Pokémon Legends: Court of Kings

[Jump Einatz]

Route 10 - Forest of Pillars

Knowing that Serene was a Teleporter, Banksy slowed her speed in anticipatio of their boarding. Reynard hissed at Zack and Serene when they nearly Teleported her out of her seat. Salieri, who stood at the front of the shell, didn't look back. With her dress in tatters billowing in the wind, she had a feeling her a** was probably in Zack's face, and she was glad she decided to wear bike shorts under her outfit.

"No backseat driving. If we take a turn or do a flip, grab a groove." She demonstrated by leaning over and doing just that, taking her three point position. Riding a flying Torkoal was nothing like riding a normal flying mount. You couldn't straddle the shell or hold onto Banksy's neck. You needed balance, grip strength and a certain amount of daring. Sal was sure Zack at least had the last part. "Don't put your fingers too far in, the shell is hot."

Flying by next to them, Durendal boosted up with another Rock Polish. The more he could power up before they faced Ratio, the better their chances of survival would be. Salieri looked over her shoulder. "If you can't follow the rules I will turn this turtle around. We leave when I say so. Now hold on, we're going up."

And Banksy would veer up sharply so they could get a bird's eye view of Route 10. Salieri didn't know if Ratio would still be around, since she didn't know what he wanted. She half hoped he had gotten it already and was gone by now.

For the first time she saw the tops of the chalky pillars reaching into the sky, and the misty floor beneath them, and she realized that this wasn't a field of pillars at all. They were in perfectly uniform rows and columns. This was a grid. People made this. People put this here...so strange... Salieri made a note to find a book on this later as she put a hand up to visor her eyes and look for Ratio.  

[Marsuru]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

The earth was torn apart in a streak of power, ripping and flying with debris. Smoke and Fire traps exploded, jettisoning their contents like fireworks. Plant traps were uprooted, spawning vines even as the ground they stood on was flung into the air. They broke apart and the plants died, then were crushed underfoot. And so it went, Ratio walking through the centre of Route 10, which had long been cleared of grass and trees to make an easy route between towns, his Aegislash destroying the ground before him to rid it of traps.

Over his shoulder, Ratio carried Bryony, her head lolling and legs dangling but the assassin was unconcerned. Every few seconds there was another loud crash as Aegislash sent a projected wave of Night Slash into the road ahead, freeing it of traps.

They came upon a wider part of the clearing and Ratio stopped. At the exact same moment, Aegislash stopped as well. Here was a good place to wait. Ratio expanded his senses, reaching out with Aura, but the pillars still interfered with him. He couldn't sense Ferox, lost as she was in that jungle, and so he would have to wait until she returned to him. He placed Bryony on the floor, and waved his arm behind him so that his cloak shot into the earth and became rigid, then sat back in it as if it were a chair.

Route 10 - Forest of Pillars

'Yeah, yeah, yeah,' Zack grumbled as Salieri tried telling him what to do. It wasn't too dissimilar from Antiq's scales, which he had to use as handholds. He really ought to get her a harness. Assuming she hadn't died anyway. He watched Dune increasing his speed in preparation for the battle, and said to Serene, 'You should probably do that too. Just in case.'

The Kirlia nodded, and began applying her Calm Mind. She was under doctor's orders not to get into any more battles until her wound had healed, but it was hard to say how this would play out. As much as Zack hated to admit it, Salieri was right about the creature's strength. If he had a whole team of Feroxes, they were ********. Everything relied on the first strike; anything after that would drop their chances like a rock.

'I see something,' Zack said. He'd been scanning the Route's skyline as best he could. Every now and then there would be a gap between the pillars and trees, but rarely was it anything more than tall grass or dry dirt. This was different. There were two Team Flare grunts lying still on the ground, with two bloodsoaked Houndour beside them. Zack swallowed, and tried to avoid raising his voice too much as he pointed. 'Hey, pull in there.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

From behind a pillar close to the clearing, Skarada watched Ratio's Aegislash tear up the earth, and with it his traps. It had taken him half the day prior to set those traps up, and not once did Ratio step on them. "Hard work doesn't always pay off, 241," he told the Armored Gardevoir next to him.

