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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 21, 2014 22:57:54 GMT -5
His mouth still full and almost overflowing with berries, Bob gave Cassius a look of disbelief, as if forgetting his name was akin to forgetting how to count. "Vov," he vocalized with a heavily muffled voice, hardly bothering to swallow. "Vovzazegy." He left it at that, apparently assuming that he was still perfectly understandable. He finished his current mouthful. "Come on, man, how could you possibly forget the name to end all names? I, for one, personally make it a point to file away and lock down the names of every Pokemon I meet, on the spot. You have a lot to learn from me yet, Cashews."
Bob stuffed one last berry in his mouth before gathering up the rest of them and putting them away, much the same way as how he got them out. He chewed for slightly longer than normal, savoring the sweet flavor one last time until he finally swallowed. "Yep, that hit the spot, all right!" he exclaimed, stretching his legs in preparation for the journey to Tyric Town. "Lead the way whenever you're ready, pal! I'll be sure to let you know if I see any opponents."
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Post by Digizel on Jun 21, 2014 23:30:35 GMT -5
Cassius rolled his eyes in annoyance as the Zigzagoon answered him. Well, he didn't even really answer him. He was barely audible, let alone understandable. He opened his mouth to ask him to repeat once his mouth was emptied, but he never got the chance; the Zigzagoon started talking again immediately, already lecturing him about forgetting is name...as though he had ever really bothered to learn it in the first place. However, what really bugged him was that he was getting onto him about that...when he hypocritically didn't even understand his name yet.
And once again, Cassius did not get a chance to interrupt again as, almost immediately afterward, Bob had already finished and gotten back to his feet again. He let out an annoyed sigh, but quickly popped what was left of the spicy Figy Berry into his mouth and chewing it up before climbing back to his feet as well. However, he needed to get two things very straight before he took another step. "...Alright, but before we actually get anywhere," he said, putting his paws to his waist and looking down at the Zigzagoon. "There's two things I need to get clear: I didn't understand a word you just said while you had your mouth full. You're gonna have to repeat the name. I never really bothered to learn anyone's name other than Doug's while I was there, including yours...and same went for that runt of a Buizel that was with him too." He then crossed his arms. "And the second point: My name is NOT Cashews. Got it? It's CASS. E. US." He made sure that he stressed and pronounced every syllable of his name as clearly as he could. Hopefully, he could get through to this Zigzagoon for once. "CASS-EE-US. Or, if that's too hard for you to pronounce, you can just call me Cass. Got it?"
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 22, 2014 3:31:46 GMT -5
Bob was very well prepared and eager to get a move on, and was somewhat disappointed when Cassius spoke, stopping him mid-stride. This was somewhat of a new feeling for Bob, having Cassius revisit the points that Bob had just glanced over without so much as a second thought. Normally, his companion would just smile and nod submissively at Bob's oblivious haste, which was fine for him because didn't like to dwell on things that he was already done with, regardless of whether or not anyone else involved was. His current partner, on the other hand, seemed to be much more assertive than that. Bob was conflicted; he admired the trait, yet wanted to remain in control. He could respect a good leader, yet never considered not being one himself.
Well, there was no escaping this one, at least. Bob cleared his throat. "Bob Sladfigy. That is my name. Or just Bob." The usual energy that he expressed with every word had been drained due to a mix of impatience and surrender. "And the Buizel you're talking about, his name was Jet... uh, he might have had a last name?" The energy slowly returned, owing back to Bob's tendency to quickly move past things. "And, uh... Cassius..." He repeated the name aloud, making sure he got it right this time. "Yeah, of course, I knew that!" he defended himself, albeit poorly. "I... just thought it was a rather dull name, so I gave you a nickname. Cashews. Do you like it?" He laughed nervously, already having a good idea what the Raichu thought of his ill-conceived nickname.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 22, 2014 3:43:04 GMT -5
Cassius let out an audible sigh as Bob finally seemed to get the message. He couldn't help but smirk slightly at this tiny victory over the Zigzagoon. But he quickly let that fade; no need to do anything that might put his newfound partner on edge. "Bob...Sladfigy...?" Cassius repeated. The generic name "Bob" aside, just...what kind of a name was "Sladfigy?" He stopped to consider the name for a moment. He rolled the thought over in his mind silently before working it into his memory. Bob had certainly earned his right to be remembered in his mind. But of course, the question would then become...was his name going to actually be remembered for once by this Zigzagoon? Somehow, he had his doubts.
