[X] My Assistant

[Kamaitachi]

((So, to make up for lost time, I'm just gonna plow ahead with the story. W-0-0-t!))

Cesc and Branwys followed their scouting pokemon, rounding the corner of the warehouse.

"After this, I'm going to get a beer."

"Isn't Port Barley reknowned for its Root Beer?" Cesc cast a smile down at her. "Maybe I dreamed that. Who knows?" he shrugged, half talking to Branwys, half to himself. He wasn't quite sure anymore.

Oberon, meanwhile, had spotted a series of crates leading to a conveniently placed scaffold, which in turn had a ladder in the middle of it. The problem with it, though, was that it more than likely led to a death drop on the inside of the Warehouse. He looked back to Cesc, inquisitively, who shook his head.

"No, buddy. I meant backdoor quite literally." As he looked further down the hallway, he and Oberon both spotted just that. "There, let's go!" The two bounded ahead of their companions, reaching the door in a short, overdramatic and seemingly random burst forward.

Once there, Cesc took off his hat once again, reaching into his long hair, rustling around a bit. After a moment, he procured a bobby pin, which he slipped into the keyhole.

After a moment, he stopped and blinked, standing back up and replacing his hair back under his fedora.

"Well...it was open the whole time." He smiled sheepishly towards his diminutive companion. "Sorry, I'd really wanted to show off a bit there." With that said, he slowly opened the door, peeking in. After a few, painstaking moments, he withdrew his head and nodded purposefully at Branwys. "Coast is clear. Let's go in!"

Sneaking behind a big stack of crates, he looked around, noting several grunt looking personel. There seemed to be at least three people shuffling about, moving a cage here or there. It seemed rather pointless; most of the cages were empty, which meant that their cargo had been shipped off already.

In the meantime, there remained a cage with a Glameow, which was most likely Aurora, and two cages containing a very angry looking Zangoose and Seviper respectively. The Cat-Ferret and the Poison Snake were shaking at their cages, attempting to activate their age old blood fued, even through their prison walls.

"Okay Bran." Cesc crouched down. "I have half of a plan." He paused for dramatic effect, then turned back to the scene at hand. "And here it goes. Oberon, free those pokemon. Quick Attack on the cage locks."

Obediently, Oberon dashed forward, moving at a startling speed towards the cages. The three goons grunted in surprise as Oberon streaked past them, slashing at the locks for the Seviper and Zangoose.

Sure enough, the cages burst open, and the two pokemon were quite literally at the other's throats. The men yelled in surprise, getting out of the path of both the Seviper's poisonous fangs and tail, as well as the Zangoose's razor sharp claws. There was a whirlwind of white and black, with small flashes of red and blue, as the two pokemon tore about the warehouse, fully intending to kill one another. With all the chaos, Cesc burst into the open, striking a fairly dramatic pose.

"Oberon, free the Glameow!"

The dark weasel pokemon scooted over to the cage on the truck, swiping hard at the lock and effectively knocking it off of the cage. The barred door swung open, revealing the Glameow, who made an instant bee-line over to Cesc, where it stood, hiding behind him.

"Oh crap!" Mook #1 roared as he saw Cesc gather up the cat pokemon. "Get them!" He tossed out a pokeball, summoning a houndour to the field. "Ember!"

The small fireballs were aimed directly at Cesc and Aurora! With Aurora behind him, Cesc couldn't exactly move out of the way to let the Glameow get hit with the attack, so he stood his ground firmly, crossing his arms in front of him and closing his eyes.

The attack never connected. Well, at least not with him. He heard a shriek of pain, and watched as Oberon fell to the ground in front of him, smoke rising off of him as he lay on the ground.

"Oh buddy..." Cesc dropped to his knees. "Why would you do that?"

"Houndour, another Ember!" With two of the men busy attempting to wrangle the Zangoose and Seviper, Cesc only had one person to contend with, but he seemed to preoccupied with tending to his pokemon to defend himself from the next attack!

[Master Houndoom]

It was not like her to be this quiet, and it wasn't her usual style to follow. So when Oberon had found the makeshift ladder to the window, Branwys had already started to make her way up. She stopped on top of the first box as Cesc corrected his pokémon and they moved on.

She was still kind of annoyed with him, but she also had to remind herself that he hadn't been told how old she really was. Really, it should be obvious; this wasn't one of her baggier tops. But until she grabbed his ear (and as tall as he was, that would involve him bending over or her climbing up him) and out and out told him that she was twenty two freaking years old and could have a beer if she darn well wanted to, she wouldn't allow herself to get too angry.

But for pities sake, at least ask!

The door looked as if it might have been a problem, and Branwys started digging in her satchel for a set of lock picking tools, something she'd learned as part of a small repair business she'd run on the side in Castellia, if doing what amounted to handyman work counted as a business. It did keep her well stocked in poké before she'd left for Furoh. She was quite proud of the fact that at least 75% of the money she was using on this trip was money she had earned on her own.

As she found the tools and pulled them out of her bag, Cesc pulled out a bobby pin and proceeded to work on the lock. She rolled her eyes, but he opened it, and she was, briefly, impressed: picking a lock with one wire bent in half was much harder than with two separate tools.

Then he admitted that the door had been opened the whole time, and she had to giggle. Neither of them had tried the door! Zeetha would have rolled over in her grave, if she wasn't such a good humored person, and alive to boot.

They made their way into the warehouse, finally finding where the pokémon were kept. Evidently, they had just started gathering pokémon for their little circus again, or they had shipped the majority off already. Judging by the many cages, Branwys would guess the first scenario, since they would likely need to take cages with them.

There, however, was a glameow, and Branwys was sure it was Aurora. She wished Terra was there to confirm it, but if wishes were buffalon, everyone would be eating steak.

Cesc outlined his half of a plan by demonstrating it, and she couldn't fault him for the execution. Two battling pokémon with what seemed to be an ancient grudge between them was a perfect distraction. She was about to set Tinka on the lock to Aurora's cage, but Oberon, once again, beat her to it.

After that, everything happened quickly. One of the mooks spotted them (not hard to do, since Cesc had made a point to jump out as dramatically as possible), an Ember attack came roaring toward Aurora and was blocked by Oberon, and another was ordered to be sent at the downed pokémon's stunned trainer.

