The blind person never fears ghosts [F]

[Tarlar]

A couple of days later Astrid was out on the routes again, and again with the young male trainer who had accompanied her for the search of the missing trainer. This time she had made sure to get his name: Oliver.
It was his idea that they were out here today, the recent snowstorm had covered it all in a white blanket but a bit warmer temperatures had made it perfect for outdoor activities like skiing and ice skating, both which Astrid was too old for. He had invited her out on a sleigh ride which his girafarig had been trained for, and of course you could rent a sleigh in a big city like Goldenrod.

They were trotting through the winter wonderland with the bells in Girafarig's harnes ringing and making it all very cozy and nice.
"So tell me again, why is it you invited me on this trip?" Astrid asked again, mostly to tease Oliver since he kept changing his explanation.
"Why not? It's the perfect weather for a trip like this," he answered with a smile, that was one of the least creative answers so perhaps he was running out of ideas now, "and because you are the only one I know in this city," he added with a sigh. "Not that I don't want to bring you along!" He quickly added and glanced nervously at her. He relaxed when she laughed.
"I hope so! Otherwise you would not have asked me in the first place," she said and wiggled further down into the blankets and watched the route fly by for a few moments, "I am glad you thought of me though," she said with a happy sigh.

"So, what is your current goal as a trainer?" Astrid asked not long after and Oliver blushed a bit, "I'm still gathering courage to challenge Whitney, she's scary!" he admitted and they chatted about his tactics and thoughts about the battle. He was very interested in hearing how Astrid's has went and how she and her pokemon had handled it.


Wordcount: 343
(ooc: new team: Amanda, Araceli, Lykke, Sonja, Cyan and Mads. Self updated. Route 34, Daytime)

[Thirdie]

Raticate was scurrying around in a pile of snow. It was scratching away with vigour, trying to reveal if the snow was hiding anything delicious. It was sure it could smell something. The ringing bells distracted it however, and irritated it looked out at the human road close by. It sniffed the air, evaluating if the chances were better at whatever was coming this way. Yes, yes it was. Humans meant not-frosted-over food. Raticate watched the approaching sleigh eagerly and jumped out at just the right time.

---

A Raticate lvl 14 jumped out.

Shiny? qwOOLhP01-421-42

[Tarlar]

Their conversation got interrupted when a raticate jumped out of the snow. "AAH!" Astrid exclaimed and raised her hands to protect herself, while Girafarig jumped to the side making the sleigh take a rather bumpy trip over the not so even snow until Oliver got control of it again.
"Are you okay?" He asked worried and Astrid quickly confirmed, they both stretched to see what it was which had chocked them, and Oliver pouted when they saw the raticate scurry after them. "Just a raticate," he said disappointed and Astrid glanced at him, "had you hoped to run into something more rare?"
He smiled wryly, "don't we always? Hey, what about showing off with your cool greninja? I'm sure it can send this one flying easily enough."
"Ella is taking a break so I have not brought her along today," Astrid chuckled and Oliver pouted. The old woman glanced at the raticate, "but I can handle that one, since it seems rather determined to get to us." And it looked rather aggressive too.

"Come on Sonja, this must just be the weather for you," Astrid said as the let out her white sandshrew. Oliver's mouth fell open, "do you have anything but rare and cool pokemon?!" He exclaimed and Sonja looked surprised but pleased over her shoulder, before she turned back to the raticate. Time to show what she could so that the trainers understood her worth, if the male one turned out to be the right trainer for her, then she better impress him so he would want her too!
She ran her claws against each other before she charge through the snow to intercept the big rat.

"I do! I do! But few of them are rare, you just need to go to the right areas, although Sonja I met at a Region Festival some years ago, and she picked me for some reason, I am not sure why," Astrid laughed and Oliver looked intrigued at the ice type.
"Why haven't you evolved her yet?" He asked and Astrid spread her arms in a shrug, "I do not have any stone."
"Oh!" Oliver said and fidgeted a bit with the reins, looking torn but stayed quiet.

(ooc: Sonja uses Metal Claw x2)

[Tiki]

Raticate tried to Take Down but the Metals Claws were sharper!

---

Sonja gained 1 level and is now Level 21!
+1 happiness, now +6!
She can learn Swift, delete a move?

[Tarlar]

Sonja swiftly handled the rat and it ran off whining. No easy food to get here, although had it acted less aggressive and tried to make its wishes understood by the humans, Astrid would probably have offered it some food willingly. She couldn't feed all wild pokemon but she understood how tough life could be for them out here, especially with all the snow.
The sandshrew looked like she was proud of herself as she watched the raticate scurry off, it had been no match to her. She glanced over her shoulder to see how this new human would think of her now, much to her annoyance he wasn't even looking at her. Astrid had clearly as she turned towards the man with a smile and then her expression turned puzzled.

