River Bank Chase (Complete)

[Domino]

// Riverbank Chase//

Giving others a chance to reveal their true selves to me would be a waste of time. Besides, making them suffer is much more fun.

Sundance ,Vanitas

Domino's trip to the river was meant to be quite the boring one. The current day at the river side was as pleasant as the smooth water that passed by, allowing any life that lived in the crystal waters to keep up with the currents without any fear of being swept away. That's what it looked like to her anyway. For all Domino knew, if anyone who to end up in that water that wasn't a fish or a Water-Type, they could be taken far away from the covering of the fog.

That thought certainly intrigued Domino, causing the slightest of smirks to slowly spread across her white face, the yellow circle on her cheeks buzzing. But that wasn't what this day would bring her. Yuck. It was so pleasant it made her want to puke all over it. She needed something, anything that could make this day as bleak as it should be with all the fog everywhere. 

Well, luck for her, the fog kept the day from being too pleasant, but still. The lack of fog in this general area allowed for some carefree attitude, something that Domino didn't appreciate as much as most Pokemon would. This brought Domino in a particularly sour mood, as most days tended to. She needed someone, anyone to piss off or pick on. Something that could make this puke fest a little less boring...

Unfortunately there weren't a lot of Pokemon weaker than her. If there was, she was bound to shove them into that lovely water and watch gleefully as they struggle to get out. Would she get away with that? Maybe, but that didn't concern Domino. At this point, she was willing to do anything to get herself out of this extreme boredom...

♥ Chou

[Sundance]

A soft breeze carried through the bustling town of Andalusst, the wind carrying idle chatter of the marketplace on it's wings. The scent of recently cut grass filled the air while the quiet bubble of the river made for a relaxing place to cool down on a rather warm day. The grass tickled the Panpour's feet as he trotted down the peak of a hill to beneath the shade of a strong, regal willow tree that hung over the river with proud boughs. A care-free smile was made upon the Panpour's face as he did so, the taste of chocolate-covered Rawst Berries still fresh in his mouth.

Araxie always liked going to the river after buying some fresh sweets from the marketplace. Laying beside him was a bag of various candied berries and even some Poffins made of many fruits, and on the other side was his pouch of Pokedollars, unprotected due to the little activity of the usually bustling River. With a sigh, Araxie leaned back and popped another Rawst berry into his mouth, this time covered with white chocolate. Biting down, the Panpour casually chewed, listening to the gentle babble of the water beside the tree.

[Vanitas]

Almost an hour had past since he had met the awkward Shinx that did not seem to have any interest in further interaction with him after her accident. He had not minded though, as some destinies were simply not meant to unite, unlike his own and Nix's. Eventually however, he felt it was time to get up again and return to his business. Hence he did, walking along the shore of the river with the drive to get to the guild and see how things were going.

Without much concern, he eventually spotted 2 pokemons. One of them an Emolga, who looked rather cantakerous. Probably had a bad day or something, so Van decided to leave it alone. The second one was a Panpour, who seemed much more happy with the day as it was, likely because of its candies, which Van liked to see. Despite the town being a prison, it at least allowed pokemons live a serendipitous life.

The sudden, mild breeze delighted the Sneasel's heart, especially as it was mixed with the sweet smell of freshly cut grass. He took in a deep breath with through his nose, shuttering a little bit out of pleasure. He enjoyed the atmosphere of this place quite a lot; the smells, the noises... if the fog did not exist, he would call this a beautiful home without question. 

[Domino]

// Riverbank Chase//

When an opportunity presents itself, snatch it!

Sundance ,Vanitas

As Domino trudged down the side of the river, the Emolga plopped herself onto the soft grass, compelling the young Pokemon to grab a pawful of it without yanking any of them out of the ground. Domino slouched and sighed, frustrated at the sheer boredom that was absolutely unrelenting. She then breathed in through her nose, allowing a bit of a scent to enter her nose. Taking in a bit of the whiff, the Emolga noticed that two Pokemon had joined her in this rather boring land. One was some sort of Dark-Type that she barely even noticed. Domino didn’t care to look at it, nor did she care to know what it was. It didn’t have anything that interested her, and it wasn’t like her was close enough to the lake to shove in.

