3016/WMAT C1 Lute vs Toph Beifong

WMAT C1 Lute vs Toph Beifong
Date of Scene:	13 September 2015
Location:	WMAT Arena - Devil's Hand
Synopsis:	Team Lute is in shambles as the Pokemon professor and the earthbending master face each other in the WMAT.
Cast of Characters:	20, 127, 188
Tinyplot:	WMAT 2015

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Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The stage has been set, and today it's at the Devil's Hand. The plains with the mountain set in the background is surely a suitable place for both fighters today. And those who have shown up won't have to wait too long until the first fighter shows up.

    When she appears, it's with a burst of rock shooting up from one end of the arena, all while the music begins playing over the sound systems.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sz2qeb_0Se8

    A mighty pillar rises, and on top of it stands the young earthbending master, one arm raised. It might be for the sake of greeting the crowd, or perhaps it's the movement made in order to make the pillar she's standing on rise.

    For the WMAT it appears that Toph has picked up a new costume. Instead of her usual Earth Kingdom clothes the young teenager is wearing some baggy tan pants that have been securely fasted around her waist and her ankles, as well as a matching sleeveless dark brown vest with gold stripes along the hems. Though her arms are not bare, as her arms are covered by metal gauntlets, vambraces and rerebraces. As a final touch the girl also has a dark green blindfold around her head, decorated with a yellow eye embedded in rock. The ends of the blindfold flows down past her shoulders, with what appears to be metal baubles fastened on them.

    It was commissioned and then made by Tomoyo Daidouji several months ago, and what better time to use it for than today?

    The rock music keeps on playing as Toph raises her left foot slightly and stomps down on the pillar, making it stop its ascent. Then she slams her right fist into her left open hand, the metal clanging. Her eyes are not visible, but her mouth is set in a stern line as she waits for her opponent to arrive.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    From his perch above the fighting grounds, Kirikou announces the start of the match to the Multiverse. "Ladies and gentlemen, fight fans of all ages, the World Martial Arts Tournament is host to an epic tragedy today. Former comrades in arms, the two key menbers of Team Lute have been forced to face one another with not only victory but pride on the line! Whoever wins will not only get to advance in the hotly-contested C-rank competition, but will prove once and for all who is the true leader of Team Lute! Come to the Devil's Hand to see these two battle it out, or tune in to 900.2 to catch the blow-by-blow!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute's own arrival is impressive as well, though it is easily seen at a distance. Or, felt. Mr. Crabs, the gigantic behemoth of a Pokemon, is stomping through the plains. Each step causes the earth itself to shake. Its feet leave a trail of footprints in its wake. A roar is made once it has reached the arena itself. the dapper eighty meter tall Kaiju is fancy as usual. Its monocle and tophat look freshly cleaned, and are sitting in place to make him the dapper Kaiju he is. Trailing behind Mr. Crabs are a V-formation of Unown, about fifteen or so total. They spread across the battlefield, looking down. Giving Lute a bit of an eye-in-the-sky view of the whole battlefield.

     Lute himself is standing on Mr. Crabs, hands on his hips. He is, in fact, wearing a different outfit than usual as well. Simple blue jeans and hiking boots. On his top? A white T-shirt. Across it, a simple phrase is read: 'Team Lute'. Underneath, chibified pictures of three people. Lute in the center, flanked by Toph and Vegeta.

     He reaches into his pockets, pulling out a pair of Pokeballs. He smirks, looking down towards Toph. Grinning.

     "HEY, JUDAS, I BET YOU CAN'T SENSE ME ALL THE WAY UP HERE! HAH! I'M ON A GIANT CRAB YOU CAN'T SEE ME AT ALL! This is what you get for fighting against your /BOSS/!"

