Round 1 - Arena 2

[Godai]

Round 1
Luke Windsor Vs Martini Ravensdale

SPOILER: Click to show

{Luke Windsor}

Gliscor Received at Level 10 Evolved at Level 11 Nickname: Makani Gender: Female Type: Ground/Flying Ability: Hyper Cutter Health: Above Average Level: 20 Division: D5 Total Stats: 280 (+2) Attack: 75 Defense: 73 (26%) Sp. Attack: 10 Sp. Defense: 50 Speed: 72 (+3%)

Moveset: 1. Poison Sting 4. Sand Attack 7. Harden 5. Knock Off 11. Ice Fang 11. Poison Jab 13. Quick Attack 16. Fury Cutter 19. Feint Attack Unique Moves: -Aerial Ace (TM) -Mimic (TM) -Toxic (TM) -Hidden Power: Psychic (TM) Item: None

SPOILER: Click to show

{Martini Ravensdale}

Ariados Caught at Level 10 Nickname: Weaver Gender: Female Type: Bug/Poison Ability: Insomnia Health: Intermediate Level: 22 Division: D7 Total Stats: 272 [264 + 8] Attack: 77 (29%) Defense: 42 Sp. Attack: 1 Sp. Defense: 60 Speed: 92 [84 +8]

[/i] 1 x Carbos (10%)
[/ul][/td][td]Moveset:
1. Poison Sting
1. String Shot
1. Constrict
5. Absorb
8. Infestation
12. Scary Face
15. Night Shade
19. Shadow Sneak
22. Swords Dance
22. Fell Stinger
22. Venom Drench

Unique Moves:

• Toxic Spikes (Egg Move)
• Venoshock (TM Move)

Item: Rowap Berry[/td][/tr][/tbody][/table][/spoiler]
[/div]

[Revelation]

"You ready for this?"

"Huh? Oh, the fight? I think so. As ready as I'll ever be."

"That is the most rookie answer I've heard, and I've heard a lot." 

Luke turned to look at the staff member talking to him. It was a woman in her early forties, with chocolate hair showing just the faintest hint of a grey streak. "That obvious?"

"Hun, I've been doing this for a decade now. You figure out what you're dealing with soon enough." She smirked at him before softening to a smile. "Just calm down and focus on the fight. The crowd may be loud now, but once you are actually in there, it'll fade away."

Luke laughed at that. "I really hope you're right..."

"June."

"I hope you're right, June. Thanks." 

"Don't mention it. Got your pokemon?" 

Luke pulled out Makani's pokeball, picking at a scratch on the top of the cap. "Yep. When do I go?" 

June responded with a gentle push on his shoulder blade. "Release your pokemon at any time, but don't attack 'til you hear the bell. Good luck!" 

Luke went to respond, but she had already run off to do whatever else was on her task list. As busy as the fair was, workers like her had to be doubling up on responsibilities. He shook his head and walked forward, turning towards the second arena. 

The stone spikes were the first thing to enter his line of sight. Soon, boulders and small hills joined them. As Luke got closer, more and more obstacles appeared. "Well shit..." Luke mumbled to himself. He got the stone field. "Good time to pick Makani." 

Luke positioned himself in a small square chalked onto the ground. A solid line of paint ran in front of him, showing the limit of where he could move once the battle fully started. A cracked boulder filled his sight to the left, while a chain of small dirt piles dotted his right. No matter what happened, this would be fun. 

"Makani!" Luke called out his gliscor. "Go exploring. Be ready to ba..." he trailed off as Makani immediately disappeared into the chaos that stretched before him. Luke grunted in frustration. "You never can listen, can you?" 

He turned to look across the field. He couldn't tell from this distance, but he felt as if he could see the faint outline of a person walking out. His breath caught for a second. This was it.

The tournament was starting. 

[Persimmon]

The scent of freshly brewed coffee and lemony cleaning products hung heavy in the air, the cloying aroma wafting over the stiff couches surrounding a flashing screen.

