route_1065 | 6th Act - Friended whether you like it or not

Most days that Nagi is outside he's doing one of two things: training or playing the games at the Game Corner. Today was the latter, since he wanted to earn up enough coins for a Dratini in the future, perhaps. He had left the Game Corner for a moment, long enough to get outside and stretch his legs. He had been in there for two or three hours and hadn't realized it until his legs began hurting from sitting still for so long.

As he steps outside into the sunlight, reaching down onto his belt to pull off a few pokeballs as he makes his way for the edge of town and onto one of the neighboring routes.

"Munashi, Isogu. Come out."

He murmurs as he tosses the balls into the air, catching them as they come back down and his Vulpix and Pikachu appear with twin flashes of light. Might as well get some training in today, while he's at it.

Little does he know that deep within the Gear in his pocket, one of his Pokemon is quietly at work, sending off pings to someone else's Gear. After a while they cease, and Tetris can only hope that Levi received them.

Off some distance away, Joker watches in bemusement as the pair race around. It's quite a sight, one he wouldn't think he'd see in England, for a bipedal fox to regularly take a Pokegear out from its hair to regularly check for... something. Joker had known that giving an extra Pokegear to his Pokemon would likely result in shenanigans, but... Well, this is a bit unexpected all the same.

He's debating having a nap beneath one of the many trees, certain that Invidia would protect him if anything bizarre or dangerous happened, when there's a sudden commotion from the Zoroark and its computerized child. Invidia bolts off, leaving Joker behind blinking. It finally clicks, after a moment, and the ringleader gives chase. "Oi! What's got ya all worked up!?"

And that's why Nagi might here something rustling off through the vegetation that seems a bit different than what can usually be heard on this route.

The rustling certainly catches his attention, but if only due to the fact that the Pikachu at his feet suddenly lifts his head curiously, ears turning this way and that before he rapidly scales Nagi's legs and climbs up to his shoulder to get a better vantage point. He looks off in the direction of the noise, alerting Nagi to the disturbance seconds before he hears it.

He turns halfway, gesturing with his head slightly for his Vulpix to stand at attention. It could be a Pokemon- and it very may well be, particularly with how active the Pokemon tend to be on Route 35- or several of them, as he's already experienced being confronted with groups of territorial Nidoran or Pidgey before. But the rustling sounds a lot more violent, something a much larger Pokemon might cause.

Munashi bristles slightly as she catches the scent of what's coming, causing Nagi to stiffen slightly. He knows that his Pokemon are at a sufficient level to take on something coming from his route, but the situation might be different if it's more than one.

The rustling seems to slow a bit, not immediately coming towards him now but instead seeming to stick to the perimeter. The Pikachu will be hard pressed to find anything with his eyes alone. Even at their most basic, Zoroark illusions are an impressive thing. Right now, there's just some thought, some back and forth as Invidia and Levi try to figure out if this is the right trainer. There's no one else, so far as sharp ears and nose can tell...

Tentatively, the rustling stops and Invidia lets the illusion fall away as he pokes his head out from around a tree. Sharp purple eyes are focused onto the young trainer and his group of Pokemon.

Being able to clearly hear something but not see it has Isogu set on edge a little, and he stands up a bit taller to try and get a clearer view past the trees. It just so happens that Nagi catches sight of the eyes before Isogu does, and the way his shoulders square beneath the Pikachu's feet cause him to stiffen and fall back down onto all fours.

He stares back at the eyes for a long moment, unmoving and unblinking, before suddenly speaking aloud.

"Confuse Ray."

The Vulpix's ears perk, and she turns her head with a quiet "Vul..?" looking this way and that for the supposed target. Then she follows her trainer's gaze and spots the pair of eyes, quickly rushing around Nagi to focus her attention on whatever is watching them from the shadows.

Her own eyes start to glow a purple not too much unlike the shade of Invidia's eyes, preparing to attack.

A fight certainly isn't what either of them are looking for, and Invidia acts quickly. Agility is a fine move in times like these, making the Zoroark a blur as he dashes across the distance between them. Going to pick up your opponent and hand it back to its trainer isn't exactly a Pokemon League official move, but that's certainly what Invidia is going to attempt to do.

