he barks out a laugh, one that's fueled by the flames of battle, and fanned by the idea of knocking his pokemon down a peg. it wasn't his typical style of battling, or training, but he had to admit the idea seemed tantalizing in its own way. so, he does what his friend suggests, and lets the feline learn a lesson or two.
[break][break]
there was a lull in the battle, however, and he takes advantage of the small gap as best he can. reaching for another orb, he summons from pale light his most trusted companion.
[break][break]
"ellie, get yourself attached to stormy's wrist. make sure nothing happens to her, alright?"
[break][break]
the fairy pokemon mews, assuring him that she would not fail in her task. lips turn into a soft smile, but die beneath the behemoth's roar. he looks up in time to see a massive heat wave wash over the arena, focusing primarily on the zeraora. it knocks into him with a concussive force of heat, his small frame spiraling back into an uncontrolled descent.
[break][break]
he lands in a heap, but soon pushes himself to his feet with will-o-wisp like remnants of flame licking off of him. the BURN he'd suffered from the attack causes the thunderclap pokemon to be more cautious than he initially had been.
[break][break]
his pokemon's pain aside, he racks that up as a small victory.
[break][break]
his violet orbs danced from stormy and his comfey, to the torrent of water that was holding the heatran back momentarily.
[break][break]
"should we try another combo attack?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Stormy Silph | mission[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-comfey"]

Stormy blinks, pulled by Greyson's laughter. It surprises her because it is so natural and loud, awkward but charming. He exists in the moment, spurred by adrenaline and excitement, finding her instructions amusing to the point he voices it loudly.

She exhales, allowing a breathless chuckle to escape her in return.

And in the heat of battle, she feels something soft and silky brush against her wrist. When she looks down, she finds that she has been joined by Greyson's Comfey.

'Make sure nothing happens to her.'

Why does that simple ask feel like the impossible? Why does it mean so much to hear him say that?

The HEAT WAVE crashes against Greyson's Zeraora, knocking it into a barrel roll. Stormy winces, but ultimately is not surprised. It was the jolt the Pokemon needed to learn its place, to learn boundaries, to learn restraint. By the looks of it, it would require a few more rounds of blunt force trauma before the lesson set in.

"Another combo attack? Yeah, what do you have in mind?"

Stormy nods toward her two Seismitoad, and they both shift their attention to the man, waiting. Their HYDRO PUMPS begin to fade out, and Heatran is preparing to retaliate.

Greyson Connors

☉

"maybe combine your hydro pump, and my discharge?"
[break][break]
his eyes drop to rest on the comfey that clings tightly to her risk.
[break][break]
"maybe ellie can help a little too."
[break][break]
heatran's head shook the water away, steam rising from it's quadruped form. it's eyes narrowed in annoyance, as it prepares its counter-attack.

[attr="class","ooc"]Stormy Silph | mission[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-comfey"]

"Good idea."

Stormy can feel the Comfey cling tighter to her wrist, and she raises it to gaze at the soft-petalled creature. Her eyes soften with kindness.

"Let's do it, then."

She chuckles quietly and nods to her own two Pokemon. After a moments breather, using their window of opportunity given to them by Heatran's recovery, they continue their assault with HYDRO PUMPS.

But before it lands, Heatran SCREECHES a second time to throw everyone off their balance.

Greyson Connors

☉

good idea.
[break][break]
we'll see.
[break][break]
"valor! time to get your arceus-damn head on straight and work together. you want to fight solo? do it on your own damn time."
[break][break]
he hates doing it, but his voice rises to match that of a drill sergeant; no no-nonsensed, and annoyed. the zeraora, with one hand clutching his burn, sneers in response as frustration and pain fill the void where his now shattered pride once was.
[break][break]
raising his paw, he aims a dischar-
[break][break]
the SCREECH hits him in full shockwave, forcing the electric legendary to one knee, both paws moving to quickly cover his ears. greyson reacted in kind, while comfey erects a FLOWER SHIELD over stormy and herself.
[break][break]
when it ends, their ears are ringing. but not even that deafens the roar of frustration that zeraora releases, a powerful beam of discharge flying from it's paws and towards the heatran.
[break][break]
beside by both water and electricity, it roars in pain as the lava and stone around it begin to swirl, and beckon, beneath his call. a MAGMA STORM of epic proportions begins to swarm around it.
[break][break]
it's then, that a pull in greyson's chest nearly takes his breath away, and the comfey around stormy's wrist begins to glow. from her, a dome, infused with a brilliant violet and pink energy begins to form. greyson, quick on his feet, moves to cover the distance and get himself under it as well.
[break][break]
"get the pokemon under the dome! VALOR, move your ass!"
[break][break]
quickly, the legendary dashes at lightning speeds to get beneath the encompassing dome.

[attr="class","ooc"]Stormy Silph | mission[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-comfey"]

The strength in his voice even encourages Stormy to stand up straighter despite the fact she knows he isn't talking to her. With shoulders back and confidence rejuvenated, she watches as the Zeraora picks itself up off the ground to retaliate.

Unfortunately, it moves too slowly and the Heatran recovers far quicker. It seems to superheat itself, turning the HYDRO PUMPS to steam. And then, without warning, the ground shudders and the Seismitoad fall to one knee to catch themselves. Stormy sucks in a breath, shock taking over her.

"Oh shit."

MAGMA STORM was a move unique to only Heatran. It swirls around the Pokemon now with ferocity, building momentum and heat as it spreads outward to inflict pain on his attackers.

Warmth spreads up her arm and at first she fears she has been struck. But when she looks down, she realizes that the Comfey itself is glowing, spreading flowers further up the length of her arm and outward. It seems to have created a cocoon around her or something, opening into a dome.

