One-Stop Shopping for All Your Poison Type Needs [F]

[Venominon]

Was Crobat too strong? Or was the wild Gastly too weak? Venom wasn't really sure, but both he and Crobat were surprised when they saw the defeated Ghost/Poison type get dragged back into the shadows against its will. Once the shock finally wore off, the poisonous pair both felt pretty bad about everything that had just gone down. Not only did they fail to make a new friend and teammate, they may have also condemned that same Pokemon to a fate far worse than being stuck in the filthy Goldenrod Tunnel. At first, neither of them said anything for a good ten minutes, not really sure what they could or should say in this situation. But then, it was Crobat who finally broke the silence, turning to face his trainer with an apologetic look on his face.

"I'm...I'm sorry, master...I guess I don't know my own strength." The Bat Pokemon continued to flap his wings and fly before Venom, but he still hung his head in shame, and his tone perfectly matched that feeling. Venom looked at Crobat as he listened to his apology, then took another minute to think before giving him a response, along with a sigh. "No. Don't be. It's not your fault, Crobat. Things like this are always the trainer's fault. This time, I failed. There's nothing more to it than that. Even so, our main objective remains the same. We still have to find and capture a Koffing. Sadly, I doubt there's anything we can do for that Gastly at this point, but hopefully it'll be okay."

Venom took one last look at the shadows where Gastly disappeared, really hoping that it would be okay, as he offered a single bow of apology. "I'm sorry, Gastly. If you're able to find us again, let's give it another try. I know it doesn't mean much at this point, but I wish you all the best." The ninja then raised his head, put the Great Ball he withdrew for Gastly away, called Crobat back to his Dusk Ball, put it away as well, then turned and continued on his way down the tunnel, still searching for a wild Koffing. As a result of the events that had just transpired, he had lost his appetite for the moment. As a result, he chose not to buy any pizza from the nearby stand, and just kept on walking until the scent was completely gone.


OOC: -Sigh- Oh well. I never really had much interest in Gastly anyway. I suppose I'll just take this as a sign that it simply wasn't meant to be and move on.

[Tarlar]

Usually when you beat a pokemon that was it, you never saw it again, especially if it was something as rare as gastly. And who knew what it had been dragged into? Some sort of afterlife or eternal suffering, weren't gastly known for being wicked and cruel? They probably would never know, you never saw a wild pokemon twice.

It was all very nice that both Venom and Crobat took the blame, or tried to, it showed a good team work. The question was just, what had went wrong and if they could somehow avoid doing it another time, otherwise it wouldn't make much of a difference.
Did Crobat need to learn his strength better so that he could figure out how to slap his opponent less hard? Or was it something in Venom's training which was simply too effective to when they needed less power than the maximum? Perhaps they had just been really lucky?

Venom would have plenty of other food sources if he felt hungry, he would pass 2 more pizza places, one of them looked slightly better than the one he had just passed. He'd come by a vegan shop which looked as greasy and unhealthy as any of the other fastfood places, and he also would find an option of dumblings if he so wished.

No matter if he picked some food or not, he'd soon be approached by another wild pokemon.
"I'd like to take you up on your offer of a second chance," it forced out, it looked really battered and its ghostly gases looked to be in rags, how that ever was possible for a incorporate beast. It looked determined at Venom, it was a chance it wasn't going to let go and probably one of the only ones it got.
"My 'friends' doesn't really understand my wishes," it said grimly as explanation and refused to look away from Venom, even though shadows where moving in the corner of their eyes all the time. There was nothing to see every time any of them would look directly at it though.

Gastly [Lv 19] is rather battered but haven't given up on its dream yet.

Shiny: mASRITdX1-42

(ooc: )1-42

[Venominon]

Venom was very deep in thought as he trekked through the Goldenrod Tunnel, but not so much so that he wasn't watching where he was going, of course. As for what was on his mind, he couldn't stop thinking about his encounter with the most recent Gastly, as well as how it all played out. The ninja knew very well that his training wasn't yet complete, but he still had a hard time believing that he had made such a careless mistake. Still, one thing he did know for sure, was that if he ever saw that Gastly again, he'd have to take a different approach to dealing with it. However, those thoughts would have to wait, as the smell of food once again assaulted Venom's nostrils. The Poison type trainer came back to reality, looked around, and saw that he had arrived at the location the electrician told him about earlier.

Unfortunately, Venom didn't see any Koffings, but he knew that one would have to appear in this area sooner or later. So, while he was waiting, he decided to finally grab a bite to eat. His chosen snack was the dumplings he saw, and he made sure to buy enough for himself, as well as all of his Pokemon. Once that was done, he found a secluded-enough spot in the area where he hoped that he and his Pokemon would be able to eat in peace. Thankfully, he was able to find a suitable location in one of the far corners of the food court, sitting down and letting all of his Pokemon out for some well-deserved lunch. As they ate, they all did their best to ignore the stares they got some other passing trainers and Pokemon, even if it was a bit annoying.

After a while, Croagunk puffed up his cheeks and started making faces at some of the passing humans and Pokemon, mocking them to the best of his abilities. Some of them did take offense to this, but one look at Nidoking and they all turned away and started walking away as fast as they could. This caused both Croagunk and Salandit to start snickering, as she too joining in on the mockery after another minute. Eventually, Ivysaur was able to get them to stop, telling them not to go picking fights and causing unnecessary trouble for their master. A few minutes after that, the poisonous group finished eating, and Venom called everyone back to their respective Pokeballs. However, he didn't get up to leave just yet, planning to stay put for a little while longer and see if a Koffing would appear.

