[Deleted]

The move hit its mark – of course it would, but she was anxious about these things in this battle – and it seemed like the Ponyta had been at least partially blinding. Toni felt bad – that panicked wail was heart-rending – but this was what a battle was about, wasn’t it? Besides, this seemed to be the warden’s favorite Pokemon. He was sure to take care of her after the battle ended.

The warden encouraged her, and she dipped her head to him, more than a little surprised. He didn’t seem to be all that sociable…maybe he was just a bit rough around the edges? She didn’t have much time to think on that or anything else, though. The battle was still going, and a Fire Blast was headed Andesine’s way. Fortunately, the Sandile saw it as well, and he managed to dodge in time – helped by the fact that the Ponyta couldn’t see her opponent very well.

Now it was her turn again. Sandile had a powerful attack that she was sure could end the fight fairly soon, but it was a bit of a double-edged sword, and she wanted to make sure she could take the Ponyta down before he suffered the effects. She could do another mud slap…it definitely wouldn’t hurt to lower the poor Ponyta’s accuracy even further, would it? It meant repeating a move, which she knew was getting old for her opponent, but if that was her best strategy then that was what she’d have to do. Besides, the attack did do some damage, and that damage was doubled due to her type advantage. Maybe one final mud slap would do enough damage for the next move to win the battle.

“One more Mud Slap, Andesine.”

The Sandile glanced at his trainer, and then turned back to his opponent, opening his mouth to send another stream of mud toward his opponent. His movements were less than enthusiastic, but that was fine. He’d enjoy her next order, as long as everything went as planned.

---

((Sandile used Mud Slap!
Mud Slap is 100% accurate and lowers the opponent’s accuracy by one stage.))
Levi McLaren

[Levi McLaren]

This was going to be a problem, not only for the fiery horse, but also for Levi in the long run. If he allowed himself and Brynhildr to succumb to the hindering effects of the particular move in which he had endured, he would likely never let himself live it down. Both would need to persevere if they truly intended to test their challenger's toughness. Sight or no sight, Brynhildr would continue to fight. It would be a challenge in its own right from here on, but if it meant forcing the opposition to give a more diligent effort, then it'd be worthwhile in the end.

She took the Mud Slap like a champ - a visually impaired champ - but a champ nonetheless. She's been through enough of these battles to understand the severity of the damage done a ground-type move. Levi couldn't help to be concerned for his pony. Wild panicking continued, but she'd force herself to endure if she had to, if only to make her master proud. "Calm yourself, my friend." Hearing her master's words, Bryhildr stilled her body, standing firm in blind-sight. "Focus your mind, your spirit. Embrace the field, just as we had learned together..." The Ponyta's resolve never faltered, and with the comforting sound of her master's voice behind her, she was ready to strike again.

"Now go! Flame Wheel!" With ruthless - and still blinded - aggression, Brynhildr enveloped herself in a circle of blistering heat then proceeded charge forward, in spite finding it rather difficult to retain a sense of direction. They could only hope that the direction was straight towards the troublesome Sandile.

@toni

---

Ponyta took damage from Mud Slap! It's super effective!
Ponyta's Accuracy fell! (-2 stages = -40%)
Ponyta used Flame Wheel! (Normally 100% accurate, reduced to 60%)
nA|HeVC61-100
Flame Wheel has a 10% chance to burn the target, if it hits. Burned pokemon lose health at the end of each turn, and their physical damage is reduced by 50%.
1-1001-100·1-100

[Deleted]

Her opponent tried to calm his Pokemon. It seemed to work, though her Flame Wheel did end up missing. Toni couldn’t help a smile at that. How inaccurate were her attacks, now? Enough to give Andesine a more than decent chance at winning, she supposed, as long as she could finish this battle in the next couple rounds or so.

It came down to her turn. She was feeling confident, though she tried not to let it get to her or show outwardly. She didn’t want to drop her guard and mess this up. Things could still go massively wrong, after all. She took a deep breath, tried to clear her mind, and focused on the Sandile.

“Andesine, Thrash!”

The Sandile charged toward the Ponyta and started to thrash around as soon as he was in range. Toni watched him, nervous now that there was no going back. She was sure to win, though, wasn’t she? With the Psychic move from before and the two mud slaps damaging the Ponyta before this, and Thrash being a pretty powerful move, what were the odds this wouldn’t be finished in a round or three? She’d see soon enough, she supposed.

