Within the Heated Earth [Mod/Open]

[Van Akiyama]

After about an hour of swiftly climbing up one of the trails leading up the Hotrock Volcano, Van found himself walking into a small and flat clearing next to the mountainside. It was early evening and the sun was beginning to set below the western horizon, dying the rocks around the volcano hues of fiery red and orange. As the trainer stopped to catch his breath, he began to scan the area he had come across. He could see a thin stream of lava flowing from the side of the volcano and forming into a small pool. However, the pool seemed to be draining as quickly as it was being filled, as it did not rise at all. A few trails could be seen spreading out across the mountain side, each leading into a different cave. A few flat rocks jutted from the ground a few yards to his right that conveniently formed makeshift benches.

After taking another glance around the area, Van diverted from his path, approached the stone benches and sat down. The stone felt surprisingly cool despite the heat and humidity being produced by the nearby lava flow. Letting out a quiet sigh, Van grabbed a water bottle from his pack and took a deep drink from it. Unlike the stone he was sitting on, the water contained within the bottle had become warm due to the heat of the volcano. After placing the bottle back into the holder on his pack, Van glanced up towards the other trails leading up the volcano. Having been absent from the academy and practically laid up in bed for the past few weeks, the trainer had decided to put some hard work in and make up for all of the training he had missed.

Once he had taken a few minutes to finish his rest, Van rose from the cool stone bench and resumed his trek up the volcano. Despite the hot and humid atmosphere, it didn't take long for the trainer to reach the cavern at the end of the long trail. After taking another drink of water from one of his water bottles, Van grabbed the electric lantern from his pack and entered the dark cavern. The cave was a bit cooler and less humid than the outside areas, though not by much. The floor, walls and ceiling of the tunnel were blackened and rough from the heat and ash from the volcano, though the light of the lantern illuminated the caves quite well.

Once he had examined the tunnel and its entrance, Van began his trek deeper into the caves in search of wild Pokemon to challenge and possibly catch.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

"Krokorok!!" a standing gator cried out. You would hear its name echo through out the cavern, as you would hear its charging through the cave! The sounds grew closer & there were actually more than just one. Thank goodness for the spacious cavern path. "Krok!" They all roared through out the cave making sure you would move.

As you travel further into the cave, you seem to be facing two of them face to face. "Krokorok!" They both roared at you, suggesting you leave. Your kind is not appreciated here! The two standing gator pokemon glared you down, waiting for you to move the hell out of the way. They seemed busy & ready to go somewhere, if you wouldnt move aside they would attack.

Summarize:

• Krokorok x2 appeared!
  
• They want you to leave/move out of the way!
  
• Q_Q I honestly didnt read all of your post.
  

[Van Akiyama]

The caves of the mountain had been fairly quiet at first as Van made his way deeper into the system. Off in the distance, he could hear the sounds small rocks falling or being kicked around, his own footsteps and breathing and occasionally the sound of a wild Pokemon. He thought he could hear the sound of thick running liquid as well, though he pushed it aside as his imagination since he was in a volcano. A short time later, the cries of wild Pokemon and footsteps coming closer reached his ears. The cries began to drown out the quieter sounds of the mountain until two Krokorok appeared from the shadows of the cave.

Van stopped in his tracks as the two ground type gators did the same. There was only a moment of silence before both of the Krokorok roared threateningly at him. It seemed that they were telling the trainer to either get out of their way or to leave the area, though Van had a feeling that the wild Pokemon had meant for both. Van met the wild Pokemons' eyes as the Krokorok glared at him and waited for his answer. Part of him wanted to simply move out of the Pokemons' way and continue his trek into the caves, assuming they didn't attack him for trying to do so. A battle with two Pokemon who had access to the Earthquake move could prove disastrous in such an environment. However, he also knew that Krokorok were rather strong and would make a great opponent for the training he had in mind. After a moment of thought, Van plucked two Pokeballs from his belt.

"Verius. Belias. Prepare for battle." Van called as he tossed the two spheres forward. The two devices burst open mid flight to reveal Verius, his Sawsbuck, and Belias, his Marshtomp, in brief flashes of light. Both of the Pokemon glanced around the cave they were in for a moment before focusing their attention on the two Krokorok before them. Both Belias and Verius glanced at each other as they took their battle positions and prepared for battle.

