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Post by Digizel on Aug 6, 2015 3:09:02 GMT -5
The Zangoose found himself seated on the stump of a tree. What had once been standing tall and proud now lay in a heap beside him, with his foot resting upon it. Not even a couple of minutes ago, Marduk had allowed his emotions to get the better of him. But he couldn't help himself. The Buizel seated behind him had been talking mostly to himself about how guilty he felt or how bad their current situation was. Marduk had slashed his claws through the air and unleashed an Air Cutter attack. The condensed air had slashed through the tree better than his claw could have done by themselves and the tree had merely toppled over. The sudden noise had silenced the Buizel well enough, though he felt a little bit bad about his actions. Still, he had not felt this way in a very long time. Genuine frustration had built up in his system until finally, he just exploded outwardly in an unsightly manner such as leveling a tree that may have been growing there for decades.
How could this have happened? How could he have let it come to this?
He had started on this quest to protect the Dimension from punks like Vito Steele and his goons. That had been the reason he and his allies had found themselves up in that icy town in the first place. They had sought to protect the mythical item that rest there, knowing fully well that Vito was going to make an attempt at it soon. But struggle as they might, they failed. He took little comfort in the knowledge that Vito had also failed to acquire the diamond they were searching for. After all, now a third party had introduced themselves. A party that seemed to include Deborah, that powerful Blaziken from the tournament. And an even more powerful Floatzel. And on top of everything else, their failure to protect the diamond from being stolen resulted in the freezing of the entire icy town, resulting in the probable deaths of countless innocent lives.
And as if that guilt weighing him down was not enough, a bounty had also been placed on all of their heads. Marduk wasn't sure when it happened or by whom, but they had discovered the wanted posters relatively soon after escaping the icy town. The Zangoose couldn't believe what he had been seeing. The only reason they had been there was so that they could protect it! They had nothing to do with its theft. Had they not been there, the thieves would have probably had an even easier time removing it. And yet, they found themselves treated like criminals merely for being involved. And he had his doubts that trying to reason with anybody would do them any good.
In the end, everything just ended up piling on top of Marduk's shoulders until he simply could not take it anymore. Only a minute after Doug, the Abra in currently in charge of reconnaissance and trying to discover where Vito may be headed next, had Teleported away, he had simply lashed out. But ever since, he had simply sat himself on the stump, resting his foot against the fallen trunk, and sat in silence, contemplating their situation further and trying to think of what to do from here. Now that his frustration had been vented, his mind was more free to think uninhibited. His thoughts would be so focused that even if one of the Pokémon behind him attempted to address him, he would not even acknowledge their presence.
~~~~~
Jet sat up against a nearby tree awkwardly looking down at the grass, a guilty expression on his face. A couple of minutes ago, he had been more or less panicked. He would spout all of his fears to everyone around him, without the decency to think about how they might feel about the whole situation. He had voiced complaints and fears about what was going on. Not to mention his guilt for failing to protect the Fire Diamond that they had lost. Their ineptitude had cost an entire town to freeze over! How could he not be upset about this!?
...Still. A loud slash and crash from Marduk's direction had silenced him immediately. It was extremely unusual for the level-headed Zangoose to cause such an outburst or to needlessly harm nature in such a way. Let alone cut down an entire tree in one fell swoop. He must be dealing with some serious pent-up emotions right now himself. And the guilt of him merely emphasizing everything he might be worried about had caused him to remain silent, staring down at the ground. Still, his mind raced as he silently gazed at the grass between his feet.
The Buizel was at a complete loss. What were they going to do now? They had already failed to protect one artifact. And now that they had a bounty on their heads, their task would be made all the more difficult. Jet looked over to the only source he could think of that might yet possess some kind of positive outlook or attitude. Bob the Zigzagoon had never really allowed something to get him down for long. Perhaps something the guy was doing now would get his mind off of things...? For now, he simply looked over toward the Zigzagoon, hoping to steal a glance at whatever it is he might be doing. He simply prayed that the Zigzagoon wasn't as bummed as he was. That would make their situation seem even more depressing.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Aug 6, 2015 4:07:00 GMT -5
Bob Sladfigy did not seem to give much thought to the events that had transpired in the past couple of weeks. To any sane onlooker, it would appear that he had the memory of a Goldeen (no offense to any that may be present, of course). As of now, he was preoccupied with a sight that ranked much higher on his priority list - food. Specifically, a lone Pecha Berry that he had spotted high up in a nearby tree. Bob, in between bursts of stomach growls, was in the process of figuring out how to scale it and retrieve the berry.
When he saw Marduk slash the tree down, he thought about asking him to give Bob a hand, but he did not want to chance becoming the target of an outburst himself. Although he didn't look like it, their failure weighed heavily on Bob's mind as well. Not even the undisputed king of thick-headedness could deny such a tragedy. It had always been a dark fantasy of his that he would one day go down in infamy as some kind of notorious criminal, but he expected the circumstances to be a lot less dire. Like stealing an entire forest's worth of berries, or something. But nothing like the mass slaughter of hundreds of innocent lives. It may not have been his direct fault that that happened, but the fact that he had a chance to stop it and completely fudged it up, despite his legitimate best efforts, was enough for the simple-minded Zigzagoon to take the full brunt of the guilt.
