A simple mission requires a simple solution, and it's one Katherine is prepared for in a heartbeat. The instruction is processed at the same time that the violet-haired woman begins to pace towards the rotomi, intent on retrieving a particular Pokeball of hers. "Let's not fail on the first floor, please. This should be easy."

The device's middle button is pressed on, and a ruby-red beam shoots as it opens to allow Katherine's Shedinja, Reaper, to materialize.

It felt a bit awkward to stand in the middle of the floor without wearing shoes, but it wouldn't stop Katherine from proceeding with the task at hand.

"SHADOW SNEAK, Reaper. Take your time."

And the dual-type does exactly that - it takes its time. The shadow of the levitating ghost extends far and wide until it reaches Rillaboom, who it pokes gently. It would hurt only a bit-- since the force of the attack wasn't specified. The approaching vines, however, are not spared even a glance. WONDER GUARD allows Reaper to ignore their existence, as they cannot damage it in the slightest.

"Flawless. Good job." The words of praise fall on deaf ears, as the Shedinja doesn't offer a response nor even a movement. It simply continues to levitate in the air and stare at the Rillaboom.



tags: Orion Lykos & Remiel Calcifet & Ruby Walker
notes: shedinja (reaper) is sent out. he is protected from grass-moves due to its ability, WONDER GUARD, and uses SHADOW SNEAK to damage rillaboom.

[attr="class","kheader"]

[attr="class","kthread"][attr="class","orion"]

Orion removes his shoes before he is requested to; having been born and raised in Hoenn, the customs of such places are familiar to him. The floor is cool against his bare feet, the incense calming as he breathes in deep.[break][break]

The initial challenge at first seems impossible, but the quick thinking of a teammate reminds Orion that he, too, has such a simple answer: he'd even went so far as to clip Shedinja's pokeball to his belt, though his tendency to overthink a problem had obscured the obvious solution.
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"Nice thinking," he compliments the unfamiliar girl, giving her a nod.[break][break]

His own husk of a Pokemon is released from its Pokeball, and the vines and roots that claw and grasp at it appear to have no effect. WONDER GUARD was truly an amazing ability.[break][break]

"METAL CLAW!"[break][break]

Shedinja drifts forward and swipes at the offender with claws of steel.

[break][break][break]

The prince of Hammerlocke supposed he should be content that they didn't ask him to remove his socks either. It was certainly an odd practice for the royal who had grown up in the epitome of a Galarian palace. If balance and footwork hadn't been something he'd been professionally trained in for fencing and other activities, he might have been worried about slipping. As things were, however, he found the floor beneath his feet quite firm.

After granting their dojo attendant a proper bow in return, he proceeded towards the rotomi once Katherine had finished using it. Logging into his account was done in a flash with his trainer card, after which he briefly shifted his eyes towards the large ape nearby as his database loaded up. The large ape looked back, flames exiting its nostrils in what he could only imagine was some sort of attempt at intimidation. Remiel amusedly blew air out of his nose before turning back.

Once he'd retrieved the pokémon he'd decided on to conquer this challenge, the black-haired royal placed himself beside his teammates and tossed the luxury ball into the air. He caught it with excellent precision mid-fall. "This is elementary. Let's not dawdle here too long, yes? We've other floors to reach." And with that, once they were all set and ready to go, he cast the luxury ball forward with a smooth toss. It burst in mid-air with a golden flash, summoning a slender zebra that neighed as electricity filled the air surrounding it.

When it safely landed on four hooves below, and after the giant ape had begun his incessant drumming, Remiel was quick to issue his command. "Astrape, Flame Charge."

The Zebstrika burst forward with incredible speed, leaving faint traces of electricity in its wake as the Rillaboom's vines came to meet it halfway. The more momentum the Zebstrika built, however, the fiercer the flames surrounding its body like an aura grew. Any vines that attempted a direct hit on her were rendered harmless by her ability, SAP SIPPER. She tore at them with her teeth, gnawing them to pieces and even eating them as she ran, the air exiting and entering her lungs through a powerful pair of nostrils.

All the while, her FLAME CHARGE kept away any lingering vines that might have wanted to strike her from the side, the sheer heat of it fighting them away or outright burning them to a crisp. It was so hot, in fact, that it even threatened to burn the paper paneling on the windows and the doors. And it was headed straight for the Rillaboom's right arm, not stopping until it hit its mark.

[attr="class","merkpokesI"]

[attr="class","merktagI"] Remiel Calcifet Orion Lykos Katherine Fairburne

[attr="class","raidHead"]

[attr="class","raidInfo"]

[attr="class","raidText"]



[player]https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_qcgk9qOteT1yrg70yo1.mp3[/player][break][break][break]

THE FIRST FLOOR IS CLEARED! the dojo student moves to the side, allowing you access to the wooden staircase that leads you to the second floor.[break][break]

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WHEN YOU ENTER THE SECOND FLOOR, a dojo student points at his hitmontop. it spins on top of a bed of deep soil. the dojo student coughs, "KUDOS ON DODGING THAT UGLY ASS RILLABOOM. NOW CAN YOU HIT MY HOT HITMONTOP?" he points downward.[break][break][break]

kicking up soil, his hitmontop uses the move, DIG. the hitmontop disappears into the plot of earth.[break][break][break]




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[attr="class","kthread"][attr="class","orion"]

Orion finds the young man with the Galarian accent to be rather smug, but it's nothing the councilman isn't used to. Politics had taught him to weather all sorts of personalities without flinching, and he ignores it.[break][break]

Ruby's Girafarig receives his attention instead: he's always wanted one of his own. He offers the Saint of Slateport an encouraging smile as her Pokemon successfully passes the trial along with the others. For a teenage girl, she'd proven able to hold her own in situations far more chaotic than this.[break][break]

On the next floor, Orion returns his Shedinja and sends out a survivor of the very Slateport attack that had earned Ruby her moniker: a Swampert whose skin was hued a poisonous purple. It was the single long-term side-effect, and the otherwise healthy mud-fish slams his forelimbs against the ground in a display of eagerness for whatever challenge awaited.[break][break]

Orion chuckles. "Just do that, but harder. EARTHQUAKE!"[break][break]

Beneath their feet, the ground rumbles with the force behind Swampert's furious stomping.