When Bob started trying to defend himself like he was, Cassius grinned slightly. He was tempted to keep the pressure on, now that he had a verbal advantage over Bob. But...perhaps it would be best if he simply rolled with what Bob wanted for now. Stay on his good side as much as possible. Then, he might be able to figure something out about him that he could use in his rematch later. "...Tell ya what, Bob," he replied at last, ignoring the comment about the Buizel in the middle. If that Pokémon hadn't been a friend of Doug's, he wouldn't have even remembered he existed at all. "Cassius is the name of a king, so the King is who I am." He then put his paws at his waist again, puffing out his chest proudly before continuing. "...But I guess there's not really any harm in letting you call me whatever the hell you want. As long as you remember that my real name is Cassius. Deal?"
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 22, 2014 15:49:44 GMT -5
Bob had been afraid that he would be on the receiving end of a verbal smackdown for his ignorance, but he was relieved to hear that Cassius was not the kind to hold a grudge. At least not against him. Or for something so trivial as getting his name wrong. Whatever the case, as long as the Raichu was willing to put up with Bob's shenanigans, both the intentional and the accidental ones, he knew that they would get along just fine.
He beamed, now fully back to his former, peppy self. He even jumped around a bit to make up for all the time he had spent not doing so. Or, perhaps that was the sweetness of the berries kicking in. "You got it, Cassius the Cashew King!" he agreed, sealing the deal with a friendly salute. "Now then, Your Royal Nutty Highness... shall we get going? That town's not going to visit itself! ...except for the fact that the town is the town, so it's always visiting itself. If the town wasn't visiting itself then it'd be in a different location from itself which is impossible. A thing is always where it is. But you know what I mean. I think. I'm not even sure I know what I mean. But how can I not know what I mean, when I'm the one saying it, and if you're saying something you have to think it first which means you have to know the meaning behind it. Well, I guess that's not always true because you could be quoting someone else whose words you haven't figured out yet..."
Indeed, the sugar was creating an overload of energy which Bob could only expend by letting his mind race. His rambling continued without showing signs of stopping. If Cassius decided to ignore him and start walking, then Bob was sure to follow as he talked seemingly without end.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 22, 2014 16:06:18 GMT -5
Cassius looked down at Bob as the Zigzagoon began to talk again. He couldn't help but feel a small surge of irritation course through his body as he addressed him the way he did. He certainly did not look forward to being referred to as a mix of all three versions of his identification. He was about to say something along those lines...but Bob was still talking. And talking...and talking. There seemed to be no end in sight to the mindless babblings that were spewing from his maw. Well...perhaps "mindless" wasn't the right term, as it was something he was clearly thinking about, judging from the material that made it all up. However...no matter what it was, he never stopped talking.
Finally, Cassius simply...surrendered. He gave up trying to get a word in edgewise and simply turned his back to the Zigzagoon and gestured in the direction he knew that Tyric Town was in. Once that was finished, he took a step forward, soon to be followed by another. He allowed the words spewing from behind him to go in one ear and out the other. He did, however, nod occasionally to give the illusion that he was still listening.
"Ugh...that does it," he muttered to himself under his breath. "Next time, he's eating one sweet berry and that's it."
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 24, 2014 0:50:53 GMT -5
When Cassius gestured for Bob to follow, he nodded and did so without skipping a beat in his one-sided conversation with himself. It was almost as though his ramblings were completely separate from himself and not under his control.
As the duo walked, Bob's topics became more and more obscure, but no matter how many different things he could find to think about out loud, there was no end in sight. There was no telling how many minutes had passed. Thankfully, it did seem like Bob had gradually realized Cassius wasn't listening and grew mercifully quieter until he was merely muttering to himself.
Finally and suddenly, Bob stopped. He simultaneously ceased his chatter and froze in place, his ears perked up almost as though he had managed to drown himself out and pick up some other noise from nearby. For him, it felt like he had returned to the cockpit after leaving it on autopilot for a while. His eyes were trained on some nearby bushes, which he could have sworn had just quivered slightly. And not just because of the wind.
"Do you feel that?" Bob quietly asked Cass. "Someone's nearby. I can sense it. With my senses." Everything was still again, and Bob kept a sharp eye out for any sign of other Pokemon. When he didn't see or hear anything after a while, Bob chuckled. "Hah... guess my imagination got the be--GAH!"
Bob felt a sudden, searing pain in his side. He turned around to see a small, glowing red orb roll a short distance away from him in the grass. "Who... who threw that...?!" he uttered, the burning sensation spreading through his entire body. Every muscle ached. Was this a burn? It didn't take long for him to find the source of the maneuver; a massive, bulky gray and white Pokemon emerged and barreled straight for him. Despite his burn, he was going to have to focus on dealing with the assailant's next attack.
