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As the dinosaur pokemon descended deeper into the cavern, curiosity won out in Osiris. He butted his head against the side of her mouth until he was granted a small reprieve, sticking his face out in a manner not unlike a dog in a car. From there, he was free to revel in all of their amazing surroundings. They'd come to a place that looked like a holy arena belonging to a long-dead warrior society, rife with history and storied gladiators, and ruined by time. The howl of the lycanroc caused him to jump out of fear, and her voice roused both powerful curiosity and rising dread in Osiris.

"A prize," he echoed, his head hanging out the side of Victoria's jaw loosely. The dratini wriggled in an attempt to get free, looking up at the tyrantrum. "It would be nice if we had something to show for all of our trouble in this rotten cave."

Fighting right now wasn't appealing to Osiris. Whether or not he was a "warrior at heart" was something he didn't have an answer to—he enjoyed sparring with pokemon relative to his strength level, but mortal combat was not at all a pleasant experience to him. Perhaps in the aftermath of it, when the fear was gone and he was left only with the memories of pitting himself against an opponent and seeing which of them was superior, he might have called himself a fighter... but this wasn't such a moment.

He and Victoria had been put through the wringer. It wasn't long ago that they had been thrashed by a raging giant, and their path to this arena had been rife with conflict as well. But... well, she'd mentioned a reward, and aside from that, she wasn't hostile so much as she was simply inviting them to a seemingly non-fatal (but very serious) battle. On top of that, Osiris still had a myriad of medicine in his bag, even if it was crushed to a point where its effectiveness dwindled. It wasn't the worst idea.

The dratini glanced at the rock-type canine, who was still perched up on her podium. It seemed like the battle wouldn't start until they verbally consented, which was a great change of pace. "What do you think? I kinda wanna give it a shot." he asked his companion, offering her a tremulous smile.

The shards of stone struck her, but none failed to really pierce her rough scales. It blinded her as she instinctively closed her eyes in order to protect them. The last thing she needed was losing an eye to this damned mutt.

Victoria was pissed, but there was a distinct difference to this situation that made it far different in nature to the dark cavern. The three golurk were large targets, practically impossible to miss, but the wolf was lithe, agile, and small. It was much harder to get a good latch onto them-especially the kind that didn't drive stones into her tongue.

The wolf prowled around the side of the tyrantrum, but the moment Victoria opened her eyes she'd turn and face Achillia. She wasn't going to let the lycanroc get behind her that easily. It was then that the Lycanroc relaxed their posture. Victoria tensed up in response, but the lycanroc didn't move in for the attack. Instead, the grin on their expression grew wider. A maurve aura visibly surrounded them, her teeth pulled back into a flashy grin as her eyes widened. The wolf unleashed a horrid howl before she charged towards Victoria with reckless abandon.

Victoria charged back forward in response, her jaws wide open to snap the wolf up. She crunched down onto the body of the lycanroc, but something didn't feel right. Achillia screeched in response before suddenly it was her stony hide being torn into by claws and teeth. Victoria bellowed in fury. The Lycanroc had somehow slipped through her jaws and now propped itself onto her back, where it assaulted the tyrantrum with its own dragonic attacks.

That... that was wrong. That was not what was supposed to happen! Victoria was supposed to get angry and crush the lycanroc, just like she did with the golurks
Osiris heart leapt up into his throat as he watched his friend get torn into by the gladiator that had challenged them. But the situation was different, wasn't it? Achilla was nothing like those lumbering brutes. Even he could see that.

Victoria needed help. That was obvious, but how was he supposed to assist her? His eyes were drawn to his satchel full of supplies. It wasn't very sportsmanlike of him, but... desperate times called for desperate measures. Grunting with effort, the dratini dropped to the ground and fished out another mess of similar smelling seed like the reviver one. He swallowed dryly, ignoring the taste as he hauled himself upward, injuries be darned.

