<span style="font-size: 15px"><b>Round Primary</b></span><br/><br/><br/>The Pokemon in the cavern seemed almost uninterested in the intrusion. The Slowbro lazily watched them with the blank expression on its face, perfectly content to do nothing. The Magneton floated by the vein, emitting a quiet thrumming. Its six magnet appendages were held very near to a jagged line of the Thunder Stone vein, tiny arcs of electricity leaping from it to the Pokemon. When Tyrogue piped up, the Pokemon half turned, detaching two of its limbs so that its left most body could look down at the Pokemon with its one eye, peering at him curiously. It didn't seem as interested in Tyrogue as it was in Steven. A moment later, it turned and looked at him with all three of its eyes. It floated down to him, the thrumming growing louder as it drew near. The electromagnetic flux field making his hair rise as it came closer. The Magneton paused, looking at him, curious and unfamiliar with the being before him.<br/><br/><br/>***<br/><br/><br/>Eleyna's search with Charlie lead her to a tall patch of shrubbery at the foot of a tree which had grown into three strong arms, each reaching out from the root into the daylight.<span style="color: blue">Ok, Charlie... wait here and be ready if something comes out. If something does, hit it with an Ember attack as soon as you see it. Ok?</span>Eleyna told him. she tried to swallow her fear, but it didn't help. She picked up a rock, an old technique her mother had showed her to flush a skiddish Pokemon hiding in heavy brush. She pulled her arm back, and looked at Charlie.<span style="color: blue">Ready?</span>She threw the rock.<br/><br/>The brush shook, the projectile taking off a few leaves and batting others as it sailed into the dense shrub. Eleyna tensed into a half crouch, ready. She waited, poised.<br/><br/>Nothing.<br/><br/>She took a slow breath and stood sighing.<span style="color: blue">Well... I guess there's -</span><br/><br/>The bush exploded, branches parting and leaves flying from them. It was no more than a split second in which Eleyna's reflexes made her recoil, and fall. She could only take a sharp breath as the green blur jetted toward her faster than Charmander could hope to react. She fell back against a tree which scraped into her back painfully. Bark splintered and sprayed down on her. She looked up to see the  wide, clean gash in the tree.<br/><br/>The Scyther retreated, its initial strike missing. Its blade arms seemed to gleam in the daylight filtering down through the leaves. Eleyna stared in awed disbelief. A Scyther! She had always wanted one!<br/><br/>A split moment later her elation turned to horror. A<i>Scyther.</i>Famed for their speed and precision. There was no such thing as a weak Scyther. The Scyther poised for a second attack, but suddenly it recoiled shouting in pain as Charmander attacked with ember!<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Again again again!</span>Eleyna yelled, frantic. Stats were flying through her mind. Scyther excelled in offense. If you gave it an inch, it would take 10.<i>Put it back, force it into defense, force its guard</i>her brain, which had moments before been deadlocked been unloading information from everything she had so fervently studied, the books, the televised league tournaments, all of.<br/><br/>Charlie attacked a second time with ember, but the Scyther jumped backwards, its clawed toes digging into the grassy  earth to stop itself putting itself well out of range. It readied itself, the muscles beneath its carapace tightening as it readied itself with<b>Agility</b>.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Charlie, charge it!</span>Eleyna yelled. He did as he was told and started a foot forward. The Sycther responded immediately launching with its wings spread, moving at incredible speed, straight for Charmander to meet the charge.<span style="color: blue">Ember now!</span><br/><br/>Charlie stopped, and quickly tried to respond. He turned and snapped his tail like a whip hurling burning embers straight at the Scyther. The Scyther had been bated into charging back, it was a dead shot for his face, Eleyna was on her feet knowing it would be hit!<br/><br/>But it wasn't.<br/><br/>The Scyther arched its wings, pitched and rotated, deftly dodging by a tiny margin. It hit Charmander full force, hurling the little Pokemon into the ground and sending him skidding.<span style="color: blue">Look out!</span>She yelled, but in vain. The Scyther was a blur, recovering from the hit and striking again even as charlie tried to recover from the first hit. The Charmander cried out and tried to evade a<b>Cut</b>from its sharp blade arms, only narrowly avoiding it.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Growl!</span>Eleyna yelled. It was the only thing Charmander would be able to do without being able to get up. Charlie mustered his best and most threatening snarl, which wasn't difficult with the Pokemon bearing down on him. The second cut was too quick to avoid, but the Growl had put the Scyther off just enough that it didn't land with full force. Still, it dug into Charmander, spilling blood across the grass.<br/><br/>Eleyna look on in horror. If there was something to do, some tactic! There wasn't. She realized with a shock of dismay that this wasn't a battle. They were out classed. The Scyther was experienced, had developed options over its life, a multitude of skills. Charmander was too young, too inexperienced. Type advantage meant nothing here, tactics were null. Scyther was going for a kill against an opponent that couldn't do anything to prevent it.<br/><br/>Eleyna ran and kicked the Scyther, diving on top of Charmander before the Mantis Pokemon would deliver a fatal blow. The Scyther reacted immediately, came about to attack, then suddenly cried out in surprise and anguish as Eleyna squeezed the trigger on the Repel that Scarlet had found, spraying the substance right into the Scyther's face. It fell backwards swiping the air in front of it with its eyes closed, its senses assaulted by the appalling liquid. Eleyna hovered over Charmander, Repel raised like a firearm should the Sycther attempt a return volley.<br/><br/>The Scyther shook its head, furious, but it didn't attack again and risk another barrage. It quickly dashed away into the treeline the moment its vision was clear enough. Eleyna watched until it was out of sight, then discarded the Repel and looked to Charlie who was huddled on the ground with a gash from his shoulder to his chest. He cried in pain.<span style="color: blue">Shh, shh.. its ok, your ok... its gone.</span><br/><br/>She looked at Aisha,<span style="color: blue">Return him!</span>She yelled. It was the only way to stop him from bleeding further and suffering worse.<br/><br/>Eleyna sat in the grass when charlie had disappeared, his hand holding her forehead as she stared at the ground shaking her head.<span style="color: blue">There was nothing he could have done.</span>She told herself aloud in an attempt to stop her from accusing herself into submission for her part as his trainer in the battle.<br/><br/>It didn't matter, though. What was done was done. It was her one chance. Aisha wouldn't allow her to use Charmander again, not after that. Had she not intervened Charlie would be dead. As it was he was out of commission for the time being. She sighed.<br/><br/><span style="color: blue">Aisha... I'm... I'm sorry. </span>She said, looking at the pink haired girl. It hardly felt like her words would suffice in this moment.<br/><br/><br/><br/><br/><b>Charmander +2 XP, Status: Near Death. Eleyna lost Repel</b><div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>