Obvious exits:
East <E> leads to Celadon City Morgue.
West <W> leads to Celadon City: Department Store.
North <N> leads to Celadon City: Pokemon Mansion.
South <S> leads to Celadon City: City Square.

Lee arrives from Celadon City: City Square.
Lee has arrived.

The landscape looks ghostly and drained of color in the cold pale fog. In the forest, the bare branches of the trees form stark silhouettes of darker grey. While at the coast, the sea is sluggish and grey as fog lays on its surface like a thick wet blanket.

It's a shame when this is the best weather the island has seen in weeks. Though cold and pale, the fog is not quite as uncomfortable as a storm of sleet or a flurry of furious flakes, and as long as one is careful, the only big danger of taking a walk in this weather is preventing from slipping on the ice, veiled in the whiteness. One girl, her head declined so she's looking at the ground, is definitely prepared for the day - bundled up in her coat, scarf, gloves, and snow pants, only her head and fogging glasses can be seen. There is something special to note of her, however; right above the right section of her chest, pinned perfectly to the coat, is a single mirror pin. Looks like somebody made it to round 2.

The only real danger might be the ice, but it's a pretty dang big one in itself. Snow might be annoying and sleet might be painful, but both can be fairly well avoided with an umbrella or whatnot. Ice, on the other hand, complicates walking entirely. Another teenage girl, slightly younger than the first and not nearly as bundled, strolls along through the cold evening. Booted feet crunch the snow underfoot loudly as she walks, keeping an eye on where she's going, trying to avoid the particularly hazardous-looking patches of ice. Average height, with shoulder-length blonde hair and dark eyes, there's nothing very eye-catching about this girl. Other than the fact that she too, has a small mirror pinned to the front of her jacket, of course. And even that's not terribly astonishing around here.

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

Melissa gradually comes to a stop, shoving her hands into her pocket and turning her head to the side. Her eyebrows prick, and she stands for a few moments, her eyes running down the road back and forth, as though she's remembering something. Though her mouth is covered by her coat, it's easy to tell she's smiling by the sudden rosiness in her cheeks and the twinkle in her eyes, barely visible through her glasses, to which condensed water has started sticking to. Peering up and down the avenue, she happens to settle eyes on the spot right next to where Lee is walking - and needless to say, at the motion, Melissa quickly sets her sights on the girl. And otherwise doesn't move, only watches Lee as she gets closer and closer.

Lee's getting closer, but very, very slowly. The female Rocket has no intention of making an absolute idiot of herself by slipping and ending up on her rear. It doesn't matter if there's very few people out to witness it; she's not going to do it. So instead the girl just moves very slowly and very carefully, hands shoved in her pockets, ignoring the cold, eyes fixed on the ground. If she's playing attention to anything around her it doesn't show, looking for all the world like she's completely focused on where she's headed and nothing more. Melissa, up ahead, goes unnoticed.

Melissa is torn. Half of her thinks she should simply stand back and let the girl pass; the other half wants to actively cross the road to avoid her warpath. Obviously, the Pewter teen has no intentions of having any direct contact with this wanderer (dear me, anything but being social!). Having firmly decided on the former, Ms. Barlette takes a sidestep... before spotting something on Lee that attracts attention. The pin - it reflects the white snow and contrasts with the darker color of the Rocket's clothes. Halfway torn between relief and anxiety, Melissa takes another step back, preparing how she's going to greet the girl. Hey - she's as good as opponent as any, right? ... Right?

My, my. This looks familiar, doesn't it? Lee continues on down the street, apparently ignoring everything and everybody. Melissa inlcuded. Or at least... she does at first. Maybe the younger girl isn't as intent on watching the icy ground as she would appear, because as she nears the trainer just ahead, her head lifts and she looks right in Melissa's direction. Eyebrows raise slightly as she seems to upraise the other teen, looking her over briefly. She catches sight of the pin, identical to her own, and a moment later a friendly smile breaks out across her face. "Hey there!" the Rocket calls, grinning and upping her pace. A little.

A jolt rips through Melissa's body, an electric slice tearing right down her spine and splitting in two to finally stop at the tips of her toes. Involuntarily, the girl's head lifts up, and she tenses, obviously horrified at Lee's call. Being social seriously scares her this much. Or perhaps she's just scared of the Rocket? Turning her head (her movements are more reminiscent of Frankenstein's monster than a teenage girl), a crooked little smile forms on Melissa's face, and a moment or two later, her face softens as she greets the Rocket. "Oh... oh, um, hey." A pause. A blink. She remembers this girl. Definitely. And, as Lee approaches, Melissa is once again perfectly still.

The female Rocket continues to grin as she gets closer, her attitude all cheer and friendliness. "I couldn't help but notice that," she says once she's close enough, gesturing openly to the pin on Melissa's coat. "You in the tournament, too? Looking for a battle?" Even before the older girl replies the teen's reaching for her belt and pulling forth a small red and white orb, which she tosses idly in the air the next minute. If she takes any notice of Melissa's nervousness she doesn't show it.

