No matter how fast the Dragonite flew, he didn’t stand a chance against Zeraora.
[break][break]
It really pissed him off, but that’s just the way the poffin crumbles, no?
[break][break]
At what could have almost been called the literal speed of light, the race came to an end, Zeraora earning a sweet victory for both Balder and his teammates.
[break][break]
”Damn, good job out there. That was fun!” Vic praised, ever enthusiastic, his enjoyment of the challenge untainted by the fact that his team had lost it.
[break][break]
The same could not be said for some of his pokémon, but they were soon safely back in their pokéballs!



[BREAK][BREAK]

+ Balder Schwartz

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Facts! Well, Greninja’s perfectly forged ankles are safe… for now.
[break][break]
The race had to keep on going, and seeing the Cinderace using kicks to cover distance, the Dragapult gave a small nod of acknowledgement before teleporting like the lazy pokémon he was. No physical effort here, nope!
[break][break]
He did put the effort to smack the Dragonite with his tail when reaching him though, but the Dragonite had other things in mind, since it was still peeved about the Zeraora.
[break][break]
What did he do?
[break][break]
He made a HURRICANE rise. Riding the winds forward and hoping maybe it would confuse his opponent.
[break][break]
Spoiler alert: it probably wouldn’t.



[BREAK][BREAK]

+ Balder Schwartz

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Extreme Speed, man…
[break][break]
Wild move.
[break][break]
They weren’t all that caught up; the Arcanine was still behind, quite literally trying to bite at the ankles (Did it even have those?) of the Greninja.
[break][break]
But Dragapult came next, and Vic’s Dragapult came with ghostly teleporting incorporated! Pass the baton and PHANTOM FORCE away!
[break][break]
He appeared and disappeared from sight, and despite the excitement of the race, he looked like he really wanted to go take a nap. That’s just the way the Dragapult was, alright?



[BREAK][BREAK]

+ Balder Schwartz

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Vic’s team had friendship and a complicated dynamic that made things more fun, thank you very much!
[break][break]
The Dragonite was obviously no match for Zeraora and that pissed him off, but there was nothing much he could do at that point, so he kept rushing forward, swearing to have his revenge when the next round came along!
[break][break]
The baton was passed to the Arcanine, and at least the Arcanine sure was fast. While still boosted by AGILITY, he attempted to catch up to their opponents by using EXTREME SPEED... and maybe even give them a good smack while at it!


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ Balder Schwartz

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

They lost.
[break][break]
It wasn’t by a lot, and Vic was happy with that, even if Pez may not have been as much. But it had been a fun race, and that was what mattered to the pink-haired man – a bright smile illuminating his expression when they crossed the finish line and were back on land.
[break][break]
Thank Arceus they were back on land.
[break][break]
He felt a little wobbly when jumping down from the Dragonite’s back, but he steadied himself, Amor’s greeting being met with a handshake. ”Yeah, man, it was fun! You two did great!”
[break][break]
Then, upon saying this, he looked back towards the aerial race track, where their competitors still struggled with the raging storm the dragons had created. His smile faded.
[break][break]
”Uhmm… You think they might need some help?”


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ Amor Rose | Quickie, sorry!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

”Oh, hell yeah!” Vic interlocks pinky fingers with hers, giving them a shake for good measure. A proper pinky promise. One he decides at that very moment he will not dare break, even if the raging fires of Mt. Chimney try to get in the way. So help me Arceus, Vic and Eris will play soccer one day!
[break][break]
On this day though…
[break][break]
On this day they continued to limbo.
[break][break]
He laughs at her words, trying to imagine the scene being described by the girl. ”Really? I can’t imagine what he must look like when he’s spooked, that sounds hilarious!... And I saw it, yeah, but there was a lot of ice everywhere, so I didn’t see it properly, you know? Shame, huh? But hey, maybe he’d let you see Articuno if you ask really really nicely.” Dark days await Laurence Anderson, here’s to hoping he has some way to deal with the headache that is likely to come his way.
[break][break]
As for the limbo dancing part of all this…
[break][break]
It seems like this is the end for Vic.
[break][break]
He goes low, really low, so low he’s sure he heard his back making a painful sound, while it’s also difficult to maintain balance. But, this time the Bagon is not fast enough to stop the Cinccino, and the bar falls on him, making him hit the sand. ”Oh... Mmm... Guess that makes it your win, Eris!” He laughs, and honestly, he’d probably need to stay right there for a little while...
[break][break]
His poor back...


