Inner Focus Training Arena

[Flyg0n]

Noro and Alakazam worked their way past the other training rooms, a few who had anxious or determined trainers pracitcing, probably anticipating the next attack. Trying to prepare. He passed all the rooms, hoping to avoid any trainers. He'd already had a few practice battles, but he found himself bored in the end. Beside's, he wanted to practice a new moveset. Being prepared never hurt.

And he needed to work off some of his anger. He was getting tired of the dirty looks and whispering behind his back every time he went anywhere with Alakazam.

To his dismay, he found his preferred training room occupied by... someone dancing?!

Alakazam pulsed briefly with confusion and disdain. "I respect the skill, but I fail to see why any trainer would be using the arena for this." He commented privately to Noro.

Noro rolled his eyes and took a step into the arena. "Hey," he called irritably. "Are you almost done or are you actually going to train?"

 

[Hanafuda]

A few moments after Noro and Alakazam entered, Zack and Jack flew in.

“Man, where were the dummies again?” the Pidgeotto asked more to himself as he surveyed the room he and his friend were in. He gasped after seeing the familiar people below. “Your Maje—I mean… O…” He looked away, trying to remember the name. “Odie? No, that’s a guy name…”

“Odette,” Jack told the Pidgeotto with a look of disbelief.

“Odette, yeah!” Zack looked back down, smiling at her dance. “You rockin’ with those moves, baby!”

The Farfetch’d looked down as well, noticing Noro and his Pokémon beside him. There was a bit of shock in his voice. “Alakazam? I didn’t expect to see you again so soon!”

 

[Seren]

She eyed Kimiko, sitting nearby on one of the observer benches, with a thoughtful shine in her eyes. "I actually don't turn that often in the routines my team does, but I like to stay on top of my technique for the outside stuff we do." She dropped down to her elbows and began to thumb her chin. "Though, I should be a responsible person and practice what I already know if this season's routine. I bet they fucking finished it already, so I'm gonna have to play catch up..."

Kimiko clapped enthusiastically when Odette finished her routine. Beside her, Olivia lay curled up, but her tail flicked occasionally as she watched. "Looked impressive from where I'm sitting! You really know your stuff! How the hell are you even doing that?" she called out, watching Odette so close to the ground with awe. "I thought I was flexible, but... ouch!"

"We should probably figure out a game plan while there's nobody else around," she said in a borderline whisper. The entire arena stood empty, undoubtedly because everyone was still down at the cove. "Maybe go back to the dorms for extra safety..." Wire taps were definitely still a thing. Though, who's to say there weren't wire taps in her room?

She wasn't sure if this was directed at her or not, but she nodded anyway. If Odette had any ideas on how to keep themselves and each other safe, she was willing to listen. Olivia could only do so much in watching her room all night, and Kimiko didn't want to keep asking that of her for the next several weeks.

As Odette began to spin around, Odile rolled into the arena from one of the side entrances. Without a word, she tumbled up to her vessel, and began to roll around her in the opposite direction she was spinning.

"̷L̷o̶o̷o̵o̸o̶o̸o̵o̴o̸o̷k̷ ̷w̷e̷'̶r̴e̸ ̶s̴p̷i̵r̵a̴l̶i̵n̵g̸ ̴o̸u̵t̸ ̸o̴f̸ ̵c̴o̶n̴t̶r̷o̶o̵o̶o̸o̷l̶l̵l̷l̴,̵"̴ she droned on.

That was the end of that line of thought, however, as the Demon Tumbleweed rolled into the arena. Kimiko stifled a giggle. There must never be a dull moment in Odette's life with Odile around. She was also pleased to note that, it seemed the more she was in close proximity, the less the knot in her stomach bothered her. She doubted it was evidence of her own control improving. She'd barely been attempting up to this point, for one thing. Rather, it was more likely she was just becoming used to her presence. Either way, she considered it a win.

Noro rolled his eyes and took a step into the arena. "Hey," he called irritably. "Are you almost done or are you actually going to train?"

Kimiko looked up at the voice, and... oh. This kid again. Well, if he wanted to train, she'd be happy to take him down a notch or two; a feeling Olivia appeared to share. The espeon's eyes narrowed as she sat up, tail swishing in irritation.

“Man, where were the dummies again?” the Pidgeotto asked more to himself as he surveyed the room he and his friend were in. He gasped after seeing the familiar people below. “Your Maje—I mean… O…” He looked away, trying to remember the name. “Odie? No, that’s a guy name…”

“Odette,” Jack told the Pidgeotto with a look of disbelief.

“Odette, yeah!” Zack looked back down, smiling at her dance. “You rockin’ with those moves, baby!”

"Easy," Kimiko warned before Olivia took off on her own to harass the alakazam. But before she could continue, Noro was followed by the two humanoid birds, and suddenly the room was a little loud. Odette hadn't been kidding about these two. "Hey, d'you mind?" she called out, pointedly addressing all four newcomers. "This room's occupied. There's plenty of other empty training rooms."

 

[Hanafuda]

"Hey, d'you mind?" she called out, pointedly addressing all four newcomers. "This room's occupied. There's plenty of other empty training rooms."

“Sorry, we got lost!” Zack chirped at Kimiko, giving a sheepish smile. He landed softly onto her head, sitting down. “You don’t mind, right? I just want a good view of the smackdown the prick’s gonna get.”

“Hope Alakazam doesn’t get killed, knowing he’s most likely gonna deal with a Legend,” Jack said as he sat down a few seats near Kimiko and Olivia.

 

[Seren]

“Sorry, we got lost!” Zack chirped at Kimiko, giving a sheepish smile. He landed softly onto her head, sitting down. “You don’t mind, right? I just want a good view of the smackdown the prick’s gonna get.”

“Hope Alakazam doesn’t get killed, knowing he’s most likely gonna deal with a Legend,” Jack said as he sat down a few seats near Kimiko and Olivia.

Kimiko swatted at the bird on her head with a hand. "Hey! Do you mind? You're messing up my hair! Haven't you ever heard of 'personal space'? Go join your friend over there and get outta my bubble, if you please."

 

[Hanafuda]

Zack flapped his wings as he moved away from Kimiko, sitting beside Jack. “Wait, don’t tell me you can hear us, too,” he said, suspicious. “Is it the Espeon that’s helpin’ ya?”

 

[Sinderella]

Noro rolled his eyes and took a step into the arena. "Hey," he called irritably. "Are you almost done or are you actually going to train?"

Well, whoever had decided to barge their fucking way in here was in for a beating, especially with that tone of voice. Just for that, she didn't bother to stop her turns until she naturally slowed down, after which she lowered herself off her toes and looked toward the intruder. She wasn't sure who she was expecting, but it wasn't the guy with the Alakazam. She didn't let her alarm or irritation show on her face, and instead kept her expression neutral.

"I mean, I am training," she said. "No rules against using these floors to practice my own technique, yeah?"

Who the fuck did this guy think he was? Barging his way in here when it was clearly occupied? Were the other rooms already full? Had everyone already dispersed out of the cove? Shit...

However, she ran through his words again. He was clearly here to train. He was a battler. Just from the tone of his voice, he sounded like a cocky motherfucker too; he looked like the type. That Alakazam of his had to be at least somewhat powerful. Powerful enough to perhaps have a hand in whatever the fuck was going on? Yellow psychic types were still the suspect here, and judging by the way he'd been looking to bolt at the cove, he must have known that. From what she'd heard through Kimiko and Gladion, he'd also been a hard person to talk to in general. Same with the Alakazam.

An inkling of an idea began to form in the back of her head.

A psychic type would have a very difficult time against a blood type. Especially when they likely didn't know what a blood type was.

If he really was as cocky as he sounded, perhaps knocking him down a notch would loosen him up. Same with the Alakazam. The apple didn't fall too far from the tree usually.

She sighed and pressed a hand into her forehead. "Pardon me for wanting to blow off some steam myself, there's not many other ways to do so on this island," she groused.

