Ready, Samson?

"Oh heaven 'bove!" Josie cried out in surprise from the sudden Lillipup appearance. She had never seen a Pokemon like that in her life, but she had to admit it looked a little... Plain. But cute! She just wasn't sure if it'd be a contest-ready Pokemon. But, she supposed her Pokedex and battling it would be the best way to check- plus it would give Samson some battle experience. The girl pulled out her text and pressed the largest button in front of the Pokemon, waiting for its information. "Lillipup- The Puppy Pokemon. The long hair around its face provides an amazing radar that lets it sense subtle changes in its surroundings. Though it is a very brave Pokémon, it's also smart enough to check its foe's strength and avoid battle." So this was some kind of... Battle strategist Pokemon! Probably not the best candidate for dancing, but one could never tell.

"Weeeell, Samson," she mused, putting down the insect on the floor. "It seems like it's time for ya to put yer abilities to the test. See if ya can be a worthy opponent to this here little fighter!" At first, the Larvesta seemed a little nervous, tensing up a bit and looking away. But after a few seconds, he realized this was the life he was going to have to get used to. If he wanted to impress Josie and bond with her, these were the sacrifices he'd have to make. And hey- maybe it would help him loosen up for contests. So building up his bravery, he took a battle stance and let out a (hopefully) threatening "Lar!". "Alright lil doggy," Josie called out to the Lillipup. "You better let me know durin' this battle if dancin' and coordinatin'-in' is your thing, cuz that's what I am and that's what you'll be doin' if I decide to catch ya!"

Her attention was turned back to Samson. "I think I read you know String Shot and Ember... But right now I'm most curious 'bout that Ember. So, show me an Ember!" With that, the insect took a deep breath in, and then summoned power from his horns to shoot out a small stream of fire at the opposing dog Pokemon.


Samson
Male - Lv5 - Swarm
Jolly - Somewhat of a clown
HP: 70/70
EXP: 0/5
Moves: Ember, String Shot
Held Item: None

Attack Roll: u0vCFU91
Burn Chance Roll (5 or 6):

"Yeeeeeah, Samson! That's it! Great hit!" Josie yelled out, causing her Pokemon to swell with pride and put on quite the happy face. Huh, he really had done it! He had landed a hit and Josie was happy with him! He couldn't help but turn to her and let out a content sound in response to her whooping and hollering, but it seemed his lack of focus was just going to land him in big trouble as the Lillipup came charging towards him- only to then miss immediately. Josie couldn't help but giggle slightly (even though she knew it was mean to judge others and she really shouldn't). It was at this moment she was pretty sure that she had no desire to catch the thing, as she seemed to be all charge and no desire to show off or nothing. Samson, on the other hand, went ahead and let out a loud screech of a laugh and gave a small, mocking "haha in your face!" dance, showing off his clownish personality.

"Now now, Samson buddy, no need for laughin' or dancin', save that for the stage. Speakin' of stage, though, I've had an idea that I've been wantin' to try... And I guess I might as well try it on this here Lilly-pup!" The Larvesta looked towards his trainer curiously, wondering what she had in mind. "Go ahead and shoot a String Shot at it to slow it down. And make sure that you leave a little bit of string left connected to it and your mouth! Just trust me." Samson wasn't sure he fully understood her idea, but, maybe he just wasn't in the right "co-ordinator" mindset yet. So, on her word he shot forward some string, hoping to connect it with the puppy Pokemon.

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...only to have it not. Samson's face went from determined to downtrodden as he dropped the extra piece of string out of his mouth, and Josie couldn't help but feel a little disappointed herself. "Well, uh... It's fine, Samson! We'll just stick to Ember from now on and practice that combo later!"

Samson let out a cry as he was knocked back, but only a few feet. Honestly, it was more the scare itself from contact being made than the actual hurt itself. Josie initially gasped at the tackle and was about to rush forward to tend to her Pokemon, until he stumbled back onto his legs and let out a playful "Lar!" at the opposing Pokemon. ("I hope that's not the best you can do!") Upon seeing his determination, Josie smiled and let all her fears melt away. "Great rise-sillience, Samson!" she yelled out, letting the foregin sounding word roll off her tongue for the first time (she had heard Trainers use it to encourage their Pokemon before, so hey, might as well try it herself). "Now hit 'em with another Ember, nothin' flashy this time, just try to get back in the groove o' things! After that we'll start preppin' for how to be stylish with all yer fire!"

With that, Samson yet again shot a small stream of fire from his mouth towards the opposing Lillipup, hoping this time he wouldn't let his Trainer down by missing.

Attack Roll: q|eSQHme
Burn chance roll (5 or 6):

Though Samson was initially hit hard by the Tackle attack, it only took one notice for him to realize that it hadn't hit as hard as before- maybe because the thing was burned, she wasn't able to attack as hard? Well, no matter. Getting back on his feet quicker than before, the Larvesta, instead of groaning with pain, actually started... Chuckling, almost. Mockingly. At first, Josie was confused as to why her little bug was being all maniacal, but she quickly realized that the Tackle had barely done anything. "Alright Samson, havin' those defenses nice and strong!" She didn't even think about the possibility of the Lillipup's burn doing anything- honestly, she didn't even realize she was burned at all.

"Well, now that yer obviously gonna be okay, it's time to bring out that thing I was talkin' about earlier! Alrighty Samson, try that String Shot without disconnectin' from one thread again!" He confidently nodded, feeling better about this battle than ever, and narrowed his eyes, trying to focus much better on the Lillipup thing time before shooting his sticky string at her.

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((Since it made contact this time, this is the beginning of practicing for a combo. I'll tell you when it's done, and then you can decide whether it's approved to be used as an extra dice roll in contests or not.))

It was a hit! "Alrighty, great Samson! Make sure you get her wrapped up as much as you can, like a cowgirl's lasso!" Josie yelled out, jumping up in the air from excitement. "Uh, I mean uh, like a rope 'round her, in terms ya may understand better." The Larvesta manuevered his head up and down and side to side to attempt to wrap his string around her in a circular motion, hoping that if he reached high enough the threads would go over her head and create a fine cocoon around her entire body. "And whateva you do, don't break that thread, buddy!"

When he was finally done engulfing the puppy Pokemon in as much thread as he could, he made sure to make the last string extra thick and stick to the roof of his mouth, wondering what his interesting Trainer had in store.