/in the/ Forest |light of| Travel \the moon\

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron was growing tired. The day had gone, and night had grown without her really noticing. The clear purple-navy sky was scattered with twinkling bright stars, and the round full moon bathed the world below in it's silver light. However, the Espeon 'morph was having a hard time seeing the sky; there were very few gaps in the trees, making it hard to know when it was day and when it was night. So far, she had relied on her love of day and her watch. According to it, they had been walking for several hours now. They being her, Fairo the shiny Charmeleon walking at her side, using his tail flame to help him see, Fiela the winged silver Espeon, who was walking at Sulteron's other side and had the girl's hand resting on her shoulders. Zen, the party coloured Dratini, whose eyelids were drooping from her place around Sulteron's neck. Minati, the shiny Starravia, who swooped alongside Prisul the Aerodactyl, landing on a branch to wait for the others to catch up before swooping further. Finally, Mizu the Buizel, who was striding confidently ahead of Sulteron.

Sulteron slowed, noticing that the others were all as tired as she was. "Hey, guys? Anyone else want to set up camp and call it a day?" she called to them all. They all deserved a good rest, and there was enough room for them all to sleep comfortably in her light-weight, warm and cosy tent which folded up small. It was a useful thing, that tent. The other Pokémon nodded gratefully. They all enjoyed being out in their Pokéballs, which Sulteron did as often as she could. She presently reached into her backpack, drawing out her tent. She set it up, then crawled inside, looking about. They'd all just fit, but she'd probably buy a larger tent at the next oppertunity, for when they evolved. She set up har Pokémon's preferred bedding; Fairo, Zen and Mizu a small Pokémon sleeping bag and Fiela, Minati and Prisul, a basket and blanket. They all settled down, drifting off to sleep in the warm, sealed tent.

Fairo was lying next to Sulteron. ~Do you think we'll be attacked while we sleep? What lives out here anyway?~[/color] he asked, a little fearful. Sulteron smiled. "Don't worry, Fairo. We'll be all right. We can fight something off if we're attacked, and I have potions and stuff. If the worst comes to the worst, we can always dial 9-1-1." she reassured him. He relaxed a little. ~Oh, right, the police and rangers could help. How much do you know about this route?~[/color] he asked. Sulteron shrugged, awkward when lying down. "Not much. I know that you either have very good luck here, or very bad luck. Legend has it that a legendary Pokémon here looks into your soul and sees if you are good or bad, and guides you if you are good, but smites you if you are bad. That's supposed to be the reason for the good or bad luck thing." she said. She wondered if there really was a legendary here. Maybe it was just a story. But legendary Pokémon did exist; she'd seen a Ho-oh with Arley; they had a feather of the great bird! Well, she ought to get some sleep, whatever happened in this forest. After making sure her Pokémon were all right and safely snoring, she relaxed. Soon she dozed off, falling asleep at last.[/size]

[;AL P H A]

< Noon. Linoone... >

From the bushes, something was watching enviously as Sulteron and her team set up a tent and went to sleep. It looked so lovely and warm in there... the Pokémon shivered as the night air nipped at its limbs. It would wait until morning. No use ambushing her now, surely...



Night was relatively short, and dawn soon followed. Of course, it wasn't at all easy to tell. A beam of light shafted onto the tent, tinted blue by the peculiar foliage above. The forest seemed... alive. It rustled and whispered. Somewhere, a Fearow was crying out to greet the new day, and it was overall a much more inviting place than it had been last night. Sure, it was still rather dark, rather spooky and rather claustrophobia-inducing, but at least in places it was light enough to see earlier. However, any chance of a nice lie-in was broken apart as a pale blotch shot into one of the walls of the tent.

< Come out and fight! > Claws battered at the soft fabric. < Invaders! Traitors! >

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron and Fiela were the first to wake. They woke before they were aware that the Linoone was even there, when light was first starting to spread about the sky above the dark canopy. They yawned and stretched, smiling to each other before getting back into their beds. It was still early, the others weren't awake yet and it was very warm and comfy in there. Then the Espeon 'morph's ears pricked up at a thudding and scratching, and she sat up in time to see a pale blotch. Then came the shouting. Sulteron saw Fiela's muscles tense, wings move away from her body ever so slightly as she prepared to defend herself. Sulteron herself was getting ready for a battle, and her Pokémon stirred and clambered to their feet, looking about themselves with tired eyes, wondering where the sound was coming from.

