[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/220729/023912a75a8a9b16c801799640a60148.png[/img] & [abbr=Pit][img]https://i.ibb.co/7VzgY22/pit.png[/img][/abbr]
[h3]See Yamper Run[/h3][u]Everdream Valley ~ Port Meridian[/u]

[b]Word Count:[/b] 6,699
[b]Level 8 Roxas:[/b] 10/80
[b]Level 5 Pit:[/b] 222/50
[b]Exp Gained:[/b] +7
[b]NEW EXP Balance---[/b] 17/80, 229/50[/center]

For his part, Roxas was a bit more interested in exploring the port town. That wouldn’t stop him from getting something to eat, of course. Instead, he decided to find something he could eat on the go. And that wasn’t too difficult. The pier had its share of outdoor food stalls. And at one of them, the Nobody got his hands on something called a Rushboar Hot Dog. He had no clue what a “Rushboar” was, but he figured a hot dog was mostly the same no matter what it was actually made of.

[color=gold]”Finally, time to eat.”[/color] Roxas said to himself. He’d left his mask and gauntlets aboard the Virgin Victory, figuring that he wouldn’t really need them since he had no intention of picking any fights. Besides, he didn’t want to scare people by running around in that mask all the time anyway, and the gauntlets would have made it harder to hold onto food without it getting messy. In addition, he also changed outfits, switching out of the hooded coat in favor of his casual clothing. Once again, he figured the coat’s functions wouldn’t be super necessary in this particular setting. He did, however, keep the Phantom Ruby necklace with him.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Oh hey, Roxas!"[/color]

A voice cut through the bustling din of the port's main strip. It was Pit, and he didn't hesitate to jog and catch up with the other boy until he fell into step next to him, even if it hadn't been long since they'd last seen each other.

After the Seekers adjourned and split up to explore the city, the angel had made good on his suggestion of getting something to eat. Much too antsy after everything the Seekers had done and learned that morning, Pit had avoided slower cafes and restaurants in favor of the faster outdoor food carts much like Roxas had. He had a duo of skewers in each hand, half [url=https://i.ibb.co/D5ytFZc/Grilled-Chikipi-icon.png]savory[/url] and half [url=https://i.ibb.co/XDxM5Ct/Glazed-Lantern-Fruit-Skewers-clean.png]sweet[/url], along with two empty sticks indicating he'd already demolished some of his lunch.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Did you see all the farms from the water?"[/color] Pit said, gesturing vaguely with his food in the direction of the hills behind the city. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"It was like the biggest farmland I've ever seen!"[/color]

Little did they know, Roxas and Pit were being followed. And before Roxas could even take his first bite, a [url=https://image.civitai.com/xG1nkqKTMzGDvpLrqFT7WA/00b5b516-79dc-4173-9dcf-7a652b622884/width=450/01697-3502418676-masterpiece,best_quality__yamper,%20pokemon%20(creature),__,YAMPER,__forest,mountain,%20lake,_.jpeg]yellow and tan blur[/url] leaped by him and snatched the hot dog right out of his hands, [color=gold]”Hey! That was [i]mine[/i]!”[/color] Roxas yelled out in protest. The critter in question looked like a chubby little puppy, with sparks of electricity appearing to jump off its tail as it took off running. Roxas, without much thinking about it, took off running as well in pursuit of the ornery little pup. Now, there was little point in recovering the hot dog now that it had been in the pup’s mouth - and Roxas probably could have just gone and got another one. But no, he was choosing to be stubborn and gave chase - with the sound of Pit's laughter echoing behind him.

Roxas chased Yamper around a couple of blocks. He could try to generate a wall of virtual cubes to corner the dog, but Roxas feared that would cause an even bigger scene. And besides, having to use his powers to catch a single little puppy dog? How embarrassing would [i]that[/i] have been? So he kept chasing after the dog normally, right up until he literally crashed into [url=https://cdn.donmai.us/original/6b/df/6bdf4f195ca15ceb30652e690493ea9b.jpg]someone[/url] as he rounded a corner. It was a redhead girl wearing a blue jacket, white skirt, and pink knee-high boots.

[color=gold]”Ow!”[/color] Roxas initially said when the two of them went tumbling. But that was quickly followed up with, [color=gold]”I’m sorry! Are you hurt?”[/color]

“No, I’m fine,” said the girl, shaking her head. Nearby she spotted the dog scarfing down the hot dog it had stolen from Roxas, “Ugh, Yamper!” she cried out in a scolding tone. At that the dog scurried forward and stared up at her with an innocent expression, “How many times do I have to tell you not to steal people’s food!”

[color=gold]”Yam…per?”[/color] asked Roxas, realizing that this girl apparently knew the dog. Maybe she was its owner? [color=gold]”Does he… belong to you?”[/color]

“I’m so sorry about Yamper!” said the girl with an apologetic, “He’s such an ornery troublemaker sometimes. But… no, he doesn’t belong to me. Well, I guess he does, in a sense. I’m Rui.” she said, sticking out her hand which Roxas then shook, “I run an adoption center for Pokemon and Pals here in Port Meridian. Yamper here is one of the center’s orphans.”