It's actually around that time that there's the sound of someone else coming through the vegetation, and then Joker is pushing his way through the foliage. "Invidia! What're ya up ta now?"

Well that. ...happened.

The Vulpix lets out a rather undignified squeak of surprise when she's suddenly lifted right off the ground and shoved into Nagi's arms, and out of reflex Nagi reaches out to take her back, his expression contorting with confusion. The sudden...that startled Munashi enough to get her to stop the attack, so at least an imminent battle seems to have been averted for the time being.

Nagi looks up at the Pokemon that dashed toward him, frowning slightly as he takes a moment to size it up. It's as tall as he is- slightly taller, perhaps- and not a Pokemon he recognizes offhand. He has taken the time to search through his Pokedex, and a name comes with the face. Zoroark. A Pokemon capable of creating illusions. ...Dark type, because of course it is.

Isogu quickly crosses Nagi's shoulders from the right to the left, standing up on his haunches again when Joker comes into view. It gets Nagi to turn slightly again with a very confused Vulpix now in his arms, her paws resting on the top of Nagi's forearms as she tries to puzzle out what exactly just happened to her.

It sure did.

With battle averted, Invidia takes a step back and looks hopefully between the two trainers. Whatever's going on doesn't seem to bother Joker. As if he actually maybe has some idea of what's going on, Joker walks closer to the group and gives a cheery smile to the younger boy. What's this, then? "'Lo. Invidia wasn't givin' ya any trouble, was he? He's normally a nice enough lad." It's true. While Invidia trains diligently enough and has more than once shown protective tendencies towards really the entire troupe, he's far from aggressive so much as Joker can tell. Certainly not like some of his other Pokemon, like Lightning.

Shifting awkwardly in place, Invidia reaches up into his mane and procures from the depths a small Porygon. Upon seeing Nagi, the smaller Pokemon in question starts to kick its legs excitedly. What sounds suspiciously like a dial up tone sounds off from Levi at almost the same time a peculiar light goes up Invidia's form. What's left is a young man with dark hair that shines a bit teal in the sunlight and looks almost as if he could be related to Joker himself. His tone lacks the thick British accent, however. "I didn't mean to start a fight..." There's a pause as Invidia squints at Nagi and there's another shimmer of light around his head. Congrats, Nagi, he's now mimicking your hairstyle.

Joker chuckles at the display. "Well, ya are the only one on the route. I guess we got curious."

Nagi blinks when Invidia suddenly shifts, though he doesn't flinch or step back. Munashi does though, her ears falling back and her lip curling a bit to expose her teeth. Nagi's hold on her is enough that she can't leap at Invidia or Levi or anything, but her expression is one of clear displeasure. Perhaps she was looking forward to a fight, but it's more likely that she didn't like being manhandled like that.

Seeing his hair appear on the head of the man standing in front of him is what gets him to finally react, shaking his head a little as he moves to turn away.

"...It's fine."

He says, quietly, before moving to start to walk away from them.

Joker's almost content to leave it at that. Despite the possible reputation he's earned as being, say, nosy or meddling or overly friendly or having no concept of personal space... He does know sometimes when to let it go. Only...

Invidia is looking at him. He's well aware that the other likes to model his illusion on himself, so maybe it's a bit odd to see that sort of face making what can only be described as "puppy dog eyes" at him. Still, he gets it well enough. For whatever reason, Invidia- and likely Levi judging by the kicking has slowed- are very much invested in keeping that boy around. Joker would bet a pretty coin that it's the same reason that they woke him up at some god awful hour and got him out here in the first place.

So sorry, Nagi- you're going to have an overly cheerful redhead bumping shoulders with you. No escape from this one. "Out here trainin', then? Us too! Invidia doesn't much need it, but we got a couple young ones which could use the practice. I'm Joker, by the way!"

...there is a thing about Nagi that anyone who knows him for any amount of time will quickly learn. There is personal space, and then there is the space that Nagi occupies, which may as well contain the area of several football fields with how willing he is to get that close to others.

