Operation: Icy Devil[F]

[Marchbaby]

As Kevin, Oracle, and Samantha reached the streets of Cherrygrove they could see a group of figures just off in the distance and the unmistakable sight of a Pokeball being thrown. After the ball clicked shut Oracle and Samantha rushed to see who the figure was with Kevin right behind. It was not long before they noticed it was Marchbaby and his team and that they had just captured an Ekans. The biggest shock though was seeing that Vör had evolved into a Lucario. Oracle had never really gotten to know her sister for very long at all so she was thrilled to see the young Lucario. " Oh my goodness Vör, you have evolved already? It looks like our dragon tamer friend is quite skilled. He has certainly shown to be a trustworthy ally, how have you been other wise?" She asked as the young Lucario distinctly remembered her sister.

" Oh I have been well, March has been an excellent trainer so far and his team have taught me a lot. I finally managed to learn Flash Cannon after I evolved. How have you been my dear sister?" She responded as Oracle nearly fainted hearing her sister mention the very move that won Kevin his second badge. " Oh I have been doing good as well. We just so happened to have defeated Bugsy using that very move. Poor Samantha did not even get a turn it was such a powerful attack." Marchbaby finally got a word in as he had not gotten a new badge in quite some time.

" Oh boy we have the same number of badges now? That is wonderful news. Once Vör levels up more I am planning on taking on the next gym leader but gosh it is great to see you all again. I see Samantha has gotten far more powerful since our last visit." He said as the vixen lifted up a garbage bin and tossed it across the street with her Psychic attack just to see if she could. " Well that went over well, now if only I could evolve things would be great. Anyway it is good to see you again. Hopefully Kevin will have the chance to evolve me again soon so that I can show you my real power." As she said that a noise came from a nearby alley. As March got the last Pokemon he invited Kevin to see what it was this time around.

" I caught the last Pokemon so this one is all yours, let's see if lady luck is on your side."



OOC: Waiting for an encounter. Most of this is just fluff but the TLDR version is that March and Kevin are both trying to capture Pokemon together in their own their own separate threads. 

[Fallen]

As the two trainers continued to talk, dust began to whip around them. A dust storm was approaching Cherrygrove City, coming right from where it had been in New Bark Town. The Sandstorm weather effect had remained on the route heading to Cherrygrove from New Bark for quite a while, but now it had travelled all the way into the City of Fragrant Flowers. It would start small, but eventually the dust storm would pick up across the whole city. It seemed as if it was right after the thunderstorm had finished that the dust had rushed right on in afterwards, to take them by surprise.

As the dust continued to pick up, the source of the noise in the alleyway showed its face. A loud squawk! came out from the alley before the Spearow appeared. The bird Pokemon was happy the rain was gone finally, but clearly did not seem to be too happy about the dust storm either. If that wasn't enough to anger it, as it would appear, there were already two trainers seemingly waiting to fight it. It had come out after hearing the trash can hit that Samantha through hit the ground, scaring it, which caused it to squawk. Could the Spearow's luck get any worse?

Oh well. If it was a battle these trainers wanted, the Spearow thought, then it was a battle it was going to give to them. The Spearow would not let itself go down easily, or at least so it continued to think. It was angry and that was all it knew in the moment, was its anger. Completely driven by the anger, the Spearow let out another squawk! out of anger as it flew in and landed closer to the trainers, making sure they could see the anger on its face.

From out of the alley, a wild Spearow (level 10) approaches!
What will Kevin and his Pokemon do?

[Marchbaby]

The dust storm that blew in made the close quarters even more dangerous as a Pokemon could easily get the jump on Kevin and his team and as he heard the squawk and saw the Spearow at the end of the alley he knew he would have to change tacits as the bird could learn Pursuit and he could not even swap out Eiskalt for one of his Pokemon to help her gain a level from even setting foot in the battle.With that in mind he had to still find a way to make this encounter useful so he decided to give Freyja a bit more time to train as she was still a decent amount of training away from being able to evolve.