     It seems he isn't planning to be kind about this fight. Though the shouting is somewhat due to how high up he is.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "And Toph enters the grounds, rocking a cool new look!" says Kirikou. "Not to mention rocking everything else! But Lute has his own way to shake the earth, riding in on a monster the likes of which this tournament hasn't seen since the epic match last year. Looks like Lute's got a new look too. Team Lute t-shirt seems to suit him pretty well, let me tell ya!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    It's pretty hard to miss the approaching kaiju when it approaches, though Toph doesn't flinch as she stands on top of the pillar even as the ground shakes with every step in its approach.

    The roar does make the girl furrow her brow, a slight fold appearing on the blindfold.

    "I'm not deaf," she calls back up towards him, not even bothering to raise her head. Though she can't help but let out a sigh as she hears Kilik's comment regarding Lute's attire. Seriously, he still won't stop with that stupid crap? It doesn't seem like the blind girl is even going to dignify that with a response, it's hardly what matters now anyway. What matters is figuring out how to get past Lute's Pokemon and Mr. Crabs. Having fought alongside him does at least give her an idea on what he's able to do, and he does have those strange floaty Pokemon that resemble weird eyes, doesn't he?

    The earthbending master inhales slowly before exhaling through her mouth, shaking her arms loose before she extends them out to her sides, raising them slowly.

    Mr. Crabs is not the only one who can make the earth shake, as the ground in the arena responds to the will of the small girl where she stands on the massive pillar.

    All it takes is her just raising her foot slightly before she kicks down into the pillar, utterly shattering it as she crashes downwards and extends her arms towards Mr. Crabs' head, aiming several small and sharp rock fragments to where her ears heard Lute. And it's not the only thing affected by her bending as the top layer of the ground in the arena explodes up as dust cover which might reduce Lute and his minions' vision.

Lute (188) has posed:
     The rising pillar doesn't take Lute too much by surprise. The cloud of dust to block the vision, though? That does. He lifts an arm to his eyes, trying to defend his own vision a bit from the dust. Mr. Crabs takes the brunt of the sharp rocks, the stones tearing into the head of this massive beast. He, too, lifts a claw to try and block some of the stones. It doesn't do as much as one would hope, though. But, for every bit Toph dishes out? Lute plans to dish it back twice as hard.

     "GO! GIRATINA!" He releases one of the two Pokemon in his head. Sadly, he made the wrong choice as far as the second ball, and it is slid into his pocket. He'll have to release a different one, soon. Lute leaps onto Giratina, sitting on the back of hte massive shadowy dragon. Its wings spread out, and it flies forward to circle the battlefield, having some difficulty due to the dust in the air.

     "MR. CRABS! SHAKE!"

     Mr. Crabs is the one who will be attacking Toph, it seems. Its right claw lifts up, in a sort of hand-shaking motion, towards Toph's general direction. Lute just focuses on switching out the Pokeball in hand, to grab a different one for his suddenly changed strategy.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Grateful for his elevated view, Kirikou can thankfully actually see both fighters where they stand elevated. "Both fighters are on their pedestals, Toph on one of Earth, Lute on one of ... I don't know what that thing's made of. Something weird and alive. They're both standing atop what they dominate! Toph sends rock hammering down on the master of giant pokemon and Lute responds by having his giant monster hammering down on the Earthbender!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Great, he's going to the legendary Pokemon? As Toph crashes down to the ground she also hears Lute's voice move as he's moved from the kaiju to the Pokemon, which complicates manners a bit.

    The order for Mr. Crabs though and the massive beast's movement is pretty hard to miss, though it might be something else to deal with it. She was there when Mr. Crabs first appeared and helped fight against it, at least until Lute captured it.

    Immediately Toph throws up her left arm as she swerves towards her right and more towards Mr. Crabs' centre, and a thick earthen plate shoots up between her and the kaiju. It isn't enough to block the massive force a kaiju delivers, though it does soften the blow somewhat. Still, Mr. Crabs smashes through the dust and through the makeshift cover Toph raised, and he knocks the blind girl to the side, sending her tumbling with a slight yelp.

