LOCKED TO oceansbane

[torrential]

[It's dark out and the tide's come in. Archie's standing up to his knees in seawater, but he doesn't mind the fact that his pants are getting soaked. He's tossing a Pokéball in his hand and catching it, waiting for Maxie to show up. He knows that Maxie likes an uphill fight, and this one clearly is going to be difficult for Maxie to win based on these conditions. Of course, Maxie probably will win, just because he's so unpredictable and innovative. Archie doesn't mind. It feels good to finally be battling Maxie again.

Sharpedo swims in slow circles behind Archie, waiting anxiously for the battle he's been promised. Archie's left his newest acquisition, Froakie, back home, but he's brought all of his others. That means he has eight Pokémon on him instead of the usual six, but he doubts Mightyena or Crawdaunt will really help him any. Still, if he can win by even one Pokémon... it would be amazing.]

Comments

[oceansbane]

Whenever you're ready.

[Spending long periods of time underground have gotten Maxie accustomed to doing things in near-complete darkness; at least the night is mostly clear tonight, and visibility is nowhere near as bad as it could be. He still can't see as well as would be ideal, and any bursts of flame run the risk of temporarily blinding him once the initial flareup dies down, but there are a few things that he has on him to assist with that.

He's not too concerned for now, but he knows better than to completely underestimate; after all, Archie has the tactical advantage here due to the water, and he's been learning from him, after all. He breathes deeply before seeking out one of his Pokéballs; he can feel himself shaking again, a sharp shot of adrenaline coursing through his system.

Maybe he really has missed this.

He releases both of his Houndooms on the outcropping next to him, ordering the female to start with Nasty Plot before sending her down onto the beach below; she bounds down obediently, boosting her stats all the while before landing neatly in the sand at the water's edge.

He keeps the male with him, not ordering anything but keeping his hands on the Houndoom's back, fingertips trailing down the ridges along its spine. Let's see where this goes.]

[torrential]

[Well, if Maxie's going to start out that way, then...]

Swagger!

[The Mightyena responds to the command, bounding forward through the water and unleashing the attack.

Like Maxie, he's really missed this. It doesn't feel like it's been all that long for him, but he finds himself nearly shaking with anticipation and Archie balls his fists at his sides.]

Take Down!

[The Mightyena lunges forward with the attack, trying to land a hit on the Houndoom.]

[oceansbane]

[All right, that confusion has potential to be inconvenient, but if Archie's going to be playing it like that - ]

Flamethrower, catch it hard -

[It's something that's always been a favorite of his, really; if you're going to try to hit his Pokémon in the fucking face, you're going to get a face full of fire in the attempt, and what with Nasty Plot, that isn't exactly going to be a soft tap.]

[torrential]

[Oh. Well. That hurts quite a bit, doesn't it. The recoil damage isn't pretty either, and with both of them combined, Mightyena goes down. Archie figured that would happen, but he wasn't counting on it being so soon. Fine then. He pulls out a second Pokéball releasing Crobat.]

Haze!

[Once that Nasty Plot's effect is gone, he can focus on taking down the Houndoom. Hopefully confusion will kick in soon.]

Fly, take it down!

[The Crobat swoops up into the air and then back down, aiming the attack for the Houndoom's head.]