Eleyna ran out of the town limits, following the stream of trainers to the growing audience that watched the Arcanine and Rampardos on the slope of the hill. She passed an officer or two who were watching from the edge of the buildings to make sure nothing got out of hand. The paved streets gave way to grass and uneven footing beneath her boots and soon she was at the rear of the crowd.<br/><br/>She tried to see past the growing mass of people. There was a rumble that shook the ground and vibrated through her accompanied by a loud, but brief<i>thud</i>that sent a loud "Ooh!" through the crowd that could see the action. Over their heads she saw the flash of the Arcanine's tail, but nothing else. She held the sleeping bag close and began shoving and pushing her way past the trainers to get a better view. Everyone was so wrapped up in the spectacle that none of them hardly noticed her attempting to shove past.<br/><br/>She was surprised as she pushed past the last line of people and found herself with a front row view. The two Pokemon, even a fair enough distance away to be relatively safe, were still impressive to see. The Arcanine, had it stood next to Eleyna would have been taller than she was at his shoulders. The Rampardos, although slightly taller, was still smaller than the Arcanine.<br/><br/>The Arcanine was  running along the Rampardo's flank while a jet of flame roared from its mouth, its regal mane billowing. Even at their distance, Eleyna could feel the heat from the attack. The Rampardos, had its head lowered and turned slightly, but even under the intense heat it looked unphased as it waited, soaking the attack with its thick skin and solid body.<br/><br/>All along the crowd, Pokedex's were out, recording the fight or checking the stats on the competitors. Eleyna pulled out her Pokedex from its leather hip pouch and flipped it open. The red paint had long ago began to be rubbed away revealing the silver of the metal case beneath. It had dings and scratches from its long use. Compared the other Pokedex's many of the other trainers were holding, it was an antique. But Eleyna had refused to use anything else. It had been her mothers, and old as it was, simply no other Pokedex would do.<br/><br/>She knew the Arcanine well enough, the considerable combatant a favorite among competitors for its regal and imposing figure. The Rampardos, though, she didn't know as much about. She pointed the Pokedex at the Pokemon, the display showing the camera's view as it locked onto the image and pulled its database.<br/><br/><br/><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Console'">Rampardos:<br/>
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<div class="SpoilerTarget bbCodeSpoilerText"><a class="externalLink" href="http://s934.photobucket.com/user/sirnoobsalot1/media/409Rampardos.png.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img alt="[​IMG]" class="bbCodeImage LbImage" data-url="http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad185/sirnoobsalot1/409Rampardos.png" src="http://i934.photobucket.com/albums/ad185/sirnoobsalot1/409Rampardos.png"/></a></div>
</div>The "Head-Butt" Pokémon and the evolved form of Cranidos. Its skull withstands impacts of any magnitude. As a result, its brain never gets the chance to grow. Like a spear, its Headbutt can pierce even the strongest of defenses.<br/>
<br/>
Class: Rock<br/>
Average Size: 1.6m<br/>
Weight: 102.5 kg<br/>
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Notes:<br/>
<ul>
<li>Straight line charge is lethal, don't get caught in its path.</li>
</ul></span><br/><br/>The Rampardos was large, then, for its average size. Even so, the Arcanine had it trumped in weight class, and were it an even match, perhaps that would have mattered, but it wasn't. Rampardos was a Rock Pokemon, Arcanine was fire. In a battle of stats the Arcanine would lose that fight every time.<br/><br/><span style="color: green">This should be interesting to watch. Those are both evolved Pokemon, so they have to have been trained for a while.</span>Eleyna smirked as she heard someone near her speak up, though she remained focused on the fight.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">That Rampardos has this fight in the bag.</span>Eleyna replied, watching the Arcanine attack with another barrage of flame which his opponent simply seemed to shrug off.<br/><br/><span style="color: Orange">Heh. Don't count him out just yet.</span>Another boy said near them. Eleyna glanced at him, then did a double take as she recognized the dark haired trainer with the Raichu from before, the 12 badges on his hat glinting in the sun. He was watching the fight with his arms crossed and a knowing smirk, like he could see something that the others couldn't. Eleyna looked back at the fight before her, suddenly curious and watchful for whatever had the veteran trainer convinced the fight wasn't as clear as it was to her.