" Well my dear it looks like it is time for you to get more training now that Samantha and  Oracle are way ahead of your level. Fighting this Spearow should help in a number of ways as we try to get you bonded enough with me to evolve. As always your Adaptability ability should be very useful in this battle to make up for your rather poor movepool for the time being." He said as he tossed the Pokeball containing the young Eevee at his feet. She stretched out all 4 of her legs one right after the other and then yawned before looking right at the bird with a face that was both confident and smug at the same time. 

She was the weakest of Kevin's canine trio but even she could be tough when the time came and as the dust storm messed up her fur this was one time she was willing to fight without mercy to get back into her Pokeball and out of the storm as soon as she could. " It is times like this I am glad I am part steel type, not being harmed by a sandstorm unlike most life forms certainly has its advantages. Freyja do be careful as you do not have that luxury unfortunately." Oracle said as Samantha covered her eyes with her paws to try and avoid being blinded by the storm. Kevin even had to use his sleeve to protect his eyes the best he could as the young Eevee got ready to attack.

" I have to give you credit for handling this storm as well as you are Freyja, use Tackle twice on that Spearow and make sure you take advantage of your Adaptability." He said as Eevee took off like a bullet aimed right at the Spearow.


OOC: Freyja uses Tackle x2 on Spearow taking advantage of her Adaptability ability and Kevin's Running Shoes. 

[Noerd]

The irate bird glared at Kevin as he pulled out his ball. It simply couldn't stand this trainer; the more he spoke and moved, the more Spearow saw to dislike. Of course, it would probably have hated Kevin all the same if he'd handed the Flying type a tasty treat or two, such was the irrationality of this creature's mindset right now. Every so often it would cast a leer toward March too, just in case that human had figured he was safe. No, he'd be the next on Spearow's list.

Spearow squawked in sheer disgust while Freyja materialised, doing its best to make sure that Kevin and his companion knew exactly how it felt. Heck, it could probably take both of them on. Why was this second human not jumping in to defend his friend? Had he no shame? He was about to let this person fight The Mighty Spearow™ alone! And when it finally saw Kevin's Eevee in all her glory, Spearow couldn't believe its luck. It wasn't about to pass up this chance; the Eevee looked weak enough. This wouldn't take long, thought Spearow. Oh, how right the bird was (for once).

Mere moments after Kevin gave the order, Freyja was on the move. She darted across the grass, relatively undaunted by the relentless conditions around her (and even less bothered by Spearow's hostility), crashing into the opponent quickly and powerfully. The arrogant avian suddenly found itself disappearing into the storm around it for a few seconds before it finally regained enough of its senses to right itself. What a surprise. This cute thing had some bite after all. Still. It wasn't enough. Spearow would show it. It flew straight back into the fray, its Keen Eyes not remotely affected by this sandstorm. With a shrill cry of resistance, Spearow Pecked its assailant hard on the noggin. Freyja winced slightly, shaking her head in displeasure, but that was about all the reaction Spearow got out of her.

In such close range, Spearow would've had little choice but to take the next strike head on. With as much strength as she could muster, Freyja launched her fluffy frame back into Spearow, knocking the winged beast onto its back rather ungracefully. Spearow's consciousness left it almost instantly, its wings falling limp as if to confirm this fact. It was certainly a quick battle, that was for sure. If only Spearow's other predictions were remotely accurate.

---

Congratulations! The Mighty Spearow™ has fallen!


Freyja earned herself a couple of levels, reaching Level 15!
+1 Happiness too (up to 10)!

[Marchbaby]

As Freyja delivered the second tackle knocking out the Spearow Kevin patted her on the head for doing a good job before he turned to see Marchbaby was about to wrap up his battle with Meowth as Vör got ready to fire an Aura Sphere at the cat Pokemon and Kevin could not help but chuckle knowing that it was complete overkill to use such a powerful move on a young Pokemon like that. " I knew dragon tamers had a thing for power and so far even as an apprentice he sure is showing that very same preference as full blown dragon masters. That kid sure is something, it is a good thing we ran into him when we did." He said under his breath before walking towards Marchbaby.

