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The thing that surprised Ruby the most was how young he looked. Just how old did you need to be to be a gym leader? Was there even an age limit at all? Surprised and a bit taken aback, Ruby smiled softly as she reached out to gently shake his hand in return. If he cared to look, a rather obvious mega accessory in the form of a cute necklace rested around her neck. "Uh, Ruby Walker. A pleasure to meet you." Honestly, it was almost a bit of a relief that she wasn't recognized. She wasn't used to fame of any kind, perhaps just pretending everything was normal wasn't a bad way to go about this.

As soon as he asked if she was here to challenge him, Ruby nodded her head and slowly pulled out her Trainer ID. Of particular note, it was made in the Galar region and quite obvious upon even the most simple of inspections. "I must admit, I'm quite excited." She spoke calmly, but there is certainly a bit of anxiety to her voice despite it all. "I didn't know there was a gym here, but what kind of budding trainer would I be if I didn't take every chance I had to better myself. You know?"

Grabbing one of her Pokeballs from her bag, Ruby didn't hesitate to just send out the first Pokemon that she'd be using in battle. Of course, the Indeedee named Darling simply stood by her side, grinning softly. Ruby affectionately patted their head, hand extended to take their Trainer ID back as soon as it was returned to them. "May I uh, actually ask what theme the gym is? I don't think I saw it anywhere."

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Dragon-type Pokemon? First time? Ruby was admittedly a bit surprised on multiple accounts. Not only did he confirm her suspicions that he was indeed young, but this was his first battle as an official gym leader. Obviously to get into such a position so young he would likely be suitably talented as a trainer. Despite the fairy type pokemon at her disposal, she didn't pretend that she was at any immediate advantage here. Any trainer worth their weight likely knew how to work around type advantages.

As he complimented Darling, the Indeedee smiled softly at him and waved softly. Of course, Ruby smiled as well as she followed behind him and up the spiral staircase. Darling was certainly learning to hold her own in combat, despite her species being renowned for their ability to support in and off the battlefield, she was no slouch on her own. Ruby simply reached down to squeeze Darling's hand as they climbed. The torches made everything feel a bit more medieval, which not only paired well with the dragon theme but it reminded her of home quite a bit.

As he explained the rules, Ruby simply nodded her head. "That's fine by me. Three on Three." Taking her position at the other end of the battlefield, Ruby's eyes almost immediately widened as she saw the Duraludon. A steel type, and a troublesome one at that for her to battle. Both Whisper and Grace would be hurt quite a bit by any steel type attacks they had. Feeling doubly sure that Darling was the best one to start with, she motioned with a soft smile to the babysitting Pokemon to take her place in the arena. Despite her desperation to prove herself... battling was always fun and she couldn't help but smile a bit wider.

Almost immediately, a soft purplish haze began to form around the arena. The area transformed into psychic terrain simply by Darling's very presence, she couldn't help but smile and give a friendly wave to the opposing Pokemon. "Now!" Ruby called out, determination in her voice as she reached out. "Let's do this! Steel yourself!" Darling quickly started things off, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath as the psychic energy of the arena seemed to linger onto her a bit closer. Using Calm Mind, her eyes opened up once again as she cleared her mind for battle. Just slowly starting to waddle over towards the Duraludon with a bit of a mischievous grin on her face.

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Ruby had to force herself not to cover her ears when the metal sound echoed around the arena. It was already grating to Ruby's ears, she could hardly imagine how painful it was for Darling. The babysitting Pokemon certainly looked unsettled, their balance a bit out of wack as they stumbled to stand tall. Through another usage of Calm Mind, however, Darling seemed to slowly collect her thoughts. Not in time to dodge the Flash Cannon heading her way, however. Taking the blast straight to their chest, the Indeedee stubbornly remained silent despite the pain she was going through. Luckily, the psychic reserves built up by her focused state of mind helped her from taking the worst of the damage if she was still distracted from the grating sound.

"Don't give up Darling! We both know you're stronger than you look!" Ruby shouted out, hands clenching at her side. "Let's show them what we're made of!" Nodding, Darling suddenly let out a loud cry, using Disarming Voice. The cute, charming sound hopefully damaging the steel dragon physically and emotionally. With a cute face and a nervous smile, Darling only continued to walk towards Tank, confident in her abilities.

