Round three of the S.E.C.T., this time Lorissa faces 's Storm in a much tougher match than she's had thus far. What appears to be a very basic match on the surface proves to be a lot deeper than most would suspect and the lairon has to pull out all the stops to pull out a victory, surprising a lot of people, herself included. Aelius' version can be found here.


Unfortunately I don't have a picture to go along with it this time. I wanted to but classes have started back up again and I just didn't have the time.


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A dark green pickup truck pulled up to the curb beside a fair-sized house in central Springhead. After a brief pause the door opened and a stocky lairon stepped out, closing the door behind her. She slowly approached the house, climbed the steps onto the porch, and rang the bell, looking around at the scenery while she waited. After a minute or so the door opened, a pachirisu in a pair of sweat pants standing on the other side.

"Lori? What're you doin' here?" he asked, looking up at the lairon. "We weren't having practice today or anything were we?"

"Nah," she said, shaking her head. "Actually I stopped by to talk to your sister."

"Tessa?" he asked, glancing back into the house. "Sure, she's in the living room," he said as he stepped aside to let the lairon in. He was a little puzzled by her presence but had other things on his mind at the moment. "Hey Tess! Someone's here to see you!" he yelled into the house, a mumbled acknowledgement from the other room the only reply.

"Thanks," said Lorissa, stepping inside. She turned toward the living room, pausing to look back over her shoulder at the pachirisu. "Tell Tabi I said hi," she taunted as she headed into the house.

The pachirisu blinked, not realizing he'd been so transparent. "Uh, sure..." he said, closing the door and turning to dash back upstairs. Lorissa just shook her head as she heard a faint female voice coming from upstairs, then paused for a moment when she thought she heard a second such voice. Deciding she really didn't want to know she made for the living room where another pachi sat on the couch, playing video games.

"Hey Lori," she said, not looking up from the TV screen. "What's up?"

"Not interrupting am I?" asked Lorissa, looking at the TV to see some sort of first-person shooter being played.

"Nah," answered Tessa as the screen darkened and a voice-over announced the end of the game. "Just killing some people, typical afternoon," she said as she tossed the controller away.

"Cool," said Lorissa nodding her head. "Was wondering if I could ask you something?"

"Sure," said Tessa, picking up a remote and turning the TV off.

"Do you know a guy named Storm Veo?" asked the lairon, never one for small talk.

"Jolteon?" asked Tessa. "Yeah kinda, I've talked to him a few times. I think he wanted to ask me out at one point," she chuckled. "Kinda cute I guess, why?"

"I'm not looking to go out with him," snorted Lorissa. "I have him in the next S.E.C.T. round."

"Ah ok," said Tessa, nodding her head. "I came home from school before the next round pairings were posted. So I guess you're looking for advice?"

"Yeah," nodded Lorissa. "My first two opponents were freshmen and honestly I didn't really prepare much, but this is different. My old team and his fought each other a couple times, I never faced him personally but I saw him in action. It's just that strategy's never really been my strong suit. I know you're good at that sorta thing so I figured I'd get your input."

"Well I'll do what I can," answered Tessa, scooting over on the couch and patting the empty side next to her, prompting Lorissa to sit down. "He gets advice from his teammates, so no harm in you doin' the same. Well, not from your ex-teammates, I wouldn't trust them to eat and poop without screwing it up," laughed Tessa. "Honestly you're looking at your typical speed versus power matchup here," she continued, reaching over to the end table to pick up a can of soda. "You're not gonna outrun or outmaneuver him, don't even try. Just go with what got you here. You're bigger, stronger, and tougher. The longer the fight goes, the better off you'll be."

"Yeah, but what if I can't catch him?" asked Lorissa. "He doesn't seem the type who's just gonna run up and try to hit me, I've never been too good against the hit and run types."

"Yeah, that is your weakness," said Tessa. "And I guarantee that's what he'll do. Just be patient, wait for your chance. He can't run forever. it might be frustrating but you can frustrate him right back, make him wear himself out to hurt you. Make him fight your battle, don't fight his."

Lorissa nodded, understanding what the pachirisu was trying to tell her. "I guess, just feels weird, I get the feeling everyone is so far ahead of me."

"Don't sell yourself short Lori, you didn't get this far by accident," said Tessa. "He's good but he's not perfect, nobody is. I know his teammates, he's gonna have all sorts of plans and strategies worked out but I'm reminded of two things I heard a few years ago, right around when I first started battling."

