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POSTED ON Feb 15, 2019 13:14:15 GMT

fernando doesn't hide his smile before sipping the tea. the flavor of the brew only accentuates it. his eyes liven up, wide-eyed, a feint of being caught off guard as he greedily drinks it down. the warmth, the heat, it makes no difference. even if it ends up searing his throat, the appearance of how much he's enjoyed it is more important then mitigating an ounce of discomfort.

"wow." he set the empty cup back on the platter. "that's good. really good. i'll have to have you bring some every time you visit lilycove, miss alfric."

the conversation changes and fernando's listening. the mention of battling is one that keeps him animated. hearing that she's tried to copy him is even better. project avalon has been his life's work and slowly it's coming to fruition.

"why do you think that is? why do you feel the need to?"

cait alfric

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POSTED ON Feb 15, 2019 13:28:43 GMT

"o-of course, sir! i look forward to visiting you in the near future."

cait's face had grown warm in reaction to his praise and the subtle invitation, a delighted glimmer within her green-eyed gaze as she set down her porcelain cup.

"you see, sir, after attending your seminar i realized there was an advantage to having your pokemon become self-sufficient in battle."

she paused for only a moment before further elaborating as to why she was beginning so slowly yet surely adopt his style.

"pokemon are intelligent creatures, after all. why not take advantage of that simple fact? actually, instead of hiring on trainers, i've decided to have my companions take their place to both manage the gym's grounds and challenge whomever wants a badge. it's surprisingly cost-effective."

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POSTED ON Feb 15, 2019 13:49:19 GMT

this is it. the moment he's been waiting for. and her answer proves to be more then sufficient. he can feel himself basking in the internal glory of her recognition.

"very innovative of you miss alfric. in battle and in life, pokemon are the muscles and we are the brains. unfortunately, we cannot grow to wield the same powers as them. however, that doesn't mean they can't pick up our intelligence."

his smile never changes but the feeling behind it gradually shifts to a genuine one.

cait alfric

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POSTED ON Feb 15, 2019 14:11:24 GMT

she lightly dabbed at her mouth with a napkin.

"would you be at all interested in a battle, sir?"

they had partook in their tiny meal in relative silence, cait having polished off the remainder of her drink and a single cookie within the span of a few minutes. she'd brought the extended pause to an end by presenting him with the question.

"i've improved since our last match," she said, confident. "and i was hoping for a bit of constructive criticism."

cait intended to showcase that she had effectively patched one or two obvious holes in her strategy since they had last battled.

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 4:36:52 GMT

"ah."

fernando catches himself - it's obvious he's cautious about his next words. he almost seems sheepish. how embarrassing.

"unfortunately, i only have my core team on me. they're a bit different then what i brought with me last time. their specialties are a bit different." he pauses. as long as he's warned her then everything that follows is of her own violation. he has no doubt that she won't back down. that just means he might as well up the ante.

"but if you're still interested, how about we test out your gym challenge - between trainer and gym leader."

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 9:02:22 GMT

she blinked.

"your 'core team'?"

it dawned upon the young woman only a moment later, her eyes growing a bit round as she sat up a little straighter in her seat.

"r-right. that's actually perfectly fine!"

there was the slightest tremble present within her voice as she said this, and she hoped that fernando hadn't picked up on it.

'i can't say no,' she thought. 'not without looking weak.'

"we'll do a three on three," she said. "i'll... go ahead and get everything ready."

cait stood and waited for fernando to do the same before having her gardevoir remove the pieces of furniture from the battlefield. she'd pull free a whistle afterward, the item having been secured around her neck by a string. the noise it generated was nigh impossible to detect with a human's ears, but her pokemon were made immediately aware of its sound and the meaning behind it.

"you may bring out your first pokemon, sir."

she waited patiently for her companions to gather around the stone circle, having relocated to the opposite side of the stone field where she typically stood for all her gym battles.

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 17:59:12 GMT

fernando takes his place on the other end. the sight of the whistle is an interesting one and when she blows it without making a sound, he puts one and one together. with a smirk, he unhinges one of his pokeballs from his belt. an underhanded toss is enough to make it crack open, revealing the charizard inside.

the might dragon enters the ring with a crane of it's neck. it looks like its about to roar but it remains silent. the lack of another pokemon is enough to tell the pokemon that this is an expected, measured battle. without so much as a demand, it takes flight. the constant beating of its large blue wings keep it afloat, rising as it prepares to blast whatever comes out.

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 18:18:20 GMT

a plethora of pokemon gathered 'round the stone circle, situated at the edge of the water as they peered curiously in the direction of their mistress while occasionally glancing toward the councilman.

"charizard."

cait eyed the creature where it stood, the fire-type immense and powerful in its own right.

'this is what stormy wants her charmeleon to evolve into.'

she considered her options before gesturing toward one of her companions. they cleared the water - which was a meter across and roughly several meters deep - and positioned themselves before their mistress.

"lombre."

without needing to be prompted, the dual-type preformed a little shimmy.

"lom - lom - bre."

rain dance came to fruition as a direct result of the jig, a drizzle descending after dark clouds manifested from high above.

https://veekun.com/dex/media/pokemon/icons/271.png

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 20:00:22 GMT

"battle routine set."

the call is a common one and comes forth. the charizard knows the command well. when given permission, it will operate at will, eliminating the current thread with extreme prejudice.

the rain starts to drizzle and fernando makes the call.

