upon entry, cool air blasts from elevated air conditioners like fanfare. metal clangs. various trainers color the gymscape like flickering flags among tangles of workout equipment and weights. although it is a gym for pokemon battling, trainers hone their own bodies too.

"you made it, man!" noah springs from the reception's counter, sneakers squeaking when he pivots toward mikhail. "long time no see. almost been a year, right?" he remembers the trainers he battles, although the names may be lost to time.

thankfully, an appointment and receptionist's computer allows him to remember.

he beckons him toward a set of heavy double doors that lead through a hallway. at the end of that hallway, their arena awaits.

"what brings you to challenge me, huh?"

tl;dr and notes

\o/ let's goo

jayden cross

☉

"hey, you're right." noah says with a chuckle.

when they enter the arena, he assumes his position on the other side of the court. the stage lights shudder on above, powerful beams of light piercing through the caged ring and catching the dust of battle.

"alright michail. all you gotta do is show me you and your pokemon can handle yourself in close quarters combat," noah says, "and then you'll earn the knockout badge. show me what you got!"

and at the last word, he tosses his pokeballs. they crack against the metal fencing, and a hariyama and medicham appear. the hariyama's robust build covers much space in this narrow square.

the RING BELL would ding, initiating their battle once michail and his pokemon were ready. upon that sound, noah commands his pokemon:

"close the gap, quick!"

his HARIYAMA SURFS, riding the wave toward michail's pokemon as his MEDICHAM charges through the waters, unhindered thanks to its TELEPATHY. a BULLET PUNCH hopes to land on the VAPOREON.

tl;dr and notes

HARIYAMA SURFS TOWARD UMBREON + VAPOREON
MEDICHAM BULLET PUNCHES @ VAPREON

jayden cross

☉

no threat of a RAIN DANCE then, noah is quick to mentally jot. his MEDICHAM's fists fly quick and severe after the VAPOREON siphons the SURF.

in the meantime, the heavy steps of noah's HARIYAMA grow louder as it slides off the descending wave.

"DETECT!" noah leans forth, casting a hand toward the ring.

his medicham's eyes gleam. a diamond of scrutiny captured by its pupils. as the UMBREON'S PSYCHIC flies toward it, the pink pokemon is quick to bend its body, allowing the blast to pass by.

"fong, HEAVY SLAM!"

with a loud lurch, the HARIYAMA leaps. its large shadow looms over the VAPOREON as the wrestler descends toward it.

from his podium, noah looks confident. his eyes aflame as they match jayden's.

tl;dr and notes

MEDICHAM DETECTS AGAINST PSYCHIC
HARIYAMA LEAPS TO HEAVY SLAM VAPOREON

jayden cross

☉

frigid ice crystallizes against the hariyama's stomach. a big freeze that crawls across the muscled gut as the wrestler collides with the vaporeon.

but jayden's defensive maneuver does the trick. icy shrapnel scatters across the ring. melt underneath stage light.

the CONFUSE RAY strikes the hariyama. its brows furrow as it attempts to steady itself.

"hope you're wearing those boxers with my face on them!" noah shouts. "they're supposed to be good luck, y'know!"

noah orders his pokemon quick.

the medicham darts toward the vaporeon. its feet skid against the ring floor sharply as its fists glow. a DRAIN PUNCH swings toward the vaporeon; however, as the hariyama attempts to HEAVY SLAM the vaporeon too, it slams the ground, hurting itself.

"ack, fong! get it together, man!"

tl;dr and notes

HARIYAMA IS CONFUSED / HITS ITSELF
MEDICHAM USES DRAIN PUNCH ON VAPOREON
NOAH BOXERS???

jayden cross

☉

"out of the way! fong, SURF!"

spinning PSYCHIC blades orchestrate a throbbing reverb. noah's hariyama and medicham are held at bay; with a harsh clap of calloused palms, a SURF is summoned by the former. the brine is sliced into as it rushes toward michail's champions.

noah's medicham rushes through the water with no harm thanks to TELEPATHY, but a strike of PSYCHIC lands.

it does not falter, springing out from the falling wave before throwing its own psychic blades—a PSYCHO CUT—toward the vaporeon to attempt to mitigate the healing of its WATER ABSORB.

"can't hold us back for too long, man!"

tl;dr and notes

hariyama kept at bay and uses surf; medicham hit by psychic; attempts to psycho cut vaporeon.

jayden cross

☉

the vaporeon fades into the field's lagoons. michail had done his homework; the gym leader jots a mental note to shake up his strategies.

in nyctian form, the umbreon mounts its counterattack. the FEINT ATTACK strikes across the weakening medicham's back, launching it forth.

the gym leader grits his teeth.

"flush her out!" noah commands. he flashes a determined battle-hardened gaze at his opponent. "freeze the water and crack it!"

as the medicham attempts to keep the umbreon at bay with martial pose, it continually slams the watery canvas with ICE PUNCHES. across the floor, the water freezes.

the sound of crisping ice courses around them as the hariyama seeks michail's umbreon. it launches itself at the umbral pokemon with a HEAVY SLAM; however, missing the umbreon is just fine.

instead, should the hariyama miss, it would strike the canvas will all of its weight, shattering every iced pool like glass from the ring.

tl;dr and notes

medicham ICE PUNCHES floor to freeze watery pools[break]
hariyama attempts to HEAVY SLAM umbreon, but will most likely miss -> breaks the ice pools from slamming the ring too hard.

jayden cross

☉

"bite the hand that feeds." noah repeats under his breath. "that was a pretty cool line."

despite the shattering ice puddles, the vaporeon's unique ability allows it a fraction's advantage. noah's medicham swings its fist to meet the pokemon's BITE—but the fangs land first.

they clench around the grey palm and FLINCH THE MEDICHAM it is connected to.

as the initial shrapnel of umbreon's PSYCHIC-ICE SHARD batters the hariyama, noah is quick to devise his retaliation. he barks an order quick:

"WHIRLWIND! send the ice back!"

the hariyama cries and wafts its giant palms around like fans. a conjured gale scoops up fallen and incoming ice to hurl toward the umbreon.

still, the ICE SHARDS have harmed noah's hariyama more than the gym leader had initially thought. their sharp shapes, enveloped in PSYCHIC-TYPE ENERGY, have weakened the fighting-type immensely.

tl;dr and notes

medicham FLINCHES[break]
hariyama attempts to WHIRLWIND ICE SHARDS BACK AT umbreon; hurt by the PSYCHIC-ICE SHARDS BADLY.

jayden cross

☉