And so, it was all Bob could do to try and distract himself from those thoughts. His stomach tossed and turned constantly over it, and Bob had all but convinced himself that this was due to sheer hunger. He had consumed nearly every berry they came across, at least the ones that Jet, Marduk, and Doug didn't need to survive. It was the best buffet in which Bob had ever indulged, but they might as well have all been Rawst Berries to him.
As Bob lunged futilely at the tree for the umpteenth time, he could practically feel Jet's solemn gaze upon him. Bearing his best fake cheesy smile with a quiet sigh, he turned to face the Buizel. "Heya, Jet," he acknowledged, "D'you think you could help me get this berry down? I'm late for my post-afternoon pre-dinner snack, haha!" Even a child could hear how forced his cheerfulness was. While Bob was a professional ignorant optimist, he was not the best at hiding his true feelings, when he had any. But Bob, being Bob, was not about to drop his facade. The last thing their group needed was another sulking voice.
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Post by Digizel on Aug 6, 2015 17:16:19 GMT -5
Jet's eyes focused on the Zigzagoon not far away from him for only a short while before his own smile returned slightly. The sight of Bob trying to climb to the top of a rather tall tree was actually rather amusing to observe. Jet traced the trunk of the tree with his eyes, following it up to the canopy until he finally saw what Bob was no doubt putting so much effort into getting. A lone Pecha Berry? He seemed to be going through so much trouble just for the one berry? The thought only caused him to chuckle lowly.
Not long after he had returned his gaze to his friend, the Zigzagoon acknowledged his gaze. He watched that cheesy smile appear on his face and he already knew that his friend was simply hamming it up. Still, he couldn't help but appreciate the effort. He chuckled more loudly, though it was somewhat forced out as well. He climbed back to his feet and stepped over to where Bob was standing. "Yeah, sure," he replied. "I know better than to let you go hungry." He looked up at the tree and studied it for a moment. Unfortunately, he was not very good at climbing trees himself. Especially when there were no low-hanging branches for him to swing from.
He surveyed the tree and came up with a plan. If he could not climb the tree, then he would need to bring the berry down to them. And that was a simple enough job for a Pokémon with his long-range moves. He stepped to the side so that he could get a clean shot without hitting the berry itself. And then he spun his body around and whipped his tail diagonally through the air. From the tips of his tail, a sound wave boomed upward, aiming to strike the branch that clutched the berry. The Sonic Boom attack slashed through the air and smashed into the branch. The branch snapped off just as he planned, and he watched it fly through the air for a moment. The branch fell down in a gravity-assisted arc, and soon landed on the ground with a thud. The berry snapped off of its branch and rolled to the side thanks to the impact with the ground.
However, the noise had alerted Marduk, who quickly turned around and stood up, looking at the two before him almost in disbelief. "...What do you think you're doing?" he said, glaring at the two.
"E-erm..." Jet said, turning to look at the Zangoose, suddenly feeling his nerves return when he heard the harshness of his tone. "I was just...helping Bob get something to eat...?"
"What you were doing," Marduk corrected, giving the Buizel a stern look. "Was making a loud noise that will alert anybody in the vicinity to our presence. And if your attack was launched into the air, you would have shown them exactly where they are. And in case you've forgotten, we probably have bounty hunters on our tails right now. And you just made their job easier."
Jet gulped and looked down slightly. "O-oh, y-yeah..." he murmured. "S-sorry, I guess I wasn't thinking." Great. Something more to throw onto his guilt pile.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Aug 6, 2015 17:49:20 GMT -5
Bob eagerly watched Jet work his magic on the tree in front of him. It was somewhat of a relief that his best friend decided to help him out, rather than call attention to their failure again as he tended to do on a regular basis. His head followed the berry as it plummeted to the ground, branch and all. He made a quick promise to himself that he would enjoy this berry. It was his favorite, after all. As soon as the berry freed itself from its wooden prison, Bob pounced on it jaw-first and rolled around with it, gnawing and savoring the flavor as best as he could. It was almost enough to make him forget.
Until Marduk voiced his disappointment at the both of them, causing Jet to shrink away again. No matter how many times he saw that behavior from his friend, Bob could not help but get overly defensive on his behalf. He put the berry down for a moment. "You know, Marduk," he began, "I don't think this Buizel can do anything to a tree that's more conspicuous than slicing it clean in half." A smug sense of self-satisfaction washed over him for pointing that one out, which he rewarded with another huge bite of Pecha.
"In fact, you know what?" he continued, now standing up as proudly as was expected from the Zigzagoon. "Those bounty hunters want a piece of us? Let them come. We'll show them what we're made of." He reared back, howling at the sky. "Did you hear that, bounty hunters?!" he shouted. "I'm Bob Sladfigy, and what you call a challenge, I call dinner! You want it? Come and get it, if you're not afraid of being reduced to little more than skeletons!" It was clear that the Zigzagoon wanted to attract attention. That was just what he needed right now, actually - a successful battle, to boost his ego back into the comfort zone, and make up for his previous failure. If all they had to deal with were Pokemon aiming to make a quick buck, this should be a cakewalk for the three of them even without Doug. What was the worst that they could find?