No sooner had she spoken did she feel something bump her leg. The telltale sound of flapping followed, and she looked up to see Odile hovering at her side.



"̴W̸h̸a̴t̵ ̵i̵s̵ ̴t̷h̷i̵s̶ ̸p̴l̸a̷c̷e̷ ̶n̴o̶t̷ ̷f̸u̶c̸k̵i̵n̴'̸ ̶b̷i̴g̴ ̴e̷n̷o̴u̴g̵h̸ ̴f̸o̶r̷ ̵y̴o̴u̸ ̶t̵o̶ ̶f̵i̸n̶d̸ ̵a̵n̴o̴t̴h̸e̸r̵ ̶p̷l̴a̷c̸e̸ ̴t̵o̸ ̵p̸r̶a̶c̷t̴i̸c̸e̶ ̷y̶o̶u̵r̷ ̵q̸u̴i̷c̶k̶ ̸a̶t̵t̴a̸c̴k̶?̶"̴ she taunted. "̴W̶e̴ ̶w̴e̶r̶e̴ ̷p̸l̴a̵n̴n̴i̸n̸g̶ ̶t̸o̷ ̴b̸l̴o̸w̵ ̷s̴h̸i̵t̷ ̶u̶p̷ ̷i̴n̷ ̸h̶e̷r̸e̸,̵ ̷s̷o̶ ̸m̶a̶y̵b̶e̶ ̶b̸u̴z̸z̸ ̴o̷f̷f̷ ̷a̶ ̸l̵i̸t̵t̷l̵e̵ ̸b̵i̸t̶.̶"̵


"No, no, it's fine, no need to tell fibs," Odette sighed. "What exactly are we blowing up in here besides dummies? Nobody wants to battle here anyway, so I'm best off putting these floors to use in some other way. But if they're going to use it how it's meant to be used, I can't stop them."


Odile's eyes went wide, and she very quickly turned her head toward Odette. The latter's face did not budge.

Oh.

Oh. She got it. She fucking got it.

Man. Odette was diabolical sometimes. She loved it so damn much.

She suddenly wasn't very tired anymore.

"̴Y̵e̸a̷h̴ ̴I̶'̶m̴ ̵w̷o̸r̴k̵i̶n̸g̶ ̴o̵n̷ ̴m̸y̴ ̵f̷u̵c̴k̴i̷n̶g̵ ̸q̶u̶i̶c̴k̴ ̷a̴t̴t̴a̸c̸k̸,̸ ̵b̴u̷t̵ ̶t̴h̵i̴s̴ ̴s̴h̴i̴t̸'̴s̶ ̸m̶a̶d̶ ̶l̴a̷m̵e̵.̶ I̸ ̵b̷e̴t̷ ̷I̴'̸d̶ ̷g̵e̷t̴ ̵m̶o̷r̸e̴ ̴o̵u̶t̷ ̶o̷f̷ ̷f̷u̸c̶k̸i̸n̶g̴ ̷a̷r̸o̶u̶n̴d̴ ̸i̷n̵ ̸t̷h̴e̵ ̵m̶a̶r̴s̸h̴.̵"̸


Enora watched the two of them from the bleachers, wondering just what on Earth they were going on about. Blowing stuff up? Training? What on--

Oh. She was rather quick to put two and two together. This was that Alakazam trainer, and an Alakazam was definitely on the suspect list.

She'd known Odette long enough to be in tune with her ideas even before they'd been outwardly broadcasted. If they could take it on in a battle, then maybe...?

She wasn't sure how she felt about this. Odette was much better with handling Odile in battle nowadays, but this was still extremely risky.

If she just used the lancet, though, it should be fine. Easier control, easier to concentrate.

“Hope Alakazam doesn’t get killed, knowing he’s most likely gonna deal with a Legend,” Jack said as he sat down a few seats near Kimiko and Olivia.

She took a deep breath just as those damned birds hovered down next to her, running their mouths. She perked her ears, listening to their words. She knew what Jack was going to say before it even came out of his mouth, and she reached out and clamped her paw around his beak.

"You shush."

“Odette, yeah!” Zack looked back down, smiling at her dance. “You rockin’ with those moves, baby!”

Gods, could she ever not be a part of a fucking crowd? This shit was getting out of hand.

"I'm not your 'baby.' Nothing to stick around for, I'm bouncing elsewhere. He's right, no use using a damn battle arena when there's nobody to battle."

 

[Flyg0n]

“Sorry, we got lost!” Zack chirped at Kimiko, giving a sheepish smile. He landed softly onto her head, sitting down. “You don’t mind, right? I just want a good view of the smackdown the prick’s gonna get.”

“Hope Alakazam doesn’t get killed, knowing he’s most likely gonna deal with a Legend,” Jack said as he sat down a few seats near Kimiko and Olivia.

"Either keep quiet or get out. You had your chance," Noro said coolly to Jack and Zack, before turning back to Odette.

Gods, could she ever not be a part of a fucking crowd? This shit was getting out of hand.

"I'm not your 'baby.' Nothing to stick around for, I'm bouncing elsewhere. He's right, no use using a damn battle arena when there's nobody to battle."

So this girl thought she was-

"Noro."

Alakazam's mental chide cut through Noro's bad mood. Noro paused and evaluated the woman a little closer. Her demeanor wasn't like some trainers he'd met, full of false bravado and bold claims. There was more to it. Actual backbone. And she was trying to egg him on. A smirk slowly grew across his face. He had no idea what kind of thing that weed ball was though... Maybe that Sylveon of hers had more to it then it seemed. It wouldn't be the first time an opponent turned out deceptively strong.

"Battle me then," He declared. "Alakazam and I could use a good challenge."

 

[Sinderella]

"Battle me then," He declared. "Alakazam and I could use a good challenge."

Pursing her lips, she side-eyed Noro, bringing a finger to her chin. "Really now?"

She went through the motions of miming deep thought, before shrugging. She walked over to the bleachers, up to Enora, who was sitting with her backpack. "Don't think I've ever battled an Alakazam before," she said, holding her hand out to Enora, "so that's already a plus."


Enora released her hold on Jack's beak and used one of her ribbons to unzip the front pocket on Odette's bag. That same ribbon dipped into it, and withdrew a white cylindrical device that closely resembled a fat pen. She dropped it into Odette's hand, sending her a look that was pleading: be careful.

"And you seem plenty strong," she added, taking the device. She then looked over to Enora

"Thanks," she mouthed. She stepped back off the bleachers and strode back over to Noro and Alakazam, tossing the pen up and catching it a few times.

"I'll take you on," she announced. "But in the off season, I like to add some stakes to my battles. Hope you don't mind, right? Feel free to add your own; I like a little sense of potential punishment hanging over my head."

Tapping the pen to her cheek, she aimed her gaze up at the ceiling as if she were thinking. "Loser..." she said in an exhale, "has to answer any three questions that the winner asks them. Sound fair to you?"

 

[Flyg0n]

"I'll take you on," she announced. "But in the off season, I like to add some stakes to my battles. Hope you don't mind, right? Feel free to add your own; I like a little sense of potential punishment hanging over my head."

Tapping the pen to her cheek, she aimed her gaze up at the ceiling as if she were thinking. "Loser..." she said in an exhale, "has to answer any three questions that the winner asks them. Sound fair to you?"

Noro watched her, somewhat puzzled by her actions. What was that thing? No matter, he supposed. Off season, huh? So she was at least somewhat knowledgeable of battle then. At her next question, however, he gave her a baffled look.

Noro narrowed his eyes. "A ploy, Noro. They seek information," he said privately. Noro clenched his fists, then forced himself to relax.

"I don't care about your wager. I came here to battle, not chat." He kept his gaze on her for a long moment. "But I accept."

 

[Sinderella]

"I don't care about your wager. I came here to battle, not chat." He kept his gaze on her for a long moment. "But I accept."

