Thread: _|-Individual RP: N-|_

Infernape's eyes immediately snapped back open. Slack Off was completed, and his health was now fully replenished. Now, Infernape had the benefit of maximum health as well as a Substitute. Despite Infernape's lacking defensive stats, his movepool and Speed made it possible for him to last a long while in battles.

Infernape moved on to Flamethrower. He took a deep breath in, and launched a large stream of flames at Cryogonal. Maybe I was only imagining it, but it seemed to me as though Infernape had made the Flamethrower a little bit smaller and a little hotter. If Infernape was doing that intentionally, it was probably to increase the chances of a burn. Hopefully I would get it, but I wasn't feeling particularly faithful in the odds.

The Flamethrower surged through Cryogonal's two Reflects. I smiled. Reflect was a barrier that weakened Physical moves. Special moves like Flamethrower would find no problem with the Reflects, regardless of how many there were. Not only that, but Cryogonal had a natural weakness to Flamethrower. Despite the impressive Special Defense stat I knew Cryogonal had, the Pokemon would not be particularly happy with taking a strong hit like my Infernape's Flamethrower.

The flames overwhelmed Cryogonal. I looked at it closely to see if it was burned. However, while Flamethrower seemed to have done a lot of damage, Cryogonal only seemed hurt. There was no evident burn mark on its body. I sighed. It was a shame, but the odds of a burn was simply too low for a good chance. It seemed as though trying for a status ailment would be nothing more than wishful thinking with Infernape.

Cryogonal smiled at me craftily. I wasn't sure what it was thinking, or why it had smiled. It had just taken a direct hit from Flamethrower, so from my perspective it had no reason to be smiling. It was a little worrying that Cryogonal had something to smile about, but there was nothing for me to do about it other than continue pressing forward.

"Infernape, Cryogonal may have something in mind! Don't give it any opportunity to do whatever it may be planning!" I shouted to my Pokemon. "Use Mach Punch, and then Fury Swipes!"

Neither of these moves were particularly powerful moves, especially with multiple Reflects in play. However, I figured that with the speedy nature of Mach Punch combined with the multiple hits of Fury Swipes, Cryogonal should be kept busy for a while and be backed into a corner. I didn't know what its plan was (or if it even had one for that matter), but being backed into a corner was never good and tended to limit one's options. Hopefully, this would work nicely.

Infernape pulled back a fist, and zoomed towards Cryogonal. I saw his fist reach through the Reflects to try and connect with Cryogonal. Though two Reflects would definitely take away a lot of its damage, I figured that at least Mach Punch was being backed by Iron Fist and a type advantage. Neither of those helped much for the Fury Swipes later on, but at least Fury Swipes would accomplish a task in keeping Cryogonal busy.

@Nitro

Ranger: Colossus(Golett)/Vortex(Alakazam)
Trainer: Nitro
Location: Mt. Oktori

-

Commencing...

"Infernape, Cryogonal may have something in mind! Don't give it any opportunity to do whatever it may be planning!" John shouted to Infernape. "Use Mach Punch, and then Fury Swipes!" I looked over towards Cryogonal. The last of the flames were now leaving its body. It still had that same sneaky smile on, it was a bit creepy. I looked a little closer and then my jaw dropped, metaphorically speaking. I saw Cryogonal melting away into the snow. I wasn't totally sure what was happening. It took all but five seconds for it to melt into the ground.

I looked around the area, trying to find the Cryogonal, I knew John was doing the same. I then saw a clump of snow appear behind Infernape. It was so obvious, just like in the scary movies I had seen with Rex. The bad guy is always behind you, or in this case, the wild Pokemon. Cryogonal quickly materialized behind the fire monkey. Cryogonal began spinning rapidly. With the pointed edges of the snowflake, Cryogonal looked just like a saw blade. It slashed hard into the back of the Infernape.

What the Cryogonal forgot though, was that that was the substitute, not the real Infernape. Infernape came out of no where and punched Cryogonal square in the face with a fast and powerful blow. He then went into a fury rage and began swiping at the Ice type Pokemon. It went on for a while as he clawed his way at the snowflake, almost as if he were ice sculpting.

Cryogonal finally broke free, and immediatly let out a small breath of ice that froze Infernape's body. The attack seemed to do more than I had though it would. Then I remembered that this particular attack was one that always did a critical hit. I knew Infernape could get unfrozen in a heartbeat, but this was Cryogonals small chance to catch its breath.




-

Battle Stats: Cryonogal 39% REF1 Def2 (two layers) [Used Acid Armor, Slash, Frost Breath]

vs

Infernape 78% SPD1 [Used Mach Punch, Fury Swipes]
Current Encounter: Cryonogal
Encounters Left: 12
Encountered: Makuhita, Machop, Cryonogal
Character Count: 14289/35000

TRAINER FORM

Name: John Webster Shay
Total Money: $59500
Total Items: Apricorn Box, Digital Camera, Hyper Ball x3 Park Ball x3, Super Ball x3

Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Dragonite
Nickname: Dragonite
Gender: Female
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Bashful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Flamethrower, TM Thunderbolt, TM Ice Beam, TM Substitute, TM Protect, HM Surf, HM Waterfall, TM Earthquake, TM Dragon Pulse, TM Stone Edge, TM Dragon Claw, TM Ice Punch, TM Roar, TM Thunder, BM ExtremeSpeed, MT Draco Meteor, SM Heal Bell, MT Superpower