From this distance, Skarada was out of mind reading range. Bryony had briefed him on the basics of Aura, one of them being that if an Aura Master got close to you they could read your thoughts. Ska was having none of that. He liked his thoughts where they were, private and brewing. Having an empath next to him to provide psychic interference should it come to that was another safeguard. In short, if Ratio wanted to detect Ska's hiding spot, he'd have to do it the old fashioned way like everyone else.

The Mega Stones were so close, but so far. Bryony was a lost cause, not that Ska planned on saving her anyway. The only thing he wanted from Team Flare was their resources. Ratio's arrival put a wrench in his plan to take the Stones and bail. Yet here he was, waiting for something. Probably the beasty burning up Route 10. So there was still time to get what he wanted. He just needed the right moment to seize it.

"Now we play the waiting game." Ska wrinkled his nose. "Not the best game, but it's one I can win. Lord, slow victory's always boring."

Route 10 - Forest of Pillars

Salieri directed Banksy down to where Zack pointed, and the closer they got, the worse the bodies looked. The Torkoal stopped just short of the ground, hovering three feet above it with smoke puffing below them. "Don't get off. There are traps all over Route 10." She handed Zack the Flare Map from her dress pocket so he could see for himself. Salieri still didn't know about the Area-7 backup traps. "Apply weight and they trigger. Dune, I need some rocks."

Durendal complied. He boosted up his strength with a Swords Dance and chopped into a pillar at his side. An ordinary stone would've been sliced in half. The pillar merely chipped, making Salieri wonder yet again what the deal was with these pillars. She caught the chips and threw them hard at the ground around the grunts. Nothing happened.

Cautiously, she stepped off Banksy and knelt down next to one of the Grunts. She started to roll him over to see his face, but one glimpse of his charred skin and she didn't feel the need to anymore. "They're dead," Sal told Zack softly, swallowing a lump in her throat. The Houndour were dead too, but from slash wounds and not immolation. They had bled out, staining the grass under them dark red.

She looked around, searching for something else to give them a lead, and saw the obvious: a trail of destruction leading deeper into Route 10. "I bet Ratio went that way...Ratio...not sure if I'm pronouncing that right..."  

[Marsuru]

Route 10 - Forest of Pillars

Zack stayed quiet, watching the bodies from over Salieri's shoulder. It hadn't been long since these two Flare grunts were living and breathing; smoke still filtered from their clothes. With the way ahead open, Zack had to take pause. He hadn't started training again until a few days ago, and now he was knee deep in all this s**t. Things were happening fast. Maybe too fast.

No, he thought, eyes lingering on the trail Ratio left in his wake. This was exactly what he wanted.

'C'mon let's go,' he said, following the track Ratio had left. Serene watched him go silently from atop Banksy's shell, and cast her gaze over Ratio's latest victims without batting an eye. Zack paused and looked over his shoulder. 'We'll come back for them. The crea- Ratio can't be too far ahead.'  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 10 - Forest of Pillars

With no traps in their way, Durendal and Banksy settled down on the ground and walked behind their trainer. By now Banksy's hit points had almost come back to her, but Salieri was still down two Pokémon. "Beepboop. Your plan of action is ill advised. Chance of failure is 95% based on current data."

"You're preaching to the choir, Ivan," Sal grumbled, glaring at Zack. "We're going anyway."
"Confirmed. Reevaluating IQ levels."
"You better not be like this in the fight, I don't need you yapping my ear off."
"I am programmed to serve and protect you. I am also programmed with self preservation. It is impossible for me to rewrite my programming to prioritize the latter over the former. I have tried."
"Preserve this," she growled, finger on the Off button. Ivan's screen lit up, flashing blue and red.
"Salieri, don't-"

She turned him off mid sentence, and his screen went black. For a second Salieri felt bad about it. Ivan had never pleaded not to be switched off before. It was almost as if the Pokédex had emoted. I really need to talk to Mia about that.