Odette returned his look, searching for any signs of aggravation. She watched that baffled look come and go. Must have manifested in his pulsing fist instead. Her eyes momentarily flicked to the Alakazam's. Narrow. Suspicious of her probably. Psychic types had a knack for questioning everything.

Didn't matter if the terms had been accepted, though.

"Understandable. This isn't a conference room, anyway. Just more fun for me." She held her hand out to shake. "I'm Odette, by the way. And you two are?"

She waited for a response before she tapped on the pen with her nail. "Odile, come," she said to the bat hovering next to her.


"̷F̵u̷u̴u̵u̸u̸c̷k̵ ̷y̶e̷a̷h̵,̸"̶ Odile grunted, hovering up and sitting herself on Odette's head as she walked to her end of the arena.

This was going to be good. It was going to be so good. She hadn't battled in so fucking long. She was practically vibrating with a mixture of pure excitement and adrenaline.

Yes, yes, fuck sleep.


She turned around and began to twirl the pen between her fingers. "We'll do a one on one. First down takes the loss."

With a flick of her thumb, she popped the cap off the device. She felt her own adrenaline start to pump, but not because she was nervous to take this Alakazam on. More because she needed to concentrate hard on what she was about to do.

There was a plus to this. On top of possibly getting information, it would be good practice in maintaining her composure with Odile in the ring. Keeping the flow of power under control, so she didn't run herself dry and earn a trip back to the transfusion ward.

She held the tip of the cylinder to her thumb.

"Good luck, cherie."

POP!

"Odile, first offensive stance. Taunt."

As she pulled her now-bleeding thumb away from the lancet device, the reaction was instantaneous. The bead of red glowed a deep shade of pink, beaming it's light at the tumbleweed sitting atop Odette's head.

Odile was soon engulfed in the light, becoming nothing more than a silhouette that began to grow...and grow...and grow.

She was no longer a tumbleweed, but a towering dragon of brambles, branches, and thorns. She arched over Odette's small form, eyeing their opponents with a newfound sense of glee. Her eyes glowed with onset power, and she smiled, revealing the rows of her jagged teeth. The air in the arena suddenly became heavy with her undiluted wrath.

Bitch, it felt good to be like this.

"̶F̸U̸U̷U̶U̴U̶C̷K̸ ̴Y̵E̸A̷H̵,̴"̶ ̸ Odile screeched, stepping around her trainer and lowering herself to the ground, rear in the air and ready to pounce.

"̴S̷h̷e̴e̷e̵e̶e̸e̶e̷s̸h̷ ̷b̶u̶d̶d̴y̶,̶ ̷y̸o̷u̵'̷r̷e̸ ̴i̸n̷ ̵f̸o̶r̸ ̸a̸ ̴b̵a̶d̴,̶ ̵b̶a̶d̴,̶ ̴b̵a̴d̸ ̵t̶i̷m̴e̷ ̷t̷o̷d̶a̸y̸.̵ ̷H̵a̴v̴e̴ ̴y̴o̴u̴ ̷e̸v̵e̸r̴ ̵b̶a̵t̶t̸l̴e̴d̸ ̸a̵ ̸l̸e̴g̴e̴n̶d̶a̷r̵y̵ ̷b̷e̷f̵o̴r̴e̶?̴ ̶N̶o̸?̵ ̵W̴e̴l̵l̴,̶ ̴I̸'̶m̵ ̴g̷o̴n̵n̴a̷ ̴l̸e̸a̸r̸n̶ ̶y̷o̴u̸ ̶r̷e̸a̷l̷ ̶f̷u̷c̴k̶i̸n̶'̸ ̷g̶o̶o̵d̸.̴"̴

 

[Hanafuda]

“What the heck is that?” Zack asked, tilting his head in different angles as he examined the floating tumbleweed with curiosity and confusion. “Tangela? Please tell me it’s a Tangela.”

“It doesn’t look like one,” Jack replied, leaning back onto his seat. “For one, it has wings, not legs. And the brambles look like brown wood instead of blue vines.”

“Wait…” The Pidgeotto leaned forward as he listened closely. “I think I know that voice. Doppelgänger?”

“Oh, so it—she—can shapeshift? Seb would love to see this.”

Zack raised the Rotom Phone and opened the camera app. He tapped on a red button. “That’s why I’m recordin’ this. Gotta get a good angle. Oh dude, I feel like I’m shakin’ a bit.”

“Fear of the unknown?” The Farfetch’d looked with anticipation at the battlers below.

“Yeah. You too?”

“Me too.”

As she pulled her now-bleeding thumb away from the lancet device, the reaction was instantaneous. The bead of red glowed a deep shade of pink, beaming it's light at the tumbleweed sitting atop Odette's head.

Odile was soon engulfed in the light, becoming nothing more than a silhouette that began to grow...and grow...and grow.

She was no longer a tumbleweed, but a towering dragon of brambles, branches, and thorns. She arched over Odette's small form, eyeing their opponents with a newfound sense of glee. Her eyes glowed with onset power, and she smiled, revealing the rows of her jagged teeth. The air in the arena suddenly became heavy with her undiluted wrath.

"̶F̸U̸U̷U̶U̴U̶C̷K̸ ̴Y̵E̸A̷H̵,̴"̶ ̸

After witnessing the transformation, both birds squawked in shock, Zack almost dropping the phone.

“AAAAAAH! WHAT AM I LOOKIN’ AT!?” the Pidgeotto screeched as he moved the phone’s camera to capture every detail of the wooden dragon.

“Gigantamax!?” Jack exclaimed in shock, holding a wing over his forehead. “No, I didn’t see a giant Poké Ball. What just happened!? Why do I feel kinda heavy now?”

 

[Flyg0n]

Odette returned his look, searching for any signs of aggravation. She watched that baffled look come and go. Must have manifested in his pulsing fist instead. Her eyes momentarily flicked to the Alakazam's. Narrow. Suspicious of her probably. Psychic types had a knack for questioning everything.

Didn't matter if the terms had been accepted, though.

"Understandable. This isn't a conference room, anyway. Just more fun for me." She held her hand out to shake. "I'm Odette, by the way. And you two are?"

She waited for a response before she tapped on the pen with her nail. "Odile, come," she said to the bat hovering next to her.

"Noro. Alakazam," Noro said simply, gesturing to Alakzam, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"A pleasure, I hope," said Alakazam.

His gaze shifted briefly to mild surprise as she gestured to the like...hairball bat-thing. In any other circumstance, he might have written her off as one of those trainers sending out a weak pokemon for training. This didn't feel the same.

"̷F̵u̷u̴u̵u̸u̸c̷k̵ ̷y̶e̷a̷h̵,̸"̶ Odile grunted, hovering up and sitting herself on Odette's head as she walked to her end of the arena.

This was going to be good. It was going to be so good. She hadn't battled in so fucking long. She was practically vibrating with a mixture of pure excitement and adrenaline.

Yes, yes, fuck sleep.

She turned around and began to twirl the pen between her fingers. "We'll do a one on one. First down takes the loss."

With a flick of her thumb, she popped the cap off the device. She felt her own adrenaline start to pump, but not because she was nervous to take this Alakazam on. More because she needed to concentrate hard on what she was about to do.

There was a plus to this. On top of possibly getting information, it would be good practice in maintaining her composure with Odile in the ring. Keeping the flow of power under control, so she didn't run herself dry and earn a trip back to the transfusion ward.

She held the tip of the cylinder to her thumb.

"Good luck, cherie."

What the- Noro pushed away all other thoughts, focusing on his opponent instead.

Alakazam shared a glanced with Noro and immediately took up a defensive battle stance, spoons crossed and sense's on high alert.

"Odile, first offensive stance. Taunt."

As she pulled her now-bleeding thumb away from the lancet device, the reaction was instantaneous. The bead of red glowed a deep shade of pink, beaming it's light at the tumbleweed sitting atop Odette's head.

Odile was soon engulfed in the light, becoming nothing more than a silhouette that began to grow...and grow...and grow.

