Indigo Leauge - Battle in Fushia!

[Taco]

Taco watched as the enemy Skarmory’s eyes grew wide with shock. I know how you’re feelin’, buddy, Taco thought begrudgingly. Then the ghost pokemon’s psywave attack hit, and the steel bird clung to its position on the ground for dear life, coming out a little better off than Taco felt; the pokemon’s claws grating against the ground caused his ears to ring, and he held them now in pain, clenching his teeth together.

What’s the matter, boss? Don’t like the sound of a chalk board? The ghost pokemon turned to its master grinning. By the by, I think something’s up; the birdy, in particular, the gengar commented, looking up to indicate where the enemy pokemon had flown. Taco turned his gaze to where his pokemon looked, but could not find where the pokemon had gone. Y’know, I can think of a few things that he’s doing, the gengar continued. One of them is fairly obvious. I’m guessing that this, perhaps, is the first phase of the fly attack. If that’s the case, perhaps the best thing for me to do now is to wait for him to come back down, yes? Although I can’t seem to get a good read on him… He’s acting pretty brain dead. I think I gave him a good scare with that gesture of good will, the poor fellow, the gengar commented, not entirely sympathetically; in fact, Taco caught a more mischievous tone in his pokemon’s thoughts.

I’m not surprised in the least that he reacted the way he did to some stranger intruding on his thoughts, Taco responded gruffly.

Oh, come now! It’s common practice by many psychics to randomly barge in on a being’s consciousness! the gengar responded with a slight giggle. If he’s not used to that, I suppose I’m sending him a wake up call.

“Whatever you say,” Taco muttered out loud. He then looked to his opponent for the first time in some time, who was casually swinging his cross necklace. He seems pretty confident right now… Then Taco looked around, and was aware of the tense crowd once more. They looked on, holding their collective breath for the next attack. Oh yeah, they still exist. This is probably getting boring.

Well, it’s probably about time for that birdy to finish up on the second phase of its attack, if it’s doing what I think it’s doing. They better not head for the bathroom just yet! the gengar commented mock-enthusiastically.

Get ready for it, then… Taco trailed off, concentrating his gaze on the skies above him.

[T.G. Oskar]

Skarmory was now far away from the podium, but not away from the battle. He could observe the entire field: the trainers in their respective areas, the other Pokemon very close to the Leader, the sand from the storm still covering the area, the rocks of Tyranitar's attack still in place... Plenty of tools for developing his strategy. While not very smart, Skarmory knew from experience that he was doing an attack virtually all people would expect. His trainer showed him that move, mostly for transportation. And, it was a staple of his moves. But...this time, it would not work. It was like if the trainer and the Pokemon were reading him like a book. They would not expect that a bird's flight was not necessarily meant for attack.

Without a doubt, Skarmory threw himself from the ceiling. The angle was precise, even thought of: he would land close to the Pokemon he wished to fight. But, his wings were not extended. He was...free falling. From that height, it would be sure suicide. Why a suicide drop? Why, if he could fly, didn't just extended his wings and fly, and end the move?

Suddenly, as he neared the Pokemon, Skarmory's wings opened wide, not full of fear, but of determination. Another thing he had noticed: some of the sand was wet, turned into mud. The blobs of toxic slime mixed with the loose soil, making a strange mud, of black coloring. And the slimy mud was surrounding all the podium...a thing that called Skarmory's attention, while aloft. And, Oskar's attention too...

In a flash, Skarmory, having achieved greater speed by the freefall, swooped right behind Gengar, splashed into the mud, and made an arcing turn towards the Pokemon. As he passed through Gengar, the slimy mud was virtually pulled from the floor, as well as small rocks and loose sand. Skarmory arced in such a way he'd swoop right through Gengar, passing exactly where his eyes would be. The arc was wide enough to pass at mere inches from Taco, as well. In mere point-blank range, Skarmory passed his claws, full of the viscous material, right in Gengar's eyes, and releasing the material as well. The attack ended spectacularly, with a graceful drop and a daring glance from Skarmory, whose eyes he instantly closed. He could not notice if the attack succeded, but his mind was already on the skies, ready to drop unnoticed again.

