Hup . . . Hup . . . Hup! (Ricki)

[Ricki Jace]

THE FIRST TIMERS; VESTA

With this being his first battle against a trained Pokémon, Ricki knew well that Hint was already nervous. It didn’t help that the person they were battling was also just giving off a constant feeling of anger. Unnerved, but determined to make Ricki proud the little adorable Pokémon stood firm. His trainer waited patiently for Vesta to make her choice and the Pokémon she chose was one that bothered Ricki slightly. Hint had yet to deal with a fire type as of yet, but she didn’t let this get to her. She kept a passive expression as she watched the Magby move across the battlefield.

It appeared that even though she was a new trainer, all Vesta had to do already was make a vague suggestion and her Pokémon understood what she wanted it to do. After a recent battle with Zernebog, Ricki recognized the Flame Burst and quickly the young trainer opened her mouth to give Whismur an order. Whatever she was going to said would never be heard as the whismur acted on his own out of ear. A loud temporarily deafening cry escaped the tiny monster, a Hyper Voice attack flying right at Howi, only to collide with the Flame Burst attack and cause it to explode at a distance. The Whismur didn’t stop his crying, though, as the Hyper Voice’s attack force interrupted the Flame Burst, it was followed by an Uproar. A powerful burst of sound waves was sent right at the Magby as the Whismur continued his loud fit.

Ricki had to cover her ears, and let out a heavy sigh. She should’ve seen that coming, but at least it worked. Granted, she didn’t look forward to the fact her ears would be definitely ringing for a bit, and it’d be a bit hard to hear. An advantage to Vesta, she supposed, but the battle had just begun. Ricki was used to working under these conditions, but how would Vesta handle potential deafness?

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

SPOILER: Click to show

{Battle Summary}

Hint uses Hyper Voice to counter the incoming Flame Burst and protect himself, then follows with an Uproar launched at Howi.

[Nigenteki Reikon]

I'M HERE TO WORK, NOT FUCK AROUND

SONG: Bring it On! NOTES: ||PKMN3|PKMN4|PKMN5|PKMN6 Vesta’s eyes immediately went wide as the Whismur made its first shriek. Howi’s shell impacted what equated to a wall of air just as it would a brick wall, but unlike a brick one, this wall of sound kept going. Vesta threw her arms forward defensively, but this proved fruitless; while her loose clothing whipped behind her, her ears panged in agony, simultaneously ending all audibility. The soldier paused briefly, looking at Ricki and Hint with narrow eyes, wondering what was happening, before it hit her. She was now, temporarily at least, deaf. Her blood began to boil under her skin, her neutral look twisting into anger as she growled, though she couldn’t even hear herself; all she heard was a constant, soft ringing. Her fists tightened further than they already were as she looked towards Howi, catching his view just in time as he got hit by the secondary attack, forcing him to skid back. Looking over him briefly, Vesta quickly deduced that he managed to avoid the damaging part of the first attack, something she didn’t see because of her defensive stance. “Howi?” No answer, which meant that her Magby didn’t manage to avoid going deaf either. Glaring back at Ricki, Vesta seethed softly. If she thinks that this is enough to ruin our synergy, she’ll have to think again! Rearing her leg up, Vesta kicked a small pebble from her box towards Howi, aiming for his head. She missed, but the motion did bring his attention to her, which was just fine as Vesta immediately pulled on her experience hunting in Sinnoh, back when her father put her and her Pokémon alone in the wilderness to survive. With just a few hand moments, Howi eyes went wide with realization, then narrowed as he nodded in confirmation. He turned to the Whismur, recalling one particular instance of prey weakening as he watched Hint closely, waiting for just the right moment, even taking another Uproar attack in order to do so. But then, just as Hint let out all of its breath, Howi took in a deep breath of his own and spewed out a deluge of white smoke, pouring it out of his bill towards the Whisper Pokémon. Their Clear Smog attack was normally reserved to take care of opponents that relied on stat-changing tactics, but during one particular instance in their hunting experience, they discovered that the smoke was very effective in disturbing the breathing patterns of Pokémon, something a Pokémon like Whismur was apparently extremely reliant on. The fact that Clear Smog didn’t have a habit of missing made it all the better, especially when timed so that it was forced to take in the white, choking air. Vesta watched as Magby poured the smoke with narrow, dark eyes; Clear Smog was step one to weaken an opponent. Next was step two; Fire Spin. Howi followed his Clear Smog attack almost immediately, delayed only by the need to take in another breath, and spewed out a paper thin line of fire, rushing forward on the ground and suddenly turning as it made a foot past Hint’s location, rushing around in a circle before exploding into a pillar of fire, aiming not only to encase the Pokémon, but the smoke around the Pokémon.