Sulteron sighed. There was never a nice relaxing time for a trainer, was there? Then again, at least it was a really fun job. She glanced about her Pokémon, then pointed at the Linoone's shape. They stared at it, nodding slowly. They understood where the noise was coming from. It seemed that a wild Pokémon had found their tent and... well, obviously not agreed with it too well. Sulteron, still in her pijamas, unzipped the tent. "Come on, then. Let's go see what's up." she said, stepping outside. The Pokémon nodded, following her and readying themselves.

As Sulteron turned to face the Pokémon, she smiled a little. A Linoone! They were pretty cool Pokémon, in her opinion. She looked at the racoon Pokémon. "You want a fight, huh? Well, in that case..." she looked along her Pokémon, thinking of whom to use. She hadn't used Mizu recently. She ought to give him a go. "Mizu, let's go! Start us off with a Swift!" she called. The Buizel grinned. He liked fighting. He leapt into the air, spinning around and spraying out a bunch of glittering golden stars in Linoone's direction.

[;AL P H A]

Linoone roared triumphantly as Sulteron and her team emerged.
< That's right! Cowards! >

Leaping a few paces back, the Linoone stared the trainer down as she called an attack. Using Pokémon to fight her battles, eh? Well, it didn't matter. They would all perish! Stamping its foot on the ground, Linoone charged forwards. Faster and faster and faster it ran, until it seemed a blur heading towards where Mizu had landed. Linoone were said to be able to charge at speeds comparable to those of a cheetah; this wasn't quite that fast, because Linoone had had a pretty poor run-up, but it was fast enough to carry it out of the way of the Swift. Lowering its head, Linoone got ready to ram the Buizel in a Headbutt attack.

(( Gah short x.x

Excuse my museless posts, please. ))

[~/Birdybot\~]

ooc// Dun' worry, I is like that too sometimes XD

ic// Sulteron raised an eyebrow. Wow, the school she'd gone too sure hadn't been kidding when they said how fast Linoone could run. Who'd have thought it, coming from and evolution of the comical Zigzagoon? That would also explain why the Pokémorph school's Zigzagoon 'morph had suddenly gone from being bad at races to excelent when he'd evolved. Oh, there was something else too... some drawback... oh, she couldn't remember! Maybe it would come to her a bit later. She watched as The Linoone and the Headbutt attack drew closer to Mizu. The Headbutt might ram into the Buizel if she didn't act soon! "Mizu, counter it with your own Headbutt!" she cried.

The Buizel's head grew firmer as he prepared his attack. Since Linoone was coming to him, he didn't bother racing to meet it. He placed his strongest foot behind the other, to give him better support as he braced himself. He leaned back, moving forwards sharply to meet Linoone's hard skull with his. They were locked in battle; it was a test of strength now. The stronger Pokémon would push over the weaker. The question was, which one was it? Or would Linoone pull away to try a different attack?

[;AL P H A]

Linoone barely even noticed as Buizel lowered its head, it was concentrating so hard on running fast. There was a loud crack as their heads met. Most likely, nothing was broken; Headbutt hardened the skull to the point where it was nearly as hard as steel, but this Buizel must be some kind of crazy to take the attack when it had over 30mph of momentum behind it. Satisfied, Linoone leapt back, planning its next move. That cowardly Buizel - all of the intruders, in fact, were now cowards in its mind - would probably be stunned, even hurt, by that collision, so... that gave it a free window to attack.

Opening its jaws, it gave a soft coughing noise, before firing a large and rather nasty-looking projectile at the Buizel. Licking its lips to clear them of the acid, the Linoone watched with a big grin as the liquid-solid-mush-thing practically oozed through the air. This was Gunk Shot, a powerful poison-type move, and incidentally one that Linoones did not normally know.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Mizu groaned at the collision, blinking hard to get the black spots out of his eyes. Man, that had hurt. He was somewhat stunned, the Buizel shaking his head to focus properly. Sulteron winced. That had looked painful. She hoped he would be all right, and gave him an encouraging smile. The weasel gave her a lop-sided smile back. He was still very dizzy.

Dizzy... that was it! Sulteron's brain clicked as she remembered Linoone's flaw. Zigzagoon ran as though they were dizzy, in zig-zags... but Linoone could only run in straight lines! They could use that to their advantage.

