Seriously, Elm Needs to Pay Me More (BCC)

[Avalon]

Matthew took in the sights around him as he entered the National Park; sun beating down upon him as he looked around. He could see other Trainers scrambling into the grass and ducking under the trees lining the perimeter of the park. The horn had been blown and the Trainers had been beckoned to go rushing off in search of their quarries. Matthew hadn't been planning to spend the day with this, but then Professor Elm had called. He needed some more data on the Bug Pokemon of the Region, and when Matthew had agreed to look into it, he had told him about a Bug Catching Contest that might interest him.

Trainers were encouraged to hunt down various bugs, capture the one they thought of as being the best, and then submit them for judging. A simple enough contest, and one that definitely favored strategy over brute strength. He wasn't so sure if he had brought the right partner for this, unfortunately, as he had opted to bring his freshly caught Dunsparce rather than any of his more battle-hardened members. Not too long ago, this same Dunsparce had been trying to attack him and his team. Now, it was an act of Arceus to get Sentomaru to leave his teammates' sides for any length of time.

Matthew and the strange worm wandered into the grass; Sentomaru grumbled at having to follow the Trainer into the grass, but Sentomaru knew that his other teammates needed the human's presence. If keeping the human safe and keeping him around meant his teammates could be happier, then he would tolerate the red-haired boy's presence. Besides, he could help the boy bring another member into the fold; another creature in need of his protection.

"Sentomaru, as soon as something pops out of the grass, give it a good Glare," Matthew said, turning over a Sport Ball in his hand absentmindedly. He was hoping that whatever came out wouldn't be something that put up too much of a fight, or at least something that could be easily subdued. While it would be nice to come away from this with a Scyther or Pinsir to call his own, he did not relish the idea of fighting one of those creatures. Just then, something could be heard rustling in the grass nearby; Matthew braced himself, and Sentomaru launched himself upwards and let out a fierce Glare at the emerging creature.

Word Count: 403
((OOC: Looking for encounter #1, gonna send out Sentomaru and immediately use Glare.

[Tiki]

"WOULD YOU LIKE TO COME TRY OUR OLIVE OIL HONEY?" The Combee buzzed and promoted their newest sweets.

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Combee LV 12
HP 100% [32/32]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sentomaru LV 12
HP 86% [42/49]

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

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

Combee [Ability]: Paralyzed
Sentomaru [Serene Grace]: Status, Special Attack -1

SP25 Combee used Struggle Bug!
SP19 Sentomaru used Glare!


BIIIsJs61-42
JUST IN CASE1-42

[Avalon]

It didn't take too long before something came into Matthew and Sentomaru's path; the duo could hear the faint sound of buzzing growing closer and closer to them, and the feeling of being watched...only in triplicate. It was a true feeling of paranoia, having so many eyes upon you. So it only made sense to Matthew when the three-faced bee emerged from the woods, chattering with its three voices in a cacophonous annoyance. Matthew was immediately not the biggest fan of this particular bug, though he was admittedly not the greatest fan of bugs in general. Least of all the kinds that typically had stingers or fangs.

Sentomaru's eyes glowed a brief blue as the Combee approached, but the bee was still able to get off a single attack. Its body squirmed and quaked as it struck Sentomaru, before its body began to slow down. The paralysis was beginning to take effect, it seemed. Matthew smiled, still toying with the Sport Ball in his hands. He couldn't use any of his own items in this little escapade, but the ones provided to him by the Park staff should more than suffice. He had yet to properly experiment with this new Ball, but it would be worth a shot. He would need a Combee for the PokeDex eventually, after all, so he may as well try to catch this one while it was in front of him.

"Nicely done, Sentomaru, but I'll take it from here!" he said, lobbing the Sport Ball at the buzzing bee with as much force as he could muster. The ball twirled through the summer air, spinning and rotating as it approached the segmented honeybee. He stood, waiting and watching for the results of his first capture attempt of the day. He couldn't afford to waste too much time here, of course; he only had so much time in the park reserved before they would start asking to announce the results of the catching contest.

