[X] My Assistant

[Umbrae Calamitas]

In the end, Tuesday had managed to eat a piece of buttered toast before they'd left the pokemon center. Ashleigh, who had been wandering the center by himself while the others at breakfast, was trotting alongside Tuesday as they made their way to the Petropolis Gym. The houndoom's tail was low as they walked and even Tuesday rubbing him between the horns hadn't eased his mood. The houndoom had been good friends with Darryn's jolteon, Romeo, and coming back into the lobby of the pokemon center to find that the jolteon and his trainer were gone had put the canine into a sorrowful mood.

Tuesday was glad that she was using the houndoom in her gym battle. She thought the chance to fight an opponent might make the pokemon feel better. The dog had already seemed distracted by something as it was. Tuesday was aware of the foolishness of using a distracted pokemon in a battle, but she was more concerned with Ashleigh's state of mind than winning.

Not that winning wouldn't be grand, but if battling would take Ashleigh's mind off of missing his friend, then it was worth whatever chance there was of her losing because of it.

"Don't worry, Ashleigh," Tuesday said, her fingers finding the houndoom's favorite scratching place between his horns, "we'll see Darryn and Romeo again."

The houndoom whimpered and looked up at her, but didn't react favorably or at all to Tuesday's scratches. The girl allowed her pokemon his mood. She was distracted herself, with nervousness over her impending gym battle. It felt a great deal more like she was walking to her doom.

"You okay, Tuesy?"

Tuesday didn't answer right away. Was she okay? Physically, sure, other than that her hands were sweating and she felt a little cold, like she was catching something, even though she knew it was just worry over how she would do. What if Vega wasn't as nice to her as he had been to Reilly and Jaima? Maybe he only liked battling boy trainers? She swallowed thickly.

"I'm nervous as a whore in church," she quoted bluntly, her eyes flicking over to Jaima as she spoke.

The startled look on his face made her laugh, so much that she had to stop walking to keep from falling over. Her lips pulled back in a smile and the nervous energy fled her in a moment. She sighed, grinning at him. "LaWanda Page." She licked her lips. "All right. Yes. I'm... okay. Let's just go and get this over with before I chicken out, okay?"