After some time, a floating ball of gas did appear in his field of vision, but sadly, it wasn't the one that Venom was hoping to see. However, the ninja was still surprised by what he saw, not expecting to see such a familiar face again so soon. Venom listened to Gastly's words, saw the determination in its eyes, and also noticed that its level was lower than it was before. Having never seen something like this before, Venom could only speculate that this was the price Gastly paid for escaping from the shadowy prison they were pulled into. If that truly was the case, Venom felt even worse about earlier, but he didn't let that keep him down for long, standing up, grabbing a Pokeball from his bag, and facing the wild Gastly head on. "Very well. I am a man of my word. You will have your second chance."

"I also commend you on escaping from whatever that was back there, but I apologize for your apparent level loss. Not to worry though. If you end up joining Team Toxic, we can take care of that easily. Perhaps Crobat was a little too much for you last time. So, this time, you'll be facing this one. Croagunk, I choose you!" Venom tossed the red and white orb into the air, and Croagunk emerged from it once again, a bit surprised to have been called back out so soon. "Back out so soon? What is it now, master? Dessert?" The Toxic Mouth Pokemon sure hoped so, still kind of hungry, even after eating three rounds of dumplings.

"I'll buy you something sweet later, Croagunk. Right now, I need you to help me test this Gastly. It's the one I told you about during lunch. Seems it's even more tenacious than I thought. So, as much as you love a good fight, I need you to hold back on this one if you can. Let's go with Rock Slide!" As Venom gave the Poison/Fighting type his orders, he grabbed the same Great Ball from his bag that he planned to catch Gastly with before, preparing to throw it if Gastly withstood Croagunk's attack. Of course, Croagunk didn't like the idea of not finishing off his opponent, but he couldn't disobey orders from his master. So, after puffing out his cheeks and pouting a bit, he slammed his fist into the ground, causing several large rocks to appear and fall directly above Gastly. "Rgh! Fine then! Let's see if it can handle this!"

OOC: Great Ball used on Gastly if it survives the attack. Seriously though. This is really starting to get old. Why can't my luck be this good when I actually need it to be? The odds of rolling this many sixes in a row are astronomical.

[Tarlar]

A "level" was usually just a way for humans to try have a way to assess a pokemon's strength and it was a great way to be able to compare two very different pokemon against each other. It was not like this was a video game and pokemon grew in strength and learned new moves when they hit certain levels, this is the real life after all.
It was true though that the gastly was much weaker than last time, but that tended to happen if someone else ganged up on you and beat you up, you'd have less strength left in you afterwards, even though some trainers would refer to that specific part as "HP" as if their pokemon had health which worked like in a game.
While it was often a tough life to be wild, it seemed like this gastly got picked on by others which was probably one of the reasons it wanted to leave and get away from the life it had here.

It looked utterly relieved when Venom decided to give it a second chance despite it having done so badly in the first round. "I won't disappoint you!" It said determined, now it knew what to expect and it wasn't going to let it get to it so easily.
It sent him a puzzled look when he talked about levels as it had no clue what he talked about, but chose not to ask as it didn't want to seem stupid. If it did, perhaps Venom would change his mind and leave it behind anyway.
The gastly looked rather nervous as Venom talked about Crobat being too much and calling another pokemon out instead. It swallowed nervously but tried to look determined and confident, it had to impress him, it just had. It was its only chance.
"I'm no dessert, but I'll give you a challenge you won't forget!" It said and its eyes began to shine with a light not of this world as it prepared for an attack.

It got pulled out of its concentration when rocks suddenly started to rain down on it, and it gasped shocked. It got pummeled by several of them before it managed to gather its wits and make itself incorporeal so that the remaining of the rocks fell through it without doing any damage to it.
It looked dazed at Venom and Croagunk and clearly had a hard time gather its focus to do something, one of the rocks rolled off another and it flinched and looked up as if it expected more to come down on it.

Its eyes widened and it stared open mouthed as it saw the great ball fly through the air towards it, it clearly didn't believe its eyes. It forgot to make itself solid and it blinked confused as the ball flew straight through it and bounced down the path.
A heartbeat went by and then it broke its own shock, "you mean it? Even though..." it started but then cut off, it didn't want to say something that would make him regret. "Thank you!" It whispered and spun around and darted after the great ball and threw itself at it as if it was a matter of life and death, it got sucked in and the ball confirmed the capture almost immediately.

Croagunk does just enough to what is needed and gains (19*50) 950 exp! (1193/2269)
He also gains +1 happiness! (+13)

Please fill out the code below:
[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/bw/gastly.png"][img src="http://www.serebii.net/itemdex/sprites/greatball.png" alt=" "]
[b]Gastly[/b]
Gender: [Choose]
Level: 19
OT: Venominon Ouroboros
Attacks: Hypnosis, Mean Look, Spite, Payback
Ability: Levitate
Nature/Personality: [choose]
Happiness: 0

(ooc: 1 great ball deducted. Yeah, its a shame its not what you want, but if you don't want it I'm sure you can sell it. I think Gastly's are usually pretty popular. At least you didn't also get a crit this time ^^*)

[Venominon]

Both Venom and Croagunk were rather dumbfounded by the events that had just transpired before their very eyes, taking a few minutes to fully process them. As they did, the Great Ball that had captured Gastly began to glow, then vanished into thin air, transporting itself to Venom's PC. From there, the poisonous pair regained their composure, as Croagunk inflated and deflated his cheeks over and over again as he spoke. "A little desperate. Don't you think, master?" The Toxic Mouth Pokemon was impressed that Gastly was able to withstand his Rock Slide attack, but he found the Gas Pokemon's attitude to be more than a little desperate. Fortunately for Gastly, that made no difference to Venom, as he answered Croagunk's question in a more sympathetic tone of voice.