---

((Sandile used Thrash!
Thrash is 100% accurate, lasts 2-3 turns, and confuses the user at the end.
Rolling for how many turns the move goes on. A 1 gives me 2 turns, and a 2 gives me 3 turns.
tFoFzkY01-2))
Levi McLaren
1-2

[Levi McLaren]

Ponyta's Flame Body has been triggered! When a pokemon with Flame Body is hit by a move that makes contact, it has a 30% chance to burn the attacking pokemon. Burned pokemon lose health at the end of each turn, and their physical damage is reduced by 50%.
e2BvddRJ1-100

---

Despite the circumstances, the fiery horse would refuse to let up until the last move was made. In which case, both she and her master would hope that last move would be her own. The Flame Wheel missed its mark, as Levi had quite frankly been anticipating it to. Brynhildr was left open for another attack from the Sandile. And what a bold move it was indeed. This battle just got a whole lot more interesting. To see the girl surprisingly willing to up the ante like this? Oh boy, it really got his adrenaline rushing now.

The Ponyta took the hits from reptile's Thrash without much of a choice. She could barely see what was going on after all. As the Sandile proceeded to hack away at the helpless horse, Levi couldn't help but to crack a faint smirk. He knew exactly what was about to transpire. Besides, who knew his pokemon better than he does anyway? Brynhildr's body naturally generated more heat than most other pokemon. In fact, the heat radiating from her would sometimes be enough to inflict third-degree burns. He could only hope that would be the case here.

"You had best be careful, Miss Hendrick. You wouldn't want to get too close to my friend there." he warned the young challenger. Ironically, the Sandile would continue thrashing about, so Brynhildr would have a chance to burn the offender each time. And in doing so, the pony may be able to better endure the contact. That combined with the challenger's own risky maneuver? Everything was on the line now. "Brynhildr, use Flame Wheel once more!" In spite of her hindrance, Levi would not lose faith in his trusted servant as she blindly rushed forward in a globe of blistering heat.

@toni

---

Ponyta used Flame Wheel! (Normally 100% accurate, reduced to 60%)
1-100
Flame Wheel has a 10% chance to burn the target, if it hits. (Granted that it had not been burned already.)
1-1001-100·1-100·1-100

[Deleted]

She was surprised the Ponyta wasn’t Bouncing to get away from the Sandile, but that was the warden’s call to make. Maybe he knew something she didn’t? Actually, that was a given, even without his smirk. Quite a lot of givens…but she’d learn it all in her time.

The warden cautioned her, and she took a half-step back. She didn’t want to go too far from her Pokemon, though, and she was somewhat used to fire types. Moonstone didn’t have any fire on her, but her ears tended to vent hot air.

The warden called out a move – Flame Wheel – and the Ponyta rushed forward. Fortunately, the blistering hot move didn’t seem to connect, and Andesine seemed no worse for wear. That was good – her luck was holding out. She hoped it would last for just a little longer…

Andesine continued to trash around. That was the nature of this move. At least he didn’t show any signs of stopping soon, meaning this time the attack was likely to last three turns. However long it lasted, it left her with nothing to do this round but watch and wait. Would he knock out his opponent soon, or would she be left with an intact opponent and a confused ally? This…was getting a little nerve-wracking, and she had to take a few deep breaths to calm herself. She knew this would happen…why was she getting so worked up?

---

((Sandile continued Thrash! (turn 2 of 3)
Thrash is 100% accurate, lasts 2-3 turns, and confuses the user at the end.))
((+1 hatch count for Chespin, Eevee, Poochyena, Roggenrola, Torkoal, and Vulpix 3/5))
Levi McLaren

[Levi McLaren]

Ponyta's Flame Body has been triggered! When a pokemon with Flame Body is hit by a move that makes contact, it has a 30% chance to burn the attacking pokemon. Burned pokemon lose health at the end of each turn, and their physical damage is reduced by 50%.
b9JKtKZe1-100

---

Brynhildr failed to find her mark on the Flame Wheel once again. She did have her vision blurred by some mud slaps to the face after all. What made matters worse was that her Flame Body didn't appear to take effect after that last attack she had endured. This battle may be nearing its homestretch sooner than he would have liked. In fact, he was actually beginning to savor this moment. Truly a shame that it had to end like this. A missed opportunity at a counter attack - as well as the fact that Sonar the incompetent Noibat had failed to connect on any of his attacks - has proven to be the difference maker in this fight.