Word Count: 330
((OOC: Using a Sport Ball.))

[Tarlar]

BCC Encounter

---

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Combee LV 12
HP 100% [43/32]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sentomaru LV 12
HP 100% [42/49]

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

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

Sport Balls Left: 14
1/5 Encounters

Combee [Honey Gather]: Paralyzed
Sentomaru [Serene Grace]: Normal (-1SP.ATK)

SP19++ Matthew throws a Sport Ball!
SP25 Combee breaks free and is paralyzed!


"You see, this is the greatest honey you have ever tasted! Only made from the finest flowers of the organic Olive Trees which is used to make the finest virgin olive oil which again is used in the three brother's restaurant in Unova, have you heard of it? It's very famous!" The combee did its best to sell its honey, which was nowhere to be seen by the way.
"Now now, no need to look at me like that," it added when Sentomaru glared at it, "I'll do you.." it got cut short when the sport ball smack into its side, but it shattered it as it broke out again.
"Now what did you do that for?!" It shouted angrily as it buzzed at them, but then its wings locked tight in paralysis and it dumped into the tall grass.


Caught(53%): VyKrS5RV1-1001-100

[Avalon]

Matthew grimaced as he saw the Combee break free from the ball, seemingly made even more irate at the attempted capture. He had either underestimated the Combee's natural ability to fight, or overestimated the effectiveness of these Sport Balls. Either way, it wasn't as if he could just turn tail and run from this. He had to at least try to capture one Pokemon, even if it meant beating it up a bit and losing a few points. Better to lose the competition than to come out empty-handed, right?

"Sentomaru, Rollout!" Matthew called out, not wanting to risk wasting anymore time on this than he had to. With that, Sentomaru tucked himself into a ball, placing his stinger-like tail against his own mouth and began to rotate and spin in place. After a moment of seconds, Sentomaru was like a spinning top of destruction. As he rolled through the grass, blades of grass and clumps of dirt were sent flying in various directions, the tsuchinoko leaving a path of destruction behind him that some poor gardener was going to have to take care of later. Matthew cringed inwardly, though he also knew he had no intentions of sticking around in order to fix the damage.

As Sentomaru approached the buzzing bee, Matthew would retrieve a Sport Ball and toss it at the bee, hoping that the damage from being struck by a spinning cryptid would be enough to hurt or distract the bee long enough for the ball to work its magic. With the spinning cryptid hurtling at it and the ball following closely behind, Matthew could now do little more than watch and wait for the honeybee to react.

Word Count: 280
((OOC: Sentomaru uses Rollout, then throwing another Sport Ball.))

[Caramell 🍬]

Sentomaru curled up into a tight ball and rolled across the ground. The attack barely left the small bug alive as it sent Combee flying backwards and slamming into the thick wire fencing that wrapped around the National Park. It immediately shook off the worst of the attack and unleashed a powerfully smelling sweet scent. However, the Sport Ball would easily capture it in such a weakened state.

If kept at the end of the BCC it will be added to Matthew's PC.


Combee
Level: 12
OT: Matthew Jeevas
Moves: Sweet Scent, Gust, Struggle Bug, Bug Bite
Ability: Honey gather

HP: 6%
Balls Broke: 1

[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/ani/combee.gif"]
[b]Combee[/b]
Name: [Choose]
Gender: [Choose]
Level: 12
OT: Matthew Jeevas
Moves: Sweet Scent, Gust, Struggle Bug, Bug Bite
Ability: Honey Gather
Nature/Personality: [Choose]


---

---

Sentomaru grew 3 levels to Level 15!
He will have [52/59] HP after level up!
He's trying to learn Screech! Forget a move?


Matthew has 13/15 Sport Balls and 1/5 Encounters left.

