The Going Gets Rougher

[Zorrel]

By now, it was getting late. Even if it could be seen through the thick treetops, the sky was probably dark right now, dotted with the first stars of the night. Underneath the dark clouds of leaves walked a young girl with hair the color of the daylight sky and eyes as bright as sapphires. Beside her walked an orange figure, striped with black and with glimmering emeralds for eyes. Wrapped around the girl's arms lied a small, black and blue puppy-like Pokemon, fast asleep. The dark forest of Route Two was anything but silent, however. Eerie hoots and low growls could be heard in the trees and undergrowth; bushes rustled at every turn.

The girl walked slowly and quietly, holding her breath at every sound. Then a low voice sounded that made her jump; the voice of her own daemon. "Oh, calm down, Lith. There's nothing to be afraid of here - you're only hearing the sounds of sleeping Pokemon," Alexucard sighed.

Lithalia let out her own sigh after realizing that Alex had been the thing that scared her. Heart still beating, she replied, "I can't help it, Alex; it's just so spooky. I don't know how he can sleep with all these creepy noises around," she glanced down at Blaedyn, sound asleep in her arms, as she said this. Then, in an even lower whisper with her head bowed down, she muttered, "Plus, I'm not even sure if we're going the right way."

"We haven't strayed off the path once, so I'm pretty sure it's impossible for us to have gotten lost." The Growlithe daemon tried to assure his human partner. The truth was, he was creeped out too. Lithalia simply nodded in response as they made their way deeper through the wooded area, both hoping to find their way out and to the next town as soon as possible.

[Birdybot]

Footsteps could be heard walking along the disappearing leaves still on the ground from autumn. There was a voice, too; a Pokémon's voice. It sounded annoyed, grumbling and complaining. Faint tapping sounds came as it kicked a pebble, the small stone bouncing off the hard ground. The voice grew louder, closer, audible. ~-stupid, they won't even damage the stinkin' ground when you kick 'em. An' the trees, urgh! Some are smart. They've got bare branches, they 'ave. But them evergreen, huh! Stupid things! Keep their leaves, but fer what?! Nuthin'!~[/color]

This continued, growing steadily louder as the Pokémon grew closer. Only hearing sounds of sleeping Pokémon? Perhaps this was a bit more than that. Before long, it was evident that the Pokémon had seen Lith. ~AAAAARGH! Trainer! Filthy, slimy moron! Graaaaaa! I wish I could just crush 'em all like a little... er... never mind! AH! TRAINER! YOU AWAKE? COME AND GET ME!~[/color] it screamed furiously. A Mankey.[/size]

[Zorrel]

Lith froze once the soft sound of crunching leaves reached her ears. Footsteps; she'd definitely heard footsteps, and she doubted it was from a sleepwalking Pokemon. "Alex, did you...hear that?" she muttered to her daemon, eyes glancing here and there for the source of the noise.

Alex simply sighed once again. "Lith, I told you already, it's nothi-" He paused midsentence, sniffing the air and perking his floppy ears. "Actually, there is something out there," he continued in a quieter tone. The pair silently scouted the area around them, watching for any sign of movement. Then the voice came louder: grumbles of an angry Pokemon wandering through the woods. "Hey, Lith, over there!" It was the daemon who'd spotted the annoyance first, and motioned to where the raging Mankey stood before hesitantly translating what it had said.

After spotting it herself, Lithalia merely tilted her head at the angered Mankey with a puzzled look in her eyes, wondering what it wanted from them. Then, upon hearing Alex's translation, her eyebrows slanted and she yelled in a hushed tone, "A filthy slimy what?" But after recomposing herself and placing the stirring Blaedyn onto a bed of leaves next to her, her face softened into a slight smirk and she continued to speak. "Alright then, if it's a battle you want, then it's a battle you'll get! Amira, come on out and let's see what you can do!" She enthusiastically shouted while unhooking a pokeball from her belt and tossing it into the air.

