destinyBond [1x1]

[dracoon]

The Porygon2 moved nimbly against the Druddigon, seeming to disappear suddenly before the Druddigon felt the dull blast of an Ice Beam on its side. The Druddigon attempted to claw at the rounded cyber duck Pokémon, but the Porygon2 slipped away from its Slash to blast a point-blank Shadow Ball. Stumbling backwards, the Druddigon fell to its knees and the Porygon2 zipped back to a man's feet. "That's...quite enough for today," he stated, the cyber duck letting out a distressed siren at the battle being over. As he stumbled down slowly from the steps leading to the arena, the Porygon2 began to hum and speak English. 

INEPT. YOU COULD HAVE LET ME FINISH THE DRUDDIGON OFF. OUR TRACK RECORD OF KNOCK OUTS HAS NOW FALLEN TO AN ABYSMAL 99.8%, FROM 100%. I HOPE YOU ARE PLEASED WITH YOURSELF FOR MAKING OUR TRACK RECORD HIT AN ALL TIME LOW. complained Prius, pale pupilless eyes casting a glare at his owner, WE COULD HAVE ALSO AFFORDED TO PURCHASE ANOTHER TECHNICAL MACHINE TO STRENGTHEN MYSELF. YOU BLEW IT. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF. Sungrok rolled his eyes, obscured by his fringe and said nothing, casually using his cane to sweep across the ground as he approached a rather old Healing Machine. Prius immediately formed the shape of a Pokéball, instantly healed by the machine's effects. After reforming himself, Prius circled his owner's feet grudgingly. The camera attached to the Porygon2's torso focused and zoomed, fixated on another battle occurring- this time it was a Tropius battling against a Braixen. 

Sungrok sighed, taking a seat on a ragged cushion and wordlessly glanced around. "Well, if you asked me, it was a calculated victory either way," he slowly stated at last. Prius angrily circled his feet, picking up the nuance of the pun. THE PUN DOES NOT SOLVE OUR PROBLEM. whined the Porygon, but allowed himself to float up to his owner's lap for stroking. 
------
"Avery, let's do it! Finish it off with Flame Charge!" The Braixen, crushed under the Tropius's Stomp, struggled for a few moments before cloaking himself in flames and uppercutting the Tropius with his head. Sailing into the air, the Braixen allowed himself to land gracefully on the ground before firing a Psyshock at the Tropius to counter the charged-up Solarbeam. They pushed each other for a few moments, before an explosion occurred. As the smoke cleared, both Pokémon were down. A whistle was blown, and there was a countdown from ten. 

Shinhye's fists were balled, staring at her Braixen. "Come on, come on, I believe in you...." she whispered, as the countdown continued. The referee was about to wave the flag to declare it a draw when Avery stirred, staggering up to his hind paws and raising his stick defiantly. Shinhye squealed in delight, hugging the Braixen as she clawed to another hard-won victory. Avery coughed slightly, but still smiled as he held Shinhye's hand to walk off the side of the podium. Shouldn't we head home by now? Dad would be worried, y'know. reminded the Braixen quietly, smoothening his fur and using a wet towel to wipe off the dirt and grime. "Yeah, you're right. I don't want Bro to find out either," commented Shinhye, using a comb to fix the Braixen's hairdo while she tied her long hair back into a bun, "He'd probably nag at me again, I hate that." 

All this was witnessed by a rather charming Meowth in a scarf, who picked at his teeth with a long claw. He mewed calmly, watching the humans mingle to and fro with detached interest. He was just hanging out here, none of the humans' business truly concerned him. 

[mdf2711]

Risa strutted through the crowd, her Pokemon trailing behind her. Lacey, a headstrong and energetic Vibrava, flitted above the heads of onlooks. Remy, a curious and quirky little Mankey, darted to and fro and waved at the people, scratching himself and pausing to smile occassionally. Evander, a proud and fierce Zangoose, walked directly behind his trainer calmly and held his head high. The people parted to let her through. This was Risa's sixth win today and after healing her Pokemon immediately, she was now making her way through an impressed crowd to claim her winnings. After that, she would probably be heading home. The girl smiled faintly but was a bit annoyed at the attention.

Lacey spoke in a soft voice so only Risa would hear, "You don't have to cater to them, you know" in her own special tone. Evander overheard, however, and shushed the Vibrava. Risa nodded slowly and responded in the Pokemon language she had become quite conversational in, "I know that. I really don't like it anyway, I don't deserve all this attention. But if people are going to continue to battle me, I find it easier to be a kind personality than to be hated. I'd rather not be a figurehead for everyone to blame on all this underground activity if things go south, if you know what I mean." Remy responded with what sounded like the makings of agreement but the crowd was too loud for him to be clearly heard and he spoke so fast anyway that it was often difficult to understand him even in quiet areas.