"Cesc!"

Branwys didn't think, she simply pointed at the houndour. "Bone Club!"

[Hyu in for it now, leetle poppie dog!]

Dimo charged at the houndour, the bone club in his hand extended behind him, and brought it forward as the houndour was just beginning to turn to look at him. She reeled as the bone collided with her skull-like head plate, staggering to the side in a nearly uncontrolled stumble. Finally, she got her feet under her and turned to her new assailant, snarling fiercely.

The snarl lasted a few seconds as it finally caught up to her that the theropod dinosaur was not in a battle stance, but had one end of the club on the ground with the other, knobbed in near his chin, and was leaning on it. His left claw went up to smooth the feathered ruff on the back of his helm down, and his eyes were hooded.

[Zo, hyu are unt gurl, ja? Dot changes thinks. Hy don like to heet de pretty gorls.]

The houndour's head tilted in confusion, then she glowered and gave a short, deep growl.

[Hyu unt me,] continued Dimo, waggling what could be seen of his brow ridge under the helm, [coud make beeyootfool music, hy tink.]

Concentrating on his conquest, Dimo didn't see Branwys slap her forehead in consternation, nor did he see the mook commanding the houndour sidle up to her, looking bemused.

"What is he doing..?"

Branwys sighed, keeping her eyes on the pair of pokémon as her cubone continued to woo the houndour. "He's flirting with her…"

"Your cubone is flirting with my houndour?" The mook seemed nonplussed by the situation, but Branwys merely gave a longsuffering moan.

"Yes. He thinks he's something of a ladies poke…"

Just then, the two seemed to realize who they were talking to. Branwys looked up at the mook. The mook looked down at the girl.

The mook grinned, wickedly, reaching for another pokéball. "Yessss…" he hissed.

Branwys bit her lip. "No," she said, lashing out suddenly and kicking the man in the shin. He howled and hopped backwards, holding his shin.

"That's it!" he growled. "Johnny! I need your help over here!"

One of the men trying to re-capture the zangoose and seviper in the midst of their epic conflict spat back, "We're kind of busy here, Paul!"

"George can handle it! Someone's trying to steal the pokémon we stole fair and square!" He turned, finally releasing his pokémon, a small, purple humanoid pokémon with red trunks. "Tyson, go punch the bone head in his boney head!"

Dimo looked up from where he had a stubby arm across the neck of the houndour, who seemed much more inclined to flirt now that bones weren't swinging toward her face. [Hut ho, dahlink, I tink we gon' haff to shtop. Hyu keep dot number, though, unt ve'll see wot happens.]

[HEY!] The tyrogue cried out, punching his fists together and popping his neck. [It's time for a FIGHT!]

[Ja, ja, hold hyu blitzles.]

[You'd better take me seriously! And stop talking like that!]

[Talkink like vot?]

"Oh, screw you guys!" came from where the two feuding pokémon were fighting when another of the men showed up, pulling a pokéball off of his belt. "No, no, I'm fine I don't need any help! I HATE YOU BOTH!"

The new arrival released a small pokémon, a blue sauropod with what looked like a black head of hair that covered his eyes and went down his long neck. "Ringo, hit the little girl's decoration!"

"AAAH!! NOT IN THE FACE! IT BIT ME IN THE ASS! I WANT MY MOMMY!"

Branwys cast around. Tinka floated up at her shoulder, "klink"ing angrily. Cesc still seemed to be upset about Oberon.

"CESC! I'm going to need some help here!"

[Kamaitachi]

Had Cesc been paying attention to the 'fight' between Dimo and the Houndour, he most likely would have found it incredibly hysterical. Yet, he missed the entire thing as he fussed over his pokemon, Oberon. It was an odd time to find himself stupefied, but he had never found himself so concerned for his pokemon before.

Likewise, he would've found Branwys kicking Paul Mook in the shins. Johnny Mook and Georgie Mook were far too busy with the distraction that Cesc had conveniently created at the onset of the battle, so they were currently non-factors in the match.

"Hey, hey buddy...you didn't need to do that" he muttered softly "I would've been fine." The Sneasel looked up at him, his normally mischevious eyes looking much less shifty than usual. If anything, they seemed regretful. Oberon coughed weakly as Cesc picked him up, cradling him. The poor creature had been through a lot today; probably more than he was capable of handling healthily. It was absolutely time for the boy to take a rest. Cesc squeezed him gently once before recalling him into the pokeball.

"CESC! I'm going to need some help here!" Branwys' cry resounded out through the warehouse. Cesc mentally cursed himself for getting so distracted and distraught while there was a battle going on. It was most likely something he'd have to work on, since he had developed an odd tendency to drop out mentally in times of duress.

Quickly scanning the situation, it appeared that Dimo and Tinka were facing two pokemon with whom Cesc were unfamiliar. Then there was the Houndour. Cesc had not witnessed Dimo's seduction of the creature, so in his mind, it was still a viable enemy. That meant it was three on three.

"Valentine!" With a flash of light, Cesc's Chimchar appeared on the field, immediately adopting a dramatic pose right out of Cesc's book. The fire monkey appeared to be leaning his weight on one side, the same hand akimbo, while the other pointed dramatically out at the trio of enemies.

"Okay...uh...Valentine, Fake Out and then Fury Swipes on...that thing!" He pointed at the Deino, who really did bear an odd resemblence to his namesake.

The chipper Chimchar launched himself forward, clapping his hands in front of the beast to stun it before launching himself into a series of swipes with his outstretched claws.

In retaliation, Ringo opened his mouth, firing out a brilliant mist-like beam with surprising force. The attack screeched over Valentine's head, startling the Chimp somewhat. The attack seemed powerful, but fairly inaccurate, which was surprising considering the lack of distance between the two.

"Okay Valentine!" Cesc tipped his hat towards the enemy trainer "I think we got this. New move: Will-O-Wisp!"

