Takin' it Easy [Fini]

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Traveling along the route with such a thick haze misting about him was proving to be a bit more dangerous than he'd first thought. The lack of visibility didn't just hinder his perception for finding other things bustling about or potentially coming toward them, but there were many a time when the toe of his boot was catching on rocks or other debris scattered about that he hadn't noticed coming up before. He had to watch the ground in front of him nearly as intently as he'd usually be scanning the vicinity for things of interest.

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It was getting particularly thick as he continued. Dew clung to his clothing and made it a little more chilly than he'd like. But taking a glance to the sky he could see the faint orb of sunlight above. That was a good sign. Hopefully a bit of sun would clear away this fog before the afternoon was all gone. Though, for now the fog would be enough to cover the shapes of even large pokémon scuttling around him. Something Damien was about to find out the hard way.

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As he stumbled around route 34 the budding ranger was met with a sudden flash of buck teeth and an angry hiss. Startled, the boy immediately jumped back. This didn't go unnoticed by Cyrus, and as the rat emerged from the sea of tall grass to impose on his trainer the pidgeotto screeched a warning before diving down from the near branch. It wasn't just a warning for the raticate, but also for Damien to get some distance; a thing the ranger much appreciated. Soon the proud bird was on the ground between the wild pokémon and the trainer. Not far behind was the smaller rufflet. Simourv landed a little further away, looking between both Cyrus and Damien as he quietly skipped along to be nearer the boy. This gave the large rat a good look at the valuable item in Simourv's care.

[break] [break]
Unable to quite catch any form of communication from the evolved rodent thanks to the fog, other than the agitated nattering, that left Cyrus as the envoy on Damien's behalf. Cyrus noticed the rat eying the smaller bird and just in general seeming to want to get behind him. In response the pidgeotto spread both of its wings to block view of those he was protecting and refocus Raticate on himself.
[break]
"Thanks Cyrus. Why don't we start this off with a Sand Attack."

Word Count: 411

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(( Adding words to Incubator.))

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[Marchbaby]

As time passed by Raticate grew more and more agitated by Damien's lack of cooperation feeling that a battle would be an unavoidable event. It growled one final time as it took a step forward as a last warning before taking the Experience Share by force. As Cyrus spread out his wings to block the rats view Raticate was done trying to be diplomatic. As annoying as the fog was it could also prove useful for getting the upper hand over Cyrus as the rat ran into the nearby bushes to break the birds line of sight and to try and draw the bird into a more vulnerable position. Cyrus was smart enough not to follow the rat but he did lose sight of the Raticate long enough for it to run into a patch of grass behind Damien and Simourv. Raticate was in the perfect position now to not only scare him half to death but also to deliver a powerful blow to the Pidgeotto.

Raticate ran past Damien and Simourv making a beeline dash for Cyrus as he was facing the wrong way and bite down on his legs with a powerful Hyper Fang. As the bird screeched out in pain the rat tried to run back into the bushes for cover but Cyrus was both too angry and smart to repeat his mistake as he flapped his wings summoning up a considerable amount of sand and debris that swirled all around the Raticate until some of the sand landed right in its eyes leaving it partially blinded. Between the fog and the sand in its eyes the rat could hardly see anything but not all hope was lost as it did cause a lot of damage with the hyper fang it was able to use and it had avoided taking any damage this round giving it the upper hand for bow.

Raticate still could not help but worry that allowing the bird to score any kind of revenge might have been a big mistake that could prove to be a big mistake down the line. Even as its worries continued to rush through its head it had to be ready for the next round that could start at any moment before it made any more costly errors.





Wild Battle

---

Weather: Fog (Accuracy -10%)

Wild Raticate | Level 18
HP: 100% (53/53 HP)
Status: Normal, Accuracy -1
Raticate used Hyper Fang!

VS

Damien's Cyrus | Level 23
HP: 63% (44/69 HP)
Status: Normal
Cyrus used Sand Attack!

---

[Lamont]

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Cyrus did his best to try and keep track of the sneaky fat rat, but the fog was continuing to prove its annoyance. Both Damien and his pidgeotto scanned for the trail of rustling bushes trying to get a beat on Raticate, but neither of them thought to look behind.