"This will be our first battle since arriving back on the island. I hope you'll allow us a quick training match. Verius, Energy Ball. Belias, Muddy Water" Van ordered. As soon as they had been issued their orders, both of Van's Pokemon had leapt into action. Verius' horns glowed green as an orb of the same color was formed between them. A moment after it had appeared, the Sawsbuck had launched the orb toward the Krokorok on the right. At the same time, Belias had stepped forward and a small whirlpool of brown water had formed under its feet. As Verius had launched the Energy Ball attack, the water at Belias' feet erupted into a tall and wide wave that followed the Energy Ball attack towards the two ground type Pokemon.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

The ground pokemon glared down the trainer. Instead of just being polite & moving, he would charged forward with attacks! While they went forward with their attacks, the pokemon seemed to have already come up with a plan. "Krok." They stared at the called out pokemon. At the sound of the commands, they became annoyed at not wanting to face a water type AND water type move. The two ran off into the distance, letting out massive roars. What they were doing was a surprise for you to find out, while they knew what was going to happen.

Summarize:

• They fled from battle!
  
• Their roaring & making noises!
  
• Remember to post your party.
  

[Van Akiyama]

At the sight of both Belias' and Verius' attacks, both of the Krokorok turned and fled back deeper into the caves, letting out massive roars that echoed through the caves around them as they went. Van shook his head and let out a small sigh as the ground types disappeared into the darkness of the caves. It seemed that his eagerness to battle had gotten the better of him. After glancing around to make sure the gators' cries had not attracted the attention of any Pokemon from behind him, Van approached his two Pokemon and gazed into the shadows of the tunnel ahead. To the trainer, the roars that the Krokorok had been letting out as they fled were obviously warnings to the other wild Pokemon within the caves that he was there. He would most likely be walking into an ambush if he pursued the two Pokemon.

"Alright, let's go after them. Stay on your toes though. We may be walking into an ambush." said Van after taking a few moments to make up his mind. Both Belias and Verius nodded to their trainer's orders, though Verius seemed more reluctant to walk into a potential ambush than Belias did. As they started walking down the cave's path again, Van plucked another Pokeball from his belt and tossed it into the air. The sphere burst opened in midair to release Squall, Van's Honchkrow, out in a quick flash of light. The dark bird circled around the trio for a moment before landing on its trainer's shoulder. Once the bird was safely on his shoulder, the trainer held the electronic lamp higher over his head to illuminate more of the area around them as they made their way down the tunnel.

"Squall, use Nasty Plot to prepare for battle. We may be walking into danger. Keep an eye out behind us as well, in case something tried to blindside us." Van said. The dark bird nodded and turned around on Van's shoulder to face their rear. As he watched the dark passage behind the group, the Honchkrow's body began to glow with a sinister black aura as he powered up with a use of Nasty Plot. Neither Van or his Pokemon were willing to fall into am ambush unprepared.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

While you venture deeply into the cave, it would seem that you found yourself unable to figure out where you are. More roaring could be heard. From something more fierce than last time! It wasnt just a group of crocks this time. The sound would sound closer. Whatever it is, you'd best be ready for battle. Wait a minute! Theres a small hole in the wall near by, the path was silent & went further into the cave...Keep going straight or go through this path...

Summarize:

• More noises!
  
• A new path appeared!
  
• Things are getting interesting.
  

[Van Akiyama]

Van listened to the sounds of the wild Pokemon as he and his Pokemon continued to make their way down the underground path. The closer they got to wherever the two Krokorok had fled to the more it became obvious that they had fled into a group of other Pokemon. The trainer could hear the cries of other Pokemon amidst the roaring of the ground type gators. Glancing around the area, Van realized that they had been led quite deep into the cave systems within, beneath or even beyond the volcano. He wasn't quite sure where they were within the heated earth, but he was quite sure he and his Pokemon would be able to find his way back. After all, Verius had proven itself to have good memory many times in the past.