No, her attention was on the little blue monkey munching on his little berries. He seemed so content, chewing his little treats that it caused even the Emolga’s mouth to water. Aside from that was a pile of money sitting beside the Panpour completely unprotected. This gave the Emolga a deviously awful idea: Domino was going to snatch everything that this Panpour had and dash. It made her so eager that she seemed to have forgotten the presence of the dark blue Pokemon that had initially ignored her almost as much as she ignored him.

Straightening herself up, attempting to hide the devious smirk that was trying to form on her lips, Domino casually got up and walked in the direction of the Panpour before forming a deceivingly pleasant grin in case the monkey looked at her. She walked in front of him, but just as she passed him, Domino turned around and let loose a ThunderShock, seemingly out of nowhere. If that went like how she wanted, she would scoop up the money and all of the goodies and glide away with no problem.

♥ Chou

[Sundance]

A content smile on his face, the blue Panpour buried one of his hands in the soft, verdant grass beneath him, long tail swishing in the green as he happily went about eating his snacks. Eating the chocolate-covered Rawst Berry to it's stem, Araxie threw it to his side, moving his palms to inspect the contents of his bags once more. His wide eyes searched the sweets with excitement, finally landing on a particularly nice looking poffin, orange and yellow in hue with the delectable scent of the aromatic Sitrus Berry. Grinning, he reached in and grabbed it, immediately taking a large bite of it.

The panpour seemed so distracted by his sweets that he barely noticed the two Pokemon that had also gathered on the careful banks of the river. One was too far away to be of worry, but the fact that he didn't notice the approaching Emolga was a sort of worry; perhaps he should be more alert? The un-observant Araxie continued to bite into the soft poffin with gusto and glee, only noticing Domino when her steps had grown close enough to be heard. Glancing up with a face full of poffin, he quirked a brow and swallowed, opening his mouth to say something quickly.

However, as he opened his mouth to speak, the Panpour was shocked with an electrifying bolt of energy, making him elicit a soft cry of agony. As soon as the effects of the thunderbolt wore off and he recovered from the shock, Araxie's eyes immediately shifted to his sides, only to find all of his belongings had gone missing. Letting out a gasp, he rose with panic, looking after the running Emolga with wide eyes. "Thief, thief! That emolga stole my money!" he shouted loudly, hoping someone, somewhere, might hear him. he also wanted his sweets back, they tasted good and cost a bit of money, too.

[/quote]

[Vanitas]

The sudden sounds of electricity crackling through the air got Van out of his state of being engrossed in his own thoughts. Tilting his head towards the origin of the sound, he saw the crime happening right in front of his eyes. The Emolga had attacked the Panpour and was preparing itself to take all of the innocent pokemon's stuff. But not on his watch. Stealing things was one thing, but hurting someone was going way too far, and he would not allow it to happen again.

With speed that rivaled the velocity of the Emolga, he sprinted towards the blue monkey pokemon, only to run straight past it. "Don't worry, I'll get that Emolga! Just stay here!" He shouted in between breaths, letting the Panpour know he was there to care of things. All the Panpour had to do was follow his instructions to see its belongings back again. 

Like a shadow that had manifested as a being, the Sneasel pursuited the gliding Emolga outlaw, grass waving violently around him with each step he took. His gaze was completly focused on the electric flying pokemon; and his talons were ready to punish it if it would not surrender. "Stop right now, bandit!" He yelled, his voice echoing in the wind several times. 

That was the problem about serenity, it was so easily shattered by a pokemon driven by selfishness. But that was also why he was here, to protect that very serenity. And the only thing to follow up his intentions with actions was to get in close range. But if the thief would not change its tactics, then it would only be a matter of time before the higher-leveled Sneasel would end this chase victoriously. 

[Domino]

// Riverbank Chase//

You can't catch a squirrel without a trap!

Sundance ,Vanitas
As the Emolga gathered all of the Panpour’s belongings, Domino stuffed all of the money into the pouch along with anything else that wasn’t already in it. She looped it around her neck as she was running before taking off the ground with a very eager smirk across her face. The Panpour’s slow reaction gave her a good amount of distance from her victim before she took off, and when she heard the poor thing yelling out for anyone to help, Domino could help but chuckle at his pain. He wouldn’t be able to stop her, not if he couldn’t handle a measly little ThunderShock.