A small boy darted across the path and the crowd hissed but he continued on his way, one ice-cream-like Pokemon floating along and racing into the lead and another creature, a red monkey, rushing awkwardly to catch up. Risa slowed down so as not to collide with him until he darted into the next side of the crowd again, quickly disappearing in the dark waves. Evander made a snide, muttered remark about amateurs being in a hurry to lose and Risa stifled a laugh, responding calmly, "I'm surprised you could even see him with that upturned nose and haughty expression of yours looking so far up toward the sky."

Though she spoke in English this time, the Zangoose could understand well enough to get mad and made a face and returned to his expression of passive (though maybe forced) carelessness. The ferret was in no mood to play games.
---
Rodrick jumped about and ran through an empty space in the crowd, his Pokemon trailing behind him. Willis, his Vanillite, quickly soared to the front and giggled in a chiming voice. Jax, his Pansear, was struggling to keep up however. The trio of best friends almost didn't notice the lady and her Pokemon that the crowd was parting for. Except, of course they did.
This was Risa Lorraine, a trainer that had been quickly sweeping through the ranks in the older divisions.

There were few kids to battle in Rodrick's age division and that made him upset sometimes but the older people would sometimes practice with him even if they didn't want to break the rules by battling him officially in one of the underground league's actual battles, mostly because they didn't want to take his money. At first, Rodrick and his Pokemon had been a poor battling team. He was improving a lot now but that didn't help his poor track record much. He wondered if he'd ever be good enough to battle someone like Risa or become like her one day and show up almost out of no where and claim a spot on the Top 20 leaderboard.

Rodrick quickly dived back into the crowd though and continued on his way without a thought. He needed to get out of the way and Risa wouldn't want to talk to him anyway. Regardless, he continued to head toward the signups booth. They had called him for some reason but not bothered to explain why. "Maybe it's because your last match of the day has been cancelled?" Jax had suggested. Rodrick and his team finally arrived at the signups booth. "You said you had something you needed to tell me?" Rodrick asked tentatively to the young girl in a tight tank top and the older man with thick glasses and wiry hair combed over to look 'nice'. The man responded with a nod but the impatient girl interrupted him. "Yeah, it's a big deal but we need you to keep it a secret until it's time for everyone to know. Can you handle that?" She sucked on a lollipop as she spoke until that last word, where she took it out of her mouth with a loud, lip-smacking pop on the final 't' of 'that'. Rodrick nodded tentatively.
---
Risa hurried over to watch the match, crowding around the ring with her Pokemon following around her feet, even Lacey was on the ground at the moment so that the loud sounds of her wings would not distract from the battle. "And now, get ready for the fifth battle today of the 15-21 Division!" called a voice from the sidelines. It was the girl from the signups booth, who often MC'ed for the matches. "I'm your host, Kelly, and today we have a special surprise for you. On my right, we have the first challenger, it's Drake of Shalour City!" A large, burly man with a dark, ripped sailor suit emerged from the crowd and flexed his muscles threateningly. He was a tough competitor who had moved recently to Lumiose but was known back home for his competitive style and strong battling skills as well. "And on my left, we have a newcomer to this division." The crowd murmured all at once, as did Risa. A newcomer had not been on the program.

"Yes, you heard right, folks. We do indeed have a newcomer as a last-minute substitute; Tiffani from Aquacorde Town cancelled about an hour ago. We will return any and all bets made on Tiffani at the bet counter in back and switches from trainer to trainer will be at a 20% reduced price for the inconvenience of not knowing the correct match lineup ahead of time. Now, please let me introduce, in his debut to this age division..." Risa furrowed her eyebrows, who had just aged out of the 9-14 division that might be eligible to make the substitution today. There wasn't anyone she could think of that could do that. "...Rodrick Tanner of Lumiose!"

Risa paled as a small, blonde boy jumped out into the ring. He was the boy from earlier and he couldn't be more than 8. Plus, she had heard a little about him before, his track record was awful from prior years as an incompetent noob but he was going to be aged out and reset soon...but not to the 15-21 division, shouldn't he be in the 9-14 year old division? "Yes, he's young, folks, but give him a chance and please don't be too surprised. Rodrick may or may not win but he's definitely not going to give up without a good fight. Now, we want a fair fight and wish the best of luck to both of you. This match is one on one and will start in three, two, one...GO!"