She then watched as the sleek ferret unleashed a new attack. She knew this one. Mizu looked at her, still a little distant. ~Sulteron... what's that?~[/color] he asked, puzzled. "Just a Gunk Shot. Power of 120, high chance of poison, 70% accur- oh, crap." she recited the move's information without thinking, a sinking feeling occuring as her eyes widened. Mizu looked so terrified he'd returned to normal. "Mizu, you might want to dodge- I know, dodge with Aqua Jet! And don't go in straight lines!" she called.

Don't go in straight lines? Mizu wondered why. Well, there was always some reason or another, and right now, he was in a slightly desperate situation. The Water type felt himself become cloaked in water, and he darted off to one side, the Gunk Shot 'oozing' harmlessly away. He zizzagged, circled and wiggled towards and around Linoone, before darting in for the final attack; in a curve, not a straight line.[/size]

[;AL P H A]

Linoone glanced around wildly. What was this Buizel doing? The Rush Pokémon couldn't fathom this strange way of movement. It was going left - no, right - no, left - no, it was - aargh! This was too confusing! Linoone made a couple of dashes, but none of them were any good, and it winced as the Aqua Jet struck home.

Falling back a few paces, it narrowed its eyes at the Buizel. This was... odd. Had the trainer come up with some miracle strategy that Linoone couldn't follow? Nah, that would be ridiculous. Snarling, Linoone locked eyes on the Buizel. It wouldn't be able to weave and dodge any longer! Digging its sharp claws into the dirt, it flung up bits of dust and earth in a flurry; a Sand Attack.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Mizu's eyes widened in horror. His legs felt like jelly, rooting him to the spot. He had thought the Sand Attack was another Gunk Shot, but then realized differently as the sand whooshed through the air and struck him easily in the face. He pawed his eyes, wailing. ~I can't see! I'm blind! Gah! Foul play, I'm blind! I'm blllliiiiiiiiiiiinnnnndddd!!!~[/color] he shrieked, shaking his head wildly as if that would do something.

Sulteron saw Fairo give a giggle at her side, and that Minati was shaking in silent laughter. She tutted. "Fairo, don't be silly! It's just a Sand Attack!" she called. The Buizel stopped, looking around. He was clearly embarrased. Sulteron sighed. Well, there had to be a way to get the sand out of Mizu's eyes. His accuracy would still be bad, but at least then he'd be able to see something. "Mizu, use a Water Gun to clean your eyes, then Swift!" she cried.

Mizu nodded, spraying a jet of water at his face. At first it was a little painfull, so he reduced it a little. The sand had half been removed, but some remained in a soggy, marshy lump. He wiped that off, the span his twin tails quickly in a Swift attack directed at, of course, Linoone. It wasn't the most accurate of things, obviously, but he made an effort to spread it out to increase his chance of a hit.[/size]

[;AL P H A]

Linoone leapt forwards. Now was his chance; the Buizel was no longer attacking physically, he could put that amazing speed of his to use. Running in a blur, he managed to dive under the Swift, running at a breakneck pace as he... shot right past Mizu like a zephyr? Skidding to a halt, the ferret opened its muzzle again, and fired another Gunk Shot. Playing a little dirty never hurt anyone.

Suddenly, there were shouting voices from a little way off - though it was hard to tell exactly where, because the sound reverberated and defracted among the trees. Linoone paid no attention other than giving a soft 'khuh' of disgust. More intruders? Well, he would deal with them after he'd finished off this trainer. Her Pokémon didn't look too strong; he'd fought with worse. After all... he was basically the last line of defense...

More voices came. Were they from a different place, or the same? It was almost impossible to tell. The forest could play tricks on your mind. It was not unknown for humans to wander about in here, lost, for months on end. But this time the voices were louder, and sounded a little closer.

(( Teh plot thickensorx o.o

I'M BLIND, I'M BLIIIIIIIIIIINNND! Lol. ))

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron's ears rotated a little as she heard the voices. Briefly, she wondered who they belonged to. Passing trainers, perhaps? That was possible. Either way, she might want to lower her voice a little... just in case these people weren't friendly. Perhaps she should send a Pokémon to see what was there, too. Not Fiela, she was one-of-a-kind, if they were bad guys she'd never come back. Prisul... also rare. Minati was perfect. "Minati, go and see what was making those voices. Come back as quick as possible, please. Thanks." she said in a hushed tone. As Minati flew away, she turned her attention back to the battle.