Domino was having too much fun until her moment was ruined by the nosy Dark-Type Pokemon. Domino glanced back at the skinny, fast Pokemon and recognized it as a Sneasel. This new information caused the Emolga to give a growl as a scowl formed on her face. Perhaps she was a little too eager to commit this crime. Those claws made it clear that she had a bit of a disadvantage against an Ice-Type, but that only made her think harder about her next step. Domino wasn’t about to quit, but she would definitely keep her Iron Tail in mind as she tried to get away.

Without a word, Domino turned back at the Sneasel, pulled down her lower lid of her left eye and stuck out her tongue. Making her point clear, Domino turned herself around and straightened herself out, moving herself forward with a Quick Attack. As long as she kept to the skies, these treats were as good as hers.

♥ Chou

[Vanitas]

A growl? Guess this outlaw-pokemon might as could be tainted by the fog considering its primitive behaviour. Van was certain the Emolga was even enjoying this, which he could not allow to continue. It had to learn its lesson and place, and he would make sure she would get it, one way or the other. They were already trying to save the world, they did not have time to deal with such inferior pokemons like the Emolga as well. No tolerance was his guideline, and he would follow through with it.

The chase continued in almost a straight line for good half a minute, Van getting inches closer with each passing second. But instead of the outlaw performing some sort of smart strategy against him, she was... taunting him? This made him show her his sharp teeth, signifying that he meant serious business and that such foolish behaviour would not bring him out of composure. The opposite was the case, as his desire to 'punish' her was now even greater.

Beholding her turn around again, he watched as she used a series of Quick attacks, to widen the gap between them. "Oh no you don't." He yelled after her, briefly channeling his energy before doing the same as her. With Quick Attack, it was like he was teleporting several meters with each step, like a dark flash that blinking in and out of existence. Quick Attack usually was very impressive to look at, but this kind of chase of 2 pokemons with Quick Attack looked right out of a cheap anime with superpowered characters. 

"Give up! I am faster than you!" He yelled after her, once again managing to inch himself closer to her with each passing seconds. They could use Quick Attack until utter exhaustion, but since that was no viable escape tactic for the outlaw, he already prepared his mind for the next plot it would perform. 

[Domino]

// Riverbank Chase//

Anything you can do I can do better!

Sundance ,Vanitas
Domino’s swift get away was once again shifted as the Sneasel was making his way closer to her than she originally thought that he could. Quite the persistent little weasel, wasn’t he? And quite confident, too. She wondered how long he would be able to keep up with her, or how long she’d be able to keep up her chase. Domino initially thought he was bluffing when he said that he was faster than her, but as the distance between them became smaller, Domino started taking this situation seriously.

As the distance grew smaller, Domino had to think quickly if she didn’t want to freeze. The Emolga glanced at the river and another smirk formed on her face. If she couldn’t out run him, maybe she could use his own speed against him! Making a sharp turn toward the lake, Domino flew over parts of the water and landed on a rock in the center of the river. She glanced at the water and watched as the water flowed by. She smirked as she continued to glide over the water until she was on the other side, looking back at her chaser as she expected him to continue the chase.

Domino placed all four limbs on the ground as she waited for his next step. He could rush across the water, but that was exactly what she wanted. Waving her tail over the grass, the moment that Sneasel would be close enough to water, she would dip her tail into the water and bam! If that didn’t work, she kept her tail in mind for another, possibly more effective approach. Domino’s smirk widened at the thought of smearing that confidence off of his face. She was just as eager to get away as he was to catch her at least.

Domino caught the Sneasel’s gaze as she allowed a toothy grin to spread across her face. This may have looked cute on other Emolga, but this gave her quite the sinister expression. A white sheen covered her tail as she dared the one opposing her to try to make his way over that water. This game was starting to get really fun.

♥ Chou

[Vanitas]

Gosh, this chase had been going on for at least a minute by now, and Van could definetly feel his lungs begging his body to stop and hear his heart beat as loud as a drum. Give that outlaw some credit, she was as tenacious as he was. Though he wondered how long she could sustain these high speeds, especially compared to him. But... no, he mustn't fail here. He had to get the things of her victim back so justice would be served.

