noah has been waiting. no receptionist needed, no gym trainer required. after seeing adrian's name on the list, the gym leader ensures he receives the warmest, most personalized welcome. even when bound by formality, noah can not help but pick favourites.

the doors slide open before adrian sets off their sensors.

"it's been a long time coming." noah stands proudly in the doorframe. arms crossed. legs parallel, hip-distance apart. his gym uniform hides little of his physique— for intimidation and branding, of course. "i'm glad you finally made it here, man."

on either side of his legs, his pokeballs remain secure in their rotator-devices.

"nervous?" noah teases.

Adrian Malcolm

adrian is greeted by automated doors opening to reveal noah, whom he hasn't seen in... weeks? months? not that he'd kept track. a sheepish smile is all he offers, shrugging at noah's adulation. "yeah, me too." he recalls the events of a year ago. the things he's missing. taking one last look at the rising sun, adrian thinks fondly of it, noting to himself how warm the colors are before heading inside.

he'd always imagined howitzer being with him every step of the way, so it was heartwarming to bask in the glow of a sun that resembled her so closely. the sentimentalist in him wouldn't let it go. he considered it a sign; a good omen, in spite of the old sailor's superstition.

he cocks a brow at the obvious taunt, donning a lopsided smirk. "no, i'm pretty confident." hoenn had conditioned him to far worse, so he was hardly nervous for a gym battle. but that didn't mean he couldn't still lose; adrian was still wary of noah as his opponent. as he follows noah deeper into the gym, he finds the title rather literal, not that he takes issue. it would serve their needs just as well.

"why, are you?" adrian returned the jab, though he was sure noah and him felt the same. this battle, while perhaps less formal, was none less ceremonial for it. it meant a lot to adrian to be here, and for noah to be the first to officially welcome adrian back into the gym challenge. it was like a homecoming for him, a return to his passions.

noah faber

"not gonna lie, i am." they slip into the gym and the doors close with a clean shiiiiing noise. above the door, the coolers rush cold air onto shoulders. "buuut!" he stretches his arms above his head. fingers flicker lightly in the chilly stream. "that's with any fight. y'know. performance anxiety and all."

trainers chat with receptionists. membership cards are swiped underneath the ruckus of weights clanging on racks. they move in deeper; a separate section for gym challenges. more quiet, but still charged with something lively.

"you want me to go all out, or do i keep it at the same level to make things fair?" noah braces his palms against the heavy doors to their battleground.

Adrian Malcolm

noah speaks plainly, and adrian's thankful for it."yeah, you're right." perhaps he hadn't been entirely honest with noah. although he wasn't worried about how the battle went, he did have something of a reputation on the line.

short of the threat of physical harm, that mattered to him.

when they're about to cross over the final threshold, noah stops him with a question. he only takes a moment to consider before quipping pointedly: "don't pull any punches, 'cause i won't." adrian knew it was just a gym battle at the end of the day, and yet it would still be an affront for noah to do anything less than give it his best shot.

besides, adrian wasn't great at exercising restraint. he'd nearly leveled cycling road during a battle before, so he was liable to wreck the place.

noah faber

"alright!" noah cycles through the pokeballs in their holsters. a tight whirring sound develops before stopping dramatically as he pries two from their slots.

ahead, a simple caged ring awaits. with every step noah takes, the lights turn on with a large thud. automatically, they hone their dramatic beams toward their battleground, bathing the four chainlink walls with gold.

a grunt escapes him as he tosses his pokeballs. they smash against the metal railing with an electric rattle before cracking open like plastic eggs. two red beams arc into the ring, revealing a machamp and primeape poised for battle.

before he leaves for his side of the ring, noah grabs the other's shoulders. "you're gonna do great, buddy. have fun with it, okay? and let me know if you're ever feeling uncomfortable or whatever." his rehearsed lines for opponents are replaced with softer sounds.

he jogs over to his position.

"want the first move?!" noah calls out.

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon machamp"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon primeape"]

Adrian Malcolm

adrian follows after noah, entering the ring from the opposing side and sorting out his pokemon. while rover was always assured a spot, howitzer's absence required an alternative choice to be made. held in his offhand was furor's pokeball, which he'd release simultaneously, causing both pokemon to appear in a brilliant flash.

