Indigo raised his brows. Sure, Margo had been harping on battling him and teaching him a lesson, but he hadn't thought she would do it now. They had just arrived to Shamba! Wasn't she [i]tired[/i]? He certainly was, after all that traveling. Nonetheless, he couldn't outright deny her battle. If it was going to get them on the same terms again, if Margo wanted to see whether she could beat him, or whatever it was, the more he thought about it, the more he was surprised to find that he wanted to show how much he had grown. [color=8882be]"Mighty Margo,"[/color] he dragged out sarcastically, [color=8882be]"whatever, you got it. I'm not in the mood for a full battle though. So let's just stick to a one on one."[/color] And he knew what pokemon he wanted to use. Hawka, so close to evolving, he thought. She needed that extra push, didn't she? Margo gave a fake laugh, bringing a dainty hand to her mouth. [color=mediumseagreen][b]"If you don't want to lose to a full match at both our potential, I suppose."[/b][/color] The teenager glanced Dan's way as he left sulkily. She wasn't sure what his problem was, but he seemed to be acting strange ever since their museum encounter. At this point, she was surprised that Indy didn't really seem to know what was wrong either, based on his parting call. Indigo truly didn't know how to react to Dan's exhausted response. He'd been acting strange on the boat ride and for most of their vacation in Kanto, and though Indy knew he needed to check up on Dan, he owed Margo his promise. At least their battle would be quick, Indigo thought. [color=8882be]"I'll catch up with you in a bit, Dan. Get some rest."[/color] He turned his attention back to Margo. [color=8882be]"Hey, give me a minute, alright? I need to give my pokemon a pep talk. I'll meet you out in like, fifteen minutes or something."[/color] [hider=Margo's conversation] A quick dismissive wave of her hand was all that she did in response to Indy's request for some time before their battle. She made her way out of the center and did the same with her own pokemon, moving to the side of the center and releasing Crowne, the Squirtle bursting with his usual tenacity. [color=mediumseagreen][b]"Alright, Crowne, listen to me for a minute, ok?"[/b][/color] The Squirtle squinted at his trainer curiously before plopping himself down in a muddy puddle, enjoying splashing around in it. Margo pushed her motherly nagging out of her head to have him stop messing in the mud and charged through her quick speech. [color=mediumseagreen][b]"This is not going to be a battle where you need to protect me... This is going to be a battle to teach something important to someone... I need you to not be so... headstrong. We're going to work together on this one. I want to make this a cooperative effort, Crowne."[/b][/color] Margo paused and put her hand on the back of her neck as she felt her face getting red. She felt embarrassed asking her pokemon to let her handle the attacks this time--isn't the whole point of a battle to give your pokemon directions? [color=mediumseagreen][b]"Just... trust my judgement on this one, ok? I'll steer us to victory on this one. I promise."[/b][/color] Well... she wasn't sure if Crowne really listened or understood her words this time--perhaps it was too complicated to follow--but he spit out a small stream of water in her direction and smiled lovingly up at her. He was like a toddler, Margo thought with a hopeless smile down at him. Margo made her way back around the center to join Indy on their battlefield, Crowne quickly bumbling after his trainer. [/hider] [hider=Indigo's conversation with Hawka] After exiting the center and finding a suitable spot to talk with Hawka, Indy released the small bird pokemon. The late afternoon was mostly sunny, but somewhat cool after a light drizzle from earlier. Puddles plotted the ground, reflecting the blue sky above. Hawka chirped, curious. She pecked at Indy's hand hastily, as she always did. Indigo grimaced, because Hawka was quite rough even when she didn't mean to be. [color=8882be][i]We really need to work on that...[/i] "Hawka? You know... Remember when we were at the center a few days ago? And that one nurse said you were close to evolving?"[/color] Hawka's crest perked up, and she nodded furiously, eyes bright with anxiousness. [color=8882be]"Are you... Alright? I mean, do you want to evolve?"[/color] Indigo asked gently. Hawka paused, afraid to answer. Instead she looked at the ground, letting out a feeble squeak. Indigo furrowed his brow. [color=8882be]"You've been so weird lately, what's wrong? It's okay."