Sojaveña Wilds Silver Riverside

[Chibi Pika]

Jade had seen the note at the Haus about a small training party down by the river, and Koa had mentioned that he'd be going, so Jade forced herself to be our of bed at a reasonable hour (no matter how much she wanted to sleep in).

She adjusted her bag on her shoulder and squinted through the morning sun at the river bank ahead. She spotted Koa, as well as a Beldum that must have been Steven. (She'd gathered, from what other people on the team had said, that he was the Steven Stone? And even though he almost definitely wasn't the one she'd met back home, she still hadn't figured out how to approach him.)

There was also, um. Ridley. The not-Cleffa who'd walked into the dark ocean. For some reason. Jade didn't know him well enough to guess. (Trying to go home...?)

Jade raised a paw as she approached, hoping to get Koa's attention. "Heya, mind if I join?"

 

[Hap]

"How, ah, how are you doing?" he asked gently.

"I'm glad you're here. A-are you okay? I was looking for you before..." he trailed off awkwardly.

Yeah, no way was Ridley going to be talking about that. He was feeling bad enough already without everyone else deciding to weigh on what an idiot he was.

"'S fine," he lied absently, turning to wave at Jade as she joined the group.

 

[Tetra]

Sympathy rose in Koa, but he kept his mouth shut. He could hardly blame Ridley. Whatever was going on with him, Koa wouldn't have wanted to talk about it right before a training session either.

"Hey Jade!" he called, glad of a chance to change the subject. "Good to see you!" he glanced between the assembled pokemon. Four was a good number for training. "There's enough of us to do a double battle," he mused thoughtfully.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven nodded at Ridley in confirmation, but he still regarded the Mimikyu with concern. It wasn't his place to press the issue, and maybe a brisk round of training would help take Ridley's mind off of whatever he was feeling.

Steven then turned his attention to the two others that had shown up. Koa he knew, but the other, Jade the Meowth, he hadn't met, but it was as good as opportunity as any to get to know her better.

He nodded at Koa both in greeting and agreement. "A double battle works if everyone is comfortable with that." He glanced at Ridley, since he'd said he wasn't as sure in battle yet.

"Maybe, you two," he said, gesturing to Koa and Ridley, "against Jade and myself?"

He gave the Meowth a smile.

"It'll be good practice for you Ridley, trying to keep track of type advantages in the heat of battle. What do you say?" he addressed the whole group with his proposal.

 

[Hap]

"A double battle sounds good," Ridley agreed. "Those pairings are fine by me, if everyone else agrees."

He'd battled alongside Koa several times before, but he couldn't recall ever seeing Jade fight at all. During most battles Ridley could expect to be fighting with someone he knew against opponents he was unfamiliar with, so the match-up felt like a reasonable approximation of that dynamic. And Steven and Jade were each immune to one of Ridley's types, so that should help force him to think strategically about what he was doing.

 

[Chibi Pika]

"Maybe, you two," he said, gesturing to Koa and Ridley, "against Jade and myself?"

He gave the Meowth a smile.

The Beldum's eye had relaxed in a way that seemed like a smile, and Jade suddenly realized it was directed at her. "Oh, uh, sure! That's fine with me." She suddenly wished that she'd gotten a chance to talk with Steven before now, but hopefully they'd be able to read each other decently in battle.

 

[Tetra]

Koa grinned. "Sounds good to me!" He shot Ridley a look that he hoped was reassuring. It was hard to read him, given the lack of a traditional face, but that only made Koa more worried.

Well, a battle always helped back home, so maybe battling with them would help. Plus it was a chance to get to know his teammates better.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

"Sounds like we're in agreement, then," Steven said, nodding at the group before drifting away from Ridley and Koa, putting some distance between the combatants.

He waited for Jade to join him on their half of the makeshift battlefield. "I don't mean to be foward, but may I rely on you to be our primary offense in this match? I don't have much that can connect with a Mimikyu." He offered a whole body shrug that also served to gesture at his current body, implying he was well aware of a Beldum's limitations.

"If you press the attack, I'll cover you on the counters." He eyed where Ridley and Koa gathered, hopefully also discussing some kind of preliminary strategy, before looking back to Jade. "I've trained with Koa before, but Ridley has said he's less sure of his abilities in battle. Let's try to keep them both moving so they have to think on the fly. I think that will be a good exercise for today."

It looked like the other squad was almost ready. "How about yourself?" he asked Jade. "Anything in particular you'd like to work on?"

 

[Tetra]

Koa watched them strategizing, then turned to Ridley. "What do you want to try and work on? I could try and use some moves to disrupt them if you want to try some more offensive tactics. Or vice versa," he mused...

He shrugged. "Up to you! I think I might try a couple stuff I've been practicing."

