Marion (Wumpi) vs Lucian (Yggy) ...again.

[Anonymous]

Marion pushed her glasses up her nose and headed toward the entrance to the arena Marowak following her. It had been a while since she had kept Marowak out of its pokeball while just wandering around - she couldn't recall doing so at all since it had evolved - but since that last match so many spectators had wanted a closer look at the pokemon that it was simply more convenient this way. Marowak was a lot more comfortable with the attention than Marion, who knew they meant well but was really stating to become uncomfortable with having so many eyes on her. It was to be expected, of course, a previously unheard of trainer with only one badge getting into the finals, but it still made her uncomfortable. At least in the arena she was concentrating on the battle and could ignore them.

"You need to go back in, Marowak. If you're out in the arena with me, people will assume you're what I'm starting with." She said, recalling the bonekeeper. She probably would start with him, but it was best to keep her options open until as late as possible.

"A finalist from out of nowhere, Marion Puce of Ecruteak! Will her lucky streak earn her the title of champion?"

Marion flinched at the word 'lucky'. She liked to think she had a little skill at least. She had been forcing herself to think realistically and not let her victories go to her head but it really stung coming from the announcer.

She scanned the crowd for Lucy, she said she had been there in the last match and was annoyed that she had been ignored, but it was difficult to distinguish people. Adjusting her glasses to make up for the sun's glint, she looked over at her opponent instead.

"Huh? Are you still in?" She said, recognising him. "Congratulations! I hope we can have another good match."

 

[Yggdrassil]

"And now entering the arena, Lucian of Hearthome! Those of you who have been here since the beginning remember that these two have faced off before! Now our green haired trainer hopes to change the outcome!"

Lucian frowned at the announcer's opening. Why did every single one of them have to be so cheesy? Was there some special school they all went to that taught them how to make corny entrance speeches? He laughed at this as he took his position.

      He had spent the majority of the previous night planning, and as a result had not managed to catch more than an hour of sleep. Despite the excitement of the upcoming match, he still had to stifle the occasional yawn. He hoped he didn't fall asleep during the middle of the finals. That was the one think he could think of that would actually be more embarrasing than the loss he had suffered earlier at the hands of the very same person who stood before him now.

       "Huh? Are you still in? Congratulations! I hope we can have another good match!" she shouted to him.
       I hate we can have another good match! he mimicked in his head. Oh, they would have a good match alright. A much better match than last time. But there was no need to come off rude. He needed to be the kind, elegant champion.

        "Yeah! Good luck!" You're gonna need it...
        His hand reached down towards his belt and latched onto a familiar Pokeball. Before he could expand it he remembered his plan. She goes first. That's essential. he told himself. Patience, patience. You lost last time because you rushed into it. If you take it slow, there's no way you can fail!

 

[Anonymous]

"Thank you!" Marion shouted back, still disliking the fact that everyone seemed to think she'd need luck to win.

She reached for Marowak out of habit, but suddenly changed her mind. Marowak had a lot of weaknesses to be sending in first and Lucian had already seen it. Much as the bonekeeper wanted to win with her desperately, she wasn't going to let it fall that quickly just because she'd released it first. It could always battle later. For that matter, she thought, she probably shouldn't start with Dunsparce or Piloswine.

"Mismagius!" She shouted cheerily, tossing the ghost's pokeball. The arena filled with a sound like distant laughter. Though the ghost was the source of the sound it didn't seem to be coming from it. It sounded like the sound was coming from some distance away and from all directions as the witchlike pokemon flitted around, parts of its body fading into purple mist and reappearing, waiting for an opponent.

 

[Yggdrassil]

    A ghost type... not what I was hoping for. Lucian frowned. He had hoped that Marion would resort to her old strategy, using Marowak or Dunsparce. He had not anticipated a ghost type.
    That's the problem with her he thought She's too unpredictable. Even my strategies aren't guarenteed!

