[attr="class","mon2"]

[attr="class","monbody2"]
Gavin was being absolutely no use, which Hal hardly understood. She'd think that he'd want to be stronger, just for himself. She'd want it, if she were him - if she were a Pokemon, she'd want to be stronger. The strongest. Just for... the freedom. The absoluteness of her own authority. She definitely wouldn't be more worried about her trainer's appearance than making herself stronger. "Gavin, look behind the dumpsters. Eat something. Act like you have any sort of motivation at all." Her tone was half-amused, half-irritated, but the amusement would only last so far as her mood, and that would only last so far as her entertainment level. Gavin gave her a dry look before doing as she asked, mumbling under his breath. < Ah, because my Mistress is one to talk about motivation. > Which was fair, and she acknowledged the point with a grunt, idly kicking a stack of crates. It was true that Hal was generally happy to laze around and do absolutely nothing, at least on a normal day. Times like this, though, when she'd gotten some goal in her head, she was absolutely ruthless. She wouldn't sleep, wouldn't eat, until she'd gotten what she wanted. Unluckily enough for her Pokemon, they were in the same boat, so it was best just to get it over with. At least it was still early enough in the day.

< Perhaps most of the Pokemon here are nocturnal because of the population? We could- oh! > His sound of surprise and a clatter drew Hal's attention, and she watched the purple ooze 'stumble' backward from the dumpster he was poking behind. A definitive hiss brought Hal closer, looking over her Pokemon at what was hidden beyond. A rumble growl from the shadows was her only clue, and Hal lost patience quickly. She wasn't in the mood to coax something shy from its den, there was work to be done. "Gas it out, Gavin." The Grimer looked up at her uncertainly, then to the shadows. Giving a small mental shrug - it was an order, after all - he took a deep breath and belched out a small concentration of Poison Gas into the cramped space. The coughing, agitated response was almost immediate, and the Pokemon exited the back of the dumpster at speed - directly into Gavin. The Tackle was coincidental and not particularly harmful, but it forced Hal to move back and Gavin to think rather quickly as the Skitty bounced back and moved to flee. He didn't have to wait for Hal to tell him - he knew she'd be very displeased if it got away. He hardly even noticed the slop of spicy food down his front, though it painted over his slime before being absorbed into it.

He was in luck, though. The affronted Skitty didn't run off, but turned to face him, growling. It was then that he noticed that the Pokemon had somehow gotten covered in garbage. Food, in particular. Curry, even more specifically. It smelled rank, obviously past its prime, but the Skitty didn't even seem to notice. It stalked back and forth, tail swishing angrily as if it simply couldn't stand to stay still. It's mouth was twisted with bared teeth, wound up now that it had been disturbed. < You should have just left me alone to my meal, > it hissed, though it seemed to be defensive, unsure bravado, and Hal's barely contained ferocity mirrored the Skitty's on a more dominant level. Gavin had half a thought to get out of the way and let the two of them fight, but he refrained. Truthfully, Gavin wasn't against a fight, even if he often worried more about his trainer's being than her goals. He'd lived an isolated life before she picked him up, shunned by the city's Pokemon. Shunned by Pokemon exactly like this. He could see the way her faced scrunched against his smell, against his slime, even with how disgusting she herself was, and he felt the familiar burn of indignant anger. If his mistress wanted him to fight, he'd fight the whole world for her. She was the one who had accepted him. Instead of stepping down, he slammed his fist into a puddle, pelting her with a weakened Mud-Slap. The Skitty stumbled, seeming more agitated than hurt.

Hal's voice entered the tense atmosphere, not alleviating it, but adding to it. "I don't see you running. You're itching for it as much as we are, I can tell. Gavin, if it tries to Sing, you Disable it before it can finish. I don't want this ending too early." Honestly, if the Skitty had tried to run with its entire being, Hal would have let it go. She might be a bully, but she wasn't heartless. The Skitty growled, bouncing restlessly where she stood before suddenly stopping. Gavin watched her warily, ready to let her have the first move. He concentrated though, stacking up a Harden over the top layer of his slime before she could attack. He needn't have bothered, though - the Skitty was thinking something a little less physical. Flipping its tail around and demurring all of the sudden, it fluttered its ears in a show of Attraction. Gavin hesitated, even as Hal lost her patience. "Oh come on Gavin, wake up! She's covered in takeout," she harped, though honestly with the Grimer's diet being what it was he might find that appealing. He half-listened, but was distracted just long enough for the Skitty to dive in with a great show of agility, slapping its tail onto the ground in front of Gavin, creating a shockwave of Fake Out. Gavin flinched back, concentration obviously scattered, and Hal practically snarled at him. "Poison Gas again Gavin, get it on its heels!"