[Ricki Jace]

THE FIRST TIMERS; VESTA

It appeared that Vesta didn’t even know she and her Pokémon had been temporarily cut off from their ability to hear at first. Ricki watched the trainer move to protect herself from sound waves, mildly amused but not letting it show. She just watched how the other handled herself, the other trainer going from confused to clearly aggravated when she realized what had happened. Ricki merely shrugged at the glare. She pointed to her own ears as if to signal she had been deafened by the blow as well, not bothering to announce this to Vesta, mostly because the other trainer obviously couldn’t hear.

The Whismur’s Uproar continued on as Ricki merely watched Vesta flail her hands about. While Ricki couldn’t make sense of the gestures, the expression on the red head’s face made it rather obvious that she knew what she was doing. Even with Howi taking a direct hit from Hint just to get these instructions, the Magby didn't take a moment to hesitate to act. He was turning around, ready to fire at just the right moment. As Hint reached the end of his Uproar and prepared to inhale, the Magby released a wave of white smoke. Not Smokescreen, given that smoke was much darker, but a very different type of smoke, Ricki didn't immediately recognize the smoke, or the danger it presented.

As Hint started to inhale for his next Uproar, he suddenly stopped and began to tremble and cough in response to the polluted air he inhaled. The green-haired trainer inwardly cursed at the sight, recalling her own experiences with contaminated breaths. Not dwelling on the mistake, she quickly acted to correct it and shouted “Cover your mouth, Hint!” The Whismur’s floppy “ears” suddenly slammed down to cover the Pokémon’s mouth, revealing it hadn’t been deafened by its own shrieks. Daring to breathe in with his ears acting as a mask between the thick smoke and his lungs, the Whismur took in a desperate gasp for air just as Howi began to ignite his flames.

“Cry, again!” Ricki ordered, unaware of just how loudly she was yelling due to her deafness. As the fires began to get closer, Hint took in another rough breath of air through his make shift breathing mask. Flames licking the ground in front of him, the Whismur was almost frozen in horror, before his fear turned once more into a shriek. As the initial wave of flames just brushed him, Hint’s “ears” shot back up as another Hyper Voice escaped the Whismur. The powerful blow of sound waves was a bit shakier than the last blast due to smoke inhalation, but it was enough to counter the flames and spare him from a trap. “Shock value!” Ricki tacked on as the Whismur stopped his cries. Whipping around, the little pink ball of fluff suddenly launched himself at Howi with a dark aura around him, hoping to catch the Pokémon off guard with an Astonish-ing attack.

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

SPOILER: Click to show

{Battle Summary}

Hint's Uproar is interrupted by Clear Smog and he is damaged by the first wave of flames from Howi's Fire Spin. Hint counters with a Hyper Voice to get rid of the fire, though, and follows up with an Astonish. Astonish has a 30% chance of making Howi flinch.

[Nigenteki Reikon]

I'M HERE TO WORK, NOT FUCK AROUND

SONG: Battle Music NOTES: ||PKMN3|PKMN4|PKMN5|PKMN6 The redheaded soldier girl didn’t really care or acknowledge Ricki’s hints that she was deafened as well; as far as she was concerned, the woman deserved it for being such a pain in the ass. Poetic justice, if Vesta remembered the term correctly, though at the same time, it didn’t help the fact that she was still deaf. The green-haired woman would get more than a few words about it, even if she had to sign them for the message to get across. Vesta’s glare turned from Ricki to the Whismur when it started gagging and choking on the smoke. It was one of the most common, most basic tactics, yet it worked so well so often; it was even better that this Pokémon relied on its breath for its attacks. So long as she could keep the field covered in smoke, the advantage was theirs, something that she would be more than happy to do. Things got even better when Howi’s Fire Spin encased the pink annoyance, almost making Vesta smirk in victory. …Until the Pokémon blew away the fire. That served to make her small smile disappear completely very quickly. Vesta’s glare harshened as Howi looked to her for guidance, Vesta immediately using her hand signals to communicate to her Pokémon. She looked to her Pokémon as she did so, but her eyes immediately went back to the Pokémon when it suddenly launched towards Howi encased in a dark aura. A brief panic went through her as she pointed towards the Whismur as a warning. Howi whirled around at the quickly approaching Whismur, but it was too fast. The Magby managed to pull off a Confuse Ray, his eyes flashing with strange light, sending it forward just as Hint closed in, but he got hit just after, knocking him back and skidding to a halt. Vesta growled, glaring at Ricki, and immediately began to signal him as she turned back to Howi. Vesta’s eyes went wide. Howi was cowering. Cowering. He gets hit once with a physical attack, and he dares to be afraid?! With a snarl, Vesta suddenly started yelling, roaring, even, since she had absolutely no clue how loud she was actually being. “HOWI! YOU GET YOUR ASS IN GEAR! YOU WILL NOT BE AFRAID OF THIS BITCH OR HER POKÉMON!”