A sudden sharp turn by the Emolga made him briefly break and slide over the grassy ground, before pushing himself with a tilted body towards the direction in which the hostile pokemon flow to resume the chase. That made him lose a couple of valueable meters, but nothing was quite lost yet. What was unfortunate however was that he was heading right towards the lake. Clever dastardly pokemon this Emolga was.

But she too made a mistake by landing on a rock in the middle of the lake, effectively reducing all distance she had to zero. Still, while continuing to speed towards the lake, he had to think quickly on how to cross it as the Emolga continued to glide towads the other side. But he got an idea. Encasing his talons in a thick aura of ice with his Ice Punch technique, he began breaking, sliding once more over the surface of the shore. Kneeling while sliding, he dug his icy talons in front of him into the water, causing a very thin layer of ice to emerge beneath his feet. He was ice surfing, though not for long; just a single second.

Once his ice energy from the usage of Ice Punch ran out, he pushed himself of the quickly melting ice layer and leapt towards rock the Emolga had just sat on, using his speed to continue jumping from rock to rock. Swimming would simply make him use valueable seconds and slow him down due to soaking him in general, so he tried to do what was best... and looked stylish while doing so.

While leaping from rock to rock, he had his talons readied, since the Emolga seemed to just stand there on all of her fours, ready to fight him. Of course one of his claws was wet from being used to briefly ice surf. No... no wait! He realized just now that this was supposed to be a trap all along. Of course, she was an electric pokemon. If he would have jumped into the lake, she would have simply shocked him. Once again, credit to this Emolga, she was a clever dastardly pokemon. It appeared for once, mere fortune had saved him, which he mustn't allow to become a habit.

Still, it was possible that the Emolga had another ace in her sleeves, since the sinister look she gave him was nothing he could be happy about. But what could it be? What could this Emolga do to get rid off her persuer? Whatever it was, it likely involved the white sheen of her tail. Would she still try to shock him? "No guts to fight me, eh?" He exclaimed with a taunting voice. Usually, outlaws were rather emotional creatures despite hiding it, so perhabs he could make her stay and fight? "I don't need my type advantage to put you in your place." He added, every word interrupted by a gasp for air as he lept from rock to rock. 

[Domino]

// Riverbank Chase//

Round and round the mulberry bush, the monkey chased the weasel! Pop goes the weasel!

Vanitas
Domino felt her head tilt to the side as her smirk faltered just a bit. He was getting tired already? The chase wasn’t going on for that long. That was when she had felt the strain on her own lungs and sort of coughed at her own fatigue. There we go. She shook it off and regained her composure as quickly as she had lost it, keeping her sheened tail in the air. The fact that he didn’t start swimming across the river only slightly disappointed her as she still had plenty of tricks up her sleeve. Using his speed against him was working well, but she couldn’t forever. She needed to change things up a bit, but for now this was what she had.

The sheen on her tail hardened becoming a full out Iron Tail as she tried to gain control of her emotions. Domino didn’t like her pride being poked, but she knew very well that this was a fight she couldn’t win. The only way she’d be able to get away from him was to run away and distract him. However, his little comments made it much easier to do what she was about to do. As the Sneasel resumed his chase one rock at a time, the Emolga slammed her Iron Tail into the water, splashing a tiny spray of water at the ever closer chaser. After that, her tactics changed from Iron Tail to ThunderShock as she let out the somewhat weak electric attack onto the spray of water allowing anyone in contact to be electrocuted.

Whether or not it did work, she took what might have been a small distraction as a chance to escape. “I’d love to stick around and see what kinds of ways you can try and outsmart me,” she giggled. “But I think I have a little date with these treats.” As she began flying again, she stuck her paw into the bag, took out a poffin, and stuffed it into her mouth. Domino could tell her emotions were rising up after that rather irritating comment from her adversary. Even if it didn’t seem like it, the Sneasel seemed to have the right idea.