She was no longer a tumbleweed, but a towering dragon of brambles, branches, and thorns. She arched over Odette's small form, eyeing their opponents with a newfound sense of glee. Her eyes glowed with onset power, and she smiled, revealing the rows of her jagged teeth. The air in the arena suddenly became heavy with her undiluted wrath.

Bitch, it felt good to be like this.

"̶F̸U̸U̷U̶U̴U̶C̷K̸ ̴Y̵E̸A̷H̵,̴"̶ ̸ Odile screeched, stepping around her trainer and lowering herself to the ground, rear in the air and ready to pounce.

"̴S̷h̷e̴e̷e̵e̶e̸e̶e̷s̸h̷ ̷b̶u̶d̶d̴y̶,̶ ̷y̸o̷u̵'̷r̷e̸ ̴i̸n̷ ̵f̸o̶r̸ ̸a̸ ̴b̵a̶d̴,̶ ̵b̶a̶d̴,̶ ̴b̵a̴d̸ ̵t̶i̷m̴e̷ ̷t̷o̷d̶a̸y̸.̵ ̷H̵a̴v̴e̴ ̴y̴o̴u̴ ̷e̸v̵e̸r̴ ̵b̶a̵t̶t̸l̴e̴d̸ ̸a̵ ̸l̸e̴g̴e̴n̶d̶a̷r̵y̵ ̷b̷e̷f̵o̴r̴e̶?̴ ̶N̶o̸?̵ ̵W̴e̴l̵l̴,̶ ̴I̸'̶m̵ ̴g̷o̴n̵n̴a̷ ̴l̸e̸a̸r̸n̶ ̶y̷o̴u̸ ̶r̷e̸a̷l̷ ̶f̷u̷c̴k̶i̸n̶'̸ ̷g̶o̶o̵d̸.̴"̴

Noro's expression shifted from his calm and calculating one to one of barely veiled shock. His neck craned as he took in the sheer size of... whatever that thing had become. And it spoke. What in the name of- No. He needed to focus right now. Steeling himself, he did is best to evaluate his opponent. Somewhere though, beneath the shock he could feel a burning excitement too. This would be interesting indeed.

Large draconic body. Maybe a dragon type? Could it be grass as well? And how had it grown like that? It almost reminded him of mega evolution but was obviously completely different. Without another moment of hesitation, he held out his wrist with the mega stone on it. There was no point holding back against this thing now. All the cards needed to be on the table.

"Alakazam, its time to go all out! Mega Evolve!"

The familiar rainbow light encompassed Alakazam and his form shifted.

Clever girl. Odette opened with Taunt. Which meant she must be confident that his usual attacks wouldn't be effective and wanted to stop him from powering up with status moves. His next best bet then...

"Focus Blast at its head!" he called. He needed to know what this thing was made of.

In a flash, Alakazam conjured a large orb and fired it across the field at top speed.

 

[Sinderella]

"Alakazam, its time to go all out! Mega Evolve!"

Odette, rubbing her pricked thumb against the side of her index finger to lessen the flow, eyed the duo before her. Watching their faces for that onset horror, panic, alarm, whatever it may be. It came in bursts, but they seemed to be very versed in holding themselves together. Respect.

"A mega, huh?" she said into her bloody thumb nail. "You're no pushover."

"W̸h̷i̴c̴h̵ ̴m̶e̵a̴n̴s̵ ̵I̷ ̷n̴e̷e̵d̶ ̷t̷o̵ ̴p̸u̷s̸h̷ ̷h̶i̵m̸ ̵o̸v̶e̷r̶.̸"̶ Odile jeered.

"Focus Blast at its head!" he called. He needed to know what this thing was made of.

In a flash, Alakazam conjured a large orb and fired it across the field at top speed.

As the shot rang out, Odette held her hand out toward the bramble dragon. "Steel yourself, hold."

She made a mental note. This thing knew Focus Blast; and energy based fighting-type move. Like Gladion had hypothesized.

Odile braced, squeezing her eyes shut and tensing her wings as the blast made contact with the crown of her head. It caused her eyes to water, and knocked loose some of thorns, which dropped to the floor unceremoniously. The force even sent her stumbling a foot backward.

She let the pain of the initial impact deteriorate before her eyes snapped open. Now they were blazing.

"̷W̶e̷l̴l̷ ̶t̴h̵a̴t̴ ̶f̷u̷c̶k̸i̴n̸g̶ ̸h̷u̴r̷t̶,ȳ̸̬̪̝͇͓̌̀̓͋o̶͖̬̰̖͕̿͑̾̅ŭ̸̡͕̏̍͝ ̴̳̭͈̀̌ḍ̵̹́̅̆́̾ȉ̸̛̩͚̃͐͝c̴̡̅̉͊̿ḱ̸̪̗̩̖͖͐͝a̷̲̗̖͓͔̓s̵̳̋̏͌̃s̷̥̱̫̣̩̐̂.̵̡̯͈̙͈̈́͑̚"̴

"Are you mad?" Odette queried calmly.

"̷̼̠̪̩̳̤̞̽̃͘̚͜Ś̸̰̭̜̅̐͗̅̍̐̕Ỡ̵̡̧̼͉̝͉̍̍̆̏̑͌̈ ̴̥̺̜̠̍͠m̵̗̗͙̞̒̏̏ä̶̡̡͙̭͈̭̗͖̘́̈̌̉d̴̹̤̚.̷̡́͒̀"̴̭͖̠̣̟̲̲̝̕


This would go against how she normally battled. How she'd stand by and let the opponent wail on her 'mon so she could get a full frontal view of how they moved, how they reacted when they moved, their little tics in-between, and so on. However, this yellow psychic already knew a move that was suspect. The only residue that hadn't been at least somewhat accounted for at the scene was the fighting-type residue. Focus Blast very well could have been it.

In this case, she wanted to see how this thing would react in the face of an attack it was very clearly weak against. If it went up against Mitch's Mightyena, a dark type, it might have seen some trouble. Especially if there was an attempt to block, too. Did Alakazam even learn Flash...? A lot of 'mon did, so that wasn't far off.

It'd be easy to let it fire off Focus Blast after Focus Blast, but she'd need to see it on the defensive sooner rather than later.

"Then show them your Bitter Malice."

Odile dropped her chin, and an eerie chuckle bubbled up from her throat, gradually increasing in volume. The air around her became thicker, scarier, darker. Shadows of black and maroon began to coalesce around her until she'd become nearly engulfed in them.




"̴̢̢̧̡̛̻͈͔̘̤̭͓͇͈̼̪͚̳̬̺̫̟͉̗̮̫̱̻̈̿͌̓͐̈́́̀̃̍̑̆̂̄̓̿͜͜͝͠ͅH̷̢̥̥̫̯̥̹̪̦̩͉̲͚͙̥̤̹̠́A̵̛̩̩̦͚͉͙̺̹̲̺̜̯͚̬̼͎̍̆̄̃̈̽͊́̉̉̈͑̀̎̈́̂̒͒̋͗̓̃̅͘̕̕͜͜͝͝!̷͎̞̠͓̠͇̠͚̦̮̰͎̳͓̪̖̃͂̀́͗͛͊̈́͐̍͛̽̋̉̌"̴̘̙̌̓̓̀̀̓̇̽̆́̋̈́͑̓̏͐͛͂̈̈́̄̐͊́̓̆̚͘͘͝͠




With a whip of her head, the shadows dispersed and subsequently rushed toward Alakazam at a breakneck speed.

 

[Flyg0n]

Odette, rubbing her pricked thumb against the side of her index finger to lessen the flow, eyed the duo before her. Watching their faces for that onset horror, panic, alarm, whatever it may be. It came in bursts, but they seemed to be very versed in holding themselves together. Respect.

"A mega, huh?" she said into her bloody thumb nail. "You're no pushover."

"W̸h̷i̴c̴h̵ ̴m̶e̵a̴n̴s̵ ̵I̷ ̷n̴e̷e̵d̶ ̷t̷o̵ ̴p̸u̷s̸h̷ ̷h̶i̵m̸ ̵o̸v̶e̷r̶.̸"̶ Odile jeered.


