pokedrifting | The Grand Opening

[Seriously, he was more of a Duke.]

That means you're up to bat, Miss Hilda. [Oh cut the flirting/not-flirting. Stout's sick of it.]

[Duke? Ha! More like a stablehand.]

You sure about that? [She's all fine with going first, though. It gives her a chance to do this --] Gothitelle, Embargo!

[Those wonderful dark things circling your team, Hilbert? Good luck trying to use items now.]

[Oh damn, smart.]

Stouts, Work Up! We'll hit that fair Lady of her's hard with a follow-up Crunch! [A quick movement of his hand and Boldore kind of shuffles off to the side of the field, preparing a good amount of Strength'd and Power Gems for something special. Samurott's just awaiting the next attack as Stoutland follows orders.]

[Never let the knights move first, Queen. They're one of the few who're allowed to take you out.]

Galvantula, catch that Stoutland in a web! [She pauses, then grins.] Wouldn't hurt to get that Samurott either.

[The web won't hold - or hurt - Stoutland for long, she knows, but a quick glance to Gothitelle gives her the initiative to set a Future Sight on the bothersome pup - if concentrating on the psychic power needed still makes her a possible target for when Stoutland inevitably gets her, despite the web. That Boldore was definitely bad news -- whatever Hilbert was planning, she couldn't just let it get through.]

Emboar!

[Surprisingly speedy, for a fat pig, but not by much; he's there to take hits, not be the fastest on the field, but that doesn't mean his Arm Thrust won't be good on that Rock.

Galvantula finishes his web as quick as he can, by the way; won't hurt Boldore any, but Samurott's sure to do the electric boogaloo by it.]

[Oh for sure Samurott's hit hard, but Hilbert's quick to use the web to his advantage while Emboar's busy trying to smash down that rock.] Aqua Jet!

[Right at you, electricity tingling in her water and all. Boldore himself pretty much locks up in a futile defense against the Arm Thrust, but he's hoping that help will get the pig to back off.

Stoutland in the meanwhile does bust through his own and Crunch down hard on Gothitelle, though none of that excellent electricity got into him. Except for static, so the cute popping sounds are a twist.]

When you get the chance Boldore, you know what to do! [Which would be to cover Galvantula in those rocks he'd been building up, yup. If he ever got the chance.]

[Gothitelle's seriously no good with Dark; try as she might, Hilda can't get her to do better with it - mostly due to the little lady's preference of fainting away instead of trying to get out of the lock. Which is what she does, and Hilda returns her to her ball. Good job, lady.

No replacements yet though; Galvantula and Emboar are more than enough to take down the three.

The latter's pounding hit after hit on Boldore, but even a trained fighter has to take a breath (and survive the electricity-infused Aqua jet; he isn't one of Hilda's big tankers for nothing, although he's considerably weakened), and that's probably when the rocks get to fall. Galvantula's quick to shoot an Electro Ball at Samurott, before trying to skitter out of the way of the Rock Slide. ~~Cue Yakety Sax~~. A particularly large one lands him, though.

...Okay, two down. No big. She'll make her way to Hyper Potion up her last babe and slide out of the action, judging her chances.]

You're not bad, Hilbert! [Better to compliment his skills, at least.] Better than when I last saw you. Too bad it won't be good enough, right?

[Considering Emboar's larger-than-usual Flamethrower going for Stoutland? Right. She's glad she let him keep his Charcoal; he had refused to give it up for a Fighting-type specialized item, but it might come in handy yet.]

[From three down to two, because Samurott's definitely out after that. He returns her and kisses the ball briefly before looking back at the field and grinning at Hilda.]

You're not too shabby yourself! Battling really suits you! [Stoutland doesn't exactly get the full brunt of the Flamethrower, but he gets a nasty burn regardless and stumbles a little as he shakes off the pain. He's Hilbert's tank for a reason, and he's not afraid to move on his own with a Retaliate run at Emboar. Or he would, if it wasn't for the Future Sight that'd been placed on him before. So it's more like a potential attack and a sudden stop in front of the pig.

