Ya Can't Keep a Good Grunt Down (Sprout Tower) [F]

[Venominon]

With his newly acquired Z Ring and Grassium Z safely secured to his wrist, Shinya found his way out of the fog that was currently enveloping route 30 and took his first steps onto route 31. Unfortunately, almost immediately after he did, he was greeted by a rather intense snowstorm. While the Team Skull grunt didn't normally let bad weather get to him, being pelted with non-stop hail quickly wore on his nerves. "Gah! Are ya kiddin' me?! Damn it! Rgh!" Shinya cursed out loud, as he used his jacket to attempt to shield himself from the never-ending hail and picked up the pace. By this point in the day, night had almost fallen over Johto, but Shinya was determined to reach Violet City before nightfall.

Even in his frustrated state, he was still very much looking forward to his first gym battle ever, especially since they didn't have gyms in his home region of Alola. However, for the moment, the only thing Shinya really wanted was a safe, warm place to crash for the night. Fortunately for the Bug type trainer, it didn't take him too much longer to reach Violet City with his new and improved pace. Only about twenty more minutes or so. Even so, all the hail coming down around him on every side made it more than a little difficult for him to tell where he was in the city specifically. Shinya had planned to stay at the local Pokemon Center for the night, but since he had never been to Violet City before, he had no idea where it was. And the hail certainly wasn't making it any easier to find.

The Alolan trainer grunted and huffed as he ran all over the city, looking for any place he could to safely spend the night and hopefully wait out this storm. "Damn it! Where's the Pokemon Center?! Where's anythin'?! WHERE?!" Shinya yelled out as loud as he could, then did some more cursing, as he continued to run around Violet City using his jacket as a shield. Luckily, all of his efforts were finally rewarded about five minutes later, when he came upon a very tall manmade structure. Given its immense size, it was the easiest thing for him to spot through the hail. "Urgh! Finally!" After letting out a frustrated sigh of relief and deciding not to be picky, Shinya ran towards the structure and headed straight inside of it as soon as he reached it.

Once inside, Shinya finally let go of his jacket, letting it flow freely off his shoulders once again, as he took a look around the inside of the building he now found himself in. Much to the Alolan trainer's surprise, it appeared to be some sort of shrine or monastery, with several sages walking around the ground floor. This caused Shinya to sigh again, but it was a more exasperated sigh this time. "Ya know what? Suddenly wanderin' aimlessly in a snowstorm doesn't seem so bad." The Team Skull grunt immediately turned around to leave but was suddenly stopped by the sounds of a battle taking place on another part of the ground floor. This drew Shinya's attention right away, causing him to shrug his shoulders, as he thought to himself "Meh. Why not?"

And so, the Bug type trainer followed the sounds of battle that he was hearing and arrived just in time to see a two-on-one battle taking place between a pair of sages, their Bellsprouts, and a wild Cyndaquil. Naturally, Shinya was surprised to see a wild Cyndaquil of all Pokemon, but was also quick to notice that the Fire type was losing this battle, despite its obvious type advantage. It was also easy for Shinya to see that the two sages wanted the Mouse Pokemon out of their tower, but he wasn't exactly sure why. Regardless, Shinya really needed to blow off some steam after all the grief he went through to get to Violet City. So, after grabbing a Pokeball from his bag, Shinya decided to even the odds in Cyndaquil's favor, tossing said Pokeball right into the middle of the fray. "Heads up, chumps! Go get 'em, Shelmet!"

The red and white orb opened wide, revealing a bright flash of light for a brief moment, followed by a rather nervous Bug type Pokemon, slowly peeking out of her shell at her surroundings. "Shel? Shelmet?" While Shelmet took a minute to process everything around her, Shinya walked over to Cyndaquil's side of the battle, and grinned as he addressed the two sages. "You're really gonna send this Cyndaquil out into that storm after givin' it a beatin'? And people call me cruel and heartless." The lone trainer snickered to himself, then glanced down at the Fire type beside him, then gave it a thumbs up. "I'm not sure what's goin' on here, but Team Skull's got your back, Cyndaquil. Isn't that right, Shelmet?! Give these weeds a taste of your Sludge Bomb!" The Snail Pokemon quickly complied with her trainer's orders, not wanting to go anywhere near the storm that was still raging outside herself, opening her shell up wide and firing two rounds of her Sludge Bomb attack, one at each Bellsprout. "Shelmet! Shel...met! Met!"

OOC: Running Shoes used. One attack on each Bellsprout.

[Caramell 🍬]

The howling winds from the oncoming snowstorm battered the old monastery. They slammed against the windows and doors like a demon trying to claw its way inside. Several monks dressed in long, dark cloaks rushed in different directions as they hurried to fortify their temple. Many of them sealed the windows with their storm guards. They were so busy, pointing and yelling at each other about the different things that they needed to do to ensure the health and safety of their aging tower, that most of them would have hardly noticed Shinya at first. One monk who looked nearly indistinguishable from the rest approached him with a raised eyebrow and a long scowl across his face. “What are you doing here, lad? If it’s a tour, we’re closed right now.” Though, a quick glance out the window, and even the strange monk gulped. “However…we might be willing to let you rest a spell until the storm subsides…so long as you don’t cause any trouble.”