Finishing his quick scan of the surrounding caves, Van noticed a small path leading off to the side of the cave. There wasn't any sound coming from the smaller path, though it was hard to tell with the Krokoroks' roars echoing through the caves, and it seemed to lead away from the ground types and further into the caves. Van took a moment to think as he pondered which of the two paths he could take. Following the Krokorok would most likely lead to a battle, but with the added voices to the original pair, Van wasn't sure if the cave would survive the encounter. The caves on the island seemed to be made of paper rather than rock. The other path could hold anything as far as he know, ranging from Pokemon to a hidden trove of item to an underground spring.

"Let's go down the side path for now. As tempting as those two Krokorok are, I'm more curious as to what's down there. Verius, back into your ball for now. You wouldn't have much room to maneuver anyways. Belias, watch behind us to make sure none of those Krokorok ambush us from behind." Van said. Verius nodded as Van returned the deer Pokemon to its ultraball. Once the grass type was recalled, the trainer began to walk down the smaller path. He held the electronic lamp high to make sure his path was illuminated so that he would not trip over anything as he went. His other hand hung at his side, lingering by Solum's pokeball in case he needed any sudden protection from anything. Belias took up the rear and kept her eye on the path behind them so that any wild Pokemon couldn't sneak up on them without warning. Squall, uneasy at the thought of being underground, made sure to keep all of its surroundings in check.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

Deciding to take another, seem to be guided by your instinct. A traveler indeed. Up a head you hear loud noises. They sound like the crushing of multiple objects. A pokemon's voice echoed through the smaller cavern path. Literally, it echoed. You couldnt tell what was said exactly, but you did hear something. From behind you, there seems to be no form or sign of danger. Little pokemon rushing past the entrance, not noticing it was there.

Summarize:

• Some pokemon ran past the path's entrance.
  
• Up a head you hear a crushing sound.
  
• Q_Q I havent played a video game in years now.
  

[Van Akiyama]

The cries of the Krokorok faded into echoes as Van and his Pokemon made their way down the small side path. As the trio explored deeper into the cave, the cries of another Pokemon and the loud, distinct sound of crushing stone reached their ears. The loud sound of shattering earth and the Pokemon's cries echoed down the small path and further into the caves behind them. Whatever was lying in wait ahead of them was most likely powerful to be able to make such powerful sounds. The trio did not hesitate as they made their way further down the path.

A few moments later, the sound of several Pokemon shuffling behind the trio's attention. Glancing at the path behind him, Van could see several smaller Pokemon rushing past the entrance of the path he was in. None of the wild Pokemon seemed to notice he or his Pokemon as they continued to stampede past the entrance to the small path. After watching them for a few moments, Van glanced towards Belias and Squall. The two Pokemon nodded at the silent order as Van turned around, held the lantern high to light the caves around them again and continued to make his way down the underground path. Belias kept an eye on the path behind them to make sure they didn't get swarmed from behind as it followed while Squall continued to do what it had been doing before.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

Upp ahead, you would see a stronge pokemon jumping around, swinging its fists at the ground. Darmanitan had appeared! Its fist was covered in a fiery glow. It would see the trainer & shot a mean glare. It wanted the human to leave as well. Having never seen him before, or his pokemon, Darmanitan would stare & resist the urge to launch a fire attack. However, it pointed its hand at Squall. It wanted a match!

Summarize:

• Darmanitan has arrived!
  
• It wants to battle.
  
• "I aint talkin' poultry when I say this chicken's fried!"
  

[Van Akiyama]

After a short walk down the path they had chosen to follow, a large red Pokemon would come into the group's sight. The fire type Pokemon, which Van recognized as a Darmanitan, was jumping around the path and pounding its glowing fists against the ground as it landed. It seemed to Van that the Darmanitan had either used an attack to increase its own abilities or was using an attack to cause its fists to glow. As the trio stopped a short distance away, the Darmanitan spotted them and stopped leaping around to confront them. Van met the fire type's mean spirited with a look of determination as he tried to read the wild Pokemon's state. The trainer had a feeling that it wanted him to leave.