    Luckily the girl has a better balance than most people, so she manages to upright herself and use her bending to stop her from getting too far away, digging her heels into the ground as she skids, tucking her arms in against her sides. Then she throws her arms upwards, sending several earthen rocks shooting up from the ground in the area where Lute should be heading towards if her ears were right, which they most often are. With so many rocks they can't be a real threat, but if one of them hits Giratina or Lute it might give her a better idea of where they are.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute was hoping that Toph would be left blind. It's a huge advantage to know what your opponent can do. But, Toph knows Lute just as well. The wingbeats of Giratina echo through the battlefield, and Toph's guess is dead on. A rock flies up, smashing into Giratina from the underside. The flying dragon stumbles through the air, walking back and forth after the rock manages to hit right in its head. It's falling down, though catching itself. Lute can barely hang on. In fact, he is holding on /only/ by one hand now, flopping around as he tries to pull himself back on. His other hand, still holding the Pokeball.

     "G-GO! CASTFORM! RAINY DAY! WEATHER BALL!"

     He opens the Pokeball, before droppping it. He grabs ahold of Giratina, trying to pull himself back on. It will take him a bit. But, at least, he can do something about this dust in the air. Or, at least, his Castform can.

     The Castform floats in the air, looking like a head with a lower body of clouds. It cries out, shooting a ball of clouds up into the air. Suddenly, the ball explodes, and it starts to rain. The rain will, almost certainly, clear up the dust a bit. It will still make visibility hard for the Unown, but its still likely to be an improvement.

     The Castform gathers some of the rain around its head, shifting to its Rain Forme. A ball of water starts to gather above it, and this ball of water bursts traight towards Toph, trying to slam into her.

     Mr. Crabs is waiting for instructions, while Lute is still busy trying to stay on his Pokemon and as of yet unable to pull himself up.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Kirikou's excited voice continues to call out the fight. "Lute leaves Mr. Crab's back, sending it to batter Toph. Or... is that butter? She shields herself and... oh what a shot! A rock picks Lute's new ride off cleanly, and both Lute and his pokemon nearly fall to the ground! He shows surprising athleticism, holding on and countering with... with rain? There you go, good move Lute! Make her take a shower, she'll hate it!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Good, she felt those rocks hit! Compared to an airbender a flying dragon is at least not impossible to hear. And while she can't /see/ Lute, she does hear the tone in his voice when he calls for his next Pokemon... which she knows absolutely nothing about. Castfowhat? What the crud is that?

    With Mr. Crabs not too far away she can't afford to let her guard down, but at least she gets a slight warning as Lute calls out the name of the attack. That's one weakness he has with using Pokemon, he has to call out what they are to do, while she doesn't need to announce her attacks aside from her bending movements.

    Whatever the Pokemon is, it's either up in the air or on something she can't 'see' through. As for the attack Lute called... Rainy day? Don't tell her he's going to...

    The moment the rain starts falling she can't help but mutter under her breath. "... oh, he's going to regret that..." What she didn't expect however is the ball of water that hits her straight in the face, taking her completely by surprise.

    A gargled protest leaves the blind girl as she stumbles, falling on her ass as she's completely soaked, her face and chest reddened and bruised by the impact of the water ball. While the water pools around her and sinks into the ground she coughs, spitting and shaking her head with a most displeased look, even as she winces and painfully pushes herself up. "YOU ASKED FOR IT!"

    Listening for Giratina and keeping in mind where she last heard Lute the earthbender is already moving her arms as she gets to her feet, her feet splashing into the muddy ground. She herself does not fear mud, and since Lute has brought water to the area... "EAT THIS!" she calls out, throwing her arms out thrice. While the ground isn't completely soaked it's enough water there for an earthbending master to use and create mud. Though this might not be the way Lute wanted to get into a mud fight with a girl.

