Quick-Stop; Gym Battle = Temporarily Postponed.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Ironhide walked at a brisk pace, heading towards the PokeCenter. She saw the Gym just across the street; it was so close, yet so far. She had promised to get Melebi the help she wanted before doing the Gym Battle, however, and she intended to keep that promise. She entered the sliding doors and took her entire belt off and handed it to Nurse Joy, every Pokemon recalled before she had even entered town. "You look in a rush today," Nurse Joy said in her usual cheerful voice as she placed the Pokemon on top of a tray hooked up to the healing machine. "Yeah... I have to get to the Power Plant. I have some business that needs to be taken care of over there before I do anything else," Ironhide replied. "Oh, well, do be careful there. I hear there's some pretty strong Pokemon the farther you go in," Nurse Joy said. "Thanks Nurse Joy; I'll keep that in mind," Ironhide said, as she smiled and headed back out of town, to where she had entered; where she had told Melebi to wait. Now, it was onto the Power Plant. As soon as that was done, she would be back here.

((Will return to this same thread as soon as the Power Plant thread is finished with. Please do not move this thread! Thank you.))

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[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

"It feels good to return here, doesn't it? After that incident with Melebi..." Ironhide said, wiping sweat from her brow. It had been quite the long walk from the Power Plant back to Avura town.
+Indeed. The Power Plant gave me the heebie jeebies...+

[/color] Mo said as he waddled along beside Ironhide.
"I'm sure it wasn't just you. How much electricity was running through that place is enough to make anyone on edge. And hearing that constant buzzing was enough to give me a headache," she said with a smile.
+So, against this Gym Leader... who are you going to use?+[/color] Mo asked after a few moments of silence.
"Well, I haven't decided completely yet... I'm not going to use the Flaaffy... a type-advantage would make it much too easy, in my opinion. I'm thinking of using you and Geth, honestly. You haven't gotten any action lately, and I know Geth likes to participate in every battle he can get in, unless something's changed with him." Ironhide said, stopping in the Pokemon Center. After all of her Pokemon were refreshed, she headed toward the Gym; she paused by the PokeMart, wondering... would they carry any Exp. Shares? It would be a great time for her Bulbasaur to gain some experience.
+Thinking about the little one? You should go in and ask.+[/color] Mo said, giving her a gentle push forward.
"Well, alright... Alvaro will keep you company." Ironhide said, releasing her Riolu. "Relax for a bit, you two. I'll be back out in a jiffy." she said, entering the PokeMart.
+What is she doing?+[/color] Alvaro asked curiously.
+Seeing if this PokeMart carries any Exp. Shares so she can use it on the little one,+[/color] Mo said, sitting down and leaning against the building. Alvaro hopped up onto Mo's shoulders and sat there, staring up into the sky.
+Say, why don't we think of a name for him while she's in there?+[/color] Alvaro suggested.
+Well, I'd be happy to oblige with that, except, well... not sure if Ironhide would approve of what we come up with.+[/color] Mo said.
+Oh, come on! Darvy will at least consider it. She won't say a flat-out 'no',+[/color] Alvaro said, hopping off of Mo. Sighing, Mo reluctantly agreed, and the two began thinking of name possibilities.

"Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't have any... this place is pretty small." Ironhide said to herself with a sigh. If they didn't have one, she'd just have to wait until they either a) reached a bigger town, or b) traveled to the universal trainer shops and back. Not seeing any on the shelves right off, she approached the counter. "Would you happen to carry any Exp. Shares?" she asked.
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[~/Birdybot\~]

The clerk frowned. Exp. Share? She might have seen one of those somewhere. Actually, yes! She was sure she'd seen one in this shop! She remembered the manager stocking them to try and bring more money in, since they were such a popular item! It seemed to be working, then. Er... but where were they? The clerk scanned the shelves, guessing that Ironhide had only asked because she hadn't found an Exp. Share anywhere else. Her scan proved her right so far.

