Nugget Bridge - Route 24: South End

The long wooden bridge begins its connection to Cerulean City here. The high-quality planks are tightly constructed, making this bridge feel completely safe. The bridge is wide enough to allow for traffic in both directions. On each side there is also a walkway, surrounded on both sides by wooden fencing to prevent anyone from accidentally heading where he or she wasn't supposed to go. It's a very common sight here to see Cerulean City residents, both young and old, fishing over the side. Most likely, this is how the water-loving Cerulean City residents catch most of their beloved water pokemon.

Obvious exits:
Zeph
North leads to Nugget Bridge - Route 24: Cerulean River View.
South leads to Cerulean City: North Entrance.

It is 8:59 AM on Saturday, July 14th, 2001. The sun is still low in the sky. The moon's phase is waning crescent, but it has set. At the coast, the tide is high and rising. The sky is grey and cloudy, and nothing casts a shadow. It's hot, humid, and still. In the forest, the deep green leaves of the trees are unstirred. While at the coast, the sea broods in the heat today under the dark and foreboding clouds. All postings on all boards marked as read.

Mikomi arrives from Cerulean City: North Entrance. Mikomi has arrived.

The beautiful blue sky of yesterday is gone, replaced by rather unhappy looking grey clouds. Mikomi had dragged herself out here at this hour, hoping to beat the noontime sun and get some playtime in for her Water Pokemon.. but now she was just hoping to get them out and worked with before a storm swept through. The Lapras and Seel have already been released from their Pokeballs out into the water, the latter of the two estatically frolicing about while the larger is taking a more peaceful, floating stance. In the girl's arms is a young Poliwag, one that's just recently reached the height of adolescance or the low end of adulthood. "Now, you be careful," the little one is told by Mikomi before being gently set into the water, allowed to wander off on her own. The trainer carries the expression of a worried parent as she watches the Poliwag, lower lip bitten and attention not wavering from the little grape-like Pokemon.. not even as her Pikachu, Chuemoko, begins to paw at her knee for attention.

The sky is grey and cloudy, and nothing casts a shadow. It's hot, humid, and still. The day is gray and bleak. Dark, ominous clouds cover the sky, blotting out the sun - a forewarning that a storm may be heading towards the island. Still, fishermen gather on the bridge, letting down their lines so that they may catch dinner or maybe even a water Pokemon. A lot of conversation can be heard as well. "Whoa! I got a big one!" One burly fishermen cries happily, pulling up a full grown Magikarp. A little girl and a mother also walk on the bridge, looking out in to the river. "Look over there, mommy!" The little girl cries excitedly, pointing towards the figure of a Lapras. "Wow. Isn't it so majestic, Allison?" The mother says, leaning over on the railings. There is a Lapras moving across the turbid waters of the river, a trail of foam forming behind him as he swims. "Lapras..." The large water Pokemon chimes, his eyes glancing towards his back to see his trainer. Zeph simply smiles and nods, although something seems to have him distracted. "Look over there. Whirlwind, can you see who that girl is?" He says, to a large bird perched on the Lapras' shell. "Pidgeo. Pidgeo." The Pidgeotto chirps in agreement, his keen eye sight picking out the details much better. A Staryu also churns the water along the side of the Lapras, getting some exercise to boost his endurance.

"Seel, seel!" is the sound that can be heard first from the trio of Pokemon in the water nearby Mikomi; the white creature is splashing about and causing all kinds of watery chaos as it tries (and fails) to encourage the Lapras to jump around with it. Tenor, the Poliwag, watches the display from behind a shy and pensive gaze.. occasionally spinning about to mimic some of the splashing the seel was doing. Greeat, that's just what Mikomi needs- for little Tenor to learn how to be obnoxious, her first full day out of 'day care'. As the Seel spots something just down the river that may be more fun to play with, he begins to bark and splash his way in that direction.. Zeph's direction. Tenor soundlessly tries to follow him, but is kept from doing so by two things- Mikomi's own warning call of, "Tenor, stay by Lapras.." and the Lapras herself, leaning her beautiful neck down to nuzzle the Poliwag and encourage it to stay by her near the short reeds of the shore. The Pikachu finally gets sick of waiting and takes a leap, clinging to Mikomi's arm as he scampers up to a place on her shoulder. He hisses, "Pi.. pikapika," in her ear, but she lifts a hand to gently and absently encourage him away from the side of her head. Maybe if she'd pay attention to Chuemoko, Mikomi would find out that Seel is heading off away from the group even further.. coincidentally, in Zeph's direction, where it looks like there's more fun to be had.