    Not when she sends the large glob of mud towards him and aims to bend it around his torso. Should she be able to hit him, then perhaps she can use that to yank him /off/ of Giratina and down to the ground.

Lute (188) has posed:
     The mud manages to fly up and hit Lute. It wraps around his waist a bit. He winces, grasping at Giratina. This will be risky, but he has to avoid landing on the ground. She is performing /admirably/ with him in the air, and yet, he knows it is a weakness for her. He wants to remain airbound as long as possible.

     He knows his own weaknesses, too. But, he too has plans to deal with them. To not let his weaknesses cause him problems.

     "GIRATINA! Shadow Ball! Castform, Weather Ball! Mr. Crabs? STOMP!"

     And that strategy is to overwhelm her with attacks.

     Lute has finally managed to remount Giratina, struggling to hold on in the rain. But, he is at least on the creature again, legs stradding it. He glares down to Toph, slowly helping guide Giratina down. A ball of darkness forms in its mouth, and is soon launched. After that, another ball of water is tossed towards Toph from the airborne Castform.

     And then Mr. Crabs lifts a foot to try and step on Toph.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    Kirikou winces at that hit. "Looks like Lute might've found a weak point." he says. "While struggling to stay out of Toph's reach, he nails her good with what looks like a ball of water. This is a lot more effective than you might think, those of you listening from home! Mudbender retaliates with some thrown mud, which is a bit dubious. C'mon Toph, stick to rocks! Ooooh man, this is tense! Could Lute's multi-teaming spell the end for the mighty earthbender?"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    With Lute struggling and determined to remain on Giratina it doesn't seem like he can be persuaded to join her down on the ground. Toph grits her teeth, determined to not give up just yet, keeping her arms extended as she molds the mud as best as she can. "Come on, mudbrain...!" Though the moment he calls out for Giratina she is forced to give up on the attack, mentally letting go of the mud as she yanks her arms back and instead shifts her focus to defense as Lute calls out the attack names.

    Shadow Ball? Sounds nasty. But she does know what direction it will come from, so let's raise a wall there! And another Weather Ball? She's already wet enough, let's get some more walls for that! Toph throws her arms up as Lute calls out the attacks, just in time. The Shadow Ball and Weather Ball both shake the thick earthen plates that Toph has raised, and she's forced to keep her hands out to keep them from utterly falling down. But this leaves her open to the last attack as she feels Mr. Crab lift a foot... and slams it down right on top of the earthbender.

    Nothing happens in response, and it's quiet for several seconds.

    At least until the earth behind Mr. Crabs explodes in a burst of rock and spikes, and Toph crawls out, clearly pained and bleeding in several places as she heaves for breath. "ARE YOU..." Wheeze. "FUCKING DENSE?!" she calls out to Lute as she gets to her feet, stumbling slightly. "That could have KILLED me if I wasn't who I am!" A normal person would have been reduced to splatter underneath Mr. Crabs' foot.

    Clearly irritated, the earthbending master kicks the ground, and a series of pillars shoot up from the ground and in the direction of where she last heard Lute and Giratina. And then Toph is off, jumping from pillar to pillar, using her arms to shoot out rock after rock from the pillars in Lute's direction even as she does her best to chase after him.

Lute (188) has posed:
     The stone pillars manage to hit Giratina somewhat, grazing along his wings and body. It takes some fine dodging in order to make this happen, but Lute grits his teeth as Giratina works. Not because he is worried. But, because he is a little angry at Toph right now.

     Lute shouts down to Toph, rather annoyed, "OH COME ON! Do you think I /would/ have stepped on you if I thought you wouldn't survive? Besides, even Mr. Satan and Tenshi survived that last year! If you can't survive being stepped on by an eighty meter tall Kaiju, you aren't fitting to be a member of TEAM LUTE!"

     At least, that'll help track him down. As will his next declaration of attack. "AURA SPHERE!"