Cesc hadn't the chance to test the move out before hand, and he wasn't quite sure what it was. He watched, fascinated, as the Chimchar raised his hands in the air, summoning a trio of purple coloured flame. The fire triplet spun around itself, orbiting the area just above the outstretched monkey hands. With a shrill battlecry, Valentine threw the conflageration at the Deino, who accepted the attack with a shrill cry of its own.

While the damage seemed indiscernible, the Deino itself seemed rather irritated from the technique.

"Oh...must be a burn!" Cesc smiled suddenly, realizing that through experimentation, he'd just turned this encounter in his favour. Shame though, since he still had to watch out for the other two pokemon (but hopefully Bran-Bran had those under wraps).

[Master Houndoom]

Bran-Bran did indeed had those under wraps. As Valentine moved forward to take on the deino, which she would have told him was much better suited to Oberon, but thought that she would have hated to have him tell her who to call for combat, Branwys arranged her own pokémon.

Dimo, however, having realized that they now had help, merely turned back to the little houndour, leaning against her back as she turned her head to face him. [Zo, hyu com heer often, leetle poppie?]

"Dimo, stop flirting! This is serious!"

Sure enough, as if someone were behind a keyboard, writing out a story, Georgie Mook staggered up, panting. "Hate... you... guys," he said, glaring daggers at his comrades through a maze of cuts, bites, and scrapes. He looked across at Branwys and further at Cesc, and sneered. "I hate those guys even more."

He reached for his belt and pulled a single pokéball from it, clicking the release. The ball opened, and a strong, thick stream of white light gushed out of it, slowly forming a creature more massive than Branwys had seen in her life. Her face paled as the light grew higher and higher, nearly blinding her, blocking out the windows beyond even when it dimmed, forming into a gigantic snorlax.

"Somnus! Hyper Beam!"

This nearly sent Branwys into a panic, except that, despite her vision just beginning to tunnel, she saw the snorlax give a look of pure contempt at his trainer, close his nearly shut eyes, and begin snoring, falling instantly into a deep sleep.

So maybe things weren't so serious after all.

"You idiot," yelled either Johnny or Paul, Branwys hadn't really tried to figure it out. "I keep telling you, that thing is way too strong to listen to you now!"

"Shut up! He was fine as a munchlax!"

"When you named him PacMan?" snickered the other. George shot him a venomous look. A look that suddenly transformed to an envenomed look, and George Mook crumpled to the floor.

"Crap!" shouted John (or Paul). "The seviper's loose!"

Branwys was not one to look a give bite in the mouth. She snapped orders to her pokémon. "Dimo, Bone Club! Tinka, Vice Grip!" Tinka floated to the tyrogue and, with an angry klink, spun her gears on his arm. Dimo, however, continued to flirt with the houndour.

"OH, COME ON," Branwys hollered, stamping her foot.

[Hokay, hokay!] He turned to the houndour, shrugging apologetically. [No hard feelinks, huh?] The houndour was confused, but shook her head rapidly when Dimo's Bone Club connected with her chin. She gave a snarl, then smiled, her eyes rolling back into her head, and fainted.

"THANK you..."

In the mean time, the tyrogue was flailing about, screaming his head off and beating Tinka against the wall, the floor, and his trainer's thigh (his trainer did not appreciate the gesture). Nothing would loose the twin gear from his arm, however.

"Just punch it with your other hand, moron!" That was the same that had called George an idiot, and he'd been right about that, so the Tyrogue reared back his other fist.

The gear pokémon slipped off, causing him to miss. He used his other, sore hand to try to punch,and was dodged. The klink floated up to near his face, and the tyrogue grinned. Both hands came flying up from behind the metal pokémon, except that it wasn't there anymore! It had risen up and...

POW!

The tyrogue had punched himself with a double fist to the face, and he fell backwards like a felled tree.

Branwys stuck her tongue out at the two standing crooks and turned to see if Cesc needed help with the fearsome dragon type.

[Kamaitachi]

Cesc and Valentine seemed to be faring quite well against Deino and John/Paul. Whichever. Poor faceless mooks rarely get names, so while this lot was lucky to receive the honours, it almost didn't matter which one got which. (Though, it potentially meant the order in which they would bite it?)

In any case, Cesc and Valentine easily utilized the Fire Monkey's natural agility to take advantage of the shaggy sauropod's poor vision. One would think that a hair-cut would've been the most simple solution. Perhaps a hat or a headband. Or maybe the Deino had no eyes. Regardless of what the situation actually was (and its potential solutions), Cesc kept the creature at bay.

Then, the fattest fatty ever to fat took the field. Cesc found himself in the looming blubber shadow of a creature called "Somnus", which he recognized as a very rare Snorlax. To be fair, how such large creatures were missed in the wild was absolutely beyond him, but he simply knew that they were rare.

The command for Hyper Beam sent horrid chills down Cesc's spine, and he prepared himself for imminent defeat. He probably would've been less scared had Sephiroth used Supernova, or the Iseria Queen used Empress Massacre. This was mostly because the creature about to fire the beam was a giant lardo, who would probably sit on his corpse and crush it into oblivion.

Then the creature fell asleep. Cesc sprung back into action, rallying his pokemon up against the Deino. The Dragon-type had finally managed to land the lucky Dragonbreath, and it easily sent Cesc's Valentine reeling across the floor. One of the Mook's prepared to celebrate, raising one hand in the air to command a final blow.

"Ringo, Dragonbreath!"

Powerful draconic energy began to form in the creatures open maw, condensing the breath itself into a weapon... then the Zangoose crashed onto the field, knocking the Deino sideways, which sent the Dragonbreath firing haphazardly off to one side and directly into Somnus, who remained entirely and absolutely unfazed.

Cesc blinked at the white cat-ferret laying on the ground, looking quite displeased at its inability to move. It was a fairly pitiable sight; the wounded Zangoose, struggling vainly to stand itself back up and resume its fight with its most hated foe, while the aforementioned 'most-hated-foe' slithered slowly towards it. A very predatory and trumphant relish crossed the Seviper's eyes as it approached its defeated foe, coiling up with a wicked smile as it prepared to lash out one final time with its deadly bladed tail.

Cesc frowned, and drew an empty pokeball from his backpack. He didn't want to see the Zangoose killed right before his eyes, and it was essentially his fault that the two had been set upon one another. The dapper co-ordinator flung the capture device, striking the Zangoose and sucking it into the realm of the pokeball, just as the Seviper's executioner tail struck the hard floor.