Melissa just sort of smiles uneasily at Lee as she gets closer, her position tense, giving a nod here and there but not actually verbally replying to the girl. As Lee removes her pokeball from her belt, Melissa does the same, though she simply outstretches her arm a minute or two later. Her voice quiet, almost scared, the Pewter girl mumbles, "Um... uh... he's a Hitmonlee. Uh... Kickback. He's, uh, he's quiet, but, uh, a good pokemon." She gives Lee a very, very uncertain smile, before adding, "... He... uh... shouldn't disobey."

Okay, so the kid's not gonna reply. Lee blinks momentarily as the pokeball's offered to her, shrugs, then accepts it, giving the orb a thorough eyeing over. "'Kay," the teen nods, her cheerful grin fading to a more business-like smile. She stops tossing her own 'ball in the air, taps the button to enlarge it, then holds it out to the trainer without hesitation. "And this is Tempest, my baby." A lopsided grin. "You might recognize her, once you see her... She's a good girl. Might take a minute for her to get used to ya, but she should be pretty good." The girl nods, obviously confident in her pokemon and her own training.

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

Melissa gives Lee another uncertain grin, before peering back down at the pokeball. Tempest. Is that the name of the pokemon, or her species? What pokemon would make a good Tempest, anyway? The Pewter girl pauses for a moment, before gesturing to Lee. "You... ... um... ... you have a coin?" She pauses for a second. "I... uh. We need to decide who goes first... right?" Melissa seems definitely intimidated by Lee. Will this affect her battling? In her head, Melissa is crying, 'Don't panic, don't panic, stay calm, you won before, you won again!' Unfortunately, she doesn't look quite as ready as her brain.

Lee nods shortly to the other girl's question, getting right down to business. "Yeah, we do," she replies without hesitation, already going through her pockets. There's no coin in her coat's pockets, none in those of her jeans... "Hm," the teen murmers, ignoring the cold and unzipping the front of her jacket. She reaches inside, apparently to one of those neat little hidden pockets, and pulls out a large coin a moment later. "Hah, knew I had one." Again the grin breaks out across her face, but only for a minute. Rather abruptly she seems to realize something and her expression changes, going cold and blank. Quickly she zips her jacket back up and adjusts the collar of it so it again covers her neck. Only if Melissa looks quickly will she be able to spot what the teen's covering: several large, nasty bruises along the side of the female Rocket's neck. They're covered hurriedly and again the girl smiles, though a little tightly. "Heads or tails?"

Unfortunately, Melissa doesn't look quickly - the bruises go unnoticed by the girl. Shifting weight from one foot to the other, Melissa's hands emerge from her pockets as she crosses her arms across her chest, the pokeball barely visible from behind her elbow. From behind her fogged glasses, Melissa eyes the coin, frowning very slightly. "I... suppose... Tails." Immediately she is filled with regret. She should have chosen heads! Why did she choose tails? What a foolish mistake!

Melissa rolls 1 die: <1>
Lee rolls 1 die: <3>

Melissa watches the coin as Lee flips it into the air. It seems to spend minutes hovering in the air, twirling and twisting, spinning and swirling, until finally it lands in the snow. Heads. The teenager looks at it for a moment or two, lifts her head to give Lee a look in the eye, and nods softly. Backtracking a few steps, giving whatever pokemon inside enough room to be recalled, Melissa drops the pokeball to the ground, finally releasing a pokemon she's never seen before. Tempest.

Lee nods to the other girl and promptly tosses the coin into the air, a little more eager than she might need to be. Whether or not Melissa caught her slip-up, the fact that she slipped up at all seems to put her on edge a bit. Just the same, she's as good at acting as ever. Dark eyes watch the coin as it twirls upward, hangs briefly, then plummets back down again and lands in the snow. Heads indeed. "Right then," the girl nods once more and bends down to scoop up her coin, tucking it carefully in a pocket and stepping back as well. As her Winneedee's released, the great winged horse tossing her head and pawing nervously as she appears, Lee grins fondly and sighs a bit. Well, here they go again. Battling her own pokemon. With a 'it can't be helped' sort of shrug the girl tosses the pokeball in her own hands, letting free Melissa's Hitmonlee. She doesn't hesitate, apparently knowing a fair amound about these pokemon already. "Double Kick! Now!" is ordered quickly, a finger being pointed at Tempest. Everything's set; now to see how obedient Kickback is.

Kickback emerges in a flash of pink light, which reflects off of the snow and contrasts in the fog. Standing up tall, the Hitmonlee blinks once or twice, peering left, right - then finally at the Winneedee. A command is called - again, not by his usual trainer, but by another girl, this one with a tougher kind of voice. Somebody who finally knows what she's doing. Perhaps it's this recognition of the fact that, dear goodness, somebody's giving him commands that aren't just "do whatever!", but whatever the case, he immediately leaps into action. Sprinting across the snow, the Hitmonlee rushes towards the winged horse. At the pivotal moment he jumps, lands on his left foot, and uses the momentum to kick -hard- with his right foot. Should it be successful, he'll kick once again, just as forcefully. It's a Double Kick attack, all right!

Lee's stats changes have been set to 0. She is ready to battle.
Melissa's stats changes have been set to 0. She is ready to battle.

