With a blast of electricity, the Mareep trotted through the charred remains of the woods she had just decimated before cheerfully greeting the duo. The sheer power she displayed was awe-inspiring, unsure of how she had managed to mow down so much of the forest with such little effort. It mattered not, either way, despite the fact that she was incredibly beautiful - this Safari Zone visit was mostly for Ophiuchus. He did get three balls, though, which he would use if someone had stood out enough to make an impression but, until that moment, he would advance with his fists swinging until the buzzer rang signaling the end of his trip.

He would've much rather used a different Pokemon, the disparity between the levels had become much more prominent, mostly due to the places that he had visited. In addition, for quite a while his sole water-type lacked a technique of his typing - so it made raising him a little irritating until he had learned moves that would more easily be able to handle competition and battling. He considered using one of his weaker water-type Pokemon, but the way in which she had displayed her power previously told him otherwise. If they got shocked and knocked out, they would remain that way until the boy left the Safari Zone.

Instead, he opted to perform with the snake that had brought him there in the first place. "Alright, seems like you're the best option, right now. You've got this under control, Ophi, just don't damage it too much!" he warned as she slunk into position, hissing excitedly at her opposition.

"Dark Pulse, let's go!"

Gathering black energy at her core, she released it in a radial wave that was met by a fearsome electrical burst, finally revealing how she had released so much energy. By using Charge while the pair was discussing and thinking of who to battle with, the ThunderShock she released was as powerful as a Thunderbolt! Softly walking in place, the Mareep was gathering static electricity within her fur in combination with Charge.

Sensing an opportunity, Ophiuchus gathered many toxins from within her body before clumping them together into a sphere and launching it out of her throat as a projectile. Splashing into the Mareep and exploding, she escaped any poison but was still damaged. Shaking her fur, several soft orbs flew to the Seviper before clinging to the reptile. The boy had never heard of such a technique, so he was unsure of what had happened.

"Forget it, just move closer and use Bite!" he ordered, finally noticing what had been done when she sluggishly advanced to the Mareep. By the time she sunk her teeth into the Pokemon, she had counter-attacked with Thundershock sending her reeling.

"Mrrgrr, the fur is becoming annoying. Let's use Flamethrower, Ophi!"

Not needing to move any further, thankfully, the Seviper simply released an incredible amount of flames from her stomach that charred the poor Mareep's fur and rendered her unconscious.

"Sorry about that! But, that's what happens when you mess with the best over here, eh, Ophi?!" he apologized to the Mareep, before embracing the Seviper and praising her simultaneously.

---

Battle Log (TL;DR)

@tag // notes: safari spawn pl0x // word count: 529

The next to approach the pair was a rather dull Slowpoke, trotting along curiously. The sight of the Pokemon curled the boy's lips up into a smile, he loved Slowpoke! They were so cute and even their laziness was amusing to the boy. If he hadn't already captured one,, then it would've been the first thing he got as soon as he encountered it. Because of the circumstances, it seemed he was going to have to smack it around before it left them alone for some new company.

Gazing at Ophiuchus, it was clear that she wanted to continue battling despite the type-differences but he worried that she'd get knocked out early and he'd need her later. Returning her to her ball, he seriously wondered who he would use against the Slowpoke. None of his Pokemon, aside from the returned Seviper, had any attacks that would be useful. There was a specific Pokemon that he'd been training during his depression, one that had not yet seen combat with the rest of his team.

Palming the ball gingerly, he tossed it out and unleashed the havoc that was the pampered queen, Cassandra. Because of his constant doting, far above that of his other Pokemon, she had gained a rather haughty attitude with everyone but her trainer. Because he was a source of compliments, and because of the bond they'd developed over time, she was the sole person she allowed to touch her now and she certainly didn't think highly of opposition.

"This is your debut, Cassandra! Don't worry, if your lovely coat gets ruined then I'll just clean you up right after, so just cut loose! You can start things off with an Aurora Beam!"

The boy assured his Pokemon, addressing everything that she was concerned with before demanding an attack. Taking a moment, just because she could, she waited before gathering up chilly energy within her mouth. Forming it into a beam, she fired it at the Slowpoke. The beam was almost as spectacular as the Ninetales herself, the rainbow colors melding into one before they met their target.

