[Freeform][C/Morpheus] Rockface Rumble

Morpheus wasn't much of a battler in Pokemon battles, especially with PVP ones. Most of the time, he used super-effective or damaging moves to win important battles so he could move the story forward. The only reason he got through some of the tougher ones such as the infamous Cynthia battle was his friends coaching him in middle school. Despite the help, he didn't feel ready to go competitive in later games.

However, he didn't expect there to be a similar feature in UNOVR nor to get a battle invitation from Shalin Nariya. It was all sudden, so he didn't have time to consult his friend regarding the current meta in all of the games so far. He didn't want to let her wait for long, so he decided to take along his most-used Pokemon so far including one of his new additions before he transported himself to the Arena.

Once there, he dropped his jaw at the sight of a steep canyon in front of him. He didn't want to look at what was below him, feeling one step toward it meant his early white-out from the game (and fulfilling his dreaded nightmare of falling from a building). Thankfully, he saw Shalin on the other side as smiled and waved at his friend. "Hey! Sorry, I'm late. It took a while for me to decide my team," Morpheus greeted. "Just know I'm not much of a competitive player. However, that doesn't mean I won't go easy on you!"

While he felt a hint of butterflies (or Butterfree) in his stomach, he was still an FPS player. Facing another player was enough to overcome it with his confident smirk.

Morpheus flinched as he covered his ears from Shalin's Beedrill buzzing determination. Yet he couldn't help but crack a grin over her Pokemon's readiness to battle. "Looks like we're in the same boat here." He tossed the balls in the air, releasing his Snubbull and Cryogonal in the field. "However, the real question is if one of us could conquer our weakness first. While I did the most damage in the last raid, it doesn't prove I'm a seasoned trainer. I need some battling experience and I'll find out if I deserve them right here! So bring it on!"

Both of his Pokemon nodded with determination. He didn't need their words to confirm their resolution. So he knew what to do next. "Genki, why don't you "Roar" it out to be the loudest around here?"

His Snubbull grinned wildly and when she turned to her opponents, she let out the loudest roar she could ever do. While it was enough to garner their attention, he had another purpose with her Roar.

"Use Night Slash the moment you come out."

That was the order he gave to his Cryogonal before he entered the arena. He doubted it was legal, but they didn't say anything about Pokemon acting out on their own. If anything, Glacies simply remembered it and used the move after that. If he didn't say the attack move at all, there was a chance Shalin's Espeon would notice him spinning around like a shuriken behind them too late.

Morpheus flinched as he witnessed his Snubbull being stung by her Beedrill's stingers. He almost forgot Poison-type moves were super effective against Fairy-types such as Genki. He was surprised she managed to endure it without being poisoned herself. Still, he was also surprised by her Power Swap usage to remove the debuff from her Roar. Guess he almost underestimated the challenge of battling against other players. But he wasn't going down without a fight, not until he knew his strengths and weaknesses.

If he recalled, Beedrill was a Bug/Poison-type Pokemon. So he couldn't use Glacies for any Ice-type super-effective moves and his Snubbull couldn't reach it without getting some assistance with a Flying-type Pokemon canyon arena like this one. But it doesn't mean he was limited to only Ice-types. The only issue was his Espeon. If he wanted to avoid any hiccups thanks to her Psychic-type evolution, He did recall Genki was hit by a Poison Sting twice, so he might use it as an advantage. "Genki, are you okay? Don't say it out loud," he whispered to his Snubbull enough to not let his opponent hear them. "You don't feel sick or anything, right?"

<<Other than some bruises, I'm still okay. Why?>> Genki asked.

Morpheus smirked. "Think you can..." We whispered the plan to his Snubbull, which she nodded in silence. "Alright. Then use Charm on Beedrill!" Then he turned to his Cryogonal next. "And use Ancient Power, Glacies!"

His Ice-type snowflake flew towards the bee Pokemon before it manipulated several loose rocks from the canyon and tossed them with its telekinetic abilities with the said move. After that, Genki stood up and tried to wink at the Beedrill, but she suddenly flinched and fell to her knees. "Crap! Genki, no! You've been poisoned!"

In reality, his Snubbull wasn't really poisoned at all. However, it was up to Shalin to see through his facade. His plan depended on her reaction and he hoped he might be able to pull it off despite his slight bad acting.

Morpheus sheepishly chuckled when Shalin Nariya called him out on his façade. Guess it wouldn't work when there were status indicators, HP bars, and combat logs to track everything. Unfortunately, he was too late again to notice Shalin's next attack as he watched the Beedrill give Genki a Fell Stinger aka a painful injection shot to her "poison". If it wasn't for his Cryogonal, she would have been poisoned for real. Either way, he realized she wasn't fooling around. She might be a newbie in this game, but she was no greenhorn in battling. With her Espeon's Morning Sun healing her party, he needed to find an opening fast.

"You have a good eye, Shalin. I guess my little ploy was a failure from the start," he said to his opponent. "However, I'm not the type to panic or give up like this. I have many ways and let's just say my Cryogonal already gave me a few hints."

