“Pfft,” she replied, pouting. Granted, she was also a bit dejected that her Z-Move had not quite worked out the way it should, with the robot breaking out and punching the poor Lycanroc in the face, sending it flying back.



It yelped, but it got up again, evidently still able to fight. This was going to be the decisive exchange though, according to the devices. Which meant there was no point in playing it safe at all. “I should embarrass you by insisting on the Pom Poms to make up for this, pfft. Anyway, Accelerock, let’s bring this to a close one way or another.” Evidently, she shifted to ordering her Lycanroc once again in the middle of that.


Which immediately sprang into action, rushing at the robot head-on, somehow evoking the power of rock as it tried to go for a fast head-butt.


ana fell
HP: 1/3
Z-Move used
Using Accelerock

OyM2dwqF

Good. At least they were on the same page in that regard. Assuming the other was as young as she looked – yeah, Lash would be one to talk in that regard if she got that wrong – she had a decent enough spirit for battling. Reminded Lash of herself when she was that age.
Well, when she was that age the first time. Ugh, this was utterly annoying.

Still though, it was a positive spin – even though that pain split sadly did not work out too well. It ultimately needed the Pokemon to still be in fighting shape after the hit, after all. Which it evidently was not, after being hit by the Z-Move.

At least the thingy said so. Though Lash could tell that this was kind of one-sided, sadly. Probably due to the others being rather new to all this. “Phew. Well, Pain Split isn’t a bad idea, but I don’t think it works too well with these vital points. Once you are hit decently good three times, it’s over. Hence, you have to play it aggressively I think. Though luck’s also part of the equation, apparently. Some weird stuff is happening here sometimes.”


Cassandra Kubrick
HP: 3/3
Win

“Uh, well, that isn’t really on me though….I think,” she replied, rubbing the back of her head. “I mean, if you bring it to a fight, you got to expect getting hurt, after all.” At least that was how she saw it. Lyca and her knew that too. That’s why they had taken those scissors to the face, after all. They certainly left deep marks in the stone, with damage being done, but those were not the first markings, nor would they be the last. This was her oldest companion, after all.



And hence, her partner in crime. The bug tried to grab said partner, and it reflexively used Double Team, trying to dodge the attack while seeking to goad the enemy into crashing into one of the leftover Stealth Rocks.



The Z-Move had done plenty of damage. Lucan was leaking olive-green blood like a punctured

onyx straub
HP:1/3
Using Double-Team

JIYLQ3pY

That saw her pushing one arm out in front of her and trying to wave it off while looking away. “Y-you are embarrassing me,” she noted, though she did not quite sound very serious in rejecting this. It was an embarrassing way to do something nice. And since people usually did not do nice things for her, Lash really did not know how to handle this.



Lyca, in the meantime, raised a rocky eyebrow at the weird sounds coming from the mechanical pokemon clearly a bit put off by the grinding. For a Pokemon with hearing much better than what humans had, that hit a little harder by itself. Plus, it was just such an unusual sound to begin with.



Fortunately though, Lash managed to catch herself. “But…if you insist! You better take responsibility, then!” Saying that, Lash grasped her wristband briefly, before striking the Rock Z-Pose. That was kind of embarrassing by itself, but not moreso than than what was already happening. “Lyca, go and show her what we can do!”

With the order given, Lyca howled out loudly. With the energy of the Z-crystal, the power of rock was amplified, allowing her to raise Splintering Stoneshards from the ground and sending a veritable barrage of it at the robot.


ana fell

HP: 2/3
Using Z Move Splintering Stoneshards, +50 to roll

MB2lZYiN

Well, this one would be different. If only because her umbrella was finally seeing some use as a small downpour had begun. It was probably going to clear up again soon though. Today was just that kind overcast, really. It wasn’t all that much of an issue, really.



Only that it was probably going to turn all those Sand Attacks more into little mud-slinging contests. But her Shiny Dusk Forme Lycanroc was ready and on the pitch already. “Hello, Mister. I am Lash, this is Lyca. Probably best if we run this quickly, given the weather.”


Gerald Kaiser
HP: 3/3
Z-Move unused

“Well, I guess this is a good kind of event, then. Lots of quick battles and such. It will keep you on your toes though and if you let up, you probably lose,” Lash pontificated further, already settling into the role of what kids these days called a senpai. She certainly was in many ways, of course. But the other probably would not know about some of them at least.



Hence, she could tell that trying to clear away the dust and rock was an attempt to stabilize the match. Usually a decent course of action. At the same time though…the thingamajinga the organizers had given her indicated that the other’s situation was already very precarious.

Lash briefly debated going easy on this obvious newbie. But that would have been condescending. “Like, when you are behind like this, you don’t have the leisure to work on optimal conditions. Especially not when doing that gives your opponent ample time to set up. I am not going to insult you by not doing what I can to win,” she further added.



Then, she activated her Wristband and struck the Rock-Z pose. In response, energy flowed through Lycanroc which howled even more loudly. Only this time, it did not just set up stealth rock. No, Lash had just ordered her to try and end it with the Splintering Stoneshards that were now summoned up all around, only to then be hurled as projectiles at the poison type.



That would either win her the match, or it would be a great obstacle for this girl to overcome successfully. Either would probably be good in some way.