[/color] Gently he fluffed Hawka's crest. It was difficult to communicate with pokemon, Indy thought. Through her series of animal noises and sounds, hardly any of it was a language that could be understood by a human. Still, he was going to try. Hawka let out a series of chirps, pointing to herself. [color=8882be]"Um... Uh, yes."[/color] Hawka stamped her feet impatiently, letting out the same series of chirps, flapping her wings. Spying a puddle, she hopped over to it and peered into her reflection. Then, with a sudden kick, splashed the water away, distorting her image. She looked at Indigo, then back at her reflection. [color=8882be]"That's you..."[/color] He said slowly, thinking. [color=8882be]"You're worried about evolving."[/color] Hawka nodded, peering at her reflection once more. [color=8882be][i]It's like a mirror, she's worried about how she'll change? Wait--[/i][/color] memories of Hero flooded Indy. How he had eschewed his pokemon because it was ugly. That was what Hawka was afraid of. [color=8882be]"I get it,"[/color] he said gently, swallowing. [color=8882be]"Hawka, don't worry. I'm never abandoning anyone ever again. No matter what they look like. You'll stil be you."[/color] He felt awful. Was this what the little Torchic had been dealing with this whole time? Hawka perked her head up, staring at Indigo. She cocked her head to the side and let out a puzzled chirp. [color=8882be]"No matter what it is, you'll be okay. I'm not gonna leave you."[/color] With an elated shriek, she jumped into Indigo's arms. And though Indy couldn't help but be worried, he knew that for his pokemon's sake, he was going to have to forego his concerns. Perhaps Hawka wouldn't be as cute, perhaps she would change, but if his pokemon accepted him, then he had to do the same. [/hider] With a bubbling Hawka ready to battle, Indigo faced Margo on the field. [color=8882be]"I'm using Hawka."[/color] [color=mediumseagreen][b]"Alright, well I will be using Crowne."[/b][/color] The teenager smiled at Indy, a slight tinge of pity tainting her expression. She hoped she would be able to win, even if the type advantage wasn't so tipped in her favor. [color=8882be][i]A water type,[/i][/color] Indy narrowed his eyes. They were at a disadvantage. Still, perhaps, with a little luck, they could manage. [color=8882be]"Hawka, Fire Spin!"[/color] And Hawka let out a whorl of yellow orange flames towards Crowne, who was engulfed. That was good, then, the continuous damage would surely put a dent in the Squirtle's energy. Crowne didn't seem too phased by the attack however, and let out a series of bubbles, which Hawka shot Embers at. Some of the bubbles, however, did manage to graze her, eliciting a sharp cry of pain. As the battle went on, both pokemon wore down. The Squirtle had the advantage with his water attacks, but Hawka had agility on her side, which Indy tried to use to his advantage. Soon, however, the pokemon were reduced to ragged breath. [color=mediumseagreen]"Crowne, one more Water Gun is all you need!"[/color] Margo called out, confident that she could win. Indigo had battled hard, but not hard enough it seemed. [color=8882be]"Hawka!"[/color] Indigo shouted. [color=8882be]"Watch out! Try and block it with a Fire Spin!"[/color] The Torchic drew in a deep breath, and as Crowne's powerful Water Gun came forth, she let out a rivaling Fire Spin. Her body took on an eerie, white glow. [color=8882be]"Hawka?"[/color] Indigo asked, bewildered. As someone who had never seen a pokemon evolution before, he had no idea what he was watching. The glow enveloped Hawka completely, and as her form began to morph and grow bigger, the bright light faded, revealing a new pokemon in her place. Before Indigo even had time to react, Hawka's newly evolved form let out a war cry and charged for Crowne with a Quick Attack, knocking the turtle back fiercely. [color=8882be]"No way... It happened. It actually happened. Hawka evolved..."[/color] Indigo mumbled to himself, clearly dazed. The tables had turned and it seemed that even if Margo had type advantage-- [color=8882be]"we're taking this victory, I guess,"[/color] Indy declared with a self-assured grin on his face. Hawka, from the evolution, seemed completely rejuvenated and in top form. She sent a series of Double Kicks Crowne's way. [color=mediumseagreen]"Crowne, no!"[/color] Margo cried out. [color=mediumseagreen]"Hang in there!"