[Seth Silvester]

seth silvester

Seraphina King - let me know if you want something changed or wtv~ hope i didn't take too many liberties with seraphina jogging

Seth was not here to train his body. Far from it. One look at the young man showed he collected himself in different ways (finer ways, he’d say), but he also understood the need for athletic training. At the very least for his pokemon who needed to learn in ways different than his cognitive preferences. So Seth took it upon himself to leave early enough to get to the Athletic Center before the rush of bodies, sweat, and grunts in order to train his elite group. From his stiff, albeit thin, frame you could tell the man wasn’t too comfortable in the Center. He did try to look somewhat the part with track pants and a dark green hoodie covering most of his skin. It was close enough for him. And this wasn’t for him. Sneakers squeaking against the floor, Seth walked to the middle of the field, eyeing the track encircling the field. There was a figure at the far end but not close enough to be bothersome to his own training. Pleased with his location and the room he had to work with, the man tossed a pokeball into the air. He stood stiffly as a red light flashed and a screech pierced the air. “Kubla,” he chided, tongue clucking against the roof of his mouth. “What have I said about that? We’re not rallying the troops for a battle.” His Crobat fluttered its wings indignantly, looping around in the air. Perhaps Seth had mistakingly named the pokemon when he captured it as a Zubat all those years ago. Despite being a bastardization of an ancient ruler’s name, the Crobat was rash and warmblooded like his namesake. It was trying at times, but the pair endured nevertheless. Kubla behaved mostly and Seth took the pokemon out to train more than others. “Alright. To business,” Seth commanded, waving a hand higher into the air as Kubla ascended. “Your opponent is an electric type but limited to the ground. It is attacking with Thunder and you must dodge as best you can. On your way down I want you to Mean Face followed by Poison Fang.” Kubla chirped. His frantic beat and off-beat of his wings lifted him higher and lower in the air until, suddenly, the Crobat rushed higher, sweeping around the air as if to dodge this hypothetical lightning. His face grew terrifying and Seth turned his gaze, holding back a shudder he knew he shouldn’t feel. But when he looked back, noticing Kubla’s poisoned fangs, he saw the jogger again. “Pull back!” His Crobat stopped instantly, mouth snapping shut, wings dragging it back into the air. It was a display of control and obedience not proven in most teams. And that’s what made Seth a Warden and his pokemon top tiered. “My apologizes,” Seth began, walking over to meet the jogger. “I hadn’t expected you to reach this point so quickly.” That was an athletic feat almost as impressive as Seth’s tactics.

(C) ELLIE @ GANGNAM STYLE

[Seraphina King]

Seraphina had been on the track since the early morning. A practice that had quickly become a routine since leaving her uncle's home over in Lavaridge. To be honest, she loved this track quite a bit. When you do 10 kilometers of running six days a week, having a running area that is good on your feet is vital. The concrete and rough ground from back home really did a number on her legs. But this track? Wonderful. The beach was another good place to do her running due to feet tending to sink in the sand, but this place was a bit closer and didn't result in getting sand in her shoes. She was wearing a dark reddish-violet colored track suit, along with a hoodie. The hood was over her head for various reasons. One being so that her hair wouldn't flop around, and the other being personal preference and comfort.

She was keeping track of the loops, and more specifically, how much she had run. Though she had done this enough to have a good idea of just how much she ran. There was a slight burning sensation in her lungs and muscles, but nothing serious. Every so often, she would throw out a series of jabs to go along with her running. She wouldn't slow down though. No need for that. She was pretty much entirely focused on running and counting the distance in her head. The only thing that could break her focus now was an external force of some shape. It just so happened that something was coming her way.