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

It's a good thing Melissa's mouth is covered by her coat, so Lee can't see just how open her jaw is right now. Indeed, the girl's eyes are wide as she peers at the beautiful Winneedee, her hands clenching and relaxing, clenching and relaxing. Like any girl, she's got a thing for horses. Winged horses even better. "Wow..." whispers the girl, absolutely enchanted by the pokemon. Even as it gets Double Kicked, she seems ignorant to the snow, to her opponent, to her Hitmonlee - it's her and the Winneedee. "W... wow... wow, wow!" Spirited point. "G-go, Tempest! Do something! Now!" Descriptive!

Poor Tempest won't ever get used to all this, it seems. The Winneedee suddenly finds herself in the middle of a place she's never been before, with a stranger holding her pokeball and her own trainer calling out a strange pokemon. And ordering it to attack. To attack... her. "Neeeeeh!" the filly whickers loudly, too surprised to move fast enough to avoid being hit. Double Kick slams into her and forces her back. And to make matters worse, her temporary trainer doesn't help one bit. Rather than piping up with something to do in return -- anything -- the girl simply, hesitantly, tells her to do something. What? The poor ice horse has no idea. Lost and confused, Temp straggles back a few steps... then suddenly lunges forward in an akward Tackle attempt.

Lee grins lopsidedly to herself, nodding a bit as the Hitmonlee she's gotten landed with carries out the order well. "Nice, thanks," she comments loudly, so he can hear. Her grin grows as he successfully avoids the incoming attack as well, though it becomes rather fixed when she catches her own pokemon's confusion. That poor Tempest is utterly lost without a more certain trainer is good for her case... but not so good for her pokemon. Which doesn't exactly please her. But that's not the point here! she reminds herself quickly, shaking her head a little. "All right, let's try once more! Jump Kick!"

Hah! Perhaps Lee's inspiring him, or maybe he's just raring to make up for his loss last battle, but whatever the case, Kickback avoids the Tackle with considerable ease, a quick hop to the right. Still sliding from the dodge, he kicks off of that foot, hurling himself into the air and flying towards Tempest, foot outstretched, ready to Jump Kick the Winneedee right in the face! (Melissa, offhandedly, wonders why Kickback doesn't battle this well when -she's- in control.)

Melissa flinches visibly as the ice-type pokemon takes a harsh blow, and she huddles closer into her crossed arms, noting how such a beautiful pokemon should not have to suffer such pain. "C..." Then a little louder. "Come on, T... T... Tempest!" There's a pause. "Can you breathe... fire? Or, uh, or, um, shoot water? Try, uh, something like that!" The poor girl seems a tad panicked, but then, panic helped her win her last match.

Tempest takes another blow, staggers under the powerful kicks, then looks to Melissa, bewildered. What's she supposed to do? Help? Please? But again the poor filly gets very little help, no more than a few hesitant suggestions. All of which are useless to her. With an unsure whicker and a flick or two of her ears the Winneedee prances in place briefly. Then she whirls about, shifting her weight into her forelegsand lashing out viciously with her hind in a Stomp of sorts. No, she can't breathe fire or spit water. But she can kick and tackle up there with the best of them!

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

Again the Hitmonlee avoids Tempest's wild, uncertain attack. And while Lee's far from pleased about her own pokemon's difficulties, she can't help but be rather impressed by this fighting type. A pokemon she's not even trained herself, and she's impressed. Not bat at all. "Good work, keep it up!" she calls to Kickback, grinning a little. "Now..." The Rocket pauses, thinking something over. "Let's go with... hm. Think you can handle a Mega Kick?" For the first time the girl isn't commanding, merely inquiring, one eyebrow raised at the fighting pokemon. Though Kickback is a very quiet pokemon, he can't help but bark out a spirited "Hit!" at Lee's obviously rather rhetorical question. Of course he can! And he's just about to prove this. Backstepping and sidehopping with incredible ease, he seems almost as though he's playing with the ice type... and, at the opportune moment, suddenly jumps right into the air, both feet touching side by side. Turning his body almost entirely horizontal, he extends his legs, trying to give his attack double power. Mega Kick - his favorite attack!

Finally! An attack missed. Melissa's heart skips a beat as her Hitmonlee's attack is unsuccessful. Maybe this is the snowball that gets everything rolling? The girl can only hope. "N... now, Tempest!" she cries, eyes switching back and forth from pokemon to pokemon. If only she could be as calm and collected as Lee. "Try... um... put some, uh, some, uh, distance between you and Kickback! ... You can't breathe fire? Or, uh, shoot... something? Anything?" Boy, if only Wesley was here - he'd know what to do!

Put some distance between? Ah, finally Melissa is making some sense! While it's not the firm order she's used to following, Tempest isn't stupid, just confused at the moment. She puts two and two together and strings it into something that is halfway sortable, following through with an attack the next moment. "Neeeehee!" the Winneedee nickers, tossing her head and spinning, sharp hooves doing a nice job of keeping traction on the icy ground. This is her element, after all! No longer hesitating the filly dashes away with Agility, intending to put some distance between her and her apponent and maybe help herself in the process.