[Ricki Jace]

THE FIRST TIMERS; VESTA

With Vesta unable to speak to her Pokémon, and the Magby seeming in capable of acting on his own, Ricki just slowly shook her head as Hint managed to slam right into the Magby with the Astonish attack. There was a brief strange glow from the Magby to Hint prior to the attack landing, but it was too fast for Ricki to catch just what had been done. It would be easy to follow up Astonish now, but with the Magby being unable to hear his trainer’s commands, Ricki gave Vesta her chance to gesture the next order. Upon glancing up at Vesta and then looking back down at Howi, it quickly became apparent that Howi had been hit with the status effect of Hint’s attack. As Vesta began to lose her shit in the distance, Ricki wasn’t going to lose her chance to get in another attack.

While a Magby was a hard hitter, Hint’s higher health would allow him to take more of these hits than the Magby. Quickly, Ricki shouted over the sounds of Vesta’s enraged screams. “Hint! Slam him down and one more scream!” she ordered. Rather than taking this chance to get in the attack, Hint suddenly jumped at the shout and looked around. Slam him down? What did that mean? Wait, was that Pound? The little Pokémon was Confused. Ricki watched Whismur’s struggle, realizing now what had been done, but before she could give out another order that baffled Whismur gave attacking a chance. His ears illuminated softly to show his Pound attack charging up, but before it could land, the Whismur stumbled and ended up hitting himself instead. Falling back, he flailed for a moment, before getting back on his feet, trembling in fear.

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

SPOILER: Click to show

{Battle Summary}

Hint attempts to take advantage of Howi's flinch before becoming Confused. Hint hits himself with Pound and is confused for the next 3 turns.

[Nigenteki Reikon]

I'M HERE TO WORK, NOT FUCK AROUND

SONG: Battle NOTES: ||PKMN3|PKMN4|PKMN5|PKMN6 Howi wasn’t cowering from the Astonish attack alone. The Live Coal Pokémon was cowering away from his own trainer even. Vesta was not a woman you wanted to mess with when she was irritable, but right now, she was angry. The very thought of her being mad was enough to send a shiver down the Fire-type’s spine… when she was mad, things got tough for her Pokémon, moreso than usual. But she was mad at him, which was even worse. He had to perform better for her; he had to do well to make her happy! Vesta’s enraged face weakened rather well, however, when she saw Hint wobble around and hit himself with his own attack. It didn’t take her long to figure out why, either; after years with her own Pokémon, she recognized one of its attacks when she saw it, or in this case, the after-effects of one. She nearly laughed as she realized that even in a state of panic, Howi could think for himself purely by reflex, but she kept her victorious glee and buried it down to a mere satisfaction. If this battle was to be won, the last thing she needed was to be so foolish as to think that a single move would cause victory. That said, there was plenty of willingness to take advantage of the enemy’s confusion. “Fire!” Though Vesta commanded her Pokémon, he couldn't see her, nor was he facing her to gain cues from her hand movements. No, simply put, the trainer and her Pokémon thought the same thing at the same time. Howi got down on all fours and aimed well at the confused Pokémon, recalling his years of target practice, as he fired his signature Flame Burst at the Whismur.

[Ricki Jace]

THE FIRST TIMERS; VESTA

Part of Ricki was wondering still how this Magby was standing. She was pretty sure it had been hit by a couple of Hyper Voice attacks, Uproar, and even the Astonish attack. She would hate to have to call this battle off early, but Hint was close to victory as far as she was concerned. While suffering slight damage from his own attack, the Clear Smog, and brushes with fire, he was relatively fine. If anything, letting him catch his breath by not using more Sound-Based attacks might help the Whismur at least regain control of himself. She just had to make sure he didn’t get hit anymore in the meantime.

