MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Dec 2, 2019 22:30:05 GMT

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[attr="class","anniepost"]

[player]http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/rmxgo5zoxb/13._xxxxx.mp3[/player]

“Alright, Clamp! This is it. Big Day. Gym challenge – the first of many! We’re finally stepping out of the shadows, and into greatness! The spotlight’ll be on me and you, but you’ll be doing the heavy lifting! Luckily, we’ve trained for this. Well, no luck involved, just a lot of hard work building up to today.”

The Scizor had barely reacted, staring down at its trainer. She paced up and down, around him, making wild gestures and forgetting to use her indoor voice. Nothing out of the ordinary, in other words.

“You’re a toughie, Clamp. A little too rough at times, but we’ve mostly worked past that. More importantly, when it comes to fighting, you’re one of the best I’ve got.”

A Pokemon didn’t have to be with Annie for long before hearing one of her grand speeches – hell, this was the third one he’d been present for. That week. Though he couldn’t understand completely, he’d learned a few things. First was that her ‘pep talks’ came immediately before something big, something dangerous, or something stupid – and where Annie was involved, there was often overlap between the two.

“That’s why I’ve chosen you to represent Camp Annie. The world will be watching. Maybe. Probably. I didn’t actually ask about cameras, but imagine that there were! That’s at least… sixteen more reasons why we can’t lose!”

Secondly, he had a sneaking suspicion that the talks were a way for her to hype herself up more than any of her Pokemon. Third, that she would never admit as much. She’d owned the false bravado so much it stopped being an act once in a while, but in the face of big challenges, she needed to prepare herself. but it mattered little. It still did the job of inspiring most of her allies… Largely because she wouldn’t stop until she felt that they were.

He’d learned that the hard way. Rather, he waas still learning that.

“We’ve got this. You and me, together. And I know we’ve got what it takes, because otherwise we’d have never made it this far! After all of this work, it’s time that we got our first prize!” He closed his eyes and decided to give in. Arms raised into the air, he cheered in agreement. The girl’s eyes lit up, for she knew how hard it was to get emotion out of the bug. She returned the favour, placing her hands on her hips and puffing out her chest. “That’s the spirit! I knew you’d come around eventually. Now, let’s go and kick some ass.”

She marched straight into the gym, only having half an idea of what awaited her.

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Dec 2, 2019 23:03:46 GMT

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once annie and her steel-type counterpart entered the gym proper, they'd be confronted by an overabundance of green - the sight accompanied by a consolidation of scents that originated from the fauna and plant life contained within the vast interior of the gym. a maze would serve as their first and final obstacle to mauville city's gym leader, the commonly sought after young woman situated upon her stone field whilst reading to an diverse assortment of young pokemon.

a sobble, skiddo, mudkip, espurr, spritzee and cleffa were silent and attentive as they listened to cait tell the tale of a flaaffy and mightyena.

"and despite their vast differences," she continued, turning the page. "they decided that they could be friends. and so they traveled the woods together as a pair, ignoring the simple fact that he was hunter - and she the prey."

https://66.media.tumblr.com/c8800698dfc46da2608b526ac9f98db1/tumblr_o12z8dfNWA1r717c6o8_250.gif

cait paused her story as she was alerted to the presence of a challenger by her hypno, the trainer having likely entered the maze at this point.

"we'll continue later," she said, smiling fondly at the children.

her pokemon pouted, eager to hear the remainder of the tale but well-behaved enough to disperse quickly and quietly. cait set aside the book as she watched them go, stretching out her limbs and standing to smooth out the wrinkles of her dress as she muttered to herself.

"time to get back to work."

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Annie!

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POSTED ON Dec 2, 2019 23:43:17 GMT

[attr="class","anniepost"]

There was no arena. Not as far as Annie could see, at least. Perhaps around one of the floral corridors, the gym leader awaited. A quick poke around a few corners disproved that theory, and introduced her to several potential routes through the building. Either the gym leader needed some lessons in signage, or their first task was to find their way into the heart of the gym. She turned to Clamp.

