"I suppose we'll find out soon enough."

Sam hadn't ever been in a rotation battle. He'd seen a few, streamed a few, and even made small comments about how a certain strategy would help another. Admittedly, this strategy before him had him frowning. Also, what the fuck was his Arceusdamned luck?!

Dog boy of Hoenn, Champion Kyle Fucking Lopez.

My luck...

"Hopefully I last at least ten seconds." Sam narrowed his eyes and realistically considered the statistics, then frowned. "More like, five? Hopefully five-- five seems hopeful."

If he lasted a minute he'd be impressed and call himself a decent trainer.

kyle lopez

Something about the way Kyle had cheered him up felt... unnatural? Sam wasn't the type to be easily uplifted. Known to be a bit of a doubting Thomas when he tried, and he always tried. So the very fact that Kyle could make him feel better with just a few words?

And the phrase, 'you and your mons' no less?

"Interesting."

The observation was mumbled beneath his breath, but he squared his shoulders nonetheless and leaned his weight back on his heels.

"Slam."

With a command the dratini lurched forward, serpentine body moving quickly along the battle ground. With a flourish and circular flip, his body went belly first toward the closest mightyena, in an attempt to hit and paralyze.

kyle lopez

Sam wasn't about to get cocky. Instead, he simply motioned for his gastly to move forward as the dratini sustained a reasonable burn. The white vulpix stayed on guard, watching the battle intently.

The nearly transparent dual type terror was quick to ghost forward into battle, attempting to hex the mightyena that seemed stuck in place.

This was a common tactic of theirs in double battles as well. One that Sam knew might have been a little unfair, but otherwise, relatively harmless.

If the Hex landed, then gastly could attempt to put the next mightyena to sleep.

kyle lopez

Although Sam had been a nervous wreck before the rotation battle started, he had to admit he was definitely being entertained by the mightyenas and their champion. It was odd to see this side of somebody who the papers made out to be such a hero.

Sure, he had typically protagonist qualities—being that awkward kind of dense while somehow proving to be champion. Possibly due to sure stubborn affiliation. Or the League just wanted a good face to put out front.

Either way, Kyle made Sam feel a little less intimidated. Less like the battle was about proving himself or battling a champion and more like they were just having fun.

A lot of the times, Sam tended to forget that’s what these battles were all about.

The hyperbeam passed right through the gastly, and he quickly responded with a hypnosis. The goal was to in fact put this mightyena to sleep and then quickly duck out, allowing the alolan vulpix to take the reigns and unleash a blizzard.

Maybe somebody would become frozen?

kyle lopez

Sam wasn’t about to claim he was winning. No, he’d dare say it was fair. His dratini was burned and in no shape to continue, he’d returned him just to be sure the little dragon didn’t attempt to push his own limits like he was known for. Gastly wasn’t much of a match up against mightyena, so his hope was in his determined canine.

Ironic, given they were battling the self proclaimed ‘dog boy’ of Hoenn.

”Don’t stop there, you’re — no!”

Too late. The vulpix had already unleashed an extrasensory in an attempt to hit both of the mightyena that she could at the same time, cover most of the field. Though, her blizzard would have been more effect.

The vulpix was clearly mortified at its judgement call, and ended up open for an attack. It could easily flinch, and Sam nodded at his gastly to get ready for a switch.

kyle lopez

There it was. At least the mightyena's were ready to come at him full force. Even if Kyle was reminding them to take it easy. Sam wasn't insulted, but he did feel a tension in his shoulders at the way Kyle tried to reel him mightyena in.

That flaming chomp caused the little snow white-ish/blue vulpix to flinch, leaving her open for an attack. Sam even flinched, gritting his teeth. She wouldn't be able to endure another hit and because of that, he commanded the gastly to make his move.

As if summoned from the pits of hell within the vulpix' shadow(flavor, he just moves forward), the gastly seemed to mumble some sort of evil language known only to pokémon, a hex against it as a sort of revenge. Though more than revenge, the gastly just liked to watch other pokémon suffer-- old habits die hard.

kyle lopez

With all three of Sam's pokémon returned, he give the sign for his surrender and ignored the comments of the spectators. Instead, he focuses on the question asked from his opponent and makes his way across the field as he returns his pokémon to his black satchel hanging comfortably across his shoulder, resting the majority of its weight on his rear.

"We're alright." Even if it was a loss for Sam, it was a fun battle. He could say most of the time he had more fun losing than he did winning.

But then again, he liked learning lessons more than teaching them.

"How about your three ever eager mightyenas?"

He had, after all, frozen one and put another to sleep.

kyle lopez