relaxation & rest. {{ FINISHED. }}

[paranoia]

they call me
. aurellia .

It was peaceful and calm as Aurellia wandered along the shores of the Crystal Lake. Her heart soared as she watched the beautiful, pristine waters lap against the pebbly beaches that surrounded it. But she was not here to take in the wonderful sights, no matter how lovely they might be. She was yet to have her first real gym battle, and she wanted to make sure her Arcanine was up for it. Of course, she had the greatest confidence in her giant dog Pokemon, but the problem did not lie in the abilities of her Pokemon, but rather in herself. She pulled Arcanine's Pokeball from the slack black belt on her hip - the only Pokeball she had with her that day - and shone the red light out onto the path. The Arcanine appeared in front of her, pawing the ground and looking down at her with large, deep orange eyes. Aurellia felt a sudden pang for her other four Pokemon, but she quelled the nervous thought with a rational one; she had left them in the care of her father, the best trainer she had ever known. They were perfectly safe. She ruffled the fur on the rudge of his neck more for her own comfort than any sort of signal to the huge, fire-orange dog and the two walked together along the shore, keeping an eye out for any Pokemon.

Arcanine rumbled ahead. Trying to keep pace with a human was difficult enough when you were an exciteable young puppy, but when you were a huge canine and every step of yours was like three of your partner's, things became too difficult to manage. In the end, the Arcanine waited every few steps with an expression of slight amusement on his features. They had not been out walking for a long time. The new sights and smells were interesting, to say the least. But as much as he wanted to explore - they had never been to this side of the lakes, the opposite shore to Summertown - he felt fiercely protective of Aurellia and tried to stay by her side as much as possible, even going to great lengths to slow and shorten his stride. It was no use, though.

Aurellia, it seemed, had found the place she had been looking for and stopped short, looking around for any possible interruptions. Eventually, she settled down and calmed herself by breathing deeply. The tattoo of a flame beside her eye crinkled as she grinned, and set her satchel down on the ground. "Arcanine," she said, snapping the canine Pokemon's attention away from a flock of Pidgey he had been watching intently, "Use Fire Blast on that bush. Go!" Fire Blast was a new move that she had only taught him a little while ago. The TM was a present from her father, and it had required no hesitation whatsoever to choose which Pokemon to use it on. Arcanine was strongest, wisest and perhaps her favourite. He could handle it. But she just wanted to make sure he had the technique down before he had to pull it off in a real battle. Such strong moves could be terribly devastating on the psyche of unprepared Pokemon.

Arcanine incinerated the bush with a large loop of flames that came spiralling out of his jaws. As a few sparking, half-burned leaves came floating down, Aurellia suddenly realised that there might have been a Pokemon in there, who would now become very angry at having its home destroyed. At least, she hoped there would be no sudden attack from an angry Swablu or Chikorita. She had travelled this trail many times as a child, and met almost every common Pokemon to have ever ventured out onto the track, but now she became a little angry at herself for not checking before she burned a tree to a smoking wreck. Ah, well, she sighed, turned to Arcanine and ruffling his fur, to the delight of the dog Pokemon. What's done is done.

arcanine.

[BellaMae]

While there had not been a pokemon in that bush, there had been one a little further off in another. It had been relaxing rather peacefully, until the sound of the eruption of flames caught its attention. It was up in a flash, peering around the edge of the bush, its expression a mix of curiosity and suspicion. It didn't take long to pinpoint what exactly had caused the commotion: an Arcanine and its trainer.

The pokemon suddenly felt a flare for a challenge. That was how it had always been. It liked to fight, and to test its skills and strength. It had defeated many other wild pokemon, and even those of some passing trainers that had tried to catch it. This was exactly what it needed! A challenge! The pokemon slid out from behind the bush, revealing itself.

It was a Machop.

It lifted its arms, flexing them upward as it unleashed a suddenly warrior's cry. A clear challenge to the pokemon and its trainer.



Gender: Male
Level: 19
Ability: Guts: when Machop is inflicted with a status effect, its attack is raised by 50%
Attacks: Low Kick, Leer, Focus Energy, Karate Chop, Seismic Toss

[paranoia]

they call me
. aurellia .

Taking a quick sip from her ever-present waterbottle, Aurellia gave a hurried look around before assuming nothing had been disturbed by her impromptu destruction of nature. As a Fire trainer, she held little regard for plants and Grass types, and though she disliked causing any sentient creature pain plants were a different matter. Mute, unmoving, unable to protect themselves; hah. They were weak. And even more so in the face of her glorious flaming Fire types. She offered a bit of water to Arcanine, who drank greedily, panting slightly and staring at her with big orange eyes.

