[11] Mendatt vs Griffin (Ref: Pathos)

Castelia City Square

Castelia City is the gateway to Unova, its port welcoming trainers from around the world. Today those trainers include a fair number from Asber, turned out to compete or spectate on the first round of the League Championship. The city square at the center of Castelia has been reserved for the first round of battle, its broad cobbled expanse providing plenty of room to fight and the central fountain offering a refuge for pokémon that would rather swim than stand. Skyscrapers rise on all sides, framing the scene with the imposing prosperity of Castelia City.

More than just Asber's own trainers have turned out for the battles, though; plenty of curious Castelia residents and tourists mill about the rim of the arena, hoping to catch a few exciting battles. To ensure that they don't go unsatisfied, the regional authorities have generously--and forcefully--provided some of Unova's most powerful pokémon for the trainers to test-drive and show off for the crowd. Unfortunately, with the number of battles that need to be run through before the TCoD League's lease on the square expires, some of the fights might have to be truncated a bit.​

Mendatt (O)

Haley (f) <Technician>
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
- "Squee!"

Griffin (O)

Joy (f) <Healer>
Health: 100%
Energy: 100%
- "Happy happy joy joy~"​

Haley flicks a tail fondly at her new trainer, then opens her mouth to grace the arena with the most gentle sound it could possibly imagine. She sings a soft balled, a lullaby even, so gentle and sweet it could coax the most frustrating of babies to sleep; Joy tilts her head, her eyes flutter serenely, but the song ends too soon - she blinks suddenly and she's still awake. She wishes the song would have continued! But it didn't, and she's stuck here in the awake-world, having to battle instead of dream.

And worse for her, she hasn't been able to form as immediate a bond with her trainer. She's been named, sure, but it seems they have some sort of language barrier. She just can't understand her commands that well. She's supposed to entertain her opponent...? That just seems sort of contradictory to the entire point of a battle! She frowns and chews on her paw, frustrated, both with herself and her trainer - maybe she misheard her commands? She's so confused...

But then Haley starts singing softly again, so gentle and sweet, and she thinks maybe that's what her trainer wanted, for her to sing! Because that's entertaining, right? She doesn't really know how to sing that well, not like Haley, but it is entertaining. Her head lulls to the side as she drifts off, tired from the gentle lullaby, but again it ends all too soon, and she blinks, wide-awake and aware.

Now, at least, Joy is sure she knows what to do, and she's sure she'll enjoy it too! She rushes over to Haley and plants a big wet kiss on the cinccino's cheek, grinning wide and stepping back after. Haley blushes madly, confused and bewildered by this show of affection - she puts a paw on her cheek where she'd been kissed, staring wide-eyed at Joy, wondering what made her do that. Did she... feel something... for her? Something stirred in Haley's stomach; butterflies? She was so confused...

Haley's head felt all hot and bothered, so eternally distracted by her feelings, but she could still sing. She opened her maw wide and continued her ballad, this time more of a love-song than a lullaby, and perhaps the change in mood did the trick. Because Joy's eyes fluttered, her head leaned over her chest, and finally she collapsed onto the ground with a plump. Haley was still blushing madly, unsure of what to do now that her opponent was asleep - so confusing...​

Castelia City Square

Castelia City is the gateway to Unova, its port welcoming trainers from around the world. Today those trainers include a fair number from Asber, turned out to compete or spectate on the first round of the League Championship. The city square at the center of Castelia has been reserved for the first round of battle, its broad cobbled expanse providing plenty of room to fight and the central fountain offering a refuge for pokémon that would rather swim than stand. Skyscrapers rise on all sides, framing the scene with the imposing prosperity of Castelia City.

More than just Asber's own trainers have turned out for the battles, though; plenty of curious Castelia residents and tourists mill about the rim of the arena, hoping to catch a few exciting battles. To ensure that they don't go unsatisfied, the regional authorities have generously--and forcefully--provided some of Unova's most powerful pokémon for the trainers to test-drive and show off for the crowd. Unfortunately, with the number of battles that need to be run through before the TCoD League's lease on the square expires, some of the fights might have to be truncated a bit.​

Mendatt (O)

Haley (f) <Technician>
Health: 100%
Energy: 93%
- "Oh my..." Confused (severe).