With Bob distracted, he did not see the silent second half of the ambush taking place behind him. From the side opposite the duo, a shadowy blur scuttled quickly across the ground, heading in Cassius's direction. When it reached the space behind him, a Pokemon emerged from the ground to strike the Raichu with a swift Shadow Sneak.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 24, 2014 1:31:03 GMT -5
At first, Cassius didn't notice that Bob had stopped. He had become so accustomed to allowing Bob's speech to go in and out of his head that he almost didn't even notice when it had stopped altogether. However, what he did notice was that Bob was not following behind him after a few steps. He looked back, finally deciding to pay attention again and give Bob the benefit of the doubt. Knowing him, he wasn't stopping for no reason. "What are you talking...?" he started, but then his large ears twitched slightly as they picked something up. No, Bob definitely had a point. They weren't alone here. He could hear movement among all of the shrubbery. But where was it coming-?
Suddenly, a cry from Bob as a red orb of some kind had been thrown powerfully into the Zigzagoon's side. This caught Cassius' attention instantly and he turned to look on as a huge Pokémon emerged from its hiding place. How had a Pokémon like this managed to go undetected so well? He would never know, but it didn't matter now. If they were going to be ambushed, then it wasn't like he was going to simply stand by and let his newfound partner get to fight by himself. He clenched a fist and prepared himself to strike...but just as he was about to take a step, a sharp sense of pain struck his back. "GRNGH!" he grunted from the impact as a sword-like Pokémon emerged from the ground behind him, slashing at his back as it emerged from its shadow. He stumbled forward, stopping and catching himself right next to Bob before spinning around to see the source of the attack.
The sword-like Honedge was now completely visible now that its sneak attack had finished. It had a small sash-like appendage on its hilt, which was pointed up toward the air. The sash was wrapped around what appeared to be a scabbard for its silver blade. On its crossguard was what appeared to be a singular eye, staring at Cassius and Bob. Wrapped around the bottom of the blade that met the crossguard was a small device that strongly resembled the bracelet that Cassius was wearing and the watch on Bob's foreleg. It also had a clear "3" shown on its surface. The Honedge itself was completely silent.
"...Looks like we've got some interesting company," Cassius muttered to Bob without turning back around.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 24, 2014 2:28:06 GMT -5
Bob carefully watched the Pokemon in front of him - a giant, sinister-looking panda Pokemon with huge claws. He had never seen a Pokemon like this before in Sinnoh, or even DN2 up until now. It wasn't the fastest Pokemon, but it sure looked strong, and more than capable of taking a few hits with its great berth. It looked like Bob would have to rely on his wits and his reflexes to take this one down.
Cassius's cry of pain took Bob out of the moment for a while. He hadn't thought about the possibility that there was more than one challenger, and when he turned around, seeing the Honedge for the first time...
"...is that a sword?" Bob said in disbelief. The mere sight of the other opponent enraged him. "Is that Pokemon LITERALLY a sword?! Okay, Creator, this is why you leave coming up with Pokemon designs to Arceus. This is just... I don't even have words for this one. Let me guess, one of its moves is Swords Dance. And it has every move with 'sword', 'cut', or 'slash' in the name. Ridiculous. Why not make a Pokemon that's, I dunno, a freaking KEY RING while you're at it."
In the wake of Bob's tragically ironic rant, he had completely forgotten about the Pangoro, whose Hammer Arm served as a brutal wake-up call. And also a satisfying means of shutting him up. The force of the move sent the Zigzagoon skidding several feet across the ground.
Judging by the amount of pain he suffered from that attack, Bob guessed it was a fighting-type... but the fact that it didn't knock him out in one hit was puzzling to him. In fact, Bob felt like he could take at least a couple more of those. Surely a creature of that size would do a significant amount more damage with such a move... until a red glint caught his eye. The Flame Orb. The Pangoro must have thrown it at him, and to do that, he had to be touching it... which meant that he also had a burn, and was subject to the same weakness as Bob was.
But not for long. Bob's first order of business was to cure his burn. Digging into his stashed berries, he pulled out a Rawst Berry in no time at all and devoured it. The bitter taste made him shudder, but he instantly felt a wave of cool relief wash over him. Bob rose to his feet, feeling his strength returning and giving a threatening, vigorous glare to the Pangoro. For a moment, Bob thought he could see a hint of jealousy in the panda's eyes.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 24, 2014 3:04:46 GMT -5
Cassius glanced back at Bob as he started to literally complain about the enemy Pokémon's species right as they were about to be attacked by them. "Bob, can't your complaints wait?" he muttered to the Zigzagoon...only to be bluntly interrupted by Bob getting smashed by the Pangoro. This caused Cassius' attention to be dragged back over to the Zigzagoon once again. However, this turned out to be a very grave mistake.
The Honedge took its opportunity to strike the moment Cassius looked away. It quickly flung itself toward the Raichu's chest, its hilt starting to glow a white color as it charged. It slammed powerfully into the Raichu's body, sending the unsuspecting lightning mouse flying off of his feet and onto his back beside Bob yet again. It then took a moment to observe Bob and watched as the Zigzagoon pulled out a Berry to recover from the Burn he had received from the Flame Orb that the Pangoro had thrown earlier. It took a moment to look at the Zigzagoon, as though it were mentally calculating something like a computer. It then decided against pressing the attack against Bob and Cassius and instead took to floating toward the Pangoro.