     The barriers Toph made to block the last attack were certainly problematic. But, stone. Rocks. These are something Lute's Pokemon training has taught him to deal with. Rock types are weak to Fighting. Giratina swoops through the stone columns, turning its mouth down. A blue ball of aura is forming, an audible sound of energy gathering in its mouth. The ball is shot down, flying towards Toph. Hopefully smashing through any barrier attempts.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "Toph shows off her grit!" crows Kirikou. "She raises walls to defend herself and even survives when that giant crabthing steps on her! Looks like she tunneled underneath. She's hurt, but seems more angry than afraid! She retaliates by raising the earth. If Lute won't come to ground, she's going to see it ground comes to him! And yet, Lute seems to have an answer for the rock assault, his mount dodging with seeming ease."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    "Oh, would you /shut your mudhole/ about that?!" What the hell made him think that Team Lute was even a thing? If he thinks he has a right to be angry, then she has the right to be pissed. At least it's easy to hear where he is when he's yelling.

    Aura Sphere? Which Pokemon will it be coming from? The Castowhatever seems water based, so... Giratina? The earthbender keeps on running on top of the pillars as they shoot up in front of her, though she is forced to deal with the Aura Sphere, so she throws her arms up, a thick earthen wall shooting up.

    Except it completely crumbles as the Aura Sphere strikes it, and then hits a surprised Toph who can only gape as she feels her barrier utterly fail. The ball hits her, knocking her backwards with a cry as she falls off of the pillar, plummeting down. At first she is stunned, knocked into the pillar behind her, though she manages to gather her wits enough to gesture down to the ground below, and another earthen pillar shoots up as she manages to twist her body enough that she lands with her feet on it, although a bit roughly.

    The next second she kicks into the pillar again, and she launches herself up to the taller pillars. As she lands there she brings her right arm up before she brings it down in what looks similar to a karate chop, though some of the pillars near Lute and Giratina crack near the base before they fall over, threatening to fall on anything that's too close.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Toph has finally succeeded. The large stone pillar falls down, striking straight into Lute and Giratina. The two fall through the air, Lute finally losing his grip. He lands on the somewhat muddy ground, managing to land on his side. His hands catch himself a bit. Giratina manages to stay airborn. And, Lute realizes. Toph can now, in fact, see him.

     "Oh fuck."

     After that slight exclaimation of fear, Lute shouts out again. This is no time to just stop, it is the time above all others to give out orders.

     "SUNNY DAY! DRAGON CLAW! BUBBLE!"

     The rain suddenly stops, the Castform shooting forth an artificial sun in the sky. The cloud evaporates, and it suddenly just gets /really/ warm throughout the battlefield. Lute's main goal is to make it easier for Giratina to spot him after his next attack on Toph, so the two can be reunited. And attack Giratina does, swooping in and trying to strike into Toph with the giant spikes on its wings, before arching back up.

     But the bubble? That comes from Mr. Crabs, of all things. He starts spitting out acidic bubbles, aimed straight at Toph. On impact, they'll burn the skin. Quite painfully so!

     Lute, meanwhile, is running away from Toph, in the complete opposite direction of her. He won't leave the battlefield. But, he /will/ try to stay the fuck away from her.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "Lute's flying pokemon blasts Toph good. She raises a barrier but it's not enough and she falls!" shouts Kirikou enthusiastically. "She manages to use her powers even when falling though and... yep, she doesn't even hit the ground. Beifong's showing why she's a fan favorite this year folks." he says, recalling the announcements in the opening ceremonies.

    "The earthbender retaliates, triggering a trap she's been building for most of the fight! The pillars of earth she's raised to keep up with Lute, she topples them. Lute's hit! He's down! Hah, Lute's on the Earthbender's level now!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Indeed, the moment Lute crashes into the ground, Toph turns where she stands on the pillar, her lips drawn thin. "There you are."