The Seviper didn't immediately comprehend what had happened. One minute the Zangoose had been defeated and ripe for a deathblow, then it wasn't there. Cesc watched as the Seviper calmly watched the pokeball stir slowly before halting, indicating that something had been captured. Seviper, unfortunately, are not dumb creatures. It quickly surmised that since the Zangoose was no longer present, then it had to be in the pokeball, which was something that carried pokemon. Raising its tail high into the air once more, Cesc watched as it aimed for the pokeball with the Zangoose in it. Not allowing himself to be dumbstruck this time, Cesc yelled:

"Valentine, Flame Wheel!"

The Chimchar, though weakened, hurled himself forward with all of his might, tucking into a ball which instantly lit aflame. His trainer watched with fascination at the flaming projectile that his pokemon had become. The fire seemed all the larger and more intense than usual, which didn't quite make sense.

Then, after some thought, it did make sense. Valentine's ability was Blaze, which meant his fire type moves powered up when he had taken sufficient damage. The Dragonbreath attack had been powerful enough to knock much of the wind out of the pokemon, but his ability seemed to help him muster up enough strength.

The conflageration slammed heavily into the Seviper, sending it reeling back with a violent hiss. The sinister serpent did not appear to wish to continue fighting, as it stayed in place. Its deadly eyes locked onto Cesc, as if memorizing his features for their next encounter. It clearly wanted to fight the Zangoose again, and had sensed the newfound sovereignty Francesco Rojas held over its age old foe. With one more hiss, the creature slipped off silently through the warehouse, leaving the wretched place once and for all.

"Ringo, Dragonbreath!"

John or Paul didn't seem to have much sense other than to order the same attack repeatedly, but it didn't stop it from hitting Valentine yet a second time, swiftly and decisively knocking out the poor monkey. Cesc immediately recalled the pokemon and frowned; he had been defeated.

"Sorry, my dearest." Cesc turned a forlorn gaze over to Branwys "I'm afraid I've been beaten. It's all up to you."

[Master Houndoom]

Branwys looked at Cesc, stricken. Dimo would fight, yes, but against a dragon that knew Dragonbreath? He didn't stand a chance! Tinka was slightly better off: Dragonbreath wouldn't be effective against her steel body, but at the same time her only offensive move wasn't that strong, and the dragon would wear her down easily.

Then she struck her closed fist against the palm of her other hand. How silly of her to forget! She knelt next to Dimo, Tinka closing the gap between them to listen as well, and sketched out her plan, murmuring softly.

Oddly, the mooks waited. Perhaps they believed that talking was a free action. Perhaps they were over confident. One of them did try to listen in on the conversation, but a nasty glare from the tiny blonde girl sent him shuffling back to his comrades.

Tinka floated off, to the side of the men, unnoticed as they watched her trainer in gleeful anticipation of Dimo being trounced and them getting a bunch of new pokémon for the circus. Dimo stood his ground against the deino. He already knew the basis of what Branwys was planning, and thought she was brilliant.

Branwys stepped back to consult with Cesc. She pitied the poor guy, both of his pokémon having fainted. Oberon would have been brilliant against the dragon, but if he wasn't out, and Cesc was saying that he'd been beaten, then Oberon had to have been fainted.

No matter. This plan would work. It HAD to.

"Grab Aurora. I'm going to give a command, and I want you to follow through it. I know," she said, when Cesc seemed about to protest that his pokémon were fainted. "Just trust me."

She walked back up, facing her opponents squarely. Johnny, or Paul, whichever, was still trying to wake the snorlax, with more frantic and violent measures. Just before Branwys opened her mouth the snorlax woke, sending a chill of fear up her spine. He opened one eye, glaring at Paul, or Johnny, and lifted a paw, smacking the poor hapless Mook brother into, then through, a wall.

The other two mooks turned as the snorlax fell back to sleep, and, after a short pause, PaulJohn called back "I'm OK..! I'm... I'm just going to lie outside and... enjoy the breeze..!" He sounded pained, but if either of his comrades wanted to avenge him, they weren't willing to do so mano-y-snorlax.

George grinned. "Deino, Dragonbreath!"

Branwys swallowed. "NOW!"

From behind the men, Tinka set off a rapid set of "klink"s. The deino, thinking it was facing the wrong way, turned toward them as Tinka fell silent and raised out of the way. The men froze, screaming as the dragon finished its attack, sending them in a trajectory familiar only to certain members of a Kanto syndicate.

"RUN!"

Branwys dashed past Cesc, who had the feline in his hands, and bolted for the opposite door, Dimo and Tinka hot on her heels. Soon, the only living creatures were a large, sleeping snorlax and a confused deino, who began tackling the snorlax, as if to see what it was.

Branwys didn't stop until they reached the first line of houses that marked a more inhabited area than a warehouse district. Cesc was panting, but not as much as Branwys was, having to work twice as hard to cover the same distance. She grinned as he looked, laughing. "Deino," she said, stopping to catch her breath when the single word sent her gasping. "Deino," she continued, "are blind... always... they don't get eyes until they've evolved a couple of times... I guess... they didn't know that." She chuckled breathlessly. "If Agatha and Tarvek heard that I'd forgotten, I'd be teased for weeks!"

[Kamaitachi]

Cesc stood, somewhat shocked that Branwys took vital battle time to confer with both of her pokemon. What shocked him even more was that the Mook brothers actually allowed her to do so. (Were they actually brothers? Did anyone actually care?)

Branwys explained her plan to him, next. Cesc held a hand to his chin in a very stereotypical 'listening and thinking' posture. This was mostly because he was, in fact, listening and thinking. The idea, though, was to make the enemy sweat a bit. Cesc couldn't decide whether or not the girl was brilliant or mad. Perhaps she had the touch of both, and it really was a surprising plan from such a young girl. He had to admit it: he was impressed.

It really was unfortunate that Oberon was down. He wasn't fainted by any means, but he was on his last leg; the entire trip had been rather harsh on the Sneasel.