"What's that?" asked Lorissa curiously.

"No plan of battle ever survives encounter with the enemy," said Tessa. "And the pinnacle of success isn't having a plan your opponent can't predict, it's having a plan your opponent knows all about but can't do anything to stop," said the pachi. "That's how you have to win. Get him into a situation where he knows what's coming but there's nothing he can do about it. That's your game Lori."

Lorissa thought about her words and nodded. "Makes sense. There's still some stuff I need to work on though."

"Probably," said Tessa, reaching over the arm of the couch and rolling a wheelchair around to the front, scooting herself off the couch and onto it. "Let's go out back, I'll take a look, see what you need to work on," she said as she made for the back door of the house. Lorissa pushed herself up off the couch and followed, already feeling better about the upcoming fight.

Back at the P.C.A. campus a wiry jolteon sat on the low wall of a planter, lazily watching some other students swimming in the nearby pool while sipping on a bottle of water. His ears turned to and fro, filtering sounds as though he were searching for something. He turned his head to watch an azumaril girl dive off the diving board then jumped when a loud slapping sound beside him caught his attention. He quickly turned to look, spotting a folder laid on the planter and a ninetails girl with a blank expression standing beside him. "How do you do that Blaze?" he protested, ears laid back. "I was listening for you!"

"No Storm, you were distracted by an azumaril girl in a bikini, that's when I moved," she said flatly. "It only takes a moment for your concentration to slip, and only takes a moment for an opponent to strike," said Blaze, folding her arms across her chest. "That's your next opponent in the tournament," she said, nodding her head at the folder.

"I know," said Storm, returning his attention to the pool. "I already saw the postings. Knew you'd bring this to me, so I took the initiative and did some research myself."

Blaze blinked with some surprise. "Oh, I see. Well done. But I doubt you've done the research I have, I've been compiling that since this tournament started, removing information on opponents as they're eliminated."

"No, probably not," sighed Storm. "But I know who my opponent is, our teams have faced each other before you know. She's only fought two freshmen in the tourney so far and last time our teams fought, Stiletto beat her easy. I think I'll be alright."

"That sort of thinking will get you beat," said Blaze with an annoyed tone. "She's no longer a member of that team, she quit as part of her audition for this tournament. I've seen the tape, it was... impressive," she said, resting one foot on the planter and leaning forward. "This isn't the same lairon we've faced before, Storm."

"Look Blaze, I'm not taking her lightly. I know she's tough, I know she's shown a lot more determination, otherwise she wouldn't even be in this tournament, let alone make it this far," the jolteon replied. "I'm not being overconfident, just confident. Hit and run, stay away from her, don't let her bring her strength into the fight. I know you have all sorts of plans, data, and statistics, but really? That's what it boils down to. I'll be alright Blaze, I know what I'm doing."

Blaze smiled slightly behind his back, making sure he couldn't see it. It would seem the confidence that he had lost going into this tournament had returned. Certainly she had more to tell him, but felt this was a case where less was more. "Good," she said. "I'll leave the folder there anyway, read through it at your leisure. I still think you're underestimating her, don't go into the battle with that attitude. The fact that she's only faced two freshmen is a great advantage, you've had to exert yourself a lot more than her. Long-term fatigue may come into play here," she cautioned, though she noticed his attention was on a tall manectric girl in a bikini climbing out of the pool. "She's not your type," drawled the ninetails.

"I know," sighed Storm. "But I can still appreciate the view. Thanks for the info Blaze, I'll be sure to look it over later," he said, picking up the folder. "I'm gonna do a little working out then cool off in the pool for a bit," he said as he turned to leave with a wave, leaving the ninetails to wonder if his actions and attitude were a good or bad thing.

There wasn't much time to prepare before the next round of battles. The S.E.C.T. was in the final stages now, and the consensus among the administrators was that at this point, the fighters should already be plenty prepared. That or they wanted to make sure the participants were truly tested. Lorissa spent the days working with Tessa on some basic tactics, she was amazed at how much she could learn now that she had a motivation to do so. Storm trained with his team as well, as best as he could anyway, since none of them fought like his upcoming opponent did. He had some ideas going in as well but had resigned himself to be adaptable. There would be a lot of uncertainties and he didn't want to overthink.

