This time it's blazheirio889's turn to replace both her fighters at once. With Phalanx and Kayne cleared of the field, Zelos and Ghost are left to wait in anxious anticipation as she makes her choice. It doesn't take long; after a couple minutes of contemplation, blazheirio889 pulls two more pokéballs off her belt and tosses them towards the center of the field. For a moment the arena is illuminated by bright bursts of energy, and then the last two pokémon take shape.
Garnet the starmie balances precariously on two arms, its expressionless, angular body a somewhat fitting complement to Ghost's sleek but artificial lines. Meanwhile, Khao the typhlosion provides a foil for Zelos, and the two final-stage starters stare one another down from opposite sides of the arena. Khao sets the flames on his back alight with a roar, then settles down to smirking at Zelos. So it's to be him against a big fire chicken and his space-duck friend, huh? Piece of cake.
Zelos bristles at the typhlosion's apparent smugness, his crest rising. So Khao thinks he's hot stuff, does he? Well, he's got another thing coming if he thinks that a few scratches are going to prevent Zelos Wilder from kicking his fuzzy ass!
Round Six
Kratos Aurion (XXOO)
Zelos Wilder (M)
Health: 69%
- Grimly pleased.
Commands: Earthquake/Swords Dance ~ Protect ~ Brick Break @ Khao/Thunderpunch @ Garnet/Agility
Ghost in the Machine (X) <Download> @ Enigma Berry
Health: 73%
- A bit more composed now. (+1 Attack)
Commands: Protect ~ Thunderbolt @ Garnet/Tri Attack @ Khao/Nasty Plot x2
blazheirio889 (XXOO)
Garnet (X) <Natural Cure>
Health: 100%
- *twinkle twinkle*
Commands: Hover and Hydro Pump @ Zelos ~ Substitute (20%) ~ Brine @ Zelos
Khao (M) <Blaze>
Health: 100%
- Bring it, rooster-boy!
Commands: Counter ~ Aerial Ace + Dynamicpunch @ Ghost / Blast Burn @ Ghost ~ Earthquake
Zelos' grudge match is going to have to wait a little bit, though, because Garnet's got plans for him. While a bubble of faint green energy springs up around Ghost, Garnet lifts off from the ground, drifting eerily up until it is floating about a foot and a half off the floor, suspended by mysterious means and as inscrutable as ever. Then the starmie tilts a bit on its axis, aims an arm at Zelos--and unleashes an incredible blast of water. It's only a quick (if somewhat undignified) duck out of the way that saves the blaziken from taking a firehose's worth of water to the face. Zelos breathes a small sigh of relief as the hydro pump rushes through empty air, not so much as dampening his feathers. Well, that was close, but there's no point in worrying too much over it; it's time for Khao to eat earthquake!
The typhlosion in question drops to all fours, a brown aura seeping out from his fur, as soon as he sees Zelos spring into the air. The blaziken's powerful legs easily send him soaring towards the ceiling (bet you can't do that, can you, you dumb furball?), and when he returns to earth it is with enough force to shake the entire arena. Garnet, floating out of reach, is unbothered by the tremors that rip through the battlefield's floor, but Khao is forced to grit his teeth against the waves of pain that wash over his body as shockwaves roar up through his limbs. The brown aura he's conjured only blazes higher as the earthquake rattles him, however, and as soon as the last aftershocks have died away, the typhlosion makes his move.
Rearing up on his hind legs, Khao brings his paws slamming into the ground and sends a concentrated seismic burst at Zelos. The blaziken's feet are shaken out from under him, and he falls messily, bounced unceremoniously up and down by the concentrated earthquake. In the wake of Khao's counterattack, Zelos is left dazed and aching all over, a faint red light seeping out from under his feathers and suffusing the air around him with a warm glow. Even the rush of new power from blaze doesn't do much to lift the blaziken's spirit, however, and it's about all he can do to painfully raise his claws in front of his face and conjure a protect bubble to give himself a moment of respite.
