Trimming the Hedges (Gym Challenge)

[Akira Mikan]

Akira's Team

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In all honesty, it was completely by chance that she noticed the Gym while wandering through the overgrown town. Heck, it was by chance that she even noticed the actual town. She had heard it described by other travelers as "blink-and-you'll-miss-it", but she had no idea how appropriate that actually was until she arrived. Still, it was a rather nice place, and when she realized there was an equally blink-and-you'll-miss-it Gym, she made her decision. This would be the first Gym she would challenge on her journey. She and her Pokemon had been through plenty of training together; she was confident that that could handle the task laid out before them.

Once inside, Akira came face to face with what appeared to be a maze made out of extremely tall grass. Somehow, she had a pretty good idea of what Type the leader probably used, and picked her team accordingly. Thus, she started braving the maze. All in all, it wasn't too bad. Difficult enough to be challenging, but not enough to make it frustrating. Along the way, she encountered trainers, who would test her skills to make sure she was ready to face the Gym Leader; they ended up being rather easy to take care, but Akira was smart enough not to let it get to her head. Their tests were exactly that; tests.

Either way, it wasn't much longer before she finally made it to the Gym Leader himself. He was a rather large and somewhat imposing man, but now wasn't the time to let her nerves get the better of her. With a determined look in her eyes, she addressed the man she assumed to be the Gym Leader. "E-excuse me...I...um...m-my name is Akira Mikan, and I'm here to challenge you to a battle! Er...i-if that's okay. This is my first time fighting a Gym Leader, so I'm kinda nervous..."

[Satori]

At the end of the maze, an older, grizzled-looking man was in the middle of trimming away several vines that had grown over an exit behind him. He didn't seem to notice Akira until she addressed him, then turned around rather suddenly. "Eh? You? Really?" he asked, looking the girl over? "No, suppose I shouldn't be too quick to judge. You seem like a nervous wreck, but you could be some kind of prodigy for all I know." He set the trimmers he was using down and pushed them aside, then pulled a PokeBall from his belt. "I'm Verne, the grass gym leader. I'll warn you right now though, if you think you can go right through me with fire, you're going to be disappointed really fast. The rainforest doesn't burn so easily, and neither do I."

Verne threw the PokeBall he had selected out, and a Lotad emerged from the ground in front of him, as if to prove his point. "We'll use three Pokemon each. Whenever you're ready, let's get started."

Music: Unova Gym Battle (remastered)

Gym Challenge: Vs Verne


Opponent 1: Lotad
Gender: Male
Ability: Rain Dish

[Akira Mikan]

She wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not when he said she could be a prodigy. Either way, he seemed like a pleasant enough man. A bit rough, but she's seen worse. Taking a deep breath, she let out out a heavy sigh in order to calm her nerves. This was it. She could already tell that this was going to be her toughest challenge yet. But she felt like she was ready to face it. The first milestone on her journey was right in front of her, and she was ready to do whatever it took to reach it.

She blinked a bit at his words, and she immediately saw what he meant once his first Pokemon showed itself. She couldn't help but smile. It was almost like he read her mind, as she had planned on starting off with her Tepig. But, against a Water-type (even one that was part grass), that was a bad idea. "I see...well, then, I guess it's a good thing I brought more with me than just fire." In that moment she grabbed a Poke Ball and threw it onto the battlefield, her Nidoran emerging and instantly looking ready for a fight.

Without wasting a second, she kicked the battle off. "Jazz, start with a Posion Jab! Give it all you got!" The Nidoran nodded, gathering a large amount of venom into his horn and charging right at the Lotad in an attempt to stab him with it. Now that she was psyched up, Akira practically looked like a different person.

Summary
- Akira sent out her male Nidoran, Jazz
- Jazz used Posison Jab!

Poison Jab - Poison-type, base power of 80. Accuracy of 100%. It's category is Physical. Has a 30% chance of inflicting poison if it hits.

Effect Check;
xBUJxbii1-10
1-3 = the opponent is poisoned if it hits.

1-10

[Satori]

"Well would you look at that, you do know what you're doing," Verne said, seeing the opposing Nidoran and the move Akira directed it to do. "Most people come here with fire and ice, thinking that's all that they need. Hah, I guess this battle will be interesting after all. Lotad, come back!" Before the Nidoran's poisoned horn could strike the Lodad, Verne withdrew it, and sent out a new Pokemon in its place. It took the hit in the Lotad's place, but seemed to be considerably less affected by it.

"Let's see how you handle this one, then."

