Gathering Courage

{Energy: 25 - 10 = 15}

Gulp came the sound of a certain Buizel's throat as he carefully made his way around the Pricklemist Hill. And here he was, thinking that this place could not possibly get any scarier or creepier than the Shadowhue Forest. It had taken him tremendous courage to even get through there as safely as he did. Of all of the farther-away locations he could visit to do some exploring and try to get more courage for himself, he had to pick this one. This one with mist so thick he could barely see where he was going. And what's worse, there were rumors about that this place was coveredin Ghost-type Pokémon. The thought caused a shiver to run down the Buizel's spine. He hoped that he wouldn't have to worry about something like that. He knew that Ghost-type Pokémon existed of course, and that they were just ordinary Pokémon like himself...but the fact that they were ghost-like at all still scared him somewhat. Normally, he wouldn't have ever stepped one paw inside of this kind of place. And yet, here he found himself, miles outside of his comfort zone. He had been told that wandering outside of that zone would be the best way to raise his usefulness.

Ultimately, Jet was here for one purpose. To garner up some more courage that he could then put to use as part of Team Mizuchi. At the moment, he was the only active member on the team. That had been extra motivation for becoming stronger and trying to become more fearless, like his team leader or his friends. If he was representing his entire team, he could not be such a coward. He had to come and face his fears. Or at least, so he was told. He let out a small sigh and continued to wander around somewhat aimlessly.

Still...couldn't he have gone ANYWHERE else, rather than jump straight into a place with an atmosphere this creepy? He was definitely not used to jumping into the thick of things. But oh well. He was here, so there was no point in turning back now. He couldn't wimp out of this. So, with that thought, he pushed himself forward. He was determined not to let his fear get the better of him. Besides....

What was the worst that could happen to him out here, fog or no fog?

Energy: 27 - 10= 17

Pterra soared in the skies above the Pricklemist Hill dungeon, scanning the ground below him with a predatory gleam in his amber eyes. He was on the prowl for a new sucker to steal from; and had branched out from his normal hunting spot near the Black Mist Mountain to this lower level dungeon. He figured that any pokemon that came here were far more likely to be weak and easy to prey on.

The self-proclaimed 'Aerial Outlaw' let a smirk curl across his face as he spotted a potential victim: a buizel making its way through the dungeon carefully, a nervous expression on its face. Pterra angled his wings downward, letting his body fall toward the ground, and circled the buizel for a moment before landing in front of the water weasel. Pterra towered over the other pokemon easily, and he lowered his long neck so that his head was just above the buizel's, and gave the water type a thoughtful glare with his fiercely glowing amber eyes.

"Just where do you think you're going, little weasel?" he asked in a fierce, challenging tone.

Jet made his way forward as cautiously as ever. However, something above him caught his senses. In his guard-raised state, he could hear what was going on around him much more clearly than he could see in the mist...and he heard the unnerving, unending sounds of wing beats. Whatever was making the sound was not going away. Rather, it seemed to be hanging around above him somewhere. He gulped again and tried to quicken his pace in an attempt to get away from whatever it was that was hanging out above his head. But before he could get farther than a single step, a very large, pterodactyl-like Pokémon had landed solidly on the ground in front of him.

"Wah...!" Jet exclaimed in surprise as Pterra landed directly in front of him. He jumped fearfully, resulting in him actually falling backward and onto his tail at Pterra's feet. "Oof...." He then looked upward, eyeing the Aerodactyl's body until he met the fierce glare of the Pokémon's face. At the sight, he couldn't help but freeze up slightly in fear.

"U-umm..." Jet murmured in a very small, timid voice as Pterra addressed him. "N-nowhere, I-I was just, uh...l-looking around is all..." he replied, hoping against hope that that would be the end of it.

(messed up last post, fixed) Energy: 17 + 10 (oran berry) = 27

Pterra grinned sharply at the buizel's open fear, showing a maw full of long, sharp teeth, ready to tear into flesh. He casually reached into the satchel that lay across his torso and pulled out an oran berry. He munched it up quickly, enjoying the rush of energy that came with it. The sweetness of berry didn't measure up to the normal flesh of feral pokemon that he was used to; but pokemon remains didn't increase his healing or energy, so he had grown to tolerate the taste of berries.

Plus, showing off his sharp teeth had the added benefit of increasing his intimidation. He loved it when other pokemon cowered before him, and unfortunately he hadn't been getting a lot of that in this region. Though it looked like he finally found a pokemon willing to show him the respect he deserved.