[Avalon]

Matthew was able to watch with some level of satisfaction as the plan seemed to work. Granted, under the weight of Sentomaru's rolling attack, the Combee did seem to be on its last legs. Or last wings, as it were. Luckily the ball struck the Combee before rolling attack could finish the bug off or do any lasting damage to it. While Matthew knew that this would surely affect his score in the competition, it at least meant that he wouldn't be leaving empty-handed. He strode over to where the bee originally hovered and where now lay a single Sport Ball, passing over the shattered remains of his first catch attempt. Sentomaru was still rolling and spinning in circles, not able to stop yet even without a proper target.

Matthew minimized the Sport Ball, sliding it into place on his belt. For now, he would have to be satisfied with his first capture. Watching Sentomaru continue to spin and whirl in circles, Matthew sighed and briefly recalled the tsuchinoko into its ball before sending it back out. Now that it was in-and-out of the ball, the cryptid had stopped its spinning and whirling and instead tilted its head inquisitively at Matthew, as if questioning why it had been made to stop.

"We have our first capture. Time to keep moving, see what else we can find," Matthew explained, leading the cryptid deeper into the park's tall grass. Surely that wasn't the only bug waiting to jump out at them here in this park. Faintly in the distance he could hear other Trainers experiencing much of the same luck, shouting commands over the faint sound of buzzing or flapping wings. He wondered how their catch attempts were faring, or if anyone had found anything particularly rare or unusual as of yet.

Word Count: 300
((OOC: Not learning Screech, gonna go looking for another encounter. Gonna leave the Combee blank until I know if I am going to keep it or not.))

[Tiki]

In the middle of the Dunsparce being called in and out of the Pokeball, a Caterpie caught the Dunsparce spinning and wanted to join the party. Who let the snake out?

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Caterpie LV 16
HP 100% [45/45]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sentomaru LV 15
HP 100% [52/59]

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

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

Wild Pkmn [Ability]: Status
Trainer Pkmn [Ability]: Status
Sport Balls Left: 13
2/5 Encounters

SP24 Caterpie used Doing the Worm!
SP23 Sentomaru used SPEEEN!


_LTm3g6v1-421-42

[Avalon]

Matthew did frown slightly at the sight of the Caterpie; not a wholly uncommon bug and not one he had much interest in. Raising a Caterpie into its higher evolutions when it was already so old was a tedious task. It would have missed out on learning some key techniques already, so would it even be worth evolving and putting it through so much pain and trouble when it was likely to never see combat again? No, best to just get it out of the way and go on with the rest of the challenge.

Sentomaru bristled at the sight of the worm, unsure of what to make of the bug's sudden appearance. Sentomaru didn't care much for strangers even on the best of days, and this random worm appearing as he was getting his spin on put him a little on edge. This Caterpie had snuck up on them both and tried to interrupt their time with their new bee friend. How could it be trusted to join Sentomaru's friends and this weird human they traveled with?

Sentomaru looked up to Matthew for guidance and the redhead sighed, rubbing at the back of his own neck sheepishly. He didn't like the idea of beating down this worm, but he also knew that a Wild Pokemon was unlikely to let them just wander off without a fight of some sort. "Sentomaru, use a Defense Curl, then switch into Rollout!" Matthew said calmly. Logic said that if a Pokemon hardened its skin a little bit, then its rolling attack should do a little extra damage. As Sentomaru coiled into itself and tried to harden and flex its muscles, it then would begin to rotate and spin once again, aiming squarely at the caterpillar Pokemon that had so rudely interrupted their time.

Word Count: 300
((OOC: Using Running Shoes. Defense Curl followed by Rollout.))

[Tarlar]

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Caterpie LV 16
HP 46% [21/45]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sentomaru LV 15
HP 62% [37/59]

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

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

Sport Balls Left: 13
2/5 Encounters

Caterpie [Shield Dust]: Normal
Sentomaru [Serene Grace]: Normal

SP24 Caterpie used Bug Bite!
SP23 Sentomaru used Defense Curl!