Thinking of the injustness and wrongness of this situation, Osiris sucked in a great breath. A moment later, he expelled it in a blast of Dragon Rage, the shockwave aimed right next to the two battling pokemon. It was mostly just him announcing his return to the fight, but maybe Victoria could wrestle the lycanroc into the blast's path.

"Wrestling" was a bit difficult to do when the lycanroc was literally on top of her trying to tear into her spine. She tossed her weight around, but refused to roll. If she rolled, that would expose her stomach-which was much softer than the stony scales on her back. Victoria bellowed and cried out, outraged herself, but incapable of matching the fury of the Achillia.

Fortunately, the two moved so little, that the Lycanroc was blasted off of the tyrantrum's back and into the dirt and dust below. Victoria was quick to turn in the canine's direction and latch down onto it with ice-cold fangs. The canine yelped, but this time, it was cut short. The flash of ice that crawled up its body was far faster than before. It surrounded the canine and solidified her in a casing purely made of ice. Victoria released the Lycanroc upon this realization, not quite wishing to have a mutt stuck between her teeth.

She looked back in the direction the dragon rage came from and...was confused. She looked left and right, but she didn't quite see Osiris. He was far too small and far. She...she was pretty sure that was Osiris...that was where the dog went with him...right?

Kat carried out 1 launched of one Damage :

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His attack didn't hit home, but it looked like the situation was handled regardless. Squinting, he could make out the frozen form of Achilla, with Victoria standing over here scanning the arena for him. He took this as his cue to rise up fully, slithering hurriedly down the seating area and back down to the battleground proper, hopping over the wall onto the hard floor. He winced at the impact, but the reviver seed leftovers seemed to be doing their work; he felt like he could function, unlike moments prior.

"Over here! Victoria!" he called out, making his way over. Osiris inspected the frozen wolf carefully, not totally trusting that she was defeated yet. "That... that's not it, right? She's probably gonna break out of this." He looked up at his ally heartfeltedly. "We should have a strategy ready."

Victoria was in agreement with the little guy, a quick nod assured him that she did. She looked back at the Lycanroc before she glanced over to Osiris. Silently, she nodded off to the side, a gesture for him to follow. They certainly couldn't scheme right here in front of the lycanroc! It would hear everything they had to say. While she could certainly wail on the creature while it was frozen...well, what fun would that be? It's not like she wanted to kill the lycanroc anyways!

The tyrantrum headed off without waiting for the dratini's approval. She simply assumed he would agree and come along. If allowed to without interruption, she would ensure to snake her way through the debris. The lycanroc was a canine...which meant that it had a keen sense of smell. When she thawed, she was certain to come and hunt them down.

Silently, Osiris followed. He felt relief at the fact that Victoria was so willing to listen to him; even before when he presented her with a plan that went awry instantly, she had the good grace to hear him out. This next one would be failproof, he decided. Not only would he have Victoria's insight as the one who had done the bulk of the fighting, but this wouldn't be as hasty of a strategy. They had time.

Not as much as he would like, though. Despite the reviver seed, Osiris was still hurt, and he left proof of that with every rock he passed by. Doubtless, Achilla could simply track him down by the scent of his blood. Then again, maybe they could use that to their advantage...

The dratini paused in his slithering when he and his companion came across a small pathway towards the front of the arena. It looked like the proper route to the seating and balconies. "Through here?" he prompted, looking up at Victoria questioningly. Fighting in there might be awkward for a pokemon as large as her, but maybe it led somewhere else.

Victoria was hurt as well, though perhaps not as much as Osiris. Her thick rocky scales protected her against the kind of damage where his failed. As much as Osiris left a trail of red, for the canine to sniff, Victoria's massive footprints likely didn't help either. They stood out in the sand like neon signs, it was going to be easy for the lycan to pursue them with such big trails from the both of them.

She looked off to the side where Osiris pointed out. She hardly fit herself, but it was somewhere different. If she was caught in there by the Lycanroc, well, it'd be a bad time for her-and Osiris by extension considering she couldn't do much for him.