    Quickly the green haired finalist reached to his belt and gripped the fourth Pokeball. He unclipped it and pressed the button, causing it to expand. He launched it before it opened in his hand, releasing Lucario into the arena.
      "Once again, Lucian has chosen Lucario! What an odd pairing! This match could go either way!"
      Lucian felt the urge to slam his fist into the announcer's face yet again, but managed to supress it. Calm and dignified. Calm and dignified. Calm and dignified... he chided to himself as his Pokemon roared in anticipation.

      "Lucario! Shadow Claw!" he ordered. The humanoid rushed forward, its hand a mass of dark energies, seeming to leave a black trail in the air as its fist passed through the sky. Lucian's eyes began to close, and he struggled to stay awake. C'mon, Lucario!

 

[Anonymous]

"Tch-" Marion began, taken aback a little. Her previous opponent had chosen typings so poorly that it had taken her off guard a little having type weaknesses used against her. Mismagius' physical defence, as proven by its falling from a single payback attack in the previous round, left much to be desired. She reached for Dunsparce's pokeball. If she was quick enough she could recall Mismagius and send in Dunsparce  or Fearow - a normal type would take no damage from shadow claw. If she wasn't quick enough, though, Mismagius was down and she would have been forced to choose her next pokemon.

It wasn't worth the risk, not so early in the match. There was something else she could do to make sure Mismagius managed to stand the hit.

"Mismagius, you're faster! Use Will o' Wisp!"

The mist that surrounded Mismagius suddenly glowed orange, flickering like fire. It shot toward the oncoming Lucario in waves, burning it. Seconds later, Lucario's attack struck Mismagius, the ghost emitting a shrill cry but seeming relatively unharmed compared to what could have been. In addition to slowly damaging a pokemon, burns prevented them from putting full force behind thier attacks. The pain was both distracting and made movement uncomfortable and so Lucario's attack should have been reduced by at least half.

"You look a little tired. You okay?" Marion said, her opponent was swaying a little. She hoped he wasn't ill.

"Either way, Mismagius' done her job now, she's coming back." Marion said, recalling the ghost. There was little it could do since Lucario resisted both Ghost and Dark. "Marowak, go on out!"

She knew that swiching pokemon left a huge gap in defences, allowing her opponent an easy attack, but Lucario's reduced attack and Marowak's higher defence would make up for it.

 

[Yggdrassil]

Yes! Marowak! Lucian smiled. Time to show her that superior strategy always wins.

"Are you ready to get started?" Lucian called. "I'm not holding back anymore!"

The fifth Pokeball on his belt expanded and opened, releasing the bemothic Venosaur into the arena. The green titan roared, and even Lucian felt a small shiver of fear at the Pokemon's vicious sound.

"V-Venosaur! Sleep Powder! And make sure it doesn't wake up!" he ordered in his strictest voice. Venosaur had a habit to disobey that had cost him an important tournament last year. He remembered the look of smug superiority on the champions face, and the words he had said to Lucian.

How the hell did some weakling like you get in here? Luck? You can't even control your own Pokemon! he had laughed, and Lucian had slammed his fist into his foe's face. Unluckily, this punch was brodcast on worldwide television, and Lucian had been banned from entering anymore tournaments in Johto. The Pro Circuit could possibly be his last chance to restore his reputation. He was determined to win! He had a reason! He had something to fight for!

The flower on Venosaur's back began to spin, picking up speed as it did. All of a sudden white powder, like sugar, fired out of the center, showering the area around Marowak. The powder kept coming until Lucian gave the order to stop. Is it asleep yet? Lucian stretched to see as the powder settled.

((Didn't come out as well as I hoped, but I guess it's passable. And I made bemoth an adjective.))

 

[Anonymous]

Marowak didn't stand a chance against a venusaur, there wasn't much point in forcing it to try. It had done its job anyway for now, forcing out a grass type. She recalled the bonekeeper, hoping it hadn't inhaled too much of the spores.

One pokemon left before she was stuck with her choices. Her hand hovered over Dunsparce, the land snake certainly hadn't failed her at all so far and an ice beam would shut that venusaur up nicely. Still, that was maybe a little too predictable. She had used dunsparce in both her previous matches. (To be fair, she had also used Marowak in both of them but she wasn't about to not use Marowak) That look on her opponent's face when she'd sent out Marowak suggested that he'd planned for it. If that was the case, he would probably have planned for Dunsparce, too.