That would be easier said than done, though. Shinya would be greeted to the imagery of two bald monks battling their hearts out against a bright blue echidna whose fires upon its back were much too small and puny to do much damage. Still, the monks who looked almost alike save for the fact that Jin held a sacred beaded necklace and Chow had a thick red covering over his dark robe, yelled angrily at Cyndaquil while instructing their Bellsprouts and pointing towards the front doors that led back out into the howling snow and ice. “Quick, Whiplash! Toss that little fire starter out before it burns down our tower!” One yelled. “Bell-Ringer, keep up the assault! Don’t let that little vermin escape your vines!” The other instructed firmly.

“Who are you?” Jin demanded as Shinya called out his Pokemon, who hurried to Cyndaquil’s side and immediately jumped into the heat of the battle. Cyndaquil’s eyes brimmed with hope, though its bruised and battered body told another tale of how it had withstood as much of the damage as it possibly could against the two beastly plants. “Of course we’re tossing it back out of our Tower. Whether or not there’s a storm, we can’t risk it burning our tower down!” Chow explained firmly, pointing a finger to his Pokemon with a heavy nod of his head. “Bell-Ringer, use your seeds to forcibly push Cyndaquil out of the door! Please, don’t meddle if affairs that have nothing to do with you!” Chin hissed angrily at Shinya as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously on the troublesome Skull Grunt.

Jin growled underneath his voice and shook his head. “Whiplash, use your vines to sweep that little mollusk away! And watch out for its toxic gunk!” When Shelmet’s sludge slammed into Whiplash and immediately caused the carnivorous plant to faint in the midst of the battle, Jin spun around on the tips of his feet and rushed off down one of the long corridors of Sprout Tower. “Chow, don’t let them pass! I have to go warn the others that we have a criminal in our midst!” Criminal in the fact that now Jin had determined Shinya was officially a ‘trespasser’ all on his own, hehe. Chow nodded firmly, though his jaws would drop in alarm as Cyndaquil slammed into Bell-Ringer’s side, then Shelmet spat thick piles of toxic sludge on his Bellsprout. “Wait up, Jin! We must tell the others before it’s too late!”

---

SUCCESS!!

---

Shelmet gained 1 level.
Shelmet increased to Level 17!
Shelmet grew closer to Shinya. +1
Shelmet increased to +2 Happiness!

Sage Jin & Chow admit defeat!

They give Shinya $300 for winning the battle.

Cyndaquil HP 50%; Shelmet HP 100%.

[Venominon]

It was chaos outside the tower, and it was chaos inside the tower as well. However, unlike the wind and hail, Shinya was actually enjoying the chaos on the inside of the Sprout Tower. As far as he was concerned, he didn't need the monk's permission to stay in their tower until the storm was over. And if any of them had a problem with that, he was more than ready, willing, and able to destroy them. Of course, the Alolan trainer never expected to find and start helping a wild Cyndaquil of all Pokemon. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered with anything like this, but if he was being honest, the thought of such a small and injured Pokemon being thrown back out into the cold angered him. Plus, getting to mess with an entire tower full of monks sounded rather enjoyable to Shinya.

"Tch. Forget the flames! You geezers have got a real problem now! Team Skull is in the house! And if ya think flames are bad, ya should see what a swarm of bugs can do to a big piece of wood!" Shinya yelled out in a taunting tone with a big grin upon his face, then watched with amusement as his Shelmet made quick work of both Bellsprouts. "That was good, Shelmet. But why don't ya stay out here a while longer? Somethin' tells me there're more Bellsprouts where those came from." The Team Skull grunt said to his Pokemon, quickly deducing that between the tower's name, as well as the two Pokemon the monks battled with, every single monk in this tower used Bellsprouts in battle. And if that truly was the case, then this may very well be a dark day for the Sprout Tower.

"Shelmet. Shel. Shel. Shelmet." The Snail Pokemon turned to face her trainer, glad to receive a complement from him, but still a little worried about having to battle again so soon. Even so, one look at the injured Cyndaquil told her that they couldn't just turn away now. It was crystal clear that, despite its injuries, this Fire type wasn't about to back down, and the thought of it moving on by itself made Shelmet feel sad. However, that sadness was interrupted when the two monks picked up their defeated Pokemon, ran off, and openly revealed that they were going to warn their fellow monks about some intruders. "Yeah, you chumps better run!" Shinya was quick to yell at the monks as they ran off, then chuckled for a full minute, thoroughly amused by his own antics.

Still, he was able to regain his composure immediately after that and refocus himself on the task at hand, glancing down at the wild Cyndaquil. "Well, I guess that's our cue to move on. But first, ya look like ya could use a pick-me-up, little guy. So, here. Hold still." Not even bothering to wait for permission, Shinya grabbed a Potion from his bag and sprayed Cyndaquil with it, restoring some of the Mouse Pokemon's lost hit points, before tossing the empty container over his shoulder and ignoring the fact that he just littered in a sacred place. "Now then, let's move on up. C'mon, Shelmet." Knowing that she was slow and had small legs, the Bug type trainer picked up Shelmet and proceeded to carry her as he ran for the stairs leading up to the second floor. "Shelmet! Shelmet!" While this was going on, Shelmet called out to the Cyndaquil, telling it to follow them.