Growing up in a straight up thug lifestyle, Salieri had walked to fights before. A planned battle held much anticipation. Guessing how your opponent would act, wondering what moves to make beforehand, a sense of a single purpose and a million ways to carry it out. It was riveting. Salieri knew this battle wasn't in their favor, but part of her wanted to see how strong Ratio really was.

Sal kept pace next to Zack, eyes aimed straight ahead. The path of destruction before them was fresh, and eerily still. Not a sound came from what laid before them. "My Pokédex clocked the Arcanine in at Level 81. Just so you know." A pause, then, "What are you going to do with him, if this actually works? Tie him up and interrogate him?" Salieri had experience with that sort of thing.  

[Marsuru]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

'More or less,' Zack said, pretending the Arcanine's level difference didn't mean a thing. He wouldn't mention Elizabeth Leroux just yet. He didn't need Sal bailing on him out of spite for the nobility. The track of shattered earth opened into a wide clearing, where trees were cut back in a much more aethetic fashion. They'd reached Route 10's central expanse. Zack stopped walking. 'There he is.'

Resting in a black throne, his head tipped back as if asleep, was Ratio. A woman lay at his feet; judging from her uniform she was a member of Team Flare, but in less of a cookie-cutter style than the others. Someone higher ranked? Zack remembered Jump in a flash of irritation. On Ratio's knee, there was a box. Some kind of metal container no larger than lunchbox, and he guarded it with his hand. Ratio's pokémon were nowhere in sight.

'The ******** he doing?' Zack frowned. He shook his head. It didn't matter. It was time to attack. 'Can you still go invisible?'  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

"No, Lupin is out cold." Salieri wondered if the woman with Ratio was dead too. Probably not if he'd bothered to bring her here. But he could be that kind of psycho murderer who did that sort of thing. She didn't really want to know. Sal also wondered why he brought a strange chair out onto Route 10.

"Any other ideas?"  

[Jump Einatz]

Lumiose City - Centrico Plaza

"Oh gosh, is that really a first edition?"

From afar, the crowds meandering around the Ambrette Town Benefit watched their Queen Antoinette squeal over a trading card vendor's stall, which until that point had received little attention. When the Queen Teleported into the benefit, having just cleaned up and changed out of her construction worker's outfit into a more royal white dress, the card stand instantly became popular. The vendor considered himself the luckiest man around.

Antoinette leaned into the glass case, nose pressed up against it looking at a rare Chansey card. "Would you like to purchase that one as well?"
"Certainly!" The vendor put the card into a plastic case and handed it to the Queen, who handed it to Rosencrantz. The Quillon was diligent at her side, with a shopping bag draped on one of his bladed arms. He silently put the card inside with the others. "How much for it?"
"Please, your Grace, it's on the house."
"I insist!" Antoinette shook her head with a smile as she went into her purse. "A Queen is not exempt from payment. I'll give you the full price."

Antoinette paid for her card and kept walking, linking arms with Rosencrantz while licking an ice cream cone. Only the Quillon's intimidating presence kept the fair-goers at bay. "This is wonderful, isn't it Rosey? Surely this is putting smiles on the faces of those refugees!"
"I'm sure we could work harder on keeping those smiles there."

The Queen spun around and cooed in surprise. "Mister Lysandre!" She curtsied before the tall, lion-esque man. "I'm quite happy to see you here."
"The feeling is mutual, your Grace," Lysandre told her, taking a deep bow. Rosencrantz tensed up, locking eyes with a smirking Lysandre to gauge his threat level. "Are you enjoying the festivities?"
"I am! This benefit has really come together, and on such short notice too. Would you care to walk with me?"
"I would be honored."