Once within the Pangoro's reach, it tilted itself, clearly inviting the much larger Pokémon to grab hold of its hilt.
Cassius was quick to get back to his feet...but not quickly enough to get in the Honedge's way. He watched as the sword Pokémon made its way over to the larger Pokémon and his eyes widened slightly. "...I think we've got a problem," Cassius murmured to Bob. "A monster like that swinging a strong sword like that around?" He then cast a sideways glance toward Bob. "...Do you have a move that can damage that sword Pokémon? If you do, then I suggest you try to focus on it and try to let me handle the big guy." He then clenched his fist and raised it slightly, trying to recreate the appearance of his Focus Punch without actually building up his power for the move. "I've got exactly what I need to take on this predictable lug."
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 24, 2014 3:58:47 GMT -5
"Uh..." Bob ran through his options as he watched the Pangoro eagerly take hold of the Honedge's hilt. The sword Pokemon then wrapped its sash around its partner as though they had both been comfortable with the arrangement for a long time. The Pangoro struck a menacing pose with his new weapon. With the silent, dark stare of the Pangoro, Bob couldn't help but feel a semblance of fear creep slowly up his spine. This was a partnership that had deep roots. The Zigzagoon had a feeling that he and Cassius were just another tally mark on their massive chalkboard of victories to them.
He wasn't completely sure what the types of either of them were to begin with. The Honedge was probably a Steel-type, and the Pangoro a Fighting-type, but beyond that... he had a hunch that the sword was also part-Ghost, which meant it was too risky to try attacking with Normal-type moves. Most of his off-type moves would be resisted by its Steel typing. That left only one option, or two if he wanted to get technical... the first was Mud Missile, a relatively weak Ground-type move whose main purpose was to hit airborne enemies. The second was Fling, which Bob almost never had the opportunity to use due to its situational nature, so it wasn't an option... unless...
Bob felt something click in his mind. A brilliant strategy making the most efficient use of his resources came to him, in part due to the urgency of the situation and the apparent power of his opponents. "Cassius..." he muttered, trying to make it so that only the Raichu could hear, "I have a plan. We need to separate the two of them again. Divide and conquer. Keep them busy while I get into position, and when I give the signal, hit the big one with the strongest move you got."
The Pangoro began to move, apparently marking the end of their huddle. He tensed up his body, utilizing a Work Up move and building back some of the offensive power he had lost to the burn. He then set his sights on Bob, seeing him as the easier one to take out first. Bob rushed ahead of Cassius, making the appearance that he was about to ram into the Pangoro with a Headbutt. However, just before he got into his opponent's superior melee range, Bob suddenly changed course, kicking up a large amount of dirt into the Pangoro's face in the process with a Sand Attack. With the enemy hopefully distracted enough, Bob slipped away, curving around the two of them and dashing to where the Flame Orb had settled, leaving Cassius to face them alone for the time being.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 24, 2014 4:41:53 GMT -5
Cassius cast a quick glance at Bob as the Zigzagoon started speaking lowly to him. Normally, he would think that this was far too early for him to particularly care about any kind of plan. If this were a normal fight, he would simply use this chance to fight normally and test his opponent's true strength. However, this duo was far from normal and had clear plans to fight together as a team. They would need to work together as well if they were to win this fight. And he knew from the last battle that if Bob was anything, he was clever. He decided to trust the Zigzagoon's plan and nodded. "Whatever you need," he murmured back at him. The pouches on his cheeks started sparking with electricity at that point. He was more than ready.
As the Honedge wrapped its sash around the Pangoro's arm, it cast a quick glance up at the hulking behemoth that now wielded it. However, there was definitely more to it; as the Honedge cast the glance upward, the Pangoro looked back down at him as well, albeit only momentarily. They both then focused their attention on the Raichu and Zigzagoon before them. Primarily, however, their focus was on the Zigzagoon. After all...if they could take out the weaker one, it would leave the strong one all alone, ready to be double-teamed and he would easily be defeated.
When Bob rushed toward him, aiming what seemed to be a Headbutt in his direction, the Pangoro lifted his arm, ready to swat the tiny raccoon Pokémon away as though he were just a common house fly. However, he was taken cleanly by surprise as the dirt was thrown upward and into his face. However, just before the dirt could connect with the hulk, there was a flurry of motion. The Pangoro's arm that wielded the Honedge was brought up very quickly; too quickly to have been done by the large panda Pokémon. The sword's hilt and the Pangoro's arm blocked the dirt...so that it was the Honedge that ended up taking the Sand Attack. The Honedge then twirled itself around in the Pangoro's grip, raising its own attack power through use of the Swords Dance move. Soon, it would be time to implement its plan...a plan to not only heal Pangoro of its Burn, but perhaps even prohibit the Zigzagoon from finding any more assistance from his items.