Boldore's not forgotten of course.] Power Gem! [The only target in the room, bud. Emboar can't focus on two (potential) attacks, right? Even if the Rock-Pokémon's is significantly weaker because of the damage he's gotten, he's holding on with Sturdy.]

Flattery won't win your battles!

[Heh. Power Gem, huh? All Emboar has to do is give the poor Boldore a shove to knock it out -- usually it's Stoutland with Gothitelle and Emboar, but the movements (if not necessarily the attacks) were the same. He knows Future Sight's coming, so he'll give a final Arm Thrust to Boldore and make his way back to Hilda for some celebratory kisses on the beard.]

You were great, Emboar! I think you deserve a little rest.

[And back in he goes. She'll let Hilbert reveal his hand first this time - especially since she's eyeing her balls and trying to decide if she really needs to use her dragon, or if she can leave him out of the battle like she's hoping to.]

[Oh man, how the tide of battle turns. Returning both of them and giving them a well-deserved rest in his jacket pockets, he fingers his last three and thinks. A definite disadvantage, especially with Samurott out and her Emboar still roaring. After a moment, he tosses out a Beartic and a Pansear, but that's it. His final's a secret.]

Bears and Pans, Hilda. She's a tough opponent, so don't underestimate her just 'cause we're friends! [His Beartic's raring to go, and Pansear hangs out on her shoulder chittering excitedly.]

[Oh, that kind of team, huh? An Ice-type and a Fire-type... She fingers her Pokéballs, trying to look choosy, before tossing out two, just the same as him. Seismitoad and Stoutland look happy to be out, and she gives them a fond wave.]

He's put down two of our trusted members, you two. Don't think lightly of the situation. [Hmmmm. The best way to get Beartic out of the way would be to turn the fire on her, but how--?

Well, that'll come in time. Right now, these two are her champions.]

Your move first, Hilbert!

[Oooh, that's a sweet set-up. She's got tanks all on her team.]

You sure about that? Last time I gave you first go, and you kicked my butt! [But he wastes no time in sending Beartic running in first with a punch to the air, Pansear still on her shoulder, and aiming for a nice Slash on that Seismitoard. Stoutland'll get a taste of Pansear's Flame Burst when they get close too, almost as if to deter any sort of attack on the ice-bear.]

Go for it guys!

I don't have to go first to kick your butt, you know! Seismitoad, Stoutland, let's go!

[She's sure Hilbert'll appreciate his two Pokémon getting a bath - although Muddy Water's not too good for getting clean with. Seismitoad'll take the Slash, just to keep the heat (figuratively speaking) on with a Drain Punch to the Beartic in front of him.

Stoutland, meanwhile, relishes in the heat - it hurts, but it helps with the power of his Reversal attack - which he'll be using on whatever Pokémon's still standing, if the water hasn't snuffed out Pansear's flame completely or Drain Punch hasn't sucked all of Beartic's energy.

She's thought of almost everything, Hilbert. Please.]

[Considering Beartic's the one that has the best health on his team while sinuously sucking in all areas defense? Not good. She's down for the count pretty quickly, but Pansear's quick Acrobatics helps him dodge that Reversal. Hanging on by a string, dude, so he monkeys back over to Hilbert real fast and reminds his trainer he can, in fact, use items.

Moron.

A quick Hyper Potion is all the Fire-Type needs to get back into the game. Thank Speed.] You'll have to keep off that Seismitoad, but Stoutland's gonna be hard to take down too... You've at least got experience with the latter. Go on and do your usual routine!

[His usual routine being Acrobatics + Flame Bursts. It's a fun game he plays with Stouts, much to the dog's annoyance. Singed fur is not pleasant. Hilbert'll keep an eye on Seismitoad too, especially since that Muddy Water can easily toss his Pansear off balance.]

