Non-HPU: Pokémon: Explorers of the Veil

[Gameb18oy]

"'Armor'? Now I'm really curious, especially with the way you intoned that word alone." The rockruff skips ahead a little bit before a thought hits him. "I'm a little surprised he didn't come out to eat if he's here. Is he focused or forgetful?" Einar questions, again turning to Scallop for an answer.

Scallop seemed puzzled by the question on Mr. Plasma's diet... "... Oh yeah, I keep forgetting most people don't know this. Ghost's dont tend to eat regular food. I think he said he prefers electricity... and something else he says is mostly exclusive to ghost types... Though yes on your questions about his personality." He began walking upstairs, where he assumed they'd find the rotom.

[furrygamer793]

James finally woke up, he had heard stories about some adventurer guild, he walked along the path to the village, watching the calm winter day around him, he saw some wurmple passing by until he got to the village, he slowly walked until he found, or rather more heard the talking from inside, the building were the adventurers should be at, "Aww man, I just remembered they were having food, I hope that there's still some left." he said to himself. He reluctantly went into the building, "Does anyone know where the food is?" he asked, trying to be loud over the commotion.

[Leafolawl]

Einar's face lights up with the revelation. "Oh, a ghost-type. I definitely haven't met a Rotom then, but... Sableye eat gemstones, which is somewhat normal. I mean, Aron eat rocks." He bounds up the steps two to three at a time, tail wagging. "Have to love the diversity around here, though. Ghost-types, grass-types, dark-types, water-types, dragon-types... It's nice. Say, I don't recall catching your name," he points out, turning to face the Oshawott more directly.

[Buster]

having had her fill, Rose pushes her plate away before looking around at the two Riolu, the gray Poochyena, the Ratata, and her sister.
"So... what do you guys want to do?" she asks, not used to having gone this long without a few dozen farm-related chores to do, and at a bit of a loss.

[Legotron123]

Lance smiled at the chance to show off his skills. ”Well then, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.” He started to move his chair back to sit up, but stopped when his tail bumped into something. He turned around to find Luke standing behind the trio with that excited grin on his face, having overheard the Guildmasters mention a fight. ”Heh. I take it someone’s excited.” He said, as the Riolu nodded his head so fast it was almost a blur.

[CyberDragon]

Atum grinned at that. “you do realize it’s not as impressive for them to see someone not get knocked out immediately right?” The wagging tail already betrayed its owner’s answer though. The guild recruits were about to see just how powerful most guildmaster were firsthand

"The only reason why I have not knocked you out before..." Hagane stated in response, "Is because I haven't wanted to. I am more than capable of overwhelming your moonlight recovery, and after bringing up my birthdays, I wonder how you'd fare against me actually trying." He said, and not a hint of his tone indicated he was simply boasting.

Lance smiled at the chance to show off his skills. ”Well then, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.” He started to move his chair back to sit up, but stopped when his tail bumped into something. He turned around to find Luke standing behind the trio with that excited grin on his face, having overheard the Guildmasters mention a fight. ”Heh. I take it someone’s excited.” He said, as the Riolu nodded his head so fast it was almost a blur.

Hagane let out a laugh. "Alright! It's settled then." The Lucario stood up from his seat and addressed the people in the room. "If I may have everyone's attention, please. First, I would like to extend thanks to Alan and Taylor for this wonderful meal. Second, Atum, Lance, and I will be holding battles shortly out behind the guild hall." He chose the location because the last building they had a battle in ended up falling down due to the holes their fights put in the walls. "If you are still eating, you may bring your food outside if you wish to see the fight."

having had her fill, Rose pushes her plate away before looking around at the two Riolu, the gray Poochyena, the Ratata, and her sister.
"So... what do you guys want to do?" she asks, not used to having gone this long without a few dozen farm-related chores to do, and at a bit of a loss.

"Looks like the guildmasters are going to have a battle!" Kim got up and ran his plate over to the dirty dishes, returning in a second. "It's gonna be awesome!"

"Kim..." Hagane said. "Would you please inform Einar and Scallop of what is going on?"

"Ok!" the Riolu sped out of the room, locating the Oshawott and the Rockruff fairly quickly.

"Hey! Hey, guys!" He said, running up to Scallop especially. "Scallop, our dads are going to have a battle outside! You two should totally come and watch!"

[Buster]

Glancing between Luke and and Kim, watching the former's antics, and the later rushing off excitedly, Rose couldn't help but grin. Commenting "and here i thought that thing about 'fighting types only having one thing on the mind' was just a stereotype." quietly, as she cleaned up her own place.

[Deske]

T followed the same path Kimera took and put his plate in with the dirty dishes, heading out to the clearing behind the guildhall with everyone else.

