PokèDruids [PkmnWattys2016]

A Pokemon Battle. Two.

---
Stupid competition... Well, second place is something, too.

Seriously, fuck "VoteTradz22345". She doesn't even have a profile pic, none the less a story. I veto this. Seriously, guys, why didn't any of you vote?

Oh yeah. I was the only voter.
---

Hank and Eros were the only ones on the field besides Cerci, who was only barely on the grounds for the purpose of announcement. Having the last two contestants on the field had really brought out the anxiety in everybody; For who couldn't stand, Sicily, Dusk and Xerxes were lying on the ground prone, yet were able to look upon the two as they faced each other, one on one. Cerci took a brief moment to relight the braziers.

Hank spoke first, "Are you ready?"

Eros was less than confident in himself, although he could tell that deep down inside, Hank felt just the same way. The smallest quiver in his lips only reinforced this idea, supporting that this might be a dead-even match. "I'm ready."

The two nodded and took a few steps back, giving themselves ample room to take their first moves. Surely, this would be an interesting match. Just what had Hank learned in terms of magic, and, as a Druid, what would he transform into? As Eros thought about this, another thought crossed his mind: What role was the Equilibrium playing in this? After all, if the device served to equal the odds in all situations, then this would surely be no exception.

Eros shouted out, "Hey, Cerci? Will Equilibrium mess with the results at all?"

Cerci opened her mouth, but decided to take back her initial thought, drawing her finger to her lips to cage back what would have been a useless statement; Rather, she spoke slowly, explaining, "With four stones, the power should be at around sixteen percent. That means that if there's only, say, a small gap in your powers, then the outcome will be pretty even for both of you." She paused for a second, letting the two face each other once more, before adding, "By the way, you have twenty minutes left. Make them count."

Hank didn't waste a second more pondering what to do as he extended his finger towards Eros and let loose a mote of fire. The small ember danced about in the air, letting loose a small trail of flames that flickered out of existence just moments after appearing, bringing alongside it an incandescence as red as the fire itself. Eros, being as nimble as he may, spared no time in ducking to the side to avoid the attack, letting the flame pass just over his shoulder; However, while the primary body of the flame had failed to make contact, the aura of heat around it momentarily seared his shoulder, leaving charred bits of his already tattered sweater on his shoulder and a small red burn on the surface of his skin.

"You learned fire magic?"

Hank smiled even more. "From the baroness herself."

Eros, seeing Hank simply gloat at his newly displayed abilities, manipulated his internal energy into its offensive form and returned fire with three magical bolts, all crescent shaped masses of turquoise energy flying to Hank's center. While Hank attempted to move out of the way, running about half a meter to the side while the projectiles made their way, the projectiles proved far more nimble than his mote of flames, following him just as nimbly as a Beedrill to its target, following until it collided into his back. The force caused him to stagger forwards, although he didn't seem to be in any significant pain; Rather, he was a tad frustrated at Eros.

"Woo-hoo! You go, Eros!" Sicily was still lying prone on the ground, seemingly motionless; However, she was somewhat awake now, her eyes halfway open and her voice rough. Whatever she'd been through, her will to watch her trainer fight was much greater, granting her the power to cheer even as the circumstances be as they may. Dusk and Xerxes were awake, too, although they were mostly silent and motionless. Surge, on the other hand, had his little arms drawn up to his mouth, weary of what was going on and anxious for his trainer.