Pavement Flower [Gauntlet] [F]

[Noerd]

Chryaisy's return to the battlefield brought an excited gasp from Alex's opponent. Of the two Pokémon that Alex had fought with so far, this one was particularly beautiful to him.
"Ah, excellent. This Lilligant of yours has quite a flair to her, if you don't mind my saying. I was hoping you'd pick this one again." His Xatu nodded approvingly, though its eyes were glazed over as though its attention were somewhere else entirely. Anything else that Pierre said would've been completely drowned out as the commentator burst out with yet another of his tirades, having been a little quieter than normal over the past few minutes.

"WELL, FOLKS, HERE WE HAVE IT! FIGHTING THE MIGHTY PIERRE AND HIS XATU WILL BE LILLIGANT! THIS FEROCIOUS GRASS TYPE HAS ALREADY CONQUERED ROBERT THE ROCKET'S ELECTABUZZ, AND SHE DID SO WHILE FIGHTING THROUGH FREEZE STATUS NO LESS! BUT NOW SHE'S UP AGAINST A FLYING TYPE! HOW WILL SHE FARE? THERE'S ONLY ONE WAY TO FIND OUT!" The crowd cheered loudly, one or two even chanting the name "Dexter", while the announcer recovered his breath. "READY EVERYONE? ROUND 3 IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" He was quite pleased that the crowd was so pumped now, as it was making it easy to play off of them for effect. The audience joined in with the countdown as soon as it begun. "3... 2... 1... FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!" Certain members of the crowd erroneously shouted "let's get ready to rumble", clearly not used to this man's erratic and ever-changing commentary quirks.

"Xatu, begin with a Confuse Ray, if you please." Xatu just about managed to acknowledge its order before Chryaisy begun her own dance. She flitted about beautifully, mimicking the courtship ritual of a butterfly (I dunno lol work with it kthx). The magical movement left her looking quite fleet of foot and much more powerful for it all. The commentator stared at this attack, not sure what to make of it at all. Sweat trickled down his face as he flicked through his Pokémon handbook once again, trying to find this move. Meanwhile, Xatu glowed a dim shade of violet. Opening its eyes as wide as it could, the totem bird projected a ray of purple light onto Chryaisy. The Lilligant closed her eyes quickly, but by that point it was far too late. The photons were already attacking her brain, causing her much befuddlement. The announcer ripped his microphone from his small desk and rose to his feet in excitement.

" AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, FOLKS! THE SIGNATURE MOVE OF PIERRE'S XATU! THE FINGER PAINTER STRIKES AGAIN WITH A CONFUSE RAY! NOT EVEN LILLIGANT'S... what was it... QUIVER DANCE COULD PREPARE HER FOR THAT! SHE'S TOTALLY CONFUSED! IT'S GONNA BE HARD FOR HER TO FIGHT NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! DEXTER'S IN A HUGE PINCH!" A mixture of cheers and concerned chatter rippled throughout the crowd. This underground gauntlet was beginning to feel more like an exhibition match between Elite Four members with how the audience was reacting. One had to wonder if this was par for the course here.

"Xatu, follow up with Psychic when you can," Pierre ordered calmly. He barely seemed fazed by all of this shouting and cheering, which made him look like quite the veteran. Or perhaps he was just absolutely crazy. Either way, the first to move was, again, Alex's Lilligant. Dazed and bewildered, Chryaisy tried her best to focus on the match ahead. However, all the noise from the commentator was doing little to heal her ailing mind. However, she promptly remembered that she was far too pretty and naive to be confused by anything ever. Who cares if it didn't make sense? It worked, OK. All that matters is she quickly drained Xatu's energy with a powerful Giga Drain attack. That's all.

