[attr="class","oznitop"][attr="class","ozni"]

[attr="class","oznimain"]Above the research station, Ozni perched like some dark comic book hero. Well, kind of. The stupid, excitable grin on his face kind of broke the impression. As his eyes swept across the landscape, his eyes caught on a marching group—a weird grouping of future meets past. A long whistle emerged as he tried to count what was charging their way. It reminded him of a classic rock concert. Old boomer accountants sitting next to punk kids with enough piercings to explode an MRI machine.

Originally, he had planned to slide triumphantly down the slope next to him—looking like a total badass while doing it. But an earlier encounter with these monstrous things told him they weren’t anything to mess with. That nasty Godzilla knockoff had eaten his shoe. His very expensive, very limited shoes. So, he decided to trade a superhero for man-in-the-chair. His viewers would get a better view anyway. “Yo!” He shouted at the violet-haired woman below him. She reminded him of a Lolita chick mixed with a Disney princess knockoff.

The colors were all wrong though. Anyone worth their salt knew purple was a villain color.

“You’ve got bogies at 12, 6, an-- all-the o’clock, babe.” After a moment of debate, he grabbed three Pokeballs and dropped them to the ground below. They popped open in a triple burst of red light. From them, a Dodrio, a Jynx, and a Barbaracle emerged, a.k.a the expendables. “These guys can lend a hand.” Luckily, his voice was big and proud.

Unluckily? Some of their opponents had wings.

mzWmUVGr

[attr="class","oznipoke"]

[attr="class","elise"]

[attr="class","oznitop"][attr="class","ozni"]

[attr="class","oznimain"]Ozni grinned down at her. “Aww, don’t sound so grumpy, Calcifet.” Broad shoulders lifted in a shrug. “It’s what I call everybody.” That knight of hers? The council people? A literal god? Everybody was a babe. For him, it was like an upgrade of the world dude. It also gave him a fun verbal tick that helped him stand out. And knowing it annoyed somebody? Well, it just made him want to do it more. Even bad attention was still attention.

A Cheshire’s grin crawled across his face as his three Pokemon entered the field. The Barbaracle seemed the most prepared, its clawed hands curled into fists. “Here’s hoping.” He raised an invisible glass for a non-existent toast as the Dazzling Gleam ripped across the battlefield. Ozni let out a sharp, ear-splitting whistle. “Talk about a pint-sized powerhouse! That puppy has more gleam than a drag show!” He dropped his gaze to the three creatures beneath him. Please don’t embarrass daddy, babies.

“Soooo, What do you call these flying tin cans?” Oz was never big on Pokemon. They were mostly tools and only a few were worth getting to know.

The Barbaracle moves first. An Ancient Power tear gouges into the stones around them, giant boulders flying at the dark-type dragons in the sky. Metal plating falls away as these stones make contact. The Dodrio, meanwhile, charges into the fray with zero care for its wellbeing. Over and over, it lashes at the approaching horde with Drill Peck. The last to act, the Jynx backs away from the battle; she dislikes the idea of getting her hands dirty or bringing her mind anywhere near these steel-plated barbarians. After a moment, she throws out a Copy Cat.

Another Dazzling Gleam rips across the field as the ice type narrows its eyes.

As the area is swarmed, Oz again raises his voice. “You sure you wanna stay down there, babe?” He draws a thumb across his neck. “It’s a little neglect-ey on the safety-ey.”

cEYdmYNt

[attr="class","oznipoke"]

[attr="class","elise"]

[attr="class","oznitop"][attr="class","ozni"]

[attr="class","oznimain"]The CEO grinned down at the royal, the very picture of the Cheshire Cat. “Awwww, I didn’t take you for a softie.” The fact that she did not push him to stop amuses him. Mostly because it was so obvious she wanted to, and that he’d just dig his heels in if she tried. Annoyance was weakness—a potential wound to sink your teeth into. “What a doll,” Oz murmured offhandedly to the Pokemon beside him. The Arctozolt just clapped its little flippers.

“What the heck’s a—” Ozni starts to ask a question but pauses. “Nevermind. I got it.” Though the signal is weak his phone gets the job done. Blue eyes jump up to the flying monstrosities. After a moment, he shrugs. Their throats were awfully shiny. “Guess it fits.” Then, the dino bugs appear. A brow goes up as Ozni leans over the cliff to get a better look.

His eyes alight on a weird dip in the stone. Another one of those weird footprints. Not his problem though.