From his sitting state, Oskar replied, looking for the precise words. "Well, your Pokemon floats and mud is hard to find in here, so we had to improvise. Though, if you noticed, guys, striking the Pokemon was not his only goal..." And, in a scornful note, Skarmory thought, as if he could detect from where the random thought in his mind came from, "Hope you got a third eye...I won't let you and your trainer peacefully speak, psychic".

[Taco]

Taco had been searching the skies from his spot on the podium. While his pokemon faced one direction, Taco faced the other, both trying to seek out the enemy skarmory who had disappeared overhead. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, Taco noticed a faint gray blur streak. He had not time to warn his pokemon; with eyes wide in shock and mouth agape, he leaped and rolled to the edge of his podium, suspecting that he may have just narrowly dodged the skarmory’s attack. An attack designed not only to hit its enemy pokemon, but the pokemon’s trainer, as well. Taco had heard of new type of competition in which not only the pokemon participated in the actual physical aspect of the fight; the pokemon’s trainers had become fair game in these matches, as well.

What a naughty birdy! Taco’s gengar commented telepathically to its trainer dryly. You know what he said to me? He said, “I won't let you and your trainer peacefully speak, psychic." I think that pokemon and his trainer might be out for blood, here, boss.

I think you might be right, Taco responded darkly. Looking up, he started at the sight of his gengar; a kind of pasty black jell, covered his eyes and a bit of the area surrounding them, sealing them shut. The pokemon’s ever present grin, however, suggested that this did not seem to dishearten the pokemon in the slightest. Holy crap, dude! Aren’t you a little bit stressed that your eyes are kind of sealed shut right now?

Oh, I think I can still manage, the ghost pokemon replied, his grin actually widening a little bit at the comment. Although, along with blinding me, that attack did sting, a little. Any-dang way… which direction did that little birdy fly off in? Nevermind, I can faintly sense him. What should I do next?

Well, although that psywave attack seemed to work a bit, you might want to switch things up a little bit, Taco responded, standing up and dusting himself off a little. I don’t know the parameters of this next attack, but I think you might try going with a nightshade attack. [i]Also, as much as I’d like to send a “thank you” to my buddy over there,[i] here Taco frowned deeply, make sure to do your best to keep Trainer T.G. Oskar out of harm’s way. I will not have the blood of another trainer on my hands.

Whatever you say, boss, the gengar commented with a shrug, his eyebrows sagging as if to denote confusion, but his ridiculous grin remaining in tact. I can’t promise one hundred percent that the trainer won’t be effected, however, if his pokemon is near him when I start my attack… Then, he turned at an angle from Taco, as if searching for something, then clenched his fists, gritted his grinning teeth powerfully, and emitted a blanket of dark energy that distorted the image and inverted the colors every object it passed over, an effect that also looked as though it were broiling the objects it passed over.

[T.G. Oskar]

Oskar sighed of relief as his Pokemon managed to pull off a very difficult move. Canceling his Fly attack into an improvised Mud-Slap was very hard to do, as it required a well developed strategy executed painstakingly right, with surgical precision. Gengar's eyes were covered in mud, but that seemed not to stop his intentions.

Out of the blue, Gengar blasted away with an aura that distorted the image surrounding. The attack was done directly towards Skarmory, as if, despite the blinding, he was...sensing him.

But...was he? Oskar was swinging away a cross necklace, and he was also a living being. Skarmory flew near where Oskar was, right at the moment Gengar executed his attack. Perhaps, just perhaps, he was not sensing Skarmory: he was sensing his trainer. But, there was no time to look for the answer: the energy was flying right where Oskar was, reaching ever closer.

