The first thing that hits you as you load into the simulation is the heat.

To put it politely, it's unbearable. To be blunt, it's fucking miserable. You're surrounded on all sides by lava, and even distance is not a sufficient reprieve from the radiating warmth. It feels like your entire body is buried in hot sand, baking as you're slowly cooked alive from the outside in. Only a few seconds in, and you can feel yourself begin to sweat. You can't stick around here for long. You'll have to make this a quick fight. Scolipede's Aqua Tail helps, but water evaporates and ice melts. There's no permanent solutions to being in the middle of a volcano except getting out, and you can't just up and leave.

Not until you've won. Fortunately, that won't be hard. Your opponent doesn't even try to hide, instead making quite the entrance as it emerges from the lava. Moltres, is it? The so-called legendary bird of fire? Emerging from the lava is a neat trick, but that's all: A trick. In the end, it's no different than a Talonflame, or a Magcargo, or any number of Fire types that came before and after it. The mythology is just myth. In the end, it's just a bird, and Shred Zeppelin and the Postmodern Shredettes are going to clip its wings.

"Dumb son of a bitch wants to die that bad, huh? Alright, then."

Alright, no more dicking around. It's time to earn a swift and decisive win. You're going to keep it simple. Slither Wing is already out of its Pokeball, ready to fight, so why bother switching? It's already broken your nose with a single punch, and its going to do far, far, FAR worse to Moltres' beak with a dozen of them.

"Make it quick and swat the bird, bud. We don't want to stick around long."

The insect doesn't hesitate. As soon as it locks its eyes onto the swooping phoenix, its already rushing forward with insane speed. It's akin to an arthropod missile, launched directly at the enemy with frightful force and unwavering momentum. As always, Slither Wing is eager to make a good First Impression, and it'll do that by punching a hole in this overhyped chicken before it can react.

Except, it doesn't quite go that way. In fact, Moltres seems to react quite handily to the assault, dodging the charge by fluttering straight up and over it, and retaliating with a barrage of Air Slashes from point blank range. The result is rather grisly, and ugly to look at, and generally best left undescribed. You feel your heart skip a beat for a moment as your paradox Pokemon tumbles to the ground, its carapace torn to shreds and the flesh underneath cut to pieces. However, after a moment, the insect manages to struggle back to his feet. His fighting spirit is unwounded, but everything else? Very much wounded. Extremely badly so. Worse still, it still has Moltres' attention.

"...Cheeky fucker."

You grit your teeth. Damned fucking bird thinks he's slick just because he can dodge, doesn't it? Too good to fight like a man? Fucking coward. Just wants to duck and weave, huh? Wants to dodge and counter-attack, like a little bitch? That just means it's admitting it can't take a hit. Between the three of you, you just need to land a few good shots, and this thing's as good as dead. You're going to make this legend look like the fraud it is.

Whatever it takes.

---

TL;DR - Shred sends out Slither Wing to First Impression Moltres, Moltres dodges it and Air Slashes Slither Wing, it goes about as well as you'd expect, Shred malds about it.

Xenon Antheil Sylvia Cousteau BARNABY FINCH Elisabeth Fiorelli Tempest Quinn

Sylvia got to work quickly, taking a look down at her watch to see their target given by the administrator. TO her surprise, it was one of those super cool mythical birds. Moltres, which meant it was a fire type! This information was pretty alarming considering that her Scizor and Mawile would be at a disadvantage entirely from this little simulation. Yet despite this, she'd get the biggest grin on her face, turning to her teammates with an apologetic expression. "Wow, I'm is gunna be a lead weight. But that'll just make things fun while XenXen does all the work for us!" Right before Shredder could utter out another little retort at Xenon, they'd find themselves in the heart of a volcano. Her pores began to sweat as Sylvia wiped the sweat from her forehead. Wew, it was pretty hot in here! So hot that it almost felt real. The other people currently present must have felt it as well, as the Avatar of Hatred would burst forth from the magma and hover before them. Sylvia tossed all three of her Pokeballs out, summoning her team to her side. A Scizor, a Mawile and an Grapploct, each letting out their own cries. But Sylvia's eyes remained glued to the Moltres and a grin came to her face.

