Not seeing a problem with practicing his rock skipping skills if he stayed in his own little corner of the pier, Danny grabbed the flattest rocks he could from the sandy banks and lobbed them across the pond. The initial throw was sloppy, sinking as quickly as it was thrown, but the second rock managed to get a single jump in until it sunk into the pond's murky depths. He could barely see a cloud of mud and clay rising to the surface in the shape of a mushroom, making it even harder to see what might've been swimming around down there. Not thinking much of it, he threw another rock, hoping that he could show off his improvement with each throw, but this one was even worst than the first. It immediately plopped and sunk, and right as Danny was about to throw another one, that same rock jumped out of the water, smacking him right in the face.
"Gyahh! The rock is alive! Save yourselves!" Fear flipped his hands in the air, spilling his rock collection all over the deck as a ticked off Corphish bobbed its shiny head out of the water.
<That's what you get, you dirtbag.> The Corphish snapped, waving a furious claw that was even redder than Danny's cheek right at him. Figuring that this Corphish was being an obnoxious asswipe, as Corphish tended to be when they traveled in gangs, he decided to enact revenge in the most respectable way possible. He threw the rock right back into its smug, cheeky grin.
WHACK!
The rock recoiled off of the Corphish's face, sinking to the ground as the Corphish's temper rose to an all time high.
"Nyah, what now? I can throw rocks all day if I wanted. I'm supposed to be skipping them, technically, but I can make an excuse for you." Completely missing the point on why the Corphish was pissed, he flipped his bangs out of his eyes, smirking until the Corphish had enough and hopped onto the deck, blocking his path.
"Seriously? I'm not gonna battle you when I'm on egg duty. Get outta here." He didn't like that look the Corphish was giving him, and with each click of the crab's claws, he felt as if he was being mocked. He was tempted to send out his electric type for an easy battle, but there was a faster, more practical way to handle things.
Right as the Corphish scuttled towards him with water gushing out of its right claw, Danny easily sidestepped his foe, and proceeded to kick it back into the pond. The following splash was music to his ears, and a fluffy feeling in his chest.
If the Corphish was a little faster on land, then he would've been concerned. But it wasn't, and he was familiar with the punk Corphish that hung around Mossdeep, so he knew what to expect from them.
"Haha! Pokemon Trainer Danny shoots, and he scores! Plus one level for this soon to be, macho man extraordinaire. Bravo, me." With a sly chuckle, he skipped to another part of the pier, figuring that his showdown with the crab was over. Was it really over? Of course not. The Corphish was underwater with a bruised ego, some rocks, and a couple of friends that were willing to avenge it.
The plan kicked in as Danny pranced back to the Pokemon Center, de-stressed and relaxed after socializing with every fisherman he could find. The mechanical doors at the entrance slid open as he made his way towards his room, but not once did he notice his little red follower that scouted his every move. Corphish judged Danny for forgetting to brush his teeth as he sprawled himself all over the bed, blanket half plastered across his chest as his bare legs shook everything off of them. As usual, his favorite Wingull was allowed to sleep out of his Pokeball, making himself comfortable by cuddling next to the Froakie egg as he started to doze off.
Once the Corphish was convinced that everyone was settled in their slumber, he motioned for the rest of his crew to huddle around the window, using a couple of garbage cans to keep them up. Scuttling quietly into the room, the scout gestured wildly, directing them around Danny's sleeping form until they could lift him off of the bed. It was a struggle to lift up a scrawny teenager with only 6 Corphish, but the scout eventually helped out by holding up his head, leading the group off the bed as they slid his body off of it, barely making a rustle. Two Corphish carried his top half as Danny hit the ground, while the rest carefully slid with him until they could evenly carry his weight and move on.
The only issue they had involved opening the door. It was already cracked open to keep the room cool, but the light in the hallway illuminated parts of the room as the Corphish group scuttled out of the Pokemon Center with Danny. You'd think that the nurse or a Chansey would notice, and one of them did, but they only shook their heads like 'Oh boy, it's this shit again' and let it happen. Maybe the Chansey was given hush-money to keep quiet. Who knows.
As Danny was being whisked into the night with his sleeping blindfold still wrapped around his eyes, his dreams entertained him by putting him on a train that served nothing but sea food. Why was there so much sea food? The scent was so intense, he could've sworn that the dream was real as his dreamland train choo choo'd to Hot Babesville, the city that was known for having hot babes, and Danny was officially recognized by the mayor of Hot Babesville as an honorary hot babe.