Skarmory, whose flight speed had already passed Oskar's location, looked back at him, watching what was he going to do. It was risky, but he was capable of taking the attack to protect his trainer. Oskar's look, however, was not that of worry. In fact, he could faintly determine from the look: "Proceed...". Why such a cryptic command, he barely knew, but he decided to fly again, ready to develop his next move.

In the same time, Oskar's necklace stopped swinging. He grabbed it, clenched his fist, and proceeded to adopt a kneeling position. He was now almost facing the dark energy, but ready to evade it away. He lunged to the side, quickly catching the ground, and ran away from the attack. He, however, deliberately threw his necklace into the dark energy, as he moved away. The dark energy met the cross necklace, and a rare distortion began to warp and decolor it. In an instant, the dark energy was dispelled, as the necklace fell into the ground, apparently intact and whole. A shadowy aura beated from the symbol before fading away.

Skarmory was impressed, from the vantage point he had gotten, that his trainer had deliberately evaded the attack instead of making him take the attack. He was starting to worry that Oskar's acts of recklessness would eventually land him a serious hospital stay, in the best of cases. Skarmory dispelled such bad thoughts, while focusing in his next move. The rocks left just there look like wonderful projectiles...

[Taco]

Hmm… y’know, that guy dissolving my attack like that so easily is kinda discouraging, Taco’s gengar commented telepathically to him after TG Oskar used his cross to absorb the pokemon’s nightshade attack. Taco felt alarm in seeing his pokemon’s attack almost injure another human being, but after his enemy not only waited for the attack to get there, but also diffused it, the Gym Leader’s concern for his fellow man lessened considerably. Remembering Oskar’s casual reaction to his pokemon almost hitting Taco just moments earlier also helped the Gym Leader rationalize the dangerous event.

He must be a fairly powerful psychic of some kind, perhaps even in comparison to you as a pokemon, Taco replied to his ghost pokemon. Don’t worry, though; you won’t be fighting him directly… Just make sure to take care of his skarmory. That bird has disappeared into the high skies again, by the way. I wouldn’t guess he would go with the obvious attack, however. Let’s be ready for another improvised attack. No offense, but I’m getting away from you for now. The Gym Leader proceeded to walk down to the opposite end of his podium, and face out to the battle in front of him.

You smell like rotten fruit anyway, the gengar grinned at his master. Anyhoo, that birdy is obviously out of reach again. However, I think I can faintly sense him, out there. Probably can’t attack him yet, but once he gets close again… you want me to unleash with anything?

Why don’t you get a Confuse Ray ready for him? Also, move from that spot that you’ve been standing in practically the entire time you’ve been out here. It probably makes his strategizing a lot easier with you in the same spot all the time.

You know… the gengar began, when suddenly he took off through solid rock and over deep chasm, to reappear at the center of the battle field at the top of a large piece of dislodged asphalt. …you may be right about that! the pokemon concluded his thought, then turned and waved to TG Oskar, grinning as widely as he could. His face then began to strain, as if he were concentrating very hard on something. Definite energy waves could be seen working around the pokemon, yet beyond that, nothing else visibly happened...

[T.G. Oskar]

From his vantage point, Skarmory had but to wonder why he was attacking his trainer, when he was supposed to attack him. It was easy to recognize that Oskar was not giving Skarmory any command: everyone could easily figure that out. But...why was Gengar now focused on his trainer? His command to stay away was nothing more than a look to the eye, a complete command simplified in a mere look. Nothing fancy, nothing fancy...

Perhaps, could it be? He and Oskar had faced many psychics before, and some tended to distract the trainer, only to find out the truth. The trainers, he could listen, were amazed as their Pokemon were defeated with a trainer not issuing commands. He could even listen as they asked his trainer how he had such psychic ability, in which his concentration and psychic link to his Pokemon was not broken, to which he answered...