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Aug 6, 2015 18:16:58 GMT -5
As Bob said this, several vines popped out of a nearby bush and wrapped themselves around Bob, leaving him in a Bind. They then quickly dragged him under the bushes. Several of them, in fact. They dragged him into a clearing hidden on the other side of several bushes and trees, where finally he stopped at the feet of a writhing mass of vines with eyes. A Tangela. "I got one!" The Tangela yelled as an Electrike and a Spritzee came over to investigate.
"Great," the Electrike chimed in, "We only need one of them for now. Can we get out of here already?"
"Not yet," the Spritzee replied. "You know Gant wants one or more of these guys. We don't leave until he tells us it's okay." This resulted in an audible groan from the Electrike.
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Post by Digizel on Aug 6, 2015 19:13:08 GMT -5
Marduk looked down at Jet and Bob as the latter stepped up and started defending the former. This caused the Buizel to look at the Zigzagoon, bearing an expression of shock, as though he hadn't expected any kind of defense. For a moment, Marduk considered pressing the matter. He scowled at Bob for a moment...but then his expression softened. This was not worth them fighting over. And the Buizel was clearly feeling guilty enough as it was. "Yes, I apol-" he started but stopped when Bob suddenly exclaimed their presence to the world. And at that point, his expression hardened once more and he fought the temptation to simply smack the Zigzagoon for his ignorance.
He did not have to worry about that for long, however. Marduk's ear twitched slightly when a very soft and quick rustling could be heard. "Watch out!" The Zangoose exclaimed, reaching out to try to push the two Pokémon out of the way. Suddenly, vines shot out from the nearby bushes, ensnaring the Zigzagoon and dragging him away. He had been too late to help.
"A-ah! B-Bob...!" Jet exclaimed when he saw the Zigzagoon getting dragged away. As he spoke, he felt Marduk's paw slam up against his chest and he was forced backward, falling onto his tail. But he was quick to climb back to his feet and scurry toward where he had been taken. "I'm coming...!" He was not about to let Bob get captured. He couldn't let one of his friends down again...!
Jet dashed straight through the bushes and immediately stopped when he saw the sight before him. Three Pokémon were standing before him. A Tangela, Bob in his tentacles, an Electrike and a Spritzee were present. And two of them had a type advantage against him. Still, he swallowed hard, gulping back his fears. His friend would need him. "L-let my friend go this instant...!" He shouted at them.
Marduk, meanwhile, watched the Buizel run off as well. "Dammit!" he growled. "Rash little...." He muttered, immediately attempting to follow the Buizel to the brush. These kids might end up needing his help.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Aug 6, 2015 19:50:16 GMT -5
"What th-- oof! Gah!"
Those were the sounds coming out of Bob's mouth as he found he had been caught completely off-guard. He didn't expect the hunters to react that suddenly, or that cowardly for that matter. Bob struggled as foliage and grass bristled uncomfortably against his fur. Halfway through being dragged, he realized that escaping from this position would be impossible, and so he waited in order to better prepare himself for what awaited him on the other end of the vines.
Surprise surprise, it was a Tangela. Along with two other Pokemon. He listened disdainfully as they talked about him like a trophy fish that they had just netted out of the ocean.
"Hey," Bob protested, "this ain't no fishing trip, pal! I'm still very much a threat!" As he spoke, he scrunched his eyes, channeling his energy. His body started to radiate coldness and become much more pale. As he was up against a Grass-type, he hoped that this would cause the Tangela to loosen its grip. Assuming it did, Bob threw all of his strength into a lunging motion to finish his Pokésicle attack. If all went well, this would leave the Tangela frozen, effectively forcing the numerical advantage to his side for a while. If all went well, indeed.
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Aug 6, 2015 22:47:56 GMT -5
As Bob rammed into the Tangela, the Tangela's body instantly solidified. She was frozen solid. Completely unable to move. Her eyes were even frozen wide open in shock. Or... maybe they always looked like that. But either way she was out.
The Spritzee saw this and acted quickly, releasing purfumes into the air in the form of Aromatherapy. Almost instantly the Tangela found herself able to move again. "Ugh, aren't you supposed to DO something about that?" the Spritzee barked at the Electrike.
The Electrike rolled his eyes and opened his mouth, releasing a Thunder Wave aimed directly at the Zigzagoon. He couldn't believe the Spritzee was getting annoyed at him over that. The Zigzagoon was BOUND. How was he supposed to know he was still able to attack?
~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as Marduk began to run toward the bushes where Bob had disappeared, a Croagunk leapt down from the tree that Jet had just shot a Sonicboom at, getting between Marduk and his escape. "Not so fast, buddy. We've got other plans for you. Howard!"
Just then, a Ducklett popped out of the bushes, his expression completely vacant.
The Croagunk continued. "Howard, help me keep an eye on this guy. Make sure he doesn't get any bright ideas about following his friends."
Howard said nothing. He simply raised his wing in a salute and jumped out of the bushes, marching toward Marduk and the Croagunk.