The red light that burst from the red and white sphere soon solidified into the form of a Meowth who was daintly licking its paw. Realizing she had been released, however, the Meowth looked around at the situation before her. ~Mreoowwwwwww,~ she yawned, giving a stretch. ~Did you call me, Lithalia?~ Amira purred, glancing up to her new trainer.

"Yeah, I need you to battle that Mankey over there," she pointed at Amira's opponent with a firm expression on her face. "Now, lettsee...," Lith racked her brain for her newly acquired Meowth's moveset before continuing, "start off with a good Scratch!" In response, the Meowth nodded, got up, and walked in front of Lith, unsheathing her sharp, shiny claws. She hadn't battled in a while, so they felt good against the soft earth as she flexed them in and out, preparing for battle. Then she rushed at the Mankey at a decent speed with outsretched limbs in a Scratch attack.

Alexucard, in the meantime, found a good place to sit and watch Amira's first battle in a cosy spot next to Blaedyn in his makeshift leaf nest. "Between you and that Mankey, the whole forest is probably awake by now," he yawned, rolling his eyes.

[Birdybot]

Mankey watched as a Meowth emerged. She was pretty, sleek, agile and fast. A deadly mix. The monkey Fighting type tried to dodge the Scratch attack, but Amira was too fast for him. Her claws slashed along one side of his vaguely rotund fluffy cream body, making him cry out in pain. The Pokémon's eyes flashed in anger. So, she was using a Scratch attack now, was she? He'd show her a Scratch attack!

Howling a loud battle cry in rage, Mankey prepared his attack. Just before he could make his move, however, a Rattata bravely poked its head out a bush and growled, ~Keep it down, were trying to sleep!~[/color] before grumbling back in its home. If Mankey wasn't exploding with rage before, he was now. That had really ticked him off. The Fighting type didn't make a sound as he shot at Amira, adrenalin fueling him, face screwed up in fury.[/size]

[Zorrel]

"Wooo!" Lith cheered. She was excited for Amira's first successful hit. But then there was a rustling in the bushes; a disgruntled Rattata came out and warned them to keep it down. Lithalia's enthusiastic expression turned to one of apology as the rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. "Hehe, sorry," she quietly giggled after the purple mouse disappeared back into the undergrowth. Alex shot his human partner a look that clearly said 'I told you so' with a mischievous smirk on his face. Then Lith snapped her focus back into the battle at hand. Mankey seemed furious at Rattata's interuption, and it looked like it was about to take all that rage out on Amira. "Amira, quick, jump out of the way!" she hushedly urged her Pokemon.

When her attack had landed, the Meowth felt great; she'd almost forgotten how fun a good battle could be. However, she felt herself blush a light shade of pink when she learned she'd been making too much noise. Oops, she thought. Oops was right; by the time she heard her trainer's orders and turned her attention back to Mankey, it was too late. She let out a hiss as pain shot through her side, caused by Mankey's sharp claws. That really hurt, especially since the attack was backed by pure fury; it was probably a critical hit. Lith winced when she saw Amira got hurt, but she knew that cat was tough enough to handle a couple scratches. "Great job, Amira. Now use...Growl, then close in with Bite!" she called, trying to keep her voice as low as possible. "But, try to be quiet, okay?"

Now it was Amira's turn to be mad. She brought out as menacing a Growl as she could, filled with all her anger at her opponent, disregarding her trainer's request to keep it down. Then she jumped at the Mankey with gaping jaws lined with pointed teeth; a Bite attack. ~You'll pay for that, cream puff!~ she screeched.

[Birdybot]

Mankey was about to screech in rage too, but somehow Rattata's words actually gave him a little self-control right now. ~Cream puff? Look who's talking.~[/color] he said, eyes narrowing. This 'Amira' was annoying him. Well, everything annoyed him, but Amira was annoying him more than all the other things right now. When he felt her teeth clamp down on his arm in her Bite, he was furious.