- BATTLE COMMENCING IN FIVE MINUTES -

It blared in bright red lettering, reminding the lone woman curled up on one of the leather couches. Garbed in a thick fur coat, black jeans and heeled boots, Martini Ravensdale had remained motionless ever since departing the opening ceremony. Like a gargoyle, the aching heiress hunched over and hugged her legs, deftly balancing a pitch black totem atop her bony knees.

It's hum was louder today. Either that or the hangover was still playing an insidious game on her senses.

Porcelain fingers traced the obsidian rivulets of the cold stone, the garish luminescence of the surrounding lights casting rays of pallid yellows into the small break room. It was a strange comfort, holding the young woman's intense scrutiny the entire time she'd been holed up in the waiting area.

Bzzt-Bzzt

Bloodshot eyes snapped upwards, finding the gleaming screen of her holo-caster rattle to life. A message from Piper.

"Good luck! I'll be cheering in the crowd! <3"

Painted lips curled into a weak grin, the distraction finally plucking Martini away from the lightless stone tablet. Shoving the artefact into her pocket, the young woman downed the last of her lukewarm coffee and headed towards the door.

---

The exhalations of festival goers, trumpets and unrhythmic clapping filled the air like a hailstorm, welcoming Martini back into the light as she followed the lit up pathway. Black heels clicked against the cement floor, echoing into the rocky expanse before her.

Her body was an alchemy of adrenaline, caffeine and the remnants of the previous night's bender. With the sunglasses shielding her eyes, the heiress stepped forward onto the carefully manufactured arena, the hooting and hollering of her audience growing ever louder as she procured the poke ball chosen for this specific bout.

'Luke Windsor'

The stranger's name glared down at her from the central screens, his face momentarily filling the monitors as the cameramen did their cinematic work. No doubt it would be her turn soon enough to grace the screens of the stadium.

Offering the crowd and her opponent a stiff wave, Martini flashed a glittery grin before activating the poke-ball. With a flash, the white miasma quickly formed atop the rocky grounds into the shape of a large arachnid.

"Let's give the people what they want, darling." The heiress mewled, leering past the rocky formations at the floating spectre flittering about her opponents end. A Gliscor, a most unfortunate match-up.

Weaver's bulbous abdomen shuddered briefly as her gleaming mandibles chittered at the sight. Even considering the creature's mild attitude, the sight of the toddler sized spider was enough to make the girl's skin crawl.

"There we have it folks! Luke Windsor with his Gliscor facing off against Martini Ravensdale with her Ariados! Will they harness the field before them or get lost in its maze!?" The announcer's nasally voice echoed into the expanse, causing the young lady to grit her teeth as she watched the nearby umpire nod at both trainers and shuffle through his cards.

"Let's try and get this over quickly..." Martini inhaled sharply, blinking rapidly in an attempt to keep her energy up.

BWAAAAAAAAAAM!

The horns blared obnoxiously, signalling the beginning of the match and a new riot of noise from the surrounding crowds.

"Weaver, get in there and make it rain! Put those spikes everywhere!" The heiress demanded in a hoarse voice, directing the large spider deep into the rocky labyrinth. She needed to control the ground, make the most of Weaver's tools. "If that thing gets close, use string shot!"

With a clicking hiss, the Ariados skittered forward over a boulder and began laying barbed droppings over the dusty ground.

Plip, Plip, Plip

Toxic pellets smothered the surrounding earth, the spider chittering as she danced over her freshly crafted minefield.

---

FIGHT BEGIN

VS

[Revelation]

Luke scowled at the form standing across from him. His opponent had appeared just in time, a fashionable entrance that the crowd loved. He looked up at the gigantic screens hanging above and watched as the pixels shifted from a digital representation of his own face to that of a young woman. The roar of the stands flared with the quick wave of her hand before she threw out her own pokeball.

Luke craned his neck to the side, trying to peer around the boulder. A flash of red was all he was able to see from his angle. Damn. He was going to have to start blind.