[Champion Wallace]

Trent is still on his second helping because he started later, so he takes his food outside. "This should be interesting. I'm betting Atum will go down from one or two of of the Lucario's punches, but Lance will be able to withstand his attacks long enough to win." Trent says while walking out to the recruit next to him.

[Buster]

"I wouldn't be so sure." Rose commented, confident, as she was walking alongside Trent. He probably hasn't recognized the pendant Hagane's wearing yet then. I've only ever heard of them in stories, but if it is what I think it is, it's a total game-changer.

"Tell you what, you think Lance'll come out on top? 20 Poke says it's Hagane over both of em."

[Deske]

"Between Hagane and Atum it should be a short fight. Hagane has a good type advantage over Atum. Lance has a type advantage over Hagane though, but unless he can really use it, I don't think it'll get him anywhere," T says, catching up to Rose and Trent, "I mean he's probably the guildmaster for a reason, right?"

[Gameb18oy]

Atum grinned at that. “you do realize it’s not as impressive for them to see someone not get knocked out immediately right?” The wagging tail already betrayed its owner’s answer though. The guild recruits were about to see just how powerful most guildmaster were firsthand

"The only reason why I have not knocked you out before..." Hagane stated in response, "Is because I haven't wanted to. I am more than capable of overwhelming your moonlight recovery, and after bringing up my birthdays, I wonder how you'd fare against me actually trying." He said, and not a hint of his tone indicated he was simply boasting.

Lance smiled at the chance to show off his skills. ”Well then, we shouldn’t keep them waiting.” He started to move his chair back to sit up, but stopped when his tail bumped into something. He turned around to find Luke standing behind the trio with that excited grin on his face, having overheard the Guildmasters mention a fight. ”Heh. I take it someone’s excited.” He said, as the Riolu nodded his head so fast it was almost a blur.

Hagane let out a laugh. "Alright! It's settled then." The Lucario stood up from his seat and addressed the people in the room. "If I may have everyone's attention, please. First, I would like to extend thanks to Alan and Taylor for this wonderful meal. Second, Atum, Lance, and I will be holding battles shortly out behind the guild hall." He chose the location because the last building they had a battle in ended up falling down due to the holes their fights put in the walls. "If you are still eating, you may bring your food outside if you wish to see the fight."

Despite a yawn from Atum, both Lance saw the light signs of Atum actually taking things seriously. A very light wag of his tail and his eyes bright and active, betraying the only thing stronger than the Umbreon's ability to take a punch, his intellect. "Knowing how most of the expectations are for these battles by the recruits, I do hope you two at least don't forget the reason I was valuable for the team even as an eevee." He had a grin as he ran through all scenarios he expected to occur when fighting with his friends, hoping he wouldn't have any missteps due to getting excited, already walking out to the area chosen by Hagane.

having had her fill, Rose pushes her plate away before looking around at the two Riolu, the gray Poochyena, the Ratata, and her sister.
"So... what do you guys want to do?" she asks, not used to having gone this long without a few dozen farm-related chores to do, and at a bit of a loss.

"Looks like the guildmasters are going to have a battle!" Kim got up and ran his plate over to the dirty dishes, returning in a second. "It's gonna be awesome!"

"Kim..." Hagane said. "Would you please inform Einar and Scallop of what is going on?"

"Ok!" the Riolu sped out of the room, locating the Oshawott and the Rockruff fairly quickly.

"Hey! Hey, guys!" He said, running up to Scallop especially. "Scallop, our dads are going to have a battle outside! You two should totally come and watch!"

Scallop... looked surprised. "Were allowed to watch?!? I thought are dad thought we would end up getting injured just from the fallout form some of their attacks!" A grin on his face suggested this didn't make him less eager to join in. "Where outside?"

Trent is still on his second helping because he started later, so he takes his food outside. "This should be interesting. I'm betting Atum will go down from one or two of of the Lucario's punches, but Lance will be able to withstand his attacks long enough to win." Trent says while walking out to the recruit next to him.

"I wouldn't be so sure." Rose commented, confident, as she was walking alongside Trent. He probably hasn't recognized the pendant Hagane's wearing yet then. I've only ever heard of them in stories, but if it is what I think it is, it's a total game-changer.

"Tell you what, you think Lance'll come out on top? 20 Poke says it's Hagane over both of em."

"Between Hagane and Atum it should be a short fight. Hagane has a good type advantage over Atum. Lance has a type advantage over Hagane though, but unless he can really use it, I don't think it'll get him anywhere," T says, catching up to Rose and Trent, "I mean he's probably the guildmaster for a reason, right?"