[break]
"Its so fast..." the ranger commented, rather surprised at how the wild pokémon was out speeding his faithful bird. He'd always imagined Cyrus as one of his fastest pokémon, but Raticate was already running circles around him. Though, it was hard to tell if that was just a side effect of the fog... Or so Damien would have liked to continue believing. At his feet Simourv shuddered, pushing into his leg and causing the trainer quite the jump in his heart rate. No sooner had his gaze darted down to see what the raptor could possibly be trying to accomplish when the bushes at his back burst open to reveal the tan brown rodent.

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Out of instinctual reaction the ranger reached down to scoop up his young bird, "Watch out!" Cyrus swiftly turned around and got no farther than a step or two to interject himself between the slippery rodent and Damien before Raticate tackled him down and bit his legs. The trainer was left holding his rufflet on the ground, having fallen backward during the surprise attack. The pair watched the pidgeotto whip up a little sandstorm to hinder Raticate's sight even more than the fog was doing. "Good." The word slipped from his thoughts a couple seconds before Simourv reminded him he was currently clutched in his arms.

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With only a mild start Damien released the rufflet, heart still pounding from the shock of Raticate's move. "Sorry Simourv," he apologized after taking a short breath and exhaling. He made to stand shortly after, Cyrus resuming a hovering position before the ranger; eyes narrowed in anger at the sneaky rat. Damien wiped his brow with the back of his gloved hand and refocused on the visible battlefield. "Something sure has this guy riled up," he observed, taking another moment to collect himself. Already in the air Cyrus would have a bit more maneuverability, but it was doubtful the pidgeotto was going to out pace Raticate's speed. Seems like his starting call was a better call than he had initially imagined.

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"Keep the pressure on, Cyrus. Work up a Gust attack."

Word Count: 401

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(( Adding words to Incubator ))

[Marchbaby]

Raticate had made quite a mistake in allowing Cyrus to reduce its vision but the rat being sneaky as ever had an idea to make up for its short sighted error in judgement. Instead of trying to attack again in this fog with its vision Raticate had decided to take a different approach this time around as it began flexing its muscles as it took a deep breath giving it an increased level of focus far beyond its normal levels. Raticate was so focused that any attack it used for the remainder of the battle would have a boosted chance of a critical hit. Though it was a well though out plan it caused no damage like Cyrus's attack in the previous round and it might come back to regret that as Cyrus made his move.

The Pidgeotto began flapping his wings causing a mighty Gust that knocked various debris about as the wind headed straight for Raticate. The rat might have been a bit faster in executing its move but it could not escape from the gust as sand and rocks flew right into its face causing a moderate amount of damage. The attack had almost negated the opening advantage Raticate had thanks to its attack but it could not reduce the boosted focus the rat now had no matter how hard he tried. As the gust died down Raticate wiped its eyes trying to not let a single damaging move dampen its spirits any further. Even so the gust was far more painful than the rat thought was possible and it had to do something soon.

The fog was still as nasty as ever which did not help Raticate out in any way as it got ready to strike again. Knowing that if it did not do enough damage in the next attack it could be in a world of hurt as Damien and Cyrus were proving to be far more of a challenge than it had anticipated.




Wild Battle

---

Weather: Fog (Accuracy -10%)

Wild Raticate | Level 18
HP: 71% (38/53 HP)
Status: Normal, Accuracy -1, Critical Hit Stage 2
Raticate used Focus Energy!

VS

Damien's Cyrus | Level 23
HP: 63% (44/69 HP)
Status: Normal
Cyrus used Gust!

---

[Lamont]

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The ranger held his hat when the gust formed. He kept his eyes on the field but it was still too easy to lose track of things when the fog whirled about; thicker in some parts than others.

[break]
"Great job Cyrus," he began, squinting through the fog to try and determine whether the raticate had actually done anything or not. It hadn't seemed to move. That could be a good thing. His pidgeotto didn't appear to have taken any hits so maybe the rat had just missed whatever it attempted. Or... It was biding its time. He didn't like that thought. But as far as he knew raticate didn't learn that move naturally so it was unlikely to suddenly turn sour on him if he continued with the attack. "Another Gust."

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Simourv watched eagerly. Not just the movements and behaviors of his bird senior but also his trainer. Seeing the interaction between these two was proving to be quite enlightening. With the exp share safely in his possession the younger bird puffed out his chest feathers and took a few steps further away from Damien. Though he did spend a lot of time staring up at the boy as he did so; a shiver of uncertainty considering how intent that evolved pokémon was at getting through Cyrus to him and the ranger. He'd just need to trust the larger avian knew how to deal with the wild pokémon.