Now those things were cool. “OMG. Look at the babies! Talk about fluffy!” A squawk of alarm from his Arctozolt brings him back to the presence and the dragons above him. “Take them out, baby girl!” With a shrill noise, the genetic monstrosity summons a Rock Slide. Boulders slam into fragile wing joints as rocks fall around them.

Trusting his girl to handle things, Ozni grins. “Sounds like a plan, babe.” If she wasn’t so far away, he’d offer her a hand up. But he didn’t feel like getting that close. A Slither Wing slams into his Jynx like a battering ram. An empathetic wince punctuated his encouragement. “Don’t let him sass you like that, OOI!” Trying to shake off the blow, the ice-type rises woozily to her feet. Her eyes flare a blinding cerulean as she calls down a Blizzard on her opponents.

The other two Pokemon continue to push forward. The Dodrio hops from enemy to enemy, driving its teeth through glass panels with Drill Peck. That ugly hand thing, meanwhile, charges into the fray, its body suddenly pointed thanks to its Razor Shell.

PJAXG2ch

[attr="class","oznipoke"]

[attr="class","elise"]

[attr="class","oznitop"][attr="class","ozni"]

[attr="class","oznimain"]Most ladies he knew would love being called soft. Some ancient people decided that was a compliment for the fairer sex. Which made sense. He definitely preferred something thick to a bunch of bony angles. But he didn’t seem too bothered by it. Ozni clapped his hands to his shoulders and faked a shiver. “Brrrrr! Someone’s frigid.” Something about this old money stuff rubbed him the wrong way. “And, if my people judged me like that, I’d fire them.”

To be speared the second you exposed vulnerability seemed more like a feral colony than a civilization. Apparently, these old school boors had missed the memo: hearts on sleeves were all the rage these days. Then again, she was Galarian. They weren’t exactly known for their warmth and openness.

He pumped his fist as the Barbaracle laid out one of the fuzzy guys. Then, cheered when the Jynx sang a quartet to sleep. “I’d say we’re winning, huh?” Then, he felt the hairs along his neck stand up. “Zolt!” He pivoted halfway toward the source of his ice-type’s alarm. “!?” Before he could turn, a vicious blow to his stomach sent him sprawling. Three heads loomed over him with eyes of technical rage.


Oz scrambles backward as his Arctozolt steps between them. Talk about a David and Goliath situation.

YkyK9LHa

[attr="class","oznipoke"]

[attr="class","elise"]

[attr="class","oznitop"][attr="class","ozni"]

[attr="class","oznimain"]
At the talk of leadership, the CEO laughs. He’s been doing this stuff for ages—just as trained for it as she was. “Sounds like you’re pretty damn afraid of them.” Ozni is quick to fire back. His employees were treated like gold. But he didn’t act like they were the boss.


The Iron Jugulis seems pretty amused by ICEE. Or, well, as amused as a three-headed robot can. It doesn’t immediately move to attack. Instead, it leans in close and stares her down. “GRRROAAR!” It snarls in the teeny dinosaur’s face. With that breath emerges the threat of the future. It smells like a cheap mechanic’s shop—burnt oil and burnt rubber.


His Arctozolt doesn’t back down. Instead, she squares her tiny shoulders defiantly and roars back. Or, at least, she tries. It sounds more like a Spheal’s barking. “Good girl, Icee.” The CEO murmurs. It’s not that she’s intimidating (absolutely adorable in fact). But it’s drawing the thing’s attention away from him.


With shaking legs, Ozni pulls himself to his feet. He’s not sure what’s worth: the Chiquita banana lion or this guy. Both are pretty dang scary. Below, the sound of battling continues as the horde closes in. His three Pokemon fight back violently. The Arctozolt doesn’t notice. Instead, it takes a few unsteady steps back as Ozni slowly begins to crabwalk out of sight.


“Hey, Princess.” The man swallows. “A little help here?” He returns the expendables below. This bad-ass bitch wanted to lead a whole country. This skirmish was totally good practice.


For a minute, neither of the Pokemon blinks. Then, Oz breaks into a run. As the Iron Jugulis turns to give chase, Icee responds with a one-two combo. First, a Bolt Beak hits the dragon in its center. This tickling bids it to turn toward it and away from food. As its attention shifts the Arctozolt brings down a flurry of deadly, giant icicles.


Though these typically wouldn’t do much, the hit is a lucky one. The Dazzling Gleam catches it square in the jaw, shifting its body a foot to the left. One catches an auxiliary head at a perfect angle. It smashes through its eye and pierces it to the ground. This impromptu leash stops the beast from taking flight after Oz and hs motley crew.


4KawyoN|

[attr="class","oznipoke"]