“Yeah, I don’t want to hear complaints from the guy whose nipples aren’t about to fall off,” Kazuki hisses, arms wrapped around his bare chest, his entire body wracked with shivers. He knew the arena would be cold—it’s a fucking ice field—but he’d been betting his old Kindler class would still apply. He’s not sure if it does, but it’s doing him no favors regardless.

<We’re fighting that?> Combusken points, looking past their ice floe to the massive Glaceon looming above them. The creature stares unblinkingly for a moment, only to suddenly shoot.

Large hunks of icy spears come raining down on them. Combusken and Pignite brace for the attack as best as they can alongside Kazuki, all three dropping down to the ice. Kazuki hears Kitten’s yelp and a thump nearby, blinking over his shoulder to see Verai already on the ground.

Kazuki chuckles despite the rain of ice knives and calls out: “You’re the one who wanted the cat, remember?”

Verai’s team takes the first move. He recognizes Verai winding up for an attack and waves his team down to stand by. The less obstructions on the field, the easier it’ll be, since the armorer has yet to fully grasp his new senses.

And then Kitten leads the charge with an unholy scream. Combusken and Pignite stare, slack-jawed, as the tiny cat proceeds to initiate a near-flawless flying kick despite being quadrupedal. It’s strong enough to jar the towering Glaceon, its massive paws scraping against the ice. They look back to Kazuki, who shrugs as if saying Yeah, she’s just like that.

Verai finally takes his swing, jabbing straight into the Glaceon, whose attention is ripped away from the rest of the field. Opportunity.

Before he can call out the order though, Verai’s last cat turns to him. His eerie eyes glow, dragging some kind of light ribbon from Verai’s armor and weaving it over his handwraps. When he clenches his fists, he feels imbued with power.

Kazuki grimaces. “You are so damn creepy. I do not regret getting rid of mine.” He refers, of course, to the espeon he had pawned off for Pignite, whose ear twitches at the sound of this conversation.

Kazuki punches his palm. “Our turn! Chick, follow my lead. Pig- the front leg- make it fall!”

Combusken and Pignite roar in agreement. All three surge forwards, sprinting over the snow. The Glaceon howls, still shaking its body in an attempt to dislodge the sword.

The first to pull away is Pignite. With heavy steps pocking the snow, he reaches the Glaceon’s left foreleg, reeling back his fists. Steam puffs out of his nose before he lets loose a flurry of open-palmed ARM THRUSTS.

The Glaceon lets out another loud cry, sweeping down to try and capture Pignite in its jaws. The slam of its heavy paw causes the floe to crack, Kazuki using the shattering ice to launch himself in the air. His arm is glowing, covered in sweeping ribbons of fire, much brighter than they usually would. He aims the FIRE PUNCH between its eyes.

Combusken follows suit, kicking off the ground and getting a much higher elevation. Airborne, above the Glaceon’s head, she twists, slamming a DOUBLE KICK on its cranium.

GLACEON used ICE SHARD on Pignite, Kazuki, and Combusken!
la_8cPpn2d30

PIGNITE used ARM THRUST!
1d150+40
[(10) rare + (20) super effective + (10) subclass bonuses]

KAZUKI used FIRE PUNCH!
4d20+200
[(15) very rare + (20) super effective + (10) buff from Sphinx + (5) prompt bonus]
x2 RECOIL (530)

COMBUSKEN used DOUBLE KICK!
4d20+160
[(10) rare + (20) super effective + (10) subclass bonuses]
x2 RECOIL (378)

Team Stats
Pignite: 456/500
-34 from glaceon
-10 from exhaustion

Kazuki (Black Belt): 102/250
-68 from glaceon (x2 from RECOIL)
-80 from exhaustion

Combusken: 102/250
-68 from glaceon (x2 from RECOIL)
-80 from exhaustion

GLACEON: -397/800