<br/><br/>The Rampardos, stamped its foot into the ground, getting the traction it needed, then heaved with its powerful legs, charging out toward the Arcanine, head lowered like a battering ram. The Arcanine lowered itself preparing to move, an orange glow emanating from its jaws as it let out a burst of fire straight at the charging Rampardos. The flame washed over the Rampardos, but didn't deter it in the slightest. The Pokemon charged straight through to the fire's source but hit nothing but air. The Arcanine had leaped to the side, getting out of the Rampardos' path. The Rampardos saw him, corrected its path, turned, reared and charged again. Again the Arcanine engulfed the attacker in flame before leaping out of the way.<br/><br/>Eleyna watched, confounded by the tactic. It was pointless attacking with fire. It would barely even scathe a rock Pokemon. The maneuver was repeated again by the Pokemon on the field. The Rampardos charged, the Arcanine unleashed a short jet of fire and leaped out of the way. Eleyna frowned, and then suddenly she realized what was going on, the revelation felt like she had been hit by lightning. It wasn't about doing damage at all. The fire was obscuring the Rampardos' vision - he couldn't see the Arcanine dodging and so he couldn't correct his trajectory!<br/><br/>From the sidelines,  Rampardos'  trainer yelled,<span style="color: slate">"Tackle right!"</span>The Rampardos, who had just been caught by another obfuscating flame attack, heard his trainer and obeyed, dropping its lead foot into the ground, kicking up dirt and sod as it dug in, grinding him to a halt before quickly hurling itself in a rightward trajectory - right toward where the Arcanine had dodged. It came damn close to landing a hit, but the Arcanine was quick to react, throwing itself backwards, just beyond the range of the tackle. Eleyna stared in disbelief, completely taken by the Arcanine's agility and grace.<br/><br/>The Rampardos charged once again, and from the other side of the field another trainer called out,<span style="color: darkred">Now!</span>The Arcanine knew its que and let out a burst of flame to distract the Rampardos like before, but this time, rather than simply leaping away, the Arcanine kicked off, running full tilt in a wide arch around the Rampardos.<br/><br/>The Arcanine was like a blur, its movement bringing it past the crowd. The wake coming off the incredible speed and size of the Pokemon was so strong that the whole crowd was moved, hats and anything that wasn't held down being yanked away by the wind. Eleyna had to lower herself and step out her foot to stay on her feet and quickly throw her Pokedex arm over her head to keep her new hat on. Next to them, the veteran trainer was watching the Arcanine with a grin, one hand confidently on his hat to keep it in place. He had known what was coming, and when the wind hit he barely moved.<br/><br/>The Rampardos was looking around, surprised to find that the Arcanine had simply vanished.<span style="color: slate">Rampardos, behind you!</span>His trainer called, but it was too late. The Arcanine was in the air, paws outstretched. It hit the Rampardos at full speed, the force of the hit knocking the Pokemon forward while the Arcanine's jaws came down hard on the back of the Rampardos' neck. The Rampardos, caught itself before it fell, and with an angry snort, swung around. Even though the Arcanine was larger, the Rampardos was stronger. It hurled the Arcanine off of it. The Arcanine landed easily, paws digging into the grass for traction to bring it to a stop. But the damage had been done. On the back of the Rampardos' neck, Eleyna could see the wounded flesh, the red streaks and faint signs of blood.<br/><br/>The Arcanine started straight for the Rampardos, who snorted, stamped its foot and charged, but just before they made contact, the much more agile and faster Arcanine moved out of its line of attack. From the Arcanine's sideline, his trainer yelled,<span style="color: darkred">Arcanine, Rock Smash!</span><br/><br/>The Arcanine dropped his hind legs, pivoting on his front left to come back around and face the Rampardos, who was quickly trying to turn to match the Arcanine's movements. The Arcanine steeled itself and growled, preparing itself for the technique it had been trained to use. It started to run at the Rampardos, then reared up and smashed its head against the Rampardos so hard that Eleyna could feel the resounding thudding smash in her chest. The crowd shouted a singular "Oh!" as the hit landed. The Rampardos reeled, the blow landing squarely in its flank and setting it off balance.<br/><br/>Eleyna felt her heart racing watching the Arcanine.<i>This was it</i>, she realized,<i>this was what a real Pokemon battle was</i>. She watched the Arcanine jump back, dazed from the blow, though the Rampardos had certainly suffered the worst. This wasn't a battle of statistics and theory. This was a battle of a Pokemon and its trainer in unison, breaking the rules, nullifying an opponent's advantage. Unorthodox attacks, knowing an opponent, using<i>real</i>tactics. It was exhilarating.