Aurellia motioned for her Arcanine to pay attention, staring out onto the lake and twitching her fingers slightly. But unlike usual, the huge dog Pokemon had its sights set on something else. Turning on her heel, Aurellia was confronted with the sight of her favourite Pokemon facing off against a Machop. With the aid of size behind him, Arcanine looked the mightier, but the black-clad trainer knew better than that; Machop were notoriously renowned for the packed muscles underneath their taut blue skin. And this one looked fierce, too. She would take this as seriously as any real trainer challenge to her gym. Besides, it would be good practice for Arcanine.

"Hold on there," she called out. Deliberating, she tried to decide whether or not to let the smaller Pokemon go first. It was the chivalrous thing to do, but unfortunately Aurellia was not the chivalrous type. Hesitant to use Fire Blast again, while Arcanine was still recovering and still figuring out the move, she instead directed him towards a different moveset. "Alright, Arcanine, let's do this! Use Odor Sleuth and then Bite!" The huge orange dog Pokemon quickly moved forward, excited to finally be a part of a battle. His Intimidate ability seemed not to faze the strong Machop much, even though staring into the face of a fiery, feisty dog Pokemon would put any Pokemon off. He seemed willing to work as hard as he could to prove to Aurellia that he was strong enough, though a little disappointed she did not trust him with Fire Blast yet. That would change though, when he impressed her with this battle.

word count. 381
exp. gained. 381 ( + no level bonus)
current exp. 381
exp. needed. 1100
no levels earned.

arcanine.

[BellaMae]

Excitement filled the Machop as it was finally taken notice of, and it lifted its arms again, flexing a second time as a second battle cry emitted from it, "Machop!" It lowered its arms as the Arcanine prepared to face it, immediately beginning to concentrate as it used Focus Energy, gathering its strength and power together as the larger pokemon charged toward it.

The pokemon felt an odd sense that made it feel as if evading wasn't quite the right idea. That was never his way of doing things anyways though, so no problems there. With a final cry, he charged forward to meet the Arcanine. A few feet away he leapt, and stuck a leg out, aiming to use Low Kick, and hit the Arcanine down on the low chest, just between his legs. The move was more powerful against heavier pokemon, hence the Machop's choice on using it.

[paranoia]

they call me
. aurellia .

Her heart almost leapt into her mouth as Aurellia realised what the Machop was planning. Odor Sleuth had worked, and Arcanine had no worries following the small Fighting Pokemon, but what had caused her so much worry was the fact the Machop had just kicked Arcanine in the lower chest, just between the start of his legs. She knew that move, and the very same thing had happened to her before - her dog Pokemon's weight was used against him and if history repeated itself, Arcanine would crash bodily to the ground after tripping over his own tangled feet-

Yup. There it was. Not even able to use his Bite attack, Arcanine fell flat onto his chest, dust flying into his face from the path beneath his huge, orange padded paws. Aurellia gasped, her expression a mixture of shock, pain and anger. "Come on Arcanine! Up and at 'em! Quickly now, Bite!" The Arcanine pulled itself up speedily and snapped at the Machop, leaving marks across its toned body. The muscle mass there was difficult to get through, and the skin was not torn, but it certainly would have hurt at least a little bit; even a Pokemon with a high pain threshold could not ignore the sharpened fangs and massive jaw of an Arcanine. Aurellia knawed on her knuckles in frustration, a bad habit she hoped soon to kick. Challenging battles were difficult, but reaped huge rewards. She only hoped Arcanine could pull through and find some way to use his bulk to his advantage. She just had not thought of one yet...

word count.
exp. gained. 271 ( + no level bonus)
current exp. 381 + 271 = 652
exp. needed. 1100
no levels earned.

arcanine.

[BellaMae]

((Hey, be careful not to decide if your own attacks hit or not XP Even against wild pokemon.))

The Machop felt his powerful kick connect with the Arcanine's sturdy body. A thrill of excitement washed through it as it landed in a low crouch, and immediately sprang to its feet, lifting its arms to the air and flexing in a display of triumph. That was exactly the type of pokemon it was, intent on showing off when it had done something of that sort, regardless of the dangers of letting down its guard.

