[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

"thank you."

[break][break] it's unsettling — the way it always is when he engages with THEO BECKETT . but the two had known each other for over a decade. the fear that he felt when the man had threatened him with a knife at fourteen had long since dissipated.

[break][break] but jayden would never forget the way the other had spared his life.

[break][break] "i could not have done it without you sir," he adds, reaching for his belt. when theo called him, it had been the assumption that the other would have some task for him. perhaps training had not been at the top of his list — but it was one that he certainly had no complaints about. "i'm ready."

[break][break] light sprawls forth in the form of his KUBFU, who didn't have as much training as the other ultrabeasts in his possession. most of his combat training had been with jayden directly — it would be interesting to see the way that the pokemon would act in this environment.

[break][break] ambitious eyes train on the floating ultrabeast before him, using DETECT.

[attr="class","ooc"] THEO BECKETT

☉

"a kubfu. interesting."[break][break]

it's a rare choice but he assumes jayden had received one from the tournament in slateport last year. it looked to be from the same batch, at least.[break][break]

a whistle sends the naganadel swooping down to expel a SLUDGE WAVE over the battlefield.

[attr="class","ooc"]jayden cross[break]

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

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

"it was from last summer's tournament, sir."

[break][break] he answers the question that hangs in the air between them. jayden is positive that there are many others that have found themselves in control of powerful pokemon such as the ultrabeasts before them, but he wonders how many of those are rockets and how many of those have been adequately able to control that power.

[break][break] that is what today is for. at least for him.

[break][break] the kubfu's gaze sharpens as the SLUDGE WAVE crashes down on him. he leaps out of the way just in time, fist slamming against the ground. the DETECT was useful, but not one that would save him from every opportunity. his body blurs into an AERIAL ACE, quick to close the distance between them.

[break][break] if he had any hope of winning, he had to use his own strengths to his advantage.

[attr="class","ooc"] THEO BECKETT

☉

size plays an obvious factor in this battle, though it can work both ways. naganadel's size both allows it to overpower at the cost of it being easier to hit. it's why the AERIAL ACE lands without much issues.[break][break]

recoiling from the pain, naganadel sends an immediate DRAGON PULSE in response only to follow that with a HEAT WAVE that drags across the battlefield.

[attr="class","ooc"]jayden cross[break]

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

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

once his fist crashes into the shell of the larger beast, white-hot heat surges excitedly through him. he's nervous and excited to have made a hit, when he thought there would be none. he lands on his feet, only to find purple pulsing towards him at an alarming speed. he barrel-rolls to the side, quick enough to dodge the first attack, but not the second. his arms go up instinctively in defense, heat scalding across his forearms.

[break][break] the kubfu is not ready to settle though. he's not afraid of the pain. in fact, the opposite, as his body glows with the power of a COUNTER attack as he leaps into the air again, aiming a roundhouse kick against the other ultra beast.

[break][break] silence dissipates between the trainers otherwise, a palpable tension that always exists when it is between them. almost like dmitri's ghost lingering, reminding them both of a past they would much rather forget.

[break][break] "can i ask, sir, what you used in your fight against Katherine Fairburne?"

[attr="class","ooc"] THEO BECKETT

☉

"dusknoir, banette, and naganadel."[break][break]

the COUNTER connects, cracking bits of naganadel's shell which only seems to release another SLUDGE WAVE that falls right on top of the kubfu.[break][break]

"i had forgotten to account for her blacephalon as well as her avatar abilities. it's difficult to kill something you can't physically touch."

[attr="class","ooc"]jayden cross[break]

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

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

ah.

[break][break] the nagandal is a undeniable force — it's easy to see, with such display of power right in front of his eyes. though the the leg connects against the shell's mauve exterior, the victory is only short-lived. poison seeps into his fur, seeping deep into his veins and likely later, his heart. however where most pokemon would give up and draw back, this only seems to propel the pokemon forward. he continues in CLOSE COMBAT, determined to make at least one hit count.

[break][break] jayden wonders if perhaps one day peklo will be at this level. maybe, with time.

[break][break] there are many other questions on the tip of his tongue — was it planned? was it revenge for Rowan Wrynn or maybe something else? did he make the first attack, or was he able to catch the elite four veteran off guard?

[break][break] instead:

[break][break] "what are her avatar abilities?" though it was public knowledge of her prowess, jayden isn't sure how much of it was. alongside Felix Gallagher , he had combed through the notes. unfortunately, they hadn't yet been able to find actual footage of her fight and though she'd been present at darkest day, too much had been going on to make adequate progress in their quest.

[attr="class","ooc"] THEO BECKETT

☉

CLOSE COMBAT never connects. or at least not against the target the kubfu is expecting.[break][break]

an ALLY SWITCH later sends a banette in naganadel's place, and it's then that its PSYCHIC wraps around the fighting-type only to toss it back down to earth.[break][break]

"the only power i witnessed was her ability to alter her physicality. in essence, she can phase through objects and objects can phase through her."

[attr="class","ooc"]jayden cross[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-banette"]

[attr="class","jaytop"]

[attr="class","littlejay"]

like a ghost.

[break][break] the expression he makes is complicated as understanding dawns on his face. excitement, like a hidden thrill, thrums beneath his veins — the same he feels whenever any mention of a ghost-type is brought up. it's not as if he's particularly surprised, giratina is a ghost legendary.

[break][break] he should feel fearful of the tumultuous journey that lay ahead. he doesn't.

[break][break] "like darkrai," he murmurs beneath his breath, more for himself than anything. he had never witnissed it up close, but he's seen the power of Lulu Flint and rocket's very own leader. walsh could disappear into shadows, almost as if he was part of them himself. perhaps — if they could not find footage of the woman herself, they would be able to practice with someone similar?

[break][break] "that sounds like an impossible power," he commends, even though Katherine Fairburne is nowhere to witness his compliment.

[break][break] his kubfu's arrogance is both his greatest weapon and his weakness. it ends in his demise, as his opponent switches in a flash of light to another, psychic strings tying around him and crashing into the ground with such force that he is able to do little else. jayden glances at the crater in the earth, returning the pokemon to it's ball without fail. a small causality to be made, for the new intel that he had gathered.

[break][break] "thank you for the battle, sir. you're as strong as ever." the ball is hot as he clips it to his belt — he knows that kozma will not be happy with his failure, and neither was jayden. "i hope i've improved since last time."

[attr="class","ooc"] THEO BECKETT

☉

"impressive, not impossible."[break][break]

the correction comes quickly as he watches the kubfu slam into the ground, leaving a crater under its weight. the battle draws to a natural close as he recalls his naganadel as well.[break][break]

"she may be able to alter her matter but not for long. in any case, we'll approach her just like we do anyone else."[break][break]

he gives jayden a parting nod and a final remark:[break][break]

"you have. but there is still more to work on."[break][break]

more to explore within the m.a.g.m.a. division, perhaps.

[attr="class","ooc"]jayden cross[break]

[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-naganadel"][attr="class","pkspr pkmn-banette"]