Saving those back burners for when it gets personal, are we?

Looks like he’s opening with a Fire Punch. Mike doesn’t usually go for physical attacks; he’s not the strongest guy in the world. But he is fast, and he has been training with Xavier, [the lucario on his team]. Of course, seeing as his heat is hotter and hits harder at range, it looks like he’s going in for a feint. Something he and Xavier trained for was positioning, so it’s likely that Mike is trying to goad his adversary into retreating to a spot that’s advantageous for him. But who’s his opponent?

Actually, it was Lexi. And, while all of the above speculation was correct, the context was hardly your typical pokemon battle. At Xavier’s request, Matt rented a room at a dojo for a day so that everyone could train somewhere that wasn’t out in the hot sun, in their yard or at the park. One bonus to a professional training ground was that sparring could be more intense. Inside, they didn’t have to worry about damaging grass or hurting bystanders. So, when they realized they could test each other’s limits, they sprung at the chance. Taking places at either end of the arena, Mike sneered something about how this was for [that ice block trick] Lexi pulled. Soon after, the gym saw ignition, and Mike was barreling ahead with a smirk.

Even under the pretense of revenge, Mike can’t help but go easy on Lexi. She even has the advantage of playing on somewhat of a home field, what with the arena being kept dark. After all, she has reduced mobility due to injuries sustained in a fight with a wild feraligatr. All that’s left on the outside are [a couple scar lines], but between that, Mike’s natural speed, and his type advantage, he had to be careful not to wipe the floor with her.

And very careful around Ice Beams.

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Lines by  flytermo2 , color by me~! :D Original to be linked if uploaded!

Happy Typhlosion Day 2023!