"Do you think I can ride on it?" she asked the other two, oblivious to their ongoing spat with one another. Regardless, their tiny and terrible self appointed leader would lead the charge in with Shredder following suit. She looked at her pokemon, each looking as uncertain as the next. Gentri himself looked to be the most affected, though she'd shake it off for her owner. "Let the suffering commence!~" Sylvia said cheerfully while pointing at their fiery bird enemy. "Gentri, pepper it with some Bullet Punches! And then go for its legs, Onna!" The Scizor went into action, aiming its claws at the Moltres and flying forward, cutting, slicing and every other verb in the dictionary! It likely had very little affect considering the type disadvantage, but Sylvia knew it was what made good Pokemon gooder! The Onna followed suit, leaping up as it turned its head to reveal the stronger mouth on the back of its own. opening wide, it attempted to

"As for you, Octavio~" Sylvia said, grinning still. "Start pumpin' up! We're gunna need you fit and limber~"

Xenon's Pokémon thankfully helped keep the trainers as cool as it could, using Hydro Tail to create a cooling area that lessened the effects of the heat. The Grapploct used this prep time as it would begin to flex its body every way, pumping itself up as its muscles were beginning to grow more visible. Things were heating up, literally! Yet Sylvia would suffer through all of it willingly. In a way, she was hoping that it would be this hard for her. Something to really push her so far past her comfort level, she'd have to kick into high gear.

"I should have brought a swimsuit. This uniform sucks for the heat..."

---

NOTES
• Suddenly in a Volcano, sweating lots
• Displayed her desire to ride the not real Moltres
• Scizor uses Bullet Punch against Moltres.
• Mawile uses Crunch against Moltres.
• Grapploct uses Bulk Up.

Shred | Xenon Antheil

The opportunity to get even presents itself sooner than you'd think.

Scizor and Mawile pester it long enough for Gengar to land a Thunderbolt, and you can't help but smile. It's not quite first blood, but after what that bastard phoenix did to Slither Wing, it feels good to land a blow. Granted, it's not the most decisive blow, but it proves that the simulation isn't rigged against you. No matter how overblown this bird's abilities are, you can win this. It won't be easy, and it'll take all you've got to get there, but victory is within reach.

But right now, you're not going to get there with Slither Wing. No, he's in no state to keep on fighting right now, given how badly maimed he is. So, it's time to move the spotlight to the next member of your team...

"Toxtricity, take him out!"

As you throw your Pokeball, the toxic lizard bursts forth from the flash of red light, and without hesitation, the poison-type is rushing into the fray. With one hop, it briefly perches upon the back of Scolipede as though landing upon a springboard, before leaping up towards Moltres with a claw at the ready to pierce the legend's heart. Alas, it throws its Poison Jab a split second too late, and the venom-drenched strike only manages to scrape flesh as Moltres twists and shifts to dodge the attack.

But you're getting closer.

---

Xenon Antheil Sylvia Cousteau

Even inside of this water bubble, Sylvia was being boiled alive in this heat. They were making some progress already, with the Moltres being pushed back a little by their combined efforts. The poor bug that got scorched by a stray fire attack had made the girl all the more determined to turn this flying cookout into yesterday's charcoal. No poor bug would suffer a same fate if she had to say anything about it. XenXen used some quick thinking to bring the Moltres down thanks to a nicely timed Thunder Bolt. It made the bird attempted to ward its attackers off as Sylvia looked back at her Pokemon. Both seemed a bit roughed up, but in good health.

"Good thinking, XenXen~" she cheered, pointing at the fallen Moltres. "Alright, you two! Let's cook this bird! Fury Cutter it, Gentri!" The Scizor sped towards the legendary, raising its claws to strike as the head caught sight of its approach. With a fiery cry and a blast of flames, the poor steel and bug type was caught in the worst possible spot imagineable. The gyser of flame erupted from Moltres' beak, causing the partially melted Pokemoke to drop to a flaming husk before them. Sylvia's facade broke for just a moment as her eyes widened. The sight of watching one of her very first Pokemon just die a horrible painful death was chilling. The test didn't matter, a painful, fiery demise didn't matter, only a bleeding heart that was so carefully being shoved in a corner to be forgotten about. Just as quick as it fell down, the mask would slide back up again. It was like she said. The hurt would make her stronger. Gentri would be stronger.

