Frontier Town Founder's Square

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 3 – Player Phase​

Prim's Giga Drain dealt 20 dmg to Kyoko! It's super-effective!
Prim was healed by 10 hp!
Prim's CRITICAL Solar Beam dealt 46 dmg to Kyoko! It's super-effective!
Leaf's Trailblaze dealt 6 dmg to Kotetsu! It's NVE...
Leaf's CRITICAL Double Kick dealt 15, then 9 dmg to Kotetsu! It's ultra-effective!
Mhynt's Cacnea Spike dealt 3 dmg to Kotetsu!
Mhynt's Brick Break dealt 9 dmg to Kotetsu! It's ultra-effective!
Mhynt's Acrobatics dealt 4 dmg to Kotetsu! It's NVE...
Corey's Shadow Ball dealt 10 dmg to Kotetsu! It's NVE...
Corey's CRITICAL Dazzling Gleam dealt 23 to Kotetsu actually Kyoko!
Kotetsu was Knocked Out!!
Kotetsu's Metal Burst failed!

Even with his guard up and his armour hardened, Kotetsu – barely, just barely – gave in to the next, feverish onslaught. The energy gathering around his torso dissipated, unspent, as he went first to one knee, and then to the ground.

"Outstanding...!" he gasped, as he collapsed.

Meanwhile, Prim obliged Kyoko with a beam of sunlight that scorched her even as she moved to deflect it with her blade. The attack actually earned a shout of pain from the Samurott. It earned a grim, satisfied smile, too.

Ibuki swung his arms and stretched, unbothered, apparently quite pleased with Corey's decision to take his efforts elsewhere.

Objective: Impress the Tsainanese warriors!
[ ] Fight to your last, or yield.

 

[Jackie Cat]

Turn 3 – Enemy Phase
​

"Strong Technique! Head-on Collision!"

After a brief glance at his opponents to see if they'd had enough yet, Ibuki stormed forwards and hit Mhynt out of nowhere. The first time the gecko had been struck all fight was a brutal blow indeed. Then the isopod flexed his arms and made another come at me! gesture.

It seemed he was content to try the same strategy repeatedly...

Ibuki dashed to NE Square.
Ibuki's Strong First Impression dealt 45 dmg to Mhynt! It's super-effective!
Ibuki used Bulk Up! Atk & Def +1!
Ibuki is preparing Sucker Punch...​

"Strong Technique! Secret Sword, Thousand Waves!"

Kyoko performed another of her careful dances, then strung with ruthless efficacy against Prim. The strike almost felled her.

Then the otter summoned a high-pressure spray of steaming-hot water from her jaws, targeting not Prim, but Leaf.

Kyoko used Swords Dance! Atk +2!
Kyoko Focused...
Kyoko's Strong Ceaseless Edge dealt a CRITICAL 51 dmg to Prim!
Kyoko's Scald dealt 14 dmg to Leaf! KO!!
Kyoko's Shell Bell healed her by 8 hp!

 

[Mr.RMA]

Alright... yeah, they managed to take down Kotetsu, but there was no way the three of them still standing would be able to defeat the duo that remained. Corey already had a few good bruises, he didn't need to piss off certain people by getting any more.

"...Okay, I'm... I'm done," he declared, raising his hands in the air to affirm his surrender.

Spoiler: Corey Round 4

Corey (24 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Surrender
Net change: +0 STM, +0 TMP
Net totals: 24 STM (54 after regen), 5 TMP
(TAKE COVER)
(FULL REST)

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt cursed under her breath, finally misstepping enough that she had to stagger back and take stock of the rest of her team. Some down, others hurt. Herself included. Even if they had a counterassault... they were still woefully outclassed.

She sighed and held up a hand as well. "...We proved our point," she said. "I yield."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Objective: Impress the Tsainanese warriors.
Objective: Yield.

Mission Complete!​

Kyoko whipped her blade around in the air with a flourish, and then sheathed it. She bowed, to Mhynt, and to each of the other offworlders. Ibuki made a gesture with his fist that looked supportive. Kotetsu would need a minute to get properly to his feet.

"You have proved more than your argument," said Kyoko. "You have proved that you have great valour, and a remarkable proficiency for combat despite the relative strength of your chi being lesser than our own. Once your energy grows stronger, you will become truly formidable – I am certain of this."

Kotetsu, having pushed himself back up on one knee, laughed short-windedly.

"She's not wrong! Ah... That was the most fun I've had in months!" The Bisharp staggered upright, and gave a bow of his own. "Well done! I give you my respect."

Ibuki nodded, and leaned back against the empoleon statue behind him. "You were pretty good," he said, his dark eyes twinkling.

Kyoko stroked her whiskers thoughtfully for a moment. "Good enough to learn advanced styles," she said, thoughtfully.

