[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

[attr="class","adriantag"]#Orion Lykos

[attr="class","adrianscroll"]"Oh, hey! Approaching him was the ranger from Fallarbor, whose name nearly escaped him. "Orion, right? How've you been... fairing...?" Only as he said it did he realize how cheesy it was. His face twisted over the final syllable before he huffed with a short laugh. "No pun intended." After they'd exchanged pleasantries, Orion began to tell him about his business there, asking Adrian the same. Hefting the unfexant leg seemed like the only needed response.[break][break]

"I didn't come for the faire, honestly. Just coincidence." Which was the truth, as his original reason was simply to look for any interesting pokemon. Maybe scope out a local gym, too, but he still wasn't feeling confident enough to take on that challenge. After listening to Orion's offer, he contemplated it for a moment. He had no telling what sort of pokemon he was referring to however, but he doubted it was the weavile from before.[break][break]

"Is this an actual battle, or are we putting on a play?" Being something of a performer himself, he already had a few ideas on how to achieve a truly authentic dragonslayer play. Alcremie could be the damsel locked away in a tower, guarded by this supposed dragon. The only thing missing was a knight in shining armor. Now that he didn't really have a pokemon for... but there were some aegislash for rent nearby. But he would wait until they had time to explain more about this mock battle.[break][break]

Until then he'd continue to tear away strips of flesh from his lunch, munching on them voraciously, hardly pausing between mouthfuls.

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

[attr="class","adriantag"]#Orion Lykos

[attr="class","adrianscroll"]"Alcremie is going to be our damsel in distress," he said as he released Pastel from her pokeball on a raise platform, picturing her the perfect princess locked away in a castle tower. Orion had mentioned a dragon pokemon, so he took it for granted it was to be their villain, so he considered which pokemon was best suited to be their protagonist...[break][break]

...Or whether it should be a man, a knight. After a moment's consideration he started off in the direction of the sparring pits, hoping to secure them an aegislash. As he stalked away in a sort of distracted daze, he called back to Orion: "I'll be back, then we can start rehearsing." But by now the kids were intrigued, and even some adults. Galaran pokemon were still novelty in and of themselves, it seemed.[break][break]

"Can we use an aegislash for a play?" The keeper at the dueling pits seemed to resent the idea, mostly because it meant taking the pokemon out of the safety of the caged area, and using them without the appropriate armor. But when Adrian dropped the name Orion, they seemed to relax, and the ranger even gave a silent nod in their direction (not that Adrian was privy to it.) It seemed their cast was set.[break][break]

He still had to decide whether he would take to the stage himself or not, but that was a matter they could decide upon rehearsal. Or so he would've hoped, despite the looming crowd forming where Orion was preparing the stage.[break][break]

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

[attr="class","adriantag"]#Orion Lykos

[attr="class","adrianscroll"]"...Well crap." Adrian almost never performed without a rehearsal. The few times he had? Memorable, but not for great reasons. But he bit his lip and sucked it up, figuring it was something of a joke in and of itself. Nobody could expect this to be Shakespearean theater, not on their budget and time frame.[break][break]

Orion seized the opportunity to set their story in motion, titling his dragon-type well he thought, and the creature was certainly frightening enough. Adrian wasn't sure he wanted to put himself in front of that beast, but the aegislash didn't have the sense for theatrics they were going for... It was complacent being held, intervening only when mishandled. He could exploit that...[break][break]

"None but I," Adrian took to the stage, raising his sword arm in declaration, staring down the full-grown Hydreigon. Outside of this situation, this would've been madness, but right now was his chance to enjoy a bit of swordplay. Hopefully it was as fun as it looked. "Protector of Innocents, Sword of the West, I am come..." he tried to mimic Orion's approach, perhaps failing to some degree...[break][break]

"...to put you to the sword..." His sword arm had pointedly gestured towards the Hydreigon, provoking it further. With aegislash wrapped around his arms and shoulders, its shield stretch down to his left hand, the sword-like body gripped firmly in his right—he felt invincible. There was a pause where the dragon simply snapped and snarled with three different heads while Adrian simply gave theatrical pause.[break][break]

"Now have at thee, wretch!" He swung at the Hydreigon...

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz

[attr="class","adriantag"]#Orion Lykos

[attr="class","adrianscroll"]Even though Adrian was taking every swing seriously, the Hydreigon was only toying with him, which was a disconcerting realization that made him glad this was only for entertainment. If he'd had to fend this thing off alone... Well, maybe if his sword arm wasn't already beginning to feel like a limp noodle, things would've been different...[break][break]

A tail came rushing for him, but he raised the shield up to catch it, the aegislash helping him to reach in time. Although it hardly rattled either pokemon, Adrian could feel his funny bone beginning to tingle. And to think he had been asking for this kind of opportunity. Perhaps he was truly some sort of sadomasochist, deep down.[break][break]

He was forced to take a step back as the Hydreigon's mouth crunched at the space he'd just been standing in, but now he was able to press the advantage, shoving the shield towards the idle pokemon and bashing its snout. Now he'd made it angry, or at least annoyed. It lunged at him again, this time a bit faster, but once again he was able to step back before it could close its mouth around his sword arm.[break][break]

Having rushed at him once more, it had opened itself to a skewering thrust. And yet once more it simply contorted itself around the blade, coiling its necks in such a way as to avoid the edge as his blade pierced nothing but air...[break][break]

But Adrian followed up the maneuver by dragging the blade vertically downward, hoping to catch the Hydreigon's collar bone, seeking to ground the beast with the weight of his sword. The Hydreigon didn't seem too surprised by this, but feigned a mortal blow, collapsing to the ground with a bit of progressively slower thrashing before faking its own death.[break][break]

Exhausted beyond expectation, he'd almost dropped the blade, but raised it up high in a sort of triumphant pose. Some of the crowd clapped, congratulating them on the show. Others might've been scoffing, he couldn't be too sure their performance was received well unanimously, but it was enough for him to have it finally be over. He'd probably only swung the sword a dozen times, but it felt more like lead in his arms than anything.[break][break]

He cast a weary, warning glance Orion's way, as if to say: Don't rope me into stuff like this again. Oh, and you owe me big time...

[attr="class","wizzcred"]❤ wizz