The hoodie blocked her side view, preventing any way for her to see what was coming. But her instincts were warning her that something hostile was coming. Quickly turning to the side, the girl raised her fists up in a stance similar to that of a boxer in the ring, ready to dodge at any moment. Of course, there seemed to be no reason to move. The threat had resolved itself. Blinking, the girl tried to process what had just happened. Of course, she did so while stretching. It was crucial to stretch after you stop running. From the looks of it, a Pokemon nearly hit her with something nasty until the trainer told it to pull back. Well, Seraphina was confident enough that she could dodge it. That, or just cocky. Close call, huh? She laughed a bit as she continued stretching. By the time she was done, the trainer had already shown up apologizing. Seraphina had a smile on her face, not really minding the situation. The trainer seemed to be an older dude. Probably a teacher or something. It's fine. That woke me up pretty good. Nearly took me by surprise.

Living on the street for a good portion of your life, followed by being trained as a fighter really helped a person's danger reflexes. Seraphina wasn't all too sure how close of a call that would have been since this dude pulled back his Pokemon. She almost wanted it to hit her, if only to see how good her reflexes were. Still. I don't know if the track field is the best place to try out your Pokemon's moves. Not that there were hoards of people running around on the track, of course.

Her breathing was a little heavy still from the running. She had finished around 8-9km already. At this point, she might as well call it a day since she stopped already. It didn't mean her training would be over, after all. There was still plenty to do. In fact she might want to train her own Pokemon later.

[Seth Silvester]

Even with the hood covering most of the girl’s features, Seth could tell she wasn’t one of his Wave charges. Certainly none of his wards had her kind of energy or physical reflexes, at least none that Seth had met so far. It was a simple observation that flickered in his head for a few moments before dying away. Friend or stranger, the circumstances would play out the same, he figured, granted the girl didn’t hold too much against Seth or his pokemon. Kubla chittered next to Seth, hovering by his side as its fangs spread into a wide grin. True to his breed, the Crobat never stopped flying as the exchange between Seth and the girl took place.

“To be fair I don’t know who reacted faster,” Seth chuckled, “You or Kubla. Either way I’m happy that we didn’t hurt you.” As Seth spoke his green eyes ran up and down the student’s clothing, checking to make sure none of Kubla’s poison had fallen onto her. The Wave dorms specialized in poison pokemon and although that didn’t mean others couldn’t know about that type, Seth had spent many years working with toxins and antidotes to be wary of their dangers.

Pleased with her condition, Seth broke his gaze to scope out the gym. No one else had entered the perimeter or had noticed the almost collusion between Crobat and human. The girl’s rebuke reddened Seth’s cheeks and stiffened his muscles. She had a point. One that Seth hadn’t even thought about when entering the Athletic Center earlier. “True,” he admitted, reluctantly acknowledging his mistake. “I was hoping with it being as empty as it I could avoid running into trouble.” Kubla fluttered and dropped to the ground, stumbling over to the girl’s legs. Seth gave the Crobat a pointed look and the pokemon stopped. He would wait to approach the girl until Seth or she allowed it.

A small smile peaked out on Seth’s face—a hint of pride over his training and bond with Kubla—before he looked back at the girl. She seemed flushed from running and given her reactions earlier Seth wouldn’t put it past the girl to be some kind of athlete. Perhaps. “Given that you’re training here first and this isn’t a great location for my team,” Seth smiled, trying to show his embarrassment was direct at himself and not at her the problem out. “I can leave if you like. Seeing as we’re battling a hypothetical opponent the location truly doesn’t matter.”

Kubla chittered agreeably, his yellow eyes switching from Seth to the girl, waiting for a signal to approach. “This is Kubla and I’m Seth,” the Warden added quickly lest he forget his manners. “He wants to say hello if you’re comfortable.”

[Seraphina King]

Seraphina got a closer look at the Pokemon that nearly ran into her. Some sort of bat thing? It was a bit scary but cute, if that could be a thing. It seemed friendly enough too, seeing as they followed all of its trainer's orders. But man, that thing was kinda big. That was probably just the wings making it seem that way. Imagining it without wings? It would be adorable. Well, I do have a lot of experience with sneak attacks. Hehe. Partially just her boasting again, but generally true given her past. She still hadn't grown to leave her guard down, despite now living at a relatively safe academy. It's possible that may change the longer she's here. The idea of always being on your toes and ready for the worst case scenario.

