EXURSION C

EXCURSION

“BATTLE ROUTINE SET!”

the gym leader’s voice brings hope to the caravan. for who in hoenn does not recognize the silph’s trademark phrase. it calls from the distance, in the opposite direction of the IRON TREAD herd.

“execute!”

several ZAP CANNONs erupt in unison. the MAGNETON’s float in front of him in a defensive line, crackling as their MAGNET PULL exert their force. his PROBOPASS sits up front, forming a triangular formation commonly utilized in his gym.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
howard slayte

Even the Iron Treads recognized the iconic Silph catchphrase. It is a grand chant carved into cold circuits masquerading as hearts and processors pretending to be brains. The machines look up at the swarm of steel flying overhead, though they did not stop their advance.

The Magnet Pull caused the machines to buckle. Magnetism and mechanics did not mix.

"Set...?" Admin Fox's blood ran cold. As a Hoennian, he too remembered the phrase. Memories flashed to a cave long since buried under tons of seawater. "No. Not here. RETALIATE!"

Regice's seven dots blinked in alien patterns as latent Dynergy rushed through the construct's Clear Body. As several of the electrical strikes struck the golem, a massive Hyper Beam cleaved through the sky.

"SILPH!" Admin Fox's helmet gleamed as he looked for the Gym Leader. "Show yourself!"

---

FERNANDO SILPH

EXURSION C

EXCURSION

THE ATTACK ISN’T MEANT TO HARM. he’s analyzed enough of these under Eva Morales’s tutelage to know they’re immune to electricity. but that doesn’t mean the attack doesn’t attract their attention. the sheer blast and smoldering smoke afterwards is more than enough to avert their gaze.

the PROBOPASS’ many appendages begin to float in circular pattern as it exerts an increase GRAVITY over the area. standard immobilization. but before it dampen their speed, a HYPER BEAM illuminates the sky.

“tch.”

no matter.

if they cannot divert and dissuade then they will demolish.

“on me,” he commands, releasing his preferred land mount: HEATRAN.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
howard slayte

The Iron Treads kick into first gear as their Quark Drives activate. They speed forward with single-minded determination. Whatever AI guides them, the condition to switch from their current action to an alternative one had not been met. Artificial intelligence was not sentient, it relied on the foresight of the programmer.

Who programmed these, then?

"SILPH!" Admin Fox shouted again, his hand trembled and his working eye twitched. He had fought this man once before, with an attack from behind. Betrayal. In an actual fight, the chips were on the table. With his ancient golem, this would be a fair fight.

Ancient mechanisms warred against modernity. Energy flowed through the golem as it recharged.

"Go." The golem lunged towards the Heatran, leveling the nearby terrain with Superpower as it did so.

---

FERNANDO SILPH

EXURSION C

EXCURSION

A SUPERPOWER IMPACT IS AN ATTENTION GRABBING FEAT. the ground quakes under the titan’s impressive weight. it’s threatening enough to illicit an actual command.

“raze.”

one word is all it takes for the HEATRAN to puff out its chest and expel a LAVA PLUME from its glowing chest. if the opponent wants to level the land then it will set the entire field on fire. if it cannot defeat the REGICE in raw combat, then at least this should ensnare the IRON TREAD horde.

his other pokemon, well behind him, take their time. artillery is not meant for straight combat. the ability to LOCK-ON from a distance is well within their repertoire. out here, in the open field, howard will find fernando much more structure then that of a narrow dewford cave.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
howard slayte

The Gym Leader known for his strategy does not disappoint. In fact, he excels.

Though excelling likely came as natural for Silph Co.'s highest authority. He was bred, born, and trained for his role as someone who sat at the pinnacle of the world. Shred would hate this man by virtue of his existence, the same way that Howard despised Remiel Calcifet.

People who sat at the pinnacle due to circumstance deserved to be washed away. Fernando's story meant nothing. Kanto was a distant dream, ephemeral, and his climb to the top did not matter.

All that mattered was the fall.

"Strike back!" The Iron Treads bend under the weight of Heatran and Regice's dance. Metal melts and buckles under extreme heat and weight, leaving nothing but fried circuits and silent metal. Regice does not melt; it is not designed to. What Iron Treads buckle under, Regice does not.

The admin failed to take note of Fernando's artillery strategy. In fact, he'd likely blunder into it. Compared to his contemporaries, Admin Fox was no warrior.

Mirroring his moves, Regice Locks On to the Heatran and its master. Braile beeps in strange tones, before a Zap Cannon speeds forward, crossing the battlefield in seconds.

---

EXURSION C

EXCURSION

FERNANDO IS NO STRANGER TO THE TECHNIQUE. for what little he knows about the regis, he knows well in their spiritual inheritors. for how many pokemon boast both LOCK-IN and ZAP CANNON? several. all under his command. which is why he makes the dutiful decision to abandon his pokemon.

he flees back to his PROBOPASS and MAGNETON as the attack slams into the grounded HEATRAN. electricity crackle across its stone surface, PARALYZING muscles into helpless spasms. the smoldering burn across the pokemon’s torso and right arm is only the first of several. ZAP CANNON is the opener to a stronger volley of attacks. that’s why it’s so potent.

“immolate.”

if the pokemon cannot dodge or move, then it is already defeated. all he can do is buy time as the HEATRAN’s inner FLASH FIRE conjures up a MAGMA STORM from its molten pores. it explodes spontaneously, like MOUNT CHIMNEY, indiscriminate. fernando observes from behind his PROBOPASS’ WIDE GUARD, ready for his MAGNETON to provide cover fire with FLASH CANNON.

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
howard slayte

It is an old technique, but a powerful one. Zap Cannon and Lock On are a traditional duo, but tradition can be studied, and what can be studied can be adapted. To know a technique is to know how to move against it.

Fernando knew this, and moved his pieces accordingly. That's what made the oncoming Magma Storm so potent. A wall of fire encroached on the admin and his primordial golem. It would survive, but its owner would not. Regice would be moved by the orders of blackened bones and cooked meat, should this attack succeed.

This fight should not have been hard. Howard was using a piece of Hoenn's history, yet Fernando proved stubborn. What was one golem in the hands of a novice compared to years of battle and experience?

Stop. The admin's eye flicked to the golem. This was not his fault. If Regice were at full power with its core...

"Retaliate! Freeze it!" The element at Regice's disposal was finally used with offensive purpose. A choking Blizzard began to rev up, but with a noticeable delay. The heat from the Heatran choked the freezing winds, before meeting the Magma Storm head on.

This climate was not met to support life.

Melted earth met frozen soil as the admin and his golem disappeared into the freezing storm.

---

FERNANDO SILPH

EXURSION C

EXCURSION

“TCH.”

the battle comes to an end as his HEATRAN crumbles to its feet. while not FROZEN outright, the pokemon’s taken enough damage to collapse, evident in how its molten colors have dulled. linger flames start to die out as he recalls his pokemon from a distance.

not quite a win, but seeing as his opponent fled, means his objective is accomplished. he holds his ground, surveying the area, from the safety of behind his pokemon, until a buzz enters his ear.

“we’ll take it from here silph.”

and, the league convoy from before, is well down the road, obscured by the sudden overgrowth of TAPU BULU’s rooted spawns.

“affirmative.”

[attr="class","spiralpee"]
howard slayte