[/color] Crowne went flying, thudding onto the ground, defeated. At least, until the Squirtle opened his eyes, staggering to get up, the same white glow they had seen earlier now enveloping him. [color=8882be]"You've gotta be kidding me,"[/color] Indy breathed, while Hawka let out an indignant squawk of her own. But there was no mistaking it. The Squirtle's once beaten down form turned into a Wartortle, a fierce looking one at that. [color=mediumseagreen]"Crowne,"[/color] Margo said, hushed at first. But she didn't remain dazed for long. With a confident beam of her own, she quipped, [color=mediumseagreen]"what was that about winning, Indy?"[/color] [color=8882be]"Hawka, Quick Attack! It's probably still slow!"[/color] [color=mediumseagreen]"Withdraw! Your defenses are much better now!"[/color] True to Margo's assumption, Hawka's fighting type moves packed a bunch, but not when Crowne was cozy in his shell. Indigo gritted his teeth. [color=8882be]"We can whittle him down, Hawka. Fire Spin!"[/color] [color=mediumseagreen]"Protect!"[/color] Margo's grin grew even brighter as a blue green bubble of protection enveloped her Wartortle. Indy cursed. Not only did the move look amazing, Hawka's Fire Spin could not even put so much as a scratch on it. [color=8882be]"Can't go on forever, Quick Attack!"[/color] [color=mediumseagreen]"Evade it using Rapid Spin!"[/color] Margo cheered. It seemed that she had been reading up on the moves that would grace her Squirtle's new form. The Wartortle, though normally slow, was able to spin away with a surprising agility that left Indigo scratching his head. And Margo took advantage of Indigo's inability to think in the moment. [color=mediumseagreen]"Water Gun!"[/color] Crowne nodded at his trainer's command, a burst of water shooting from his mouth at the Combusken. Margo was amazed at the difference in power her partner now had, a simple water gun from Squirtle was now a mighty torrent of water from Wartortle. The attack hit, sending Combusken back a few startled steps, her feathers sopping from the water. Indy gritted his teeth, his jaw tensed. Margo couldn't tell, but it seemed to her that he wasn't quite as self-assured as before. Their two pokemon had been more evenly matched when Hawka had evolved, but Crowne was now on par--and even stronger with his type advantage. [color=8882be]"Hawka, use Double Kick again! Quick!"[/color] Hawka obeyed, jumping in the air before coming down on Crowne and sending him flying yet again with two quick kicks. The Wartortle skidded on the ground, bringing one of his arms in front of him to try to stop himself from the momentum of Hawka's kicks. He took a deep breath and glared at the fiesty bird before glancing towards Margo. The teenager beamed at her pride and joy, the pokemon still looking so fierce and strong in his newly evolved form. [color=mediumseagreen][b]"Let's do this, Crowne! Water Pulse!"[/b][/color] She hadn't yet seen the move in action, but she knew Crowne was getting close to evolving and had read up on some of the new moves he might be getting. The air seemed to change around her, a static ringing in her ears as she watched the Wartortle readying himself. Crowne held his little paws in front of him and appeared to blow into them, a sphere of water beginning to form. It grew faster and faster, about the size of a yoga ball, until the Wartortle stopped blowing, now looking at Hawka. He forced the ball of water in front of him and it landed in front of the Combusken, exploding into a large wave of water that came crashing down upon her. Once the water had settled, Hawka stumbled this way and that, confused from the blow before plopping down on the muddy ground. Margo felt a tinge of sadness by the way the poor Combusken acted, but this feeling was pushed to the bottom of her list as Crowne came running to his trainer and immediately jumped into her arms. The teen was surprised at how much heavier he had become, falling down on the damp ground and laughing happily. [color=mediumseagreen][b]"We did it!"[/b][/color] She exclaimed excitedly, hugging Crowne close to her. [hider=Current] Hawka the Torchic F- lvl 27+1=28 Mimzy the Buneary F- 27 Kovi the Vivillion M- 31 Neon the Magnemite M= 29 *The three levels are two levels gained in light training during the week and the battle with the Magnemite. The rest of the training during the week was dedicated mostly to bringing Magnemite up to the team's strengths. Items: small pearl ×1 Kee Berry ×9 pokeball ×2 White Herb ×2 Cheri berry x11 Money: 64 poke +14 days(5)= 134 poke $50 [/hider]