Hot off the exhilarating battle with Guillermo Marceliño, Lex has set her sights on bigger fish. Oh look, is that an Elite Four member locking eyes with her?

Accepted, motherfucker.

There had been enough PRECIPICE BLADES in the vicinity for Lex to become familiar with the shift in the ground beneath her to not assume that is what was coming her way. Nimble on her feet, she runs towards Matias, barely missing to piercing rocky blade that erupts from the ground.

Her amber eyes are wild with the heat of battle. In a natural motion, the Shadow Gardevoir’s Ultra Ball finds its why into her clenched fist. The cracks open, light replaced by darkness. The miasma bleeds into the ground, a shadow racing beside her. Lex stops just shy of an appropriate battlefield. Her shadow continues racing forward across the marred ground.

There’s no warning, just the subtle whisper of a cool breeze across Matias’s ankles when the shadow settles there. A demon emerges from the darkness. The fingers that try to grab at his legs are more like claws, tearing at flesh as if its desperately trying to pull itself free of the abyss it’s trapped in. The glow of crimson eyes burns through the darkness and as the beast’s lips part to unleash a piercing shriek from behind rotting fangs.

The ghost is no longer pulling itself free, but try to drag Matias down into its darkness, each attempt like a set of thorns, trying to latch on and drag across his calves.

---

+ MATIAS SILPH challenges Lex to a battle
+ Accepted, MFer
+ Lex matrixes some Precipice Blades and sicks her Shadow Gardevoir after Matias
+ Comin at you with a vicious PHANTOM FORCE


TOTAL: 60 MP

The explosion catches her off guard, unexpected and difficult to dodge, regardless. The reverberation shakes her other core, ears ringing and the pressure throwing her forward. Air is forced out of her lungs for a second time when she hits the ground, rolling to a stop once the momentum wears off. That one hurt worse than Guillermo Marceliño’s suplex. Damn.

No time to waste, she’s a sitting Duckling on the ground. A primal drive for survival kicks another rush of adrenaline to numb the pain, forcing her to her feet with a narrowed gaze fixed on the culprit.

The ghost’s pursuit of his soul is cut short by the dizzying haze of SPRINGTIDE STORM that rushes around her. The ghosts full form rises from the darkness and into the fae storm. Within an energy fueled of hate and love, the dark creature remains stoic, lifeless. It knows little of emotions, but it does know hunger.

The Shadow pokemon shifts its target. The bear-like pokemon poses a rather intriguing challenge. It’s darkness calls to her, a threat.

The creature’s bony arms raise amongst the storm, turning the tide of the fae energy to harness it and blast towards the Urshifu with a DAZZLING GLEAM.

---

+ MATIAS SILPH challenges Lex to a battle
+ S!Gardevoir si hit with SPRINGTIDE STORM
+ She uses DAZZLING GLEAM in retaliaton


TOTAL: 70 MP

Melinoe is quite the sight to behold. There’s no question the pokemon is partially a ghost type. The pale coloring, the boney limbs, the tattered and stained dress. There’s no life left in the Gardevoir’s eyes. Beneath those lifeless eyes the monsters lips curl into a small smile after the DAZZLING GLEAM, the jagged points of sharp teeth slipping into view.

She floats forward, meeting the SURGING STRIKES blow for blow, but not without discomfort. The pokemon is physically stronger than her but she’s no ordinary Gardevoir. The last strike ends in a gut blow, buckling her form over only to be met with an IRON HEAD head from the beast.

A sickening snap dislocates the ghost’s ghosts head, and for a moment, it floats there in the strange, unnatural posture. Slowly its hands rise to rest on either side of the displaced head, and in one smooth movement, another snap resets it in place. Ectoplasm oozes from where bones cracked through skin. The undead raises her hands, a strong wave of PSYCHIC power crashes towards the Urshifu like a tidal wave. It tries to curl across its arms like chains. As the Gardevoir attempt to seize control of its opponents limbs, it also attempts to tear it apart, the pressures strong enough to SNAP bone.

Lex doesn’t expect surrender. In fact, she’d be rather disappointed. Perhaps not even accept it. She peers across the battlefield at Matias. She assumed the spikes were coming from Groudon . . . but now she’s not so sure. As if to answer the question for her, the ground beneath her shudders, and she’s barely quick enough to dodge a fatal blow. Instead, the sharp edges slice right through the leather jacket, tear a deep wound into the back of her shoulder.

The pain would have been blinding if it wasn’t for the adrenaline that masked it, “The League’s got a new puppet,” she growls, standing again with her fists clenched tightly, “How quaint,” she rolls her shoulders, flinching subtly at the sharp pain that radiates out from her wound, “Who pulls your strings? Your commissioner or your titan?”

---

+ MATIAS SILPH challenges Lex to a battle
+ SURGING STRIKES distracts her enough to be hit by the IRON HEAD
+ S!Gardevoir attempt to snap the Urshifu’s arm with PSYCHIC

TOTAL: 80 MP

Ectoplasm splatters across the dark hide of the bear as the AERIAL ACE slices across the phantom’s gut. A shriek of pain hisses through the ghost’s lips. Her body vibrates in retaliation, all nerves firing on end. The pangs of hunger becomes insatiable as energy drips out of her wounds. The Gardevoir’s form flickers before disappearing as the SPRINGTIDE STORM hopefully masks her disappearance.