<br/><br/>The Rampardos and Arcanine recovered from the impact, but the Rampardos wasn't holding itself the same anymore. Its defenses had fallen, the blow had done exactly what it was supposed to - weaken the Rampardos, made it vulnerable to attacks that it could normally just shrug off. The Arcanine was moving again, tearing across the battlefield like a typhoon of orange, white, and black fur. But now the Rampardos was angry. It watched the Arcanine, no longer wasting time in pursuit. It stood its ground, kept its eyes and body pointed at the Arcanine, determined not to be blindsided again. His trainer yelled,<span style="color: slate">Stay on him!</span><br/><br/>The Arcanine juked left, trying to lose the Rampardos' focus, throw him off long enough to get an opening. But the Rampardos kept his eyes on him. The Arcanine cut right, feigned a charge, then broke left. But Rampardos' trainer yelled<span style="color: slate">Stay on him!</span>again, and the rock Pokemon stayed firm, not losing its place of strength. Even reeling from the Rock Smash attack, as long as it could face an attack head on, it could shrug the damage and counter attack.<br/><br/><span style="color: slate">Get ready! Attack pattern 2!</span>His trainer called out then lowered himself to a knee on the ground, putting his hand on the field for support. Eleyna looked at him, curious as to why he would do that. The veteran trainer next to Eleyna noticed it too, seemed to think for a moment, then his eyes widened in some unspoken realization and he too dropped to one knee, hand down.<br/><br/>The Arcanine started for another quick zig zag, and the Rampardos' trainer yelled<span style="color: slate">Now!</span><br/><br/>The Rampardos lifted its foot and drove it into the ground with such incredible force that the entire hillside shook. The ground moved under Eleyna's feet and it felt like it had dropped several inches, and she with it. The impact threw the crowd off its feet, the earth quaking. All around her were shouts of surprise, and even as she landed, catching herself  on her sleeping bag, she kept her eyes on the fight.<br/><br/>One moment the Arcanine was shifting its weight, ready to juke, the next it swung a paw out only to find the ground suddenly no longer under it. There was an instant of surprise before it hit the ground, skidding and rolling, its own extreme speed suddenly a determent. The Arcanine tried to stop itself,  but its momentum had been too great. As it finally skidded to a halt, half laying on the ground, it looked up at the Charging Rampardos, its head lowered like a missile coming straight for the Arcanine. Eleyna knew that it was over right then and there. All the Arcanine's grace and speed meant nothing now. They had been whittling away at a stone, but all that Rampardos had to do was land just that one hit, that one charge, and it was over.<br/><br/>There was no time to get up, no time to move. From the Arcanine's side, his trainer shouted<span style="color: darkred">Arcanine, drop!</span>The Arcanine, vision consumed by the rampaging charge of its opponent didn't know what it would accomplish or why, but it trusted its trainer, and dropped, flatting itself on the ground as best it could at the last moment.<br/><br/>Eleyna watched as the Rampardos came down on the Arcanine...<i>and missed</i>! The pointed, hard, thick head of the Rampardos glanced over the Arcanine, giving the Pokemon a face full of fur rather than the fight ending impact it had expected. The Rampardos' knees caught the Arcanine's side, the spikes driving in. The Arcanine roared in pain, and the Rampardos howled in bewilderment as it fell on top of the Arcanine and they both rolled under the collision. For a moment there was a tangle of Pokemon, a twisted mess as the two struggled on the ground, neither having any real method of attack. Eleyna pushed herself to her feet, watching intently, trying to decipher what was going on.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkred">Arcanine! Get on him! Keep him down! Don't let him get footing!</span>His trainer shouted.<br/><br/>Then in a sudden flurry of movement, the Arcanine's hind legs emerging from the mess, digging into the ground, pushing, and suddenly the Rampardos was on its stomach, the Arcanine's considerable mass on top it, holding it down, fangs biting down. The crowd watched, shouting, cheering, yelling for their favored Pokemon to win. Those who favored the Rampardos yelled for him to get up, to shake the Arcanine off. It was well within the Rampardos' ability to do so, but the Arcanine was keeping it down, fighting to keep its powerful legs from being able to get back under it and lift.