Griffin (O)

Joy (f) <Healer>
Health: 100%
Energy: 95%
- *snore* Asleep.​

Perhaps entranced by her foe/lover's sleeping body, Haley sits down and watches as Joy sleeps, too confused to do much of anything. She's sure she's meant to be doing something, but... this seems like a better option. She scooches over and puts her paw on Joy's sleeping tummy as it rises up and down which each breah Joy takes. Haley leans her head on the audino's tummy; so comfy; and then all of a sudden the sleeping pokemon begins to mumble. Haley stumbles to her feet in shock, takes a step back, fearful now, but Joy just keeps mumbling in her sleep. She doesn't move or open her eyes, she just murmurs, so Haley sits back down and watches. There's something mystical about the mumbling, but soon enough Joy stops and Haley feels a bit better when they're just sitting there quietly.

She remembers now, she's supposed to paralyze the audino. Maybe if she's paralyzed, she won't mumble so much. She shrugs and rubs her hands together, gathering sparks in her fur, and releases a tiny wave of electricity into the sleeping audino's stomach. Joy twitches in her sleep, and Haley worries she'll wake up; but she doesn't, she just rolls over, getting comfortable. Haley sighs, relieved. She did her job, and her opponent? is still asleep. Good.

But then, Joy begins to mumble again. It's a comforting mumble, sort of, but not so much for Haley, because she wishes Joy would be quiet. It's better when she's quiet. But Joy keeps mumbling even though nothing seems to happen, for what feels like a minute she's making weird noises to herself, until suddenly she stops. Nothing seems to have happened, but Haley still feels a bit weird.

And adding to her confusion, she's rather unsure what her trainer wants. If she used toxic or thunderwave before - she should? She's really confused. She gets up and ponders for a moment, then decides she'll just do what she wants. She takes a quick step towards the sleeping Joy and slaps her hard on the cheek, so hard Joy jumps up quickly, wide-awake and with a stunning red paw-print on her cheek where Haley had hit her. Joy's eyes water, so stunned at what Haley did; why? Haley feels a bit bad, but it is a battle, after all.

Joy gets to her feet and wipes her eyes. Well, fine. She can battle too. She waves her tiny hands before her and following them are bright sparkles, creating a thin barrier that will protect her from future harm. Hopefully this means no more sleeping for her, although she notices there's some difficulty in her movement; that hadn't been there before. Strange...​

Castelia City Square

Castelia City is the gateway to Unova, its port welcoming trainers from around the world. Today those trainers include a fair number from Asber, turned out to compete or spectate on the first round of the League Championship. The city square at the center of Castelia has been reserved for the first round of battle, its broad cobbled expanse providing plenty of room to fight and the central fountain offering a refuge for pokémon that would rather swim than stand. Skyscrapers rise on all sides, framing the scene with the imposing prosperity of Castelia City.

More than just Asber's own trainers have turned out for the battles, though; plenty of curious Castelia residents and tourists mill about the rim of the arena, hoping to catch a few exciting battles. To ensure that they don't go unsatisfied, the regional authorities have generously--and forcefully--provided some of Unova's most powerful pokémon for the trainers to test-drive and show off for the crowd. Unfortunately, with the number of battles that need to be run through before the TCoD League's lease on the square expires, some of the fights might have to be truncated a bit.​

Mendatt (O)

Haley (f) <Technician>
Health: 100%
Energy: 85%
- "Sorry~" Confused (moderate).

Griffin (O)

Joy (f) <Healer>
Health: 85%
Energy: 84%
- "Meanie..." Paralyzed (severe). Protected by safeguard (4 more actions) and lucky chant (3 more actions). Has made a wish (1 more action).​

Haley waited a moment, to see what Joy was going to do, or if she could do anything at all. Luckily it seemed Joy was completely immobile, her muscles only spasming occasionally; Haley again felt a twinge of guilt, but she knew the intensity of battle, and that there was no moment for hesitating. She complimented herself on her fighting spirit and ability to get over her moments of confusion, and how well she's coping with Joy's strangeness; she is, really, quite the battler! The boosting to her confidence works quite well, and she feels better and more prepared for the battle ahead.