..."I am no psychic. My bonds with Pokemon are not of the nature of mind, but of spirit. My training with my Pokemon allows us to communicate without words, or mind waves, but through our feelings and experiences." Oskar quickly replied to the Gengar, loud enough so that Taco could hear it.

And, in the ceiling, Skarmory thought to himself, "what a fool. To think Oskar's controlling me, when he ordered me to act on my own behalf... Keep trying, greasy blob" He launched again, once again freefalling, ready to achieve sonic speeds. In the meanwhile, Oskar simply stood, sitting, watching the Gengar as he acted against him. He would definitely take the attack, to let him know that he had deliberately loosened the leash on his Pokemon. He knew that their loyalty was more than enough...

Skarmory, eyes closed, kept falling into the void...and his wings began to open. Opening his eyes, he went straight towards Gengar, rushing as if he was just simply going to attack. Why a normal Fly attack, at this point of the battle, few people barely knew, but, for Skarmory, he knew this battle would last very long. He was just chipping away at his enemy, ready to know all of his moves...

[Taco]

The gengar laughed at the enemy trainer’s comment. Is that so, Mr. Oskar? the ghost pokemon sent out a thought in the direction he knew the trainer was in. That’s very interesting… except, not of interest to me at the moment. I think I can guess at your true intentions for informing me of such things… Here, the gengar suddenly leaned back into the air and quickly floated to the base of the rock where he had been standing. The gengar could not have seen, but Taco looked on grimly as a gray blur zoomed to the spot where his ghost pokemon had been only seconds ago.

How did he know…? Taco pondered his pokemon’s successful doge of the attack. I guess he’s a lot more quick-witted than I give him credit for.

I have my will, Mr. Oskar, and I intend to see it carried out! Taco’s gengar continued to broadcast his thoughts in the direction of the opposing trainer. A split second later, the gengar unleashed his attack that he had been charging right at the area he had just been standing in; a ray of hostile energy, whose end affects were intended cause confusion in its target. Get it? SEE? Gwa-ha-har! I crack myself up sometimes! Gengar concluded.

What the hell is that pokemon of mine up to? Taco wondered, who saw his gengar laughing twice just now, but had not been privy to his comments to the enemy trainer. Freakin’ weirdo. Although, what that trainer was saying… he isn’t psychic. He uses his… “feelings” to connect with his pokemon… How very impressive, how very spiritual… I’m not interested in a sermon at this time, however.

[T.G. Oskar]

Most of the time, Skarmory was saved by his amazing speed, or by his quick wits. Of course, some attacks landed every now and then; he was not a perfect Pokemon, and most of the time it was because of Oskar's worries that Skarmory turned a critical attack into a miss, or a near miss.

But, it was on extremely rare occasions that Skarmory was saved by a factor not part of the above. This time...plain old luck just saved him.

At mere seconds of impact, Gengar masterfully dodged Skarmory's Fly attack, leaving him in a dire situation. His beak was stuck to the podium, unable to let him move or go. Skarmory was worried that he would be an easy target, so he decided he would use all of his strength to release his beak. He ducked to gain strength just at the moment Gengar was releasing his attack, which Oskar quickly determined that was the dreaded Confuse Ray. The mindbending energy simply passed under Skarmory, and the effect was lingering when Skarmory finished releasing himself. How awkward, to think plain luck just saved him...

But, luck was not the only factor...Skarmory was carefully planning his next attack, and he went for the simple Fly. He was aware that Tyranitar had left him a nice weapon to use, and that the rocks were at very close distance...

Skarmory rushed as soon as he freed himself, using the uncanny strength he barely possessed to unleash a barrage of medium-sized rocks all over the area. Using these new rocks, and the ones Tyranitar attempted to use, Skarmory unleashed upon Gengar the attack his fellow Pokemon failed to use.

The Rock Slide movement...