"Heh, guess I shoulda gotten another Pokemon." She shrugged at her team, offering a wink and a playful knock of her head.

Still, she had two Pokemon that were doing fine. Onna was a little put off but what happened to the Scizor, but ready to go. With the Moltres on the ground, she had an opportunity. "Sucker Punch it!" The Mawile stormed up to the bird, aiming a flashing arm and coiling it back before it could strike out against the legendary. Sylvia smiled, rubbing Octavio's shoulders(?) while grinning gleefully. "And you, aim for the head and fire when I say." The Grapploct nodded, standing on its tentacles in a way that was akin to a mounted turret. He carefully aimed for the head of Moltres as Onna swung her arm. The bird had caught it with its wing and raised the limb, ready to smash the Mawile with a fire filled plumage...

"Octazooka, go!"

Octavio spat out a spot of watery ink at Moltres' head. As the wing swung down at Onna, it was interrupted by the sudden impact of the water type projectile against its head. It screeched at the pesky interruption, as the ink seeped into its plumage, staining it with a nasty mark. Onna was pushed back some, but safe from ending up like Gentri. Even Shredder would work his magic with a nick of poison. Her eyes shoot towards the Scoliopede as those green eyes get an idea in them. And when Sylvia had an idea, it was usually a bad decision for everyone involved.

"Doing good so far, guys! We're not dead yet! But we probably will be soon!"

---

NOTES
• SCIZOR goes to attack but is decimated in a Fire type attack. Promptly downed
• Sylvia is affected by the apparent demise of her Scizor, her apathetic, cheereful performance is interrupted for a brief moment before she continued
• MAWILE uses SUCKER PUNCH on MOLTRES
• As Mawile is running, GRAPPLOCT uses OCTAZOOKA at the MOLTRES' head
• Mawile's attack is defended against, but the OCTAZOOKA hits and spreads ink across MOLTRES' head.

Shred | Xenon Antheil

Scizor gets the worst of the Heat Wave, and Scolipede doesn't do much better, but just because it isn't a bug doesn't mean that Toxtricity gets out scot-free. No, it also suffers the overwhelming heat, unable to dodge as it hangs in the air, subjected to the attack. Lucky for him, he doesn't get it quite as bad as his allied Slither Wing, as when he hits the ground, he does it feet-first. Unlucky for him, just because he's able to stand, that doesn't mean he's in good shape.

There's no nice way to put it - He's Burnt. The Poison-type puts on a brave face, but he can't even stand up straight. Its arms hang limply by its sides, purple scales charred black. If you were to guess, he's not going to be able to brawl like he used to. Maybe, maybe he'd be half as good as he was before, but half as good as not good enough isn't going to get you anywhere.

"Tch...! Toxtricity, double back!" You shout an order to your ace, and after letting out a growl that sounds like a "Tch" of his own, he reluctantly obliges. As roughed up as he is, he's not out of this yet. His ability to fight might be roughed up, but as long as the electric current keeps on buzzing through his body, then you can't count him out. As the lizard limps back to your side, you give him a pat on the shoulder as he steps past you. "Take five, mate. You did good."

With a dismissive grunt, Toxtricity pops a squat next to the curled up Scolipede, getting comfortable on the metaphorical bench.

You're down one-and-a-half Pokemon, but that's to be expected. Moltres may be ordinary, but the situation isn't. This simulation was meant to put you to the test, to take a mundane Pokemon and push it to unfathomable levels, to get under your skin and make you crack under the pressure. How unfortunate, then, that you've kept your cool. You've been in situations like this before, gang scraps and bar brawls and the like. Nobody gets their hands dirty without getting their hands dirty, and your hands are plenty dirty. But the numbers game was always in your favour, and now you've got this bird backed into a corner.

"Alright, Skeledirge, time to wrap things up!"

With a flick of your wrist, the last of your allies arrives, the unassuming Skeledirge. Yet, in this instance, you could say you've been saving your best till last. As the crocodile emerges from its Pokeball, it's unbothered by the insane heat, nor is it particularly intimidated by Moltres. You've all but won. All that's left to do is have them fire off a Shadow Ball and punch a hole straight through the chest of the legendary bird...