SP24 Caterpie used Tackle!
SP23 Sentomaru used Rollout!


The caterpie completely misread the situation. as Sentomaru curled up it giggled and thought it was a part of the dance/play thing, whatever they were doing, and decided to jump at him. It was not made for jumping and its tiny teeth cut into the side of the dunsparce as it landed badly. The moment it realized Sentomaru tried to roll it declared it wanted to help him and tackled him which sent him bumbling over the ground, it would regret that shortly after when he rolled over it.


(ooc: just noting that the throwing of a ball during the last rollout shouldn't have been possible. It has been cleared up but is left as is, since we're a bit too far to correct the mistake now )

[Avalon]

Sentomaru's rolling attack battered the Caterpie around, but the worm was able to land a single bite and a slight bash of the head against the rolling cryptid. Matthew was a little surprised that the worm was still standing after taking such a direct hit from the rolling attack twice. He had been expecting, or maybe hoping, that the attack would be enough to knock the Caterpie out with minimal effort so he could move on with his trek into the park. But instead, the worm was preparing itself for another round of combat.

Sentomaru's rolling body prepared for another whirl through the park, tearing up soil and sending it flying in multiple directions once again as it launched itself squarely at the Caterpie. Matthew was curious if the worm would be able to weasel its way out of the path of the rolling snake-mole or if it would be crushed under the creature's surprisingly dense body. Matthew knew he was likely getting a bit too comfortable with this, but he couldn't help himself from looking at his surroundings to see if there was anything else of note on the horizon. If he could spot his next target in the Catching Contest, then he would be set. He was still hoping to find something a bit stronger or rarer than a Combee or Caterpie, though he had to admit that finding the honeybee Pokemon had been somewhat lucky.

"Sentomaru, continue your Rollout!" Matthew called out to the tsuchinoko as it continued its attack. He wasn't sure if Sentomaru could even hear or understand him through all the sound of rolling and spinning through the dirt; he also wasn't entirely sure if the Dunsparce could even stop and change course if Matthew had asked him to. At this point, Matthew suspected that they were locked into this particular strategy until one side of the conflict dropped from exhaustion. Which was perfectly fine with him so long as it was the Caterpie that dropped first. While he had enough medicine in his bag to take care of Sentomaru should he have to, he also didn't love the idea of having to stop and tend to an injured Pokemon when time was of the essence.

Matthew sighed, toying with the Sport Ball that contained his recently obtained Combee. If he were going to keep the bee when this contest was over, he'd have to go about figuring out its name and some strategies for it, he supposed. He could worry about that once he was done with all this bug catching nonsense, though.

Word Count: 430
((OOC: Just keep rolling rolling rolling rolling.))

[Tiki]

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Caterpie LV 16
HP 46% [21/45]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sentomaru LV 15
HP 42% [25/59]

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

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

Sport Balls Left: 13
2/5 Encounters

Caterpie [Shield Dust]: Normal
Sentomaru [Serene Grace]: Normal

SP24 Caterpie used Bug Bite!
SP23 Sentomaru used Rollout!

---

Sentomaru gained 3 levels and is now level 18!
He can learn Screech, Delete a move?

Roll Out acc check m5KQBaue1-1001-100

[Avalon]

Sentomaru rolled in for another strike at the diminutive bug; the worm and the snake closed in on one another as their clash was set to seemingly finish. Sentomaru was still feeling fine and feeling strong, but the Caterpie was beginning to look awful puny in comparison. It was able to land a single bite on the rolling Dunsparce's body, but as its teeth sank in the rolling body, the Caterpie would find itself crushed under the weight of the cryptid's moving body. Caterpie was sent flying, bouncing across the ground like a stone against a pond.

Matthew felt bad for the puny bug, but he knew that he couldn't spend too much time dwelling on this if he wanted to have a chance at catching some other bugs for Elm's research. The Caterpie was too injured to fight or give chase, but it would also likely be safe from any predators given the amount of humans running about and the amount of noise being generated. Any fainted Pokemon found in this park would likely be safe long enough for this little contest to come to a close, assuming some park ranger or game official didn't come along and whisk it away to safety while Matthew's back was turned.