"Fearow, use drill peck!" She shouted, relesing the first pokemon she had ever caught into the arena. The bird beat its enormous wings to gain height and then plummeted, spinning as it dived at the venusaur.

 

[Yggdrassil]

A fearow? Oh well, at least I forced out her third. Lucian sighed.

"Venosaur, sleep powder! Quick!"
Venosaur couldn't take out the bird, but it could set up the fearow to be pounded by his next Pokemon. The powder soared through the air, blanketing the sky and field in sugar like substance. Lucian couldn't tell whether the attack had succeeded or not, but the Fearow's forward momentum allowed it to continue forward, slamming its beak into Venosaur's side. Lucian frowned, thinking the bird might actually have managed to knock over the massive beast, but the green pokemon regained its balance quickly and roared its preparedness.

"Not yet, Veno. Wait and see whether it's awake or not."
Venosaur growled angrily at its owner and Lucian shouted "Don't you dare disobey me, Venosaur!"

That shut the Pokemon up, and it turned back to its feathered opponent.

"This won't be like last time!" Lucian swore. "This match goes to me!"

 

[Anonymous]

Marion was a little confused by the way her opponent was argueing with his pokemon. None of the pokemon she'd brought had ever disobeyed her. That said, most of them she had had a long time. Mismagius had been following her around for as long as she could remember and acted as her eyes on the bad days when she couldn't see a thing, Beedrill and Fearow for close to that. Piloswine and Dunsparce were more recent additions to the team, but both were obedient. Marowak was the most blindly loyal pokemon Marion could imagine and if nothing else fear of it could probably keep all her other pokemon in line.

And then there was the threat of trading to Lucy, who was not a BAD trainer by any stretch but was a little irresponsible. Lucy's pokemon tended to only get fed because Marion was there.

Fearow fell to the ground, asleep. Marion had seen that coming.

"Sorry." Marion began in response to her opponent's outburst. "But Fearow isn't stopped that easily, you know?" She hadn't joined the circuit caring about winning. She had only wanted to test herself. But now she knew she could hold her own against trainers at this level, now that winning actually seemed like a possibility, she was going to win.

She used Fearow to fly around. It was a means of transport above all else and that meant it falling asleep in the sky was very, very dangerous. Because of that, she'd been sure to teach it a move that would help avoid an 'asleep several hundered metres in the air' situation.

"Fearow, use sleep talk!" Marion shouted. The fearow took to the air, still fast asleep, and launched itself at the venusaur with another Drill Peck.

 

[Yggdrassil]

"Ah, dang."

I don't want to keep switching... he decided. So she can have this one. I'll just set up the field.

"Venosaur! Leech seed!"

Because of Ivysaur's occasional disobediance, Lucian had to recall it quite often. He hated how everytime he switched Pokemon his foe would get an early strike, so he had made sure that Ivysaur never forgot Leech Seed, an attack that would continue to assault even after the green Pokemon had been returned to its ball. Now it was one of Venosaur's most used moves, which annoyed Lucian. His Pokemon shouldn't have to rely on tactics like that!

The Venosaur roared as four seed launched themselves from its back. They fell into the ground, planting themselves and growing green sprouts. As the setup finished the bird crashed into Venosaur's side again. The massive grass type managed to shrug off the attack again, but Lucian didn't let it continue.

"Oh Venosaur!" he lied. "You're so wounded! You better come back."

"Lucian's Venosaur had been defeated! Which Pokemon will he use now?"

The Pokemon growled in opposition, but Lucian pressed the Pokeball's center button and the Venosaur was retracted into it.

"Now then, Luxray. Take it down." he tried to shout, but ended up yawning instead.

The gleam eyes Pokemon emerged, screaming in defiance at the Fearow. It shook the long spines on its head, symbolizing it as a male, and launched a Thunderbolt at the bird.

((Sorry it took so long. I had something going on that prevented me from being on for more than a couple minutes every once in a while. Should be able to post more often now, though!))

