On Gavin's shoulder, a Riolu lets out an excited yip upon sighting her kin.

"Lot of Riolu around today, hm?"

He reaches up to scratch her fondly behind the ears, but she won't be the one battling. She's still recovering from her last match. Instead, Gavin releases his Rookidee from its ball.

"Bit of a rough matchup," he says to Cardamom Bliss by way of apology, "but I've not got many young ones."

It was at least fairer than pitting the poor thing against one of his hardest hitters.

"You can have first move," he offers, since she's at a disadvantage.

The trainer calls out her attacks, which gives him further advantage.

Gavin only gives a soft whistle to signify the battle's start and then clicks his tongue to command the Rookidee.

Metal claws score against its side, its plumage not yet hardened to the solid steel of its later evolutions. The avian squawks indignantly but listens to Gavin's command, HONES ITS CLAWS against a sandy rock along the shore.

He could continue to command without words, but...

His lip twitches. "Again."

Though it staggers with another swipe of claws against its wing, the corvid continues to HONE ITS CLAWS. Cardamom Bliss was right to assume that they were setting up... but for what?

Perhaps unfortunately for Cardamom Bliss and Riolu, Lucario was one of Gavin's favourite Pokemon. His first Pokemon had been a Riolu, may it rest in peace. He was training up the little one on his shoulder as — not a replacement, but a tribute to his fallen friend.

He utilizes their ability to copycat their foes liberally, suspects something is up immediately.

His lip twitches. He clicks his tongue.

It was a departure from their usual strategy but Rookidee doesn't hesitate to execute the TAUNT. It flies toward the Riolu and gets right up in its face, daring it to do anything else other than defending itself against the threat.

Riolu seems frustrated. Good.

His pride has been tempered by life under Rocket's thumb, so arrogance presents itself subtly in the quirk of Gavin's lips.

With her foe unable to mimic her this time, Rookidee opts for another scrape of her CLAWS against the stone. They're HONED to vicious points, now, her KEEN EYE made sharper by her efforts to study Riolu's movements as she sharpens them.

Gavin cants his head, calculating.

Two clicks of his tongue mark the cue, and Rookidee launches itself from the sanctuary of its makeshift whetstone to execute the POWER TRIP it's been building up to. Sharp talons slash out at their foe, relentless.

They could have continued to build in power but Rookidee's patience had been waning; the young bird had been twitching with the urge to spring into action, and Gavin didn't want her slipping up on account of that impatience.

Noting the way Riolu makes no effort to defend itself, Gavin gives a sharp whistle that pitches up at the end.

Immediately after executing its attack, Rookidee would fly up and out of easy reach, glaring down at her opponent with a SCARY FACE to slow it down enough that the small corvid could safely dodge.

"Good strategy," Gavin hums.

He imagines it could've decided the battle if not for his interference.