...and that space has definitely been infringed upon oh God.

Nagi nearly chokes on the breath he'd been taking, jerking away in an awkward half-step, perhaps a bit too quickly as he puts distance between him and Joker. He almost doesn't quite catch what Joker said to him in his haste, but he manages to straighten back up quickly enough, with Isogu hopping back over to the shoulder nearest Joker, sticking his head out and sniffing the air curiously.

His eyes- blue, sharp, and untrusting- search Joker's expression briefly, partially hidden by the bangs falling over into his face. He speaks again, finally, his voice low.

"........Tensai."

Ha ha oops.

Joker doesn't even seem slightly offended, possibly a sign that he's been used to this kind of reaction before although maybe not in quite this awkward way. His own expression is blatantly friendly and open, or at least appears that way. There's no real ulterior motive... Although he can't say the same for his Pokemon.

"Tensai, eh?" He repeats it a few times under his breath, just to make sure his thick accent can get it right. Those foreign names can be so tricky, sometimes. "Care ta train with our lot, then? Company always helps brighten up a borin' bit a trainin', if ya ask me."

While Joker plays with the name he's been given, Nagi turns his attention back to the Zoroark standing nearby, still under the guise of a human via the illusion. Hearing him talk wasn't expected either, and seeing him with his...hair is unnerving. What perhaps is the most unnerving is how friendly and open this man is acting to a stranger he's come across in the middle of a dark forest. Perhaps having elemental battle monsters at your disposal gives certain individuals a boost of confidence that they may not have had otherwise.

There's also a subtle difference between "train with" and "have a battle with". Somehow he has a sneaking suspicion that this fellow doesn't plan on leaving any time soon.

"If training is so boring for you, perhaps you aren't doing it right," Nagi says, looking back from Joker's Pokemon and back to him, still keeping his distance and watching carefully for a sign that he's going to wander back over.

That didn't exactly answer his question, either, but he doesn't say anything else.

If it's any consolation, the hairstyle doesn't quite seem to stay Nagi's. Every other glance back towards Invidia will see it subtly changed if one pays attention. The way the bangs fall, the length of the hair overall or just in one place... The way the illusioned Zoroark fiddles with it seems to hint that he's testing everything out. The Porygon still overs just a bit over his outstretched paw, staring at Nagi intently.

Joker seems much more relaxed than either of his Pokemon, laughing as he leans back on one leg. "Aah, maybe! I tend ta do it on my own most a the time so I've mostly just made it all up as I've gone along! Never had too much cause ta figure out other folks' way of doin' it. How do you and yer lot do, then?"

Nagi watches Joker for a moment, having fully intended to leave if he could find an opening to step around him. He sighs and looks away, bending over to put the Vulpix back onto the ground.

"Battle other trainers. Learning how to fight against the way they do. You won't ever know how to do anything if you spend all of your time fighting wild Pokemon."

Nagi's legs aren't long enough to outrun Joker.

He makes a thoughtful sort of hum, nodding and leaning on Invidia's shoulder. "Goes without question. Have ya done much of that yerself out here? I'd make a guess how strong yer group is but, ha, don't judge a book by its cover, right?"

"...not out here."

People tend to come out to the routes neighboring Goldenrod frequently to train, but Nagi always comes out here when he knows it will be mostly empty. The first and possibly only real battle he's actually had with another trainer so far is Neku, so he's not exactly practicing what he preaches.

The quip about his Pokemon causes his brows to furrow slightly.

"I haven't been here long."

So, his Pokemon certainly aren't yet where he wants them to be...but they're growing, fast.

"We should train together sometime then!" As if proposing this to random strangers is a completely normal thing to do. He's probably acting too casual about this but oh well. Invidia wants this kid to stick around, so he'll figure something out.

"Let me know what level yer lot are. I'm sure I have a few of my own that are around the same... Probably. I haven't checked in a while, admittedly." He finishes off the sentence with a chuckle. After a while, you stop being able to quite keep track.

Oh, make no mistake. This will not be a regular thing. But at the same time, giving his Pokemon experience fighting another trainer- particularly to prepare for future gym battles, among other things- would be invaluable.