As Kevin admired Marchbaby's fighting spirit Freyja rubbed her head on his leg trying to get his attention as the sandstorm was really not a good place for her to be unless she had to be out and was hoping to go back inside her Pokeball for the time being. " Ah yes poor Freyja, you are not quite as strong as Samantha or Oracle yet so I do suppose it is for the best to keep you shielded from this weather as much as I can."" He said as he grabbed her Pokeball and recalled her. In this weather raising Eiskalt would be difficult but so long as he avoided Spearow his plan should work even without having to call poor Freyja out again. He was going to talk to Marchbaby to pass a bit of time hoping the dust storm would pass but before he could another strange noise came from a beneath a trash bin a short distance away.

" Well it looks like we have another visitor on our hands, to be safe lets see what it is before we attack it out of the blue but I do hope it is something I can use my plan against so Eiskalt finally can get a small taste of battle." As they walked towards the trash bin he could not tell it it was a Pokemon or trainer messing with it but either way he was not going to let them get away even in bad weather such as this. " Oracle and Samantha surround that trash bin, one way or another we are going to keep our new friend right where we want them." The two canine Pokemon then took their places just waiting for whatever was hiding beneath the bin to come out and try to escape.




OOC: Waiting for another encounter.

[Lamont]

Whatever it was it was being rather noisy. The bin rattled and rattled, jarred this way and that but ultimately stopped from falling over by boxes and bags piled up beside it. Despite all the racket though whatever it was wasn't making itself known. Without some assistance it would continue for a while, but eventually either by the slow shifting of the items preventing the can from falling over or some other intervention, the garbage can would be removed from its endless rattling position. But... there wasn't anything inside..?

No, nothing was inside the can or even bumbling around it. However, the cause of all the commotion would soon come to light. From the ground the lightly cobbled earth composing the alley rumbled and cracked. A mound began to form. After a few more seconds the mound gave way with a sudden pop. A smooth brown shape with a button nose blinked up at Kevin. It meeped and waggled, happy to have the trash can out of its way.

A wild diglett (LV 5) appeared!

[Marchbaby]

Though Kevin would have been happy with avoiding another encounter with Spearow he was thrilled to see the next Pokemon was a Diglett. They were a rare species in the area and one of the few ground type Pokemon a trainer could encounter this early in their adventure. He did not need a ground type for the next gym but down the line he knew how useful they could be and he had no intentions of letting this one escape if he could help it. He did not have as many Pokeball's as he would have liked for the encounter but he was going to make it work if at all possible as he decided to press his luck and use Eiskalt to start things off.

" I know this is a huge risk to use you right now but everyone else will knock out Diglett in one hit and it would be hard to capture it at full health. I sure hope this risk pays off." The icy type weasel was even less of a fan of the weather than Freyja was as it was the opposite of a blizzard that she was designed to live in. The young Pokemon covered her eyes as she stood in front of Kevin waiting for him to give her an order so she could get started on her first battle before the weather brought her down. Kevin knew he had to work this situation out quickly as Eiskalt was far from a durable Pokemon.

" Eiskalt try and use your signature move Icicle Crash as quickly as you can. Even with the huge level gap that move should put quite a dent in a fragile Pokemon like Diglett. Do be careful though as you are not very durable either especially being a newborn Sneasel." He said as she got ready to strike. Had the weather not been so awful he would not be quite as worried as he was but he really hoped he was not asking too much of her. If the worst did happen his other Pokemon could easily endure the Diglett's attacks but capturing it would be far harder. As he waited to see if his choice would lead to a disaster or not Oracle started to stretch her legs just in case she had to save the day. She would have no problem taking one for the team if it meant capturing a valuable Pokemon like Diglett out of the deal though she also hoped Eiskalt would get lucky.



OOC: Kevin sends out Eiskalt who uses Icicle Crash.

[Dan]

The ice type Pokemon was certainly a rare site around these parts. The type of creature would normally only be found on mountain tops or ice caves, so the Diglett was quite wary of the creature. A dusty haze had covered the battlefield, making it hard for Eiskalt to see, but easy for Diglett to maneuver through. Dust piled up on the weasel's eyes, slowly inflicting damage and impairing the valuable accuracy stat that was imperative to any Pokemon's moveset.

The time had come for the two to brawl for their lives. Sneasel was quite the new Pokemon, not just to Kevin’s team, but to the waking world. The Pokemon had been bred with a special move to easily knock out Pokemon early on in life. These egg moves were valuable cargo to any serious trainer that wanted to be unstoppable. But Diglett was no slow Pokemon, it graveled toward the weasel and unleashed a devastating scratch on the foe. In retort, the weasel threw a series of icicles towards the ground Pokemon. Both were matched in the brawn versus brawn battle. The sandstorm raged on during this seemingly rapid battle.