"Perhaps, but can you really blame Gastly for its behavior, Croagunk? I mean, look around. This is probably where Gastly has lived for its entire life. Or afterlife, I suppose. Anyway, even for a Poison type, this place is pretty harsh for a number of reasons. I'm sure a lot of Pokemon are very desperate to get out of here, and they only stay because it's all they've ever known. I do wish we could help them all out, but we simply lack the resources for such a task." The ninja trailed off, looking all around as he spoke, as it all reminded him once again of just how tough life could be for wild Pokemon, and just how thoughtless humans could be at times. Be that as it may, this was also simply part of nature, even if it was in the middle of a big city. After that, even Croagunk had to admit that Gastly's desperation was completely warranted, as not even he would wanna live in such a place.

So, rather than interfere with the natural order of things, Venom decided to simply return to his main objective once more, hoping that he'd finally get lucky enough to locate a wild Koffing. "Oh well. Thanks for your help, Croagunk. Let's resume our mission. Hopefully we can find a Koffing before it gets dark." The Poison type trainer called Croagunk back to his Pokeball, then put it back into his bag, but didn't leave the food court just yet. Going by the electrician's advice, this was the best spot in the Goldenrod Tunnel to find wild Koffing. As such, Venom decided to simply stay put for a while longer and see if any Poison Gas Pokemon would float into the area. There wasn't any particular reason he wanted to capture a Koffing before dark. Venom merely wanted to capture all of Team Toxic's new recruits in one day, so that he'd be able to focus on training all of them up tomorrow.

OOC: Yeah, I guess so. Never hurts to have a little something extra to offer during negotiations. Still, I really hope Venom doesn't run into any more Gastly's while he's down here.

[Caramell 🍬]

Goldenrod’s Tunnel was a busy hub of life during the strangest parts of the day. When many of the normal citizens might have been busy at work or tucked away in their beds, the tunnels seemed to jump to life with shady characters seemingly keeping watch from all entrances. Just as several wild Pokemon rolled, ran, or floated around through the intricate networks and passageways in the tunnels, so too did the trainers who hunted them down or sparred against one another. Some trainers stomped loudly against the concrete floors, creating echoes that nearly shook the ground as they ran. Others slinked through the shadows as though they thought they were wild Pokemon themselves and feared that another trainer might try to catch them.

One trainer stood out among the rest with a strange tool in his hand. He pushed his glasses up the brim of his nose several times as they would inevitably slide back down and glanced warily around in the shadows of one of the tunnel’s long alleyways. “I know that floating ball is around here somewhere…” The nerd commented to himself, narrowing his eyes through his wide rimmed glasses and skulking through the open tunnels carefully so. “We have to be quick! We gotta find it before any other trainers do. I heard there’s a girl desperate enough to trade away a Galarian Ponyta for one!” He giggled to himself.

When Eric spotted Venominon, though, his mood immediately soured. Where did this trainer come from and what was his purpose in Goldenrod’s Tunnels? Ninjas were normally pictured hidden in treetops, not lurking around through makeshift booths checking out the wares (mostly stolen) that different vendors had set up and on display. He pulled two Poke Balls from his side and tossed it up into the air with the click of a button. “Hey, you! Yeah, you!” Super Nerd Eric shouted as two strange looking sentient toxic sludges formed from the blast of a bright red beam of light. “All Koffing are mine in these tunnels. Got it? So you better not be after my prize!” He growled underneath his breath, preparing to beat Venom and his Pokemon away from his area.

Super Nerd Eric challenges Venom to a fight!

Double Battle with Musty & Puke, both level 28! Who will Venom choose?

[Venominon]

Even though these tunnels proved to be a pretty much perfect home for most Poison type Pokemon, Venom still couldn't help but feel disgusted with this place. As soon as he found the Koffing he wanted so badly, he was fully prepared to put this place behind him for good and never again return. As usual, the ninja's main issue with this location was the humans that chose to inhabit it. The ones that walked around like they owned the place embodied everything that was wrong with the human race, at least in Venom's opinion. And the ones that chose to sneak around certainly weren't doing a very good job, as Venom's senses picked up on them almost immediately once they came within a certain distance of him. Of course, all these human presences around him, made it that much harder for the Poison type trainer to sense the Pokemon he was looking for, much to his continued irritation.

Be that as it may, Venom stayed put in the food court, waiting and hoping that fortune would finally turn in his favor soon. However, the ninja's concentration was once again broken, and drawn towards a human that was only about thirty feet away from him. The device he held in his hand caused Venom to raise an eyebrow at him, as he wondered what this glasses-wearing trainer was up to. Curiosity getting the better of him, Venom took a quick look around to check once more for wild Koffings, then stood up from where he sat, and slowly approached the nerd. The purple-haired trainer made sure not to get too close, but also get close enough to hear what he was saying to himself. Naturally, what Venom heard from said nerd a few seconds after that came as a very big shock.

It was such a big shock that Venom's eyes widened, and a small gasp managed to escape from his lips, as he began to whisper to himself. "A Galarian Ponyta? Here of all places? How strange." On the other hand, Venom had recently captured an Alolan Grimer, so perhaps the presence of another regional variant wasn't out of the question. As much as Venom would've liked to have heard whatever story this Galarian Ponyta had to tell, his earlier gasp seemed to have alerted the other trainer of his presence, causing Venom to grit his teeth as soon as said trainer yelled at him. Normally, Venom would've ignored this trainer and fled the scene in the blink of an eye, but the sight of the nerd's two poisonous Pokemon was more than enough to stop the Poison type lover in his tracks. Immediately going into Poison type fanboy mode, Venom rushed over to the pair of Grimers with sparkles in his eyes and a big smile on his face, kneeling down to them and praising them just for being what they were.