And then, quite out of the blue, bright lights reminiscent of falling stars fall from the sky and land on Joy; the audino is enveloped in a glowing light and all her bruises glow extra-bright, healing within seconds. Joy grins wide, feeling so suddenly rejuvinated; but when the light fades she gasps, exhausted. It's as if the energy required to heal all her wounds was taken from her lungs directly, and she can't breath for a few seconds; when she can again, she takes deep breaths, utterly exhausted. The pure, sudden shock of feeling, before, just fine, and now all of a sudden just so tired is overwhelming; she's not sure she appreciates the health as much as she did before.

Again, a bit apprehensive now, Haley waits to see what Joy will do. It seems Joy is able to move now, and she's doing something strange - mystical chanting again. Haley can only assume this is the entrainment her trainer warned her about, so she quickly summons up a protective shield, agreeing that she wants to keep her ability. The shield does the trick; Joy frowns as her fate-tying attempts are blocked, quite displeased. She's quite sick of everything she's trying failing right now. Of course, Haley feels otherwise.

Haley waits a moment, still unsure of what Joy will do; and indeed, the audino chooses not to mess with fate again, figuring she already tried it and it failed. Instead she rushes at Haley, fists raised, and slaps her hard across the cheek - once, twice, three times. Haley stares, stunned, but at least the confusion seems to ebb out of her mind for good. Perhaps there's some truth to the myth about slapping people straight. While Joy takes a step back, Haley twirls around furiously, slapping the audino hard with her big fluffy tails; and just as Joy had done, Haley slaps her multiple times - twice, three times, but she stops there. Unlike Joy, though, there's a hard force behind Haley's tails, and Joy is knocked onto her back by the impact, a large red welt forming on her side where she was smacked. The work-up form before seemed to bring a strength to Haley, who turns around to smirk at Joy; no more confusion about her ability to battle, that's for sure!​

Castelia City Square

Castelia City is the gateway to Unova, its port welcoming trainers from around the world. Today those trainers include a fair number from Asber, turned out to compete or spectate on the first round of the League Championship. The city square at the center of Castelia has been reserved for the first round of battle, its broad cobbled expanse providing plenty of room to fight and the central fountain offering a refuge for pokémon that would rather swim than stand. Skyscrapers rise on all sides, framing the scene with the imposing prosperity of Castelia City.

More than just Asber's own trainers have turned out for the battles, though; plenty of curious Castelia residents and tourists mill about the rim of the arena, hoping to catch a few exciting battles. To ensure that they don't go unsatisfied, the regional authorities have generously--and forcefully--provided some of Unova's most powerful pokémon for the trainers to test-drive and show off for the crowd. Unfortunately, with the number of battles that need to be run through before the TCoD League's lease on the square expires, some of the fights might have to be truncated a bit.​

Mendatt (O)

Haley (f) <Technician>
Health: 94%
Energy: 75%
- "Haha!" atk/sp. atk +1.

Griffin (O)

Joy (f) <Healer>
Health: 73%
Energy: 51%
- *lip quivers* Paralyzed (severe). Protected by safeguard (1 more action).​

Haley twirled around again, while Joy was still recovering from her last injuries, and the cinccino smacked her opponent hard on the cheeks with her bushy tails. Joy yelped, the soft-looking tails being shockingly harsh as they slapped against her - once, twice, three times, just like before. But the last time, the last time hurt more than ever, landing across the bruised area on her cheek where she'd been smacked already, and she yelped extra-loud - it hurt so bad.

Her eyes watered, but of course Haley turned around impassively, not a tear in her eye; she was immune to heartache by now. Joy wiped her eyes and toughened herself up; she was too good for this! She had to think strong, harden her heart. She was too good for this. She nodded to herself; yeah, she was too good for this. She was really good, honestly, she just had to show it. Just thinking that, she felt a bit stronger, more ready to prove herself.

Unfortunately, before she got the chance, Haley twirled around again, tails a-whirling and slapping Joy right in the face. They whizzed by so fast, a blur of tan, smacking her faster than she could blink - two three four times. Joy clutched her cheeks, they were bright red as the blood rushed to them; She was all bruised and even cut up from the sharp fur rushing against her, and utterly exhausted. She held herself tight, and then realized - she couldn't move.