...Or, is it? Maybe if this was a real fight, that would be the right move. However, as much as you've thought of it as such, it isn't. This is just a glorified teambuilding exercise, an arbitrary entry exam gussied up with simulations and holographs. The thing is, winning isn't what gets you a passing grade. No, that's based on the whimsy of the unseen and unheard examiners, whoever they may be.

There's a 90% chance that a Shadow Ball would hit. But, if it missed, and Moltres survived, and you somehow ended up losing this, they're absolutely going to blame you, the glaring faults of your allied be damned. No, you have to play their stupid little games here. Cool and flashy plays aren't going to impress them. No, they're going to be won over by the Pokemon Battling equivalent of a neatly written research paper, or a clear and concise essay. Well-considered moves that cover all circumstances and leave no room for error.

And that's the fucking lamest shit you've ever heard.

But, hell, the only way you'll get to tell them that to their faces is if they deem you worthy to do so, right? Then, there's nothing to do but to get there.

"Skeledirge, put that bird to sleep!" You call out, and Skeledirge obliges. Or rather, the little orb of flame upon his snout obliges, fluttering past the Gengar and its thunderbolts and above the wrestling Grapploct, hovering in place right next to Moltres' head, and chirping out a soothing tune. After a few seconds, the bird's eyelids begin to twitch, and its wings thrash about a little less enthusiastically than they did before. Maybe it isn't asleep, but it's certainly drowsy, and it definitely isn't all there right now. Whatever narrow chance of failure you might have had, it's now so slim that it's practically impossible. That just leaves one thing left to do: "Hot One, kill that fucking thing, NOW!"

To top it all off, this generous secession of the kill to your ally will assuredly make you seem like a team player. Does forgetting Sylvia Cousteau 's name slightly dampen that image? Sure. Are you only giving it to Sylvia because you don't want to give it to Xenon Antheil ? Yes. Is it even your "kill" to give away? Probably not. Are you taking this Moltres a little too lightly? No, definitely not. Either way, none of that matters. All that matters is how it looks to the prying eyes, and as far as you're concerned, this looks plenty good for you.

---

TL;DR - Shred calls back a burnt Toxtricity, sends forth Skeledirge, uses Sleep to make Moltres drowsy, and """cleverly""" allows someone else to land the killing blow to make himself look better.

Sylvia was super proud of this teamwork going on! Maybe they weren't gonna die after all! Xenxen was taking care of things like the little boss that she was, and Shredder was busy doing…whatever it was that he did! Their attacks had been culminating into a full fledged assault that had turned the legendary into a sand bag, ready for punching. It had been lulled into a drowsy state from the Skeledirge, fighting any urges to take a breather. After Shredder's last attack, he motioned for her to end it, as Sylvia would be more than happy to oblige. But of course, not without her fun!

"Alright, Octavio!" she said, scooping up Onna in her hands and running towards the Grapploct. "Throw us up on that bird!" Even her Pokémon looked stunned by the request, but it would gently use four of its tentacles to seat Sylvia. After words, it's then would rotate its limber body around, going slow at first before gradually speeding up until Sylvia and her Pokémon were a blur of speed. After a second or so more, the woman was thrown directly at the Moltres.

During the flight there, Sylvia whispered something to her Mawile and threw her up into the air as hard as she could before looking at the fast approaching legendary bird. The red head's hands were held out to catch herself on the body of this flaming beast before hitting the soft, hot plumage with a soft thud. The impact roused the bird from its slumber, now flapping its wings and shrieking at the intruder in order to shake it off of its body. Sylvia, meanwhile, would saddle it and throw her legs over the neck of the bird and ride it happily. Joyous laughter erupted from her mouth as the bird was fully awake now. "Woohoo! You guys should try this!" she yelled to them, oblivious about the danger this caused to everyone around her. The Moltres would launch Flamethrowers at wild, smash its body into the walls of the volcano, even flap its wings and raise the temperature, solely to get the human off of it. Sylvia had ducked, dodged, and crawled to the front of Moltres, feeling the intense heat all around her. Fire and smoke filled her nostrils, although she was much to busy to really pay too much attention to where it was. With a single hand, she'd either put the fire on her uniform out or tear it off away from the rest entirely.