As such, it didn't seem to realize that with such a close range attack that it had landed quite near that fallen Arcanine, which was back up on its feet in a mere second at its trainer's command. Before the pokemon had time to react, it felt the harsh teeth of the fire type pressing into its taught skin. It yelped in pain, and immediately drew back a hand, before it brought it down in a Karate Chop toward the base Arcanine's thick neck, near its shoulder.

[paranoia]

they call me
. aurellia .

{{ Oh! My apologies. I'll work on that. C: }}

Aurellia's pride caught up with her as tha Machop paraded its muscles about. Wincing, she breathed deeply and shut her eyes, hoping not to look at the little Pokemon while it showed off; she knew she would get angry and irritated and that was the worst way to be when battling. Arcanine, true to her word, had bitten the blue Fighting type as was waiting for her response but while she was focusing on not letting her pride get ahead of her, the Machop had brought down a fierce Karate Chop onto Arcanine's back, just at the base of his neck where his scruffy cream mane began. Arcanine looked less in pain than annoyed - his thick fur around there meant it would bruise up but cause no major damage. Aurellia racked her brain to think of what to do next. Did she trust herself to let Arcanine use Fire Blast? No, not really. She knew he could do it but she did not know whether she could control the violent spinning flame wheel. That was the problem with such strong attacks - if the trainer was not good enough, no matter the level of the Pokemon, the moves could get out of control and cause major damage to everyone around.

"Arcanine! Back off a bit and use Ember!" She had figured it out. The Machop needed to be up close to use its devastating physical attacks. If she could only bring Arcanine back and use Ember, spitting little bits of flame onto the Fighting type, she would avoid most of the confrontation until the Machop came closer; in which case, she would just bring Arcanine back further like a fiery game of cat-and-mouse. Fire Blast now? No, not yet. She still did not think she could handle it. But every moment Arcanine recieved a little bit more damage, she felt more inclined to try the move. Still she waited it out. She would just hold out until the Machop was a little weaker and hit it with everything Arcanine had left in reserve. Hopefully it would be enough to take down the daunting little Fighting type. Hopefully Arcanine would still have some strength left to fight with...

word count.
exp. gained. 376 ( + no level bonus)
current exp. 652 + 384 = 1036
exp. needed. 1100
no levels earned.

arcanine.

[BellaMae]

((No worries =) Also, I just realized. Is this Arcanine from your gym team?))

The Machop felt its attack connect solidly with the Arcanine, however, the pokemon hardly seemed phased. Surely it had hurt, but it seemed not enough to cause any real damage. A frown appeared on the Machop's face as he realized this, annoyance creeping into his expression immediately afterward. Low Kick was his best chance against this Arcanine, it seemed. Unless it could really get a good hold of it by the leg or neck.

Suddenly, the fire type backed off, putting distance between them. Machop was aware that this was not beneficial to its attack strategy, and immediately made to close the space. However, the flames that emitted from the Arcanine's mouth immediately changed its plans, as it made to dive out of the way. However, the flames still caught its body, inflicting it with a burn.

The pokemon cringed slightly as it rose back up onto its feet, a warrior's cry sounding from its throat once more. It flexed another time, but as it did, its muscled bulged, as if suddenly expanding with power. This was Macho's Guts effect. When it is inflicted with a status effect, like a burn, its power increased by 50%.

The pokemon immediately picked up a charge, darting to the side, then shooting in. Once more it leapt into the air, aiming another Low Kick at the Arcanine.

[paranoia]

they call me
. aurellia .

{{ Yeah, he is. Obviously, the gym levels won't change while he levels up in the party. Or something... }}

Aurellia winced as she saw the red burn mark spread across the Machop's form even after Arcanine's Ember stopped spitting onto him. No stranger to burns, she hugged her arms to her body, inadvertently touching her fingertips to her skin where a myriad of tiny scars dotted the surface, remembrances of the scabs and red welts leftover from burns from her closest friends. She was used to burns from a very little child - she remembered the warnings from her father - 'Don't pull on their fur, don't grab Charmander's tail, don't put your face too close to their mouth!' but as all curious children do, she had to find out for herself.

Burns sucked. She almost felt pity for the poor creature when suddenly, it flexed and Aurellia and Arcanine's eyes widened as the Fighting Pokemon seemed to grow half again in size. Those muscles were almost bulging now, and Aurellia gulped. That was going to hurt when those Karate Chop attacks or hard-hitting Low Kick moves landed on Arcanine's skin.