When the day of the battle arrived the arena was packed with spectators. Interest in the tournament had steadily grown and the allure of a senior versus senior match brought out a lot of students to watch, faculty as well. There was a lot of noise echoing throughout the arena, a lot of it caused by spectators talking about the terrain that was laid out over the arena floor. The floor was covered with mud, swampy grass, and pools of muddy water. Large, jungle-like trees were strewn about the battlefield and thick vines stretched between them. It was a wonder how they were able to create the battefield and perhaps even a bigger mystery how they planned to put it away.

High above the arena floor rows of monitors linked to cameras hidden throughout the battlefield enabled the spectators to watch the action. Standing in the middle of a small clearing near the middle of the arena was a female alakazam in an impeccably clean white suit despite the mud and muck. She stood at attention with her arms behind her back, periodically checking a pocketwatch. As the noise of the crowd reached its peak she checked the watch one more time, closed it, and put it back in a pocket, holding up a microphone.

"Students, faculty, guests!" she yelled over the PA system. "Welcome to dis final four match of de Poke-Combat Academy Summer Exams Combat Tournament!" She waited a few moments for the chorus of cheers and applause to subside before continuing. "Dis match will be between two seniors, Tesla Veo of Team Indigo and Lorissa Fernacio, independent! Again de tournament committee has picked a terrain for dis battle, but if you look up to da ceilin', cameras been hidden here an' dere so you can watch de fightin'!" she announced, gesturing up to the monitors. "Now for de fighters!"

At her words small sections of the ground at either side of the clearing rumbled and began to rise, a pair of elevators rising up from hidden locations beneath the ground. Lorissa stood within one, wearing a serious expression and her black and red battle uniform. Across the clearing from her Storm emerged from his own elevator in his team's uniform, looking around at the artificial jungle with some bewilderment. Both stepped forward, the elevators sliding back underground.

"Come forward you two!" commanded the alakazam, motioning them forward. "Dis battle's gonna have no funny business, first one ta faint or concede loses, we keep it real simple. Now 'cause of all de trees I'm gonna be keepin' an eye on tings from de psychic plane, so don' be tinkin' ya can get away wit' misbehavin'!" she cautioned.

"Yes ma'am," answered the lairon and jolteon, looking each other over.

"Wild terrain, huh?" said Storm with a smirk, holding his hand out to Lorissa.

"Mm hm..." she answered. "Hope you don't mind getting dirty," she said, giving his hand a quick shake.

"Well, that's what showers are for," he chuckled. "Good luck, hope you're ready!"

"Been ready," she said, stepping back and rolling her head from side to side.

"Good, nice ta see ya both bein' good sports," said the alakazam with a nod. "Now in a moment dere's gonna be a bright light, an' den it's gonna be time ta battle. Ya ready? Startin' in tree... two... ONE!" At the last word the alakazam held her hands out to her sides, toward each of the battlers. A bright glow spread from her hands and enveloped the pair, each of which disappeared in a bright flash of light.

Lorissa squinted at the bright light, blinking as her eyes re-adjusted to the darkness. She found herself in the midst of the artificial jungle, standing in a puddle of muck. There was no sign of her opponent, she assumed he had been teleported somewhere else. She resigned herself to the fact that he was going to find her first, she was far too big to sneak up on anybody and her tracks could be followed effortlessly. Trying her best to keep an ear out over the noise from the crowd she set out into the jungle, taking note of her surroundings as she did.

Meanwhile Storm appeared beneath a clump of trees, halfway tangled up in vines. Grumbling and freeing himself from the vines he ducked low to the ground and scurried away, hoping he hadn't been spotted. The trees were both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand they would slow Lorissa down and make it difficult for her to close the distance, but on the other hand they provided cover, it might be difficult for him to get a good shot. He looked around trying to spot his opponent but had no luck, though he did think of something Blaze had told him several times before. "Always take the high ground," he muttered to himself as he tugged on a vine and used it to climb up into a tree.

Down on the ground Lorissa continued her search. She was taking her time, not in any particular rush. She was prepared for Storm to make the first move, she just wondered how long it would take him. Glancing over as she slogged her way through the mud she saw a few vines hanging from a tree that had been ripped and torn. The lairon slowly made her way over there to investigate, making a bit of a show out of the fact while concentrating on listening to her surroundings.