So where could they be? The clerk looked under the counter. Boxes of spare stuff, a few of the more valuable items, and aha! An Exp. Share! The clerk brandished it proudly. Of course it would be under the counter. Such a popular item would be prone to shoplifting otherwise, after all. The clerk handed it to Ironhide, smiling. "Right, that'll be 3,000 SH, please." she requested, waiting for the girl to hand over the money. The manager had been right; they would make a decent profit selling these to customers.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

"Ah, thank you!" Ironhide said happily, fishing 3,000 SH out of her bag. They were only 3,000 SH? That was pretty darn cheap for such a highly sought-after item. Smiling and giving her thanks, Ironhide left the PokeMart happily, reassured that the recently-hatched Bulbasaur would get stronger and not worry about having to battle on his own. "Alright, you two, let's-" Ironhide said, but was cut off by Alvaro.
+Erm, Darvy, we were thinking...+

[/color] he started, and Mo took over.
+Perhaps the little Bulbasaur should receive a name, too. After all, you've named all of us.+[/color] he said.
"...Alright. Yeah, of course I'll figure out a name for him, but-"she started, but was cut off by Alvaro again.
+So we took the liberty of figuring out a name for you so you don't have to worry about it!+[/color] he said energetically.
+The two of us finally decided Barry would sound neat.+[/color] Mo said.
"Barry...? Hmm. I like it," Ironhide said with a smile.
+Told you, Mo!+[/color] Alvaro said with a playful punch. Mo sighed and headed toward the obvious-looking building that was the Gym.
"Well, I guess someone's eager to get some action." Ironhide said. Mo ignored her, but a smile played on his face; he was, in fact, quite eager to do another battle. It had been a while, and honestly, he felt somewhat lazy. A good battle should change that, he knew.

Once inside the Gym, Ironhide released Geth. "Alright Geth. You ready for another battle?" she asked.
+What? Another battle? Can't I sit this one out?+[/color] he protested, crossing his small arms.
"You don't want to do this one? That's unlike you..." Ironhide said, scratching her head. Geth turned his head sideways, making it quite clear he refused to partake in this battle. "Well, alright... Alvaro, you up for it?" Ironhide asked.
+You bet!+[/color] Alvaro said excitedly. Ironhide returned the stubborn Bagon, and proceeded to let out the young Bulbasaur, who presently looked quite tired. She patted and rubbed his head affectionately, then strapped the Exp. Share on. The Bulbasaur didn't like it too much, but didn't protest.
"This will make you stronger just by watching." Ironhide said. The Bulbasaur looked up at Ironhide curiously, then to Mo and Alvaro.
+Stronger!+[/color] it said happily, hopping into Ironhide's arms.
"Yes, stronger." she said, nuzzling the Bulbasaur. "Alright, I believe we're ready for our battle," Ironhide said to Tena.

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[~/Birdybot\~]

Tena watched as her latest challenger talked with her Pokémon. She might trainer Water types, but that didn't stop her thinking about how cute that little Bulbasaur was. It seemed Ironhide was using the Exp. Share to boost its level, and if her guessing was right she'd hatched the little Grass type at some point, and he was behind her other Pokémon. Then a Riolu she called Alvaro stepped forward, and Ironhide declared that she was ready for battle. Tena nodded, facing the pool-like arena.

The battlefield was like an ordinary one, just in the form of a pool. A number of fixed platforms rose from it for Pokémon to stand on, close enough to each other for the Pokémon to be able to jump from one to the other. Tena released a Totodile, as she always did at the start of a battle. The crocodile Pokémon rolled his shoulder muscles and tested his jaw, satsified he was ready. Tena then gave the first order. "Totodile, Water Gun!" she called.

The Water type obeyed, gathering strength together before sending a powerful jet of water Alvaro's way. The attack looked quick, accurate and powerful. That could only be expected, since Tena must have practiced it so many times with her Pokémon. It would be hard to dodge, but Alvaro did have a level advantage here.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

"Alright, Alvaro. Let's show them how this is done! You've trained good and hard; now is the time to see it pay off. Use a Force Palm on the Water Gun!" Ironhide shouted quickly to her Riolu. Though the Totodile wasn't as high of level as Alvaro was, it was definite that it would be somewhat challenging. Just the speed of the Totodile's attacks was a sign of great training. Alvaro felt a chill go down his spine; not from being scared, but rather from excitement. He finally got to be in a battle! Alvaro put his left paw forward, and as soon as he felt the first droplets hit, he used a Force Palm to ward off most of the attack. Of course, with the Water Gun being so large, it was impossible to not get hit by some of it, so by the time the attack had finished, he was dripping with a little water, minimal damage received.
+Heh, not bad.+

[/color] Alvaro said, hopping from foot to foot, ready to use an attack.
"Right; Alvaro, use a Quick Attack!" Ironhide said, a determined smile on her face. Alvaro complied, and as soon as the 'k' from the word 'Attack' had gotten off of her tongue, Alvaro had sped forward at the Totodile.

