Strong as a shield

Marcus looked at the gym in front of him, towering and strong. "Hah, this will be fun am I right Sabishii?" Marcus let out a hardy chuckle. He reached his hand out and threw the door open. "Hello? I'm here to challenge the gym leader!" Marcus's voice boomed through the room, he looked around for the leader of the gym, Falkner.

"I'm here," a cool and collect voice said from the far shadows in the back of the room. Sure enough, out from the darkness stepped Falkner with a serious and intimidating look on his face."Do you really think your ready to challenge me?" he asked, taking another step forward.

Marcus let out slight yet still hardy laugh. "I dont know but no point in not trying am I right?" Marcus dug through his deep pockets yanking out a the Pokeball of his shelder. "So, can I battle you?"

"I can't decline a challenge," Falkner replied, taking out one of his own Pokeballs and tossing it into the air, releasing an eager Pidgey from within. "It's your first move, challenger," he said, taking a step back, and focusing on the battle to come.

Marcus tossed the pokeball onto the battle field. "Thats prefect, gives me a chance to toughen up! Shelly use withdraw!" The Shellder's outer shell began to shine for a quick second. "Good job Shelly, lets see him break through that!" Marcus said with a big smile on his face.

Falkner nodded, approving of the move. "A good move to make. Because my bird Pokemon are more skilled at physical attacks, you're protecting yourself against them. I'll have to make my own cushion of protection then. Pidgey, use Sand Attack."

His Pokemon obeyed, flapping his wings with effort and causing a huge cloud of dust to rise around Shelly, trying to blind him and lower his accuracy.

Sand began to fill shelly's shell. "Uh, um. Shelly use withdraw again, this time keep your shell closed!" Shellder shut his shell tight, defenses raised one more time. "Good job, try and get more sand in there now!" Marcus shouted with a smile.

Falkner seemed intrigued with the forming strategy Marcus was making, but he remained silent to it. "Pidgey," he said, "before his defenses can get any higher, use Tackle."

Pidgey crooned calmly, lifted higher into the air, and brought himself into a dive straight at the withdrawing Shelly. His speed increased as he dove, and he hurtled himself at his guarded foe.

"Hah! your trying to get through his shell? My Shelly has the strongest shell I've ever seen! only to be beaten by on of my other Pokemon!" Marcus let out another boastful laugh. "Shelly, prepare for the impact!" Pidgey made direct contact with Shellder, doing minimal damage with his shell fully closed.

Falkner knew his Pidgey would be very ineffective against the protection of Shelly, but landing damage wasn't his full intention. "Now Pidgey," he said, "let's see what this trainer can really do! Grab him and fly into the air."

Pidgey obeyed, swooped a small turn from his vantage point slightly above Shelly, and dove to try and lath his claws into the Pokemon's shell.

Marcus got an idea. Shelly was gripped by the talons of Pidgey, the calws hardly being able to grasp him. "Shelly, just get ready, dont be scared!"

Pidgey crooned in victory, and with his unreliable grip, began climbing back into the air with strong pumps of his wings. When he was far enough up, he looked to his trainer. "Keep going," Falkner commanded, "then let him drop."

Pidgey made a quick nod, and continued his climb, planning to drop Shelly once he nears the ceiling. Marcus would have to act soon.

"Ah, that's quite high..." Marcus looked up at his Shellder dangling up in the air. He got an idea, good or not. "Shelly, start swinging back and forth!" Shellder began swinging to and fro, like a chandelier. As soon as he gained enough momentum Marcus called out. "Shelly, try getting yourself out of his claws, swing up and smash him down with a tackle attack! Im not to sure it will work, but.... Go for it!" Shellder did as she was told, swinging up with enough force to try and rip himself from Pidgey's claws

Pidgey cawed in concern, and looked confusedly at his struggling foe. Shelly seemed to have gained enough momentum, for Pidgey struggled to hold his grip and continue his climb, but the Shellder held quite the challenge. His persistence paid off, and Pidgey could do nothing but watch as his foe slipped from his grasp and begin to fall back to the ground.

Pidgey crooned in confusion on how to proceed, and Falkner just shook his head. "Do nothing, just watch it drop," he commanded, and Pidgey maintained his position in the air above Shelly, doing nothing to the falling Pokemon.

Marcus watched as Shelly fell to the ground with a smash. "Uh... not exactly what I imagined... Shelly are you okay?" Shellder had fainted. "ah, you've taken worse falls then that, but we will get you treated later. Come back." Marcus held the Pokeball in his hand, pressing the trigger he called Shelly back in a blur of red. "Heh, my Pokemon arnt the best against you, but hey its good practice am i right?" Marcus shoved his hand into his right pocket yanking out another ball. "hmm, I might have an idea. Go on Endolith!" Marcus tossed the ball onto the field replacing Shellder. "Endolith, your a little weak at the moment but you know what to do in fights!" Marcus' Shuckle pulled in his tentacles back into his shell. Shuckle readied himself for any attacks, waiting to absorb the damage and put it back out at Pidgey. Shuckle used Bind!