As Van pondered what he was going to do about the large Pokemon that blocked his path, the Darmanitan raised one of its large arms and pointed straight towards Squall. It was obviously a challenge of battle to the Honchkrow. Van glanced over towards Squall to see if it would accept the wild Pokemon's challenge. The dark bird carefully examined and sized the fire type up with its black eyes before letting out what seemed to its trainer like a quiet sigh. Squall took another moment to examine the wild Pokemon before glancing at Belias and nodding towards the water type, who nodded and took its place in front of Van. It seemed that Squall had offered the battle to Belias.

"I see. Well, we'll see where this leads..." Van said quietly to himself. After quickly scanning over the battlefield, the trainer nodded and fixed his eyes on the two combating Pokemon. "Belias, start off with Muddy Water." ordered Van. The trainer watched as a swirling pool of brown water formed at Belias' feet. Upon the Marshtomp's command, the Muddy Water erupted into a large wave that crashed towards the fire type Pokemon. If luck was with Van, the attack would lower the Darmanitan's accuracy if it struck, making the battle easier, though possibly more dangerous.

[dice=10]
If the dice lands on 1-3, Darmanitan's accuracy will be lowered if the attack hits.

[rand=211791196852829326016954717330233914813269430249231592647846172806]

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

Well, seeing as how the flying type didnt want to fight the fire type was discouraged from fighting seeing a marshtomp step up. It would attempt to stand strong and brave like other warriors. The fiery warrior somehow dodged the muddy water attack and aimed another at your marshtomp. "How cheap!" It told the water type, though all Van would hear is the calling of the pokemon's name. Its arms would glow a bright, flashy & shiny white, as they swung at the water type! It was a powerful hammer arm!

Summarize:

• Darmanitan dodged!
  
• It used hammer arm!
  
• Lets get this party started right!
  

[Van Akiyama]

"Impressive..." stated Van. As it seemed that the wave of Muddy Water was about to crash into its target, the wild Darmanitan had found a way to dodge the incoming water attack. It was the first opponent that Van had battled to successfully dodge the attack. Once it was out of harm's way, the fire type began to charge Belias down with an arm glowing white. The trainer recognized the attack as Hammer Arm, having seen the move used a few times in the past. Knowing Darmanitan to be very strong Pokemon, Van was not willing to risk Belias sustaining serious damage to early into the battle.

"Belias, use Protect!" Van ordered. As the Darmanitan charged at Belias and swung its glowing arm at Belias, the Marshtomp drew its arms up in a protective manner. A protective blue-silver aura formed around the Marshtomp, protecting it from any damage that would otherwise befall it during the Protect's duration. As the fire type's arm struck against the protective barrier, Belias took a small step to the side and crouched low to allow the Darmanitan's arm to glance harmlessly across its barrier.

"Now, Hydro Pump!" ordered the trainer. Once the Hammer Arm had been avoided, Belias allowed the protective barrier around it to fade as it dug its feet into the ground and opened its mouth wide. A powerful jet of water erupted forth from the Marshtomp's open mouth at the now point blank Darmanitan. Although the Hydro Pump attack didn't have any extra effects, it would deal a large amount of damage if it hit while hopefully pushing the fire type away at the same time.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

The warrior's attack was blocked by some shield! This would upset the creature, aggrivating it. The following hydro pump would slam into its torso, knocking it back more than a few steps. Standing strong against the powerful aquatic blast, The pokemon's feet would remain planted in the ground to keep it balanced. "Dar!" It cried, charging forward with its arm glowing once more. Lowered sped or not, the attack would deal some good damage.

Summarize:

• Darmanitan took the hit.
  
• It used hammer arm again.
  
• I completely forgot about this thread. *points at never seeing Van*
  

[Van Akiyama]

As the Hydro Pump attack attack struck the Darmanitan, Belias took a few steps away from its opponent. Although the wild Pokemon had been pushed back a short distance by the powerful aquatic attack, it had not been staggered or stunned. The Marshtomp's attacks seemed to aggravate and annoy the fire type even more. As Belias let its Hydro Pump attack end, the Darmanitan let out a fierce cry and once again charged towards the Marshtomp with a glowing arm. Van's eyes narrowed as the wild Pokemon charged in for its second attack. There was hardly any time to issue a command and expect his Pokemon to dodge and he didn't want to risk using Protect again so early. There hadn't been enough time for the attack to fully recharge and there was a large change it would fail if used again so early.