Even for a Mankey, this Fighting type had temper issues. The look on his face when he glared at the Meowth on his arm looked as if it could burn through her skin. It didn't, of course, but it was still pretty scary. The Mankey took long, deep breaths. He knew that he would never be able to dispose of annoying things like this if he were in a rage. He calmly- not really, but calm enough- took one sharp clawed paw and attempted to Scratch Amira's face.[/size]

[Zorrel]

Mankey's swipe was fast, but this time Amira was paying attentention. Her quick feline reflexes took effect as she jumped out of the way of the monkey's claws. She escaped the brunt of the attack, but still got a little scratch on her nose - er, at least, the place where her nose would be. While rubbing the spot where she was hit, Amira glared at Mankey with almost the same amount of fury that he felt towards her. ~Atleast I don't look like a pig with a permanent bad hair day,~ she spat.

"Good dodge, Amira!" was heard from the sidelines as Lith continued to cheer. "We'll beat this Mankey for sure," she enthused as she punched the air confidently. "Go for another Scratch!" The Meowth nodded at Lithalia's orders. Then, taking a page from Mankey's book, she decided to try to calm herself a bit as to not let herself be blinded by rage. After a short moment, she ran at her opponent once again with her sharp clawed paws extended in a Scratch attack.

[Birdybot]

Mankey snarled. ~Have you looked in the mirror lately? No, I guess not. They all commit suicide whenever they see you coming.~[/color] he growled back at Amira's insult. He took insults seriously. He got angry at any little thing, so it was best not to insult him. Or- well, exactly this would happen; he would insult you back, and attack you. He sidled out the way of the Scratch, then stuck his toungue out like a vengeful two year old.

The monkey's tail flicked from one side to the other. He was ready for this. He was preparing himself to win. If he could keep up the dodging, he could do this for sure! Yeah! The monkey's upper lip curled back to display his fiersome teeth, then he leapt forward in a different move; Low Kick. This kick would swipe Amira's legs from under her, making her fall. She wasn't too heavy, so it wouldn't do very much damage, however. None the less, it would be super effective; Low Kick was a Fighting type move.[/size]

[Zorrel]

Amira caught herself from falling after her Scratch had missed. After hearing Mankey's taunt, she curled her face into an even tighter snarl. ~If mirrors break at the sight of my lovely face, then other wild Pokemon must kill themselves upon looking at your ugly mug,~ was her comeback. Then she closed her eyes, stuck one paw up to her forhead in the shape of an 'L', and blew a raspberry.

"Dogde it!" was heard from the sidelines. Amira, however, was too absorbed in her teasing to be paying attention to the battle - or the fact that Mankey was charging right at her. She opened her eyes in response to Lith's shouts just in time to see Mankey attacking with a Low Kick. The Meowth felt herself fall to the ground, hard, as the break was knocked out of her by the attack; the worst part was that it was super effective. Lithalia's face turned into a worriful wince - it wasn't looking too good for Amira. "You have to pay attention more, Amira!" she lightly commanded, concern in her voice. "Quick, get up, and use another Scratch!"

Alexucard, sitting beside her, shook his head. "Those two are worse then a pair of toddlers," he commented. Lith nodded in agreement, a slight giggle escaping her lips. It took but a moment for Amira to get up; she was getting weaker, but now she was more determing than ever to take this stupid Mankey down. Rage flaring in her eyes, she ran as fast as she could with unsheathed claws aimed at the monkey standing a few feet away.

[Birdybot]

Mankey sniggered. ~Only because they can't go on knowing I'm so much better than then, klutz. Now, you must have come from somewhere bad... what was your mum, a Grimer? I'll bet your mum's so fat that when she turns around every has a 'welcome back' party.~[/color] he smiled. So, he'd moved on to the 'ur mum' jokes, now. In fact, he was so absorbed in thinking up his next joke that he hadn't noted that Amira was using a Scratch. It slashed down his face. His reaction to this was immediet; he spat in the cat's face.