Meanwhile, this guy seemed to be looking up and down her clothes. Seraphina had seen that enough times to recognize it. Though, she was pretty sure he was just checking to make sure she was alright. He didn't seem like some sleazy old man. Still. She couldn't resist saying something. Putting her hands on her cheeks and pretending to be embarrassed, she spoke in a more girlish voice than usual. That's rather bold of you to check out a student like this. Especially when we're alone here. She smirked, then looked back over to the bat Pokemon.

Walking over to it, she opted not to touch it. She treated it like someone else's baby. You don't go touching it without permission, naturally. But she did approach it. With her usual smile, she spoke its name. Hey there Kubla. This was a poison type, right? Purple for poison. That was usually how she could tell a type for a Pokemon. It didn't always work, but it was effective at times. After that, she went back to address the trainer. Well, it is pretty big here. I'm pretty sure it was just bad luck. But I'm done my run for today anyway so you should be fine. She wasn't lying about that, even if it seemed like she ended it abruptly. A kilometer or two for one day wasn't going to cost her anything. By the way, my name is Seraphina. Nice to meet you. I'm pretty sure you're not a student though, right? Hell, she could be wrong. Maybe the guy grew faster than most? If not, he was probably staff.

[Seth Silvester]

Seth chuckled politely at the girl’s comment. A part of him wondered what she really meant by that, but he wasn’t one to pry. Personally, he wouldn’t want someone digging into his words no matter how innocuous sounding so why do the same to others? Instead the man turned his attention towards Kubla. The Crobat cooed at all the fuss it received from the pair but it still refused to move any closer without proper acknowledgement. Seth was moments from giving it such permission when the girl spoke again.

“I-I-I beg your pardon?” The Warden stammered, face flushing red. How could she even think that? It hadn’t crossed his mind at all. “I was looking for toxins on your clothing! I wasn’t – I wouldn’t—you’re a student!” Mortified by the accusation Seth buried his face into his hands. Not a proper action, but a human one. Even the tips of his ears burned as Seth lowered his hands and tried to compose himself. He cleared his throat, embarrassed and uncomfortable, before meeting the girl’s eyes. “I apologize if it looked like that but I wanted to be certain Kubla’s Poison Fang hadn’t dripped onto you.”

“Seeing as you’re not writhing in pain, I’ll assume everything is fine,” Seth finished, trying to mask his embarrassment behind a false façade of collectedness. His Crobat seemed to be chuckling at the situation, its wide smile growing bigger. Kubla’s excitement grew as the girl walked over to it and the Crobat’s wings flapped happily. “Calm yourself,” Seth warned, knowing the pokemon’s size could be a little intimidating at first. It was certainly not what Seth had expected when Kubla finally evolved.

Content little noises escaped Kubla as the girl addressed the pokemon by its name. Seth smiled again, his embarrassment cooling, his flush fading. “Very well, so long as we’re not intruding,” the man nodded. “A pleasure, Seraphina. And I used to be a student many years ago. I’m one of the Wardens for the Water dorms now.”

“I don’t believe I know what dorm you belong to,” it was as close to a question as Seth would get to right now. “Have you been at the Academy long?”

Feeling ignored, Kubla huffed and jumped off the ground, flapping its wings higher into the air. It pulled back, away from the humans as not to hit them and then took to the ceiling to bank around. Like a tired parent, Seth sighed, waving his hand at the Crobat. “He’s always moving.”

[Seraphina King]

The girl gave a friendly smile when she saw what her teasing had done to the guy. Poor dude. She didn't think he'd get that flustered about it. Ehehe. Sorry, sorry. That was a joke. I figured it was something like that. Geez, he was acting awfully adorable for an adult. It probably wouldn't be good to tease staff though. They might get mad. She had a loose mouth, but she knew her boundaries. His Pokemon seemed to be enjoying the show though. Always good to have a lively audience.

