A voice cut through the empty air, calling Colton out and challenging him, because of course something had to happen. At this point, he didn't even feel nervous, at least, not to an overwhelming degree. If anything, he was just frustrated. Frustrated that the world just seemed extremely keen on kicking him while he was down. He knocked his forehead against one of Lodestone's magnets as it rotated the pair of them to face the source.

Colton stared at the man who had called him out for a moment, almost confused at the sight. He seemed to be even worse off than Colton was, clothes torn, blood dripping all around him, and fatigue clear on his face and body, looking as if he was about to fall over at the slightest breeze. "Is this really necessary? It looks like you've been beat up even worse than I have in here," he said, electing to let go of his Magneton to avoid losing the use of his other arm to a wayward attack, moving down to stand on a nearby floating platform.

His eyes narrowed as the other man's hand suddenly moved towards his Pokéballs. "Warning shot," Colton ordered, his Magneton making a mechanical cry of confirmation. At each one of its heads, an individual element formed before coming together, a TRI ATTACK forming and shooting just over the other man's shoulder, just close enough to feel the heat, cold, and static of the beam on his body.

"The next one doesn't miss. Just walk away," he warned, though inwardly, Colton wasn't sure he could make that decision. If an attack like that hit center mass, he could very well kill the guy, but he couldn't let that doubt show on his face. Any sign of hesitation and he would certainly call Colton on his bluff, which would only drag out a fight neither of them seemed really fit to partake in.

Kouji Matsubara
OOC: Clash 1/3
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 80

Colton grimaced as the man, without hesitation, called his Absol out of its ball, though it looked is just as bad a shape as its trainer. Whatever this guy had been through, it had clearly been a lot, but his behavior seemed...odd. Almost as if he had little care for the state of his own being, the state of his Pokémon, and the state of just where he was in the first place. It was like the world didn't exist, save for Colton and Lodestone being right in front of him.

The Absol roared, its fangs bared and its expression filled with all sorts of foul emotions, which seemed to have transferred into the horn on its head as it charged directly towards Lodestone. Colton grit his teeth as he weighed his options for a response. This entire night had been a trial by fire, honing his skills against the harshest whetstone imaginable, but uncertainty on the right move still remained. Did he just commit to the potential knockout or try and hinder the Absol to secure it instead? He gritted his teeth together as the time to decide grew short, finally settling on a decision that he felt his opponent would appreciate.

All or nothing.

"Flash Cannon!" he shouted. Lodestone warbled out its mechanical cry again as the Magneton split up its parts, each individual Magnemite directed its magnets to the center of the group, energy collecting until a large ball of solid light shot forward, aiming to slam itself into the approaching Absol.

Kouji Matsubara
OOC: Clash 1/3
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 90

"Dammit..." Colton muttered under his breath. The Absol was still standing, but it was clearly hurting from the attack. One, maybe two more attacks could finally bring it down, but this time he couldn't leave it up to chance. He need to slow this Absol down and let Lodestone hammer it with everything it had. Maybe that would be enough to get this guy to back off, though a small voice in the back of his head told him the only get away would be to defeat every Pokémon he had.

He had to hope against hope for that to be the case, though. A drawn out slug fest was the last thing he wanted to deal with at the moment.

Colton narrowed his eyes, but didn't offer a response to the guy's comment. It was just another remark about how he was weak or unintimidating or a pushover and responding angrily to such comments had already gotten him burned once that night. He need to keep his cool and stay focused, particularly on the Absol that was now charging back towards his Magneton, its eyes glowing as red as the blood that stained its white fur.

"Stop it in its tracks." Electricity sparked across Lodestone's body, readying its THUNDER WAVE for the exact right moment when Absol was too close to dodge out of the way. Little did he know the surprise that lay in store.

Kouji Matsubara
OOC: Clash 1/3
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 100

Colton's eyes went wide as the Absol gracefully leapt over Lodestone at the literal last second, completely dodging the Thunder Wave. It was like it had seen it happen before it ever did, using that window to give itself the optimal position to swing a Night Slash right into his Magneton's back.

His Pokemon cried out in pain, the connected Magnemite breaking apart and rolling across the ground in a daze. Slowly, their magnetic pull eventually made them attach back to themselves with metallic clanks before the conjoined Pokemon floated back up off the ground. Even if it weren't as practiced for battle, Lodestone was a tough one, its three eyes glaring at the Absol as static began to build up around it again. Colton recognized the site, taking a leap to float upwards to a platform higher off the ground.

With another cry that almost sounded like laughter, the electricity building up across the Magneton's body DISCHARGED, fill the area around it with a pulse of electricity. There was a clear look in Lodestone's eyes as it stared the bloodied Absol down.

"Dodge this."

Kouji Matsubara
OOC: Clash 1/3
10 MP (IC Post)
Total: 110

This damn Absol was a tenacious one, pushing right through Lodestone's electric field with all its might. And, as tough as his Magneton was, it had already been drained pretty significantly by an encounter with a Nihilego earlier. The pair clashed together, a bright flash filling the space as the Absol's darkened horn connected with Lodestone's body.

Once again, the three Magnemite burst apart, landing on the ground and, once again, their magnetic pull made them reassemble into a single being. However, this time, Lodestone did not rise from the ground. It had been knocked out cold, its three eyes rolling around listlessly. "Dammit..." Colton muttered, pulling out Lodestone's Pokéball and recalling him. At least, his efforts hadn't been in vain. The Absol was incredibly weak and he was certain there wasn't much gas left in the Pokémon's tank.

Colton pulled his next Pokeball from his belt, releasing his Mawile out onto the field. Once out, Twoey stood with her back turned to the Absol, glaring at it from over her shoulder and making sure to give it full view of the massive jaws growing from the back of her head, all the while chewing on a small stalk of bamboo.

"Play Rough!" Colton shouted from his raised platform, to which Twoey quickly responded. She crouched low before launching herself at the Absol backwards, her massive jaws snapping with excitement.

Kouji Matsubara
OOC: Clash 1/3
10 MP (IC Post), 50 MP (Pokemon Knockout)
Total: 170

Twoey let out a grumble of annoyance as the Absol leapt high over her head, though her mood quickly shifted as it collapsed to the ground moments later. She looked back to its trainer, sticking her tongue out teasingly as he released his Scraggy. Mawile, unperturbed by this new opponent, rather cockily made a “come at me” gesture with one hand. Despite the brashness of the baby ever coming off as overconfidence, she was doing it to make sure the Scraggy wouldn’t be pulling any crafty tricks to dodge her attacks.

Twoey swung her giant jaws around as the kick connected with her side, teeth snapping together as they went to enclose themselves around the Scraggy. She winced in pain from the blow but her cocky grin stayed resolute as she jumped upwards with the other Pokémon trapped in her horn’s grasp. Thanks to the altered gravity, her sailed higher than normally possible, rotating to land against the bottom of a floating platform before pushing off and launching herself back towards the ground.

As the Mawile fell, she began to spin in the air, using the weight of her horn and the Scraggy in its grasp to increase the speed of her rotation before hurling the Scraggy back towards the earth in a SEISMIC TOSS, landing gently moments later.

Kouji Matsubara
OOC: Clash 1/3
10 MP (IC Post), 10 MP (Knocked out opponent’s Pokémon)
Total: 190