Mankey, hoping the charming glob of saliva had startled Amira enough to make her pause for a moment, moved in for another Low Kick. He could see how effective that was, and it had actually made Amira weaker. He was feeling weakened too, actually, but was hardly going to amit that. The Fighting type was simply filled with a hatred of the Meowth and a strong rage and passion to win. He could tell Amira was feeling the same way back at him, but that wouldn't get in his way![/size]

[Zorrel]

Amira smirked when her claws slashed against Mankey's face; it felt good to land a hit on that annoying little brat. But her face twisted into disgust after the pig monkey spit right into her face. She closed her eyes tightly as she tried to wipe the globule of saliva off her face, so she couldn't see the Low Kick coming right at her. "Jump backwards!" the cat heard Lithalia shout. Eyes still shut, she jumped back, trusting her trainer to get her out of trouble. And luckily, that's just what Lith did - Amira barely dodged a hard kick in the gut from Mankey's super effective attack.

After she was safely out of Mankey's range, Amira was able to clear her eyes. She blew another raspberry out at him before saying, ~I can understand your jealousy of being able to have a charming parent such as a Grimer. I mean, your mother's so ugly, she makes blind children cry.~

Lithalia giggled - she couldn't help but find the sight of these two quarreling Pokemon amusing. Alexucard, who was doing the translating, gave a chuckle every now and then, too. Turning her face into a serious expression again, Lith yelled, "Now, jump at him with a Bite attack!" Amira gave a slight nod to show she'd heard. Then, after crouching down, she launched herself at the Mankey with two rows full of exposed fangs that shone in the few rays of moonlight that filtered through the tree tops.

[Birdybot]

Mankey grinned at Amira's reaction to the spit. Priceless, that expression. If only he had one of those cameras humans sometimes had. He growled at her latest insult, however. ~Oh, yeah? Well, your mum's so stupid she called you a son of a b****!~[/color] he fired back at her. He managed to dodge the Bite, but still felt a little pain; a couple of Amira's teeth scraped a scratch down his arm. He hid his pain from her, though. There was no way he'd give her that satisfaction.

Mankey then smiled casually, as one might do when greeting a friend. He then pulled a face like a toddler, blowing a raspberry and scrunching his face up with his hands. He chuckled to himself, as if pleased with his extreme childish behavoir. Which, when it came down to it, he was. He was very pleased that he was both causing Amira physical pain and insulting her. It was a good thing; if he was caught by this trainer, it was likely to become one of his favourite hobbies. He swung another Low Kick at the Meowth.[/size]

[Zorrel]

Amira felt the same pleasure in fighting this annoying little pest that Mankey felt in fighting her. She returned her opponent's smile and let out a low chuckle before spitting out her comeback. ~Your mother's so fat, she got hit by a bus and asked 'who threw that rock?'~ With that, Amira turned around and started patting her behind while shaking her tail and sticking her tongue out; this usually prim and proper 'lady' seemed to have a dark childish side.

"Dodge it and use another Scratch, Amira!" Lith yelled through her continuing giggles. Alexucard merely rolled his eyes, but couldn't help but let a slight chuckle slip through. Luckily, the Meowth was paying attention to the battle while performing her little taunts this time. Eyes narrowed, she gracefully jumped up and over Mankey right before his kick had landed. Then, with a smirk, ran straight at his back with sharp, extended claws. She hoped her Scratch would hit her enemy right on the mark and that she would win the battle, of course, but she couldn't help wanting the battle not to end too soon; she was having way to much fun tormenting Mankey for that to happen.

ooc:// sorry for the /majorly/ late reply xD;

[Birdybot]

Mankey growled. That could be interpreted as a complement, right? His mum was so strong she was hit by a bus and said 'who threw the rock'. Haha, stupid cat. The monkey Pokémon stuck his toungue out back. ~Well, your mum's so fat that when she gets into the sea the whales start singing 'We are family'!~[/color] he threw back, grinning. He was actually enjoying this. What an extremely unusual relationship this two had; they hated each other so much they liked each other.