"... I see mostly dark types amongst those speaking, and I think rattata have the potential to be dark types under certain circumstances. Are you really expecting me not to have any tricks for this?" The umbreon had walked up rather quietly behind them, and he seemed surprised the three hadn't detected him during all that talk, chuckling as he took in their response to him. "... I hope you realize that while Hagane and Lance are indeed physically my superiors, I can keep up with them. I never take on battles where I have no chance of winning... though put me down for 30 poke on Lance lasting longer than Hagane"

[Buster]

"... I see mostly dark types amongst those speaking, and I think rattata have the potential to be dark types under certain circumstances. Are you really expecting me not to have any tricks for this?" The umbreon had walked up rather quietly behind them, and he seemed surprised the three hadn't detected him during all that talk, chuckling as he took in their response to him. "... I hope you realize that while Hagane and Lance are indeed physically my superiors, I can keep up with them. I never take on battles where I have no chance of winning... though put me down for 30 poke on Lance lasting longer than Hagane"

"Doesn't the fact that you didn't bet on yourself proove our point though?" Rose points out, her voice confident and a bit playful, a smirk present. she doesn't object to the bet being raised to 30 though.

"Well, you're black and he's blue, so maybe the big one ill have an advantage cause black and blue are hurt colors?" Baja wonders aloud, gesturing to Atum, then Hagane.

"That's... not even close to how type advantage works..."

[Gameb18oy]

"... I see mostly dark types amongst those speaking, and I think rattata have the potential to be dark types under certain circumstances. Are you really expecting me not to have any tricks for this?" The umbreon had walked up rather quietly behind them, and he seemed surprised the three hadn't detected him during all that talk, chuckling as he took in their response to him. "... I hope you realize that while Hagane and Lance are indeed physically my superiors, I can keep up with them. I never take on battles where I have no chance of winning... though put me down for 30 poke on Lance lasting longer than Hagane"

"Doesn't the fact that you didn't bet on yourself proove our point though?" Rose points out, her voice confident and a bit playful, a smirk present. she doesn't object to the bet being raised to 30 though.

"Well, you're black and he's blue, so maybe the big one ill have an advantage cause black and blue are hurt colors?" Baja wonders aloud, gesturing to Atum, then Hagane.

"That's... not even close to how type advantage works..."

He shrugs. "I just find it no fun to bet on yourself, but you can assume what you want if you think that proves anything"

[Leafolawl]

"Ok!" the Riolu sped out of the room, locating the Oshawott and the Rockruff fairly quickly.

"Hey! Hey, guys!" He said, running up to Scallop especially. "Scallop, our dads are going to have a battle outside! You two should totally come and watch!"

Scallop... looked surprised. "Were allowed to watch?!? I thought are dad thought we would end up getting injured just from the fallout form some of their attacks!" A grin on his face suggested this didn't make him less eager to join in. "Where outside?"]

Einar looks a little confused by their excitement. "Is... this not normal?" he inquires, looking between the two eager bipeds.

[Champion Wallace]

"... I see mostly dark types amongst those speaking, and I think rattata have the potential to be dark types under certain circumstances. Are you really expecting me not to have any tricks for this?" The umbreon had walked up rather quietly behind them, and he seemed surprised the three hadn't detected him during all that talk, chuckling as he took in their response to him. "... I hope you realize that while Hagane and Lance are indeed physically my superiors, I can keep up with them. I never take on battles where I have no chance of winning... though put me down for 30 poke on Lance lasting longer than Hagane"

Whaddya mean I might be a dark type?! Trent exclaims defensively, then when he realizes what Atum meant his overall expression becomes more so that of annoyance. Oh, you're talking about those Rattata. Ugh, I hate that we're considered the same species. We're no more similar than a Starly and a Pidove! Sorry for having little faith, but I don't see how you're going to win this other than by hiding in the shadows and letting those two exhaust themselves fighting each other.

"Between Hagane and Atum it should be a short fight. Hagane has a good type advantage over Atum. Lance has a type advantage over Hagane though, but unless he can really use it, I don't think it'll get him anywhere," T says, catching up to Rose and Trent, "I mean he's probably the guildmaster for a reason, right?"

"I wouldn't be so sure." Rose commented, confident, as she was walking alongside Trent. He probably hasn't recognized the pendant Hagane's wearing yet then. I've only ever heard of them in stories, but if it is what I think it is, it's a total game-changer.

"Tell you what, you think Lance'll come out on top? 20 Poke says it's Hagane over both of em."

I'll take you up on that lass. Even though Hagane's steel typing makes it so neither has much of a type advantage one way or the other, that doesn't change the fact that Dragonite are built like a Bastiodon, yet can still dish out quite a lot themselves. I heard that some can shrug off their first hit like it was nothing! Hagane may be the guildmaster, but battle prowess isn't the only part of being a good leader. In fact, it's not even the most important part. For example, no offense Atum, but you don't strike me as someone who enjoys taking on a lot of responsibilities.