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Hopefully with the upkeep of a small windstorm raticate would be too busy to try and get around him again. It was hard to tell if it was actually working, or if Raticate had just spent a turn locking on for something bigger on the next exchange. Cyrus cooed quietly, remaining in the air in a hover just above the ground. His wing flaps helped keep a tiny bubble of semi-clear air about himself, which was nice to keep the humid fog from settling on his feathers but made trying to see through it probably more of a challenge. Luckily his mode of attack didn't require pinpoint precision. At Damien's word the pidgeotto got into a slightly better position to whip up another gust.

Word Count: 362

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(( Adding words to Incubator ))

[Marchbaby]

The Raticate did not have the best of luck so far as it had yet to avoid an attack from Cyrus to this point. Even with the thick fog the bird seemed to have hawk eyes that could see right through it while Raticate had only managed to score a single damaging hit so far. With its focus overflowing Raticate just had to try its luck again as it rushed towards the Pidgeotto at a breakneck speed with its jaw wide open ready to take a huge chomp out of the bird. The fog however had other plans as Cyrus flew up a high as he could in the terrible weather leaving Raticate unable to locate its foe. Having no idea where the bird went it had lost its chance to attack but that was only the start of its worries.

Cyrus dived down below the rat and started to flap his wings as hard as he could to summon another Gust. It might not have been as powerful as a Hyper Beam or even a Take Down for that matter but it was still strong enough to make the rat pay for such a dumb mistake. As if being partially blinded by Sand Attack two turns ago was not bad enough it now could not even avoid the flying debris striking it in the face as the gust swirled around it. Raticate started to show signs of its health getting low as it began breathing heavily and struggling to stand up right without putting itself in serious pain. Even so the rat had quite a warrior spirit as it battled through the tiredness and pain to keep going for now.

Cyrus was rather impressed that Raticate still refused to give in even after two powerful gusts though he knew the battle was not over yet. If Raticate did score a hit with Hyper Fang it could do a lot of damage like the first one and he had not even seen what other tricks the rat might still have left up its sleeves. For now Cyrus had quite the upper hand as this round came to a close and the fog still continued to cover the battlefield still showing no signs of going away anytime soon.






Wild Battle

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Weather: Fog (Accuracy -10%)

Wild Raticate | Level 18
HP: 71% (23/53 HP)
Status: Normal, Accuracy -1, Critical Hit Stage 2
Raticate used Hyper Fang (Missed)!

VS

Damien's Cyrus | Level 23
HP: 63% (44/69 HP)
Status: Normal
Cyrus used Gust!

---

[Lamont]

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Things continued to go well. Even with all this fog around Cyrus was managing to keep a beat on the speedy fat rat zipping this way and that. Even better was that the fog wasn't too much of a detriment to the pidgeotto himself. Outside of the battle his luck continued. He noticed Simourv acting a bit differently, shuffling about as if in slight mimicry of things he was seeing and learning. The ranger tried to keep his noticing a secret so as to not influence the rufflet in any way during the process, but this was great. It was exactly what Damien had wanted.

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"That's it Cyrus, I think you've done enough now." Hearing Damien's comment the evolved bird lowered itself to the ground and glanced back at Damien. The trainer nodded to the older bird and grabbed one of his other pokéballs. It was time to start fighting a bit more efficiently before raticate truly got out of hand. The wild pokémon could no doubt eventually be bested by the pidgeotto, but there was no telling how long that would take and if the rodent would make another cheeky attempt at either himself or Simourv before that happened.

[break] [break]
Cyrus remained put, eyes squinted in a glare at the wild pokémon, so as to keep an eye on the slinky rat in case it tried anything during the switch. Damien tossed the pokéball into the air and it popped open. Light streamed out from its open maw and slipped to the ground to coalesce into the shape of his panda fighter. Tardar blinked a couple times, then raised her fists to rub her eyes as if that was going to help clear her vision.

[break] [break]
"There's a bit of fog, but I've got an opponent for you Tardar. Cyrus has already softened 'em up for you," the ranger greeted the quiet pokémon. She looked to the pidgeotto and assumed that was who she was switching in with. Cyrus glanced the pancham out of his peripheral vision and was satisfied with the appearance to back off. "Go on Tardar. Keep an eye out for a raticate." Damien himself had lost track of the thing as he attended to his depressed panda, but hopefully as Cyrus made his quick retreat he wouldn't leave Tardar too open to Raticate's first strike.