Warden, huh. I think I heard about what you guys do. Sort of like a dorm 'nanny.' Well. . . that's a bad way to put it, but you look after the dorms I think. She honestly didn't know what else to call them, nor did she mean any disrespect. Her vocabulary wasn't exactly the most colorful. I might be wrong though. I've only been here a few days. Still trying to figure out all the ins and outs, dos and don'ts. Wave Dorm Warden, huh? She hadn't even met the Warden of her own dorm yet. Where the hell were these people anyway? I'm from the Bolt Dorm though. On that note, Kubla seemed to be getting rather rowdy for attention.

Seth noted that he was always moving. Haha. He's like me then. Energetic and always needing to do something. I hope there'll be plenty to do around here to keep me busy. She was just like a kid. Well, she was a kid. Maybe a bit overgrown, but one just the same. My Pokemon are still tiny though. Nothing like the big guy here. One of them is supposed to get really big, but I forget what it was. It was honestly really pathetic, since Beldum was a Pokemon native to her region. Of course, Pokemon was never her field of interest. She was here to gain one if possible. She hardly knew the names of most Pokemon.

[Seth Silvester]

“We’re more than nannies,” Seth scoffed, a grin mixing into that huff of air. “A common mistake that many make their first few months here,” he continued. “While overseeing the dorms and students is part of our jobs- it’s only a small part. A majority of it is raising and acting as the school’s “gym leaders,” if you would.” Confidence seemingly pulled Seth’s stance higher as he patted the belt lined with pokeballs around his waist. “We are the best graduates of our dorm and the best battle candidates of the school. If you want to go anywhere with your time as a trainer here you have to go through us.”

Perhaps he sounded boastful with these comments. It could certainly seem like that to jealous ears or to those who didn’t understand the dedication and talent gym leaders had in order to gain and keep their position. That is not what he meant by this explanation. Seth could’ve easily been a teacher at the Academy, he had those credentials too, but he had been top marks in his graduating class. And that’s what it took to be a Warden. So while, yes, he had to deal with bickering roommates and dorm pranks, he also helped determine who deserved a Wave dorm badge and who didn’t. Seth took great pride in his team and tactics.

“But I’ve also cleaned up enough mess from hungover students to feel like a nanny,” the man chuckled warmly. “That itself should give me a badge.” This did make him wonder if the other Wardens of the Academy were actually doing their job. A visit to the Bolt Wardens may be in order sometime this week. Even if Seth had no true power over them, they were equals in rank, that didn’t mean he couldn’t light a fire in the unmotivated. He didn't like that Seraphina seemed so disconnected from how things worked at the school. He wanted to help her. 

Kubla continued his fluttering arcs in the air as the pair spoke, screeching agreeably at Seraphina’s comments. “You’ll find much to do between classes, no fears. Though the best exploring comes outside of the Academy grounds. But for that you’ll need to raise your pokemon first. Cliché as it may sound, it’s dangerous out there. And there’s always clubs and etc. to keep you occupied if that’s what you’d rather do.”

The Warden’s smile stiffened at Seraphina’s explanation of her pokemon. Bigger pokemon did not necessarily mean better pokemon, especially for Seth. Yet a trainer around her age would have basic pokemon and those normally kept to smaller sizes. They at least weren’t the type that caused Seth to panic. “Why don’t you bring them out? If you like that is. We could even test out some of your own battle tactics. Take it as a preliminary evaluation. If you have the interest and time to spare.”

At the promise of battle, Kubla swooped lower. “And don’t worry, I have pokemon that are at a beginner’s level. Kubla can wait.”