A flicker in the far corner of his peripheral vision caught his attention. Makani was skittering around a stone spire, clicking loudly as she reached the time. “Okay, Makani! Let’s start with Poiso-”

BWAAAAAAAM.

“Cah!” Luke coughed painfully, spittle flying everywhere. Why did that horn have to be that shrill?

Makani was not a fan of the sound either. Her already energetic self went into a frenzy, fluttering around in a circle and barking rapidly.

“No! Makani, come here!” Luke toed the line of the trainer box, motioning quickly at the pokemon to return to him. She noticed his movements and launched her body towards him. Noticing her angle, he threw out his hands to try and stop her, but her large frame carried her through his hands and straight into his shins, causing him to stumble back.

“Dammit Makani!” He grabbed her and peeled her off his shins. “Calm down.” He spun her around and looked around the battlefield. Red… red… there. A red abdomen appeared across the battlefield, yellow and purple appendages shuffling around. An ariados?

“Makani, see the target? See?” He pointed forward. Makani looked at his hand at first, confused, but Luke used his free hand to guide her hand. As she found what he was pointing at, her ears snapped back and a low hiss escaped through her fangs.

“Good! Now…” In one move, Luke grabbed the gliscor’s body and heaved her forward. With a flurry of wingbeats, she righted herself in the air and sped towards her target. “Sand Attack! Follow up with Ice Fang!”


The purple creature honed in on her target, the red insectoid making for an easy target. Makani opened her mouth and let her canines fully show. Droplets began collecting on the enamel, quickly crystallizing as the temperature plummeted around them. As this happened, her dual stingers clicked together, a magenta hue coating the end of her tail.

Luke watched this from his square, realization kicking in. He moved to call out his orders again, but the words stuck in his throat as the two creatures finally collided.

[Persimmon]

Emerging from beyond the pillars of jagged stone, the Gliscor careened forth with fangs and stingers unveiled, the faint wisps of aura bleeding off of the extremities like a dull mist.

The creature was fast, the fact that it was airbourne was going to make things even more difficult.

Skittering on her back legs, Weaver elicited a shrill chitter as she exposed her bulbous abdomen. A whirling soup of thick silk manifested at the point of the spider’s spinneret, trailing outwards in a show of readiness.

Had there not been a hollering crowd, Martini was certain she would have heard the dense thwack of leathery flesh colliding with chitinous skin. Ice imbued fangs chomped down on Weaver’s torso, the bloody black gash instantly crystallising in the lukewarm air of the arena. Where the fangs made contact, the winged Pokemon’s stingers barely made a scratch, awkwardly bouncing off of Weaver’s ivory horn.

Why would it use a poison move? The thought came and went as quickly as a snap, tabled for a more sober reflection.

“Come on.” The heiress uttered, tensing her jaw as she watched her Ariados scuttle backwards and unleash its sticky stream of silk at its opponents wings. She needed to unbalance it before it could flutter away.

“Alright! Bring it down Weaver!” Martini cried, conducting a downwards motion with her hands as the malleable silk jammed the Gliscor’s left side. “Use that Scary Face of yours, freak out baby!” She clapped.

You had to fight ugly to beat ugly.

---

Ariados used Toxic Spikes
Gliscor used Ice Fang, Move hits!
Ariados used String Shot, Gliscor is now Slowed.
Gliscor used Poison Sting, it's not very effective...

[Revelation]

Luke cursed as Makani crashed right into the bulbous pokemon. Her fangs were able to anchor into the abdomen of the creature, but she’d disobeyed him and gone for some sort of poison attack. That brilliant move had slid right across the exoskeleton, doing nothing, and leaving Makani’s body open for a direct attack.

A stream of silvery threads enwrapped the flying pokemon’s left wing, causing her to screech harshly as they constricted. Her wings flapped haphazardly as she tried to get out of the entangling trap.

The ariados took full advantage of this moment, stepping up and hissing to grab the creature’s attention. As trainer and pokemon both watched, the arachnid’s face began to warp and shift into a grotesque mask of horror. Makani jumped back at the sight, losing balance and falling onto her back.