As Hint stumbled about, almost panicked, the Whismur started making his way towards Ricki in a zigzag line. He had no idea where else to go to seek some sort of comfort or help, eyes watery. Seeing the look, Ricki’s irritated glare melted to a frown at the sight of her little guy. She opened her mouth to call off the fight, before she saw Vesta was already gesturing her next move and the Magby was acting without the prompt. With Hint too busy looking at her, he didn't see the signs of the incoming attack. Cursing and quickly shouting “Hint! You’re not done yet!” Ricki hoped to spare him from the incoming move. Inwardly, she grimaced at the sight of his panic at the shout, but he still managed to get in gear and turn around. Whipping around to the Magby behind him, the baffled Hint, in his wave of confusion seemed to have just a moment of clarity to cry again.

The little Whismur let out one more Hyper Voice at the Magby to collide with the Flame Burst, just wanting to finally get this battle over with. Without recoil this time, Hint held out the Hyper Voice as long as he could like a child screaming in frustration. After he let out the attack, he fell back and just sat there, swaying side to side. If the Magby didn’t go down by then, Ricki wasn’t going to chance this battle anymore and pull Hint back.

CODED BY ELECTRIC OF GANGNAM STYLE

SPOILER: Click to show

{Battle Summary}

Hint counters with a single Hyper Voice attack, without hurting himself. Confused for two more turns.

[Nigenteki Reikon]

I'M HERE TO WORK, NOT FUCK AROUND

SONG: NOTES: ||PKMN3|PKMN4|PKMN5|PKMN6 Vesta watched the Whismur as it started wandering over to its trainer. Why is it going to her? Is it finished? From the reactions the Whismur had, it was obvious that it wasn’t a battle, even if Ricki didn’t already say it, there were hints that the Pokémon was nervous and confused. The Pokémon very well be giving up. On the other hand… it could simply be confused. Ultimately it didn’t matter either way, at least not to her. It meant that the end of the battle was near. Taking the brief moment, the soldier’s mind starting to race as she deduced Howi’s current battle state; one dodged Hyper Voice, two taken Uproar attacks, another Hyper Voice that wasn’t even aimed for him, and an Astonish. Howi was damaged, but if he were to fall so easily to Hint’s attacks, their years of training would have meant nothing. Howi was skilled when it came to defensive prowess, at least moreso than any other Magby. He was still more than capable of continuing, even in his weakened state. Even better news? Vesta’s hearing was starting to come back, more or less, anyway; the ringing in her ears was beginning to stop, and in its place, actual, normal sounds were starting to come, though for the moment, she was far from being able to hear normally. The same was true for Howi, though Vesta didn’t know it. Vesta’s eyes went wide as soon as she saw Hint taking in another breath, but Howi was already reacting. With the slightest clue of Hint’s attack, Howi rushed to the side, running as fast as his little legs could, taking full advantage of the precious few seconds Hint was giving him to take a deeper breath, running outside of the battlefield completely before the Whismur finally started yelling, releasing the directional sound waves toward his trainer, but barely missing them himself. While his trainer covered her ears, he continued moving, taking a roundabout trip outside of the battlefield’s lines to avoid the attack. Howi was panting heavily, nearly wheezing. His damage and the sudden burst of exercise was taking its toll. Still, the Pokémon was downplaying his exhaustion. He forced himself to stand up straight and glare at Ricki and Hint, forcibly lowering his breathing as best he good, showing them that he could go on more than they would assume, even if it wasn’t true. A little bit of pride came up in Vesta’s heart at the sight. He was following the soldier’s code well; team before self. She couldn’t help but send a curt nod his way. The battle couldn’t go on for much longer, but Howi wasn’t going to allow himself to go down until the last card is set on the table.

[Ricki Jace]

I HAVE 563 WORDS FOR
VESTA DRESSLER

NOTES

Ricki forfeited and Hint the Whismur was returned

With Howi on the move the moment Hint took in his breath, the little Whismur had no issue with pivoting his body to follow the heavily injured baby Pokémon. Following the Magby, Hint managed to pretty much avoid hitting its trainer and simply continued to turn his body to follow the slowing down Magby while releasing the powerful Hyper Voice attack. With confusion and injuries of his own to take into account, it was hard to rotate with the attack still going and when Hint was about to lose it, the Magby was moving in for the next move. The little whismur pushed his Hyper Voice a bit more as a last ditch attempt to blow the Magby away, but it was clear the attack was reaching the end of its blow and Ricki was done with this.