The young, buff man from across the ring let out a deep, hearty chuckle and taunted the younger boy, "I'll let you go second to get an advantage against my team, little boy, but try not to have an accident if you get scared." The man threw a Pokeball into the air and a Floatzel emerged in a pool of white light. Rodrick grinned and threw his own Pokeball forward. It arced and exploded in midair. "Only if you promise not to do the same," Rodrick responded as his Vanillite appeared.

Willis smiled at the foe and offered a friendly wave, "Best of luck to you, mate."

Rodrick's eyes narrowed and he shouted out, "Willis do your thing!" as his tiny ice cream cone of a Pokemon raced forward. Floatzel did likewise as his body became engulfed in water, a clear Water Jet attempt. Willis giggles and continues to race forward until the last minute. Then, suddenly, Rodrick shouts out, "Light Screen!" and Willis stops in mid air and begins to waggle his hand. Frosty blue screens of pure psychic energy form around the Fresh Snow Pokemon and his defensive tactic forms a barrier around him in the form of a cube. Floatzel is too quick to stop now and collides with the suspended cube, falling backward from the impact but leaving the protective barrier and Willis inside completely unharmed. Then the little Pokemon nods at his trainer mischievously and narrows his eyes, locking sight with the foe to engage a Taunt. Unable to help himself, Floatzel rushes forward for the same offensive that ends with the same result. The crowd is buzzing. Lacey turns to Risa and smiles and the girl nodded quietly, whispering in Pokemon speak to Evander that the boy was certainly impressive, at which he bristled in a grump manner.

The Vanillite finally lets up, releasing the Taunt and Light Screen and the Floatzel responds with a quick Sonic Boom. The quick attack rushes past the Vanillite but clips the creature's arm, which he is unhappy about. With a quick clap, Willis uses an Astonish to get the upperhand and gain a moment's advantage. He opens his mouth wide and inhales and within a few moments, the little ice cream Pokemon is wailing at an unbelievable volume, causing quite an Uproar as Kelly tries to quip into the mic over the sound but the pun is lost upon the panicked, ear-covering crowd.

[dracoon]

Prius watched, tilting his head before processing information and regurgitating them to Sungrok. RODRICK TANNER OF LUMINOSE CITY. APPROXIMATELY EIGHT YEARS OLD, AND NEW TO THE PITS AS FAR AS THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE CURRENT DATABASE. IT IS APPARENTLY HE IS DOING THIS IN SECRET, THOUGH HIS POKéMON ARE UNFORTUNATELY CALIBRATED FOR MORE CONTEST-BASED BATTLING. THE MOTIVES OF THE BOY CONTINUE TO REMAIN AN ENIGMA. stated the Porygon2, and Sungrok rolled his eyes. The man carefully lifted his fringe to reveal his blank, permanently fixed stare that only gazed forward, before addressing his companion. "He's a kid. What does he know? He's probably just doing it for the thrill of it. Maybe he'd grow out or get caught, I don't know. Geez, not everything's black and white. NEGATIVE. WITHOUT MY CAMERA, EVERYTHING IS BLACK. responded the Porygon2 calmly, the nuance lost on the robotic Pokémon. "Well, empathy on that, so I'll give you that one--" He was interrupted by the Uproar, and quickly covered his ears as Prius vibrated violently before seeming to shut down at the sudden noise.
----
Shinhye glanced up, slightly worried for the boy and his adorable Vanillish. "Man...he's a bit young for that though," she mused, her hand rested on Avery's head. The Braixen let out a short purr, his fluffy ear tilted back at some static but lost to the sudden Uproar that ripped through the arena. Why was that necessary?! hollered Avery at the top of his lungs, Do Vanillish even learn those normally? I think I'm deaf! Shinhye quickly pulled the Braixen to the far side of the arena to escape the noise- passing Sungrok and his Porygon who were simply sitting directly under the arena's vantage points.
----
Changgul carefully strolled across, glancing at Risa and her Pokémon. He looked her up and down, nibbling on a small anchovy he had stolen from the snack bar before he flicked his tail behind him, using a bone to pick at his teeth. He had heard something about 'not being a figurehead if things go south' and the Meowth was very interested to find out more. He stood beside the Zangoose, looping and unlooping his scarf across his neck before carefully tying a slightly tighter knot around it. Psh, trainer-owned, he breathed under his breath in the Meowth language, his eyes flaring with a glint of contempt as he studied his claws in disinterest.

