Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Spinne Biss]

Route 7 - Riviere Line

Loki felt the sensation of power charge through him after Zeke took the charge beam. The second one that he had also prepared still remained in his hand, so when Zeke began to charge up his flame wheel - Loki let loose the beam.

With the rain lowering the fires effective power, and Loki's boost, even if Zeke switched to embers they wouldn't be able to stop the second charge beam as it shot toward the Growlithe. He'd be forced to avoid it, or take the blow.

Helena, meanwhile, landed on the ground properly and put her hands on her hips as her thumbs hooked the pockets of her jeans.  

[Zamaku]

Route 7 - Riviere Line

Zeke's attack power was weekend sure, but he was able to move along the ground, drawing the charge beam away from Levi who was now standing on slowly dampening ground, the trainer would be safe from a ground aimed charge beam for a few moments, at least until the ground at his feet absorbed enough water to channel it properly.

Another small advantage Zeke had in proportions to position, was that he could move fluidly while letting off the weekend fire balls, where as unless Loki knew how to fly naturally, would have to remain stationary in the air in order to fire the continuous blast that was charge beam.

Sure Loki could teleport then fire the attack repeatedly, but since his scent was known by Zeke, he wouldn't be able to sneak up on the fire hound. If the psychic type decided that teleporting in close would give him a better chance of landing a direct hit before Zeke could react to his scent, he'd also risk being in striking range of zeke, and quite possibly taking the full brunt of a flame wheel.

So while Loki was unable to dodge in the air as he fell (While firing the charge beam) Zeke would use his ground mobility to simultaneously put some amount of distance between himself and the charge beams touch down point, while firing weakened embers at Loki.

Zeke would take some small amount of damage from the charge beam's disperance through the ground, but the bulk of the electricity would have been dispurced deeper into the ground by the time it reached the moving Growlithe.

Right now Levi was banking on Loki eventually getting in close to chance a full powered charge beam hitting Zeke. With a devious smile, the sneak reached a hand into his bag, ever so casually, waiting for just the right moment...  

[Spinne Biss]

"Prank," Helena said and Loki disappeared. Helena continued to watch the match, particularly Levi.

Zeke would be able to smell Loki, this was true, but it didn't matter. Loki appeared behind Levi and moved to grab him. Even if Zeke barked or tried otherwise to warn his trainer, because of the distance between the two it wouldn't be in time.

So unless Levi had his own way of avoiding Loki, it would be very likely that he'd be trapped in the next move - another teleport.

And if that worked, the two would dangle above the river and Helena would say, "now give my stuff back and get out of here."  

[Zamaku]

Route 7 - Riviere Line

"Cheating, huh? Have you no shame." Levi called, wearing a cocky smirk as he was snatched and dangled above the water. From any onlooker, Levi was held in a checkmate. Although, that wasnst how he saw it. This just added to the fun of there little battle.

Whats more, apparently they weren't playing by the rules of a standard battle anymore. Having your Pokemon target the opposing trainer was a big no no. And if miss Redgrave wasn't going to play by the rules, them hey, why should Lev? Though, its not like he was usually one to abide by a set of rules anyways...

Even in the air, Levi was agile and flexible enough the free himself Loki's grip and start a free fall plummet towards the water, all the while grinning. with a flick of his wrist he released his Frogaider, Jiraiya from its pokeball.

"Lets play catch!" The youth called during his free fall. The water frog Pokemon exploded from below the surface of the river, catching his trainer in his mid air free fall, before landing safely back on the shore.

"You know, you really shouldn't have your Abra mess with other trainers during a battle, its kind of against the etiquette of Pokemon battling." Levi said cockily, knowing full well his theft of Helena's wallet made him a hypocrite of previous statement.

Levi's flippant and cocky grin slightly faltering and turning serious in his next statement, "But seriously, don't try that again, pretty sure your wallet isn't fire proof," he finished, slipping back into his grin, throwing Helena a wink for good measure.

With Jiraiya standing behind him, their backs facing one another, to prevent anymore mischief from Lokie, Levi had Zeke take up position in between himself and Helena, ready to react to her next command.  

[Spinne Biss]

Loki didn't fall around for this.

Instead he teleported to Levi's location again and snatched him as the Frogadier exploded from the river, intending to catch his trainer. Instead, he would rocket upward toward a Charge Beam that Loki started up in defense of his appearance.