Pangoro's attention was still fully on the Zigzagoon. Thanks to Honedge's intervention, it didn't need to even bother worrying about the attack. As long as he allowed Honedge to do as it desired, they were sure to crush these miniscule Pokémon.
"Hey, Tubby!" Cassius suddenly called. "If you're looking for your opponent, you're looking in the wrong place!" However, despite his taunts, only the Honedge kept its creepy gaze upon the Raichu. Being ignored was not something Cassius enjoyed. "Looks like you need to learn some manners. Eat this!" Finally, he tucked his arms in as his electricity pouches on his cheeks started to spark like mad...until finally, a burst of electricity erupted from his body, rushing straight for Pangoro...a strong Thunderbolt attack, aimed directly for the duo! This time, surely the Honedge wouldn't be able to block again so quickly...hopefully.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 24, 2014 20:14:37 GMT -5
Bob reached the Flame Orb and turned around just in time to see Cassius unleash his Thunderbolt attack at the Pangoro. However, neither the Pangoro nor the Honedge made any attempt to avoid it. Instead, the Pangoro braced himself and took the hit, watching Bob the entire time. The powerful electric attack barely seemed to faze him. Bob couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved by the scene - his opponents did not lose their focus on the Zigzagoon, even when they were being attacked from behind. He figured it wasn't hard for them to guess that Bob was planning on using the Flame Orb again, but they couldn't possibly know about Mud Missile, being an Advanced Move of his. That was his only chance to catch the duo off-guard, but if they stayed focused on him, they would likely have enough time to react... Furthermore, he couldn't give exact orders to the Raichu without Pangoro and Honedge also hearing them.
He'd have to relay his idea another way and get his attack off as soon as possible. With any luck, the Raichu would be able to figure out what Bob wanted him to do before the opposing team did. First, he made direct eye contact with Cassius to get his attention. He darted quickly around the Flame Orb and stopped on the other side of it. This would accomplish two things if it worked - to tell Cassius to get between the Pangoro and Bob, and to make the Pangoro and Honedge think he was about to pick up the Orb and Fling it. He then made a swift punching motion as if about to snatch up the Orb, which was also his way of saying to hit them with a physical attack from the front. If Cassius did as Bob demonstrated, then maybe his Mud Missile would be able to strike the Honedge, causing Pangoro to drop it.
And that was it. Bob had no time to wait for Cass to execute his orders, lest the enemy catch on; he could only make his move and hope for the best. Slamming both paws into the ground, he extracted a good-sized, long chunk of earth, tossed it into the air, and performed a spinning jump, slapping the projectile hard with his tail and sending it on a direct course for the Honedge's hilt. Bob landed, ready to retrieve the Flame Orb and toss it as soon as the two were driven apart, assuming his plan actually worked...
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Post by Digizel on Jun 24, 2014 22:32:14 GMT -5
Cassius quickly realized that his Thunderbolt attack was getting him nowhere. He had to hand it to these guys...they had some very serious focus. The Pangoro didn't even seem to so much as flinch as his body sizzled with electricity. That was awfully impressive. He may be able to hit harder with Thunder Punch as opposed to Thunderbolt, but that didn't make his Thunderbolt attack weak.... This was going to be a much harder fight than what he had originally anticipated. And they had looked like a powerful duo to begin with. He glanced to the side, and ended up catching Bob's gaze. It was obvious to him that the Zigzagoon wanted...something. So, he kept his focus on him. He was the smart one here, after all. If Bob had some kind of idea that could make this work out better for them, he should probably listen. He couldn't afford to make any mistakes here.
What followed, however, was a series of actions from the Zigzagoon that utterly confused him. He simply stared at the tiny raccoon Pokémon as he darted around the small orb on the ground and made some kind of strange jab at it, as though he were trying to...punch it...? It was then that it clicked in his head. Of course! Getting to the opposite side? Punching at a target? His eyes widened slightly as he came to his conclusion. He then smirked and nodded to himself, since Bob could not really see him. He loosened himself up, lowered himself down onto all fours...and launched himself forward, bolstering his speed with Agility. He rushed right by the Pangoro's leg and rushed toward Bob. As he built up speed, however, his cheeks started to spark. He soon made an abrupt turn, making sure that he had lined himself up perfectly with the hulking Pangoro. His momentum was carried relatively well in his turn and he continued to speed up. Soon, however, the electricity spewing from his cheek pouches grew larger and soon, he was enveloped in electricity. He was rushing toward the Pangoro and he leapt up, trying to slam his target in the gut with a powerful Volt Tackle.