"execute."

the moment the sound is heard the pokemon ascends. the charizard may be slow on ground, evident by its stocky legs and pronounced belly, but in the sky all that becomes a null factor. the rain patters are ignored. it'll take more then a weather change to stop the avian pokemon.

from near the roof of the gym, the pokemon keeps a distance that is both impossible for the lombre to cross and allows the pokemon the window to react to any actions from below. this is true both ways but the lombre is limited to the area of the battlefield.

a blue aura starts to emanate from the charizard's pudgy belly. it forms as a blue flame that forms in the pokemon's open maw. a blue fireball of DRAGON RAGE comes down in three separate blasts. the first two are targeted toward the lombre itself. the second one aims a further back, anticipating the pokemon to move in accordance.

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 20:55:02 GMT

cait had indulged in a fair bit of training with her beloved lombre for some weeks now, the young woman having decided that the dual-type would make for the perfect subject despite her deceptively unremarkable appearance.

"lom."

lombre firmly planted the palms of her hands upon flat stone, the rain gathering in abundance within her lily pad as she craned her neck to peer up at her foe. her eyes were partly lidded yet narrowed as they remained fixed, the expression she wore flat yet focused as she remembered her training. lombre remained still as the flame began its descent before moving, the following actions allowing for her to avoid two out of the three attacks.

the last had managed to press down and entirely engulf her form, the stinging flames mercilessly clinging to her lime green flesh and gnawing away at her energy. she'd raise her gaze as the pain began to ebb, her eyes opening wide as she retaliated by releasing a potent hydro pump. the astonishing amount of pressurized water that flowed from her gaping maw shot toward the charizard, the attack strengthened by the rain dance's mere presence.

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 21:40:26 GMT

the charizard never keeps to one place. remaining stationary creates an easy target. more importantly, transitioning from zero speed to moving proves more difficult then changing speeds. the law of physics apply to most pokemon and the charizard is no different.

the only time it had slowed down was to aim the DRAGON RAGE, immediately taking off the moment the last ball left its mouth. this apt agility, the superiority it has in the sky, allows it to deftly leave the HYDRO PUMP behind, strafing to the left as the water passes and connects with the roof.

with a successful volley and no harm given in the exchange, the pokemon sees no reason to let up. it circles again, focusing on an evasive flight path as the DRAGON RAGE festers. it flies with speed and a twist of turns with little regard for the pokemon below. when it's ready to to attack, it slows, craning its neck back before letting out several more blasts. it follows the same pattern as before but the first one is aimed toward the pokemon's side. the series of blast paints a distinct v pattern.

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 22:02:16 GMT

lombre was forced to think, her attack having failed due to how predictable it had been. the hydro pump had flew harmlessly by the charizard before impacting the clouds and the ceiling above; the dragon allowed to maintain its utter dominance as it retaliated with dragon rage.

"water."

it was a subtle hint but one the dual-type latched desperately onto, the bipedal creature forced to utilize swift swim in order to deftly dodge the oncoming flame that sought to leech away at her health and stamina until nothing remained. she hurried toward the edge and took the plunge, the water which bordered the field used to temporarily conceal her position from view.

'it's a miracle she managed to avoid all of that.'

the volley had been furious, and left in its wake remnants of its power that scorched stone.

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 22:27:23 GMT

NIKOLAI PETROV likes this

the lombre escapes but that means litt.e all it's doing is buying time. that's fine. charizard is patient. it knows better then to give up its aerial superiority. the waiting game tips the scale in the charizard's favor. in an alternate universe, NIKOLAI PETROV would be able to vouch for it. the longer the battle, the more fernando edges toward victory.

water is a hindrance but not an impossible hurdle. unable to discern where the pokemon is, the charizard continues with the assault. instead of DRAGON RAGE, it opts for FLAME BURST. the water will but out the fire when they connect but slowly the temperature will rise, the constant exposure will eat away at the water until the fire evaporates more then enough.

the blast follows a different pattern then before. without a target to aim at, there's no reason for the charizard to slow down. it rains an assault with each fly by, almost reminiscent of a bomber. INFERNO provides a more intense, quicker solution but the charizard is steadfast in trying to fish the pokemon out. it shoots at random spots near where the lombre had submerged, not exactly where, but nearby, assuming that the pokemon had fled immediately. how deep the water is, charizard has no idea, but the FLAME BURST spreads on impact, painting the water with mild explosions of heat and flames.

cait alfric

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POSTED ON Feb 16, 2019 23:06:23 GMT

cait's companions retreated from the water's edge, the charizard's onslaught causing the lot of them to recoil from the terrible and pungent heat that now filled the air. they remained near enough to bear witness to the battle, but quite a few faces were visibly weary as it continued.

'she'll need to figure something out - and soon.'

the freckle-faced gym leader's gaze flitted about, her attempt at discerning her companion's location obvious.

'there's not a lot of time left before she has to leave the water.'

the liquid contained within the river was beginning to grow intolerably hot. and cait was absolutely certain that it wouldn't be long before it began to bubble and froth.

"lo!"

her pokemon's head burst into view with a splash, the lombre having forced herself to endure the uncomfortable heat that had spread in favor of waiting for the right moment. she exposed her position for the sole purpose of launching yet another hydro pump, having waited until the charizard's attention was temporarily drawn from where she was.

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