OOC: One Potion used on Cyndaquil before moving on. I'm not sure if that's a thing that can be done in this quest, but if not, then let's just call it fluff, as Tarlar puts it.

[Avalon]

"What? Why are you helping me?" the Cyndaquil squeaked at the battle's end, squirming as Shinya administered the medicinal spray that was being offered to the small fire mouse. For some time now, the only human interaction that Cyndaquil had gotten had been with the various monks and Trainers who called this tower their home. Too many times had it spent its time receiving lashings from their Sprouts or fierce pecks from their Hoothoots when all it had wanted was a chance to rematch that pompous plant that lived atop this tower. So it bristled a little under the Grunt's medicine, but welcomed the cooling spray all the same.

For a second, the Cyndaquil hesitated as Shinya advanced, pursuing the monks seemingly in search of another fight. It was when Shinya's Shelmet began beckoning the mouse to follow behind that the Cyndaquil began to pursue its new friend. As they climbed the stairs, it began explaining to the Shelmet why it was here and what it had been planning to do in this tower. "There's a special Bellsprout at the top of this tower. Me and him have been going at it ever since we hatched. But everytime we fight, we would damage the tower. The monks blamed me for it, and so now whenever I try to climb it, they do everything they can to throw me back out."

Of course, to Shinya this might have just sounded like random rampant squeaking and chirping from the small mouse, but to Shelmet it would be as clear as day. Whatever their intention had been upon entering the Sprout Tower, the Cyndaquil now seemed to consider them as its allies in its quest to best the Sacred Sprout that living within the Tower. Maybe now that it had some strong allies, it would be able to accomplish its goal.

But as they reached the second floor, Shinya and his two allies found themselves in a large nursery of sorts. Pots and incubators littered the floors, many of them with sleeping, injured, or youthful Bellsprouts resting in them. A lone monk stood in the room, glaring at Shinya's abrupt entrance with his arms folded. "Chow and Jin had warned me about you, intruder. And that you came with that infernal rat. This is as far as you'll go. Ivy, we've prepared for this day!"

Suddenly, water began to pour down from the ceiling, drenching Shinya, Shelmet, and Cyndaquil. Cyndaquil let out a screech of discomfort. If one were to look around, they would notice a slightly large Bellsprout at the end of the room, a vine from its body having pulled a switch to set off the nursery's sprinklers. This Sage stood, smirking and giving off an air of smug confidence as his plan seemed to incapacitate the Cyndaquil.

"Turn back now, lest Ivy and I have to give you and your pest a good thrashing!" said the Sage as the Bellsprout responsible for triggering the sprinklers waddled back to its spot beside him, blocking Shinya or Shelmet from directly approaching the Sage; if Shinya did not want to leave and return into the storm, then he was going to have to fight the Sage and his Bellsprout.

Sage Neal was ready for you, and has sent out Ivy the Bellsprout (Level 10) to stop you!
Cyndaquil is unable to help due to the sprinklers.
Weather: Rain

((OOC: Don't see why you wouldn't be able to heal the Cyndaquil with an item, so I'll let it happen. Should bump Cyndaquil back up to max HP.))

Mod Notes: Cyndaquil 100% | Shelmet 100% 

[Venominon]

Before answering Cyndaquil's question, Shinya waited for the Mouse Pokemon to give him and Shelmet its whole backstory, with the two of them listening very intently as they all ran up the stairs. While it was true that most humans couldn't understand Pokemon speech at all, Shinya heard Cyndaquil's every word loud and clear as if the small Fire type were speaking in his own native language. Of course, the Team Skull grunt still had no idea how this was even possible, as he had been able to understand Pokemon speech since he was a toddler. In truth, it was another side effect of Tapu Bulu's power coursing through his veins. But since he wasn't even a month-old back when he received that power, Shinya to this day has no idea where his abilities came from. However, since he's had these abilities for most of his life, he was more than used to them by this point and wasn't bothered by them in the slightest.

Putting all of that aside, Shinya continued to grin as he ran up the stairs, carrying his Shelmet in his arms and finally giving Cyndaquil an answer. "So, that's how it is, huh? Sounds typical. Whenever bad stuff happens, everyone's always gotta blame someone else. And in this case, the Fire type in the room is the easy choice. So, bottom line, ya want a little revenge. That right, Cyndaquil?" The Bug type trainer waited for an answer, knowing the feeling of wanting revenge all too well, then continued his answer. "As for why we're helpin' ya out, it's pretty simple actually. It's because I know where you're comin' from. Back home, me and all my bros and sis' in Team Skull are always bein' treated like vermin by pretty much everyone we meet."

"Plus, I've always had a problem with people in authority. Like these monks for example. There's only two people in this world who can tell me what to do. My big bro, Guzma. And my big sis, Plumeria. Anyone else who tries to boss me around gets destroyed. And no, you're not goin' crazy. I can understand every single word you're sayin'." Shinya finished his own explanation after that, already looking and sounding excited by the very thought of getting to destroy a few monks. Recognizing her trainer's tone and facial expression right away, Shelmet let out a rather exasperated sigh, still not quite used to his behavior just yet. "Shelmet...Shel. Shel. Shelmet. Met." The Snail Pokemon glanced down at Cyndaquil yet again, doing her best to ensure the Fire type that her trainer wasn't always like this and that he was still a good person at heart.