♥ Chou

[Vanitas]

Oh no, the Emolga had definetly misunderstood Van this time. Only because his body was asking him to stop, he would not stop. He was that kind of guy that accepted having to strain his body over the borders of what many would consider healthy, at least if it was required. And the current situation ask this from him, so he would push himself to utter exhaustion if it was necessary. Besides, the Emolga had an advantage since she was flying. Much less friction, hence less energy consumed. But it was not like she was in perfect condition either, which was a good sign to the Sneasel.

As Van leapt from rock to rock, he noticed the thief's tail hardening, like she was using the Iron Tail technique. Following her movements with his eyes, he tried to deceiver what she was attempting to accomplish with that. He wondered... did his taunts work or not? He was not too sure, so he readied himself for anything that might come. Still, he did not expect the Emolga not attack him, but the surface of the water, causing it to soar towards him. Not only that, but it was directly followed up by a ThunderShock. And Unfortunately, Van could not slow down. There was only one chance... bear through the pain.

Making a very powerful leap from a rock near the shore, he jumped directly into the splash of water, his arms protecting his eyes. Soon after, he could feel the electricity puncturing his body, though thankfully, it was only a rather weak attack. Still, it made him groan, and he did so once again as he landed on the shore chest first, rolling over several times before coming to a halt. This had been rather unpleasant, but at least he was still going. No time to beat the dirst out of his fur though.

As he stood up, he listened to the now distant words of the Emolga taunting him. "The only date you will have is with a prison cell!" He exclaimed, shaking his head before resuming pursuit with a series of Quick Attacks. Still, the Emolga had easily put some distance between them, forcing the Sneasel to use his power energy within to make up for it again via Quick Attacks.

"Or my talons; your choice!" He added to his former yell, threatening the Emolga to harm it if would not give up. His heart was beating violently by now, his throat starting to feel numb and sore. But he could not let this fiend escape. Darn it, why were all of his attacks close combat?

[Domino]

// Riverbank Chase//

Giving others a chance to reveal their true selves to me would be a waste of time. Besides, making them suffer is much more fun.

Sundance ,Vanitas

That Sneasel! He was a blast messing around with! Domino almost choked on her poffin from laughing she was having so much fun. It did feel good when a strategy of hers worked to her advantage. It allowed her to give herself a bit of a breathe as well as gain a bit of a distance, ensuring that she would last longer than she would have otherwise. And thanks to her natural ability to glide, all of that stamina she would have wasted had she been a normal Electric-Type was saved instead. She felt so confident at that point, that she was popping the candied berries into her mouth one by one.

There were a couple of Chesto Berries in the batch, so she took a bite out of it spit and tossed it back at the pursuing Sneasel. It was then that she noticed that he was using the Quick Attack technique again. Okay, maybe she was too confident at that moment. Domino needed to focus. There was plenty of time to celebrate after she escaped. She stiffened as she quickly used her own Quick Attacks, and another sharp turn. This time, not toward the river but toward the real reasons she crossed the river. Instead of trying to hide in one big tree, she scurried up a tree “Come and get me, Weasel!” she taunted, sticking her tongue out and disappeared, hopping from tree to tree and vanishing among the leaves.

The water was one thing, but Domino was intrigued in how he was going to find her in her element. Domino grew up among the trees and has learned many ways of stealth in many different seasons. Even the fog wouldn’t have made a difference. If anything, if would have hidden her even more. Now the odds was just about completely against the poor Sneasel as she searched for a place to hide and enjoy her treats in peace. Perhaps even hide the money she had gathered, start a stash of stolen goods.

But still, he could surprise her, and something in her hoped he would. After all, what good would this have been if there wasn’t anyone to taunt anymore. She wanted to milk this as long as she could. How could this new scheme of hers be thwarted, if it could? Feeling hiddened among the trees enough, Domino stopped and pinned herself against the tree, her ears large and wide in attention. If he heard any slight noise, she would continue her scurry, but there was a chance that she underestimated the distance between them.

♥ Chou

[Vanitas]

The Emolga was enjoying herself way too much, but Van would make sure she wouldn't be laughing for long anymore. He was fed up with this chase and simply wanted to pay the Emolga a harsh lesson in poetic justice. And it appeared, since it continued to resist him, that was exactly what would occur soon. The Emolga may enjoy herself the stolen candies, because that would be the last enjoyment she would experience for a long time. She would have to repay the Panpour for everything she took anyway, so it really was of no concern to him that she consumed some of stolen goods. All he cared about by now was getting her.