The Pangoro ignored the Raichu at first, even as the mouse Pokémon ran past his leg. The Honedge had kept an eye on the Raichu and had told him that there was no reason to worry about him as whatever he was going to do was going to miss anyway. However, when Cassius turned to rush at him from directly in his path, he now had no choice. He looked down, finally taking his eyes off of the Zigzagoon for the first time. The Honedge was not going to be able to stop a Volt Tackle by himself. The Pangoro could, however.
But since the Pangoro shifted his attention to the Raichu, the Honedge changed its focus to the Zigzagoon...only to see something come flying in its direction. It had no idea what it was looking at, but it knew a Ground-type attack when it saw one. There was no way it was about to let itself take unnecessary super effective damage when it didn't need to. As a result of this deduction, it quickly transferred its intentions to the Pangoro and unwrapped its sash from the his arm, flinging himself out of his grasp. The Mud Missile attack then passed harmlessly through the air...but the two had now been successfully separated.
However, the Pangoro paid no attention to what was going on with the Honedge; he didn't have to. He maintained his focus on the Raichu instead. Once again, he didn't even bother trying to evade or block the attack. Instead...he simply stood there and allowed the Raichu to slam into his gut. He winced slightly this time, however. This attack was much more powerful than the Thunderbolt from before. But even still, he didn't give the Raichu the satisfaction of gaining even so much of an inch of ground. He maintained his position, barely sliding backward at all...before he brought his arms down and smashed them against the electric mouse Pokémon's back.
Cassius had been taken by surprise when he smashed into the Pangoro's belly. It was almost like he had smashed into a tree like he often did when training. However, he soon realized what was about to happen. Suddenly, the Pangoro's arms had wrapped around his body, pinning him up against his gut. "URGHK!" he growled in pain as he was squeezed tightly, being literally bear hugged by the muscular Pangoro. He couldn't even move...!
Meanwhile, the Honedge's gaze never left Bob and the sword Pokémon maintained its cold look, as though it were calculating what Bob might try to do next....
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 25, 2014 1:51:05 GMT -5
Bob was slightly disappointed when the Honedge dodged his Mud Missile, but at least it did what he intended - the Pangoro and Honedge were now separated, and handling each of them individually. Bob stared back at the soulless eye of the sword Pokemon. It was anyone's guess what went on in the equivalent of that thing's mind, but whatever it was, Bob only felt himself grow more angry with each passing second he had to look at what he thought was an abomination of a Pokemon.
Bob couldn't help but wince as he saw the Pangoro snatch up Cassius in a hug of death. He even thought he could hear a squeak coming from the Raichu. It was probably his imagination.
Bob saw his chance to act regardless. Honedge was alone and in front of him, and Pangoro was busy with Cassius. The least he could do was inflict a burn on the Honedge, and he did have one last Rawst Berry he could use on himself. A flawless strategy, according to Bob. All he had to do was hit the Honedge with Fling... Bob realized the longer he waited, the more time the Steel-type had to think about it, and he couldn't let that happen. In one swift motion, he swept up the Flame Orb and tossed it with the speed and accuracy of a baseball pitcher in the Honedge's direction. It didn't spend long in the Zigzagoon's paws, but it was enough for the ultra-hot orb to burn him again.
However, something happened that he could not have predicted in a thousand years. As soon as Bob moved, the Pangoro lifted the helpless Cassius up high, drawing him back, and before he knew it, the panda Pokemon had tossed the Raichu with the speed and accuracy of a football quarterback, en route to collide with the Flame Orb in midair! Bob could only watch in horror as the living projectile was doomed to take the hit for his original target...
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Post by Digizel on Jun 25, 2014 2:20:37 GMT -5
Cassius had no idea what was going on around him. All he knew was that he was being slowly crushed by the Pangoro's grip. He struggled with all of his might to pull away...but the hulking behemoth of a bear Pokémon possessed vastly superior muscle power and his arms would not budge in the slightest. However, the worst came when he felt the panda let up on him ever so slightly...and he was soon lifted up high into the air. "Wh-what're you...!?" he started, beginning to get really worried. The next thing he knew, all of the power that had been constricting him was gone...but he was soaring through the air. Before he could even gather his bearings, something smacked hard into his head, disorienting him further. The moment it did, he felt a sharp burning sensation emanate from the point of impact. It wasn't long before he finally hit something more solid after that: his body smashed itself against a tree.
"AGH!" he cried out in pain again, quickly slumping to the ground on his stomach. Thankfully he had eaten that Figy Berry of Bob's earlier on. If he hadn't, he would have been knocked out here for sure. He groaned in pain as he simply laid on the ground for a few moments. As he sat there, the Burn he had received from colliding with the Flame Orb started flaring up, and he could feel more pain. However, he shook his head and tried to fight it off. He couldn't stay down and accept defeat so easily. Especially not when Bob still needed his help to win. It was odd, though...he wasn't sure when exactly it had happened. Suddenly, he found himself wanting Bob's victory almost as much as his own....
