It was a good move to go ahead and prepare another strike to continue to support a Pokemon that was almost done. Once again the balls of psychic energy disappeared. But it seemed Zachary forgot what happened with Sacred Sword. The dark type attack sliced through the Flamethrower and took down the Delphox. That was one down. While Aegislash was still going strong, he still suffered some damage. And Ace would have to keep an eye out for that Future Sight again. Either way, the crowd was pumped from both Pokemon's display. He figured some expected with to be an easy win for the blonde. But Zach was showing that he was going to make Ace earn his victory. And really, that was all that mattered.

What pissed him off was a nearby and overly loud audience member mocked the newcomer from behind him. At that, Ace turned towards the guy with anger filled amber eyes. "And I dare you to come down here and do better. Zachary made me earn this first rounds win with his combination of creativity, raw power, and tactics. If you can do better against me, then come on down and do better. Otherwise, sit down, shut up, and keep whatever fantasies in your head you fuckin loser." Undeserved arrogance gets to Aaron like no other. With everyone's attention on the audience member, the watcher backed down pretty quickly, making the teenager snort. Turning back towards Zachary, Ace addressed the lad directly. "Apologies. Most audience members keep their opinions to themselves or nowhere near as loudly. Do continue." Even with his projection, his voice stayed monotone. But the compliment was clear...this guy was a challenge. And Ace wanted to see more.

zachary stellar

Ah Dewford. Ace liked the Granite Cave. He'd had some good luck with steel types there. Otherwise...there really wasn't much there aside from undersea shenanigans that have since calmed down and beaches. So it surprised him when he saw that a gym had opened up here. And manned by an Elite 4 member at that. While it wasn't unusual, it was uncommon enough. And the five foot four blonde went for it. He opted for an all steel-type team. And while he didn't have much in the way for special attackers, hopefully this combination of Stealth Rock, switch, Sandstorm and Thunder Wave would work in wearing down whatever came at him. He would have loved to use Skarmary, just for more entry hazard stuff, but also didn't want to appear too reliant on them either.

Aaron hadn't heard much about this gym, either as an Elite Four member or leader. Most he's heard was that the guy was the sheriff of Dewford. Three major responsibilities...well, hopefully the guy didn't stretch himself too thin. Reaching the gym and entering it, he was five minutes early. Checking in, he was led out to the battlefield. Seeing the guy, Aaron bowed politely. "Aaron Toral. Pleasure to meet you, sir." His voice was monotone and expressionless. He didn't know what to expect from this latest challenge. But the guy had to be pretty strong to become an elite four member so quickly.


Michael Navidson


Aggron: Rock Head: Head Smash, Double-Edge, Iron Tail, Ice Punch, Body Press, Stealth Rock



Metagross: Clear Body: Psycho Cut, Meteor Mash, Bullet Punch, Magnet Rise, Hammer Arm, Double Team



Klinklang: Clear Body: Shift Gear, Gear Grind, Sandstorm, Thunder Wave, Trick Room, Giga Impact.

The Slash hit the Delphox, giving him a bit of a shave and decreasing the size of his wand. But it wasn't over yet. Ace could see the burning in the fox's eyes...Blaze. That could complicate things. One wrong move, and it could very well be a one hit knock out. And Dhelmise didn't have a defensive move like Aegislash. Well, at least not a dedicated one. The ghosty sword backed off, just as the Delphox unleashed a devastating Flamethrower. And from above, came the Future Sight, with Zachy boy giving some commentary. A make shift pincer strike. Honestly, the guy could have done better, then at least one of the strikes might actually hit.

"Get low, and King's Shield." The sword sheathing into the shield with an aerial hop and angled slightly upwards allowed the haunted sword and buckler to protect against both attacks at once. A true pincer would have been from opposite directions at once, instead of a right angle. Still, the explosion made him slightly nervious about any damage done. If only because he didn't know if Zach had a second Pokemon in mind for this...and this could make for an easy revenge knock out. "Night Slash. Pattern C." While A was a standard strike in close range, and B was closing in and doing a quick stab, C was more akin to most Sacred Swords. A black blade of dark energy swung horizontally from the smoke. When said smoke cleared to show the ghosty armament, it looked barely scuffed up. One or maybe the combination of both attacks overwhelmed King's Shield somewhat...not bad...not bad at all. More than just tricks, but also had some raw power too...



zachary stellar

Aaron didn't respond to the blue haired teen. Instead, he showed his worth by using Psychic to manipulate the boxes. And quickly too. It was already too confusing to really see...but he knew what the opponent would likely do. A point blank super effective strike. If only because that is what Ace would do. "Focus on the closest ones. He's coming." The blocks swished and struck down the ones that they had sent over, adding to the size of them. But they just waited for the Delphox to make their move. That would be the opportune moment. Then it happened. "Left, Sacred Sword." Blade glowing a brownish orange, but keeping the length the same, the ghost slices upward in that direction, making contact with the flames, but also diverting them to either side.