She stared up at Haley, watched warily as the cinccino turned and waited - but Joy couldn't move at all. Her muscles ached and twitched but she was frozen, stuck, unable to extract her revenge.

So she was in the exact same position when Haley swerved and smacked down on her with her tails, knocking her down onto her knees, both from the impact and from her utter inability to hold herself upright anymore. The tails smacked down on her over and over - but it was actually, thankfully, just twice. It felt like a huge weight, each time, and Joy felt herself shaking as she stood up, grateful at least that she could stand.

She took an unsteady step towards Haley, palms outstretched, and then ran forwards, ready to smack her - but Haley easily side-stepped the attack, grinning as Joy stumbled and turned, furious at herself for missing like that. Haley giggled, realizing just how easy this battle has become; she really can't lose.​

Castelia City Square

Castelia City is the gateway to Unova, its port welcoming trainers from around the world. Today those trainers include a fair number from Asber, turned out to compete or spectate on the first round of the League Championship. The city square at the center of Castelia has been reserved for the first round of battle, its broad cobbled expanse providing plenty of room to fight and the central fountain offering a refuge for pokémon that would rather swim than stand. Skyscrapers rise on all sides, framing the scene with the imposing prosperity of Castelia City.

More than just Asber's own trainers have turned out for the battles, though; plenty of curious Castelia residents and tourists mill about the rim of the arena, hoping to catch a few exciting battles. To ensure that they don't go unsatisfied, the regional authorities have generously--and forcefully--provided some of Unova's most powerful pokémon for the trainers to test-drive and show off for the crowd. Unfortunately, with the number of battles that need to be run through before the TCoD League's lease on the square expires, some of the fights might have to be truncated a bit.​

Mendatt (O)

Haley (f) <Technician>
Health: 94%
Energy: 60%
- *giggles* atk/sp. atk +1.

Griffin (O)

Joy (f) <Healer>
Health: 38% (capped)
Energy: 44%
- "Arhg!" Paralyzed (moderate); atk/sp. atk +1.​

Haley grinned to herself, unashamed and self-congratulatory on how well she's been doing in this battle. It's true, and pretty clear, she's obviously the better battler. To say otherwise is just a blatant lie. She feels a bit pompous, maybe, but definitely pumped up for later on in the battle, not that she wasn't already; she's clearly got the upper hand here.

Perhaps just to prove her wrong, Joy sparks suddenly and unleashes a furious bolt of lightning onto the cinccinno; all those times she was unable to move due to paralysis are now extracted on Haley, as she screeches in pain, curling up under her tails. The electricity courses through her and she hasn't felt pain like it throughout the entire battle, so sharp and hot; it stops just as suddenly as it started, and Joy grins fiercely, determined to prove her worth before this round ends.

Haley shakes the few remaining sparks from her fur. That hurt. She doesn't like being hurt, dammit. Her tails stand on end, the fur growing sharp and suddenly quite bright and metallic - and she dashes towards Joy, twirling around, her tails armoured now and more deadly than ever. As she twirled around, each tails catches the sunlight in their sheen before slashing into Joy's soft skin, and instead of just bruising her skin with each hit, they actually break the skin - each hit is like a solid slash, iron across pink flesh, and Joy's screams are piercing. She falls to her knees, blood coating her short fur, and as Haley twirls back to face her her tails become flaccid and furry again, and blood is dripping from them as well.

Joy is quite a terrible sight; she's shaking and bleeding and barely able to raise herself from the ground. Haley stands above her, the audino's blood coating her tails, suddenly quite a ferocious sight. And then Joy slowly rises to her feet, shakily but determined; and she glares at Haley, and Haley takes a wary step back.

With sudden strength, Joy's fist slaps out at Haley's cheek, slapping hard; it flings back and slaps a second time. Haley stares in shock that Joy could move at all, but the audino keeps coming; her other hand flings forward and slaps Haley's other cheek - once, twice, three times, and the fourth time hits Haley in the eye and Haley yelps and hides her face, rubbing at her wounded eye. That hurt really, really bad.

But Joy falls back to the ground, still shaking, and it's pretty clear she's wasted. Haley blinks the pain from her eye; she's hurt, but she knows she's won this.​