sam didn't budge. he kept himself still and eyed his houndoom pointedly to make sure hades stayed put as well. the gardevoir that remained still as a tree stood behind him as well, something that could teleport sam out of danger immediately if needed.

she'd never failed him before, he doubted she'd start now.

the creature before them was a tricky one. sam looked to the officer and then to the chosen pokémon of said officer. his eyes moved to his houndoom, then he was back to looking at the creature in question.

"would you like me to send my houndoom around to cause the pokémon to come closer to us?"

sagira mosse

sagira's words were all sam was waiting for.

he snapped his fingers and his houndoom immediately went to work. his muzzle filled with flames and he launched forward enough to let loose a FLAMETHROWER. as the flames hit the ground, gardevoir moved her hand to pull a wave of psychic energy between the cacturne and the zarude.

her PSYCHIC wouldn't affect sagira's pokémon, and it was mostly being used to keep the flames at bay, while allowing attacks to move through it toward the monkey.

sam headed over to sagira and bent down.

"are you alright?"

sagira mosse

"don't thank me until we've made it out alive."

he glances up, looking over the obstacle before them. he knows this is a police officer and the more logical course of action is to let her take point. because of this, he glances her way once more.

"it's your call, by the way. i'm just here to help."

sagira mosse

the pulse of energy that came from the zarude was cause enough for panic, but sam felt nothing but calm. the situation? dire. but sam? relaxed, composed.

it's not that the situation wasn't bothering him, it was more that he wasn't allowing the situation to process fully. tucking it away in a box that he'd deal with at another time. so he could remain focused, present.

"life dew," he commanded his gardevoir, who did just as he ordered the moment after it had been said. "enter the inferno, use fire fang, stay close."

the houndoom by him leap forward into the flames. his FLASH FIRE immediately gave power to his next attack, blazing fangs sinking into the zarude's flesh(FIRE FANG) in an attempt to hold the monkey in place.

"don't worry about whether or not you'll hit hades in your assaults, he can take the hits."

or, he'd faint doing his job, which was keeping the zarude from bouncing around.

sagira mosse

"if we could save the catching up for after we've defeated this thing, i would greatly appreciate it."

sam winces, moving to take another pokéball from his waist and throws out his second houndoom, nyx. immediately, she fuels the previous houndoom's flamethrower with an inferno of her own.

the flames lick around the monkey, which screams and writhes against the flames.

sam pulls another pokémon out, an alakazam emerging from the red stream. "disable."

immediately he extends his spoons. as they bend, the monkey unable to use its healing move anymore.

sagira mosse

the shriek was enough of a hint. sam didn't hesitate in throwing a ball out to capture the monkey, brows furrowed, hope of a capture thrumming away in his chest. with each shake of the capsule, anxiety hit. each of his team was just as alert, panting, waiting.

when the capsule locked and shrunk, he moved over to pick it up and relaxed his shoulders, calling back all of his pokémon so they could rest, their flames burning down into near nothing as they were recalled.

his eyes moved to sagira then and he held out the capsule for her to take.

"i've no business with this monkey," the really loose dad joke about 'monkey business' caused sam's lip to turn up into a smirk. "why don't you take care of it?"

sagira mosse