Not long after that, the trio arrived on the next floor up, and took a moment to look around at their new surroundings. Even though this place was called the "Sprout Tower", Shinya admittedly never expected to find a Bellsprout nursery inside, but he didn't let that distract him for very long. As soon as the new sage appeared, and the sprinklers started going off, both Shinya and Shelmet could see that it was time for round two. "Tch. A little water? Is that all ya got? Back home in Po Town, it rains every single day. This is nothin'. Kinda like you and your garden of ugly weeds." The Alolan trainer mocked the sage and his Pokemon, shooting said sage a smug facial expression of his own. And, of course, Shelmet wasn't bothered by the water either, since her kind spent most of their lives in extremely moist environments anyway.

"Met! Shel! Shelmet!" However, Shelmet did still panic a little, seeing that Cyndaquil wasn't nearly as used to the water as she and Shinya were. All of her calls made Shinya notice this himself, so he placed her down onto the ground, then tossed Cyndaquil his jacket, letting the Mouse Pokemon use it to shield itself from the falling water. "Don't go freakin' out on me now. That goes for both of ya." Shinya said to Shelmet and Cyndaquil in a firm, but reasonable tone of voice, then turned to face the sage and his Bellsprout. "Just stay dry and save your strength, Cyndaquil. Shelmet and I will deal with this chump as easily as we dealt with the last two." After that, Shelmet moved out in front of her trainer, and actually looked ready to rumble for a change, looking and sounding very displeased.

"Shelmet! Shelmet! Met! Met! Shel!" The small Bug type Pokemon glared and yelled at the two residents of the tower, telling them that they should be ashamed of themselves for what they're doing to Cyndaquil. And while Shinya never considered himself a hero by any means, he did enjoy seeing Shelmet all fired up for once. "Heck yeah! That's what I'm talkin' about! Destroy 'em, Shelmet! Use Sludge Bomb back-to-back!" The Team Skull grunt decided to repeat his orders from the previous bout with the sages and their sprouts, knowing that this new battle likely wouldn't last very long as a result. "Shelmet! Shel! Shel...MET!" The Snail Pokemon built up a huge amount of poisonous sludge in her mouth, then spat it all straight at Ivy without even the smallest amount of restraint. And if that wasn't bad enough, she did this twice in a row, as per Shinya's orders.

OOC: Thanks, Avalon . Running Shoes used.

[antonius]

Sage Neal shook his head at this young upstart who looked like a street thug. The youth rarely knows what goes on let alone understands the dangers of battling. This one is no different in helping the cyndaquil.

"Do you really understand the dangers of Pokemon battles especially on the surroundings? This building is old and needs to be protected. One thing I give you is you don't fight with your own fire types but wonder about your Pokemon. It isn't one I am too familiar with. It doesn't really matter since Ivy will smack you hard enough with a vine whip to make you think twice. I won't let you get any further with that fire rat who continues to endanger this tower."

Lily heard the command within the talk and prepares the vine whip. Before she could move, a ball of black stinking goop came at her. The ball hit her hard knocking her back on her vine legs until she regained her balance. Her vine arms then reached out and smacked the bug type's metal shell looking like it did more polishing than any real damage. Before her or Sage Neal could react, another sludge ball came at her knocking her flat on the ground. A loud grown came from Sage Neal at the sight of his beloved Ivy on the floor.

"HOW....how dare you?!?!? You are horrible. I thought since that metal covered thing wasn't as bad as a fire type but I guess I was wrong. The only benefit is you didn't harm the tower this time."

Sage Neal's attention returns to his bellsprout as he starts digging through his robes looking for a potion or some other restorative solution. As he does, a wad of cash flies out towards Shinya. All of his attention is making sure Ivy is okay.

(OOC: HP  94% for Shelmet from the lone vine whip. Shelmet +1 level 17 -> 18, no new moves or evolution, +$336 for the win)

[Venominon]

As per usual, as the sage spoke to Shinya and attempted to reason with him, the Bug type trainer merely rolled his eyes, then held up his hand and moved it in a way that made it look like the sage's words were coming out of it. Then, once the sage finally finished speaking, Shinya responded with a very disrespectful tone of voice. "Oh, are ya finally done? Took ya long enough. There's five minutes of my life I want back." Shinya snickered at his own retort, then immediately followed up with another one before the sage had a chance to respond. "And to answer your questions, scrub, yeah. I understand perfectly well how dangerous Pokemon battles can be, but do you understand that that danger is exactly what makes 'em so fun? It's cool if ya don't. I wouldn't expect a stick in the mud, wearin' a stupid-lookin' dress to understand."

"And secondly, I really can't stand old farts like you. Always preachin' about old stuff and traditions. Seriously, get with the times, ya fossil. When somethin' gets old and tired, ya gotta trade up. If this giant future bonfire is really so important to ya, then why don't ya fix it up? Replace some of the rotted wood, maybe add in some metal parts besides just nails, and how 'bout a heater while you're at it? The wind and hail may be blocked out in here, but it's still freezin'. Frankly, I wish I had a Fire type on my team, but there's only two Bug/Fire types in the world and they're not exactly easy to come by in Alola or Johto." The Team Skull grunt trailed off a bit but was still careful not to lose focus on the battle at hand. Not that it lasted much longer after that, of course.