 

[Hap]

"I don't know! I'm not good at this stuff!" Ridley protested. In his previous battles nobody had needed to discuss strategy beforehand; they'd all just somehow known what needed doing, and how to do it without getting in anyone else's way. They probably couldn't rely on whatever weird heroic spirit battle connection facilitated that to show up during a friendly spar, though, so probably some discussion was necessary. "Wouldn't you have a better idea than me?" He was pretty sure Koa had been a trainer back in his world.

But then again, wasn't the entire point of Ridley being here to help develop his skills and confidence in battle? He said, "You can hit a lot harder than I do, so I can try to keep them distracted with status moves while you attack? My ghost-type moves should be good against Steven, but they'll be next to useless against Jade."

 

[Chibi Pika]

"I don't mean to be foward, but may I rely on you to be our primary offense in this match? I don't have much that can connect with a Mimikyu." He offered a whole body shrug that also served to gesture at his current body, implying he was well aware of a Beldum's limitations.

Steven was asking to rely on her, and Jade tried to hold her composure. "Er, right. I'm not used to being on offense, but I can give it a try." She was used to darting around, dodging blows and running interference while scouting out openings for her team. But when it was just two of them, someone had to attack.

It looked like the other squad was almost ready. "How about yourself?" he asked Jade. "Anything in particular you'd like to work on?"

"I... might need to work on defenses--hard to stay out of the line of fire when there's only two of us," she admitted. But she did have an idea for how to do that.

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Steven's smile strengthened to something more determined, and he dipped his head towards Jade in a curt nod. "Great. I'll lend an attacking hand where I can. I look forward to battling alongside you."

That was enough strategizing for him. Hopefully Koa and Ridley made good use of the time. He turned and without preamble, called out across the battlefield.

"Let's begin!"

Steven focused, pooling magnetic energy and then distributing it to his surface. Make himself lighter, faster, harder to hit. He knew how quick Koa could be, and as much as he wanted to take things easy for Ridley's sake, being a stationary target was far too patronizing to build confidence.

He watched Koa and Ridley carefully, and then focused again, drawing that magnetism tight, like a shield, ready to absorb any blows that came his way.

He only looked away briefly, sparing a quick glance towards Jade to see she how was preparing to start the match.

Spoiler: Steven Turn 1

Steven (61 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Autotomize (-14.25 STM, +2 TMP)
- Iron Defense (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP)
Net change: -33 STM, +9 TMP
Net totals: 28 STM (43 after regen), 14 TMP
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade braced herself for the hits she'd no doubt have to endure. Just normal Pokemon battling hits, she was a Pokemon now, she could do this. No stakes, just training. She could see Steven reinforcing his metallic armor, and what if...

She reached out and clenched a paw in midair, willing herself to grab hold of her teammate's energy like'd done before. Like she'd first done when grabbing hold of Brisa's electricity and using it as if it were her own. Just focus on Steven's energy....

Spoiler: Jade Turn 1

Jade (110 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP)
- Assist (Iron Defense) (-28 STM, -2 TMP, +2 TMP)
Net change: -28 STM, +5 TMP
Net totals: 82 STM (109 after regen), 10 TMP
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Tetra]

Koa winced internally, but pushed aside Ridley's tone. Right, he should probably think of this more like working with a new pokemon for the first time... Even if Ridley had fought with them before he'd been more on the sidelines. "Sorry, you're right. Uh..." he squinted across the field, his mind racing in time with his heart. Unconsciously he shifted from paw to paw as he tried to get into the rythym of the fight. It was good to have some combat that wasn't life threatening.

"Steven might try to play defensive and protect Jade, so I'll see if I can go for him, then followup with attacks. How about you practice some moves to try and slow them down? Just strike whereever you see an opening."

He grinned. "Don't worry, we got this." Best to keep it simple for an opening, since this was training.

Spoiler: Turn 1

Koa (92 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP)
- Flash @ Steven (-10 STM, +2 TMP)
- Mach Punch @ Steven (-6 STM, +3 TMP)
Net change: -16 STM, +10 TMP
Net totals: 76 STM (92 after regen), 15 TMP
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Hap]

"Alright, let's do this," Ridley said, trying to sound more confident than he actually felt.

Even Ridley knew that beldum weren't the strongest offensively, so if Koa was going to be focusing on Steven, then Ridley would try to hinder Jade's ability to attack. He tried to make himself look as pathetic and nonthreatening as possible - hey, maybe she'd go easy on them - before throwing himself at her, hoping to catch her off-guard.

Spoiler: action

Ridley (104 STM, 5 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Call @ Koa
- Tearful Look @ Jade (-20 STM, Sure Hit, +2 TMP)
- Pounce @ Jade (-15 STM, +2 TMP)
Net change: -35 STM, +4 TMP
Net totals: 69 STM (95 after regen), 9 TMP
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Chibi Pika]

Koa's Mach Punch dealt 6 dmg to Steven!
Ridley's Pounce dealt 8 to Jade!