Her attention moved to the Scoliopede Xenon had been with. The poor thing was all burnt to a crisp, but Sylvia knew it would get super strong as a result of this torture. But thankfully, there was just a perfect way to get her big and beefy. "Hey Xenxen!" Sylvia said, looking back as the Moltres raised its head to launch another Flame Blast at the pest attached to it. "Think fast!" She scurried up to the head quickly, the searing heat from the plumage causing her to be partially burned as the bird raised its head with her crawl, launching the blast of fire in the direct path of the Scoliopede.

She crawled back onto the main body, with Moltres' head perfectly positioned and waiting for her. But Sylvia grinned as it was charging another attack. It let out a cry, one that Sylvia didn't understand too perfectly. But she could guess! "What am I doing? I'm just distracting you from the actual attack! Look up!" From above, Onna would be careening down towards the two, its back mouth raised out and ready to attack. The Moltres would begin to open its beak to launch an attack…

"Onna, bite down!"

The Mawile's mouth crunched down on Moltres' beak, forcing it down as it's flame attack wasn't able to come out. Sylvia patted the body of the legendary bird, waving at it. "Thanks for the ride, Moltres! Sorry about this." She then leaped off as Onna stayed to prevent the fire from leaving Moltres' beak. The flames on its plumage grew larger, brighter as it was absorbing the fire. More and more as the temperature raised again. The Moltres began to glow a fiery red color as the fire inside of it grew and grew. Octavio reached to catch Sylvia as she'd look to the other two. Gotta time this just right…

"Looks like we can consider this bird…" Sylvia said, twirling around and making a dramatic pose. But nothing happened behind her. She waited, tapping her foot as she cleared her throat. "I said we can consider this bird!" Again, no boom or sound of defeat. She huffed and waited before, eventually, the fires inside of the bird had built up just enough that-

KA-BOOM!

An explosion of fire and flame, with the Moltres careening back towards the ground, utterly defeated. The bird's form slowly landed in the lava, as Onna would fall behind her, damaged from the force of the explosion. Sylvia swung back around for the cameras, her team and the admins. "Looks like we can consider this bird cooked!~"

She also didn't really realize that her little stunt had burnt her uniform to a crisp and was currently semi nude in a sweltering hot volcano. Sylvia wasn't really phased, only offering a cheeky grin to her teammates. "Easy peasy for the Postmodern Shredettes!"

---

NOTES
• Sylvia orders her Grapploct to throw her at MOLTRES
• She also throws her MAWILE into the air during the trip there
• Clutches onto the MOLTRES, rousing it from a lulled state and causes it to go berserk trying to get it off.
• Sylvia rides on the MOLTRES, is the envy of every Silph Cup racer as a way to distract it
• She makes MOLTRES fire an attack at Xenon's SCOLIOPEDE to help it grow stronger!
• MAWILE dives at the MOLTRES and uses CRUNCH to close its beak as it tries to use a flame attack
• Sylvia jumps off and lands back down below while the MOLTRES is unable to contain the stored up fire in its body.
• Sylvia fails to time her dramatic pose and quip, MOLTRES explodes and lands down into the ground, slowly falling into the molten lava.
• MAWILE thrown back to the ground, damaged but in good health.
• Sylvia also had her uniform burned away, is now half nude from her little antics

Shred | Xenon Antheil

At first, you're not sure what the fuck you're looking at. As far as finishing attacks are concerned, this is one of, if not the most unhinged coup de grâce you've ever seen. It is neither elegant nor efficient, not brutal nor painless, but it leaves you stunned nonetheless. Your mouth is agape as you watch Sylvia... Look, what do you want from me? What are you expecting me to do here? You can't describe what you're looking at, and neither can I. This abomination of an attack is a complete bastardisation of everything you've ever known about fighting.

And yet, despite everything, it works. Their enemy is caught within a fiery explosion, and the broken body of the bird falls down, sinking into the lava below. The wings of the so-called "legend" have been clipped. The phoenix is reduced to ash. Moltres is no more, and the Postmodern Shredettes are victorious.

But of course, that was never in question, was it? Because at the end of the day, Legendary Pokemon are nothing more than a hoax. Meanwhile, you, your Pokemon, and your determination to win? They're all very much real.

