[attr="class","spiral"] last night was interesting to put it lightly. dinner with alfric had gone well but having sampled too much liquor transitioned from meaningful conversation into an odd confession that even fernando doesn't quite understand. he's ignored it and largely chalked it up to the liquor. a frequent drinker in his own right, his sympathy for the less than stellar display is met with an unquestioning silence in regards to bringing it back up.

alfric request for an audience with him the next morning and fernando is obligated to answer it with his return. this time, they meet not as friends mulling over the region's status but as combatants. his pokeballs lines his outfit and there are several more than the standard six. the request for a challenge is not one he takes lightly but between companions, he eases himself up with several pokemon he trusts cait to train.

[attr="class","spiral"]"pachirisu."

fernando calls upon his first pokemon and it's none other than the shiny pachirisu he encountered with persephone amavi . although she had been the one to catch it, she had returned it to him as a gift. something about having a cuter pokemon to help shape his image. fernando dismisses the sentiments but accepts the pokemon full-heartedly. after all, his time in the safari zone ended with the conclusion that he needs the pokemon more than anything.

the adorable little rat is brought out onto the field and looks around curiously. small, curved fangs sit on the pokmon's over bite, lower lip nibbling against the pokemon's mouth as it investigates the scenario.

"your move, alfric."

fernando plays it off as a kind gesture but his purpose is twofold. the new addition to his team isn't accustomed to fighting and having alfric hurt it first will serve as a good motivator to fight. ordering it now is a mixed bag and even he's not certain it'll obey outright.

[attr="class","spiral"] it takes a moment but eventually the pokemon make eye contact. the pachirisu is still oblivious to the situation, tilting its head at the other pokemon but otherwise docile. at least until it growls and approaches in a wild sprint. the pokemon can tell when another one is hostile and about to attack. however, the pachirisu does nothing more than squeal, discharging electricity as a defense mechanism.

imagine its surprise when the pokemon never attacks. instead, the watchog simply glares at it and the pokemon becomes CONFUSED by the empty threat of aggression. it doesn't take long for the CONFUSE RAY to take effect, leading the pokemon to lose its footing and start to wobble at the sudden sensation of vertigo. unable to control itself, the pokemon continues to discharge electricity in a nearby range in a THUNDER WAVE. should the watchog dare intrude further and come into contact with the sparking outburst, it might just find itself PARALYZED.

[attr="class","spiral"] "swift."

fernando only observes for so long before giving a command. with his own pokemon, he has no qualms with letting them figure it out on their own. however, this pokemon is neither caught by him nor trained. watching the watchog freeze up gives him the prognosis of the pokemon being effected by the THUNDER WAVE. naturally, it could've been a FEINT but without cait's vocal advice, he figures that such a read would prove too cautious.

the dizzied pokemon spits out an array of razor sharp SWIFT. the star shaped projectiles fire out in all directions, tizzying around as the pokemon spins in its own teeter dance. for an attack known for its accuracy, it seems anything but. the spray and pray method isn't as effective as it should be but some of the projectiles still end up streaking straight for the watchog.

fernando does what he can to adapt to his pokemon's CONFUSION.

[attr="class","spiral"] the pachirisu has no hope of evading the attack. it can barely grasp its own footing under the nausea inflicted by CONFUSE RAY. nevertheless, it tries, stumbling as the watchog looms ever closer at an impressive speed.

"NUZZLE."

fernando anticipates that the pokemon will be unable to defend against it. so he works with the implication that the melee attack will land. battling is about adapting a pokemon's strengths against their weaknesses. if it cannot evade or block then the only solution is to retaliate with a greater force.

the pokemon's large fangs do a number on the pokemon's torso. the force of them being brought down in a clamping CRUNCH causes the tiny rodent to squeal out in pain. it can barely register the command but it does so, not out of an obligation to listen to its new trainer but out of self preservation. with the watchog up close, the pachirisu writhes against it, generating a discharge of electricity from the friction.

[attr="class","spiral"] there is no way the pachirisu can escape. not with its current abilities. an adequate trainer knows the limits of their pokemon and the result of a simple battle well before it ends. fernando is the most competent of all and he recalls the pokemon, wasting no further time with subjecting his pokemon to such pointless pain.

"outstanding, alfric," he chimes as he readjust the pachirisu's pokeball back onto his waist. he plucks a different one from his waist and holds it up, pressing into the capture mechanism with the flat of his thumb.

the gyarados that comes out fills the battlefield with its elongated frame. the irritable sea serpent lets out a terrible shriek, sure to INTIMIDATE whatever pokemon it faces. once the pokemon settles down and the sound returns to normal levels, fernando issues a command.

"CRUNCH."

the gyarados cuts through the air and dives straight toward the watchog, ready to take a giant BITE into the small pokemon.

[attr="class","spiral"] the hypno brings her pokemon out of the way just in the nick of time. fernando makes no comment about it but watching it unfold is reassuring. their mutual understanding of their pokemon's limits and the inevitable outcome is a practice that should be standard but is often overlooked in the heat of battle.

fernando awaits her second pokemon and it turns out to be one that matches the constitution of his own. two behemoths means to snake around the battlefield now face each other in combat. fernando does not hesitate to start the pacing of their battle. in a contest of strength, the steelix proves more durable than the gyarados when faced in physical combat. so fernando will opt to weaken it at its core.

"RAIN DANCE."

the water pokemon coils around itself as it paces backwards, away from the enemy and closer to fernando. the way it spirals upwards causes the gym's moisture to consolidate into visible gray clouds. the sound of drizzling beat against the floor as droplets of water start to saturate their battleground.