As the shot rang out, Odette held her hand out toward the bramble dragon. "Steel yourself, hold."

She made a mental note. This thing knew Focus Blast.

Odile braced, squeezing her eyes shut and tensing her wings as the blast made contact with the crown of her head. It caused her eyes to water, and knocked loose some of thorns, which dropped to the floor unceremoniously. The force even sent her stumbling a foot backward.

She let the pain of the initial impact deteriorate before her eyes snapped open. Now they were blazing.

"̷W̶e̷l̴l̷ ̶t̴h̵a̴t̴ ̶f̷u̷c̶k̸i̴n̸g̶ ̸h̷u̴r̷t̶,ȳ̸̬̪̝͇͓̌̀̓͋o̶͖̬̰̖͕̿͑̾̅ŭ̸̡͕̏̍͝ ̴̳̭͈̀̌ḍ̵̹́̅̆́̾ȉ̸̛̩͚̃͐͝c̴̡̅̉͊̿ḱ̸̪̗̩̖͖͐͝a̷̲̗̖͓͔̓s̵̳̋̏͌̃s̷̥̱̫̣̩̐̂.̵̡̯͈̙͈̈́͑̚"̴

"Are you mad?" Odette queried calmly.

"̷̼̠̪̩̳̤̞̽̃͘̚͜Ś̸̰̭̜̅̐͗̅̍̐̕Ỡ̵̡̧̼͉̝͉̍̍̆̏̑͌̈ ̴̥̺̜̠̍͠m̵̗̗͙̞̒̏̏ä̶̡̡͙̭͈̭̗͖̘́̈̌̉d̴̹̤̚.̷̡́͒̀"̴̭͖̠̣̟̲̲̝̕


This would go against how she normally battled. How she'd stand by and let the opponent wail on her 'mon so she could get a full frontal view of how they moved, how they reacted when they moved, their little tics in-between, and so on. However, this yellow psychic already knew a move that was on the group radar.

But now, in this case, she wanted to see how this thing would react in the face of an attack it was very clearly weak against. It'd be easy to let it fire off Focus Blast after Focus Blast, but she'd need to see it on the defensive sooner rather than later.

"Then show them your Bitter Malice."

Odile dropped her chin, and an eerie chuckle bubbled up from her throat, gradually increasing in volume. The air around her became thicker, scarier, darker. Shadows of black and maroon began to coalesce around her until she'd become nearly engulfed in them.




"̴̢̢̧̡̛̻͈͔̘̤̭͓͇͈̼̪͚̳̬̺̫̟͉̗̮̫̱̻̈̿͌̓͐̈́́̀̃̍̑̆̂̄̓̿͜͜͝͠ͅH̷̢̥̥̫̯̥̹̪̦̩͉̲͚͙̥̤̹̠́A̵̛̩̩̦͚͉͙̺̹̲̺̜̯͚̬̼͎̍̆̄̃̈̽͊́̉̉̈͑̀̎̈́̂̒͒̋͗̓̃̅͘̕̕͜͜͝͝!̷͎̞̠͓̠͇̠͚̦̮̰͎̳͓̪̖̃͂̀́͗͛͊̈́͐̍͛̽̋̉̌"̴̘̙̌̓̓̀̀̓̇̽̆́̋̈́͑̓̏͐͛͂̈̈́̄̐͊́̓̆̚͘͘͝͠




With a whip of her head, the shadows dispersed and subsequently rushed toward Alakazam at a breakneck speed.

A hit. Alakazam tensed, quickly evaluating. Effective, maybe, but not as much as he had hoped. Strong too - he'd put effort into that strike but they'd tanked it, and were still standing strong.

Noro scanned the field, eyes narrowed and heart thrumming as Odette called an attack. Bitter Malice-? What kind of move- Ghost energy! No time to decide, time to try a move to defend. The one he'd picked up earlier. "Charge Beam!"

In the second between Odile preparing the attacking and using it, Alakazam generated a wave of electricty arcing between his five spoons and fired a beam at the wave of shadows. A moment sooner, or more time practicing with Charge Beam and maybe he could have blocked more. As it was he only managed to counter a fraction of the shadows before they surged over him, sending him reeling back.

Noro grimaced as Alakazam did his best to shake off the attack. It had clearly taken a toll. Which meant this thing was strong. A brief aura of power flared around Alakazam's form.

Noro managed a slight smile. The boon wasn't much but every edge counted. "Get moving! Psychic!"

The simple command was all Alakazam needed to start shifting rapidly around the room via telekinesis and fire off a few powerful blasts of psychic energy while keeping his distance.

 

[Hanafuda]

“Holy crap, this is just like on TV!” Zack exclaimed in excitement, shaking a wing while the other held the phone up. “But what was that attack? Dark Pulse? Ominous Wind?”

“It didn’t look like any of those attacks,” Jack responded, watching in a combination of awe and fright. “This is all new to me.”

“But ain’t the name of that attack cool? Bitter Malice.” The Pidgeotto waved a wing out in front. “Has the same vibe as Sky Strike, don’t ya think?”

“Sky Attack. And yes, it sounds ominous.”

 

[Sinderella]

"Charge Beam!"

Odette raised her brows. She didn't get to gawk very long before she suddenly had to look away, as a blinding light took hold of the arena. She was able to look back just in time to see it make contact with Odile's wing, just as she exchanged it with her malicious shadows. It wasn't enough to counter. In fact, it looked the slightest bit sloppy, even. New move, probably? Had it just learned that?

It had managed to produce such a bright effect though. Was it possible that that had been used instead of Flash?

No. It couldn't have been. Olivia hadn't found any traces of electric-type residue, and a move like Charge Beam would have definitely left some behind. Besides, Hazel's wording made it seem like it was pretty much confirmed that Flash had been used.

Still, that didn't set anything in stone yet. The battle had only just started.

A brief aura of power flared around Alakazam's form.

Noro managed a slight smile. The boon wasn't much but every edge counted. "Get moving! Psychic!"

The simple command was all Alakazam needed to start shifting rapidly around the room via telekinesis and fire off a few powerful blasts of psychic energy while keeping his distance.

"̸O̴h̸ ̴b̵o̷y̶,̴ ̴m̷y̷ ̸f̴a̴v̴o̸r̸i̴t̴e̶.̶"̵ Odile chided.

"Dance with him," Odette called. "You know how to move."

Odile released a sound laugh, whipping around as she watched the Alakazam skillfully maneuver around. She bent and dipped and rolled around some of the beams, but she was still quite large, meaning that she was still very susceptible to hits. When the did make contact, they sizzled against her brambles, but quickly dissipated. They felt like pin pricks against her skin, but nothing that would slow her.

"̸H̴a̶r̵d̵e̶r̵!̷ ̸Y̸o̵u̸ ̵t̴h̵i̶n̵k̸ ̸I̵ ̸d̷o̴n̵'̴t̵ ̶l̸i̶k̸e̸ ̷t̷h̸a̷t̶?̶"̷ she cackled.

As Odette watched Odile dance around Alakazam's attacks, Armel's voice lingered at the back of her mind.

Listen carefully, Odette, he'd said. At the rate you're going, you're going to kill yourself. You're reckless, you're easily angered, and when you're angered, you attack guns blazing. Blood types are good for that, yes, but no matter how much you work out, no matter how much you prepare with your medications and monitors, that's a one way ticket to an early grave.

All true. All factual statements. Still, she remembered how hard she'd clenched her fists as she listened to it.

You need to learn regulation. You'll open yourself up and command the base stance, but you pour too much into it in one go. Whether you want to see it or not, Venira is a powerful 'mon. A little will always go a long way with one as strong as her, and that's how you're going to keep yourself alive. But you'll need to fight the urges she gives you. That anger. Training a blood type, especially a legendary, is as much pushing as it is pulling. You will constantly be playing tug of war with her.