Pokemon: Infernape
Nickname: Infernape
Gender: Male
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Rock Smash, HM Rock Climb, TM Swords Dance, TM Earthquake, TM Hidden Power Ground, TM Brick Break, TM Protect, TM Shadow Claw, TM Stone Edge, TM Stealth Rock, TM U-Turn, TM Roar, TM Grass Knot, TM Substitute, TM Flame Charge, BM Fake Out, BM ThunderPunch, BM Encore, BM Counter

As Infernape zipped closer and closer to Cryogonal, Cryogonal's grin grew wider and wider. This worried me - despite being in a supposedly problematic situation, Cryogonal had something to grin about. Still, there was nothing to do about it since I didn't know what it had in mind. My only option was to keep pressing forward and hope that Infernape could keep Cryogonal's hands full.

Infernape tossed his Mach Punch at Cryogonal. The Pokemon's grin broadened even more. Mach Punch missed, going right over Cryogonal. I gasped. This was odd. I could tell Infernape had thrown his punch straight and into Cryogonal, and yet somehow, Cryogonal was underneath Infernape's fist.

Then, I realized what was going on. Somehow, Cryogonal was melting into the snow! Its snowflake form faded away and mixed into the snow, and I frowned. I recognized this attack as the concealing Acid Armor. Cryogonal could reappear anywhere.

"Infernape, Cryogonal is using Acid Armor!" I called. "Keep your eyes open for it!"

Infernape nodded, and began turning slowly on the spot. His eyes were darting - he was looking for Cryogonal. I followed suit. It was impertinent that I did not allow Cryogonal to claim the momentum. It was always frustrating to deal with a stalling Pokemon that had the upper hand.

"Infernape, it's behind you!" I hollered, my eyes catching Cryogonal emerging from the snow behind Infernape. Infernape immediately turned, but it was too late. Cryogonal begun spinning rapidly, the sharp edges of its form cutting into the air. Cryogonal ripped into Infernape with the Slash, but I smiled. Fortunately, that was only Infernape's Substitute. The pseudo-Infernape disappeared in a poof of smoke. My Infernape, using this distraction to its advantage, leaped out of the smoke and landed its Mach Punch on Cryogonal.

"Infernape!" my Pokemon screeched. He continued his onslaught with Fury Swipes, and begun clawing at Cryogonal wildly. Cryogonal growled in annoyance, and threw off Infernape after a few swipes. Infernape landed hard in the snow, at Cryogonal eyed him maliciously.

Cryogonal opened its mouth and took a deep breath in, clearly preparing an attack. It blew out a misty breath. This was the Frost Breath attack, I recalled. Infernape cringed in pain as the Frost Breath enveloped it. I frowned. That was odd. From what I recalled, Frost Breath was a generally weak Ice-type attack. Infernape, despite his frailty, should only take minimal damage due to having a natural type resistance to Ice-type attacks. Then, I remembered Frost Breath's side effect. Frost Breath was an attack that always landed a critical hit. I frowned. Despite Cryogonal's sub-par offensive stats, having a move that was always going to be a surefire critical hit would help to even things out some.

"Alright, Infernape, we're going to have to bounce back quickly!" I called. I noticed Infernape's body was frozen from the Frost Breath. This wasn't the same as being truly frozen, as would be the case if Infernape had been frozen by an attack like Ice Beam or Blizzard. This was only a temporary situation that Infernape should be able to work his way out of very quickly. Cryogonal only had a little bit of spare time, and in all honesty, Infernape could get off attacks even with his body frozen.

I made up my mind, and shouted, "Infernape, let's use Fire Spin! After that, use Brick Break!"

My strategy here was a simple one. Fire Spin was an attack that Infernape should have no problems getting off even with half of his body frozen. Furthermore, Fire Spin should be able to trap Cryogonal temporarily and keep it busy. That would allow Infernape enough time to work his way out of the ice and land a Brick Break on Cryogonal. Brick Break would also smash the two Reflects, which would give me a few more options to run with should I need them.

However, I knew that both moves combined would not do a whole lot of damage, even with type advantages working in their favor. Fire Spin was, in general, a weak move, and with its high Special Defense stat, Cryogonal should be able to take it without a hitch. Brick Break, despite being a stronger move, would also have its damage reduced a little bit. Brick Break would take down Cryogonal's Reflects, but with Cryogonal's Defense stat being raised by Acid Armor, Cryogonal should still able to take a hit like Brick Break just fine. Still, I thought it would be helpful to remove Cryogonal's Reflects for later.

Infernape reared his head back, and opened his jaw. A small tornado of flames formed above his open mouth. With some momentum, Infernape tossed the Fire Spin at Cryogonal. As Fire Spin flew towards its target, it began to grow in size. Very quickly, it was big enough for Cryogonal to fit inside of it. Indeed, that was how the attack worked. Cryogonal would be trapped within the Fire Spin, and be unable to move as the sweltering flames heated his body up. I smiled. Things should work out just fine.

@Nitro

Ranger: Colossus(Golett)/Vortex(Alakazam)
Trainer: Nitro
Location: Mt. Oktori

-

Commencing...

"Alright, Infernape, we're going to have to bounce back quickly!" John called out to his fire monkey. "Infernape, let's use Fire Spin! After that, use Brick Break!" The combo itself was quite impressive, yet expected. Everyone knew that Fire type Pokemon could easily get out from being frozen in a heartbeat. However, by using Fire Spin, he could temporarily trap it. Then after, he'd break the Reflect barrier Cryogonal had set up and do damage with Brick Break. I didn't see any downside to this plan.