A part of Lee wants to grin and cheer her own pokemon on, as Tempest successfully collects herself and attacks. But the Rocket side of the teen keeps this reaction in check, and rather the girl frowns, shaking her head slowly. "Not good for us," she mutters under her breath, sending a glance to the Hitmonlee that's her battle partner. "You've been doing great so far, but now... now you gotta catch her. Fast. Before she manages to pick up too much speed..." Thoughtfully the teen trails off, again sorting through the possible attacks she knows. After a minute she shrugs slightly, ordering in a louder voice, "Okay, Rolling Kick!"

Catch her? Catch her? The Hitmonlee lifts his "head" up high, raising his eyes into a proud look. It's not that she's moving that fast. He'll be on her in an instant. Without a moment's hesitation, the fighting type springs off of the ground, his elongated legs allowing for longer, stronger steps. "Lee!" Up into the air Kickback leaps. He's going for more distance than height - he never goes two feet off the ground. In the air, he cannonball-style rolls once... twice... and, without warning, extends one leg out from his tight ball, using his rolling momentum to bring his foot crashing down on the poor Winneedee. But will he come crashing to the ground before the Rolling Kick can be landed?

Indeed, he does. A light smile forms on Melissa's face, covered by her coat. Shrugging her shoulders to huddle closer into the coat, the girl's eyes flash over to "her" pokemon, who seems to have some momentum now that she's retreated. "That's good, Tem... Tempest! Keep it up!" calls the Pewter girl, who uncrosses her arms now to adjust her fogged glasses. "Attack... him! Now!" A pause. "Can you hit him from, uh, from there?" If it can't breathe fire or spit water... it has to do *something*, right? There is some distance between Tempest and Kickback thanks to the Agility attack, after all - no sense in lessening it now.

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

Tempest slows her pace into a nice, even lope and tosses her head with a soft snort. Much better, this. Getting hit by that... long-legged... thing, isn't a whole lot of fun, in her opinion. No time to dwell on that, though! As she's accustomed to, she readies herself to follow out the next command immediately, tensed and prepared for quick action. She waits. No order comes. Instead, as she's beginning to see is a trend, she receives a rather uncertain request. Which sufficiantly throws her off for a split-second, as she tries to figure out the best course of action. Fortunately however, the Winnedee's not only been taught to obey order quickly, she's been taught to think quickly. And she does so now. Tossing her head she rapidly unfurls her enormous wings, beating them to help her keep balance as she rears onto her hind legs. A ball of bright, multi-colored light begins to form between her forlegs and then... it's released, in a bright flash, towards the Hitmonlee. Aurora Beam!

These battles are enough to really grate ones nerves. "Aw, Temp," Lee murmers under her breath, again shaking her head slowly as her pokemon misses. "C'mon, girl. You can do better than that..." The Rocket sighs, runs a gloved hand though her blonde hair, then turns again to the Hitmonlee. "Quick, while she's holding still. Use Jump Kick!" she orders swiftly, words clear and unslurred for once. "See if you can't knock her off-balance, hm?"

So he missed. Big deal. With a nimble leap to the side, the Hitmonlee effectively evades the Aurora Beam. Waiting for the Rocket to call an attack, the fighting type bends down slightly, adopting a stance that's easy to spring out of. Looks like he's ready to go. And go he does - as soon as the words "Jump Kick" are uttered, he flies out of his stance, sprinting at the Winneedee with no little aggression. He hasn't felt the pain of battle just yet, so he's still going strong as he hops into the air, spins around once with his leg extended, and turns just right so that, if successful, he'll give the winged horse one heck of a painful blow right to the side of her face. It's a Jump Kick, all right.

Melissa furrows her eyebrows a bit. One miss was good for her, but two misses? Her pokemon have been trained better than that... "Come on!" she cries at Kickback, clenching her gloved hands, before pausing for a second, thinking it through. Turning to Tempest (perhaps to cover up the fact that she was cheering for the opponent?), she calls again, "Come on, Tempest! Do that... that... that thing where you... you... Tackle!" That's what it must have been! "Kn... kn... uh, knock him right off his feet!" It's not that the Winneedee doesn't have the size or strength, it's that she doesn't have the speed - but that Agility attack just might have changed things.

With the swiftness of a well-trained fighter, Tempest ends her attack and whirls immediately, her sharp hooves cutting into the icy ground as she springs away from the retaliation. And then comes what is positively music to her ears. An order! No, she's not stupid an is perfectly capable of thinking on her own. But in battle it's a lot easier to move efficiently from one attack to the next if you're being told how to do this, by someone who's mind is clear. Without missing a beat the filly gathers herself and charges in one smooth motion, intending to catch and hopefully Tackle her opponent.

"Good gir--" Lee begins, a grin breaking out across her face. Now *that's* the Winneedee she's been training so extensively! But... hang on. She's not supposed to be rooting for Tempest. Oops. With a slight wince the Rocket's grin fades and she buckles down to business once more. Her pokemon just got hit. That's a bad thing, not a good one. "Try Meditate!" she orders quickly, then suddenly bites her lip. No, no. That was a stupid choice. "Hang on!" is shouted, an instant later. "Double Kick, instead!" That is, if poor Kickback isn't too confused...

