[Awakening Neutral Control] Hrist & Gunter Fighting Fusions

Hrist was, once again, heading out to the front lines of Groudon's outbreak. This time, though, there would be no peaceful extraction of Granbull moms and snubbull pups. No, this was to be a proper battle. Their suppression collar was off, and Gunter was back alongside them once more. Reports of a litwick fusion outbreak had come in, one last surge of them trying to reignite fires that had been doused successfully the day before. Hrist didn't like the thought of their hard work being even partially undone, so, of course, they conscripted Gunter for his newly mastered mud-slapping technique.

Together, the pair departed from Ethermoor. Gunter didn't fully grasp the severity of the situation, but Hrist kept a weather eye on the horizon. At least it was dark out, and, for the most part, quiet. That would make finding the outbreak that much easier- and they weren't wholly alone. There were other trainers, other pokemon. It made Hrist feel confident, but Gunter kept looking to the other pokemon warily, flinching from them and hefting his heavy bone. He was chewing on the end of it for comfort when the first cry of alarm attracted Hrist and the other trainers' attention.

Patting their thigh to get Gunter to follow along at their side, Hrist started to jog. The pokemon hastened to their side, water-sail tail lifting like a banner. Other pokemon were faster- they parted the litwick-hybrids into scattered numbers, and kept them apart. Teams set to work racing out to intercept the ones farthest away, and some slipped behind to ensure no reinforcements converged. Hrist and Gunter caught up, and set to work taking a small portion of the hoard for themselves. "Use your watergun and mudslap, don't get too close!" Hrist cautioned, and Gunter began to drool, then roared out a challenge.

The first of their dance partners stepped up- a molten monstrosity- some sort of dragon-shaped hybrid, as near as Hrist could tell. As it opened its twin maws, heads parting and becoming better defined, Hrist flinched. This one could prove difficult- but Gunter knew no fear. He flooded his mouth, and then spat out a gloopy mess that streaked through the air and connected with a violent sizzle. Hrist, for their part, focused on drawing its attention, clapping their hands and shouting. When it whipped one head towards Gunter, the other tried to follow Hrist. That one set the beast just off-kilter enough that Gunter could pivot, and slap a muddy tail at it. That forced it to turn back towards him fully, and gave Hrist an opening to chuck a rock at it.

Not that that did much harm, but the hot-headed thing flared up with a snarling snap, and whirled back on them as Hrist jumped back. They just barely got out of range as it spewed fire, and then, there was Gunter once more, snarling and hurling himself at the waxy beast. His bone came up, and then harshly crashed onto one of the heads, dazing it, and he hauled back on it, pulling free just in time to stagger back out of the jaws of the other head- and then, as it roared, he spewed water onto it, and the flames atop its heads flickered, dimmed, and the wax hardened. Not dead- just dazed.

No time to celebrate, though. They were already onto the next.