"Belias, roll away!" Van ordered. Despite his order, Van knew that the Marshtomp would be hard pressed to dodge the oncoming attack. As it was struck by the Darmanitan's glowing arm, Belias raised her arms in front of herself in a defensive manner and hopped in the same direction that the Darmanitan had swung its arm. As she was knocked back by the attack, Belias broke her fall by rolling across the ground a few times and hopping back to her feet. Her maneuver would help lower the force and damage it would take from the blow and make recovery much more manageable. It was a something that Van taught to most of his Pokemon for situations when dodging a physical attack was impossible or unfavorable.

"You okay?" Van asked. Belias nodded in response to her trainer's inquiry, but it was clear that they would have to avoid taking multiple hits from the Darmanitan's attacks. Even with the technique that Van had taught her, the wild Pokemon's attacks were still quite strong. "Alright, use Mud Bomb." ordered Van. Hearing her trainer's order, Belias opened its mouth wide and launched a cluster of small spheres of explosive mud at the wild fire type. As with her Muddy Water attack, the Marshtomp's Mud Bomb attack had a chance of lowering the opposing Pokemon's accuracy if it struck.

[dice=10]
If the dice lands on 1-3, Darmanitan's accuracy will be lowered if the attack hits.

[rand=92821786790280373757750660070584692804548135579317294074622107377]

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

The warrior watched as the pokemon seemed to take a hard hit from the attack, feeling no more than slightly sympathetic. The pokemon had already been using typing advantage against it, so no "sorry dude" would utter from this warrior's mouth. Though the use of hammer arm would decrease the speedy of the wild pokemon, it would continue to do what it could. With a new move launched, it was ready to do more. A mud bomb coming straight for it would push it back, while it attempted to crush the small bombs with its hands. "Dar." It said, having completely countered the attack. It would then charge forward in a fierce and destructive stance. It would rush forward, surrounded by spiraling flames. It was coming at Belias with a flare blitz!

Summarize:

• Your attack was countered.
  
• Flare Blitz.
  
• ...Digimon
  

[Van Akiyama]

Van watched the Darmanitan as it managed to block the entire barrage of Mud Bombs. It was certainly strong to be able to block a super effective attack without the use of a move. Even so, there was no way that it had remained completely undamaged from blocking an attack that way. Once the Mud Bombs had been completely blocked, the Darmanitan gave what seemed to be a proud call of its name before beginning yet another charge towards Belias. As it charged towards the Marshtomp, the wild Pokemon gave out a second, more fierce cry of its name and engulfed itself in intense flames. Due to the Hammer Arm it had used before, the Darmanitan's charge was noticeably slower than before.

"Dodge it." Van ordered calmly. With the distance between the two Pokemon and the lowered speed of the fire type, there was plenty of time for Belias to dodge the incoming attack. As the the flaming Darmanitan bore down on her, the Marshtomp made a quick leap to the side to allow her opponent to charge harmlessly past. "Now, use Muddy Water!" Van ordered as Belias dodged. The Marshtomp formed whirlpool of brown water at her feet almost as soon as her feet had hit the rocky floor. Once Belias had pointed towards her foe, a wave of Muddy Water erupted from the whirlpool at the Marshtomp's feet and crashed towards the Darmanitan.

As she launched her attack, Belias allowed a small smile to form on her lips. The Marshtomp was clearly enjoying the battle. Although she usually sparred against both Squall and Verius on a daily basis, she still loved a good battle against a new and strong opponent. The mud fish Pokemon obviously felt no regret in using super effective moves against its opponent. Like the Darmanitan's apparent strategy of using brute force to overpower its opponents, using her type advantage to gain the upper hand was a good strategy to use and nothing she felt the need to apologize for.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

Another incoming water attack. The annoyed pokemon would become a bit more enraged. The trainer & pokemon seemed to enjoy using water type attacks to gain the upper hand, instead of actually training with fair regularly effective moves, but it wasnt like the pokemon's opinion mattered. "Dar." It yelled out, struck by the muddy water! With a thud it landed, face planting in the ground. "...Dar." It cried out, getting back on its feet slowly.