It's even more painful than it looks to get tackled by a six hundred pound horse, but Kickback seems to get right back up, even after sliding across the snow a few feet. "Hitt..." he mutters, narrowing his eyes at the Winneedee once again. No longer is he fueled only by aggression - he's thrown some anger in there, too. Lee's attack choice confuses him, and chances are the fighting type would have disobeyed anyway had the Rocket not quickly changed her mind. Double Kick? That's more like it. Zip! There's not much distance between him and the Winneedee, so the fighting type needs only to take two or three steps forward, tensed and ready. With great speed, the Hitmonlee lifts his right leg off of the ground, and every bit at fast aims right at the horse's shoulder - and should he land, he'll kick it once again, same foot, same spot.

Melissa frowns a little at her Hitmonlee's performance, but she doesn't make the mistake of cheering for him again. No, this time, her cheers come out as helpful, if not somewhat meaningless, chants directed towards Tempest. "Go! Good... job! Nice block! Good job! Good job!" Melissa only has a split second, and she never was very good at quick decisions, but she still does get her attack out. "Um, use your hooves again! Go! S-Stomp him while, uh, while he's off guard! Off balance! Go! Hurry!" How many times will she say "Go" before she realizes that it's not exactly helping?

Oh, we're talkin' now! Not only is she beginning to get used to this trainer, this trainer's apparently beginning to get used to her. And Tempest feels this, beginning to throw herself into the battle with effort. She tosses her head eagerly, sending silvery-blue mane flying in all directions as she dashes away from the Hitmonlee, dodging with graceful agility. Then, without hesitation, she follows through with the attack a moment later, whirling on her forelegs and lashing out with her hind at the fighting type.

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

Tempest misses again, luckily for the Kickback, and Lee barges on ahead without letting herself dwell on this. Keep going, keep focused on the next attack, win this and get it overwith. Then she can get back on the Winneedee's side, where she belongs. "All right," she calls out, tone calm and business-like. "No stopping now, Mega Kick her before she can gain distance! Go for it!" The Rocket grits her teeth and runs a hand through her hair again, resisting the urge to pace. Nerve-wracking indeed.

Hoo! Hah! The Hitmonlee recovers quickly from his unsuccessful Double Kick, and is thankfully quick and fast enough to duck under the Winneedee's undoubtedly very painful hooves. Because the icey flier is turned away from Kickback (and because he's not thinking enough to realize that this is the perfect opportunity for the horse to run, the fighting pokemon takes slightly more time with this next move, concentrating more on raw power than accuracy. After all, how can the horse dodge? She's turned away! Bringing his right foot back and squeezing his eyes shut, the Hitmonlee lets forth all of his strength as he raises his leg and kicks with such force that it makes a whooshing sound as his foot goes through the air.

"Run! Run!" cries the Pewter girl from the sidelines, noticing the Hitmonlee's plans before he fully executes it - but she's not quick enough to notice. The Mega Kick, undoubtedly, hurts, and most likely a lot. "Run! No... no! Throw something at him! Kick snow into his eyes! Or, uh, Stomp him again! Or use that... that... ice attack! No, run!" And, finally, as Melissa submits to total and entire chaos, she simply calls out, squeezing her eyes shut as she does so, "Just do something!" Poor, poor Winneedee.

Well, so much for that. Tempest begins to dash away from her previous attack, not wanting to leave herself open for long, as she'd been trained. Something, however, goes a bit wrong. Rather than alerting her to danger, Melissa's calls instead serve to distract the poor filly. She whirls, not moving forward and away from the attack, but rather turning and trying to get a look behind her. Which only goes to set her up for a very painful, very direct hit. "Wiiiiihiihiiihehh!" the Winneedee shrieks, staggering slightly under the blow. This is beginning to be a bit much, now. She's tired. Confused. And Melissa's random shouts don't help any. Without warning the ice horse goes bizerk, lashing out in all directions wildly with Double Kick. It's a familiar attack for this battle, though the way it's brought about is completely different.

Lee grits her teeth harder, holding back a groan of frustration. "Temp..." she whispers, looking away as her pokemon looses it under pressure. "No, no, no. Get it together!" The Rocket hisses quietly to herself for a moment, looking irritated and worried at the same time. Then, as abruptly as the Winneedee attacked, the girl's expression blanks and she shakes her head decidedly. No time for this, the pokemon she's supposed to win this with is in trouble. That's what needs to be focused on. "Hang in there!" the teen calls to Kickback, looking suddenly concerned. "Jump Kick! Try to finish this quick!"

The random thrashing ends up giving the Hitmonlee a nice bruise right below the eyes, plus another one right above the left leg. "Mooonlee," groans the fighting type as he takes a couple steps back, possibly waiting for the pokemon to settle down... is he scared? Or waiting for her to consume her energy? Unfortunately, whatever plan he might have had is discarded when Lee announces her attack, and Kickback daren't argue. Boing! Into the air jumps the Hitmonlee. It's more vertical than horizontal - he's not too far from the horse, of course, so he needn't jump far. Using this momentum, he lets his foot burst forth, attempting to Jump Kick the ice type in the chest.