"Amazing! Grimers! Two of them! And you both look so strong too! It's such an honor to meet you! Both of you!" Having grown up around far stronger Poison types, Venom wasn't bothered by the foul stench that the Grimer brothers gave off in the slightest. The ninja continued to admire the two Sludge Pokemon for another minute, but then regained his composure upon hearing the next words their trainer spoke to him. Upon hearing those words, Venom's smile vanished instantly, and a more threatening facial expression took its place, as Venom stood back up and glared into the nerd's glasses-covered eyes. "Excuse me? Just who do you think you are? The Pokemon that live here are wild and free beings. You have no right to treat them like objects that can be monopolized by a single person." Venom's tone was calm, but also very serious, as he reached for a pair of Pokeballs from his bag, ready, willing, and able to meet the nerd's challenge head on.

"Also, you're not the only one down here looking for wild Koffings. I only want to befriend one, but if you insist on standing in my way, Team Toxic will be more than happy to show you what Poison type Pokemon can really do. Like these two. Nidoking! Skorupi! Let's go!" Two of Venom's own Poison type Pokemon appeared from the orbs that he tossed out in front of him, both of them sizing up their opponents with their own shows of strength. "You think you can take on Team Toxic?! Bring it on! We'll show you that we're the best!" Skorupi sharpened her claws as she spoke, doing her best to sound intimidating, despite her small size. "You said it, Skorupi! These guys don't look so tough! We'll beat 'em easy!" Unlike Skorupi, Nidoking wasn't small by any means, shaking the ground a little each time he stomped his massive feet.

With their little tour de force over and done with, both Pokemon waited patiently for their trainer's orders, and didn't have to wait long at all. "Let's finish these two off quickly so we can get back to searching for a Koffing! Skorupi, hit the Grimer on the right with a Dig attack! And Nidoking, use Bulldoze!" Skorupi and Nidoking both grinned, happily making use of their super effective moves, as Skorupi quickly tunneled her way even further underground than they already were. With his teammate safely out of the way, Nidoking stomped his feet on the ground even harder, letting loose with a powerful attack that would cause both Grimers considerable damage. All the while, Venom watched his strategy unfold before his eyes, more than a little eager to wrap this battle up quickly. And more importantly, to keep such a disrespectful trainer away from the wild Koffing that inhabited the Goldenrod Tunnel.

[Avalon]

Eric felt some bit of pride in Venom's initial compliments upon his pair of Grimers. Some people would have been happy to just catch whatever little pile of sludge or poison caught their fancy, but no, Eric knew he was a real connoisseur of poisonous Pokemons. He had bred Puke and Musty especially for their abilities so that they could work together. The perfect pair of poisonous brothers. But still, even if he felt some kind of kinship with Venominon for their shared love of poisons, he had to teach this kid a lesson. This was his turf, and he wasn't gonna let anyone just barge on in and steal his precious Koffings from him like this. He was the king of Poison Pokemon down here.

"Nidoking and Skorupi are good mons, but they pale in comparison to my Grimer brothers! Maybe if you had paid me some tribute or something, I might've let you look at one of the Koffings. But now you won't be going anywhere near them!" Eric challenged, his two sludge-y mons looking at each other in confusion. They were used to their Trainer going on excited little tangents, whether it was about poison or his nerdy topics of whatever had caught his interest at any time. But they couldn't help but feel that this was getting a little too personal between Eric and this new guy.

"Hey now, no need to be rude. Calling us weak-looking? Lil brother and I will change your tune real quick, porcupine!" belched out the one known as Puke. They weren't originally really wanting to participate in this fight, only going through with it to acquiesce to their Trainer's orders. But now Musty and Puke were good and fired up, ready to prove that they were the real Team Roxic.

"Your Pokemon can stomp around and play in the dirt all they want for now, but we'll be taking the lead! Puke, shrink yourself down with Minimize! Musty, Disable whatever that Nidoking is about to do!" Eric called out to his mons. But he wasn't quick enough in his instructions, as Venom's team leaped into action. Unfortunately, things did not go entirely according to plan. Skorupi began its digging into the lower parts of the tunnel, but whether due to the floor's strange material composition or because of some natural difference in speed, it was unable to get out of the way before Nidoking began to stomp and trample the ground around himself.

The ground shook and both Grimers and Venom's Skorupi began to lose their footing for a moment. When the shaking from Nidoking's Bulldoze attack stopped, Skorupi was able to finish its digging and retreated into the ground and out of sight. However, it was then that Musty and Puke made their moves. Puke's liquid form began to shrink and contract into itself, the pile of toxic sludge now much smaller than it was originally and possibly proving to be a much more difficult target to hit in the future. Musty, meanwhile, retched up a large glob of sludge from its body that struck Nidoking's feet, partially sticking him to the ground. Nidoking would, for a time, not be able to stomp around or let loose a Bulldoze like that again until the sludge had worn away.

"Ha! Hopefully your Nidoking has something better than just stomping around and throwing a hissy fit, or this victory will be as good as mine!" Eric taunted, high on his own confidence at seeing the beginning of his set-up strategy start to come to fruition.

Trainer Battle: VS Super Nerd Eric

---

Weather: Clear

[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Musty LV 28
HP 41% [37/91]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn2"]
Puke LV 28
HP 41% [37/91]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-1"]
Nidoking LV 27
HP 100% [89/89]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-2"]
Skorupi LV 28
HP 74% [51/69]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

Puke the Grimer [Sticky Hold]: Healthy, Evasion +2, Speed -1
Musty the Grimer [Stench]: Healthy, Speed -1
Nidoking [Poison Point]: Healthy, Bulldoze Disabled (0/4)
Skorupi [Sniper]: Healthy, Underground, Speed -1

SP59 Nidoking used Bulldoze!
SP50SP33 Skorupi dug underground!
SP27SP18 Puke used Minimize
SP27SP18 Musty used Disable! Nidoking's Bulldoze has been disabled!

((OOC: Unfortunately, turns out your Nidoking is just a wee bit faster than Skorupi. So sorry about that. Luckily, you are still well in the lead, so it shouldn't make too much of a difference.))