"They are not that easy to come by, you know," she pointed out with a smile. "I know! Oh I know, I didn't mean it like that," Oliver quickly apologized but looked really uncomfortable. Astrid watched him for a moment and then decided it was best to change the subject as there was something here that affected him, and he didn't seem like he wanted to tell her.
"You said you hoped to get her miltank to miss with confusion, have you thought about Reflect?" She asked and Oliver looked at her with an unreadable expression before he actually looked disappointed by answered her question. They chatted a bit more and Oliver gave the signal to his girafarig to start pulling again, when a bright light suddenly lit up behind him.
They spun around just in time to see Sonja emerge from the light, bigger and much more spiky.

"No!" Oliver gasped horrified and Astrid looked confused between him and her newly evolved sandslash as her brain worked in overdrive in an attempt to catch up. "My stone," he said quietly and Astrid's eyes widened.
"You had an ice stone?!" She gasped and he looked at her guiltily, "I'm sorry, I knew I should have told you but.." he began but she interrupted him.
"Sonja! How could you!" She scolded her pokemon who looked surprised at her, "that was not yours to take! We would have found another in time, I would have bought you one when I had the money! That was stealing and you cannot do that! Do not take things which do not belong to you!"
Sonja looked anything but devastated, in fact she crossed her arms and looked defiantly at Astrid.

"Oh! I didn't mean it like that! please don't scold her!" Oliver said quickly and put a hand on Astrid's arm. "But she stole from you!" Astrid protested, "and I do not know how to pay you back," she added worried. He smiled briefly.
"I was thinking about giving it to you, I just couldn't make up my mind," he chuckled although he still looked disappointed, "I have heard that pokemon don't have the same thoughts about ownership like we do, especially when it comes to things like evolution stones."
"That might be, but it is still not acceptable," Astrid said sternly and looked at Sonja, who huffed and looked away. Astrid sighed, "I cannot change the past though, but I can make it up for you. What do you want in exchange?" She asked and looked expectantly at him.


(ooc: Sonja does not learn Swift. Using Ice Stone on her to evolve her into Sandslash, not learning Icicle spear. Self updated)

[Rexman]

The Raticate's defeat seems to have drawn attention to the traveling pair, as another Raticate, this one looking a little bit older, jumps out of the nearby brush, teeth ready for some gnawing.

Wild Raticate [Level 17] seeks retribution for its comrade

yVsxHo3kp_1-42

1-42

[Tarlar]

"I'm not sure, I mean, I don't have any pokemon to use it on, so I just wanted to sell it," Oliver tried to brush her off but she was not going to let him off the hook that easily. "Which still means it is a set back for you, so I would like to do something in return. That is the least I can do." They stared at each other for a long time, the battle of the wills, right until girafarig snorted impatiently and stomped its hoof. It was cold standing still and just waiting.
"Alright," Oliver said defeated and Astrid nodded satisfied and then returned to look expectantly at him, making him squirm as he tried to come up with something which was doable, not an outrageous request and would still help him.
"What about.. helping me be ready to face Whitney?" He suggested, "it is the big hurdle for me right now, and I could use some help there."
"That is a deal! That should not take long," Astrid said confidently and Oliver chuckled, "you sound so sure, but that's easy for you to say when you have already won her badged."
"Yes, so I know what is required to beat her, and with what I have seen until now, you are a highly skilled trainer," she said as a matter of fact and he blushed, "you're flattering me!"
"Yes of course! You sound like you could need a confidence boost!" Astrid laughed, "now tell me, what pokemon do you have and what have you planned?"

Sonja huffed, not only did neither of the trainers show any sign of being impressed with her new form, they didn't even keep their attention at her so that she could show them all she could now. She needed to have them understanding her strength so that she could get the male trainer to show if he was the Right Trainer for her. It had been a great sign he had had the stone she needed to evolve, so why didn't he seem more interested in her as it was?

A sound of a pokemon shuffling towards them caught her attention and distracted her from her sulking. Perfect, a pokemon she could show her strength against. She jumped down from the sleight and spun around herself midair on her way down, hurling several of the spikes on her back at the raticate.

(ooc: Sonja uses Icicle Crash)

[Rexman]

Raticate is not doing well, some of the icicles sticking deep into its fur.


Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Raticate LV 17
HP 14% [7/50]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Sonja LV 21
HP 100% [69/69]

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

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

Raticate [Ability]: +1 Speed, +1 Crit Boost
Sonja [Snow Cloak]: +1 Speed

SP 43: Raticate used Focus Energy, +1 to Crits
SP 38: Sonja used Icicle Crash does 43 damage


Icicle Crash Hit:
VqmVzNIop_1-100


1-100

[Tarlar]

The raticate was no match for Sonja, that was crystal clear to her and she huffed unimpressed when it didn't even try to dodge the icicles she threw at it, or did anything to retaliate. Had she seen this as an important battle and against a powerful opponent, it might have worried her a bit, and she would have paid some attention to what it was doing, but now she wasn't. She wasn't even sure if she wanted to battle against it anymore as it seemed like it would be a waste of time. None of the humans paid her any attention and this clearly wasn't going to impress them.