"WELL, THERE'S YET MORE DRAMA HERE! LILLIGANT APPEARS TO BE PERFECTLY FINE! I WONDER IF THIS IS HER OWN TEMPO ABILITY! WAS SHE JUST TEASING US?" And, right on cue, Xatu propelled a powerful wave of blue energy straight into the dithering Grass type. Chryaisy snapped out of her "confused" act as the move connected. It wasn't clear why she'd decided to pretend to be confused, really. It was weird. As was this whole Gauntlet, in truth. Speaking of which... "AAAAAND PSYCHIC IS NEXT! TWO SIGNATURE MOVES FIGHTING AGAINST EACH OTHER! GIGA DRAIN VS. PSYCHIC! PSYCHIC STRIKES TRUE AND HARD, BATTERING LILLIGANT! IT LOOKED LIKE A CRITICAL HIT TOO! WHAT WILL SHE DO NOW, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN? DON'T GO ANYWHERE, THIS MATCH HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN!"

Gauntlet - Round 3

---

Pierre's Xatu | Level 22
HP: 32% (21/67 HP)
Status: Normal
Xatu used Confuse Ray, then Psychic! Critical hit!

VS

Alex's Chryaisy | Level 30
HP: 74% (69/91 HP)
Status: +1 Sp Atk, +1 Sp Def, +1 Spd
Chryaisy used Quiver Dance then Giga Drain!

[Tiki]

"Well, you welcome for me picking her to battle again. She's not only an elegant Pokemon, but she also have some skills in her. as you have already witness," Alex responded to the compliment toward his grass type Pokemon. Even though some grass types Pokemon have a flair of beauty to them, some of them might be lacking in self defense department, and Bellossom came to his mind.

Ignoring the ever-so-energetic announcer, Alex watched as his Pokemon danced, and then the opponent retaliated with a purple light attack thing. He could sorta figure out what move it was, but he didn't have to, when the announcer knows the move of everyone in this underground battle club, especially when he shouted "Confuse Ray" out loud. Thankfully, that move wasn't Alex's concern, even if the Lilligant was acting almost like she was confused. She shouldn't! Minutes later, she seemed to have no problem executing her Giga Drain attack, sucking up some yummy rotisserie game bird.

After the announcer's shouted the "Own Tempo" thing, Alex internally have some respect to the man for knowing his Pokemon. Well, at least he wasn't a loud mouth for nothing. Chryaisy did have another move up her sleeve, it was sleep powder, but given how it wasn't going well when she was against Robet' Electabuzz, and her Giga Drain took a lot of life out of that bird, he figured he could go for another Giga Drain, and ordered her Pokemon to do so.

[Lamont]

Pierre was madly scribbling on his art board, his eyes never leaving the battlefield as the two pokémon exchanged colorful blows. The eye catching dance, rays of midnight purple, green and yellow orbs dancing through the air following, all wrapped up with a wash of pink psychic energy. It was a tirade of opposites mingling together. It was exactly what he was looking for here. The artist laughed. His crackling voice barely audible over the cheers of the crowd.

"Yes, yes! Marvelous. Xatu you are preforming perfectly, now, time to preform a dance of your own to conclude." What part of the crowd managed to catch his words brought a wave of awe circling the stands. Everyone was at the edge of their seats. Xatu fanned its oddly shaped wings and took a totem stance in preparation of its manuever. Though, it was Chryaisy that was the one to enact her trainer's wishes first. Perhaps Pierre expected this. His eyes glistened, hand darting across the page in record of all he was seeing, his full attention diverted to witnessing the transfer of energy that sprouted from his colorful Xatu and trailed its way through the air toward the lilligant.

Xatu collapsed. She folded her wings back, closing her eyes, and gently fell backward as if at rest. Pierre's lips curled under that well groomed mustache as he raised a thumb to Alex. It may have been a thumbs up, or it may have just been the man gauging sizes. It was hard to tell.

---

VICTORY!

---

Chryaisy gained 1,100 XP and +1 Happiness! She grew to LV 31!



Tikikala watched studiously and grew to LV 14 thanks to EXP Share!