[Venominon]

Being a true lover of all things poisonous, Venom could tell right away that Eric, despite being a human and a punk, was also a fairly skilled Poison type trainer. Just one look at his pair of Sludge Pokemon, and Venom knew right away that they were stronger than the average Grimer. If the ninja was being honest, he was at least a little envious. That said, their trainer was still a punk, and Venom definitely took some offense to Eric's comment about his Grimers being better than his own Pokemon. Since his goal was to become the strongest Poison type trainer the world had ever known, Venom prided himself on selecting only the best Poison types for Team Toxic. So, if this nerd wanted to see who the better Poison type trainer was, then Venom only had one thing to say in response to his challenge.

"Game on. I'll admit, it's nice to finally meet someone who truly appreciates Poison type Pokemon and sees their potential. On some level, I suppose I do consider you an ally. However, I won't allow anyone to insult my Pokemon, or stand in our way." Venom spoke in a calm, but very serious tone of voice, more than ready to show Eric who the real Poison type master was. Still, he also let out a small sigh, finding all of this to be rather ironic as well. "How careless of me. I never thought that anything like this would actually happen. When another trainer and I would be competing for the same Pokemon. It does pain me at least a little to put a stop to a fellow Poison type trainer's ambition, but I'm afraid I must." He said it before, and he'd gladly say it again. Venom came to the Goldenrod Tunnel for a Koffing, and he wasn't leaving without one.

As the first round came and went, Venom, Skorupi, and Nidoking were left with mixed feelings. On the one hand, they were in the lead, as Nidoking's Bulldoze dealt a huge amount of damage to both Grimers. But on the other hand, he no longer had Bulldoze, all of his remaining moves weren't very effective against fellow Poison types, and one of the Grimers was now smaller and harder to hit. "Rgh! Damn it all! I'm sorry, master, and Skorupi. I was a bit too eager it seems." Nidoking cursed, then owed up, bowing to his trainer in an apologetic way. "It's okay, Nidoking! I may have been too slow this time, but I'm alright! Really!" Skorupi called out to Nidoking from down in her hole, having only taken a little damage from her comrade's Bulldoze attack herself, which was exactly why Venom paired these two up together to begin with.

The ninja figured this might happen, but he knew that as a Bug type, Skorupi had a resistance to Ground type moves. Plus, her hard shell gave her plenty of defense as well. So, even if Nidoking's Bulldoze hit her, it wouldn't hurt her nearly as much as the Grimer brothers, who had no defense against Ground type moves themselves. "Skorupi's right, Nidoking. Don't blame yourself. Our foe really knows his Poison types, and I respect that, but we can't afford to lose this battle. So, it's time for a new battle plan. Nidoking, return for now." Quickly formulating a new strategy in his mind, Venom called the Drill Pokemon back to his Pokeball, put it away, then grabbed a new one from his bag in its place.

"Okay, Croagunk! You're in!" Venom tossed his new Pokeball of choice into the double battle, and out came the Toxic Mouth Pokemon himself, already looking rested and ready to rumble after his previous battle with Gastly. "Oh, even more Poison types? This place really does feel just like home." Croagunk said with a smirk on his face, his cheeks expanding and contracting with every single breath he took. "Yes, and you can officially join the fight in a moment, Croagunk! But first, Skorupi, hit Musty with your Dig attack now!" The purple-haired trainer decided to take out the one that was still at its full size first, knowing that Skorupi could do it, and that it would be far easier to hit than the one that used Minimize in the previous round.

"I'm on it, master! This one's for Nidoking! Take this!" Skorupi's voice was once again heard from underground, then a trail of upturned earth and concreate, starting from the hole she dug, headed straight for Musty. And while that was going on, Venom quickly came up with Team Toxic's next plan of attack, turning his gaze over to Puke and giving Croagunk his first order of this battle. "Let's give this a try. Croagunk, use Flatter on Puke!" Having heard his orders, Croagunk's smirk grew a bit more, as he proceeded to pay Puke a complement or two. "You know, as a fellow Poison type, I have to say that I'm impressed. Just the stench you're giving off alone proves that you're no ordinary Grimer. You're better. Way better. Also, most people and Pokemon wouldn't like that stench, but I do. It reminds me of home. So, thanks for that."

As Croagunk flattered Puke, he released waves of dark energy with every word he spoke, which would travel over to Puke and cause a state of confusion. Provided they could find the shrunken Sludge Pokemon, of course. Meanwhile, Skorupi burst up from the underground and attacked Musty, smacking the brother with her tail, but she wasn't done just yet. "Don't stop now, Skorupi! Use Feint Attack on Puke!" Quickly switching gears, the Scorpion Pokemon turned towards Puke and rushed over to him while Croagunk had him distracted. And unfortunately for Puke, Feint Attack never missed. "You didn't really think that Nidoking was Team Toxic's only powerhouse, did you?! You're mine!" Skorupi declared confidently, driven by the strong desire to succeed where her beloved friend and comrade had failed.

OOC: Running Shoes used. First round, swapping out Croagunk in place of Nidoking and Skorupi hitting Musty with Dig. Second round, Croagunk using Flatter on Puke and Skorupi using Feint Attack on Puke.

[Tiki]

"Yes, yes. Grimer and Koffing have interesting acidic properties. While Koffing can create explosive poisonous gases, Grimers create sticky and melty compounds." Eric added on to Venom, as he used one finger to adjust his glasses like a villain. However, he began defending his statement after hearing the opponent's response. "Hey now, I am just making sure my beloved Koffing won't be extinct from the area. They might not be a protected species, but other people always try to clear them or invade their living spaces."

"I mean... I'll take a little bribe for you to walk through. Inflation is real," he added and then a dramatic pause. "Man..."