The battle ended almost immediately after that, with the sage's Bellsprout collapsing in a puddle of toxic sludge, very similar to how the previous battle ended actually. Shelmet took almost no damage and Shinya seemed unamused with his opponent once again, until said opponent opened his mouth up for a second time. Upon hearing his words, the Alolan trainer gained a new, big grin upon his face, as some very mischievous thoughts began to enter his mind. "Ya know what? You're right. I didn't cause any damage to your tower, did I? Well, not a problem. I can fix that. Like, how 'bout this?!" Shinya suddenly ran over to the wall where he saw a water pipe and ripped part of it right off, which was pretty easy for him, since it was so old. Once he did this, the sprinklers stopped, which made it safe for Cyndaquil to come out from under Shinya's jacket.

Of course, with the pipe broken, water began to pour out of the part that was still attached to the wall without stopping. And unfortunately for the sage, Shinya wasn't done yet, as he held the pipe in his hands like a golf club and faced some of the pots in the room. "Fore!" Using just enough strength, the Team Skull grunt smacked several pots off of their stands and right into the walls behind them. Upon impact, the pots shattered, and part of the wall was damaged. From there, Shinya kicked some of the wet dirt from the shattered pots right into the sage's face. As all of this went on, Shelmet merely watched and let out a big sigh of exasperation, before glancing at Cyndaquil and informing the Mouse Pokemon that both of them would be okay and that her trainer's little rampage wouldn't last much longer. "Shelmet...Shel. Shel. Met. Met. Shelmet."

A few minutes later, Shinya tossed the pipe in his hands right at another wall, leaving it stuck in the wall and creating a fairly big hole in said wall. Then, with his trail of destruction complete for the time being, Shinya wiped some of the water from his face, before grabbing his jacket from Cyndaquil, putting it back on, and heading over to the stairs that lead to the top floor of the tower. "Phew! That felt good. So, ya ready to move on, little guy? The big boss is waitin' at the top for ya." The Bug type trainer spoke to Cyndaquil in a nonchalant tone of voice, not feeling even a little guilty about everything he just did but was still nice enough to wait a minute for the Fire type to follow him before heading up the stairs himself. "Shelmet. Shelmet. Shel. Shel." The Snail Pokemon once again encouraged Cyndaquil to come with them, trying her best to ensure the small Pokemon that her trainer really was a nice guy once you got to know him.

[Avalon]

Sage Neal was aghast at the Skull Grunt's rampage and destruction upon the tower, but there was little he could do. His Pokemon having just been bested, even with his speediest of heals he would be unable to combat the punkish youth in time. He could only watch in horror as this sacred place was further desecrated by the rambunctious Alolan. He hung his head in shame at his own inability to protect his station, offering a silent apology to the Elder and to his ancestors for failing on this day. "Just go, my boy. Haven't you done enough damage?"

Cyndaquil followed behind Shinya willingly. If it felt any reluctance from the display of rage that Shinya had just put on, then it didn't show on the little fire mouse's face. Maybe it was in support of the chaos, due to its longtime grudge against its rival, the Sacred Sprout? Or maybe it was just indifferent to the suffering and pain of others, unlike Shinya who seemed to relish in it. Either way, the unlikely partners ascended the tower to its highest level.

Upon reaching this highest level, they found a gaggle of monks gathered around, excitedly chattering to a rather important-looking man in the middle of the room. Older than the rest and in more resplendent and colorful robes than the others, the Elder narrowed his eyes at the sight of Shinya and the Cyndaquil. Around him, the lesser monks were trying to get his attention and his opinion on what to do about the intruder who they had been able to hear trashing the lower levels of the tower. The Elder raised his hand, silencing his companions. Behind him, seated on a sort-of-altar, was specially colored Bellsprout, dancing and swaying in time to the shifting of the building's central pillar; it seemed largely unaffected by the Elder's commands. "I shall deal with this post-haste, brothers."

"I see you brought the Cyndaquil with you, here to help settle its grudge. Trespassing and assisting that infernal creature would be one thing, but acting like some kind of Tauros in a china shop as you do so, making a mockery of our great traditions? It is not too late to repent. Turn around, return into the storm from whence you came, and never darken our doorstep with your deeds again!" the Elder commanded harshly, before sighing and shaking his head. "That is what I would say, though I can see you are not the type to give up so easily. Perhaps you require a more hands-on scolding than just mere words. Step before the Sacred Sprout of our Tower, and see how you measure up against the old ways!"

As he said so, the golden Bellsprout stepped down from its altar, swaying in front of the Elder and eyeing the Cyndaquil. "Had to get help? It won't do you any good, heathenous rat. This is my turf, and my tower!"[/color] the Bellsprout croaked at the flaming rat, whom stepped forward and summoned up his own fiery back in response. The Elder revealed a Poke Ball, opening it and releasing out a Hoothoot of his own that took to the battlefield beside the Sacred Sprout. The various lower-ranked monks and sages stood to the side, in reverence of their tower's strongest Pokemon and Trainer.

Elder Li stands between you and your goal!
He has sent out the Sacred Sprout (Level 12) and Hotei the Hoothoot (Level 11)


Cyndaquil will help you in this Double Battle. Choose one Pokemon to send out.