Up in a tree about ten yards away Storm looked down to see the lairon investigating the spot where he had appeared. He regretted tearing himself free but at the time had no idea what the situation was and didn't know he had time to be careful about it. He shifted a bit to get a better angle, spectral energy forming around his hand. It wasn't his preferred opening attack but if she happened to look over she would spot an electrical attack easily, this would allow him to remain hidden even if it wouldn't be as effective. Silently he let the ball of spectral energy fly, the shadowy sphere streaking through the air to hit her in the back.

Lorissa grunted at the impact and whirled around, a pulse of energy forming around her own hand. She let the burst of energy fly without any real direction, the amplified pulse of energy slamming into the tree. The tree shook and splintered, Storm grabbing hold of the upper branches to keep from falling out and trying to right himself. "Nice shot!" taunted Lorissa, hoping to provoke Storm into revealing his position. She knew he was up there but he had too much cover for her to see him.

Storm didn't answer, he knew better, but figured he no longer had a need for subtlety. Holding onto a branch with one hand he aimed the other toward the lairon, a low charge of electricity arcing out to strike her in the chest. He felt energized by the current but reminded himself that he was going to have to be patient, a couple low-powered attacks weren't going to slow the lairon down.

Lorissa winced at the beam of electricity, one of the few things she didn't have a healthy resistance to, but now she knew where Storm was. She had no means of reaching him but if she couldn't get to him, she had ways of making him come to her. She took off in a charge, lowering her head. The lairon's speed caught the jolteon by surprise and his eyes opened wide as he saw her crash into the tree head-first with a loud cracking and splintering sound. The tree shook violently and Storm realized the flaw in his plan of taking the high ground - there was only one way down.

Trying his best to ride it out he jumped out of the tree's branches right before it crashed onto the ground, tumbling and rolling across some soft mud. He quickly got to his feet and got his bearings, spotting the lairon at the base of the tree. He didn't have a clear shot through the trees and it caused him to hesitate as he tried to line up a good shot. By the time he fired off the thunderbolt the lairon was gone, diving into the mud. He felt the ground beneath him lurch and saw bursts of mud shooting up from underground and knew he had only seconds before she broke the ground under him.

Turning his electrical charge downward Storm used it to push himself off the ground, levitating above it on a magnetic current. Lorissa emerged from underneath him, spraying him with mud and grime, but causing no real harm. Storm gave a wry smirk as she broke the surface before unloading another thunderbolt, the electricity lighting up the relative gloom of the jungle as it hit her. "Saw that coming!" he yelled as he floated away from her.

Lorissa winced and recoiled, she had to find a way to counter his electrical attacks or he'd just keep picking at her from range. She ducked behind a tree, using it as cover, but he responded by attacking the tree itself. The electrical surge hit the tree and flared brightly, the flash of light causing Lorissa to see spots and making Storm blink as well. When he looked back at her position he was surprised to see she wasn't there. He was puzzled for a moment when he heard another rumbling coming from beneath him. His ears twitched as he followed her movements underground, the lairon breaking the surface a ways away from him.

"That's not gonna work on me!" he yelled as he turned to face her. She didn't reply but as he went to fire again she dove back into the ground, the thunderbolt striking the opening to her tunnel. He didn't know what she was doing, her digging seemed pointless as long as he was levitating, she couldn't even sense where he was while she was underground. Lorissa broke the surface again, closer to him this time, with a swirling mess of dirt and grime in her wake.

The whirling silt and dirt pelted Storm and got in his eyes, forming the wettest and messiest sandstorm he'd ever been subjected to. Regaining his composure he steadied himself and fired off another blast of electricity. His aim was true, the thunderbolt streaked through the air right toward her, but the effect was not at all what he wanted. The swirling mess of dirt weakened the electrical charge and by now Lorissa was covered in such a thick layer of mud from the tunneling that it insulated her from the blast. "You see that coming?" she taunted as she rushed forward, the metal claws on her hand gleaming even through the muck. Storm was barely able to duck out of the way in time as Lorissa's claws slashed at a nearby tree and tore a large chunk out of it.

"C'mon, use your head!" yelled a wiry sandslash with a scar across her eyes in the arena stands. "How many times you think you can go to the same well?"

"He'll adjust, not even I would have predicted that one," said Blaze, stoically watching beside the sandslash. "An improvised mud sport, clever," she said with a nod.

"He needs to take the damn offensive again or she's gonna clobber him!" yelled the sandslash. "How're you just sittin' there all calm?"