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Post by Digizel on Aug 7, 2015 2:30:17 GMT -5
Jet's eyes widened slightly when he watched Bob's sudden struggle against the Tangela. And it worked like a charm! The Grass-type Pokémon ended up releasing the Zigzagoon on accident and had been frozen solid to boot! Although, judging from the three Pokémon that were present, he figured that it would not last very long. And sure enough, the Spritzee unleashed what he expected; the Aromatherapy. Well, no matter. At least Bob was safe now. But now was not the time to be thinking about that. He needed to be dealing with the three enemies at hand right now. Thankfully, they didn't seem all that experienced in combat. And thankfully, their teamwork seemed somewhat sketchy from what he'd seen so far. So perhaps even he could stand a chance against them after all....
The Buizel quickly turned his attention to the three Pokémon and immediately identified the one that would be the most detrimental to the both of them right away. That Tangela would be tricky, but both Bob and he wielded Ice-type moves, so she might be a bit easier to deal with. Only Bob had a particularly tough move against the Electrike. And that one could paralyze the both of them, swinging the speed advantage to their opponents almost instantly. If any Pokémon needed to be taken out immediately, it was that one.
His target decided, Jet quickly rushed to Bob's side and leaped into the air. He flipped himself around, doing a full somersault, and whipping his tail vertically downward. The familiar boom sounded, and his Sonic Boom attack was launched through the air, a visible arc of sound energy getting launched from his tail tips directly for the Electrike's head and his lengthy mane.
~~~~~
Marduk stopped as soon as the blur of motion met his gaze. The Poison-type Pokémon had leaped from above, standing cleanly between himself and where the others had disappeared to. And he needed to get past them. The Zigzagoon might be able to handle himself, but the Buizel was not as competent in battle from what he had seen so far. And if that Zigzagoon had to cover for him, a battle might be even harder on him. But for now, he supposed that he had no choice.
And then, another face emerged. This one, a Ducklett. He cast a quick glance at the newcomer, who had also somehow remained hidden all this time. He hadn't thought that a Ducklett could be so stealthy as to remain hidden from his keen senses. Perhaps there was more to this one than met the eye? Regardless, he didn't have the time to get involved in a battle here. He needed to aid his allies.
"I have no quarrel with you, strangers," Marduk said calmly, shifting his focus to the Croagunk, who appeared to be the leader of this rabble. Though he made sure to at least keep the Ducklett vaguely in his peripheral vision, so that he would not be ambushed from behind. "I will give you one warning and one warning only." He then showed his claws, raising them upward. "I don't want to fight, but I cannot allow you to take my allies." He then jerked his head, indicating the tree that he had slashed through earlier. "...That will be you. If you do not back down. I cannot allow you to hinder my mission to protect this world. So stand down or regret your decision to ever confront me. Now."
With his ultimatum delivered, he now simply kept his focus on the Croagunk and waited for his response. He wasn't sure how long they had been observing them, but if they had seen him slash through the tree, then they should know that he can utilize an Air Cutter move. And if the Croagunk knew that he possessed such a move, he might be even more willing to back down. Though depending on their angle of viewing and with some illogical thinking, perhaps they merely thought it was his physical claws that cut so cleanly through.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Aug 7, 2015 3:09:10 GMT -5
Bob watched with disappointment as most of his work had been undone in an instant. He had never seen a Spritzee before, and was unaware of what the Pokemon was capable of. But thawing out a frozen Pokemon with nothing more than sweet-smelling mist? He had to call Tauros on that one.
Regardless, questioning reality doesn't fix it. That was a lesson that Bob learned multiple times in the past, the hard way. He had to focus on the Spritzee. But before he could move again, the Electrike had launched an attack of his own. Thunder Wave was so quick that it was nigh-unavoidable, even if you didn't totally forget that electric-types can usually do that.
"Gah..." Bob uttered as he struggled against his own nervous system. Time for a change of plans. He backed away, not willing to get immediately involved in direct combat in that condition. He was grateful that at least Jet showed up, but he wondered what was taking Marduk so long... "Jet, have you ever played an RPG before?" he asked. "When you're fighting a group of diverse enemies, always take out the healer first. Remember that!"
After giving the order, Bob dove at the ground. It was risky for him to attack, but he was thankful that his species did have a couple of support options. Finding a rather damp patch of ground, he picked at it, getting mud everywhere and especially on himself and Jet. The Mud Sport would prevent them from taking too much damage from the Electrike, at least. It might even prevent Jet from getting paralyzed as well.
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Willy
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Post by Willy on Aug 9, 2015 20:12:30 GMT -5
The Electrike staggered back as he was struck by the Sonic Boom attack. He quickly recovered, throwing a second Thunder Wave at the Buizel. Having the speed advantage would hopefully allow his team to quickly shut down his opponents, Mud Sport or no.
The Spritzee stayed back. The Zigzagoon had been correct in pinning her as the healer, so she would be most effective staying out of the fray. But that didn't mean she didn't have a few tricks up her sleeve. The Spritzee let out another aroma, this one much more alluring. Her Sweet Scent would hopefully keep her two opponents distracted and unable to focus on avoiding the attacks of her allies.
The Tangela, meanwhile, had decided to take her recovery into her own hands. She exposed a few extra vines and turned them on Jet, using Mega Drain in an attempt to sap some of his energy and restore what she had lost from the Pokecicle attack.