Battle

---

Weather: Sandstorm

Diglett | Level 5 | Arena Trap | Soft Sand
HP: 41% (7/17)
Status: Normal
Used Scratch!

VS

Eiskalt | Level 1 | Keen Eye |
HP: 33% (4/12)
Status: Hit by Sandstorm!
Used Icicle Crash!
((Can't seem to get any sprite for Sneasel to work for some reason? The code seems fine so idk what to do. Also note that Diglett is wielding Soft Sand.))

[Marchbaby]

After seeing the first round go by in the blink of an eye Kevin knew Eiskalt was not quite ready to face this Diglett yet but at the same time he was not going to let it escape. Before he could even decide which Pokemon to swap out for Eiskalt Samantha jumped out in front of the young Sneasel ready to take a hit for the team and to keep her safe. That solved the short term problem but there was still the issue of trying to capture the Diglett without knocking it out. With the damage it had already suffered it could not take another hit from anything on his team leaving Kevin only one real option when the time came.

" This little Diglett really hits hard for such a small thing, it is a good thing you are such a high level Samantha or else you would be in trouble. After you take a hit for the team we can try and capture it despite its health being higher than I would have liked but there is not much else we can do about that now." He said as he grabbed a Pokeball and waited for the ground type to strike. As he waited Oracle continued to enjoy the sandstorm unlike Kevin and Samantha as she secretly hoped it would last a bit longer. Her enjoyment of the weather did not last too long however as the Diglett made its move.

As soon as the ground type started to attack Kevin took aim trying to hit the ground type right between the eyes hoping to maximize the chance of capturing it as he did not have any more powerful balls that would be helpful in trying to capture it." Let's hope this works, go Pokeball capture that Diglett." He said as the ball flew towards the Diglett. Samantha was ready to take a second hit if the ball failed but she hoped the first hit was the only one she would have to deal with since she wanted to catch up with Oracle's level as soon as she could.

Kevin on the other hand was just hoping he would not miss his chance to capture a rare Pokemon before he ran out of Pokeballs. " I really wish I would have stopped at a Pokemart before this battle but hopefully lady luck is kind to us this time around." He said as he started to question himself over why he did not buy more Pokeballs when he had the chance.



OOC: Just noting that Diglett does not have an ability yet as it has two non hidden abilities though the Soft Sand will still apply. Swapping out Eiskalt for Samantha then using a Pokeball and hoping to get luck. Updating the Pokeball myself.

[Lamont]

Diglett huffed, just another whiff among the scratch of sand going around the city alleyways, but Samantha knew what was going to come. Before anyone else could react she was up front and center, cutting off the sneaky ground type's approach in the storm and taking the brunt of the wild pokémon's next attack. It made barely a mark against the leveled fox. Diglett squeaked in panicked surprise. This was a much bigger opponent than the other one. More than formidable and not something Diglett wanted to tangle with in all honesty, but it couldn't back down now.

Gearing for another go the wild pokémon was paying absolutely no attention to the sidelines. With the sandstorm whipping around it was easy to lose track of things. Kevin's aim however was spot on. With the diglett well occupied and currently stationary there was no better time to throw. The ball slipped through the whirling winds and lobbed the ground pokémon on the noggin.

---

SUCCESS!

---

Please fill in the following information for your new Diglett: (Added to PC)

[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/bw/diglett.png"]
[b]Diglett[/b]
Name: [Choose]
Gender: [Choose]
Level: 5
OT: Kevin Baker
Attacks: Sand Attack, Scratch, Growl
Ability: Arena Trap OR Sand Veil
Nature/Personality: [Choose]
Happiness: 0


---

Samantha gained 250XP and +1 Happiness! (+13)


Eiskalt grew to LV 2 and gained +1 Happiness!