[Seraphina King]

Well, they certainly were more than nannies. Moreover, Seraphina was rather intrigued by what they did do. A gym leader? Even she was familiar with what that was. More specifically, what the Gym Challenge as a whole was. So they had one of those here for the students to partake in? Now that sounded interesting. This whole academy thing suddenly got a bit more interesting. Hehe. Now that sounds like something up my alley. I figured I'd just be battling some of the other kids around here. I'd rather be aiming big. In all honesty, when she had heard about the Battle Tactics class, her first instinct was to challenge the teacher to see what they were like. Did she honestly believe she had a shot at beating them? Well, she had seen worse. But if there was a school dedicated to just fighting, a teacher would likely outclass her. But fighting them wasn't a matter of winning. It was a matter of gauging how high the bar went.

She whistled at his explanation of what the Wardens specifically were. So you were from the best of the best in your class. Interesting. His confident words only served to fuel her fire. How was she suppose to pass up something like that? Seraphina had no intentions to be a great Pokemon trainer. Nor did she intend to pursue a career even remotely involving Pokemon. But a challenge like this? It had her name written all over it. But from the sounds of it, Seth had his hands full with more than just challenging high-aiming students. Geez. That doesn't sound as fun. Yeah, clearly they need to let the wardens earn a set of nanny badges! So the elite of the school who test the students also end up babysitting the problem kids? Sounded rough. If I was warden, I'd beat some sense into those kids until they cleaned it up. Then again. . . I probably wouldn't be a warden very long. Probably for the best. Didn't seem like her cup of tea.

Yeah, my roomie told me there were classes or something. But I've already found a few interesting things to do so far. Like pestering the wildlife. Of course, she meant well those last few times she was out. Clubs though? Maybe she should see if any are looking. There could be something cool in there. More importantly, the Gym Challenge seemed interesting to her.

Sure. Lemme grab em. She reached around, trying to figure out where she left the Pokeballs. Seraphina had quickly learned that she should bring them wherever she goes. Luckily, she had not forgotten today. Tossing out two of them, she showed them off. Her Beldum and Togepi were on display. This little guy here is Tyson. He specializes in full-body assault. The Togepi here is Sugar Ray, I just call him Sugar. He likes to mess my room up. But a mock battle, huh? She had more Pokemon with her if she needed them, but two would suffice. I don't suppose I get a badge if I beat you then, huh? She laughed, since she probably couldn't. But if she could? Hell. She'd take it. He said that he would be using beginner Pokemon anyway. Part of her wanted to tell him to use his best Pokemon, but that rarely present rational side to her wanted to see how her Pokemon did in a nearly even match-up. I have more if you want to see them, but these are the ones I was given when I got here. Sure enough, those two Pokemon seemed rather energetic and ready to tussle. Well, Sugar did. Tyson had a blank expression like always.

[Seth Silvester]

Seth took great pleasure in people’s reaction to his real duties as a Warden. It was a self-indulgent attitude, but he couldn’t help it. He had worked and continued to work hard to keep his position at the Academy. One day his age will disqualify him from the title, but he was hoping that if he could prove himself the school may take an exception to this rule. It’s a conversation he’s hinted about to other Wardens but had yet to bring up with the school board directly. He wasn’t afraid of making this request nor the results of it, but he did want to wait for the most favorable time. And now was not it. “Your peers keep you level,” Seth replied, “but we will push you beyond that.” And from Seraphina’s actions so far, she seemed the type to never settle for mediocre. That Seth appreciated.

“I am,” Seth added quickly to Seraphina’s observation about Wardens. Why would he talk about his talent in the past tense? He still was the best in his class and (to Seth’s eyes) the best of what the Wave dorm had to offer right now. Even in the moment he was assured of himself. It was a quiet and controlled kind of boastfulness. Not loud, like some, but deliberate. He corrected a few statements here and there—enough tweaks in a whole conversation that, when looked at together, hinted towards his egotistical nature. Yet, when viewed individually, as most people registered the comments, they seemed innocent enough.

The Warden chuckled when Seraphina agreed about the nanny badges. “It is equal parts wanting to help and teach others as it is wanting to prove yourself and be the best,” he elucidated, boney shoulders shrugging lightly. Having nothing else to say on the matter, Seth stepped back to give Seraphina’s pokemon room. While he assumed they would be on the smaller scale, he wasn’t going to risk anything. Seth Silvester was never and never will be a risk taker in that sense.

