Pokemon: Aschen Adventures (IC)

[OrchestraHc]

That's not what T.J. wanted at all. The Alakazam may want more food, but there's probably no guarantee it'll ever help them get down the mountain. That whole series of thoughts made T.J. hungry too. It's very dismaying until the gears start cranking in the little psychic's head. "Neimi! Neimi, I know were a stream is! We have a land mark, and food and water!" He says excitedly. They can follow a river down the mountain, assuming it doesn't involve a cliff. And Magikarp, succulent Magikarp. "Thank you, Alakazam." He says with an grateful bow.

[Ajadea]

Adela seeks out food from one of those little convenience stores that stayed open all night. She doesn't really feel like fast food at the moment. The supposedly soft pretzel she purchases is already cold and stiff between her teeth, and she keeps having to pick off oversized salt crystals to prevent her tongue from shriveling up and dying in her mouth. But hunger drives her to eat it anyways, trailing salt all the way to the Pokemon Center. She rinses the taste out in the bathroom and picks a stray bit of grayish-pink -no, she didn't want to even begin thinking about what it was- out of her hair.

Unless TJ managed to magically - psychically - whatever - appear in front of her first thing tomorrow, to Rogen it was. He could deal with the dumb gym on his own.

[Bad Situation]

Stepping out of the Pokemon Center, Nathan resists the urge to rub at his temples. Forgetting to adjust for terrain. Committing himself to his battle starter. Those were rookie mistakes and they had cost him the match. Ender was close to clinching the match but then, the Magneton wouldn't have had to undergo punishment if he had only been more cautious with his withdrawing. Overconfidence, more than anything else would have salvaged that much.

It opened as he'd intended, even forgiving the frighteningly powerful Scyther the entire match had been well within his calculations. Tyrion was able to last a single blow from the flying bug Pokemon and if that had been all the Scyther put out the battle would have been his. But that wasn't the end of it. The bug took a whole three blows without missing a beat and then managed to beat down Tyrion with a quick follow up attack. And that forced Ender onto the field.

Realizing the electric type's potent type advantage, the other trainer withdrew the Scyther and sent out his Charmeleon which gave him a free attack. All he needed was another attack but confident with the magnet Pokemon's newly evolved form he'd called for another attack without adjusting for the lizard's cover. And that fatal mistake allowed the Charmeleon blow out a flute of flame.

He'd been correct about Ender's sturdier frame though. In spite of the type effectiveness, Ender weathered the flames and responded with an arc of lightning. But so thoroughly weakened by the fire, the other trainer's Scyther was able to put its greater speed to work, and attacked before the wearied steel type could bring up its arms to bear.

It was a good battle, but a loss was a loss regardless of the circumstances. Being offered a consolation prize for losing stung at his pride but his opponent's offer had been too gracious to turn down. Hidden Power Water was a great technique for an electric attacker like Ender. You could plan out extensive strategies for battling Pokemon on opposing teams but Hidden Power was one of those special little grey areas. A solid blast of water against a ground of fire type would mean match end for all but the most defensively oriented Pokemon.

Frowning wryly, he sticks his hands into his pockets and breaths out into the night air. "More training tomorrow. I should go back to the hotel..."

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
Deciding to forgo the experience of the journey in favor of getting far away from this place as soon as possible, you scrounge up some change and catch a coach bus to Rogen. It takes up the most of the day, but ultimately is a much quicker, more comfortable journey, and before you know it you're in Rogen.

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Right then, 1200 poke for the night's stay at the pokemon center, and 50 for the bus ride.

Rogen is... different from most cities you've been in. It's a seamless combination of the wealth and quiet of a suburban town, and the gleaming, bustling largeness of an industrious city. Everything is metal and white and glass, everyone well polished and well dressed, the streets pristine and clean. Despite all this, it's certainly a dense, busy city.
Stopping by the Pokemon Center, you notice a well organized bulletin board with several postings: a few Pokemon for sale/trade (an Abra, an Eevee, a Larvitar, a Pineco), a job to deal with an escaped Salamence, a job to deal with a nest of Grimer, something about exploring an island (looks long term), and some battling challenge- a 'gauntlet', they call it.
Of course, you can always just ignore the bulletin and continue on your business.

