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[attr="class","bisc"]A pinkette squared up against him. Her eyes were a bright, gorgeous green. She looked elegant and cool. Why’d it have to be a girl? Sure, he swung both ways, but women made him nervous. Just talking to one his age took his normal awkwardness and ratcheted it up to eleven. The Incineroar, meanwhile, was a lot more worried about the water type beside Nabi.

Biscotti rehearsed his introduction before he spoke. Just give his name and kick the battle off. Easy-peasy. “I’m Kingscotti.” His cheeks pinkened, but he made no move to correct myself. “This is Jangle.” A name that sprung from the fire bell on a collar that no longer existed. “And, uh, luck of best.”

nabi park

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[attr="class","bisc"]The discordant screech forced the cat to lift its paws to her ears. Fiery eyes pressed tightly closed as she tried to shake off the disorientation. The battlefield wavers around her, the high-pitched squealing enough to put the cat off balance. Plate-sized paws take a step back as the fire-type shudders. “Shake it off, JJ! Come on!” Biscotti’s voice is full of worry. Typical of that little wuss. With a wince, the Incineroar forces herself to stand straight. “Roar.”

Then, the lady calls out her next attack. One that can put both of them on their ice if they’re not careful. “Jangle—!” Biscotti reaches for a strange ball at his side. He fumbles and almost drops it—clumsy as always. Just as the water draws near, the cat’s cloaked in a ball of crystalline energy. With a snarl, the now fighting-type feline charges straight into the watery blast. Her fur turns feathery as she strikes with an Acrobatics attack.

The move aims to take the swamp monster off its turf—the ground—and get it somewhere more neutral.

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nabi park

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[attr="class","bisc"]The brunette sighed in relief as the crystal crown appeared. He totally forgot about that orb thing. It’d have come in handy when he was fighting that Hydro Pump happy Froakie. Still, better late than never. Hearing the young woman’s annoyance, Biscotti offers up an apologetic grin. He even goes so far as to murmur, “Uh, heh. Sorry.” This last bit earns an eye-roll from his feline pal. It was hard living with a literal doormat.

The Incineroar’s lean muscles power up each of those successful hits. She watches with barely disguised glee as her opponent’s hearts drop from three to two. As the last kick sends the Swampert back, the cat takes a minute to catch her breath. The feathery texture of her fur fades. Just as she begins to prowl, Bruno responds with his Mud Shot.

The dirt hits the Incineroar in the side of the face. A yellow-blue eye vanishes beneath a sea of wet, dark mud. The red of her fur becomes stained and dirty. With a deep growl, the fighting type flicks a clump of dirt away. Before it even hits the ground, Jangle’s dashing forward again. This time, she unleashes a Cross Chop.

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nabi park

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[attr="class","bisc"]The brunette’s heart is in his chest. In what seems like an instant, the opponent is down to one heart. I might actually win this! A tentative smile curls up the edges of his lips. Come on, JJ!

Jangle’s step faltered as the water attack was called out. There’s an instinctual fear of wet that permeates her whole being. A natural aversion to being wet—as useless as a soaked match. “You’re so close! Keep it up!” This encouragement forces her to shoulder through that innate phobia. But that hesitation buys the axolotl a few more seconds.

The Cross Chop hits. But any follow-up is prevented by the water hammer to the cat’s chest. “!?” Thick claws draw sparks against the cobbles as Jangle tries to stay upright. One of them snaps at the toe line as the cat finds herself balanced on the out-of-bounds line. A shudder of revulsion follows as she tries to shake off the worst of the storm. “Don’t just stand there!” A glare is thrown her trainer’s way. She prefers it when he just stands there looking cute. “Go for an—uh—Acrobatics!”

Hopefully, a fast-paced, aerial attack like that will let the wrestler avoid another firehose to the face.

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nabi park

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[attr="class","bisc"]The cat’s foot whipped through empty air as the Swampert surged out of the way. With a growl, the feline landed in a crouch. Her tail lashed angrily behind her as she narrowed her eyes. Muscles bunched as the cat prepared to pounce. But, before she could act, a torrent of water was coming her way. Biscotti’s eyes widened. If that attack hit, they’d be in a world of hurt.

Time to act! What should he do? “Use, um, Cross Chop!” With a snarl, the cat did as she was told. Not because he said so, of course. They just happened to have the same idea. With a hint of desperation, she tried to slice through the water with a burst of fighting-type energy. If it clipped the Swampert on its way over, awesome.

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nabi park

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[attr="class","bisc"]After a few feet, the cat felt her heart buoy upward. To be able to charge right into water and not pay a price was magical. Even if the weird punching glove on her head weighed down on her. It was almost worth it to see that temporary look of fear in the Swampert’s eyes. As her steamrolling continued, the cat felt a sudden change in pressure.

The order makes Scotti wince. He crosses his fingers as he hopes what’s left in the opponent’s gas tank isn’t as much as what’s left in Jangle. But it’s not like he actually cares if he loses. As long as everyone had fun and someone benefitted, the baker kid’s fine with it. “!?” With a hiss, the cat was forced temporarily back onto one foot. The sudden pressure change shoved her back a few yards before her hind claws lock into the cement beneath her feet. Sparks fly as she finally stops her backward trajectory.

“Come on, JJ!” Biscotti calls out as the cat begins her slow forward push. "Give them the old one-two!" Then, her fist draws back hoping to shut the axolotl up for good. But her hands are shivering. A bit more pressure might send her all the way back to square one!

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nabi park

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