His green eyes honed in on the pokemon as they appeared from their pokeballs. A Beldum and Togepi then. Steal/Physic partnered with a Fairy type. Interesting. The Beldum fitted Seraphina’s Bolt Dorm so that left the Togepi as the odd man out. It must have been a pokemon Seraphina brought with her or one she captured in the wild, Seth guessed. “Tyson and Sugar,” Seth repeated, kneeling down to look at the pair. The Warden left a respectable distance between him and the other pokemon as he nodded a hello to the creatures. He didn’t know their personality and doubted how many humans they had interacted with besides Seraphina. “Both of these pokemon will be powerful if you train them. Especially that Beldum given how many types he is resistant to.” It was almost a compliment.

“Sadly no badge,” Seth answered as he stood back up and reached for two of his own pokeballs. He left Kubla out to dance around in the sky and keep an eye on things. If someone else was to walk in to use the gym while they battled, Kubla could quickly contain things if need be. Seth also wanted to give Kubla as much free time outside of his pokeball as he could. “For now we can stick with 2v2 but if you’d like to try out the rest I too have more pokemon we can battle with. Let’s just see how you handle this round first.” There was a challenge and friendly taunt to his words and Seth quickly threw Seraphina a playful look before he brought out his own pokemon.

Appearing before Seth was a Barboach and Bellsprout. The two couldn’t be farther apart in nature as the first only wanted to cause trouble and the latter stood there patiently. Because of the Barboach's sensitive skin and tendency to dry up and weaken when not wet, a bubble of water formed around the piscine pokemon. The trick, trained by Seth, allowed Herger to battle outside of the water. It was something he tried to teach his own Wave wards. “The Barboach is Herger and the Bellsprout Jataka,” Seth introduced as he took a few more steps back. He was eager to judge Seraphina’s raw skills before she learned anything here.

(Let me know if the water bubble is not allowed. I imagined Herger floating in the middle of it so he can move and whatnot without flopping like a fish on land. I also assumed that it wouldn't hinder any attacks made on him, granting no bonus to defense or etc. It's purely for aesthetic reasons haha. Was just trying to figure out how water pokemon could fight without it being like the show. But if it doesn't work for site rules I'll edit.)

[Seraphina King]

Good. I'd get bored if there wasn't anybody to challenge me. Seraphina, in all honesty, had no idea how good she was at battling other trainers. She had never done it. But she had a confidence in herself that said that she had an edge against other students. Perhaps it was the fact that she could remain calm? If she could remain calm in an actual fight, why would she be nervous giving orders to the one fighting?

Yeah, being a Warden doesn't seem to fit me after all. Maybe I'll focus on not being the best so someone else gets picked to become one. She was mostly joking. But she honestly couldn't see wanting to become a Warden. Helping other people realize their potential? Count her out. It wasn't that she thought helping others was stupid. It as simply something that she felt incapable in doing successfully. Through and through, she was a lone wolf. Just as her success was built off her own back, she wouldn't have any way of teaching others. It was simply against her nature.

Seth's appraisal of her Pokemon was noted, albeit taken lightly. Oh? That's always good I suppose. Worrying about the type of Pokemon was something that Seraphina would likely never do. Even when odds were against her in every possible way, she managed to outperform what she was expected. Why should Pokemon be any different? Both of them would be champs if they stuck with her, under her assumption. As for the part where she would be getting no badge, she was a bit annoyed. It wasn't anything to get angry about. But if she beat him, she'd feel like she deserved one.

Sure. 2v2 for now. She noted the two new Pokemon, one being something she caught recently. A grass type called Bellsprout. The other one could only be identified as some sort of water type. Well, whatever. Not like it mattered. She didn't have anything particularly super effective on them, between the two Pokemon she had out. Alrighty. Sugar you go out first. She honestly wasn't sure who her opponent was first. She knew that the 'challenger' in a gym battle goes first, usually. Even if this wasn't an official one. Since I'm not sure who my opponent is. . . Sugar, start out with Wish! Her logic was that if he attacked next turn, it would get healed right back up anyway. Not like she knew who to attack. Meanwhile, her little Togepi conjured up a wish for the time being.