At almost the same moment, Ghost's protect falls. The porygon-z locks onto its new target, the inscrutable starmie, and begins charging electricity. The water type is preparing itself too, however, the gem at the center of its body alight with power. A flickering pink projection of a starmie appears in front of Garnet, flickering and warping as though seen on the screen of an old, dying television, but the construct must have some sort of substance--the thunderbolt that Ghost unleashes, rather than flying straight through it, is absorbed by the substitute. It grows even more flickery and unstable after that point, but for the moment appears to be holding, while Ghost clicks and beeps its consternation.
Khao thinks over his commands for a moment, then channels more power to his flames. They blaze up ever higher until they are nearly as tall as the typhlosion himself, the same power extending in the opposite direction and gathering in the typhlosion's flame sac. After a few seconds of charging, the typhlosion belches a grapefruit-sized ball of fire at Ghost. No sooner does it strike the floor than the blast burn explodes, sending a grand column of fire blazing nearly up to the ceiling and flames blossoming out in an impressive radius, a wave of heat racing out over the entire battlefield to reach even the trainers standing on the distant sidelines.
Ghost, hovering a meter or so from the edge of the attack, spins his disjointed arms idly and whistles something derisive about Khao's targeting system. The typhlosion lets out a wheeze and a puff of smoke, mouth hanging open in disbelief.
Zelos drops his protect, feeling a bit better now that he's witnessed Khao's spectacular failure. No sooner has he lowered the defense, though, than a high-pitched whining rings in his ears, his feathers standing on end as the air around him shivers and ripples in apparent distress. A wave of energy, direct from the past, washes over Zelos, leaving him in deplorable condition as it melts back into the normal flow of causality.
Nevertheless the blaziken starts to rise, fully intending to get a punch in on Khao, at least, before he goes down. It is an arduous process, from prone to kneeling and then on to shaky standing, and all the while, across the arena, Garnet is quietly sliding out from behind its substitute, aligning itself with Zelos while the blaziken is occupied with trying to gain his feet. It fires another stream of water at Zelos, and though this one is nothing like as impressive as the hydro pump, it is worlds more accurate. Zelos screeches as the salty brine gets in his eyes, his mouth, burns into his wounds, extinguishes his blaze and leaves him teetering for no more than a couple moments before collapsing in bitter defeat.
While most pokémon might be enraged by the downing of their partner, Ghost's essential emotionlessness allows it to focus perfectly on executing its next attack instead of getting worked up. Arms and bill point towards Khao, a globe of blue energy growing at the tip of one, a yellow globe at the tip of another, and on the end of the third, a red globe. As the tri attack takes shape, crackling bolts of power extend from each ball of energy to their neighbors, linking them in a triangular shape. Ghost lets the tri attack fly, and it smacks solidly into Khao, shoving the typhlosion back a pace. It's not enough to throw him for long, though, and he raises one paw high in the air and brings it slamming decisively down on the arena, eager to show off how much more powerful his earthquake is than Zelos'. The two other pokémon, both of them floating, hardly seem impressed, however, and Khao is left feeling just a little bit foolish.
Kratos Aurion (XXXO)
Zelos Wilder (M)
Health: 0%
Knocked Out!
Used: Earthquake ~ Protect
Ghost in the Machine (X) <Download> @ Enigma Berry
Health: 70%
- All alone, but not really worried. (+1 Attack)
Used: Protect ~ Thunderbolt @ Garnet ~ Tri Attack @ Khao
blazheirio889 (XXOO)
Garnet (X) <Natural Cure>
Health: 77%
- Still sparkly. Has a substitute with 4% health.
Used: Hover and Hydro Pump @ Zelos ~ Substitute (20%) ~ Brine @ Zelos
Khao (M) <Blaze>
Health: 65%
- Look, it wasn't
my idea, okay?
Used: Counter ~ Blast Burn @ Ghost ~ Earthquake
Terrain Notes
There is a small pile of fossilized bones lying near Kayne. Ghost is surrounded by a rings of stealth rocks, and there is another where Zelos stood. There are two holes in the floor, quite close to each other, on Kratos' side of the arena.
Final Notes
- Garnet's hydro pump missed.
- So did Khao's blast burn.
- blazheirio889 attacks first next round.