As Amira leapt over him, Mankey whimpered. Uh-oh, that was not good. Not good at all. Amira had a good shot of his back from here. What would she do? Then he felt a sharp pain on his back. Oh, yep, she was definately taking advantage of that. Mankey groaned, falling to his knees. He could feel himself fading, but fought against it. He refused to faint, not now, not against this enemy. He moaned a long, load note as he collapsed, black tainting his vision. No, please, not against Amira, no- and then nothing more. Amira had won the battle, and Mankey was able to be caught.

Mankey was defeated! Amira gained two levels![/size]

[Zorrel]

A smirk played on Amira's lips after seeing Mankey fall from her point-blank Scratch attack. She let out a tired huff before blowing one last raspberry at her fainted opponent and putting her paw to her forehead in the shape of an 'L'. She'd known that she'd win all along - how couldn't she have won against such a bumbling ball of fur. Then again, she couldn't help feeling a bit sad about the battle being over, about her fun being over; fun, she realized, that she hadn't had in a long time. The cream colored cat threw a backward glance at Lithalia, waiting to see whether her trainer would attempt to catch the Mankey or not.

Lith locked eyes with Amira and saw the slightest glimmer of pleading in her eyes - she could tell that the small feline wanted her defeated opponent to travel with them. Upon realizing what her eyes had given away, however, Amira's cheeks flushed with pink as she swiftly swung her head away to absentmindedly stare into the dark trees. Lith chuckled. She could easily see that Amira didn't want to leave Mankey behind, but Lith felt bad about taking Pokemon away from their homes if they didn't want to go. A troubled expression replaced her formerly giggling one.

Alexucard picked up on her stress immediately. "You know, Lithalia, there's other ways of capturing Pokemon than always simply throwing a Pokeball," he tried to assure her. "I mean, Amira joined willingly; maybe Mankey will want to do the same."

After a short moment, Lith opened her mouth to answer, only for it to gape open in a wide yawn. She blinked sleepily as a sudden wave of wariness washed over her - it's been a really long day. "Right now, all I really wanna do is settle down and sleep," she half giggled, half yawned.

Imitating Lith's yawn, Alex nodded in agreement with an amused smile. "That sounds like a pretty good idea to me." With that, the young trainer got out her compact sleeping bag and some blankets that were folded with incredible efficiency from her backpack; her brother really knew how to save space. Alex helped by gathering some small twigs and leaves and the like together into a pile a bit away from the padded area Lith had prepared. He set it aflame with a few embers spewed from his mouth. Lithalia picked up the still sleeping Blaedyn with a caring smile and gently settled him next to her in the sleeping bag. By this time, Amira, still slightly blushing, had sat by her teamates near the fire.

"That was a great battle, Amira," Lith encouraged the cat Pokemon while rubbing a potion onto her injuries. "And the best part was that it was really entertaining," she added with a chuckle. Amira's blush deepened in response, but a glimmer of happiness beamed in her eyes from the compliment and the fact that the potion was returning the strength she'd lost from the battle.

"That it was, Lithalia, that it was," Alex agreed with a bark. He'd had fun watching Amira and Mankey's little cherade as well. Lith merely smiled as she moved over to spray a potion onto Mankey, too; she knew this wouldn't wake him up like a revive would, but she wanted to make sure he felt better when he did wake up.

After the two Pokemon had been healed, she broke out some potato chips, candy, and Pokemon food that her brother Zekerix had packed for her on her journey. "What a healthy dinner, Lith," Alex teased; he couldn't help but get his two-cents in. His partner's reply was a small grin and a shove of a handful of small, colorful hard candy in front of his paws. She passed some pokefood - homemade by Zekerix - to Amira who gratefully accepted it with a growling stomach. Lithalia and Alex laughed, and after her flush had deepened even more, Amira couldn't help but laugh, too. The motley trio sat quietly as they ate their pitiful dinner at their makeshift campsite under the sky of shimmering stars partly hidden behind the crowded treetops, grateful for the warmth of the flickering fire.