Togepi used Wish. Active Pokemon will be healed for 50% total HP next turn.

(I'm also assuming we're not using held items.)

[Seth Silvester]

“You don’t have to accept the position so you can still be the best,” Seth added, voice trailing off as he looked down at his two pokemon. Out of his challenge and non-challenge teams, these two made for three of his weakest pokemon. This was done on purpose, of course, he had to be able to battle all kinds of opponents and that included ones like Seraphina with no Academy or battle training. A small part of him secretly hoped she hadn’t trained her own pokemon up by herself so far. To lose to an entry student would be embarrassing to say the least.

Seraphina didn’t seem that impressed with how promising her team could be if she trained them, Seth observed. That was disappointing. He hoped that Seraphina would be as eager to achieve the most with her team as she was with her own athletic prowess. Perhaps Seth had placed too much assumption on a non-Wave student he’d only just met. It wasn’t his job to train her or encourage the girl. His only obligation right now was to appraise and test. And win.

“Jataka, please,” Seth spoke as the Bellsprout took to the ‘arena’ they had improvised. Seraphina may have wanted to start off with healing her pokemon in the future, but Seth’s plan was to harm in the long run. His methods were slow and tenacious. “Poison Powder your opponent.”

His Bellsprout responded without making a noise as its root-like feet ran over to Sugar. Jataka jumped just before reaching the Togepi, rustling its leaves as a flurry of purple powder rained down from its body and onto Sugar.

Jataka uses Poison Powder. Rolling for accuracy (75%). t2TtTVBN1-100.

(Agreed. No items. Also, I'm not sure if I'm following the battle rules correctly. Is this proper?)1-100·1-100

[Seraphina King]

I suppoooose. Her intentions were still to do so, of course. She was going to put out her all regardless. And her Pokemon? She would be doing what she needed to make them succeed. She didn't need to worry about the type of Pokemon they were. She felt that she could train even the weakest Pokemon into a winner if she tried.

So as the battle started, Sugar seemed more than eager to kick some butt. Even if he thought he was packing some heat, Seraphina knew his attacks were nothing to write home about. He was a baby that she hadn't even begun training yet. Tyson was only getting the focused treatment because he was even worse off! Suffice to say, these were not strong Pokemon in the least. But what they lacked in raw power, they could make up for with strategy. By the way, Seth. I hope you didn't just fall into this trap to make me feel better. She had a big grin on her face after the Bellsprout used Poison Powder. I figured you might go for a non-combat move if I used a healing move despite not taking damage. It was a strategy that could have easily failed, but would have no real downside to it. Unless of course, the Bellsprout somehow knocked Sugar down in one hit. But if that was the case, there would probably be no way they could win.

I won't say that I'm getting out unscathed, of course. Poison seems nasty. Sugar, use Encore! The little Togepi suddenly started clapping for the Bellsprout and its Poison Powder. Naturally, Seraphina decided to clap along with him. When she saw what the move Encore did, she could only formulate devious things in her mind. She wasn't the type to think with big strategies, but she could pull a few tricks if she wanted.

Togepi takes some Poison damage.
Togepi used Encore. Bellsprout will be forced to use Poison Powder for 2-6 turns.

Number of Turns: W2trg|7E2-62-6

[Seth Silvester]

Smart move, Seth appraised, approving of the girl’s tactics the moment she spoke. None of this showed on his face as he kept it level and serious. He was battling—he wasn’t here to coddle or build egos out of students. They would have to earn that on their own time. “I’m not the giving kind,” he replied, watching as his Bellsprout landed back on the gym floor. “What you do today, you earn.” Seth glanced over at Seraphina’s face, noticing the large grin she wore. Seth couldn’t help but smile back. At least she seemed to be enjoying herself…or she was proud of her tactics. Why shouldn’t she be? It was good for a beginner.