She saw the move coming before Arcanine did, the huge dog Pokemon still put off by the strange growth in size of the Fighting type. She tried to yell out - "Dodge!" - but it was too late; the Low Kick had landed and Arcanine yelped out in pain, landing even more heavily than before. Those extra muscles were really helping and, though the burn would slowly drag the Machop's health down, the gutsy fighting ability he had right now and was using so effectively against Arcanine was not worth the slow descent of health that would occur later. It was now or never. "Arcanine, back up a few steps and use Fire Blast!" The devastating move would cause a lot of damage to the little blue Fighting type, but Aurellia was not sure how many more of them she would get Arcanine to use before Machop's fighting powers knocked him into unconsciousness.

Whatever happened, Aurellia was proud of her huge furry puppy. What really mattered to Aurellia was not the power she possessed while she had control of Arcanine - though, it was an upside of keeping Fire Pokemon; they had raw power and terrifying abilities - it was the friendship and companionship she had created with her team. She crossed her fingers for good luck. Once this battle was over, she would have to take Arcanine straight to the Pokemon Centre, even though it was growing dark. He was struggling valiantly, being very brave, but she could see the tough battle taking a toll on his physically. It was time to end this.

word count. 470
exp. gained. ( + no level bonus)
current exp. 1036 + 470 = 1503
exp. needed. 1100
one level earned!

arcanine reached level twenty-three.

arcanine.

[BellaMae]

((Yeah, gym pokemon can't level up. I forgot to mention that in your audition thread, although I did mention that you could have your own personal team. They can level up.))

Machop felt its attack connect, and the heavy body of the Arcanine give way beneath it. He heard the loud thud as the pokemon hit the ground, and it landed triumphantly on its feet a moment later. He sprang up immediately, aiming to go for another flex of dominance, but cringed at the action, feeling the burn pull on its taught skin, and the aftermath of the bite send waves of soreness through his chest.

It knew it had to finish this quickly. As such, it picked up a pace again, and charged forward. It was aiming to leap and use Karate Chop, a decision that proved gravely unfortunate as the great dog pokemon unleashed a huge burst of flame. The Machop took the entirety of the attack, and was slammed backward to the ground, where it tumbled several times before coming to a halt.

It's body was covered in scorch marks, and the pokemon twitched where it lay. Finally, it lifted its head, attempting to climb to its hands and knees, and from there, its feet. However, it got only halfway before it collapsed, unconscious.

((If you want, you can say this Arcanine is from your personal team.))

[paranoia]

they call me
. aurellia .

{{ Yeah, that sounds like a plan. But will he still be in the gym team? }}

Aurellia resisted the urge to cheer as Arcanine performed the Fire Blast perfectly, knocking the Machop to the ground with the intense wave of flame which burst from the dog Pokemon's wide-open jaws. Rushing over as the Fighting type fell bodily to the ground, Aurellia reached up and wrapped her arms into Arcanine's sweating, heaving fur, grinning ear to ear. Arcanine was exhausted, but still standing. What was more, he had won and what a finish! Smiling, Aurellia patted Arcanine on the top of his head, barely able to reach up. Her heart was pounding in her mouth and causing her to breathe heavily, though not as much as the Fire Pokemon beneath her. She wandered over to the Machop and looked at him with a sad look in her eyes, though she was still smiling. Not even the sight of an unconscious and spent Pokemon could wipe the grin from her face.

"Nice work, Arcanine," she muttered softly, ruffling his fur. "Let's get you some rest." She let him wander over to the lake and lap up what seemed like half the water in the basin, the Fire type panting like she had never seen before. She looked back at the Machop. She did not really want to capture it, and rather left it be. It would wake up in a little while once it had recovered, then figure out where it was and go on its merry way, doing whatever it was wild Pokemon did when they were alone. But she was very proud of her Arcanine - and was it just her, or did he seem a little bigger, a little stronger, a little more confident? It was probably just her mother-hen instinct to be proud of him. As Arcanine finished his drink, he seemed to be a lot calmer and breathing less laboriously. Aurellia waved a quick salute to the Machop as a silent thanks for a brilliant battle, and walked slowly off, her hands resting wrapped in Arcanine's fur.

word count. 377
exp. gained. ( + no level bonus)
current exp. 403 + 377 = 780
exp. needed. 1150
no levels earned.

arcanine.

[BellaMae]

((A different Arcanine, yeah. Or, if you'd like you can keep them the same one, but just keep his level set at what it is now when you use him for gym battles. And keep track of things for him in other battles separately.))

[paranoia]

{{ Alright, I'll pick the second option; same Arcanine, but levels are fixed for gym battles but not for adventuring. I'll make a note of that somewhere. Thanks! }}