 

[Anonymous]

Marion was still a little concerned about her opponent, he seemed tired. If he was unwell then that would just add to everyone's accusations of her just being lucky.

Still, she had no time to worry about that. Fearow was who she should really be worried about. She had had the bird's pokeball ready as soon as she saw an electric-type. Marowak was an obvious switch but definately a sensible one.

"Fearow, no way I'm letting you take an electric attack. Come back." She shouted to the still-slumbering bird, recalling it. "Marowak, go on out and use double edge!"

The leech seed's effect was lost due to the swicth. That was fortunate, it would have been bad for Marowak. The bonekeeper leapt from its pokeball right into the thunderbolt attack with no effect - ground pokemon took no damage from electric moves - and charged at Luxray, preparing to headbutt it with enormous force. Its skull helmet - Lucy said the correct term was 'rock head' but saying that sounded like she was calling Marowak stupid - would protect it from recoil damage.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked across the field, perfectly aware that it was a stupid thing to say mid-attack but genuinely concerned. "You don't seem well."

 

[Yggdrassil]

"Stop switching out!" Lucian shouted, recalling Luxray into his 'ball. "The more you switch, the more I swotch, and so forth."

Lucian launched his next pokeball into the air and Lucario emerged roaring and ready for battle. The fighting pokemon dropped down close to the ground and ran forth, swerving like a snake and jumping up right before colliding with Marowak to vault over its opponent's shoulders. The bone head pokemon tried to swipe at its foe, but narrowly missed. Now Lucario had its opponent's back, and Lucian intended to push his advantage.

"Lucario, Counter position!"

The Lucario raised its arms up into a defensive postion with legs slightly bent underneath, a fierce smile plastered on its face. It was waiting for an attack from Marowak. As soon as it was hit, Lucario would unleash a devestating Counter attack which would hopefully send Marion's pokemon flying away; weakened for Lucario's next attack.

"Your move, Marion! Show us what that Marowak can do!"

 

[Anonymous]

She hadn't needed to overhear Lucian giving the order for a counter, she was half expecting it. With Lucario burned its physical attacks weren't worth much at all, if it was using psysical attacks - its using shadow claw earlier seemed to suggest it was - then it wouldn't really have any other way to damage Marowak significantly and quickly.

Still, countering itself would be a problem. She could have Marowak wait and let the burn damage Lucario, hopefully forcing an attack out of her opponent but if it wasn't entirely based around physical attacking then Marowak would suffer for her miscalculation. It was, of course, quite possible that her opponent was lying and only ordered counter aloud to make her wait, allowing Lucario to get a special attack in. She had fought trainers before who taught thier pokemon to associate attacks with the incorrect commands, they usually foiled themselves by overacting. It was possible that Lucian had trained his Lucario to use a different attack to the command of 'counter' and was just a better actor.

...Marion was looking into the situation too far. If it was going to counter, the easiest way to stop it would be to floor it before it had a chance.

"Gladly." She said with a smile after a longer than usual pause for thought. "Marowak, use Earthquake. You need to put everything you have into it. Make it amazing, okay?"

The bonekeeper nodded, its eyes narrowing behind the eye holes in its helmet as it tapped its club on the ground a few times in preparation. Suddenly its small hands tightened around the club and it smashed its weapon into the ground below its feet. Marion was surpised that the bone had never shattered with the amount of force Marowak consantly put behind it, maybe being claimed as a marowak's weapon made bones tougher. The earth beneath it tore like paper, a trememdous tremour ripppling out from where Marowak had struck, knocking Marion herself to the ground. The ground in the fighting area changed dramatically, ground tearing apart from and smashing against itself, the original damage done to Lucario by the tremor nothing compared to the damage done by the rocks and large clumps of dirt freed by the attack smashing into it.

Standing and dusting off her knees, Marion grinned. Earthquake was an incredibly powerful attack to begin with, with half the damage again because of Marowak's affinity for ground attacks and then the damage doubled because Marowak was using a thick club. In addition, Lucario was weak against ground moves, doubling its power again. 'Amazing' didn't even begin to describe it.

