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

[bitofafiction]

"Charizard and Skarmory."

[the_very_best]

"A little bit screwed," concludes Bella. "All right. I'll toss Rachis to start, you saw her, and the others are my Sawsbuck, Branch, and my Mienshao, Juu."

[bitofafiction]

"Candle and Spike," he says cheerfully. "Just a moment."

And in he goes to borrow some pokemon from Tony.

[the_very_best]

Bella, and a preening Rachis too, are waiting for him when he returns.

[bitofafiction]

Presumably he has two more pokeballs on him somewhere, but like the ones he habitually carries, he's concealed them from view.

"Shall we?"

[the_very_best]

"Oh yes."

The Skarmory isn't as hard-hitting as some 'mon Bella's fought and beaten, but none of Rachis's attacks do more than lightly dent it; damn those Steel defenses and the fact that Fireflower and Zag are out of the game. Fortunately, Rachis - like everyone else on this half of Bella's team, as it happens - knows a healing move. And Spike the Skarmory does not. Bella settles in for the long haul. As an added bonus, using Roost leaves Rachis not-technically-Flying long enough to drastically cut the value of each Rockslide.

Ultimately, patience and roosting wins over solid defense - and Rachis knows one gotcha, of sorts. Bella sends her Pidgeot high into the sky, preparing to divebomb the Skarmory with Fly - the Skarmory predictably follows suit so as not to be there - and the Fly does not hit - but the ensuing Twister does. Dragon-type isn't any more effective against a Skarmory than Flying-type, but it can hit a nigh-invulnerable 'mon - and do double damage when it does.

Spike spirals dizzily to the ground, and faints.

"Nice, Rachis," Bella tells her Pidgeot approvingly.

[bitofafiction]

Sherlock grins.

Out comes Candle.

[the_very_best]

Candle's tougher than the Skarmory. Rachis tries and she gets in one solid Fly, but cannot recover enough with each Roost to stay conscious through a lucky Overheat, and she collapses before making much progress.

Out comes Juu the Mienshao. This is not a great type combination on Bella's end. But it's not going to be overwhelmingly to Sherlock's advantage either, because - as Spike so deftly proved moments ago - Flying types don't like rock. And Juu knows from rock. Bella can't afford to have Juu throwing type-ineffectual Drain Punches to heal herself by tiny increments, and half the Stone Edges miss when Candle's preparing to Fly, but Juu's the more experienced 'mon. Juu hangs on by a thread at the end. Candle faints.

Sherlock has no choice but to send out his Ditto, Mycroft, next. It's a Ditto, so Bella knows exactly what it's going to do, but before it changes shape - and type - Juu throws a Drain Punch. Fighting versus Normal, it's almost surprising that it's not a one-hit knockout of Mycroft. Juu looks better at the end of it. Then, Mycroft looks like Juu. And the Ditto can Drain Punch, too. They wind up in a fistfight. Juu loses.

Unfortunately for Bella, Branch the Sawsbuck has a Normal secondary type and Mycroft is now Fighting. Bella has heard that some Ditto can only be something they're looking right at. This one apparently does not have that handicap. At least Juu softened it up, because Mycroft has Drain Punch and Branch has a problem.

But Branch is not offensively handicapped against a Mienshao-transformed Ditto, and he holds a Big Root, that makes his every Horn Leech significantly better at restoring what he loses. The Pokémon end their battle in a healing-attack brawl. Branch's advantage beats Mycroft's.

[bitofafiction]

"Good match," says Sherlock. "I'll give Tony back his wounded warriors so he can hug them better."

[the_very_best]

"Good match," Bella agrees. "Does hugging them help?" She hugs Branch 'round the neck, partially hiding her face in summer-leafed antlers, without waiting for a reply either way.

"Sawwww," says Branch.

[bitofafiction]

"Tony has never been inclined to let that stop him."

[the_very_best]

Bella giggles. "So where am I crashing till the gang's ready to fend off wild'uns?"

[bitofafiction]

"The top floor's ours, but you have your pick of the rest. We have an astonishing number of guest rooms for a tower in the middle of nowhere."

[the_very_best]

"I'm astonished," deadpans Bella. "How come?"

[bitofafiction]

"We used to have guests."

[the_very_best]

"I guess that makes sense." Since her best guess is that they stopped coming after the absent parents died, she doesn't pry further. "Well, I really appreciate the place to stay. I camp 'cause I have to, I don't actually like it. When I'm in spitting distance of towns I'll fly an hour from my lead site to stay in a guild hostel or a Pokémon center."

[bitofafiction]

"You'd have to spit from quite a height around here to reach a settlement larger than the tower."

[the_very_best]

"Yeah, that's why I have my camping gear on me, I did not expect you." She releases Branch from the hug and returns him to his Pokéball.

[bitofafiction]

Smiling, Sherlock steps back inside.

[the_very_best]

She follows him and checks out the available rooms.

[poeticterms]

The rooms are plentiful and very nice. There is also a fairly extensive library occupying an entire floor halfway up the tower.

[the_very_best]

Ooh, a library. She picks a room just above that, divests herself of her backpack, and goes to have a look at the titles on the shelves.

[poeticterms]

They're divided about evenly between fiction and nonfiction, and both collections are of excellent quality.

[the_very_best]

Cool. She thinks nothing of helping herself to a nice old novel and reading it.