victory_road | Island Time [Semi-Open]

[Now he has to think quickly. He could take the chance to heal Ice Age up, or he could get her to boost her defense. Min isn't sure either one of them is enough on their own.]

Ice Age, come back here.

[He has his third and final Hyper Potion ready, hoping it might give her some hope of enduring the attack if she's once again unable to evade. He doesn't have much hope given her weakness to ground-type moves, but he has to give her the best chance she can have.]

[A few seconds later... and Chumirra bolts out of the sand right under Ice Age, contacting her solidly and sending her flying for a knockout.]

Ha! Well done!

[Really, she wasn't fully sure that would land, and with the confusion... that was a REALLY lucky match. Chumirra gives a few trills in thanks, and some encouraging ones to Min-Gi too, even as she shivers at the hail still falling.]

[Min-Gi summons a weak smile for the Azumarill before he returns poor Ice Age to her ball, clutching it close for a moment and whispering a few small words of consolation to it.]

You tried.

[They both know who's coming out next, and they both know he doesn't stand a chance against a Pokémon with water-typing. Part of him wants to call this off now, but there's no good way to do that without looking like a bad sport. Especially since the point of this had been for fun and gaining experience.

He sucks in a steadying breath, releasing Rodeo one more time. This won't take long.]

Retaliate.

[Once again, it seems like his best option since he's coming onto the field right as he's lost another Pokémon.]

[It connects, but it doesn't do a lot of damage. Still, between that, the Hail, and Ice Age's Metal Burst, Chumirra's still taken some good hits. Hm... She could stay in, but... why waste a free Hail, one that'd be easy to refresh once it wears off? And it'll keep Chumirra in reserve.]

Chumirra, come back! Let Coressa have a turn!

[A few pops later, and Allura's ace is on the field, a long, thin, red ribbon wrapped around her tail. Or... what Min-Gi can see of it, at least. Guess who also has Snow Cloak?]

[That gives Min pause. He's had an Alolan Vulpix for as long as he's been in this world, so he can make a pretty good guess what her ability is. That part isn't good.

On the other hand he knows exactly what Coressa's weaknesses are. Rodeo's too low a level to stand a real chance, especially with the Hail he'd set up, but maybe they can last more than one turn after all.]

Flame Wheel.

[The chance of burning her is small, but it's there. And it is a super effective move.]

[Bad news is that it connects. The good news is it only does a little damage and no burn. (That would be bad news, since Allura is experimenting instead of just loading her team with Lum Berries.) Now for another lesson in statistics.]

Confuse Ray.

[That should hopefully give Allura time to refresh the hail that's due to wear off next turn, and if not... well, she has plenty of counters in mind.]

[If this was a battle he'd thought he'd stand any chance of winning, Min-Gi would likely have brought along some kind of status healing items. When he'd been planning initially it had seemed frivolous to bring them. Now he regrets that he didn't.

It's a gamble to attack again now, and will continue to be a gamble for the next few turns if they can even last that long. Still, he chances the move he wishes he'd used last turn even if it's probably too late to make much of a difference now.]

Tail Whip.

[He breathes a sigh of relief when confusion doesn't cause him to inflict damage on himself this time, but he knows there's a good chance he will soon if Coressa doesn't knock him out first.]

[Not to mention the hail damage. Speaking of which, the air is finally starting to clear. She could refresh the hail, but dragging this out any longer might make Min-Gi more frustrated. Hm...]

Dark Pulse.

[Coressa's eyes glow a deep purple as she opens her mouth. A bead of black and amethyst energy gathers and grows until it shoots out towards Rodeo.]

[Dark Pulse is not a move he anticipated coming, nor one he could do much to prevent. Rodeo's already weakened by Hail even if this is the first damaging move Coressa's used, but even if he wasn't he wouldn't stand a chance here.

He faints the moment the dark energy hits him, crashing down on the sand. His bone rolls a little away from him. Min-Gi opts to scoop him (and his precious club) up rather than return him since the match is over.]

Good move.

[His voice is a little stilted, but it's fine. He knew he was going to lose this. Winning wasn't the point of the match, he has to remind himself. Rodeo nods weakly in agreement.]

[Allura finally relaxes as Coressa trots to her side with a few barks, the trainer releasing Chumirra and Dhokla again to bring them back to full health.]

Thank you. All four of you did very well, Min-Gi. You have a solid grasp of strategies, and a good understanding of your Pokemon's strengths and weaknesses. You were even able to knock out Dhokla. With a little bit more experience, you'll be a much more formidable opponent.

Edited 2023-06-19 19:06 (UTC)

[Min-Gi doesn't release his others yet. Red especially is too large to try and get anywhere else while she's out of her ball, and he'd rather heal them up somewhere with a little more privacy.