It was a kickass dream. It really was.
Right as the train came to a stop, he was suddenly shoved into a pond. The cold water got into his mouth and nose, and everything was horrible and miserable as he woke up in horror, frantically swimming to the surface. When he broke through, coughing and gagging as tears swarmed his eyes, all he could see was a group of Corphish snickering at him without a single hint of guilt or remorse.
"Yoooo! Yoooooooo! What the hell is your deal? What if I drowned?! How did...how did you even carry me out here? What is going on? Where am I?" He certainly wasn't anywhere familiar, but he knew that: A. He was in a pond, and B. The air smelled like soot, so he had to be close to Fallarbor Town. He also knew that these guys were as rotten as the eggs they hatched from, and he didn't deserve any of this. At all. Not at all. Absolutely not at all.
Marching out of the pond with a sickening feeling in his stomach, all he could do was give the horde one final glare. How he would've loved to kick all of their faces in like bowling pins, knocking them into the pond one by one, but alas, he was outnumbered. For now, he had no choice but to retreat, following the soot trail until he embraced the glow of the city. If the Corphish wanted to be that way, then fine. He could play that game too.
After he washed the pond scum out of his hair and put on some comfy, dry clothes, he nudged Larry until he finally woke up. The Wingull was confused and dazed, knowing full-well that it was too early for breakfast, but Danny had that familiar glint in his eyes. It was the same, snarky look he always had right before things went down. Larry knew it well, and he had no choice but to brace himself as Danny whisked him away into the night. The Froakie egg got to stay back in the room under the sleepy but watchful gaze of his Pinsir, while Danny and Larry retraced their steps, slowly making their way back to the pond in the heat of the night.
The moon barely lit up the sky, and even with the glow of a cheap cell phone for backup, Danny jumped and shivered at each suspicious movement. He might've been a man on a mission, but that didn't mean that nothing dangerous wouldn't jump out at him.
And then he saw them. 7 Corphish were huddled around the light of a lantern, snickering at their stories while munching on the snacks they picked up from town. These guys really had it made, and it ticked Danny off to even watch. Larry enviously stared at the Corphish as each salty morsel was taken for granted, not even savoring the taste as they ate and ate. Now that was a crime of its own. He couldn't object as Danny crashed into the scene, armed with three Pokeballs to take on all 7.
"Llllllleeeeet's battle! Crashing onto the scene and ready for revenge, it's the prankster of the night! Better have a fright, because I'm not here to delight. Sick rhymes. Go me." Conclude awesome introduction with jazz hands.
"Yeah. So..." He had to adjust himself as he grasped the first three Pokeballs on his belt, feeling a surging amount of joy at the Corphish horde's surprise for attempting revenge so suddenly.
"Aph, Winnie, Moe. Help me round these villains up." Each Pokeball flashed one after the other, revealing an Emolga, a Metapod, and a Tropius standing in a row. The Corphish might've outnumbered them, but they were still water types. Aph and Moe should've been able to handle them easy.
Larry was used to being whisked away in the dead of the night, but the rest of Danny's team still had hints of sleep clear in his eyes. Aph's ears drooped as she rubbed her eyes, vaguely understanding that she was supposed to fight the Corphish in front of her. Winnie had little cucumbers over her eyes, because Metapod beauty was essential, and Danny enjoyed pampering her. Moe just looked pissed and peeved as he debated falling back asleep here and now. The Corphish were immediately intimidated by the size of the Tropius, fearing the wrath of his mammoth sized leaves and feet.
Their fears melted away as Moe abruptly sat on the ground, wrapping his long neck around his body as he let out a final, decisive sigh. He was sleeping out of this one, and that was final.
"Moe! Moe, what are you doing? Wake up, sleepy. You're the powerhouse! You're the anchor!" No shake or hug could pry those dino eyes open, and the more Danny pleaded, he noticed the more confident the Corphish became. Well, this just became a lot harder.
<While they're confused, Bubblebeam ahoy!> The first Corphish to snap out of their shock quickly flailed their claws around, bringing the rest of the crew back so they could unleash a nasty bubble spray on the group.