Opponent 2: Lileep
Gender: Male
Ability: Suction Cups
Health: Good

Still in Reserve: Lotad

[Akira Mikan]

Akira silently cursed to herself as the Gym Leader switched his Lotad out before her attack hit. In its place was a Lileep, which tanked the hit rather nicely. Of all things, it just had to be a Rock-type. Unfortunately, two of her Pokemon were weak against Rock, and Poison Jab was her Nidoran's strongest attack. Well, there was Thunderbolt, but it would only be half as effective against a Grass-type like Lileep. Either way, this guy was definitely prepared, and it was safe to say that she had underestimated him. Of course, she wasn't out of the fight just yet.

Quickly and quietly, she went over a number of strategies in her head. Lileep didn't have the greatest in terms of offensive capabilities, but, based on what she knew about them (and Fossil Pokemon in general), there was a good chance he knew either Ancient Power or Rock Slide. For obvious reasons, that was bad. Still, even with their weaknesses, she was confident that her Tepig and Snorunt would be able to take at least one hit from either attack. Whether their own attacks would be enough was another matter altogether. Taking all of this into consideration, she nodded. Hopefully, this would work.

"Jazz! Use another Poison Jab!" The Nidoran nodded and charged at the Lileep horn-first, while a large amount of venom gathered at the tip. Akira watched quietly, hoping her plan would work. If not, she might be have a bit of trouble against this opponent.

Summary
- Jazz used Poison Jab!

Effect Check
NO9kvCOi1-10
1-3 = the opponent is poisoned if it hits.1-10

[Satori]

Opponent 2: Lileep
Gender: Male
Ability: Suction Cups
Health: Middling

Still in Reserve: Lotad

"Gonna try to power through it, are you?" Verne asked, seeing Akira order her Nidoran to keep hitting it. "You got guts, I'll give you that. But it may turn out to be harder than you think. Lileep, Ingrain!" Larger roots erupted from the prehistoric crinoid's base, burying into the soil of the gym floor. They locked the Lileep in place, preventing it from being switched or forced out, but as soon as the roots were fully planted, they started absorbing nutrients from the soil. And sure enough, it soon started gradually healing away the damage the Nidoran had dealt thus far.

[Akira Mikan]

Akira's eyes narrowed when the Lileep used Ingrain, which left her feeling like she should have seen this coming. Nevertheless, it, hopefully, wouldn't put too much of a damper on her plan. If all went well, a bit of healing wouldn't make too much of a difference. Either way, now it was time for the risky part of her plan. "Jazz, return!" Grabbing her Nidoran's Poke Ball, she returned the Poison-type, then immediately sent another one out in his place. After a bright flash of light, a Snorunt stood where the where the Nidoran once was, and prepared herself for battle. "Get ready, Yukkuri! This is gonna be a tough one!"

Summary
- Akira returned her Nidoran, and sent out her Snorunt

[Satori]

Opponent 2: Lileep
Gender: Male
Ability: Suction Cups
Health: Middling

"Hrmph. You would do something like that, wouldn't you," Verne remarked, grumbling a little as he saw the Snorunt that was sent out in the Nidoran's place. "Don't get how people can like the cold so much," he added under his breath. "Fortunately, I've got just the thing for it. Lileep, Ancient Power!" As though drawing from power sleeping deep under the earth, the Lileep began to glow slightly, and raised up glowing fragments of rock from the ground surrounding it. The rock fragments flew at the Snorunt to bombard it from several directions. As the attack subsided, the Lileep would stop glowing and settle down again, returning to simply drawing nutrients from the soil. "Hope you've got something good planned, kid. Otherwise this is gonna get real disappointing real quick."

[Akira Mikan]

Akira winced as the Lileep proceeded to use Ancient Power. She saw this coming from a mile away, and, as expected, the move was extremely powerful against her Snorunt. And yet, the Ice-type endured the attack, still standing in spite of the staggering amount of damage she took. There was no way that she'd be able to take another hit like that, but, hopefully, she wouldn't have to. "Good job! Now, strike back with Blizzard!"

The Snorunt nodded and, from her tiny body, she unleashed a massive and powerful blast of snow and ice at the Lileep. It was so strong that the force of it actually pushed her back back a couple feet. Either way, all Akira could do was watch and hope for the best.

Summary
- Yukkiri used Blizzard!

Blizzard - Ice-type, base power of 110. Accuracy of 70%. It's category is Special. Has a 10% chance of freezing the opponent if it hits.

Accuracy Check
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1-7; Blizzard hits

Effect Check
1-10
If it lands on 1, the opponent is frozen if the move hits. 1-10·1-10

[Satori]

Verne grumbled under his breath again as he saw what Akira was going for. He visibly shivered as ice, snow, and freezing winds swept across the arena, covering just about everything in their cold, wintery...crap. He'd survive the freezing blast, just so long as it warmed up again soon, but Lileep was a different story. Even with its steady recovery from Ingrain, it had taken too much damage already to withstand the blizzard.