Soft Sand was added to Kevin's inventory

[Marchbaby]

As the Pokeball clicked shut Kevin was both relieved and disappointed as Eiskalt could have earned more experience by not switching out but at the same time she did still get a bit stronger and he had captured one of the two rarest Pokemon that lived in the streets of Cherrygrove. Between Marchbaby and himself they now had the complete set but there were still other Pokemon they did not have and Eiskalt still needed to train more before he could move on. It might mean it would be here for a while but the longer he was here the more he could prepare for the Ilex Forest and the next gym leader.

" Our luck could have been a bit better overall but that was still a great battle, that Diglett will be a fine Pokemon to breed given its rarity and we are now one step closer to completing the Pokedex. We are still a long way off but the faster we capture the rarer Pokemon the easier our quest will be." Samantha was just thankful she did not have to take many hits for the team to capture the mole Pokemon as the sandstorm had been enough of a pain to deal with. " Thank goodness that little thing did not put up that much of a fight, I did not get much experience there but every bit does help and I do believe a fast ground type like that might come in handy."

Oracle agreeded but she also wanted to get into another encounter as quickly as they could so Eiskalt could get more experience. " Eiskalt did pretty well on her first try but she will need more experience before she will be able to help us progress in any gym. Maybe with a bit of luck we will run into something soon that she can fight by herself." Just as she finished speaking Oracle felt the presence of another living creature nearby as her ears perked up ready to track it down. As she walked towards the aura she sensed she made sure Kevin was ready for another battle.

" I hope you are all ready for another fight. There is something else up ahead just doen this alley." Kevin cracked his knuckles as he got ready to start another battle. If it was something Eiskalt could handle he fully planned on letting the young Sneasel try her luck again as she had a lot of catching up to do to be of any real use on their journey


OOC:

Waiting on another encounter.



Diglett
Name: Wacka
Gender: Female
Level: 5
OT: Kevin Baker
Attacks: Sand Attack, Scratch, Growl
Ability: Arena Trap
Nature/Personality: Adamant
Happiness: 0

[Venominon]

Almost as quickly as the dust storm had subsided, an icy rain began to pour down from the sky over Cherrygrove City. The alley Kevin and his Pokémon were in provided them with some cover from it, but it had become very clear that weather in Johto can change very drastically in an instant. This rather sudden cold rain had caused the aura Kevin was sensing to start moving all around at a fast pace, a clear sign that the Pokémon he was sensing was experiencing some distress because of said rain. Also, from the look of it's aura, this particular Pokémon was probably a Flying type, since it's aura repeatedly left the ground several times in it's state of distress. The Pokémon did it's best to find cover from the rain, growing more and more agitated as the drops of cold water continued to fall, so much so that it didn't notice Kevin and his team until they were nearly on top of it. The second it did, the small wild Pokémon didn't like what it saw one bit.

"Taillow! Tail! Taillow!" The Pokémon in question was indeed a Flying type. A Taillow to be exact. This particular Pokémon did not like the cold at all, so this icy rain made the tiny swallow Pokémon quite upset. Seeing Kevin and his Pokémon didn't help it's mood either, as the Taillow visibly demonstrated it's anger and discontent by glaring at the group, and rapidly flapping it's wings while calling out it's name. "Low! Low! Taillow! Tail!" However, staying true to it's gutsy nature, the Taillow made no attempts to fly away. In fact, the Flying type welcomed the challenge, egging Kevin and his Pokémon to give it their best shot. It was all up to Kevin now. He and his team could still walk away from this confrontation.

A wild Taillow (LV 6) appeared!

Shiny check: 24T2KTs91-42
1-42

[Marchbaby]

The rain which replaced the sandstorm did not do very much of a favor for Kevin as it reduced Samantha's power but the Taillow that appeared really spoiled his mood as the bird was a bit too high leveled for Eiskalt to handle. Being the brave little weasel she was however she charged towards the bird without a single thought of her own safety in mind. Kevin knew things were not going to go well unless he swapped Pokemon so he recalled the young weasel and sent out Samantha to replace it hoping that his luck would not get any worse. 

The only good thing about swapping out was that Samantha was more than powerful enough to endure anything the bird could throw at her until she had the chance to make a move of her own. " Our luck has shifted quite a bit here but it is a good thing Eiskalt got swapped out before she could get hurt." He said as Samantha stood in front of the bird just waiting for Kevin to order an attack for her so she could put an end to this battle before their luck could get any worse. The vixen was starting to lose her temper again and made it clear how she felt about both the weather and battle.