The slightest of smiles settles upon your lips as you savour victory. It's not a cool pose like Sylvia Cousteau or a raccuous celebration like Xenon Antheil, but more so contentment at a job well done. That felt like a convincing win, didn't it? And you even managed to work together, too, and considering your team-mates run the gamut from "crazy" to "insane", that's an accomplishment. You reckon that's good enough to pass this little test with flying colours, so it's time to take it easy. Reaching into your jacket, you fish out a cigarette--

"Gah!"

Your train of thought interrupted as you're forcibly spun around by Xenon Antheil, sending you around and around and around and around and crashing down to the ground. It doesn't hurt, mind, but like most things that Screamy Bitch does, it's very annoying and very unnecessary. Pulling yourself up to a sitting position, you prepare to give her a piece... of your mind...

...Man, actually, Xenon has a nice ass, huh? You can't really tell at a distance, but now that you've got a new perspective on things, a closer and more clear perspective, you can tell that it is, in fact, a very nice ass. Like, a really nice ass. Perhaps not the greatest ass you've ever seen, but certainly in the top ten. It could even be top five, though you wouldn't know without further investigation. Perhaps you treated her too harshly? Maybe the pedestal of "The Hot Shredette" isn't so small that only one can stand upon it? Maybe there can be two of "The Hot One" in your motley crew? Maybe...

You glance over to the nearly-naked Sylvia, and at that point, the train tracks upon which your thoughts move back and forth is practically subject to a twenty train wreck festival. Much of it is the mental equivelant of a poorly aged cartoon of a Mightyena with their eyes popping out of their skull while making an awooga noise. To keep a long story short, the composition of the Postmodern Shredettes has been altered to "Shred Zeppelin", "The Hot Shredette", and "The Hotter Shredette". So, that's that. You've won the fight, and you're surrounded by hot chicks, and you've likely smashed this test, too. This really was too, too easy. You didn't even lose a single Pokemon!

"Heh... All's well that ends well, huh?"

But, it's not all well, and it's not going to end well, either. Because, as it happens, this little fight of yours? It isn't over. In fact, it's only just beginning.

THE PHOENIX RISES ONCE MORE

Moltres bursts forth from the lava, and you can immediately feel how much stronger its become. The intense heat of the volcano? It's twice as bad as it was before, to the point where even the sweat is evaporating off your blistering skin. The Hot Shredette just barely survives its initial blitz, and that's only because her Gengar sacrifices itself, and it's repaid for its kindness by being drowned in magma. This isn't just bad - This is downright TERRIBLE. As the bird soars through the sky, you immediately scramble to your feet, but you're already too slow.

CRUNCH! Moltres swoops down with blinding speed, more akin of a blur of flame than a living creature. By the time you're aware of what's happening, its already got its talons lodged deep into Skeledirge. Then, as swiftly as it arrives, it flies straight upward, taking the crocodile with it and disappearing into the cloud of volcanic ash above.

"What the fuck...?"

You crane your neck back, trying to make out any sign of where the two Pokemon have gone. Unfortunately, you don't have to look long, as soon, the mangled corpse of Skeledirge falls back down to earth, his broken body landing in the lava, and sinking underneath soon after. Even worse, there's still no sign of Moltres. Not that you're really looking hard. No, your eyes are locked on the body of your Pokemon, watching as its body melts into the lake of fire.

"...WHAT THE FUCK?!"

You don't even have the wherewithal to call Toxtricity to action, but lucky for you, the lizard jumps to your side by his own volition. The Electric Terrain perks him up a bit, but that doesn't change the fact he's still burnt. Though, he's not got it the worst on your team. In fact, right now, he's got it the best of all of them.

You're suddenly starting to miss how things were thirty seconds ago, because holy shit, they're so much worse now.

---

TL;DR - Shred is quietly content with how easily they kicked Moltres' ass (<-clueless), puts his controller down, thinks about how hot/crazy his team-mates are, and is immediately ownzoned when the second phase kicks in. Skeledirge is dropped from a great height and fucking EATS IT. Shred doesn't take it well.