"Slash!" Sonja called and interrupted Astrid and Oliver's conversation.
"Oh! Where did that come from?" Astrid exclaimed mildly surprised, "perhaps it is the same one? Never mind, this is good timing, let me show you what I mean," she said to Oliver and sent out another pokemon while Sonja watched with her arms crossed.
"There is a lot of ways to handle your pokemon, and often they need different ways each and one of them. Take Cyan here for example," she explained as the marshtomp looked around nervously. "It is alright Cyan, we're right here and Sonja is there to help you, do not worry! She has even battled it a bit first so it should be easy for you! Go on dear!" The old trainer encouraged the water type, who visible relaxed and sent them a grin before he took a deep breath and spit a mouthfull of mud at the big rat.
"He is fine as long as he's not feeling alone," Astrid explained, "he needs encouragement, while if I talked to Sonja like that she would scratch me up," she chuckled.

Wordcount: 200
(ooc: Cyan switches in and uses Mud Shot)

[Rexman]

Raticate is overwhelmed by Cyan's muddy goodness.


Wild Encounter

---

Weather: Clear

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

[attr="class","qkt-wild-pkmn"]
Raticate LV 17
HP 0% [0/50]

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

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

[attr="class","qkt-trainer-pkmn"]
Cyan LV 20
HP 84% [54/64]

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

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

Raticate [Ability]: +1 Speed, +1 Crit Boost
Cyan [Torrent]: - 1 Speed

SP 43: Raticate used Quick Attack 10 damage
Cyan Switches In

SP43: Raticate used Scary Face
SP31: Cyan used Mud Shot

Raticate is defeated



Quick Attack Crit:
CPvqOR3yp_1-8

Sonja gains 1 level for Battle Participation, now Level 22
Grows a little closer to Astrid, +1 Happiness, now +7


Cyan gains 2 levels for Victory, now Level 22.
Grows a little closer to Astrid, +1 Happiness, now +6

Pokemon updated
1-8

[Tarlar]

Oliver watched Cyan sending the raticate scurrying off with a frown. "I.. I don't think I have problems controlling and adapting to my pokemon," he said slowly, "I haven't had trouble with it until now at least, but I'll keep it in mind!" He promised and Astrid nodded pleased.
"Come on up you two," Astrid said and gestured for her two pokemon to join them on the sleight, "and do not touch anything!" She added sternly. Cyan's eyes widened and he looked nervously at the bags and extra blankets which lay there and did his best to settle without touching anything at all. Sonja rolled her eyes and plumped down with crossed arms.
Oliver urged his girafarig to start pulling again and soon they were on their way again.
"So what pokemon do you have on you? Have you thought about which ones to use?" Astrid asked now she had apparently been moving down the wrong path with her last question.
"I had thought that getting a ghost type might be an idea, since, you know, then her pokemon can't really touch me," he said a bit hesitant and Astrid shook her head. "It will not work, they might be normal types but they have a lot of other moves than normal. Besides, they also have some fairy types as they got them before they got classified as fairy."
"Really? Oh man, yeah then it won't work," Oliver complained, "then fighting is also not an option." He groaned.
"What do you mean? Do you expect one of your pokemon to be able to handle it all on its own?" Astrid asked surprised and Oliver mumbled something.
"The easiest would be to have a team which will have a good coverage, with something which can withstand Whitney's Milktank," she said and he groaned frustrated, "I know!"
Astrid raised an eyebrow as she looked at him, "please tell me what pokemon you plan on using against her." He shuffled with the reins, "I don't know."
"Then tell me what pokemon you got," Astrid asked and settled into the blankets as she awaited his answer.

(ooc: Route 34, daytime)

[Caramell 🍬]

Something is tumbling about the wild areas near the city streets. Wait, what? That doesn't look like any Pokemon you'd expect to find around here. It doesn't quite look like a Pokemon...but it does have eyes? Oh...oh no...and looks like it's about to attack. Quick, take cover!

A Wild Bramblin has appeared!

Level 20. What will Astrid and her team do?