<br/><br/>The Arcanine, fur bloodied where the spikes on the Rampardos' knees had hit it, kept biting down over and over, fire burning in its jaws, adjusting its body weight on the Rampardos which howled in frustration and growing pain as the barrage of insignificant damage mounded into something more substantial. The growing chorus of shouts from the crowd, and the growling of the Pokemon was incredible. Eleyna found herself caught up in the moment, calling out for the Arcanine to keep the Rampardos down, to not let him get up, to win the fight. Oh, how she desperately wanted the Arcanine to win.<br/><br/>And then, from the sidelines, Rampardo's trainer lifted his hand into the air, two fingers raised. An acknowledgement of defeat. The crowd went wild, cheering and shouting. Eleyna, cheered madly and started jumping up and down, grabbing the boy with the brown hair next to her, caught up in the moment. She released him, and clasped her hands to her mouth, Pokedex still in hand, sleeping bag forgotten on the ground. The Arcanine's trainer called for him to release the Rampardos, which was shortly returned to its Pokeball. The Arcanine took a deep breath and gave a thundering roar of victory, rearing its head back, grand mane fluttering slightly in the breeze, its injuries forgotten. The veteran trainer with his 12 badges simply smiled and casually headed back down towards the town, hands in his pockets.<br/><br/>Eleyna didn't rush to the victors to admire them. She, hands still clasped, grinning broadly stared at the Arcanine. Now<i>that</i>was a Pokemon. She had seen plenty fighting in the leagues on TV, but it wasn't until she saw one up close, standing there that she could truly appreciate him. Majestic, powerful, legendary for its speed, and fiercely loyal. Was that what was lurking inside that Pokeball in her bag? Was that really what he had the potential to be? She felt the bag strap over her shoulder, knew the Pokeball was inside.<br/><br/>She looked at the boy with the brown hair for a moment. She felt a little embarrassed as she knew he was just trying to be friendly, but after seeing the Arcanine, she found herself not wanting to find friends at that moment.  She wanted to let Growlithe out again. Wanted to take a look at him.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">I'm sorry... I uh, look I know your just trying to be nice but I'm going to go...</span>She said sheepishly, picking up her sleeping bag and holding to her chest then stepping back from him. She tried to smile apologetically, but she wasn't very good at this sort of thing. She turned and hurried away, leaving the crowd and heading further out of town.<br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>Compared to the scale of the veteran trainer's battles, the junior side of the field felt quaint. Even though they lacked the spectacle of the larger battles, strategy and clever play could still be found. Battles were prevalent among the groups, no fewer than fifteen taking place at any one moment, and quite a few Officers could be found watching and mediating the matches, ensuring that no excessive force was used among the fighters that could lead to the death of the Pokemon involved.<br/><br/>Randy trolled around the groups, watching the battles and chuckling to himself as though everyone involved were incompetent except for him. He knew his Aerodactyl could beat any of them, even outside of a team battle. After all, it was a rare Pokemon.<br/><br/>He watched for a while, looking for a trainer to topple. He knew his prey well, the over eager types that favored Lightning, Grass, or Bug Pokemon. There was no point fighting something that he knew he couldn't beat, there was no fun in it. It was part of his self proclaimed genius, and why he soldom lost. When he spotted Audree, he smirked. She had demanded a rematch yesterday after she was trounced by his combo with his buddy Dex. It had been sad, really. They had no chance, but that's what they got for picking a fight with him. She didn't even have any badges!<br/><br/><span style="color: darkred">Hey, Dex!</span>He yelled, watching her.<span style="color: darkred">Look who's back for round two.</span>Dex, a shorter guy with bleach blonde hair hidden under his bandanna and a surly look about him, snorted and joined his friend.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkorange">Let's put her down. I could use the money.</span>He said, and followed Randy as he approached her. There was some homeless looking guy next to her who Randy ignored completely.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkred">Well, well. It's about time you showed up. Time's up toots. You wanted a rematch, and you've got it. 600 up front.</span>He told her, arms crossed, laying out the wager.<span style="color: darkred">"Oh, or don't you have a partner?"</span>He taunted her, making a mocking sad look and rubbing under his eyes to suggest she would be crying.<br/><br/><span style="color: darkorange">Heh, or I could take you up to the inn and spank you there.</span>Dex added with a sneer.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>