[Gorgondantess]

Nathan:
You return to the hotel, and Lana is nowhere to be seen. You never did get her room number or anything. After filling up on complimentary snacks in the lobby, you bed down early for the night. It's been a long day.

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Right then, 1500 for the night.

You're down in the lobby by six in order to get a head start only to find Lana already down there. She's been here for a while, judging by the empty coffee cups, and is absorbed in her pokedex at the moment. She's wearing the same garb you met her in: white tank top, rugged pants, hiking boots, ponytail. A very heavy looking pack rests at her side. She nods as you approach.
"Hey. Was looking over what routes we might take. I've already got most of a team, so I don't really care, but I figured you might want to take a certain path in order to be on the lookout for wilds. Heading up north, we could just walk along the highway, or we could always walk on either side- along the mountains, or through the forest. I've been led to believe there are trails throughout much of the way- it'll be slower than the highway, but we'll see a lot more Pokemon. After that, heading west, we can either continue along the mountains as it turns to desert, or, if you're feeling adventurous, we might venture down into the fjord, which should be rather nice this time of year."
She nods, closing her pokedex.
"What do you think?"

[Ajadea]

Adela steps off the bus feeling slightly disoriented. Her first impressions were that Rogen was extremely large, alarmingly shiny, and impeccably groomed. At least the bus dropped her near the Pokemon Center. She hurries inside the sliding doors, taking refuge in the familiarity of perpetually scuffed floors and the scent of antiseptic cleaners. She still looked like some pathetic combination of dumb blonde, delinquent, and wannabe trainer, yes, but at least she wasn't the only one in here who did.

The bulletin board is better-kept than most, and she barely has to shift a single advertisement to read the things she cares about. She skims the largest, shiniest, one. Gauntlet? Ugh. Yeah, she didn't really feel like getting her ass kicked again. She has to lift up the corner to read the next and immediately moves on as soon as the word Salamence crosses her vision. Yeah, no. A couple trades - Abra had less utility than Bane, and Pineco, really? Eevee and Larvitar were interesting though. Nest of Grimer? Hmm.

She makes a note of the information given there, frowns, and checks Vichi and Persimmon in for healing the rest of the way. No good in running into a mess of Grimer partially healed. She'd been planning on taking it slow, but the job could, and probably would, go places if she didn't take the opportunity now. After a moment of thought, she returns to the bulletin board and removes the Grimer flyer, folding it up and cramming it into her pocket.

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That's 555 to heal Vichi and Persimmon to full. Going to see about this Grimer thing, assuming no interruptions.

[Bad Situation]

Eyes widening in surprise, Nathan can't help but break out into a wide grin. "Heh, thanks. I've never had friends before so having somebody take me into consideration, is I don't know, nice I guess. I'm just sorry I didn't do the same for you... I hope you didn't wake up so early just for my sake." Pulling out the seat across from her, he laces his arms and hums with an appreciative look on his face. "Well, I'm grateful for the attention but are you sure you want to take time out of your schedule to help me train my team? I'm looking forward the traveling with you but I don't want to get in your way either..."

However, after sucking in a breath he continues, "But if you're seriously considering it, I think I'd like to travel along the mountains. The wild Pokemon likely to show up there are better matches for training Tyrion than the usual fare for Forests. And once we're up north I'd love to hit up the fjord with you. Lots of cool Pokemon up there, I bet...Anyway! I'm also fine with wherever you want to go.

Remembering what the other trainer had told him about Scythers he quickly adds, "Oh right, I battled a pretty nasty Scyther last night. Rekindled my interest in the species somewhat. Do you know where we would find one of their kind besides the forest?"

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
Calling the number on the notice, you're answered by a bright young voice.
"Rocket Trainer Connect Rogen branch, this is Annelise speaking, how can I help you?"
You explain that you're calling about the Grimer posting.
"Ah, yes! So good to see a timely response. There is a nest of Grimer in one of the storm drains here, and while they're normally quite common and benign enough, this one has been venturing out and causing quite a stink. We will offer 500 for every Grimer removed, and 4,000 for any Muk. In addition, in the efforts of creating a more humane organization, we will reimburse you for 50% of the price of any poke balls used to do so, or 75% in the case of any Rocket brand poke balls. If that's all fine, I can send your pokedex a prompt that can direct you there now!"