"i'll be sure to let you know."

furor took up most of the space, hardly suited to the environment, and one could tell it was agitated by the confined space they found themselves in. rover was much less prickly, fancifully whirling onto the field before stopping short of their opponents in primeape and machamp.

"you're being very generous." he'd smile, beaming. "don't you go regretting it."

"now; rover, use strength sap. furor, bob and weave, then strike!" rover's petals would curl inward as it leveled its head, aiming at primeape and dampening its power, granting rover the energy for potential growth. furor would lumber forward, anticipating an attack before bouncing overhead, leading into its eventual counterattack.

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon vileplume"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon gyarados color shiny"]

_{rover used strength sap on primeape; furor used bounce ascent}
noah faber

"i won't!" noah chimes back.

battle commences under stagelight. with firm footing, the primeape huffs in defiance. its nostrils flare as the vileplume weakens the ape's strength. bristly fur expands like a pufferfish's gut, and the primeape stomps the canvas.

a STONE EDGE hurls hard stones immediately upward— before the gyarados gets close, missing entirely. rock lodges itself in the chinks of the cage ceiling like stalactites.

"protect him until he calms down!" noah shouts.

his machamp exercises patience. four arms extend forth, all palms open. a WIDE GUARD materializes across the machamp's fingers as the cardinal gyarados descends upon them.

as the gyarados lands— whether it lands on the machamp's guard or nearby, the machamp's fingers attempt to grab the sea serpent by its scales.

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon machamp"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon primeape"]

Adrian Malcolm

machamp wide guards / primeape's stone edge misses!

adrian turns his attention to the stones overhead. for now their pokemon aren't directly underneath them. they were hardly secure, and he feared they would fall during the match. "rover, juice up." synthesizing its latent energy, the vileplume would artificially accelerate its growth, causing its figure to bloom and the petals on its head to grow heavy.

gyarados would crash directly into machamp's grasping hands, bringing both of them into a stalemate as machamp's raw strength allowed it to contend with furor's brutish, lumbering form. it didn't seem like machamp was willing to give any ground, though it was clear the gyarados presented a challenge. "furor, back off—" but machamp's grip was unyielding, so locking them in their struggle.

his eyes flick up to the stones above. i really don't want them to fall on anyone...

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon vileplume"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon gyarados color shiny"]

_{rover used growth; furor used bounce (guarded?) descent}
noah faber

while hands grasp scales, noah's holler rings boisterously across the ring.

"hold him in place!"

with a low groan, the gym leader's machamp attempts to SEISMIC TOSS the furor onto the canvas immediately below them. all four arms, like tense gray pillars struggle to restrain the gyarados.

his primeape leaps onto the machamp's shoulders and with an irate huff, CLOSE COMBATS toward the ceiling. its fists slam into a lodged rock, crushing it in a spectacular cloud of dust; however, the rest fall like spears toward the pokemon below.

rover is not engaged with for now— and as noah raises his fist, he can't help but lock fervid eyes with the rival on the other side.

above, his primeape dangles from the fencing.

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon machamp"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon primeape"]

Adrian Malcolm

machamp attempts to seismic toss gyarados / primeape close combats toward stone edge rocks to knock them down.

you bastard— adrian had the luxury of perspective, watching as noah's team maneuvered in tandem, launching a series of attacks focused on his gyarados. his brow furled; it hardly seemed sportsmanlike... but then, noah was playing for keeps, as per request. everything was fair game.