Zeph nods to the Pidgeotto, patting him lightly on the head. "Okay. Maybe we should go and check it out. She is at the spot where we train every day, anyways." He remarks, glancing up towards the sky. "And we better get our training done soon, because it looks like a storm is brewing." He adds distantly, lowering his head then pointing out the direction his Lapras should follow with his hand. "All right, Oceanus. Let's head in." Hoku animates slightly, finding that he is starting to fall behind as the Lapras begins to gain speed. Oceanus nods, beginning to paddle harder and faster so that he may gain extra speed. Water begins to part around his body, and the trail of foam behind him becomes thicker. "Hya! Hya!" He emits with a flash of his gem, leaping up in to the air and spinning violently like a frisbee. He manages to keep up and even pass the large water Pokemon, but it doesn't last long. After about ten meters, he falls back in to the water with a loud splash. "Come on back, Whirlwind." Zeph adds, holding on to the Lapras' back with one hand while taking out a Pokeball and recalling the large bird Pokemon with the other. The Pidgeotto disappears in a brilliant splash of light. It seems that the group doesn't realize a Seel is heading towards them.

It seems that the Seel isn't paying all that much attention, either; he notices the others are coming towards him with increasing speed, but in a rather two-dimensional manner, assumes that he's just moving _that fast_ himself. The Seel is in luck, though.. as the Lapras encourages Tenor to move into the reeds and stay with her, Mikomi finally listens to the Pikachu, blinking solidly at his words and turning her gaze to the waters. She can't see Seel anywhere. Maybe coming out here wasn't such a good idea after all. "Kotori, come out," the girl calls as she tosses a Pokeball in the air. A proud Pidgeotto squawks loudly as it comes forth, wings spread and head held high as it soars into the air. Chuemoko nearly takes a header off the girl's shoulder as she shies away from the red light emitting from the ball, much like a spooked Ponyta. "Kotori.." the girl shouts up at the bird, almost a bit timid in her delivery, "Kotori, I need you to go find Seel.." The bird flaps its wings and doesn't appear to be paying the girl much mind at first, but the Pikachu notices that and begins to shout something up to it in a highly perterbed tone. With a curt glare shot back in the duo's direction, the bird squawks again and begins to fly out over the water. Suddenly, a sharp dive is taken and the bird goes shooting for the water just ahead of the oncoming Lapras and associated Pokemon cluster with Zeph, wings held firmly to his sides in as aerodynamic a fashion as those creatures get. Like a dart, he whizzes through the air.. and why may become readily apparent as the little white Seel pops up on the surface, eager to play with the group that's coming close to accidentally running him over. Maybe the dive-bombing Pidgeotto will provide something to avoid, so that Mikomi's retarded Seel isn't smooshed.

Oceanus suddenly makes a sharp curve, swimming out of the way of the Seel and the Pidgeotto as he approaches the shore. "Lapras..." He chimes musically, the soothing, relaxing tone of his voice conveying peace and tranquility in to the air. He hits the shoreline with a dull thud, his head thrusting slightly forward from coming to a halt so suddenly. "Lapras... Lap." He says softly, glancing towards the female Lapras and the trainer. Zeph would have been knocked straight off the Lapras' back, if it weren't for the fact that he was holding on so tightly. "Please, Oceanus. Try to slow down first before landing." He says, leaping off of the majestic Pokemon's back and in to two feet of water. He wades across the shore, taking long, high steps so that he doesn't churn the water as much. "Hello... oh, Mikomi!" He says, suddenly realizing who it is. "Wow, you're back already? I thought you would be in Vermillion City by now." He says, rubbing the back of his head. Hoku finally manages to reach the shoreline, using his two points to help him walk along quickly on the ground.

