[C/Alicia][PVP] Duel in the Desert

By the time Alicia and her Pokémon arrived, Josh and his trio of Pokémon were roaming about the arena, his Mudsdale kicking up sand in a circle to designate the battleground's bounds. While a circle of zone-marker dots would do that job for them once the match started, having a visual ahead of time wouldn't hurt. Ares the Charmander was perched atop Saber's back, the Manectric howling loudly when he saw Alicia. While the three didn't have any direct words for Josh's friend right away, they certainly would when the match started.

Ares buried one of his hands in Saber's fur and held his tail in the other, whipping it toward one of Alicia's Pokémon as part of an EMBER-filled ride-by attack. That tail might even crack like one, too, with how fast the Manectric's QUICK ATTACK was. Josh was jealous of the Charmander; when was his turn to go so fast?

"Good luck, and may the best trainer win," the noble-sounding horse greeted their friend and rival as the match seemed to be starting with the blitzkrieg Alicia likely knew Josh for.

Blistering speed came at a cost, and that cost was often durability. That was something Giyun was full of, both attacks barely scratching the Duraludon. Just like Ares was using Saber as cover, Tikani was using Giyun as cover. In a way, they were a mount-and-rider team, though more figuratively. Alicia's dragon used Saber's momentum against him in its BREAKING SWIPE, sending the duo sliding back into the Bayleef's speed trap.

Ares let go of his tail, gripping the electric wolf for dear life. The grunting noises the Charmander made were unlike anything Josh had heard from him; his small body simply could not handle the momentum shifts needed to remain in control of the Manectric or himself. A rallying HOWL invigorated them both as the web of vines prevented them from making another such charge again.

Saber had ways to stay on the offensive against clever or slippery foes, too. He had equally fast attacks that could chip away at the Duraludon, including a SHOCK WAVE that sent a wave of hot sand flying at both of them! If that didn't blind Alicia's Pokémon, a layer of superheated SMOKESCREEN enveloping Ares, Saber, and part of the Leech Seed minefield would keep the fire and electric Pokémon out of sight. Were that black smoke to billow higher, it could threaten to burn away the vines completely!

The DRAGON TAIL blindsided Saber, tripping him and catapulting Ares above the now-thinning smoke. If that heated smoke wouldn't bring down Tikani's field of Leech Seeds, then such a wide attack would. Though Saber had withstood the attack, its sheer strength forced him out of bounds and back to his Poké Ball, prompting Josh to select a new party leader before the battle could continue.

Granmarg, the only other Pokémon Josh had entered in the match, galloped toward the thinning mist, ready to trample Giyun with HI HORSEPOWER the moment he could see -- and the Bayleef's venomous spores stopped falling. Ares, helpless in the sky, could not avoid being covered by them. All it took was one whiff for him to feel dizzy and weak. Knowing he was going to fall soon, the Charmander put the rest of his energy into a wide-arc FLAMETHROWER aimed at both of Alicia's Pokémon. It was a powerful attack, but it would leave Ares with barely any stamina. For the rest of the battle, he could only use basic attacks.

The venom from Tikani's POISON POWDER alone was sufficient to exhaust Ares after such a strenuous attack; Alicia Westfield 's team could play defense, just as they had done. After Josh had withdrawn the collapsed Charmander, he hurled Saber's Poké Ball back onto the sands, the already-weak Manectric hobbling into formation alongside the much tougher ground-type.

Josh's reaction time was swift as ever, sighting the construction of a REFLECT screen that he could not afford to fully form. "Saber, QUICK ATTACK!" the riding enthusiast commanded his Manectric, the wolf once again disappearing into a blur in an effort to bring down that barrier before it could fully form.

Whether it was a level advantage or a tactical advantage, Alicia had the upper hand from wire to wire so far, even managing to repel Granmarg's most deadly charge. He had a great retort planned, but could not do so while Saber was around. Instead, the equine about-faced and kicked sharply with his hind legs, the ROCK SMASH aiming to shatter Giyun's reinforced natural armor.

Alicia's smile was not without warrant. Josh had stared Venex down once: the Naganadel they bad barely defeated in the desert. That horrific battle was not far from where they were at now. This time, though, it would be a lot harder. He was on his own, and the Ultra Beast was under a trainer's control. With great speed, the long and bloated FELL STINGER came. Saber reared up high to shield his head from being pierced. Instead, the barb struck his exposed leg. The venom quickly caused it to turn purple, the poison reducing Saber to unconsciousness. The electric-type fainting wasn't the worrying part: it was the small sword symbol and the frighteningly large yellow numbers bouncing in front of Venex's model, signifying the enormous buff.

It would be a one-on-one battle: Granmarg's boundless stamina versus Venex's amazing strength. The most important part for the Mudsdale was avoiding being poisoned. Josh briefly pulled up Granmarg'e battle condition, noting that the horse could likely only use his strongest move one more time. He had to play things safe and bide his time until it was right for him to pounce like a big cat. He circled the Naganadel, waiting for the right moment to deliver a devastating COUNTER!

The trap had been set, the Ultra Beast operating purely by imstinct. Whether by ignorance of their trainer or by the inability to communicate with one another, Alicia had allowed Venex to walk right into the snare the Granmarg had been set. Had the equine not readied a defense against it, the poison-type's gelid venom would have dissolved part of Josh's partner from the inside out. He was prepared, kicking his hard hoof directly into the Naganadel's rear in an effort to shunt the natural weapon back into its abdomen, much like a Beedrill's sting.

Josh gasped at the power behind the sting; it chunked most of Granmarg's stamina, the young man witnessing more damage than he had ever seen dealt in one attack. It looked like the horse was going to buckle at any moment...