Soon after that, the Skorupi came up from under the ground and hit Musty squared in the face. The poison type took a huge hit from the super effective attack, as its purple grime now had dirt and pebbles sticking onto it. It knew its at the end of its life, but it was holding on its last battle spirit. "You almost got me! But I am not done!"

"Musty! Are you okay?! Hang in there! Use Poison Gas to get away!" The nerd hollered out at his Pokemon, his earlier boastful call was shot down by the powerful Dig. While he knew that Poison Gas won't do anything to another poison type, he had a little trick for the Grimer to spit out the gaseous haze to buy itself time to reposition itself. The Grimer burped out some gas and crawled? slithered? away.

"Puke, take down that Croagunk with Mud Bomb!" He immediately called, and the second Grimer began tossing a volley of muddy balls that explode, using the freshly dug up ground as material. Its grimy hand combined with the dirt and sand created a useable Mud Bomb. The Croagunk was better than that though, and hastily and effortlessly dodged all of them, until the Grimer's hands got tired.

"You know, if you flatter me enough, I would have let you pass too.... Flatter in green paper bills." He muttered as he watched the Croagunk flattered the Grimer in their Pokemon speech. "Puke, Disable that Dig! Musty, Minimize again!"

The two Grimer began to move. Puke spit some substance on the ground that made it difficult for the Skorupi to dig again, until the chemical would dissipate over time. Then, Musty shrunk down even smaller, shedding some slimes on the ground.

"Nidoking? No. We've battled a couple Nidoking and Nidoqueen. Some psychic type and some other ground types. We take notes on any big sized Pokemon who looks like they can use ground type moves, or small Pokemon with a huge brain for psychic attacks." Musty replied the Skorupi, confident of their own battle records.

"Those Kirlia can be annoying too. They're barely shorter than us, but their tiny head pack a headach," Puke added, a little distracted by the talk. Its body crouched down a bit as the confusion made it acting weird.The Skorupi took this opportunity to sneak up and smack the Grimer with her hind tail.

Trainer Battle: VS Super Nerd Eric

---

Weather: Clear

[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Musty LV 28
HP 1% [1/91]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn2"]
Puke LV 28
HP 22% [20/91]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-1"]
Nidoking LV 27
HP 100% [89/89]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-2"]
Skorupi LV 28
HP 74% [51/69]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

Puke the Grimer [Sticky Hold]: CONfused!!, Evasion +3, Speed -1, Special Attack +1
Musty the Grimer [Stench]: Healthy, Speed -1
Croagunk [Poison Point]: Healthy
Skorupi [Sniper]: Healthy, Dig Disabled (0/4), Speed -1

SP++ Croagunk switched with Nidoking!
SP50 SP33 Skorupi hit Musty with Dig!
SP27 SP18 Puke used Mud Bomb! Mud Bomb missed!
SP27 SP18 Musty used Poison Gas! It did nothing!

SP40 Croagunk used Flatter! Puke is confused! 
SP50 SP33 Skorupi used Feint Attack!
SP27 SP18 Puke used Disable! Dig is disabled!
SP27 SP18 Musty used Minimize!

Nidoking participated.(HP 89/89)

OOC:
was going to borrowed your Skorupi a bit for feint attack, but I wasn't sure if she's a "Hiya!" type or a "Got you!" type or some other phrases. 🤷

[Venominon]

Venom listened as the nerd told him a few things that he was already well aware of and was a bit more impressed by his knowledge of poisonous Pokemon, as well as his desire to keep them safe in the area. However, this didn't last long, as the snake-eyed trainer gained an expression and tone of disgust when his opponent admitted that he'd accept a bribe. "I see. So, in the end, you're only slightly better than the rest of the human trash that inhabit these tunnels. What a shame. Of course, I shouldn't be surprised. I've come to expect this sort of thing from humans after all." Venom let out a sigh after he finished speaking, already tired of this battle, and merely being in his foe's general vicinity.

Fortunately for him, the end of the battle was drawing ever closer, as Croagunk and Skorupi carried out their respective orders with great success. Sadly, not as much success as Team Toxic had hoped for. Skorupi was surprised to see that her Dig attack failed to finish off Musty and was quick to glance at her trainer and apologize. "Darn it! I'm sorry, master. I thought I had him for sure with that last attack." But just like with Nidoking, Venom once again demonstrated that he was a very forgiving individual when it came to Pokemon. "Any failure in battle is the trainer's fault, Skorupi. It would seem our foes are a bit stronger than even I thought. Withstanding two strong Ground type moves is no small feat for a Poison type. These two Grimers have impressed me yet again."

The ninja spoke highly of the Grimer brothers, even though their trainer turned out to be yet another of humanity's disappointments. Croagunk, on the other hand, wasn't so easily impressed, smirking and chuckling to himself after the results of the previous round a little. "Sure, they've got some tricky moves, but they still have yet to deal us any actual damage. The only one on our side who's taken any damage so far is Skorupi, and Nidoking was the one who did that." The Toxic Mouth Pokemon chuckle a little more, but Venom quickly refocused himself and his Pokemon on the battle. He had already underestimated this nerd and his pair of Poison types once. So, he wasn't about to make that same mistake again.

"That may be true, Croagunk, but we shouldn't count our Torchic's before they've hatched. This battle still isn't over yet, and we have no super effective moves left, but our foes still do." Venom reminded Croagunk and Skorupi, referring to Puke's Mud Bomb, even if it did fail to hit its mark the first time. "However, we do still have one advantage. Disable only works on one move at a time. So, as long as Skorupi's Dig is still disabled, she can use her Feint Attack to chip away at Puke and Musty, no matter how many times they use Minimize. And all the while, the confusion that Croagunk inflicted on Puke will still be in effect." After quickly taking stock of the situation, Team Toxic saw very clearly that the advantage still belonged to them.

