lake acuity

[the_very_best]

The other two lakes supposedly harboring legendaries didn't pan out. If this one doesn't either, Bella's going to have to befriend someone who's got a Pokémon that knows Dive so she can check out the lake bottom, or pick a new lead. Zag can happily swim her around all day long, but he can't get them under the water.

...Huh. She didn't know there was somebody living here. But that's definitely a building. She can only see it because she's high above the ground, riding Rachis, but yes, in the dense forest around Lake Acuity is a lone structure, definitely artificial.

She steers Rachis, and the Pidgeot obeys.

They land neatly outside the tower, and she turns the handle on the front door curiously.

Comments

[the_very_best]

"Hmm." Bella glances between Rachis's ball and Dusk's, then says, "Umbreon."

[bitofafiction]

"Zebstrika."

[the_very_best]

Bella looks Tony's-twin-who-has-not-introduced-himself over assessingly, gauging the likelihood of something in his lineup knowing a gotcha move, then says, "Rapidash."

[bitofafiction]

Tony's-twin-who-has-not-introduced-himself smiles. "Porygon-Z."

[the_very_best]

"All right then," says Bella, grinning. "Outside?"

[bitofafiction]

"Certainly."

[the_very_best]

Down the stairs! Ace goes ahead and releases Zag en route, and he heels without having to be told.

"Noooooone?" Zag says, sniffing the air and inspecting Sherlock.

"You're gonna knock his Dragonair around, Zag," says Bella. (She can't really understand what Zag says, but she can make good guesses.)

"Linlin."

[bitofafiction]

Sherlock laughs.

As they cross the ground floor, Tony is still working at that same desk, although he's shut down the map display. The Porygon are nosing into various corners of the room; several of them zoom up to Sherlock as soon as they spot him, and he gives each one a pat on the head before continuing.

[the_very_best]

Zag sniffs at the Porygon too. "Linoone?"

"Leave 'em be, Zag," Bella says. "Hi again, Tony!" And: "You know, I don't think I ever got your name?" to Tony's unintroduced twin.

[bitofafiction]

"Sherlock," says Sherlock.

[the_very_best]

Bella likes old books, but not books that old. "Cool," she says, "nice to meet you, let's fight!"

She pushes her way past the door and stands ready. Zag, chittering to himself, stands in front of her and rears up on his hind legs.

[bitofafiction]

Sherlock produces a previously unseen Pokeball and releases his Dragonair from it.

"Aaaair," she croons, bobbing her winged head up and down.

[the_very_best]

"Ice Beam," says Bella smugly.

But she isn't smug for long; while Zag gets in the first hit, the Dragonair's first attack is one that does no direct damage but leaves him bewildered. He bites his own forefoot and scratches his own side - taking attacks all the while - before he gets another Ice Beam in. Said attack leaves the Dragonair hanging on to consciousness by a thread - and she does lose consciousness - by -

"Oh, that is irritating," sighs Bella as she naps and her various signs of damage disappear -

"I hate it when people do that," she exclaims, half-laughing, when the opposing Pokémon sleep-eats a berry and opens her eyes again.

Zag's in poor shape, due to his early misfortunes.

"Well," Bella says, "you can only do that once without wasting time -" and she pulls out a potion bottle, spritzes Zag, and says, "Snap out of it."

(Potions fix damage, but not mental scrambling, and saying "snap out of it" doesn't actually help - confusion is Bella's least favorite status problem and she has rigorously tested unorthodox methods of handling it with a cavefull of Goddam Zubats - but it makes her feel better. It is a complete coincidence that Zag does choose this moment to snap out of it.)

Two Ice Beams later, these consecutive and funneled through Zag's Metronome to give the second an added boost, the Dragonair is done for.

Zag's not looking so great, though.

"Who's next?" Bella asks.

[bitofafiction]

"Watson is next," he says, and sends out his Zebstrika.

[the_very_best]

Watson the Zebstrika makes short work of Zag the Linoone, who does get one Headbutt in first but finally succumbs. Bella pulls him back and sends out her Umbreon.

Electric types are quick, Zebstrika no exception, and Dusk takes a hit after she tells him to Dig but before he's gotten safely underground.

The hit is -

"You're one of those, no straight-up power contests for you," she snorts, when Watson returns to his Pokéball of his own accord after Volt Switch and replaces himself with the Porygon-Z.

Dusk and the Porygon-Z "You" have a prolonged fight; You knows two offensive moves, one of which Sherlock knows better to use against a Dark type, and they're fighting defensively with plenty of uses of Conversion 2 to turn Dusk's attacks ineffective. Fortunately for Bella, no two attacks Dusk knows are the same type; if You turns psychic-type in response to Psychic, then next turn it gets a Faint Attack upside the head, and if it turns steel-type in response to that, she can order a Dig. Inconveniently for Bella, You also knows Recover. She doesn't resort to Dig after all, because You could recover more damage than the attack would do in the added span of time.

And of course it's getting in the occasional Tri-Attack through all this, and Dusk does not know Recover. Dusk faints, after Sherlock judges correctly that You can finish the Umbreon off in one more hit rather than spending the time on another recovery.

"You're good," Bella says as she releases Fireflower in Dusk's place.

[bitofafiction]

"Yes," says Sherlock. "I am."

You recovers itself some more.

[the_very_best]

Fireflower takes it down anyway. While she has no movespace spent on recovery-type moves, she is carrying Leftovers to nibble on, and the defensive style and one lucky hit with a Fire Blast despite the chancy nature of that attack leave her fully intact and raring to go when it's time to send the Zebstrika out again.

"No more switching," says Bella. "Any more tricky bits up this one's sleeve?"

[bitofafiction]

"No comment," says Sherlock.

But as it happens, no. Unless you count Thunder Wave.

[the_very_best]

Thunder Wave is standard enough that it doesn't even get under Bella's skin. And Fireflower makes up for her reduced rate of attack - and Watson's relatively increased rate of attack - with overwhelming literal firepower and routine nibbles of her Leftovers.

It's close. The Rapidash wins.

"Good match," approves Bella, patting Fireflower's burning mane affectionately and then returning her to her Pokéball. "I almost lost, that hasn't happened in a while without me taking massive handicaps."

[bitofafiction]

"Yes," says Sherlock. "I can tell."

[the_very_best]

Bella laughs. "Do you just hunt the wildlife for practice, all alone out here? I'd expect more straightforward strategy if that were it."

[bitofafiction]

"Largely yes. And then of course there is Tony, when he can be bothered."

[the_very_best]

"He any good? He didn't wanna match with me."

[bitofafiction]

"Don't let him fool you—he's a brilliant strategist—but his team doesn't get much exercise unless I borrow them."

[the_very_best]

"Got his mind on other things?" Bella asks, sitting down on the ground and looking up at the sky. "That's fair, I'm just lucky that my project requires a team that can take me anywhere so I've got a good reason to focus on them much of the time."