[color=gold]”What do you mean by ‘orphan’, exactly?”[/color] Roxas asked curiously.

“Like a lot of the Pokemon in the adoption center, Yamper here was abandoned by his trainer. I’ve been trying to find a home for him, but… well you can imagine how many people want to adopt a mischievous little scamp like him.” Rui explained.

[color=gold]”I’m guessing not very many.”[/color] Roxas said, [color=gold]”But still, ‘abandoned’? That’s horrible. What kind of person would do that?”[/color]

“You’d be surprised how many cruel Trainers and Tamers are out there.” Rui said, “My partner and I do our best to rescue Pokemon and Pals from their abusive owners and try to find real homes for them.”

At this point, Roxas knelt down in order to get a closer look at the Pokemon, [color=gold]”Yamper, huh? I’m Roxas.”[/color] he reached out a hand thinking Yamper might let Roxas pet him, but the puppy stayed where he was. [color=gold]”Well he sure gave me the runaround. I was gonna explore town, and I guess he made me do it in half the time.”[/color] Roxas said with a small laugh.

“I take it that means you’re new?” Rui asked.

[color=gold]”Yep. Just got here, actually.”[/color] Roxas said, [color=gold]”Which I guess makes Yamper here my official welcoming party.”[/color]

“Bow-wark!” Yamper barked, his tail beginning to wag.

“You know, it’s not every day I see someone managing to keep up with Yamper as well as you did. Most people only run a few feet before they give up and let him escape.” Rui said with a giggle.

[color=gold]”I guess I’m just persistent like that.”[/color] Roxas replied with a sheepish grin.

Pit reappeared not a moment later, his mop of brown hair poking around the wide alley's corner. He had taken his sweet time following after Roxas, made evident by the number of remaining skewers he'd been holding reduced to just one, and might have been content to leave the Nobody to his own devices if he hadn't heard the other boy's voice.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I guess you didn't end up getting your food back?"[/color] Pit chortled, noting the crumbs still clinging to the puppy's snout. He stepped fully into the alley, offering the final glazed fruit skewer to Roxas with one hand and a friendly wave to Rui with the other.

[color=gold]”Not even a nibble.”[/color] Roxas replied to the angel as he accepted the skewer, [color=gold]”This is Rui. And Rui? This is my friend, Pit.”[/color]

“Hiya.” the girl said, waving back to angel as he waved at her, “Does that mean you’re new to town, too?”

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Uh-huh! We-"[/color]

[color=gold]”Hey, where’d Yamper go?”[/color] Roxas interrupted. Looking around to find that Yamper had run off somewhere, [color=gold]”He was [i]just[/i] here, so where could he-?”[/color]

“Oh no…” Rui said, pointing somewhere and sounding genuinely afraid. Where she pointed was at a rather [url=http://static.wikia.nocookie.net/pokemon/images/b/be/MirorB.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20221004223508]flamboyant-looking man[/url] snacking on a skewer of his own as he walked. Tall and thin, he stood out like a sore thumb with his purple outfit and comically large afro that was almost cartoonishly colored red on one side and white on the other. “...Yamper, don’t!” she cried out, practically screaming. She seemed less concerned about what Yamper was doing and more concerned about who he was doing it to.

But it was too late. Yamper made a leap to try and snatch the man’s snack. Rui’s shout, however, seemed to get his attention and he was able to dodge out of the pouncing Pokemon’s way but not without dropping his skewer to the ground in the process, “You ruined my snack you little thief!” He said as he instantly retrieved a pair of red-and-white balls from his personage.

“Please!” Rui said to Roxas and Pit in a hushed voice, “I know that guy, he’s bad news. Protect Yamper, and while you do I’ll go bring my partner here to back you up.” she said quickly before taking off in a sprint away from the two. As this happened, the afro man threw the two balls and from them released a pair of [url=https://images.gameinfo.io/pokemon/256/p272.png]dancing, rotund creatures[/url]. They were green in color and big plant-based headdresses that almost resembled wide-brimmed hats.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"[i]That[/i] guy? With those things? Really?"[/color] Pit asked, clearly in disbelief that the stranger could be "bad news." He looked hilarious! And so did the Pokémon he sent out. But the distress in Rui's voice was real, and Roxas didn’t need to be told twice.

[color=gold]”Leave Yamper alone!”[/color] he shouted as he sprinted forward to protect Yamper. Pit was only a beat behind him, and the two boys slid to a stop between the three Pokémon.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Yeah! You're the one that dropped it - besides it still looks good to me!"[/color] Pit said, pointing to the fallen food and pretty much implying the stranger should eat it from the ground.

“You’ve GOT to be kidding me!” the man scoffed, “Nobody in their right mind would eat that now. And that mutt is the only reason I even dropped it to begin with. A trainer should ALWAYS keep better control of their Pokemon!” and then he looked around a bit and added, “You ARE this Yamper’s trainer, are you not? Surely one of you has to be, why else would you be this concerned?”

