Centipede Screams and Isopod Dreams

[Venominon]

As Shinya prowled through the underground tunnels in search of victims that his Pokemon could turn into experience, Yanma continued to cling to the top of his head, smiling and contently humming Team Skull's theme song. The Clear Wing Pokemon's behavior was enough to make Shinya smile too, glancing up at her for a brief moment before facing the path ahead of him once again. Shinya had always enjoyed the sweet sounds of Yanma's cheerful voice, even if it did make it rather difficult to hear anything else that may have been happening around them. And on that note, it was hard to tell at first, but suddenly, Shinya began to feel like they were being watched by someone or something. Still, this was little more than a feeling.

So, as a means of testing said feeling, the Bug type trainer kept quiet and continued to walk through the tunnel, picking up his pace little by little as the seconds rolled by. Doing this, Shinya knew that if anything was tailing them, it would either reveal itself or make a mistake sooner or later. Fortunately for the Team Skull grunt, it was sooner, as the sound of metal clanging against brick reached his years after another minute had gone by. "Busted!" Shinya suddenly shouted out, then turned on his heels and ran towards the source of the sound as fast as his legs could carry him. And that was when Shinya and Yanma came face to face with a wild Magnemite, with Shinya grinning his usual grin at the lone Magnet Pokemon.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A floatin' piece of trash lookin' for a one-way ticket to the dump. Ya know, it ain't cool to stalk other people and Pokemon like you've been doin'. Guess Team Skull will have to teach ya a lesson. A painful lesson." Shinya said to the Magnemite in a very devious and threatening tone of voice, slowly reaching for a Pokeball from his bag as he did, activating the device once he had it in his grip. "Sizzlipede, come on out and show this scrub what happens to those who cross Team Skull!" The Alolan trainer tossed the Pokeball up into the air, and out came a red hot, burning centipede, with a fiery glare that very nearly put his own flames to shame. Nearly.

"I finally get to burn another scrub alive?! Hell yeah! It's about damn time! Let's get it on! I'm burnin', and I'm gonna keep burnin' until this floatin', metal scrub is nothin' but a puddle on the floor!" The Radiator Pokemon was clearly extremely fired up. Pun absolutely intended. All the while, Yanma started to hum Team Skull's theme song even louder, hoping to fire up her teammate even further. It certainly worked on Shinya. That was for sure. "Keep it up, Yanma! And Sizzlipede, hit this disrespectful scrub hard with your Flame Wheel! Two of 'em if ya have to!" As with all their bouts, that was all Sizzlipede needed to hear, wrapping himself in flames, rolling up into a wheel of fire, then speeding straight towards the Electric/Steel type, using some nearby debris like a ramp to gain some air.

OOC: Running Shoes used if need be. Two Flame Wheels.

[Marchbaby]

As the Magnemite prepared to strike it was not prepared for how quickly a Sizzlipede could strike and within seconds the fiery insect had lit itself ablaze in a wheel of flame before speeding towards the magnet Pokemon. Seconds later a violent collision resulted in a massive amount of damage but Magnemite was still able to battle despite taking such a powerful hit. It managed to rub it's magnets against it's steel body causing a horrible Screech to lower the Sizzlipede's defense but failed at both that and to cause any damage in return as Sizzlipede summoned a cloud of White Smoke to block Magnemite's line of sight leaving it unable to aim the sound of the screech properly.

By now there was no real chance for the magnet to make a comeback and as the Sizzlipede made another flame covered pass the Magnemite could only watch hopelessly as it approached. A few seconds later the battle was over as the Magnemite slammed against a brick wall knocked out cold from the second impact.

Sizzlipede gained 1200 exp and 1 happiness. They now have 1692/2269 exp needed to level up and 15 happiness (MAX)


Magnemite Move 1:iNdSIjdXp_1-4
Flame Wheel Crit?p_1-161-4·1-16

[Venominon]

Getting to see Sizzlipede burn some chump alive was very amusing for Shinya and Yanma to watch, but it wasn't anything they hadn't seen plenty of times before. However, this Magnemite presented them with a rare opportunity indeed. For the first time since he joined Team Skull, Sizzlipede finally got the chance to show off his ability, White Smoke, and what it could do. And even though it obscured their view of the battle's conclusion, it was still quite the spectacle. At least as far as Shinya and Yanma were concerned. "Woohoo! Alright, Sizzlipede! I will never get sick of watchin' you do what you do best! Oh yeah!" Filled with excitement, and an increased lust for carnage, Yanma cheered her fellow Bug type on from her place atop Shinya's head.