Still, the arena was too close. The lycanroc could easily drop in on them from above with the ruins that were strewn about. She didn't say much more than a grumble, instead turning and heading in without a second thought. She kept a haste in her pace, not wanting to be caught in here. She could see stairs that lead up into the seating stands, but she wasn't sure if they should go up there. The wolf would make it up there just as easily without needing the tunnel. The pathway continued down deeper into the arena, but where exactly was it going to lead to?

The tyrantrum wasn't sure. She looked down at Osiris as he wriggled along, finally taking note of his condition. A pause. Then, she moved to scoop him right back up again just like she had with after the dragapult. No explanation nor warning. She just did it.

"We've gotta find someplace that's open enough for you to throw your weight around and also isn't great for her—" The dratini was cut off as he was scooped up like a wayward duckling, gently cradled inside Victoria's jaws again. It was quickly becoming a very familiar place for him. "—um, okay, I mean... thanks, but... you're probably gonna need to bite this dog lady when she comes back."

It was also the first time he felt the urge to protest against the treatment. Not because he didn't find it thoughtful or didn't appreciate it—on the contrary, for someone as regal and important as Victoria, he found it astonishing that she chose to be so casual and caring with him—but they were in a fight right now! The little noodle wriggled impertinently inside the tyrantrum's grip, not trying to escape so much as he was expressing embarrassment.

Beyond that, he was wracking his brain for a way to outmaneuver this lycanroc. But he couldn't come up with anything; she was faster and more skilled than both him and Victoria, and it wasn't like she was dumb. She hit hard and the move she used to turn the tables on them was super potent. To top it all off, she probably had a killer nose, so it was only a matter of time until she hunted them down. How to turn those things against her? Osiris went silent as he thought, chewing on the inside of his cheek.

She could taste his blood. Fortunately, she wasn't some savage animal that rampaged at the thought of helpless prey. While she was familiar with the taste of different kinds of pokemon, the kid wasn't on the menu. Her grip was light, if the dratini wanted to wriggle back onto her snout or crown he would be perfectly able to. Dropping to the ground, however, was illegal...effective immediately.

"I'can do more than just bite," she spoke as well as she could manage with a dratini in her mouth, "'Sides, can't risk Earthquakin' if you're on the ground near me...and if she does come around, i'll drop ya near her, you can give her a shock with that tail of your's and then i'll bite her." It was by no means a permanent solution to her, but a means of defense for if the lycanroc came back around.

She stepped through the halls and stepped out into what appeared to be a larger hall that remained more in tact. Large pillars led down the way in rows of two all the way to the next entrance. This place seemed to be in a little better shape than the arena, save for the dilapidated walls and a collapsed column midway through.

Osiris didn't attempt to escape his prison; even if he really didn't want to be in there, he wouldn't run simply on account of not wanting to upset Victoria. Instead, he settled for butting his head until he was able to squeeze it through the side of her mouth, eyes wide and curious as he regarded the outside world from his no-ground zone. Their newest environment seemed like a better battleground than their other two options. Spacious enough for Victoria to do her thing, but with plenty of structures for him to hide around in. He wondered how Achilla would fare in here.

"Oooh, that's a plan," he noted almost absently, his tone equal parts pleasantly surprised and excited. It was good to know he wasn't just being grounded on account of being hurt, and that Victoria was assigning him actual worth in the upcoming fight. "This is kind of a good place for that plan of attack, right?" the dratini asked, weighing the merits of setting up an ambush right here. "You might even be able to pin her down if we could break down one of these pillars. I bet they're brittle enough for that."

Alternatively, Victoria could maybe hide behind one of the pillars or even underneath the collapsed column, and when she made her move on the lycanroc, he could do his thing as well. Or he could even just continue to hide in the tyrantrum's mouth and pop out with a thunder-wave the instant that she came close as Victoria suggested. They had options here.

The pillars were tall, wide, and strong. She wasn't sure if she would even be able to break one quite frankly-even with the age. There was an entirely different concern at hand here, however. "I'd rather not risk bringing this cave down on us," she declined that particular side of the idea. She stepped inside of the expansive space, relieved to be out of such an enclosed area.