Cassandra Kubrick
HP: 3/3
Z-Move Gimmick activated in Splintering Stoneshards, +50 pts to the roll

KrMhakCW

“I would say you should take pride in that, but it seems like that ship has sailed,” Lash noted, not entirely sure if that guy was just self depreciative for the sake of entertainment or if he really was that weird. Honestly, what kind of guy was that, even?



However, her attention was pulled away to Lyca seemingly having committed accidental murder. Manslaughter? Pokeslaughter? Honestly, the thoughts of legal ramifications briefly clouded her mind. However, before anything could come from it, the Froakie turned out to not have become a messy puddle on the ground but somehow sprung back up, going straight back to turning a hydro pump of all sorts into some kind of gatling gun. “Uh, try not to squish it again. Or get hit by that, try to get in a Sand Attack!” The Lycanroc would indeed try to kick up sand once again between movements as it was still trying to evade that super effective damage.


CIAN MAHER
hp: 3/3
using Sand Attack
FPT59HNF

“I-I mean it isn’t all that bad when you say it like this,” she replied with a faint blush. It was unfair. Being complimented by a pretty woman like this when she was stuck at this age. Quite unfair indeed.



Ugh. She hated her condition more and more, really. “Most people butcher it though, especially when they only see it written. School was hell for that,” she further added. A bit careless to speak of school as something far in the past, but she did make careless mistakes like that when even a bit flustered.



Fighting though? That she took seriously still. Lyca tried to evade the blind flailing best it could, after all. “Try a Rock Slide at it,” Lash ordered and the dog complied, now kicking up sizable slices of rock to try and throw them at her opponent.


Eva Morales
HP: 3/3
Using Rock Slide

Xco2hBrb

Ah, well, that was to be expected. Lots of hits, but it only counted once. Probably because it was one attack overall. This tournament had rules that still sometimes eluded her, but she was getting a grasp on it.



And she could tell that mega-evolution was probably a bad thing to happen. That big guy was flying right at Lyca, who tried to once more throw a Rock Slide at it by summoning some from below and flinging it at the oncoming bug. “You know, that Mega Evolution looks kind of unhealthy for that one. Does that come with any ill effects?” She was thinking about getting an accessory for that after all. Might as well ask this random guy since he already had one.



onyx straub



HP: 2/3

 Z-Move used
Using Rock Slide

TZrBSB6k

“Eh, you are just saying that. People always say that, never really do,” she replied, trying not to let her frustrations out on some stranger. Heck, she kind of was grateful to her parents in a way. They had at least seen her de-aged form and noted that they did not have the strength to deal with that.



At least that was better than those who gave her pity and nothing else.

Pech. Well, at least they were still fighting rather well. Some of the rocks hit this way, as Lyca tried to evade the leftover energy from a Psycho Cut that went through one of the rocks. As it landed on the ground briefly during that manoeuvre, it kicked up some dirt in a passing Sand Attack, trying to blind the opponent in seeking to set up another move after.



ana fell
HP: 2/3



Z-Move unused

Using Sand Attack

6Czq_JYC

Well, she had drawn first blood, but somehow, that was apparently not enough. Probably because the other had connected first and flung Lyca back a good bit. Honestly, Lash did not quite understand this scoring system. Sometimes seemed as if it was just kind of random, really.



Then again though, that meant no point in being mad or sad about losses.

Then again, again, though, it probably meant one had to boost one’s chances of victory as much as possible.



And since the bug was trying to press its advantage, she figured that this was a prime opportunity to go and participate properly in this as well. Actvitating her wristband and striking the rock pose, she ordered Lycanroc to go all out and howl once more – but this time not to create some obstacles, but rather to raise Splintering Stoneshards and try to assault the bug with those. “I’ll do my best for quickness, then!”


onyx straub

HP: 2/3
Activating Z-Move for 50 points

0HySph49

Well, that sounded convincing. Maybe. Honestly, she did not care about the name, of course, so it was whatever. But she got him to reply at least, so that was something. A small moral victory. Potentially foreshadowing a proper one.



But for now, they had a fight to win. As always, Lycanroc started the encounter by howling, causing jagged rocks to come forth from below, possibly intercepting the charge and preventing to be hit by that bullish strategy. Potentially. They would see. “Ah, well, guess we can take it easy then. These battles are always over in a jiffy anyway.” Made one wonder why they even bothered to clean up the arenas afterwards. Some poor chap probably had to deal with her casually going for the most arena-destructive actions first by default.

onyx straub

HP:3/3

Z-move available
Using Stealth Rock
jsR|cH0C

“I see you’ve got a theme,” she replied, jovially, while Lycanroc disengaged as well. That last one had not worked out too well, but that was part of this tournament too. No matter how much lucky people pretended it was not the case, type matchups were still fairly important. And getting hit by plant-based attacks was never good for rocks.



Still though, her own Pokemon was also quite self-driving, in that way. As was the norm, it would follow up that Stealth Rock with a Rock Slide, aiming at the other while leaving some room to try and get away from the dazzling gleam. “Though moral support is always important. I wouldn’t mind having someone cheer me up.” Or provide any kind of support like that, to be honest. But that was a pipe-dream when one lived a messed-up life such as hers. Heck, she had a hard time making any connections, making adults feel weird if she acted her age but not fitting in with those that actually matched it.



ana fell
HP: 2/3

Z-Move unused
Using Rock Slide

Ond1r4X1