"Great to see ya here Amor!" Zac said, taking a deep, exhilarating breath of sea air. He grinned at his latest opponent, and reached for his strongest Pokemon. "And don't worry, you'll get the best."

Zac threw his first Pokemon out onto the beach. The ball burst before it hit the sand, ripped open from within by the uncontained, brutal force of Ruma, the Darmanitan. "DARUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" Roared the beast, spraying the sand with drips of burning spittle. It pounded the sand with fists like flipped pyramids. Top heavy, solid as stone, and hard edged. Zac took a step back, letting his monstrous beast thrash around the arena.
It had been months since Zac had let Ruma out, and for good reason. The Darmanitan was wild. Unfettered.
"Fair warning mate, you asked for the strongest, not the best trained. Ruma here is probably gonna go right for the throat. I'll try to return him before things get out of hand, but whatever you're sending out better be able to take a hit or two just in case."

Kindra floated above the sand. It's body was lithe and thin. Too thin. To Ruma's eyes it was brittle. Crushable with one good smash.
"What a beauty!" Zac said, grinning at the gorgeous seahourse. It was a great specimen, but unfortunately water Pokemon battling on land faced a number of disadvantages. The heat effected them much more than land pokemon. The blazing sunlight, undiffused by water, was hard on their eyes. And of course the lack of contact with the biome meant they couldn't use their surroundings as well as a Pokemon used to being on land.

Ruma grabbed great handfuls of sand in his fists as Aqua darted about, building up speetld. Kingdra attacked with a Bubblebeam, and Ruma threw himself at the thin dragon. He hit the Bubblebeam fists first, absorbing the brunt of the attack with the great handfuls of wet sand. Ruma's eyes never left the brittle seahorse. He hurled himself bodily at his opponent, thick fists swinging with enough power to crush the Kingdra's plating.

"Avatars aren't necessarily strong trainers," Zac said, watching the chase apprehensively. "Strong people is more accurate. Most of us have been through a lot, or have been strengthened by our Avatar bond."

-Ruma threw himself at Aqua (Take Down)
-He blocked most of the bubblebeam with handfuls of sand
-Ruma closes in on Aqua, preparing to Thrash him

Ruma hurled himself away from the Hydro Pump. He slammed into the ground with each jump, cratering it before launching himself onwards again with the momentum of his pendulous arms. He circled the seahorse, keeping ahead of the powerful jet that carved trenches in the sand.

"It's pretty hard to keep Ruma at bay," Zac said, smiling at Amor. "So that Kingdra is doing one hell of a job!" Ruma was slowing. The Hydro Pump's edge sprayed him with droplets and globs of wet sand. He breathed puffs of dark smoke. "I reckon he's about to do something tremendously ambitious," Zac said, nodding in approval.

Ruma kicked off sideways, launching himself right at Kingdra, and into the path of the Hydro Pump. He roared as the blast hit him, curling into himself. His body hardened, petrified, and his Zen Mode form hurtled through the air at Kingdra, cut through the Hydro Pump like a boulder splitting a stream.

Regardless of whether or not his stony body hit Kingdra, Ruma would be out of the battle.

"Amazing work mate!" Zac called, withdrawing Ruma. The tired, angry ape had proven himself again in battle, despite his terrible disposition. "You too Aqua, and Amor." Zac said, eyes twinkling as he smiled at the pair. "Reckon you're up for a challenge then? I'm not expecting you to even dent a legendary, but do you wanna give it a shot?" 


-Ruma used Flare Blitz into Hydro Pump
-His Zen Mode activated, the momentum of his attack carrying him towards Kingdra
-Ruma fainted

Zac nodded at Amor's agreement. He stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. The note was as long and slow as a funeral procession, and as deep as an empty grave. 

Steam rose from the puddles of brine, pulled upwards before they could sink further into the sands. Heat haze rippled above the ocean, making the horizon shiver and shake. The air itself was thicker, more opaque, and Zac and Amor were encircled by a tightening ring of dark, cold, steam. Overhead, thin white strips of cloud banded together, as if seeking strength in numbers. They tangled, thickened, and darkened, before lashing themselves over the sun, obscuring it. Shade turned to shadow, and then to darkness, as Zac and Amor were cast in dull, bruised light.

Kingra's speed was next to useless in the Haze, which approached from every direction. It wrapped and tugged at the dragon, trying to draw him further in. The tendrils of mist were persistent, and immaterial, offering no form for the creature's counterattack.  Two swirls of haze hardened, forming hooves of shadow that swung from the darkness. They were perfectly silent, and had enough force to punch through the Pokemon's scales and separate its soul from its material form.

-Burdock used Haze, removing Aqua's Agility Speed
-Burdock used Double Kick

A sliver of Aqua's soul flowed into Burdock like gray water, adding to its mane. The horse let out a whinny that made the sands shiver and dance, and the haze around them grew thicker. 

Zahak. A ghost. But being a ghost just made Burdock's hold on its soul all the more inevitable. As the Dragapult filled the air with whizzing Dreepy's, Burdock disappeared back into the haze. Shadows pulled like ink taffy, and as the dragon darts searched for their target the shadow horse rematerialized behind Zahak. Burdock's Phantom Force tore at Dragapult with its own shadow. The attack ripping chunks from the shade, which then reformed into a streaking sphere of darkness that careened towards Zahak like a runaway herse.

-Burdock's Grim Neigh activated, boosting its Sp.Atk
-Burdock avoided Dragon Darts with Phantom Force
-Burdock attacked Zahak with Phantom Force
-Burdock attacked Zahak with Shadow Ball

As Zahak appeared underneath Burdock, the Haze shifted, giving away its surprise attack. Burdock struck downward with shadowy hooves, bursting the Dragon Darts in gouts of flame and gore. With each dart struck, the soul of the little Dreepy was sucked into Burdock's mane, joining the tapestry. 

"Oh yeah? And what's my M.O. then?" Zac asked, laughing. He moved closer to Amor so that he could see him more clearly. ""It found me, really. I was trying to grow some strange seeds and it just appeared!" 

Meanwhile, Burdock turned its singular, grave-light eye on the dragon. Pale flames, like crackling afterimages, swarmed Zahak, seeking to sear and burn its blue skin. 

"I don't think anyone can ever control a legendary like they do in the tales. Keep it in a Pokeball? Forget it. The most I can hope for is that it comes when I call." 

-Burdock burst the Dragon Darts (taking some damage)
-Burdock's Grim Neigh activated (twice)
-Burdock used Will-O-Wisp

As Dragapult disappeared, Burdock took one sweeping look around the misty beach with its single, lantern eye. Stepping silently, it disappeared back into the thick banks of fog, and disappeared.

"See ya Burdock!" Zac called, as the legendary disappeared. The fog broke down, and sunlight poured back into the arena. Zac squinted, covered his eyes, and put his sunglasses back on.   

"I appreciate your concern for your Pokemon, Amor. It takes a lot of guts and experience to stop when the loss is inevitable. But, sometimes you've got to weigh that against the benefits of losing. There's a lot to be gained from coming out second best." Zac pointed to Amor's watch, which had been recording the fight. "You lost a lot of useful info cutting it short."