freya cracks a smile. "the feeling's mutual." she only feels sorry she hasn't made an attempt to know the gym leaders sooner. her only saving grace is the league goes through them rather expeditiously and the roster's changed much since her time on the council, when knowing them really mattered.

she stares down the two pokemon he releases. ori chuffs and flicks his tail, but she doesn't share his same hungry enthusiasm. this is a gym battle - the ape and its dizzy companion won't be easy pickings.

but they should stay stationary.

he grants her the first move and she nods, raising a hand. 

"no questions. let's begin. guard, ori. and phantom - bolster."

ori's thin body slides away from itself, making half a dozen copies that simultaneously take to the air. behind them, taking advantage of the cover is phantom, twisting over himself in the air to summon strength.

Callan Young
- BATTLE SUMMARY -
salamence's intimidate takes effect
salamence uses double team
dragapult uses dragon dance

☉

ori's copies flit about before the dragapult as the latter completes its circling dance. freya's gaze darts to the spinda and her brows furrow, but she's going to take advantage of an opening if there is one. the slaking lumbers through ori's copies with ease, despite their snapping and snarling, and phantom waits for an order to dodge.

but when he hears none and the slaking comes in with a fury, the dragapult takes the blow. it staggers back with a shake of its head and freya orders, "fire."

the dreepy nestled in its rocket launchers fire twice, claws tipped with the residual energy of their dragapult's ritual. ori, leaving the spinda for now under freya's orders, converges on the slaking as well. the ape will be vulnerable for a few precious moments and freya intends to eradicate it. 

it comes down hard and fast with psychic energy gathered at its head. 

Callan Young
- BATTLE SUMMARY -
salamence's evasiveness +1
dragapult's speed & atk +1
dragapult uses dragon darts on slaking
salamence uses zen headbutt on slaking

☉

ori's pupils flex, tail flicking as he jerks suddenly to the right. freya grinds her teeth and orders a hasty call to phantom, who still leers menacingly over the slaking. at her call for a dodge, he (albeit looking confused) melts into the ground. the shadow skitters over the floor and ori's head slams into the gym's ground. 

he recoils in pain and then thrashes around, fangs bared when he clears his head. 

"stay low, phantom. ori, light 'em up." purple flames gather in the salamence's mouth and expel with a billowing flurry towards the two pokemon.

Callan Young
dragapult uses phantom force to dodge
salamence uses dragon breath

☉

with lyune, the gargantuan salamence could crush the two impish pokemon and create a crater where they stand. ori, however, with his lithe build, several hundred pounds lighter, only has his speed to his advantage. and against a bulwark duo, his best bet is to slink around and find a chink in their armor. 

"turn up the heat, ori," she orders. the flames shift in color; draconic energy burns up, leaving a wake of raw fire as a flamethrower expels from his maw. it batters against the prismatic shield; freya stamps her foot. 

phantom slinks back up from his shadow on the ground and narrows his eyes, locking-on to the target on the slaking's back.

Callan Young
salamence uses flamethrower
dragapult uses lock-on

☉

ori's tail slams into the ground in frustration as the slaking's flesh knits over itself. fur sprouts and the dragon roars, a sound that makes freya's lips curl. teeth bare from the both of them in frustration, but her gaze darts from the slaking to the spinda. 

"ori, give cover!" he gathers himself, lithe form skirting around the stationary duo. his wings half-unfurl to help propel him from the air. when his front claws hit the ground, more copies burst from himself, milling about the field. some of them are sluggish as ori intercepts the psychic energy. 

"get some speed, phantom." the dragapult darts away under the cloud, using its agility as it breaks eye contact. 

they'll have one shot at this. she watches for the duo's reaction to her defensive maneuvers, analyzing for a way in so phantom can strike a blow against the spinda. 

Callan Young
salamence uses double team
salamence is drowsy
dragapult uses agility

☉

just a little more, ori. the salamence and its copies move sluggishly now, tripping over themselves. phantom's eyes hone in on their target and he waits for the final call from behind the shifting mirage, ready to lash out with a last resort at their prey. 

but the battle is called. the ghostly dragon does not relent until his trainer calls. and then all at once ori's copies dissipate into smoke and the salamence slumps over into a deep sleep. 

she recalls the both of them and accepts the badge, mouth set in a thin line. 

"thank you," she says. "it was refreshing, having a battle for the sake of a battle." and not with their lives on the line. 

Callan Young

☉