Her thumb tensed up as Odile whipped around one of the blasts, but was struck by another in the side of her head. That caused her to stop for a moment, and she swatted toward the Alakazam angrily. However, it was much too fast for her, and she missed.

Quit it with the shoulder thing. You're hurting yourself unnecessarily, and it's hard to feel in control. Focus your nicks on your hands.

How the fuck am I supposed to feel in control either way? I'm bleeding; I can't control that, Odette had responded.

That was where he'd grabbed her wrist and forced her hand open. She could still vaguely feel his fingertip driving into the center of her palm. Breathe. Regulate your heartbeat. Concentrate on keeping yourself cool. When you've done it right, you should feel the nick point tingling. That's how you know you're controlling what you're giving to her. The flow will be constant when she's battling, but so as long as it's steady, you won't tire as fast, you'll recover more quickly.

He'd paused there to tap his chin sarcastically, like the asshole he sometimes was. Oh, and you won't die.

Even with her thumb planted firmly against her index finger, she felt it. The tingling he'd mentioned; the one he'd absolutely drilled into her fucking brain. The one that let her know she was doing something right.

Her breaths were slow. In through her nose, and out through her nose. The knot that had tightened itself in her chest had slowly begun to undo itself. She felt strangely at ease, strangely zen. This was good. She was managing on her own plenty fine.


"̶͖̱͍̥̹̤͆̀̄͗W̴̛̝͉͔̭̙͈̺̹̑̓͑̾͋͝H̸̜̟͚̤̋̓̌͛́̾͐͜Ě̸͚̫̮͖̭̃̐N̴̢͎͈͖̞̭͉̪̫͋̏̕ ̴̧̛̹͍̩̤͚̞̌̈́̿͘̚Ȉ̵̧̺͍̹̞̤̠̼̣̃͊̂̽͝͠ ̵̗̫̬̭̝̲̝̞̏̀̔͊̚͝G̵̩͖͇͙̹͐̑͋̀̒̽̈́͝E̵̮̟̻̥͇̭͊́͆̀̄̽̂͑̚͠T̶̹͔̖͖̙̼̠̳̱̎̀̋͊̔̂͌̆̚ ̷̡̦̥̤̱̘̀̆̒M̵̬͚̬̜̬͖̤̎̑͛̃͆̈̚͠ͅY̸̠̠̗͈̝̻̣͑͂̉̉ ̷̫̯̙̺̬̯̼̭͛͜D̴̢̛͇͖̦̘͊̏͆̎̀̔͌̕͜A̶̛̼͖̥̯͕͖͛̆̓̑͒ͅM̴̞̈́̓̀͋N̸̜̯̽ ̷̟̣̲̄͠H̵̨̱̙̲͓̫͉̜̞̭̊̑̿Á̴̜̬̠͐͌͛͋͜N̸̨̹͕̗͇̺͑̌͛̃̈́̔͘̕ͅḎ̸̰̣͈̝̩̬͓̝̑͛͒͜S̴̛͍̲̲͉͉̗͚̘̈́̑͊͑̉̏͐͊͜͝ ̵̢̰̫͓̲̟͈̈́̑͊̀̀͘͠Ơ̷͙͉̳͚͎̼̹̈͊̋͂̇̇N̵̛̲̗ ̷̨̢͕̤̥̻̞̹̘̱͂̇͆̂̎͋͠Ỳ̶̢͚̹̤̠̪̬̻̞̞̎̈́͝Ȏ̷̳͙͙̯̠̈̋̓̄̏̅̇U̴͙̗̠̬͍̲̠̫̗̗͗̇̒͌̓̈̋̏͘.̵̗̮̺͍̥̱̲̳̏̚.̷̧̺̀͊̈́̆̾.̵̧͇̦̭̤̻̮̥͑͋̂̈́͌"̶̧̝̰͋̒́̔͆͂ Odile sounded like she was on the verge of a rampage.


Odette had enough of watching this one sided waltz; she needed to see more. So, she snapped once.

"Channel that Fiery Wrath" she said coldly.

Without a moments hesitation, Odile whipped her head around, attempting to intercept the line Alakazam had tried to move in. She opened her mouth, and let loose a stream of dark flame, shrieking as she did.

 

[Seren]

She went through the motions of miming deep thought, before shrugging. She walked over to the bleachers, up to Enora, who was sitting with her backpack.

Kimiko had been confused at first watching Odette's bluff, and was ready to stand up and find another arena; she was glad she'd stayed in her spot. It didn't take long for her to catch on; Odile's attitude shift only confirmed it.

"Good luck," Kimiko called over to Odette as she approached to pull something out of her backpack. "Not that you'll need it."

She was no longer a tumbleweed, but a towering dragon of brambles, branches, and thorns. She arched over Odette's small form, eyeing their opponents with a newfound sense of glee. Her eyes glowed with onset power, and she smiled, revealing the rows of her jagged teeth. The air in the arena suddenly became heavy with her undiluted wrath.

This was it. She'd seen this moment once before, completely unaware of what was really happening at the time. Now, though, it had been explained. Like mega-evolution, was it? It certainly looked similar enough, as Odile's form grew and changed shape. She looked up and marveled at Odile's new tumbleweed-like dragon form, and suddenly the memories crashed back into the forefront of her mind. Seeing it in person, though, was far more terrifying. Odile radiated power. She could feel it all the way from where she was sitting. She started trembling and clasped her hands together in her lap to try to stay calm, despite every instinct telling her to get the fuck out of here! And then she realized, this wasn't just anger she was feeling, this was fear.

Something brushed her leg and she jumped. Olivia was purring, trying to sooth her again, looking up with a very concerned expression. Her ears were flat against her head; she clearly wasn't very comfortable either. But still, she was trying. Kimiko forced a smile, petting her in attempt to return the favor.

And then, from somewhere off to the side, she felt something else, like a breath of fresh air cutting through the palpable wrath in the air. She looked over, but all she saw was Enora, watching Odette preparing for battle... oh. Kimiko leaned closer, and her head felt clearer. She gave Olivia a brief scratch before quietly moving closer to the sylveon. "I hope you don't mind if I just... slide over here," Kimiko said quietly in the sylveon's direction. That was a connection she hadn't made before, and now she felt foolish for it. Still... could Odette feel it from all the way over there? And why would she want Enora trying to calm her while she was also trying to prepare for a fight? Maybe it was subconscious? ...Was Enora doing it for her benefit?

Either way... it did help to calm her. This is Odette's pokemon, she reminded herself now that she was able to think. She's in control. Neither of them want to hurt you. You're safe here. You're not in danger. You never were. Just relax and watch the battle. It's not every day you get to watch a legendary in action. Gods, she hoped Odette didn't see the look that must have been on her face...

Bathed in Enora's calming aura, a thought crossed her mind. She really hoped Noro and Alakazam were simply arrogant, but innocent. If they were in any way involved... Odette had given them what they need to defeat Odile, regardless of the battle's outcome. She'd have to mention it some time before the night was over. It was probably something she already knew, but better safe than sorry.

And then the battle began and Kimiko found herself, not angry, but excited as she watched the two engage each other. Despite the lack of a loud audience, Kimiko really felt like she was watching a champion's exhibition match. Odile was strong, shrugging off even mega-alakazam's attacks like they were pebbles.

"Odile, first offensive stance. Taunt."

"Dance with him," Odette called. "You know how to move."

Kimiko marveled at the way Odette battled. Cool, calm, and collected, everything she used to be. Even her battle commands gave an air of a performer! This was a team that was in sync. Kimiko found herself leaning forwards, eyes locked on the fight as she studied as best she was able. If she was ever going to reach the level of emotional control she used to have again, maybe she could pick up some pointers here.

This would go against how she normally battled. How she'd stand by and let the opponent wail on her 'mon so she could get a full frontal view of how they moved, how they reacted when they moved, their little tics in-between, and so on. However, this yellow psychic already knew a move that was suspect. The only residue that hadn't been at least somewhat accounted for at the scene was the fighting-type residue. Focus Blast very well could have been it.