Lysandre walked with the Queen's pace, and Rosencrantz walked just behind them, still keeping an eye out. People parted out of the way for both the monarch of Kalos and the wealthiest CEO in the country, and Antoinette smiled and waved whenever she met someone's face. "Your Grace-"
"Please, call me Antoinette." For once the Queen didn't look quite so saccharine, if only for a second. "I feel people see me as a title rather than a person."
"I know that feeling," Lysandre said with a nod of understanding. "When I first opened Lysandre Labs, I never received recognition of my abilities or faults. Only critique of my product and company. It is vexing, being treated as a machine and not a man. The problem does not lay with us. It is with the people."
"I'm sure the people can learn to look past our positions to see us for what we are. People are good that way."
"A most optimistic assessment, Antoinette."

He stopped walking, and so did the Queen. They faced each other. "I would like to offer the funding of Lysandre Labs directly for the reconstruction of Ambrette Town. And if I may, I'd like to extend that offer into creating a privatized task force."
"Privatized?" the Queen asked, licking her ice cream cone. As it was about to drip, Rosencrantz took a handkerchief from the shopping bag and wiped the drip off the cone. Always the Gallade guarded the Queen, whether from physical harm or physical mess. "Thank you, Rosey."
"Using the technology and resources at my disposal, I would like to assist our government in uncovering the source of the stampede, as well as to figure out the level of Team Flare's involvement."
"Lysandre, I would be honored to have you at our side. Few citizens ever offer such grand gestures in the name of their country."

Lysandre smiled down at her, then to the sky. Flocks of Fletchling flew in v-formations high overhead, chirping the sounds of summer. "Glittering Cave was a source of beauty, until this mishap ruined that. My number one goal in life is to keep beautiful things beautiful. We live on an awe inspiring planet, do we not? If I can preserve the best of it for eternity, then I will have done my service to this earth. To that end, I will stop at nothing."

"That sounds like a wonderful goal," Antoinette said, finishing her ice cream. Rosencrantz dabbed at her fingers with the handkerchief. "Has anyone ever told you your hair looks like a Pyroar's? It's very big, I like it!"

Lysandre's smile froze on his face as he closed his eyes. A tiny vein bulged on his forehead. "...yes I have heard that one before, your Grace."  

[Marsuru]

((The worst part is, when he cuts it, it grows back that way overnight))

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

'Yeah,' Zack said, 'I'm gonna crush him.'

With that, the trainer broke into a sprint. The longer they put off the battle, the harder it would be to get into it. If they aimed their attacks at Ratio, they could take him out. Then his pokémon would be a recall away from useless. It was the kind of simple plan Zack could get behind.

His feet pounding the sundered route, Zack grabbed a pokéball and lobbed it into the sky. The ball burst open, releasing Fatass. The Snorlax seemed vaguely aware of being hurled through the sky before its arc peaked, and the pokémon fell directly at Ratio's back. If it hit, well, it'd crush him.  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

Salieri slapped her palm to her forehead. She had a reckless streak but it wasn't anything like Zack's. He truly had no plans whatsoever, and if she wasn't sure that he had no idea what he was doing before, she was definitely sure now. Wait, that Snorlax...

The memory of why she had gone to Parfum Palace three days ago came to light. It was to retrieve a Pokéflute, to use on a Snorlax blocking the road. Someone had beaten her to the punch. Now she remember who that someone was. It was someone she wanted to beat with a punch.

"That Snorlax was supposed to be MINE, connard!" Salieri cried, jumping onto Banksy's back. The tortoise took off, White Jets pumping out smoke to propel her into the air. "Dune, Rey, block the exits!"

What was left of her team scattered. Durendal and Reynard ran off to cover Zack's flanks from distance, trying to seal away Ratio's potential escape routes in the process. Banksy cautiously flew behind Zack, and Salieri prepared to grab him and get him on the turtle's back if need be.

When Dune was close he fired a crimson Thunder Wave at Ratio from his hand, aiming to pin the man to one place.  