 

[Yggdrassil]

Oh dear. "Hang in there, Lucario!" Lucian screamed. This match couldn't end like this, with his last chance defeated in one hit. Earthquake was an over powered move to begin with, and Lucario's weakness to it hadn't helped the damage amount. The humanoind was knocked to the ground by the initial smash after managing to dodge the initial strike but failing to avoid an incoming boulder, which had made a vicious impact on the side of Lucian's Pokemon's face. Lucario was lifted up and thrown by the strike, and the green haired trainer feared that his chance at the title was gone. There was no way Luxray could possibly take on a Marowak!

His eyes left Lucario's flying body only for an instant, when he turned to see Marion stumble backwards and fall. He allowed himself a small laugh. Even if he lost, at least he lost in style. No doubt all of the watching cameras were replaying that scene over and over on television.

He hurriedly turned back to Lucario and his smile widened. His fighter's counter had begun to take effect - the Pokemon had righted itself in midair. The momentum of the previous hit carried it to the arena wall, where it hit feet first and pushed off, sailing forward to land crouched before its foe. A quick paw lashed out and landed a sickening blow to Marowak's midsection, followed by a swift uppercut underneath its mask. The bonekeeper staggered for anly a second, which was enough time for Lucario to slam its foot into the Marowak's gut, sliding it back a few feet.

Lucian refrained from cheering, however, as he noticed his Pokemon was panting heavily. Another hit like earthquake would do it in for sure, though it might survive another attack of a weaker magnitude. Still, it was better to make sure no hits were landed at all.

"Blaze Kick!" Lucian roared, and Lucario obeyed, backflipping and boosting itself off the floor with powerful legs. One leg extended, it came downwards, fire surrounding its foot.

I'm not out yet. he thought, giving Marion his most determined glare.

 

[Anonymous]

The fall had been rather undignified and Marowak hadn't foiled the counter. Both were a little unfortunate. Marowak was still in there, though, and Marion wasn't about to let it lose.

Earthquake wouldn't hit in time and Lucario's steel type would let it resist double edge. Still, steal had another weakness that Marowak could hit. Marowak didn't have the same affinity for fighting-type moves as he did for ground type but Brick Break was still a strong attack and steel was still weak against fighting-type moves.

"Marowak, brick break!" Marion shouted to the bonekeeper. Too slow to actually dodge the attack, Marowak dived under it. It raised its club above its head with both arms, the club glowing white as it sped toward where the Lucario would be in a split second  with Marowak's considerable strength behind it at the same time as Lucario's kick continuead toward Marowak, the powerful kick connecting with the skull helmet at the same time as Marwak's club, held high above its head, slammed into Lucario's front. Marion crossed her fingers, Lucario was burned and Fire was ineffective against ground and Marowak's defenses weren't awful but Marowak had barely anything left after taking that counter.

Sure enough, when the dust cleared Marowak had skidded to a halt close to Maion and wasn't moving. Lucario was further away, stuggling.

"That was more than I could have hoped for, Marowak. You did brilliant." She said, not sure if the bonekeeper was even awake to hear her as she recalled it.Lucario was still struggling to get up, Marion weighed her options. If Lucario could still stand, Fearow would be the best choice. If he couldn't then Fearow would breing out Luxray and Fearow wouldn't stand a chance. Without a pokemon that could shrug off electric attacks to switch to, the hit and run strategy wasn't going to work against it anymore. Mismagius was a far safer option. With Lucario burned, it wouldn't take much damage even if the aura pokemon could stand.

"Mismagius, you've got a tough performance to match!" She shouted, releasing the ghost into the arena. The sound of quiet laughter was clear even above the roar of the crowd and the voice of the announcer as a thin puple smoke surrounded the witchlike pokemon, twisting and curling around it.

 

[Yggdrassil]

That's no good.

He was down to his final, albeit most powerful pokemon, and he was in a sticky spot. He was sure Luxray could take the opposing Mismagius down- the Gleam Eyes pokemon was a very capable fighter- but afterwards the Fearow would have a chance. Maybe if he could land a final lightning or thunderbolt...

