Showdown at Sunset

[beforethedarkness]

Who: Sasuke Uchiha (beforethedarkness), Bowser (kingbowser), Lightning Farron (soggypastry), Obito Uchiha (itsjustdust), Tenten (usedswift), "Evan" (Riku Replica) (falseshore), Ren Jinguji (saxsongs), Hope Estheim (eagletalons), and anyone else who happens to be in Olivine City at the time
Where: Olivine City, near the gym
When: March 15th, early evening
Summary: Being in hiding doesn't stop Sasuke from going out to try and get his third badge, but on the way back home he's interrupted by an unwelcome surprise visitor.
Rating: PG
Log:

That was an easier battle than he had expected; although Getsukage was still weak from the bout, but Hiruzen and Senshi still did amazingly well. Obito, Evan, and Tenten had insisted on joining him, and it was hard to turn them away -- especially when Lightning thought that the additional company and protection was a good idea. Sasuke couldn't win against the argument, so all three of them ended up spectating for Sasuke's battle.

Still, something felt unsettling as he began to walk back, and in an attempt to not think about it he kept his eyes focused on the badge in his left palm, walking back towards the house alongside the others and no longer paying close attention to his surroundings. Unfortunately, that lack of attention paid was going to bet the start of a rather untimely event.

Comments

[kingbowser]

[ Bowser had been watching gym fights for a while, just to see what kinda chumps dropped into town. Not that anybody would recognize him with a cool pair of shades and a mysterious trench coat. And just his luck that he woulda caught one such chump in a battle against that metal-loving broad...

There was no mistaking that Blaziken... At least, he sure hadn't seen any other kick boxing chickens around! Sure, someone else could use one, but what were the chances? If this was his chance to get back at the runt, then he'd take it!

Which is why Sasuke may hear the sound of a propeller's puttering as a shadow casts down from above. An eerily familiar voice follows...]

Gotta hand it to ya, your chicken dinner's tough stuff.

[Bowser cracks his knuckles, and Sasuke may hear something heavy thudding into the ground.]

But that ain't gonna stop me! This time, I mean business!

[itsjustdust]

And then the universe decides we've had too good of a month. [Well shit. How Bowser will know what he specifically looks like. EXCELLENT. Just what he wanted. Rly.]

[beforethedarkness]

[He didn't say anything right away, whirling around with a glare to Bowser. Damn... He would appear then. Without waiting he threw a pokéball into the air, revealing his very tired Charizard.]

Cover us!

[Getsukage blinked blearily before blanketing the area with Smokescreen, disappearing in a flash of light after that. They didn't have much time... Using his good hand, he slipped the ball away and pulled out the gear, trusting the others to follow him as he made a call.]

Lightning. There's an emergency near the gym. Bowser's here. Get here as soon as you can.

[Hopefully the message got through, but if not... He'd have to work with Hiruzen, Senshi, and Sakura for as long as he could. Getsukage was too tired to fight, and he knew the others didn't have strong enough pokémon to stand up to Bowser...

He'd do what he could to get the rest of them out, if it came to it... He was the one Bowser wanted. It had to be him.]

[usedswift]

[She had never been so happy to have temporarily boxed her eggs in favor of bringing along Pokémon who were actually adequate for protection. Distance, then she was grabbing Sasuke and flying out of there. But for now, they needed to see what they were up against.]

Dammit!

[Her own Pokéball left a Bronzor floating at her side -- and then floating really fast to try to catch up as she threatened to leave it behind by running with Sasuke. What had its trainer brought it into?! But no time to berate her -- Tenten crossed both forearms to make an X, signalling the shield-like Pokémon to live up to its name, at least for the moment, and use Safeguard.]

[saxsongs]

[It had been Ren's last day of community service, so he was on his way back to the house when he heard the commotion near the Gym, so he headed that way.

Only to spot Bowser and the ninjas. Why was this happening? It had been so calm for so long. Ren took out two of his Pokémon; Ringo the Gardevoir and Raitei the Zebstrika.]

Ringo, use Heal Pulse on that Charizard! Raitei, go back them up!

[falseshore]

[Well, this sucks. You'd think Rep would've learned by now to take less...useless Pokémon with him when he went outside, but he's got a Houndoom and Zorua by his side, and a Jigglypuff and Noctowl in balls. Great.]