"Most of them are from level 20 to 30."

"20 and 30..." Joker rubs his chin, thinking on it. Invidia is quicker to answer, however.

"Team Safety Net are still in their 20s." It's not surprising. The Unown work best as a group and also are required at the Circus almost 24/7 just in case of emergencies. They'd probably be ecstatic to get out of the Main Tent for once. "Mylo, too, and Eliza and Robbie."

Joker beams. "So there ya have it!"

Team Safety....what...

Actually, no. He's not going to ask.

"Fine. If you have them with you, I will battle you."

Once. Once. Maybe the next time Neku decides to challenge him he'll be able to say he's never lost a battle, or that his Pokemon are already at a very high level.

...that would be very nice.

"Robbie and Eliza are the pair with me right now. This'll be good practice for 'em, actually. We're still workin' on havin' them work as a team." Joker takes the remaining pokeballs hanging on his belt and tosses them up into the air all at once. Four beams of red light eject forward. The group that comes out of them is as follows:

One towering Dragonite who almost immediately goes to relax in the grass and gives a lazy yawn.

One cheery little Mime Jr. who seems to take in the situation almost immediately and clings to Joker's pantleg. The smile she sends Nagi seems to be a lot like her trainer's...

One Phanpy and one Vulpix, both who stay close to one another. The Phanpy's flappy ears flop upwards in Nagi's general direction and she gives a curious trumpet. It's the Vulpix who squints his eyes at the other firefox and makes a curious rasping kind of bark that... doesn't seem quite right for a Vulpix to make. Joker points them out.

"Meet Eliza and Robbie.

Nagi turns his attention to each of the other Pokemon in turn- lingering on the Dragonite in particular because wow that is an impressive Pokemon he never thought he'd see in person- his sharp gaze finally settling on the Phanpy and Vulpix.

He reaches down onto his belt and pulls off three Pokeballs, rolling one of them around slightly in his right hand as he watches the pair. Almost immediately he can tell that something is off between the both of them, though he can't actually place it just by watching them alone.

The button on the center of the Pokeball in his right hand is pressed, a red light flashing out to suddenly return Munashi. He clips the ball back onto his belt before throwing the two new ones into the air. After the light fades, standing before him is a Kirlia with her hands drawn close to her front, eyeing her opponents carefully. Next to her hovers an Abra, head tipping back a little as he yawns.

Nagi can feel Isogu stiffen on his shoulder, letting out a frustrated huff. All his trainer seems to want to do is battle with his Psychics. ...still, there's a reason for that, and they all know it.

On top of everything else, this will be the first double battle Nagi has ever attempted- in real life and in-game. ...it should be interesting, and is half the reason he's interested enough to pursue battling this guy.

"Well well well! Seems like ya got a preference, huh?" Joker gives a laugh but his gaze glances over the team assembled in front of him quickly. Very faintly, he's reminded of all his gym battles. They have a preference too, and it can be a hard one to get past if you don't know what you're doing.

Unlike the gym leaders, however, this Tensai fellow has other types with him, like that Pikachu on his shoulder. If these are the two Pokemon he wants to use...

Joker gives a sharp whistle which has Eliza coming to attention, although her partner doesn't react at all with how focused the Vulpix now is on the Kirlia. "Roar-Out 12!"

It almost sounds like a misprounounciation of "roll out", a move Phanpies do know, but Eliza gives a thump of her trunk underneath Robbie's chin which has his teeth clacking together. Immediately afterwards, she's curling up in an immediate classic Rollout straight inbetween the pair. As for Robbie? The little Vulpix gives a shake of his head and takes in a deep breath and gives out a terrifying scream.

Not quite a lion's roar, but it's always worked effectively in chasing wild Pokemon off as any proper Roar should. Time to see if it does the same for tame ones- Joker hasn't had a chance to find out yet.

...Whatever Nagi was expecting for these two Pokemon to do, it was not that.

AT ALL.