Notes: Used Calm Mind to overcome the worst of the metal sound, but still got struck by the flash cannon! With a Disarming Voice, boosted by two usages of Calm Mind, Darling attacks in response.

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The moment Ruby heard that he was going to use Laser Focus she knew that was bad news. Darling might be tough, but she couldn't continually take hit after hit like that blow for blow. If she wanted to win, they needed to fight smarter rather than harder. Force the opponent to adapt to her strategy rather than the other way around. With an idea suddenly in mind, she quickly called out. "Darling! Get up close! Don't give them a chance to keep trading blows!"

Darling nodded, her incredible state of focus keeping her own fear in check as the small Indeedee charged forwards. As Tank used Flash Cannon, the attack just managed to graze her arm as she focused everything she had into dodging past the attack. The light-based attack certainly stun quite a bit but she was determined to prove her trainer proud, despite the pain in her left arm. Once she started to get up close, Ruby cried out again. "Now! Get on his back and show them just how strong you truly are!"

Assuming Darling was fast enough to twist around the massive steel pokemon, she would leap straight onto the tail of the Duraludon and grab on tightly. Quickly letting out another Disarming Voice, she would lean in close to the back of his head to hopefully make the cry even louder.

Notes: Attempted to dodge the Flash Cannon, only for it to damage her arm rather badly. Tried to twist around the Duraludon and jump onto their metal tail, to use Disarming Voice again.

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Ruby certainly felt confident when the gym leader himself praised her strategy, but they couldn't just settle there. As Tank used Metal Sound once again, the noise was certainly stronger than it was before being so close. Falling off of the tail of the Duraludon, Darling quickly clambered to her feet as Ruby called out again. "You got this Darling! Calm-Mind, focus!" At her trainer's command, Darling once again used Calm Mind. The psychic energy was certainly visible as it swirled around her, helping keep her head in the game despite the ear-grating noise that threatened to throw her off.

"Stay behind him! Don't let him get a hold of you!" Ruby yelled out once more. Following her trainer's advice, Darling stood back far enough away to not be struck with their tail but continued to run around as Tank slowly turned to try and strike her. She wasn't exactly a speedster but hopefully it was just enough to dodge his claws.

Confident in her abilities as a trainer for once, Ruby continued to issue commands. "Now let's finish this up! Disarming Cry again!" Darling took in a deep breath before finally stopping her run and shouting at the very top of her lungs. Using Disarming Cry, Darling's voice was booming with amplified energy.

Notes: Fell off Tank and used Calm Mind again to try and clear her head as best as she could, ran around the back of Tank to use Disarming cry, boosted by her Calm Minds.

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The very moment she watched Tank begin to fall down from Darling's intense attack, Ruby cheered out in pride for her Indeedee. This was a serious battle for her, and to see her coming out on top was incredible. However, there was no time to waste. Alec was already sending out his second pokemon, and Darling was almost certainly injured from the attacks. "Darling, quickly! Baton pass and get some rest!"

Immediately, Ruby pulled out a second Pokeball as Darling let out a deep breath. Using Baton Pass, suddenly Whisper the Hatterene took her place as Darling was retrieved to get some proper rest. However, Whisper was already incredibly focused thanks to Baton Pass passing on Darling's calm state of mind. Of course, Whisper was smirking intensely as she watched the Dragonite from her Pokeball.

There was no way she was going to dodge the attack, so Whisper didn't even try. The massive dragon-type Pokemon smacking her as they flew by. Whisper certainly felt the blow, but she was too focused to let it distract her from her goals. With a silent chuckle from her, she seemed to use Calm Mind once again, as if preparing for something big. "Now, speed isn't on our side," Ruby called out. "But that doesn't matter! Whisper, keep an eye out for a weak spot! Moving so fast, they gotta tire themselves out just as quickly!"

Notes: Darling used Baton Pass to switch to Whisper. Whisper gained all the past uses of calm mind and clarity of focus from Darling, and used Calm Mind herself, clearly buffing herself up hard.