"I can't believe they still had Snom Cones left over! We're so lucky, Serizawa!" Howard said cheerfully as he walked through the park with his Larvitar. Howard wasn't going to buy the little monster a snow cone after his bratty rampage, but the Larvitar had done well.

Larvitars could have a little snow cone as a treat.

Admittedly, it was pretty cold. Howard was used to it at this point, given he had a shard of Eternatus shamelessly stuffed in a freezer back home.

"Eh?" A brief flash of panic appeared in his eye for a moment, before vanishing. The archaeologist relaxed. He had fought this woman, once, but their battle ended on graceful terms. He was safe in that knowledge. "A battle...?"

He shuffled on his feet, awkward.

"Okay, but on one condition:" Howard pointed at Gordo with a worried expression. "You have to tell me that the Sandshrew right there is not in fact a giant Pikachu in disguise. I don't like those very much."

---

Genevieve Cromwell
3/3 (no mechanic)

"DON'T DO IT DON'T-" Howard flinched back, as if Genevieve had pulled out a gun instead of an article of clothing. He immediately relaxed when she stuffed it back into her bag. "Oh, thank Arceus. I thought that the bench was a Power Spot or something."

He inspected the bench, as if expecting to find Tera Crystals under it. After a moment, he nodded, satisfied.

"Alright, Serizawa. Ready to rumble?" With a grumble and a nod, the Larvitar stuffed the Snom Cone into his mouth, before preparing to fight. "Good luck!"

As a sandstorm raged, Howard allowed himself to grin. Serizawa would be able to call these forth when he fully evolved. The Larvitar wasn't benefitting from Sand Rush, but this was Serizawa's element. "Thrash 'em!"

Serizawa lunged forward with the anticipation of stopping the Rollout. Immediately, Howard frowned. That probably wasn't the best move when facing down a rolling boulder. You typically wanted to run in the other direction, or get out of the way.

---

Genevieve Cromwell
3/3 (No mechanic)
KTNv_78a

"Slapshot? What the heck is a sla-" Howard watched Gordo do a spin, and the archaeologist blinked. "Nevermind. Serizawa, counter it!"

Watching his Larvitar made Howard realize that Serizawa was likely not going to listen to Howard. The Larvitar had gone rogue, as if preparing to rampage.

And rampage it would.

"Serizawa, c'mon!"

Growling from Gordo's prior strike, Serizawa let out a growl and stomped his feet in a massive tantrum. He leered at the spinning ball, before slamming his fist into the ground. After a great shudder, several pillars of stone erupted from the ground. They jutted out at odd angles, making it difficult for the Sandshrew to roll about.

---

Genevieve Cromwell
2/3 (no mechanic)
IVvqeG6H

"Y'think?" Howard looked at Genevieve with a mixture of annoyance and exasperation. It took every ounce of restraint for him to refrain from uttering 'no shit', but their ceasefire in the cave caused Howard to cut himself off. "Your criticism is noted, thank you."

It was the most professional way to say 'Thank you for stating the obvious, dingus.'

Serizawa sat in the field, mildly dazed from two Gordo strikes. All Howard could do was rub his temples and hope for Serizawa to pull himself together. When Gordo dug a pit, Howard smiled to himself. The earth was his domain. This was his territory.

"He was sweet when he was younger, but now he's rebellious as hell. He's like a spoiled kid." Howard sighed, defeated. "I was hoping the tournament would make our bond tighter, since I got registered by mistake. It's let me test out strategies though, like this."

Howard snapped his fingers. Serizawa stamped his foot, causing an Earthquake while Gordo was underground.

"I'm surprised he listened to me. Again."

---

Genevieve Cromwell
1/3 (no mechanic)
QzKLpcDG