'll take a lot more than just that to take out my experienced Bellsprout!"

"Now, Bellsprout!" Sage Neal yelled. "Hit that Litten with a Vine Whip attack, show it what its up against!" There was no way that this sage would let these Pokemon pass him and towards the Elder without having to put up an exceptional fight. Not a possible way. The Bellsprout landed a large hit with its vine onto the Fire-typed Pokemon before it could even make an attempt to dodge it if it had even wanted to. It still dealt a decent amount of damage to the Alolan Pokemon, for being a Grass-typed move against the Fire-type.

While both the Bellsprout and the Sage had turned their attention to the battle with Azrael, however, it had let the Cyndaquil and whoever else was hiding in the tower a chance to go unnoticed. They would still be unable to go up the stairs as the Sage still stood guard, but they could potentially be able to sneak towards it to make a run for it up the stairs once the Sage was defeated.

He turned, noticing he had lost his vision of the Cyndaquil. Looking around, the sage found that the fire-type intruder was hidden somewhere where he could not see it. "Darn it, Cyndaquil!" The sage said. "Don't you see that even if you get past, you efforts are futile?!?" Sage Neal laughed again and even snickered a bit. "The Sacred Bellsprout and the Elder will put out any flame you have left."

"And as for you, my little intruding fire kitten," Sage Neal said while turning his attention back to the Litten, "You will not make it far either."


Trainer Battle - Sprout Tower

---

Weather Status: Normal

Neal's Bellsprout | Level 9 | Chlorophyll
Health : 60% (18/30)
Status : Normal
Used Vine Whip!

Martin's Azrael | Level 7 | Blaze |
Health : 80% (20/25 HP)
Status : Normal
Used Ember!

---

[Thirdie]

Martin Growth

Gardener

As soon as the monk and his Bellsprout looked proper occupied with Azrael and his misdeeds Martin signalled for the rest of them to move on. Baal moved first and was fast to disappear along the shadowed wall. Martin felt confident the dark Meowth could manage for himself. Tom wasn't quite as eager, and Martin made sure to stay on the heel of the Espurr, so it wouldn't have any choice but to follow his silent commands. If nothing else he was pretty sure the psychic cat could 'read' his thoughts as clearly as if he had spoken them aloud, and Martin made sure to instruct the cat on how to move every step of the way. Tom could be useful with his skills for sure. He just had to get rid of that skittish behaviour the sooner the better. When they were finally free of the stairs Martin felt he could breathe a little easier. The stairs were a much too vulnerable place to be stuck. There was much more room to make manoeuvres out on the floor and a lesser risk to be trapped in discovery. Tom and Martin moved along the same wall Baal had disappeared at, and they soon found the Meowth again preoccupied with getting into a position with a good view of the next set of stairs. Now all they had to do was wait once more for the monk to give up his guard of them.

Out in the light, Azrael was flicking his tail in agitation at the fight. His embers had done less damage than he had thought they would. They had worked so well before too. The slap from the vines smarted too, but at least that was liveable. He was pretty certain he could endure it for a while more if just his embers would work better. He didn't quite get what the human was rambling about, but he disliked when he turned away to talk to someone else. "Hey, I'm the threat here! Pay attention to me!" he yowled insistently, and he spat up more embers to get his fire going again, also they served well to underline how serious he meant it. He jumped around and made a real spectacle of himself all the while spitting embers and doing his best to get at the plant-thingy again. At his left he could see the Litleo, Skarn, cheering him on. Apparently, she still felt insulted the Bellsprout had hit her. Out the corner of his eye to his right he saw Thief cross the floor in a leisurely walk past the Bellsprout towards the monk. He wondered what the Purrloin was planning but was a bit too busy to ask.

Thief was taking full advantage of the situation and using the nice distraction Azrael provided to get closer to the monk and the stairs. As he wasn't confined to the shadows it was easy for him to walk in a half circle around the ongoing battle and stroll up to the Bellsprout's trainer. He moved calmly and sat down like it was the most natural thing beside the human and looked up at him with a curious gleam in his eyes. On a rafter above the monk Thief saw a glimpse of red and he winked to the Fletchling hiding up there. It was still doing as it had been told on the first floor and staying out of sight while paying close attention to the battle. "Wanna help me with something, when the Bellsprout falls?" he mewed up to it, disregarding how the monk would react to his voice. The Fletchling moved, maybe it nodded, and Thief continued. "Help me tumble the man to the ground, fly in his face or something."

Martin was in a good position to see what Thief was doing and narrowed his eyes in thought. If the Purrloin was clever, and Martin knew he was, the cat was in the progress of adding to the distraction at the most opportune moment. Time to test if Tom really was able to 'hear' his thoughts as clear as the spoken word. "Whatever Thief got planned, tell Baal to be ready to run as soon as he puts it into action" He thought as clear as possible to the Espurr. This close to the stairs and the monk he didn't dare even whisper, and Tom looked up at him, and then at Baal before pointing silently at the monk and Purrloin with a shaking paw. Martin had no idea what transpired between the Meowth and Espurr, but he hoped it was what he had wanted. They were all ready for Azrael's victory.