[Taco]

Did I get him, boss? Taco faintly received a telepathic message from his pokemon. The Gym Leader noticed with alarm, however, that not only had the skarmory not been hit by the confuse ray, but it was also undergoing another attack involving the rocks of the battlefield: a rockslide. The attack was on its way, and there was no time to possibly warn his pokemon of the danger he was now facing. You’re not telling me— the gengar began, but was cut off by a large boulder that smashed him into the ground, several smaller pieces of rock and asphalt right behind it. They carried the ghost pokemon into a nearby crater and buried him there.

Gengar?! Taco questioned the area of his mind where the ghost pokemon communicated to him from frantically, searching for any sign or acknowledgement he might send his way. Suddenly, a large, glowing purple form sailed up through the rocks and stopped a few inches from their top. Once the form remained stationary, the glow subsided, as if it had helped in the form's travel.

It’s… it’s gonna take… a little more than that to do me in… boss! The gengar made the effort to contact his trainer once more. From the sound of his message, Taco realized it might not take too much more to do him in, however.

Are you sure you can go on? Taco questioned the ghost pokemon.

Of course, boss! The gengar responded, a little more strength in his “voice” this time. I’m running on about half a tank right now, I’d guess. Maybe a little less. What would you like me to do next?

Well, do you think you could perform that confuse ray attack again? Taco responded. If you could connect it, it would do some major damage against that pokemon.

I got it: try confusing the birdy again. With pleasure, boss! With that, gengar sensed around after his enemy, seeming to scan the space around him. Then, apparently satisfied, he charged his attack, and released a confusing hostile ray of energy once more.

[T.G. Oskar]

It was quite evident that Skarmory's rush of luck was over. Escaping from an enfeebling attack, and landing a blow at the same time, was more than luck would allow him. It'll take him quite some time for karma to act on his behalf again.

And, with the sudden rush of luck on his behalf, it was also evident that karma would request it's payment. In Skarmory's case, it would be the unfortunate circumstance of being struck without chance of evasion.

And, to add insult...by the same attack he evaded by pure luck.

Gengar, after receiving the brunt of Skarmory's Rock Slide movement, had quickly recovered from the blow. He was standing on the rocks that seconds ago buried him in the crater he now floats upon. And...the very same hostile rays were aimed directly at Skarmory, at very close range, at the moment he landed.

All that Skarmory could experiment was a sudden blackout, coupled with an intense, high-pitched screeching sound that tortured his mind. He, for a few moments, could not feel his legs, or his wings, or his body. He felt floating, which made him lose balance and fall, to everyone's sight. After a few seconds, Skarmory regained consciousness...a blurry sight, and a wobbly stand-up, but nothing else. He quickly stood up, shook, and looked for his target: the opponent's Pokemon. And, he found it very quickly, to be precise.

"Very well, buddy...let's end this...", Skarmory thought, as he took flight and extended his stiff wings, eyes full of anger. But, he was not directing towards Gengar, to be precise...

Skarmory rushed, ready to strike at his sworn enemy, using his swiftness and precision tuned by the ninja masters of Hoenn. But, to everyone's sight, Skarmory had gone rogue, and turned against his trainer, as it was Oskar who would receive the attack. But, Oskar was too quiet...actually, the sudden betrayal was not troubling his mind. Oskar waived to the side, swiftly evading the sharp wing slashes. Too, he evaded the slashes executed by Skarmory as he turned back to strike again.

Swiftly enough, Skarmory returned to his trainer's side, ready to expect his next command. Of course, Skarmory was standing in Taco's side, not on Oskar's side. In his mind, Taco was Oskar, Oskar was Gengar, and he could not see where Taco was. In fact, Skarmory cared not for where Taco was.

But...Oskar was still quiet. Not even in his thoughts he was worried. Actually, deep within thought...he was laughing. Heartily...