"Hmph. Well then, I'm sure you won't mind handing over your ...explorer bag," Pterra sneered at the thought of this little tiny pokemon as being on an exploration team. "I'm surprised an exploration team would want a cowardly little weakling like you, but hey; if they don't mind cowardly whiners, more power to 'em, I suppose. Makes it easier for outlaws like me," he chuckled, very openly admitting his outlaw status, unafraid of the little buizel and unknowing of any true strength that may lay beneath Jet's outward cowardice.

Jet eyed the Aerodactyl carefully, being very wary of the vicious Pokémon's every move. He observed every aspect of his body language, hoping to find anything decisive that he could use to see what the fossil Pokémon would do next. Twitches of the muscles, flicks of the wing and movement of the tail were all something he had to pay attention to. But of course, he couldn't make it LOOK like he was watching him so carefully. As such, he avoided eye contact. Not only would him looking away be more obvious if they were looking into each others' eyes...but looking into those eyes would only cause him to freeze up even more than he already was.

The Buizel's fears were only heightened when the fossil Pokémon reached into a pouch of its own and raised it to its maw, devouring what appeared to be an Oran Berry. Jet swallowed hard, making another audible gulp. Those fangs looked awfully sharp, like they could tear painfully into him should their owner so choose. But his position was made even worse than it already was when the Aerodactyl finally replied to him. His eyes widened and he grew slightly more pale when he heard Ptera announce his outlaw status, as well as the belittling he received. He cowered further, clearly fully intimidated by the much larger Pokémon. But even still....

"N...n-no," Jet said nervously. he slowly started trying to push himself back to his feet again. "I-I-I...th-this bag a-and my badge m-mean the world to me. I-I might be...be a coward and weak...b-but I s-still won't let you take my bag...!" He tried to sound more confident than he was...but it failed miserably. It was clear from his tone that, apart from his frail appearance, he also possessed very low self-esteem and had almost no real confidence in himself. But at least he wasn't about to just give up before anything had even happened.

Pterra's eyes widened upon the buizel's refusal to hand over his bag. Then he started laughing. He threw his head back towards the sky and laughed and laughed, the sound deep and booming, echoing all around them and eventually disappearing into the mist that covered most of the area. Pterra looked back down at the buizel, still laughing.

"And... and what are you, a coward and weakling... gonna do to stop me, huh?" he laughed in the buizel's face as his jaws started to spark with a sudden electrical energy. Pterra stopped laughing and looked menacingly down at Jet, his jaws becoming more and more charged with the electric energy.

"While that was funny, I'll admit; you're starting to try my patience, little water weasel. Here's how this is going to go down, ok? Listen close, because I don't plan on repeating myself. You," here he paused and poked a sharp talon against the buizel's head, "...are going to hand over that bag to me. I'm going to take your items from the bag, and maybe if I'm feeling generous, I'll let you keep the bag and your precious badge. Resist, and I'll just knock you out here and now with my Thunder Fangs," he gnashed his sparking teeth, "And dump you in a difficult dungeon after robbing you of everything you have. How does that sound?"

He smiled in a mockery of sweetness, his fangs still sparking with the electrical current, the threat clear in his sneer.

Jet could not help but blush slightly when the Aerodactyl before him simply reared his head back and began to laugh a laugh that was so booming, it seemed to come from all directions. His face fell slightly as he realized just what he was getting himself into. And at this point, there was probably no backing out. He would have to either surrender his items or face this outlaw here and now as best he could. And as if things weren't bad enough, he quickly came to realize that the Aerodactyl's jaws were coursing with electricity, which was an elemental weakness of his. Clearly, this Pokémon knew some kind of Electric-type attack, which would put this Rock-type at a surprising advantage against him. Normally, a Water-type like himself would have the advantage. but not only did this Pokémon possess an electric-type attack, but he was also able to fly, which would make him harder to hit. And for all he knew he might know the area far better than him.

In the end, the Buizel was the one at the disadvantage. Suddenly, the Aerodactyl seemed even more threatening than before. This was only solidified when Ptera poked a claw against his head and he did not resist. And that was quickly followed up by a very nasty threat. He was going to not only knock him out and rob him of everything, but also dump him into a place where, in an injured state, he wouldn't stand a chance against the feral Pokémon of the area. The threat was very real...and he considered the surrender option for a moment. If he lost a fight, he might end up in an even worse situation. But...what if he somehow managed to beat the odds and win a struggle like this? He could say he had faced his fears like he had originally wanted to and return back to the Guild with his head held high.

"...N-no," he replied, shaking his head and taking a step backward and away from Ptera. "I-I...I refuse to surrender anything to the likes of an outlaw like you...!"

Pterra sneered at the buizel's insistence on standing up to him. What was WITH the pokemon in this region? Had they all been injected with some kind of courage serum? His homeland had no where near as many courageous, stand-up pokemon.