The moment he said this, Morpheus pointed behind Espeon and the moment it might turn around, his Ice-type snowflake flew at it like a throwing star and cut through it with Night Slash. "Genki, follow it up with your Scary Face on Glacies's target!"

His Snubbull rushed to the Psychic-type Eeveelution and roared through the pain in her butt as she stuck her tongue out and conjured her face enough to scare it out of its wits for a while. Scary Face greatly decreased Espeon's speed, long enough to stop its support moves to finish off Shalin's Beedrill in the next turn.

He would have mentally sighed in relief that the Scary Face tactic worked. However, it was a double-edged sword as Genki was wide open for Queen Zing's relentless attacks. Unlike the last time she was jabbed by her poisonous stingers, a window finally popped in front of Morpheus.

Your Snubbull has been poisoned.
Your Snubbull is in critical condition.

It wasn't a façade this time. His Support Snubbull was poisoned for real and he had a feeling switching her would prolong the inevitable. At the same time, he noticed her gaze that she wasn't in despair at her precarious situation. In fact, he could tell that she was not going down without a fight and he was willing to fulfill her wish. "Slobber her with Lick, Genki!"

Strange word choice aside, his Fairy-type quickly jumped onto the Beedrill and for the last time, she licked her face several times before the poison took her and the Arena rules forced her back into Morpheus's Poke Ball. However, he wasn't done yet. He didn't forget about Shalin's support and he wasn't going to leave that Espeon alone after his own fainted. "Finish it with one more Night Slash, Glacies!"

<<As you command!>>

His Cryogonal spun to the Psychic-type Eeveelution and in an attempt to knock Shalin's Espeon out of the battle, it used enough force strong enough to hit it. Morpheus was saddened that his only support for this battle was knocked out, but he didn't give up just yet. It has only begun and he knew Shalin had the same thought.

"Good job, Shalin. Not what I expected with Genki, but what can you do? Now I really owe her a walk after this." Morpheus shrugged before taking out another ball. This time, releasing his Celesteela in the field. "This time, you're not the only one who can fly around here!" He then jumped on the Ultra Beast's shoulder. "Ready for your first flight in battle, Kaguya?"

<<As you wish, Master!>>

Morpheus's next gambit worked, but not without sacrifices. While he was surprised how Shalin's Beedrill responded Genki's Lick with a hug, he still had to lose his Snubbull for this battle. However, he sighed in relief to see his Cryogonal also knocking out her support Eeveelution. Yet he was unaware of the trap Shalin Nariya made on his Ice-type snowflake as he turned his focus on her Ultra Beast. He barely knew about the cockroach Pokemon, but he could guess from his thin figure that she might rely on speed. Brute strength wouldn't be enough for this round. He had to play smart if he wanted to catch both Queen Zing and her Ultra Beast.

"Glacies, set up a Reflect," Morpheus ordered.

<<Yes, Master!>> His Cryogonal started to spin its body, creating a pink barrier that enveloped them and his Celesteela.

"And Kaguya, aim your Flash Cannon at those canyons."

<<Will that harm your opponents in a battle like this?>> Kaguya asked in concern.

"Don't worry. I'm not intentionally hurting them with a makeshift rock slide. Just enough to delay their advances on us. I'll tell you to stop if something happens, okay?"

The Steel/Flying-type Ultra Beast hummed in thought for a while. Then without a word, it flew up not too high for Shalin and her Pokemon to see, and with a blast of its Flash Cannon, it drilled through the canyon, causing most of the rocks to fall near their opponents and obscure their flight and ground paths for a while.

It went better than Morpheus had planned. Thanks to his rockslide strategy, Shalin's Beedrill went down and she was forced to switch her with Rumble the Onix. With this, Shalin Nariya only has two Pokemon left in her battle party. So it all came down if he could bring both of them down. However, he couldn't keep his guard down despite having a party advantage. She took advantage of her VR surroundings and there was a chance she would mimic his strategies against him.

That said, her Phermosa quickly took action against his Cryogonal as it took 3 kicks on their face. To his horror, his trusted snowflake fell on the ground and was recalled back into its Poke Ball once its HP reached zero. It seemed like physical defense wasn't Glacies's forte. And because of that relentless attack despite the Reflect going up, he was also down by two Pokemon. However, when her Onix used Trick Room around the field, he noticed his Celesteela started to fly faster when it passed through the affected areas. He wasn't aware of its effects nor its low Speed, but he might take advantage of this unexpected discovery.

"Kaguya, use the Trick Room her Onix set up and use Smack Down once you aim!" His Ultra Beast then started aiming its bamboo toward the humanoid cockroach as Morpheus took out another ball and sent out his Flapple. "Malum, prepare yourself with Dragon Dance."

<<If you say so, Morpheus!>>

His Flapple started dancing around as he was covered in a purple aura. At the same time, Kaguya tried to control its newfound speed as it carefully take aim at the Phermosa until Morpheus shouted, "Now!"

With his signal, Kaguya fired a rock at the speeding Bug/Fighting-type Ultra Beast.