On the plus side her compliments aren't as hollow as he'd feared. There's room for improvement, and it helps that she acknowledges it. He relaxes slightly, adjusting Rodeo so he can hold him more comfortably.]

Yeah, maybe. We're more focused on the band, but it would help us out if we could take on some of the gyms at least.

[If nothing else so they could surf or fly. It would give them a lot more flexibility.]

[A quick nod.]

I think you should be able to take on all but the most advanced gyms, currently. Truly, thank you for the battle today.

You think so?

[She sounds sincere enough it's hard to feel too upset (though that will surely come) even if it's not in his current plans.]

Maybe when Ryan's had more practice. There's no point doing it on my own.

[She gives a soft smile at that, giving the ring on her left hand a not-so-subtle glance.]

Yes, it is better having a partner for these things.

[Not that she has any idea that Min-Gi and Ryan's situation is VERY close to her and Keith's- you know, burgeoning feelings all around- just a nice bit of nostalgia for her own journey.]

[Min doesn't miss the glance towards her ring. It's not like that and it can't be like that for them, but that doesn't stop the thought. He chases it away with a nervous laugh. She doesn't mean it like that.]

Yeah. Totally. It's always better to have a friend.

[Rodeo squints up at him, giving him a bit of a strange look.]

[... Yeah no, the laugh and Rodeo giving him a Look (and, let's be real, because she's DONE this song and dance before), she's start to get an inkling. Nothing she's ready to act on (yet... even if the gossipy young lady part of her REALLY REALLY wants to), but just a hunch.]

Indeed. And you two do seem to get along quite well.

Of course we do. We've been best friends our whole lives.

[Minus the months Ryan left Powell Lake, but in the scheme of things that doesn't seem worth counting.]

That's wonderful.

[She's just... going to gloss over that the only life-long anyone she has left in her life is Coran, her royal advisor and uncle in all but blood and title.]

Keith and I hadn't known each other long back in our world, only a year or two in Earth time. But the two of us have done a lot of important work together, and Keith especially has been an excellent teammate and leader.

And you already know you want to get married?

[He doesn't think too much about what he's saying until after it's out of his mouth. It's not that weird. Plenty of people get married after only knowing each other a few years.]

Not that that's a bad thing! It's nice. I'm just... not good at the whole romance thing.

[She just gives him an Eyebrow, because she had this talk with Riz. With Min-Gi as witness. But the backtrack softens her voice just a touch.]

It helps that we've had another year and a half in this world as well to get to know each other outside of our efforts with the Voltron Coalition. And the two of us have been through many extraordinary circumstances together. We're both quite sure.

[She does give him a look in case he wants to elaborate on the "not good with romance" part. You know. If he wants to.]

[Min shrinks back at the eyebrow. He remembers the uncomfortable conversation all too well, but he hadn't meant it like that.]

I know. I believe you. It's just hard to imagine feeling so sure about someone.

[There, now her expression softens back all the way.]

True enough. Not only do Alteans take much care in choosing their life partners, but... at the beginning of our rebellion at home, all my energies were focused on being a strong leader. [Or a worthy, more expendable sacrifice than the Paladins of Voltron, whom the universe needed.] But being here, being able to spend this time with Keith... it has been a blessing.

[A blink, and then she gives a bashful chuckle.]

Apologies... I didn't mean to gush.

[If his hands were free he'd certainly be waving them by now, not wanting Allura to feel bad about her happiness.]

No, it's fine! I'm glad you get to be with someone you care about so much.

[He considers, not sure about how open he should be. Not because he doesn't trust her, but because he still isn't sure how much it matters yet.]

Things are different here for me too. I don't have as many responsibilities as you do, but the things my family expect aren't always the same as what I want. I don't have to worry about that as much here. It's given me chance to think about things I wouldn't back home.

[A light nod.]

That I understand somewhat. [A soft sigh, her fingers running through Coressa's frosty fur as the Ninetales nuzzles her back.] Not that I never wanted to follow in my father's footsteps, but... it was much sooner than anyone anticipated.

[Sooner and later, a whole universe's weight on her young shoulders. At least she didn't have to bear that weight alone, like she thought at first, and here she has a chance to set that mantle down, at least for a little while.]

[Min-Gi sets Rodeo back down, crouching in front of him so he can at least heal him. He isn't feeling as down about as the defeat as he'd thought he would, and if he's out of his ball it doesn't feel fair to make Rodeo wait to feel better.]

I'm sorry. [He can take a pretty good guess at the reasons she would have had to follow sooner than expected. There aren't many possibilities, and none of them are good ones.] I miss my dad, but at least I know I'll get to speak to him again someday.

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heartofalioness - 2023-06-23 23:09 (UTC) - Expand