Colton adjusted his glasses with his free hand, taking another cursory look around the area as he floated along, his free hand latched onto the ring atop his Bronzong's head while his legs dangled free. While it wasn't exactly fast, but it was reliable in the strange way gravity worked in this world. At the very least, Bourdon didn't seem too bothered by having to pull him along or even by the space around it. Bronzong were supposedly from another world or universe, so maybe this was right up its alley.

"Not too much farther now, bud. Supposedly, the seal stone is close by," he said, back to scanning around. Bourdon let out a rumbling gong of confirmation, continuing to float along entirely nonplussed. At least, he didn't look bothered, but it was hard to tell when it didn't really have a face to begin with.

It had been seemed a little too easy. No Rockets, no Ultra Beasts attempting to jump him, no eldritch brain shivers to send him spiraling down into madness. Everything was going smoothly. And that meant that something was going to happen.

Something dressed in a strange red and black two tone outfit with playing card suits emblazoned across it.

Colton's gaze locked onto the woman hopping between cover, a Gengar bouncing along happily next to her. His eyes narrowed suspiciously as he silently directed Bourdon to float a little lower. What was it with people he met and them wearing such strange outfits? "Keep it steady, Bourdon. We'll have to be smart about this..." he said quietly. He was certain she would spot him floating in only a moment or two, so he tried to draw himself up and appear just as large as he was able to.

"Is it safe to assume that we're both here for the same reason?"

ana fell

OOC: Battle
50 MP (Participation), 10 MP (IC Post)

Colton tried to keep his expression stoic, but his nerves were very quickly getting to him as the woman straightened up, inadvertently floating upwards slightly. His uncertainty was clearly bleeding through onto his face, as sweat beaded on his brow an dhis knuckles turned white as he gripped even harder onto Bourdon's body. She was quick to give her ultimatum, warning Colton to back off to avoid getting hurt. That, combined with the lackadaisical attitude she had towards him, made it readily apparent that she considered him little more than a nuisance.

And that made something in Colton just snap.

"D-Don't underestimate me!" he shouted, his uncertainty now mixed with anger and resolve. He wasn't just going to back down, not when the Seal Stone was so close and he had a chance to show he was more than just the guy in the lab. "Bourdon! Block!" The Bronzong let out a powerful gong, its arms lifting upwards as a barrier formed around the four of them.

"If you want to get to the Stone, then you're going to have to get through me!"

ana fell

OOC: Battle
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 70 MP

Colton readied himself as the woman seemingly prepared herself to battle him. His body tensed, his pulse pounding as he watched purple mist surround her and her Gengar. An attack, it had to be. Colton opened his mouth, about to give a command to counter when the pair in front of him suddenly disappeared. A sneak attack? He jerked his head around, scanning for their presence when a phantom wind blew against his back.

Colton turned around to see the women and her Gengar behind them now, his jaw slack as she so casually flashed a peace sign and...simply walked away from him! His cheeks flushed, both from anger and embarrassment at being so casually blown off. "Y-you can't just ignore me! Bourdon!" he shouted, pointing towards her Gengar as his Bronzong quickly turned around to face the pair.

Another gong resonated from Bourdon, its eyes glowing with psychic power as its EXTRASENSORY attack formed around the Gengar.

ana fell

OOC: Battle
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 80 MP

A grin crossed his face as his attack landed successfully, offering his Bronzong an approving pat on the top of its body. "Nice one!" he cheered, though it was quickly undercut by her sudden shift from jovial and carefree to very threatening. Colton tried to match her gaze, but was unable to keep himself from trembling. Had his brashness finally cost him more than he was willing to pay...?

He cringed backwards and closed his eyes, bracing himself for a harsh retaliation as she suddenly spun around. He felt his heart thumping in his chest as the anticipation of the counter attack built up and up and up...but nothing came. He opened one eye and looked towards the Gengar, still holding its head. It seemed like Bourdon's attack had stunned the Pokémon for a moment, leaving a quickly closing gap for him to capitalize.