Neither he nor the Kirlia and Abra- Uchi and Neba respectively- even have a second to react to the sudden onslaught. The scream itself it enough to startle them both into jerking back, Uchi closing her eyes tightly and staggering back while Neba clamps his claws over his ears, falling to the ground onto his rump rather abruptly.

It leaves them both wide open for Eliza's Rollout, which connects with Uchi and barely misses Neba, knocking her back with a high pitched cry of shock. Neba skids through the grass, digging his claws in to try and stop himself, but he ends up running into Nagi's shoes anyway.

The entire display happens so quickly, Nagi is left standing there with his mouth slightly open, with both of his Pokemon looking rather undignified after.....that.

But that's fine. This is fine. Two can play at that game.

"Uchi, Double Team! Neba, Teleport!"

Even before she picks herself up off the ground, the Kirlia suddenly disappears, reappearing upright just a few feet away from Eliza and Robbie before several doubles of herself suddenly slide out from either side of her body, forming a wide circle around them all. As for Neba....he's completely disappeared.

...Joker can't help it.

At the look on their faces, he doubles over laughing, clinging to Invidia to stop himself from falling to the ground. He can't blame them. He very much had the same kind of reaction the first time he heard Robbie's scream. It's... it's something. Angel is mimicking him exactly as well, although don't be fooled- she finds this just as hilarious.

Gasping for air inbetween his laughs, Joker manages to call out, "Eliza!"

The call is joined by the sound of Vulpix yips as well as Robbie eyes the doubles surrounding him. There's a rumbling in the earth as the Phanpy doubles back, still rolling. It's surprisingly on-course and accurate for someone not using their eyes... but then, for Eliza, that's really rather normal. Rollout is still in effect as she barrels back and starts circling around her yipping companion in an effort to defend him.

Robbie doesn't do anything besides to continue to give his peculiar yips, and Joker doesn't give him any orders. He just wipes a tear from his eye and continues to watch.

As Eliza comes back around to shield Robbie, she strikes through a few of the doubles, causing them to fizzle out and disappear. There are still several surrounding the two, exact copies of Uchi. Neba is still nowhere to be seen, but Nagi knows he's nearby, somewhere.

His gaze snaps up when he hears Joker laughing, feeling his face grow hot at the display.

Shut up.

Shut up shut up shut UP-

"Confusion!"

Nagi yells when he sees Uchi's- the real Uchi- eyes start to flash, picking up on his irritation. It's a dead giveaway that betrays her position for just a second. A few more of the doubles are rapidly destroyed by Eliza's Rollout before she pushes out with both hands, directing the pent-up psychic energy toward Robbie.

It's a dead giveaway that goes entirely missed by Eliza for numerous reasons, but Robbie picks up on it immediately. There's some more harsh yipping just before the Confusion hits him dead center. His fur bristles and he whines, covering his face. From his corner, Joker makes a sympathetic noise. But anything further would be lost on the Vulpix, so he turns his attention to the one who can hear.

"Eliza! You know where they are!" And sure enough, she's already giving a peculiar hop to slow her momentum and promptly go reverse, straight for the real Uchi's position.

The attack hits and Uchi has enough time to blink and clear her vision before she's confronted with Eliza coming her way, rapidly. Before Nagi can give the order she attempts to dodge, avoiding a second direct hit, but still getting struck enough to knock her down again.

Just as this happens, Nagi can see Neba reappear just above the ground, right behind Robbie. His claws begin to glow with the affects of Psychic as he directs the telekinesis toward the Vulpix on the ground, aiming to lift him right up from where he's standing.

Being lifted up so suddenly has Robbie yelping and he immediately does what comes natural to him-

He spews out fire everywhere.

Fire Spin, to be more exact. Thanks to the Confusion still making his few remaining senses all fuzzy, it's not exactly something aimed. In fact, it's going everywhere in quite the little inferno: on Robbie's own coat, flaring out towards Uchi and Eliza, and even threatening Joker's own group.

Joker and Angel give an almost comical hop backwards of surprise while Invidia resumes his natural form to shove Levi into his mane again for safekeeping. Not that there's any need to worry... Angel's eyes glow pink and something shimmers in front of them as a barrier to stop any flames. Joker calls lightheartedly over the sound of flickering fire.