Okay, spitting at him was not really an effective strategy to get rid off him, though it disgusted the Sneasel a little bit. Thankfully, he was swift enough on his feet to dodge the projectiles. It was not like they were real attacks or anything. And as he approached her, she too began to take the chase seriously again, using her own Quick Attack technique to keep her distance from the Sneasel. Gosh, this was getting frustrating, no aggravating. Another sharp turn which he followed by briefly breaking and sliding over the ground and pushing himself with a leap towards her direciton.

Where was she going this time? Not the river, but... a big tree? No wait, a lot of big trees! "Darn it." He spoke to himself under his breath, seeing as the Emolga rushed up a tree and leapt from one treetop to the next. Unfortunately, the foliage was blocking his view substantially as he remained on the ground. Not trying to focus on the taunt, he instead tried to follow the Emolga by listening to the sounds she caused. But... there was nothing but silence after a while, which meant she had stopped moving. 

He slowed down and pushed himself against a tree to cover himself from her possible sight. She had hidden well, but he knew she was still there, otherwise, there would have been a noise indicating her leave. No, this pursuit was far from over. Taking in deep, but quiet breaths, Van made his body calm down, his heart starting to slow down again. He needed to listen very carefully as to not overhear the Emolga. She just needed to make a little error and he would be on her again.

But since, which Van of course did not know, she was doing the same, the time for one to slip up might be longer than expected. But he was a patient pokemon, and he had all day. Whoever made the first noise would cause the chase to continue. And they did not know they were actually just a couple of trees away from each other. 

[Domino]

// Riverbank Chase//

The player keeps on playing!

Vanitas

Domino spread all three fingers of both of her paws around the bark of the tree she was touching. Initially her limbs were spread as far as they could go without losing balance as her ears listened to any action the Sneasel would take. There was a bit of noise that she heard, but then it suddenly stopped for a while. Perhaps he had an idea of what she was up to and decided to try and adapt to it. The Sneasel was a swift thinker, she was plenty aware of that, but that alone wasn’t enough to stop her. Domino took this moment of silence as another opportunity to catch her breath as she felt her heart begin to race.

Taking easy breaths to try and soothe her dread, Domino breathed in a deep, silent sigh as she decided that the best course of action started with calming down. Attention on high alert, Domino allowed herself to be immersed into her childhood environment, thinking of pranks she would pull on her friends as a child. Believe it or not, she did have those when she was younger. Sometimes she wondered…

No Domino! she scolded herself bitterly. Now isn’t the time to go down memory lane! Okay, so thinking about her past wasn’t at all the brightest idea, so maybe she should just let her instincts take over! Domino shook her head waving that idea off. No, she knew from experience that letting her instincts take over was never a good idea, especially in territory she was just getting into. She had the right idea by going into the trees, but how could she build upon it?

Domino knew she was playing a mind game with him, but it had to be perfect or the fun would be ruined. Twitching her ears, she knew she had to be extra cautious. Even the slightest movement and this chase would start all over again-! Wait a minute, of course! It didn’t matter how fast this little weasel was as long as he couldn’t keep track of where she was. It didn’t matter to her if he was a dark type and this sort of thing was his element. As long as she was in the treetops she could blend right in!

But she knew she needed to time this just right. No doubt he was listening for any little movement she would make, and then the weasel would spring into action. Even a spark would send him off, but maybe a spark was just what she needed. Slowly and carefully, Domino placed all four paws on the ground once again, her face retaining quite the serious glare. She had to remain aware the consequences of being caught. Domino already ate several of those candied treats, which was bad if she had any intentions of giving up at this point. If she was determined before, it was do or die now!

Crouching ever so slightly, she leaned her feet forward so that her feet were bent on their toes. Suddenly, the smirk returned to her features, and the silence was suddenly replaced by a barrage of weak thunderbolts in different directions. It was then that Domino swiftly Quick Attacked to another tree, anticipating the appearance of the Sneasel. The moment she saw his shadow, her tail would blaze in a white aura again and wham! Iron Tail right across the face!

♥ Chou