Lex can’t help but laugh, point a finger towards Matias, scarlet lips graced by an amused smile, “It’s funny you think so,” Any mortal tethered to a legendary didn’t pull their own strings.

The familiar feeling of the impending EARTH SPIKES pushes Lex into action. She wasn’t about to make the same mistake as last time. The thief lunges forward, rolling to the right next to avoid the rocky protrusions, “You sound just like us.”

The ghost’s TELEPORT lands it behind the Urshifu. A more gentle surge of psychic energy drifts from the pokemon’s fingertips that dance beside the bear’s mind, prodding at the pokemon’s consciousness. HYPNOSIS attempts to invade its foundation, slowly breaking it brick by brick into the pokemon falls.

---

+ MATIAS SILPH challenges Lex to a battle
+ Hit with AERIAL ACE
+ TELEPORTS behind the Urshifu and attempts to use HYPNOSIS

TOTAL: 90 MP

Matias was already a volatile being, but it seemed Lex struck a chord. He lashed out with words and more spikes, sending the thief on the run to avoid being impaled. Her chest heaved with labored breath, a smile lighting up the otherwise dark features of her face, “Sensitive, I see,” and just to be a thorn in the side, she pokes the bear, “Wonder what your girlfriend would think about that. Killing? Tsk tsk,” his personal life isn’t really personal, especially for how well known the both of them are. It’s no secret the professor is a little goody-two-shoes.

DETECT, the bane of any opponent’s existence. The fist ignites, warmth blooming amongst the cold presence of the ghost. With only one arm, she knows where the attack is coming from and a shift back to keep out of the Urshifu’s reach.

The ghost creates space between them, raising an arm towards the beast. Her fingers curl, tendrils of PSYCHIC energy aiming to curl around the pokemon’s neck. The unseen force grow tighter . . . tighter . . . tighter. She’ll squeeze until she sees the life leave the pokemon’s eyes.

---

+ MATIAS SILPH challenges Lex to a battle
+ Lex continues to be an idiot and poke the bear
+ Gardevoir barely dodges the FIRE PUNCH
+ Gardevoir tries to choke the Urshifu out with PSYCHIC

TOTAL: 100 MP

PSYCHIC proves difficult to hold against the IRON HEAD. The palpable energy can't apply enough pressure to compress past the steel. Frustration grows in the Gardevoir as she's set on the Urshifu's annihilation. So much so she succumbs to the rush of the IRON HEAD. The force knocks her back into a daze.

It does give the Urshifu enough time to unleash the fae energy onto Lex. The Beast curses as the storm swallows her in a blizzard of pink and orange. It cuts at her face, her arms, her legs, tearing slices into the fabric, some deep enough to draw blood.

Although it takes a moment for the Gardevoir's gaze to adjust and narrow on the Urshifu, she makes the best of SPRINGTIDE STORM distraction, and attempts another blast of HYPNOTIC power to lull the pokemon to sleep.

---

+ MATIAS SILPH challenges Lex to a battle
+ S!Gardevoir is struck with IRON HEAD
+ Lex is struck with SPRINGTIDE STORM
+ Gardevoir uses the distraction to try her hand at another HYPNOSIS

TOTAL: 110 MP

Melinoe can feel the bear fight against the HYPNOSIS. It's consciousness slips in and out of reach. Hungrily, the Gardevoir advances, leaning into the pokemon as if struggles to stay awake. The ghost's lip curve into a toothy smile, pursing to inhale invade the Urshifu's dreams, sucking the life force from it to heal her own wounds and fill her belly.

Of course, trapped within the SPRINGTIDE STORM, Lex doens't see the EARTH SPIKE coming. All she sees is bright white as the force of the EXPLOSION knocks her off her feet and into a nearby PRECIPICE BLADE. The crack against the pillar is sickening, but somehow she can still manage to feel all her fingers and toes. They move slowly as her own consciousness struggles to stay with her. A cough, a deep inhale. Pain shoots through her side forcing another cough that tastes like blood. Broken ribs? Probably.

She won't last longer against many more of Matias's EARTH SPIKES. Not after that blow. She manages the reach to her waist, unhitching another pokeball from her belt. An Aegislash slides out from the light, a SHEIDL FORM ready to protect her if he tries to hit her while she slowly recovers and rises to her feet, leaning against the pokemon for support.

Fuck. Maybe she was in over her head with this one. A frustrated and bitter glare narrows in Matias's direction, the shimmer of Groudon's crimson through the smoke is enough to keep her from advancing, ready to call back the Gardevoir once she's had her fill of the Urshifu.

---

+ MATIAS SILPH challenges Lex to a battle
+ S!Gardevoir uses DREAM EATER nomnomnom
+ Lex get's fucked uuuup, time to bounce??

TOTAL: 120 MP