Pokemón : The Price of caution

resulting smoke clears, it reveals a smaller area of effect on the smoldering log. Not by much, as only a few inches of intact bark remain at the edge of the log, but the improvement is still noticeable.

Lee grins and strokes Vulpix gently down her back, making the vulpine smile slightly and purr under his hand. "Great work, love. Memorize the feeling of narrowing down your attacks like that. I can already imagine the faces of some flyer when they think they're safely out of range only for a rail of Embers and shoot them down. And yes I meant 'rail' and not 'hail'."

Vulpix preens under the praise and turns her nose up, a small smile on her face. Her trainer shakes his head, but he wears a smile as well.

"Heeeey Leeeee!"

Both Lee and Vulpix look up to see Brendan racing towards them from the lab with a blinding grin on his face, but he's not alone. Scampering at his heels is a large Mudkip that follows him closely. 'The starters must have come in, and Brendan got the pick of the litter. That Mudkip must be a good six inches taller than normal,' Lee thinks to himself. "Morning Brendan. I take it the starters are in?"

Brendan and Mudkip stop just short of Lee, both youngsters needing to skid to bleed off momentum. Brendan's megawatt grin is almost dazzling in its intensity. "You know it! Just look at this guy! Isn't he fantastic?" He asks, bending down to pick up and cradle the mudfish pokemon, who accepts the attention with a happy "Mudkip!"

Lee can't help but smile fondly at the scene. The sheer joy and wonder on Brendan's face reminds him of himself when he began his career in animals. "He's certainly a biggun. You two will go far together, I can already tell."

Both boy and pokemon flush under the praise, but Brendan bounces back quickly. "So dad said you and Vulpix were out here training? Pokemon grow fastest in battle, soooo how about we battle, huh?" The question makes Lee freeze. 'I've spent the last few nights gazing up at the ceiling, dreaming up battle strats now that the game rules aren't a concern, but the prospect of actually battling... Can I actually order a pokemon to be harmed?' 'Can I stand to see Vulpix get hurt?'

The very thought makes his gut twist into a chilled knot. All he can imagine is cries of agony, cries of accusation. Why didn't you do anything Lee? Who said I wanted to fight?

"Vulpix!"

Vulpix steps up with narrowed eyes and a flick of her heart-marked ear, sliding against Lee's left as she steps forward and plants herself in front of her trainer, facing Brendan.

"She's eager," Brendan grins, looking back up to Lee. "So how about it?"

Lee gulps and does his best to keep his voice from trembling. "Y-Yeah, if Vulpix wants to, then I'm game."

The boy pumps a fist and retreats back about seventy feet before putting his Mudkip down, who steps forward with confidence.

Vulpix assumes a ready stance, her head low and tails fanned out. She glances back to Lee, her normally placid eyes filled with burning energy and such eagerness that the man is almost taken aback.

'They're much hardier than people and made for combat,' a little voice in the back of Lee's head says, condescension dripping from every word. 'A battle with a fresh starter won't hurt her. Man up and live your dream.' Lee gulps again, his tension slowly draining in favor of a nervous energy that threatens to make his limbs shake. He quickly pulls out his Pokedex and points it at Vulpix after hitting the mute button. The Dex lights up with a picture of Vulpix, then quickly lists Vulpix's attributes. Lee skips all that and goes directly down to the movelist.

Ember, Tail Whip, Roar, Baby-Doll Eyes, Quick Attack, Confuse Ray, Fire Spin, Payback, Will-O-Wisp.

The list is still the same as it was the first time he scanned Vulpix, and he quickly dedicates it to memory before stashing away his Dex. "So how are we doing this?" Brendan calls from across the way. "Forfeit or knockout good?"

Lee steels himself and nods. "That's fine. If either side calls a timeout or gives up then it stops immediately, okay? And are you sure Brendan? Even with a type advantage on your side, Vulpix isn't a pushover." A small part of Lee hopes Brendan reconsiders, but he just grins and dashes those hopes. "No way. That's the whole reason we want to battle."

The older trainer sighs. "Vulpix, ready?" He asks despite knowing the answer. The fox growls, her hackles raised and tails lashing as she and Mudkip locked eyes.

Brendan looks at his feet and picks up a rock. "When this rock hits the ground, the battle begins," and without waiting for a reply, he tosses the rock into the middle of the impromptu arena. Time seems to slow as Lee both watches the stone and takes in the entire field from his peripherals.

'The wind is traveling southward and the arena has a slight tilt to the south,' Lee thinks silently as the stone inches closer to the ground and his nervousness transforms back into high-strung tension. 'The area is sparse grass, mostly dirt. Little danger of a wildfire. The other Pokemon in the corral have backed up, so little danger of collateral. Mudkip is about fifty feet out.' The stone is almost to the ground. 'Start strong. Debuff stack DOT, then use Vulpix's speed to play keep away. The Mudkip line has unreal physical attack, so we'll start out with...' Thud! The stone bounces off the ground.

"Vulpix, Baby-Doll Eyes!" Lee orders before Brendan or Mudkip can even move.

The vixen lets her hackles fall and looks intently at Mudkip with wide, sparkling eyes filled with false innocence. Her chocolate orbs faintly glow with Fairy energy. Mudkip falters, as if suddenly having second thoughts about fighting. At the same time, the sunlight suddenly becomes sweltering as Vulpix's Drought activates, and Mudkip flinches and sways on his feet.

"W-What gives?" Brendan calls, shielding his eyes from the harsh sun with a grimace. "How did Vulpix use Sunny Day and Baby-Doll Eyes at once?"

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