Infernape had already begun to use Fire Spin. I could tell because of how fast the ice that he was encased in was melting. It was going to be but a matter of seconds before he was free from that entrapment.

Cryongonal wasn't going to stay still though. While it was catching its breath, the Crystallizing Pokémon began glowing different shades of blue. It started with a sky blue, and ended in a Navy color. I wasn't sure what had happened until I saw the sky darken and small pieces of hail began to fall. It had just summoned Hail from the above. Vortex moved in between John and his Dragonite and I and created a psychic barrier above us to protect us from the hail.

My eyes were fixated on Cryogonal, I was interested in seeing what it was going to do next. I was torn away from the Pokemon though when a large spiral of flames engulfed the Ice type Pokemon. I looked over towards Infernape, who was now free from being frozen.

He wasn't done yet though, Infernape drew his arm back as he charged at Cryogoanl. The Fire types fist was glowing a bright white. He brought it down towards the Crystallizing Pokémon, and as he did, the sound of glass cracking could be heard. At first I thought it was the Cryogonal, but then I remembered Reflect. Those were gone now. The force from Brick Break sent Cryogonal flying back into a nearby rock. The Ice type was hurt badly, but it had great endurance because it got back up and began its next attack.

Cryogonal opened its mouth and created a small blue ball of energy. It was the start of Blizzard, and while it was hailing meant that it would not miss.


-

Battle Stats: Cryonogal 19% Def2 [Used Hail; Using Blizzad]

vs

Infernape 71% SPD1 [Used Fire Spin, Brick Break]

Area: Rocky, and covered in snow. Now hail is falling.
Current Encounter: Cryonogal
Encounters Left: 12
Encountered: Makuhita, Machop, Cryonogal
Character Count: 19688/35000

TRAINER FORM

Name: John Webster Shay
Total Money: $59500
Total Items: Apricorn Box, Digital Camera, Hyper Ball x3 Park Ball x3, Super Ball x3

Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Dragonite
Nickname: Dragonite
Gender: Female
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Bashful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Flamethrower, TM Thunderbolt, TM Ice Beam, TM Substitute, TM Protect, HM Surf, HM Waterfall, TM Earthquake, TM Dragon Pulse, TM Stone Edge, TM Dragon Claw, TM Ice Punch, TM Roar, TM Thunder, BM ExtremeSpeed, MT Draco Meteor, SM Heal Bell, MT Superpower

Pokemon: Infernape
Nickname: Infernape
Gender: Male
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Rock Smash, HM Rock Climb, TM Swords Dance, TM Earthquake, TM Hidden Power Ground, TM Brick Break, TM Protect, TM Shadow Claw, TM Stone Edge, TM Stealth Rock, TM U-Turn, TM Roar, TM Grass Knot, TM Substitute, TM Flame Charge, BM Fake Out, BM ThunderPunch, BM Encore, BM Counter

Infernape's Fire Spin slammed into Cryogonal and ensnared the Pokemon. I smiled approvingly, and watched Infernape fidget his way out of the ice trap. He quickly freed himself, and glared at Cryogonal.

The Cryogonal seemed to be glowing blue. I frowned. This could be a problem, depending on what was going on.

The sky above us got darker. This move seemed to be a weather move. My suspicions were confirmed when hail began falling from the sky. Vortex immediately stepped closer to me and Dragonite, and created a psychic barrier above us which sheltered us from the falling hail.

Infernape, however, wasn't safe from the hail. I could see the hail doing visible damage to it. I frowned. Infernape couldn't last a long time out there. I had to make sure to do what I could to end this quickly.

Meanwhile, Infernape was flying at Cryogonal, his fist outstretched. He was using Brick Break. His fist smashed through the Reflects, shattering them. That was a side effect of Brick Break - moves like Reflect and Light Screen were demolished by the attack. Infernape kept going, punching Cryogonal.

"Great job, Infernape!" I called.

Cryogonal wasn't quick to concede momentum to us, however. It quickly returned to a vertical base, and gathered itself for an attack. A ball of ball energy from in its mouth. I recognized this as Blizzard. The powerful move had perfect accuracy in hail. I had to do something quickly.

"Infernape, use Protect!" I commanded. I didn't have any reliable options to counter a powerful like Blizzard, so I would have to parry it. Protect was a handy little desperation move that would do the trick.

A blue wall of energy suddenly rose around Infernape with a fwoosh sound. That should protect it from Blizzard.

"After Blizzard subsides, use Torment!" I called. The odds of Cryogonal using Blizzard again was admittedly poor, but I didn't want to risk it. Protect was a perfectly fine option right now, but if it was used consecutively, its success rate would dip to 50%. With Torment, Cryogonal would be unable to use Blizzard twice in a row, which would give me time to operate with.

@Nitro Sorry, crap post ;[

Ranger: Colossus(Golett)/Vortex(Alakazam)
Trainer: Nitro
Location: Mt. Oktori

-

Commencing...

"Infernape, use Protect!" John called out. I would have countered with Flamethrower, assuming I knew that move. Blizzard was a move that was pretty risky to use because it had a good chance of missing. However, it is said that Blizzard was a move that didn't miss in hail, and could sometimes even go through a Protect. I wasn't sure how true that was, but we were sure about to find out.