---

"HOOOOOOOBOOY LADIES AND GENTS! WHO WOULD'VE EXPECTED SUCH A POWERFUL ATTACK! WITH A TYPE DISADVANTAGE EVEN WOW! NO ONE SHOULD BE UNDERESTIMATING OUR BOY, OUR VICTOR YET AGAIN, DEEEEXXTERRRRR!!!

"Hehe! Thank you lad, you have inspired a masterpiece I can feel it!" the artist cackled, recalling his slumbering pokémon and skipping away. Alex's next opponent was itching to get on the field and swiftly swooped in to take his place in the gauntlet arena. His face was covered, making his speech muffled and exceptionally difficult to hear considering the hoots and hollers surrounding the battle participants.

"I've studied your matches and believe I have just the fix." The scrub clad man threw out a pokéball to reveal a large pink pokémon graced with a near permanent smile. "A buffer and careful application of healing should keep us in the game long enough to apply the necessary pressure."

Doctor Brad sent out his Chansey (LV 23)!
Will Alex switch out?

[Tiki]

Alex could tell that Pierre was quite dedicated to his profession of art, as witnessed by the rapid movement across his easel to illustrate something fro this battle. He could never imagine himself multitasking in a Pokemon battle. He would be so distracted and probably ended up losing if not in a danger zone. Soon enough, the stern psychic bird was down for the count in the battle. The Pokemon might have fallen, but the trainer's enthusiasm had probably gone up.

His next opponent though, seemed to be a meticulous and careful kind. "So.. are you a doctor? EMT? Nurse? Morgue doctor? A doctor for Pokemon or human? I am an aspiring doctor for humans, my name is Alex and nice to meet you." For someone who hasn't been talking much, he was suddenly opening up about this conversation and introducing himself. Though when he saw the Chansey and listened to the opponent's punny introduction, he knew sorta what the opponent's strategy will be. Chanseys were famous for their eggcellent defense and endurance, that's why they were chosen to work in the Pokemon Center.

For having used his floral elegance and night light lover, he was debating if he should reuse them again or use his final, third Pokemon option. He opted for the third, and tossed out a new Pokeball to replace the Lilligant as she was recalled. "Come on out, Gig! Start off with a Screech! I hope the immune system isn't weakened when you're trying to heal up that wound of yours."

[Lamont]

Chansey waddled herself forward to take a more battle ready position in the ring, though, her hands were still pushed together in a calm fashion; broad infectious smile spread across her face. Such a friendly pokémon. It was a wonder anyone would even consider using such a gentle being for fighting. But Chansey didn't seem bothered by it at all.
"A training medical practitioner mmm?" the man's muffled voice picked up barely above the murmur of the onlooking crowd. The lightening of his brow was the only signal Alex would get visually of Brad's delight on the matter. Chansey gave a quick cheer as well. "I'm a traveling physician for people, though I have a bit of experience with simple things for the more common house bound pokémon," he offered, quite happy to give a bit of detail regarding his profession. It wasn't very often anyone showed such interest in such a thing here.

"GEET RRRREADDY FOLK! ONE OF OUR SEASONED VETERANS IS GOING TO GIVE OUR BELOVED DEXTER A RUN FOR HIS MONEY THIS TIME. LOOKS LIKE WE HAVE OUR LAST CHOICE OF POKÉMON FROM OUR NEW CHALLENGER: A RAPID ROLLIN' WHIRLIPEDE! WHAT IS DEXTER PLANNING TO DO? WHITTLE DOWN OUR FRIENDLY PINK HEALER WITH POISON PERHAPS?! WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT!!!"

The crowd roared louder, drowning out all other sound in the echoing chamber. Even the announcer's count down was difficult to hear, but neither contestant missed their mark. Alex cried out his orders and somehow Dr. Brad's words managed to reach Chansey; perhaps she was just tuned into his low voice. It was certainly a contrast to the higher pitched noises blaring out, of which Gig wasn't going to help with. Bouncing on the spot the whirilipede released a spine tingling shriek that cut above all else, tearing through eardrums and bringing that happy smile down a notch on the egg pokémon's face. She did what she could to keep the ringing from her head but sadly there was just no stopping such a sound.