When the attack ended and a Flame Burst was launched at Hint, a red beam of light would suddenly hit the Whismur. Enveloping the panicked and confused Pokémon, he was dragged back into his pokeball just in time to avoid the damage of the Flame Burst. Looking inside the pokeball after Hint was returned, the little Whismur had finally come to his senses, much to Ricki’s relief. She muttered an apology to him, in which he looked up at her with a pout. The ringing in her ears was finally starting to stop and she could vaguely hear the world around her once more, thankfully, but she didn’t care much for that. Her issue was with the woman across from her.

There were so many things she wanted to say. One of which was being pissed off with the fact that that Magby was much more skilled than the trainer had given it credit for. It was trained, it was very trained, and was much more familiar with battling than Vesta had led her to believe. Ricki felt like she had just been hustled and Hint had been the one to be punished for it. It took some might to not just snatch Rep’s ball and chuck it at that Magby’s face, but she resisted and gave an indignant snort. Ricki eyed the Magby, seeing through its vain attempt to stand tall and control its breathing. The fact Vesta hadn’t called it back yet was disgusting in her opinion. This wasn’t a life or death battle, there was no reason to push a Pokémon that far. They weren’t soldiers. They weren’t weapons.

They were companions.

Reaching up to rub one of her ears with the heel of her hand, Ricki heaved a heavy sigh. She wasn’t satisfied, she was pissed, and she didn’t need that on top of her other frustrations. She almost just wanted to walk away without a word to Vesta, but she had to face the beast she’d found. Walking onto the battlefield, Ricki directed her attention to the Magby, though. Slowing to a stop in front of him, she knelt down and gave the young Pokémon a smile. “Can you hear me...? You’re much more talented than your trainer gives you credit for” she praised, “But, you don’t have to push yourself so hard, this wasn’t such a serious battle.” She dug into her pocket to pull out a treat, glancing behind the Magby to look back at Vesta, wondering what the woman may be doing in response to Ricki’s actions.

[Nigenteki Reikon]

I'M HERE TO WORK, NOT FUCK AROUND

SONG: VICTORY! NOTES: ||PKMN3|PKMN4|PKMN5|PKMN6 Both Vesta and her Pokémon were surprised when their attack missed, not because the Pokémon dodged, but because the Pokémon simply was not there anymore. It took a moment for it to click in the woman’s head that Ricki was forfeiting. In but a few short seconds, the anger that had been bubbling under the surface for so long simmered and cooled to nonexistence. Well, Howi is able to hold his own against an actual trainer. Even if it was against a non-battling Pokémon… and he barely won only through a forfeit…. She snorted softly as she thought it over. Did she even win this? Howi was a few hits away from fainting, and Whismur still had a respectable amount of health left. She barely won this when the Whismur wasn’t even a battler, and only because Richelle pulled the Pokémon out. It didn’t even feel like a victory, even if it was on a technical basis. At the vest least, it was good to know that Howi was talented enough to at least perform well enough against a real trainer, compared to simply defending himself against her father’s Pokémon. Meanwhile, Howi was making his way back to Vesta as he also came to the conclusion that he just won. Unlike Vesta, Howi was more content. A win was a win, even if he didn’t really take out the other Pokémon… right? His smile faded when he saw Vesta’s serious look… apparently not. With a simple mental shake, Howi shrugged off his pain and weakness and suddenly started appearing much healthier, able to control himself much more now that he had concentration to spare. Footsteps caught his attention when he hit the midline of the field, and Howi turned back to Ricki. She asked if he could hear, and after briefly rubbing his ears that still were ringing rather well, he nodded in response. Ricki went on to give him a compliment, something that he didn’t really know how to respond to, but her next comment was something that he did know how to respond to. He shook his head at her, disvaluing her sentiment. Battle rarely was something that deserved not putting your all into, especially when your trainer is Vesta. She wouldn’t be very happy at all if he didn’t perform as best he could, not like she ever really was. Howi then blinked when the treat was offered to him. He wasn’t unfamiliar to the concept of a reward, but one from an opponent was a different situation entirely. He looked back at Vesta questioningly, wondering if it was alright. After a few seconds of thought, Vesta waved her hand in a ‘go ahead’ fashion, wherein Howi took the treat somewhat nervously and ate it, surprised by the quality of its taste. After her Magby finished the treat, Vesta pulled out his Poké Ball and shot out the classic red beam as she returned him. She briefly looked into the ball, saying simply, “Well done,” before pocketing the orb.

