[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]The lights went dim. The crowd hushed themselves, sitting at the edge of their seats with anticipation. Spotlights roved around, as if looking for where the mysterious challenger could be hiding. Finally, they settled on the entrance to the gym's battling arena. Those up close scooted away to make room. Those from afar swiveled in their seats to get a good look. You could hear a pin drop in the silence.[break][break]

Yet the challenger did not arrive. Instead, it was a Blastoise that barreled through the doors.[break][break]

Music heralded his arrival. An Aura Sphere held between his cannons detonated over his head, lighting up the darkened arena and showering him in a show of multicolored sparks. With the confidence of a man that could create his own special effects, he swaggered down to the arena, his confidence backed up by the smooth twangs of Paldean guitars. As he walked on down, he posed and postured for the crowd, motioning for them to pump up the cheers and get ready for their main event.[break][break]

It wasn't long before he made it to his corner of the arena. The guitar turned faster and more complex as he stepped into the arena, as if signaling that it was almost time to fight. He posed and postured for the crowd, firing off a technique as the chords progressed; a Dragon Pulse, a Dark Pulse, and a Water Pulse.[break][break]

As the attacks trailed upwards, a Dragonite could be seen hovering above the arena.[break][break]

The song finished its buildup, and the crescendo was his cue. The Dragonite rocketed down from the skies above like a meteor, Pulses of all shapes and colored detonating in his wake. His destination; a cloud of Life Dew that the Blastoise had just spewed upwards. With the Dragonite's Multiscale reflecting whatever light the cloud of mist bent, a rainbow trail followed in the wake as he burst out from the cloud. He shined brightly enough to rival even the spotlights.[break][break]

Perhaps in all of the pageantry, the crowd would notice a trainer leaping off of the Dragonite's back. With one hand on the Blastoise's cannon, he seamlessly guided himself into a stop atop the Blastoise's back. From there, he shot the crowd a cocky, easygoing grin, basking in their cheers as his expression was put up on the big screen.[break][break]

He raised a fist, the crowd's cheers picking up until they realized he wasn't giving them a fist bump. No, he was holding a microphone aloft, and he was not afraid to use it![break][break]

"How're we doing tonight, Ever Grande City?" he asked. The roar of cheers gave the sound crew the perfect opportunity to turn his music down and crank his volume up. "If you think you're ready for the show of a lifetime . . . think again! 'Cause tonight, the Queen of Jesters and I are gonna take those expectations of yours and blow 'em out the water!"[break][break]

He leaned back, hooking his ankles around the lip of his Blastoise's shell to avoid falling over. While upside down in this fashion, he spread his arms, as if gesturing grandly to his own corner. "In this here corner of mine, hailing from parts unknown, you've got a contest winner, Silph Cup Champion, and triple threat in the making. If you don't know me, then now's your chance; the name's Isaac Merlo!"[break][break]

"But how about we stop say hello to my little friends? Try not to get too shellshocked when you see the moves this big lug's packing-" As if on cue, Toto raised a hand to the sky, an Aura Sphere feeding off of the crowd's hype as it swirled in his palm. "Give it up for Toto!" He stretched that last O out, as if it was trailing after the Aura Sphere that Toto just flung into the air.[break][break]

"But he's not your only fighter for the night. Do you all feel the storm? Then you better watch the skies, 'cause it's coming!" The Dragonite, now circling overhead, descended to face the Aura Sphere. Before it could hit him, he transition into a midair front flip, smashing the Aura Sphere to pieces with a sweep of his Aqua Tail. A trail of aura-infused droplets followed him as he touched down, landing with enough force to shake the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's Zephyrus!"[break][break]

Isaac unhooked his ankles from the Blastoise's back, sliding down his shell and rolling back into a standing position. Zephyrus flew over to Toto's side, the two exchanging a quick series of fist bumps. It was clear that, since Jojo had given him the go ahead, he'd been practicing his ass off to nail this routine.[break][break]

To repay the favor, he'd make sure to give her the gym battle of a lifetime.[break][break]

"Well, folks. You've heard plenty from me. But there's someone we still gotta hear from, don't we?" He turned to Johanna, shooting her a cocky grin. "C'mon, Johanna! Shout it so your crowd can hear it! Are you ready to rumble!?"[break][break]

With his triumphant shout done, the mic was now pointed towards Johanna. If she wanted to further one-up her jesterman and get in on some of the pageantry herself, she had a golden opportunity in front of her.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]In the corner as blue as the ocean waves, the Stormbringers. In the corner as red as a heart overflowing with passion, the Hammer Bros. Before the battle had even begun, the audience was already wowed by their feats of strength and skill. Between this, and Johanna's little show for the audience, her fans had been whipped up into an all out frenzy.[break][break]

