Just as Venge had hoped, Jingle only seemed able to use Fairy Wind; despite crying out the names of his moves in a very goofy fashion, none worked. Finally, he seemed to give it up and performed a second Fairy Wind, exactly as the Wobbuffet wanted. This time his Mirror Coat was no mere fluke--after sponging up another gust of fae sparkles, the familiar silver sheen enveloped him. Seconds after the special attack hit him, a concentrated blast of energy with twice the punch of Jingle's original Fairy Wind went sailing back punctuated by an earnest "Keyah!" Though Venge had an inkling that the rebounded blast wouldn't be particularly effective against his tiny metal enemy, Venge was pleased to be contributing regardless. Jingle himself had backed off somewhat, meaning either Pip or Jess might have a hard time closing the distance to land a physical attack without sustaining a point-blank Fairy Wind. Venge himself wasn't worried, as his game plan consisted entirely of defense. Though he didn't know it, the Wobbuffet also sported a noteworthy level advantage.

Jess, meanwhile, was sitting on the floor in a tranquil position. If not for an intensifying energy surrounding her, Venge might have dismissed her as useless. For a split second he pondered what she could be doing. Pip, meanwhile, seemed full of fire and ready to inflict another negligible Scratch at a moment's notice. Venge's own rage waned as Jingle held his ground. Keeping a keen eye on the keyring, Venge reached up and forcefully tightened his slightly ruffled black belt bandanna.

-=-=-

Not far from the group battle, two crimson eyes glimmered in the darkness. These intimidating red rings shone like headlights, forceful and unyielding. The creature that owned them exemplified these characteristics totally, combining the impersonal savagery of the metal monster with the brutal intelligence of the supercomputer gone wild. Sensing that the intruders into its domain had weakened each other, the silent, waiting Pokemon hovered forward slowly. No Pokemon, from resolute Jingle to patient Jess to anxious Pip to energetic Venge, felt the unseen threat approaching until a pinkish wave of psychic energy -similar to Jess's, but far stronger- bulled into them.

By chance, Venge was closest to the hostile Pokemon and took the brunt of its Confusion and crumpled to the inhospitable cave floor. Caught off guard, he couldn't quite gather himself to Mirror Coat the special attack back; it didn't help that his would-be target's location was shrouded in shadow and the Confusion hurt a lot more than anything he'd felt previously. Venge guessed that is assailant now boasted the level advantage, and the hypothesis sobered him. Suddenly and frighteningly, Venge wasn't the biggest fish in the pond anymore. He pushed himself to his feet with a throaty groan as the unknown Pokemon moved close enough to reveal itself in the dim light that radiated from the distant cave mouth. Sleek, impervious blue body accented by steely spikes and floating in midair thanks to some magnetic phenomenon, this creature proved to be none other than a Metang. Before Venge could figure out what course of action to take, the newly-revealed Metang had locked on to what it apparently viewed as the weakest in the group and was preparing its next attack. A hollow cry of [i]"taaaaaaaaaaaaang"[/i] reverberated from its metal shell and it flew forward at high speed, wreathed in wavy light. The next instant, its Zen Headbutt smashed its 446-pound frame into poor Pip, sending the little Aipom careening away into the darkness of the cave. Pip continued to skid painfully, coming to a halt temptingly near the cave entrance where he could faintly feel a refreshing seaside breeze.