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Use Swords Dance while it's underground!

[ If Sawsbuck can pull off another boost to its attack stat, it might just be able to tear through the rest of Cilan's team. It's a risky strategy but she's going to go through with it. ]

[ Sawsbucks snorts once more and begins stomping its hooves against the grass to sharpen its power even further. It doesn't get to finish though, because Pansage manages to break its concentration when it bursts out. Sawsbuck moves backward to give itself some space to charge into its opponent for a counterattack... and successfully manages to step in one of the holes, causing it to stumble and leave itself completely open to an attack. ]

[Good, now's our chance!]

Quick, use Rock Tomb! [Pansage creates another boulder in it's paws to throw down at the Sawsbuck--thanks to it's stumbling over the hole there, hopefully this time will be the lucky strike for the attack to connect!]

Get out of th-- [ Too late. Unable to pull out its leg and jump out of the way in time, the boulder hits Sawsbuck with tremendous force that probably would kill most creatures that don't adhere to the laws of cartoon physics.

Sawsbuck makes a pained noise and manages to hold its head up long enough to glare at Pansage for a few seconds before crumpling over and slipping into unconsciousness. ]

Looks like he's down for the count. You're good!

[ Hilda's a little surprised, actually -- in a good way because she's only getting more fired up. She returns Sawsbuck to its Pokéball and sends out her Musharna. ]

[Thank goodness for the laws of cartoon physics.]

Thank you, I'm glad you think so--you've been an opponent with excellent taste so far as well. [Musharna, huh...we saw it earlier when Hilda had used it to slow down her fall from that building. And it's likely that Pansage might not actually be able to beat it since it's tired from battling Sawsbuck, but...well, it's just a little too early to make a proper full evaluation of her skills just yet.] I look forward to seeing what you and your Pokemon do next!

[Yes, he will give you the opportunity to make the first move again, if she wants.]

[ If Cilan willingly gives her the chance to, why not. ]

Musharna, go get 'em! Use Psychic!

[ Musharna begins to glow with the same purple-pink aura that had slowed down Hilda during her stunt. The surrounding area seems to become distorted, almost as if someone applied a Photoshop filter to reality, and it fires a technicolour wave of telekinetic energy toward Pansage. ]

[Irk, Psychic is one of those moves that's really hard to dodge, if nearly impossible for some. Pansage is the former; even though it tries to keep from getting overwhelmed by the odd filter in their surroundings, it ends up getting hit with the wave of telekinetic energy, stumbling back and swaying a bit, as if colors are dancing around it's vision for a moment. Oops.]

Pansage, are you alright? [Uh...maybe? Just give us second to regain our senses here, though a second might be all Hilda and Musharna need to send in another attack...]

Again, Musharna!

[ Another telekinetic attack coming right up, Pansage. ]

[Oops, we better do something this time.] Quick, use Dig!

[Pansage digs down into the ground once more in order to try to escape from the telekinetic wave of energy. Of course, Dig as an attack doesn't really work on Musharna, so when it comes back up elsewhere, it can't actually reach Musharna from where the other Pokemon is floating. Not to mention that we'll probably end up taking a dirt nap here soon from all the energy we've spent already in this battle...but we're not gonna give up just yet. Gotta try to get at least one attack in before Pansage potentially gets knocked out soon.]

Bullet Seed! [Pansage opens it's mouth and attempts to fire a bunch of seeds at the floating Musharna. See look, we do in fact know a grass-type move or two!]

[ ~~Musharna doesn't have Levitate, Dig would hit but gameplay mechanics don't really translate well to this.~~ The Musharna line isn't exactly known for its speed so some of the seeds manage to hit it before it can react, causing it to let out a shrill sound-- and to unleash a third wave of energy, this time at the seeds rather than Pansage. The trajectory of the remaining seeds is bent down, causing them to hit the grass beneath Musharna instead. ]

[Technically it could hit but Dig tends to miss when attempting to hit Pokemon that are flying or floating in the air in the anime sometimes. Just ask Skyla's Swoobat...man Pokemon mechanics are weird regardless.

We should be annoyed that our attack was partially dodged, but praise should be given where it's due.]

That was an excellent use of psychic energy to repel the attack--truly an effective taste... [But irk what do we do now...]

I hope you're enjoying that particular flavor, then...! Is it a sweet one?