Mizu was about to turn around and see what had happened, when he felt a large and very painful glob hit him in the back. He crashed heavily to the ground as the force sent a jolt up his spine. He saw spots before his eyes, moaning and whimpering in pain as he rolled about helplessly on the ground. Sulteron coughed. "Mizu, please get up. Use another curvy Aqua Jet." she said. Mizu obeyed, wincing as he got up. That attack wasn't a power 120 for nothing. He raced at Linoone, again feeling his body become cloaked in water.

Meanwhile, Minati soared overhead. He flew through the canopy of the forest so he wouldn't be seen, trying to blend in with the life there. He dodged a branch, following the sound of the voices. What would he see when he reached them? Friend or foe?

[;AL P H A]

Minati would really be hard-pressed to find anything in the woods. The sound seemed to be coming from everywhere at once, and the forest was so dense it was hard to see. Flying around made it easier to pick up snippets of conversation, though.
"...we should just leave already. I don't like this place. It's giving me the heebie-du-ba-jeebies."
"Everything gives you the heebie-jeebies. I'm not leaving here 'till we've got our stuff."
"You sure?"
"Sure. Now stop wimping out, let's retrace our steps..."

Beneath the branch the Staravia was perched - though he wouldn't be able to see it unless he looked really closely through the branches - was a small and rather old-looking shack. The door was bolted tightly with a brand-new-looking lock. Huhn. Someone must not want you to get in. Still, the wood, as aforementioned, didn't look so strong, and a determined attacker could probably think of an easy way in.


Linoone growled. So this annoying trainer was using that attack again. What if... raising his nose, the Linoone sniffed the air. He was using Odour Sleuth, that had to be it. Yes... yes, he could smell exactly where the Buizel was. That was useful; no more turning to see where the sneaselly cheeselly weaselly had gone to.
He still got hit by the attack, and it hurt a little, but at this stage the Linoone thought that his opponent had probably taken more damage than him. That was good; he couldn't affort to lose.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Minati studied the shack carefully, putting two and two together. The voices would probably be either heading back to the shack to get this 'stuff', or heading to the shack once they got their 'stuff'. Simple logic, he thought. Well, he'd better go tell Sulteron. Hopefully they'd be able to catch up with the voices people as soon as the battle with Linoone ended. Swooping over to her, he landed after a couple of minutes, telling her about what he'd seen. Nothing too remarkable about an old shack.

Sulteron nodded to Minati, then frowned as she looked at the battle. What she really needed was for Linoone to follow Mizu, then when the Buizel turned, Linoone would have to slow right down before it could turn then move again. Well, perhaps if she could get Linoone to use a psysical attack... "Mizu, use Headbutt!" she cried; Mizu's strongest pysical attack.

The Buizel lowered his head, feeling his skull strengthening as it glowed lightly with energy so he could easily force himself forward. He rushed at Linoone, making use of his high speed stat as he came at it in a curve.

[;AL P H A]

The Linoone snarled. Could this trainer only utilise one tactic? It didn't matter. Odour Sleuth would practically nullify the Buizel's attempts to be sneaky and evasive. Now, what to do next...
Turning around, the Linoone waited until the Buizel was close, predicting the apex of his curve, before charging forwards with a Headbutt of his own. His powerful legs enabled him to reach a speed close to the Buizel's own; lowering his head he prepared for a collision. Up close and personal was how he liked it really. None of this running around, evasion, using projectile attacks. That could all go to hell.

[~/Birdybot\~]

Sulteron saw a repeat of Linoone's first move all over again in her mind. That was how this could end up if she wasn't careful. No, that wouldn't happen. Not if she could help it. The Espeon 'morph thought frantically as she watched the impending attack draw closer. Any moment now, it would be too late... but Linoone wasn't too aware of surroundings, with his head down and braced for impact, was it? If she could gain the element of surprise, then... well, that would be very good. She had a plan. "Mizu, stop Headbutt. Use Swift." she said softly.

The Buizel instantly stopped in his tracks, preparing himself for Linoone's impact. He shot a couple of dozen or so stars at the ferret Pokémon in the promised surprise Swift, then braced himself. After doing that, he didn't have any time getting away from Linoone, and the attack easily struck. The main thing he wanted to know, however, as he got to his feet, was whether Linoone had been hurt by the Swift?