Though her ears were still ringing with the effect of Gig's assault Chansey moved to enact her own orders. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and assuming her typical calm posture. She almost looked like a monk in prayer as all worry was washed away, all noise disappearing. The pink tank released her breath and opened her beady black eyes with a renewed focus.

Gauntlet - Round 4

---

Dr Brad's Chansey | Level 23
HP: 100% (155/155)
Status: -2 DEF, +1 SP.ATK, +1 SP.DEF
Used Calm Mind!

VS

Alex's Chryaisy | Level 25
HP: 100% (62/62)
Status: +1 SPD
Used Screech!

[Tiki]

"Well, that's very cool. What places have you been to so far? And what cases or illnesses you have been treating?" Alex pressed on further, curious to what Brad would have to say about his job. Though, the announcer said that Brad was a veteran? How far does this doctor travel and still have time to make it back in this underground battle club to be a regular enough to be a veteran?

He watched as the round continued, but the opponent seemed to went for a defensive sense. While something was done, it just wasn't outright attack. Seeing that the two Pokemon seemed to be finished with their first round and were awaiting order, Alex then added his own command for the next round, "Whirlipede, now use some Poison Tail!" The bug clicked his mandibles and raised his tail, as he began charging up some toxin.

OOC:
poison tail x2
just lemme know how much hp left on whirlipede after 2 rounds

[latani]

Between the alternating jeers and shouts, it was hard to have an engaging conversation with Alex, Brad glancing at the rowdy crowd with some mild disdain. He liked being able to unwind with a battle here and there, but the Gauntlet was hardly a place to find actual peace. More or less stress relief than anything, like squeezing a ball, only the ball was a Pokemon battle. Still, when the noise level pitched down to a moderate level, the doctor attempted to reply to his curious opponent. "Not too far outside of Goldenrod, if I can help it. Olivine is the furthest I've gone, for a rather severe case. But I treat what I can, which ranges from colds to things like pneumonia," Brad said, voice managing to carry over the battlefield. If Alex wanted to reply, he would have to wait as the crackle of the PA system drowned everything else out.

"BOOOO! ENOUGH SMALL TALK, GENTLEMEN. WE CAME HERE FOR BATTLES, NOT IDLE CHITCHAT. UNLESS YOU'RE TRADING INSULTS, GET ON WITH THE SHOW BEFORE WE GET RIOTS STARTED DOWN HERE!"

Glaring up at the speakers, Brad uttered a quiet, exasperated sigh before shaking his head and focusing once more. "Brace yourself Chansey!" he called out as Gig began whirling in place. Launching forwards like a rocket, the Whirlipede crossed the short distance to Chansey, tilting to one side in order to sweep his toxin-seeped tail at Chansey's feet. She uttered a soft cry, almost knocked off balance by the blow but somehow kept standing. Popping the egg free from her pouch at Brad's soft cry of "Soft-Boiled!", Chansey ate the egg in an attempt to stave off her imminent demise. Feeling strength surge through her, she faced Gig anew while the crowd roared around them.

Not willing to be distracted, Alex's Whirlipede lashed out a second time, succeeding in tripping his foe up... but she staggered back upright, the adorably fierce scowl on her face speaking to iron-clad determination not to go down so easily. At this point the crowd was in a near frenzy, good-natured boos and screams lobbed out all over. "You used a very clever tactic, but it takes more than that to beat my Chansey. Thunderbolt, now!" the doctor ordered. Electricity erupted from Chansey out of the blue, crashing into Gig's side hard enough to send him skidding back over to Alex. But as the Whirlipede righted himself, he gave a wracking shudder - Chansey's parting gift of unfortunate luck.