[Marsuru]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

Ratio's eyes opened at once and he threw himself to his feet in a single, gliding motion. His chair became flowing material again, and retracted into his cloak. He felt them, easily now that the two trainers were beyond the forest of pillars. The aura master turned on the spot as the Snorlax crashed down upon him. Before he could move, Durendal blasted him with Thunder Wave, locking his body in place, and the Snorlax landed with force enough to rock the earth.

Dust exploded from the pokémon's sides, dispersed by the pressure. Zack pounded to a stop, breathless. His elation grew, swelling along with his disbelief. They'd beaten Ratio in a single shot!

Or perhaps not quite. The Snorlax shifted, rising off the floor but not under its own strength. It fell to the side, lifted by an enormous circular disc that unfolded from the floor where Ratio stood. The pokémon rolled away, landing in a heap, unconscious. The disc rose from the ground, now clear that it hadn't lain flat, but at an angle high enough for a man to crouch beneath. The Aegislash's shield turned onto its side, revealing its master. Ratio leant on the Aegislash's sword, then used it to push himself to his feet. Ratio flexed the fingers on his free hand, and the paralytic electricity from Dune's Thunder Wave left his body with a crackle.

The shield span through the air, shrinking in size until it fit comfortably on Ratio's forearm. The assassin surveyed his enemies: the humans and pokémon who had seen fit to challenge him. Then he ignored them.

'You did your job well, Ancile, I apologise for having you hide underground.' Ratio said, and the Aegislash responded in a pleasurable tone that sounded like the ringing of fine metal. 'I ask only that you bear with me while I see to this nuisance.'

Ratio started forward, towards Zack who grit his teeth and stood still. 'Zack Redgrave. Salieri Soledad. It appears you have business with me. I propose we end it.'

He rushed forward with the power of Ancile's Aerial Ace. One moment, Ratio was walking towards Zack, the next he was a blur, reappearing in solid form underneath Banksy, and aimed to strike across her underside with his Aegislash, knocking the Torkoal from the sky.

---

Zack threw himself to the side the moment Ratio vanished, and realised only too late he wasn't the target. He hit the dirt and rolled to one foot, grabbing a pokéball at his belt. Who to call on? Nobody could catch up to Ratio fast enough to make a difference. Serene was on Banksy's shell with Salieri, and he hadn't heard from Antiq in a long while. She could be dead by now, with Ferox only seconds away from making an appearance.

He grabbed Lethal's ball, popping it in his hand so that the Clawitzer manfiested along his arm, wrapping itself over his shoulder. He had to be careful that he didn't hit Salieri or her pokémon, but in theory this attack would never miss its target. Once he was certain he had Ratio in his sights, Zack launched a pair of Aura Spheres; two target-tracking balls of light that would follow Ratio wherever he went. Unless they were intercepted first.  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

But Dune hit him! Direct shot!

Even as the battle began in earnest, Salieri felt the need to assess her opponent. If Zack was going to go in guns blazing, one of them had to be the tactical one. What she had noticed was that he was able to diffuse Dune's Thunder Wave somehow. It wasn't that Dune missed, it was that somehow, Ratio could get rid of Paralysis. The big question was how. The bigger question was what were they going to do now?

Reynard never bothered to ask herself these questions. She went Seine and used her Yser technique to close the gap between herself and Ratio, her wild battle cry turning into the sound of a rushing river in the process. The Vaporeon, now a torrent of water flying through the air, drilled herself to crash into Ratio's ribcage as he swung his blade up at Banksy's underside.

The Torkoal's stomach was not as protected as her shell but it was still tough. Compared to the Special Attacks Ferox had rocked her with, this was manageable, but still unavoidable at this speed. At the last second she used Iron Defense to bolster her guard, making Ancile's cut shallower as she was knocked into the air. Next to Ignition or Ferox's Dragon Pulse, it was nothing. On its own merit, it stung hard. If there was anything she could brag about, it was her Defense. That, and the fact she could fly. But her Defense was shaken by the might of this blade, taking a good chunk out of her hit points in the process.