Sora, Smog! Aura...see if you can cause a distraction.

[Don't mind that extra Sasuke nearby, that's the first thing Aura picked to turn into.]

[kingbowser]

Grah! You think that's gonna work? Well, think again!

[Bowser stomps his feet before hurling six Pokéballs into the air. One of them releases a Machamp, who flexes her muscles and roars at the group. Another sets loose a Hypno. Then a Torterra, Salamence, Granbull, and Magmortar.

With his minions loose, he points a finger into the smoke.]

Listen up, minions! I want you to go all out. Keep 'em good and busy while I stomp that pesky runt.

[He doesn't need to say anything else. Per Bowser's instructions, the Pokémon make their moves, slinging attacks every which way (it's hard to see in the smoke, after all). Lockjaw the Granbull flings a Thunderwave into the air, Blargg blasts a Hyper Beam. Shell Smasher? Well, she's unleashing a frenzy of roots in the form of Frenzy Plant attack, while Chargin' Champ rushes through the smoke to hit whatever unfortunate fools cross her path with DynamicPunch.

Powerful attacks, sure, but wholly disorganized. Every single one of them except the Hypno is focusing on brute strength alone, including their trainer. And speaking of, he's going straight for Aura, thinking her to be Sasuke!]

[soggypastry]

[Moments after Bowser gives the order to his team, it'll be possible to hear hooves clattering on the stone walkways below their feet, coming at an extremely fast pace. Lightning heard Sasuke's call for help and there's nothing that's going to stop her from riding to answer it.

She did take a moment to gather her team, however, and there's now a Pikachu leaping into the air from her shoulder to toss a Thunderbolt at Blargg, Spark putting all the power he can into the attack. Neither he nor his trainer are holding back, which is precisely why there's a blur of orange and black charging into the smoke, Lucky using her Take Down attack to charge headfirst into Champ like a battering ram, hopefully before she can hit anyone with that punch. Three more follow Lucky in to deal with the rest of Bowser's team once they can see: a pair of Lucarios that go for Lockjaw and Shell Smasher, and a Luxray who runs after Snorcerer with the intent to use Crunch on a limb. Lightning herself sits astride a rather angry looking Rapidash, still galloping down the road to get to the kids on the other side of the smokescreen, calling out when she sees a human sized shadow.]

All of you, go! Get out of here!

[It's called out over her shoulder, before she returns her attention to the fight. Whether the kids go or not, Bowser's toed a line this time. She intends to make him pay for that.]

[eagletalons]

[Oh for the love of...

It's bound to happen with all that's been going on, for sure, but that doesn't stop him from being irritated at the situation.

He packs up only the Pokémon he felt he needed the most, and left the rest at the house to guard it in case there were any more like this Bowser character just waiting for them to leave. After all, Rockets love pulling all sorts of dirty tricks, and an old beach house could be easy pickings.

He's slower to arrive compared to Lightning, but that didn't mean he doesn't have as much firepower. And even with the smoke all around the teenagers, Hope doesn't panic over it-- after all, he has Oracle and all he needed to do was give a few simple orders to get her moving.]

Find the kids. Get them out if you can. If there are any Pokémon attacking them, then take care of those first. But the teenagers are your priorities.

[Don't be surprised if you see a big black and blue lion, kids. She's just there to help.

But just in case Bowser decides anything funny to Light and himself specifically, he has one of his Blastoise, Alexander, ready for any unknown Pokémon or human, towering over Hope with cannons trained on the cloud of smoke.]

[beforethedarkness]

[Good. He lets out a breath before tossing a couple of balls into the air, releasing Senshi and Hiruzen before nodding to the two of them.]

Senshi, do what you can to Salamence. Hiruzen, take care of Torterra. Go!

[The two are quick to act, with Senshi darting out of the smoke to try and freeze Salamence's wings with Ice Beam. Hiruzen's quick to pinpoint the vines and where they're growing from before his entire body erupts into flame and he charges forward with Flare Blitz, much stronger than he was the last time he went at odds with Shell Smasher.