"THAT'S MORE LIKE IT FOLKS! IN AN UNBELIEVABLE SHOWING, CHANSEY THE IMMORTAL, THE UNDYING, SURVIVED NOT ONE BUT TWO POWERFUL ATTACKS! TO TOP IT OFF, SEEMS LIKE OUR DEXTER GOT SOME BAD LUCK ON HIS SIDE AND PARALYSIS HAS SET IN - MAYBE YOU SHOULD SEE THE DOCTOR FOR THAT! *laughs* HOPE YOU HAVE SOME APPLES TO KEEP HIM AWAY IF LADY LUCK ISN'T ON YOUR SIDE NEXT TIME!"

Gauntlet - Round 4

---

Dr Brad's Chansey | Level 23
HP: 32% (51/155)
Status: The undying; -2 Def, +1 Sp. Atk, +1 Sp. Def
Brad's Chansey used a successful Soft Boiled (+78 HP)!
Used a successful Thunderbolt!

VS

Alex's Gig | Level 25
HP: 72% (45/62)
Status: Wha... how are you still alive?; Paralyzed
Gig used a successful Poison Tail x2!
Gig was paralyzed and may be unable to move!

[Tiki]

Alex nodded as Brad replied, only to find himself disdain the A for annoying announcer after he interrupted their chitchat. He watched as his Whirlipede went to attack with Poison Tail toward the opponent, even though the poison type was trying his best, the opponent was still standing on its two pink feet, with the help of Soft-Boiled. Well, this would be a bit tricky to handle. This wasn't all, as it seemed like the thunderbolt had gave his Whirlipede a lingering numbness.

"I bet those thunderbolts come in handy for a shock treatment. Hang in there, Gig! Fight through the paralysis and go for a poison tail!" Alex commented the opponent's attack, and then hollered out his command. Given that his Pokemon was shocked from the attack, he was betting his hope on Gig pulling through with the attack.

[latani]

"Oh, you bet. I just have to be careful with how strong the voltage is," Brad said with a small chuckle. Thunderbolt was indeed handy, as it had proven in this battle, but it was still a powerful move, and one had to take great pains to not zap patients more than intended. Chansey was a huge help in his duties as a doctor, and an even bigger help with his Gauntlet battles. Many trainers had come up against his pink tank, some victorious, and others not so fortunate. Brad was curious if Alex's Pokemon could overcome his somewhat daunting Chansey, paralysis or no paralysis. The doctor side of him wanted to offer some aid, considering it was all his fault Gig was suffering in the first place, but he doubted the audience would be quite as sympathetic. As if sensing that thought, a surge in the volume of the gathered people soon followed, with the announcer hot on their heels.

"IS THE DOCTOR IN? WE DON'T HAVE ALL NIGHT FOR DILLYDALLYING! EVEN THE GUY GETTING HIS WALLET SNATCHED BY A MEOWTH IS GETTING MORE ACTION THAN US GAUNTLET FANS!"

A furious roar followed this from the unwitting victim, Brad pinching the bridge of his nose above his facial mask and counting to five. "I guess we really should get things moving along. Chansey, another Calm Mind please," the doctor said after a slight pause. While he did want to see his opponent succeed, part of him wanted to win as well. Chansey wasn't the most powerful attacker on his team, needing all the help she could get with her Calm Mind boosts. Smiling serenely, Chansey closed her eyes and tuned out the noise of the crowd, her own hurts, and just relaxed. A small surge of strength soon followed, and the pink Pokemon giggled to herself before she looked back at Gig. Brad nodded approvingly, switching his own attention to their opponents with a great deal of curiosity for what they would try next.

Hearing the order for Poison Tail, Brad swallowed nervously - he doubted Chansey would be able to take a third blow, for all her bulk. Gig made a protesting noise as he tried to get his body to move, his muscle spasms causing a great deal of grief for the usually agile Whirlipede. Struggle as he wanted, the paralysis had come into effect at a poor time and was not letting go, Gig eventually giving up to let himself rest. Brad and Chansey looked equally relieved and disappointed at the same time, the crowd evidently feeling the same way by the sounds of groans and cheers. Not a terribly exciting round, but Alex wasn't done for yet. The speakers crackled once more, drowning out all thought as the announcer's booming voice filled the tunnel.