With the plan set and ready to be executed, he watched nervously as Branwys stepped up to the plate again. It was then that Somnus awakened...and promptly engaged in some friendly fire, effectively removing one of the Mooks from the equation. JohnPaul had been turned into a projectile, and had decided that the entire affair earned him a nice nap outdoors.

George, on the other hand, did not care that his Mook Companion (Mookanion?) had just been slammed through the wall. He was aiming for Branwys and Dimo.

Tinka did her best imitation of an alarm clock, having clandestinely moved her way over to where the Mooks were standing. Sure enough, it turned and let forth its amazing Dragonbreath attack.

At the same time, not wanting to be the one to ruin the plan, Cesc scooped up the Glameow, Aurora, who protested verbally at being held, but did not attack her rescuer.

* * *

Cesc and Branwys reached relative safety, the duo stopped running.

"Oh...really?" Cesc crouched down, letting the Glameow down gently. "I thought it was just its silly haircut. Either way, excellent work. You're a pretty brilliant." He wasn't sure who Agatha or Tarvek were, but they were probably relations or friends of Branwys'. Perhaps he had them to thank for Branwys' astounding set of knowledge.

"Okay, Princess." Cesc stood up, smiling once he'd regained his breath. "Once you're ready, we'll get this cat back in the bag."

* * *

Cesc and Branwys, with guidance from Aurora, ultimately made it back to Terra's Grandfather's joint. Terra, herself, had not yet returned, but her Grandfather assured them he'd call her to let her know that Aurora was safe. Hopefully, she was too.

Their random little mission was now completed, and Cesc turned to Branwys, smiling downwards at her. "So, Pokemon Center, then I've yet to make this delivery. But after that, can I buy you dinner?"

[Master Houndoom]

Terra's grandfather was a nice man. It was evident enough by Aurora's loyalty, and the joyful "Glam!" she let out when they had finally reached his house. Tinka, who had been keeping a pair of eyes on their six (ah, tactical terms: How she loved them!), "klink"d fondly as the glameow and her master were reunited.

Branwys briefly described the place where the men had taken her, both the transfer point with the likely stolen TMs and the main drop off point where the mook brothers (or not) were probably cleaning up in preparation to leave. Television told her that those two places would be empty by the time the Jennies got there, but real life wasn't television. Terra's grandfather promised to make the call, and call Terra, and Branwys and Cesc left.

That was when he asked her to dinner. Branwys could feel her face heating up, despite the fact that, for most of the day, and possibly still, Cesc had obviously thought of her as a pre-teen. She looked down to calm herself and then, finally, looked up. "Yes. I'd like that very much," she said with a brilliant smile.

Kid or no kid, she was going to dinner with an attractive man, and that, she thought gleefully as she made her way to her room, was something!

*-*-*-*-*

It didn't take her long to get cleaned up and dressed. She knew that Cesc wasn't from around Port Barley, so he likely wouldn't have a change of clothing, but he looked pretty dapper in the outfit he had on, even if it was a little dusty. She was sure he had a solution to that.

As a side note, she might order a fedora from his employers. If she could arrange time for a fitting.

Currently, she sat with her replacement phone tucked firmly between her cheek and shoulder, sitting on the bed, swinging her feet, and putting the finishing touches on the project she'd started when she'd first met Terra and Cesc. Her new phone had been delivered via express delivery from the Muphenz estate, and Branwys could just sense her sister Zola's hand in that. Right now, however, she was talking to her youngest older sister, Zeetha.

"No, no, it's not a date. Not yet," she said, giggling. The phone murmured to her, too soft and too muffled by the long hair she let hang loose about her shoulders to be heard by anything with normal human hearing. Meaning that Dimo, having walked himself back to the room after a grudging session with Nurse Joy, could.

"No! I am not wearing the chiangsom! Zekrom and Reshiram, Zeetha, it's not even a date, and if it was, it would be a first date! That's more of a third date dress." Again, the phone murmured, a hint of humor coming through the line, and Branwys flushed deeply. "Don't rub it in, jerk," she mumbled, embarrassed. "I may not have had any third dates, but I know what the possibilities are for a third date, and that's what a slinky dress is for!" Her fingers deftly worked the mechanism she had decided to place for the project, a set of levers on each magnet that would raise and lower the magnet, allowing for quick release in case it was needed.

When she was finished, she looked at her handiwork. It was, essentially, a pair of crossed red straps, the width of a seat belt each, held together by a square metal bracket. On each end was a magnet, cowled in aluminum settings, with a level on the top to lower the magnet flush with the bottom edge of the cowling or raise it to the top of it, allowing the magnet to be released from its hold on a object made of ferrous metal, such as, say, the skin of a steel type pokémon. In fact, Branwys had tested the magnets on Tinka, and they held strongly. Hence the cowling. She didn't have time to stress test it, and it was made for someone much bigger than she was, but she was sure it would hold, even through tricky maneuvers. Nodding to herself, she folded it neatly and wrapped it in a plain blue paper.

Hopefully, when Cesc came to pick her up, he would at least like this, a way to keep from getting thrown off of his transportation's back.

[Kamaitachi]

"Yes. I'd like that very much."

Cesc beamed an equally brilliant smile back at Branwys, crossing his arms with a bright smile. He didn't get to interact with the lady-folk very often, usually because his deliveries kept him out and about all the time. Very soon, though, he'd probably start traveling around on his own, so as to train up his pokemon to finally begin participating in contests. That meant he could potentially run into his new friend, Branwys, again in the future.

At least, for now, they'd part ways to freshen up for dinner. Cesc still had a delivery to run.

* * *

The delivery was a complete success. Cesc received the signed receipt, and was on his merry way. Returning back to the Pokemon Center, he made his way straight to the counter, wherein he was handed his three pokeballs from the resident Nurse Joy. With a slow smile, he relished in the feeling of having not one, not two, but three pokeballs there in front of him. Perhaps it was time to meet his new companion.

"Come on out, new friend!" Cesc popped open the pokeball, not blinking from the customary flash of light. It faded to reveal the Cat-Ferret pokemon, scratching his head with his long, deadly claws.

He took a moment to size up his new trainer, then crossed his arms over his chest, tilting his head.