While it did do some damage, the energy from the Sacred Sword attack mostly protected the haunted blade. And the Delphox was in striking range! "Slash." Aegislash sliced downward at the fox, blade not glowing anymore, and faster than Night Slash. It'd been a while since someone got the first hit on him. And Zachary had been clever as well. But can he keep up with the pace? Ace knew the Future Sight should be coming soon as well...King's Guard was ready for it.


zachary stellar

The Delphox used Magic Room...a very odd attack to say the least. But this one used it creatively. As the fire type used one to jump away, Aegislash hacked the one it just jumped off of in half. It continued to jump higher as the blade sliced the surrounding blocks to pieces, though there still wasn't the wide open space that they liked. No matter..."Iron Head the blocks. Send them to it. Make them crash into each other." Even as the witchy fox used Future Sight, Ace knew it was only preparing and foreseeing an attack. It wasn't going to hit...yet. Timing would be key on dealing with that one. Until then, the pommel and grip of the sword glowed silvery white, and started to head butt the blocks all towards the Delphox and the platform it was on in the hopes of putting all of them in one spot.

The first group was fast and easy enough to send flying without interruption. But the second group would allow Delphox to counter or attack. Aaron didn't like wasting King's Shield, and even on his other pokemon, had become adept at using offensive moves defensively. It was just a matter of how the Delphox, and Zachary, was going to strike when the opportunity presented itself.



zachary stellar

"Aaron Toral." Was the bland, stoic, and monotone reply to the energetic guy's introduction. Ace didn't bother with anything else. He just wasn't that type of guy. What was interesting was the selection of the Delphox that was by the guy's side. Both had advantages over each other, same with his next Pokemon, Dhelmise. While most Aegislash strategies were predictable, they were exceptionally powerful, even if you know what's coming. Delphox were strong special attackers, generally speaking...mirrioring the ancient notion of a witch or sorcorer. The announcer did their job, declaring Delphox vs Aegislash, Battle Begin! Of course in the most dramatic way possible.

With the battle beginning, Ace put on the first move. "Night Slash, pattern B." Immediately shifting to attack stance, the sword and shield Pokemon zoomed around the battlefield in a zigzag pattern, before swiftly darting up and stabbing down with dark blades. He hoped to give the Delphox a tough target to hit on the opening strike, but he'll see how tricky this guy made his little witch out to be.

battle music, because why not

zachary stellar

Ace waited at the campsite inside the Border. He was waiting for a partner to show up to explore up ahead some more, cateloging more phenomenon. Armed with a Dhelmise, Dusknoir, Aegislash, Gengar, Chandelure, and Drifblim, he was anxious to get started. He learned a bit about Avatars last time, and that there were some massively pissed off and restless souls of legends here. What a way to test one's strength. While it may have been the cleanse tag that ultimately made the Moltres run away, the Avatar throwing ice in its' face, along with his own Dragapult, were both doing some work. The five foot four blonde was really looking forward to this. His partner, he didn't know anything about. And hoped that the guy wouldn't underestimate him. That didn't happen last time either, but just because he was kid didn't mean that he was weak.

When his partner came by, Aaron couldn't help but stare. First of all, the man was quite possibly the buffest man he had ever seen. Matias had nothing on this dude, and he'd only seen that one on TV. Secondly...wasn't this guy a former Elite 4 member? Of course, he couldn't remember the name right off hand. Nevertheless, he gave a polite and respectful bow. "Aaron Toral. I'm your partner for the day." While he was stoic and monotone, he also couldn't help but think this trip might be a bit on the boring side. With such a strong trainer with him...any and all obstacles would be a cake walk...right?



Kazimir Wynter

Promps: 14 engage in battle with the vengeful and vestigial spirit of moltres or victini.

21 encounter soulmarchers, marching parades of warrior spirits (pokemon or human) with feet that do not grace the ground.

26 encounter/engage with a gargantuan golurk with a bloody spiked shield on its back. when it finds lost spirits, it grabs them to impale on its spike, cleaning the border of stubborn souls.

29 encounter shadowy copies of yourselves or your pokemon that mimic movement, form, and more.

For Kaz only:

🗺️ SPECIAL HUNT: your character(s) will now be able to encounter and catch a MARSHADOW. you must be able to defeat or prove to the marshadow that you are worthy of training them, but this will be no easy task. they quickly learn you and your pokemon's movements, able to mimic their movements by analyzing or hiding in their shadows.

Ah the Battle Hut! Nestled in a seedy part of Slateport, but this one was at least legal. Ace figured there were probably a good amount of illegal ones abound, but that was for the League to root out. Assuming they had the personal. The five foot four blonde was no stranger to this particular one. Actually, he was a very familiar face to most of the crowd. Once word hit that he had registered for a match, he could hear the buzz. Betting most likely...on him winning. He had an extremely solid record here, with some opponents giving him trouble. But he still won most of his matches. Once his ticket came up, he saw who his opponent was. Some no name newbie. Well, hopefully he'll be a challenge. Guy was another teenager, a literal unknown.