[Gorgondantess]

Nathan:
Lana shakes her head. "Nah, I did most of that stuff last night. Just didn't need the sleep." Despite this, she looks absolutely beat, with dark circles around her bleary eyes.

She waves a hand. "Yes, I'm seriously considering it. I wouldn't have made the offer if I wasn't. I said I had most of a team, anyways. Suffice it to say, if we find any good Dark types along the way, I call dibs. Mountains sounds good, anyways- who knows, we might even see a Larvitar."

She shakes her head, bemused at your question. "At a Safari Zone? Or perhaps a Scyther farm. It's not that complicated- until we discover the underground society of the elusive cave-dwelling Scyther, the forest is gonna be your best bet."
She shrugs. "It's a high demand, fast, dangerous Pokemon. They were uncommon before every trainer who came along chucked a poke ball at them, and now they're pretty much as rare as it gets. All I know is that they live in forests, and as far as I'm concerned that's all there is to it. I guess if you really wanna know the specifics of their habitat, you might try asking one of the rangers at the station here."

[Ajadea]

"Yeah, sounds good," Adela mumbles into the speaker. At bare minimum, two, three Grimer, then. Maybe catch one, pin it up for trade and see what happens. Just guessing by the price, avoiding any Muk was probably an excellent idea. Or at least keeping Persimmon out while she was fighting it. She waits for the little ping and then follows the prompt to the Grimer's nest.

[Bad Situation]

Leaning in closer to examine her eyes, Nathan hums in thought. "I can't just tell her to take a break can I..? Well, no helping it then." Standing back he claps his hands together and puts on a sheepish grin, "Sorry for springing you on this so suddenly, but it looks like I need to take care of something in town for a few hours. I'll be back by around 10 though, so would you mind waiting around until I get back? You still have your room until the afternoon right? If not, you can stay in mine. I wasn't sure when we would be going exactly so it'll be free at least til 12 so nobody should be coming in to bother you, I don't think." Fishing the key out of his pocket, he slides it across the table.

Giving her another apologetic grimace, he stands up to leave. "Well, now I need find something to do for the next four hours..."

[Gorgondantess]

Nathan:
Lana sighs. "Alright, fine, keep being mysterious." As you slide her your keys, though, she shakes her head.
"Nah, I'm just gonna hang out down here." She sighs again. "See you later."

...Well, that was a bust. In order to save face, though, you go ahead and head off to the Pokemon center, grabbing some food on the way out. You see the guy you fought last night outside the center, having a smoke; he nods as you approach. "Hey, Frost."
You chat for a little bit (or not, as you'd prefer), and you go inside, read some magazines. It's quiet at this hour- considering the competition, at least. The magazines are very current and shiny and new, but the same old crap. Gym leaders challenged, challengers beaten. Some stupid story about a girl and her Rattata. Doesn't seem like they've had time to print out a story on Lana yet, but you're sure they will in the next day or so. You can really get why Grey wanted to employ you- it looks like they're desperate for stories. Many say the current league is unbeatable- it's been two years since anyone got all eight badges in a region, and six since anyone managed to even get past the first of the Elite Four. It's a pretty stagnant atmosphere. But, hey, who knows- maybe you'll be able to do it. Maybe Lana. Maybe even someone like Adela!
You chuckle a moment. Fat chance.
Waiting however long you deem appropriate, praying Lana doesn't decide to stop by the Pokemon Center in the meantime (she doesn't), and finally you return to the hotel. She's there at the same table as ever, nursing yet another cup of coffee and engrossed in her Pokedex.

[Bad Situation]

Nathan barely resists the urge to smack himself as he stands in the Pokemon Center, counting the ten minutes since he left the hotel. Sighing bitterly, he replaces the magazine with more force than necessary and marches back to the hotel lobby with an annoyed scowl on his face the whole way.