[mdf2711]

"Enough!" Rodrick shouted clearly to those who could understand the Pokemon language. Willis being one of these individuals, the Fresh Snow Pokemon nodded his head and bobbed about, closing his mouth and allowing the noise to die down and the crowd to uncover their ears once more. The Floatzel growled and his snout quivered angrily. "Pathetic child, your cheap parlor tricks will help you get nowhere!" But Willis merely shook his head and did a mid-air somersault. "Then come and get me!" The Floatzel dived forward and raised his arms into the air as his twin tails began to spin quickly. Floatzel prepared himself to launch a Whirlpool attack and waited a moment for the water to begin to pour beneath him by some unseen force. If there was some explanation to this, which Rodrick knew there probably was, then neither of the opponents could see it but this was irrelevant. He rose into the air on a spinning tornado of storming, swirling water, a Whirlpool that was quite impressive for its limited duration. But this did not stop Rodrick from thinking quickly and shouting, "Icy Wind, now now now!" in English. Willis the Vanillite nodded and the little blue and white ice cream creature charged forward and began to blow out snowflakes as he raced around the circling torrents. The ice seemed to freeze from the bottom up all at once and Floatzel growled and jumped from his perch to strike with a Growl and another Sonic Boom. Willis dodged the offensive this time, however, and prepared his own attack. Opening his mouth wide, sucking in cold air from the Whirlpool's frozen state, Willis the Vanillite prepared an Icicle Spear barrage. As he closed and then opened his mouth again, the quirky little Ice type spat icicle after icicle at rocketing speeds toward the foe on the battleground. One hit the Floatzel, two more missed, one hit the target again, and finally one made a splitting contact with the frozen fountain of the 'Whirlpool' nearby. The towering mass of torrential, swirling water in its frozen state began to shatter all at once and though Willis raced toward the ceiling to remain unscathed, the Floatzel - though he tried to escape desperately - was trapped beneath much of the ice fractals. The grumpy trainer on the other side of the ring swore loudly and recalled his Pokemon from underneath the ice collapse and marched off to heal his Floatzel most likely and brood. Rodrick hugged Willis as he zoomed down and the pair watched for a moment as Kelly sent everyone away from the arena to claim winnings and sign up and do other things. The ice-covered arena was already being heated by a few Camerupt and the metled water was soaked up immediately by some large Politoed and a Mudkip. Kelly smiled bleakly at Rodrick and offered a raised eyebrow, "You sure did good, kid. Though that might have been overkill." Rodrick grinned sheepishly and apologized before running off to claim his winnings.
---
All of this was witnessed by Risa and her Pokemon, who were discussing the match together long after most had begun to clear out. Evander criticized the tact and sportsmanship of the sore loser and for once, Risa didn't think he was being too haughty, that guy had certainly had a temper and been a poor whiner at his defeat. Suddenly, Risa rose and turned around to leave and her Pokemon followed suit. They immediately realized something: they were not the last ones here. There was a Meowth standing near Evander. This cat-like creature had managed to remain silent and undetected up until this moment when they spotted him. "Hello?" Risa responded hesitantly in the Pokemon tongue, unsure if this Pokemon spoke any or much English. "I like your scarf," she continued. "Who are you?"

[dracoon]

Sungrok had already gotten his winnings before the throng of the watching crowd did. Prius now had a Magnet attracted to his side, a NeverMeltIce floating inside the Porygon2's semi-organic body. "Give me that," snapped the man, sticking his hand inside the Porygon and removing the freezing Hold Item before popping it inside his bag. I UNFORTUNATELY INFORM YOU THAT OUR NEXT MATCH MIGHT NOT BE AS EASY. CONSIDERING I AM YOUR ONLY POKéMON, A PROPOSAL TO PURCHASE OR PROCURE ANOTHER MAY BE UNDER WAY. THOUGH I CANNOT GUARANTEE YOU THAT THE EMOTION: JEALOUSLY AND THE EMOTION: ANGER MAY NOT BE PROJECTED BY YOURS TRULY. informed Prius, and Sungrok extended his white cane. "And the machine proves he isn't a machine again," stated the tall man suddenly, before beginning to move across the room. He felt someone bump into his leg and turned slightly to his side, visibly confused. Prius floated up, noticing that it was the boy from earlier who wanted to collect his winnings. The cybernetic duck frowned at the Vanillite for its screaming earlier, while Sungrok smiled calmly. "Hey, be careful next time, you don't want to drop your food," he stated wittily, upon being informed it was the boy from before by Prius.
----
Changgul visibly puffed up when his scarf was complimented, turning his gaze to the girl. The scarf was a gift. They call me Changgul. You have Pokémon with you. Did the other humans not inform you of how bloody and brutal it is to have your Pokémon engage in 'senseless slaughter'? the Meowth stated sarcastically in the Pokémon tongue, waving his paws around exaggeratedly, You seem like you should not be involved in such things. All your Pokémon seem prim and proper. Word of advice for you: some thrills here aren't worth it. The humans can act more callous than Pokémon most of the time. The Meowth stared back coolly at her, the black spectacle markings visible from his species's large eyes. His coin, polished to perfection, glistened in the harsh light of the arena and its surrounding stores. It's all fun and games 'til the humans in uniforms come in.