So, with all of that in mind, Venom gave his next set of orders, which he hoped would also be his last set of orders for this bout. "Now, it's time to go on the attack, Croagunk! Show these two your Rock Slide! I know they'll be harder to hit now, but I believe in you, my friend! And Skorupi, use Feint Attack on Puke again!" The new plan was simple. Croagunk's Rock Slide would hit both Puke and Musty, finish Musty off and cause Puke more damage, then Skorupi would finish off Puke with her Feint Attack immediately after. Provided Rock Slide managed to actually hit both of the shrunken Sludge Pokemon, of course.

"Heck yeah! I love this part! Eat this, slime wads!" Croagunk shouted out, as he slammed his fist into the ground in front of him, causing rocks to appear directly above Puke and Musty, then fall on top of them. "I agree! Psychic type Pokemon are troublesome, but I won't go easy on you just before we share some common ground! Now, take this!" As the rocks fell, Skorupi dashed for Puke, dodging every single incoming rock, before smacking Puke with her tail yet again. Venom already picture it so clearly in his mind, as he watched his Pokemon carry out his orders. The Koffing that he came to find, and that he knew was waiting for him somewhere in this maze of underground tunnels.

OOC: I don't really get too hung up on those types of things. Either way, I appreciate the reply to my thread. So, thanks, Tiki.

[antonius]

"Since you don't want to give up any money which I would have used on my research on Poison type in order to make them stronger, how about one of your weakest Pokemon? As you can tell by my grimer brothers, I will raise it to be extremely strong."

Before Venom could respond verbally, his Pokemon did his response by knocking out Musty with a rock slide. Thankfully Puke's smaller size made easier for him to dodge the rocks being missed by them. Unfortunately, feint attack still hits but not strong enough to finish the fight.

"You...you will pay for knocking out Musty. Okay, Puke, use mud shot again with the rocks around you towards the croagunk!"

Puke is able to sort of shake off the confusion but still had troubles with the aiming of the sludge covered rocks. It didn't help dodging the rocks made the grimer a bit off balance so the mud bombs lands just to the side of the target. The second miss infuriated the super nerd.

"I guess I need to invent something to help you all aim better. You, Mr. Ninja, still won't escape me or get any of the koffing here. I am the best one to take care of them and no one else. By the end of this battle I will prove I'm the best Poison trainer and king of this underground."


>>You can't get rid of me that easily. I will avenge my brother even if it is the last thing I do.<<

Puke sloshes around a little uneasy between all the rocks and still being a bit confused. The only saving grace is his smaller stature.

Trainer Battle: VS Super Nerd Eric

---

Weather: Clear

[attr="class","qkt-bkgd"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Musty LV 28
HP 0% [0/91]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn2"]
Puke LV 28
HP 3% [3/91]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-1"]
Croagunk LV 27
HP 100% [89/89]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-2"]
Skorupi LV 28
HP 74% [51/69]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-imgbox"]

[attr="class","qkt-pkmn-img"]

Puke the Grimer [Sticky Hold]: CONfused!!, Evasion +3, Speed -1, Special Attack +1
Musty the Grimer [Stench]: KOed!
Croagunk [Poison Point]: Healthy
Skorupi [Sniper]: Healthy, Dig Disabled (1/4), Speed -1

SP40 Croagunk Rock Slide!
SP50 SP33 Skorupi hit Feint Attack!
SP27 SP18 Puke used Mud Bomb! Mud Bomb missed again!
SP27 SP18 Musty is KOed!

Nidoking participated.(HP 89/89)

(I'm glad I am replying to a character I know quite well.)

[Venominon]

Venom continued to look at the nerd with some very obvious disgust on his face, but he managed to keep it from showing in his voice when he spoke. As a fellow Poison type lover, he was willing to show said nerd at least a little mercy. "As smart and talented as you are, you fail to realize one very important thing. I would never part with any of my Pokemon. No matter how strong or weak they are. As I said, it's nice to meet a fellow Poison type enthusiast, but I'll be the one to show the world the true power of Poison types. Not you. And do you know why? Two reasons." As the ninja spoke, he held up two fingers, his voice filled to the brim with confidence and conviction.

"One, you lack honor. There is no honor in taking bribes and making backroom deals. And two, while your Grimer brothers are strong, my Pokemon are stronger still." After that, Venom turned his attention back towards the battle, just in time to witness Croagunk's Rock Slide KO Musty, leaving Puke to face both Croagunk and Skorupi on his own. Meanwhile, the Toxic Mouth and Scorpion Pokemon had barely taken any damage at all, and the only damage Skorupi had taken was from Nidoking's Bulldoze attack at the start of the battle. And in spite of Puke's increased evasion, he looked like he was hanging by a thread at this point, and Team Toxic still had Skorupi's Feint Attack to rely on. Venom, Croagunk, and Skorupi could all see very clearly that this battle was almost over.

The poisonous trio then listened to the final rantings of the nerd and his Sludge Pokemon, but merely brushed their words aside, knowing that they had the two cornered. "Yeah, yeah. Keep talkin', losers. This battle is ours. So, Skorupi, how about a little contest to see who'll finish this one off? You or me." Croagunk spoke to his teammate with a smirk upon his face, wanting to make this final round as entertaining as possible. On the one hand, Croagunk was faster than Skorupi. But on the other hand, Puke's increased evasion made it harder for him to land any attacks, while Skorupi's Feint Attack never missed. In short, they both had an advantage in this little competition.