Cryogonal finally released the Blizzard attack, sending small white sharp pelts of freezing cold snow towards the fire monkey who immediately protected itself with a small forcefield. I watched carefully to see if Blizzard was going to penetrate the shield. I let out a sigh of relief as the attack was halted by Protect and Infernape remained unharmed. I knew Cryogonal had learned from this though and would probably make it or go through next time.

John, however, was prepared for that. He had Infernape use Torment, a move that made the opponet unable to use the same move twice in a roll. The Fire type Pokemon stomped his foot hard into the snow and began yelling angrily at Cryogonal. I saw a dark glow come from the Snowflake Pokemon, which meant that the torment worked.

Cryogonal opened its mouth, and a thick, black fog of smoke came out. The smoke quickly covered the area, making it really hard to see what was going on. This move was known as Haze. The effects of Haze were quite useful... well at least they would be had Cryogonal had no rise in stats. I wasn't sure why the Ice type used that, leaving it more vulnerable to physical attacks, but it did. Perhaps to make it harder for Infernape to see.

Next thing I saw, were several small brown orbs hitting Infernape. At least four of the nine orbs hit him. I knew this move was Hidden Power, and by the looks of it, it was a Ground type. Cryogonal didn't have much health or energy left, so I knew it was going to get back some health really soon.

-

Battle Stats: Cryonogal 19% [Used Haze, Hidden Power]

vs

Infernape 65% [Used Protect]

Area: Rocky, and covered in snow. Now hail is falling. Black smoke now covers the field.
Current Encounter: Cryonogal
Encounters Left: 12
Encountered: Makuhita, Machop, Cryonogal
Character Count: 22219/35000

TRAINER FORM

Name: John Webster Shay
Total Money: $59500
Total Items: Apricorn Box, Digital Camera, Hyper Ball x3 Park Ball x3, Super Ball x3

Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Dragonite
Nickname: Dragonite
Gender: Female
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Bashful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Flamethrower, TM Thunderbolt, TM Ice Beam, TM Substitute, TM Protect, HM Surf, HM Waterfall, TM Earthquake, TM Dragon Pulse, TM Stone Edge, TM Dragon Claw, TM Ice Punch, TM Roar, TM Thunder, BM ExtremeSpeed, MT Draco Meteor, SM Heal Bell, MT Superpower

Pokemon: Infernape
Nickname: Infernape
Gender: Male
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Rock Smash, HM Rock Climb, TM Swords Dance, TM Earthquake, TM Hidden Power Ground, TM Brick Break, TM Protect, TM Shadow Claw, TM Stone Edge, TM Stealth Rock, TM U-Turn, TM Roar, TM Grass Knot, TM Substitute, TM Flame Charge, BM Fake Out, BM ThunderPunch, BM Encore, BM Counter

Cryogonal released its Blizzard. It blew out dozens of darts of snow at Infernape, but they were all stopped cold by Infernape's Protect. Instead of hitting their target, the snow harmlessly crashed into the protective barrier and shattered like a snowball would.

Infernape began yelling at Cryogonal. This was Torment. A dark aura surrounded Cryogonal - this meant that Torment was working. Cryogonal was now prevented from using the same move twice in a row, preventing it from spamming Blizzard. Torment should keep Blizzard's usage to a minimum until Hail subsided (which would then make it much less of a threat).

Cryogonal sniffed, and blew out a dark gas. I knew this move. It was the typically dreaded Haze attack. In Free For Alls, Haze was usually a hell of a move to deal with, particularly when one had accumulated a lot of stat boosts already. In this situation, however, it was a head scratching decision by Cryogonal.

Haze would eliminate Infernape's Speed boost from Flame Charge, which was hardly a problem since Infernape would still possess a clear Speed advantage even without the boost, and Cryogonal's Defense boosts from Acid Armor. In some ways, I could see it being a genius move as with Cryogonal's health this low, I knew better than to exploit its weak Defense. However, I didn't expect Cryogonal to think that way. By eliminating its own Defense boosts, it was only putting itself in a situation where it would be closer to fainting.

I couldn't see anything in the dark haze. I waited nervously for it to subside. Now that Cryogonal had used Haze, it could use Blizzard again. If it did use Blizzard, the attack would definitely be able to hit Infernape - Blizzard never missed in hail. I considered having Infernape Protect again, just in case.

I heard Infernape cry out, and started panicking. Was I too late? Had Infernape already been struck by Cryogonal's Blizzard?

I saw faint traces of brown energy through the haze. They faded away quickly, but I knew what they were - my Infernape had the same attack. It was a Ground-typed Hidden Power. It was unfortunate for me that this Cryogonal had a Ground-type Hidden Power, as Ground-type attacks were super-effective on Pokemon like my Infernape. Still, Infernape didn't look particularly hurt.

I debated over which move to use next. Cryogonal was close to fainting, but capture wasn't an option quite yet. I suspected Cryogonal was going to use a healing move at some point, so I wanted to deal some damage. Not too much so that I won't knock out Cryogonal, but just enough to minimize the impact its recovery would have. I made up my mind.

"Infernape, let's use Shadow Claw!" I called. Shadow Claw was an attack with a moderate Base Power and was unaffected by STAB or type advantages. It was a very friendly attack to use in this case.

Infernape's claw began glowing with a dark energy. I saw a fierce look develop in his eyes, and he began rushing towards Cryogonal with his arm outstretched.