Jade held her paws up in front of her face, cushioning the blow that turned out to feel exactly like cloth. Huh...

"I'm gonna try to get more hits off," Jade told Steven. She wanted to ask him to cover her, but a sudden flare of self-consciousness kept her from it. Instead, she just shook her head and focused on the feel of grass beneath her paws, trying to call on a move she'd been practicing with Leaf...

Spoiler: Jade Turn 2

Jade (109 STM, 10 TMP, -1 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Focus (+5 TMP)
- Trailblaze @ Disguise (-15 STM, +2 TMP)
- AGILE Chilling Water @ Ridley (-27 STM, +2 TMP)
- Chilling Water @ Koa (-18 STM, +2 TMP)
- Play Rough @ Koa (-16 STM, Sure Hit, effect, -9 TMP, +2 TMP)
Net change: -82 STM, +4 TMP
Net totals: 27 STM (54 after regen), 14 TMP
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Set up complete, Steven looked back towards Koa and Ridley, only got get an eyeful of Flash. He flinched away from the light, vision nothing but a bright smear.

He couldn't see, but he knew Koa was coming. He could feel the faint tingle of the electric type as he drew near. Quickly. Too quickly.

Steven chimed in alarm and braced himself just in the nick of time. Koa's punch caught him broadside, but it hardly pushed him back. Good, time for a counter offensive.

"Faster," he muttered to himself. He'd need more speed to catch up with Koa. As he focused on gathering more energy, Jade pressed forward according to plan.

The spots cleared from his vision in time to watch her douse Ridley and Koa in a water type attack.

"Nicely done!" he called to her, impressed. A grass type and a water type move, and they both looked smooth. She was doing great, but he couldn't let her be their only offensive threat.

Now that he could see, he took off like a shot in pursuit of Koa. Even a glancing blow could be enough to throw the electrike off stride.

Spoiler: Steven Turn 2

Steven (43 STM, 14 TMP, +2 SPD, -1 ACC)
- Autotomize (-14.25 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** Call @ Jade
- Hold Back @ Koa (-6 STM, hit, -2 TMP, +2 TMP)
Net change: -18 STM, +2 TMP
Net totals: 25 STM (40 after regen), 16 TMP
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Chibi Pika]

Jade's Trailblaze hit Ridley's Disguise! +1 Spd
Jade's AGILE Chilling Water dealt 6 to Ridley! -1 Atk
Jade's Chilling Water dealt 9 to Koa! -1 Atk
Jade's Play Rough dealt 11 to Koa! -1 Atk
Steven's Hold Back dealt 4 to Koa!

 

[Hap]

Ridley shivered as he was Jade's Chilling Water doused him, leaving his disguise uncomfortably sodden. He threw himself at her again, mostly out of spite, and then backed off for a moment. He needed to think here, not just react.

Maybe if he timed it just right...

Steven zipped past in pursuit of Koa and Ridley threw his shadow forwards in a ghost-type sneak attack, angling it to hit Jade on its way to Steven. Too late, he realised that the energy welling up inside him felt wrong -

Spoiler: action

Ridley (95 STM, 9 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- Receive Call (+3 TMP)
- Tearful Look @ Jade (-20 STM, Sure Hit, +2 TMP)
- Pounce @ Jade (-15 STM, +2 TMP)
- **Bonus Action:** SHADOW Focus (+5 TMP)
- SHADOW Shadow Sneak @ Jade (-6 STM, +2 TMP)
- Shadow Sneak @ Steven (-9 STM, +2 TMP)
Net change: -50 STM, +16 TMP
Net totals: 45 STM (71 after regen), 25 TMP
(TAKE COVER)

 

[Tetra]

Koa shivered and shook off the blow, instinctively shaking out his pelt. His gaze shifted to Ridley, who was fine but looked like his disguised had been further battered.
Still it only took a moment for him to gather himself and spring after Steven and Jade.

Koa couldn't help but notice that there was something different. He couldn't tell exactly what except that something was off somehow, something about his frenetic counter attack...

"I've got your back, Ridley!" he called. In the wake of the mimikyu's attack he lunged with his own, first a blow to Steven then a rapid turn to attack Jade, sparks flying.

Spoiler: Turn 2

Koa (92 STM, 18 TMP, +0 SPD, +0 ACC)
- **Bonus Action:** Call @ Ridley
- CRITICAL Slash @ Steven (-13 STM, -15 TMP, +3 TMP)
- Mach Punch @ Jade (-6 STM, +3 TMP)
- Spark @ Jade (-16 STM, effect, -7 TMP, +3 TMP)
Net change: -35 STM, -13 TMP
Net totals: 57 STM (80 after regen), 5 TMP
(TAKE COVER)