"Dar!" It snapped at the pokemon & its trainer. A large red bump could be seen on its forehead. It then glowed a bright orange colored & launched flames in multiple directions, mainly towards Belias. Its an overheat! You pissed it off.

Summarize:

• It has a bump on its head.
  
• Its pissed & launched overheat!
  
• Darn typing
  

[Van Akiyama]

For a moment, the Darmanitan disappeared the sight of Van and his Pokemon as the wave of Muddy Water swept it off its feet. They could hear the wild Pokemon's cry as the aquatic attack dropped it hard on the floor. As the water from the attack receded, Van could see the fire type lying face down where it had fallen the cave floor. As expected, the large Pokemon rose up soon after the Muddy Water attack had receded. He knew better than to presume it beaten though, since it had already taken a Hydro Pump and a Mud Bomb without showing signs of weakness yet. Once it was back on its feet, the wild Pokemon gave an enraged roar of its name from the injury it had received. An orange glow surrounded it a moment before it began to shoot its Overheat attack everywhere, though most of its was directed at Belias. Van leaped back and behind a nearby stalagmite to avoid most of the flames, though still felt the heat of the flames lick across his arms.

"Belias, are you alright?" Van called as he left the safety of the stalagmite. He could see the Marshtomp standing only a few steps back from the spot it had been when the attack was launched. She was crouched low with her arms up in a defensive manner to cover a fair amount of her body. Luckily, Darmanitan weren't exactly the most powerful users of special based attacks, so the damage the Marshtomp had taken was small compared to the Hammer Arm she had taken before. As she heard her trainer's call, Belias lowered her arms and nodded. The smile from her face was gone and had been replaced with a look of concentration and anger. The Darmanitan had threatened the safety of her trainer, something that she wouldn't accept in a battle between two Pokemon. The battle had just gotten much more serious for the Marshtomp and her trainer.

"Alright, use Mud Shot." Van ordered. Digging its feet into the ground, Belias opened its mouth wide to launch a single, large ball of mud at the opposing Darmanitan at high speeds. Although it was larger than the orbs of mud from the Mud Bomb attack, this attack was slightly weaker than its explosive counterpart. Even so, the size of the sphere would assure that some mud would find its way onto the Darmanitan and lower its accuracy while also doing some damage if it hit.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

Another incoming water attack. The annoyed pokemon would become a bit more enraged. The trainer & pokemon seemed to enjoy using water type attacks to gain the upper hand, instead of actually training with fair regularly effective moves, but it wasnt like the pokemon's opinion mattered. "Dar." It yelled out, struck by the muddy water! With a thud it landed, face planting in the ground. "...Dar." It cried out, getting back on its feet slowly.

Its attack wasnt the most effective, nor was it able to hurt Van. though it wasnt aiming to The monstrous beast would give out a war cry, panting somewhat heavily, seeing the stream of water come its way. With its speed having been lowered, the creature would have its left arm glow and slam it against the wall to its left.

This would push the pokemon away form the mud shot. Suddenly, you could hear a faint crying coming from somewhere in the cave. "Dar..." The warrior turned away from you, to see what it was. Pointing at the path from earlier, it attempted to show you that something was coming. It then turned to its left and slammed its fist into the walls of the cavern. Suddenly the stones would crumble, revealing a new cave. The pokemon urged you to go forward.

Summarize:

• It dodged.
  
• It opened a new path.
  
• Q_Q I cant wait to get another frap <3
  

[Van Akiyama]

As the Mud Shot was launched towards it, the wild Darmanitan's arm began to glow as it had when it was jumping around before. However, instead of countering the attack as it had before, the fire type struck the wall next to it and shoved itself out of the way of Mud Shot attack. The large orb of mud shot off into the darkness of the cavern, detonating a short distance away from the battle and raining a few bits of mud back onto the battlefield. Belias was already ready to dodge or guard against any counter the fire type had when a faint cry echoed through the tunnel they were in. Van crossed his arms and watched as the Darmanitan abandoned the battle to glance in the direction the cry had come from. After a moment, the fire type pointed down the same tunnel the cry had come from.