[CyberDragon]

"Ok!" the Riolu sped out of the room, locating the Oshawott and the Rockruff fairly quickly.

"Hey! Hey, guys!" He said, running up to Scallop especially. "Scallop, our dads are going to have a battle outside! You two should totally come and watch!"

Scallop... looked surprised. "Were allowed to watch?!? I thought are dad thought we would end up getting injured just from the fallout form some of their attacks!" A grin on his face suggested this didn't make him less eager to join in. "Where outside?"]

Einar looks a little confused by their excitement. "Is... this not normal?" he inquires, looking between the two eager bipeds.

"Huh?" Kim tilted his head at Einar. "Oh! Well, it's not too unusual, but it doesn't happen every day, and it's always really cool to watch! Come on! Let's get outside! It's going to be out back!" Kim said before almost physically lifting the two of them, one in each arm, and running for the back door.

"... I see mostly dark types amongst those speaking, and I think rattata have the potential to be dark types under certain circumstances. Are you really expecting me not to have any tricks for this?" The umbreon had walked up rather quietly behind them, and he seemed surprised the three hadn't detected him during all that talk, chuckling as he took in their response to him. "... I hope you realize that while Hagane and Lance are indeed physically my superiors, I can keep up with them. I never take on battles where I have no chance of winning... though put me down for 30 poke on Lance lasting longer than Hagane"

"I have no intention of losing to either of you." Hagane said, appearing behind the group and walking ahead. "You are not the only one who can strategize."

Hagane walked outside into a closed off makeshift arena in the back yard consisting of a small field surrounded by a wooden fence. He took his position on the far end and waited for his opponents to take theirs.

[Legotron123]

Lance smiled at all the debating going around about their upcoming battle. It seems they had a pretty good selection of recruits this time. ”Personally, I think each of us has a pretty good chance to win. Though some of that depends on one thing I think we should decide before the battle.” He said, turning to look at his teammates. ”Are we fighting for fun, fighting to put on a show, or fighting to win?”
Luke meanwhile had started making some sort of high-pitched noise that would, in a less organic device, have indicated an engine malfunction.

[Gameb18oy]

Lance smiled at all the debating going around about their upcoming battle. It seems they had a pretty good selection of recruits this time. ”Personally, I think each of us has a pretty good chance to win. Though some of that depends on one thing I think we should decide before the battle.” He said, turning to look at his teammates. ”Are we fighting for fun, fighting to put on a show, or fighting to win?”
Luke meanwhile had started making some sort of high-pitched noise that would, in a less organic device, have indicated an engine malfunction.

"... I see mostly dark types amongst those speaking, and I think rattata have the potential to be dark types under certain circumstances. Are you really expecting me not to have any tricks for this?" The umbreon had walked up rather quietly behind them, and he seemed surprised the three hadn't detected him during all that talk, chuckling as he took in their response to him. "... I hope you realize that while Hagane and Lance are indeed physically my superiors, I can keep up with them. I never take on battles where I have no chance of winning... though put me down for 30 poke on Lance lasting longer than Hagane"

"I have no intention of losing to either of you." Hagane said, appearing behind the group and walking ahead. "You are not the only one who can strategize."

Hagane walked outside into a closed off makeshift arena in the back yard consisting of a small field surrounded by a wooden fence. He took his position on the far end and waited for his opponents to take theirs.

Atum smiled a bit, making sure they were out of earshot before responding. "I assume mostly for show as recruits are watching, good to make sure we all get to showcase our abilities for them, though don't hold back too much due to that, I can take a few hits still." He turned to Hagane. "That fine with you?"

"Huh?" Kim tilted his head at Einar. "Oh! Well, it's not too unusual, but it doesn't happen every day, and it's always really cool to watch! Come on! Let's get outside! It's going to be out back!" Kim said before almost physically lifting the two of them, one in each arm, and running for the back door.

"Kim! I have totally functional feet! You dont have to show off your fighting type super strength!" Despite protesting, Einar would notice he looked comfortable. "Fighting types, all show offs, am I right Einar?"

[Buster]

At first rose is grinning at Trent's assessment of Atum, as he walked off to join the other two senior members. that turns into full on laughing out loud when Kim and his 'passengers' arrive.

[Leafolawl]

Einar for his part, looks incredibly uncomfortable, trying to keep up with an unsteady and barely balanced three-legged gait... and his discomfort elevates to frustration at Rose's laughter. "Know what?" he starts, trying to pull his leg back from Kimera. "Perhaps this is exciting and a little uncommon for you, but I'm not here for spectacles. So yeah, maybe I'll just turn in early for tonight. Thank you, so much for awkwardly dragging me along—down stairs, I might add—for my share of humiliation for tonight."