Good. That took attention off of Isaac's slight blush. A teddy bear of justice and defender of all? Was that seriously what Johanna thought of him? If Isaac's imposter syndrome wanted to flare up, another deathblow had been dealt to it. It wasn't like Johanna had gone out of her way to call attention to the Bewear's name before this. It wasn't like he was alone, either, with Ruby Garcia also being lovingly called out. No, these were Johanna's genuine thoughts, and they went from hidden close to her chest to displayed to a stadium full of adoring fans.[break][break]

"Well, well, well! Small world, huh? " he said, lucky he could work out his embarrassment during the initial roar of the crowd. He cocked an eyebrow and flashed his namesake a grin. "I guess it's time to see which Isaac reigns supreme!"[break][break]

The champions were fired up. So fired up that they risked tearing the arena to shreds in the process. Toto and Zephyrus were already starting to slide into a pose-off, flexing and cheering to try and get the audience hyped up. "Alright, alright, settle down you two," he said, laughing off their antics as he stepped back to the challenge box. "The Queen's right. There still has to be a castle left for us to fight over, am I right?"[break][break]

Once he and Johanna were safely sheltered from the incoming battle, it was showtime. "Zeph! Toto! Bring the storm!"[break][break]

The two's flex-off seamlessly transitioned into some sort of war dance. With each stomp, clouds began to gather in the arena above. With each shout, glowing cracks spread across Toto's back. Zephyrus flared out his wings. Toto flared out his cannons. The two posed back to back, arms folded, pointing towards Ruby and Pokemon-Isaac in sync. With a single, powerful war cry, the clouds above turned from white to pitch-black. Light exploded from Toto's back, looking and sounding for all the world like a thunderclap as the rain began to fall.[break][break]

teal deer:[break]
Zephyrus uses Rain Dance[break]
Toto uses Shell Smash[break]
No, they will not stop showing off.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Starting off strong with a hammer attack, huh? Those were usually pretty hefty, cumbersome moves, and Zephyrus was a lot quicker than his chunky frame indicated. The Dragonite laid in wait, looking for the telltale twitch of those hammering arm muscles.[break][break]

They never came. Instead, the Tinktaton launched itself right at Zephyrus, hammer slung around his tree trunk like neck before he could pull it out of the way. A little bit of tool assisted snuggling made it all too easy for her to steal a kiss, a wisp of pink smoke drifting through the air a telltale sign that this was more than just a taunt. First blood, Johanna![break][break]

"Hey, hey, at least take us out to dinner first!" Isaac teased, secretly amused by how un-Ruby Garcia of a move it was. "This is all moving too fast. Slow her down, big guy." Zephyrus nodded, shaking what was either a slight blush or a little burn of fairy energy off of his face. His antennae twitched back and forth, answering the Tinkaton's attack with a Thunder Wave of his own. It would give him the perfect chance to disentangle from her embrace and avoid more life-draining kisses.[break][break]

As Zephyrus tried to get distance from her super effective onslaught, Toto turned to his trainer's overstuffed doppelganger. Another Aura Sphere gathered between his hands, fueled by energy from the glowing cracks in his shell. The Blastoise's brow ridge raised curiously as he focused. Aura Spheres aimed for soul, not the body, and their pathway was unerring. At a range like this, he had the clear advantage.[break][break]

He flung the sphere towards the Bewear, equal parts curious and excited to see how he'd make up for that difference.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Uh oh. Not even a non-damaging paralysis technique (the Pokemon equivalent of a "can we talk about this?") spared Zephyrus the wrath of a Tinkaton scorned. Okay, so it spared him the wrath. With the hit to speed and chance of full-blown paralysis that Thunder Wave caused, he was able to narrowly take to the skies and avoid her Brutal Swing.[break][break]

He looked towards Toto, trying to get a hand on what to do from his bro. Unfortunately, said bro was having a conflict with far higher stakes. Between the menacing aura around Pokemon-Isaac, and the glowing light of Toto's Shell Smash, the two were practically a visual spectacle as they collided with one another.[break][break]

The fist in Toto's face hit hard, especially with his Shell Smash taking a toll on his defenses. For a second, the Blastoise buckled over, letting out a sound like a half-deflated basketball getting hit with a hammer. Yet his eye snapped open, and then he started to laugh wearily.[break][break]

[break][break]

Pokemon-Isaac had left himself open to the same issue Toto had. They sacrificed long-term defense for short-term power, and now it was time to take advantage.[break][break]