~~~
Gant smiled at Marduk's threat. They had done their research. They weren't idiots. Well, the Croagunk couldn't speak for Howard. But Gant knew what he was getting into anyway. He didn't need to take Marduk down. They just needed to keep him from helping his allies long enough for the other three to get away. Once he got the signal from them, Marduk was too big of a risk to take down on their own. But that didn't mean Gant wasn't prepared for a fight.
"Right, protect the world. Look at the messiah-complex on you. Look, I'll tell you what: you come quietly with the two of us and we'll let the other two go. You're worth more than the two of them put together, so it's more than fair. But we're taking either them or you today. Whaddya say? Wanna make this easier for everyone involved, or are we gonna have to make this a bigger deal than it really should be?"
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Post by Digizel on Aug 10, 2015 22:35:47 GMT -5
The Electrike had been struck by his Sonic Boom attack. Good. Now just a bit more work and they would have one of them down. However, Jet quickly stole a glance at Bob. The Zigzagoon had started talking to him, after all. Once he was finished, he had dove into the dirt and begun spraying mud all over the battlefield, including over his own clean fur. He wished that they didn't have to resort to this. He hated feeling this muddy...but at least it put him in a better position for dealing with that Electrike. Now, the Electrike would actually deal less damage than usual with his Electric-type attacks. Now he would take slightly less damage than he would have had he been neutral to the attacks the entire time.
Now that the Buizel's attention was focused ahead of him again, he could see what the Electrike planned to do from a mile away. And so, he prepared to Analyze his foe's movements, to identify the patterns in his muscle movement and manage to predict whatever the Electrike planned to do from there. And thus, he was prepared to avoid his foe's next attack. Once the Thunder Wave had been prepared and subsequently launched, he began to form water around himself. And then he launched from his position. But instead of charging the Electrike head-on, he curved his attack. Thanks to his analysis, he had been able to tell where and when the electrike's attack would be launched. As such, he curved around the expected trajectory and attempted to slam his Aqua Jet attack into the Electric-type's left side from an angle.
Jet had considered attacking the Spritzee instead, just as Bob had suggested. However, the Spritzee was in the back of the entire group. Getting to her would mean passing through both enemies. And even if he did score the damage, he would be stuck between the three of them, completely surrounded if his attack didn't have enough of an impact, which was something he still doubted about himself to this day. Besides, this Spritzee was clearly only capable of healing Status conditions and not damage. If she were capable of such a thing, she probably would have also assisted the Tangela in restoring its strength. And as far as Jet was aware, the Frozen status was the only one that either of them could provide. And even then, if Jet recalled correctly, it was only a fifty/fifty chance. And the Buizel had learned long ago not to bet too heavily on chances if there was an alternative.
However, there was something Jet had completely failed to take into account. And that was the fact that the Tangela was not about to allow him to get away as easily. As he made his way toward his target, he suddenly felt his strength dwindle. It didn't hurt exactly, but he suddenly started feeling a lot of his strength just seem to leech out of him. His concentration suddenly failed him, diverted by the sudden lack of strength and wherever it went, that he felt the water surrounding his body disappear. "Wargh...!" he cried out in surprise as his body began to obey gravity's laws once again. His body fell to the ground and slid along the forest's grass for about a meter before coming to a stop.
Unfortunately for the Buizel, that stop was near the feet of the Electrike, between the Electric type and the Tangela that had just sucked his energy away. Yeah...he was definitely going to have a hard time fighting the three of these guys all together like this...it was sometimes difficult enough to keep track of one Pokémon at a time.
~~~~~
Marduk's eyes narrowed slightly at the Croagunk's response. He saw the smile plastered on his face. Following up with an offer for him to surrender to save his two allies? As if he could ever accept such a "bargain." But in all likelihood, the Croagunk already knew what his answer was. It was all too obvious what they were planning to do here. They were merely stalling for time to allow their own allies to defeat and capture the two that he needed to protect. He was going to need to defeat them to assist his allies...and he needed to do it as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The Zangoose folded his arms across his chest instead of making any aggressive actions. He then closed his eyes, looking thoughtful as he turned around and took a couple of steps away. After a few seconds, he would speak. "...Even I must admit the cleverness in your scheme. You likely have three, perhaps four allies to take care of my two companions. And not only that, you likely have another member hiding somewhere nearby. If your intention was to stall, you would be unlikely to come only two against one if you know who I am. And should you succeed in capturing my allies before I can get to them, even though I could defeat you in all likelihood.... Well, I know that I would have a much better chance at overcoming whatever trickery you can come up with after this than those two." he commented. He then opened his eyes, uncrossed his arms and turned his head to glare at the Croagunk. As he spoke, the wind picked up slightly, blowing through the area and causing his fur to ruffle slightly in the breeze. "And if I surrender to you, you will call off your allies and leave my friends be?" he asked for confirmation.
What the Croagunk and Ducklett would hopefully not notice was that, upon turning around and as he was unfolding his arms, he had waved them slightly, disguised perfectly as him merely unfolding them. This had been the secret cause of the breeze that had begun blowing through the area...his calling of a Tailwind. He just had to hope that nobody in the area could recognize this. But he had his doubts that they would since it was a move that a Zangoose like himself would not normally be able to master, even if they do know of its existence.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Aug 10, 2015 23:19:22 GMT -5
Bob watched blissfully as Jet blasted off toward the Electrike. Sure, he did just say to go after the healer, but no matter how many times he saw a Buizel perform his favorite move, he couldn't help but stare in awe. Or maybe that was his paralysis in combination with the distracting scent being deployed by the Spritzee. Still, the furry orange-and-blue missile was a sight to behold for the Zigzagoon. No matter what, the entire battle deserved to stop for its majesty. It was like some unwritten bro code as far as Bob was concerned.