[ Her tone is teasing but by no means taunting. That kind of thing does not belong in a friendly match like this one unless the move Taunt is involved. Dream smoke comes out in billowy puffs and Musharna inhales sharply, gearing up for another -- and hopefully, the last attack needed to knock out Pansage. ]

Well, I would say that it's a little more bittersweet than I'd like...

[But we have to at least try, even though Pansage is likely going down after this.] Use Bullet Seed, once more!

[Pansage sucks in a breath and starts spitting seeds at Musharna again--no telling if the seeds will actually disrupt Musharna or if it'll just get sent back away with psychic energy again, but...]

Psychic, once more!

[ Rather than wasting its energy on manipulating the trajectory again, Musharna targets Pansage when it launches yet another wave of energy-- it's hoping that Pansage will go down getting in that last attack rather than prolonging things by jumping out of the way. ]

[Yep, that'll do it. We may be a pretty strong Pansage, but we can't keep going forever. Since it had been so busy concentrating on attacking with Bullet Seeds, it's not able to dodge the Psychic attack in time, and after a moment of swaying in place, it falls over, having fainted. Cilan sighs a little before taking out Pansage's pokeball.]

Mm...looks like we'll have to concede for this round. Thank you for your hard work, Pansage, you did quite well. [The Pansage disappears back inside of the pokeball, which he puts away and proceeds to take out another.] Still, it's far too early for either of us to taste defeat yet--are you ready to take on our next Pokemon, Hilda?

Do you really have to ask, Cilan? [ She's always ready in a battle. ] Come on, don't keep us waiting.

Very well, we'll answer you magnificently! Let's see how you like the flavors of our next vintage Pokemon!

[And out comes his next Pokemon, Crustle! ...Which certainly isn't a Lillipup, or even a grass-type Pokemon for that matter. But Cilan doesn't seem to find anything odd about this at all; in fact, he seems to be even more enthused by the battle as he straightens his tie and with a snap of his fingers--]

It's tasting time~! [and before you can ask what in the hell does that even mean, he's already speaking again:] In regards to your Pokemon so far, your Sawsbuck has a wonderful taste like that of the majestic beauty of nature, and your Musharna has a peaceful, and yet strong aura to it, the tastes of a proficient user of the psychic arts. You've certainly picked fine additions to your team...but like Sawsbuck that came before, we will be sure to gain the advantage once more--let's see if you'll be able to strike back against an attack from above! Use Rock Slide!

[Crustle raises it's claws up into the air, and suddenly large rocks are proceeding to appear and drop down out of the sky, right above Musharna's head.]

[ A Crustle. There is a slight crease in Hilda's brow when Cilan's Pokémon emerges; there goes any plans for that Lillipup she might've had. Musharna isn't meant to stay on the field when a Bug-type comes out because it's a slow Pokémon with a moveset that doesn't include coverage against them (she had Darmanitan and Archeops for that but neither of those are in Luceti). Should she switch out or test her luck? A type disadvantage isn't a good thing at all but it doesn't automatically mean defeat. Cilan likes to talk a lot so that's giving her a little time to consider her options. ]

[ Even with Musharna's bulky defenses, getting hit by rocks will hurt like hell. With no way to dodge the rocks in time, the hit knocks Musharna out of the air and onto the grass. It winces and the smoke emitting from its head briefly becomes thinner before it recovers and returns to hovering above the ground. ]

-- Let's retreat for now. [ Hilda holds out a Pokéball and taps the button in the middle, returning her Pokémon to safety. ] Samurott, your turn!

[ In a flash, her starter appears before Crustle with a fierce roar. ]

[~~oh no it's samurott we're screwed love is over~~

Well at least you didn't interrupt us when we were talking or have your Pokemon kick ours hard enough to smack into us and get knocked out of the field...like some trainers we know who have done that...still, it's a wise move to have Musharna return, as much as we would have liked to pull out a victory in the next move, but their attention is stolen by the new Pokemon that's taken it's place.]

My, what an imposing taste...but we won't allow ourselves to be intimidated by it! Use Rock Slide, once more!

[Crustle hops back away a little before it lifts it's claws into the air again, summoning the rain of rocks like before. Try not to flinch if you get hit!]