He glared down at the buizel. Contrary to Pterra's ...occupation... as an outlaw; Pterra didn't actually derive pleasure from fighting and injuring other pokemon. In his mind, an injured foe was an unworthy foe; and a dead pokemon could not cower in fear of him. He preferred his mind games. Then again, he had delivered a threat... perhaps another warning was in order.

He gnashed his teeth again and looked up and down the buizel's body with one eyebrow up, seeming to size the water weasel up. He let out a small chuckle. "Heh, you've got some amount of courage, I'll give you that. But do you really think you can beat me, the Aerial Outlaw; Terror of the Black Mist Mountain? You're so weak, you couldn't take on a baby geodude," he goaded the buizel. "And you think you can take on me, Pterra, when I've been trained to fight since the day I was born? Me, who has a significant advantage over you with my Thunder Fang?"

Pterra let out another mean laugh. "Meanwhile... tiny, little... you. Obviously quite weak and cowardly from the way you've been trembling with fear since the moment I landed. You can barely pick yourself up off the ground; which, by the way, is where you belong; under my feet. You think a cowardly, weak little thing like you, could take on the amazing, strong, maneuverable, ME? HAH!" he continued to laugh.

Then he stopped laughing and glared at the buizel with narrowed eyes, rustling his wings restlessly. "You know, I'm on a rather tight schedule. I've got places to go; other pokemon to rob, and you're really holding me up. So just give up already; stop trying to act like anything more than the cowardly weakling you are!"


Administration Note:  Specifically screencapped and edited in so that Hale could edit her post cause it was a pretty big mistake |D

Jet was still shaking slightly in fear, despite his bold words. He wasn't even sure that there was a point in trying to back them up. He had already been shown up, defeated and humiliated once before against a Pokémon like this. And that had ended up with him cowering down and obeying him out of his fear of further pain and humiliation. But still...he had come here to muster up all of his courage and try to strengthen his resolve. What good was he going to be to his team leader and other allies if he was too frightened to take part in a risky fight? The last time he had allowed his fear to take hold of him when in the presence of his friends, one of them had gotten very hurt in the fight, when he could have helped him the entire time. No. He...he had to do this. He had to at least try...right?

But that was getting harder and harder to convince himself to do as the Aerodactyl opened his large, threatening maw once more and began to savagely belittle him. He looked down as Pterra continued to attack him verbally. His embarrassed blush only deepened as he listened to his words. He finally managed to get off of his tail...but could not bring himself to rise higher than his knees. His head was bowed at Pterra's feet as he tried to hide his blush his shadow and through the mist. He continued taking the verbal abuse until the Aerodactyl had apparently finished.

"...N...no," he answered at last, not raising his head. "I...I don't think that I can beat you. B-because...because you're right. I...I am weak a-and the odds are o-obviously stacked in our favor right now.... A-and maybe...maybe the smarter thing to do would be to just surrender..."

Digizel carried out 5 launched of one Pricklemist Hill :

, , , ,

Energy: 27 - 7 = 20

Pterra grinned in triumph as the Buizel sunk to his knees and bowed his head, answering him in dull tones. "That's more like it," he said nastily. "Now, hand over the bag, and no one needs to get hurt," he said menacingly. He loved it when he was the one in charge and at the top. The buizel was giving in, the fear was so potent the Aerodactyl could practically taste it, and he knew that this was really the life he had dreamed of. Little did he know that Jet still had some courage lurking beneath the cowardly mask and insecurities. Pterra had his defenses down at the moment, so sure in his victory, leaving himself open for an attack.

{Energy: 15-12 = 3}

Jet said nothing in response to Pterra. He was visibly shaking in his own fear, cowering before this mighty Aerodactyl. It was after a few more moments of silence that he reached down toward he explorer's bag, as though he were going to remove it from around his body. Instead, however, he ended up pausing once his paws had touched the bag. "...N...no," he murmured again. This time, though, there might have been a bit more conviction to it. "I...I don't think I can beat you. B-but that...that doesn't mean that I can't try my best." He then looked up at the Aerodactyl again, glaring up at him. The blush was still plain on his face, but he didn't seem to care right now. "I-I won't bow down to a Pokémon like you, n-no matter what. I-if you think I belong under your feet, th-then you're just going to have to put me there yourself...!"

As he said those last words, he hesitantly climbed back to his feet. As he did, water began to form on his tail in a spiral, like it were a vortex. Normally, he would not attack an opponent like this, but this was no time for chivalry or anything similar. He was going to need every advantage he could get if he wanted to protect himself. The water spiraling around his tail grew until it encompassed both of its tips and he tried to quickly spin it around. He tried to take Pterra by surprise and slam an Aqua tail attack as hard as he could into the Aerodactyl's midsection, trying to drive it into the pit of his gut.