So, after taking a moment to think it over and consider her options, Skorupi started to smirk too, giving Croagunk a nod. "Okay, you're on! Just say the word, master! We're ready! Let's end this and get back to searching for our new friend!" At that point, even Venom started to smirk a little, getting a rather big kick out of this himself. "Right then. This is checkmate! Croagunk, Skorupi, use Rock Slide and Feint Attack again! Show these two the power of Team Toxic!" Since both Croagunk and Skorupi were faster than Puke, the Grimer didn't even have a chance to fight back. Between the two attacks coming at him, all Puke could do was brace himself for impact, with more rocks falling from up above, and a sneaky scorpion closing in on him from behind some of the rocks that had already fallen in the previous round.

OOC: I just noticed this. Croagunk's ability says "Poison Point" here, but that's Nidoking's ability. Croagunk's ability is Anticipation. That is kinda funny though.

[Tiki]

"Backroom deals? Bribe? I was just giving you a way out of this unneeded battle," The nerd sounded upset, as if he was offended. As he was listening to his opponent talked, he can't but feel his stride was fading.

"Hey, I don't know that if you have Pokemon in your PC that you aren't training!" He stammered, as he thought he heard a backhanded compliment.

It was a battle between which Pokemon would land the hit first. Would the Croagunk's Rock Slide hit the minimized Grimer, or would the Feint Attack hit the opponent type in a sure hit? The frog ballooned his cheeks, and readily threw some rocks at the remaining Grimer's direction. Puke immediately passed out, and flattened into a purple blob of slime. Eric sighed disappointedly and returned his Pokemon. "Here's your prize. It looks like I have to study these poison type of Pokemon like yours. I have to go to Pokemon Center to heal up Musty and Puke. Just don't catch too many Koffing." He slapped a couple of bucks on Venom's hand, and headed quickly toward the nearest Pokemon Center.

"Okay, I won. What do I get for winning?" The toad croaked at his partner.

---

Croagunk scored the KO!
Venom gained $528 for winning!

Total EXP from defeating both Grimer= 2800
Three Pokemon participated. So each Pokemon gained the following experience: 933

Nidoking is now Level 28!
(1768+933= 2701, 2701-2269= 432)
432/2437 until next level.
+1 happiness! Now +12!


Croagunk gained 933 experience!
2126/2269 to next level.
+1 happiness! Now +14!


Skorupi gained 933 experience!
1157/2437 to next level!

[Venominon]

No matter what reasons the nerd gave Venom, the ninja just continued to stare at him with a look of disdain, as well as a tone of voice to match. "True Pokemon trainers don't need to rely on such things, and they also wouldn't give away their Pokemon like that either. Once again, it's a shame, but it seems our love of Poison type Pokemon really is the only thing we have in common. Hopefully you'll be able to learn something useful from this defeat and will make the effort to better yourself. And if you can't do it for yourself, then do it for your Pokemon. Poison type Pokemon are looked down upon far too much already." Venom then offered his opponent a single bow, as Croagunk landed the final blow that brought their battle to an end.

Once it was all over, Venom raised his head, looked at the nerd once more, and accepted the prize money from him. The purple-haired trainer then watched said nerd leave the area and had just one more thing to say to him before he was out of earshot. "Don't worry. I won't. One Koffing is all Team Toxic needs." While Venom was seeing off their opponent, Croagunk and Skorupi were savoring their victory. Although, Croagunk was savoring two victories, having won the little wager that he and Skorupi had made. Meanwhile, the Scorpion Pokemon hung her head in shame for a good minute, bummed out that she lost. "Awww, dang it! I really thought I had that bet won. You were the better Pokemon today, Croagunk, but just wait until I evolve. Once that happens, I'll show you who the better Pokemon really is."

Skorupi made a vow both to her teammate and to herself, as the very thought of one day evolving cheered her right up and got her more than a little excited too. "I'll be looking forward to it, Skorupi." Was all Croagunk had to say to her before turning towards his trainer, asking about the reward he was promised for winning this bet. Upon hearing Croagunk's question, the ninja turned and faced his pair of poisonous Pokemon, smiling and speaking to them in a friendly tone as he gave Croagunk his answer. "You both did very well in this last battle, but I'm afraid I don't have your reward just yet, Croagunk. I will soon though. I can assure you of that, my friend." To be fair, Croagunk and Skorupi came up with this bet all on their own, so it was only natural that their trainer wasn't exactly prepared for it.

Still, Venom wanted to do right by his beloved Pokemon, and thanks to some whispers he picked up from various trainers during their time in the Goldenrod Tunnel, he knew just the thing to give the Toxic Mouth Pokemon as his reward. "You see, I've heard tell of a place down in these tunnels that the locals call the Underground Gauntlet. It's basically battles against five strong trainers back-to-back, and very few have managed to beat it. But if we beat it, or rather, when we beat it, we'll win a Nugget and the TM for the move Drain Punch. Personally, I think that would make a very useful Fighting type move for you, Croagunk. Don't you think?" After listening to his trainer's response, Croagunk thought about adding such a useful move to his arsenal, puffing out his cheeks and grinning big at the very thought of it almost right away.

"Oh yeah! I like the sound of that! Let's go for it, master!" Venom liked seeing his friend so fired up, as Skorupi looked good and ready to tackle this Underground Gauntlet herself. "I'm in too! The stronger the foes we face, the closer I'll get to evolving!" The Poison/Bug type was in her battle-ready stance already, with her claws and tail poised and ready to strike. At the same time, Croagunk was flexing his muscles and puffing out his cheeks even more, excited not just for the new move, but also for the chance to fight against such strong opponents. "I love your enthusiasm, you two, but before that, we still have one job left to do. That last battle was good experience, but it was also an unwelcome distraction. We still have to find and capture a Koffing, and we're not leaving without one. Thank you both and take a break for now." Venom called Croagunk and Skorupi back to their respective Pokeballs for now, then continued down the tunnel that the nerd was blocking him from entering, hoping that it would finally be the tunnel where he'd find the Poison type Pokemon he sought.

OOC: Venom continues his search for a Koffing. Hopefully RNG will finally cut him some slack.