" The weather around here is a disaster, how anything can live here comfortably is beyond me but the sooner we get out of here the better. This little pest I am about to fight had better put up a fight so it will be worth my time." After she spoke Kevin finally decided on the move she should use as if he had much choice in this awful weather. Psychic might not get a power boost due to her type but he thought it should be more than enough in this case even without the boost.

" Samantha lets getout of this mess, use Psychic on that Taillow so we can try and find something Eiskalt can handle" Greatful that she could finally make her move the vixen started to build up her psychic energy as she waited for the perfect moment to strike. She could not waste this much power on a glancing blow if she wanted to get more powerful." OK you little pest I hope you are ready for a fight. My psychic powers will put you in your place." She said before launching her attack.



OOC: Sending out Eiskalt then swapping for Samantha who uses Psychic.

[Venominon]

The wild Taillow continued to shiver, as the freezing rain continued to pour down from above. But that didn't stop the tiny swallow Pokémon from glaring at Kevin and his Pokémon, especially when the young Sneasel came charging in. Taillow had expected the fight to begin right then and there, but was quickly surprised and puzzled when the human called the sharp claw Pokémon back to it's Poke Ball. "Taillow! Taillow! Low! Low!" The Flying type Pokémon cried out in anger, as it's glare towards the trainer got even more intense. The bird wanted him to either throw down, or get out. It was clearly not at all amused by Kevin's decision to call Eiskalt back, nor when Samantha called it a "little pest."

In fact, that name only served to make the wild Taillow far more upset then it already was. "Taillow! Tail!" The small bird squawked as loud as it could, all while glaring up at Samantha. About a second after that, Taillow spread it's wings, and flew straight for the fox Pokémon. Upon reaching Samantha, Taillow gave her the strongest Peck attack it could muster. The attack was successful, but Taillow was quickly shocked, seeing that it's opponent had taken very little damage from the impact. But the real shock came after that, when Samantha's Psychic attack caused Taillow far more damage then the tiny swallow Pokémon could handle. After being blown a good distance backwards from the blast, Taillow quickly turned around, and flew away as fast as it could, not even caring about the rain anymore. It just wanted to get away from it's insanely overpowered foe.

---

Samantha gained 300XP and +1 Happiness! (+14)





Eiskalt grew to LV 3 and gained +1 Happiness! (+2)

[Marchbaby]

As the battle with the wild Taillow came to a swift end Samantha was relieved that once again she had protected the young Sneasel from harm. Eiskalt might not have thought things through too well up to this point but her bravery was quite encouraging unlike Freyja's friendly nature. Once they could train Eiskalt to not just jump headlong into battle she would be a great help. " Great job Samantha, I know these younger Pokemon are not doing much for your own training but it is a huge help for Eiskalt. Fairly soon she should be able to handle things on her own so long as she learns to be a bit more careful." Kevin said as the rain refused to let up.

The weather was still not very favorable but things could always have been worse and he had little choice on training elsewhere so they had to stick it out and hope for better weather soon. Samantha certainly hoped so as between the sandstorm and rain her fur was a mess and her powers were all out of whack. " I sure hope we get a nice sunny day soon, my fur is in desperate need of cleaning and drying out and it will help my powers get back in line as well. I wish my species were as lucky as Oracle who never has to face that problem." As the vixen idolized Oracle never having to fear a decrease in power due to the weather Oracle picked up on another life form nearby while also responding to Samantha.

" I might not lose power in the weather but cold environments still get to both of our species over time. That and we never gain a power boost in weather either unlike your species so it is not always good news. On the other hand I do sense something else nearby so there might be some good news ahead." As she finished speaking she led Kevin and Samantha down another alley where the young Lucario had picked up another life form. For whatever reason the rain did not scare off whatever it was and they hoped for good news so Eiskalt could have her first full battle. " Eiskalt be ready just in case. I am not sure if the few levels you gained will be enough yet but we will have to wait and see. I really hope our luck pans out this time for your sake." They then waited to see what would pop out.




OOC: Waiting on another encounter. Also noting that the exp, happiness, and level gains from above have been updated.