In this case, she wanted to see how this thing would react in the face of an attack it was very clearly weak against. If it went up against Mitch's Mightyena, a dark type, it might have seen some trouble. Especially if there was an attempt to block, too. Did Alakazam even learn Flash...? A lot of 'mon did, so that wasn't far off.

Odette raised her brows. She didn't get to gawk very long before she suddenly had to look away, as a blinding light took hold of the arena. She was able to look back just in time to see it make contact with Odile's wing, just as she exchanged it with her malicious shadows. It wasn't enough to counter. In fact, it looked the slightest bit sloppy, even. New move, probably? Had it just learned that?

Another thing she took note of; Not only was she calm as a tree in a breeze-less morning, Odette seemed to be observing more than just the battle. Kimiko took note of the way she seemed to be watching her opponent just as much as his psychic. How could this woman have any doubt of her worth as Alola's champ?

 

[Flyg0n]

Odette raised her brows. She didn't get to gawk very long before she suddenly had to look away, as a blinding light took hold of the arena. She was able to look back just in time to see it make contact with Odile's wing, just as she exchanged it with her malicious shadows. It wasn't enough to counter. In fact, it looked the slightest bit sloppy, even. New move, probably? Had it just learned that?

It had managed to produce such a bright effect though. Was it possible that that had been used instead of Flash?

No. It couldn't have been. Olivia hadn't found any traces of electric-type residue, and a move like Charge Beam would have definitely left some behind. Besides, Hazel's wording made it seem like it was pretty much confirmed that Flash had been used.

Still, that didn't set anything in stone yet. The battle had only just started.


"̸O̴h̸ ̴b̵o̷y̶,̴ ̴m̷y̷ ̸f̴a̴v̴o̸r̸i̴t̴e̶.̶"̵ Odile chided.

"Dance with him," Odette called. "You know how to move."

Odile released a sound laugh, whipping around as she watched the Alakazam skillfully maneuver around. She bent and dipped and rolled around some of the beams, but she was still quite large, meaning that she was still very susceptible to hits. When the did make contact, they sizzled against her brambles, but quickly dissipated. They felt like pin pricks against her skin, but nothing that would slow her.

"̸H̴a̶r̵d̵e̶r̵!̷ ̸Y̸o̵u̸ ̵t̴h̵i̶n̵k̸ ̸I̵ ̸d̷o̴n̵'̴t̵ ̶l̸i̶k̸e̸ ̷t̷h̸a̷t̶?̶"̷ she cackled.

As Odette watched Odile dance around Alakazam's attacks, Armel's voice lingered at the back of her mind.

Listen carefully, Odette, he'd said. At the rate you're going, you're going to kill yourself. You're reckless, you're easily angered, and when you're angered, you attack guns blazing. Blood types are good for that, yes, but no matter how much you work out, no matter how much you prepare with your medications and monitors, that's a one way ticket to an early grave.

All true. All factual statements. Still, she remembered how hard she'd clenched her fists as she listened to it.

You need to learn regulation. You'll open yourself up and command the base stance, but you pour too much into it in one go. Whether you want to see it or not, Venira is a powerful 'mon. A little will always go a long way with one as strong as her, and that's how you're going to keep yourself alive. But you'll need to fight the urges she gives you. That anger. Training a blood type, especially a legendary, is as much pushing as it is pulling. You will constantly be playing tug of war with her.

Her thumb tensed up as Odile whipped around one of the blasts, but was struck by another in the side of her head. That caused her to stop for a moment, and she swatted toward the Alakazam angrily. However, it was much too fast for her, and she missed.

Quit it with the shoulder thing. You're hurting yourself unnecessarily, and it's hard to feel in control. Focus your nicks on your hands.

How the fuck am I supposed to feel in control either way? I'm bleeding; I can't control that, Odette had responded.

That was where he'd grabbed her wrist and forced her hand open. She could still vaguely feel his fingertip driving into the center of her palm. Breathe. Regulate your heartbeat. Concentrate on keeping yourself cool. When you've done it right, you should feel the nick point tingling. That's how you know you're controlling what you're giving to her. The flow will be constant when she's battling, but so as long as it's steady, you won't tire as fast, you'll recover more quickly.

He'd paused there to tap his chin sarcastically, like the asshole he sometimes was. Oh, and you won't die.

Even with her thumb planted firmly against her index finger, she felt it. The tingling he'd mentioned; the one he'd absolutely drilled into her fucking brain. The one that let her know she was doing something right.

Her breaths were slow. In through her nose, and out through her nose. The knot that had tightened itself in her chest had slowly begun to undo itself. She felt strangely at ease, strangely zen. This was good. She was managing on her own plenty fine.


"̶͖̱͍̥̹̤͆̀̄͗W̴̛̝͉͔̭̙͈̺̹̑̓͑̾͋͝H̸̜̟͚̤̋̓̌͛́̾͐͜Ě̸͚̫̮͖̭̃̐N̴̢͎͈͖̞̭͉̪̫͋̏̕ ̴̧̛̹͍̩̤͚̞̌̈́̿͘̚Ȉ̵̧̺͍̹̞̤̠̼̣̃͊̂̽͝͠ ̵̗̫̬̭̝̲̝̞̏̀̔͊̚͝G̵̩͖͇͙̹͐̑͋̀̒̽̈́͝E̵̮̟̻̥͇̭͊́͆̀̄̽̂͑̚͠T̶̹͔̖͖̙̼̠̳̱̎̀̋͊̔̂͌̆̚ ̷̡̦̥̤̱̘̀̆̒M̵̬͚̬̜̬͖̤̎̑͛̃͆̈̚͠ͅY̸̠̠̗͈̝̻̣͑͂̉̉ ̷̫̯̙̺̬̯̼̭͛͜D̴̢̛͇͖̦̘͊̏͆̎̀̔͌̕͜A̶̛̼͖̥̯͕͖͛̆̓̑͒ͅM̴̞̈́̓̀͋N̸̜̯̽ ̷̟̣̲̄͠H̵̨̱̙̲͓̫͉̜̞̭̊̑̿Á̴̜̬̠͐͌͛͋͜N̸̨̹͕̗͇̺͑̌͛̃̈́̔͘̕ͅḎ̸̰̣͈̝̩̬͓̝̑͛͒͜S̴̛͍̲̲͉͉̗͚̘̈́̑͊͑̉̏͐͊͜͝ ̵̢̰̫͓̲̟͈̈́̑͊̀̀͘͠Ơ̷͙͉̳͚͎̼̹̈͊̋͂̇̇N̵̛̲̗ ̷̨̢͕̤̥̻̞̹̘̱͂̇͆̂̎͋͠Ỳ̶̢͚̹̤̠̪̬̻̞̞̎̈́͝Ȏ̷̳͙͙̯̠̈̋̓̄̏̅̇U̴͙̗̠̬͍̲̠̫̗̗͗̇̒͌̓̈̋̏͘.̵̗̮̺͍̥̱̲̳̏̚.̷̧̺̀͊̈́̆̾.̵̧͇̦̭̤̻̮̥͑͋̂̈́͌"̶̧̝̰͋̒́̔͆͂ Odile sounded like she was on the verge of a rampage.


Odette had enough of watching this one sided waltz; she needed to see more. So, she snapped once.

"Channel that Fiery Wrath" she said coldly.

Without a moments hesitation, Odile whipped her head around to intercept the line Alakazam had tried to move in. She opened her mouth, and let loose a stream of dark flame, shrieking as she did.

Noro pushed away the thoughts of how huge that thing, was how strong, how it seemed to eat attacks, forcing himself to focus instead on its movements, on its trainer, an Alakazam. Alakazam needed his focus right now. The thing was good, but it still had to compensate for its size. Wide attacks and movement were effective.

"My attacks are hardly damaging it!" Alakazam grunted as he zipped around the field. Noro could sense the frustration masking his tiredness. Against an average opponent he could surely have kept up for longer, but this thing, whatever it was, was quick.