Wordcount: 777
(Ooc: Azrael uses Ember twice. Running shoes used)

[Marchbaby]

Despite the type disadvantage Bellsprout had it was doing pretty well at causing damage to Azrael but Neal still had to be cautious as even an Ember attack could quickly bring down his Bellsprout. It was not long after thinking about how risky this battle was becoming before he saw Azrael prepare to fire another Ember that he knew he had to order Bellsprout to put everything into this next attack if there was any chance of victory. " Bellsprout quickly prepare another Vine Whip before that demon cat can score another hit. As well trained as you are fire will still drain your energy quicker than most moves." His order was not quick enough however as Azrael got his move off first.

A small Ember formed at his mouth before flying towards Bellsprout scoring a direct hit on its forehead causing massive damage but the sages training had paid off again as the grass type got back up with a small amount of health left and sent two vines towards Azrael whipping him multiple times causing moderate damage. Bellsprout thought the second round of Vine Whip would deter the cat from another Ember attack for a while but it was dead wrong as the cat quickly built up another Ember in his mouth. Usually this would have been a panic inducing moment but as Theif casually walked towards him Neal turned his attention to face the dark type cat not realizing this would cost him the match.

" What in the world is this crazy Purrloin doing? I am not its master yet it just waltzed over to me like we are friends. This has to be a trick of some kind." Just then Azrael's ember struck Bellsprout as Neal continued to focus on the cat when he could have sworn he saw it wink at something above him but he did not dare take his eyes off the Purrloin for a moment as he felt it was planning something. Even as the feline mewed as if it were setting up a trap of some kind the monk continued to watch Thief like a hawk.

Just then Neal heard the cries of his defeated Bellsprout and he was filled with terror. " Oh no Bellsprout, you pests will pay for what you have done. I will not stand for this Tomfoolery." As soon as he finished ranting Kiwi finally made his move flying towards Neal's face trying to buy everyone as much time as he could as the sage desperately tried to shoo him away knowing that Bellsprout could not help to fend the bird off.




Trainer Battle - Sprout Tower

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Weather Status: Normal

Neal's Bellsprout | Level 9 | Chlorophyll
Health : 0% (0/30)
Status : KO'ed
Used Vine Whip, KO'ed before 2nd attack!

VS

Martin's Azrael | Level 7 | Blaze |
Health : 60% (15/25 HP)
Status : Normal
Used Ember x2!

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Azrael gains 3 levels for his victory and is now level 10. He also gains +1 happiness and now has +2 overall. He learns Lick.


Kiwi gains 1 level thanks to his EXP Share and is now level 5.

Martin gains 672 Poke as a reward thanks to his Amulet Coin.

[Thirdie]

Martin Growth

Gardener

Azrael yowled in victory when the Bellsprout finally succumbed to his glorious embers, and he paid little mind to his bruised hide euphoric as he was. The world needed to know just how great he was (and it added to the distraction he was providing for the others). The monk was saying weird things again. In fact, he had continued to babble even while Bellsprout was struggling, and Azrael thought the human was strange to talk so much. Martin certainly hadn't found it necessary to fill the air with words in the short time he had known his trainer. The monk was barely done ranting, when Kiwi descended from the ceiling and flapped around the human's head feinting minor attacks towards his face. At the same time Thief moved again, snuggling around the monk's feet so he inevitable lost his balance, and while Thief circled the monk and patted at his clothes with his quick paws, Azrael ran for the stairs. He had a mouse to help. He was only a little behind Martin and the two grey cats.

Martin couldn't have wished for a better distraction. He would have to think about how to reward Thief for his quick wit, but before that they obviously still had to deal with someone on the next floor, that Elder the monk had been talking about. "Go, go" Martin whispered as the voices of Azrael and Kiwi drowned out most other sounds. They all moved forward at the same time. He noticed even Azrael and Skarn set in motion, but luckily they managed to reach the stairs in order so they didn't clutter it and got in each other's way. Speed being of the essence instead of stealth they hadn't time to investigate how much sound the stairs would make, so halfway up Martin was already preparing himself to be truly discovered. Even with this thought in mind he couldn't help but fall back and let the Pokemon get out on the floor first. Baal and Tom were the first ones to leave the staircase, Tom following close behind Baal as they turned left and crept along the wall. Martin let Azrael and Skarn pass him by, watching as Skarn skidded to a halt while Azrael continued straight forward to claim his place beside the Cyndaquil. Azrael was obviously still in fight mode and was growling menacing to any threat posed at the mouse. Finally, Kiwi flew past Martin's ear and Thief patted his hand as a sign he was done too. Martin looked down momentarily and spotted the treasures Thief had collected from the monk, a couple of coins. Martin smiled wickedly though he would probably have gotten about the same amount if they had battled openly instead. He accepted the money from Thief and waved for him to go on. He stayed behind a moment more just to get an idea of what they would be facing next.

Wordcount: 488
(Ooc: Azrael is ready to defend Cyndaquil and uses Growl in preparation.)