Meanwhile, the Honedge seemed very satisfied with what had just happened; although it was rather difficult to tell for certain on a Pokémon that had no visible face. IN any case, there was really only one thing it needed to do. It had a good idea on just what this Zigzagoon was going to do from here. After the unexpected Mud Missile from before, it knew that it couldn't reliably predict the Zigzagoon's moves...at least not as well as it would have liked. But here, he had no choice. And that was what they needed to do if they were to turn this situation to their absolute advantage. The Honedge spun itself around in place for a moment. As it did, small metallic particles fell off of it and to the ground, sufficiently boosting its speed and making it lighter due to its Autotomize move. Then, at a much faster pace than before, it suddenly flung itself toward Bob, coming at him from an angle and bringing its blade end around. As it came around, the blade started to glow and extend slightly with a silver light. It slashed at Bob from the side with Sacred Sword. If it could land a hit, that would be fantastic...but its true goal was to try to drive him closer to the Pangoro.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 25, 2014 3:06:32 GMT -5
As he watched Cassius, burned by Bob's own Fling attack, crash into a tree, he could feel the Raichu's pain. Or maybe that was his own burn flaring up. Either way, things were not looking good. And before he could do anything to help Cassius, the Honedge was already charging toward him with an attack of its own. Whether it was Sword Slash or Slash Cut or Slashing Sword Cut, Bob didn't care; he did not want to be on the receiving end of a sentient sword's blade.
It was a swift attack, but Bob saw his opportunity to dodge it. As it came in from the side, Bob pushed himself off of the ground with all of his feet, causing him to leap high in the air, perform a backflip, and land a few feet away from the Honedge, evading the attack by a long shot. It was a surprisingly easy maneuver, actually... far easier than he ever remembered it being. Bob was confused at first, until he remembered Zigzagoon's hidden ability, Quick Feet, which would significantly increase his speed when afflicted with a status condition. What he lost in attack power, he could almost make up for in agility. It almost made him not want to cure his burn, unless he could come up with another condition he would rather have, such as paralysis...
'Wait, that's it!' thought Bob. 'I could cure my burn with my last Rawst Berry, then have Cassius paralyze me and not only make me faster, but immune to other status effects!'
But he couldn't simply leave Cassius burned like that, especially after such a massive hit. They needed each other to even have a shot at winning this. Bob could always use Rest to cure his burn, but the only way he could help Cass would be if he gave him the Rawst Berry instead. And due to the long distance between them, the only way to do that was...
"Hey Cass, catch!" shouted Bob, holding up his Rawst and preparing to Fling it across the battlefield at the Raichu. He hurled his forepaw forward as hard as he could... but nothing flew from it. "What the..." uttered Bob, looking behind himself for the berry in case he had clumsily dropped it, only to find that the Pangoro now had it in his claws, eagerly wolfing it down himself. It turned out that the Honedge was actually trying to lure Bob closer to its partner, allowing him to steal Bob's berry with Thief the moment he pulled it out. If they weren't knee-deep in a near-hopeless battle, Bob would almost be able to appreciate the strategy that the duo employed. The Pangoro now cured from its burn, he let out an intimidating roar which caused Bob to quiver. The two were now within melee range of each other. Bob had to think of something, and fast...
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Post by Digizel on Jun 25, 2014 3:34:38 GMT -5
Cassius looked up as Bob called his name. He instinctively opened his mouth to call back to him that his name was "Cass" and not "Cash" but he stopped himself when he realized that Bob had actually said his name right this time, even in the heat of the moment. But he had no time to be impressed. He had just caught a glimpse of what Bob wanted him to catch: a glorious, familiar blue berry with green leaves: a Rawst Berry. He eagerly reached his paw out, ready to catch the Berry as instructed...only to instead widen his eyes in horror as he watched the Pangoro steal it right out of his hands. He simply stood there for a moment, dumbfounded. They had managed to completely out-think Bob's strategy and had been able to use it against them by stealing the Berry for themselves. But Cass didn't have all day to stand around. As what he saw caused him to snap back to reality. "BOB, look out!" he called across the field.
As Bob had been distracted by the berry and by Pangoro's recovery, the Honedge had quickly readjusted itself after missing with Sacred Sword. It had already spun in place, shedding itself off a little bit more with another Autotomize move. Judging from the Zigzagoon's sudden burst of speed, it would certainly need more of its own. And better yet, it didn't even have to sacrifice any strength for it. It now had two Autotomize uses and one Swords Dance use under its benefits list. It was truly a force to be reckoned with at this point.
