VS Nero Valken

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WOOT! Got this done just in the nick of time. #The-IPL battle against *Okami-13 battle roulette style! This was a lot of fun to do, and really let me practice a foresty background. It makes me so excited for fall and Halloween!

story! [link] It's a long story, and I hope I kept Nero in character.

<sub>Fall was in full swing. Atael crunched through the fall leaves that dotted the ground. Still on Challenger Island, her first fall here. It was colder than in Johto, the ocean winds biting hard on the island.

A slight breeze moaned through the trees, creaking their limbs and rustling the few leaves left on them. Fallen ones were picked up and caressed by the wind, carried gently a few feet.

Atael breathed in the crisp smell of woods, the aroma of decaying leaves and plants, the sweet smell of lavender, and the tangy bouquet of small purple flowers that she didn't know of.
A couple of gray stones were starting to pop out of the leaf litter. There were numerous ones, all arrayed in a specific pattern. Atael kneeled in front of one, and could just barely make out Here lies dear Athena, loving pokemon, cherished friend

Eyes starting to get misty, Atael got up, and kept walking, knowing it was a pokemon graveyard. She hadn't seen any anywhere before on Challenger Island. She stared at the ground, until she almost smacked into a small, wooden table. Looking up, she saw a strange looking man. He wore a mask that grinned.

"Oh..umm.. I'm sorry, I bumped into your table." she stammered. He was holding a tea cup, and the table was laden with a tea pot, another cup, and a couple of sweets.

"No need to apologize." he said behind his mask. "Would you care to join me for a cup of tea?"

Atael, of course, couldn't refuse, she had to test the tea. She pulled out her shamisen and played a tune, to brighten the gloomy fall day.

After a bit of chit chat, she learned his name was Nero Valken, and liked puppets. As they finished their tea, he asked a simple question, "Would you like to battle?"

***

Atael had chosen Niabi, her beautiful Deerling, who needed more experience in the field, and not just on the dance floor. She bounded around the graves, kicking up her heels at being free from the pokeball.

Nero sent out his arbok, Crow Scare.

Seeing the giant snake, Niabi started quivering, scared out of her wits. Before the battle began, she hesitantly walked up to Crow Scare, a gave a sniff of greeting.

And then the battle began. Niabi took off, running out of sheer panic, the arbok in close pursuit. Catching just a bit, Crow Scare gave a poison sting attack. Niabi slowed a bit, being poisoned. Stumbling in her mad dash, the arbok caught her, wrapping his large coils around her midsection, almost tenderly, not wanting to do real damage, but slowly, ever so slowly, tightening so she couldn't get away from his bite.

Niabi freaked at that moment, her long legs thrashing about, trying to escape. Her flower started glowing, as she used Aromatherapy, to speed along the cure for her poison.</sub>



Crow Scare the arbok belongs to

Niabi the deerling belongs to me,

Pokemon (C) Nintendo