Forcing open the doors, he stomps up to Lana and looks down at the other trainer, "Look, I didn't want to say anything earlier but I left so that you could get some sleep! You look terrible and that piss poor coffee isn't doing any favors for you!" Without another word he picks her up, chair and all, and carries her over to the room he still has reserved.

[Gorgondantess]

TJ & Neimi:
The Alakazam bleats contentedly as you leave. You're not sure if it's glad you're not bothering it anymore or if it's expecting you to get it food. Regardless, you head off towards the river.
It's a few false starts before you make it there. The Alakazam's directions, while very specific, were as the Murkrow flies as opposed to as the crippled boy walks. Nevertheless, you hear the babbling of a brook before sundown.
The Alakazam's mental picture was... impressionistic, suffice it to say. While accurate, it's not exactly a bounty of Magikarp, nor other fish. Despite this, it's a good thing; it'll hopefully be flowing towards civilization, and it is a source of water- you ran out some hours ago. The water does have some debris in it though. It's certainly not clean, and may well be a risk to drink.

Nathan:
Being engrossed in her pokedex, Lana starts as you slam your hands down on the table and speak. She's about to reply when you sweep her off her feet. She shrieks, and begins to laugh, evidently enjoying the ride. She's heavier than you initially thought, but you're no lightweight yourself, and carry her effortlessly towards the stairs.
"Alright, Frost, that's enough. Stop."
She hops off the chair to turn and face you, and though her tone is serious she's still smiling a bit.
"I told you before I don't need you looking after me, and I don't need you nannying me. I'm being cool about it now, but the next time you try I'll lay you out- alright? And don't think I'm helpless just because I'm a little tired... Which I'm not. My eyes just naturally look like this." She rubs her eyes tiredly.

[Bad Situation]

Nathan simply looks at her disbelivingly and leans in for a closer examination of her eyes. "Oh. Looks like your eye-grimers are evolving into eye-muks. Press B to cancel evolution," comes his deadpan reply.

[Gorgondantess]

Nathan:
Lana tenses up, her smile wiped off her face. She takes a deep breath. "Alright, Frost, that one was a freebie. Drop it."

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
"Alright, now, when I send you the file it'll probably register as a virus. This is to be expected, as your average pokedex receives just about any non-league software does so."
Indeed, your pokedex pings, and a prompt shows up- This program is trying to install potentially malignant software on your pokedex, proceed installation?
Assuming you press Yes, a tone sounds, and a big red R appears on the screen, with an installation bar below it. Finally the software is installed, and your pokedex shows you a picture of the street directly before it, with an arrow transposed on the screen for the direction you're supposed to go. Nifty. It's foolproof.
You head off, and in minutes you're before a dark stormdrain, about five feet tall- you'll have to stoop just a little to enter. A foul smell emanates from it, and you notice that most of the plant matter around it is withered or dead, and the very cement is pitted and corroded.

[Ajadea]

Adela downloads and follows the program without a second thought - cash was cash, after all. All too soon, she reaches the storm drain. She takes a steadying breath and instantly regrets it as her lungs, brought into contact with the stench of Grimer, attempt to exit the premise through her mouth and nose. Once she stops trying to expel her internal organs, she opens her backpack and pulls out a grubby pinkish-grey washcloth. She steps away from the Grimer hole, takes one final breath of fresher air, and ties the cloth over her nose and mouth. It smelled vaguely like old socks, but compared to Grimers, that was practically roses and honey.

"Okay. We can do this." She sends out Vichi, and heads into the Grimer hole, taking care to duck. After a moment's hesitation, Vichi runs in after her.

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
You have to duck your head ever so slightly to enter the tunnel. The stench isn't that bad, but it burns your throat and nostrils to inhale, and as you enter further it begins to burn your eyes.
The storm drain is mostly pitch black, and you have to rely on your pokedex's flashlight function to see. Periodically there's light from above, or a very small hole branching off, and the walls and floor are covered in caustic muck. Soon enough, you see a Grimer poke its head out of one of the side branches: it looks at you, and croaks. Vichi leaps up, tears it off it's perch and tosses it on the ground, where you give it the heel of your boot. You can feel te crunch of an eyeball under your foot, and can practically hear the grime corroding your footwear. Oh well- it probably would've happened anyways with all the muck on the ground. Still, after this is over you'll need to buy some new shoes. And new clothes. And maybe new hair. Vichi's avoiding wading through the muck for the most part, but he seems none the worse for wear.
After heading further into the cave, you hear a 'schlop' and from behind you, and with well honed instincts duck out of the way. A ball of slime whizzes past your head; turning around, you see a larger Grimer menacing you. Vichi tugs at your pants leg, and turning around once more you see two more Grimers coming at you from the other direction.