[color=gold]”His trainer?”[/color] Roxas echoed, [color=gold]”Well, uh…”[/color]

“Good, then I guess that makes YOU responsible for fixing this mess your Pokemon made!”

[color=gold]”What, you want us to buy you a new skewer?”[/color] Roxas asked.

“No… I have a better idea than that.” the man said with a smirk, “I’ll just be taking that Yamper and adding him to my collection of Pokemon. Ludicolos, use Razor Leaf!" This prompted both the man’s Pokemon to suddenly shoot out a volley of leaves capable of cutting like razor blades.

In a flash a pair of divine shields manifested; the razor leaves struck their surface and fell limply to the ground. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"What the heck is your problem? You can't just steal people's pets!"[/color]

“Watch us.” the man said, deliberately using the word “us” instead of “me” as a pair of [url=https://64.media.tumblr.com/69ae5d2f1d8bd52df997a558c9ab0c52/b46fc5d70baa14bb-b5/s500x750/63d7231de9288ab9c14dea198797a77def9454df.png]oddly dressed goons[/url] appeared with Poke Balls in hand. “Let’s crush ‘em, boys!”

“You got it, Boss!” one of them said as he released a [url=https://static.pokemonpets.com/images/monsters-images-800-800/2356-Shiny-Dusclops.webp]ghostly Pokemon[/url] from its Poke Ball. The other followed suit and released a [url=https://oyster.ignimgs.com/mediawiki/apis.ign.com/pokedex/0/08/Guy_Exploud.png]burly, large-mouthed Pokemon[/url] from its Poke Ball.

“Not so fast, Miror B.!” came the familiar voice of Rui as she came sprinting into the scene. And she wasn’t alone. Following after her was a [url=https://i.pinimg.com/736x/e0/e3/f9/e0e3f9cd428e6d0a2810d3eed4d3bf2b.jpg]young man in a blue long coat[/url]. And he released two Pokemon of his own, one a purple fox with a red jewel on its forehead, and the other a black fox with golden-yellow accented stripes around its body in various spots.

Rui’s partner quickly retrieved a third Poke Ball from his belt and tossed it to Pit, loaning it to him to battle with when it looked to him like the angel had no Pokemon of his own. Pit scrambled to catch it, confused at first as to why he'd been thrown the Pokéball in the first place. Then it hit him, and a wide grin split across his face. A true Pokémon battle?!

Rui herself was scribbling something on two scraps of paper before she ran up and handed them to the boys, “Here, I jotted the moves those Pokemon can use for you in case you needed it.” the papers each contained a list of the four moves that Yamper and the Pokemon her partner loaned to Pit can use.

“You two?!” shouted the man called Miror B., “Well isn’t this perfect. I get to punish these twerps [i]and[/i] get my revenge on the two of you! So let’s dance!”

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mSNa3tsneY[/youtube][/center]

“Ludicolo, use Magical Leaf! And Ludicolo, use Razor Leaf again!” Miror B. ordered. Both attacks appeared to be the same, but one of them was a special attack and the other a physical attack. In addition, Magical Leaf was an attack that would always hit without fail.

[color=gold]”Yamper, look out![/color] cried Roxas, urging the dog to try and dodge the attack. It could avoid the Razor Leaf, but not the Magical Leaf. Roxas then looked down at the note Rui had handed him, [color=gold]”Uh… got it, use Nuzzle!”[/color] at this the Yamper barked and charged forward. It quite literally nuzzled against the Ludicolo that had used Magical Leaf, dealing a small bit of Electric type damage but also inflicting it with Paralysis.

Though their battle was almost in the middle of a street, only a handful of pedestrians stopped to watch - they must have been used to trainers and Pals already. Hard to believe that there was such strict control over those kinds of things in Midgar, when this place wasn't that far away. Both Roxas and Pit could have settled an actual fight in moments, but where was the fun in that? They'd done enough real fighting for the day and it was still only lunch time. Besides, it seemed like Roxas had already committed, and Pit sort of wanted to try out a proper Pokémon battle anyway. Getting beaten up by Pikachu in tourneys hardly counted.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Alright!"[/color] he said. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Go!"[/color]

One over the top throwing motion later and the ball left his hands, the borrowed [url=https://i.ibb.co/Rh7DxpQ/206-Dunsparce-XY-anime.png]pocket monster[/url] appearing in a brief flash of light. It was some kind of fat yellow snake, with tiny little wings on its back. To some, the Pokémon could be described as cute or charming, but to Pit it was underwhelming - especially compared to those already on the field.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Aww nooo, a lame one?"[/color] the angel complained, his wings drooping slightly. Thankfully the Dunsparce didn't appear to take offense. It did wait for an order however, but as Pit's experience with Pokémon was limited and he couldn't actually read the notes Rui had pressed into his hand (though he had glanced at it to see if there were any helpful drawings), it ended up waiting a longer than usual for those orders to come.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Well, whatever! You can do it! Do the thing! ...Tackle! Headbutt! Flamethrower!"[/color] Dunsparce did none of those things, just patiently waited until Pit finally issued a command it could follow through on. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Just try and take it down!"[/color]

