[center][h2]Richard Evans[/h2][h3]Route 5[/h3][/center]

"Well, can't say I didn't try."

With a shrug of his shoulders as negotiations broke down, Richard calmly took a few steps back to position himself at Laurel's side as he began to consider his to handle his first multi battle. The young Trainer had expected a double battle to be his first foray into the format, but given the situation, it [i]really[/i] couldn't have been helped. 

"Right. Luna, you're up," he called out, at which point the Snivy gave a cry of acknowledgement before hopping over to Verdue's side.

It didn't really need to be said, but the two Pokémon their aggressors had sent out were very much [i]not[/i] ones that Richard would have liked to face; not with either of their current teams, at least. Being at disadvantage that they were, though, meant that they needed to fight smarter.

Luckily, he and Luna had plenty of practice with their opener, and he didn't even need to openly telegraph anything about it with a verbal command!

"Luna, let's start with the usual. Prioritize that Sneasel for now, but get them both if to can to make things easier," Richard declared before the Snivy threw out a Glare towards the Pokémon in question. 

Control was the name of the game right now, and the less that the enemy was allowed to act, the more leeway they had to chip away at them. 

Anything after that, though, would have to wait until the enemy made a move of their own.

[@Rune_Alchemist]