His mind was sharply snatched back into the moment as the code was broken in an instant by the Tangela, cutting Jet's attack short. Immediately, Bob forgot about his prior plans. This grotesque mass of vines had the gall to snatch his best friend out of the air like that?! "HEY!" Bob shouted, standing perfectly straight despite his hindered nervous system. "Nobody, but nobody interrupts a Buizel at his best! Prepare to pay, noodlebrain!"
As chaotic as he was, there was one thing that all could agree on regarding Bob: that his bursts of anger were legendary. Defying his handicap, Bob took off in a sprint toward the offending Grass-type, charging a spiteful Headbutt attack. He was prepared to untangle this Tangela using nothing but the force of his thick, enraged skull. The moment he felt any sort of connection, however, there was no doubt that Bob was going to feel the missed effects of his condition all at once, but he didn't care. All he wanted to do was show those amateurs that you don't mess with Jet.
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Post by Willy on Aug 12, 2015 9:10:07 GMT -5
The Croagunk frowned at Marduk's behavior, "this isn't going to be nearly as fun as it can be if you count us out this early. Howard, our friend here seems to think he can skew things in his favor. Mind correcting him?"
The Ducklett saluted again, and soon enough the Croagunk and Ducklett had their own Tailwind. Branches in the area were now swaying back and forth as the wind came from either direction.
~~~
Bobs head collided with the Tangela, knocking her off of her feet and onto her... uhh... whatever a Tangela sits on? Probably more vines. Best not to worry about it too much. Either way, this disrupted her ability to launch another attack.
The Electrike ignored the others and charged at Jet with his teeth bared. He leaped into the air and attempted to chomp down on the Buizel's arm with a Thunder Fang attack. He knew the Spritzee was going to blame all this on him if they got away, so there was no way Jet was going to ruin this for him.
The Spritzee moved forward, getting between Bob and the Tangela. "Oh NO this is awful. I don't like this one bit. Sir, you can't keep DOING this to me and my friends," the Spritzee said in as demure a fashion as possible in order to Attract Bob. "If you think about it, you really don't have any reason to do this to us. Can you PLEASE stop? Pretty please?" The spritzee added this, blinking in as disarming a manner as possible.
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Post by Digizel on Aug 12, 2015 12:34:04 GMT -5
Marduk frowned when the Ducklett created their own Tailwind. Well, so be it then. Whether they had identified his own actions or not was completely inconsequential now; there was now another Tailwind blowing so that the playing field was even once more.
"...Very well, if that's how it has to be," Marduk replied. He knew that his own Tailwind would peter out not too long from now. But now that he knew that this Ducklett was indeed using his own Tailwind after all, it wouldn't matter whether or not if he kept his up. If they could match it, it was inconsequential. He would just have to use his to match theirs, which would also result in him Tailwind lasting slightly longer than theirs, which would work greatly in his advantage.
But what was more important right now was finishing these foes off as quickly as he possibly could. He needed to make sure that he was accurate. And so, he needed to make sure that all of his attacks actually landed. As it was, his opponents were too far away to guarantee anything. Plus, they were spread out. That would make things even harder.
The Zangoose was quiet as he thought about his situation. Finally, he came to a decision. He kneeled onto both of his knees, keeping his legs sticking out underneath and behind him. "Very well," he commented. "If I took the chance to beat you on time and failed I am not sure if Doug would ever forgive me. Therefore, to protect his friends...I surrender to you." To demonstrate submissiveness, he folded his arms behind his back. "You may do as you wish, but only if you leave my allies out of this. This was my mission. Not theirs. Leave them to get on with their lives if they so choose." He then looked up again, staring the Croagunk in his eyes. "And I believe it would be wise of you to hurry. You certainly wouldn't want me to change my mind, given that you know as well as I do that you cannot best me in battle." That last line he had thrown in as a subtle Taunt. He didn't want the Croagunk pulling any surprises on him.
~~~~~
Jet groaned as he pushed himself back onto all fours. That Mega Drain had taken him completely by surprise. And now, thankfully, Bob seemed to be rushing in to take on that Tangela himself. Unfortunately, he also seemed to be attracting the Spritzee, which seemed to be trying to Attract him in return. He couldn't let Bob fight both of those opponents at once. Especially not if he fell victim to a status like that. Electrike or no, he needed to help Bob now.
But just as the Buizel was rising to his feet to move, the Electrike's movement suddenly caught his attention. Once again, he'd allowed himself to be too distracted to notice what was going on right beside him. And just as quickly as it came up to him, the Electrike's jaws clamped tightly on his arm. The Buizel cried out as a surge of super-effective electricity charged through his body. Thankfully, most of the impact was lessened by Bob's Mud Sport. So he didn't even feel half the amount of pain as he would have before. But what electricity did get through was still quite painful.