"overpower them," he'd snarl in response to machamp slamming furor against the arena with its seismic toss, clearly trying to pin gyarados in place until the primeape tagged in with its own attack. furor's lavender iris mirrors the primeape's silhouette as it watches the filthy pig monkey take up its vantage. its slit eyes narrow when it winds up a punch... the rocks teeter dangerously.

with a growl rolling off its guttural tongue, its hulking figure writhed, coiling beneath the machamp's grasp. as its muscles tensed with unbridled draconic power, it began to exert itself fiercely, thrashing and undulating its serpentine figure to overwhelm machamp. in doing so it emulates a rodeo, its lumbering figure bucking beneath machamp's oppressive grasp, knocking it in an upwardly motion. DRAGON TAIL.

furor was deliberately employing machamp as a ward for the incoming rubble, hoping to wrest itself free and counter the enemy's offense. all of this happens without adrian's express command, as his following words and attention avert to rover:

"rover, back him up!" rover, prone to bouts of inaction as seemed typical of a plant, elected to cast MOONLIGHT upon furor rather than join the fighting itself. perhaps this was owed to how heavy the petals on its head had grown.

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon vileplume"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon gyarados color shiny"]

_{rover used moonlight upon furor; furor attempted to wrest free with dragon tail (chance of knockup into rocks)}
noah faber

the gyarado's tail swings upward and strikes noah's machamp with a dramatic thwack. grey hands are ripped away from crimsen scales. in the air, a boulder breaks upon machamp's broad back, forcing a cascade of dust and pebble to fall upon the canvas.

"focus on the gyarados, cobra!" noah shouts as the ceiling rattles brightly.

his machamp defers to gravity's genius. with two arms crossed and two arms poised, the herculean creature descends toward the gyarados below.

like a soldier on monkey bars, his primeape traverses the cage's top. huffing, it releases and falls swiftly toward the space between rover and furor. the landing is dramatic and roars with arrogance. with crossed arms, the primeape SWAGGERS the vileplume with a smug, yet prickly aura.

noah smiles still— as if thinking of something else.

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon machamp"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon primeape"]

Adrian Malcolm

machamp is hit and hits a boulder; elects to fall back down. primeape lands from above and SWAGGERS.

"furor, grab him." adrian clenched his dominant fist, prompting his aura to well up and produce an acrid emanation that invoked in furor a hidden malice. from its prone position on the ground its gaping maw would lunge forward, darting to catch machamp in a flash of teeth.

adrian was hoping to bring the two of them into a stalemate while he focused on the other altercation, being himself poorly suited to doubles battling, having only committed to it as part of his Hoennian League Gym Challenge.

so needless to say, he wasn't entirely certain furor would pull it off.

TBt7zMIm
^flinch(?)

his eyes flickered over to the primeape instigating rover, crossing its arms in what adrian could only consider an act of ego. or maybe an odd style of cross chop. despite its intentions, adrian sought to use up the residual moonlight from rover's last move. "rover, blast 'em!" an ardent aura built up around rover's massive petal crown, coalescing fae energy before attempting to unleash it as a crude attack.

^confusion(?)

adrian couldn't help but leer at his opponent as the battling unfolded, noticing what might've been a smug smile and letting it burn a hole in his own ego...

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon vileplume"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon gyarados color shiny"]

rover used moonblast on primeape; furor used bite on machamp

noah faber

noah's thoughts of his gift shatter, voice thrown past the glass of his anticipation as he sees his machamp fall into the gyarados' maw.

"watch out!" but the bite connects severely. in the machamp's bright eyes, it is clear that noah's pokemon is flinched.

however, noah doesn't dally. he calls for his primeape as he lifts his gloved hand, a glowing stone adorning one of his knuckles.

"BLOCK IT!" noah commands his primeape.

as rover collects energy, his monkey summons rocks. a STONE EDGE erects itself in front of the primeape; however, the MOONBLAST is quick to cut through, blasting the primeape through stone and across the ring.

in the meantime, his machamp attempts to break free as a blinding glow engulfs its form. it grows larger, fists gilded in dynamic oranges and lines. it flexes all muscles to refresh its new form as noah's primeape weakly tends to itself.

"you're pretty tough adrian— but i'm tougher!" noah exclaims. "CHI-STRIKE!"

above, a large fist begins to form, fire and smoke billowing from its wrist as if waiting for ignition.

[attr="class","pkspr"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon machamp-gmax"][attr="class","pokesprite pokemon primeape"]

Adrian Malcolm

machamp bitten + flinched / mega evolves ; primeape defends itself with stone edge but hit by moonblast and thrown across ring.