Melissa has tried to force herself to calm down. Her frantic, distressed nature - look at how it's affecting poor Tempest, who seems to do little more than jump around wildly, kicking here, there, everywhere. "Tempest!" calls the teenage girl, even as her Hitmonlee's kick misses by a long shot due to the random motion of the horse. Melissa closes her eyes, softens her voice, and tries again. "Tempest... sweetheart, calm down, girl, calm down..." Melissa doesn't verbally voice an attack, figuring that when the horse is ready, she'll take it upon herself to attack - even if it's only with a Leer or kicking snow up into the opponent's face. Too late. Like is common with equines, once they've lost it totally they don't get themselves under control very quickly. While in most cases Melissa's words would probably work in calming Tempest, the filly is too busy thrashing about to really pay attention to them. So instead she continues her wild rampage, rapidly draining her energy but quite possibly ending the battle faster. One way or another. Still wild with confusion, pain and quite possibly fear, the Winneedee lashes out with Stomp again, though her aim is none wonderful at the moment.

Lee knows her own pokemon well enough to realize, rather quickly, that Tempest isn't going to settle down anytime soon like she'd hoped. The girl sighs, shakes her head, and lets her shoulders slump a bit. "All right," she says after a minute or two, slowly. "She's too dangerous now. Give her a minute to settle down. In the meant time... Meditate! For real, this time." A faint grin crosses her face as she orders this, voice almost cheerful. If it's not faked, that is.

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

Kickback doesn't look like he's all too inclined to try another attack with the Winneedee as wild as she is right now, so sure enough he backs up, and he backs up *fast* in order to avoid the Stomp attack. He leaves footprints in the snow as he puts distance between himself and the horse. He looks at Lee. Looks at Melissa. Looks at Tempest. And closes his eyes. His entire body tenses, his fingers curl, and he looks entirely and completely... peaceful. Yes - Meditate.

Melissa's eyes widen further as Tempest doesn't stop thrasing, despite the girl's seemingly comforting words. Biting her lower lip, tugging down her coat so that her pale cheeks and light pink lips are revealed, Melissa shoots a quick glance at her opponent before returning her attention to the Winneedee. The girl isn't stupid - though she takes a few steps forward, she makes sure to get nowhere near Tempest. No sense in getting a large hoofprint in the forehead. "T... Tempest! Sugar... calm... calm down, girl..." Another worried glance at Lee. "Settle down..." Melissa really doesn't know how to react, especially around a pokemon -much- larger than she is.

And Tempest still doesn't calm. The Winnneedee continues to thrash about, getting her wings into the deal as well. Snow and ice begins to pick up and swirl about as the filly's enormous wings sweep out and beat, furiously, as she goes positively bizerk. Enough's enough. While Kickback is performing his Meditate, waiting out the Winneedee's fury, Lee decides to take action. It's one thing to sit back and watch her pokemon lose a battle. It's another thing entirely when her pokemon becomes out of control and potentially a danger to herself. "Enough!" the Rocket shouts, stepping forward without hesitation. She doesn't get within range of the ice horse's hooves or wings, but she does move worryingly close. "Tempest, enough! Stop!" Her voice is low and demanding, leaving no room for argument. The Winneedee's thrashing falters; she ceasing beating her wings and tucks them back to her sides, though her head continues to toss and her eyes roll wildly. "Enough," Lee repeats, taking the opportunity to stride forward and clamp one hand down on the Winneedee's muzzle. "Relax." Looks like Tempest won't be doing anything, this round.

The Hitmonlee perks open one eye as Lee reacts, but only for a moment - he turns his attention back to his Meditation, building up his stamina. Melissa, in the meantime, only watches, partially in awe, not even so much at the Rocket's control over her pokemon but at her bravery for actually approaching a thrashing, chaotic pokemon. Behind her glasses, Melissa's eyelids lift up slightly, and her gaze gradually sways over to Kickback. Kickback, who, like some of her other pokemon, sometimes ignores her and doesn't respect her. Then she looks back at Lee. A frown creases the girl's face, and, nervously, she adjusts her glasses.

Lee's been in dangerous situations before. Dangerous, life or death situations, even. Confronting the single pokemon she's focused on training for the past year is nothing, even when said pokemon is half crazed. It's not as though she hasn't seen such a reaction before, anyway. "Easy," the teen murmers, gloved hand still gripping Tempest's muzzle firmly. The Winneedee tosses her head a little more, shifting where she stands, but the hand stays with her even as she does so, its mild pinching keeping her attention. Dark brown eyes meet dark blue ones and both pokemon and trainer go completely still for a moment, staring at each other. "Good girl," says the quietly, nodding. Then she releases the ice horse and steps back, looking toward the still Meditating Hitmonlee. "Ready!" she calls sharply to him, before turning back to Tempest. "Tackle." As if to make up for lost time the Winneedee flicks her ears, focuses, then strides forward easily, indending to knock her opponent around some more.