Instead of Levi's show of gaining the productive footing in the match, it was possible that he'd see his pokemon immediately dealt with.

Helena, meanwhile, made a run for her bag to snatch up the rest of her pokemon. If she got there without trouble she'd release the next pokemon - Feather the Flabébé.  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 7 – Riviere Walk

Just as it had been the day before when she saw Helena train outside Santalune City, Sal had her eyes tight on Loki's Teleporting. By now she understood its start and end time. In the end, it was practically the same as the Teleport Moze's Gardevoir, Prou, used to use. Salieri was sure that she could prank back the sneaky Abra one day.

So Levi's got himself a Growlithe, huh? Sal mused as she watched the battle unfold. Probably because his Aunt's a cop. Hmm, shouldn't cops use Pokémon that make handcuffs and tasers? Not Flamethrowers? There are drug sniffing Growlithe though, but still.

The bandanna girl tapped a finger to her mouth. Fire types are pretty useful, actually, especially if you're traveling. Grass and Water types are a dime a dozen. I should start using Banksy to help me out more. I wonder how hot her shell can get. Stovetop hot? Probably. Her stomach rumbled a little. Oh my god, I could grill all the time. Toasted rolls, sautéed steak, fresh eggs. Would it taste weird cause it's on her back?...the possibilities, though...

Sal rummaged through her listed inventory on her Pokégear. We could go camping tonight if I get grocery money. And this rain lets up, Banksy is cranky enough as it is. I've never seen a Fire type that likes the rain-oh right, Levi's Growlithe.

Her focus had only been taken away for a few seconds, but when Salieri looked up the battle didn't seem to be going according to the rules. Trainers were being targeted, wild Pokémon as well. Nothing was sacred. Now that's what I'm talking about, Salieri thought gleefully, prepared to continue watching until Levi mentioned Helena's wallet. Sal thought back to the look on Helena's face, and then she put two and two together. Ugh, I hate to step into a fight like this.

Salieri stood up from her log seat and stuck the tips of two fingers into her mouth. The whistle she blew rang down the route loudly, and was over as soon as it started. It served a twofold purpose: to get Helena and Levi's attention, and to summon her Pokémon from down the road. She wanted to check on their progress.

"Levi! Quit teasing le invité!" Sal called over as she walked down the hill towards the battle with a hand on her hip, using the authoritative voice she applied as Gotengo's leader. "Helena is alright. Trust me, you don't want to boost her. Her brother's a real connard..."  

[Zamaku]

Route 7 – Riviere Walk

Jiraiya was blasted by the charge beam, or rather, it looked like he had. Instead, it was a clone created Via Double team. Loki would know his attack hit nothing but air when his special attack power didnt raise anymore, but it would have been too late by the time the teleporting Pokemon could do anything in response.

Jiraiya already had Levi safely on the ground.

[Are you alright, Master?] The Frogaider croaked, standing guard over his trainers back, should Loki attempt another prank involving teleporting the master.

Meanwhile, Helena would have found her path to her bag blocked by a snarling growlithe. With loki was busy with his trainer, Zeke had more than enough time to put himself in between the Human and her bag. If Helena attempted to move closer to her bag, the fire hound would let out a warning ember at her feet.

However, that was about the time Sal spoke up, interrupting their battle.

Grinning, Levi waved over to Sal. "Yo, Bandanna!"

With Sals arrival, Levi figured his and Helena's little no-rule battle was at an end. "pfft, your no fun. Besides, I wasn't boosting nothing, if i was, Red wouldn't have noticed until I was a ghost." came Levi's cocky reply.

Reaching into his pocket, he removed Helena's wallet, before handing it too Jiraiya who in three quick hops, landed in front of Helena, extending his webbed hand, offering her the wallet. "No hard feelings? Steeling is the only sure fire way i know to break the ice with a pretty girl." The youth said with a wink. Coming from the short innocent looking pre-teen, it was almost comical.  

[Spinne Biss]

Route 7 - Riviere Walk

Levi's change in demeanor, the return of her wallet and the arrival of Salieri contributed in Helena - who had stopped before - walking past Zeke to her bag and the remains of her tent, which she recalled quite easily with an item ball.