"I'm Cesc. Nice to meet you!" Cesc slowly extended his hand.

"Goose." With a definite snap of his head, the Zangoose turned away, slapping Cesc's hand away. Cesc blinked at the gesture, meaning that the pokemon clearly did not respect him or his leadership, or even his friendship. Then he realized that the pokemon had been rescued from a blood-duel with his hated enemy, Seviper. He'd interfered in something incredibly deep seated.

"I'm sorry, you know." Cesc folded his arms too, feeling a little hurt at this rejection. "You were about to die. I had to save you."

The Zangoose clearly heard, and more than likely understood; it didn't mean he was happy about it.

"While you may have rather died, I wouldn't have like to see that at all, so...now you're with me, whether you like it or not. So now we need a name."

The Zangoose turned his attention back to his new trainer, glaring directly at Cesc's eyes, prompting the next thought:

"What, art thou drawn among these heartless hinds? Turn thee, Seviper, look upon thy death." Cesc quoted, smiling brightly "I'll give you a deadly and vengeful name: Tybalt."

The Zangoose wasn't quite sure who or what a Tybalt was, but the words 'deadly' and 'vengeful' he understood. Tybalt nodded approvingly, evidently pleased with his new name. It seemed, already, that in the simple act of being given an appropriate name, Zangoose was already having an easier time accepting Cesc, even if it was by a marginal amount. Cesc returned his new companion into the pokeball. It was time to meet Branwys for dinner after all. He took off the suit-coat, setting it onto the coat-rack. He rolled up his sleeves a bit and untucked his shirt, letting it fall lazily over the brim of his pants. Gently taking out the cufflinks and placing them in his pockets, he rolled up his sleeves, then proceeded to loosen his tie, and unbutton the top button...then next button of his shirt. Since it was mostly the suit that had gotten a bit dirty, especially from carrying a Glameow, he didn't mind the rest of his ensemble appearing a bit more casual. Adjusting his fedora, he took a quick glance in the window, attempting to catch his reflection.

This was a passable look. Not his best, but he didn't have the luxury of a change of clothes.

With that, he made his way over to Branwys' room, rapping smartly on the door.

[Master Houndoom]

"Just a moment!"

Branwys jumped off her bed when she heard the knock. She stepped toward the door, then, thinking twice, dashed into the bathroom to get a look at herself.

The dress she was wearing was one of the few that she had ordered specifically to fit her. It was a cream colored dress that went all the way down to her mid-thigh, flaring out at the hips. There were sleeves, but they were little more than shoulder covering and opened from where the collarbone met her shoulder, sweeping downward in a graceful arc to just below the top of her sternum. Her hair, usually up in twin ponytails, was let down and brushed simply to reach just barely to the base of her neck. She wore make up, however one could only tell if they'd seen her face without it, or if they knew exactly what to look for.

She turned, checking to make sure the back of her dress was straight, and then, not wanting to keep Cesc waiting for much longer, made her way to the door. Having had experience, she had opted for a pair of elegant shoes that had only one inch of height in the heel. It wasn't as if high heels added enough to make a difference, and ending the night with a turned ankle wasn't a very appealing option.

She patted Dimo's skull helm. "You did so good today, Dimo. But I need you to go in the ball for now, OK?" He looked at her, his face unreadable, hidden as it was by the skull mask, and then shrugged. Branwys held up the pokéball and clicked the button to recall Dimo. In a flash of red light he, his bone, and his helmet with the feather ruff were gone.

Tinka waited on Branwys' purse, a smaller version of her bag. Inside was her Trainer's card, her pokédex, and the present she had made for Cesc, plus a few odds and ends and a small tool kit. One never knew when one might have to fix something. Tinka set herself into a special bracket made for her by Branwys, identical to the one on her larger messenger bag, and looked like nothing more than a decoration.

Finally, Branwys was ready. She stepped up to the door, opened it, and stood for a moment, allowing Cesc to take her in and for her to get a good look in return. "Half of the night is presentation", she remembered her sister, Zeetha, saying. She would know. She planned parties, from children's birthdays to elegant soirees, for a living.

Still, it was odd taking fashion and etiquette advice from a woman with green hair.

~*~*~*~*~

"Oh, no, I just don't think you've had anything like a Castelia Cone!" Branwys smiled fondly, her eyes alight with memories of the frozen treat. "And now they've started mixing in berries and other flavors, it's much more popular than ever!. They're thinking of expanding their shop on Mode Street, and even expanding to Nimbasa! "

She had spent the night like this, describing life in Unova and listening to Cesc in turn. The restaurant was a nice place with decent atmosphere, yet affordable at the same time. Placed on the old wharf when the new one had been installed to accept passenger liners as well as fishing boats, St. Michel made its business thrive by advertising "fancy French meals without the fancy French price!" Of course, being by the sea, the main staple was seafood, but that suited Branwys just fine. It wasn't much different than Castelia.

She leaned forward, sipping her sparkling water. She had been tempted to order the wine, but when the waiter put the kiddie menu in front of her, she knew she'd have been in for a fight (and possibly a battle), and felt it would be better, just this once, to capitulate. She did, however, insist on a normal menu. One didn't come to a French Restaurant and get a hamburger!

So they sat, and talked, and Branwys waited, with baited breath, for Cesc to acknowledge that she was an adult and not a little kid like he seemed to think before.

[Kamaitachi]

Cesc fought quite hard to keep his jaw from dropping. Branwys was clearly, and very clearly not a child. Between taking in the fairly stunning, albeit small, image before him, and chastising himself for treating her like a child, he wasn't quite sure how to say "hello".

"Oh Hi!" He said, blinking as he obviously looked her up and down, mixtures of awe and confusion swishing through his face.

* * *

"I gotta say, Castelia Cone's sound delicious." Cesc grinned, "But back in the Under, we had Undercakes. They're not much more than funnel cakes, and the name makes them sound like they belong in a bathroom, but they're absolutely delicious. You could get them topped with Nutella and berry preserves, and oh man, so good!"

Cesc had listened to Branwys with fairly rapt attention, and had even gone so far as to explain his life as a rapscallion and scamp in the Under.