“Think we’ll get in trouble if you chopped it all down?”
The Scizor slowly nodded.
“Alright then. Plan B. Let’s get to searching!”

It took all of thirty seconds for Annie to realise that splitting up had been a terrible idea, and another two minutes after that to realise that she’d lost Clamp. An awkward game of 'Marco Scizor' eventually reunited them, and had the Pokemon guide her towards progress. From there, she took charge, and they moved as one. ‘Two steps forward, one step back’ was the theme for their maze adventure, but the further they travelled (and more importantly, the more Annie looked to the bramble patterns to determine where they’d already been), the less time they spent retracing their steps. It took some time, probably a fair bit longer than the average, but eventually the pair found themselves in a stone field. A woman was waiting for them; she had to be their mark.

Annie cleared her throat. “Hello, Miss Gym Leader lady! I’m Annie Mei, this is Clamp, and we’re here to get ourselves a gym badge! …How do we do that?” Clamp, as usual, looked unimpressed.

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TAG WITH @cait

POSTED ON Dec 3, 2019 14:36:53 GMT

lurantis ♀: leafguard - sunny day, petal blizzard, solar blade, synthesis, night slash, sweet scent

'a sprightly young woman and her scizor, i see.'

cait eyed the fresh-faced pairing, curious to bear witness to the challenger that sought to claim her badge.

'she seems capable enough.'

"in order to claim my badge you'll need to defeat one of my many companions. you'll only be allowed one pokemon of your own for the duration of the match - so choose wisely."

'she'll likely use that steel-type of hers. which means it'd be unwise to use one of my fairies.'

the gym leader released a quiet hum before giving a little nod. she'd look off to the side, a small collection of pokemon gathering at the edge of the river that encircled her stone field.

"lurantis."

her utterance of the pokemon's name caused the pseudo bug to appear within a few moments, the creature having performed an elegant leap. she'd bear her scythes proudly, striking a pose with the elegant appendages as she did so.

"you're welcome to start whenever you're ready, challenger," cait said, formally. "i wish you luck in your endeavors."

Annie Mei

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Annie!

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POSTED ON Dec 5, 2019 17:17:05 GMT

[attr="class","anniepost"]

Beat one Pokemon, huh? It sounded simple enough, and the thought showed on her face. “I can do that! Probably. Well, we can. How about it, Clamp?” Her bug fluttered his wings – mostly to regulate his temperature, but partly to show that he was fine with it. Their enemy leapt onto the scene, prompting Annie to put a finger to her bottom lip. A cute Pokemon – she’d have to get one of them some time. Looked like a bug type. The scythes, much like Clamp’s old ones, told that they’d be having a close combat match.

If that was the case, only one move made sense to use first. “Alright, buddy. Remember your training and the Camp Annie Tenets, and we’ll have this in the bag!” He gently bobbed his head to nod, his eyes never leaving his soon-to-be foe. Once Annie felt confident that she was out of harm’s reach- “We’re starting off strong with a Swords Dance!” Clamp closed his eyes, channelling a blue glow to his arms. He drew them across his chest and spun on the spot, strengthening his attacks. Not the most interesting opening move, perhaps, but their opponent was a gym leader. Annie could be confident, but she’d have to show some smarts to back it up. Or at least, what she thought was smart.

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POSTED ON Dec 5, 2019 17:41:25 GMT

lurantis cocked her head to the side, recognizing the breed of pokemon who served as her foe. his display intrigued her, the sword dance that was promptly executed making for a spectacular sight. the pokemon raised her scythes in response, releasing a soft trilling noise.

"sunny day."

cait decided that they should begin their opener as well, her pokemon's comparatively more powerful in a sunny setting. the pokemon conjured an orb of light between their appendages before launching it skyward - where it halted and lingered mid-air. potent waves of heat oozed from the freshly forged source, empowering her grass-type by a solid margin.

lurantis made a beckoning motion to the handsome dual-type following sunny day's summoning, a playful gleam entering her shimmering gaze as she did so.

Annie Mei

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Annie!