[break]
"When you spot it, use Karate Chop." The pancham hurriedly looked around the wisps layering the area, hoping to see Raticate coming before it was too late. She put a hand to her opposite shoulder as she prepared herself for the battle.

Word Count: 437

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(( Adding words to Incubator ))

[Marchbaby]

As the fog still covered the battlefield the weakened Raticate really started to worry that it might just lose this battle. It had taken a considerable amount of damage and Cyrus was still standing as the next round was about to start. Little did the rat know that Damien was going to swap out his Pokemon for one with a type advantage over the rat or else it might have changed tactics. As Damien swapped Pokemon the new panda standing across from it now instead. It had already committed to using Hyper Fang before the swap and given the situation it found itself in the attack was about all the Raticate could try.

Its fangs sunk into Tardar's arm as she flailed violently to get the rat to loose its grip. Her incredible strength proved too much for the rat as it was sent flying towards a tree stopping just a few feet shy of the trunk as it stood on its hind legs ready to strike again. Even in the fog the panda Pokemon could not escape from Raticate's gaze as it ran towards her for a second time desperately still trying to knock her out. Raticate pounced onto the panda and bit down on her other arm refusing to let go no matter how hard she shook. This would prove to be a terrible mistake however as it meant Raticate had no hope of dodging her Karate Chop.

The panda lifted her arm opening her paw so that it would be as flat as possible. She then swiped down onto the Raticate's forehead nearly fracturing it's skull forcing it to not only let go of her arm but on top of that it also caused the rat to run off with what little energy it had left all while suffering from a nasty concussion while making a bunch of noise from all the pain it was in. Tardar's arm was still a bite sore from getting bit twice but of the two she had gotten off easy. The noise made by Raticate would likely draw more Pokemon to their location however and it was up to Damien if he wanted to keep trying his luck in the area or move on before anything else jumped out at him.




Wild Battle

---

Weather: Fog (Accuracy -10%)

Wild Raticate | Level 18
HP: 0% (0/53 HP)
Status: KO'ed
Raticate used Hyper Fang x2 (1 Critical Hit)!

VS

Damien's Tardar | Level 21
HP: 30% (20/65 HP)
Status: Normal
Cyrus swapped out for Tardar, Tardar used Karate Chop!

Tardar gained 2 levels and is now level 23. She also gains 1 happiness and has +5 overall.


Cyrus gains 1 level and happiness for his participation. He is now level 24 with +1 happiness.

---

[Lamont]

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It ended up being a terrifying last ditch effort by the raticate. Despite the fog it managed to not just find the small panda and get a bite in, but catch Tardar completely off guard as she settled onto the field. Hearing her pained yowl sent a pang of guilt shooting through Damien's stomach. Maybe he should have kept Cyrus on point a little longer, to wear out Raticate a bit more and perhaps hinder its vision a bit more too. A lapse of judgement it seemed. Something he'd have to remember in the future. Any hasty decisions could cost quite a bit in a battle. Luckily it wasn't against another trainer, and that Tardar was able to withstand the blow.

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"You alright Tardar?" he inquired. The boy stepped forward and crouched down by the black and white bear to get a better look at her injuries. It was pretty bad, but nothing a quick bit of rest couldn't fix. "He was a fast one wasn't he?" he chuckled in an attempt to lighten the pancham's mood a bit. Her reply was a simple shrug. Seemed she was back into her slump. He pet her head with a quiet word of praise and gave her a berry before returning her to her pokéball.

[break] [break]
The young ranger stood and turned to spot his two birds. Simourv had taken to sidling up beside the larger avian and resumed being a mini-me as best he could. Cyrus remained unbothered. Quietly watching their trainer with a hopeful glimmer. It had been so long since Damien had brought him along on travels. Of course he did well enough to cycle out his pokémon just to give them some fresh air and attention so they knew they weren't forgotten, but there was a more purposeful feeling that accompanied being part of the six party team. Damien smiled at the two.