The snapped words were enough to pull a reaction from her Pokemon, and Gavin belched out the attack once more, but this time at full strength. Hal covered her nose and mouth with her sleeve though she was mostly out of harm's way, but the Skitty got a direct hit despite its quick feet. It hacked and coughed, wheezing as it broke out of the fog. It screeched its defiance, even though this would likely have been a good time to retreat - it would not back down, not now. < You'll need to do better than that, > it said irritably, finally pawing at the scraps on its hide - presumably because of the nauseous scents mixing together. Gavin took his own advantage of the situation, contracting his body to the ground before launching himself at the Skitty with a Pound attack. The Skitty screeched beneath the onslaught of slime and sludge, gagging at the stench and weight and air knocked out of her lungs. She clawed at the concrete, pulling herself away. She paused, ears flicked back, breath still wheezing - from poisoning or having the wind knocked out of her, it was hard to tell. She seemed to be trying to make a decision despite her words. She trembled lightly, as sure a tell as anything, and finally she practically spat at them. < Screw you, > she said, angriest at being completely disadvantaged, deciding to cut her losses while she still had the strength. She took off down the alley before disappearing around a corner, leaving Hal and her Pokemon alone once more.

---

Hal has a lucky egg in effect.



+765 exp for Gavin [12 -> 13 (15+765/375), 13 -> 14 (405/400), 5/425 to lvl 15]


Word Count: 1,224
Notes: No capture attempt made c:

Onix egg is present!


< Adonis >
< Gavin >
< Eva >

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF WW

[attr="class","mon2"]

[attr="class","monbody2"]
Hal raised an eyebrow at the Grimer once the Skitty was well gone, and he had the courtesy to look chagrined. "Well, that was embarrassing. Should I let you get a room next time?" She didn't really fault the Grimer - after all, she was constantly at the mercy of her own hormones - but she did enjoy giving him a hard time. The Grimer huffed, wiping the remnants of the food off of his front with... well, a goopy, grimey hand. < I very much hope we'll never speak of that again, Mistress. Please don't... don't tell Adonis. > He hated to show weakness to his trainer, knowing that she was so likely to take advantage, and he almost instantly knew he'd made a mistake when her eyes narrowed in something like glee. Bad, bad idea. "But Gavin, how will he know where to send the congratulations? You know how much he loves you."

< 'Loves' my foot, Mistress, but that's not important. Didn't you wish for me to train? We've got plenty of daylight left and I feel fine, let's keep going. > His gruff manner and casual bluster was more wordy than normal, but Hal felt like she'd finally found the motivation she needed to get Gavin interested. And if that had to be blackmail, then so be it.

They stalked through the alley for another half hour, but they had no luck. Hal's stomach growled ominously, but it was like a fly buzzing in the back of her mind. She'd always had an innate ability to push her body's demands into the background when her mind was running - a skill often wasted, as she was generally very impulsive. But for now Gavin could only fret at the sound, searching with renewed vigor to try and hurry the process along. Even if he was grumpy at being teased, he still worried for her. Deep down, of course he knew it was superficial and unimportant. However, he had two things that drove him: one, that the better he could take care of her, the longer she'd keep him around. Two, he felt such incredible devotion to her after she'd shown an interest in him, and that he honestly felt he had the best trainer in the world. Sure, he gave her a hard time sometimes and she him, but deep down it was all bark and no bite.

They moved out of the alley and back into the light, and Hal idly took in the crowds around them. Boring, most of them, and there was more than one upturned nose at her disheveled appearance. She tended to make faces back, because again with the impulsiveness, but there was no heat behind it. She was always so confused when people spent their precious energy on negative feelings toward others. Oh, well. There was a break in a fence leading into a small green area, a park of some sort, and Hal gestured for Gavin to head that way.

"You're a little less likely to get covered in garbage here. Let's look around and see what we can find."

---

Hal has a lucky egg in effect.



Word Count: 516
Notes: Doing some training wooooo.

Onix egg is present!


