[attr="class","icon"]

"what's up, my little pogchamp?"[break][break]

for whatever reason, his greeting makes the crowd cheer, providing them with a fitting ambiance for their challenge to follow.[break][break]

"lam, right? very nice to meet ya. i'm cian, and welcome to the weather gym."[break][break]

once more, applause.[break][break]

"challenge starts when you make the first move! so whenever you're ready. good luck!"[break][break]

with a smile, he pats lam on his shoulder before jogging back over to his side of the battlefield, preparing for the battle.

[attr="class","bottom"]lam logan[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

Lam’s head tilts. “Little pogchamp?”[break][break]

What does that even mean? Why does it make all of the spectators present go wild? Is that like…a catchphrase or something? Doesn’t really matter, though, does it?[break][break]

“Yep, that’s me. Ditto, yo.” He shrugs, considering offering his hand to shake, but before that comes to mind, he’s shooting the gym leader double finger guns.

Then Cian’s patting him and trotting away to his side, so Lam turns to do the same. “Thanks, we’ll see how this goes, I guess!”[break][break]

It was anyone’s guess, really.[break][break]

As he went, out came his scovillain and talonflame in tandem. Habanero tromps forward while Ziti takes to the air, circling the field in a building furor of TAILWIND as his scovillain wastes no time in lighting the field with heat, like a bright SUNNY DAY.

[attr="class","bottom"]CIAN MAHER   [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-talonflame"]

[attr="class","icon"]

lam, along with every other challenger cian receives, are his little pogchamps. his army. but none of that matters at the moment as the challenge begins![break][break]

the sight of the TAILWIND and SUNNY DAY makes him burst out in a smile. he points up at them.[break][break]

"hey! that's something i do too! nice!"[break][break]

the crowd cheers as they're more than familiar with cian's weather antics. like the SANDSTORM that picks up despite the TAILWIND, persistent in the way it coats the battlefield.[break][break]

"go, go, go!"[break][break]

his gabite DIGS into the ground while his larvitar SCREECHES.

[attr="class","bottom"]lam logan[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

It seems he will have to find out what a pogchamp is later. Alas.[break][break]

Despite his effort to take the moment seriously, he’s sort of a laidback guy. So he can’t help the laugh that slips out, and he taps his temple in response as he grins. “I did my research, took some cues!” He enjoys status effective moves, personally, but he’s not all that sure how much good they’ll do him against these particular two opponents.[break][break]

Quick as his talonflame is, even with the TAILWIND, she can’t outpace the sandstorm that whips up in addition to the scorching heat. The grit buffets her wings and puts her angle of attack off course as she tilts to accommodated the wind current.[break][break]

Not that it does much good as the gabite burrows out of her radar, she resumes circling the arena with an irritable shriek. “Keep moving!”[break][break]

Boosted by the heat scorching down, the scovillain’s CHLOROPHYLL kicks in, driving it into a quicker pace than might be expected of a two-headed plant with clomping feet as it bursts forward from the ground. The gabite may have dug itself out of the way, but instead of aiming there, Habanero’s mouths open to spit a glowing, green ENERGY BALL straight at the screeching larvitar.

[attr="class","bottom"]CIAN MAHER   [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-talonflame"]

[attr="class","icon"]

being so far away from each other, larvitar is allowed a brief moment to react to the ENERGY BALL. small and nimble as ever, it slips into a SAND VEIL and barely avoids the attack. it knows it won't be able to next time given the TAILWIND against it.[break][break]

but it knows its duty, so it continues to SCREECH like a baby throwing a tantrum.[break][break]

still hidden underneath the ground, gabite summons wisps of SAND that burst out of the ground, looking to encase the scovillain in a TOMB.

[attr="class","bottom"]lam logan[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

With the gabite still hidden away, Ziti’s angle changes— cutting hard against the current of gritty wind that pelts her before dropping low. Hard and fast toward the wailing larvitar as her feathers firm up with a silvery sheen.[break][break]

Hurtling in a dive, the intent of the STEEL WING isn’t to inflict heavy damage so much as it is to make contact, with the goal that the bird’s FLAME BODY will leave the larvitar with a lingering burn.[break][break]

Though, at least a little damage is a bonus.[break][break]

Rather than follow with another direct attack, the scovillain shrieks (weird sound, coming from a pepper,) as sand twists up around it and practically binds it in place. Instead, it shores itself up as best it can despite the weakening hold. It belches a two-pronged SPICY EXTRACT—one that simmers around itself from its green head to counter theSCREECHES, and second blast waiting for the gabite once it finally emerges from hiding.

