Adrian dusted off his jacket as he stepped out from the Mauville-side facility of the Cycling Road, studded black leathers adorning him from head to toe, so much so that you'd think he was part of a biker's gang. But that was just his aesthetic.

After confirming his possessions and attire were still held together, he took a few measured steps towards Mauville City, careful to circumvent the area where Monty lived. That's when he noticed an onlooker ogling at him, and though he didn't entirely recognize them, he thought he heard the whisper of his name. And so he stood there, transfixed, trying to remember who they might've been. Problem being, he'd met a lot of people.

This person didn't strike him as a fan, though.

Taking a few casual strides toward them, waving a hand in greetings, Adrian flashed a smile while trying to guess at their identity. "D'ya know me?"

Regrettably, Adrian wasn't always one for tact.

alec foster

Hah, that was him? Adrian recollected a few sparse memories from that day, hardly remembering the incident as well as he'd have liked to. But they got the job done, and that's all that counted to Adrian.

He might've been a little jealous of the food, but he didn't like crowds, and he could hardly take a compliment. His swift retreat had been calculated.

"Alright, alright; My bad. You look different, though," Adrian still hadn't quite placed it, but they seemed almost like a completely different person. After a moment of considering it with his fingers clasped against his chin, he called his hand into a fist, slapping it against his outstretched palm. "Ah, it's your hair!" They'd gotten it cut.

Letting a lone arm droop at his side while the other scratched the back of his head anxiously, digging his fingers through the tangle of hair, Adrian let out a huffing chuckle. "Hey, don't be so sure. Maybe you're looking at the next Champion, hm?~"

Adrian had always aspired for such a title, but as the years went on, it seemed to get further from him. That wasn't to say he'd given up, though.

"So what're you doin'? Lollygaggin'?"

alec foster

"Oh? That's nice." Alec seemed pretty enthused about it, although Adrian honestly liked his hair better the other way, but he wasn't going to ruin someone's happiness with his meager two cents.

Besides, it wasn't that big a difference. And of more pressing concern was the rivalry, and subsequent challenge, that Alec issued him.

He wasn't one to turn someone down, yet...

Is he serious? Adrian never had a friend to get competitive with; most people would tease you if you said you wanted to be the Pokemon Champion. It came as a refreshing change of pace then, although Adrian couldn't help but give Alec an incredulous look, waiting to see if he would drop the facade and start poking fun at him in earnest...

But he didn't, and so Adrian relented.

"Well alright, but don't go sobbing if you lose," it wasn't like Adrian to pull his punches. And he'd known Alec to be very forgiving of pokemon, so he wondered whether they would be as cutthroat in battle as Adrian was accustomed.

Plucking a pokeball from his belt, Adrian released the fiery, flowing figure of his Arcanine, Howitzer, onto the low lying grass. He could feel the heat resonating off of it, almost as if the sunny day around them was amplifying its residual heat.

"Go on. Pick a pokemon, then," he goaded them impatiently. Battling made him anxious. But even so he set his sights on one singular goal.

Victory.



alec foster

Alec's Dragonite was about as fast as you'd expect, a sharp contrast to its rotund figure and dinky little wings. But Howitzer was nothing if not a legend for its blinding speed; and its regal visage of course.

It didn't take much more than throwing her weight to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack as her body lurched evasively, Arcanine's paws digging into the dirt as it landed back on the ground. She shifted her footing, lowering herself as if meaning to pounce, facing off against the Dragonite, Veda.

"Howitzer, Snarl." Her booming vocals cascaded across the open space, instilling a sense of imminent danger. The effect was almost tangible, as if the world itself darkened with despair all around her, enveloping the Dragonite in a dark resonance. But she wouldn't pounce just yet.

Adrian was confident in her abilities, but he felt cornered by the Dragon-type match-up. He couldn't exploit Howitzer's greatest strengths against such resilient scales. Fire wouldn't avail him in this battle, but enough cunning just might.



tl;dr Evaded the attack and used Snarl. I hope you don't mind me going with a free form approach, if you want to choreograph this fight a bit more, or discuss with me what you think should've happened, I am of course always willing to hash things over. But only if I win... jk... unless...?

alec foster

Ha, it missed. Adrian couldn't help but scoff at Veda internally and the poor example she was setting. It made him wonder how Alec was training her, but he wasn't being conceited. Accidents, and mistakes, just happened. There needn't be a reason, it happened purely because it could have.

But even so, the circumstance fed Adrian's ego.

Alec's Dragonite comically fell short with its stubby tail, perhaps not compensating for Howitzer's prone position, but the opportunity presented by the blunder was immediately seized by the Legendary Pokemon. In a sudden blur of tooth and claw, the Arcanine lunged for their Dragonite.

What happened next...?

It was evident the Dragonite possessed the speed to rival Arcanine, but its lumbering figure held it back just enough for the canine to match it, crashing into Veda with its full weight. Her jaw to its flesh, her claws to its scales, she would attempt to pin it against the ground while she had the upper hand, thrashing its jaws in a power play.



tl;dr Arcanine uses Extreme Speed!
(It managed to hit!)

alec foster

Veda forced Howitzer off her, returning the favor and meting a yelp from the Arcanine as it was brushed off with relative ease. She seemed to avoid putting too much pressure on her right foreleg, but she had always been light on her feet, and so she quickly acclimated to the duress.

"Are you so sure?" Adrian had been keeping a figurative ace up his sleeve, something he would pull out if the going got tough, but for now he was comfortable staying on the offense. "Flamethrower," he commanded Arcanine fluidly.

What happened next...?

Veda was lost in the torrent of flames racing out of Howitzer's gaping maw, the scorching heat rolling off its scales but still searing its flesh enough to cause painful burns that made Adrian think ouch.



tl;dr Arcanine uses Flamethrower!
It was mostly effective!
(Dragon-type resists!)
(Sunny Day boosts!)

alec foster

Adrian could feel it coming as Veda's movements seemed to boost in speed, but not only that; her movements cloaked her intentions, leading Howitzer by the nose. It was only fitting then that she got slapped right on her muzzle, a shrill yelp escaping her as the blunt forced knocked her backwards off the ground. But she was nimble.

Landing on her feet, her lips peeled back baring her teeth, the muscles in her muzzle trembling as she snarled at the perpetrator. She put a paw forward, digging deep into the ground to charge...

"Howitzer, Morning Sun!" Her ears flicked at the sound of her trainer, her menacing glare softening momentarily while her body began to shimmer with the waxing daylight. Her body was immersed in the heat of a phoenix fire, quickly mending what had been broken, even her fighting spirit.

That was the difference in the scope of their abilities. Where one was a powerhouse, the other was a sleeping giant, unmoved. Undaunted.



tl;dr Arcanine uses Snarl!
It was a critical hit!

Arcanine uses Morning Sun!
(Sunny Day boosts recovery!)

alec foster