[Taco]

"Uh... hi?" Taco greeted T.G. Oskar’s skarmory, who looked back at him with a strange expectancy. Moments earlier, it had unexpectedly attempted to attack its own trainer, and then flown to Taco’s side. The Gym Leader at first felt a sense of endangerment when the enemy pokemon flew to his side, expecting another attack. However this was completely unexpected. “What’re you lookin’ at me for, anyway?”

Isn’t it obvious, oh great master pokemon trainer Taco? The gengar responded to Taco’s question that had obviously been direct at the opposite pokemon. This is my confuse ray at work! Particularly after he attacked his own trainer, which is a common occurrence in confused pokemon; they may either attack themselves or one of their allies in this state. I don’t know exactly what the birdy is thinking, but he is obviously rather taken by you. The ghost pokemon’s eyes narrowed mischievously at this statement.

Shut the hell up, Taco responded, inwardly rolling his eyes. He then looked down at the pokemon, and thought to gengar, there isn’t much we can do in this situation. Why don’t you just go ahead and sneak up on him and give him a lick? It may not be the best attack in the world to do against a steal pokemon, but I don’t want him to snap out of it while he’s right next to me, have him suddenly dodge one your attacks and have it hit me instead.

Anything you say, boss, the gengar responded, scanning the area psychically for a moment, then floating back towards the podium, his trainer, and his nemesis. Why don’t you keep talking to him? It’ll distract him while I move in. Taco wordlessly complied with this idea. All he had to do was think of something to say…

“So… how’s the weather treating you up there?” The Gym Leader asked the flying pokemon. “It’s looking rather cloudy, like it might start to rain. Although I’m pretty sure that water isn’t really a steel type’s bane like it against rock types, eh? Which really, if you think about it, doesn’t really make much sense, seeing as steel should rust in the rain. What does rain do to regular rocks, anyway? It makes you wonder about the physics of pokemon types…” Taco became enrapt in this musing himself, not even noticing as his gengar was right upon him and his enemy’s pokemon...

[T.G. Oskar]

To many trainers, the condition of confusion is indeed a complete mystery. The most common occurence is that the Pokemon becomes clumsy, often damaging itself by fumbling the attack, or damaging itself. At rare occasions, the Pokemon confused, albeit briefly, the sense of ally and enemy, and refused to answer certain commands, obeyed the other trainer's commands, and then thereafter regained the sense of ally and enemy.

But...this case was different. Skarmory's sense of ally and enemy was completely affected: he wholeheartedly believed Oskar was Gengar, and Taco was his trainer, with the idea of Taco absent from his mind. In his mind, he could see the people he thought were the ones he thought, and interposed such illusion with the true people. This was more than just mere confusion...

As Taco made such chatty talk to deviate Skarmory from the real Gengar's attack, Skarmory could only wonder what had happened to his trainer. Why such senseless talk? Of course, his trainer knew every bit about the Pokemon types, so such chat was completely abnormal. Skarmory swiftly replied with a loud yell, hinting of his wonder...

"Uh, hey, what's wrong with you? Of course you know that water is useless against steel armor, sheesh. Stop speaking stupidities and keep watching, you..." Skarmory felt as a horrifying tongue was eerily passing through his body, sending shivers. Skarmory was repulsed by the weird sensation, feeling...abused. Yes, abused, though he knew nothing of such term.

Skarmory looked again at his enemy, with a fierce look. And, once again, Oskar was the target of Skarmory's rare confusion, as the Pokemon flew at very low altitude, releasing a blob of mud towards his target. Oskar only needed to bob his body to the side, and the blob passed through, landing at one of the spectators. Or, it would have, if it weren't because the podium was suddenly covered with transparent walls. Evidently, the organizers of this event thought of everything...

After another traitorous attack from his own Pokemon, Oskar remained in thought. "Well, Gengar released all of its attacks: Lick, Confuse Ray, Night Shade, and apparently Psywave. He's the one to disable and damage with sure attack...would have done better with a Hypnosis, though... Anyways, the threat has lowered very slightly... Let's see, what shall I do..."