"Sorry about that! He's a bit of a trigger shot when he's surprise!"

Well, unfortunately, Nagi doesn't happen to have another Psychic out to keep him protected from the flames- with Neba still holding Robbie aloft, and Uchi letting out a cry of pain and frustration as she struggles to avoid both the flames and Eliza- which results in a rather undignified stumble backwards.

He grits his teeth and takes a step back further as Uchi stumbles from the fray, her body scorched in places, panting heavily from the exertion of the battle. A quick glance tells him that Neba is still holding Robbie up in the air, looking to his trainer for an order.

"Stop it! Zen Headbutt!"

Neba lifts Robbie higher into the air- no doubt forcing everyone standing around to duck- close enough that he can reach him physically, his head and shoulders glowing a dull blue. For a split second his eyes snap open, just before he rams his head against Robbie's.

Invidia catches the fact that Nagi is on his own on the opposite end of the battlefield. At a quick questioning glance to Joker and Angel, the Zoroark moves around the area to stand nearby to the other trainer. The human illusion he favors comes back on again.

Meanwhile, letting the Zoroark do what he thinks is proper, Joker focuses on the battle at hand. Robbie's portion of it, more specifically. Eliza's Rollout is finally starting to slow down, after all. He makes a grimace as that headbutt connects right in the middle. Poor Robbie, he's not looking very good at all.. But now that he's been moved about, he's able to see Joker.

The redhead reaches up to tap his fist against his chin. The Vulpix squints, still trying to see after being hit with Confusion and a headbutt, before he opens his mouth up again for another bizarre little Roar. It won't have the desired affect, they know that now, but it should still be enough to startle the Abra... hopefully.

Eliza, in the meantime, comes to a stop right beneath the Abra and Vulpix and gives a small trumpet of worry where she hears her partner struggling.

Nagi ignores Invidia for the moment and just keeps his eyes on Neba, watching as the sudden barking screech right into his face does startle him, rather deeply too after that burst of psychic energy used to get the attack going. His grip on Robbie falters as he sways and drops from the air, down several feet before managing to catch himself before he can hit the ground.

Uchi, meanwhile, is struggling to her feet while Eliza is distracted. She turns her head so she can look back at Nagi, shivering as she cowers a bit beneath his gaze as he looks over to her, his eyes cold and hard as the battle seems to be going south.

Still, Nagi can feel her reach out and suddenly touch his mind with her own, causing his body to stiffen with the sensation. He can feel almost instantly her exhaustion, as well as an underlying fear- fear of him, he knows well by now- as well as something he's never seen from the Kirlia before, especially not when she was still a Ralts.

Determination.

What do I do?

What else? Bolster your defenses and remaining strength.

Calm Mind.

She nods slowly and takes a few small steps back, drawing her hands to her chest again before closing her eyes, her body enveloped in a slowly pulsating aura.

If it makes Nagi feels any better, it's potentially a salvageable battle. Eliza hasn't escaped from everything unscathed, after all. There are burns along her hide where she went barreling through the Fire Spin- which is still raging maybe someone should do something about that- and Robbie is certainly looking the worst even as his partner gives a hop with her little stubby legs to snag his tails with her trunk and drag him back down to earth.

That's better, now, that's how the two of them belong. Can't much have either of them direct the other if one's in the air and out of reach. What now, then? Joker thinks over his options. On his own as he is, Robbie isn't much... but he's not on his own now is he?

"Eliza, Flame Burst!"

Which isn't a move a Phanpy can use, but Vulpixes can. She taps Robbie again, this time on the nose, before positioning her trunk so... aim him? Obediently and leaning against her for support, the Vulpix starts to launch a ball of fire up towards the one who's weakest now, Uchi.

It's all very riveting, surely, but for once Angel isn't mimicking her trainer's every movement. Instead, she's actually focused right on Uchi as well and frowning.