[Venominon]

As Shinya ascended the stairs, accompanied by Shelmet and Cyndaquil, he hummed the Team Skull theme song to himself with a big grin upon his face. Clearly, he was very satisfied with the trail of destruction he had left in his wake. There wasn't even the smallest hint of shame or regret on his face or in his voice, but there appeared to be plenty of pride and joy. This did cause Shelmet to let out one more sigh though, as she closed up her shell and decided to stay there for a while. Still, the Snail Pokemon hoped that Cyndaquil wouldn't be too negatively affected by Shinya's influence, having seen it do just that to some of Shinya's other Pokemon. And speaking of Shinya's other Pokemon, one of them decided to make a surprise appearance, letting herself out of her ball and clinging to the top of her trainer's head.

"Yan! Yan! Yanma!" The Clear Wing Pokemon caught Shinya, Shelmet, and Cyndaquil by surprise, but that didn't last long, as she looked to be very happy and excited for some reason. The Alolan trainer stopped his humming after that, glancing up at Yanma, then grinned at her as he spoke. "Well now, you've never done that before, Yanma. What's the occasion?" Shinya already had a pretty good idea, having seen for himself that Yanma had taken to his lifestyle choices and mannerisms very well. "Yanma. Ma. Ma. Yanma. Yan." The Bug/Flying type answered her trainer, then used her Psychic attack to rip some of the wooden boards out of the walls, tossing them down the stairs to the floor below their group. And just like that, Shinya's suspicions were confirmed, much to his continued pleasure.

"Oh, ya wanna join in on the fun, huh? Well, okay. Why not? It's nice to actually see someone joinin' in on the destruction willingly for a change." The Bug type trainer's response got Yanma even more excited, as she smiled even bigger and nuzzled her head into the top of her trainer's head. "Yanma! Yanma! Yan! Yanma!" Shinya couldn't help chuckling at her enthusiasm a bit, really enjoying it. "Well, ya heard her, Shelmet. Looks like it's time for ya to take a break. Ya did a good job though, so you've earned it." Shinya called Shelmet back to her Pokeball for now, then put it away, as he, Yanma, and Cyndaquil continued to make their way up to the top floor of the tower. And as soon as they reached the top floor, Shinya's eyes immediately landed on the oldest man in the room, as the young trainer presumed him to be the one in charge of the whole tower and everyone in it.

Then, as Shinya waited for the elder monk to finish speaking, he eyed the gold colored Bellsprout beside him, assumed that it was the Sacred Sprout he had been hearing about, but didn't look all that impressed by it. In fact, the Team Skull grunt and the Yanma on his head laughed out loud for a full minute, then said grunt wiped a tear from his eye before retorting. "So, this is the Sacred Sprout I've heard so much about? Jeez, you people are even more pathetic than I thought. A fancy-lookin' weed is still just a weed. Face it. You and your old ways are all washed up, Baldy." Shinya mocked the elderly monk and his Pokemon, then he and Yanma laughed at the two of them for another minute. Still, the elderly man was right about one thing at least.

Shinya was definitely not the type of person to give up or repent, and he didn't like being looked down on either. So, when the elderly monk sent out his second Pokemon and challenged Shinya and Cyndaquil to a double battle, the trainer from Alola grinned once again, more than happy to accept this challenge. "Your old ways ain't got nothin' on Team Skull! Yanma, Cyndaquil, let's show these old scrubs that our generation rules!" Of course, Yanma agreed with her trainer completely, taking flight and leaving his head, ready for battle. "Ma! Ma! Yanma!" And with that, the battle was on. Old ways vs the new generation. "Start off strong, Yanma! Hit 'em with your Psychic attack! First the sacred weed, then its little feathered sidekick!" Not needing to be told twice, Yanma's eyes started to glow right psychic energy, which she unleashed upon the Sacred Sprout right away, followed by the elder's Hoothoot.

OOC: Running Shoes used.

[antonius]

"Child, you are immature and only know of power. IF you was of a different mentality you could learn many things from us but instead all you want is death and destruction. You are no better than those hooligans Team Rocket who steal, lie, cheat, and other wicked things. My sacred sprout is strong enough to whip some sense into you especially since there is my hoothoot as well. GO sacred sprout and use Growth!! Hotie, peck on the bug to buy time for the upcoming reminder to never mess with us!!"

The sacred sprout tries to gain power and Hotei uses peck on the Yanma. Both are ignoring the cyndaquil for time being. Before either could move the Yanma uses psychic and wipes out the sacred sprout. This shocks the Elder Sage as he watches his beloved sacred sprout go down in one shot. Then the cyndaquil takes a shot at the hoothoot with its best effort.

"How....How DARE YOU wipe out the sacred sprout so easily. Now I see all you know is destruction and cruelty. Okay, Hotei, use another peck on the bug and hope it goes down."

Another psychic attack lands on Hotei almost knocking out the hoothoot but it barely hangs on. Thankfully it has enough energy to use another peck on the yanma to get hit once again by the cyndaquil. A small breath escapes the Elder Sage which he didn't realize he is holding.


Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Indoor

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Hotei LV 11
HP 9% [6/35]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn2"]
Sacred Bellsprout LV 12
HP 0% [0/37]

[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"]
Cyndaquil LV 7
HP 100% [24/24]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-2"]
Yanma LV 16
HP 63% [34/54]

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

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

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

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

Sacred Bellsprout [Chlorophyll]: Koed!
Hotei [Insomnia]: Normal
Yanma [Compound Eyes]: Normal
Cyndaquil [Blaze]: Normal

SP42 Yanma used Psychic!
SP18 Hotei used Peck!
SP18 Bellsprout is KOed!
SP16 Cyndaquil used Tackle!

SP42 Yanma used Psychic!
SP18 Hotei used Peck!
SP18 Bellsprout is KOed!
SP16 Cyndaquil used Tackle!

[Venominon]

While Shinya was once again waiting for the old man to finish his little lecture, he once again mocked the fact that said old man was bald by running his fingers through his hair and giving it a flip. Then, as soon as he had the opportunity to retort, he did, continuing to do so in a very disrespectful tone. "Tch. Shows what you know, gramps. Me and the rest of Team Skull are better than those Team Rocket chumps in every way. Don't go lumpin' us in with them. And while we're on the subject of lumps, I've got a few for ya right here if you're lookin' for a clearer demonstration." Shinya cracked his knuckles as he spoke to the sage, continuing to grin and preparing himself to cause even more havoc than he already had.

But before the Team Skull grunt made any moves himself, he watched with great interest as his beloved Yanma finished off the elderly man's prized Bellsprout in one decisive blow. Naturally, this caused both Shinya and Yanma to burst into a fit of laughter right away, kicking the sage while he was down. "Ahahahahahahah! That's your Sacred Sprout?! The Pokemon that's gonna put us in our place?! Looks like an even bigger loser than its trainer if ya ask me! Ahahahahahahahahah!" The Bug type trainer held his sides with laughter, while Yanma was barely able to stay airborne, laughing quite a bit herself. "Yanyanyanyanyanyanyan!" Unfortunately, this created the perfect opening for Hotei to hit Yanma with its Peck attack, but the Clear Wing Pokemon just kept laughing away, barely even feeling it through all of her laughter.

It took them about five minutes, but the Bug type pair finally settled down after that, taking another minute to catch their breath. Once they did, Shinya glanced at Cyndaquil after it had dealt a blow against Hotei, gesturing to the defeat Sacred Sprout as he spoke to the Fire type. "Ya see that, Cyndaquil? How easily your rival was beaten down? These old timey sages will tell ya that the old ways are still the right way to go, and that power isn't everythin', but they couldn't be more wrong. As long as you've got enough of it, then might is always right. Remember that and train hard, little guy. Then one day, you'll be the one kickin' others outta your turf. And believe me, there's no other feelin' like it in the whole damn world."

After imparting his own wisdom upon the Mouse Pokemon, the Alolan trainer turned back towards the battle, just in time to watch Yanma hit Hotei with another Psychic attack, then witness her shrug off a second Peck attack from the Hoothoot. "Yanma. Yan. Yanma. Ma." The Bug/Flying type spoke to her trainer, informing him that she was ready to wrap this battle up and cause some more destruction at the same time. And that was all Shinya needed to hear, giving his dear companion her final orders for this one-sided battle. "Once again, you and I are on the same page, Yanma. Use your Gust attack, and don't be gentle about it! Go all out and wreck up this place while you're at it!" That was all Yanma needed to hear as well, smiling big and flapping her wings even faster, whipping up a very strong Gust, which not only caused even more damage to Hotei, but also blew around the whole room in the process. The strong winds knocked pictures off the walls, shattered most of the glass objects in the room, and even ripped some wooden boards out of the walls, floor, and ceiling.

[Marchbaby]

The elder struggled to even begin to respond to the young man across from him. It was horrible enough what Shinya had done to the Sacred Sprout but the way the youth mocked the ways of the old were beyond blasphemy. As Li finally organized his thoughts in a coherent manner it was already too late as Yanma summoned a gust of wind that knocked Hotei out and tore up multiple pieces of tapestry as well. " You foul demon, you are no better than that wretched Cyndaquil. I hope you are happy with what you have done here, our beautiful tower will take months if not years to recover from all of this mess." As much as he wanted to try and force Shinya to leave however he had no way to do so.

In a desperate act to bribe the young man to leave before causing more damage he reached into his robe and took out some money as well as a Technical Machine for the move Flash and walked over to Shinya after recalling Hotei. " Here take this money and technical machine and leave us at once so we can begin our repairs and take that fiery rat with you. Now that it has achieved it's goal there is no need for it to ever bother us again." After handing the money and technical machine to SHinya he pointed towards an open window with an escape rope hanging down. Usually the rope would only be used in the event of a fire but the sooner Shinya was gone the better.

" Leave at once using this rope before I lose my temper even further, the sooner you and your ilk are gone the better. The Sages and I have so much work to do thanks to your antics. I hope you get you comeuppance one day." He then started to tear off the damaged tapestry and yelled for the other sages to come and help start cleaning up at once as Shinya was now free to make his escape.



