Ronhai: An Adventure Begins IC

"Great job, Starly! Now then, time to show them the next trick up my sleeve..." Dante said, bringing Starly back in, and sent out...

Aipom.

((Oh, my.))

"Nincada, continue!" Nincada continued to replicate, small tunnels beginning all over the battlefield.

Aipom was prepared for anything. Dante smiled. "Aipom, just like we practiced!" he shouted. Aipom used Double Team, and began climbing over the vines in the gym. And when that Nincada showed its face... It would have Swift to deal with.

"Nincada, you know what to do!" For a few seconds, nothing happened. Suddenly, a huge rustling was heard from the ground beneath the vines. There was nothing there. A swarm of Nincadas burst out of the walls, behind and around the ivy, using Fury Swipes on every single one.

"Aipom! Lets move!" Dante shouted. Aipom flung itself from vines, hurling itself upwards, and began using Swift.

"Again!" A swarm of Nincada burst out of the ceiling, falling to the ground. None of them appeared to be the real one.

Dante smiled. The time for the surprise hadn't come yet...

"Aipom! Fury Swipes!"

Eventually, all of the Nincada copies were gone. The holes had conveniently been plugged up by the dust kicked up from Swift. "Nincada, Double Team again, and Sand Attack!" Dust began flying out of holes unplugging themselves. Soon the battlefield was a dust storm.

Dante smiled. This didn't affect his strategy at all. "Aipom, Double Team and Swift."

Unfortunately for the Swift, there were no Nincadas about.
"Nincada, Mud-Slap!" The move wasn't deterred too much by the stars flying about, and it was impossible to tell when one was coming.

Dante smiled. As the Mud-Slap attack hit the very last Aipom... It disappeared. Dante smiled. "Aipom! Double Team again! And this time... Sand Attack. In a circle, you know... To create a little bit more confusion."

"Nincada, keep using Double Team!" Now, though, Nincada started doing both strategies. Soon Nincadas were flooding out of the walls and the ceiling, and mud was flying out of the floor. Quickly though, there was no longer any mud to throw, and the battlefield collapsed, exposing the real Nincada, thoough hidden by several decoys.

Dante smiled. "Aipom! Time to show our little surprise!" he said, and then took a step to the left. The real Aipom stood behind him. "Aipom!" it said joyfully, and leapt to its place on the battlefield. "Lets go! Swift on those decoys!"

((*facepalm*))
((We need a smiley for that.))

Swift quickly took care of all the decoys, and Nincada, exhausted, was already out, beneath them. "The battle goes to Date and Aipom!" yelled Sam.

"Fine. Go, Skorupi!"

Dante smiled, and switched Pokemon yet again. "Piplup, lets go!"

"Skorupi! Acupressure!" Skorupi began to look faster and stronger, though unexplainably. "Use Pin Missile!"

Dante smiled. "Piplup, Double Team!" he shouted. "And, now then... Bide!"

The Pin Missiles were just a distraction, and all missed, if just barely. When it was safe to look, Skorupi was nowhere to be found.

Dante smiled. Wonderful. If this was anything like last time... Oh wait. Silly mistake on Clint's part. All the vines had been cut down. Which meant... Hmm...

((They were? I was not privy to the above information. The floor collapsed, not the walls.))
((But that doesn't necessarily mean you ruined my plan...))
((Meh heh heh...))

"Skorupi, stay where you are!" Sam and Clint both knew where Skorupi was, they hadn't been focused on the attack.

((Remember when you had Nincada cut down the vines when Aipom was hanging onto them?))

Dante checked his watch. The only way Skorupi could hide from him was if it could cool down its body to the tempature in this room...

((That didn't happen. The Nincada were attacking the Aipoms.))

((And how do you know bugs aren't tha cool?))

Skorupi had buried itself in the dirt. The cool damp earth down below the pitfall was uncomfortable, but it kept him cool on a really hot day. He stayed where he was, waiting for the practiced time.

((Ok, ok...))

Piplup stayed still, waiting for a direction from Dante.

Dante was looking.... If it was underground... He should still be able to find it... Aha! There. A faint wave of warmth, but it was still there.

((You don't know that! FOURTH WALL ALERT! FOURTH WALL ALERT!!! ))

The time had come. Skorupi dug down further, to confuse most battlers, even ones with heat-sensing watches, though he didn't know that.

((That wasn't fourth wall breaking. That was Dante scanning the whole arena. And, besides, aren't there already tunnels down there?))

"Piplup, I'm sick and tired of this waiting game! You?" To which Piplup nodded. "All right! Get ready for the attack."