"This battle is more of a chess match that it looks Stiletto, just be patient," said Blaze, her tone not breaking as she watched the battle unfold on the monitors. The sandslash muttered but sat back down in her seat, turning her attention back to the monitors as well.

Back on the arena floor Storm recoiled from Lorissa's attack as she closed in again. She'd disabled his major source of firepower, he figured electrocuting her would drain him faster than it would harm her at this rate and he needed to give himself some breathing room. The swirling dirt and grime was pelting him and making it hard to see and he knew time wasn't on his side. He took but a moment to concentrate as his body gave off a flash of light, several illusory duplicates spreading out to surround the lairon. Common sense and Blaze's strategies were obvious - stay away from the larger steel type. But sometimes you had to do the unexpected to win, and that time was now.

Lorissa scowled at the images surrounding her, taking a swipe at one with her claws. The image reacted as Storm did, using its superior speed to dive to the side. Taking advantage of the distraction the real jolteon charged forward, throwing a high kick to the side of her head and a follow-up kick to her side. The lairon winced at the impact, she wasn't expecting him to come after her so she hadn't gone through her usual routine of fortifying her armor. It was a mistake she corrected, her armored plates shifting and strengthening as he moved in for another attack. Keeping up the momentum Storm came at her from another angle, kicking her in the stomach first and then landing a second to the back of her leg, hoping to knock her down. She fell to a knee but recovered quickly, her sturdy build making it very hard to knock her off her feet.

Embolden by his success and feeling secure in his illusions' ability to keep Lorissa distracted Storm renewed his assault. His kicks were very damaging and the energy carved through her defenses, but the mud made it difficult for him to put as much power behind them as he'd like and her increasingly fortified armor was soaking up more and more of the damage. She was having no success hitting back though, lingering spots in her eyes mixed with the illusions to keep her off balance. Storm stepped back to hide among his images and catch his breath for a moment, smirking at his opponent in spite of the whirling storm of dirt. "You know what they say, speed kills," he said, as did his images, making it impossible to tell which was him. To make things worse he took another moment to concentrate, the number of images doubling and further surrounding the lairon.

Lorissa growled in frustration. This wasn't getting her anywhere, she had to find a way to retaliate or he'd pick her apart, she was tired of being one step behind him. Thinking back to the training she'd been doing she focused her thoughts and an idea came to her - if he could find success with the unexpected, maybe she could too. Holding her hands out, Lorissa used some of the lingering electrical energy Storm had blasted her with earlier to generate a shock wave of her own, a ring of lightning erupting out from her.

Storm made no attempt to dodge, letting the electrical surge hit him. He took a deep breath as he felt the lightning revitalize him, his volt absorb ability metabolizing the energy. Electricity crackled over his fur as he prepared to attack again, confidence further renewed. "You should know better," he taunted. "I'm a jolteon, electricity just makes me..." His voice trailed and suddenly halted as he saw Lorissa charging straight for him. He moved to lose himself in his images but she didn't deviate from her path. Although he had absorbed the electricity his illusory duplicates hadn't, and there was a tell-tale spark of electricity arcing over his fur and making him stand out from his clones.

"Gotcha!" she yelled as she crashed into him, knocking him up into the air spinning head over heels. He tried to right himself but was disoriented from the impact. It was the first good hit she'd landed in the fight and it was more solid than he'd expected. The jolteon landed hard on the ground, wincing and rolling away. He slowly stood up and wiped the grime from his eyes, urgency forcing him to shut out the pain in his back from the awkward landing. He was at a loss, it seemed his opponent had an answer for everything and he was running out of options. He barely managed to dive to the side as she charged him again, her fist driving into the mud where he'd been standing.

"He did it again!" yelled Stiletto from up in the stands, standing up in her seat. "Every time he gets an edge he just runs it into the ground and gives her time to counter it, he's gotta be quicker than that!"

"Indeed," nodded Blaze. "Win or lose, it's something we need to work on. But still, using his own ability against him? The old her would have never thought to do that," she said, narrowing her eyes. "Somebody's been coaching her, and I think I know who," she said, focusing her gaze on a pachirisu watching intently from the front row. "But he's not out yet, if he can focus and keep ahead of her, he should be alright."