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POSTED ON Dec 5, 2019 18:07:10 GMT

[attr="class","anniepost"]

Pokemon could make suns?! Surprise shone in the trainer’s eyes, shortly before they squinted shut. ‘Note to self. Fake suns are almost as bright as real suns.’ “Keep your eyes on the prize,” she called, as if her Pokemon needed a reminder not to blind itself. “and close the gap with a Quick Attack!” Her Scizor was a Pokemon of few words, but Annie had learned to draw his thoughts out of the few expressions he showed. If he hadn’t had her back to her, she’d have known that the narrowing of his eyes and the quiet grunt said ‘Finally!’.

With that, he was off, a burst of speed bringing him straight to his target. Trying to tear off a limb made for a rude greeting, and so he opted for a closed fist to the Lurantis’ chest. Behind him, Annie let out a breath she didn’t know she had been holding. Her Pokemon was strong, no doubt about that, but he was fierce, and not afraid of drawing blood. She’d worked hard to show him another way to fight, but his strength had already claimed one life-

No. She didn’t need to think about that. A gym leader wasn’t to be underestimated, and her beasts would never let it come to that. If anything, they needed to be the worried ones.

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POSTED ON Dec 6, 2019 16:33:09 GMT

cait held her silence for the sole purpose of roughly gauging the scizor's speed as well as his strength. quick attack was tailored to administer light damage at a rapid speed, but the fact that it was further bolstered by the previously executed swords dance was to be noted.

'let's just hope agility isn't apart of its arsenal.'

contending with a crimson blur wasn't something lurantis was well-equipped to handle. but she took the first strike well, her facial features pulled tightly into a grimace as she stumbled backwards. the grass-type maintained her footing despite the blow, her eyes narrowing slightly as she began to charge a solar blade.

the potency of the attack was comparable to that of a solar beam, its charge quickly powered by the harsh sunlight that presently bathed the field. the lurantis raised one arm skyward, a large blade crafted from light forming at its tip before being slammed in the direction of scizor.

"i can never get over how stunning that attack is," cait murmured, softly.

Annie Mei

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Annie!

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i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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POSTED ON Dec 6, 2019 18:05:26 GMT

[attr="class","anniepost"]

Perhaps holding back hadn’t been such a good idea. The gym Pokemon hadn’t thought to be so kind, returning fire with a glowing green blade. Clamp took the brunt of the attack with his arm; his wince suggested that he regretted not trying to dodge. A hardened exoskeleton wouldn’t allow him to shrug off such a powerful move, but it ensured that their match wasn’t ending yet.

The bug leapt back, awaiting orders. “Still alright?” He nodded, but wouldn’t turn to face Annie. “Good. We’re switching to evasive manoeuvres! Go ahead!” There was only one move that fit the bill, and Annie didn’t need to say it. He broke into a run, towards the enemy’s side of the field but steering clear of his foe. It wasn’t until he’d run past the Lurantis that he used his move. His body glowed blue, only for the energy to disperse itself as a quartet of clones standing beside him. None of them were real, as was the nature of Double Team, but every second that the enemy took to determine that the real one stood the furthest to the right was another that they could use to turn the tides.

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POSTED ON Dec 12, 2019 21:58:33 GMT

lurantis's gaze swiveled to and fro, a hint of uncertainty betrayed by the pokemon's body language. she took up a defensive posture, not entirely certain what to make of the scizor's double team. cait narrowed her eyes as she joined her grass-type in taking stock of the situation before hastily reaching a decision.

"we'll need to get rid of those clones. use petal blizzard."

the pokemon conjured a great tornado composed of wind and shimmering pink petals that manifested from thin air. lurantis compelled her attack to spread with a gesture, the raw power imbued in the conjured storm moving to strike out against the illusions that plagued the battlefield.

Annie Mei

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Kyoukon

Annie!

She/Her

Employee at the Stray

Cadet

189 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @kyoukon

POSTED ON Dec 14, 2019 12:13:20 GMT

[attr="class","anniepost"]

The distraction had worked – for a few seconds, at least. Neither Pokemon nor trainer had counted on the Lurantis having ranged attacks. For their assumption, Clamp was treated to a storm of petals. He tried to block the attack. His clones did too, but the floral assault sliced them into nothing anyway. The remaining Scizor stayed standing, visibly annoyed, but ready to continue.