< Adonis >
< Gavin >
< Eva >

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF WW

[attr="class","mon2"]

[attr="class","monbody2"]
The park was awash with greenery, a little oasis in the middle of the moderate urban sprawl. It wasn't like Rigel or any of the other metropolis cities, but Circinus had its own big city charm and the population to match. It was a nice day, which meant the park had a scattering of people and Pokemon across it, but it wasn't so populated that Hal and Gavin couldn't find a more secluded place to search. They made their way toward a woodsy trail opening, poking around in the undergrowth and shrubbery.

The assault came rather suddenly, a small sound of whooshing air the only warning before Hal felt pain smack against the back of her knees, tendons contracting painfully and causing her to buckle. Gavin grunted in alarm, but Hal's face was full of irritation rather than pain as she looked over her shoulder, tensed to another attack. It didn't come immediately, but the culprit was obvious nonetheless. The bear was small, and something Hal had honestly never seen or heard of before. Its fur was black and white, its teeth were sharp over a smirk, and it wielded a hefty stick over one shoulder like a delinquent might hold a metal pipe. Sneaky little bastard. A leaf jutted from between its teeth, cocksure and smug. Gavin was immediately on the defensive, moving himself between his trainer and the threat, not attacking but obviously incredibly upset and angry. < How dare you, you upstart! You'll pay for hurting my Mistress. > Hal honestly couldn't say she'd ever heard Gavin that angry, the air itself seeming to react to the violence radiating from him. The woman turned, sitting cross-legged on the ground behind him with complete and utter trust in his ability to keep her safe from further damage. Which, to be honest, was minimal - she might carry a bruise, but she'd had much worse injuries than that. She was much more interested in her Pokemon's reaction, and in the aggressor itself, who didn't quail at the obvious threat in the Grimer's tone. The little creature had balls, she'd give it that, and she couldn't say it hadn't caught her interest.

She quickly dug into her bag, grabbing her rarely used Pokedex and pointing it over Gavin's head.

Pancham: The Playful Pokemon. It does its level best to glare and pull a scary face, but it can't help grinning if anyone pats its head.

< If ye touch my head, I'll take yer arm, > the creature growled, his voice too high to truly be intimidating but getting the point across all the same. Hal nearly grinned at the hubris, but Gavin had a much more adverse reaction. Honestly, if he was going to take initiative in a fight, who was she to stop him? < No more from you! > the Grimer snapped, and immediately his words were followed by a voluminous belch of Poison Gas. The Pancham was ready, almost immediately leaping into action, but moving in for an attack left him recklessly exposed to the fumes rather that dodging away from it. Gutsy, but dangerous, and he'd dropped his impromptu weapon in the process. The Pancham nailed the Grimer straight on with a Tackle, unbothered by the grimy surface of his opponent's 'skin.' It immediately followed up with a close-combat Arm Thrust attack, straight punches quickly nailing Gavin three times before the Grimer could react, swiping an arm down with a defensive Pound that knocked the Pancham back enough to give them both a moment of breathing room.

Hal was absolutely thrilled. This Pokemon was a fighter, skilled enough in his trade even if he didn't have the weight or proper training to make the most of it. He was brave and unapologetic, obviously unafraid despite being on his own, and she knew she had to have him. She called out in the brief breath of peace in the high-paced action, making her intentions very clear. "Gavin, I want him. Beat him into submission if you have to." There was no negotiation there, no out. She wasn't a vindictive person, not normally, but if she could kill three birds with one stone, she'd gladly do it. Catch the Pokemon, give Gavin the training he needed, and get back at the little monster all in one go. < Fine, > the Grimer replied irritably, at the same time the Pancham shouted < Not on yer life! > Which, of course, irritated Gavin even more, and they were back at it again. The Pancham moved in for another flurry attack, but the Grimer was ready this time. He squinted with focus, and the Pancham stuttered to a halt before yowling angrily at the Disable. Gavin took the brief hesitation to use Harden as well, fortifying himself against the onslaught of physical attack.

The Pancham didn't stop for long, ignoring the impotence left on his Arm Thrust attack and diving in for another Tackle. Gavin braced himself, accepting the brunt of the attack, then hit him with a directly short-range Mud-Slap, throwing dirt and grass into the Pancham's eyes. It flinched back, and Gavin took advantage, delivering a meaty Pound onto the Pancham's head.