The Pidgeotto lets his wings bap the Seel in the back of the head before soaring back up into the air and giving out a piercing squawk, indicating he found the goofball. The Seel is barking and chasing after the Lapras already, however; apparently the bonk behind the head didn't knock any sense into him. As the Pidgeotto returns within range, Mikomi recalls him to his ball, the Pikachu breathing out a sigh of relief and slumping down on her shoulder. The approach of the boy on the Lapras sparks both the female Lapras and the small Poliwag's interest, the little one watching the new arrivals with a very timid but mystified gaze of its large, googly eyes. "Hi!" Mikomi then greets Zeph upon recognizing the boy, a lopsided smile crossing her features. "Oh, I never left," the girl replies with a blushing of her cheeks in embarrassment. "I got sidetracked.. but I'm probably heading there later tonight or early tomorrow morning." Finally, the Seel catches up to the group, barking and splashing with just as much energy as he left with.

"Sidetracked? That sounds like me yesterday. I didn't get any really good training for my Pokemon, even if it was a really nice day. Well, atleast it's not as hot right now. It does help a little." Zeph says, looking a little embarassed as well. "Well, I wish you the best of luck in Vermillion City. Oh, before you go... would you mind telling me more about Gym Leader Daisy? I've met her before, but I have never seen much of her. She seems to be the most mysterious of her sisters. I've met Lily and Misty before - they are very different. You said that you saw a friend of yours battle him before. Maybe you could tell me a little more about her? Her strategies? Her Pokemon? Not to give everything about her away, but I would like to be prepared..." He says, lowering his eyes to the ground as he requests for Mikomi to give him this information. "If you don't mind, of course." He adds. Oceanus cranes his neck over to where the Poliwag and Lapras are, giving them a light, amiable greeting as well. "Lappras..." He chimes, gazing at them with his gentle, silver eyes. Hoku dives back in to the water with a loud splash, emitting rapid vocalizations with his gem. "Hya! Hya!"

"About Daisy?" Mikomi echoes obtusely; perhaps the Seel doesn't fall far from the tree. "Oh! Yeah, I could do that, sure. It's been a few months since I saw her, or watched her battle Dodger, but I bet I still remember lots of stuff!" The female Lapras greets back the male with a soft, melodic voice of, "Laaaap," The googly eyed little Poliwag just watches in silence, staring between the splashing Staryu and the giant creature like the one she was already near. Tenor doesn't seem to be much of a talker. The Pikachu starts tugging at the girl's ponytail, causing an annoyed expression to cross her face and a hand to lift to try and wrestle it back from him. "Maybe we should sit down," she adds, her other hand now fishing up for the Chu himself to extract him from her noggin.

"Wow, thanks! I'm sure it will be quite helpful for when I battle her. I've only seen her Seaking in action, and it was only briefly. Anything you can tell me would be great." Zeph says, looking down at the soft grass and sitting down upon it. He sits with his legs crossed - Indian style -, facing the river and the Pokemon assembled there. "As you can tell, that Cascade Badge is really important to me." He says distantly as he watches Mikomi's water Pokemon interact with his water Pokemon. Oceanus nods majestically to the female Lapras, paddling over towards her so that he may speak with her. It is not often that he speaks with a fellow Lapras. "Lappras..." He mentions in a soft tone. Hoku begins to shoot a high pressurized Water Gun straight up in to the air. "Hya!" He emits with a flash of his gem, trying to keep the small water Pokemon entertained. The stream of water makes him look like a geyser, the water moving upwards, then falling back down like rain around the starfish Pokemon.

Somehow, Mikomi manages to pluck the Pikachu off her head; as he releases her hair, she sits down indian style across from Zeph and sits the Pikachu in her lap, holding him there with her arms folded across him in a hug. "Wellll," the girl begins, trying to think back that far to when she'd seen Dodger battling Misty's sister. "She started out with her Krabby, and was fighting his Porygon.. but his Porygon was fighting as a Water type," the girl explains, brow wrinkling slightly with the attempt to remember. "Her Krabby was pretty tough.. it had a really strong bubble attack, and it had those.. those clampers. What are they called?" The girl tries to make her hand look like some kind of claw, but it looks more like a sock puppet trying to speak, without the sock. "When it clamps you. Hers had that kind of attack, too, and it looked pretty tough. She was using Leers and Hardens and things to pump her Krabby up, too." The Pikachu is scritched behind the ear now as the girl talks, apparently forgiven for the hair tugging earlier. Off behind the crew, the Seel continues to frolic, while the Poliwag's googly eyes watch Hoku in absoulte marvel. Eventually, she starts to try and mimic his antics by spitting water up into the air herself. the female Lapras sadly replies to Zeph's.