Loki appeared at her side and she turned to face the thieving youth. "You robbed me, tried to make me battle you to get my stuff back, and then tried to suggest that I got on a date with you as a reward for the battle. There are zero soft feelings between us."

Then she turned to face Salieri. "Uh, thanks."  

[Zamaku]

Route 7 – Riviere Walk

"C'mon Red, It was just a little fun! And besides, i already said, if i really wanted your wallet, I would have gotten it. And It wasn't a Date, It was a prank I offered you help me with, Totally way cooler."

Zeke had went from snarling attack mode to friendly tail wagging puppy in almost a blink of an eye, trotting back over to his trainer.

[Nice catch.] Zeke commented to Jiraiya who was back behind Levi, excersising his constant vigilance over their trainers back.

[Thanks you, Master Zeke. Your praise is welcomed.]

[Er...okay, but you really dont have to go around calling ME Master, seriously, its actually kinda weird...] Zeke only got a confused look from the Frogaider in response.  

[Jump Einatz]

Sal was never keen on using nicknames. She found a given name to be far more important, so unless the nickname was a title attached to a birth one she tended to ignore it. "I've told you a hundred times already, just call me Sal," she sighed to Levi. She didn't feel like getting worked up about it now.

The bandanna girl simply nodded at Helena's appreciation. She didn't intervene to get thanked for it. She intervened because yesterday she found out that having no connections to the police outside of Lumiose meant that the safety net was pulled out from under her. Levi, who was used to receiving leniency from his Aunt, may have found out the hard way. Still, his bragging did make her nostalgic for the older days when she could lift small items off of people without notice. Between the incidents with Zack and the Parfum Palace, lately it seemed like her thievery skills had severely declined. I'm getting sloppy. Levi's still in his prime...

"Eh, he's alright too," Sal told Helena on Levi's behalf. "When he's not stealing your wallet, that is." Her eyes darted to Levi with a stern squint momentarily before returning to Helena. "Precocious shenanigans are all the rage in Kalos when it comes to getting to getting a girl's attention. Yesterday some guy traded boiteux pickup lines with me until I battled him." Another stern squint was leveled at Loki. "Yeah, seems like I see a lot of piss poor pranksters in Kalos lately."

Up in the air near a Ducklett formation, Salieri saw the silver and crimson blur that was her Pawniard flying towards them, cutting through the light rain. Durendal spotted their positions and swooped down, landing on his feet next to Salieri with a soft clank. "So? How did it go?"

Dune shrugged. Pressure wasn't something he'd be able to pick up in just one training session, but he did feel more connected with his fighting spirit while searching for it through meditation. He'd have to try later.

"Levi, if you're looking for some action I've got something for you to do," she said as she put her hands into the pockets of her recently-discovered-to-be-waterproof stolen sponsored trainer jacket. The signature confident smirk that showed off her canine teeth was plastered on her face. "Totally way cooler than a prank."  

[Spinne Biss]

Helena looked at Levi as he spoke, her brow cocked but her expression otherwise blank. She remained quiet until Salieri chimed in to say something nice about him, to which she turned and replied, "no, probably not."

She didn't see the humor in Levi's prank, and when Salieri gracefully offered Levi something to do she saw her out.

"You guys have fun with that," she said and then she turned to Loki and, unless someone said something to her, she'd say "Lumiose." and the two would disappear.  

[Zamaku]

Route 7 – Riviere Walk

Levi pouted slightly as Helena Teleported away. He was starting to really like her. She had something, and Levi couldn't even begin to tell what it was, that made him want to be her rival. Probably stemming from the fact that if their battle hadent strayed from the straight and narrow, she'd have most likely came out on top. Levi wasnt the type to get bent outta shape when faced with a loss. Nope, he firmly believed in growing from your own screw ups and the screw ups of others. Plus. he got some good ideas on how to step up his battling game in the future from his and Helena's short mach battle.

"C'mon Sal, Nicknames are part of life, look at me, I got two already and im not even growing chin hairs yet!" Levi threw his hood back over his head to protect it from the light drizzle still coming down.

"If its you, i don't doubt it's on a whole other level than some prank. You can count me in." Levi replied, walking over to Sal so they wernt yelling plans from yards apart. Both Jiraiya and Zeke at either side of him. "Is this some sorta noble action?"