[Muddy Water or not, if Stoutland can get a good grip on the monkey Pokémon with Crunch, Seismitoad's heading in with a green, foul-smelling Mud Shot.

Hilda's hating to see her strong, proud pup get such a beatdown, but he's strong; he's the one who survives past most of the stuff her team goes through. She's got faith in his ability to hang on until they can get Pansear out of the picture.

Then he's still got one Pokémon left - racking her brains to try and remember it, or if he's ever used it in their team battles. She's almost sure it's a Fighting type - one would be hard-pressed to get through Lenora's gym without one - but if she's right on that one, then it's only a matter of time before...

No, even if it came to that - even if Seismitoad and Stoutland were defeated by his last Pokémon, even if Emboar was too - she wouldn't. She'd say she had five Pokémon to start with.

Good.]

[Keeping an eye on the battle, Hilbert notes the changes in Stoutland and Seismitoad (looking to get a grip on the flipping monkey, preparing some sort of shot) and rolls out his last Pokémon - his powerhouse Gurdurr - as discreetly as he can while they're preoccupied with Pansear right behind the frog. The monkey more or less lets himself get caught between those nasty teeth of Stoutland's if only to pose as a distraction for Hilbert, and isn't be against Biting his foe's nose right back.

Of course, the Pokémon's not so discreet coming out, but a good Low Kick oughta fix that toad up. The bigger they are, the harder they fall.]

[And, caught off guard as she is, Seismitoad falls. Stoutland just manages to throw Pansear off and bolt off - if the monkey gets squished under the big toad, so be it. The big dog knows better than to keep his back turned against a Gurdurr.

Hilda's wishing she wasn't right, more often than not.]

Sneaky! [Oh, but it's amused. Fond. Awed. Things like that. He had definitely improved.] Stoutland, you all right?

[An affirmative bark-- she sees Seismitoad slowly getting up from the shock of that Low Kick to her backside and knows the toad won't last much longer. Think fast, Hilda.

Power's in the footing, right? Loosen that, and --]

Rain Dance!

[Even if it's with the last bit of her power - and it is - Seismitoad moves to the call of rain and thunder. It rolls in like a black cloud, almost out of nowhere, soaking the ground and making it harder to move on.

Seismitoad gets a return and a quick thanks, too. Stoutland awaits orders, and Hilda watches for Hilbert's next move.]

[Rain's not the most fitting thing tho battle in, but Hilbert's both used to it and likes it. Especially since he's dressed for it. Besides, Gurdurr's not exactly without experience in this sort of rain. Unfortunately, Pansear is - as well as defeated by a big butt - so Hilbert returns him and swings out his arm.]

Gurs, use that steel of yours to your advantage! Let's go to town on this pup! [So Gurdurr's a bit obvious what he's doing, but it's fine. He hops light-footed across the field and swings the weight downward, sticking it into the ground and using it as leverage to jump off of and onto Hilda's Stoutland. To wrangle it.]

Stoutland, move!

[Stoutland slides - with the help of mud - away from Gurdurr's wrangling. May or may not have gotten some in the big lug's face, too.] Hilda reaches up and pull at the end of her hair, thinking; the mud wouldn't help Hilbert any, but Stoutland wasn't too good at it either. If he stayed in place too long, he'd get stuck. She could already see it glooping about his paws.

Darn. If only it were a Sandstorm or something instead-- she'd have to make do, though. Rain wasn't that bad; they'd get Gurdurr to tire himself out or something on it, and then go in for the kill. But what if Stoutland couldn't hold out that long--?

He'd just have to.]

Keep it up, Stoutland! This is a war of attrition on our side!

[So, yes. Stoutland will keep moving, albeit slow when he's not trying to dodge and just trying to stay out of sticking in the mud.]</small.

