Getting Splinters

It had been a while since he saw these terrible things. Black as coal, sharp as needles, and huge enough to destroy entire civilizations should they topple over--these were the mountains of Black Spear. As if one wasn't bad enough, there had to be hundreds of them, all varying in sizes but retaining the same level of danger as any other. Bloodthirsty pokemon were no doubt hiding in the shadows; waiting in the bushes, unsheathing their talons, their fangs prepared to sink into the fragile skin of prey. This was place was like walking on a minefield, if that minefield was willing to beat you down in the darkness and tear you apart limb from limb.

Which was exactly why he was scaling this horrible place. Alone, because he lacked any available acquaintances and had no team members, and because he didn't want to die early for trying to escort a stranger who'd potentially be plotting to tear his throat out in this desolate place. He'd much rather suffer on his own than have to deal with that paranoia. In any case, he assumed he'd be fine. He only had to worry about birds. Fighting types were weak to flying attacks, and seeing as he was also a dark type, he also had to worry about other fighting types. He could hold off fighting types hopefully decently. He'd just have to deal with it once he came upon it.

The lone scraggy trudged on, already looking battered as he finally reached the range. It was mostly in appearance, as he had lost his eye patch a while back and his marred eye was exposed. Luckily, the sight wasn't too gruesome thanks to it being permanently shut closed, but the dried scars and gashes surrounding it created a not-so-pleasant image. He also had a few scars on his chest as a result of a previous incident, though it wasn't as severe. A Defense Band was secured around his neck, hanging low like a scarf and effectively covering most of the scar on his chest. He did manage to intimidate some opponents along the way, but his appearance had attracted far too many predators to be anything less of a disadvantage.

He took out a Sitrus berry from his bag, eating it in order to restore whatever damages he had accumulated during the trip. [BE: 15 + 6 = 21] Now a bit more refreshed, the reptile moved on. He was going to train and gather some much needed materials.

It was a day like any other in the Black Spear Mountain Range and having not much better to do, William was once again wandering between the jagged, pointy formations of rock, which pierced the cloudy sky.
Maybe he would find something or someone of interest today. Probably not, however, but still the very attempt made this a better way to spend one's time than just sitting at the guild doing nothing of use.
A shiver went through the Ghost type's spectral body as he was reminded of the masses of Pokémon he had had to encounter just a few days ago in this very place. Hopefully the swarms would have subsided for now, as he definitely wasn't in the mood to do battle. At least being alone without any annoyingly reckless partners would make avoiding foes a much easier thing to do.


(E=63-18=45)

SNAP!

Mordred jumped as he heard another twig. He stared down at the nearby bushes, fists in position, his mind and body at high alert. After realizing there was no threat nearby, the scraggy lowered his guard and sighed in frustration. It was conflicting; on one end he was relieved to be spared of any killer ferals attacking him, while on the other he was irritated at how he had yet to come across an opponent. When he thought about it, he was also irritated by himself. His feelings were contradictory. How was he supposed to get stronger if he didn't actively search for the opponents himself? What was the point of even coming all the way here if he couldn't pull himself together and train properly?

He felt like hitting his head against a rock.

Not a good option with his scars, that and he didn't have the guts to try and hit a rock in this place. He might get another rock to the eye. Well, to be fair, it wasn't so much the fault of the wild rock pokemon as it was the carelessness of his companion. That may have contributed to why he chose to do this solo.

He continued on, doing his best not to let his nerves get to him and try to search out any potential signs of opponents. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to find much except for the occasional random bird flying out from the trees. He wasn't in the mood to deal with birds right now.

He eventually decided to take a quick break and survey his surroundings. If he hadn't managed to find a single opponent yet then he had to find a better area to scour. The pitch-black rocks and the cloudy skies made it a tad difficult to observe small details, but being part dark type had made his path at least navigable.

Then he saw it. A mist? A shadow? A mirage, even? He wasn't sure. Whatever it was, it didn't look solid, or any pokemon he could recognize. The thing looked as though it had phased through the rocks! Or maybe it was just a trick of the eyes--or eye, in this case. A ghost pokemon? That was fairly unexpected. Nonetheless, ghost types were vulnerable to his dark attacks. Training.

The scraggy took silent steps, following the phantom. Time to see if this was an opportunity. He couldn't just jump into battle, of course. At least not here, in one of the most dangerous areas of the Northeast.

Not expecting for anyone to follow him around, partly because of his ghastly appearance, the Gengar saw no need to observe his surroundings too carefully. Not many Pokémon would dare attack a spectral Pokémon like he was, and the ones that did were either so foolish that they would be dispatched easily, so big that it was next to impossible to overlook them or not as mobile as he was at least, which would make it a piece of cake to flee from them should the need arise.
And so the Ghost type simply kept on wandering around the mountain aimlessly, not having to struggle with the steep slopes and unstable terrain due to his Levitation ability.
As he was thinking about this fact, the Gengar began to wonder. How would it feel like to actually trip? To fall down on the ground? It probably wasn't all too pleasant but still William was intrigued by the idea of experiencing something like this - something he had never felt before and probably never would.