"Oh. I know Dodger. I didn't know he had a Porygon though. He is a good Pokemon trainer." Zeph says pensively, listening intently to what Mikomi is recounting. "Her Krabby... I have seen that Pokemon of hers before. My Staryu battled it once, a very long time ago. It's been almost a year now." He adds, biting his lip. His face starts to turn a little pale, as Mikomi tells him about Daisy's strategies when battling and her Pokemon. He is getting nervous already. "C..continue... I'll keep that in mind." He says, biting his lip. Hoku animates as he senses that the Poliwag is copying his attack. "Hya! Hya!" He emits with rapid flashes of his gem. He is so different when he isn't around battle. Oceanus frowns at Mikomi's Lapras, seeming a bit distraught about that fact. "Lapras. Lapras..." He chimes, trying to nudge the female Lapras gently.

Mikomi's head bobs affirmatively at the mention of Dodger, though she almost looks to feel a little guilty for telling the stories of his defeat. He'd taken that pretty hard. "His Porygon is cool, and after it hit her Krabby with a couple of beam attacks.. one was like this special three beam attack I've never seen before.. the other was a Psybeam.. eventually I guess it got through all that harden because it tackled the Krabby and the Krabby fainted. Then she called out her Seaking." The Pikachu's eyes are closed as the girl is petting him behind the head, a soft happy whine coming from him on occasion. The Poliwag stops spurting up the water as Hoku stops, giving him a rather curious stare. That flashing thing on him was rather vexing, and something little Tenor definitely couldn't mimic even if she tried. The female Lapras leans in her head to gently nudge the male Lapras back, and while she appears wistful at the tale, she is otherwise in good spirits. All things considered. she tells him quietly.

"Her Seaking... I've seen that one too. Very powerful. Could you tell me more about her Seaking and the battle that followed suit? I would greatly appreciate it. The Seaking is probably her most powerful Pokemon." Zeph muses, looking down at the grass and plucking a blade. His finger soon make short of work of it, as he tears the grass in to smaller and smaller pieces subconsciously. "After that, maybe you could help me think of a way to defeat her with my water Pokemon." He says offhandedly, glancing upwards towards Mikomi. Hoku senses that the Poliwag has stopped copying him. "Hya. Hya." He emits with rapid flashes of his gem, doing a little cartwheel across the water by doing a half-hearted spin. Oceanus smiles and nods to the female Lapras. "Lapras." He remarks softly.

Mikomi's head bobs again, like one of those little dashboard ornaments tacky people put in their cars. "I know it knocked out Dodger's Porygon right off the bat," the girl intones softly, her hand continuing to stroke the Pikachu. "With some kind of water attack." Chuemoko burbles something beneath his breath, which the girl must have picked up on despite the utter unintelligable nature of the remark, as she says, "Oh, right. Waterfall. And then Dodger brought out Rhapsody.. Rhapsody is Tenor's daddy, you know." The remark has nothing to do with Zeph's badge battle, but the fourteen year old is often easily distracted, much like her Pokemon. "Anyway. Daisy's Seaking has a really powerful peck attack, and it can use Agility, too. It was avoiding a lot of attacks that way. Dodger got it once though, with a Hydro Pump attack. But then it used this really strong attack with its horn, and knocked Rhapsody out." The Pikachu makes another murmur, this one more audible. Now, off in the water, Tenor is staring at the Staryu ever still, watching as it cartwheels in the water and- after a moment- doing a little spin of her own to try and imitate as best she can.

"Oh my. Her Seaking sounds really tough. I'm scared about going to challenge her for a battle now, no matter how much I train." Zeph says, looking rather pale as he bites his lip down hard. "Well, that would be silly anyways, since Erika is an amazingly tough trainer herself. Her grass Pokemon are incredibly powerful - her Tangela, Weepinbell, and Gloom." He adds thoughtfully, recalling the several battles he had with her. "Thank you so much for the information, Mikomi. Well, I didn't get much training done yesterday." He says, getting up and glancing towards his water Pokemon. "Maybe you would like to have a little battle?" He adds. Hoku animates even more, seeming more energetic as the Poliwag continues to copy him. "Hya!" He emits with a rapid flash of his gem, leaping up in to the air and beginning to spin rapidly. "Hya!" He emits. Oceanus look towards the spinning Staryu and sighs. "Lapras..." He chimes to the starfish Pokemon.