This was not going well. As the ariados slowly approached, Makani scrambled to regain her balance. Luke looked at the battlefield and mentally flipped through the available options.

He just had to retreat and figure this out.

“Makani, Sand Attack! Use that to get out of there, then cut yourself free!”

Makani looked back at him, eyes wide from the encounter.

“Come on! Sand attack!”

With one last look, Makani spun around, using her pinned side as a pivot. As she rotated towards the ariados, she dug her tail into the soil and flicked it up, sending sand and dirt spraying forward. She then scrambled away, pulling herself along with her free claw and tail.

“Good job, Makani. Now, Fury Cutter to free yourself!” Luke crouched down, biting on his thumb as he watched. If she could get free, her flying gave them at least some of an advantage in this field. Makani got the gist, beginning to claw and bite at the strings.

Luke looked back at the trainer. Her next decision would be very important, and he had to be ready to respond to whatever trick she had. If his guess was right, and she had a plan, then he couldn’t afford to wait and think any more.

---

Makani was tangled up by String Shot!
Weaver used Scary Face!
Makani used Sand Attack!
Makani used Fury Cutter on the strings!

[Persimmon]

There it was, the shadow of a plan made into reality.

String shot slowed the body and the frightening visage slowed the mind, a veritable defence strategy to waste resources on her opponent’s end. Afterall, the best laid plans are the ones you’d hate to experience the most.

Watching in silence as Weaver was battered by the stream of sand and dirt, the heiress bit her lip and contemplated. Whatever advanced notions existed in her mind were lost in the foggy ocean of alcohol and fatigue.

She was alone atop that rocky arena, caught in a maelstrom of her own making and surrounded by a sea of blurred faces. Eyes were on her; scrutinising, judging and ogling. The entire sensation would have felt every bit more objectifying if Martini weren’t so enraptured in her tunnel vision.

“Weaver, use shadow sneak, don’t let that bat escape!” The raven haired woman ordered, narrowing her gaze as the arachnid scraped debris from its face. It should be a swift enough move to stop the Gliscor from flying away.

There was no time to falter.

There was no time to allow retreat.

With a rhythmic tap of its front legs, the Ariados’ shadow began to warp like mercury. Rearing backwards, the chittering Pokemon unleashed its shadow like a slingshot, the dark streak careening towards its quarry. If the move struck, Martini could not say, for the dust cloud created by the Gliscor was too thick.

Not waiting to witness the full extent of the damage, Martini elicited another hoarse demand. “Quickly, follow up with Fell Stinger on its left wing!”

She needed to cripple it, far enough to bring the Pokemon down into the sea of toxic barbs.

---

Gliscor used Sand Attack, Ariados' accuracy is lowered.
Ariados used Shadow Sneak? Find out next post!
Ariados follows up with Fell Stinger!

[Revelation]

This Martini was a clever one. As soon as Makani had begun to pull back, she had sent her creature on the offensive. The shadow under its abdomen began to shift and swirl, spilling over the ground like liquid smoke towards the bat. As it reached her own shadow, oily tendrils snaked up and grabbed the available wing and tail, pulling the flying type roughly into the ground.

“... on its left wing!”

Luke grabbed onto the last part of the new command. He glared at her out of the corner of his eye. So that really was her plan? Attack the wings and keep Makani down? That told Luke everything he needed to know for now.

“Makani! Quick Attack towards me!” He pawed the air towards him, the grand gestures hopefully enough to translate his meaning.

It appeared to work. Makani saw the movements and began glowing faintly with aura. She pushed off the ground, propelling herself rapidly with a pulse of the shimmering energy. The force ripped through the shadow tendrils as well as shaking off part of the remaining silk threads.

Luke ducked as Makani flew near him, quickly pumping a fist in silent celebration. “Good Makani! Do your best to stay in the sky. Now, quick, Aerial Ace!”