Toto grabbed Poke-Isaac by the wrist, using both hands to try and overcome the sheer difference they had in physical strength. The boost from Shell Smash, along with the wind-down from Superpower, would hopefully make up the difference. Instead of prying the fist off of his face, he would instead try to sling him towards the episode of Divorce Court brewing to his left.[break][break]

Zephyrus, thankful to an escape from this situation, swooped down to smash the Bewear in the gut with an Aqua Tail. As he made his descent, Zephyrus hit the deck and fired a blast of his water cannons from down below. Hopefully, a Water Pulse aimed towards the Tinkaton would pull some of her focus away from the poor Dragonite.[break][break]

This tempo change wasn't just to spare some social awkwardness. Perhaps if Johanna was sharp-eyed, she'd notice the soothing mist radiating from the rain as it fell down on Toto's face. Already, the bruise that Poke-Isaac had scored right under the eye was starting to lighten and soften. Rain Dish. Of course. This weather was going to prove quite the bother . . .[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
Isaac hits Toto solidly, but due to Thunder Wave Zephyrus is able to dodge Ruby.[break]
Toto tries to whip Isaac towards Zephyrus, allowing him to swoop in and aim an Aqua Tail for Isaac's gut.[break]
Toto himself tries to steal Ruby's attention with a Water Pulse.[break]
Rain Dish is starting to heal some of Toto's wounds . . .

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Between the water swirling around Zephyrus' tail, and the energy rippling around Poke-Isaac's palm, the collision between the two moves couldn't be more dramatic. Shimmering water practically exploded into the air around the two, the lights from Johanna's stadium refracting through each and every drop.[break][break]

Isaac whistled, clearly impressed by the spectacle. "Even in the middle of a fight, you sure know how to put on a show, huh?"[break][break]

Zephyrus' flying typing meant he could roll with the hardest of those punches, but Poke-Isaac's superior strength meant he was able to hold his position better. That was fine by him. He let the momentum of that Force Palm send him swirling upward, thrusting out his wings to catch himself when he was a safe distance away. He gave himself a few quick slaps to the face, shaking off any of the dizziness from the hit he took.[break][break]

And then he started to furiously beat his wings.[break][break]

Normally, a Hurricane required a lot of prep time to go off, giving an opponent ample time to dodge. In the midst of the storm generated by his earlier Rain Dance, that wasn't the case. Galeforce winds rushed down from the clouds that Zephyrus had called, turning him into the eye of a raging storm.[break][break]

"Ladies and gentlemen, prepare to be blown away!" Isaac called. He raised a finger to the sky in a dramatic point, Zephyrys following suit. In one last, hefty flap of his wings, he pushed the galeforce winds towards Poke-Isaac, seeking to overwhelm him in a raging Hurricane.[break][break]

He wasn't the only one busting out the big guns. Ruby's Gigaton Hammer met its mark, the prone Blastoise unable to pop off of the ground before she unleashed her rage. She hit with enough force to stuff his head right back into his shell, the Blastoise skidding on his belly and bouncing from wall to wall of the battlefield. The neon railing lit up with each collision, as if the battlefield had turned into a giant pinball table.[break][break]

Steam puffed from the Blastoise's nostrils as he finally skidded to a halt. He looked towards Isaac, rasping out a request. In response, Isaac cupped an ear, making a little show of listening. "I think he wants to take things to the next level," Isaac said, before calling out to the crowd with a grand, sweeping gesture. "What do you say, everyone? Are we gonna kick things up a notch?"[break][break]

In an eruption of cheers and demand, Isaac's wrist began to sparkle. The light of evolution swallowed Toto up, brighter than even the arena's luminous glow.[break][break]

Toto's shell started to swell, his cannons pumping one last time before retracting under the surface. In their place, a single, massive cannon burst from his back. Its presence shifted him into a more primal, bestial stance, more like a Feraligatr than a Blastoise. His facial features shifted to match, becoming more savage, primal, and craggy. As he raised his arms, energy coalesced around them, forming a pair of miniature shell-shields. As he raised them high, two smaller cannons burst from their tips. In a primal roar, the light of evolution faded. Mega Blastoise had arrived.[break][break]

He hunked down, stabilizing himself like a living railgun as he aimed the barrel of his cannon at Ruby. Another Aura Sphere, this one shimmering with rainbow Infinite Energy, built up at the tip. However, what she might not have expected were for two smaller ones to start forming on each of his auxiliary cannons. The power of his Mega Launcher was enough to turn each of his Pulse moves into powerhouses.[break][break]