Sasuke barely gets the order out before he's cut off, his eyes going wide as he feels a hard Machamp fist colliding with his stomach, releasing a small noise when it did. In an instant he's thrown back from the smoke, flying through the air before he rights himself. When his feet touch the ground he skids for several feet before coming to a halt, thoroughly winded and using his good arm to support his body above the ground while he tries to avoid emptying his stomach and to regain his breath at the same time. That's going to really be sore later, not to mention he's dizzy and rattled from the hit.

But, worst of all, it leaves him out in the open.]

[usedswift]

[So much for sneaking out under the cover of Smokescreen. Tenten hisses another curse, ducking behind her Bronzor at the sight of the Machamp and tugging out the rest of her Pokéballs. As if she was just going to sit there and let this happen!

It's Hibuchi she sends out first, the Vulpix opening up with Fire Spin to try to distract and hold it off. Was that Hope-san, saying to get out of there? With this much backup, there was no way they were just going to turn tail and run. If Team Rocket didn't fight fair, then she wasn't going to, either. Skarmory, Luxio, Absol, and Murkrow are quick to leap out of their balls, a clap of her hands and a sharp whistle to point Feng to Sasuke Any damage directed toward him should be deflected by his sharpened metal wings.]

The rest of you, at it!

[Drawing a knife herself, she directs the other three to join Hibuchi in taking down that Machamp, using the Bronzor Tate as a literal floating shield in front of her to charge in toward where she heard the bellow. She'd go after Bowser himself, or get trampled trying.]

[saxsongs]

[Lightning and Hope had arrived. That was good. The kids weren't running away... not so good. Why weren't they just running like they were told to.

Using his Zebstrika as a shield, Ren made his way closer to Sasuke and Tenten.]

We were told to leave, not fight! Stop risking yourselves and let them handle this.

[He offered his hand to Sasuke.] Here, get on the Zebstrika and go first.

[itsjustdust]

[And everything was going to hell apparently. Sasuke seemed mostly fine, but he still sent Raiton and Henge to back him up and go with him, Mokuton and Tobi being released with orders to keep an eye out and help as needed until all the nin were clear. Kiyo, on the other hand came with him as he set Katon loose and jumped on his back to hurry after Tenten so he could grab the back of her shirt as a dash and snatch. No way was he letting her get herself mauled in the middle of a pokemon battle.]

[falseshore]

[This battle got confusing quickly. Rep here is backing out of the battle a little bit, not fleeing, but just enough that he can keep an eye on what exactly is going on and look for a good opportunity to do something. He doesn't know what happened to Sora, or whether the flames are from him or one of the ninja's Pokémon.

Meanwhile, with Bowser, Aura is still attempting to distract him, trying to pull him away from the battle, or at least keep him from giving his team commands.]

[beforethedarkness]

I'm not leaving any of you behind...

[He's still breathing hard before he finally stands, watching for Hiruzen and Senshi to see how they're doing. It hurts, it really does, but he's been through worse before...]

Shinobi who don't fo... Follow orders are trash... But Shinobi who leave their comrades behind are worse than that... I won't leave you behind... I won't let my precious people get hurt again...

[Sound familiar, Obito?

He attempts to walk past Ren and the pokémon around him as he pulls out another pokéball and throws it, releasing Sakura and looking straight at her.]

Heal pulse on our allies, now... Stay back and make sure you don't get hit.

[For a few moments the Lucario hesitates, looking distressed at the state of her trainer (considering that he was still panting quite heavily). But when Sasuke's eyes harden she eventually nods and gives in to the command, sending the wave over the pokémon fighting against Bowser's.

Probably a good thing, considering that (at the least) Senshi and Hiruzen both were starting to look quite battered before the pulse goes over them and refreshes their energy.]

[kingbowser]

You imbecile... The real target is just beyond your sight!

[It's a telepathic message sent to Bowser just moments before the Crunch attack strikes. And, oh does it sting! But no matter. If that Luxray wishes to play rough, then he'll utilize a Counter attack to return the damage at twice its potency!

The ice beam definitely strikes. How could it not, with Rex standing at a whopping 12'? And while it nails him with significant damage, he responds by snarling and flailing his tail as a rain of Draco Meteors rains down from the sky.

