Lutgarde's grin seems to deepen as they see Josh raising his hand with the Z-glove - it's time for the showdown! Sylv only seems to share their excitement in part, tensing up as they feel the big move coming. Outspeeding seems impossible - but nothing the Sylveon wouldn't try!

He throws up a Light Screen, but doesn't stay idle - he runs, constantly trying to keep a wave of Light Screens coming, and eventually gaining more and more speed, topping off the combo as he did before. A Quick Attack comes as fast as his legs can carry him.

Josh Devlin
HP: 3/3
djoaE9N_

Sylv can't rest on his laurels for long, seeing as the counter attack is quick to follow. Seeing as he can't put any distance between himself and Rakiri, he throws up an Light Screen, hoping to at least block the brunt of the attack with the sudden light. Then, he goes for yet another Quick Attack, trying to find a spot that he could hit without being torn apart by paws immediately, putting as much force behind it as possible.

Josh Devlin
HP: 3/3
5jM1Yvwg

There's just the vaguest flinch upon facing a poison type from Sylv - he follows Lutgarde anywhere, even if he really could do without the sewers. He's gotten used to it, though ... mostly. At the compliment, though, Lutgarde grins and gives a little courtsy - which is about the most "lady-like" they usually ever get.

"Thanks, it took reaaally long," they laugh, "We wouldn't want it any other way. Let's see what you've got!" They grin, challengingly, as Sylv takes a battle stance, too, with both pairs of eyes fixed on the strange ball in Noah's hands. Nothing they've seen before ... that seems like it'd be fun.

"Quick Attack!" Sylv moves immediately, leaping into action and racing across the field to get the first hit in.

noah faber
HP: 3/3
CuN1EMz8+30 (gimmickless 100)

"Nice move," Lutgarde grins as Sylv shakes off the water, looking slightly irritated - but gladly, the dye is waterproof and doesn't come off. That'd be quite a mess ... "Watch out-" Lutgarde shouts, but the Froakie is already lunging in for a Lick. "Light Screen behind you! And then give it a Draining Kiss!" Sylv moves to follow, hopefully quick enough.

CIAN MAHER
HP: 2/3
YJbfd|8o

Lutgarde and Sylv have a quick lunch after the first round of battles, but they're ready for more! They walk up on the battlefield once more, and it doesn't take long for a battle partner to show up. The black-red dyed Sylveon greets the others with a friendly coo, which is accompanied by Lutgarde's grin.

"Hi there! I'm Lutgarde, and this is my partner Sylv." Sylv's ribbon slowly detaches itself from its usual spot around Lutgarde's wrist, and he steps forward onto the battlefield fully.

"Ready for the battle?"

noah faber

Lutgarde notices that the Beedrill might be sensitive to light, and notes that down - maybe this could come in handy later ... For now, they manage to attack successfully, but it's quickly followed by an attack from another direction - above!

"Quick Attack, get out of there Sylv!" they order, and Sylv hastily tries to run for safety. "And then another Quick Attack to get a hit in!" It's just about the most efficient and trained attack they have, given as it's one of the few damage moves Sylv kept - and even then, it's mostly used to speed up.

Shalin Nariya
HP: 3/3
HnM6e0Ho

"Ohhh, I would love that!" Lutgarde replies, always excited to meet other Sylveons - they have a soft spot for them. Sylv as well, since these are among the pokémon he tends to get along with the best. The starting signal cuts any further planning for future meetings short, however, and they focus on the battle at hand.

The opponent's Beedrill seems to take its time setting up, and Sylv remains calm during that - carefully eyeing their battle partner. "Light Screen!" Lutgarde then shouts out, "And follow with a Quick Attack!" Remain safe from the sped-up attack, and then use the chance to counterstrike was the plan!

Shalin Nariya
HP: 3/3
ZhB__6pu

"Racing, huh?" Lutgarde grins, excited at the prospect of a challenge that they've never done before. "Racing with wheels required, or does aerial also count?" they do wonder - with the latter they have actual experience, but the first ... even as they're more at home in cities, ultimately, they're also a pedestrian.

"Ohhh? That is really good to know," they grin, "I haven't been assigned to a fixed station yet, but I'll probably be in Mauville City officially, too, sometime."

However, chitchat would need to wait for later - right now, the battle is on! And it seems that the electric type pokémon couldn't wait to attack, rushing towards it. "Quick Attack, Sylv!" Lutgarde commands, and Sylv leaps into action immediately, attempting to outspeed the other.

Josh Devlin
HP: 3/3
IQXrgEKa

Lutgarde returns the grin as well, as the battle spirit ignites on the battlefield. Their opponent opens up with duplicating themself, and Sylv is quick on the take, too. "Use Quick Attack to figure out the right one, and then give it your all!" Lutgarde calls to Sylv, and they leap into action almost immediately - almost a bit before the actual command.

He runs quickly, trying to suss out the duplicates before actually hitting them, seeing if there's any emotion ...

CIAN MAHER
HP: 3/3
lwLW37Hc

Lutgarde inclines their head slightly, "A joy to fight against you here, Josh. Where do you have your gym, maybe I'll stop by sometime," they grin, adding, "I'm pretty new here, so sorry for not knowing." Gym Challenges were a fun way, in their opinion, to get to know a city better, see how the vibe's there, so they quite liked doing them when they found the time in-between missions.

"I'm Lutgarde, only a ranger cadet, and this is my partner Sylv; you better not underestimate us, though!" Their black-red dyed Sylveon steps forward with a friendly hum, loosening his ribbon's grasp from Lutgarde's wrist. "Let's have a good battle!"

Josh Devlin

Playfully raised eyebrows are added to Lutgarde's warm smile at the introduction of the other. "Oh? What a joy to battle you today," they grin, doing a short courtsy as they motion for their black-red dyed Sylveon to step forward to the battlefield. "I'm Lutgarde Dijkstra, ranger cadet, and new here in the region. And that's my partner, Sylv!"

They gesture to the Sylveon, which greets their battle opponents with a friendly coo. "Ready to battle?"

Shalin Nariya

"Ollie!" Lutgarde calls out as they see a familiar face amongst the people participating, "and Tofu. You're taking part in the tournament as well?" They walk over with a big grin, their black-red dyed Sylveon Sylv as always with his ribbon wrapped around their wrist. However, they stop a couple of steps before the duo, not approaching fully - already anticipating the battle that'd come, most likely, seeing as they both also have the gear equipped for this tournament.

Sylv coos in greeting, tilting his head ever so slightly.

ollie morales

Lutgarde's taken aback by the straightforward introduction only for a second, before their expression becomes a mirror of the other's, laughing as they reply, "Hey there! I'm Lutgarde, and this is Sylv. And we're not looking to make it easy for you, so let's see what you got!" They give Cian a bit of a challenging smile, before they take a step back.

Their black-red dyed Sylveon's ribbon slowly detangles itself from their wrist, as Sylv also gets into battle position. He's more used to helping pokémon, so he gives the Froakie an encouraging hum.

"Let's get started!"

CIAN MAHER