The bat pokemon circled back around, slowing down significantly now that the aura had been spent. The additional weight of the silk caused her to beat her wings harder than usual, but she continued on, gaining altitude by the second. Once she had reached her peak, she pulled her wings in tight to her chest and slowly began arcing down towards the ground.

“Makani, n-!” Luke stopped as he realized what she was doing. They had never used this move before, but Makani’s instincts had kicked in. As she fell, she twisted herself to be falling headfirst, the lack of wind resistance increasing her speed. Silvery streams of energy began to wrap around her tail, growing as she hurtled towards her prey. At the last second, she flipped herself in the air and slammed her tail down towards the arachnid, putting all the additional speed and force of the fall into this movement.

Makani wasn’t in a mood to fight cautiously. She wanted to go for the kill.

[Persimmon]

Weaver's gleaming horn whiffed through empty air the moment the Gliscor was recalled back to its trainer, piercing a nearby pillar of stone with a shrill crack. Rivulets of splintered rock peppered the arena, idly bouncing off of the Ariados' form as it wrenched its stinger from the obstacle.

"Aww bad luck lady!" A nasally voice hollered from the stands, the owner of said comment lost in the sea of wide eyed faces.

Martini bit her tongue and swiftly leered into her audience, hoping whoever spoke out of turn choked on their overpriced snack of choice. Shaking her head, the young woman squinted through the dark filter of her sunglasses and watched as her opponent conducted his winged companion up into the air. The Gliscor soared with a predatory hunch, its sickly yellow eyes leaving streaks of gold trailing after its descending form. She had no idea what its aura was manifesting as.

This was the opposite of what Martini wanted.

Swearing under breath, the heiress scanned the field and considered her options.

"Weaver, blind it quickly!" She cried, ignoring a nearby boo from the crowd behind her. Was fighting dirty frowned upon? Shaking the thought from her already sore head, Martini motioned for the Ariados to edge nearer to her. The chittering Pokémon scuttled closer, pronged legs seamlessly threading through the minefield of toxic barbs. Swivelling her bulbous abdomen towards her attacker, Weaver unleashed a glistening torrent of silk into the Gliscor shaped missile. Gossamer threads engulfed the winged creature's face, muffling whatever stray gurgle would have escaped the Pokémon's lips.

But it wasn't enough, its trajectory was already set.

"Shit! Weaver be care-"

SHHHWWWWKK! Krk!

Black blood splattered a nearby pillar of stone, a chitinous protrusion clattering against the unforgiving rock like a stray tooth. A screech of pain escaped Weaver's mandibles, the spider furiously scrambling back onto her legs as she shuddered and recoiled at the loss of one of her spinal protrusions. Gone was her brilliant red and yellow skin, now marred by oily patches of stained silk and blood.

Flinching at the sight, Martini felt the bile begin to build in the back of her throat. "Weaver, darling...it'll be over soon." The heiress forced herself say, glancing at the winged culprit several feet away.

Scrambling nearby her was the blinded Gliscor, furiously swiping at its silk mask.

But that was not what caught her eyes.

Jammed just underneath the flesh of its torso and tail was a spiked pellet, a foul purple stain spiderwebbing from its entry point. This was it. Her gambit, now cost in the blood of her Pokémon.

Inhaling sharply, the heiress straightened her posture and spoke through her nausea, frustration carrying her words far into the heated air. "Weaver! Use Venom Drench now!" She ordered, words as crisp as any sober day she would've had. It was time to make a show of things.

Stepping away from a residual spray of Ariados' still bleeding stump, Martini finally looked upon her opponent. There he stood, a stranger. Nameless if it weren't for the screens blaring his name.

Luke Windsor.

He'd been worth the headache.

---

Gliscor landed in the Toxic Spikes, Gliscor is now Poisoned! 
Ariados' Fell Stinger Missed!
Ariados uses String shot to blind Gliscor, Gliscor is now slowed!
Gliscor used Aerial Ace, it's super effective!
Ariados uses Venom Drench...