Lucky's attack hits without fail due to the unfortunate side effect of No Guard; she may've nailed Sasuke with her punch, but even she can't avoid attacks. And with Feng coming in for good measure, Champ's left with no choice but to attempt a Thunder Punch attack.

Needless to say, the Lucario puts a dent in Lockjaw's plan. He may be level 100 now, but even he's got weaknesses! Even so, he's gonna at least try to retaliate with Fire Fang. Whether or not it hits depends on how fast they can dodge; the smoke certainly puts the advantage on team Good Guys™.

As for Blargg, that Thunderbolt hits right on the mark, sending her into a roaring frenzy. When she's finally able to attack again, she starts spewing flames everywhere, insulted by whatever loser tried catching her off guard!

Smasher, feeling overwhelmed by the onslaught of attacks, makes things even more irritating by shaking the ground with her Earthquake attack. She doesn't care who it knocks down! She's not going down without a fight. Never!

The downside? Her attack sends Bowser helplessly stumbling around the battle field; even his weight makes it difficult to maintain his footing, and he starts swinging his fists at whatever unfortunate losers cross his path.]

Don't think you've won this yet! You may have numbers on your side, but I'm still gonna stomp you flat!

[saxsongs]

[That eathquake does make quite a lot of damage - and even sends Ren down to the ground to sit down. Really, he's not meant for these kind of situations.

Zebstrika, while high leveled, is no match for it and faints. Ren calls him back and sends out another Pokémon - an Arcanine.]

Ittoki! Flare Blitz on that Torterra.

[Off he goes. At the same time Ren looks over at Sasuke while trying to get up.]

You're not abandoning anyone! We're getting everyone here out and letting those with more power than us help with that.

[Why was that so hard to see.]

[itsjustdust]

[He cursed, Katon going down under the attack, and he just plain didn't have a hand to call anyone back due to per-emptively hauling Tenten over his shoulder to go in Sasuke's direction the moment he hit the ground. He'd just have to trust his pokemon to defend until he had a second to get them properly to safety.]

Raiton! Thunder Wave would be great!

[Then his shouting turned to Sasuke.]

You're quoting me out of context! You're holding up the regroup! Go!

[soggypastry]

[A lot more damage than was needed for any of them. However it affects the others or even Bowser's own team, Lightning's has the glaring weakness of Ground for everyone. Zan--the Luxray, yowls in pain at both the Counter and Earthquake dealing a one-two punch and taking him down in a heap. Lucky doesn't go down, even with the added Thunder Punch, and she scrambles over to Zan, catching some of Blargg's Flamethrower on the way and using it to power up her own, attacking Shell Smasher with everything she has in that Flamethrower while she covers her fallen teammate.

Sen and Strike fare only a little better, turning their falls into a tumbling roll before returning to their original targets. Strike attacks Shell Smasher from the other side, dodging Lucky's flames only because Smasher is between her and them, while Sen moves to finish Lockjaw off. He may be Level 100, but an Aura Sphere from someone equally high leveled is going to hurt.

As for Spark and Odin? They don't fare nearly as well. Spark comes down from another leap into the air just as the Earthquake reaches its middle point, and he cries out in alarm and surprise as it sends him sprawling under foot and paw and into range of seeing Snorcerer...who he attacks with another Thunderbolt before scrambling into the smoke, hanging into conciousness by a thread of perhaps two HP. Odin, on the other hand, screams, as only an angry horse can when the rumbling of the ground unseats his trainer and Lightning has to quickly roll away, bolting for the human-sized shadows and reaching out to grab an arm. Whoever it is doesn't matter; Sasuke or Ren or Evan or Obito--they'd all get a hard look and stern words.]

What are you standing around for?! Just get out of here! [She lets go, shoves whoever she had towards the shoreline and away from the battle, then turns and runs into the smoke to get to Bowser. Time to take him out.]

[usedswift]

[Tenten screams at the sudden shift, nearly toppling over and feeling her shoulder wretch painfully from the way she's uncerimoniously thrown over Obito's own.]

Let go, I can fight! Feng! Jinwu!

[Ever attentive to his trainer, especially around others, the Skarmory lets out a shrieking battle cry and uses Agility, adding to his speed to roughly grab both ninja in his claws, powerful wings hoisting them both up and out of the way of Earthquake and anything else.