To make things worse, though, Jet felt his limbs lock up when the electricity passed through his system. He winced as he realized that the electricity that had passed through him had actually managed to Paralyze him. But even that wasn't the end of it. He sank to one of his knees at the Electrike's feet, arm still ensnared in the electric-type's jaw. The bite had also caused him to instinctively Flinch against the pain as well. With the protection of Bob's Mud Sport, he hadn't expected something to still hurt him as much as it did.
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Aug 19, 2015 3:14:50 GMT -5
Bob felt the connection like a sack of freshly-thawed noodles thrown at his forehead. Only for him to thrust it forward and smack it into a makeshift soccer goal that he had prepared just for that sort of occasion. This totally wasn't a regular fantasy of Bob's or anything, and certainly not involving Jet as the goalie and Doug as the referee. Marduk he never could quite place on the field though...
His paralysis, and possibly his daydream, kept him from reacting in time to help Jet, and before he knew it, the Spritzee was trying to get his attention.
Bob had more than a few choice words to counter Spritzee's request, but as he watched her move, he felt his negative feelings slipping away. He hadn't realized it before, but there was something so alluring about this new Pokemon. Maybe it was the fragrance, or maybe it was her overwhelming beauty and innocence. In an instant, his original mood of death and destruction was replaced with sympathy and guilt. "You're right, I don't know what I was thinking... I'm so sorry..." he uttered. "In fact, this whole ordeal is just so wrong, isn't it? A pretty little thing like yourself shouldn't be dirtying herself up in battle. You deserve... respect." Bob coupled the word with a flirty gaze of his own. It was no Attract, but Bob couldn't remember the last time a female came on to him in such a way. He had to seize the moment!
"In fact, what do you say you and I ditch this scene? I know a place by the beach where we could hang out and talk, maybe get a couple of Gummi Shakes... my treat." He held up a small pile of coins and bills, winking invitingly. He had forgotten completely about the fact that these were bounty hunters trying to capture and turn them in. Bob was entirely focused on trying to win over the Spritzee now.
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Willy
Moderator
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Post by Willy on Aug 19, 2015 18:40:12 GMT -5
The Spritzee backed away from Bob slowly, not sure how to react. She had done this before, but usually her targets weren't so... forward. "Uh... I... ah," she stammered, momentarily stunned by Bobs battlefield tactics. Not the battlefield of war, but of the heart.
"What are you doing," the Electrike snapped. Not at the Spritzee, but at the Tangela who was currently working on making her way back to her feet. "Help me take this one down, quick!"
The Electrike took his time and began to glow and spark as he Charged up another attack. Meanwhile, the Tangela made her way back to her feet and stretched her vines out at Jet, attempting to Bind him.
~~~
The Croagunk nodded as Marduk surrendered. "I'm glad you see it my way. Saves all of us a lot of pointless trouble." He raised a fist and prepared to strike, but before he could do anything he was interrupted.
"WAIT!"
A light blue blur raced into the clearing between the two bounty hunters and Slammed into Marduk. Or... maybe the tree that had been behind him. It all happened so fast that before anyone could figure out what had happened, the blue ball uncurled to reveal a Phanpy that had been hiding in the bushes until recently, waiting for her moment to strike.
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Post by Digizel on Aug 19, 2015 20:56:21 GMT -5
Jet groaned as the electricity cackled through his body for a moment as the Paralysis completely set in. He desperately shook his head, trying to recover from the pain that the Electrike's fangs had sent jolting through his body and had him stopped. He looked up slightly when he heard the Electrike begin talking to his allies. It seemed like he and the Tangela were planning on teaming up to take him out first, which would leave it three against Bob. And surely even Bob would feel defeat in that scenario. And unfortunately, he was at a disadvantage on that field. After all, he was weak to the Grass-type and he was Paralyzed. He highly doubted that he could win a fight against both of them, especially given his own particular lack of battle prowess and physical strength. But surely Bob was not going to just stand back and let that happen, right? They were friends, so surely he would help fight them off.
On cue, he cast a quick glance at the Zigzagoon...and was stunned by what he saw. The Zigzagoon was actually...FLIRTING with that Spritzee!? "Y-you've got to be..." he murmured under his breath. Before he could really take a moment to think about it or even address the problem directly, sudden glowing from in front of him caused his attention to be drawn once more. Jet easily identified what was going on and he knew he had to put a stop to this. After all, Charge was especially dangerous for a Water-type like him, Mud Sport or not. Especially since he also got a boost to his special defense. He needed to take him out as soon as he could.
Just as the Buizel was starting to get his second wind, however, something more unexpected happened. Vines extended from behind him and he soon found them wrapping around his torso, constricting his body. He tried to desperately lift his arms out of harm's way, but the paralysis kept him from making a speedy enough movement. The vines wrapped themselves on top of his arms and pinned them to his sides. "URGHK!" he grunted as the vines bound him. He struggled against them, even as he felt them tighten around his torso.
Uh oh...this wasn't good. He couldn't move like this and the Electrike was about to strike. He needed to stop the other Pokémon from attacking as quickly as he could...but how? He had no idea. Perhaps he could call out for Bob's assistance, but even if he did, Bob's paralysis would probably prevent him from getting to him in time. Especially since he knew how...thick Bob could be at times. If the Zigzagoon didn't respond immediately to his call, he'd be in for a serious world of hurt. And since Bob was potentially at the whim of an Attract, there might only be a fifty-fifty shot that he would pay attention in the first place. He needed a more...reliable solution.