Spoiler

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150 xp to Vichi for the first Grimer.

[Ajadea]

Adela scrapes her shoe off on a wall. It doesn't help. So there was a time-limit on this gig - if nothing else, she'd need to leave before her shoes completely disintegrated. Three Grimer. Given the choice, she wouldn't have touched a Grimer with a ten-foot pole. Lacking a convenient pole of any length whatsoever, she resigns herself to purchasing some sturdy boots at the earliest opportunity. And possibly a baseball bat, just so she'd never again have to lay her hands on anything remotely resembling one of these bastards again.

But first things first - there was a big nasty thing here, right now, way too close for comfort. She moves into position, hoping that her shoes hold up. "Force Palm!" She commands and lashes out at the same time, striking at the large Grimer with a swift kick to the squishy bits. Which was, when when one considered, most of the Grimer.

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Adela Attack! - (1d20)[14] Arms Damage - (1d10+7)[12]
Force Palm! - (1d20)[14] Damage - (2d10+25)[33]

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
Vichi's attack doesn't seem to do much to the Grimer, and your own attack probably hurt your boot more than it; it seems that your techniques aren't exactly designed to hurt creatures made of slime.
Meanwhile, the Grimer in front of you (A) digs into the grime, pulling up a hunk of mud and throwing it at Vichi: he manages to nimbly dodge it, while you dodge a gob of slime thrown by one Grimer (C)... right into a spray of acid from the third (B). Your pokedex identifies these moves as Mud Bomb, Sludge, and Acid Spray, respectively.

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You take 22 poison damage, before any modifiers.
Oh, and a neat battle map.

[Ajadea]

The cheerful chirping of her Pokedex makes Adela want to throw it at the wall. Or at the Pokedex designers. No one with two brain cells to rub together should need a condescending little robo-therapist voice to tell you that the Grimer spit dissolving their freaking skin was acidic. Pain shoots through her side, and the thought that it's not her face that feels like it's on fire isn't much comfort. The wretched air of the Grimer's nest fills with an impressive litany of curse words as Adela steps back, out of the worst of the soup eating her socks. "Quick Attack!"

With the hand that still has functioning nerve endings, she wrenches a Pokeball from her bag, whirls around, and lobs it at Acid-Breath.

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Trying to catch Grimer B, aka Acid-Breath, with my Trainer action, commanding Vichi to Quick Attack Grimer A.
Catch! - (1d100+3)[97] Well. Guess Capture Rolls and exclamation marks don't mix.
Vichi Attack - (1d20)[10]Vichi Damage - (1d12+18)[24]

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
You throw the pokeball at the Grimer... and through some goddamn dud it doesn't even activate. Then the Grimer opens its mouth and... no way, it can't be... no, yeah, it's eating the pokeball.
Fucking Grimers.
The first Grimer reaches out to attack Vichi, but he smacks it right in the eye before it can do so. Meanwhile, the other two continue lobbing their muck: the one spits your now thoroughly disintegrated pokeball back at you, covered in sludge, and the other flings a ball of mud at Vichi.

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A's Pound misses, 24 damage to Vichi (before defenses) from C's Mud Bomb, 30 damage to you (before defenses) from B's Sludge.

[Ajadea]

Adela loses her balance as the ball of - no, she wasn't even going to think about it - crashes into her. She turns the momentum of falling into another desperate kick at the largest Grimer, then ducks and points at Acid-Breath. The twisted remains of the Pokeball jabs into the softening sole of her shoe. "Vichi, Copycat! Mud Bomb!"