Jataka blinked back at its opponent, jumping from one foot to the next as it reacted to the effects of Encore. His Bellsprout never spoke much. Knowing there would be little use in having Poison Powder repeat for three more turns, Seth decided to work around that. This was no binding move. It did not imprison him to use of just Jataka for the time being. Unfortunately, Seth understood the drawbacks to having Jataka as his reserve pokemon if Herger should now fail. Jataka would still be under Encore’s effects for the duration of the battle.

“Jataka, switch out. Herger, your turn.”

The bubbled Barboach took to the field as Bellsprout withdrew to Seth’s side, watching the scene quietly. Switching pokemon would take up a turn, but it now meant he had a full move-set to work with and Sugar would still be poisoned.

"Let's see if you can keep this up or if it was just begininger's luck," Seth teased.

Jataka withdraws and Herger is brought out.
Jataka still under Encore's effects for 3 turns.

[Seraphina King]

Good, good. I'd be mad otherwise. The battle was turning out to be pretty fun, at least. Her encore trick did something, but it would be a matter of whether Sugar would succumb to the poison or take out his opponent first. She had no intentions of losing, whether her opponent was a Warden or not. She'd feel as if she had made a fool out of herself if she failed here on her first battle. She was a champ. Not some second rate fighter.

Alright then. Offense time. Sugar, use Ancient Power. This was a neat little move. It had a small chance to boost all of his stats when used. It wasn't very strong, but Togepi didn't learn too many high power moves naturally. This move was at least a good compromise. Levitating a bunch of rocks in the air, Sugar hurdled them into the floating fish. The battle had been going on for a few turns, and this would be the first actual directly offensive move. Hopefully that would change from here on. Biding her time was not like Seraphina. Making clever traps for her opponent to fall into? Sure. But she didn't have a lot of patience. She could easily heal Sugar back up with Wish, but that would only be prolonging the battle. In a way, she almost wanted to forego the smart move of playing it safe. She didn't know how hard that fish could hit, but if it couldn't hit much harder than Wish could heal, it wouldn't matter.

Of course, there was the issue of the poison. But as soon as Seraphina remembered that, she stopped worrying about it. Screw it. All-out offensive. She didn't need to play safe to beat these Pokemon. She could win the same way she won her own battles. Pure, senseless violence.

Togepi uses Ancient Power. 20% chance (with Serene Grace) to boost all stats 1 stage.

OP5smRX81-1001-100

[Seth Silvester]

Seth was tentatively pleased when he switched Jataka for Herger but after the Ancient Power attack he was completely satisfied with his choice. The rocks collided into Herger, bouncing off the pokemon’s scales as he grunted unhappily from the hit. But given that Ancient Power is a Rock based attack and Seth’s Barboach was partially resistant towards that type, the move wasn’t too effective. Seraphina’s lack of experience showed in her decision here. Give it time and she would pick up on different types and recognize what type is strong and weak to what. Like her Sugar being weak to poison. Or his Jataka weak to Flying.

The man smiled confidently. “Switching to an offensive attack, are we? Allow me to pay the same respect.” Waving his fingers at the Togepi, the motion fluid and delebrate, Seth spoke again. “Mud-Slap, now.”

Twirling around inside its bubble of water, Herger spat mud out from his mouth and, combining it with some water, slapped it towards the Togepi. “You may want to move back some, Seraphina,” Seth mused, knowing that the spray could reach father than the attack. It usually was only a couple drops of mud here and there, but Seth could at least offer some kind of warning. He wasn’t heartless.

What he loved about Mud-Slap was that, like Ancient Power, it was an offensive move, but it also dropped the opponent’s accuracy. He loved an opponent riddled with status effects.

Barboach has 1/2 resistance towards Ground moves. Takes some damage.
Barboach uses Mud-Slap. Drops opponents accuracy by one.