But he had a very tough time thinking through the pain caused by the Bind. He couldn't think clearly enough to come up with a solution to his problem. The only thing he could come up with was using his Frost Jet to blast free. But even then, he doubted that he would be able to focus enough on his water to freeze it over and cause the Tangela to release him. But at the same time, he had a very obvious time limit. If that Electrike got off a strong Electric attack, he would be no better off.
He had no choice. A better solution was not coming to mind. The only alternatives he had was to attack the Electrike with a ranged move. But with that increased special defense, he doubted it would help him much. So, he had no choice. "Ngh...B-Bob...h-help me...!" he cried out desperately, uselessly struggling against the vines as much as his feeble strength would allow him to.
~~~~~
Marduk kept his gaze focused on the Croagunk. He said nothing in response to the Toxic Mouth Pokémon, not wanting to say anything more suspicious. When Gant raised his fist and prepared to strike, Marduk braced himself for the impact. He had his plan...and he needed to be ready to launch his attack from point-blank range. He would take a hit, but the Croagunk would take a harsher one. Perhaps even get knocked out in one fell swoop.
But the fist never even came at him in the first place. Instead, a sharp cry suddenly shot through the air. The suspected third Pokémon in this ambush group, he immediately presumed. But what he hadn't expected was for this Pokémon to be the one to initiate the first attack. The blue blur had rushed straight from the foliage to strike him dead-on, Slamming his tough body against the Zangoose's torso. "Grah!" he grunted as he was struck. The blow took him completely off-guard, and the impact threw him onto his back at the feet of the strange blue blur, now revealed to be a Phanpy.
Marduk had to stop and rethink his strategy for a moment. Now that he knew the third foe was a fast Phanpy, that might change some things. "Urngh..." he groaned, deciding to pretend that the attack had done more to him than it actually had. He slowly sat up, rubbing his chest where the Phanpy's Slam had connected. "Why was that necessary?" he muttered in a well-faked tone of annoyance. "I had already surrendered. It would be faster if you simply allowed your Fighting-type captain to do all the work, don't you think?"
The Zangoose made sure that he still did not yet make any aggressive moves. He didn't want to blow his cover until after the Croagunk was close enough to him to deal a powerful strike and greatly weaken him, if not outright knock him out. But hopefully, the Phanpy would not make his efforts go to waste....
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Post by Blahsadfeguie on Aug 19, 2015 21:57:21 GMT -5
Bob smirked slightly as he watched the Spritzee stammer from his words. Such a flustered reaction could only mean one thing in Bob's eyes: he was actually getting through to her! But the lid had yet to be nailed onto the coffin. An opportunity like this came only once in a lifetime, and Bob couldn't let even the slightest distraction slip by his senses.
He flinched at the Buizel's sudden outcry. "Shush," he whispered, turning to face Jet. He seemed to pay no attention to the scene behind him; he was somehow completely unaware of the critical situation his friend was in. "Can't you see I'm with a lady here?"
He cleared his throat, putting his smile back on and confronting the Spritzee again. "Don't mind him," he laughed, edging gradually closer in a way that might be described as "charismatic" by a drunkard. "He looks like he's doing just fine with your friends over there... I'm sure none of them will mind if we step away to get some... much-deserved fresh air and solitude. What do you say, muffin? Want to live it up a little?"
As he talked, unbeknownst to him, his tail wagged back and forth, slowly but excitedly. Perhaps his subconscious was still in the mindset for battle, or maybe it just wanted to help him look appealing to the Spritzee. Either way, Bob found himself accidentally using Tail Whip on her.
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Willy
Moderator
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Post by Willy on Aug 19, 2015 23:18:53 GMT -5
This is the perfect opportunity, the Electrike thought to himself. I can take out this one in a single shot and we can gang up on the other one easy. The Electrike continued to spark more and more wildly, charging up a Thunder attack, but as he went to take aim he lost control. Instead he Discharged everything he had stored up, striking in a range including both Jet and the Tangela.
The Tangela was thrown off by the sudden shock, falling backwards and loosing her grip on the Buizel. As she fell she noticed her body tensing up. She had been Paralyzed by the Discharge.
The Spritzee hadn't noticed anything. Instead, she stared into Bob's eyes. "Maybe we should live it up a lot" she said, with as much Charm as she could muster.
~~~
"What the hell was that?" the Croagunk yelled at the Phanpy, losing his composure.
The Phanpy ignored Marduk, instead turning to the Croagunk. "That was a trap!" She said, clearly concerned.
"Of course it was a trap!" the Croagunk yelled back, "We knew there were going to be traps. That's why you were supposed to stay back at the camp and go get help if we didn't come back by nightfall."
"You left me there alone! I got nervous."
The Croagunk rolled his eyes. "Oh you got NERVOUS, so you thought 'you know what would be less SCARY? I'll go punch a heinous outlaw in the face! Then I'll be safe!' Great plan there slick."
Howard stared at the two going back and forth. They seemed to have completely forgotten that they were in the middle of a standoff with a pokemon with a sizable bounty on his head.
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