Levi looked Sals coat up and down before grinning. "And either your getting sponsored, in which case everyone else should just quit the league now, or that my friend, is chaud."  

[Jump Einatz]

Salieri gave Helena a two fingered salute before the girl disappeared. "Au revoir." She waited for Levi to come over, appreciating his ability to keep things quiet when they had to be.

When he commented on her newly acquired jacket, she simply rose her eyebrows up knowingly. "It's a long story," she told Levi. It wasn't a long story at all. She overheard a sponse talking smack about her brother, and punched him in the face for it. Stealing the jacket and card key were an afterthought. When she recounted the events, it made her feel a little bad about what she had done, especially now that she knew Durendal was judging her for it. In hindsight, it wasn't her best improvised plan. But it wasn't her worst either.

"Chateau Nostrad." Sal gestured with a nod to the castle-like structure further down the road. "I need to get in there for as long as it takes to use one of their PCs, and I happened to find a way in this morning." She took the card key for the building out of her belt bag. "This is just as hot as the jacket, so I don't have a lot of time. That's where you come in."

Her hand put the card key back into her belt bag and exchanged it for a spray paint can. "If you could throw up my brother's tag on a bunch of public places -you know, the one with the creepy smiling sun- it'd throw off any search for me for a while. I left behind the tag when I got the jacket." Again, she neglected to mention the finer details. The ink she used to form the tag on the Pokémon Center's bathroom mirror was taken from the ink the Veillantif sprayed into Jace Nostrad's face. "It'd take a bunch of tags going any direction away from the Chateau. The tag is on the back of my Torkoal's shell if you need a reference."

And then she had a nagging pang of responsibility hit her. It was always an irritating feeling, especially when it got in the way of what she wanted, but it was never something she could ignore. "You know how it's kind of easy to get away with stuff in Lumiose? It's not like that out here. If you make one wrong step, you're done for, even if you're Aunt is a cop. Yesterday I got caught lifting an Amulet Coin out of the Parfum Palace and I almost got Quillon'ed for it. No second chance, nothing. So you should check yourself before you wreck yourself."

Dune looked up at her with confusion. Salieri paused and looked away, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly as if to scratch the hypocrisy off. "You might think that me saying that is, uh, weird after I asked for your help with a stealth op, but it's just a word of advice. Your job is the easy one. Just don't get caught." Sal held the spray can out to Levi. "Interested? I can get you back for it if everything works out."  

[Zamaku]

Route 7 – Riviere Walk

"Nice, Go big or go home, that's your the the T." Levi replied with a low whistle after Sal revealed her plan. But seriously, it really was, Levi didn't think Sal ever started off as a novice at anything. He wouldn't say it out loud, but Levi had mad respect for the bandanna wearing girl.

But she also mentioned the fact that she almost got offed by a Quillon. The people Levi over heard going into the Pokemon center at Camphrier town wernt just gossiping after all. The simple fact that a Quillion was in the area was concerning in itself. But Levi was already on bored and tagging a few places to keep the spot light off of Sal wouldn't draw its attention.

Levi appreciated Sals concern and warning about watching himself, and she was right. This was the test and it was time to see if Levi was really as good as he claims. "Yea yea, i hear ya', but hey, its kinda like Rock climbing with out the safety rope," The youth started with a grin, taking the spray can bottle from Sal. "So I either gotta get good at climbing on the fly, or well... I shouldn't have been doing it in the first place."

"Take your time with the PC's, I can keep the attention for a good while. If I think troubles heading your way, ill Send Jiraiya over to warn you in advance." Levi gestured to his Frogaider.  

[Jump Einatz]

Despite her foreboding warning, Salieri wasn't worried about Levi's safety. In the short time she'd known the kid, she had surmised that being a sneak was a pastime that he was fully committed to. It was a matter of pride for him. If Levi was truly as good as he said, he would be fine. "Thanks man, I owe you one. If anything happens on my end, I'll have Durendal let you know."

The Pawniard nodded diligently. Despite not being a fan of this reckless behavior, he would do his job and do it well.

Now that business was taken care of, Salieri had one more thing to ask Levi. "So, you were trying to pick up Helena, huh? Hitting on an older girl?" she asked with a light smirk, channeling Mia's habit of talking about prospective hookups. "Smooth moves, Levi."