Pokemon taken care of, Lee skirts the immediate battle area and returns to her former position. She just helped Melissa; now she had to win this. "Okay, now that that's taken care of..." the teen mutters, rolling her eyes a little. She looks to the Hitmonlee, grinning a bit. "You're a good battler. Think you can pull off another Rolling Kick? She may be calm again, but she's tired... this won't last long, if we can hit her fast and hard." The Rocket grimaces slightly, not really liking the idea of beating up her own pokemon. But it can't really be helped, after all.

Blink. The Hitmonlee's eyes open right in time to see the Tackle coming, and with a "Hit!" of surprise, he jumps to the side, just barely avoiding the large ice pokemon. Whirling around, his eyes burning with newfound intensity from his Meditation attack, he immediately launches into his attack. Bing! He jumps right into the air, sommersaulting and spinning wildly, both feet extended out as far as they'll go. The movement of the Hitmonlee is random as he flies through the air, but undoubtedly that Rolling Kick will hurt should it connect.

Some of Melissa's spirit just seems... lost. Or stolen, perhaps - maybe Lee's on Rocket duty without even knowing. A firm frown visible on her face, something about Lee's reactions with her pokemon... the way she took control, the way the pokemon understood, obeyed... Could even Wesley do it that well? "... Uh." A little pause. "Stomp him... I guess." Her voice is quiet, tired, disappointed - definitely not inspiring to the poor horse out there.

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

Tempest is definitely beginning to get tired now, her little frenzy not helping this at all. The Winneedee's reactions are slowing, her attacks becoming weaker. But she's been trained to keep going until she no longer can, and that training sticks. She deftly dodges the incoming attack, then slows her pace and gathers herself once more, acting on the command she's given, inspiring or not. With a low whinny she picks up her walk and lopes around in a loose circle, rounding in on Kickback. At the last minute she rears, pawing the air briefly and bringing her hooves crashing down again.

Lee grits her teeth again, anxious for this to be over. Drawn out battles aren't her thing; hard on the trainers, hard on the pokemon. No point in making this take longer than it needs to. "Hit her again, while she's distracted," the girl orders sharply. "Know you're getting tired, but try another Mega Kick! If you can just get her..." Out of terribly bad habit the Rocket begins to chew her lower lip, eyes narrowing slightly as she watches the battle intensely. Come on, come on...

Back, back, back hops the Hitmonlee, quickly avoiding the Winneedee's hoofs of fury. Though he doesn't speak, he does give Lee a look, a sort of "in control" look that screams, 'Tired? Who's getting tired?' Whipping his head to the front, the Hitmonlee hesitates for only a second before rushing forward, seemingly untiringly. He does not jump as he approaches the Winneedee, however - instead, he rushes right up to the horse and, if successful, will bring his foot up, much like a soccer playing kicks a ball into the goal. This is likely to stab, thanks to his diamond-hard nails, if successful. Mega Kick, of course.

Melissa flinches visibly as the Winneedee takes yet another blow, though that's mostly the only reaction. The girl seems to show little compassion for the poor horse's weakened state - her mind is definitely not concentrated on this battle now. "Uh," she mutters into the air, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. Her attack? "... Try shooting one of those... ice beams from your mouth, Tempest. You can do it, girl." Little to no passion is evident in her voice. She's lifeless.

Tempest shrieks as she's hid yet again, staggering from the powerful blow. It takes the poor Winneedee several minutes to recover, which she barely manages to do. But while her body's rapidly failing her, her determination isn't. Melissa may not be into the battle much anymore, but now the filly's fighting for her own trainer again, regardless of sides. Plucking up what energy she has left (not nearly enough for another Aurora Beam), the ice horse charges forward again, intending to throw her weight around in a Tackle. She might be tired, but at least this attack might be passable, and possible to use.

Lee winces as poor Kickback takes another blow, though the girl's attention remains mostly on her Winneedee. The filly learns all right, a little more every day. Not perfect yet, but she's young. Everybody makes mistakes when they're young. The point is, she knows how to make up for them.Eventually. Which, all in all, is a bad thing for this particular battle. This needs to be ended quickly, for the sake of her nevers. And her pokemon. "She's tired," the Rocket comments, mostly to herself but loud enough that the Hitmonlee could easily catch it. Then, louder, she adds, "Come on, once more! Jump Kick! Nail her!"

Oof! The blow sends the Hitmonlee stumbling back, and he almost loses his balance and goes tumbling into the snow from the force of the Tackle attack. He, too, takes a bit to recover, perhaps for the first time realizing just how tired he is, just how much pain he's in. It doesn't take long, however - Lee voices another command, and the fighting type is prepared to carry it out to the end. "Hiiiit!" he cries, bounding forward, his eyes not quite so angry, not quite so aggressive. His pace is slower and his intensity lessened as he leaps into the air, flying towards poor Tempest to see if he can't put all this momentum - plus his body weight - into a powerful kick on the Winneedee's face.

Melissa notes offhandedly how much better the horse is battling after her calming from Lee, but it doesn't increase her interest in the battle. It looks more like Melissa wants to go home and think that continue the battle. Her gloved fingers fondle the pokeball, rolling it back and forth, but she doesn't do anything with it. "... I know you're tired, girl, but try one of those ice attacks. I know you can." Looks like she didn't realize that the reason poor Tempest couldn't do it in the first place was the fact that she was too tired.