But then, that's when Shinya noticed something strange about his Radiator Pokemon, raising one eyebrow as he looked down at said Pokemon. Even though the battle was over, Sizzlipede's entire body was still burning hot, showing absolutely no signs of cooling down. In fact, it looked like it was getting even hotter by the second. So hot, that Shinya was forced to take a step backwards. "Woah there! You feelin' okay, Sizzlipede? Maybe ya should take a little break." The Team Skull grunt reached for Sizzlipede's Pokeball, figuring that some time inside of it would do the Bug/Fire type some good. Unfortunately, it looked as though Sizzlipede had other plans in mind.

"Break?! BREAK?! I don't need no stickin' break! I need somethin' else to burn! Ya hear what I'm sayin'?! I'm an eternal flame, bossman!" With his attitude growing almost as hot as his flames, Sizzlipede quickly spun himself into another Flame Wheel, then proceeded to speed down the tunnel in search of more opponents to light on fire. This turn of events immediately caught Shinya and Yanma by surprise, but Shinya shook it off quickly enough, then quickly began to chase down his runaway Pokemon. "Hey! Sizzlipede! Get back here! Not cool!" Shinya had to be careful as he ran though, making sure to avoid Sizzlipede's trail of fire. "Literally!" Yanma shouted out a little joke, then giggled to herself a bit. "But seriously, wait up, Sizzlipede! Where's the fire?!" The Clear Wing Pokemon made another little joke and couldn't resist the urge to giggle some more.

[Pixel]

As Shinya had his moment with Sizzlipede, there was a growl and a spark and a clatter. Up the hall, if one walked a short ways, was a series of beaten up old vending machines. They weren't abandoned, but clearly the locals had taken to vandalizing them over the years. And he would see that the local pokemon joined in the fun.

Sitting there, looking quite focused, was a little green pup full of sparks and vigor. It fluffed up and SLAMMED into the vending machine, sending electricity scattering, the machine beeping in alarm. It yipped, tail twitching. <Give up the food! GIVE!> it demanded, baring its teeth before running in a tight circle and lunging again.

BAM.

BAM!

<Give me the food!>

It hungered. And that hunger could only be sated by chips.

---

Electrike (Level 24) is trying to snag a snack

Shiny?dxhb|PtXp_1-42
Rare?p_1-6
Uncommon?p_1-3
Alola? 35% chance: 1-20 yes, 21-100 no: p_1-100
Which uncommon? p_1-3

1-42·1-6·1-3·1-100·1-3

[Venominon]

While the Lightning Pokemon was busy trying to crack open a vending machine for some chips, Sizzlipede was still speeding down the tunnel with his Flame Wheel. The Radiator Pokemon was on a real hot streak. Literally. All the while, Shinya chased after his Bug/Fire type as fast as he could, with Yanma still clinging to the top of his head. "Sizzlipede! C'mon! This ain't funny! Just stop already!" Shinya tried calling out to his Pokemon, and even tried to call him back to his Pokeball a few times, but the heat coming off of Sizzlipede was so intense that the beam of energy from the Pokeball fizzled out before it got anywhere near the red hot Pokemon.

"Seriously, bud! I like a good trail of destruction probably more than the next Pokemon, but this feels a little excessive!" Yanma tried calling out to Sizzlipede too and tried to use her Psychic attack to stop or at least slow him down. But sadly, she didn't have any better luck than Shinya did on the matter. And so, Sizzlipede's aimless trail of flames and destruction continued down the underground tunnel, heading straight for the wild Electrike. "You're gonna need more than sunscreen to stop me! Burnin'! Burnin'! Burnin'! Hot! Hot! Hot!" Sizzlipede's boundless and unexpected surge of red-hot energy drove him to pick a fight with the first living thing he saw. And unfortunately for Electrike, that was him in this case.