[Ty the Squirtle]

Titus and Travis rose up from their seats as the black stains spilled from the Ariados. The older beautiful trainer with the Ariados... Titus commended her for staying composed and unwavering. But if he commanded that Ariados, even Titus would have recoiled in horror. Titus took out his Holo Caster and began taking pictures of the two trainers and their Pokemon. Then, he began to bring up data about the Gliscor who circled above the arachnid from the sky and the Ariados limping down below.

Titus saw the disconnected web strings and purple spikes scattered throughout the rocky terrain flanked by two small 'mountain ranges' for Pokemon to climb on top. A slowed-down Gliscor, poisoned by the Poison Spikes, shouldn't have lasted long. In fact, this Martini Ravensdale person held all the cards.

That was until the fatal Aerial Ace attack.

"So you really think that this Martini girl's still gonna win?" Travis raised his eyebrow. He was quick to switch his cheer from Martini to Luke.

"Uh..." Titus paused. He still placed his bet on the Ravensdale heiress. "All the Ariados needed to do was fire a bunch of String Shots and bring the Gliscor down. Poison Luke's Pokemon... whittle it down... and the Gliscor is dead for sure."

"But that Flying-type attack!"

"Kinda nulled all of that," nodded Titus "Now, Luke Windsor has the overall advantage against Martini Ravensdale. As long as the Gliscor stays in the sky, all Luke really needs to do is do a bunch of diving attacks."

"And... what are you gonna do? You're probably gonna take on a stronger Pokemon if one of them wins..."

"Yeah..." Titus nodded. "I can look at their Pokemon later... But right now, I'm looking at the trainers. They tell me a lot more about themselves and the team than their Pokemon." He and Travis sat back down with Titus' eyes fully set on both Martini and Luke. Quickly, he already devised some sort of strategy against both of them. But, he ended up gulping as he continued to watch in nervous silence. No matter how much he prepared, the battlefield was going to be different. All he knew was that he was going to face one of them and that they'll be terrifying opponents.

Even worse, he prepared more for Martini than for Luke. If Luke happened to win, Titus would be caught off guard before the potential battle between them even began.

[Revelation]

A sickening crunch shot through the arena as Makani’s land hit. The brutality of the hit silenced the crowd, leaving only the pained cry of the arachnid to pass through the heavy air. Blood was still spurting from the wound, its lost appendage flung to the side like an afterthought.

“Arceus damn,” Luke exclaimed under his breath. He hadn’t expected things to get this bloody. This level of fighting was new to him. Was that what really happened at this level of competition? How much damage could be done before the fight is called? And most importantly… if Makani could do that to the ariados, how much damage could the ariados do in retaliation?

Makani was already busy. She had taken another shot of the silken threads directly to the face, and she was furiously scraping them away to regain her eyesight. As she did, she hopped away from where her previous attack had ended. However, she wasn’t fast enough, for just as she cleared her eyes once again, revenge hit. A wave of purple liquid came spewing from the hobbled creature, washing over Makani and sticking to her skin. She cried out as it began to coagulate, stiffening her joints. She beat her wings to fly away, but had to come down after a few yards. She was breathing heavily, the fight taking its toll.

The lack of true flight hurt, but she was still mobile enough to be a threat. She could get away and potentially scrape some more of that off in order to free herself up. Then she could attack with… Luke noticed her chest. Veins normally hidden beneath her skin now were appearing with a sickly dark purple. A quick scan revealed the culprit: a small barb embedded in the skin.

Makani was poisoned.

Oh. Shit.

Luke looked around at the field. They had to finish this, and fast. That meant using whatever advantage he could get. “Makani! Sand Attack again! Then climb up that spire!”

Makani flicked her tail back and forth, throwing multiple sheets of sandy debris towards the eyes of the arachnid. She then jumped towards the rocky protrusion that Luke pointed at. Her furious flapping of wings got her most of the way up before she grabbed onto its face. With a quick scramble, she was able to climb the remaining way up the tower, sending more debris down below in the process.