The scraggy continued to stalk the ghostly figure, paying close attention to its movements and determining the right moment to strike--or at least, he tried. It was difficult enough to follow it, let alone try and corner it. It floated above the ground with ease, undisturbed by the harsh terrain. Slopes, sharp rocks, poison ivy--all of it was futile to deter it from its path. Much like other ghosts, its haunting aura also proved to be a challenge to overcome. Wild pokemon were repelled with ease and with little hesitation on their part, but the reptile proved too persistent to back down. He'd be damned if he let this opportunity slip from his hands! Especially after all the trouble he went in order to observe it.

He grumbled as he hastily picked off bits of rock from his pants-like skin, making sure to also dust off the dirt and mud that he accumulated after the trek. Curse these slopes and whoever had the bright idea of making them! This made him miss the flat lands and their lack of unnecessary formations, then again he didn't really have the right to complain. He was born and raised in a mountain, after all, so it was technically his own fault for not being able to handle its inconveniences. Maybe he should focus his training regime more on mountainous terrains. Well, that only gave him more of a reason to practice on this phantom.

Finally, his wait came to fruition. The ghost seemed distracted now, contemplating about... ghost things, probably. He never really had much experience dealing with ghosts, in all honesty. He just knew they were sort of freaky. And a lot of rumors said they liked pranking other pokemon.

Alright, this was it, no turning back now! Mordred took a deep breath. Feint Attack wasn't necessarily a tricky move, though it was a challenge to improve on. Experienced battlers could cloak themselves in darkness and disappear entirely, becoming visible only when the attack has been inflicted. The scraggy wasn't qualified to do that level yet. He had to settle on a simple ambush attack. He relaxed his body, allowing it to feel as light as he could will it.

Be quick and hit hard. Be quick and hit hard.

His steps left only light thuds as he moved at brisk pace towards the target. Once close enough, he drew his foot back, aiming a swift kick to the ghost's back.

William meanwhile, certainly not having expected being attacked out of nowhere, was quite surprised to feel a sharp pain in his back, being sent flying a short distance.
However he wasn't letting himself be defeated by one simple attack. Especially not one that required physical contact.
Before performing any other action, he instinctively ascended high into the air before turning around to find the source of the attack. It was a Scraggy, a partial Dark type. Now this was going to get interesting. Hopefully it didn't have any ranged attacks.
Whether it did or not wasn't too important however. The Gengar knew that his Ghost type attacks wouldn't do much damage here, but luckily he could use his Focus Blast attack to deal high damage if he would be able to land a hit.
And thus he focussed, concentrated and released his energy in a blue-ish sphrere towards the attacker.

The kick hit! Mordred shuddered, feeling his own temperature drop slightly upon touching the ghost. He instinctively jumped back, creating more distance as his target was sent forwards. Fists raised, legs apart, and eyes straight ahead, the scraggy prepared himself for battle. He hadn't expected his attack to work that well; seeing its effect gave him motivation to continue. Maybe if he kept at it, he'd see more improvements! It would definitely make this entire trip a bit more worthwhile.

The ghost ascended to the sky. Upon seeing the phantom in the air, now made even more foreboding thanks to the terrain's cloudy skies and dark peaks, Mordred felt his bravery waver. His mind went to overdrive, calculating and evaluating his decisions. This ghost certainly didn't look like a 1st stage evolution, possibly not even a 2nd. It looked experienced and, well, a bit terrifying. The vibe it was exerting was nothing less of provoked. He didn't know this species well enough to judge if super effective attacks would do the trick, and neither was he able to estimate the level of his opponent. Not reassuring, to say the least. There was no way this ghost could do much damage, right? He was a partial dark type, meaning ghost moves did little against him.

Then he saw the blue sphere.

There was no way that was a ghost type attack.

The ball of energy was thrown towards him. He leaped out of the way, just managing to avoid it at the last second. It hurled towards where he had stood, crashing violently in a burst of light and sending pieces of earth flying. The scraggy was paralyzed, watching as the dust subsided from the impact.

What was left of the hardened ground was a small crater, just a mere few inches deep yet leaving cracks around the affected zone. Not good.

No confidence or blind bravado was to be provided by his conscience. The reptile stood there, gaping at the destruction with comically widened eyes. His stare slowly moved to the ghost, as though he had still to register what his 'target' had done. Then he bolted. Nope.

"SORRY!" The scraggy made a swift run for it, boosting his speed with as much adrenaline as his body could offer. His heart pumped rapidly in his chest, sending his blood running as he frantically made his escape. That was a terrible idea! What in Arceus' name was he thinking? His opponent was much too overpowered for him to challenge!

He made a mental note to stick to avoid ghost types for a while.

He hadn't managed to cover much ground when his foot got caught, sending him toppling forwards. "OOF!" He winced, colliding with the cold rock ground. Was this another record for mucking things up in the least amount of time possible? It probably was for him.