Using its tail as a prop, the Pokémon flung itself bodily at the Ludicolo not currently being nuzzled by Yamper, colliding with it head on. It dealt a good-sized blow of Normal-type damage made stronger by the fact that Dunsparce was itself a Normal-type Pokemon. However the attack also came at the cost of recoil damage dealt back against Dunsparce, though comparatively less than what the Ludicolo had suffered.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Yeah! That's the way!"[/color]

As Dunsparce’s attack made contact, the other Ludicolo had finally managed to shake off Yamper. But the damage was already done, “Shake it off!” Mirror B. urged, “Ludicolo, use Sunny Day! And Ludicolo, use Weather Ball!” at this command, the non-paralyzed Ludicolo began to dance, and with that dance, the sunlight grew bright and harsh. The other Ludicolo tried to channel its energy into a Weather Ball, which would have been a scorching hot fire type attack under the current weather. But unfortunately, it sparked with static electricity and remained immobile for now due to paralysis.

Rui had been watching the battles, and now she yelled out a suggestion, “Have him use Fire Fang, Roxas! Just trust me!” to which Roxas nodded in response.

[color=gold]”Do it, Yamper! Use Fire Fang!”[/color] he called out. Yamper barked and charged forward and launched itself into a lunging bite attack against the paralyzed Ludicolo. However, Yamper’s teeth and fangs had become wraithed in flames whose heat and power were only increased in the harsh sunlight of Sunny Day. The attack connected and dealt a nice blow to Ludicolo. But it still wasn’t beaten just yet.

Yamper's partner for the battle was enthusiastically issued another Take Down order, given it was the one move Pit had shouted out that worked.

Dunsparce performed the same bodily tackle, throwing its entire weight at the opponent Pokémon. After a second round of smashing into Ludicolo, both Pokémon reeling as Dunsparce bounced back into position, the recoil damage from the attack was starting to become obvious. [i]Huh? Is it hurting itself?[/i] Drawing on his small frame of reference, Pit guessed it possible this winged snake was like Pichu and its electricity. Except instead of electricity, it just had really soft skin or something?

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Uh, we'll try something else next!"[/color] Pit promised the Pokémon, earning an affirmative warble from Dunsparce.

“He has other moves!” Rui yelled out to Pit, “DIdn’t you read my note? Charm sharply lowers an opponent’s attack, Glare makes them paralyzed, and Ancient Power is a Rock-type attack!” she quickly advised him.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"About that..."[/color] Pit said, growing a bit red in the face.

“Pfft, hahaha!” Miror B. laughed, “What kind of Trainer needs advice from the sidelines?” he mocked and then quickly added, “Ludicolo, switch it up and use Rain Dance! And Ludicolo 2? Use Weather Ball!” This time it was the paralyzed Ludicolo who tried to dance. Unlike before, he was able to fight through the paralysis and performed its dance, which in turn caused the weather to change from bright and sunny, to rain and thunder. Miror B. had noticed the boost that Sunny Day had given to Yamper and so he took it away. Now Fire-type moves would be weakened instead of boosted, and conversely the rain would boost the damage of all Water-type moves. Speaking of which, the other Ludicolo charged its energy and fired off its attack. In the current weather, Weather Ball became a Water-type move that consequently would be boosted by the rain, and the attack was heading straight for Dunsparce!

[color=gold]”Again with the weather?”[/color] Roxas groaned in annoyance. Clearly this Miror B. character had way more experience with Pokemon Battling than he and Pit did. Not that he was gonna let that deter him, [color=gold]”Use Nuzzle on the other Ludicolo!”[/color] he told Yamper. The Pokemon barked and charged for its target, who was too distracted from attacking Dunsparce to react in time. It got hit and was afflicted with the same paralysis as its partner.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"You're lucky we're just fighting with Pokémon!"[/color] was Pit's retort to Miror B.'s jeering. The fact that this was an actual Pokémon battle was what stopped him from jumping in the way to protect his borrowed one from the Weather Ball, like he'd done earlier with the Razor Leaf. All he could do was bid Dunsparce to get out of the way. Unfortunately the 'mon was too slow, taking the blast but still hanging in there.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"No worries!"[/color] he told Dunsparce. He thought they could still win, and even if they didn't the battle would be over and they could just... personally prevent these dubious villains from trying anything.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Do Ancient Power this time!"[/color] The Pokémon complied, spinning its tail and jabbing it into the ground as energy gathered around it. Several rocks were conjured up that flew back at the offending, freshly paralyzed Ludicolo. The rocks landed and did semi-decent damage to Ludicolo. But more importantly, Dunsparce managed to also trigger its secondary effect, one that boosted all its stats by one stage each.