[Deske]

T lifted an eyebrow as Atum explained how he thought he'd do in the fights, "Does gritting your teeth really get you through so many fights that you should be outmatched in?"

[CyberDragon]

Einar for his part, looks incredibly uncomfortable, trying to keep up with an unsteady and barely balanced three-legged gait... and his discomfort elevates to frustration at Rose's laughter. "Know what?" he starts, trying to pull his leg back from Kimera. "Perhaps this is exciting and a little uncommon for you, but I'm not here for spectacles. So yeah, maybe I'll just turn in early for tonight. Thank you, so much for awkwardly dragging me along—down stairs, I might add—for my share of humiliation for tonight."

"Huh? Oh!" Kim apparently just realized he had been dragging Einar along quite literally. "I'm really really sorry. I got a bit too excited." The riolu looked sad when Einar said he wasn't sticking around to watch the fight. "Are you sure? It's always really fun to watch."

Lance smiled at all the debating going around about their upcoming battle. It seems they had a pretty good selection of recruits this time. ”Personally, I think each of us has a pretty good chance to win. Though some of that depends on one thing I think we should decide before the battle.” He said, turning to look at his teammates. ”Are we fighting for fun, fighting to put on a show, or fighting to win?”
Luke meanwhile had started making some sort of high-pitched noise that would, in a less organic device, have indicated an engine malfunction.

Atum smiled a bit, making sure they were out of earshot before responding. "I assume mostly for show as recruits are watching, good to make sure we all get to showcase our abilities for them, though don't hold back too much due to that, I can take a few hits still." He turned to Hagane. "That fine with you?"

"Agreed. This is mostly for fun and to show off a little. And don't worry, Atum. After that birthday comment, you should not expect me to pull my punches." Hagane may have threatened Atum, but there was a smile on his face.

Hagane stood in his position at the end of the field. When the others were in their positions, he bowed slightly to his opponents respectfully. Then he lowered himself into his fighting stance, his hands igniting in blue aura "flames". The match had started.

Hagane closed his eyes. The hair-like appendages on the back of his head lifted up, sensing the aura around him. Hagane focused closely on that aura, picking up on not only the positions of his opponents, the spectators, even the people in town, but also on their emotions. The closer they got to him, the better he could read their auras, to the point where he could pick up on the complex thoughts in his opponents' heads. These are what he focused on intensely, putting them at the front of his attention. His closed eyes keeping his vision from distracting him. He could see everything he needed to by sensing their auras. Hagane did not make a move first. He simply waited, and watched, and listened.

[Legotron123]

Lance smiled as the group made their way to the arena. ”Hopefully the others have as much fun with this fight as we do.” He said, stepping into the actual arena proper. As the fight began, he declined to throw the first attack, instead Dragon Dancing in order to boost his stats. As a reddish pink mist surrounded his body, he watched his two opponents cautiously, waiting to see which one would try to cut off his stat boosting first.

[Gameb18oy]

It appeared even though all of them were planning to put on a show... everyone was setting themselves up before the actual battle. Atum’s eyes glowed as he setup Detect, and also began to setup a charm attack at Lance to keep his strength from increasing

[CyberDragon]

Reading his opponents auras, Hagane could Detect what they were both trying to do. Knowing attacking Atum at this point would be futile, the Lucario turned his Laser Focus on Lance.

Eyes still closed and using his sense for Lance's aura to guide him, Hagane dashed forward before slamming the two metal spikes on the backs of his hands together, sending out a harsh Metal Sound straight at the Dragonite. Following up, purple and blue sparks and flames leaked out of his slightly open mouth before he fully opened his jaws and blasted a stream of dragonfire, a Dragon Pulse, straight at Lance's chest.

[Leafolawl]

Einar glances out to the fight. "Maybe it could be, for someone who doesn't see it often. Scallop's the one who said they usually don't let you watch," he points out, turning to walk back into the building. "But it's different when you would see it every day at home," he explains, still sounding a little irritated. "Enjoy the fight, I'll be fine without."

[Legotron123]

Lance managed to dodge the Metal Sound, but wasn’t able to dodge the Dragon Pulse and got knocked back. Thankfully he was at full health so his Multiscale absorbed most of it (and Hagane wasted his Laser Focus by using a status move), but it still really hurt. Once he had stopped, he coated himself in Mist to prevent the others from lowering his stats, then used Agility to raise his speed. As he felt the world start to slow, he Dragon Rushed forwards, not towards Hagane, but towards Atum, hoping to eliminate his additional opponent. If he could turn this into a one on one with Hagane, his ability to eliminate any stat boosts the Lucario gained with Haze, as well as heal any damage he took with Roost, gave him the upper hand.

