AT A GLACEON PACE [storm]

Sarah adopted a casual battle stance, and sent out a dragon.

Sure, to the untrained eyed it may look like a legless, wingless, fireless snake, but that was a cunning disguise.

"Smother that stench," Sarah commanded, and Dunsparce rolled forward, keeping low to the ground to avoid the gas. He rolled. The slithered. He even dug into the ground and travelled backwards for a bit, all so that he could get close enough to attack without encountering the gas.

"Now, Bernie!" Sarah called, stamping the ground so that he could sense the vibration; the signal to attack.

Bernie drilled up from within the gravel, bursting upwards and slamming into Salazzle drill first. She staggered, poison faltering, and thick droplets of mud began to fall. Sarah smiled. "Bernie didn't just interrupt the attack," she monologued, "he also drilled into an underground mud chamber, releasing the pressure and sending out a spray of dampening goo."

The mud fell like thick, cleansing rain, smothering the poison in the air. "When people stand together for justice," Bernie said eloquently, mud slapping his thick hide, "then we will win!"

Salazzle hissed at Bernie, her tongue unfurling into a string of thin flame. She hissed, tongue cracking and thrashing like a liontamer's whip. With the flame came a different scent. It was headier, filled with musk and worry.

"Oh no. She's calling for help!"

Battling is simple. In fact, all combat is simple: If the enemy can't fight then you win.

And the easiest way to do that in Pokemon is to reduce their HP to zero. It's a simple equation really. Your HP > Their HP = Good + if they are one 0 HP = even goddamn better.

One Salazzle was already in the red (low number), and the other two were in the yellow (not great). Kath had 3 Pokemon in the fight (big number. More HP combined than the Salazzle), and Sarah had one Pokemon already laying into the lizards (reducing their HP further, increasing the health differential). That made the equation easy.

Glaceon + Bulbasaur + Totodile + Dunsparce (+ backup) x 2 trainers + big human brains + medium sized Grookey brain > 3 Salazzle - lots of their HP.

Sarah took in the battlefield, the combatants, and reached the favorable conclusion. The numbers all lined up. Beside her, Dunsparce began to roll, powering up for an attack that would send the Salazzle flying like $2 pins at a back alley bowling...place.

"You take the left, and I'll take the right," she said, grinning as the whir of her Dunsparce reached a fever pitch. The Salazzle were looking worried now, their tongues flicking nervously. "Time to divide and conquer."