Once it was their turn, Ace got up and walked to his side of the entry way, leading him out into the battle arena. As the announcer introduced him as a veteran of the arena with the best record there for the night, his opponent was then introduced. With a polite and respectful bow, he took out a pokeball, and threw it. Aegislash was released. Poor thing had been neglected in the battle part, so Ace decided to bring it out for once. Well trained, but not well tested...hopefully this Zachary guy will provide the challenge necessary in this 2v2 match.


zachary stellar

character tag: Aaron Toral[break]
format: 3 v 3 Singles[break]
augmented traditional?: yes[break]
pokemon: Aggron: Rock Head: Head Smash, Double-Edge, Iron Tail, Ice Punch, Body Press, Stealth Rock

Metagross: Clear Body: Psycho Cut, Meteor Mash, Bullet Punch, Magnet Rise, Hammer Arm, Double Team

Klinklang: Clear Body: Shift Gear, Gear Grind, Sandstorm, Thunder Wave, Trick Room, Giga Impact.

If it weren't for his Jellicent's power, Ace might have been crushed against the waves. He had been in the area for one part training and part just trying to enjoy some swimming fun. Yes, he was well aware that it was winter, but he also had a consistant source of heat should he need it. And the water wasn't too bad. It was during this training, and an accidental slip, that he had found a group of Luvdisc that was trapped. He was no ranger, but even he knew that if the tide gave out, they'd be in trouble. The small blonde patrolled around at the top, trying to find a way for them to get out. From the looks of things, some rocks had collapsed, locking them in.

Normally, Aaron would have opted for a brute force option and just blow the opening apart again. But looking around, the rubble was also sort of holding up more rocks. Larger ones. He was afraid that if they just blew a hole apart, they'd just collapse more of the area, substantially bigger and tougher to move. Even his combination of Pokemon would find it tough, particularly with a lack of footholds. The blonde only hoped that a ranger was already en route or nearby, and that he wasn't the only one that saw them. He didn't have his cell phone around, so he couldn't report it...


Galayne Valois

The man was professional. Ace expected that...Fernado was many things, once a Council member, CEO, and who knows what else. Still, it also excited him that the man wanted to see what he could do as well. The first Pokemon the man sent was a Rhydon. Lightning Rod would be a troublesome thing to deal with, assuming it had it. The problem was the unknown Pokemon the guy sent out. Taking out his Pokedex, Aaron identified it as a Spectrier, a ghost-type Pokemon. That...was one he needed to get in his team. Both of Fernado's Pokemon were ready, and as soon as it was a go, Aaron started his opening gambit.

"Flash Cannon that Rhydon. Dragapult, Dragon Dance." It was a slight deviation, but best to take out that Rhydon as soon as possible so he could use Zap Cannon. The Kanto Pokemon's defenses were notoriously good, and hit hard. That one he knew some about. The Spectrier was a mystery to him. If he could paralyze it, it would give him a distict advantage. The speed and power boost from the Dragon Dance was sure to come in handy. Magnazone fired off a silver-white ball of energy that was Flash Cannon while Dragapult danced with a brownish-maroon aura around her, slinking her way closer to the rock-ground type. He kept an eye on the ghost horse. Ace hated not knowing at least the basic capabilities of the species, but there was little to do besides react when it made its move.


FERNANDO SILPH

Aaron walked into the gym, for the first time in a while, actually a little nervous. Gyms were supposed to be tough, true, but the Silph badge was supposed to be one of the toughest out there to get here in Hoenn. That also made him excited. With five badges in tow, this would be his sixth. Two more to go if he earned it. This was Dragapult's first time in a gym setting, but not Magnezone's first rodeo. He hoped his strategy worked out. The man wasn't a type or theme specialist, so he wasn't predictable at all. 

He was led out into the battlefield. With a respectful bow, the five foot four blond introduced himself. "I'm Aaron Toral. Pleasure to meet you." His normally monotone voice shook with both nerviousness and excitement. The guy already knew what Pokemon Aaron was going to bring, so might as well get to it. Taking out two Pokeballs, he released Dragapult and Magnezone, both of whom gave off an impressive aura. They were well trained. But it would be enough for this test of power?



FERNANDO SILPH

character tag: Aaron Toral[break]
format: Traditional, 2v2 doubles (has 5 badges)[break]
pokemon: Magnezone: Sturdy: Flash Cannon, Lock-On, Zap Cannon, Thunderbolt, Tri Attack, Steel Beam

Dragapult: Infiltrator: Dragon Darts, Phantom Force, Steel Wing, U-Turn, Dragon Dance, Protect