"STALEMATE! BUT NEXT ROUND COULD BE MAKE OR BREAK TIME FOR OUR CLASHING TRAINERS - WILL CHANSEY THE IMMORTAL RETAIN HER CLAIM TO FAME, OR WILL NERDY DEXTER'S GOTTA GO FAST BUG ROLL IN TO THE NEXT PITSTOP ON HIS GAUNTLET CHALLENGE? STAY TUNED!!"

Gauntlet - Round 4

---

Dr Brad's Chansey | Level 23
HP: 32% (51/155)
Status: Calm mind games; -2 Def, +2 Sp. Atk, +2 Sp. Def
Brad's Chansey used a successful Calm Mind!

VS

Alex's Gig | Level 25
HP: 72% (45/62)
Status: -unintelligible buzzing-; Paralyzed
Gig was paralyzed and was unable to move!

[Tiki]

Alex was a bit disappointed again. This underground Gauntlet challenge seemed a bit more difficult than he could thought of. However, there would be end of this challenge of a tunnel. Maybe the annoying announcer was right that he should stop chattering now and focus on the battle, esepcially with the paralysis that his Whirlipede was in. This won't be helpful at all, as now he would have to rely on luck that the paralysis would stop activating and let his Pokemon land a successful attack.

"You got this, Gig! Let's go for a Poison Tali again! Take a deep breath and relax, that ought to ease the paralysis a bit! And then go for a quick strike!" He shouted his encouragement again, this time crossing his fingers on the inside, hoping that his Pokemon would make it.

[latani]

Brad, too, had decided to heed the announcer's advice to nix the small talk, even though he'd quite enjoyed meeting a trainer who'd been genuinely interested in his line of work. Most gauntlet challengers were either cocky young punks or just people who cared less about him, and more about beating him. And in a lot of battles where his Chansey was present, most of those challengers were hardly pleasant if they couldn't get around his partner's bulkiness and healing. He'd heard words never before encountered in his vocabulary, and Brad had heard a lot in his career as a doctor. Some of those words were being lobbed about in the crowd, interspersed with the general sound crowds made of cheers, boos, and good-natured insults calling out for the battle to get moving again.

Meeting his Chansey's gaze, Brad nodded, and she nodded in response. It was time to get absolutely serious, knowing they couldn't hope for another round of lucky paralysis to keep Gig at bay. "Chansey, Thunderbolt now!" Brad called, fingers crossed both figuratively and literally. With her stats raised, the plan was to put a good dent in Gig before she went down, Chansey maybe even having another dance with lady luck and scoring a critical hit. But when the pink Pokemon loosed another blast of electricity at her opponent and only succeeded in making the Whirlipede slide back a few inches, Chansey's face fell. Behind his mask, Brad was frowning too, feeling his heart turn to lead as Gig rocked back and then hurled himself forwards in a sudden burst of speed. Lashing a toxic tail out at her feet, Gig maneuvered neatly out of the way as Chansey toppled to the ground.

"ONE. TWO. THREE. AAAAAAAAAND SHE'S DOWN FOR THE COUNT! NURSE PAIN NEEDS HER OWN NURSE TO RECOVER FROM THAT ONE! LET'S HEAR IT, FOLKS, FOR DEXTER! JUST ONE MORE FIGHT LEFT IN THE GAUNTLET - DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO CLEAN HOUSE WITH THE BEST JANITOR THIS SIDE OF JOHTO?"

The announcer was almost drowned out by the din of the cheering crowd, Brad wincing as he recalled his fainted Chansey and lifted a hand in farewell - there was no chance of Alex hearing him over the noise. As he disappeared into the sea of people, an old man shuffled out holding a mop in one hand and a Poke Ball in the other, his wizened face lit up with an almost child-like expression of glee. "Ye've done well to get here, sonny jim, but I'm no slouch! Janitor Chris here will mop up yer tears when my Muk is through with ye!" the old man said with a wheezy laugh when the crowd settled down at last. Sending forth his Pokemon, a huge, oozy mass of purple sludge whose stench sent the nearest people scattering back with disgusted faces, Chris cracked a wide, toothy smile as he waited for Alex to make his choice of Pokemon.