Neba jerks back as Robbie is suddenly yanked from his claws, and before he can fall into the line of direct fire again he teleports, moving himself to the opposite side of the battlefield, behind the pair as Eliza aims Robbie at Uchi. In the midst of using Calm Mind, she opens her eyes just a sliver, hands trembling as she fights the desire to step back. She can feel Nagi's gaze as he stares at her from behind, watching and scrutinizing her every move.

She can feel the energy from the move being rerouted into her, giving her both strength and stamina that she didn't have before, though if there was a proper way to check, her health would be in the yellow. She twitches as she sees the ball of fire burst from Robbie's jaws, flashing in a terrifying dance along with the ring of fire she's surrounded by.

"Uchi!"

Nagi suddenly barks, snapping her out of her trance a split second too late. The form of her body wavers as she prepares to Teleport out of the way of the attack, but it's upon her before she can. The fire pushes her back, her feet digging into the ground as she tries to stop herself.

"Kirliaaa! KirliiaaHH!" She shrieks, not seeing Neba as he teleports over the second the flames have dissipated, putting himself between her and Eliza and Robbie.

....I'm...so sorry...

...

Heal Pulse. Do it now.

Uchi blinks hard and pulls her legs close, reaching out with both hands to touch the Abra in front of her, both to share the affects of the move while at the same time leaning on him for support, barely able to stand after that direct hit. A slow pulsating light surrounds them both, not quite the same as Calm Mind. Neba lifts his head and looks around, but by the time the energy has been transferred, Uchi collapses and faints.

"Alright, you two, hold up." Joker waves his hand a bit even though it won't go seen by either of them. Eliza won't see it, and Robbie isn't facing him. They pause, Robbie leaning against his partner to get his bearings straight.

While his two Pokemon have a moment's breath, Joker brings his hand up to his chin thoughtfully. His eyes glance down to Angel, who just looks back up at him in return.

Been here long enough as he has, Joker knows there some Psychics which can communicate smoothly. Mira, his Gardevoir passed down by a distant sort of friend, is an example. Angel is different, he's found, and he's admittedly not sure if it's because her powers aren't compatible or if she just plain doesn't care enough to make the effort. Instead, it's more... abstract. Emotional in a peculiar and deep way. It's such a strange sensation, to feel the emotions of someone else, emotions he knows aren't his. Like that displeasure infringing on his idle amusement of the battle, displeasure at the- no, connected to the Kirlia. Her trainer? And it has to do with... Ah. He knows this feeling. He knows it far too well, that bone-freezing fear that roots you down.

"Seems like yer a harsh sorta trainer!" It's a statement that seems a bit relaxed at first glance.

Nagi doesn't look up or respond as he slowly pulls Uchi's Pokeball from his belt, returning her. He could have walked over and picked her up, letting her know she did do well, at least, but he didn't. The look on his face is a bit difficult to place- it's not quite angry, or disappointed even. There's frustration there, for sure. His fingers flex around the Pokeball before he clips it back onto his belt, looking down at Neba hovering above the ground nearby. Having evaded a large amount of the battle, on top of being healed, Neba doesn't seem to be too much worse for wear.

"Are we going to continue or not?"

Nagi asks flatly, ignoring Joker's comment as he watches Neba stare at him for a long moment, ears falling back a little before he turns his attention back to Robbie and Eliza. The previous confidence the Abra had before is gone now that his partner has fallen, but he doesn't seem eager to disobey, either.

So that's a yes.

"Y'know, nothin' says yer Pokemon have ta stay by yer side. Most do, but there's nothin' stoppin' 'em. A little ball ain't much. I've seen it happen, ran away right ta the circus she did because she didn't care much for her trainer's actions. You'll want ta be careful." But the relaxed smile on Joker's face says that he doesn't quite care what "Tensai" does. He'll figure it out sooner or later.

For now, Joker gives a shrug in sync with Angel.

"Do ya want ta? Yer at a bit of a disadvantage now but I won't say no."

"It's fine. I came out here to train, and he needs the experience."

Nagi's trained Abra before. ...not in real life, perhaps, but he knows enough to know that he should have evolved by now. A while ago, actually. He's not about to give up on this battle for that, particularly if it would also mean forfeiting.