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ Eris Halla | ERIS WINS!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Thanks to the totally legal move and not at all cheating that was PHANTOM FORCE’s teleportation, they had managed to gain a slight lead, but when the baton was passed from dragon to dragon, the Dragonite scoffed as if unimpressed with his teammate’s performance. In turn, the Dragapult blew a raspberry at him.
[break][break][break]
Call that five seconds wasted for stupid reasons.
[break][break]
Five seconds that the Dragonite intended to make up for the moment he turned, spreading his wings and rising in the air with the acrobatics of a DRAGON DANCE. Then, he rushed forward.


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ Balder Schwartz

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

Excuse my French, but…
[break][break]
FUCK YOU, DANNY.
[break][break]
...Is what Vic would have said, if Vic were an even slightly bitter person. But, no, instead it goes something like this:
[break][break]
”Oh… fuck.” As in ‘Fuck, I can’t believe you just did that’ and ‘Fuck, that fucking hurts’.
[break][break]
Point blank paintball pellets are no joke, and those are definitely going to leave some bruises once HST ends.
[break][break]
And yet, Vic laughs after stumbling from the impact, because of course finds reason to laugh even in this situation. ”Good one! Guess it’s your game, huh?” And so, with a grin, he helps Danny up.
[break][break]
Guess Danny may be made to go over to Team Rocket after all, huh?



[BREAK][BREAK]

+ DANNY HALL | DANNY WINS

Well, shit.
[break][break]
Luckily for Danny, unluckily for Vic, the latter is too much of a good guy to let some kid he just met get crushed by the weight of their pokémon while playing paintball.
[break][break]
He immediately forgets all about the game, rushing to help Danny.
[break][break]
”Woah, Nougat, hey. Off, buddy.” And so Nougat does, Grimmsnarl on his back.
[break][break]
”Hey, you okay?” He offers Danny a hand, making him an easy target.
[break][break]
But, can Danny let his inner Rocket shine and pull the asshole move here?


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ DANNY HALL

Maybe Danny shouldn’t be going under ugly pokémon, then this wouldn’t be a problem.
[break][break]
Either way…
[break][break]
Damn, those paintball shots hurt! Would that leave some bruises? Maybe!
[break][break]
Not like Vic cares about all that though, and he can’t help but laugh: ducking down, moving to his right, but then shooting at Danny one more time.
[break][break]
”Nougat, give Danny some love.”
[break][break]
Just like that, the giant dog’s attention is now on Danny instead of his pokémon, attempting to lick him too.


[BREAK][BREAK]

+ DANNY HALL

Yeah, yeah, Draco thought he was top shit, and let’s be honest… Pez thought the same about himself.
[break][break]
Pez was here to fly and have a good time though, and these Water Pulses? They were actually pretty fun to dodge! He didn’t get to dodge all of them, mind you, but dashing about through the skies was the Dragonite’s game, and he was damn good at it too.
[break][break]
It did slow him down because of all the maneuvering involved, but that’s alright. They were still in this race, and he wasn’t about to let the other Dragonite get ahead.
[break][break]
Guess was time for a third DRAGON DANCE, huh?
[break][break]
And Vic? All Vic could do was hold on tight.

[BREAK][BREAK]

+ Amor Rose | Quickie, sorry!

[attr="class","pokeclass"]

I said what I said!
[break][break]
Is Danny’s existence just one endless Sasuke cosplay? Vic would totally wonder if he likes the character a lot of something, but Vic is no weeb who spends the day watching anime.
[break][break]
Nah, he’s too busy doing things like running around with his Arcanine and playing some paintball. Although this sure is a weird turn of events...
[break][break]
How does one get past a fiend of a Grimmsnarl?”
[break][break]
The answer is simple…
[break][break]
He jumps down from the Arcanine’s back. ”Nougat, go!” And, with these words, the pokémon runs towards the Grimmsnarl at top speed, all 160 kgs of its weight being used to tackle it down to the ground in order to give a big ol’ lick to its fiendish face.
[break][break]
Vic shoots at Danny then.




[BREAK][BREAK]

+ DANNY HALL

I REFUSE. They deserve better than to fight Danny’s fiend of a Grimmsnarl.
[break][break]
Vic ducks down against the Arcanine’s soft, comfortable, fluffy back in order to avoid Danny’s attack, and whistling once, he causes the pokémon to come to a sudden halt for long enough for him to shoot right back at Danny and his pokémon about five times. Then, Arcanine is moving once more.
[break][break]
”Come on, Danny! You’re gonna have to do better than that!”



[BREAK][BREAK]

+ DANNY HALL