Unimpressed, the Slowpoke recovered from the attack before inhaling a deep breath. The next moment he yawned, producing a large, puffy, white cloud that sped toward the Ninetales.

"Safeguard!" he demanded, the Ninetales hastily covering herself in a turquoise aura as the cloud enveloped her. The drowsiness seeped into her bones, but she would not fall asleep thanks to the quick thinking of her trainer. The only reason he thought of such a thing, was because it was a common tactic he utilized with his Slowpoke as well.

Questioning its very existence, the Slowpoke used Amnesia to boost its Special Defense in preparation for whatever else the duo would manage to throw at the pair. Switching gears, he barked at the Ninetales to wait and she stopped in her tracks, clearly irked with the constant surprise imperatives. Looking back at her trainer, she'd see that he was actually grinning smugly as if they had already won. Because of her distraction, she didn't notice the Slowpoke concentrating his psychic energy to lift the Ninetales before slamming her into the ground.

"Why don't we give him a little Payback!" he cried the moment she was free from the telekinetic powers the Slowpoke displayed.

Thanks to being attacked beforehand, the power would be doubled and even the Ninetales knew that as she ran forward on all four of her legs. A dark-aura coated her as she collided heavily into the Slowpoke, sending him flying and, most likely, rendering him unconscious.

---

@tag // notes: bring it  // word count: 596

Slowpoke was down or the count, presumably, they didn't keep track after he was sent flying. That was pretty impressive, too, considering how heavy they tended to but he was more focused on Cassandra. After her bliss from victory had faded, she noted that she had gotten incredibly dirty from her brief scuffle. Alceides, sensing that he was about to receive pounds of grief, ran to her and took out the special brush she loved to have used on her coat. Matting off any debris that may have ended up stuck in her fur, he then ran the brush through it starting from the very beginning. Repeating this motion a few times, the boy began to hum to the Ninetales as she stretched out happily and laid down.

She was used to the doting the boy displayed, though she never clearly understood the reason since she hadn't suffered through his trauma along with the rest of his team. He had gotten so engrossed in primping his Ninetails that he hadn't noticed they gained a curious, little spectator.

Jumping up in surprise, he noted that he was confronted by an incredibly odd Pokemon - the likes of which he had never seen. The mysterious Pokemon seemed rather insect-like and yet it remained nestled within a rock. Greeting the pair, Alceides was overwhelmed with an intense desire to capture the adorable Pokemon. After meeting Kyle and his Venipede, he already decided that he needed to obtain a Bug-type that was awesome. This Pokemon seemed to fit every category that the boy had desired so, without much further ado, he recalled the Ninetales and instead opted to bring out Ophiuchus once more. Her first battle wasn't very draining, so she was incredibly excited at being released again.

Digging her speak-like tail into the ground, she proceeded to swing her body around in a usual ritual of joy. He didn't understand what was happening, nor why, but it made for a good laugh and so the boy just lost it. That had been the Seviper's goal so she released herself and crawled into position. Despite the fact that she had no arms, she was actually rather lithe - certainly not on Ambipom's level, though.

Alceides didn't desire any harm to befall the cute Pokemon, but he needed to add it to his team or he might, figuratively, die. "Let's give it 300%, Ophi! I really want to add that Pokemon to our team, so I'm hoping on you to get us to victory! Let's start this off with a ferocious Flamethrower!"

Wanting to impress her trainer, sensing the resolve he displayed, she gathered an incredible amount of heat energy in her stomach before pushing it upward and releasing a steady spray of flames. As he was only trying to make friends with them, the sudden actions they displayed were incredibly confusing. On top of that, the attack they used was super-effective and dealt moderate damage. Picking up several rocks, the Dwebble retaliated with Rock Blast desperately.

"Seal his movements with Glare, then use Bite!"

Aggressively staring at the timid Dwebble, Ophiuchus succeeded in paralyzing the Pokemon. Taking advantage of this, she lunk forward and dug her fangs into the skin of the Dwebble being careful to avoid the rocky portion as she clamped down a few times. Once it seemed that the Dwebble had lost any will to fight, or the strength to fight back, the Seviper dropped it like a doll. Removing one of the Safari Balls he had been given from his pocket, he tossed it with much fervor to show how much he wanted to capture it.

Crossing his fingers and closing his eyes, he awaited the results of their efforts.

---

@tag // notes: capture attempt <3  // word count: 618