[break][break][break]

With the first floor cleared, it wasn't long before they ascended the steps of the tower and set foot upon the second. It was here that they were greeted by a rather loud host, and his dancing Hitmontop. After the terms of this challenge were dictated to them in this manner, Remiel sighed and walked back over to the rotomi to exchange Astrape for one of his finest combatants: the sentient twin-blades known as (the late) Taliyah Calcifet.

The dark-haired lad didn't bother keeping her in the luxury ball for any longer than she needed to be, immediately summoning the Doublade to his side before he returned to rejoin his group. Taking his position, he eyed 'the Saint of Slateport' for a brief moment with his expressionless glance. Before he could say anything, however, their host would announce their preparedness and begin.

As unnaturally swift as the Rillaboom they'd battled previous, Remiel watched as the Hitmontop spun in place and burrowed its way quickly underground. "Taliyah, Shadow Sneak." He commanded, prompting the Doublade to summon its shadow and send it deep into the black abyss the Hitmontop left behind. It would strike swiftly at the burrower's back once it reached its target.

Her aggressive ability No Guard ensured it.

The first of the challenges was easy enough - but this was to be expected.

The difficulty would only increase the higher up they go, and Katherine intended to reach the top. Whatever waits for her there would undoubtedly challenge her skills more than any other challenge could. Perhaps even more than a gym battle.

And to the surprise of no one, Kat chooses a different pokemon for this task. Reaper served his role well, but it was time for another of her partners to make an appearance. The Pokeball she chooses permits an Onyx to be sent out, who has to curl around himself due to his height. "Ah. I am sorry, Pebble. I know there's not a lot of space in here for you..." An apologetic smile is offered to the rock snake Pokemon.

It grunted in response, earning a shrug from his trainer.

"It should be quick though! Follow the Swampert's lead, alright?"

The serpent nodded before smashing his tail against the ground, causing the EARTH to QUAKE as well. "..We won't cause this building to collapse, right?"



tags: Orion Lykos & Remiel Calcifet & Ruby Walker
notes: onyx (pebble) is sent out. he follows Orion Lykos 's swampert's lead and uses earthquake as well. kat can't help but wonder if they're going to cause the building to collapse, cause, you know. two earthquakes.

[attr="class","merkpokesI"]

[attr="class","merktagI"] Remiel Calcifet Orion Lykos Katherine Fairburne

[attr="class","raidHead"]

[attr="class","raidInfo"]

[attr="class","raidText"]



[player]https://a.tumblr.com/tumblr_qcgk9qOteT1yrg70yo1.mp3[/player][break][break][break]

THE SECOND FLOOR IS CLEARED! the dojo student moves to the side, allowing you access to the wooden staircase that leads you to the third floor.[break][break]

[break][break][break]

WHEN YOU ENTER THE SECOND FLOOR, a dojo student gestures to her lapras. its gaze is serene, but chilling. the dojo student cuts it straight to the point, "YOUR POKEMON MAY HAVE EVADED THE EARTH, BUT CAN THEY SURVIVE BEING HIT BY THE ICE?" she rubs her muscled arms as if to scrape the goosebumps off of them.[break][break][break]

after you summon your pokemon, her lapras blasts a chilling blast of ice (SHEER COLD) at your summoned pokemon.[break][break][break]



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[attr="class","kthread"][attr="class","orion"]

After the intense rumbling beneath their feet subsides, Orion grins over at Ruby Walker. Another challenge passed![break][break]

Ascending to the next floor, Orion frowns thoughtfully at the newest puzzle prevented. It's getting more and more difficult to keep track of his wide array of Pokemon, but he doesn't recall having any particularly sturdy ones in his ranks.[break][break]

It hits him as an afterthought: what he did have was an ICE-TYPE.[break][break]

Weavile lets out a growl as it's sent onto the field; it's one of his more aggressive Pokemon, kept in check by the bond the two shared. It glances over its shoulder at Orion, flexing its claws, and he offers a silent shake of his head.[break][break]

"All you need to do is enjoy the cold, pal."

[break][break][break]

Another floor, another challenge to clear.

This time, Remiel exchanged Taliyah for a pokémon he rarely found himself using: his oddly coloured Frosmoth, Frau Holle. Or Holly, as he called her for short. Placing himself upon his starting position, he freed her from the luxury ball with a toss and watched as minuscule shards of ice fell from her wings like glittering stars. 

When everyone was ready, Remiel sent her forward with a calmly delivered point. "Have a ball, frau." And she did. Quite excitedly, in fact, when she saw the wave of Sheer Cold heading straight for her. With a euphoric and fairy-like chittering, the beautiful moth flew forward to meet the Sheer Cold halfway before twirling around in the air happily as it harmlessly engulfed her.

Ice-type pokémon were immune to Sheer Cold.

Everyone knew this, right?

[attr="class","merkpokesI"]

[attr="class","merktagI"] Remiel Calcifet Orion Lykos Katherine Fairburne