[ In the blink of an eye, Samurott unsheathes a sword from its leg and takes a swing at the rocks hailing down. With one swift movement, a good portion of the rocks are deflected while the rest hit the large shell on Samurott's head. Having a built-in helmet to take the brunt of an impact sure comes in handy. ]

Excellent work, Samurott! Now-- use Surf! [ The samurai otter is quick to attack, creating a large wave that comes crashing down toward Crustle. ]

[Oh dear...well, as a Crustle, Surf would be a pretty hard attack to avoid, so the wave comes crashing down over the poor bug Pokemon. And considering that it has a 2x weakness to water-type attacks, that would normally probably wipe it out pretty quickly...however, once the water starts to recede, Crustle can be seen still standing, albeit shaking from the attack as it attempts to dry itself a little. Thank god for Sturdy...ahaha...]

Perhaps I slightly underestimated the flavor of your Samurott's power...that certainly was a formidable wave. We should count ourselves lucky that we weren't overwhelmed by it... [Nonetheless, he's taking out a pokeball to temporarily recall Crustle back for now (after all, we're at quite the type-disadvantagous situation here), taking out the pokeball of his third Pokemon.] I must say, it's been quite a while since we last faced an opponent that had us on the defensive like this!

[ Ah, the built-in Focus Sash. Sturdy an useful ability but it's annoying when the opponent is the one having it. Hilda's grown to loathe it a little after going through Victory Road and encountering dozens of Boldores. ]

Samurott's my very first Pokémon! I know you don't remember it but you were the first gym leader we fought. [ She's feeling a tad sentimental. She's no longer the newbie with her Oshawott who was still trying to find her footing as a trainer. She's better now, and her skills are more refined. In some ways this battle is a "where it all began" kind of thing. ]

We've come a long way since. You were real tough back then-- and you still are. A challenge keeps things interesting, don't you think?

Edited (i wanted to change the phrasing a bit) 2012-12-24 02:09 (UTC)

Mm, of course! Challenging opponents, while difficult, can bring out the most exciting tastes in their combinations! We'll certainly have to do our best if we want to match up to your level now--let's go, my next Pokemon!

[And out comes a Stunfisk and wow that is definitely not a Lillipup or a grass-type Pokemon at all either. But he doesn't seem to notice the oddity that is having a Stunfisk as he gives his Pokemon a command.]

Jump into the water and hide with Camouflage! [Stunfisk leaps into the nearest source of water, disappearing from view. Normally Camouflage isn't a move that's used often by most people, but considering our opponent is a water-type and Stunfisk also has a 2x weakness to water-type attacks like how Crustle does, at least Camouflage can give us a leg to stand on by temporarily changing our Pokemon's type from ground to water so that Surf won't be able to knock us out that quickly...]

A Stunfisk-- you're just full of surprises, aren't you?

[ What the heck, Cilan? That's not a cute puppy. Hilda frowns and begins to think about how to deal with this nasty surprise. ]

Samurott, stand back. [ She knows better than sending a Water-type into the water when a Pokémon with Electric attacks is lurking beneath the surface. What to do, what to do... Ice Beam, Scald will not do much damage and Megahorn is a physical move-- which would put Samurott at risk of getting shocked. ]

Freeze over the water! [ Samurott takes a deep breath and aims a beam of ice toward the body of water. Hilda is hoping to force Stunfisk to come out or risk getting trapped underneath a layer of ice. ]

[But if we were trapped under the ice, how would the battle even be able to continue...]

Let's counter with Scald! [Guess who knows that move too. Stunfisk pokes it's head up above the water and sprays scalding hot water from it's mouth at Samurott and it's Ice Beam heading across the water towards it. While the attack may or may not reach Samurott itself, depending on how lucky we are, at least the hot water can help to crack the ice and melt it a little rather than anything more threatening that could potentially freeze the water over and trap us under the ice...]

[ By breaking through the ice using BS Pokémon strength! The plan was to have that happen and try attacking Stunfisk as it lept up in the air.

The boiling hot water is an excellent counter; Samurott's not part Ice -- its domain is water so its ice is only barely below the freezing point and easy to melt. So when the ice hits the water, it breaks into smaller pieces with the consistency of slush. Not exactly threatening even if Stunfisk gets hit.

Some of the water does manage to hit the samurai otter, causing it to briefly recoil from the pain. Make your move, Stunfisk. ]

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