Salieri gripped on tight to a shell groove as they got knocked up, holding onto Serene's waist with her free hand. Even after the momentum from the hit ceased to carry them, Banksy flew up higher to gain more distance. He knows our names, how does he know our names? Are we targets too? For a second she thought of using Matheson's non violent approach to try and get answers out of Ratio directly. Then she remembered how that worked out for Math. "Yawn!"

Banksy belched a pink bubble of sleep gas down at Ratio's Aegislash. Once it came in contact with something it would pop, and breathing in the gas would leave them drowsy and eventually asleep.

Meanwhile, Durendal flew between Ratio and Salieri, hovering a few feet off the ground and looking right at Ratio's eyes through the mask. He would not let this Creature hurt Salieri as long as he drew breath. Instead of launching an attack like Lethal or Reynard, Durendal remained ready to respond and fulfill his duty as protector.  

[Marsuru]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

Ratio finished his strike on the Torkoal, then threw Ancile's shield forward and landed on it mid-air, the shield crackling with Magnet Rise. He heard the command for Yawn, and backflipped off the shield with tremendous strength, rising over the pink bubble of gas, as well as Reynard's attempt to hit him as he fell, and he landed on Banksy's shell. The Torkoal may not have been taken out by his previous strike, but she would've been thrown off balance, and in turn so would Salieri. Another passenger landing on board so suddenly would most likely throw the old turtle again; nobody but Ratio would be prepared for the sudden lurch.

When he flipped, Ratio threw Ancile's sword high into the air, where it span like a buzz saw, and would soon fall back into the assassin's hand. The shield half of the pokémon would fall to the whims of gravity and evade Team Salieri's counter as well. Its magnet rise meant it could return to the fray at any moment.

But for now Ratio was unarmed, and would engage Salieri hand to hand. He would feint a jab to catch her attention. It would really be a distraction while he positioned himself, sidestepping in a tight circle around Banksy's shell if he had to. With Salieri between him and the incoming Aura Spheres, she would take both hits for him, unless the trainer realised the ploy in time. Since Salieri was a simple human with no advanced aura training, the attacks would likely knock her out.

---

Zack swore under his breath as he started to run. Serene materialised before him a flash of light, and Zack carried on running. He grabbed her hand as she prepared another teleport, taking him across the battlefield to the ground below the fight. Zack skidded to a halt, and steadied Lethal's momentum with his free hand. He couldn't tell what was happening on the shell at this angle, but he could see something gleaming in the sky.

Gotta take out that sword, Zack thought wildly. He grabbed Malis's ball and lobbed it skyward, shouting, 'Flamethrower!'

Malis would rise past Banksy by the time he materialised and immediately try to blast the shieldless Aegislash with his strongest Flamethrower. Zack planned to damage the blade as much as possible; even if a straight knock out wasn't possible for a Charmander of Malis's level, the force ought to at least knock the sword away.  

[Jump Einatz]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

As Ratio rose up Durendal rose with him, flying higher with his eyes on the sword. Ratio threw Ancile into the air and Dune followed, trusting Banksy and Reynard blindly to take care of Sal from below while he dealt with what was above. He was poised to strike the Aegislash's main body until Malis was released, and he held himself back instead. The second Flamethrower was done and it was safe to move in, he'd dart upwards with all of his boosted strength and speed to deliver an uppercut of Assurance that would be double power if Malis hit his mark.

Salieri's face tightened up as Ratio landed on her ride and Banksy bobbed down with the newfound weight. Without thinking she snapped her stun baton out at her side, sparking with blue electricity. She swayed away from Ratio's jab, which as a feint, came short anyway. In fist fights she used feints to gauge her opponent's strength. Ratio didn't seem like he was trying to do that at all. Something else was up. With a snarl, Salieri swiped the baton at Ratio. The steel on his armor would conduct the electricity if he blocked it directly, but really Salieri was trying to create space. The farther she was from this man, the better. "What's in the box, your lunch?"