    Immediately she kicks off of the pillar, crashing into the muddy ground below as it rises slightly to dampen her landing, and then she surfs along on an earthen wave, heading straight towards Lute. If she focuses her attacks on him, then Mr. Crabs, Castform and Giratina will be out of the fight too.

    The latter is heading towards her though, she realizes, and she braces herself, turning and raising her metal covered arms. Sure, the impact of the giant spikes hurts as the force of the attack travels up her arms and knocks her back, but at least she isn't gored! It does slow her down in her pursuit of Lute though, buying him some seconds. And even more when Mr. Crabs shows off his poor manners and /spits/ at her. One of the acidic bubbles hit her square on as she has no way of seeing it, and she lets out a painful scream as it burns her. Sure, her arms are covered in metal, and although it sizzles somewhat her arms aren't bad off. What really hurts is the face. Her clothes are not armour enough, and the vest offers little protection. Almost in a state of panic Toph tears it off before she drops and /rolls/ in the muddy ground, cursing up a storm of somewhat incomprehensible words. As she rises she doesn't even bother wiping the mud off of her tube top, and while the mud soothes her sore and still burning skin she will most likely suffer from her choice later.

    "STOP RUNNING LIKE A LITTLE GIRL!" she calls, throwing out her arms. Like distance matters here!

    Lute might be running, but he's still on earth. And for a girl whose 'vision' expands pretty far on the ground, she knows exactly where he is. In front of him several earthen spikes shoot out, doing their best to send Lute flying back towards Toph, who resumes her earthen wave surfing as she rushes towards Lute, eager to slam a metal covered fist right into his face.

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute does not stop running. Or more accurately, he stops running the moment he is attacked. He stumbles into the spikes, getting slightly impaled across his body. He pulls up, only to /immediately/ be punched in the face. There is a nice crunching sound as his cheek is impacted, the sound of bone breaking. A few teeth even manage to fall out of his mouth, along with blood and saliva.

     "GIRATINA GET THE FUCK OVER HERE RIGHT NOW!"

     He shouts this as he flies through the air, right before he crashes. The Giratina won't be able to pick him up quite yet. Instead, it just lands on the ground in front of him, turning to Toph. Playing body guard for Lute.

     And then Lute gives a command.

     "BUBBLE 2!"

     Giratina doesn't attack. No, this is yet another phase of Mr. Crab's attack. More bubbles are spat out, flying to Toph. Some of the bubbles from earlier are almost certainly still either in the air, or with their fluid on Toph's clothing, face, or the ground around her.

     If these two chemical bubbles mix? Explosive chain reaction. Hopefully, with Toph in the center.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Toph's punch does send a jolt of pain up her arm too, and she heaves for breath and tries to ignore the pain from the previous attacks as well. This prevents her from immediately chasing after Lute as she sends him flying, though she immediately regrets it as Giratina arrives as a physical barrier between them.

    Bubble? Oh shit, not this again...!

    Shifting her feet Toph settles into a wide stance, and she throws her arms up to raise several earthen plates that shoot out of the ground around her, crashing together. It might not be enough to block the attack completely, but it's too dangerous to not even try. As the volatile bubbles meet the explosion completely shatters the barriers erected by the blind girl, and she's not even standing as the dust and debris settles, raining down around her. Blackened and bruised, bleeding even more, the blind earthbender is on her hands and knees, coughing even as she raises her right arm above her head.

    "You... are going down!" she demands, and as she slams her fist into the ground, the ground erupts around Lute, earthen spikes and rocks bursting upwards.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "Aaaaand Lute's running like a little... hmm. Okay, NOT like a little girl." says Kirikou, clearly too amused with his own cleverness. "She's not running, she's surfing the earth. Lute's using his beasts to buy him time and ... oh, ew, that's nasty! Looks like some kind of acid burn. Beifong's rolling in the dirt, and she's back up! She's smashing Lute pretty bad with those earth spikes now. Lute must be in a world of hurt. He goes back to Mr. Crabs, who's spitting up acid bubbles again. Toph barriers against it, but she's hurt. Hurt bad, it looks like! C'mon Dirtbender, show him what you got!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     There is one thing Lute has learned about Toph, and her Earth Bending. She choreographs her moves. It's a weakness he has himself, hence him dropping his own calling of his pet's names. But, a smirk is now on his face. He doesn't have a /perfect/ grasp of where she will be attacking, or how the earth will move. But, he knows she /is/ doing something.