Storm got back to his feet and scurried away, though fatigue was starting to get to him. "No..." he muttered under his breath. "I'm overthinking this, just gotta do what I do best, have faith it'll work," he thought to himself. With a loud cry he held his hands close together, letting a ball of lightning gather between them before hurling it at Lorissa. The lightning tore through the whirling dirt and silt and blasted off some of the mud that was covering her. The lairon recoiled, much of the lightning was dispersed but it still stung and weakened her defenses. As she closed the distance and reared back to hit him he unloaded another blast, this time at point-blank range. The ball of lightning struck her in the chest with more force than he had expected, forcing the lairon to stagger back.

Lorissa stood straight up as the lightning arced over her. The buildup of electricity caused some magnetic feedback throughout her steel body and for the moment she was having trouble moving, like her limbs just wouldn't listen. She scowled and muttered something under her breath as Storm breathed a sigh of relief, catching a much-needed break. He thought for a moment of closing with her and unleashing some more kicks, since they'd done some damage earlier, but quickly decided against it. "Back to the game plan," he said to himself. Turning tail he took off running, putting as much distance between Lorissa and himself as he could before she recovered.

He drew back to fire another thunderbolt at her but the lairon had several trees between herself and her opponent and quickly ducked behind one as she recovered. Chunks of wood went flying as the lightning bolt slammed into the tree, peppering the lairon with shrapnel. Wrapping her arms around the damaged tree she heaved with all her strength, snapping it off where the lightning had hit it. With a loud roar she turned toward Storm, using her massive strength to hurl the tree at him. It certainly wasn't an attack he was expecting but he was able to dive out of the way in time, just getting clipped by some branches. He lost sight of the lairon in the meantime though, and when he looked up to find her again saw her driving her fist deep into the muddy ground. He was expecting her to try digging again but was surprised when an enormous fist composed of rock and mud rose up from the ground around him, entombing him and holding him fast. "Not just a steel type," she growled, charging toward him.

Storm struggled but wasn't able to free himself and the mud was soaking up the electricity he was channeling to aid him. His struggles intensified when he saw Lorissa rushing toward him again, this time with the blue glow of draconic energy wreathing her fist. The thick, sticky mud acted like a glue to hold the hard rocks within it together and prevent his escape. In desperation he managed to get his hands free and held them out toward the lairon, focusing the technique of the magnet rise he'd used earlier in front of him rather than at the ground. As the lairon got in range he gritted his teeth and put as much energy into the effort as he could. To his surprise it began to work, the magnetic force was repelling the steel type as she closed with him, slowing her down and taking a lot of the energy out of her charge. He could see he wasn't going to stop her in time but at the last minute directed her fist downward to impact the center of the rock-like fist that was holding him.

Lorissa's dragon rush shattered the stony prison and freed the jolteon but the impact carried through, hitting him in the gut and sending him sprawling. Storm held his stomach and panted as he stood up, the exertion of the improvised magnet rise was much greater than he expected and coupled with the energy he'd expended, he could feel his muscles begin to ache and betray him. The realization seemed to bring on his second wind though, as he turned to face the lairon again. "That better not be.... all you got," he taunted, trying to provoke her into charging him. The lairon complied, lurching forward and swinging a fist at him but he nimbly jumped away, hitting her with another electrical blast as she passed by.

The lightning wasn't overly powerful but it caused her electrical paralysis to flare up again, the lairon going immobile and swearing under her breath. Storm took it as his cue to end things, he was almost out of steam but had enough left for one good shot. "Good fight," he muttered as he pulled his hands back, a huge surge of electricity arcing between them, over his body, and to the nearby trees. He hated using his thunder attack, it was more powerful but uncontrolled and had a habit of missing at the worst times. Combining it with a hyper beam made for a devastating attack but it took a lot out of him, certainly not an attack for everyday use. But against a wounded, immobile lairon, it seemed the perfect time. Storm let the charge build as long as he could before unleashing it with a yell, the amplified lightning surging toward her. There was a loud roar of thunder from within the jungle mixed with a collective groan from the crowd as the cameras in the area overloaded and short-circuited, the monitors going black.

When the bright flash of lightning and echoing thunder subsided Storm expected to see his opponent laying unconscious in the mud, but the reality made his heart sink. Lorissa was kneeling within a bubble of faint, blue-tinged force, electricity arcing over the surface of the bubble and sparks dancing across the muddy water. "Oh come on," he panted as the bubble of force faded away from the lairon, who had used it to completely protect her from his powerful attack.