The Murkrow Jinwu's taken heavy damage, looking horribly worse for the wear, what with being only a quarter of the level of most of the Pokémon on the field, but still manages to tear away and head toward Tenten -- who immediately just point to Sasuke, sending the bird that way instead.]

[beforethedarkness]

[He's not moving with anyone to get away, but he's not approaching anymore either. Instead, he returns the then-fainted Sakura to her ball and just... Watches.

He's really that useless to them?

He grimaces before getting to his feet (having been thrown off of them by the earthquake), his head bowing a little before he, very reluctantly, makes to return Hiruzen and Senshi (who, at that time, both look exhausted). It was just like that night... All of this happening, and again he couldn't be strong, or brave...]

[eagletalons]

[Ridiculous, reckless ruffians with no regard for--

Ugh.

Hope has had it, honestly, and he whistles for his own Luxray, which makes her return to him so he can climb up onto her back and take care of things himself. Leaving his other Blastoise, Bismarck, with Alexander with explicit instructions to get to Bowser no matter what (cue the loud stomping and bellowing of two gigantic, angry tortoises), he directs Oracle into the fray.

He trusts her to do what he needs her to do and when she rumbles, he knows someone's close. So he reaches out to grab whatever or whoever he can, whether it's an arm attached to a body or a shoulder or even some clothes. As long as he can grab someone and haul them up onto Oracle with him.]

[itsjustdust]

[Obito just heaved a deep sigh and setabout calling his pokemon back now that he was away fromt he battle and didn't have to wrestle with Tenten anymore. Time to explain to the genin how battles with civilians worked, clearly. He just had to wait until he could talk without being overtaken by the damn wind.]

[kingbowser]

A status move? How pitiful...

[When the Thunder Wave approaches, Snorceror's body lights up in a pale glow, and he reflects it back via Magic Coat. However, in doing so, he's left open to the Thunderbolt attack from Spark, which strikes dead center and sends him to his knees. Accursed rodent...

Smasher can't take all the attacks at once. Though she tries to stand her ground, each consecutive attack sends her toppling over with a high-pitched shriek.

Lockjaw doesn't fare much better, either. Though he tries to land at least one Payback, it's not like the attack is effective against Steel Types. Despite his best effort, he soon collapses as well.

But Rex? He's still holding on still. Holding on and preparing for another fun trick! Said trick involves sending a Rock Slide down upon the field. Isn't it fun?!

And with the threat of another Blastoise, Blargg ceases her panting and unleashes a Thunderbolt attack. She's not even sure if it'll strike its target, but only losers go down without a flashy finish! She'll just keep sending bolt after bolt aimlessly throughout the smoke.

Charge is running out of steam fast, but she pushes herself back to her feet and rushes towards the Skarmory. Her fist lights up in flames, and she springs into the air. You're not getting outta here that easily, kids!

And if Lightning is out for Bowser, he won't be too hard to find. He's huge, hulking, and the orange tuft of hair definitely stands out. And seeing how he just barely dodged one of Blargg's attacks, he's open wide open.]

[usedswift]

[Nope nope nope nope. Tenten's still struggling to try to drop out of the Skarmory's tight hold on her clothes, twisting and turning to try to rip them and fall out of his grasp. It's on one of those twists that she spots the Machamp, mouth opening in a start to a scream. That knife she'd tried to charge Bowser with is still in her hand, though, and she reacts purely on instinct, crossing an arm over her chest and hurling the knife with her usual pinpoint accuracy toward one of the few points that's always vital, no matter what the species --

The eye. Even if she were to somehow miss due to the different shape of the weapon from what she's used to -- unlikely, but possible -- No Guard ensures that it hits, the well-crafted blade sinking deep into the Machamp's eye.

Heart pounding, she can only quickly bark the only order that comes to mind.]

Feng, drop us both, swoop under and catch! We're not any good like this!

[If the knife wasn't enough to put it down for now, she'd need to be ready for a second attack. Finally certain that his trainer is seeing sense, the Skarmory lets both ninja fall, Autotomize letting him fly fast enough that they should land right on his back.]