"Infernape!" he cried.

@Nitro Sorry, crap post ;[

Ranger: Colossus(Golett)/Vortex(Alakazam)
Trainer: Nitro
Location: Mt. Oktori

-

Commencing...

"Infernape, let's use Shadow Claw!" He called. It wasn't a move that would be normally used, but since he was going for an attack that did regular, if not minimal damage, this was a pretty good choice.

However, before he got to make a move, a silver beam shot out of Cryogonal's mouth. It was a Steel type move known as Flash Cannon. This particular move wasn't very effective towards Fighting or Fire types. Infernape could easily resist this attack.

Infernape brushed passed the attack, which was pretty weak, given the state of the Ice type Pokemon, and slashed it hard with a shadowy claw. I could hear a faint cry come from the Crystallizing Pokémon. For a second there, I thought Infernape landed a critical hit and knocked out the Pokemon. I let out a sigh of relief when I saw Cryogonal still standing. There was no way this Pokemon was taking another hit without passing out. Anyone could tell that by just looking at this Pokemon. It was about to pass out.

With what little energy it had left, Cryogonal managed to seperate its body into five clones. He was using Double Team to try and by time for something. As soon as the clones were made, Cryogonal began glowing a bright bluish white color, all the clones were. He was beginning to heal himself.

-

Battle Stats: Cryonogal 7% [Used Flash Cannon, Double Team, Using Recover]

vs

Infernape 57% [Used Shadow Claw]

Area: Rocky, and covered in snow. Now hail is falling. Black smoke now covers the field.
Current Encounter: Cryonogal
Encounters Left: 12
Encountered: Makuhita, Machop, Cryonogal
Character Count: 25819/35000

TRAINER FORM

Name: John Webster Shay
Total Money: $59500
Total Items: Apricorn Box, Digital Camera, Hyper Ball x3 Park Ball x3, Super Ball x3

Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Dragonite
Nickname: Dragonite
Gender: Female
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Bashful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Flamethrower, TM Thunderbolt, TM Ice Beam, TM Substitute, TM Protect, HM Surf, HM Waterfall, TM Earthquake, TM Dragon Pulse, TM Stone Edge, TM Dragon Claw, TM Ice Punch, TM Roar, TM Thunder, BM ExtremeSpeed, MT Draco Meteor, SM Heal Bell, MT Superpower

Pokemon: Infernape
Nickname: Infernape
Gender: Male
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Rock Smash, HM Rock Climb, TM Swords Dance, TM Earthquake, TM Hidden Power Ground, TM Brick Break, TM Protect, TM Shadow Claw, TM Stone Edge, TM Stealth Rock, TM U-Turn, TM Roar, TM Grass Knot, TM Substitute, TM Flame Charge, BM Fake Out, BM ThunderPunch, BM Encore, BM Counter

As Infernape charged towards Cryogonal, Cryogonal launched a silver beam at my Pokemon. Judging from the brightness of the move, it must've been Flash Cannon - a Steel-type move. Infernape should have no problem fighting through it due to being part Fire-type.

Indeed, my Infernape ran straight through Flash Cannon, showing only the slightest indication that he had taken any damage whatsoever. He proceeded to hit home a Shadow Claw on Cryogonal.

"Cryogonal!" the Pokemon wailed, immediately recoiling in pain. It dipped a little in altitude, and I feared it was going to fall over, fainted. Thankfully, Cryogonal quickly picked itself back up. Cryogonal was clearly in a weakened state, however. I suspected one more hit would be enough to knock it out. Was it time for me to try at a capture? I still expected it to try and recover its health, but if I could snag the opportunity before it faded away...

Nope, I was too late. Cryogonal set up with a quick Double Team, with dopplegangers leaping out of the original's body. I lost track of the real Cryogonal, but now I was facing about five Cryogonals. Only one was the real one, but it was irrelevant. I remembered that when I went through Meteor Valley with Akinai as her Ranger, her Absol, Gaard, had used Double Team. If Cryogonal knew how to use Double Team to its advantage as well as Gaard had, it should know to keep the original concealed even when using moves or taking hits by having the copies pretend to use the moves or take the hits as well.

A bright blue glow was emitted from all five Cryogonals - my suspicions were correct. Though only the real Cryogonal was actually doing something, the others were mimicking it so as to keep that one hidden.

I shrugged. This was hardly a problem for me. Though Cryogonal had boosted its Evasion with Double Team and recovered some health with Recover, I could still deal with it just fine.

"Infernape, let's use a combination of Flame Wheel and Fire Spin!" I commanded.

Infernape nodded, and a cloak of fire surrounded his body. This was Flame Wheel. Flames would surround the user, and it would proceed to charge at the target with the flames rolling around him. It looked similar to a flaming Rollout, though the user itself wasn't actually rolling around within Flame Wheel.

The idea here was that with Infernape using Flame Wheel, he would be able to get close to the Cryogonals. Due to their slow Speed and the fact that they were all bunched together right now, Infernape should be able to get into the midst of them easily. As he did so, he would slam into all of the Cryogonals. If the original wasn't able to avoid it, it should take damage.

Fully independent of how Flame Wheel turned out, Fire Spin should be able to work to my advantage. Even if the Cryogonals dodged Infernape's attack, they should be within Fire Spin's range due to Infernape needing to get close to connect with Flame Wheel. Infernape had already used Fire Spin earlier in this battle, but he had launched it at Cryogonal to trap it.