"Larry, cover Winnie and Aph with Hurricane!" Thinking he could lessen the damage, he stuck out a finger like he was ready to fight prosecutors in court. Larry had his game face on, which was the same as any other face he made, save for the metaphorical difference. His wings might've been small and thin, but he was able to conjure winds as sharp as knives as they blew several of the attacks off, sparing the weaker members as two Bubblebeams knocked him down. Even the sleeping Tropius got hit in the attack, but the attack barely tickled him.
"I swear, if you're not gonna battle for me, at least fight for your teammates." Still ticked off from being dumped in a pond in the middle of the night, he threw his hands up in frustration at Moe's apparent indifference.
With these crabs throwing around water attacks like missiles, using Rain Dance was an absolute nope. Of course it made Hurricane awfully inaccurate, but it was Larry's best move. Danny was just going to have to deal with missing a good hit every now and then.
<Dannnnnyyy...I want to sleep.> The Bubblebeam managed to wake Aph up, but that didn't mean that she wanted to go through with this. Winnie sat beside her, as uninspired about battling as always, but not doing anything meant getting attacked by snapping claws.
"Don't worry. Once we're done here, we can all sleep in. Or you can all sleep in. Arceus knows Larry won't let me." It wasn't easy seeing Aph pout at him, lips curled up as her eyes widened, demanding love and comfort instead of the pains of kicking butt. The way his darling Emolga clasped her paws against one another, as if she was pleading her way out of this with the power of cute made his heart ache.
His heart absolutely ached, but adapting to life at night was important, so he had to put his foot down.
"Put up a Light Screen, and fire off some Shock Waves." Aph gaped at the command, appalled that he managed to break free from her spell of loving adoration.
"And for you, lasso up some of those Corphish with a String Shot. Give'em hell, Winnie." Giving his duo a supportive thumbs up, he beamed as Aph's cheeks sparked up a large enough Light Screen to cover her teammates. Right as the Light Screen took effect, Winnie made sure to give those rascally Corphish a good String Shot to the face. It might not have done any damage, but the attack was good at distracting a large group of Pokemon as the string oozed over a trio that huddled together.
<Sorry, not sorry.> Aph's cheeks swelled with electricity as sparks flared out of them, and as she raised her arms into the air, a current flowed directly into her paws, only to be released as she slammed them into the ground. The Shock Wave chased after one of the trapped Corphish, successfully knocking it out in a single hit.
<Hey, maybe this won't take long.> Feeling a little more confident, she unleashed another Shock Wave, taking out yet another Corphish before it could retaliate.
Now reduced to a horde of 5, the Corphish caught on that this Emolga was something to be feared. Electricity was dangerous, and despite the Emolga's childish appearance, she was someone to be feared. The ruffian Corphish that started all of this scowled as it started hopping around, cutting at the air as if it was attempting to dance off the stress. The dance might've looked silly, but it sharply raised its attack power, making it even more powerful than before. As the rest of its friends cowered in fear of another Shock Wave, this one charged forward, water gushing out of its left claw as it slammed a Crabhammer into the Emolga, successfully knocking her out in a single strike.
"Aph! Crap. Good thing we're going to the Pokemon Center after this." All he could do was return the unconscious Emolga back into her Pokeball, leaving an injured Wingull, a sleeping Tropius, and a Metapod on the field.
His team was awesome, but the obvious faults were a little too obvious. Unless Moe was willing to battle, this wasn't going anywhere. Even worse, the Corphish now felt confident enough to take on anything. Laughing as their biggest threat went down, they snapped their claws in celebration. One of them even leaped towards Larry as he flew over them, attempting to knock him out of the sky with a Knock Off.
"Winnie, pull it away with String Shot. Larry, shake it off with a Hurricane!" He bolted towards his Metapod, scooping her up as he held her up towards the sky, granting her better range as she lobbed a String Shot at the Corphish's leg, giving Larry enough time to dodge by flying to the side. Even if Hurricane was inaccurate, having String Shot support helped as he called up yet another terrifying swarm of wind, cutting at the Corphish's shell until it fell to the ground.
"Nice hit, but..." Danny gulped, cringing as the injured Corphish managed to crawl back onto its feet. Yeah, this wasn't good. Five versus two was not doing him any favors, so thinking fast, he came up with a plan.
An awful plan, but it had to do for now.
