the_very_best | lake acuity

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.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

the_very_best

"Is it just the two of you?"

From:

bitofafiction

"Yes."

From:

the_very_best

"I'm sorry."

From:

bitofafiction

"Thank you."

From:

the_very_best

"You're welcome. Can I ask what happened or would you rather not talk about it?"

From:

bitofafiction

"They left a few years ago, intending to be gone for a few days, and did not return. That is all we have ever been able to find out."

From:

the_very_best

"That really, really sucks," sighs Bella.

From:

bitofafiction

"Yes it does."

From:

the_very_best

"I'm gonna go set up a campsite. I'd offer you a rematch against the other half of the gang but I don't want to wake up in the middle of the night with a Bibarel nibbling on my toes and all the gang tuckered out."

From:

bitofafiction

"You could stay in the tower," he offers. "Where the major hazard is curious Porygon, which can be excluded by closing the door."

From:

the_very_best

"Oh, cool. Of course, yours are tired too, but maybe you could borrow a couple of Tony's."

From:

bitofafiction

"Indeed I could."

From:

the_very_best

Bella plucks Juu's Pokéball from her belt and tosses it and catches it. "I'm stuck with what I've got, but if you tell me what you're going to swap in I'll know what to lead with and how screwed I am by my limited selection," she grins.

From:

bitofafiction

"Charizard and Skarmory."

From:

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."

From:

bitofafiction

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

And in he goes to borrow some pokemon from Tony.

From:

the_very_best

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

From:

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?"

From:

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.

From:

bitofafiction

Sherlock grins.

Out comes Candle.

From:

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.

From:

bitofafiction

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

From:

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.