Then it spoke again. A shiver rippled down his spine, which he ignored. Focus. Alakazam even cringed from the voice.

Fiery Wrath?

Noro reacted. No time for a dodge, too wide. "Divert!"

Psychic aura flared around Alakazam, eyes burning as he held out his hands to try and divert the stream of dark fire. "Nor-" The miasma of flames poured across Alakazam. He wailed in shock, an eerie cry.

A searing mental pain flooded Noro at the same moment, carried by the psychic link he always kept during battle with Alakazam. For a moment, his whole body briefly blazed with a supernatural burning sensation before he felt Alakazam block it off. Noro gasped from shock and staggered back, barely catching himself. His head spun.

Normally their small psychic connection was a boon, a small risk to communicate easier. Alakazam was skilled enough to mantain the link without ill effect but the attack must have overwhelmed him. Mental or not, it felt real for a moment. He blinked, still a little disoriented, and saw Alakazam cringing, dark wisps of flames around him, and his eyes shut.

What the hell was this thing?

Alakazam dropped to the floor, breathing hard. "Noro... I'm sorry I... I did not expect something like that. I couldn't severe the connection-"

"It's fine," Noro hissed out loud through gritted teeth. "I'm fine."

Alakazam cast his gaze upon Noro, who had his fists clenched. "You're in pain, Noro. Perhaps we should-"

The two shared a long look, Noro games the tiniest shake of his head and Alakazam nodded in understanding, the gleam in his eye matching Noro's own. "Of course."

"Calm Mind, then strike." Straight to the point, nothing fancy. A final attack, a test of everything he could give. He gripped the mega stone on his wrist, as if willing it to lend Alakazam extra strength. Slowly, and with great effort, Alakazam rose to its feet, eyes closed in focus. His aura grew, flaring briefly with power from Calm Mind. Then a shimmering orb began to grow above its head, a Focus Blast, larger and stronger than his previous.

Then, pouring all his strength into the attack, he launched the orb as fast as he could, dead on at Odile.

A small flicker of pride flashed through Noro. The next blow might decide the battle, but Alakazam had done good.

 

[Sinderella]

"I hope you don't mind if I just... slide over here," Kimiko said quietly in the sylveon's direction. That was a connection she hadn't made before, and now she felt foolish for it. Still... could Odette feel it from all the way over there? And why would she want Enora trying to calm her while she was also trying to prepare for a fight? Maybe it was subconscious? ...Was Enora doing it for her benefit?

Either way... it did help to calm her. This is Odette's pokemon, she reminded herself now that she was able to think. She's in control. Neither of them want to hurt you. You're safe here. You're not in danger. You never were. Just relax and watch the battle. It's not every day you get to watch a legendary in action. Gods, she hoped Odette didn't see the look that must have been on her face...

Enora was the team healer for a reason. She knew she could pack a punch, but she found her niche in keeping everyone standing. And calm.

She watched the battle intensely, willing Odette to keep her composure. So far, she was doing a fantastic job. She looked almost tranquil, while still managing to keep her eyes on the battle.

Nonetheless, Enora pulsated a calming aura through her ribbons. If not for Odette, then for whoever was sitting around watching. For herself, so she didn't have a heart attack. Because her heart was in her throat right now.

As for everyone else, the last thing that needed to happen was somebody getting scared, or too rowdy. She shot a dirty look at the two birds next to her at the thought.

She might have kept her narrow eyes fixed on them, had she not felt something move up next to her. She turned her head, catching sight of blonde hair. It made her grin just a tad.

Enora really did appreciate Kimiko and her willingness to...accept. Be understanding. She could sense some lasting fear within the girl, but also a sense of awe. They fought with each other, but the awe was winning. Especially now that she'd moved closer.

"Please, come as close as you like. I don't mind one bit."

A searing mental pain flooded Noro at the same moment, carried by the psychic link he always kept during battle with Alakazam. For a moment, his whole body briefly blazed with a supernatural burning sensation before he felt Alakazam block it off. Noro gasped from shock and staggered back, barely catching himself. His head spun.

Odette watched with fierce concentration as the attack landed. She didn't think Odile would be able to catch him fast enough, but the dragon had a knack for surprising her. That blow seemed to have done a number. Psychic against a dark-type move was always fairly one-sided.

She opened her mouth to shout another command, but the sound of Noro's gasp hit her ears. Her eyes darted in his direction just in time to watch him stagger backward.

She blanched as her breath caught in her throat.

Did...did Odile accidentally hit him? Did something ricochet? She was watching the battle so closely, she didn't see anything fly in his direction, and he looked physically unscathed. She fixed her gaze back on the Alakazam to see that he was also cringing through pain. Panting.

Odile had only hit Alakazam. That was certain. Noro hadn't been hit with anything. His clothes still looked normal, nothing on him was burning...so what happened...?

"It's fine," Noro hissed out loud through gritted teeth. "I'm fine."

Fine? What did he mean fine? He didn't look fine, he looked like he was in pain. But she'd only aimed at the Alakazam...

Was it something mental? Were they linked somehow? Did Alakazam's pain transfer to Noro somehow?

Oh fuck. I did that. I did that.

"Noro, are you--?"

She then realized her breathing had grown labored. She could feel her heartbeat in her ears, and she no longer felt that tingling in her thumb. Her concentration was entirely shot, having now been replaced by onset panic. And guilt.

Get it back, get it back, you're going to fuck yourself.

She sucked in a deep, hard breath, holding it in order to give her heart a chance to slow. This was just the nature of battling; some magical types simply had those kinds of links with their trainers. She had one with Odile, it wasn't horribly uncommon, and that shit happened all the time...

But it's worse because it's you.

This is what people are scared of.

Now she felt tense. Her blood was pounding in her ears. This was dangerous.

Keep it together, calm the fuck down.

Beeeeeeeeeeeep.

Her eyes widened as the monitor on her wrist began to sound. She brought it to her face, eyeing the slowly dropping number indicating her blood pressure. Nothing alarming yet, but well on the way there. By this point, she could practically hear Armel screaming at her.

You are getting out of control! Close your eyes and breathe!

"Calm Mind, then strike." Straight to the point, nothing fancy. A final attack, a test of everything he could give. He gripped the mega stone on his wrist, as if willing it to lend Alakazam extra strength. Slowly, and with great effort, Alakazam rose to its feet, eyes closed in focus. His aura grew, flaring briefly with power from Calm Mind. Then a shimmering orb began to grow above its head, a Focus Blast, larger and stronger than his previous.

Then, pouring all his strength into the attack, he launched the orb as fast as he could, dead on at Odile.

A small flicker of pride flashed through Noro. The next blow might decide the battle, but Alakazam had done good.

It was okay. Everything would be okay. This was a battle. This was a battle...

Her eyes slipped shut, and for a moment, she forgot where she was. Forgot she was battling; forgot she was trying to gather information on this Alakazam. The focus had turned onto her being, her person, and keeping it under control.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeeep.

She would not land herself back in the infirmary again. She could pull herself back. She had the control; she always did.

Beeeeeeeeeeeeep.

"̸L̶e̸t̸'̷s̴ ̶d̶a̴n̷c̶e̸,̶ ̴s̸p̸o̸o̷n̵i̵e̶ ̷b̵o̴y̴,̴"̵ Odile growled toward them as they built on their attack. She had a strong feeling they were going for Focus Blast again, and boy, that was going to hurt like a bitch. But, she could hold it. She would hold it.

Odette exhaled calmly, feeling that zen return to her. The sound of her heartbeat decreased in volume. Her panic faded. She began to feel light again.

Beeeeep.

Keep it together.

Clenching her thumb in her fingers, her eyes snapped open.

"Counter it. Control yourself," she said.

That was all Odile needed. The shadows of maroon and black began to form around her again, and she sent them forward to meet the oncoming blast right down the middle of the arena.

"̴M̵A̸K̷E̷ ̴I̶T̸ ̵S̴P̸L̷O̴D̴I̴E̴."