[Champion Wallace]

"Oh man! Now this fight's really started. What did I say, lass. Lance sustained a direct hit and he's still going full force." Trent is still eating his dinner, so he makes sure to only speak when there isn't food in his mouth. "Nothing else quite gets your blood pumping the same way as watching a well fought battle. Wouldn't you agree, Kimera? Hey, Hagane's your dad, right? Do you think he can make it against those two?"

[Deske]

T sat, quietly watching the fight, somewhere between excited for the fight and slightly disinterested to watch what were basically legendaries have at each other.

[Gameb18oy]

Lance managed to dodge the Metal Sound, but wasn’t able to dodge the Dragon Pulse and got knocked back. Thankfully he was at full health so his Multiscale absorbed most of it (and Hagane wasted his Laser Focus by using a status move), but it still really hurt. Once he had stopped, he coated himself in Mist to prevent the others from lowering his stats, then used Agility to raise his speed. As he felt the world start to slow, he Dragon Rushed forwards, not towards Hagane, but towards Atum, hoping to eliminate his additional opponent. If he could turn this into a one on one with Hagane, his ability to eliminate any stat boosts the Lucario gained with Haze, as well as heal any damage he took with Roost, gave him the upper hand.

... Atum took an impressive leap over Lance as he barreled over to him, with detect he had just enough time to move out of the way of the attack. ”you really need to stop making this tactic so easy Lance” He’d feel a dark pulse sting at him as Atum fired it down on Lance, hoping to make him flinch. Atum tried to hide the strain of detect to onlookers, he could predict another hit with it, but it was less certain than dodging that dragon rush. For now, he focused on giving Lance a reason to focus on giving his attention to Hagane, rushing towards the guildmaster with a bloodcurdling screech to lower their defenses. He didn’t expect he’d be able to take Hagane on by himself, but he could win if he forced the two to wear each other out.

Einar glances out to the fight. "Maybe it could be, for someone who doesn't see it often. Scallop's the one who said they usually don't let you watch," he points out, turning to walk back into the building. "But it's different when you would see it every day at home," he explains, still sounding a little irritated. "Enjoy the fight, I'll be fine without."

... Scallop seemed puzzled by one bit of that, and started after Einar. “what do you mean see this everyday at home?” They made it into the guild as he asked, anyone outside wouldn’t hear what was said between them.

[Leafolawl]

The rockruff turns to see who followed him, and gives a huffed sigh as he tries to drop his annoyance. "I mean... it's a pretty self explanatory statement... I just... traveled a long ways on my own," he answers, ears remaining back. "It's... more open out where I'm from... Little less concern for collateral..."

[CyberDragon]

... Atum took an impressive leap over Lance as he barreled over to him, with detect he had just enough time to move out of the way of the attack. ”you really need to stop making this tactic so easy Lance” He’d feel a dark pulse sting at him as Atum fired it down on Lance, hoping to make him flinch. Atum tried to hide the strain of detect to onlookers, he could predict another hit with it, but it was less certain than dodging that dragon rush. For now, he focused on giving Lance a reason to focus on giving his attention to Hagane, rushing towards the guildmaster with a bloodcurdling screech to lower their defenses. He didn’t expect he’d be able to take Hagane on by himself, but he could win if he forced the two to wear each other out.

Hagane saw Atum approach, and saw the umbreon prepare his Screech, but before Atum uttered a sound, Hagane had vanished, before reappearing and suddenly blindsiding the umbreon with a Laser Focus guided Aura Sphere. "Too slow, Atum. You should try things that are a bit harder to avoid!" Hagane leaped backwards, flipping through the air to keep his distance from Atum. He turned to the hopefully stunned Dragonite. Hagane's eyes glowed as he peered into Lance's mind and aura with Mind Reader, giving him insight into every move Lance might make to dodge him. Finally, Hagane used Me First, and Dragon Rushed straight at the Dragonite, having pulled the move straight from Lance's mind.

"Oh man! Now this fight's really started. What did I say, lass. Lance sustained a direct hit and he's still going full force." Trent is still eating his dinner, so he makes sure to only speak when there isn't food in his mouth. "Nothing else quite gets your blood pumping the same way as watching a well fought battle. Wouldn't you agree, Kimera? Hey, Hagane's your dad, right? Do you think he can make it against those two?"

"It's always pretty close, but yeah! Dad wins plenty of times." Kim said, not taking his eyes off of the fight. "Atum's the smart one, and Lance is the most powerful, but Dad is the most skilled fighter of all of them." When his father pulled off the dragon rush, Kimera cheered, jumping up and down.

[Legotron123]

Lance flinched as the wave of dark thoughts hit him, stunning him long enough for Lance’s Dragon Rush to hit him, sending him flying back into a wall. He managed to stop himself before he actually hit the wall, and he flew up, higher and higher, until it was impossible to make him out amongst the light of the sun.
Luke, being the over eager doofus that he was, kept trying to find Lance amidst the bright light emitted by the sun. After a minute of searching, he noticed that the sun seemed to be getting brighter. And closer. Less than a second after he realized it wasn’t the sun, the Hyper Beam slammed into the arena, the sheer force of it forcing him to look away before he could see if Hagane had dodged it.