Shiny? 7QMEFBCqp_1-42

SPOILER: Click to show

Pokemon? (rare) p_1-6 (uncommon) p_1-3 (poke) p_1-4 (level) p_14-20

1-42·1-6·1-3·1-4·14-20

[Tarlar]

"It sounds like a good solid team, so why do you think you need new pokemon?" Astrid commented when Oliver had finally spilled the beans and told what pokemon he had.
"They won't endure long enough," he said with regret and Astrid raised her eyebrows, "how do you know that? Have you challenged her yet?" The younger trainer smirked and shook his head, "don't have to, I have seen enough battles to know how hard hitting her pokemon are," she said flatly.
"So how do you plan on countering it?" she pressed and he sighed frustrated, "I don't know! Otherwise I would already have done it!"
Astrid was quiet for a moment, "every one runs into that problematic and there is different ways to solve it. You can either strengthen your own pokemon, make them hit harder and faster, or weaken your opponents strength and defense."
Oliver just threw out his arms in resignation and stayed quiet. Astrid watched him solemnly for a moment and then looked at the girafarig who was eagerly pulling them along.

"What about Reflect? That would lower the damage from Whitney's pokemon, and you have a water type, there are items which can heighten their endurance, then you stand a pretty good chance against her Rollout," Astrid said thoughtfully and smiled when she saw a light begin to burn in Oliver's eyes.
"And moves like Screech can lower the miltanks defense, that was how my loudred won the battle, I had planned on using Pia my toucannon to finish it off but that was not necessary," she said with a smile. "Remember you have a whole team of six pokemon against Whitney's two, you should have a fair chance. Of course one of your pokemon cannot win it all on its own, but that is not needed either."
"You're right! And then I could..." Oliver trailed off as he noticed something behind Astrid. He pulled the reins and Girafarig and the sleight bumbled to a halt. "What is that?!"
Astrid turned and her surprised expression sooned turned to a frown as a strange bumbleweed pokemon came rolling straight towards them.

Astrid pulled a pokeball and a moment later a swablu hung in the air, "Aracelli, try slow it down and then drop this on it," she ordered as she handed the bird a great ball.


Wordcount: 390
(ooc: Aracelli uses Peck and a Great Ball is thrown)

[Caramell 🍬]

The large blue ball soared through the air and zippy-zapped the little bugger up in the blink of an eye! Huzzah, a successful catch! Amazing work!

---

Araceli gained 2 levels.
Araceli increased to Level 23!
Araceli grew closer to Astrid. +1
Araceli increased to +6 Happiness!

Please fill out the form on your new Pokemon:

[img src="https://play.pokemonshowdown.com/sprites/gen5/bramblin.png"] [img src="https://johtophoto.com/sprites/items/greatball.png"]
[b]Bramblin[/b]
Name: [choose]
Gender: [choose]
Level: 20
OT: Astrid Lindegaard
Moves: Absorb, Rapid Spin, Bullet Seed, Infestation
Ability: Wind Rider
Nature/Personality: [choose]

-1 Great Ball deducted from inventory.

SPOILER: Click to show

Bramblin's Attack: (move) Elfx|zrmp_1-4 p_2-5 (crit) p_1-16 (strength) p_1-16
Araceli's Attack: (crit) p_1-16 (strength) p_1-16

Catch Rate? (80%) p_1-100 1-4·2-5·1-16·1-16·1-16·1-16·1-100

[Tarlar]

Oliver was sitting with an open mouth as Aracelli flapped back with the great ball containing the strange pokemon. Astrid glanced at him but then concentrated on scanning the pokemon with her pokedex.
"Oh, a grass and a ghost type, and especially not from around here," She said surprised as she pulled the dex close to try read what else it said.
"Heh, you are fast, sounds like an interesting pokemon," Oliver chuckled and failed to hide his disappointment. Astrid's head snapped around to look at him and he concentrated on the reins in his hands.
"Were you interested in getting it?" She asked and he made a half shrug, "nah. It's the way of trainers, first-come first-serve after all," he said cheerfully and Astird narrowd her eyes at him.
"Here," she said as he handed him the pokeball containing the bramblin. He stared at it for a moment, "You caught it," he protested weakly but she insisted.
"I did not plan on keeping it, I would have found it another home," she said as a matter of fact and Oliver slowly took the pokeball, he stared at it speechlessly.
"Now, shall we move on?" She asked and girafarig started to pull without being told. "About your plan for your gym battle," Astrid began and slowly a smile crept out on Oliver's face. He lifted his new pokemon, "I have a ghost now!" He grinned, right until Astrid spoke, "Whitney's pokemon does not only use normal type moves, remember?"
"Oh right," he said quietly but then lit up again, "but it's a grass type too! That means it can resist the Rollout!" He said agitated and then waved Astrid off when she opened her mouth to speak, "I know, I know, I can't win with just one pokemon, but if I get a Reflect set up first, then we should stand a fair chance!"
Astrid smiled as he began excitedly to chat about what options he had and ask her for her thoughts on them.

Wordcount: 335
(ooc: looking for a daytime encounter on route 34. Moved Bramblin to Lei's box1)