Toto fired the cannonade with enough force to send him skidding back, the two smaller blasts merging into the Aura Sphere to propel it forward at terrifying speeds.[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
Zephyrus and Toto are both directly hit. This time its Toto's turn to really feel it![break]
Zephyrus whips a Hurricane at Isaac, Rain Dance souping up the move's accuracy.[break]
Toto Mega Evolves.[break]
He then rips out an Aura Sphere towards Ruby, his new Mega Launcher ability supercharging it.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]Zeph blushed a little at the force of the Hurricane. Oh no, too much? He let out a concerned bellow the Bewear's way, but it was drowned out in the roar of the crowd. The two powerhouses might have been gentle souls, but what the crowd really came for was seeing them wage war.[break][break]

And both Toto and Ruby were ready to escalate that war with some one-of-a-kind artifacts.[break][break]

Zephyrus' eyes shot open as he saw draconic energies shimmer around the Tinkaton's body. Her body, now crystalized, reflected the light of Johanna's stadium through blue and red facets. Isaac had seen terastalization thanks to Ceri Glynn, but without the big, goofy hats he wasn't entirely sure which type was which. Zephyrus, on the other hand, was all too sure.[break][break]

In a blur of Extremespeed, he hurtled into the raging Tinkaton's path. Despite his typing, his signature moves were electric and water type. He didn't actually have a Dragon type move to his name. Were he to go one on one with his pissed-off admirer, he'd probably be thrashed in no time. Toto, on the other hand, had the rush of Mega Evolution and plenty of tricks up his sleeves.[break][break]

It was an easy decision for Zephyrus to make. He threw up his arms, trying his hardest to block the Dragon Hammer crashing down at full speed.[break][break]

Draconic energy erupted around the stadium from the force of the collision. Zephyrus, once airborne, was now practically embedded into the stadium. His knees were weak and his arms were heavy as he tried, but failed, to stave off the force of Ruby's blow. Toto startled some, a bit of mist wafting from his cannons, but Zephyrus waved him off. With one last bellow, he encouraged his teammate to bring this one home for Team Isaac. And then he fell, Isaac returning him to his Pokeball.[break][break]

Toto didn't hesitate. He punched one fist into the other, another burst of light erupting from his shell. As he entered grade two of his Shell Smash, there was only a thin, radiant auxiliary layer of shell left. He wasn't completely defenseless, but any pain coming his way would hurt far more than before. Even with his Rain Dish continuing to patch him up, he'd have to play this carefully. Luckily, what he lost in toughness he gained in raw speed. Paired with the Thunder Wave's paralysis, he could run circles around Ruby if needed.[break][break]

He took advantage of this speed difference to build up as much distance as possible, gesturing for Ruby to come and bring it.[break][break]

TEAL DEER;[break]
Zephyrus uses Extremespeed, intercepting Ruby's attack . . .[break]
. . . but causing himself to faint in the process.[break]
Toto uses Shell Smash once more, then tactically retreats.

[break][break]

[break]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗

[attr="class","skullbody"]A shaky footstep. Toto whirled back a bit, as if feigning another retreat, before whirling out of his shell and hunkering into a firing stance.[break][break]

Draconic energy, swirling around her hammer. A matching swirl of energy, the counterclockwise to her clockwise, swirled around the barrel of his cannon.[break][break]

A dash, punctuated by the ripple of electricity through her body. Infinite Energy poured through the cracks of Toto's shell, fueling into his technique as it built up to a size that rivaled his Aura Sphere.[break][break]

A hammer raised high. Toto's barrel shimmered in the light of the stadium, looking longer and stronger than ever as his shell crumbled around it.[break][break]

A defiant war cry. Toto answered with a roar of his own.[break][break]

And then, lifting his auxiliary cannons to pump the blast up with his Mega Launcher, Toto launched a brilliant Dragon Pulse right towards Ruby.[break][break]

A brilliant swirl of red, white, and blue smoke covered the battlefield, marking where two sources of draconic energy were bound to collide. The park's lighting, and the crystaline glow of Ruby's Terastalization, made it look like an entire stadium's worth of pyrotechnics had gone off. Isaac could faintly see Toto's silhouette rock backwards, his attack powerful enough to knock him flat on his ass. He wanted to watch with bated breath, hoping this last blow was strong enough to end it.[break][break]

Yet the show must go on.[break][break]

"It's a clash of the titans here, folks. When the smoke clears, we'll see who's the last mon standing," Isaac said. "Give 'em your cheers! Give 'em your support! They're going down swinging, so see 'em off like champions!"

[break][break]

[break]