     He leaps out of the way, though the spikes still graze along his leg. Giratina shifts around , moving to slide under Lute as he leaps. Lute will stay on his pet's back, even if this ghostly Dragon Pokemon is still injured upon the wings and can't fly.

     A plan hits Lute, though.

     "ANCIENT POWER! FLAMETHROWER!"

     The Ancient Power is something that Toph will certanly be able to deal with. A number of rocks lift from the ground, and fly towards her. But, it is just rocks. Toph can certainly sense the size of them as they remove themselves from the ground, even if she can't tell the direction they're tossed at her. She can create a barrier to counter them one for one.

     The flamethrower, though, comes in at the same time. A burst of fire, trying to strike her. It is shot from the sky, from Castform. This column of flames is aimed at her from straight above, hoping to hit her while she is distracted by the rocks.

     "TOPH YOU ARE OFFICIALLY KICKED OUT OF TEAM LUTE."

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    Annoyance flashes across Toph's face when Lute manages to slip out of the attack and get onto Giratina's back, and she advances upon Lute and his Pokemon even as he calls out the two attacks. Which of Lute's creatures will perform which attack?

    As the rocks around Giratina lift from the ground it's a simple process of elimination, really. The fire will come from either Mr. Crabs, but can that thing spit fire? She's never witnessed or heard about him having fire attacks, so that means... the other Pokemon which is somewhere above.

    Thanks to Toph's unique seismic sense and ability to sense earth around her, even in the air, Giratina's Ancient Power might not go exactly as planned. The rocks go flying towards Toph, and the blind girl digs her feet into the ground as she extends her arms, then moves them upwards and over her, gritting her teeth as she focuses on diverting them as well as moving them into makeshift barrier to block some of the fire that rains down towards her. It's not completely successful as fire slips through parts of the rocks, burning her already burnt and injured skin.

    "I NEVER OFFICIALLY JOINED IN THE FIRST PLACE, DUNDERHEAD!"

    Despite the pain aching through her arms and torso, Toph throws her arms forward, and the rocks Giratina had sent at Toph gets returned, through with far more force.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "Lute shows impressive agility, mostly evading Toph's attacks and leaping into the ear to escape the ground on his flying pokemon. He then summons.... earth? Bold move dude. And fire as well! The Earthbender is easily able to handle the earth, but fire seems to get through from above. Toph's got fire burns to go with acid burns... but she's still fighting!"

Lute (188) has posed:
     Giratina reacts without orders. Another set of rocks lift up into the air, moved in place to block the returned rocks. Some of Toph's stones make it through, tearing at Giratina's body. Lute himself, though, is kept safe. Giratina stays errect, to block the attacks for Lute.

     Lute, though? He is doing something unusual. His Team Lute T-shirt is ripped off his body in a single move. His Unown start flying down towards him, covering his body in a mass of blackness. They increase his power, strengthening him. Sure, he loses his eyes in the sky, but there is something he has to do.

     Forcibly kick Toph out of Team Lute.

     He leaps through the air, wrapping the T-shirt on his foot as he flies through the sky in the massive jump. His foot is pulled back, and he grins as he looks down towards Toph. It's only once he is close, once he is most likely going to kick her through her earthen shields and hopefully shatter them to kick her in the face? It is only then that he talks.

     "YOU ARE KICKED OUT ANYWAYS!"

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    The sight of the Unown flying in to cover Lute is lost on Toph, who is more annoyed at the fact that her attack missed again, and she stumbles slightly, reaching a hand up to grab her her sore and burned shoulder.