Now that he'd payed close attention to his date, and now that said date wasn't wearing pigtails and what could essentially be described as everyday clothes, but was in fact, in a fairly elegant dress with her hair down. She was drinking Sparkling Water, (he'd somehow found himself assuming that she'd order a shirley temple), and was holding a full on conversation with him. He simply had to brave the question now, despite the potential embarassment it'd cause him:

"Branwys, I know it's impolite to ask a lady her age, but how old are you?"

[Master Houndoom]

Branwys was still thinking about Undercakes, and Undercakes with a Castelia Scoop on top was just beginning to make her want to order desert when the question finally broke through those thoughts. She fixed her eyes on Cesc, breaking into a slow, delighted smile.

"It's about time," she cooed. "I was starting to wonder if you were going to think I was ten forever." She leaned back in her chair, looking him up and down. "I'm twenty two now. I'll be twenty three in a couple of months."

She grinned at him, leaning forward again. "You know, I really can't blame you. More than the height, all of the clothing remotely in my size is for little girls, or else I have to have it specially made for me, and that can get really expensive. Not to mention my hair. I just prefer to put it up that way. It keeps it out of my face and from interfering with my hands when I'm working on a project." She blushed, looking down at her plate. "I can be a bit hyper, too," she said, sheepishly. "I just can't help it. I get excited sometimes." She looked up at Cesc, looking right in his eyes. "It takes a while for people to realize I'm not a little kid. Even back home. I mean, I don't think Zola, one of my sisters, really understands that now, and she was in her early twenties when I was born!"

Branwys took a long look at Cesc. She knew a lot about him now, a lot more than he possibly might have told a little kid. She'd heard about his time in the Under, and how he came here, and, of course, about his aunt and uncle's business. She still wanted to order a fedora from them. If he survived the trip home...

"Oh!" She smiled sheepishly. "Before I forget... and... I will," she said, blushing, "I want to give you this."

She reached into the purse that she had insisted not be checked (it had Tinka on it, after all), and pulled out the now folded mess of straps from within. She placed it on the table between her and Cesc. "It's... well, it's a harness for the next time you ride a skarmory. Most steel types have ferrous skin, meaning there's actually traces of iron in it. I doubt your ride would let you strap a harness to him, but with these magnets," she said, indicating the ends of each strap, "he won't be able to stop you, and he won't be able to throw you off."

She blushed, suddenly self-conscious at the gift. "I... I hope you like it."

[Kamaitachi]

"Well damn!" Cesc laughed as Branwys revealed her age. He felt absolutely wonderful now that he didn't need to censor himself, verbally, as he wasn't in the presence of a child.

This didn't mean that there weren't children within earshot anyways, but no one cared about them. Not even their parents.

"Bran, I would never have pegged you for someone a few months older than me."

She then explained practically everything about her appearance and behaviour that had fed his assumptions about his age. He nodded, smiling, almost more relaxed now that the cat was out of the bag. Then, it sort of tugged like an awful feeling at the back of his head. This was a very pretty girl sitting with him at a Fancy French restaurant, and she wasn't half of his age!

She then presented him with a present.

"A harness. Brilliant!" Cesc lifted it up "That old bolt-brain won't be able to throw me off at all!" He smiled brightly at the young lady before him, quite blatantly pleased with the gift. "I love it!"

He then scanned through his own brain for a moment, wondering what sort of gift he could come up with in return. She'd spent the entire day on it, since he mentioned it offhandedly that Speed the Skarmory enjoyed bucking him off of his metal mount. (Well, she'd also witnessed it first-hand.)

"How about this." Cesc leaned forward "In return, and I insist that I give you a gift in return, I'll design an outfit for Dimo and some accessories for Tinka. I'm sure my Aunt would be happy to make them for you. I'll bet I can also get you a discount on some clothes for yourself too, you know?" As the night had progressed, Cesc found an increasing sense of enjoyment. "And, you know, when she makes them, I'll have to deliver them to you. That's my job, after all!"

[Master Houndoom]

Branwys looked at Cesc, concentrating on his eyes. After the initial annoyance of being thought of as a child, he was quite handsome. And nice, in his own way. She briefly wondered if he was a trainer who specialized in Musicals. Branwys had been to Nimbasa a few times to catch the musicals, and the performance of Madame Beautifly was still able to make her cry. Of course, she didn't understand the words, since all the performers were pokémon, but that was the beauty of the musicals: Pokémon could be exposed to human culture, and grow closer to their trainers, and humans could be touched without having to rely on words. And the performance she had seen of "Three Little Muks From School" was more graceful than she could have guessed.

His question about making outfits for Dimo and accessories for Tinka literally almost made her squeal, but she managed to hold it in with just the outer evidence, her eyes nearly closing in delight and a minor wiggle of her bum, which, because she was sitting at a table in a decently fancy restaurant, was more than likely hidden from view.

"Yes! I would love that! I mean, Dimo's particular about what he wears, but I bet if it looked like a military coat he would love it! And Tinka acts as my accessory, I bet she'd love to be prettied up!"

"Klink" came a sound from her purse, and Branwys smiled down toward her feet. "I think that's a yes."

She looked at Cesc again, smiling softly. In her mind, however, there was a turmoil, a flood. Calm yourself, Brannycakes, came a harder version of her own voice. He's twice your height and you've only just met him today. Besides, he's spent most of the day thinking you're a little girl! So no, you're not in love with him just because he started paying attention to the fact that you're not.

That blew Branwys right out of her reverie. Love? Lord above. Was she really trying to trick herself into love?

Well, she was all right now.

Besides, it may not be love, she thought, admiring the cut of his clothing again, but was there anything wrong with a little bit of innocent lust?

[Kamaitachi]

Cesc was definitely thinking along the lines of lust, but perhaps his 22 year old mind was thinking more about the not-so-innocent aspects of it. The classier part of his brain, though, gently nagged that he'd just met the girl, and he'd spent most of the day thinking she was a pre-teen, which tended to complicate things ever so slightly.

"I can definitely design something militaristic for Dimo. I was almost thinking more matador, with the gold plume on his skull. I bet he'd get a kick out of a dashing shoulder cape.