[break] [break]
"That was a great job Cyrus." Damien reached down and stroked the pidgeotto then turned his attention to the smaller bird. "Hope you picked up on a thing or two buddy." The rufflet cocked his head to the side and ruffled his feathers affirmatively. That was good enough for Damien. "Well, we better get a move on then before that raticate comes back with friends. Though..." he trailed off, his mind mulling over some thoughts. His team was barely leveled since Bugsy, and even then he had only ever tested Seraph versus the bug master. In a way he kind of regretted showing off like that, since it meant that he didn't get to gauge the rest of his team but... Well... It had been too amazing an opportunity and if he could go back he'd probably do it again anyway.

[break] [break]
He grinned. "Let's go." It was still foggy, but he had training that needed to get done.

Word Count: 472

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((Simourv also gets a level for EXP Share. Updated him to LV 21. Giving Tardar a Sitrus Berry to hold. Adding words to Incubator))

[Fallen]

Little did Damien know, he had a Pokemon watching and spectating the whole entire encounter between him and his Pokemon with the Raticate. Now, it was that Pokemon's turn to challenge the trainer to its own battle. The challenger walked closer to Damien and out of the fog, allowing itself to be seen, and was revealed to be a Zangoose. The cat-ferret Pokemon's fur was comprised of both colors of white and red. It's eyes carried an even seemingly deeper red color to them of their own. With Zangoose's very strong looking claws, the Pokemon could prove to be a very competitive opponent in a battle, even if it couldn't evolve any further than its base stage.

The Zangoose merely looked at the trainer and his Pokemon and waited to see what they would do. The trainer, as the Pokemon had seen from the previous battle, seemed to have a well-trained team. But that could be exactly what the Zangoose was looking for, a tough opponent to face. The Zangoose held his claws together and gave Damien a look with his fiercely red eyes. A look saying that the Zangoose was a challenger that was not going to go down without a fight, if the trainer did so accept the Pokemon's challenge.

From out of the fog, a wild Zangoose level 18 appeared! It appears to be very hungry for a good challenge.
What will Damien and his Pokemon do? Will they accept the Zangoose's challenge?

fXekKNqm1-42
Shiny Check1-42

[Lamont]

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They had barely taken a few steps when the sound of rustling bushes caught Damien's attention. His first thought was back to the raticate. Had it already managed to find some friends and come back for another round? The ranger stopped to squint into the fog. If there was one consolation the dense mist seemed to be letting up a bit as time went on. Likely helped by a wind that had finally picked up as the afternoon rolled in. But the boy wasn't concerned with what the weather was like. Right now he, and his pair of birds, were focused on peering through the haze to get a beat on whatever it was that was coming close.

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After a few seconds of listening it became clear that it couldn't be raticate. Whatever it was was approaching with a pair of steps; two legged and not in any rush. Was it a trainer then? Or perhaps another drowzee like before? Damien turned his head down to Cyrus and Simourv and signaled for them to stay put this time. The pidgeotto ruffled his feathers but remained quiet and returned his gaze to the approaching figure. Something was emerging from the fog.

[break] [break]
Despite its striking colors the first thing that caught the trainer's attention were the eyes. Lost in the deep indomitable red split by the harsh black pupil ranger didn't act for a decent amount of time. It was clear that this wild pokémon wasn't here to quench some primal thirst. By posture and patience the ranger could tell the zangoose had spent time and care into choosing to reveal itself for a purpose. A test perhaps? Damien couldn't help but get caught back up in those eyes. A tenacious valor and spirit.

[break] [break]
"I think I have someone for you," the boy acknowledged Zangoose's issued challenge, reaching to his belt and withdrawing one of his less experienced pokémon. "Come on out Andromeda." With the pokéball in the air it popped open and released the young shinx he'd been keeping on the sidelines. She had a similar look about her right from when he got her as a baby, but it grew into more of an unspoken rivalry for other females. Perhaps she could learn something from this zangoose.

[break] [break]
He would find out soon enough. Andromeda took one look at the proud furret pokémon and instantly narrowed her gaze. A low hiss twitched her nose and she tensed into an offensive posture, hair standing on end. Damien sighed quietly. She was on edge before she had even considered what she was up against. At least he'd made her hold the eviolite before hand.
[break]
"Stay calm girl. This isn't going to be a slap fight, you have a real opponent here." His words didn't seem to do much to ease her, though it was clear she was listening. The only thing she did was cease the hissing, now standing in a wide pounce-ready stance in silence as she stared relentlessly at Zangoose. Damien almost felt embarrassed for her behavior before such a stoic opponent. "Try to stay clear of those claws, but time to light 'em up Andromeda! Use Spark."