    She can't see when he leaps, through she hears some movement, cloth caught in the air as he plummets. While she is hurting like hell she still throws her arms upwards, sending earthen spikes up around her in an attempt to strike Lute on his descent down, but she's not the first person to have to deal with Lute when his Unown is powering him up. The Pokemon trainer crashes through the earthen spikes, and as he calls out, Toph quickly lashes out with her arm, trying to block with one more earthen plate. Instead Lute crashes through it, his foot shattering the earth before he kicks the blind girl straight in the face.

    Her landing is rough as she crashes to the ground, blood running from her broken nose. She coughs as well where she lies, but she's not out cold yet, perhaps out of pure stubbornness. And as she raises her quivering arms, she can't help but speak out in pure defiance.

    "... gravel brains..."

    Her gauntlets, vambraces and rerebraces seem to /peel/ off of her arms, flying straight up at Lute to hit him in the face and wrap itself around his head.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "The Earthbender hurls rocks and this time the effect is felt. Lute's Giratina stands its ground, taking the hit rather than letting the rocks get through to its master. And Lute... Lute.... what the hell is Lute doing?" Kirikou asks, dismayed. Then, "Oh, I see. He just... kicked Toph out of Team Lute. Right in the face. That has to hurt."

Lute (188) has posed:
     Lute is regretting not realizing why the gauntlets were there. He knew she could bend rocks. He neglected to think of the metal. It doesn't do him much good /now/, though. The metal is completely around his head, squeezing down on him. He can /not/ breath, and this is absolutely not a good position for him to be in. Making this even worse? He is a commander. He gives orders by /voice/. He can't very well do that now.

     All he can do is just flail wildly, pointing for his monsters to attack Toph. Thankfully, one of them does, in fact, act.

     Specifically, Mr. Crabs. He rushes in. A foot is lifted. And, it is swung at Toph. It is much in the manner that one would kick a soccer ball.

     Lute, meanwhile, is falling to the ground, out of breath. If this doesn't work, he will /not/ be lasting much longer.

Toph Beifong (20) has posed:
    As beaten as she is Toph can't move. Sure, she is aware of Mr. Crabs moving, and while she has the will, she does not have the strength left. Her head is spinning from the kick, her entire body hurts and she is physically unable to act. So she closes her eyes behind the blindfold, and she lets out a heavy sigh as Mr. Crabs' foot comes swinging.

    "... crud."

    The kick is brutal, kicking up the girl as well as the ground around her, sending her flying like a ragdoll.

    No bending stops her, and when she eventually comes to a halt, she's out cold, bleeding and badly injured. But at least she's still breathing. Too bad for Lute that there's nobody around now who can quickly get the metal off of his head.

Lute (188) has posed:
     It is, in fact, too bad for Lute that no one can get the metal off his head. Though he has, quite clearly, won? He is still struggling to get the metal off.

     And finally, he falls completely unconcious.

     ...Some medics are almost certainly on the way to get that removed, at least. And not like Lute's brain needs a /lot/ of oxygen, or that further brain damage from lack of oxygen would be something he hasn't experienced before.

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "The Earthbender... no, the METALbender responds, using her bracers and gauntlets as weapons! Hey, good form there! She's GOT LUTE! He's down, his face covered with the metal and it's squeezing him! But Lute's not fighting alone. He's down, but his largest minion rushes in! It kicks the earthbender and now she's down. She's not moving... she's out!

Kirikou (127) has posed:
    "Aaaand Lute has beaten Toph Beifong! This match was truly spectacular, with the Earthbender showing incredible grit and Lute being simply overwhelming. Here's hoping that the victory consoles Lute over his terrible loss however... for even though he advances, the mighty Team Lute collaboration has been ended now for all time. Best of luck to our winner Lute in the next round, and a big ovation for the fallen!"