Pidgey didn't wait for a command from Falkner, and it seemed his success against Shelly made him a bit too cocky. He dove for a Tackle at Endolith, only to fuel the Bide. He crooned in delight, not knowing just what power would come back and bite him.

"Perfect, Endolith Throw that power back twice as hard!" Marcus shouted onto the battle field. Shuckle popped out of his shell, a burst of energy followed him. "Good, job Endolith, that was beautiful!"

(Sorry about these short posts XD)

(It's fine, sometimes they're unavoidable, especially in a battle.)

The burst of power slammed into Endolith's flying foe. "D'Gee!" Falkner's Pidgey exclaimed before plummeting to the ground and landing with a thud, fainted. In a burst of red light, the Pokemon disappeared into his Pokeball. Another flash replaced Pidgey with a Pidgeotto, Falkner's last Pokemon, and Marcus's final foe.

"Pidgeotto," Falkner said, "Let's start things off with Sand Attack." Not a moment later, the large bird whipped up a cloud of blinding dust around Endolith, hoping to blind him.

"Hah Hah! That's a tough one you have there boy!" Marcus said with a goliath of a smile on his face. "Endolith get out of there with your roll out attack" Shuckle did as he was told slowly sucking in his limbs and spinning out of the tornado of sand, trying his hardest to see well enough to not run head first into the nearest wall. "Endolith don't hurt yourself, stop that and take a breather with Withdraw!" Shuckle came to a sudden stop, his shell plopping onto its side his head still inside his shell. "Endolith has the strongest shell of any Pokemon I've seen! His power is a little lack of luster though." Marcus looked over at Falkner chest puffed out.

"I see," Flakner replied, a glint of competitiveness in his eye, "My Pidgeotto may seem like the opposite: quick and strong, but lacking guard to defend himself. I guess we'll see what happens when opposites collide. Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"

Pidgeotto crooned, rose into the air, and with a screeching "D'Geotto!" disappeared in a flash, hurtling at a blinding speed toward Endolith.

The streak of pidgeotto ran straight into Endolith causing his shell to skitter across the floor. "I hope this is your ace! Little Endolith cant handle something that fast!" Marcus said, smilling down at his Shuckle still cowering in his shell. "Get out of there Endolith. Try catching up to him the a roll out!" Endolith popped out of his shell eyes a redish color from the sand. Hegave himself a weak push before going back in his shell and using the small momentum to pickup speed, straight for Pidgeotto.

Pidgeotto crooned with laughter, and launched into the air and out of the reach of Endolith's rather speedy attack. He looked to his trainer, but Falkner just held out his hand, a comand not to attack.

"Gym battles, unlike others," he began, "Are meant to teach a lesson and make a trainer like yourself stronger. As for my lesson, it's something you're going to have to teach yourself. So tell me, how exactly will you hit a flying foe with a Pokemon that's ground bound?"

Pidgeotto continued hovering in the air above Endolith, watching the Pokemon closely, but not attacking this turn.

"I've never been much of one for thinking!" Marcus said with a chuckle. He sat there for an awkward second, fingers fondling his chin and the stubble on it. "Ah! Endolith use those weak little arms of yours to propel yourself at him. But make sure you do it during a roll out to get up speed!" Endolith gave Marcus a look of unsureness (omg thats an actual word.) before tucking himself back into another roll out. "Go on ya big baby, I'm sure you will be fine!" Marcus watched Shuckle with a slight amount of amusement and a little bit of amazement. Shuckle gained speed before doing a drift spin to face Pidgeotto whilst keeping most of his speed. Shuckle did as he was instructed, using his arms to give himselft the ramp effect, but his angle was to far off, it was already obvious to Marcus that he would run right into that wall. "Prepare for impact Endy" Marcus said with a caring yet humored voice.

Falconer just smiled, watching the bond between Marcus and Endolith grow. "Good," he said, not noting the lack of aim, "But thinking must be done quicker. No sane opponent would give you an opportunity to think. You must be sharp on your feet. Pidgeotto, Quick Attack!"

In another flash, the bird Pokemon disappeared, flying like an arrow at Endolith. Though it also proved dangerous, because Endolith was so close to the wall. If Pidgeotto missed, he would collide with the hard brick instead.

"Quick thinking huh?" Marcus said in an almost unaudible voice, which was very unlike him. He remembered how the last quick attack had made Endolith fly backward on the ground. "Endolith, use withdraw!" Marcus shouted, finally getting a more serious look on his face. The Quick attack hit directly which is what Marcus was hopping for. Shuckle's shell flung back into the wall smacking off of it and spinning towards the enemy Pidgeotto.