Annie matched her partner’s expression, seeing as they’d blown an attack and had nothing to show for it. No tricks meant that they only had hope in a battle of strength. “Alright, fine. Get ‘em with a Wing Attack!” Clamp was happy to oblige. He rushed back in, closing the distance before he spun around. His back was exposed to the enemy, but so were his extended wings. What should had been a weak move was boosted by the beast’s natural talent as a Technician, and further still by his opening Swords Dance. Under normal circumstances, it might have been overkill…

But as they were very quickly learning, they had no reason to hold back against a gym leader.

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POSTED ON Dec 24, 2019 8:24:14 GMT

the wing attack had been very effectively bolstered by technician. the combination resulting in an attack that threatened to utterly wind lurantis once it had landed. she very nearly lost her footing, stumbling and teetering as she was knocked back with a solid blow that had been delivered by the sharp-eyed scizor. a pitched cry betrayed her pain, but she fell abruptly silent; her gaze narrowing as she sought to reacquire her defensive stance.

'that was a solid hit,' cait gauged, clicking her tongue.

the scizor appeared well-trained as well as powerful, his trainer providing him with a competent list of maneuvers specifically tailored to whittle down her pseudo-bug.

'we can't take a lot of those - not with how strong he is.'

"sweet scent."

she decided that eroding the bug's senses by a decent margin would ease the difficulty of the encounter, her pokemon soon exuding a lovely scent which washed over the field in a potent and invisible wave.

Annie Mei

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Kyoukon

Annie!

She/Her

Employee at the Stray

Cadet

189 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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TAG WITH @kyoukon

POSTED ON Dec 29, 2019 15:25:04 GMT

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Tagging: cait alfric

Strange. Annie knew Clamp was a good fighter, but that last attack had struck surprisingly well. There were a few possibilities: either the Scizor had landed a lucky hit, the Lurantis had been very good at hiding its pain until that moment, or the Lurantis had a weakness they hadn’t accounted for. Whatever it was, they’d find out soon enough… She hoped.

First, there was the counterattack to handle – or rather, the counter-scent. The Scizor remained still, pupils dilating as he took in the smell. The inaction was noticed by his trainer, even from behind, and the remnants of the move reaching her let her know he was under a spell. Hell, she wouldn’t have minded giving the Lurantis a big hug-

Annie quickly shook her head, calling out to her comrade. “Stay focused, Clamp! We’ve got this, as long as you keep it together!” Words of encouragement helped her fighter blink away some of his delusions, but his eyes told that he wasn’t rid of them. “Get back in there with an X-Scissor!”

In a battle of what she’d assumed to be two bug types fighting each other, she wouldn’t have called for the move at all. After that Wing Attack, however… She was willing to take a chance. The Lurantis’ response to the attack, if it got hit at all, would put at least one of her theories to rest. It’d all be determined when Clamp moved in, drawing two glowing pincers across the mantis’ chest.

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POSTED ON Jan 4, 2020 13:01:39 GMT

"get ready," cait cautioned.

her lurantis mimicked the scizor's stance, the x-scissor impacting her elegantly crossed pincers. the pain was hot, the flesh that had suffered the brunt of the damage irritated by the singular strike. the pokemon didn't budge, though she was forced to invest a large quantity of her energy toward remaining stationary.

there was a gleam in the pokemon's eyes as she pressed back, shoving her face closer to her foe's. the lingering reek of sweet scent remained upon her petite form, a tittering noise escaping her as she allowed the pain to fuel her malicious urges. she uttered softly a promise to inflict upon him a similar agony; a sultry tinge present within her tone.

"solar blade!"

lurantis roughly shoved at scizor as her right appendage was enveloped by a familiar glow. she raised the limb before swinging forcibly down, a bout of pitched laughter escaping her.

Annie Mei

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Kyoukon

Annie!

She/Her

Employee at the Stray

Cadet

189 height

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park.

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