Gauntlet - Round 4

---

Dr Brad's Chansey | Level 23
HP: 0% (0/155 HP)
Status: ... ; --Fainted
Brad's Chansey used a successful Thunderbolt!
Chansey fainted!

VS

Alex's Gig | Level 25
HP: 53% (33/62 HP)
Status: -victorious unintelligible buzzing-; Paralyzed
Gig used a successful Poison Tail!

---

Gig fought well and gained +1150 EXP, growing to Level 26!
Gained +1 Happiness.
(599/2107)


Tikikala gleaned from the battle and grew to Level 15!

---

The final trainer, Janitor Chris, sends out his Muk (Level 24)!
Will Alex switch out?

[Tiki]

Alex was on edge as the battle continued some more, and the battle between the two Pokemon were drawing its end. The bug and the pink blob traded their Thunderbolt and Poison Tail, and thus ending the battle, with Gig emerging victorious from this battle. Alex sighed a breath of relief, as this battle seemed to be a really close one. The two Pokemon were equal in their tricks up their sleeves, and he felt like the Whirlipede merely won by luck or barely in general.

The next trainer who'll replace the doctor this time, was an old man with a Muk. A poison type. Alex was beginning to assess which of his Pokemon to send out against this opponent. While his Whirlipede and Dustox have poison typing to resist the poison attacks, their attacks might be lacking to deal damage on the opponent. Secondly, his Whirlipede had quite a fierce battle just now. Next, the Muk looked quite well trained, and he wasn't sure if Dustox would be enough to put a dent on that slime.

"You're up next, Chryaisy. Start off with a Sleep Powder!" Alex returned his Whirlipede, and then sent out his trusty grass type to start another battle in this underground fight club.

[latani]

The crowd watched with almost tangible anticipation as the pair of trainers prepared for the final round, a steady murmuring growing throughout the packed bodies. Chris was a force to be reckoned with, for an older gentleman whose janitorial job was far from glamorous. His easy smiles and many wrinkles had caused more than a few challengers to underestimate him and the Poison-types he favoured, easygoing personality hiding a core of unyielding steel when it came right down to it. Chris waited with one of those charming smiles as Alex pondered his choice of Pokemon, his Muk making an impatient noise and oozing on the spot with a rather disgusting squelching sound. "Easy, bub. Let the lad take his time," the janitor reproached his Pokemon in a jovial tone, shaking the handle of his mop at his grumbling partner. He was an old man - there was no need to rush, not with his creaky bones.

And besides that, he'd been watching the previous battles, hoping to glean some insight into how his potential opponent fought. So when Chryaisy made her reappearance to loud, enthusiastic applause from the crowd, Chris gently bit his lip in a speculative manner. Sending a Grass-type out against his Muk was an odd move, but perhaps Alex had done so for good reason, a plan up his sleeve. "Not so quick, boyo! Muk, Shadow Sneak!" Chris barked, throwing out one hand as Alex called his own move. Chryaisy had already shimmied forwards, hesitating when Muk suddenly rose up in a rather intimidating pose. It proved to be a distraction, as the Poison-type's shadow extended out along the ground lit by strings of lights and appeared to leap out at Chryaisy, striking her feet and nearly making her topple over.

She managed to retain her balance through sheer determination, facing the annoyed-looking Muk as he returned to his original appearance. Lowering her head, the Lilligant let loose a rather large cloud of greenish powder that settled easily onto Muk's sludgy body, vanishing into it upon contact. Feeling his eyes grow heavy as more of the powder fell upon him, Muk couldn't hold back a wide yawn before succumbing to the siren call of sleep. "No, Muk, now's a bad time for a nap yeh great lug!" Chris groaned as a loud, liquid snore drifted free of his now dozing Pokemon.