This time, it would be different. Fire Spin would use the flames around Infernape's body from Flame Wheel, and those flames would transition from a rolling ball around Infernape to a tornado of flames that would expand in all directions. I expected this combination to do quite well and help reduce Recover's impact some.

@Nitro

Ranger: Colossus(Golett)/Vortex(Alakazam)
Trainer: Nitro
Location: Mt. Oktori

-

Commencing...

"Infernape, let's use a combination of Flame Wheel and Fire Spin!" He called out after seeing Cryogonal's Double Team attack. The real Cryogonal was recovering among the three clones, but since they were all doing the same thing, it was really hard to know which was the real one and which were the fakes. With a Fire type like Infernape, it wasn't going to be hard to figure out which was which.

Flame Wheel was a move that engulfed the user in flames as they charged at their opponent. While they were moving towards their opponent, they looked ike on giant wheel of flames. Infernape took of at incredibly fast speed towards the Cryogonal groups.

Infernape slammed into tree of the Cryogonal, stopping the Ice type rom finishing its Recover. It managed to gain some health, but not enough like it should have. Infernape didn't stop there though, he quickly created a swarm of flames from his Flame Wheel attack and turn it into a small tornado. That attack would have been pretty dangerous to use on something like Crygonal at this point in battle.

When the attack had faded off, I saw that Cryogonal was still standing, surprisingly. The Ice type took off with some speed, but not as fast as Infernape. Cryogonal dove in hard at Infernape. The attack itself wasn't particularly strong, but it did do some damage. I knew this battle was just about over, John just needed to play it right.

-

Battle Stats: Cryonogal 27% [Used Acrobatics]

vs

Infernape 46% [Used Flame Wheel, Fire Spin]

Area: Rocky, and covered in snow. Now hail is falling.
Current Encounter: Cryonogal
Encounters Left: 12
Encountered: Makuhita, Machop, Cryonogal
Character Count: 29552/35000

TRAINER FORM

Name: John Webster Shay
Total Money: $59500
Total Items: Apricorn Box, Digital Camera, Hyper Ball x3 Park Ball x3, Super Ball x3

Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Dragonite
Nickname: Dragonite
Gender: Female
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Bashful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Flamethrower, TM Thunderbolt, TM Ice Beam, TM Substitute, TM Protect, HM Surf, HM Waterfall, TM Earthquake, TM Dragon Pulse, TM Stone Edge, TM Dragon Claw, TM Ice Punch, TM Roar, TM Thunder, BM ExtremeSpeed, MT Draco Meteor, SM Heal Bell, MT Superpower

Pokemon: Infernape
Nickname: Infernape
Gender: Male
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Rock Smash, HM Rock Climb, TM Swords Dance, TM Earthquake, TM Hidden Power Ground, TM Brick Break, TM Protect, TM Shadow Claw, TM Stone Edge, TM Stealth Rock, TM U-Turn, TM Roar, TM Grass Knot, TM Substitute, TM Flame Charge, BM Fake Out, BM ThunderPunch, BM Encore, BM Counter

With flames rolling furiously around his body, Infernape barrelled into the midst of the group of Cryogonals. He must have connected with the real one because the faint yellow light over the Cryogonals from Recover faded away instantly, indicating that Infernape had interrupted Recover.

"Well done!" I called to my Infernape encouragingly. Cryogonal had not managed to recover a lot of its health, and I was sure that Flame Wheel had been able to take away most of what it had recovered if not all of it.

Infernape moved on to Fire Spin. The flames around his body expanded into a large tornado of fire, and it swirled viciously, growing in size until it was big enough to all of the Cryogonals were trapped within the sweltering flames. All of them screamed in pain - that meant the real Cryogonal was hurting.

The Fire Spin died down, and Infernape returned to my side to regroup. The Cryogonals were still standing, impressively. I found it impossible to believe that Cryogonal had much more HP left, but I figured that it should be able to a little bit more damage before I tried for a capture.

I was about to command my next attack when Cryogonal used an attack of its own. The Cryogonals all began spinning towards Infernape, showing a combination of speed and grace. I couldn't help but notice that they seemed to resemble shruiken spinning towards Infernape. This attack must've been the elegant but powerful Acrobatics I had heard of. Acrobatics was a Flying-type attack that would be super-effective against Infernape. I hollered at Infernape to try and dodge, but he couldn't get away in time and the Cryogonals swooped in on him.

"Infernape!" he screeched. From the looks of things, he was sore all over. The Cryogonals spun back to their own side of the battlefield, grinning maliciously.

I frowned. "Alright Infernape, let's not let them think they have a chance at mounting a comeback. Use an Acrobatics of your own!"

Infernape nodded, and once again leapt into the midst of the Cryogonals. With Infernape, Acrobatics would look a little different than it had with Cryogonal. Infernape's Acrobatics revolved around his fluid hand-to-hand combat style, and Infernape would be leaping all over the place and tossing punches and kicks in a very dexterous motion.

Acrobatics was an intelligent move to use in this situation, or at least it was in my mind. Since it still wasn't clear which Cryogonal was the real one, Infernape would use his Acrobatics to swoop in and attack all of the Cryogonals until one of his strikes landed and he knew which Cryogonal to focus the rest of his strikes on. Acrobatics was a pretty powerful Physical move, but I figured that with many of the strikes likely to be wasted on clones, it should not do too much damage to Cryogonal. Ideally, Cryogonal would be right on the brink of or close to fainting. I had faith in my Infernape to understand not to faint the Cryogonal.