Pterra let out a cry of distress and pain as a huge jet of water struck him in the torso area, forcing him backwards. He howled in anger and pain as the super-effective attack took its toll on him. A murderous rage appeared in his amber eyes. How dare the little weasel attack him? HIM, the AERIAL OUTLAW, the TERROR of Black Mist! He snarled and immediately beat his wings quickly, awkwardly rising into the air from the lack of a running start. He wheeled around the Buizel, charging up the electricity in his jaws. He dove for the water weasel, aiming for the Buizel's split tail, intending to damage the point at which the attack formed to cripple the other pokemon.

Jet felt the blow succeed just as he had hoped. And it felt just as damaging as he had hoped it would be. He couldn't help but smile slightly in his own personal victory, glad to have finally been able to strike a solid blow against the intimidating Aerodactyl. Maybe...just maybe, this would not be so bad after all. However, Jet's victory was very short-lived. He suddenly realized that the attack had drained him of more energy than it usually took to muster up an attack like that. Was it some kind of special ability that his foe had?

Meanwhile, the Aerodactyl glared at him with a mad, killer rage in his eyes. The Buizel's own eyes widened fearfully as his legs anchored him on the spot. He could not budge himself in his sudden fear. It wasn't until Pterra was practically upon him that he finally found the strength to move out of the incoming Pokémon's way. Unfortunately, he had been mistaken. The Thunder Fang attack had not been aimed at him...but his tail. He hadn't tried to protect it enough, as he had been too concerned about his throat and the rest of his body. The Aerodactyl's teeth sank powerfully into his tail, which not only hurt on its own, but also sent a powerful jolt of electricity through his body. "Gagh...!" Jet cried out as the Thunder Fang worked its magic. And what was even worse, his tail was now captured in the Aerodactyl's sharp maw, leaving him in a very vulnerable spot.

As Pterra's jaws closed around the Buizel's tail and chomped down, sending volts of electricity into the water weasel's smaller body, he felt a sense of triumph. He was finally going to teach the insolent little Buizel some respect for his betters. Even after the electricity from his Thunder Fangs died down, he hung on to the Buizel's tail. He flapped his wings, rising into the air with the Buizel hanging under him.

He gave Jet some vicious shakes of his head, probably causing the water type a lot of pain from being held only by his tail, and then Pterra flung the Buizel, letting go of the tail and sending the Buizel back into the tough-loving arms of gravity as the ground rushed towards the Buizel's face at an incredible speed.

Jet was lifted helplessly into the air, as he had been stunned by the jolts of super-effective electricity that had coursed through his body only moments ago. He would have sunk to his knees had the Aerodactyl not immediately started hoisting him upward. Jet saw the ground get smaller and smaller, more and more obscured by the heavy mist around them. Finally, he felt the two of them stop rising...but things only got worse from there. Suddenly, Jet was being viciously swung around. His tail began to burn with the pain of his body getting thrown around like a Lillipup's chew toy; a pain echoed by Jet's loud cries. And then suddenly, he felt himself get pulled upward for a moment before finally getting released.

The Buizel plummeted toward the ground head-first, gravity having taken full control of his descent. Thankfully, however, Jet was able to bite back the throbbing pain that was still in his tail and tried to think quickly. He had spent a lot of his time in Grassveil at the library and was a very learned Pokémon. So, the first thing he did was level his body out and stretch out his arms and legs, increasing his wind resistance and ever-so-slightly slowing his descent. However, this would not be enough, thanks to the additional force that Pterra had put into hurling him downward. However, he was able to use this slight slow-down to think of a better solution. Jet waited until he was far too close to the ground for his own comfort, and then suddenly spun around. He flinched in pain as he dragged his aching tail through the air, but he managed to unleash a Sonicboom attack aimed directly at the ground beneath him.

The force of the attack slowed him down much more dramatically and, thanks to the move's contact with the ground, he was able to reduce the amount of the impact. The force of the Sonicboom smashing into the ground below forced his body slightly to the side, slamming him down into the dirt all the same. He let out a loud cry of pain as his body slammed arm-first into the ground. His body spun and rolled along the ground until he finally came to a stop several feet away from his original impact point. He was sprawled out on the ground, all five of his limbs sticking out and away from his body. He lay there on his back, face-up, with his body jarred from the collision with the ground, despite everything he had done to weaken the final impact.

"Rngh...." he groaned. It was the only sound he could muster at this moment.