Trainer Battle

---

Weather: Indoor

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Hotei LV 11
HP 0% [0/35]

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn2"]
Sacred Bellsprout LV 12
HP 0% [0/37]

[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"]
Cyndaquil LV 7
HP 100% [24/24]

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn2-2"]
Yanma LV 17
HP 63% [34/54]

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

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

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

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

Sacred Bellsprout [Chlorophyll]: Koed!
Hotei [Insomnia]: Normal
Yanma [Compound Eyes]: Normal
Cyndaquil [Blaze]: Normal

SP42 Yanma used Gust!
SP18 Hotei is KO'ed!
SP18 Bellsprout is KOed!
SP16 Cyndaquil did not need to attack!

Yanma gains 1 level for helping to defeat Sacred Sprout (1/2=0.5 rounded up to 1) and 1 level for helping to defeat Hotei (1/2=0.5 rounded up to 1) growing to level 19. She also gains 1 happiness and now has +3 happiness overall.


Cyndaquil grows to level 10 and would like to join your team, please complete the code below:



[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/bw/cyndaquil.png"]
[b]Cyndaquil[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 10
OT: Shinya Stinger
Moves: Tackle, Leer, Smokescreen, Ember
Ability: Blaze
Nature/Personality: [choose]




Elder Li angrily hands you TM70 Flash and £1,000 before pointing you to the escape rope leading out of the tower demanding that you leave.

[Venominon]

With the battle now over, and their trail of destruction complete, both Shinya and Yanma shared the same grin, looking very satisfied with their handy work. Of course, enough was never quite enough for Shinya. So, after listening to the sage comment on his powers of destruction, the Bug type trainer was ready with yet another retort after only two seconds. "You've got a real talent for statin' the obvious there, gramps. But yeah, I am happy. See how I'm grinnin' right now?" Shinya pointed to the grin on his face when he said that last part, continuing to speak in a tone filled to the brim with disrespect. "Yanma! Yanma!" Yanma agreed with her trainer once more, then stuck her tongue out at the sage and gave him a raspberry before laughing some more.

Shinya then chuckled a bit more himself before calling Yanma back to her Pokeball, thanking her for another job well done, as well as another amusing time of destruction and laughter. After that, the Team Skull grunt eyed the sage as he approached, a little surprised to see him offer compensation of his own free will, but said grunt wasn't about to turn down free money and a TM. "Now that's what I'm talkin' about. And here I thought I'd have to threaten ya." Shinya openly admitted without a care in the world, taking the cash and TM from the old man before shoving his winnings into his bag. Shinya then turned and glanced at the escape rope the old man pointed out to him, seeing through the window that the storm had subsided during his time in the Sprout Tower. However, before he took his leave, there was still one more thing Shinya had to address.

The Alolan trainer turned once again, and looked down at Cyndaquil this time, considering the idea of capturing the Mouse Pokemon. While it was true that Cyndaquil wasn't a Bug type, Shinya saw a lot of himself in the wild Fire type, and actually felt some sympathy for the lone Pokemon. "Hmmm...Yeah. What the heck? C'mon, Cyndaquil. Let's blow this joint. Welcome to Team Skull, little guy." With a shrug, Shinya chose to welcome Cyndaquil into Team Skull, grabbing an empty Pokeball from his bag and tossing it down at the Fire type. Once the capture was complete, Shinya watched the red and white orb transport itself to his PC, which happened to be back home in Po Town. With that, Shinya's work here was officially done, but even as he turned and made his way over to the escape rope, he couldn't resist giving the sage one final retort before making his exit.

"What do ya think I'm doin' right now, gramps? Ya gettin' senile over there? No. Wait. That's already happened. What other explanation could there be for why ya were so weak in our battle?" Shinya mocked the elderly man one more time, chuckling out loud yet again, but stopped almost immediately so he could add one more thing in response to said elderly man's final statement. "Ya know what?! I'd love to see ya lose your temper, old man! What are ya gonna do?! Lecture me?! Chase me?! I don't even have to run from ya! I could just walk, and you'd never catch me before the grim reaper caught you! And when death finally does come for ya, which will be soon I'm sure, tell 'em that Shinya Stinger, the future leader of Team Skull, thanks him for everything he does. See you and your precious old ways in the afterlife, ya fossil!" Shinya then grabbed the escape rope, jumped out the window, and laughed out loud the whole way down, his voice echoing out in all directions as he did. From there, Shinya landed safely in the fresh snow that covered the ground, and headed straight for the Violet City Pokemon Center, still in need of a warm place to stay for the night.

OOC: Okay, now that that's done, just a couple of things I'd like to point out. First of all, on Shinya's character page, Yanma's happiness says 2, but it's supposed to say 3. Secondly, the TM for Flash hasn't been added to Shinya's inventory yet. Thirdly, I'm not sure if the money for this victory has been added to my total yet, but given these first two mistakes, I'd just like to be sure. And finally, I'd like to keep Cyndaquil's stats blank and have it sent to Shinya's PC please. Thanks so much for all of this. I really appreciate it.

[Tarlar]

Updated Happiness, TM and cyndaquil

Also noting, as talked about the other instance, that rounding up happens in the end, so it's 0,5+0,5=1 level Yanma gets from this ^^ She grows to level 18, which I have correct.

I don't know about the money, Marchbaby?


Marchbabgy edit: I cannot believe I messed up the level gains again. As for the money that was updated though I forgot to add the TM to Shinya's profile.