With its newfound speed, Honedge was right on top of Bob by the time Cassius called out to him. Its blade was glowing a bright silver behind the Tiny Raccoon Pokémon once more, with the light even serving as part of the blade, virtually extending it to make it even harder to get away from. A moment after Cassius' shout, the sword spun itself around in the air, aiming another Sacred Sword slash at the Zigzagoon's body at such an angle that there was no risk to the Pangoro of taking a hit accidently. Especially not if the large Pokémon executed the next move as planned rather than move in for an immediate attack.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Jun 25, 2014 4:25:33 GMT -5
Bob's frantic search for a way of dealing with the Pangoro was cut short by Cassius's warning from behind. Bob turned around to see another glowing blade heading straight for him at an alarming speed. He had no time to react, other than to back away slightly before the blade struck. "AGH!" Bob cried as he reeled backward at the intensity of the pain, already feeling himself fading fast. He began to feel dizzy, seeing spots. Hexagonal, purple spots which swarmed around Bob and disoriented him further. There was no way he could let it end like this... He tried to reach for another Berry to quickly get his head back into the game before the Pangoro could finish him off, but his paw met with nothing. His method of accessing his inventory, as ambiguous as it was, was no longer available to him. Those spots... the Pangoro must have used Embargo from behind.
Knowing it wouldn't be long before one of them finished him off, and his options becoming limited, he had no choice but to pull out all of the stops. In one last-ditch, desperate effort, he turned around and charged madly at the Pangoro, allowing his body temperature to drop. Knowing that the Zigzagoon couldn't possibly do much damage at all to him with a physical attack, he did as he had always done, taking on an almost bored expression as if to say "Can we hurry this along?"
He was ignorant to the Zigzagoon's true tactics, however. Bob knew full well that the Pokésicle attack would do almost no damage, but with a high chance of freezing, it was worth a shot. If he managed to successfully freeze the physically tougher Pokemon, Bob would have enough time to use Rest and fully recover himself, as well as ensure that Cassius would only have one Pokemon to deal with while he was asleep. It was a long-shot, but there was no other conceivable way that Bob could turn the tide. Even a Flail at this point would be fruitless, he imagined, so he pounded forward, his determination suppressing the pain for the time being. A fine, icy mist wafted from his body as he grew colder. The Pangoro didn't know what to think after seeing that, but it was too late for him to dodge. The charging icicle slammed into the large Pokemon...
...but nothing happened. The Pangoro shrugged it off like any other attack they had hit him with, already drawing his arm back in retaliation.
Bob had just enough time to utter the words "Well, crap," before being pummeled high into the air by a Sky Uppercut.
He was unconscious before he even reached the peak of his arc.
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Post by Digizel on Jun 25, 2014 4:55:36 GMT -5
Cassius watched everything as though it were done in slow motion. He watched Bob get slashed by the Honedge before trying to rush at the Pangoro again. He had no idea what Bob was planning to do, but when he saw Bob start to form ice around him, he had a vague idea. But would it work? No was the simple answer. Bob's attack seemingly did nothing to the huge, bulky Pokémon. And then, a fist slammed into the Zigzagoon's helpless body, sending him high into the air. He watched with horror as the Zigzagoon was launched into the air and came down hard onto the forest ground. It was clear immediately that Bob had been knocked out cold...especially when he didn't move afterward.
Cassius then allowed his gaze to shift from Bob to the Honedge and Pangoro once again. It was then that it dawned on him: he was alone. He was by himself in a battle against an unstoppable behemoth and an extremely intelligent animated sword. But even with the odds stacked so severely against his favor...he could not surrender. His pride would not allow him to, even if Bob hadn't fought to the very end like he had. Instead, he clenched his fists tightly, growling lowly. He clenched his teeth tightly together in his anger...he wanted to thrash these two until they were black and blue. He began to channel his focus and strength into his right fist. He prepared to put everything he had into one blow. Whether it worked or not, he was going to go down fighting.
At this point, the Honedge had simply drifted back over to the Pangoro and rotated itself again, inviting the panda Pokémon to grab hold of its hilt once again. It was almost as if nothing had even happened; as if the Pangoro had done nothing more than swat a measly little fly away from their meal. The Pangoro reached out and grabbed hold of the Honedge, which subsequently wrapped its sash around his arm again. The two were now back together, ready to finish off the last rodent that stood in their way from gaining a second point early in the tournament.
Cassius, however, was already charging forward. His fist started glowing a short distance from the Pangoro. It was at this moment that he lunged with all of his strength, trying to ignore the painful Burn that was dragging him down...and he tried to throw a Focus Punch with everything he had directly at the side of the Pangoro's face with a solid right hook. If he could just deliver this one final punch...just perhaps he could be satisfied.
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