The room was cool and dry. Still reeling from the summer heat, Giona stood before him under the indigo light with a towel around his neck and black joggers on. The arena took the form of a white tiled room, perfectly square. The finish on the tiles was just reflective enough to catch the blue hues of the tunnel behind them.

He smiled, and looked off into the distance for a second. He reserved his canned speech for younger trainers, and even children on school fieldtrips. Now, how to best relate to someone he trusted in the heat of the moment...

"Thanks, man. I used to live in Mauville, and I just brought the big city with me when I left, I guess." He said, looking to the taller man. The light hadn't dimmed yet, giving his face with its thinned eyebrows and undercut a deathly pallor.

The lights cut out in tunnel sections, slowly making the arena darker and hazier. After the last click of the breaker switch on the panel behind him, the arena was pitch-black. Giona closed the panel, and fastened a hardened tile over it.

The room was briefly lit by any flashes of light from either side. The room was so quiet that Zac speaking rung out. Whether or not he used his "inside voice", they'd both hear it. Well, it was either that, or the cavernous gym itself.

"...Thanks." He said, looking to the taller man. He hadn't a clue what he was doing, truth be told. It just looked and sounded important, and got him in the door with the right people. Nonetheless, Zac's team took the stage already. One shone through the darkness, while at the same time its mere presence added humidity to the room. Taking a breath of air inside felt like doing so during a rainy day.

Giona whistled, trying to take the initiative. His Rotom picked up on this, and tried to use Confuse Ray on Spectrier, though this move would run head-first into the darkness like everything else. xdNHNtIt

Meanwhile, his Mimikyuu tried to swing first in earnest, lighting up the room in an orange flash with Burning Jealousy. A gout of flame that briefly made all in the room visible, regardless of whether or not it grazed either opponent.

The room was briefly lit by any flashes of light from either side. The room was so quiet that Zac speaking rung out. Whether or not he used his "inside voice", they'd both hear it. Well, it was either that, or the cavernous gym itself.

"...Hah?" He said, looking to the taller man. It hadn't dawned on him that he was talking to the horse. Furthermore, even his confused grunt rung out throughout the room. It was tiled all over, and quite dry. Unlike other competitors using Surf, Zac had the respect for the space to keep the humidity down.

Giona whistled, trying to take the initiative. His Rotom picked up on this, and tried to use Ominous Wind on Spectrier. A blast of wind slightly sharper than Gust, that'd feel like a ghost walking through whatever it struck. The sound of the wind rung throughout the room. BZe1LiiP

Meanwhile, his Mimikyuu was knocked out altogether, and replaced with Chandelure. The white flash of a pokeball made that abundantly clear to Zac. Chandelure tried to clip both opponents with Flame Burst.

The gout of flame brought on the scent of burnt hair. It cut through the usual smell of the place, that being bleach, liberally applied to every tiled surface. Giona's eyes dilated. Even having quit drinking, he wasn't quite "healthy" yet. He suppressed a gag, and considered briefly the possibility of surrendering. After all, by every possible measure, Zac had met the learning objectives for the gym.

Chandelure was itself a beacon of light in the pitch-black room. A projectile sailed overhead, in all manner of dark and muted colors, like a child excitedly mixing all their paints together. Though Shadow Ball didn't connect, it caused Chandelure to duck, bringing it right into the attack from below. The thing was more used to trading projectiles, so even not counting the Dunsparce's survivability and sudden explosive power, it wouldn't have fared well.

A white flash withdrew the downed Chandelure. Giona called out his Sableye. The thing had eyes suited to these conditions. In a desperate bid to not have the poor thing rolled over right away, Giona clicked the pendant of his earring. Sableye's chest gem expanded and took the shape of a tower-shield. It'd open with Zen Headbutt on that Dunsparce. elykjeuU

Meanwhile, his Rotom was attempting to use Thunder Wave on Spectrier.

chandelure down

sableye up

sableye used mega stone

sableye used zen headbutt

rotom used thunder wave