+Ooh. Makes me anxious for my battle. I really do need to work out some...+[/color] Mo said, watching the battle at hand carefully.
+Battle! Battle!+[/color] the Bulbasaur said happily. +Al go, Al go!+[/color] he said, cheering on his teammate. Mo looked at the young, enthusiastic Bulbasaur and smiled; he would make a valuable asset in the future. With that kind of enthusiasm this early on, he was sure to have an iron will in the future.

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[~/Birdybot\~]

Totodile was surprised that Alvaro had managed to avoid damage through a Force Palm. That was quite skillfull, actually. He would have been pleased with his opponent had he not been, well, his opponent. Since Alvaro was fighting against him, he wasn't too happy. The Riolu had then shot off for a Quick Attack. Totodile made a dive for the water, but Alvaro was coming too quickly. The Riolu's Quick Attack struck before Totodile could do anything about it, and the crocodile found himself moaning on the floor. Being a gym leader's Pokémon, he was quick to get back on his feet.

Tena was rather impressed with her opponent. Either Ironhide had some pretty good quick thinking going on there, or she had trained with her Pokémon, planning moves like that earlier. Whatever the case, it was a sure sign that she was in for a good battle. The Water type gym leader could see that Alvaro was at a higher level than her Totodile, but that had never seemed to worry her too much before. Why start worrying now? She could see a good thing come out of that move; Alvaro was now on the same platform as her Pokémon. That meant she had a good oppertunity for a physical hit. "Totodile, Ice Punch!"

Happy to obey, Totodile clenched a fist. This was good, since Ice Punch was his most powerful attack. He was pleased to get the chance to use it, and only hoped it would prove a sucessful hit. The Water type felt his fist coat with ice within moments of his clenching it, a sign of another well-practiced move. He swung his punch for Alvaro, hoping that this Ice Punch would hit the Riolu since they were standing right next to each other.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Alvaro knew that this battle would, but wouldn’t be easy. Easy because the Totodile was a lower level and shouldn’t take as many hits to take but, but not easy because the Totodile had undergone much training and could deal with any opponent. However, he was glad that his attack had hit the Totodile before he hit the water; though he was fast on land, in the water he wouldn’t stand much of a chance against a Water-type. He stood perhaps a foot away from the Totodile, waiting for him to make his move.

Ironhide was glad that the Totodile hadn’t been weakened too much by the Quick Attack. It would be a shame, really, if the Totodile proved to be defeated in merely one hit. Comparing the Totodile and Alvaro, Ironhide figured they were perhaps at the same level of experience, or very close to. The outcome of this battle would likely rely on strategy alone. She’d have to be thinking a few steps ahead if she wanted to win this. When she heard the call for an Ice Punch, it took her only a second to figure out what she wanted to retaliate with. It would be impossible to dodge, of course; so, they could retaliate with a close-ranged attack of their own! It pained her to see Alvaro get hit and have her do nothing about it, but not every move can be dodged. “Alvaro, retaliate with a Force Palm!” she called out.

Alvaro felt the Ice Punch swell around his right front paw; he could feel a few small places where the ice had gathered, but kept his paw up to keep it from hitting any major part of his body. When he heard the command ‘Force Palm’, he immediately struck out with his left paw. Since the Totodile was in close-range as well, it would be somewhat hard to dodge, but… you never know. It was wishful thinking that his attack would hit.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Totodile was pleased his Ice Punch had hit, but had been taught by Tena not to celebrate in order to keep his focus fully concentrated on the battle. The Water type was indeed fully concentrated on the battle, and attempted to dodge the Force Palm. However, from this close up, it was an almost definately hit, as was pretty much any move. The Force Palm struck, making the crocodile wince in pain. That move stung an awful lot.

Tena could see that the battle appeared to have moved to a close range thing. That wasn't always too good, because although she'd manage to get in a better number of hits, so would her opponent. She always liked to take advantage of her large battling area, and today would be no exception to that. The gym leader quickly thought up a plan to take advantage of the close-range aspect of the current battle, then quickly shift it through to a long-range one. "Totodile, use a Bite, then dive!" she called.