"Don't be scared," Mikomi offers in a meek, but comforting sort of tone as she tries to console the other trainer. "When you're scared, it's hard to think straight and it's real easy to make mistakes. Just.. just be you, and try not to worry about it too much." The girl shifts in her position, trying to get the blood circulating back to her legs that are folded up beneath her. "The worst that can happen is you'll have to battle her again, and you'll know all about her moves and stuff firsthand when you do," she adds, trying to sound positive. "At least, that's how I'm going into Vermillion. If I lose.. I'll just know better next time when I try again." This is all just a little too zen for the fourteen year old's brain, and when the offer of a little battle comes up, she shift gears with a bright smile and accepts with, "Sure! I'd love to!" With an arm around the Pikachu, the girl stands, hefting Chuemoko up with her. "Which Pokemon are we using?" she inquires, eyes roaming over to check on her young Poliwag, and the crew in the water. Tenor, for her part, is just staring up wide-eyed as the Staryu flips and spins about, eventually twirling herself in slow (yet mildly dizzying) circles.

"I'll try not to be. Maybe I should go visit Daisy before I actually battle her." Zeph says pensively, scratching his chin as he gazes at his two water Pokemon. "I'm sure Misty will help me out, too! She's great." He adds with a bright smile, ignoring the girl's comments for the moment. He snaps out of it. "Oh, yes. A battle! Um. I'll be using Oceanus, my Lapras, and Hoku, my Staryu, to battle. They're the ones I've been training most for the Gym Leader battle; they need all the experience and practice with water Pokemon that they can get." He says, gesturing towards the pair of water Pokemon that they are about to get some practice. "All right, Oceanus. I'm choosing you first, just like in the battle. Hoku, you're second." He mentions. Hoku dives in to the water with a light splash, before resurfacing and heading towards where his trainer is standing. He will have to wait his turn. Oceanus swims out in to the water, paddling along peacefully as he waits for his opponent.

"Come here, Tenor," Mikomi calls to the Poliwag, who lingers in the water a moment longer before swimming to the shore and waddling towards the girl. Chuemoko hops out of Mikomi's arms to go greet and tend for the youthful water Pokemon as the girl moves over nearer the shore to get ready to battle. "You can go first, too, Lapras.. Seel!" Mikomi calls the Pokemon's name, "Seeeeeeeel!" After a bit, it surfaces with a cheerful bark. "You've got to return until it's your turn." The ball is lifted up and retracts the playful Pokemon with a wash of red light, keeping him from disrupting the match as he may be prone to doing. The female Lapras swims out to where she needs to be, the girl fishing in her pocket for a coin.. and finding none there. Must have spent that last bit of loose change on breakfast. "You can go first," she tells Zeph with a roguish grin. A thick layer of stratus clouds cloaks the sky at mid-day.

"Wow, thanks Mikomi." Zeph says, nodding to the girl once before turning his attention towards the dark waters of the river, the battle, and his Lapras. "Ok, Oceanus. I've been training you for quite a while now. Let's try to practice some of your attacks. Try... Mist!" He says, putting his hand to his mouth so that his voice carries farther. Oceanus doesn't even nod; he goes straight in to the attack this time. He paddles a few feet away from the Lapras, before swerving around and swirling the water around him. The large water Pokemon gapes his mouth wide open and throws his head back, releasing a thick, heavy mist which permeates through the air, forms a heavy, white blanket over the water, and brings down the visibility considerably. Can anyone see him any more? Maybe. Maybe not.

Zeph's Lapras has a rather impressive mist attack.. one Mikomi can only imagine would be twice as impressive inside the Cerulean Gym where the conditions would be more favorable to holding it together and keeping it thick in the air. Without the blistering sun or any trace of breeze, however, it isn't too quick to dissipate today, either.. it holds pretty strong, causing Mikomi to have to rethink her strategy for the battle already. "Try your growl, Lapras!" the girl calls out, lending the silvery voiced water Pokemon to sing into the air a haunting melody that rumbles from her throat. Hopefully, the sound combined with the inability to see the other Pokemon would work towards Mikomi's favor. It was sure easier than trying to get in that heavy defensive cloaking to hunt down a Lapras for a melee move.