[mdf2711]

Rodrick laughed hesitantly at the older gentleman. Well, that title made him seem a lot older than he was but he was almost three times the boy's age so he wondered if he should be more polite. Either way, he was generally just relaxed to the other patrons so he figured that being informal might bode alright with the man and his strange cyberduck Pokemon. "Yes, though Willis can handle himself. I'm not quite sure I can say the same for your Porygon. If that Druddigon had known Flamethrower or Incinerate or another Fire offensive, your duck would have gone from Ice Beam frozen to sizzling and covered in orange glaze in moments. That certainly wouldn't have been good for your abysmal record, now would it have?" Being small, Rodrick was often unseen and underestimated but knew a lot more about the workings of this place than most. He wanted to prove that very badly at this moment for some reason. Maybe he just had a feeling but it seemed like this Sungrok (he remembered his name from the battle he'd watched earlier) would make a good ally and an interesting friend at the very least. Rodrick smiled, showing he was only being friendly and teasing a bit. "My name is Rodrick," he states plainly, offering a hand but not suggesting that he already know's the man's name, which might give the wrong impression.
----
Risa rolled her eyes and let Evander handle himself. Remy hopped about, looking mildly worried, and Lacey's antenna were showing her discomfort. The Zangoose, as expected, took a dominating step forward and barred his teeth. He unsheathed his claws and growled in a low voice, Prim and proper, eh? Who do you think you are? Just because you're a street scum piece of garbage does not make you better than me or Lacey or Remy! He might have a temper and be rather finicky and strange, but Evander was nothing if not a true friend. We're perfectly capable of such things as you say and we would wipe the floor with your sorry tail if you gave us the chance. Risa stepped forward and put a gentle hand on Evander's shoulder, trying to calm him but only receiving an expected grumbling simmer of disapproval as he murmured and stopped yelling temporarily due to his trainer's influence. Mr. Changgul, she started, we will be fine. Evander just disagrees with you but that's his own opinion and he's just as entitled to it as you are to yours. However, please don't even jest about the humans in uniforms coming to end this, that's an awful thing to say and you know why. I don't need nor want an apology but I do hope we can move on with the mutual understanding of each other's differences and get along a bit better? Risa attempted a smile. Right Evander? Evander grumbled and rolled his eyes, which presumably meant yes.

[dracoon]

Sungrok grinned from ear to ear at the advice, but Prius whirled angrily and bobbed in front of the boy. The pink translucent skin of the Porygon flushed red, visibly upset by what he had perceived as sarcasm. YOU INSOLENT SMALL HUMAN BEING. RECORDS LIKE THIS CANNOT BE DISMISSED AND TRIFLED WITH, AND THE HUMAN WITH HIS DRUDDIGON HAD FAILED TO TEACH HIS POKéMON A FIRE-TYPE MOVE, WHICH TO A NORMAL-TYPE POKéMON LIKE MYSELF DEALS ONLY 1X DAMAGE. stated the Porygon2, spikes seeming to ripple across the hide of the cybernetic duck before Sungrok recalled Prius back into his ball. "He's an embarrassment," dismissed Sungrok, before letting out a reassuring smile. "My name is Sungrok. Some people call me 'professor', but I didn't really take them up on it." It was obvious Sungrok hadn't noticed the outstretched hand of Rodrick from his blindness, but the tall man continued to grin calmly.
-----
Changgul hissed back too, his fur raised threateningly as the Meowth's long claws unsheathed themselves. Worthless. the Meowth dismissed quietly, turning his gaze back to the girl. If you insist, small female. You and your Pokémon...heh. This is not your playground- and I will maintain this. As for the remark, it was just...paranoia- a cat cannot afford to be any less. Heh heh heh. The second laugh was non-consensual, one of disinterest. The Meowth flicked a ear back, before he made his way away from Risa and deeper into the crowd. He rarely trusted humans: there were only one or two exceptions, and the rest were garbage. The girl and her hot-headed Zangoose would soon prove to be no different, mused Changgul to himself.