Totodile prepared his Bite attack, flexing his jaws lightly. He knew he could do this, but the question was whether he could do it well enough. He lunged for Alvaro, snapping his jaws shut powerfully. Whether or not it hit or not, once the proper damage had been dealt to the Riolu or maybe thin air if somehow he had dodged, Totodile released his grip. The Water type then flipped backwards off the side of the platform, diving neatly into the water where he swam away from Alvaro, treading water by remaining at the surface so to keep an eye on his opponent.

[{ ~ Ironhide ; ; }]

Alvaro growled challengingly at the Totodile as the Force Palm successfully hit. Damn Water-types... he thought to himself. That was the advantage of them; they could last for however long they wanted in water, as well as had water-type attacks. The only thing Alvaro had were close-range; a disadvantage if Tena decided to take advantage of Alvaro not being a Water-type. Alvaro took a step back and faced the Totodile, wincing slightly as he tried flexing his right paw; the ice didn't seem like it would be going away any time soon.
"Totodile, use a Bite, then dive!"
What was the meaning of this? Unless the Totodile planned on dragging him into the water- too late to do anything. At the moment, the Totodile was in better shape than Alvaro, and although Ironhide had asked him to dodge, he knew it was hopeless unless he could somehow hop to another platform... very unlikely. Alvaro cried out in pain as the Totodile's jaw locked around his bad arm. Pain plus more pain... that made him mad. Although the attack was brief, and the Totodile showed off by doing a blackflip into the water, Avlaro was determined to win.

The way this battle was going seemed to be in favor of Tena... now that Totodile was in the water, and he could use long-range Water-type attacks, he was at an advantage. What to do? What should I do? No matter how I play my cards, this doesn't seem like it will end well at all... Ironhide thought to herself, panicking.
+Tough situation... my advice would be to have Alvaro use a Force Palm for any long-range attacks, and the next close-range attack, let him get hit, then retaliate with Counter,+

[/color] Mo said quietly without taking his gaze away from the battlefield.
"Thanks, Mo... but I can't just have him stand there waiting for the Totodile to attack..." Ironhide replied, heaving a troubled sigh. "If he goes into the water, he'll be at a disadvantage; he can't swim near as fast as Totodile..." Ironhide mumbled to herself, straining to think up a strategy. Then her face lit up, an idea springing to mind.
+My, my... crazy as ever..[/color] Mo said with a smile as he read Ironhide's thoughts.
"Alright, Alvaro. Use a Quick Attack to get to Totodile, then hang on as best you can and don't let go!" she exclaimed. She wasn't sure if it would work with Alvaro's arm the way it was, but she wouldn't know unless she tried.

What in the world is she thinking? I'll lose my grip easily once I get in the water... Alvaro said as he used a Quick Attack to go from platform to platform, eventually getting to the one closest to the Totodile before going in for the attack. Screw it. Perhaps this will have a meaning after all... Sorry for the abuse you'll be getting... Alvaro said in reference to his right arm as he closed in on the Totodile, time passing by slowly so that every step he took seemed to last a minute.

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[~/Birdybot\~]

Totodile watched as Alvaro shot across the platforms towards him, yelping slightly from fear. He might be faster on water than on land, but he wasn't fast enough to escape the Riolu, that was for sure. Perhaps it might be an advantage to have the jackal in the water? The crocodile was trying to look on the bright side of life. The Quick Attack struck and Totodile cried out in pain. The water absorbed some of the impact, but that didn't mean he wasn't hurt from something diving on top of him, pushing him underwater. He looked around to find Alvaro, not too bothered by the fact that he was under the surface of the blue, reasonably clear water.

Tena could see that Alvaro was clearly stronger than Totodile, while Totodile had more experience, being a gym Pokémon at a frozen level. She hoped this would be enough. The battle had been continuing for some amount of time now, and it looked to her as if the two Pokémon were pretty even after that last attack. The problem was that Alvaro was too fast, although now he was in the water that shouldn't be so much of a problem. Now all she had to worry about was winning this. "Totodile, use Leer then Scratch!" she called, deciding to go more close-range.

The Water type would have preferred using a long-range attack, but his trainer knew what she was doing and his only long range move, Water Gun, would be dullened by the water he was underneath. Rising slowly, he glared at Alvaro in his defence-lowering Leer before quickly making a swipe for the Riolu, sending a spray of water into the air with his Scratch attack.

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