Cassandra thought this tournament might be a good way to get some more fighting experience for her trubbish Jon. It's a battle format she's never done, - not that she's done many battles in general - so their chances might be ... okay-ish? Neither of them were really battle-experienced, but might make up for it with sheer determination.

They've looked for shelter at the sudden drizzle, because of course she's forgotten her umbrella at home. But gladly, it stopped soon enough so she could actually go out and start looking for battle partners - and promptly found one. The other seems to be around her age, but Cass hasn't seen her before - which isn't surprising, since her school's not exactly the largest around.

"Hi!" she returns the greeting, glad to see someone around her age participating in the tournament. "Fortunately, I only got this guy with me here," she replies, but then touches her hair very carefully - gladly, it doesn't seem to cause any trouble ... for now. "I'm Cassandra, but you can call me Cass or Cassie if you want- and that here is Jon."

She looks at the Lycanroc, then at her Trubbish. Determination settles in the little guy's eyes, and well, there's not much else to do except ... "Are you here to fight, too?"

Lasciel Elis

“Well, you’re in luck since we are meant to use only one anyway, highlander style.” That reference probably outed her as an old soul in a young body immediately. Or, well, it would have had. She wasn’t quite old enough mentally to actually have contemporary ties to that. Plus, people didn’t believe her even if she flat-out told them, anyway.



Anyway. Combat. That girl looked like she wasn’t very experienced. But Lash was not going to go deliberately easy on the other just because of that. “And yep, Cassie. We’re here to fight. So are you, so we can just go whenever. No hard feelings one way or another, right?”



Lash would give the other time and room to respond to that, of course. Once that was done though, she would initiate this properly. “Well then, since we’re all ready here – Lyca, start us off with a nice and smooth Stealth Rock!” The blue rock dog would soon spring into action, howling to cause jagged rocks to all but grow out of the ground around and between the Pokemon, making it difficult to move without being injured. Well, for others at least. Lyca was used to this, so that was not going to be too much of a problem.


Cassandra Kubrick
HP: 3/3
Using Stealth Rock

JgieIRtW

Cass seems to be taken slightly aback by the ... possible reference? But she doesn't have a frame of reference herself, so she couldn't really tell if she just hasn't watched a trendy show or was too young to get it. "Yeah, let's see how this goes," she replies after a moment of contemplating the possible-not-reference.

"No worries about hard feelings," she agrees, and seems actually quite excited to fight for a moment, breaking through a slight worry how that many fights are going to affect her pokémon, but ... they'll figure it out. "Break a leg- or don't," she wishes the other luck as if she would to an actor that she's finished styling in the wardrobe, but does this phrase also applies to-

Anyway, she thought way too hard about that and things in general right now, so she takes a deep breath, readying herself for the battle. Jon also just got into position, as the battle started proper - and immediately, the inexperienced duo needed a second longer to process the rocks suddenly emerging from the ground. "That looks painful- don't run into that," she shouts to Jon, "Quick, use Sludge Bomb!"

Jon immediately heeds her words, its little body seemingly to grow momentarily, before shrinking as he spat out a sludge bomb towards Lyca, careful not to move an inch from the spot he's on.

Lasciel Elis
HP 3/3
uses Sludge Bomb
kMwpYZSb

“This your first time?” Lash’s question came quite unabashed, but she figured that she might as well ask. Chances were, she wouldn’t see that girl again after this, anyway. But the raven-red-haired one could see just how tense this girl got when the fight started, which was something all too common with those that did not have a ton of experience. “You should relax a bit. Don’t be too rigid.” She would have said something about how a Pokemon could feel that too and become rigid as well.



But, uh, she was not quite sure if that one could even become rigid. For what it was worth though, the poison type flung some garbage or something at Lyca, but the canine managed to dodge that for the time being. “Anyway, Lyca, go and throw a Rock Slide. See if you can herd it into the Stealth Rock while you’re at it,” she ordered herself, trying to press on what she considered an advantage, at least for the time being.


Cassandra Kubrick
HP: 3/3

Using Rock Slide

WgtMnLB1

Cassandra flinches slightly at the unabashed question, but there's no denying it. Her expression becomes something between embarrassed and defiant, which might as well be her current usual state of being. "Yeah, we haven't gotten to fight often. Homework, and all," she explains, sighing - which makes her wonder once more what school the other might attend to. "But, ah, thanks for the tips!" she says, relieved to see that they weren't made fun of.