Roxas was getting tired of having to respond to Miror B.’s attacks and so he was quick on the draw to give out his next command, [color=gold]”Use Spark on the other Ludicolo!”[/color] And the Yamper obeyed. With a bark it lunged at the dancing Ludicolo and tackled into it while covering its own body with electricity. It dealt medium Electric-type damage, and while Ludicolo’s typing allowed it to resist it somewhat, that still didn’t change the fact that it was getting close to its last legs.

Thanks to Dunsparce's stat boosts, when Pit issued the order for attack (another Ancient Power of course) it was quicker to execute it. It wasn't lucky enough for another power up, but even so when the rocks crashed against the other side of the field they benefited from the increase to its special attack.

Miror B.’s confidence was still not shaken yet. Unknown to either of the Seekers, the rain he had set up was now allowing both Ludicolo to gradually regain health every so often thanks to their passive abilities. So if he could stall this out, it could allow them to gain their second wind. “Use Water Pulse!” He ordered both the Ludicolos. The one targeting Dunsparce was too paralyzed to move, but the one battling Yamper managed to spit out a pulsing blast of water. It smashed into Yamper dealing hefty damage thanks to the rain. And fortunately for Roxas, Yamper managed to avoid succumbing to the move’s secondary effect… this time.

So far Pit had gone all in on attacking moves, and frankly he wasn't about to stop now. Offense was the best defense after all - most of the time! Though the angel was very obviously not a Pokémon Trainer, he did have a surprisingly good battle sense, and he could tell that his own 'mon had powered up and the Ludicolos were hurting. He took this as the cue to go back to Dunsparce's stronger attack, both in hopes it had become tougher against its recoil and strong enough to finish off an opponent.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Alright, for real this time! Take Down!"[/color]

"Duuuns!" Dunsparce obediently followed through, throwing itself at the Ludicolo that was stuck in place. At this point, all four of the battling Pokemon were showing their fatigue. They’d all taken their share of licks and damage from one another. But the Ludicolos, in spite of the rain, were the ones that looked slightly more ready to drop. And so Miror B. scowled.

“Return!” he called, recalling both Pokemon back into their Poke Balls. But if Pit and Roxas thought that this meant victory, they were wrong. Miror B. held out one more Poke Ball with a smirk, “No more Mr. Nice Guy.” he grumbled, “You wanna play hardball? Then let’s play! Take the stage!”

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXUSULnPftI[/youtube][/center]

He threw the Poke Ball and released the Pokemon from within it. It looked like a [url=https://static1.thegamerimages.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pokemon-Gale-Of-Darkness-Shadow-Dragonite-Fight.jpg]dragon with a cute babyface[/url]. But something about it was… wrong, somehow. It had an angered expression, and eyes that looked full of hate. And it also bore a dark purple aura that was invisible to everyone… except for one person.

“Wes, that Dragonite!” Rui suddenly cried out, “It’s a [i]Shadow[/i] Pokemon!”

“Use Shadow Rush!” Miror B. commanded. At this the dragon Pokemon launched itself into a super fast lunge with but a single beat of its wings. It flew right at Yamper looking to slam into it with all its speed and might. But the attack never connected.

“Umbreon, Protect!”

Seemingly out of nowhere, Wes’ Umbreon launched itself in between Yamper and Dragonite and put up a small barrier shield around itself that absorbed the attack and nullified the damage it would have dealt. And then Wes, quick on the draw, issued a second command.

“Toxic!”

Umbreon then released a stream of thick, purple liquid that sprayed the Dragonite, inflicting it with a poison that would deal an increasing amount of incremental damage as the battle went on. This was all well and good but Yamper and Dunsparce were still pretty damaged from the battle against the Ludicolos. So Roxas decided to fix that problem with a quick Curaga spell, [color=gold]”Heal!”[/color] The spell conjured healing leaves that washed over the two Pokemon and healed them for much of the damage that they’d taken so far.

“3 vs 1?!” Miror B. griped, “And healing magic? You call this a fair battle?”

“Does this look like a tournament battle to you?” Rui retorted, “And that’s rich coming from the guy using a Shadow Pokemon!”

Wes had already wrapped up his battle against the two peons, so he stepped forward and held out both arms in front of Pit and Roxas - offering to battle the Dragonite himself, [color=gold]”No way! Yamper and I came this far, we’re not running away now!”[/color] Roxas said.  Pit held a similar notion. Though at this point he was considering this as part of winding down in town after their world saving fight earlier. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"This is kinda fun, I want to see it through!"[/color]

Their response prompted a smile from the former Team Snagem member, who lowered his arms and nodded to them both. But before he gave control of Dunsparce back to Pit, the Trainer had one command for it.

“Use Charm!” Dunsparce obeyed and proceeded to do a cute little charming gesture at the Dragonite. In spite of its fierce aura, it was still affected and its Attack stat sharply lowered as a result.