[mdf2711]

Rodrick retracted his hand when he realized it was not going to be shaken in turn. He still had not realized the man was blind, however, as he was quite capable and was capable of moving around unaided somehow as far as the boy could tell. Rodrick smiled and paused, swallowing. "Either way, I saw your battle and I was just kidding; it was really good despite what your Pokemon might think. He seems to just be upset unnecessarily as I see it. Can I ask though, he speaks English? Albeit, he speaks a computerized form of it but he can communicate with humans nontheless? I've never met a Pokemon capable of that before," he said in a breathy tone, his eyes wide with curiosity.
----
The Meowth stalked off and Risa rolled her eyes. Evander relaxed slightly and Remy and Lacey looked confused. Soon, however, the monkey creature had regained his regular quirky and excitable composure and began to fidget and jump about excitedly once more. Lacey's wings began to hum quietly and she lifted to Risa's shoulder height. The quartet seemed happy to be alone once more. Risa knew it was getting late and she wanted to head home. Remy jumped onto her shoulder, Lacey hovered aloft beside her and Evander proudly brought up the rear as the Pokemon and their trainer made their way through the crowds once more to exit.

[dracoon]

"He's a Porygon," explained Sungrok, in a matter-of-fact tone that seemed as though the Pokémon species would answer all the questions the boy had, "He was built by humans to access places humans couldn't, like deep into programs and such. Places where even the most skilled hackers can't get to, that's the Porygon's job to help sift it all out." He turned slightly, the cane in his right hand sweeping across the ground as he did, "This butt escaped from my lab. What with the whole 'sovereign Pokémon capable of self-governance' thing- shut down my systems for a whole week. I chased him across Unova and we wound up here. Porygons are super smart and all, but they're actually just like toddlers." He laughed casually, remembering Prius's child-like tantrum when told they couldn't stay for long, before he returned his unfocused stare back to the boy.

"I stay for a good reason, but it's not in my place to elaborate. My staying makes the dumb duck flip in joy, and I needed some form of protection if I was going to linger." His voice was slightly more serious this time, still thinking of his sister.
------
Shinhye and Avery were already halfway through the crowd in an attempt to escape. Avery was perched atop Shinhye's head, the Braixen looking terrified as he pulled his trainer up to her feet with psychic power while she shoved through the crowd. "Why can't you learn Teleport?!" she snapped, feeling a dull bump against her side by a bulky Sailor, I don't know! It's an exclusive thing, ok, don't judge me! the Braixen protested, balancing on one foot as he used his stick to illuminate a bunch of alternate paths. How Shinhye was strong enough to withstand not one but 14 kilograms of magic fox on her head was a question reserved for another day. Avery had not noticed someone coming from behind, and like a pile of dominoes, Shinhye and Avery fell in a heap. The girl shook her head to clear the stars, while Avery calmly picked himself up to smoothen his fur. It was Risa! The Risa who was a formidable force to deal with and had a strong backing.

"Sorry! Sorry!" she exclaimed when she finally noticed who had ploughed into. Avery pretended to let out a wounded whine and crawled into Shinhye's arms, putting up a masterful pretense of being weak.

[mdf2711]

"A Porygon, eh?" Rodrick asked, his face scrunched up. "I've seen a picture of one before I think but it's colors were more pastel and it was more pointy. And I wasn't even sure it was real. But the name made me remember.  Why is your Porygon different from the others?" he asked the man, moving to the side slightly to face Sungrok directly. His unfocused gaze seemed to have slipped to the side yet again but Rodrick had not caught on that the man could not see, he just was highly confused. Willis, his Vanillite, and Jax, his Pansear, discussed momentarily in hyperfast Pokemon language and Rodrick wasn't paying attention and caught none of it. Willis nodded and Jax looked guilty. The Pansear jumped forward and climbed up Rodrick's side, gripping tightly to his clothes to scale to his shoulder. Rodrick, he whispered urgently, he can't see you. Willis says he thinks he might be blind. Rodrick did a double take but the conclusion made sense. Either way, he dismissed Jax and pet the fluffy tuft at the top of his head gently to stop him from speaking any more about it, even quietly. "Uhm so...what was different about your Porygon again? And does he have a name? I'm sorry if I forgot, but these are my Pokemon, Willis and Jax," he smiled, pointing in turn to the Vanillite beside him and then to the Pansear splayed on his shoulder before remembering the gesture was probably pointless. Either way, the man seemed to know about Willis from the battle so he suspected he might already be aware somehow that Jax was there as well.
----
Risa suddenly fell to the ground and let out a surprised gasp. As she got to her feet however, Remy jumping up beside her and dusting himself off to show he was okay, Lacey and Evander looked surprised and unsure of how to proceed. Risa looked over at the girl and her Pokemon that they had run into. The girl was apologetic and her Pokemon was whimpering. "No! It's totally my bad, I wasn't paying all that much attention, I was more focused on trying to leave. Is your Braixen already? She seems hurt! Are you okay, poor thing?" The girl felt really bad and her face was flushed red from embarrassment and concern and the rush of the situation. "Is there any way I can help you? I think I might have a Potion or two in my purse!" she exclaimed as she reached around for the purse she usually kept on her. She realized it was with her but Lacey fluttered forward and admitted she had the bag (she liked to hold it sometimes) and allowed Risa to remove it from her elongated body to reach in and search through the messy purse, frantically trying to find a Potion to help the seemingly injured Braixen of the girl she blamed herself for clumsily bumping into in her haste.