"Seismitoad, to me!"

And, to ensure Greyson's safety as well, Stormy reaches out a hand to pull him close to her.

Greyson Connors

☉

he felt every bit like one of those astronauts making re-entry into earth's atmosphere. the heat was intense, as it swarmed around their dome. sweat rushed down his back, soaking the front and back of his shirt in equal measure. just when he thinks it wasn't going to work...[break][break]
the relief sets in.
[break][break]
despite the inferno happening outside, beneath the dome, the temperature begins to settle. a sweet aroma fills the air, like blooming flowers, and petals began to fall. to an observer, it might've looked like a snow globe freshly shaken.
[break][break]
as the petals made contact with the humans and pokemon inside, a great surge of satisfying relief pulses through them. wounds new and old find comfort in their touch, and even the burdens of the heart lessen, if not by just a little. nothing is safe from the warmth of ellie's HOSPITALITY.
[break][break]
when the storm subsides, so too does the bubble. despite still fielding a burn, the zeraora looks better than he had before the fight even started. around stormy's wrist, the soft, weak mews of ellie go silent, as she goes unconscious and slips from her wrist. greyson catches her, eyes gushing with kindness and love.
[break][break]
"you did good, ells."
[break][break]
returned to her pokeball, greyson turns onto stormy.
[break][break]
"let's end this."

[attr="class","ooc"]Stormy Silph[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-zeraora"]

The heat shouldn't bother her. It shouldn't feel like an impossible weight bearing down on her. It washes over her skin like an uncomfortable blanket, one that she can't shake off.

But somehow, someway, Greyson does. He pulls the covers down from over her head and gives her hope.

Stormy exhales softly, in awe of the bubble that has tented above them. Her hand falls away from Greyson's elbow to rest at her side. It then cradles beneath the wilting form of his Comfey as the Pokemon slips from her wrist. She gasps, glancing to Greyson. But he's already complimenting the Pokemon and returning her tiny frame to the pokeball.

".. Yeah-- yeah, let's end this."

With a shaky breath and a second to steel her nerves, Stormy gathers the attention of her Seismitoad for one last push.

"Hyper voice, you two! Disorient so that Zeraora can finish this!"

In unison, both dual-types step forward to combine their voices. It almost out-screeches the Heatran's, their HYPER VOICES pushing the Heatran back.

Greyson Connors

☉

"you heard her, valor. go."
[break][break]
he'd clap the legendary on it's back, but cat's bristled fur was still electrically charged. he had no desire to lose his bladder in front of his friend, and boss. he only receives a hiss in response, like a pissy tea kettle. still, the stiffening of the zeraora's shoulders tell him that he understood.
[break][break]
in the aftermath of a heavy exhale, it takes off in an a thunderous flash, a powerful CHARGE forcing even greyson's hair to stand on ends. beset by the hyper voices, there is no better time than now.
[break][break]
it leaps as it nears, jumping over the visible soundwaves, and decends on the volcano pokemon. fist over head, it drops down like a hero of legend, raining an empowered PLASMA FIST onto the heatran's exposed back. thunder, fire, and smoke combine, creating a miniature explosion that blankets the field in black smoke.
[break][break]
with no visibility, greyson's forced to rely on the thin veil of hope that lingers inside of his chest.
[break][break]
"did we do it?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Stormy Silph[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-zeraora"]

Stormy watches, super-charged by the heat of battle, to watch as Greyson's Zeraora charges forward. There is nothing quite like witnessing legendary Pokemon in their element. Watching Zeraora inspired her to continue working with her own.

"I think.. we did."

Through the fire and the smoke and the overarching sparks of electricity, Stormy witnesses her Seismitoad step backward. They do so because they can feel the temperature tapering off. Even Stormy can feel the change in the air and atmosphere. The ground rumbles beneath their feet, but it is as a result of the Heatran's retreat.

Right before their very eyes, the titan sinks beneath the lava pool and rumbles its farewell.

"You are quite impressive, Greyson."

Greyson Connors

☉

"holy shit."
[break][break]
it was the only words that came to mind. adrenaline courses through him, and all at once, his legs turn to jelly, landing him flat on his ass. there was no accompanying pain (yet), only relief.
[break][break]
he barks out a laughter that echoes in the heatran's lair, ending with a sigh of relief and him sprawled on his back, arms wide.
[break][break]
it'd been far from the power of the titan of earth, groudon, but his nerves were frayed and mind exhausted.
[break][break]
"no, stormy. that was just as much you, as it was me. really. i forget how totally badass you are sometimes."

[attr="class","ooc"]Stormy Silph[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-zeraora"]

Stormy blinks, eyebrows raise as the once confident, battle-ready partner of hers gets weak in the knees and falls backward onto his ass.

It makes her laugh.

His barking laughter matches with her own and it takes her a moment to collect herself. With the Heatran now having retreated back into the pit, the danger evaporates.

And because of that, Stormy moves to join him. Together, they both lay on the warm ground with arms splayed and exhaustion heavy on their body. But they smile, breathe hard, and chuckle about what they've just done and experienced.

But his compliment prompts a huff of laughter out of her, one that doesn't indicate anything close to amusement.

"I'm not a badass."

Greyson Connors

☉

"bullshit."
[break][break]
he exhales heavily before propping himself on his elbows, turning to stare at her with violet orbs shining with sincerity.
[break][break]
"don't know a more badass woman in hoenn, lets be real. you've been holding the line longer than most people even realize. give yourself some credit."
[break][break]
another exhale, this one more whimsical and with an added whisper. then, suddenly, he stops.
[break][break]
"heatran isn't going to like... be upset that we're still here, is it?"

[attr="class","ooc"]Stormy Silph[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-zeraora"]