[Ricki Jace]

I HAVE 490 WORDS FOR
VESTA DRESSLER

JUST SO YOU KNOW
Feel free to reply, if not. THREAD END.

Seeing the Magby simply disregard her comment that the battle wasn’t worth going all out for, Ricki frowned slightly. Didn’t the young Pokémon know the difference between a real battle and something more for fun? Taking a brief moment to recall how enraged Vesta had been getting when the battle wasn’t going her way, Ricki could see why he was so confused. He was being raised and trained by a woman who only cared for power and battling as far as Ricki had seen. At least it was understandable that he’d be a bit confused about Ricki offering him a treat. It was more so to try and help him start healing up, knowing a Pokémon’s healing process was faster when they had rest and food.

Once the Magby was put away, it was just the two trainers now. Ricki was back up to full height, rubbing her ears to try and get herself free of the last of the ringing. “Can you hear, now?” she asked, waiting for Vesta’s confirmation before giving a curt nod. “Where do you get the nerve to call that Magby disgustingly weak? After all those hits, it was still able to stand. You have a great Pokémon there, and instead of telling people it’s terrible, it wouldn’t kill you to be proud of it” she explained, clearly not pleased with Vesta’s earlier rambling. “You want to train your Pokémon to be stronger? Well, it never hurts to try and stop yelling at them and do more praising for what they do right” she assured, before adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder. She was done here. She was reaching the last straw of her temper today, and Vesta was slowly reaching for that very straw.

Pulling out her wallet, Ricki slipped out a couple of bills and offered them to Vesta. “I lost by forfeit, buy your Pokémon something nice. He seemed to like the treat I gave him, and you can find packs of them at the convenience store nearby” she explained, before pocketing her wallet. “I’m done for the day, so I’m heading off” she informed and started off. She didn’t want to bother with anymore lectures or fighting for the day. Her team would want to relax and play, anyways, and this training zone wasn’t the place for that.

She paused and turned back slightly, before digging into her bag. Pulling out a small sheet of crumbled up paper, she tossed it to Vesta. “You probably won’t bother, but if you want to try and battle again someday, there’s my number” she grumbled, before turning and heading off finally. Admittedly, Ricki was curious to see how this woman would raise her Pokémon. Part of her was eager to see what she’d be like after some more training and battling. Would she get a clue and lay off her Pokémon finally? Or would it just be the same old story?

[Nigenteki Reikon]

I'M HERE TO WORK, NOT FUCK AROUND

SONG: NOTES: Thread End ||PKMN3|PKMN4|PKMN5|PKMN6 Vesta noted how Howi seemed to enjoy the particular treat… it was worthy to note. She liked seeming him happy like that, and he did do well enough, considering the circumstances, that he earned the treat, barely or not. She’d have to find out where she could get some, though the price will be an issue, considering how little money she had. After she returned her Pokémon, Ricki’s voice – now finally audible to a point where a conversation could take – turned Vesta’s head back to her. After giving a curt nod as a confirmation to her first question, the soldier listened to the rogue, and as she did, her eyes only narrowed as her patience thinned even more. Vesta’s serious look turned into a glare when Ricki patronizingly held out money to her. With a growl, she slapped Ricki’s hand with the back of her own. Taking money from the likes of her, after all that she’s said and done… it was inconceivable! If she accepted that money she would allow Ricki the ability to say whatever she wanted and get away with it. “Where do you get off, woman?” Vesta began, “Even ignoring the fact that my training methods are none of your concern, you aren’t even looking at the battle. Howi performed well, but he only won because you forfeited. More than that, that Whismur, as you call it, was one of your weakest Pokémon; I doubt it’s even a battler, and still Howi was easily losing to it! I will be proud of my Pokémon when he wins through means other than a technicality! And, for the record, I praise then when they earn it, when they perform well, when they succeed!” Vesta looked down at the piece of paper and snorted. The day she would call Ricki to battle was the day she turned into an Aipom and flew. Like hell. Her final word on the matter was a mere ‘hmph’ as she turned her back to Ricki, stomping back towards the Pokémon Center. First she had to make sure that Howi was healed, then she would get as far away from that woman as possible.