@Nitro

Ranger: Colossus(Golett)/Vortex(Alakazam)
Trainer: Nitro
Location: Mt. Oktori

-

Commencing...

"Alright Infernape, let's not let them think they have a chance at mounting a comeback. Use an Acrobatics of your own!" John said, not looking too happy. I wouldn't blame him. Cryogonal was a handful. It was hard to battle this Pokemon without knocking it out, especially one that was weak to both Fire and Fighting. You had to weigh your moves carefully so that it could get weak enough and not by knocked unconscious. The park had a rule that stated that any Pokemon that was knocked out, could no longer be caught. I wasn't particularly sure why that was, but those were the rules.

Infernape launched off in a similar manner to how Cryogonal did moments ago. Luckily for him though, the Cryogonal on the left was the right one. The Ice type could no longer hold the other clone, which immediately disappeared. Cryogonal was sent flying back into one of the rocks on the field. The way it smacked into the rock sounded quite painful.

Infernape was looking quite exhausted now, but no where near as exhausted as Cryogonal looked. Now, or in the next passing minutes, looked like a perfect oppertunity to capture this Pokemon. Whether he was going to attack or attempt to capture it, this Pokemon wasn't out of energy yet though. It began creating another Blizzard attack. This one though, was forming slower than the last one.


-

Battle Stats: Cryonogal 9% [Using Blizzard]

vs

Infernape 40% [Used Acrobatics]

Area: Rocky, and covered in snow. Now hail is falling.
Current Encounter: Cryonogal
Encounters Left: 12
Encountered: Makuhita, Machop, Cryonogal
Character Count: 32954/35000

TRAINER FORM

Name: John Webster Shay
Total Money: $59500
Total Items: Apricorn Box, Digital Camera, Hyper Ball x3 Park Ball x3, Super Ball x3

Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Dragonite
Nickname: Dragonite
Gender: Female
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Bashful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Flamethrower, TM Thunderbolt, TM Ice Beam, TM Substitute, TM Protect, HM Surf, HM Waterfall, TM Earthquake, TM Dragon Pulse, TM Stone Edge, TM Dragon Claw, TM Ice Punch, TM Roar, TM Thunder, BM ExtremeSpeed, MT Draco Meteor, SM Heal Bell, MT Superpower

Pokemon: Infernape
Nickname: Infernape
Gender: Male
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Rock Smash, HM Rock Climb, TM Swords Dance, TM Earthquake, TM Hidden Power Ground, TM Brick Break, TM Protect, TM Shadow Claw, TM Stone Edge, TM Stealth Rock, TM U-Turn, TM Roar, TM Grass Knot, TM Substitute, TM Flame Charge, BM Fake Out, BM ThunderPunch, BM Encore, BM Counter

OOC: I'm going to be going to Portland for a few days (leaving on Christmas morning). If I have time, I'll post while I'm there, but either way, I'll be coming back around the 28th. Just a heads up and Merry Christmas :)

Infernape took off, flying towards the Cryogonals with limbs ready to swing in all directions. Luck must've been on my side - as Infernape was flying towards the Cryogonals, the clone faded away. It seemed Cryogonal was too tired to keep its clone in play. That left Infernape with just one target. He would feast on Cryogonal.

Infernape swung an arm at Cryogonal. As that landed, he began twisting and launched into a wild yet graceful combination of various strikes and kicks. I could tell that as frenetic as the attack seemed, Infernape was holding back so he wouldn't knock out Cryogonal. He was dancing around Cryogonal and landing hits everywhere, but leaving Cryogonal dazed and overwhelmed wasn't necessarily the same as doing too much damage to it. I smiled - my Infernape, a master of close combat, knew that well.

Cryogonal tumbled away from Infernape, slamming into a rock. From the look of things, the Pokemon was almost done for. Finally, I had whittled the bulky Pokemon's health down enough for me to try my hand at a capture.

I debated for a moment, then I picked a Park Ball from my belt. Cryogonal wasn't a Stage 1 Pokemon, meaning a Park Ball would suffice, but I still felt a little reluctant about picking the Park Ball. The higher capture rate of a Super Ball opposed to a Park Ball would be helpful here. Cryogonal was a Pokemon that, even when weakened, would resist capture with all of its might. It was only due to the fact that Cryogonal seemed to be on the brink of fainting that I had settled on the Park Ball. Hopefully, it would be enough.

However, as I prepared to throw the Park Ball, I noticed that Cryogonal was trying to do something. It had its mouth open, and there was an orb of aqua-blue energy gathering in its jaw. Cryogonal had already tried using this attack earlier - it was Blizzard. However, its fatigue was evident in how slow the attack was being formed. Still, there would be no doubting its power regardless of how long it was taking to charge it.

I hesitated. What would be the smartest path to take here? If I threw the Park Ball, there was a chance it would get caught in Cryogonal's Blizzard and subsequently destroyed. Not only that, but Infernape would also be caught in the blast as the target. It was still hailing, and Infernape would not be able to dodge Blizzard. Even if I used Protect again, Blizzard could still pierce through - that was a testiment to its power in hail. I wasn't sure if I wanted to rely on Blizzard not breaking through Protect twice.

An idea popped into my mind. It was odd, but it had some merit to it. There were no guarantees that it would work, but given Infernape's proficiency at using the move, it could work.