Angel makes an admonishing and snappish kind of chittering noise that has Joker snort into his palm and Invidia say, scandalized, "Angel, no!"

So that's a thing.

Joker quickly gains control of himself and clears his throat. "Fair enough, can't argue with that!" But instead of ordering Eliza and Robbie to do anything, Joker looks back to the Dragonite who's been lazing about this entire time. "Ariel, could ya do somethin' about all this fire business?" There's a loud yawn before the Dragonite gets up, wagging her tail until it starts to glow oddly... blue?

If Nagi doesn't struggle or protest, there certainly is going to be Invidia picking him up much like Eliza is picking Robbie up as an Aqua Tail goes washing over the battlefield to extinguish any fires. It's not enough to harm any of the combatants- unless you're a fire type like Robbie- so no harm done.

"That better, ya think?"

In all honesty, Nagi would have preferred getting his ankles wet as opposed to being lifted right off of his feet and into someone's arms-

He's quick to remind himself that this is a Pokemon, and not a person, and it happens so fast that he can't parse his thoughts quickly enough to properly struggle, but once the water has rushed past he shoves against Invidia's arms until he puts him back down.

....Just.

"Can we just finish this?"

His tone is hard as he looks up at Joker, eager now just to get this battle done and over with so he can leave, and hopefully never run into this person ever again.

"Well ain't that rude!" is said from Joker's side at the same time Invidia murmurs softly "I'm sorry." The difference between trainer and Pokemon really is quite astounding.

But then Joker gives the same sharp whistle he did at the start of the battle, and immediately the pair on the field tense. "Feint-Down one!" The exchange of actions between the pair are quick- a tap to Robbie's right leg, and a paw to Eliza's face enough to nudge her- and then they're in action.

The Vulpix darts ahead, wobbling and likely to miss with a Feint Attack... but the real threat is from Eliza coming from the side with the threat of a Take-Down if the Abra isn't careful of her.

Neba holds his position, his eyes closed- as Abras usually do- as both Robbie and Eliza come racing toward him. He waits, and waits, and waits until the very last second, when both of them are nearly on top of him, his ears flicking as he listens-

And then teleports, disappearing and reappearing a few yards away on Joker's side of the field. He doesn't move to attack, instead simply hovering a few inches off the ground as he waits to see if Eliza and Robbie will collide, or will be able to correct themselves before that happens.

It's a good thing it's just a feint attack, or else it's doubtful that Robbie would be able to pull back in time. Well... More of an awkward scramble backwards that has him falling on his furry butt as Eliza goes barreling past a hairs breadth from his snout.

And keeps barreling, making Invidia have to side step her...

And barreling...

Until there's the thick sound of something's skull slamming into wood and that sure is a tree that's creaking and starting to fall from somewhere past Nagi. Joker laughs a little bit again as Eliza shakes her head before focusing on Robbie. The Vulpix is already spinning around frantically, suspicious because of the last time the Abra disappeared. It looks like fire is threatening to spill out from his mouth again before Joker starts to flap his arm about to get the Vulpix's attention. A finger is raised to his mouth- no losing his temper this time. Especially with an iffy aim... Joker would like to not be set on fire today, thank you.

Nagi's shoulders tense when he hears a tree split in the distance, and he watches Eliza carefully as she recovers from the hit, while Robbie starts to panic over being unable to locate Neba's location. Neba hasn't moved, but when he sees the glow in the Vulpix's mouth he hovers back a bit.

He had been trying to piece together what was wrong with these two ever since the battling started. Robbie's behavior has been bizarre, and Eliza's reliance on sound and the Vulpix's general direction has told him just about everything he needs to know.

As Joker works to get Robbie's attention, Nagi looks back up at the man, blue eyes flashing. These two...they're disabled. That's not something that ever happened in the games. Every single Pokemon was at least fit for battling, even though their natures always differed, and that made some stronger than others.

That doesn't stop him from calling out to the Abra.

"Psychic!"

Without hesitation, he holds his claws out, directing the energy toward Robbie again. His aim is to lift the fox and throw him right back into Eliza, just as she's making her way back over.

6th Act - Friended whether you like it or not

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