"Is something coming?" Van asked. The trainer cast a short glance down the tunnel the wild Pokemon had indicated as he listened to the faint cries coming from deeper within the caves. He wouldn't be surprised if the sounds of their battles had echoed far enough to attract the attention of something stronger than the Darmanitan he was battling or a horde of Pokemon in general. It didn't seem like the Darmanitan's nature to simply abandon a battle simply because of a simply cry. As he turned his gaze back towards the wild Pokemon, Van saw it approaching the wall to its left. Lifting its powerful, glowing arm again, the Blazing Pokemon struck the wall. The stone where the Pokemon had struck crumbled and fell to reveal yet another passage. The Darmanitan pointed down the tunnel, urging Van and his Pokemon to enter the newly revealed passage.

Van sighed as he thought about his options. On one hand, he didn't know if he could trust the Darmanitan enough to enter the passage it had opened for them. For all he knew, he would be walking into a trap the Darmanitan had set to use against opponents it was going to lose against. On the other hand, it didn't seem like the Darmanitan would resort to such tricks to beat its foes. After a few moments of silent thought, Van sighed again and glanced towards his Pokemon. Both Belias and Squall nodded in silent agreement.

"Alright." Van said quietly. After casting one last glance back through the tunnels, Van carefully entered the tunnel the Darmanitan had made. As they entered the tunnel, Belias kept a close eye on the Darmanitan while Squall kept its black eyes on the tunnels behind them. The trio still wasn't sure if they could trust the fire type, but an encounter with something beyond their limits to defeat without causing some sort of cave in or damage to the caves wasn't likely to end well. At the very least, Squall would likely be able to blast their way out if something went wrong.

[Raize Phoenix]

--Mod Post--

The fire type rushed in front of Van, to put himself in danger before risking the others. It power walked off, hoping Van and his pals would follow. The creature took them through a secret & hidden path that only the pokemon of. Soon light could be seen shining from the opposing end! "Dar!" It told the trainer, pointing towards the exit.

Walking outside, you'd seem to have left the cavern. Running a few feet away, he would pull out a small berry and eat it whole. Suddenly his voice would echo through the area. "Dar!" He cried out, beating his chest. Returning to a less hyper attitude, he would point at the bird pokemon once more. Either he'd fight the bird or leave.

Summarize:

• He led you out of the cave.
  
• He challenged Squall.
  
• Rehearsal~
  

[Van Akiyama]

After a short trek through the hidden path the Darmanitan was leading them through, a light became visible at the end of the tunnel. It seemed that it was leading the trio out of the caves and back to the surface. Van and and his Pokemon took deep breaths as a wave of warm air washed over them and let it out in a refreshed sigh. Although he enjoyed ventures into the unknown earth, the trainer found the open and fresh air of the surface much more preferable. Even Squall seemed to be relieved to be out of the dark caves and back above ground again.

After stretching and allowing his eyes to adjust to the bright sunlight, Van looked towards the Darmanitan and watched as it pulled out and ate a berry whole. Once the fruit had revitalized it, the wild Pokemon beat its chest energetically and pointed towards Squall. Van glanced towards the dark bird as the fire type remade its challenge to him again. The Darmanitan's stubborn will to fight the crow was beginning to get slightly annoying. However, it had led them out of the caves and away from the approaching danger and seemed fairly close to just leaving if it didn't get its way.

"Alright then. You're up Squall." Van said. The Honchkrow locked eyes with the Darmanitan before nodding and taking flight from his trainer shoulder. The bird began to circle the soon-to-be battlefield on as it waited for its trainer's first orders. Belias seemed to hold back a wave of annoyance as it silently took a place at its trainer's side to watch the battle. After surveying the relatively empty area they had chosen for the confrontation and his opponent, Van glanced up towards Squall to make sure he was ready.

"Alright Squall, use Nasty Plot." Van ordered. Squall let out a small squawk as a black aura of power formed around its body, raising its special attack capabilities by a great amount. "Now, Taunt!" called Van. As the black aura from Nasty Plot faded away, Squall dropped to the Darmanitan's eye level and began taunting the wild Pokemon in an insulting way. If all went well, the Darmanitan's inability to use non-attacking moves for a short duration would put Squall at a huge advantage.