With the new battle beginning, Pit jumped right in to give Dunsparce a command himself. Seeing how helpful the paralysis had been against the Ludicolos, he took Rui's earlier advice and used a non-attacking move for once.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Okay! Try Glare this time!"[/color] he said, pointing at the Dragonite dramatically. Dunsparce shuffled forward, transitioning between acting cute for its charm and mustering the meanest glare it could give, given its dopey face. Even with its fierce expression, Dragonite still had kind of a dopey face of its own at the end of the day, so Dunsparce’s Glare worked as intended, afflicting the Shadow Pokemon with paralysis.

Of course, Miror. B had taken notice of all the debuffs his Pokemon was suffering and went with a different strategy now, “Shadow Storm!” he called out. This prompted Dragonite to fight through the paralysis and release a storm of dark shadows onto all of its current opponents. But thankfully Wes still remained quick on the draw.

“Light Screen!” he ordered, prompting Umbreon to make its yellow circles and stripes glow briefly as it summoned an invisible, reflective wall of light to absorb the brunt of the Shadow Storm attack.

[color=gold]”Yamper, use Spark!”[/color] Roxas called, sending Yamper into a charging tackle while sparking with electricity. Dragonite’s paralysis had halved its speed so it was unable to avoid taking the hit. The damage wasn’t great, due to Dragonite being naturally resistant to electric attacks, but still - damage was damage. And Wes decided to use that moment of distraction to recall his Umbreon and send out a [url=http://db.pokemongohub.net/_next/image?url=%2Fimages%2Fofficial%2Ffull%2F195.webp&w=640&q=75]new Pokemon[/url], blue and oblong with short arms and a flat chubby tail. And then, with dark purple bubbles flaring up around it, Dragonite took its first hit of damage from the poison.

“Shadow Shed!” Miror B. called. Dragonite gave a roar and flared up a shadowy aura that caused the Light Screen to shatter and disappear.

The battle changes had drawn a couple more curious onlookers by now, perhaps because it was flashier than usual. Thankfully since Roxas and Pit were playing by the rules (for the most part), the damage was kept to the Pokémon combatants only, sparing the citizens and architecture from crossfire. Though given how strong this dragon seemed to be, it might not stay that way for long. It could even smash through barriers! So it looked like offense really would be the best defense!

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Another Ancient Power!"[/color] Pit called out. Dunsparce once more grounded itself and summoned a hail of stones to float up before whipping towards Dragonite, pummeling it with the Rock-type move. Once again, the move didn’t boost Dunsparce’s stats. But the Rock-type nature of the attack made it super effective against Dragonite.

[color=gold]”Use another Spark”[/color] Roxas called, prompting another electrified tackle. But by now Dragonite had regained enough composure to fight through Paralysis and knocked the Yamper back with its tail. And then Wes and Miror B. called their attacks at the same time.

[b]“Shadow Storm!” / “Ice Punch!”[/b]

Wes’ Quagsire coated one of its arms in ice and launched itself into an uppercut against the Dragonite, who simultaneously released its wave of darkness at the trio of opponents. Quagsire was able to push its way through to deal a quadruple effective blow against Dragonite. But that didn’t stop the remainder of the Shadow Storm from threatening to overtake Dunsparce and Yamper.

[color=gold]”Yamper!”[/color] Roxas cried out. Instinctively he rushed forward and then used the power of the Phantom Ruby necklace to summon a 5-by-5 wall of virtual cubes in front of them to take the incoming attack. That stopped the brunt of the damage, but the cubes weren’t indestructible. The Shadow Storm made them crack and then eventually shatter into pieces that gradually faded away. Roxas knelt down and used his body to shield Yamper, protecting it from the virtual shards that he knew would be harmful to anyone other than himself that touched them.

At the same time, Pit was keeping to his role. His divine arsenal stayed put in whatever ethereal realm it was usually stowed in. He didn't interfere directly, and he felt pretty confident in his Pokémon - clearly the Trainer he borrowed it from was a professional, and Dunsparce was too. He kind of regretted calling it lame before.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"You can weather that storm, Duns!"[/color] he said, repeating the sound he'd heard the Dunsparce say as its name. Dunsparce was indeed a Pokémon experienced in battle, and though unbeknownst to Roxas and Pit a former Shadow Pokémon itself. It curled up and braced itself as the Shadow Storm washed over it, and though the damage was super effective Dunsparce managed to hang in there thanks to a combination of buffs, debuffs, and the curaga.

Nearby, Wes decided now was the time. He activated the mysterious machine that had been attached to his right arm this whole time and then put an empty Poke Ball in his right hand. This Ball was slightly different, being mostly black/white instead of red/white and also possessed yellow stripes in the black area. With a quick motion, Wes threw the ball at Dragonite. And while this was normally impossible, the ball he threw briefly became a different type of ball that released a capturing energy shaped like a clawed hand that grabbed Dragonite and snagged it into the Ultra Ball. The ball recoiled back to ground in front of Wes’ feet, and then…its button glowed red and began to wobble.

[i]One.[/i]

Rui and Wes watched the ball in tense anticipation. Meanwhile Roxas didn’t know what was happening.