The aggressor swayed, momentarily disoriented. And, Hal had noticed smugly, its moves were becoming more sloppy. It could have been just its temper taking advantage, but the way it jerked and swayed while it tried to wipe the mud away hinted at a deeper cause. The poison from the beginning of the fight was taking a toll. Like a predator on wounded pray, Hal sensed the absolute presence of impending victory. Even if Gavin was moving a bit gingerly as well, she knew they had this. "Finish it," she said darkly, gleefully, from her seated position. < Gladly, > came the reply, and even though the Pancham wheeled backward, its vision and coordination were both separately impeded and it couldn't properly get out of the way of the well-aimed Pound. The Pancham wobbled, stumbled, and fell backward. Hal didn't wait to see if it was truly knocked out or just winded. She was already standing, and a Pokeball flew toward the rebellious creature. It tapped it, the glow shown out, and it closed with a snap.

She watched, eagerly, as it shook.

---

Hal has a lucky egg in effect.



Word Count: 1,036
Notes: Capture attempt :D I didn't even know I wanted one but now it seems to fitting xD

Onix egg is present!

< Adonis >
< Gavin >
< Eva >

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF WW

[attr="class","mon2"]

[attr="class","monbody2"]
The ball stopped shaking, falling silent, and Hal smiled broadly as she swiped up the ball from the ground. The little upstart was rough around the edges, but if she could channel that energy to her purposes, it could go very well for the both of them. < I don't like him, > her Grimer groused, but the Grimer was always grousing, and really he was just irritable because he was sore and tired. Hal ignored him, putting the Pokeball in her bag, then took his empty one out and wiggled it in his direction. "You've done your bit. Do you want to go sleep or do you want to watch?" The Grimer was normally pretty attentive, clingy even, but Hal could see from the slump of his mass and the fatigue in his movements that he was tired. It hadn't been a lot of exercise, but Gavin wasn't a very high level yet. It was a bit frustrating to Hal after she'd made the circuit in Kanto, building her Tauros to a level where she very rarely had to worry about fatigue, but she'd left him behind and she needed to make due. At least that was one arena where she managed to keep her frustration at low levels and completely under control - after all, what difference would being upset make? And it wasn't like she was in an actual hurry. She was a bit manic to get some work done at the moment, but once her Pokemon had done their work for the day, she'd relent.

Gavin nodded with a sigh, too tired to fight with her anymore at the moment. < Bring me back out if you need me, though, > he urged, and Hal rolled her eyes before pressing the button to open the ball. She shuffled that one back into her bag as well, searching for the two she needed now - the two that definitively needed training more than Gavin had. One, the sharp-minded Ekans who was as much a mirror of Hal's own darker emotions as one could be. The other, the first Pokemon Hal had ever raised from an egg on her own - a Pidgey quite extraordinary, learning quickly and eagerly of the world around her. They were her core, her critical team, at least for this first gym. They were the ones she needed to be prepared.

She located the balls, and let the Pokemon free. She figured it was always better for Ross to watch an older Pokemon work, and while Adonis was a natural predator of the Pidgey, she'd now been raised not to fear the intimidating snake. Adonis, for his part, tended to ignore... everyone but Hal, unless he had some specific reason to taunt or torment them. And just like he had with the young Cleffa Eva, Adonis saw Ross as nothing but an annoyance and simply pretended she didn't exist. Therefore, he spared Hal only a cursory grin before bolting out through the grass, already starting to climb trees and rustle though undergrowth in a search for opponents. Unlike Gavin, Adonis definitely had the drive to become stronger, and she didn't have any need to urge him on. If Hal had anything to do with it, the Ekans would be evolved by the time they tackled the gym.

Ross looked up at Hal from the woman's feet, still a little unsure about straying too far but watching the purple snake move with rapt attention. < What if he finds something he can't handle? > the Pidgey asked quietly, and Hal gave her an unintentionally reassuring grin. Since the strikingly plumed Pidgey had started speaking, she'd always been a little vain but mostly just soft-spoken. Intelligent, observant, but not as outgoing as some of her teammates. Hal had found that she actually really liked Ross, and her speech patterns and thoughts were already very advanced. "He'll be fine. Worst case scenario, you can get in there and help him out." Honestly, she wasn't too afraid for the Ekans, and Ross seemed to easily accept that confidence. It was all she had ever known, after all.

---

Hal has a lucky egg in effect.




Word Count: 684
Notes: --

Onix egg is present!

< Adonis >
< Gavin >
< Ross >

[attr="class","cred"]VEL OF WW