"I'm not gonna lie kid," she admitted, "I'm not a combat expert...that's what advisers are for." Well, not really. She saw the council part of a kingdom as more of a suggestion, but that was far from the truth. She was a dictator under the guise of a monarch and she didn't even know it.

"We might be able to get the jump on her here, but honestly I think we might be fine if we can just get her zapped with your tail." At the very least, the little mutt would stop darting and jumping around like it was some frolicking sawsbuck.

Not a combat expert? Victoria was like the strongest pokemon he'd ever seen! Well, not counting that giant Regigigas guy they fought earlier, or Kiba's mom... huh. He wondered which would win if those two fought. No, no, he thought, shaking out his head. What mattered was that Victoria was strong... and that she apparently didn't want to try his idea.

Her reasoning was sound, at least. Osiris nodded distractedly. "Right, I guess I didn't think of that... well, okay! I can zap her. I just need an opening. Last time I tried paralyzing her, I didn't even get close! And I was moving fast... behind her, too." he... not quite whined, but something along those lines. The dratini chewed on the inside of his cheek while he thought.

"She needs to not know I'm coming for her... or I need to surprise her so good that she doesn't react quick enough." he mused aloud. "I could shock her from in here," he said from the inside of the tyrantrum's mouth. "Does that sound good to you? I don't think she'd expect me to be in here, heh."

The alternative was hiding behind one of these pillars to jump out at her, and he thought Achilla would see that coming.

...

"You know, people usually aren't so willing to just camp out in my mouth like this," the tyrantrum commented on, a little astounded that the dratini was so willing to just...hide in there. She'd eaten other pokemon before, but Osiris wasn't exactly someone she intended to be on the menu. If anything, that lycanroc was. Friendly or not, the mutt ticked her off.

Despite her comment, she readjusted the dratini's position with a flick of her head. The teeth clamped down and submerged the wyrm into darkness. She didn't allow for a single opportunity for him to change his mind or object, not because she didn't care, but because she could have sworn she heard a howl in the distance...

Osiris flushed at Victoria's words. "It's a really good hiding spot," he protested feebly. He was comfortable in the darkness and teeth that enveloped him; more than that, he felt safe. The number of things that could get at him in here was few bordering on none. Even Achilla would be hard pressed to hurt him in this position. "And it's not like you'd ever hurt me." he said simply, voice certain and smooth.

It was a totally absentminded comment, as factual as if he were describing the weather. He hadn't known Victoria long, but in the short time they'd been acquainted she'd saved his life a half dozen times over. More than that, she practically swore an oath to keep him safe, at least in Everspring, and she seemed like the kind of person that was very true to their word.

"Just signal me when it's time for me to shock her, okay?" Osiris prompted, raising his tail and preparing to use the move when the time called for it.

It was touching that the dratini didn't think she would hurt him. She didn't respond to the dratini, partially because she felt a pressing need to hide and partially because it was hard with an entire dratini in her mouth. The pillars were just large enough to hide a pokemon of her size, but she made certain to place herself at the very first pillar. If she could get the jump on this thing from behind, Osiris might stand a better chance-even if it failed to work last time. This time, she wouldn't be as prepared.

The tyrantrum tucked herself away behind the column and waited. The seconds that past seemed like hours to her, but eventually she could hear it, the sniffling nose of a lycanroc at work. A low and short grumble rippled in her throat, but it wasn't loud nor long-for the sake of not allowing the rock type to hear them.

She held herself tall and paid close attention to the sound. She held her breath, as if the mutt would even be able to hear that. Off to her left, then behind her, then to her right. It was just around the corner now. The grumble started up in her throat again, but she was quick to get a move on. She wheeled around the side of the pillar and straight into the side of the Lycanroc. Her jaws parted with a bellow that would shoot the Dratini at the Lycanroc-which fortunately wasn't very far. It wasn't precisely what she said would happen, but if Osiris could react in time, then the Lycanroc was a sitting duck.