Kotetsu put his hands on his hips and gave her a bemused look. "Oh? Is teaching martial arts to foreigners now something worth our precious time, Kyoko? Aha! Too late, we have implied the offer. We cannot refrain now! What say you, little warriors? Will you let us teach you mastery of the swift form and the forceful form?"

 

[Mr.RMA]

Well... seems they got the approval of these travelers... and Corey kinda had to admit even after getting the stress out from battling, there was a certain catharsis to taking down Kotetsu after the trouble he'd caused, be it from cultural ignorance or otherwise. Perhaps he'd be a little less... prone to breaking foreign laws? Hopefully? Anyways, that was a matter that likely wasn't worth dwindling on any further. It seemed this samurai trio was intent on teaching them how to use those fancy attacks they were bringing out during the match.

"It would certainly be an honor to learn, can't really deny that... I've never seen a Pokemon fight quite like that before."

 

[Phoenixsong]

It took Leaf a minute to shake off the daze and stand, but the sight of the bisharp having to peel himself off the pavement too was energizing enough. They'd taken out Kotetsu, and knocked the other two around a good bit while they were at it. Hell yeah. (And bonus, he was in fact behaving himself now he'd got his wiggles out.)

The others were tapping out now, though. Probably for the best. "Yeah, I'm good, thanks," she said, still panting a little from the extertion. She hobbled over to the fountain and stuck her head under a spout. Probably the locals would look at her funny, but screw it, it was just for a couple seconds. The cold was refreshing, and also she didn't see any of them getting doused with a bunch of scalding water. She did, so she should be allowed.

Once sufficiently cooled off, Leaf backed away, shook her mane dry-ish, and gave the three warriors an appreciative nod. "That was awesome!" Especially that flurry of strikes Kyoko had slapped her with. Double kick was one thing, but to be able to do that with any move? That was something else. "Definitely gonna need to learn how to do that, if you'll teach us."

 

[AdamArtDraws]

"You three were absolutely marvelous. I for sure have learned a thing or two from this already," Felin said, having recovered enough to wobble back to her feet. Her eyes glimmered with interest at the thought of learning the trick behind the odd abilities they'd used to knock her down.

"You have proved more than your argument," said Kyoko. "You have proved that you have great valour, and a remarkable proficiency for combat despite the relative strength of your chi being lesser than our own. Once your energy grows stronger, you will become truly formidable – I am certain of this."

Felin flashed a grin at Kyoko afterwards. She wondered how these warriors measured up to the Escarpa Clan's best. Challenging those lot was still a thing Felin remained determined to pursue, when the time was right.

"I would like to have a rematch sometime down the line," proposed Felin. "What says you?"

 

[Jackie Cat]

Kotetsu crossed his arms and nodded decisively.

"Very well! We shall teach you advanced forms, and when you have trained well, we shall have another match! Marvellous. That obligates us to stay in town a while, which means we can sample more of this region's food and drink..."

He exchanged a knowing glance with Ibuki, who pumped his fist.

Kyoko just sighed. But it seemed she would make no objection – perhaps because her master's spirits had been restored.

 

[Namohysip]

Mhynt nodded. "That's good," she said. "I think there will be a great need for us to take on these... 'advanced styles.' Where I am from, they are unheard of. At least, not to a particular format that can be named. It would help us fight."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Kotetsu bowed again. "I hope to see you become stronger, then!"

Kyoko put a paw on the samurai's shoulder. "There is something else we should discuss, sir. There's another Bisharp in town, a daughter of Tsainan..."

Kotetsu gave her a meaningful look, and turned to leave.

"Well-met, then, warriors of this region! We shall meet again – you may find us training each morning by the river!"

The trio walked away, and as they did, Ibuki hefted a bag he'd left by the fountain. Something moving inside it peeked out from under the closure flap at the offworlders. And then the samurai were gone.

<><><><><>​

 

[Virgil134]

A warm smile formed on Rodion's face as he looked around the square. Today was Autumn Crossing, one of Forlas' holidays, so he'd opted to go check out the festivities with Sonora. The crowded square definitely had a different vibe than Rosequartz Town’s during its own more festive occasions, not bad, but definitely different.

"Heh, the square is certainly lively. Even more so than normal," the Buizel remarked. "Sure seems like I picked the right time to visit Forlas."

 

[Jackie Cat]

"Y'chose the time, didja?" drawled Sonora, as she perused the stands.

Anyone wandering the square would be spoiled for choice. Corn on the cob slathered generously with butter, candied figs, roasted pine nuts, churros with cinnamon and dulce de leche dip... Sopapillas – a kind of fried pastry – were served with a honey drizzle, and nopales – sliced cactus pads – were offered with salt and chilli powder to taste.

"We have somethin' like this every Crossing," she added, nonchalant. "Though usually I gotta be more on my guard, so this is my first time since I were a kid gettin' to peruse. Used to be I'd just go fer whatever was easiest to nick, and leave some coin if times weren't too hard."