"Hrmph. I guess I'll have to save my disappointment for another day," Verne said. It seemed like that was supposed to be a compliment...sort of. "Well, let's keep this going, then. You're not done yet." He recalled the fainted Lileep, then sent the Lotad he had opened with out in its stead. "Lotad, hit it with Bubblebeam!"

---

Opponent 1: Lotad
Gender: Male
Ability: Rain Dish
Health: Full

[Akira Mikan]

Akira let out a sigh of relief as her plan succeeded, and her Snorunt succeeded in taking down the Lileep. However, her victory was short-lived. The Gym Leader sent out his next Pokemon, the Lotad from earlier. It proceeded to launch a Bubble Beam at her, which, combined with the rather heavy hit she took from the Ancient Power, was enough to bring her down. Letting out a sigh, Akira smiled as she returned her Snorunt. "Excellent job. You've earned your rest." With a nod, Akira grabbed a different Poke Ball and tossed it onto the arena, sending a familiar face back into the fray for another go.

Luckily, the Nidoran hadn't taken any hits, so he was still at full strength. Thus, Akira called out. "Alright, Jazz! Let's try this again! Poison Jab!" Thus, the Nidoran once again charged at the Lotad, with venom gathering in his horn. Hopefully, this time, it would actually hit.

Summary
- Yukkuri was hit by the Bubblebeam!
- Yukkuri fainted!
- Akira sent Jazz back into the battle!
- Jazz used Poison Jab!

Effect Check
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1-3 = the opponent is poisoned if it hits.

1-10

[Satori]

"Hrmph. Figured I'd be seeing that one again," Verne grumbled as the Nidoran came back out, promptly KOing the Lotad in a single hit. Just like he'd anticipated last time. "That's a good way to ruin a forest, slinging around attacks like that. Still, guess I should hurry up and stop messing around." Verne recalled the fainted Lotad, and sent out his final Pokemon in its place. "Phantump, time to get to work," he called out as the little forest spirit appeared, blinking its large eyes at the Nidoran. "Let's take the sting out of those attacks right now. Will-o-Wisp!" Purple flames appeared at the tips of both of the Phantump's horns on Verne's command, then darted towards the Nidoran to burn it.

Opponent 3: Phantump
Gender: Male
Type: Grass/Ghost
Health: Full

[Target is burned at an 85% chance]
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[Akira Mikan]

Damn. She figured Poison Jab would be really effective, but not enough for a one-hit KO. Not that she was complaining of course. It just meant she was one step closer to winning her first badge. Choosing to ignore the grumpy old man's comments, she watched as he sent out his last Pokemon. It was one that she wasn't familiar with, though, from the way it looked, it was probably a Ghost-type. Which meant Poison Jab would be of limited use. However, she didn't have time to debate which move to use, as he proceeded to use Will-O-Wisp.

It took Akira all of two seconds to decide what her her next move would be. "I don't think so!" In one fluid motion, she returned her Nidoran to his Poke Ball, and immediately sent out her Tepig. The Will-O-Wisp proceeded to hit the switched-in Tepig, who was completely unharmed by the attack due to his immunity to burn. With a nod, Akira waited to see what this strange Pokemon would do next.

Summary
- Akira switched out Jazz for her Tepig, Porco Rosso!
- Porco Rosso was unaffected by Will-O-Wisp!

[Satori]

Opponent 3: Phantump
Gender: Male
Type: Grass/Ghost
Health: Full

"And now the fire types come out," Verne said when Akira switched. Figured that she'd save it for the moment he tried to burn one of her Pokemon. He was keeping the grouchiness to a minimum now, but at this point, it was starting to become clear that the battle wasn't going in his favor. He still had to see it through, and he still intended to do just that. At the very least, he could inflict more damage before the end. "Phantump, Shadow Claw!" he called out. The Phantump lunged forward, using its branch-like horns as claws and raking them across his opponent with some sort of ethereal energy.

[Akira Mikan]

Things were looking good for Akira, as the leader was down two Pokemon, while she still had two left. She wasn't about to be foolish and assume that she was going to win no matter what, but the odds were definitely stacked in her favor at the moment. She watched as the Phantump attacked with a Shadow Claw, a move she wasn't quite expecting...if only because she always pictured Ghost-types as being a more Special-oriented Type. The Attack landed, and it was a fairly effective hit, though the small Fire-type had plenty of fight left.

"Alright Porco Rosso, give it all you got! Flamethrower!" With a nod, the Tepig inhaled deeply. Then, upon exhaling he proceeded to launch a powerful stream of flames from his nostrils. Admittedly, it looked kinda silly, but it was still an incredibly-powerful move nonetheless. Akira watched on, waiting to see what the opponent would do.

Summary
- Porco Rosso used Flamethrower!

Flamethrower: Fire-type, base power of 90. Accuracy of 100%. Its category is Special. Has a 10% chance of burning the opponent.

Effect Check
B_cygTPu1-10

1-10