Colossal Cyclizar Attack (Medium)

No sooner that Giyun let out a roar did the sound of squealing tires drown out any attempt at conversation between Alicia and Josh, the Cyclizar screaming toward the Duraludon with a QUICK ATTACK even his reflexes wouldn't let him react to. Josh wanted an easier ride that was still very fast, and was this Pokémon ever fast. It was almost like a living motorcycle. It would be perfect for adapting to the blistering speeds of the Pokémon he truly wanted.

This battle would be nowhere as easy as the one with the Pidgey. Josh's greatest asset, his speed, was useless; without correct timing, his Pokémon's attacks would miss. Not by virtue of there being a miss rate, as miss rates didn't exist in UNOVR, but by virtue of the Cyclizar being out of range of the attack by the time the Pokémon rider could issue the orders. Against most foes, Josh would fight from the saddle.

Not this one.

Giyun's tripping move gave Josh a golden opportunity to put in some real damage. "Not so fast now, are you?!" Ares taunted before inhaling deeply, belching DRAGON BREATH all over the normal-type. The foe's first attempt to get back on its feet was met with STOMPING hooves from Raiden. When the electric horse moved in for a follow-up attack, the Cyclizar's air sacs whirred menacingly, sparks flying from hoof clashing with wheel. Raiden whinnied loudly during the BREAKING SWIPE, the dragon-type tearing into him with air sacs spinning so fast that they looked like featureless discs.

"Arceus... Raiden!" Josh swore, worried for his fastest steed from the heavy hit.

Colossal Cyclizar Attack (Medium)

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^{If Supereffective: +20}

Raiden was fast, but that Cyclizar's air sacs were zoomin'. Surely, even Giyun wouldn't be able to hold the behemoth for long, right? Not with the creature lowering its RAPIDLY SPINNING natural wheels toward the steel-type, grinding away at its scales. The noise made Josh squint, sounding exactly like a car slamming on the brakes, its driver desperately swerving to avoid a head-on collision. "Careful, Alicia! Those wheels are its most powerful weapons!" Josh called out.

With the Cyclizar squirming and focused on Giyun, this was a golden opportunity for Josh to do some real damage. "Ares, stand right at the end of your Dragon Breath's range and let it fire! Raiden, we gotta slow it down!"

"Right!" the Charmander quipped back, a royal blue circle visible on Josh's HUD expanding from the fire-type as a visual indicator of the attack's range. When the line just barely overlapped, he loosed purple DRAGON BREATH upon the trapped Pokémon, Raiden following up with a precise, but weak, THUNDER WAVE. Were the Duraludon to drop its giant foe, whether it be from being wheeled, the force of its rear wheel touching the ground, or from a small bit of friendly fire, it would run over both of Josh's Pokémon faster than either of them could react.

Clearly, catching this normal-type would be only half the battle.

Colossal AoE Attack (Medium)

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^{If Supereffective: +20}

Combat Log> Cyclizar readies Shred.

"Shred? That doesn't sound good," Josh gulped as the dragon-type zipped across the wastes in another wheelie, stopping to screech in place long enough for Josh's Pokémon to get off another volley of strong attacks. This included a dangerous WILD CHARGE as a follow-up to a paralyzing cone of DRAGON BREATH, the Zebstrika trying to give his giant foe a flat with his electrified hooves. It did little to help, the neighing horse's hoof stuck between the Cyclizar's rubber-like air sac and scales above them. Taken for a rough ride that left the horse Pokémon moaning before collapsing, their for briefly went in reverse to dislodge Josh's fallen Pokémon. Once it was free, the action froze around them as a cutscene played out.

The Cyclizar entered a dramatic-looking wheelie, sounding a loud moo as a whirlwind of dust kicked up beneath it. Its wheels were whistling, the Pokémon screeching as it came down from the stunt. In a flash, their foe was on top of Ares, scraping his body with the blurry wheel. With a loud wail, the Charmander glowed a bright white, extending growing arms toward the giant in an effort to shove his enemy off balance enough to free himself.

The young man didn't have time to ponder how Giyun had survived such a crippling blow. They had to fight. If this wasn't even the Cyclizar's finisher, they had to hurry up. And with only one Pokémon left, he wouldn't last long on his own...

Combat Log> Cyclizar readies Breaking Swipe.
Combat Log> Ares readies Dragon Breath.

Josh winced as he saw the two high-speed Dragon-type attacks collide. Were this not a game and the Pokémon real, Josh would have withdrawn the creature from the battle; with the evolution giving Ares barely enough stamina to breathe holy flames upon the Cyclizar, he would have suffered serious injuries that a simple Pokémon Center visit could not fix. This, though, was a game.

And in a video game, the only hit point that matters is the last one.

Though Josh's Charmeleon rushed headlong toward the giant foe in a noble sacrifice, it was that selfless act that assured the rider and Gardener victory. In the last gout of white flames, the Cyclizar's body slowly dissolved, the entire arena shaking until its model disappeared, prompting the game to play a prominent victory fanfare.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Information> You may claim 10 ARENA POINTS or add the defeated CYCLIZAR to your party.
Decision>    Arena Points   ► Cyclizar
Information> Please name your captured CYCLIZAR.

Josh pondered the name of his new Pokémon. "You play much F-Zero? I think I'm gonna name him after an F-Zero driver. Not Falcon, though. But which one?" After mulling over the default list, he settled on Falcon's rival. And no, not the main villain. Someone with more noble of a purpose than Black Shadow.

Decision> Is Goroh okay?    ► Yes     No

Locking in his decision, Josh breathed a deep sigh of relief. "Thanks again, Alicia. See you back here in June? I've got another friend requesting my Arena slot for May."