First, however, Lucario had to be recalled. He looked down to his belt to unhook the 'ball and jerked his head up at the announcer's call.

"Lucian's Lucario is getting back up! Looks like this Pokemon is made of tougher stuff than it was given credit for!"

Lucian felt a surge of new respect for his fighter. "Lucario! Shadow Claw!" he ordered, and for a second it didn't respond. With a slight jerk of its head it acknowledged the command and started forth, slowly at first and then gaining speed, one hand outstretched to slash at its foe...

It never made it. Halfway across the arena it collapsed, whether it was from the burn or the damge from the Marowak, and didn't not rise again. Lucian summoned it back into its spherical container. A second 'ball opened and Luxray emerged on the scene, ready to fight.

"Luxray, first formation!" The pokemon darted forward with quick attack, sidestepping at the last second and pivoting to stand behind its foe.

 

[Anonymous]

He had wised up, using different names for skills. Marion had less time to react once she knew what the attack was and that was if she could guess correctly.

In panic, the girl tried to figure out what attack that was. She guessed just before it hit, and struggled not to laugh. Quick attack.

Mismagius was a ghost.

Marion managed to keep her laughter back, just.

"That's a quick attack, right? Geez, I don't think I remember the last time someone tried a normal move against Mismagius and Ecruteak Gym's seen some awful trainers. Didn't ya know ghosts are unaffected by normal moves?"

Marion wasn't all that surprised when the Luxray moved behind Mismagius. It would have ended up back there anyway if it had attacked and just gone though.

"I see, it's just to move. That's good, I was worried you'd turned stupid for a second there and then this wouldn't be fun anymore."

Luxray had higher physical attack than special attack, if Marion recalled. Normally this would be bad for Mismagius, but there were very few electric physical moves , many of the ones that Luxray could learn Mismagius resisted.

Still, it never hurt to be prepared.

"Before it can attack use Will 'o' wisp and burn it!" Marion shouted. The purple smoke that twisted around Mismagius danced around Luxray and suddenly glowed white hot, burning it before dissolving into smoke again. A burn would lower its physical attack and Misdreavus had an impressive special defence. Whatever Lucian was planning, Misdreavus would be able to pull through it.

 

[Yggdrassil]

"No problem!" Lucian cheered. if her plan was to use Will 'o Wisp to burndown Luxray, she was in for a surprise. She had used it against Lucario to weaken it physically as well, which would hardly work on Luxray.

"Form 1 to Immoble, Form 3 to strike!"

The Luxray darted forward again, the occasional ember dropping out of its fur onto the sandy arena below, and twirled to take the enemy's back yet again. As it fell into position yellow energy began to dance around its mane, causing the fur on its head to stand up in small spikes. The energy released in a wave of thunder - Thunder Wave - designed to paralyze the foe. Lucian remembered too well how the effect had destroyed him in the first round. Let's see how you like it... he thought.

After its initial attack Luxray dropped down into a crouch and darted left again, ending up to the left of Mismagius, where it prompty gathered energy for another move.

 

[Anonymous]

"Tch..." Marion tutted, she had lost Mismagius' speed advantage. "Mismagius, use Shadow Ball!"

Mismaguis struggled with the paralysis but managed to overcome it and the smoke twisted inself into a small, dense sphere, flying toward Luxray.

She had no idea what the attack that was coming could be but had strong faith in Mismagius' special defences

((I can't really say much when I don't know what's coming))

 

[Yggdrassil]

"Form 2!"

Luxray darted away from the sphere, though Lucian felt sure the nimble warrior could take the hit, which was weakened by the paralysis. If the ghost was struggling to create attacks like that, the battle was over already.

"Now!" Luxray's fur spiked up and the energy floated up in the clouds, where it shot back down in the form of a mighty Thunderbolt. Hopefully Thunder Wave would hold the foe in place for the attack to land for the next few rounds.

(Sorry for shortness, on this one and the last. And yeah, just didn't want to attack twice in that last one was all.)