"Sentomaru, to me," he said gently, stooping down to get closer to the tsuchinoko. The cryptid snake reluctantly wriggled its way over to Matthew, having stopped its rolling attack after witnessing the Caterpie get launched away. Matthew retrieved a bottle of medicine, spraying at the snake's bite wounds and scratches from the just-ended battle. He had left the rest of his Pokemon in the care of a game warden, so he had only Sentomaru to rely on until this contest ended. He couldn't have his currently only partner going down before they were done. Sentomaru flinched at the stinging cold spray of the medicine, biting at the air near Matthew's hand.

Matthew sighed; treating wounds was not a pleasant experience even for a human. But with a Pokemon like Sentomaru that had not quite gotten around to the idea of working with a human, it was especially unpleasant. Still, the cryptid had purposely missed with its bite, and Matthew could tell that it was a half-hearted attempt at best. Perhaps the little snake mole was beginning to warm up to its human, after all? Or maybe that was just wishful thinking.

Word Count: 400
((OOC: Gonna use a Potion on Sentomaru, not self-deducted. No to Screech, going out for another encounter.))

[Caramell 🍬]

Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Sewaddle LV 15
HP 100% [43/43]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sentomaru LV 18
HP 80% [55/59]

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

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

Sport Balls Left: 13
3/5 Encounters

Caterpie [Shield Dust]: Normal
Sentomaru [Serene Grace]: Normal

SP26 Sentomaru was given a Potion! +20 HP
SP22 Sewaddle used don't I look cute?!


A small caterpillar crawled out in front of Matthew and Sentomaru. It batted its long eyelashes and pulled at the bright green leaves swaddled all around its body. Would they like it enough to play happy little games in its pretend world with it?! hmm...

Shiny? 64999yON1-421-42

[Avalon]

Matthew and Sentomaru were wandering through the grass when their next encounter for the contest would make itself known. Another caterpillar, though this one swaddled in a bundle of leaves and plant pieces. He did have to admit that this one was significantly cuter than their past encounters, almost reminding him of an infant wrapped in a cocoon of blankets. Matthew always felt a little uncomfortable about fighting with clearly baby-ish Pokemon like this, but it was unfortunately part of the job at times.

Sentomaru, his wounds mostly healed from the Potion that he had just received, placed himself between Matthew and the Sewaddle. The snake wasn't entirely sure what this worm wanted with him or the human, but it had no intention of letting it approach. Sentomaru couldn't exactly offer his protection to the other Pokemon if he let his idiot Trainer get himself hurt trying to play with some bug, after all.

"Sentomaru, give it a Glare!" Matthew called out. Sentomaru rolled his eyes, or at least tried to with his odd permanently-closed eyes. Still, he would follow the order. It defied all logic, but Sentomaru knew that when he glared at his opponents, it was almost like their bodies began to freeze in place. It would be easier to crush or eat this weird little bug if it was unable to move. Sentomaru's eyes glowed blue once again, sending an invisible wave of fear from itself to the leaf-swaddled bug.

Meanwhile, Matt reached into the bag of Sport Balls that had been given to him at the start of the competition. He had used up a couple of these on that initial Combee, but he thought that this would be a more useful member of his team than the initial Combee. Both were fairly rare Pokemon, but he had heard talk of a bug Pokemon able to weave leaves like they were clothing; while he had no illusions of opening a haberdashery or anything ridiculous like that, it meant that the Bug Pokemon in question was talented and quick with its hands. Not only would it be a useful member of his party during the Gym Challenge, but it would also be a very interesting thing to research or watch in action for himself. So while he knew he might have to release his Combee if this succeeded, he let the Sport Ball fly through the air.

Word Count: +400 to eggs
((OOC: Using Glare and throwing a Sport Ball.))