"Better not be all you got," she taunted as she stood, preparing to charge again. The jolteon didn't have enough energy left for another such blast, he was trying to figure out how to make the most of what he had left and pull out a win, readying his stance to evade her. Lorissa turned her gaze downward to watch his feet when she noticed he was standing near the edge of one of the holes left over from when she was digging earlier. She feinted a charge, getting the jolteon to jump, then gathered up a handful of mud and grime and hurled it at him. Storm sputtered and backpedaled as the mud hit him in the face, frantically trying to clear his eyes.

He wouldn't have the time though as Lorissa rushed forward, body checking him with a hard shove. Storm went airborne, still half blinded, but managed to twist in mid-air to land on his feet. But to his surprise there was no ground to meet him, only a hole in the ground. Storm went tumbling down the hole, bouncing and sliding down a muddy shaft before coming to a halt in a puddle. He called forth a small charge of electricity, just enough to see by, finding himself in a narrow tunnel that was collapsed halfway through. There was only one way out, and it had just been blocked by the large lairon sliding down the tunnel after him. "Let's see you jump around now," she growled, her opponent trapped. She was worn out herself, but she was hoping her bravado would carry her through. She had a massive advantage underground but nothing was certain.

Storm took a step backward, calling up whatever energy he had left to throw at her. The lairon roared and charged toward him, blue-tinged energy wreathing her fist and illuminating the tunnel with an eerie glow. Storm had to think fast, he didn't have time to build up a powerful charge, and if he couldn't drop her, she'd demolish him, there wasn't any way to dodge trapped in the tunnel. There was no way he could stand toe to toe with her, he had to escape and there was only one way to do it. Diving to the side as she closed on him he threw himself into the muddy wall of the tunnel, digging his own and making for the surface. Lorissa slowed her pace as he disappeared into the mud, coming to a stop at the point where he started digging. With a mighty roar she slammed her fists into the side of the tunnel, a ripple of force shaking the tunnel and sending mud flying.

Storm was exhausted. His muscles ached, it hurt even to breathe, but he was sure if he could get back to the surface and get some distance he could still pull out a win. The lairon was battered and badly injured as well, a few more good shots would drop her, he just couldn't do it underground. Halfway through his tunnel his ears suddenly perked up. He could hear a low rumbling and feel the ground shaking around him. He frantically began digging with renewed vigor, shutting out the pain and exhaustion as best he could. But as the shaking intensified, the noise grew louder, and the walls of the tunnel began to collapse he knew exactly what was coming. There just wasn't anything he could do about it.

"Checkmate," said Blaze with a sigh, watching the events unfold thanks to a psychic projection floating high above the arena floor. The ground shook and split, some of the trees wrenched and toppled over, and mud and water shot into the air, followed by a mud-covered, unconscious jolteon, thrown free of the tunnel to land in a heap in the shallow water. Muddy debris rained down on him from above as the earthquake subsided, an eerie quiet coming over the jungle.

The silence was broken by Lorissa climbing out of the tunnel, looking like she'd taken some damage from the earthquake herself. She limped forward in a defensive stance, awaiting the referee's official word. "Tesla Veo is out!" yelled the alakazam into a microphone, herself floating above the battlefield. "Winner of dis match, movin' on to de championship match, Lorissa Fernacio!" A loud chorus of cheering erupted from the crowd but the lairon simply collapsed onto the mud to catch her breath.

The alakazam disappeared with a bright flash of light, reappearing next to Storm. She held a hand out, letting a small jolt of white-tinged electricity arc into him. Storm jumped awake and winced, groaning loudly as he collapsed back onto the ground. "Don' move," commanded the alakazam. "You took one hella hit dere Mr. Veo, you best be holdin' still 'til de medics have a look at'cha."

Storm groaned, holding his stomach. "D-did I lose, Ms. Solain?" he muttered.

"Fraid so," she replied. "But'cha did good, fight ya can be proud of."

Storm nodded in agreement. "She earned it," he groaned. "She just played her pieces better," he said, looking over to the lairon and nodding in approval, a gesture she returned in kind. Win or lose he accomplished what he set out to, he just wasn't looking forward to the de-briefing from Blaze. "Maybe I'll give her a hug to thank her for the effort, before I get cleaned up," he thought to himself as the medical team made their way through the jungle.