The haunting sound that the female Lapras releases from her throat does manage to affect the male Lapras, causing him to shudder slightly and paddle backwards through the thick mist. The mist keeps holding, probably since there is air movement today. Zeph mentally prods himself. He takes note in his mind to switch the order of attacks for next time, so that it may work correctly. "Okay, Oceanus! Don't worry. Try your Confuse Ray!" He cries out, looking rather hopeful that his strategy may still work - confusion combined with decreased visibility. Two yellow lights can be seen glowing from within the cloud of mists the Lapras is hiding in. Oceanus' eyes are glowing a brilliant yellow, twinkling like yellow diamonds, until he gapes his mouth open and shoots forth a mysterious, unusual beam of energy towards Mikomi's Lapras. The previous Growl attack may lower its effectiveness though.

With the mist clinging thickly in the air, it's hard to tell if the ghostly attack manages to affect Mikomi's Lapras.. what is rather apparent, though, is how wide the arc goes when Mikomi calls out, "Use your Water Gun attack!" The liquid spurts out of the Lapras' mouth like a fire hydrant unsealed, but has no real visible target in sight, shooting off blindly into the icy fog. It could be an effect of confusion.. or it could be simple inability to see the target through the defensive cloud.

Oceanus can not see where the jet of pressurized water is headed, so he finds it difficult to dodge it when he finally sees it coming. "Lappprasss!" The Lapras cries, powerful jet of pounding his spiked shell. He does manage to escape most of the attack, however, and he receives little damage from the water attack, considering that he is strong against that element. Zeph smiles and bites his lip. His strategy seems to be working satisfactorily, atleast. "Okay, Oceanus! Now. Try a paralyzing Body Slam!" He cries out. The Lapras doesn't seem much from within the mists, so he tries to paddle all over it at full speed, churning the water and leaving a thin foam of water behind him. Seeing the silhouette of a dark figure in front of him, he charges forward, thrusting his full weight against the shadowy shape. Of course, in this mist, it may just be a wooden post stuck in the river. That would hurt. The mist begins to clear very slowly - the visibility is starting to get better.

Zeph's Pokemon was good to trust his instincts- the big shadow was indeed Mikomi's Lapras, who doesn't have the time to escape such a speedy assault. The Body Slam impacts her pretty strongly, pushing her backwards in the water and sending out waves from the impact that roll up roughly against the shore near the trainers. As things still, however, she Pokemon still appears able to move, much to Mikomi's relief- there had been some real worry there that Paralyzation may have set in from such a tremendous blow. "Keep hanging in there, Lapras!" Mikomi calls out, hands to the sides of her mouth so her voice will carry. "Sing it to sleep!" The poor Lapras shakes her head to try and clear it, craning her neck up afterwards and singing a haunting melody into the air, the tune soothing like a lullaby.. but with an eerie backwash of sound floating behind it.

Zeph steps back from the shore, as the miniature waves crash upon the ground-water interphase. He turns pale as Mikomi cries out that attack. Who knows when Oceanus will wake up from that attack? "Oh no! Oceanus! Try to avoid it! Ice Beam her in place!" He cries out rapidly, hoping that the attack will work in time. Oceanus responds, his mouth gaping open. "Laaa......" He chimes melodiously, a white orb developing quickly out of his mouth and radiating a series of jagged rays towards Mikomi's Lapras, primarily aiming at the singing mouth. Unfortunately, the Sing soon does take affect and the large water Pokemon finishes his attack far too soon, craning his head downwards much like a swan, his silver eyes closed. Zeph's fears have become a reality.

It's amazingly lucky that Oceanus is put under the spell of Mikomi's Lapras' Song, because mere seconds after the big Pokemon's head begins to drop, the ice shatters the singing voice with a melodious yelp of pain. Though the big Pokemon is generally resistant to Ice attacks, it isn't necessarily fond of having sharp, jagged pointy rays of frozen water shooting in at its face. Those that impact burn at her thick skin with cold and knock her backwards, sending another crash of water up onto the shore. Mikomi is luckily already a step back from the first burst of water that sprayed up, and the Pikachu has Tenor back at a safe distance, trying to entertain her with some cute Pika-dancing. "Lapras!" Mikomi calls out with concern, her brow furrowing with determination as she adds, ".. Use Hydro Pump!" The big Lapras would probably prefer to thaw out first, and she dips her neck down to wash some of the remaining cold spots off her face before lifting her chin back up and releasing a powerful burst of water much stronger than her Water Gun in the general direction of the mist, and the sleeping Pokemon within. Perhaps that wasn't the wisest move by Mikomi, as an attack like that would surely wake the other Lapras.