"Uh...Extrasenory...? Again...?" he said, the same psychic glow taking over Bourdon's eyes as the attack solidified around the Gengar once more.

ana fell
OOC: Battle
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 90 MP

Colton felt a smile crawl across his face as his opponent grew more and more frustrated as her Pokémon continued to reel from Bourdon's attacks. Maybe, if he kept up the pressure, he could actually win and get the Seal Stone! But he couldn't let the good fortune he was having so far distract him. The woman's Gengar managed to recover, disappearing a moment later as his opponent's mood shifted just as quickly.

"Keep your eyes peeled, Bourdon..."he said, looking around for any attack that may come.

Suddenly, he felt his arm jerk painfully as his Bronzong was knocked upwards, Colton spinning through the air. His left arm throbbed with pain and every movement hurt, though he could hardly move it on his own. His shoulder had been dislocated, he was sure of it, but he couldn't let it distract him. He grit his teeth, watching as Bourdon righted itself much higher up in the air, its eyes glowing as a loud tone resonated from its bell-like body and a PSYWAVE shot down towards the Gengar.

ana fell
OOC: Battle
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 100 MP

Colton’s eyes went wide as the crackle of thunder filled the endless space that made up the sky. Too slow…Bourdon would be too slow to dodge it and, with it being so high up in the air, the Bronzong could be better described as a floating lightning rod. In an instant, the sky was filled with a bright flash of light, coupled with an deafening boom, forcing Colton to cover his face to simply keep from going blind.

Once the light faded, he opened his eyes, blinking away the floaters as he looked up to see Bourdon hovering there, though it was clear that wouldn’t be the case for long. It let out a weak gong as Colton called the Bronzong back, wincing as he placed the Pokéball back on his belt and pulled out Arti’s next. The Rotom appeared in a flash of red, his gaze already locked onto the Gengar, his grin wide and mischievous as ever.

”Stop it in its tracks,” Colton ordered, Arti buzzing in confirmation. It zipped forward, zig-zagging its way up to the Gengar, giggling all the while. Electricity built up around its body before a bolt of static shot towards the Gengar in the form of a THUNDER WAVE. If he could slow it down and possibly paralyzed the Gengar, Colton figured the damage from the Extrasensories might be enough for Arti’s to capitalize on to finish it off.

He just needed this attack to land.

ana fell
OOC: Battle
10 MP (IC Post), 50 MP (Pokémon Knockout)
Total: 160 MP

Both Colton and Arti grinned as the Thunder Wave landed successfully, leaving the Gengar as a helpless furry puffball floating around in the empty air. Shadowy energy began to collect around the Rotom as it readied its next attack, a HEX that would certainly knock the Gengar out, or at the very least severely damage it. His mouth opened, about to give the command, when the woman he’d been battling cut him off with an excited shout that his Pokémon was, in fact, a Rotom.

The Hex faded away, trainer and Pokémon exchanging looks of confusion before looking back at their opponents. A twinge of annoyance flared in Colton’s chest a moment later, as it became very clear that what he had taken for a very pitched battle was not a sentiment she shared. She took him no more seriously now than she had when they’d first encountered each other. His desire to continue the fight, to capitalize on her flippant attitude towards him and attack burned in his heart, but he knew he couldn’t. Not with her clinging to her paralyzed Gengar and putting herself in direct danger.

Colton sighed in resignation, the adrenaline beginning to fade. Consequently, the pain in his shoulder began to burn hotter than ever. He’d never felt anything like it in his life. It took all of the mental fortitude he could muster to keep from simply giving into it, but he couldn’t prevent tears from forming on the corners of his eyes and a groan of pain from escaping his mouth.

”Sure. It took a while and quite a bit of cash, but I managed to get a hold of all the old appliances Rotom like to possess. The washing machine is this one’s favorite,” Colton answered. He wasn’t sure why he gave so many details. Maybe it was just because the battle had been put on hold and he needed something to distract himself from his aching shoulder. Whatever the reason, he felt the annoyance seep away, replaced with some odd sense of relief.

ana fell
OOC: Battle
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 170 MP