[attr="class","cian"]cian still runs with devon on his back. it's one of the few reasons why he's still at the tournament.

"the pleasure is all mine, captain! let's do just that."

the man's reputation is not lost on him. in a way, it's almost like it's a battle between gyms. ALEXANDER STONE's rustboro versus John Sullivan's mauville.

the pokeball that pops open reveals a ninetales, whose presence calls for a DROUGHT, as if the beach needed to get even hotter.

"stay at a distance, ninetales."

nodding, the fire-type NASTY PLOTS, staying mindful of the distance between them.

[attr="class","noodles"]John Sullivan

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/850908024340086784/Hoenn_Leagues_Gym_Leaders.mp3[/player]
"Don'tcha think Summer's hot enough as is?" The youth said as the sun shone down glaringly upon them, feeling all several layers of his uniform on him.

Regardless- A kantonian pokemon! Always a lovely thing to see, even on the other side of the field.

"Make for the trenches!" Ordered Doug with a grin as he swiped his arm across the air, the Nidoking reeling back and roaring as it spread its arms wide before bringing them crashing down like hammers upon the soil.

The earth trembled and tore, soil upheaving itself to generate large, uneven walls of rock and dirt over the fields, leaving in their wake gaping gashes.

Even the earth underneath the Ninetails trembled, before surging upwards violently like a mud geyser!

---

-Nidoking is using Earth Power!

TAG: CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]"my bad!"

doug isn't the only one against the DROUGHT — a few onlookers boo as well, making their distaste known. cian simply waves them off.

at the sight of the trenches, cian laughs.

"we going to war or something?"

either way, the mud geyser of an EARTH POWER barrels their way. it clips ninetales even as she leaps over it, tainting her beautiful coat. even before she lands, her eyes are glowing in an EXTRASENSORY that looks to slam the nidoking into the ground.

[attr="class","noodles"]John Sullivan

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/850908024340086784/Hoenn_Leagues_Gym_Leaders.mp3[/player]
Doug simply winked, tapping at the hat.

"Gotta stay on brand!" He said with a grin, before using that same hand to swing dramatically (and unnecessarily.) "Take Cover!"

The Nidoking bodily threw itself behind one of the many walls it had upheaved from the Earth as an unnatural force pressured its body, feeling a crushing grip seemingly fall over it as it rolled over the Earth.

Its powerful tail slammed onto the soil however, and with a Herculean effort shoved the rest of its body into one of the many trenches, out of sight and hopefully out of reach.

"On your left, about 10 metres!" Snapped the youth. Its natural body armor crackling as it moved, the Nidoking growled lowly before reeling forth its fist and smashing it upon earthy walls with a roar.

Several large, heavy clumps of dirt shot out from the soil in an attempt to cover a wider space, seeking to slam into the unseen opponent as the Nidoking hauled itself out of the hole and leapt for another wall.

---

-Nidoking is using Earth Power!

TAG: CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]"tch."

the walls are proving to be more of a hindrance than he originally thought. it forces him to change his game plan.

"break 'em down!"

ninetales ducks behind one of the walls, keeping safe from the EARTH POWER before a FIRE BLAST pulses out. she leaps into the hole as well, attempting to follow after.

[attr="class","noodles"]John Sullivan

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/850908024340086784/Hoenn_Leagues_Gym_Leaders.mp3[/player]
Doug crouched low to the floor and laid his fingers on the ground for absolutely no reason, tipping his hat as he did.

"She's following you." He informed his Nidoking.

Blazing heat blasted through walls of rock and dirt as the Nidoking ran through the gashes on the Earth, the sun-powered heat of the fire scorching at his plates even from a distance.

The fleetfooted Ninetails was hot on his trail, and before long the Nidoking was forced into a corner of his own creation, the walls of dirt all around them.

Doug squeezed his fist, palming a handful of dirt.

"Trap her."