[Fair enough for him, all Fighting-types have good endurance. The rain wears it down, of course, but it'll be a good ten before he tires out. He wretches the steel from the ground and continues on after the dog with Dynamicpunches, and Hilbert slips off his bag to look for something.]

Where is it, where... Ah, there it is! [Hiding the Ether from sight, it'll be good for later.] Just keep it up, Gurs! All that mud'll be weighty on his fur! If you can, Rock Slide that mud to trap him!

[While Gurdurr's only source of heaviness is his weapon. Still, in a war of attrition, it'll be pretty close between them as long as Stoutland keeps dodging the short blows as well as the slow-rising mud wall readying to crash down at any moment.]

[Dodging blows? He can do. The mud wall? Despite Hilda's shout, he gets the full brunt of it, washing back towards his trainer and standing up, looking like a monster from the black lagoon. It's no time to be laughing, but she really can't help it; he looks ridiculous.]

It seems like Hilbert's smarter than I thought... Stoutland, we've gotta wear him down as much as we can! Emboar won't be any help in this weather unless we can manage that! Strength!

[With that, Stoutland'll be charging in to slam that Gurdurr with some Strength. Maybe a Crunch too.

The sky'll clear up any turn now, too -- hopefully. She plays with Emboar's ball, taking it from her belt and bouncing it on the heel of her hand restlessly.]

[Gurdurr uses his steel to block the Strength-Crunch, though it drives him into the mud a little too much for Hilber't comfort. Slowed by the mud on his fur or not, it wasn't good for the Fighting-type to keep on in this weather. He knows she's looking for an opening to toss in Emboar, and can't help but wonder about that sixth ball bouncing on her belt like that. It hadn't been used yet, right? Emboar, Seismitoad, Stoutland, Gothitelle, Galvantula... No, it hadn't. That'd be one to watch for.]

Swing it off, Gurs! [Flying dog? Flying dog. Otherwise those pretty teeth of his were going with it.]

[Stoutland flies into the air, knocked out -- she returns him before he hits the ground. Man, that Gurdurr was strong. No wonder he hadn't been worried despite his dwindling numbers. Emboar's back out, stretching, and she grins at him.]

You're my last hope, Emboar. [Unless she wanted to chance Reshiram.] I know things are a little wet, but let's use this to our advantage, all right?

[What advantage, is what he seems to ask, and she shrugs. The mud made things sliding easier, so maybe--]

Roll Out!

[Of course, it could run aground, too, but a few solid hits'll still be better than nothing.]

[Hilbert's got the upmost faith in his partners' abilities, and definitely in Gurdurr's. He'd been with the trainer for a long time now, and they practically moved as one. Gurdurr is a little too slow in unsticking himself from the mud, but at least the messy Roll Out knocks him out of his spot.]

Toss him up! [So the next time that pig comes around, Gurdurr'll be sticking his steel into the ground and angling it to send Emboar Pop Flying. Naturally leaving his back open for an attack, but at least it gets rid of one annoying attack.]

[The rain's slowed to a drizzle, at least, so that won't wear too hard on her Mega Fire Pig. And this just gives her an aerial advantage.]

Flamethrower! [A big line of flame shooting down at that exposed backside, Gurdurr. And an Emboar to go with it; once the fire begins to hit, the pig'll barrel through it with an Assurance.

Because while he's a fire-type, fire still hurts, and it doubles Assurance's attack power.]

[While Fire's not anything special against Fighting, and Dark's even worse, the combination takes Gurdurr by surprise and he's down. Not like he could get up with Emboar practically on top of him anyway, weakened as he was, and Hilbert slips the Ether away in disappointment. So much for using that to re-energize his pal.

A thankful return for Gurdurr back to his ball and Hilbert takes off his hat, running his hand through his hair and grinning something fierce.]

Looks like I've got a way's to go before I can beat you and your Emboar, Hilda. You're just as beautiful kicking my butt as you are on the Subway!

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