[Gameb18oy]

The rockruff turns to see who followed him, and gives a huffed sigh as he tries to drop his annoyance. "I mean... it's a pretty self explanatory statement... I just... traveled a long ways on my own," he answers, ears remaining back. "It's... more open out where I'm from... Little less concern for collateral..."

Scallop missed that he wasn't wanted. "Oh, where are you from? Maybe I'll know it, dad told me about a lot of places and the pokemon that he encountered. Like apparently they once went to an area near a volcano, full of cannibals or something, or this group that none of the pokemon pick names for themselves in. I could talk for hours on the stuff he did." It certainly did feel that way to Einar.

... Atum took an impressive leap over Lance as he barreled over to him, with detect he had just enough time to move out of the way of the attack. ”you really need to stop making this tactic so easy Lance” He’d feel a dark pulse sting at him as Atum fired it down on Lance, hoping to make him flinch. Atum tried to hide the strain of detect to onlookers, he could predict another hit with it, but it was less certain than dodging that dragon rush. For now, he focused on giving Lance a reason to focus on giving his attention to Hagane, rushing towards the guildmaster with a bloodcurdling screech to lower their defenses. He didn’t expect he’d be able to take Hagane on by himself, but he could win if he forced the two to wear each other out.

Hagane saw Atum approach, and saw the umbreon prepare his Screech, but before Atum uttered a sound, Hagane had vanished, before reappearing and suddenly blindsiding the umbreon with a Laser Focus guided Aura Sphere. "Too slow, Atum. You should try things that are a bit harder to avoid!" Hagane leaped backwards, flipping through the air to keep his distance from Atum. He turned to the hopefully stunned Dragonite. Hagane's eyes glowed as he peered into Lance's mind and aura with Mind Reader, giving him insight into every move Lance might make to dodge him. Finally, Hagane used Me First, and Dragon Rushed straight at the Dragonite, having pulled the move straight from Lance's mind.

Lance flinched as the wave of dark thoughts hit him, stunning him long enough for Lance’s Dragon Rush to hit him, sending him flying back into a wall. He managed to stop himself before he actually hit the wall, and he flew up, higher and higher, until it was impossible to make him out amongst the light of the sun.
Luke, being the over eager doofus that he was, kept trying to find Lance amidst the bright light emitted by the sun. After a minute of searching, he noticed that the sun seemed to be getting brighter. And closer. Less than a second after he realized it wasn’t the sun, the Hyper Beam slammed into the arena, the sheer force of it forcing him to look away before he could see if Hagane had dodged it.

A decent grunt came from Atum as he took the full blow, his Detect was weak at the time, so even though he was still standing... that aura sphere did sting... the audience would soon see his rings glowing as he used moonlight to heal up... not to be outdone, he decided to work to whittle of Hagane's health down, using quick attack to close the distance before taking Hagane's previous advice to heart as he hit Hagane with a Feint attack. "Not bad advice from some one who just used dragon rush, wonder how much that stings your own muscles after using it?" He chuckled as his arm hit the Lucario's legs, hoping this cheap tactic might make them trip... and it came right as Lance's hyper beam fired, dragging him forward when it suddenly struck him.

[Leafolawl]

The rockruff's ear flicks, he himself giving a small, somewhat uncomfortable chuckle. "Nowhere... so exotic, I assure..." he answers. "Even then, where I'm from is an over there topic, and... we're here. I'd rather focus on the here, and not the there, if that's okay." He gives a small smile, hoping to convince Scallop to change topics.

[CyberDragon]

Lance flinched as the wave of dark thoughts hit him, stunning him long enough for Lance’s Dragon Rush to hit him, sending him flying back into a wall. He managed to stop himself before he actually hit the wall, and he flew up, higher and higher, until it was impossible to make him out amongst the light of the sun.
Luke, being the over eager doofus that he was, kept trying to find Lance amidst the bright light emitted by the sun. After a minute of searching, he noticed that the sun seemed to be getting brighter. And closer. Less than a second after he realized it wasn’t the sun, the Hyper Beam slammed into the arena, the sheer force of it forcing him to look away before he could see if Hagane had dodged it.

Hagane followed Lance with his eyes until the dragonite vanished in the sun. Disliking that he couldn't see his opponent anymore, Hagane looked carefully for any signs of what the Dragonite was doing. Then, he saw the Hyper Beam headed his way. Luckily, given how far off in the distance Lance was, Hagane could see the attack coming from a literal mile away.