[break] [break]
The shinx was all too happy to comply. Without hesitation her body began to crackle to life, little sparks snapping and racing along her body as she built up her power in prep for the attack. Damien just hoped she was prepared. Zangoose may have taken care to approach him slowly but the ranger knew it was no slouch. No doubt it'd be faster than her, and those claws weren't just for show.

Word Count: 600

[break] [break]

(( Thanks to Andromeda's Rivalry ability, requesting Zangoose be a Female. Andromeda using Spark. Adding words to Incubator))

[Noerd]

The Zangoose simply glared readily at its opposition, quite keen to get on with proceedings. Andromeda's hissing seemed to do little more than further psych it up for combat as it sharpened its claws threateningly. This Normal type was most certainly ready for whatever Damien's Shinx had to throw at it. That and more.

Andromeda started to crackle with electricity, but before she could so much as move a leg muscle her opponent was onto her. Almost literally. The feline monstrosity crashed into its far smaller rival, knocking her off of her feet and sending her hurtling back toward her master. This Pokémon was every bit as strong as it had looked, and the Ranger's Electric type was suffering for it.

Andromeda slowly rose to her feet, a determined glint in her eyes. She wasn't going to let this stand. Charging forward, the Shinx engulfed herself in bright lightning and tackled her opponent in the chest. Zangoose exhaled sharply, shocked by the blow and took a step backward to steady itself. It stared at Andromeda, its murderous gaze only getting more focused after that blow.

Wild Battle

---

Wild Zangoose | Level 18 | Female
HP: 69% (41/59 HP)
Status: Normal
Zangoose used Quick Attack!

VS

Damien's Andromeda | Level 16 | Rivalry
HP: 52% (18/34 HP)
Status: Normal
Andromeda used Spark!

[Lamont]

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What bit of concern the boy had for his riled shinx was quickly getting replaced with a sense of inadequacy in the face of zangoose. It was an odd feeling, particularly due to the fact it was when up against a wild pokémon. He knew zangoose would be a tough opponent but he'd never imagined the power difference being this great between them. Damien had hoped with how energetic Andromeda was that would help buffer but it was clear that thought was misplaced after the first exchange. The ranger raised a hand to his face to consider, Andromeda meanwhile taking up her growling again.

[break] [break]
"This isn't working..." he mumbled to himself. "You win this round Zangoose," he spoke, tipping his hat to the mongoose. Andromeda's ears twitched, head turning afterward to look at the ranger in confusion. "There's no point in dragging it on, you're just not quite ready for such a strong opponent Andromeda." The shinx didn't want to admit it. She didn't want to lose. Especially to this zangoose. The electric type turned back and tried to ignore the idea, as if that would make him change his mind.

[break]
"No, Andromeda, back. Come on." To Damien's dismay she neglected to listen. She was too invested, her pride not allowing her to back down after such a display of challenge from before. Even if the zangoose could likely end it in one more shot. Her determination was admirable but not useful right now.

[break]
"Cyrus," he paused, looking to his nearby pidgeotto. He was about to elaborate but the old bird had been ready and was already going into action. He turned his head and cooed to Simourv sitting beside and shortly after the pair took to the sky. Both zipped toward the fight. Simourv fluttered to Andromeda and grabbed her like a hawk would a cat and forcefully removed from the battlefield while Cyrus took up a position as the Zangoose's next opponent.

[break] [break]
Andromeda, of course, flailed and hissed in disagreement of the move. Simourv dropped her quickly, getting swiped at as he made a desperate climb back into the mildly foggy air. She was getting out of hand.

[break]
"I trust you to handle this," he briefly regarded his trusted old companion before stepping toward his raging feline. She was already crackling with energy and turning her eyes back onto the Zangoose when Damien swooped in. He didn't want to try and shove her back into her pokéball like this, it wouldn't do her any good. Plus she'd likely just pop back out and cause a fuss anyway. Her body lit up with sparks as he came into contact, his jacket absorbing most of the discharge as he grabbed her firmly then pinched her scruff.

[break] [break]
He didn't say a word. She attempted to struggle for a bit but ultimately didn't want to actually harm him; no matter how much she wanted to get to Zangoose. Soon she was left fuming in his lap as he sat with her. The pair of them watching how Cyrus was fairing against the new opponent.