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Trainer Attack Grimer A: Attack - (1d20)[7]Damage - (1d10+10)[15] (remembering to use Combat Focus this time!)
Vichi uses Copycat to use Mud Bomb on Grimer B (and possibly Grimer C - not entirely certain what the meaning of 1-meter Blast is): Attack - (1d20)[10]Damage - (3d8+22)[29]

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
It's a good hit from Vichi, and the two Grimer off to the side reel from the hit. They're still well standing, though- or, well... griming- and all three Grimers hurl their attacks at Vichi. The little Riolu is first sprayed by acid from the one straight in the face, knocking him off balance for the next two attacks. The further Grimer launches a massive gob of slime at him, almost burying him in it, and the closer one slams down an even larger gob, sealing the deal. Aggregate 75 damage after defenses, poisoned and Special Defense reduced by two combat stages.

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As Vichi is absolutely cocooned in grime, you're certain that's it, and pray it didn't kill him.
That's when the ball of slime begins to bulge, and two spikes pop out. With a flourish your newly evolved Lucario bursts out of the slime, doing a flip and landing with an acrobatic pirouette.

Vichi gains 495 exp, evolves, and is restored to full HP, condition and combat stages.

[Ajadea]

Adela's heart almost skips a beat as two gobs of Grimer slime fly over her head. She whips around fast enough to put a crick in her neck, just in time to see Vichi succumb to the combined weight of the Grimer's attacks. She furiously blinks away the stinging in her eyes. This wasn't supposed to happen. Slowly, she backs away, reaching for Persimmon's Pokeball. And then the lump of sickly purple goo begins to shift and stretch.

She is almost, barely, willing to accept that Grimer slime is horrible and crazy enough to do that. But no force in the world could make it grow spikes.

Adela dodges a chunk of second-hand poison slime and stares at her Rio- no, her Lucario. She wants to do something - cry, laugh. Maybe both. But there were too many Grimer here - which was to say, there were Grimer here. Stupid no-good balls of slime. "Goddamn show-off bastard.... Vichi! Quick Attack!"

She punctuates her command with another sweeping kick, aimed towards Acid-Breath.

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Adela move to M3 and Trainer Attack Grimer B: Attack - (1d20)[13]Damage - (1d10+10)[11]
Vichi move to M4 and Quick Attack Grimer B: Attack - (1d20)[13]Damage - (1d12+22)[32]

[Bad Situation]

Nathan smirks in response but lets out a resigned breath. Throwing his arms up in the air animatedly he closes his eyes and shrugs. "Alright, fine. Here I am trying to worry about my new friend and what I believed were her worrying health and I don't even get the satisfaction of doting over her well-being. Thanks, really." Bringing a fist up to his mouth, he clears his throat and nods seriously for once. "Whenever you're ready, Raelli. Since you know Aschen better than me, I suppose it behooves you to lead the way."

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Yeehaw. I'm back.

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
Vichi quickly and with newfound grace leaps to the Grimer and plucks its eyes out. It dissolves into a puddle of goo.

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1200 xp to Vichi. Grimer B is felled.

The other Grimers respond once more, launching a salvo of their goop. The closer one attacks with a Sludge, clearly not understanding type advantages, while the other one uses a mud bomb.

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0 damage from Grimer C, and 42 damage from Grimer A.

[Ajadea]

Adela leaps out of the way of the rapidly dispersing remains of Acid-Breath and grabs another Pokeball. A little was better than nothing. A lot was better than a little. Hopefully this Grimer wasn't smart enough to realize it could just eat it. It hadn't shown that much intelligence yet. "Vichi, Quick Attack the big one." Calm, calm. They could do this, even if that Mud Bomb looked like it had left a nasty mark. She takes aim, and throws the Pokeball.

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Capture Grimer C - (1d100+3)[47] + 3 damage from Capture Point.
Attack Grimer A - (1d20)[4] Damage - (1d12+22)[29]

[Gorgondantess]

Adela:
The poke ball wiggles, and dances about, and then... nothing.
Grimer has been caught!

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Male Grimer, level 22, Sassy nature, Mean Look egg move. 990 xp to Vichi.

The third and final Grimer catches on and responds with a Pound, dealing 27 normal damage (before defense and resistance). It's time to finish this.