A decent grunt came from Atum as he took the full blow, his Detect was weak at the time, so even though he was still standing... that aura sphere did sting... the audience would soon see his rings glowing as he used moonlight to heal up... not to be outdone, he decided to work to whittle of Hagane's health down, using quick attack to close the distance before taking Hagane's previous advice to heart as he hit Hagane with a Feint attack. "Not bad advice from some one who just used dragon rush, wonder how much that stings your own muscles after using it?" He chuckled as his arm hit the Lucario's legs, hoping this cheap tactic might make them trip... and it came right as Lance's hyper beam fired, dragging him forward when it suddenly struck him.

Atum's attack struck Hagane in the leg, but due mainly to Hagane's natural resistance to the darkness the Feint Attack utilized combined with Hagane's fortified steel bones and solid stance having a fair amount more defense than Atum had attack strength, it did not quite have the tripping effect the Umbreon had hoped for. It still stung, and Hagane now had a rather nasty bruise, but the Lucario was still standing.

Running out of time as the Hyper Beam got closer, Hagane booked it out of the blast zone with Extreme Speed. He skidded to a halt outside of the target area and watched as the Hyper Beam rained down on the arena, carving a decent sized hole in the ground. The Lucario weighed his options once the attack had subsided. He had two opponents he could target. Atum, if he wasn't already knocked out by that attack, would surely try to heal himself with Moonlight if given the chance. Lance on the other hand needed to recharge after that attack, and so he might be vulnerable to a Sky Uppercut. But with the Dragonite out of range of Hagane's ability to read his mind, it might not hit him. On the other hand, the Dragonite was his biggest threat at the moment.

Hagane made up his mind. He bent down. His hands and legs glowed with aura. He launched off, shattering some of the ground beneath his feet, and sailed straight up into the sky, meeting Lance head on with a Sky Uppercut aimed at the dragonite's jaw. Whether it hit or not, while he was up there and in close range, Hagane unleashed a Dragon Pulse straight at Lance's chest.

When his double attack was over, he started falling back to the ground. He opened his arms and legs, maximizing his resistance until he got closer to the ground. He flipped forward and landed on the surface gracefully.

[Legotron123]

Lance was barely staying afloat after that last attack, and was panting heavily as he tried to muster up the energy to do another one. Unfortunately, that was when Hagane made his move, hitting the Dragonite straight in the jaw. While he managed to dodge the follow up blast, the first strike still took a lot of wind out of him, and he only remained in the air for a few more seconds before falling down. As he fell, he did the opposite of what Lance did, minimizing his resistance in order to pick up speed. It seemed he was aiming to hit one of his opponents, though which one wasn’t clear yet.

[Gameb18oy]

... Atum appeared to be laying limp after being blasted away by the hyper beam. To the new recruits it might appear he fainted, but Lance and Hagane knew better, confirmed by a bit of light telepathic cursing blasted into their heads. "Really Lance!?! Hyper beam in a fight just for onlookers?!? Dont be surprised if I'm not eager to shield you next time were in a dungeon!" The two weren't surprised Atum was the first out. While he was mildly more active when battling... he was still the laziest member amongst the team.

The rockruff's ear flicks, he himself giving a small, somewhat uncomfortable chuckle. "Nowhere... so exotic, I assure..." he answers. "Even then, where I'm from is an over there topic, and... we're here. I'd rather focus on the here, and not the there, if that's okay." He gives a small smile, hoping to convince Scallop to change topics.

He shouldn't be surprised that Scallop was a bit puzzled by how he started talking, but the Oshawott only got suspicious when people were keeping the most obvious of secrets. "...Well I guess you can tell me later. Just... well dad's told me it's not a certainty that any of them would lose against even pokemon of legendary status, seems kinda odd if you see battles like that all the time." While he did move away from the topic of home... his next topic was not much better. "Did your parents say it was okay for you to leave? Dad doesn't like me leaving the guild on my own most days, so I can only imagine how much convincing yours might have taken to let you leave to come here"

[CyberDragon]

With Atum down for the count, Hagane knew who Lance would be targeting. The Lucario turned to face his last opponent, and watched as the Dragonite descended down at him with alarming speed. Hagane prepared himself for the impact.

When Lance struck him with the full-body charge, Hagane raised his hands to brace himself against the attack. The two of them skidded backwards along the ground, but Hagane was still standing, having endured the hit. Having absorbed power from the blow, he funneled that power through himself, adding to his own strength and causing his fist to ignite in a fiery aura. Hagane threw his palm out at Lance, and the stored aura erupted from within in a devastating Counter attack with twice the power of the blow Hagane had absorbed.

Once that was over, he dropped to his knee, panting heavily.



Meanwhile, Kimera looked on, bouncing up and down in excitement, trying to see what came next.