[i]Two.[/i]

“Nononono!” Miror B. wailed. He wanted to send his other Pokemon back out to stop this, but they had already been battered and bruised from the earlier part of the battle.

[i]Three.[/i]

Wes’ muscles tensed up even more. If this failed then they’d have to survive another attack before he could throw another ball. The ball paused after its third wobble for what felt like a very long time, and then…

[i]Click.[/i]

The ball’s red glow suddenly switched to green and then faded back to its default white color, confirming the successful catch. Rui and Wes both relaxed immediately. It was over. Shadow Dragonite was officially snagged.

“Gah! You!” Miror B. pointed an accusatory finger, “This isn’t over!” He declared. As tough as he was trying to sound, he and his two peons were out of Pokemon and had no other choice but to run away.

[color=gold]”Are you okay, Yamper?”[/color] Roxas asked, the pup barked up at him happily and proceeded to start licking him in the face. [color=gold]”Hahaha, okay okay! I’ll take that as a yes.”[/color]

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Good riddance!"[/color] Pit called after Miror B. before looking at the others, musing, [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Do you think he'd be less of a jerk if he had a better haircut?"[/color]

Dunsparce raised the front half of its body and wiggled around in its version of an answer, or maybe it was a cheer for victory. Either way Pit knelt down to pat it on the head before returning it to its Pokéball, having since Trainers do it enough that he could figure it out himself. He approached Wes to return the ball to him, asking some questions as he did.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"What was that? Did you just take that guy's evil Pokémon?"[/color] His attention shifted back and forth from Wes, the device on his arm, and Rui. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I didn't even know they could be evil, they're mostly just cute! But that one had something going on, right?"[/color]

“Let’s get everyone back to the adoption center to heal up.” Rui suggested, “I’ll answer your questions there.”

They led the two Seekers to their adoption center, which looked like it had been repurposed from a Pokemon Center since it still had the characteristic red roof. And it also had the machine that could be used to fully heal up Pokemon while they were still resting in their Poke Balls. Rui placed the balls for all the Pokemon who had battled into the machine - including the Ultra Ball that contained Dragonite.

“To answer your question,” Rui finally said, “you’re right, that Dragonite did have something going on with it.” She took a breath and continued her explanation, “Some Pokemon who’ve been abused by their trainers end up closing off their hearts, and they become filled with anger and aggression until they become a dark version of themselves. We call those Shadow Pokemon. Normally it’s impossible to tell the difference between a Shadow Pokemon and a normal one, but I’ve always had the gift of being able to see it. Now that we’ve rescued poor Dragonite, we can treat it properly until it opens its heart back and up. Then we can purify it of the darkness and help it find a new home.”

This was actually hitting Roxas rather close to home. All the talk of hearts and darkness reminded him very much of his own world, and it also made him wonder… had Yamper previously been Shadow Pokemon? Was that why he was a bit of a troublemaker?

“Anyway,” Rui continued, “Wes’ machine is called the Snag Machine. His former bosses in Team Snagem created it to steal Pokemon, but Wes took the machine himself to keep it out of the wrong hands. We’ve been using it ever since to rescue Pokemon from abusive trainers, then use our adoption center here to find them better homes.”

Pit took in the center, from the healing machine to a couple of [url=https://i.ibb.co/BBcXHpS/Fuddler.png]moles[/url] that had peeked out from a doorway and waved to Rui once she'd returned. It seemed like a nice place, with nice people. Would that Midgar had something like this instead of subjecting all those confiscated Pokémon to their unpleasant fate. Recalling the hatchery they'd found, Pit looked at Rui curiously.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Would you take care of baby Pokémon here too?"[/color] he asked. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I dunno how far word spread, but there miiiight be a power problem in that giant city over there. I have a feeling there'll be a bunch of orphans headed this way."[/color]

That was just his guess anyway. When it came to animals and Pokémon, Lady Palutena had mentioned that most of them eventually go to "a farm upstate," so it only made sense that any refugees that had the mind to rescue those Pokémon and their eggs might bring them to Port Meridian and its huge farmland.

“Huh?” She asked, “Um… well we’ll try, I guess. We’re a bit small here, but I guess this’ll give us a chance to expand!”

And that was when the machine gave its familiar chime to indicate that the healing was done. And this prompted Rui to change the subject as she took Yamper’s Poke Ball off the machine and handed it over to Roxas, [color=gold]”Huh? What’s this?”[/color] He asked, confused by the gesture.

“C’mon, I saw how great you two were together in that battle.” Rui said, “You’d be a great trainer for Yamper.” Nearby, Wes was nodding in agreement.

Roxas reluctantly took the Poke Ball in his hand, [color=gold]”You… think so?”[/color] He asked, then released Yamper from the ball, [color=gold]”What do [i]you[/i] think, Yamper?”[/color] Roxas asked, kneeling down. [color=gold]”You… wanna come with me?”[/color]

“Bow-wark!” Yamper said as it excitedly spun around in a circle. Then it leapt up and licked Roxas in the face.