Word Count: 512

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(( Switching, Cyrus using Quick Attack. Adding words to Incubator))

[Marchbaby]

Having quite a bit of damage to the young Shinx, Zangoose was not about to show her opponent or Damien the slightest break to try and maintain the advantage she had gained after the first round. Having tangled with a number of Seviper she had little trouble dealing with Andromeda as she was nowhere near as strong as the snake Pokemon but despite her good fortunes her advantage was quickly dissolved as Damien swapped out his Pokemon. The swap annoyed the mongoose Pokemon a bit as it meant her hard work was for nothing so far but it did give her an opening to score a free hit on Cyrus with her Quick Attack. She rushed forward and smacked the Pidgeotto with her paw at a fantastic speed causing moderate damage but not as much as she had caused to Andromeda.

Even with the second round not going as well as the first she still had the initiative though it was quite short lived as Cyrus rushed towards her with a Quick Attack of his own striking her across the face with his wing at a fantastic speed even greater than the mongoose had achieved. Even so the mongoose was known for its temper and rushed forward with a second Quick Attack aiming for Cyrus's face but the bird was fast enough that she was only able to swipe at his abdomen. Though it was not the best aimed attack it still scored a decent amount of damage but she was still starting to get exhausted from the damage she had taken from both Andromeda and Cyrus.

With another round looming Zangoose knew she had to do something to make up for the health she had lost between the two Pokemon as Quick Attack was just not strong enough to overcome the number of Pokemon she had to fight. She had a trick up her sleeve but it was risky to try and if she failed to take advantage of her trick soon this battle was not going to have a good ending for her at all.





Wild Battle

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Wild Zangoose | Level 18 | Female
HP: 40% (24/59 HP)
Status: Normal
Zangoose used Quick Attack x2!

VS

Damien's Cyrus | Level 24 | Keen Eye
HP: 60% (43/71 HP)
Status: Normal
Andromeda switched out for Cyrus, Cyrus used Quick Attack!

[Lamont]

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The more he watched the zangoose the more impressed he was. She didn't flourish or boast. Getting straight to the point and not wasting any excess energy on trying to do anything extraneously fancy. Her movements were precise, calculated, and in that way she came off as a bit cold and harsh. But it wasn't a vehement anger or dislike for her opponents... unlike a certain someone. Damien's eyes momentarily dropped to the shinx trapped in his lap. Even though he couldn't see it he knew Andromeda was relentlessly glaring daggers at Zangoose. He was really going to need to do something about that. But what?

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The ranger's mind was working in overdrive. Before he delved too much on the sideline thoughts though he needed to give Cyrus some attention.

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"Thanks Cyrus. Try to throw her off a bit with a Twister," he suggested. The pidgeotto cawed, a moments hesitation as he too thought of what was best to do. Given what the zangoose had been doing all this time quick attack seemed the better move, especially when appraising just how much stamina the wild pokémon had left. But twister had its advantages even if it wasn't very powerful; it was just riskier. In the end Cyrus trusted Damien knew what he was doing and so would follow any implied instructions from the boy. He puffed up his chest feathers and called out before beginning to orchestrate the tricky whirling wind.

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As Cyrus worked up his attack Simourv had skipped his way over, somewhat tentatively given the ball of rage in his lap. The ranger noticed the young rufflet's hesitation toward Andromeda and sympathized.

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"It's okay boy, she's not going to be scratching anyone now," he assured the bird with a light smile. Simourv looked up when Damien spoke, feeling a bit more confident but still obviously unsure. The ranger inwardly slapped himself. If it had been any other kind of pokémon, anything else but a bird, he probably would have pet him to provide more comfort. But now he was giving himself the excuse of Andromeda possibly slipping free to support his unease around the raptor.

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He sighed quietly, releasing the pinch he had on Andromeda's scruff but keeping his hands in place so she couldn't jump out of his grasp. The shinx felt like she relaxed a bit in turn, though the boy could feel a faint tingle of a spark trickling out from her.

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"You just take it easy."

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It was back to watching the battle between Cyrus and the zangoose. Again his thoughts went to how to help Andromeda with her complex intermingled with an admiration for the red-white pokémon. Damien bit his bottom lip lightly. Oh she was going to hate him for this... He had to capture the zangoose.

Word Count: 465

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(( Cyrus using Twister. Adding words to Incubator))