Sylvia Cousteau Xenon Antheil

Wew, being nude in a volcano was such hard work! Sylvia did look super pleased as Xenon would screech to high heavens about defeating Moltres. the smaller girl scurried around like the busy little Spinarak that she probably was. Instead of building webs, she was off flaunting her big brain and doing her best not get her head stuck in the sand about details. Xenon checked Shredder and exclaimed her excitement as SYlvia couldn't help but pump herself up too. She walked over to smile at the sole male of the Shredettes, offering a hand. "Hehe, good job, Shreddy~ You're really good at beating up birds and getting attacked by things smaller than you!" Just as she was done joking, a sudden smack on her behind had caught Sylvia off guard. She turned around to see Xenon celebrating as the adrenaline no doubt was buzzing around inside of her. So she'd just have to get even when they were able to.

Unfortunately, as the ground shook as the temperature increased to sweltering levels again, that might have to wait.

"Oooooh, right. I forgot! It probably could heal itself using fire. Silly little me!" She konked her head again at Shredder, eying her two Pokemon. Onna was a bit damaged but Octavio was the last option. Fortunately, she had just the idea on how to get the upper hand on this bird. Or maybe, upper tentacle! The brains of the trio would be caught unaware, watching as Argon the Gengar would blast her away to safety, taking the brunt of lava as it scorched the Pokémon...Hang on, weren't Ghost types supposed to be noncorporeal? Whatever that word meant? Sylvia felt her grin widen. The desperation, being pressed against the wall and being forced to fight back. It was intoxicating, even Xenon's cries out for her little friend. Sylvia just wanted to shove her nerdy, cute little face in it just so she could drink in what awaited them if they failed. Well, not really since this was a simulation, but still!

"Alright, ladies! This is perfect!" she cheered the two on, punching the air in excitement. "We're low on Pokemon, low on morale, and even losing our favorite furry friends! Drink in all of it! Grow big and strong so we can beat this-AUGGH!"

Moltres wasn't in the mood for monologues, shooting a spray of flames at Sylvia as she was only licked by the side of her body. The burst of speed had cleared most of the danger, but she looked at her right thigh and arm. Third degree burns for sure. She didn't feel anything just yet, and the odd desire to poke the destroyed skin was strong, had it not been for the legendary bird currently eyeballing the Skeledirge. It clashed with the fire type, eventually sinking its claws inside of it and soaring into the cloudy air, disappearing into the mist. Sylvia huffed, glancing around as the corpse of the Skeledirge would fall back into the lava. Things were looking pretty tough, even more so now! But Sylvia looked at Octavio and recalled why she had taught him that move so long ago. The one which embodied her way of thinking, even if it probably wasn't used just for that.

"Onna, Sweet Scent!" The Mawile would begin to shake its head about, unleashing a visible pink mist. It smelled of the sweetest things imaginable, producing a claming effect on everyone nearby. But Sylvia could care less about how they were doing. The Moltres wouldn't be super effected by it, but its rage was slowly beginning to settle down enough to where it wasn't going berserk. She'd then point at the Moltres swooping down towards them as Sylvia whistled for her trusty octopus. "And you, Octavio! Octolock it!" The fighting type slithered around the ground, raising its tentacles up to be ready to catch the incoming legendary, and when it did, the strength disparity between the two wasn't so massive. All that flexing before really worked it up! Octavio was pushed closer and closer towards the lava pit as Moltres pushed harder and harder against it. But just as things seem grim, and one of its tentacles would dip inside, causing searing pain to course through itself, the Grapploct would pushed back.

The Moltres, caught unaware of this, would be pressed against the ground. The electric terrain had zapped the bird something fierce, along with this morsel in front of it refusing to be perished. As it tried to take off into the air, Octavio would wrap around its wings and neck, coiling around them. It cried out, trying to rock back and forth to free itself from the hold as Sylvia turned to her allies.

"Hit it with everything you've got! Don't worry about Octavio, I've got a plan!"

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NOTES
• Sylvia helps Shredder up, gets ass smacked by Xenon
• MOLTRES comes back for Round 2
• Finds the upmost delight in ARGON perishing, ecstatic to see them suffering behind
• She has MAWILE use SWEET SCENT to calm everyone on the battlefield, although is trying to get MOLTRES is the right position for attack
• OCTAVIO uses OCTOLOCK and coils around MOLTRES, forcing it to the ground as it's got the bird into a submission hold.
• Asks Xenon and Shredder to throw everything they have at the two, banking on OCTAVIO getting damaged heavily

Shred | Xenon Antheil