“Now Makani, as soon as you can, Aerial Ace. If you can after that, Ice Fang. Get on her back and don’t let go.” Luke kept his voice as steady as he could while giving the bat her commands. She responded by perching precariously on the top of the outcropping. She clicked rapidly down at the arachnid standing in the dust cloud, swaying slightly. She then stiffened and pounced, that familiar aura swirling around her tail.

Luke wiped away the sweat beading on his forehead and looked at Martini and her ariados, biting his lip. Makani hadn’t been directly hit much, and she was hardy enough. But enough had been done to her that she could still be incapacitated with just a bit more work. Their best chance was to continue the barrage and hope that either the ariados or the trainer couldn’t handle the torment any more.

"Hold on, girl."

Time to see which of the four would give up first.

---

Weaver used Venom Blast!
Makani used Sand Attack!
Makani used Aerial Ace...

[Persimmon]

Debris scattered off of the Gliscor's manic escape from Weaver's poisonous assault, the fresh coating of venom lightly hissing underneath the late morning sun. The sour scent was sharp enough that the heiress had to press her hand against her nose, blinking away the aroma as she cautiously watched her opponent's companion scramble up the rocky spire. The ascent left a streak of claw marks and poisonous ichor, the spider's toxins finally doing its terrible work.

Across the arena, Luke sputtered out some commands, his voice barely piercing the constant murmur of the crowd around them. The final remnants of "...don't let go" were the only words that Martini caught, forcing blue eyes to narrow in suspicion.

Both Pokémon looked exhausted.

Was this the Gliscor's last gambit? Martini clinched her brow as she watched the winged creature's maw begin to glow with a familiar aura of frost, the chittering of needle sharp fangs irking the young woman's already sensitive ears.

"Weaver, be ready this time!" The heiress hoarsely advised, "Use your Shadow Sneak to trip it up before it can jump!" She clapped, receiving weak taps of affirmation from the bloodied Ariados.

Tendrils of oily shadow swiftly warped off of the arachnid's quivering form, trailing after the Gliscor that triumphantly spread its leathery wings over the rocky terrain. Solidifying like black glass, shadow barbs blossomed off the top of the rocky mound and caught the winged Pokémon mere seconds before it relinquished itself to the open air.

A pained screech was all Martini needed to hear to know the move struck, but she wasted no time. "Weaver, time to wrap things up!" The young woman cried, gnawing on her lower lip as she watched her Pokémon quickly scuttle upwards and into the teetering Gliscor.

With all the bloody, pained fury a creature of her ilk could muster, Weaver lunged at her quarry with fangs bared and legs splayed. A dull thwack erupted in the air as the two pokemon tumbled down the spire in a mess of scrambling limbs, blood and poison. Strands of silk spurted out of the spider's spinneret as Weaver's pronged limbs rhythmically cascaded over the Gliscor's struggling form. Up and over, down and under, once more and once more again. Nature guided the spider's movements, the screeching bat now caught in a gossamer coffin that shuddered with every futile movement.

"Good job..." Martini uttered, finding little solace in how dry her mouth and throat were now.

tk-tk-tk

Weaver weakly tapped its pointed legs on the fully encased Gliscor, the encased Pokémon looking like little more than a sad white nugget. It struggled and screeched, each movement progressively tightening the silk that bound it. No doubt the poison was taking its effect as well, rendering the futile escape even more painful to watch.

BWAMMMMMMM!

The obnoxious horn sounded, the central screens flashing green as the victory conditions flared into view.

"Well fuck." She mumbled, bloodshot eyes squinting upwards.

Winner of round: Martini Ravensdale

A cacophony of cheers erupted from the crowd, forcing the young woman to flinch as she watched Weaver collapse on top of the Gliscor. Feeling the frail remnants of adrenaline begin to wane, the heiress sharply inhaled and returned the Ariados to its pokeball. Where was Piper in this sea of faces? The thought summoned a flicker of warmth in the young woman's chest and for the briefest of moments she found herself smiling.

Victory was attained...now rest could be had.

[/b]