"Infernape, I'm going to let Cryogonal launch its Blizzard at you. I want you to use Fire Spin and spin on the spot, okay?" I called to my Infernape. He hesitated for a moment, then he nodded as he realized what I wanted to do.

My plan here was to have Infernape take Cryogonal's Blizzard. Hopefully, by using Fire Spin as a defensive move, it would be able to deflect Cryogonal's Blizzard. It was true that Blizzard was a move to be feared in hail, but the fact remained that Fire had a natural type advantage over Ice. Not only that, but my Infernape was one of the strongest Fire-types around. Infernape's base Special Attack stat of 104 was very nice, and he had 18 battles of experience with me in addition to three Free-for-Alls and two Contests.

Infernape began to spin on the spot, gathering a cloak of flames around himself. The flames formed into a tornado once again. This was the third time I had used Fire Spin in this battle. I smiled - each time I had used Fire Spin, I had used it in a different way. The first time, it had been an attack thrown at Cryogonal. The second time, it was used as an attack launched in all directions from the midst of the enemy.

This time, it would be utilized in a completely different capacity as a defensive move. Cryogonal would not take any damage from Fire Spin this time - Infernape was simply using Fire Spin to create a powerful tornado of flames to block Blizzard. I wondered if Vortex and Colossus, both powerful Pokemon in their own right, would appreciate my creativity with Fire Spin, which was generally a weak move.

I held my arm, ready to throw the Park Ball. The moment Blizzard abided, I planned to throw it and capture Cryogonal.

@Nitro OOC: No problem ;]. Merry Christmas

Ranger: Colossus(Golett)/Vortex(Alakazam)
Trainer: Nitro
Location: Mt. Oktori

-

Commencing...

"Infernape, I'm going to let Cryogonal launch its Blizzard at you. I want you to use Fire Spin and spin on the spot, okay?" John called out to his Infernape. He seemed a bit hesitant, but then appeared to be certain that was what he wanted to do.

Cryogonal, with what energy it had left, launched the Blizzard attack. Many pelts of ice and snow shot out of its mouth and headed straight for Infernape. The Fire Monkey acted fast and created another vortex of fire around his body. I could see the snow and ice from Blizzard, and the one surrounding the area melt away.

As soon as Cryogonal halted its attack to catch its breath, John heaved his Parkball towards the Ice type. A Parkball was the weakest Pokeball in this park area and wasn't normally used. However, given the current state of the Cryogonal, I had a good feeling this would work.

The ball soared through the air and hit the tip of the top of the snowflake. A red light shot out and sucked in the Pokemon. The sphere fell into the snow and shook lightly twice before remaining motionless in the ground.

"Well, that was a good battle." Vortex said. "Congrats. Colossus says whenever you're ready we can head on. Take your time."

-

Battle Stats: [Used]

vs

Infernape [Used ]

Area: Rocky, and covered in snow. Now hail is falling.
Current Encounter: Cryonogal
Encounters Left: 12
Encountered: Makuhita, Machop, Cryonogal
Captured: Cryogonal, M, Careful
Character Count: oooo/oooo

TRAINER FORM

Name: John Webster Shay
Total Money: $59500
Total Items: Apricorn Box, Digital Camera, Hyper Ball x3 Park Ball x3, Super Ball x3

Pokemon Stats

Pokemon: Dragonite
Nickname: Dragonite
Gender: Female
Ability: Multiscale
Nature: Bashful
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: TM Flamethrower, TM Thunderbolt, TM Ice Beam, TM Substitute, TM Protect, HM Surf, HM Waterfall, TM Earthquake, TM Dragon Pulse, TM Stone Edge, TM Dragon Claw, TM Ice Punch, TM Roar, TM Thunder, BM ExtremeSpeed, MT Draco Meteor, SM Heal Bell, MT Superpower

Pokemon: Infernape
Nickname: Infernape
Gender: Male
Ability: Iron Fist
Health: 40%
Nature: Bold
TM/HM/BM/SM/MT: HM Cut, HM Strength, HM Rock Smash, HM Rock Climb, TM Swords Dance, TM Earthquake, TM Hidden Power Ground, TM Brick Break, TM Protect, TM Shadow Claw, TM Stone Edge, TM Stealth Rock, TM U-Turn, TM Roar, TM Grass Knot, TM Substitute, TM Flame Charge, BM Fake Out, BM ThunderPunch, BM Encore, BM Counter

As Infernape began spinning, Cryogonal launched its Blizzard at the ape. The powerful Ice-type attack slammed into my Pokemon, but just as I expected, was melted by the powerful flames of Fire Spin. I smiled, satisfied with the end result.

Cryogonal paused to catch its breath. This was my opportunity - I wasted no time in throwing the Park Ball in my fist at the Pokemon. It was quickly sucked into the ball, and the capsule began shaking.

After three shakes, it dinged. I smiled, relieved to see that even with just the standard Park Ball, things worked out just fine.

"Well, that was a good battle," Vortex said to me approvingly. "Congrats. Colossus says whenever you're ready we can head on. Take your time."

I nodded. Meanwhile, my Infernape picked up Cryogonal's Park Ball and handed it to me. I claimed the Park Ball containing Cryogonal from my Pokemon, then patted my Pokemon's back affectionately before returning him to his own Pokeball for a well deserved rest.

"I'm ready, let's move on," I said to Vortex.

@Bumblebee