Not good. "Oceanus! Wake up! Wake up!" Zeph cries in frustration, hoping that the Pokemon will awaken from the loud pleas he is shouting out. The mist is completely gone now - it is no longer a factor in the battle. The trainer sees a weak spot in his strategy - his strategy weakens in the latter part of the battle. The large gush of water shoots forward, hitting the Lapras straight on and pushing him considerably backwards. "L... l... lapras!" He finally says, waking up from the tremendous gush of water. He is pushed backwards a few meters, but seems to be keeping his own against the water attack. With a determined look on his face, he shoots forth his own Hydro Pump at the opponent Lapras, hoping that his own water attack will be able to cancel out hers and, in the end, overcome it. This time, the trainer didn't have to call out the attack - the Lapras took the initiative.

The meeting of Hydro Pump versus Hydro Pump is explosive, sending a shower of tiny droplets drizzling over the shore where the two trainers are standing, speckling the Pikachu's fur as well. The young Poliwag in Chuemoko's care doesn't seem to mind, mimicing the sudden little shower with her own water gun attack shot lightly up in the air above herself. Mikomi would be prone to giggling, but she's watching in nervous anticipation as the older and stronger Lapras slowly but surely drives back the strong gushing waters of her own Pokemon's Hydro Pump. Eventually, it bursts through and knocks into Mikomi's Lapras, sending her backwards in the water. Whatever's left of the Pokemon's strong attack is turned into a dwindling Water Gun that sprays out wildly as the Lapras is knocked back.

Zeph doesn't seem to mind the drizzle of water falling on the shore, looking on in awe at the massive clash of water vs. water. The battle is simply amazing. He keeps silent though, as his eyes begin to widen even more as he sees what his Lapras is starting to do - carry out a plan of his own. As soon as he sees that the female Lapras is being pushed backwards, Oceanus changes of attack he is performing. It is no longer Hydro Pump. "Laaaaa......" The note of his voice suddenly changes, the water attack ending and being replaced by a powerful beam of jagged ice rays which radiate out wards. They freeze the Water Guns of the female Lapras, turning them in to harmless icicles which fall in to the water from their weight. Several other jagged rays fly towards the Lapras, moving through the air haphazardly - an attempt to slow her down. Several people seem to have started to gather at the bridge, looking on at the battle. Even some fishermen have stopped fishing in the river. "Wow. When I grow up, I want to be a Pokemon trainer too..." Allison says. The little girl from earlier has been standing there all along, watching along with her mother.

"Counter with your own Ice Beam!" Mikomi shouts, a great deal of energy and emotion in her tone. The battle was becoming charged as it rolled along, and the trainer's voice was a comparable indication. The Water Gun turns to ice from both directions, frozen by Oceanus' attack, and freezing up as Mikomi's Lapras bursts forward with her own icy breath, causing a giant explosion of snow dust and ice flecks to burst up into the sky in a foggy cloud when the two Ice attacks meet. The drizzle has now turned to the smattering of damp, melting snowflakes over the shore, a brief flurry that melts and dissipates in the warming afternoon before too long.. but was rather brilliant for the instant during which it lasted. In that, it's hard to tell exactly how far Mikomi's Lapras was able to get her own Ice Beam before it was stopped.. the fog in the air created by the sudden influx of cold temperatures in the humid sky would have to clear before that was apparent.

Hoku senses the crystalline flurry of ice and sleet for the moment it remains intact, his gem glittering with all the colors of the rainbow as he begins to show a mood of awe. His stance and his jewel demonstrate his amazement. Zeph looks on in awe, taking a short little glimpse at the evanescent snow shower as he concentrates on the battle. He isn't giving out commands any more - Oceanus will need that kind of practice if he goes underwater in Daisy's gym. Misty taught him that, and he has taken it to heart. Oceanus emerges from the thin mist created by the Ice Beams, paddling along towards the female Lapras. A shard of ice hangs from his mouth, probably creating intense pain. The water parts - he seems to cut through the water. A trail of churned, foamy water is left in his wake. At the last moment, he swerves to the side, attempting to Body Slam the female Lapras with the combined forces of weight and strength.