The glorious blue-maned pony was left helpless and vulnerable to the second round of thrashing delivered by the ambitious reptile. Her body heat sharply increasing as the Sandile made contact with her yet again, to the point where blue flames would shroud both Brynhildr and her attacker. When the miniature inferno would subside, all that was left to be seen was Levi's beautiful creature blinded and on all fours. That was all she wrote for the fiery horse. Her body may have been beaten, but her heart raged on with fiery passion and determination. In the end, that was all that truly mattered to her master.

Levi stepped onto the field to console his specimen and proceeded to wipe some of the mud from her eyes. Boy was she happy to see clearly again as she neighed with glee. "You were wonderful as always, Brynhildr. Thank you." he praised her as he nuzzled his head with hers, deciding not to recall her into her pokeball for the time being. Both he and Brynhildr stepped towards their challenger. "You have prevailed. Although I would have liked to see a bit of variety in terms of your pokemon's capabilities, you did what was necessary to get the job done here today."

The red-hot gym leader reached into this pocket then pulled out what appeared to be a pin of some sort. Was that...yes! That was it! He held out the hard-earned badge to the girl. He presented the prize as Brynhildr gave a congratulatory neigh whilst standing firm on her hind legs. "Here's a Lava Badge. Congratulations, Toni." Funny. That was first time he referred to her by her first name.

@toni

---

Ponyta fainted!
Toni has defeated Levi!1-100

[Deleted]

Things had gotten really intense with this portion of the battle. Andesine continued his thrashing, and the Ponyta continued to heat up until blue flames seemed to surround both Pokemon. Toni had to remind herself to breathe as she watched the battle. Fortunately, it did come to end sooner rather than later. The fires subsided, and the Ponyta was defeated. Andesine continued his thrashing, but she called him back. They’d won – there was no need to do further damage.

They’d won.

She thought she’d be cheering, at least on the inside. Instead, she felt numb. How weird… Maybe it was the shock of it all? She had come to this battle hoping to win, but she wasn’t sure if she could say she’d been expecting it. She’d kinda expected her training so far to be inadequate in the face of a gym match. In truth, it might not have been. She’d gotten very lucky in this fight. Her opponent’s Noibat hadn’t done much in the way of damage, and Ponyta’s flames somehow didn’t effect Andesine this time around. If luck had been more fair, this would probably have been a fast loss. She’d have to do a lot more training before she tried for a second badge.

The warden stepped onto the field, and she stepped back to give him and his Pokemon some room. Her own Pokemon remained battered inside their pokeballs…she’d fix that as soon as she left this place, and then there’d be a small celebration in the dorm room. They all deserved it.

The warden then walked to her with his Ponyta. She dipped her head to him as he addressed her and declared her victory. That came with a comment on her move choices, and she nodded. She would have liked that, too. For her next battle, her Pokemon would have more useful moves than they had today.

He then pulled a pin out of his pocket. It took a moment for her semi-dazed mind to figure out it was her Lava Badge. Perhaps she should sleep when she got back and do the celebration tomorrow when she and her Pokemon would be in a better state to enjoy it. The badge came with a bit of fanfare from the Ponyta, and she gave the Pokemon a small smile. She was glad the Ponyta wasn’t bitter about blinding it. If she hadn’t done that, she certainly wouldn’t have won today.

“T-thank you.” She dipped her head to the warden again as she accepted the badge. “And thank you for the battle. I learned a lot today.” And indeed she had. Now she knew a bit more what she was doing. She was a bit more used to fighting against trained Pokemon, and she knew about where she stood in her training, even if where she stood was “almost adequate”. She knew what goals to shoot for when the time game to collect the next badge, too. Maybe the next one would even be easier now that she knew how to prepare.

Then it hit her that he’d called her Toni instead of Miss Hendrick. She lifted her gaze finally to try and meet his, wondering what had changed. Had her victory earned her a measure of respect? Maybe…or maybe not. She did feel a bit more confident and competent. Maybe that was showing?

Levi McLaren