As for Tinka, I was thinking little magnetic bows to match her trainer's."

The bill came, and Cesc, in a gentlemanly maneuver, pushed it over to Branwys, smiling winningly. Hopefully, this would dismay her and get her dander up. When she'd open it, however, there would be a blank sheet of paper. Cesc had already paid the bill! It had probably happened when he went to the bathroom.

"I hate arguing, because I always lose" he shrugged "So I just paid the bill secretly earlier, so we wouldn't quabble over who paid. And don't pout, I'm more than happy to have treated you to dinner, especially since you saved our butts back in the Warehouse, then made me this bitchin' harness." Once again, he found himself in great relief to be able to use potty words. There are things people simply take for granted; swearing being the foremost of them.

He flashed another smile over at her, with his cheeky, slightly lopsided grin. "When I get home tonight, I'll design some things for Dimo and Tinka, and I'll deliver them to you. But, I need to know where to find you, so..." he moved over to her side of the table and dramatically took a knee, holding her hand in his "Would you do me the great honour of telling me your phone number?"

There was some suspenseful silence as the captive restaurant audience watched them. For all intents and purposes, it looked like he was proposing marriage, but really, he was just being dramatic.

[Master Houndoom]

Branwys giggled as Cesc moved in front of her, kneeling, asking, politely, for her phone number. "Oh, yes, yes!" she proclaimed loudly enough for the now curious spectators, who were likely anticipating a proposal. "I will give you my phone number!"

That elicited a groan from the young couple behind them, and a chuckle from the older man and woman sitting with what might have been their grand children. Before too long, anyone watching was concentrating on their own meals again, and Cesc had sat down.

Branwys fished a piece of paper out of her purse, and a pen, and jotted down the sixteen digit identifier that would call her cell phone. After a bit of thought, she added the number to the XTransciever on her C-Gear. It wasn't great for cell-to-C-Gear communications, not yet, but it would do in a pinch. After all, Branwys had heard that other regional devices were developing compatible apps for C-Gear communications.

All too soon the night was dwindling to a close, and there was dessert, then the check (sneakily paid for, though Branwys was well used to paying for dinners; she had fixed him with a mock glare as he explained. And it was a gallant gesture...) and the walk back to her hotel.

"Let me know how that works," she said, searching for anything she could think of by now to extend the night. She had felt like she was walking on air on the walk back; now that it was over, she was floundering to keep that feeling going. "The harness, I mean. And be safe! And... um..."

There was no more time. She looked down, then back up, smiling gently. "I had a wonderful time tonight. Thank you." She opened her door, but did not go inside.

There was one more thing she had left to do, had wanted to do, and she motioned for him to wait. Flushing bright red, she dragged a chair over to the door way. Climbing up on it, she found she still didn't have the height she needed, but was able to stand precariously on her tip toes, lean up and kiss =Cesc on the cheek, right on the corner of his mouth.

When she rocked back, standing flat on her feet on the chair again, she smiled, flushed, and watched him for a reaction.

[Kamaitachi]

"You know, battling a crime ring makes an excellent set-up for dinner." Cesc laughed, "but yeah, I really, really enjoyed myself tonight, so thank you! I didn't picture today being so lovely."

The next thing he knew, Branwys had reached up and planted a kiss right on the corner of his mouth. As she leaned in, he was half-tempted to turn his face a fraction, in order to receive the kiss full on and return it with equal gusto. Instead, he flushed a shade to match hers, and smiled equally sheepishly.

"Wow." was all he managed to muster, unable to contain his obvious pleasure. He fumbled around, a bit awkwardly, as he blushed, not exactly sure how to respond to such a thing, so he opted with.

"I...uh...I...I'll let you know how the harness works, as Speed should be here any moment."

As if on cue, the Skarmory dropped out of the sky, landing on the grunt with a disgruntled "Skar". Cesc immediately slipped the device on and jumped onto the Metal Bird, which was how he perceived that the contraption worked. To his surprise, he found himself quite firmly attached to his mount, and wiggled about in an attempt to see how much room he had.

"Well, I'll see you around, Branwys." then he leaned forward, winking at her "Sooner, rather than later."

With that, the Skarmory took to the sky, and very shortly found himself confused at the fact that his charge was not having the same difficulty staying on board as he did before. However, that ornery bird was already devising ways to make his rider even more miserable than before.

Before long, Cesc was nothing more than a little blip in the sky, but he didn't once stop waving back.

[Master Houndoom]

Branwys had practically floated back to her room on a cloud, but after a shower and getting dressed for bed, she was back down on the earth. At least,, for long enough to call home.

"Hi, Theo!"

Branwys had a large family, courtesy of her father's first marriage. Four boys, now men, and four girls, now women, all lived in the same house since they were little ones, and now had their own families and little ones there as well. The Muphenz patriarch was big on family togetherness, and, being the mogul of a huge corporation, was also fluid enough financially to make this work.

Branwys' mother had been the second Muphenz wife, the first having passed due to a tragic illness. The kindest of the public paid no attention to her death. The least kind blamed the fact that she had so many children.

Branwys had been raised in a house with six teens and college age siblings, and each had made an effort to remain close to her, from giving her pokemon advice to acting as a second mother. Theopholus, the youngest of her brothers, however, was one of the few who had treated her as an equal from the time she could talk.

"So, sprout," he began, his rich baritone voice already soothing Branwys' homesickness. It had been him who would read to her as a child when her mother or father couldn't. "How was your first day in the Mysterious Land?"

Branwys had tried to hold her excitement in, but couldn't. She ended up telling him, over the next hour, and in great detail, about her adventure that day, and her almost-date that night.

"And he asked for my phone number! I gave him my C-Gear number, too--"

"Oh, hey, kid, I forgot to tell you," Theo cut in. "I did some checking, and XTransceiver communications won't be in Furoh for a while. Dad's paying to push it as fast as possible, of course, but he can only provide so much, you know?"

"Oh. Well, he's still got my cell number..." Branwys, sitting at the little desk in her room, stopped short, gave a squeak, and then let her head drop, at a decent speed, to the desk.

"The phone you lost overboard on the ship? Zola's still going on about that."

"Awww, man!"

This RP is over!