Tempest sways a little even as her attack hits. Damage may have been done to her opponent, but she's feeling the wear and tear of it as well. With a weary nicker the filly tries to collect herself, tries to attack. But she's so tired... "Temp!" comes the yell from the sidelines, firm and no-nonsense. "C'mon! You ain't been called back yet, ain't finished! Attack!" Her trainer slips up a little here, shifting into her slurred speech and lowered voice. And while it's not a good thing, a nice way to blow her cover, the effect it has on the Winneedee is a good one. The familiar voice gives her heart once more, and though she doesn't exactly obey Melissa, the filly does attack, spinning slowly and throwing out her hind hooves in another Stomp, the best she can muster.

Lee openly grimaces at poor Kickback takes the Stomp, knowing only too well that he's rapidly getting tired as well. Not a good combination. Had he been her own pokemon she would have expected him to brush the attack off as well as possible and go on. The fact that he's not hers doesn't really make her feel as though she can do this. So instead the Rocket calls, rather half-heartedly, "Try... try a Hi Jump Kick!" While her voice is still strong and commanding... she obviously doesn't expect the order to be carried out.

Oof. The Hitmonlee was perhaps a little too guard from his missed attack - despite the Winneedee's fatigue, her attack is quick enough and strong enough to catch the Hitmonlee and give him the toughest blow of his life. "Hitmoooooooooon!" he cries, the loudest sound he's probably ever made. Staggering back, the Hitmonlee holds his head, his eyes swirling around and around, shifting back and forth from leg to leg dizzily. He seems to be completely ignoring Lee's command.

Melissa lifts her head up from her thoughts to scrutinize the scene. Her eyes widen a bit behind her glasses, and the Pewter girl, despite her wishes, despite her thoughts, can't help but be a little more spirited now. ... Could this be it? "G..." she chokes, making a loud gulping noise that even Lee might hear. "G... g... go! At... at... attack! Now! I ... I know you're tired, I know, just please, try! Try! Go!" Her heart is racing - probably nothing compared to Tempest's own heartbeat, but it's enough to give the girl chills.

She's tired. She's confused. She's not had a good battle. But Tempest's been trained as a Rocket pokemon, and as such she doesn't give in easy. No, not easily at all. The Winneedee sways slightly as she comes around again, but by some miracle she keeps her balance. Her eyes roll a little, showing the whites, and she tosses her head nervously for a moment, pawing the ground. Then, without warning in a last burst of energy, she urfurls her great wings once more are beats them once. Twice. Rears onto her hind legs and sends them sweeping towards her opponent in a Wing Attack.

Aie! Peppy and Aurora's puppies are headed for the database! Better save! (Saving)

Lee knows she should be upset. Really, she does. She lost, after all. That's it, out of the tournament. Why, by all rights she should be furious. But somehow... she's not. A smile crosses the girls face and she sighs heavily, watching her pokemon's attack hit home. "Good girl," the Rocket whispers to herself. "Good girl." She remains in a sort of pained joy for a brief moment before coming back to reality again. Oh, right. She's supposed to be upset. Or something. The girl quickly pulls out Kickback's pokeball and recalls him, pulling the poor fighting type into the staisis of the orb. "You did really good," she comments quietly, smiling. "An honor fighting with you." Then she tugs her jacket a little and steps forward to Melissa, holding out the pokeball for the other girl to take. "Well trained Hitmonlee you've got there. I was impressed."

Melissa lifts her eyebrows in response to the Rocket, but she doesn't speak just quite yet. A moment or two passes. The girl gets one last look at the beautiful Winneedee before she holds up the pokeball, returning the pokemon to its home. Melissa exchanges pokeballs with Lee, and as she pulls back Kickback's pokeball, she just sort of peers at it. For almost a full minute, completely silent, wrapped up in her thoughts. Finally, she speaks. "... You..." Her voice is cracked, quiet, nervous. "... You deserved to win." She looks up into Lee's eyes, her frown becoming more and more obvious. "... ... And I'm sorry."

The teenage Rocket tilts her head slightly at Melissa, curious. Her eyebrows furrow as she watches the other girl, tucking Tempest's pokeball into her pocket before slowly shaking her head. "No," she says firmly, dark brown eyes narrowed a little. "What happened happened. There's no reason to apologize." Lee sighs softly, then smiles. It looks, for all the world, genuine. "You gotta learn to be more confident. In yourself. It'll get ya further than you might think. Remember that." And with a nod to the trainer she turns, shoving her hands into her pockets as she walks away. She doesn't look back.

And there Melissa stands, watching as Lee wanders off into the snow. There are so many questions bubbling in the girl's head. Who is she? Where does she come from? How does she know about one of Melissa's biggest flaws? What is that beautiful pokemon? ... How's that friend of hers than she was with last time? But these questions remain unasked, and it's unlikely that Melissa would have bothered asking even if Lee had stuck around. Lee will be long gone by the time the Pewter girl finally decides to head back to the Pokemon Center; in the meantime, she'll simply keep peering at her pokeball, lost in thought.

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