The Nidoking roared as he swung his fists at the walls, powerful vibrations running along their surface before he pulled his arms inwards, his palms slamming together with a booming clap.

Several geysers of soil broke through the walls as they began to converge, surging upon them both to try and entrap them in a tomb of dirt.

---

-Nidoking is using Earth Power!

TAG: CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]if they're to be trapped then so be it.

"you got this!"

reassurance looks to aid the ninetales as tombs of dirt rise around her, encasing her and the nidoking in with an EARTH POWER. she shudders but she does not falter.

still powered by the DROUGHT, ninetales releases another burst of FIRE BLAST, this time at the nidoking.

[attr="class","noodles"]John Sullivan

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/850908024340086784/Hoenn_Leagues_Gym_Leaders.mp3[/player]
The Nidoking's arms raise to cover its face as the star shaped fiery blast burns through the dirt and slams onto its form, searing away at its natural armor and drawing a roar of pain out of its maw.

The dirt around them burned and steamed while the Nidoking remained motionless with its arms in front of itself, teeth grit, body scorched.

The heat began to die down then. Quite literally; much too quickly. The steaming earth sizzled as frost stretched from the Nidoking's feet, catching what little humidity there was left in the atmosphere and quickly freezing over as the Nidoking spread out its arms with a roar, unleashing the freezing cold all over the cavern and its opponent in an an avalanche of rocky ice, further sealing them into the dirt tomb.

---

-Nidoking is using Avalanche!

TAG: CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]there's not much cian could do in the moment. his vision's limited and even if he could see he probably would've ordered his ninetales to do exactly what she's about to:

ninetales fights ice with fire. another FIRE BLAST roars, turning chunks of rocky ice into smaller, more manageable pieces. they smack against her, damaging, but not enough.

[attr="class","noodles"]John Sullivan

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/850908024340086784/Hoenn_Leagues_Gym_Leaders.mp3[/player]
Droplets of water dripped from the ceiling and puddles lapped at the pokemon's heels as yet another fiery blast was unleashed, tearing through the icy walls as the Nidoking dropped flat to the ground and roared in pain, burns searing the flesh between its plates of armor.

Pants left the Nidoking's maw as it glared up through half lidded eyes, its hands squeezing at the wet dirt around it, trembling as it attempted to pull itself back to its feet.

Trembling... No. Throbbing. Vibrating as a small flicker of static traveled the length of its arm, rapidly becoming larger and more bright as it began coursing the length of its body.

Where fire and ice met, one thing that was certain to be found was water. And what conducted electricity best? Dirty water.

The Nidoking bellowed with yer another roar as it unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning upon the soil, the pools of water, the electricity rapidly filling the entirety of the tomb- rolling off the ground type harmlessly as it attempted to finish the battle there and then.

---

-Nidoking is using Thunderbolt!

TAG: CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]now drenched in water, it only amplifies the THUNDERBOLT that strikes against her chest. her body convulses, muscles tense, and ninetales drops to the ground, paralyzed but surprisingly not out.

ninetales attempts to retaliate but no fire forms this time.

the battle's coming closer to an end.

[attr="class","noodles"]John Sullivan

[player]https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/850907874325823529/850908024340086784/Hoenn_Leagues_Gym_Leaders.mp3[/player]
No immediate retaliation came following its attack... Which meant the end was near! With a grunt of exertion, the Nidoking pushed off the earth back to its feet, its powerful tail slamming onto the soil as it propped itself atop, letting the appendage coil and curl under its own weight...

Before it launched forth with a roar, body almost fully parallel with the floor as it tried to ram its horn onto the Ninetales!

---

-Nidoking is using Mega Horn!

TAG: CIAN MAHER

[attr="class","cian"]the MEGAHORN connects, sending ninetales slamming against earth. she falls to the ground, slumping as she falls unconscious.

"damn. i lost again."

sighing, cian looks across the battlefield at the other.

"that was fun, captain!"

not really.

[attr="class","noodles"]John Sullivan