[dracoon]

"He's in shape," stated Sungrok, before chuckling at his own joke, "Rounded is a shape after all. He's kind of...duck-shaped and all, but rounded off. An Upgrade was all it took to make him round as he is- Porygons don't use conventional stones or leveling to transform and improve themselves." The Porygon had once again reappeared, still mildly annoyed from his flattened bill and narrowed pupilless eyes. "His name is Prius. I really doubt he actually cares about the name though." He smiled at the boy introducing his Pokémon. "Oh yes, I've long heard about that Vanillite of yours. A Pansear, I do feel the heat from where I'm standing. Sure must be fun, raising Pokémon at your age." Sungrok hadn't been aware of the boy constantly adjusting himself to meet his gaze, though he did sense it somewhat and found it rather endearing. Prius floated above the boy, way out of reach. SHOULD WE REALLY CONTINUE POINTLESS BANTER AND UNNECESSARY PUNS WITH THE SMALL HUMAN BEING, grumbled the Porygon slightly, and Sungrok swatted at Prius. The small duck squealed as an enormous hand passed through his semi-organic body, before he lowered himself to Sungrok's shoulder with a huff.
------
"No! It's totally my bad, I wasn't paying all that much attention, I was more focused on trying to leave. Is your Braixen already? She seems hurt! Are you okay, poor thing?"

"He's a male," corrected Shinhye, while Avery let out another wounded whine out of pride this time, "And don't worry, he's actually ok, he just has, uh, theatrics." The girl pulled her Braixen back to his feet and Avery only pouted as he dusted himself off once more. I was clean. How are we going to explain to your dad about this again? commented Avery in a low whisper of telepathy as he searched the other girl's Pokémon, And your bro too, I think he's getting suspicious and all but all those brain scans don't show anything about knowing you keep heading here. Shinhye reddened a few shades before she looked at the other girl's Pokémon. "Your Pokémon look really strong. It's no small wonder you've been doing so well," she complimented at last, "I only have Avery, but once I steady myself in the field I could probably get more. Maybe not to buy them, of course, Avery cost me a bomb and bred Pokémon are so expensive. I guess I could try to befriend some wild Pokémon, but my bro has some really strict house rules."

The last part was more of a minor complaint- Sungrok hadn't been pleased Shinhye had just upped and gotten a Pokémon of all things without consultation beforehand. It wasn't even a synthetic one like Porygons that barely needed care and supervision- Pokémon were like pets, and it had been difficult for Shinhye to juggle her dual identities upon knowing the arena's existence. She sighed, rubbing her arm as Avery searched his big bushy tail for Shinhye's handphone. It would make things easier if she had more relations, mused the Braixen.

[mdf2711]

"It's...it's fun," Rodrick nodded slowly. "Lots of people are nice to me here, probably because of my age. But the kids here, there aren't many of them, and none of us really talk. The others come here for a battle or maybe two a day in my division. I basically hang out all day after school lets out." The mysterious Porygon2 appeared again, apparently letting himself out of his Pokeball at his leisure and began to whine to his master about 'pointless banter' with Rodrick, whom he referred to as 'the small human being'. Rodrick supressed a small laugh with a smile. "Umm, I'm sorry to bother you then. I'll just...I need to go collect my winnings anyway. I can leave you be," he added, turning away to face Jax and Willis. Willis zoomed around his trainer's head and perched himself on Rodrick's shoulder. Jax climed halfway up his pant leg and held on tightly with all of his limbs and his tail and waited to apparently be chauffeured around.
---
Risa smiled faintly. The Braixen was alright after all? She was glad that he would be fine and was just being dramatic, she would hate to have hurt him at all. Especially as another trainer's Pokemon, Risa definitely didn't want to offend or harm other trainer's Pokemon, except minorly in battle of course. The girl held out a hand patiently as the other trainer and her Pokemon talked a bit for a moment about unexplained things. "My name is Risa by the way," she greeted. "These are my Pokemon," she pointed toward the Vibrava, Mankey, and Zangoose in turn, "Lacey, Remy, and Evander. I know you mentioned your Braixen is named Avery but...I'm unfamiliar with your name, sorry. What should I call you?"