She eyed some honey-glazed jerky, and her pupils went as wide as a new moon.

 

[Virgil134]

"Yeah, that's definitely a downside of being a wanted 'mon," Rodion sighed. "Were you able to enjoy past Autumn Crossings with your gang at least?"

Rodion followed Sonora's gaze, his eyes falling on the stand selling the honey-glazed jerky. Back home, he'd always been hesitant to eat meat. Sure it tasted good and the meat was scavenged from ferals that were already dead, but the idea of eating another Pokémon still didn't sit right with him.

Luckily, Forlas had both Pokémon that weren't sapient and those grazing animals, so he didn't have to worry about that here. Between that and the way Sonora was eyeing the jerky, perhaps it was time to try out some of the food Autumn Crossing had to offer, prompting him to turn to Sonora with a small smirk.

"Though, let's get some food first, huh?" he asked, already beginning to make his way over to the stand.

 

[Jackie Cat]

"Nah," Sonora started to say, a bitter look on her muzzle, but then went along with the suggestion to grab a bite.

Once she had half a pound of honey-barbecued meat down the hatch, her mood lifted.

"We celebrated in our own way. Too risky to bring the whole crew into town, but sometimes a couple of us could sneak in and make off with some stuff. And some of the county villages have little festivals we could attend, if we were in the area. Always risky, though. Never know when there's a bounty hunter visiting too."

 

[Virgil134]

"Sounds stressful, visiting a festival not knowing if you're gonna have to fight your way out at any moment," Rodion murmured. "Must have taken most of the fun out of it."

He took a bite of the honied jerky, before continuing on.

"Back home I couldn't really visit other towns to celebrate holidays either, being a pirate and all," the Buizel said. "Still, that doesn't stop me from enjoying holidays. We've got our own base in a town where nobody cares if you're a pirate. Even even if we couldn't celebrate somewhere else, we have the fortune of being able to celebrate it there."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Sonora nodded. "Sure did. I gotta say, there's a part of me that just... never relaxes. I've grown eyes in the back of my damn head."

Her ears did, in fact, near-constantly swivel round at various sounds. It would be hard to sneak up on this Floragato.

"So, a town for pirates, huh? That's only a step down from bein' a navy, ain't it?" she asked, with a teasing tone. "How come you're a pirate anyhow, Rodion? You seem a decent enough sort, so I've been assumin' y'ain't the murderin', rapin', merciless type. I know from experience that 'outlaw' can mean anythin' from 'kid pickpocket' to 'devil in the skin of a 'mon'."

 

[Virgil134]

"So, a town for pirates, huh? That's only a step down from bein' a navy, ain't it?" she asked, with a teasing tone.

Rodion let out a small chuckle. "I guess you could say that. There's a reason why Rosequartz Town has managed to stay independent, despite there being two political powers that are more than willing to take it over."

"How come you're a pirate anyhow, Rodion? You seem a decent enough sort, so I've been assumin' y'ain't the murderin', rapin', merciless type. I know from experience that 'outlaw' can mean anythin' from 'kid pickpocket' to 'devil in the skin of a 'mon'."

"And you're definitely right about there being different types of outlaws," Rodion began. "I'd like to consider myself closer to the first type. I'm a thief, not a murderer or a monster, and neither is anyone else on my crew. We're just there for the loot, and give 'mons a chance to surrender their belongings peacefully before we fight things out."

Rodion stretched his arms and put them behind his head, before continuing on.

"As for why I became a pirate... to make a long story short, I was born in a clan of water Pokémon that traveled the sea," he explained. "I quickly realized that spending most of my life underwater wasn't for me, so I left for a life on the surface."

He smiled and looked up with a nostalgic sigh.

"I was a bit of a troublemaker when I was young and ended up joining a pirate crew for a one time job. It's there where I met an Aron called Hess, who ended up becoming one of my best friends," the Buizel continued. "I ended up sticking around since he seemed like the type who needed someone out looking for him. Can't say that it didn't work out for us. He always had a dream of creating his own crew so he could run things his way, and I helped him do just that."

 

[Jackie Cat]

Sonora chewed on her glazed jerky as Rodion jawed for a while about his own world.

"You'd get along with the other otters west of the mountains," she remarked, between mouthfuls. "Y'ever sail a catamaran? That's what they got, or so I hear."

She shrugged, and let her gaze wander to the decorated lanterns and streamers folks had put out for the festival.

"Sounds like you did alright for yourself without bein' a total scumbag about it," she remarked. "Good for you. Saints know that lords and the like have more wealth than they damn well need – otherwise they'd fight harder fer it, I reckon."

 

[Virgil134]

"I've never sailed on a catamaran myself, but I know they exist outside of Anyilla," Rodion answered. "My crew has always sailed on a caravel, but we recently got a galleon as well."

He tilted his head, giving Sonora a curious look.

"Though what's exactly west of the mountains? Could you tell me more about it?"