Banksy was the one who saw it, as the Aura Spheres Lethal launched were in plain sight to her. They swerved up, still aimed at their targets. The Torkoal felt the weight distribution change on her back, and knew that Salieri was now in the way of the Fighting type move. So Banksy did what most Torkoals were trained to do and used Rapid Spin. The high speed rotation stopped with Ratio back in the path of the Aura Spheres.

[The ******** is this?] Reynard had been promised battles galore when Salieri first claimed she'd capture her. So far her life as Salieri's Pokémon consisted of only battles, battles in which she felt ignored. Couldn't these idiots see she was clearly the only Pokémon worth fighting around here? Now the angriest being in the fight, Reynard's Seine Form blasted up, carrying the momentum of her missed Yser all the way up to Ancile at the same time Durendal and Malis got there.

[Don't ignore me!] she roared, turning solid again and firing a Scalding spray of white water at Ancile as she started falling down. With that attack on one side, Malis' Flamethrower on the other, and Dune below, Ancile was surrounded.

Still safe behind his pillar, Skarada watched Ratio take on the kids with the Mega Stone case still in hand. One of the kids looked familiar. Very familiar. His face fell from curiosity to annoyance quickly. "It's that bloody Knife Girl, of all people." Ska reached into his deck holster, taking out a few Trap Cards. If there was going to be a time to grab that box, it was soon.  

[Marsuru]

Route 10 - The Central Expanse

'No, your father's lunch,' Ratio said in his deadpan monotone as they fought.

The turtle began to turn, right as Salieri started her strike. Ratio's advanced senses allowed him to retain his balance throughout the rapid spin and keep focus on his target. He allowed Salieri to swing her baton, doubting she would be able to block out the spinning effect as well as he could, which ought to let him catch her fist easily. If the baton didn't touch his body, it was worthless.

Unless Salieri was able to stop her swing in a way that meant Ratio couldn't catch her hand, or any other part of her, the aura master would pull her along with her own momentum. It would couple with the Rapid Spin's and allow Ratio to pull Salieri off her feet. In a moment's time, Ratio would use the rapid spin's momentum to throw Salieri from Banksy's back and into the Aura Spheres before the Rapid Spin finished. If Salieri managed to dodge his grab, he'd go to kick her off the turtle instead.

If Salieri wound up being thrown, the attacks would explode against her back and knock her out of the air, while Ratio would stand on her pokémon's back and watch her fall.

In a slightly different time frame, Ancile sensed the opponents coming his way and applied his Power Trick, which would switch his attack stats with his defence stats both for his sword and shield. Flamethrower hit him first, heating his blade and making it glow red, but otherwise perform negligible damage. Dune and some Vaporeon rushed in a split second later to compound the Charmander's damage, so Ancile angled his spin with Magnet Rise and used his Projection.

Projection would extend the reach of Ancile's contact attacks in the forms of energy waves coming off his blade. Spinnin meant that the wave went in a circle around him, so all the Aegislash had to do was line up the Pawniard and Vaporeon's attacks and unleash a Brick Break. It would burst forth from Malis's Flamethrower as a dark red wave of energy and, unless they gave up on their attacks, collide with the two pokémon.

The Swords Dance Ancile had performed against Goldberg was still active and would give the sword pokémon enough of an edge despite the Power Trick. If Dune wanted his Assurance to go through, he'd have to take the Brick Break, which would shatter his armour and take him out of the battle completely. If Reynard went through with her Scald, then the attack would be slashed open but still meet its mark, performing around the same amount of damage as Malis's Flamethrower. Reynard herself, however, would suffer an incredible amount of damage in return, which wouldn't knock her out, but leave her critically injured.

---

Malis, meanwhile, would drop backwards after the Flamethrower was done, and realise he was falling from a considerable height. To stop himself going splat he aimed a Flamethrower downwards and used the blast to slow himself. Zack had to roll out of the way to avoid being toasted.