[dracoon]

Sungrok nodded in acknowledgement of the boy's words, before he quickly waved his hand. "No, you're not a bother! Prius just has a stick up his rear, 'specially since your Vanillish blasted at full speed earlier," he stated hastily, before mouthing in a stage whisper to his shoulder that you're a pain in the butt too. Prius smiled and stated you're very welcome in a sarcastic whisper, but it seemed the boy was already beginning to leave nonetheless to collect his winnings. It was for sure an unorthodox victory, and Sungrok carefully swept his cane to the side as he made his way out home. He was fairly certain Shinhye would've reached before him, trying to present the exterior of being studious to him and his father. It was better for his father to not know of their dealings- he was just a simple-minded farmer and dragging him into this solved nothing. Sungrok sighed again as he exited through the side door, casually sidestepping the conversation at the front doors.
-----
Shinhye eagerly shook the extended hand (unlike a certain freakishly tall sibling) and let out a bright grin at all of the girl's Pokémon. "Oh, my name's Shinhye. I'm Unovian, but it's like- the whole Contest thing never cut out for me," she began rambling, "So I sneaked in here when I found out this place existed and all. Yeah, I should probably be in school, but at least I struck a nice balance so it won't be too bad to just visit once in a while." Avery handed Shinhye her vibrating handphone and she squinted at the number before canceling the call. She swore she heard someone swear from the far end of the arena but ignored it. "Uh, it's not important," she stated dismissively.

[mdf2711]

Rodrick awkwardly finished collecting his winnings. He'd made quite a bit on betting for himself and for winning as well. And he was excited, unsure though of what would come next. Though he'd been substituted into an older age division, he hadn't asked yet if he would be competing permanently in that division or continue with his old divison for now with his regular age restriction. He shrugged as he had already traveled too far into the crowd to double back and ask Kelly now. Willis zoomed aroung and giggled a lot, saying hi to everyone in his high pitched singsong tone and Jax held firmly to his young trainer, smoothing his hair tuft down and looking timid. The Pansear and Vanillite smiled at each other and Rodrick raised an eyebrow but said nothing. Soon they had exited onto the streets of Lumiose, unsure how they had wound up in this alley as always. Well...they knew how but it always seemed rather sudden because it was so quiet and no one would guess an illegal underground battle ring could be taking place so close by. The boy and his Pokemon separated now. Willis tried to compose himself and his silly nature dropped away instantly. Jax did the same with his own timid attitude. The Vanillite floated near Rodrick's shoulder height and his eyes remained glazed and expression poignant and blank simultaneously. Jax's face was similarly blank and he walked in step with Rodrick by his side. They were both big personalities and individuals but when it came to the streets of Lumiose City, a Pokemon must appear pedigreed and proper and Rodrick's Pokemon knew how to behave to avoid suspicion that could hurt the prospects not only for Rodrick but for everyone he just left behind in the ring and others. The thought was chilling but they continued toward the north outskirts of the city toward Rodrick's home.
---
"Oh?" Risa asked, raising an eyebrow. It seemed important. Oh well, none of her business really so there was no use in prying. Risa returned her Pokemon to their Pokeballs with a warning and then smiled at Shinhye and Avery. "I was just heading out actually. I need to head home but first I was going to grab a bite. Would you care to join me? I know Avery is okay but it'll be my treat to repay you, if not for bumping into the pair of you then for misgendering Avery inappropriately by assuming he was a girl. That was very wrong of me and I apologize profusely; I, more than others, should be diligently aware of that issue."

[dracoon]

"I was just heading out actually. I need to head home but first I was going to grab a bite. Would you care to join me? I know Avery is okay but it'll be my treat to repay you, if not for bumping into the pair of you then for misgendering Avery inappropriately by assuming he was a girl. That was very wrong of me and I apologize profusely; I, more than others, should be diligently aware of that issue."

Shinhye nodded once understandingly. "Of course! It would be a pleasure. I told my bro I won't be having dinner, so I guess that works out for me." Your bro also happens to be headed home now, as far as that TwistedSpoon that his Porygon ate is signaling. stated Avery, before allowing himself to be recalled into the Ball. "So...where are we headed to eat? I guess you could treat me because I'm always poor, but you know, it'll be so unbecoming of me," she quipped, and chuckled once more. Relaxed and cheerful, it was difficult to put the two individuals together as siblings beside their similarly frizzly and black hair.