The exhaustion in Mikomi's Lapras had been building and building throughout the entire match. Powerful attack after powerful attack had drained her energy reserves, and the re-appearance of fog cluttering the air in the battlefield area was creating far too much for her to try and focus on. When Oceanus comes around, she is left unable to avoid his strong Body Slam attack, and is bashed into with a tremoring force that sends the water surging up in a wave that rolls out away from the duo in a full three hundred and sixty degrees, leveling out into a well defined ripple by the time it's a few dozen yards out. When all is said and done, Mikomi's Lapras is laying in an immobile fashion in the water.. it's either paralyzed, or the blow has brought her near to fainting. "You've tried your best, Lapras.. I'm so proud of you. But now it's time to return," Mikomi is heard calling from the shore, plucking the Pokeball off her belt and holding it up in the air out in front of her. The red light lashes out and touches the Lapras' skin, spreading like wildfire to envelop her entire body before sucking itself back into the red and white sphere. The battle was over. Turning to Zeph, Mikomi's concern for her Lapras is evident in her azure gaze.. but the corners of her mouth are upturned in a good natured smile. "That was an awesome battle," she tells the boy, replacing the ball at her hip. "Your Lapras is wonderful. Daisy better watch out!"

Oceanus cranes his neck outwards as he collides, gaping his mouth open in pain as he uses his full effort to slam in to the opponent. As the attack reaches past its climax, the Lapras begins to fall on to his side. "Lappprass...." He says, his voice still melodious yet showing that he doesn't have much energy left in its voice. The tone is thin, lacking its former vibrancy. He collapses in to the water on his side, creating a wave which quickly radiates outwards and causes some momentary wave action on the shoreline where the trainers are watching. The large Pokemon slowly gets back up, his head lowered towards the female Lapras. His breaths deep and heavy. Zeph watches in utter awe, taking a Pokeball from his belt, expanding it, and pointing it towards the Lapras with an extended arm. "Oceanus... That. That was amazing. Unbelievable job." He says, his eyes wide - full of amazement. The beam of red light shoots out from the red and white sphere, cloaking the Lapras in a reddish light before disappearing back in to his Pokeball. The trainer then looks over towards Mikomi and nods to her, still recovering from what he just saw. "Yes, that was an awesome battle. I haven't seen too many like this one. Maybe Oceanus can measure up..." He remarks, his voice wavering slightly. From the bridge, people begin to clap and whistle. "Wow! Amazing! Great job!" Assorted words of praise come from the crowd assembled at the bridge. Many of them haven't seen a battle quite like this either.

With cheeks blushing a bit red, Mikomi reaches back and runs her hand across the top of her hair to smooth out any remaining droplets of melted ice or water, and then rubs the back of her neck nervously. "Look at all the people," she whispers at Zeph, sounding a bit astonished that anyone would think anything she could do would be worth watching. A glance back over her shoulder checks on Chuemoko and Tenor, and finds them both doing just fine.. so she looks back to Zeph and murmurs meekly, "I don't know if I can top that, using Seel." She doesn't sound adverse to trying, however.. though, she is in some manner concerned for the health of her Pokemon that's already been injured in battle. Her Lapras should probably be brought to the Pokemon Center within the hour.

"Yeah... there are a lot of people watching our battle. Even the fishermen seem to have been distracted." Zeph says, looking on at the crowd on the old bridge. "Well, I guess they found the battle between our two great Pokemon to be spectacular. It was practically as intense as a Gym Leader battle, I'd say." The trainer says with a light smile, turning his attention back to Mikomi. "Well, we can have a little battle between Hoku and your Seel. I'll try to keep my Staryu from battling too hard, although I can't promise anything. He has a tendency to over do it when battling." He remarks on the side, his smile twisting slightly in a frustrated expression. Hoku animates as he hears the word 'battle', diving in to the water immediately and swimming around in circles anxiously. "Hya!" He emits with rapid flashes of his gem, the sand at the bottom of the river churning up slightly and turning the water white as he paces in the shallow water.

Events after this pose: Hoku battled against Mikomi's Seel. The more experienced Staryu won. Afterwards, both trainers left to the Pokemon Center to let their pokemon recover and rest.