[attr="class","bottom"]CIAN MAHER   [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-talonflame"]

[attr="class","icon"]

the two ground-types, although it may not seem like it, fight in unison, working off each other which will soon become apparent when the gabite doesn't appear around the scovillain.[break][break]

"gamers rise!"[break][break]

the talonflame's STEEL WING connects as larvitar spreads its arms and legs out wide, taking the blow only to hang on tight. BURNED and bruised, it SCREECHES right into talonflame's ear.[break][break]

gabite appears after, shooting out of the ground right underneath talonflame. it rises into the air like a geyser to BITE at the talonflame's underside, intending to hold on as well.

[attr="class","bottom"]lam logan[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

Lam realizes the unity between the two pokemon a bit too late—right about when the second half of the SPICY EXTRACT goes nowhere but into the sandy fray.[break][break]

It’s a cohesion that he was trying to angle for with his own two, but didn’t quite stick the landing on. But there’s still a little time, right? Even if they’re both winded. Just gotta think.[break][break]

The talonflame’s piercing cry can be heard as the gabite bites down and pulls her lower as she struggles to rise higher. “Alley oop, then run and gun!”[break][break]

Emboldened, Ziti surges upward and twists in the air, circling back around as she does so in an ACROBATICS move to dislodge the gabite just above the larvitar so that it’ll land on the other.[break][break]

Meanwhile, habanero, finally dislodged from the SAND TOMB speeds up on CHLOROPHYLL again and aims another ENERGY BALL at either the singular larvitar, or the heap of the two as it darts by.

[attr="class","bottom"]CIAN MAHER   [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-talonflame"]

[attr="class","icon"]

the ACROBATICS makes it difficult, almost impossible for the gabite to remain BITTEN down. it releases eventually, though not before SLASHING the talonflame. it falls right down onto the larvitar, squishing the other ground-type like a squeeze toy.[break][break]

but the larvitar shapes back up just in time to summon another STONE EDGE. it shoots out in front of them, though not fast enough to block all of the ENERGY BALL. a portion of the attack slips through, slamming into both the ground-types.[break][break]

"hang in there!"[break][break]

snarling, gabite pushes off the larvitar to lunge at the scovillain with a DRAGON RUSH, looking to slam right into it.[break][break]

larvitar follows, running with its arms behind its back as it attempts to ram its IRON HEAD into the scovillain as well.

[attr="class","bottom"]lam logan[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

The talonflame shrieks, thrashing harder to distangle the gabite as her soft underbelly is SLASHED at. She wheels away to nurse the wound once the dual-type crashes down on top of the larvitar.[break][break]

“Anotha one!” Lam calls out as his scovillain speedily skirts out of the way of one attack, only to get rammed by the immediately following IRON HEAD.[break][break]

It drives him back, but the close contact of the attack allows him the chance to spit a third ENERGY BALL straight down at the little larvitar.[break][break]

Ziti’s already burned the larvitar, so as she circles back, she takes a swan dive, FLAME BODY heating as she seeks to plow into the gabite, a gusty RAZOR WIND whipping up under her wings.

[attr="class","bottom"]CIAN MAHER   [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-talonflame"]

[attr="class","icon"]

SAND VEIL can only do so much when being bombarded by attacks. so the larvitar stands its ground, taking the ENERGY BALL with spirit and grit even if it really, really hurts it.[break][break]

after, it slams its foot down, summoning STONE EDGES that erupt around it like a makeshift dome to block the RAZOR WIND. once the attack passes, the same STONE EDGES shift before shooting up at the talonflame, looking to knock it out of the air.[break][break]

gabite follows through on its DRAGON RUSH, looking to slam into the scovillain to keep it engaged.

[attr="class","bottom"]lam logan[break]

[attr="class","icon"]

It’s starting to get a bit tricky just about then, and Lam is starting to wonder if he’s gonna squeak out a win or not. It’s sure not looking like it from the state of Ziti.[break][break]

The STONE EDGE succeeds—the talonflame cracks against one, and drops, spiraling down to the floor of the arena. But not without steeling up with one more dive bomb.[break][break]

STEEL WINGS aimed directly at taking the larvitar with her as she skids across the sandy ground on her belly.[break][break]

At least his scovillian seems sturdier. It staggers back with impact, before barreling forward toward the gabite, heads tilted down to hopefully land a ZEN HEADBUTT

[attr="class","bottom"]CIAN MAHER   [break]
[attr="class","pkspr pkmn-talonflame"]

[attr="class","icon"]

the STEEL WINGS are what seal the deal. they slam into larvitar, and with the added momentum of the dive, the ground-type faints, unable to fight through the pain any longer. it is swiftly recalled into its pokeball.[break][break]

the crowd erupts in applause, cheering on the challenger.[break][break]

two down, one to go.[break][break]

gabite's SAND VEIL allows it to slip past the ZEN HEADBUTT, the attack barely missing its body. it turns then, angling a smart SLASH into one of scovillain's heads.

[attr="class","bottom"]lam logan[break]