"Return, Larry. On my shoulder." He kicked himself for going through with his crappy plan, but with Aph down and Gawain back in the Pokemon Center, he didn't have many options. Even though he was still willing to battle, Larry fluttered on top of Danny's shoulder, glancing towards the Metapod in his arms as he waited for orders. Even the Corphish seemed confused, but it was starting to look like their victory, so why worry?
"You guys think you're so tough, knocking out a sweet, innocent Emolga. You aren't tough! You can't even take on the champion! The expert of experts! You couldn't even take on a sleeping Tropius if you tried." Casually walking over to Moe, he plopped himself on top of the dinosaur's backside as if he was planning on riding him into the moonlight. Not that Moe was gonna give someone like him a ride, but if he was asleep, then how could he object?
<There's still more of us! Even if the big guy outweighs us, we're not scared. Right, guys?> The lead Corphish raised its claw into the air, and the rest raised their own in agreement.
<Yeah! Get'em!> They chanted, deciding to chase Danny and his Pokemon off once and for all. Right as several aimed a Crabhammer at the Metapod in his hands and the Wingull on his shoulder, Danny reeled himself back, rolling off Moe's back so the attacks had no choice but to strike his big green banana machine.
The Bubblebeams might've been hard to notice in his sleep, but that combination of attacks was more than enough to jolt the Tropius awake.
<You're still doing this? Are you kidding me? I was asleep, you pathetic thugs.> Moe snarled as he hopped onto his feet, glaring at the tiny crabs that cowered around him. They might've been confident before, but now that all of that anger was directed at them, their legs trembled against their will as they stared up in horror. Furious with such an underhanded strategy, his wings towered above him as his roar echoed across the pond.
"I knew catching him was a good idea. Was I right, or was I right?" Danny cupped his hands around his mouth as he whispered to Larry and Winnie, clearly proud of his new Pokemon.
The trio watched in awe as Moe unleashed a storm of Magical Leaves at two of the offending Corphish, taking them out the moment the attacks collided. The difference in power was clear, and with that, it was now a fair three on three battle.
"Time to help the big guy out. Use Blizzard, Lair Lair. Winnie, help him out with String Shot! Harden if you have to." Tossing the Metapod into the air, Winnie winced as she landed behind the remaining Corphish. It wasn't hard to use a String Shot on all three, but her presence wasn't exactly a surprise. Two of them charged at her with a Knock Off, slamming their claws into her as the sticky string looped around each claw, making it even harder for the Corphish to attack her.
Now that more Pokemon were stuck in Winnie's string trap, Larry took advantage of the situation and fired off a Blizzard at the remaining three Pokemon. The leading Corphish managed to dodge the attack, but the other two didn't have it so lucky. Larry circled around the two as the chill of the Blizzard wrapped around them, using yet another Blizzard as they struggled to separate from one another.
<Hey! Watch out! I'll get you out of there.> The leader jumped in and slammed a Crabhammer at the String Shot, cracking the two apart so they could attack once again. They might've been injured, but they were still able to battle. Two of them fired off a Bubblebeam at the Tropius, feeling much safer with long distance attacks when Moe could easily crush them. Naturally, the attacks barely did anything, and Moe was able to finish them off with another Magical Leaf, leaving a single Corphish left on the field.
Larry, Winnie, and Moe had the leader completely surrounded as they stared him down. They might've been able to take down Aph, but the rest of them weren't going anywhere any time soon.
"And as for you, you irritating STI..." The Corphish jumped as Danny suddenly appeared behind him, smirking as if he had all of the power in the world right now, and he planned on using it for the sake of revenge.
"You're goooooone, ya jerk!" Grabbing the remaining Corphish by the tail, he lobbed the crab as far as he could, laughing in amusement as it landed into the pond with a satisfying splash.
Now he had to deal with the fainted Corphish. He certainly didn't mind sticking around Fallarbor Town to get a little training in, but if this gang planned on harassing him during his stay, then he had a problem. Only armed with 4 Pokeballs to catch what he wanted, he figured that even if they did come after him, at least the gang wasn't as strong as it used to be.
"You guys are coming with me, and as soon as we're done here, we're taking the longest nap ever." Snatching the four spare Pokeballs off of his belt, he lobbed them at random, striking each Corphish as the capsules hungerly gobbled them up.
4 Pokeballs used on Corphish Horde + Metapod Evo Confirm
tag: nah ▪ words: 3656 ▪ ooc: nah
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