Nonetheless, Jon got hit and sent towards the Stealth Rock with a Rock Slide, tearing part of its bag open, but gladly not enough to actually spill anything. His smell of garbage does intensify a bit, as he coughs in the dust. Cass bites her lower lip, before shaking herself, "Jon, use Clear Smog!" The dust from the Rock Slide surely might count as Smog ... right? "And let's try to Sludge Bomb some of the Stealth Rock away!" Even if she wasn't sure if they'd have the time to do it, but she does know that he'd work better with things to do while being idle. ... if there'd be time to be idle.

Lasciel Elis
HP: 2/3
Jon uses Clear Smog (& Sludge Bomb to clear some Stealth Rock possibly)
xFBXig4K

“Well, I guess this is a good kind of event, then. Lots of quick battles and such. It will keep you on your toes though and if you let up, you probably lose,” Lash pontificated further, already settling into the role of what kids these days called a senpai. She certainly was in many ways, of course. But the other probably would not know about some of them at least.



Hence, she could tell that trying to clear away the dust and rock was an attempt to stabilize the match. Usually a decent course of action. At the same time though…the thingamajinga the organizers had given her indicated that the other’s situation was already very precarious.

Lash briefly debated going easy on this obvious newbie. But that would have been condescending. “Like, when you are behind like this, you don’t have the leisure to work on optimal conditions. Especially not when doing that gives your opponent ample time to set up. I am not going to insult you by not doing what I can to win,” she further added.



Then, she activated her Wristband and struck the Rock-Z pose. In response, energy flowed through Lycanroc which howled even more loudly. Only this time, it did not just set up stealth rock. No, Lash had just ordered her to try and end it with the Splintering Stoneshards that were now summoned up all around, only to then be hurled as projectiles at the poison type.



That would either win her the match, or it would be a great obstacle for this girl to overcome successfully. Either would probably be good in some way.


Cassandra Kubrick
HP: 3/3
Z-Move Gimmick activated in Splintering Stoneshards, +50 pts to the roll

KrMhakCW

Cass takes in the words from the other student, who definitely seems way more battle-experienced. After two heavy blows, Jon definitely looks worse for wear, which also manifests in a pungent smell that even Cass, with her garbage-insensitive nose, notices. "Yeah, we hope to just get some experience today, honestly," she replies, looking at her almost defeated trubbish that, however, still hasn't given up. And so should she, as she listens to another piece of advice given.

"No holding back, no hard feelings," Cass returns with a nod, her hands clenched tightly to fists as Jon's trying to get some debris from the battlefield, as the other sets up what she could recognise as Z-mov. "Wouldn't want it any other way."

There's no way to escape, or not quick enough- "Jon, focus on Lyca! Use Pain Split!" She's not sure how the attack works out in their current setting, but if it worked, at least Jon would have a bit of buffer to endure, maybe-

Lasciel Elis
HP: 1/3
Jon uses Pain Split!
nDEeatJ5

Good. At least they were on the same page in that regard. Assuming the other was as young as she looked – yeah, Lash would be one to talk in that regard if she got that wrong – she had a decent enough spirit for battling. Reminded Lash of herself when she was that age.
Well, when she was that age the first time. Ugh, this was utterly annoying.

Still though, it was a positive spin – even though that pain split sadly did not work out too well. It ultimately needed the Pokemon to still be in fighting shape after the hit, after all. Which it evidently was not, after being hit by the Z-Move.

At least the thingy said so. Though Lash could tell that this was kind of one-sided, sadly. Probably due to the others being rather new to all this. “Phew. Well, Pain Split isn’t a bad idea, but I don’t think it works too well with these vital points. Once you are hit decently good three times, it’s over. Hence, you have to play it aggressively I think. Though luck’s also part of the equation, apparently. Some weird stuff is happening here sometimes.”


Cassandra Kubrick
HP: 3/3
Win

Cassandra flinches as the Z-Move hits, and while it could have been worse, it definitely was over for them in this fight. She calls Jon back for now, who would need a little bit of rest anyways - and it'd be better not to have him out in this state too long, anyway. The smell, as she learns today, could really get pungant.

"There's really no time to idle around in these fights, huh?" she replies to the other with a wry smile, but then nods with a grateful, but still a bit sheepish smile - there's no hint of diminished fighting spirit, however. "Thanks for the good advice and the good fight! Hope your battles will be victorious in the future as well."

Lasciel Elis
HP: 0/3
Loss