Autumn Chill (Solo)

Out the corner of Leon's eye, he caught something waddling in no particular direction. It was a nosepass. The rock creature noticed the trainer, stopped waddling, and turned to face him. It was expressionless - which for a nosepass could have meant anything.

Leon drew his pokeball and called out his rowlet. "Go! Archer!'

The owl pokemon appeared in front of him, ready for battle. Leon had judged that Archer was likely to evolve soon, as evident by its recently learned attacks, and hoped to use its grass typing to its advantage.

"Leafage! Razor leaf!"

Leon could not remember whether nosepass was supposed to have higher physical defense or special defense, so he hoped that by using both a physical and a special attack, he would be able to strike a finishing blow before the rock-type pokemon could take advantage of Archer's flying-type.

The leaf attacks pelted against the nosepass's body as its arms flailed alongside it. It reeled from the attack and released a magnetic wave. Leon felt an odd pulse push through him - he recognized it as a block attack. It had created a magnetic barrier around the immediate area. They would not be able to escape until it faded.

The nosepass followed up with a rock throw attack, using its magnetic abilities to lift a rock from the ground behind it and hurling it at Archer.

"Dodge!"

The rowlet failed to evade in time. It stumbled from the attack.

"Attack again!"

Archer shook off the pain and mustered another leafage-razor leaf combo, pelting the rock pokemon once more. Leon held his breath in anticipation, believing that the next rock throw would be the last.

Much to Leon's relief, the nosepass fell to the final attack. A gentle force waved through the air - the magnetic block field had faded. Archer hooted and flapped his wings. His body began to glow. Leon watched his first evolution in awe, as the rowlet's round little body morphed and grew into the taller, leaner form of dartrix. He had not thought that his pokemon was so close to evolution.

The light faded and the dartrix extended his wings in pride.

"You've done well," he said, half to himself. Leon drew his pokeball again and recalled his dartrix.

As Leon put his pokeball away and continued north, he mused over how close he came to losing to the wild heracross in the grasslands. He certainly would have if he had failed to capture it. Now that his Archer had evolved, he wondered whether his dartrix or his heracross was more powerful.

A sudden loud crushing sound caught his attention, and his gaze darted to meet a fighting-type pokemon breaking boulders beneath a cliff face just some fifty feet to his left.

"This one his yours!" he cried out as he drew a pokeball and released his dedenne.

The sawk's face darted over in sudden shock as the fat mouse pokemon materialized in front of it.

"Charge and charge beam!"

Plumpo gathered light and began to store electricity. The sawk assumed a fighting stance and watched carefully, not apparently expecting a special attack.

The fat mouse released the electricity in a concentrated beam of lightning. Power surged through the sawk and left him reeling. It collected itself and retaliated with a double kick attack. The first kick sent Plumpo stumbling. The second kick sent Plump rolling along the ground.

The sawk began to pursue his foe. It brought its hand down in a swift strike, executing a rock smash technique on the little mouse pokemon. Leon had expected his dedenne's fairy typing to provide an advantage, but Plumpo was simply too weak and inexperienced to hold its own in a fight against such a strong pokemon. The enraged fighting-type set its sights on the trainer, ready to attack again.

"Let's see what you can do!" he cried out as he called out his new heracross.

The beetle pokemon materialized in front of the sawk, and assumed a squat position, aiming its horn menacingly ahead.

"Aerial ace!"

Heracles leaped into the air and raised his claw. As gravity brought him down, his claw made a cruel swoop upon the sawk's face. The sawk pressed its hand to its fresh wound, and retaliated with a brick break attack. The heracross cried out in pain as the swift strike send shocks through his exoskeleton. Leon thought another blow would finish it.

"Chip away!"

Heracles made a swift strike with his horn into the sawk's belly. The jab failed to stab through the creature, but the force put the fighting-type into the dirt. It was finally defeated.

Pleased with his new heracross's performance, Leon nodded and drew his pokeball again. He recalled the heracross, and continued north, leaving the fighting type to lick its wounds.

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