"AND THIS IS THE START TO OUR FINAL GAUNTLET BATTLE! CHRIS AND MUK START OFF STRONG WITH A SNEAKY ATTACK FROM THE SHADOWS, BUT OUR PLUCKY GRASS-TYPE HERE TAKES MUK STRAIGHT TO SLEEPY TIME JUNCTION! SNOOZING SLUDGE VERSUS LOVELY LILLIGANT - IT'S ANYONE'S GAME AT THIS POINT!"

Gauntlet - Round 5

---

Chris' Muk | Level 24
HP: 100% (91/91 HP)
Status: Dreaming of the gutter; Asleep (1 turn)
Muk used a successful Shadow Sneak!
Muk fell asleep!

VS

Alex's Chryaisy | Level 31
HP: 67% (63/94 HP)
Status: Ick; Normal
Chryaisy used a successful Sleep Powder!

[Tiki]

This old man was quite different from the trainers before him that Alex had battled. This man, Chris?, was quite patient as Alex was picking his Pokemon, but now, as the battle had started, the aspiring doctor felt like he should be on guard, especially with the Ice Punch Electabuzz earlier and the Thunderbolt Chansey earlier. What trick could this Muk be hiding?

However, at the moment he was relieved to see Sleep Powder working again, especially against this opponent. Though at the same time, sleep status don't last that long, and Alex have to be cautious with the way he's doing right now. He complimented his grass type and kept his gaze focus. "You did great, Chryaisy! Now go for a Leech Seed!" He watched as the grass type got ready to conjured a big, brown seed to launch at the opponent. Hopefully, it'll work this time, but sometimes the seed malfunctions or something bad happened. Alex also thought that maybe this was harder than a gym, because these trainers don't specialize in a single type.

[Lamont]

Depending on how effective that sleep powder was this could go very wrong for the humble janitor. His mustache wriggled as the young challenger called out his next move. A good choice. Normally a little risky on a poison pokémon considering there was a risk of the sown seeds soaking up all those unhealthy juices, but this trainer must know his pokémon well to know that muk wasn't one of those kinds despite its appearance and the general conceptions surrounding the sludge pokémon.
"Ooooh Mmmuu-uuk♪," he chimed, as if he was holding some treat to get his big ball of goo's attention. The poison type made a slurping sound as it continued to snore away. "It's time to do some clean up old boy. A deep clean, your favorite. Get all your great toxic sludge right into some overgrowth. It might even have some great cultures to soak in,"  continued Chris, keeping up the tone of pet talk. The poison pokémon made a pleased murmur but didn't make any immediate movements to awaken. Thus the slumbering gunk was an easy target to get a good bundle of seeds into.

Chryaisy didn't even need to re-position herself. She simply took aim and launched a set of the sapping seeds, which promptly budded into a web of vines and sunk into muk's ever shifting mud pile of a body. "Oh ho ho ho. Looks like we're in for some trouble now." Chris remained ever chipper despite the turn of the battle. Those seeds were going to be quite the nuisance, but luckily for the janitor their uncomfortable entanglement restricting the flow of Muk's body sludge was enough to rouse it. "Haha! Go Muk, a deep cleanse just like I promised." The man pointed his broom at the grass type and Muk was more than happy to get to work. He let out a long belch, making sure to wind it toward the sweet flower pokémon. It was... unpleasant to say the least. A haze of filth and toxic gases settled on her leaves and left a poisonous film. Try as she might to flick, shake, or rub it off the extra movement through the exhaled gas only made it worse and worse.

Thankfully her leech seeds went to work, sapping energy from Muk and transferring it to her. However, a portion of that rejuvenated energy was eaten away by the new poison working into her own system.

Gauntlet - Round 5

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Chris' Muk | Level 24
HP: 87% (80/91 HP)
Status: Seeded
Used Toxic!

VS

Alex's Chryaisy | LV 31
HP: 72% (68/94 HP)
Status: Badly Poisoned (Turn 1)
Used Leech Seed!