“See? What’d I tell you?” Rui said with a big smile, “He’s all yours, then!” She thought for a moment and then continued, “Y’know, some Trainers like to give their Pokemon nicknames. You can try giving one to Yamper if you like. While you think it over, Wes and I will be right back.”

[color=gold]”Nickname, huh?”[/color] Roxas asked. [color=gold]”With how much of a mischievous scamp you were earlier…  maybe I should call you Scamp?”[/color] The Yamper just maintained a happy little expression before replying with a “bow-wark!”.

“Here you go, Roxas.” said Rui, now returning from the back room she and Wes had gone to. She held a small backpack with a single shoulder strap that she placed on the front counter.

[color=gold]”A… bag?”[/color] Roxas asked, curiously.

“Yes, a bag.” Rui said, “Since you don’t already have one, and you [i]do[/i] want something to carry your trainer supplies with, don’t you?” She asked, then started pointing to specific pouches, “See? There’s a pouch for Poke Balls, one for Berries, one for Medicine like potions and antidotes, and even one for TMs in case you find any.”

[color=gold]”Huh?”[/color] Roxas was a little overwhelmed by the info dump, but accepted the bag anyway. Rui just sighed.

“Don’t worry, I wrote down some instructions that tell you what all of that means.” She said as she rubbed her temples, “Anyway, make sure you check inside the pouches. Wes wanted to give you a little something to help you get started. Just think of it like a… Pokemon Trainer Starter Kit!” She said with a wink.

[color=gold]”Really? You’re just giving it all to me?”[/color]

“As long as you promise to take good care of Yamper, then of course we are.” She replied.

[color=gold]”Yeah, I promise!”[/color] Roxas said and accepted the kit.

[center][hider=For Roxas]Obtained:
[url=https://image.civitai.com/xG1nkqKTMzGDvpLrqFT7WA/00b5b516-79dc-4173-9dcf-7a652b622884/width=450/01697-3502418676-masterpiece,best_quality__yamper,%20pokemon%20(creature),__,YAMPER,__forest,mountain,%20lake,_.jpeg][b]Scamp the Yamper[/b][/url]
[b]Gender:[/b] Male
[b]Lv: 20[/b]
[b]Ability:[/b] [i]Ball Fetch[/i] - After the first Poke Ball is thrown during battle and fails, if no other item is held then the Poke Ball will be fetched and can thus be reused later.
[u][b]Moveset[/b][/u]
[b]Spark[/b] (65 base power, physical attack, Electric-type, small chance of inflicting paralysis)
[b]Nuzzle[/b] (20 base power, physical attack, Electric-type, always inflicts paralysis)
[b]Bite[/b] (60 base power, physical attack, Dark-type, has chance of making opponent flinch)
[b]Fire Fang[/b] (65 base power, physical attack, Fire-type, has chance of inflicting Burn and/or making opponent flinch)

[b]Trainer’s Bag:[/b] A bag for carrying supplies used to raise Pokemon. Contains pouches for Poke Balls, Berries, Medicine, TMs/HMs, and Misc.
[list][*] [b]Ball Pouch:[/b] Poke Ball (x5)
[*] [b]Berry Pouch:[/b] Empty
[*] [b]Medicine Pouch:[/b] Potion (x3)
[*] [b]TM/HM Pouch:[/b] Empty
[*] [b]Misc Pouch:[/b] Empty[/list][/hider][/center]

If it had been any other kind of gift, Pit would probably have been jealous of Roxas. No, actually, he [i]definitely[/i] would have been. Who wouldn't want free stuff after all? But since it was a Pokémon he didn't feel put out one bit. The battle had been fun, sure, but just playing a being a trainer was fine with him. He had his hands full commanding Centurions whenever they actually had to take the field, plus he preferred to handle his opponents himself anyway. So the angel just grinned at Roxas and clapped him on the back a few times in congratulations.

[color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"Welcome to the team little guy!"[/color] he then said to Scamp.

Well now they'd officially done one huge good deed and one small good deed today. And maybe one really small one if you counted warning the adoption center about a potential influx of critters needing homes. [i]Yup, all in a day's work,[/i] Pit thought. He looked back at Roxas. [color=lightgoldenrodyellow]"I don't know about you, but I'm kind of hungry again."[/color]

Roxas’ stomach growled almost as if in response, [color=gold]”So am I.”[/color] He agreed, [color=gold]”And from now on I better make sure to get double servings in case a certain little someone decides to make off with my lunch again.”[/color] He added, prompting a laugh from basically everyone in the room.

“Bye you guys!” said Rui as the Seekers departed, she was standing outside the adoption alongside Wes as they both waved, “Hope we see you again sometime!” Roxas hoped she didn’t mean for a battle against Wes, because he was pretty sure he’d get creamed by a professional trainer like him.

[color=gold]”Lunch, here we come!”[/color] Roxas shouted. And Scamp gave his “bow-wark!” in response as he followed after his new Trainer.