OOC: Running Shoes used. Two Flame Wheels.

[Tiki]

The Sizzlipede was rolling in the tunnel with flame engulfing his long body. The Electrike was charging up for a Quick Attack when the Sizzlipede got close, and instead of the vending machine, the canine slammed onto the duo type to stop his trek. "Quit playing and come help me break this thing open!" The Electrike demanded, as if the Sizzlipede would have the same goal in mind.

However, the fire type quickly rolled back up into a roll of fire once again, and slammed the electric type instead. The bug type declined in participation of more chips when his heat would be spicy enough. The dog barked in pain and then scuttled away to find another vending machine to meddle with, and maybe other recruits to knock the vending machine down, if it wasn't bolted down already.

---

Electrike move H_28srUpp_1-4
Electrike used Quick Attack!
p_1-4


Sizzlipede +1200 exp!
He is now Level 28!
623/2437 to next level!


Sizzlipede can evolve to Centiskorch! Intervene?

1-4·1-4

[Venominon]

This was quite possibly Team Skull's shortest battle yet, as Shinya and Yanma looked on in astonishment of Sizzlipede's sudden rise in heat and power. True, he had always been a force to be reckoned with, but there was something different about him this time for sure. Fortunately, it looked like that victory had been enough to make him finally stop rolling. The Radiator Pokemon put out the flames engulfing his body, came to a stop, and turned to face Shinya and Yanma, as the two of them finally caught up to him. "Phew! Glad he finally stopped. I was startin' to think I'd have to use Psychic on him or somethin'." Yanma commented, relieved that it didn't come to that, still clinging to the top of Shinya's head.

"Yeah, but what the heck was all that about, Sizzlipede? Ya just ran off outta nowhere and ya weren't listenin' to me at all. Care to explain, bud?" Shinya looked down at the Bug/Fire type and started questioning him, raising one eyebrow as he waited for his Pokemon's answer. But although the flames were out, Sizzlipede's body was still radiating with intense heat. And it was glowing too. "Sorry there, boss! I don't know what happened! I just felt so much energy! In fact, I'm still feelin' a lot of energy! Even more than before! It feels like I'm about to...to..." Sizzlipede's eyes widened with shock, as the glow suddenly got brighter, enveloping his entire body as a result.

In the midst of all that light, Sizzlipede began to grow in size, changing shape as well. For a moment, Shinya and Yanma were forced to shield their eyes from all that light. But once they adjusted to it, they both got another shock, with plenty of awe mixed in this time too. "AH!...Boss...is this what I think it is?" Yanma asked about this very surprising turn of events, not daring to look away for even a second. And as the reality slowly sunk in, Shinya found himself grinning and chuckling a little too, finding this surprise to be a very pleasant one. "Looks to me like it is, Yanma. Sizzlipede is evolvin'. Guess that's what all the extra energy was about."

After another minute, the light finally faded away, revealing a brand-new Bug/Fire type in the place of Team Skull's trusty Sizzlipede. "Woah!...I feel...I feel...way hotter! Stronger too! I'm not sure what just happened to me, but I love it!" Shinya's newly evolved Centiskorch proudly and excitedly proclaimed, moving his brand-new body all around and turning up the heat on it too. Naturally, his fire burned much brighter and hotter now. "I'm lovin' it too. Congrats, pal. Ya evolved into Centiskorch. Team Skull's improvin' by leaps and bounds, and I couldn't be happier with our progress. Nice work." Shinya continued to grin at his newly evolved Pokemon, feeling extremely happy and proud with these results to say the least.

"I'll say! Ya look so awesome now, Sizz- Sorry! I mean, Centiskorch! Not that ya didn't look awesome before, but ya know what I mean!" Yanma was extremely excited herself, smiling happily as she left Shinya's head and started to flutter all around her bigger and stronger friend and teammate. Hearing these words from his trainer and comrade, and finally getting used to his new body, Centiskorch started grinning too, already burning red hot for some more action. "Well, alright. Let's go find some more chumps to broil alive. I wanna give this new strength a test drive." Shinya grinned right back at Centiskorch, nodding his head at the Radiator Pokemon as well.

"Sounds like a heck of a plan, my friend. But don't forget, the rest of our friends need some trainin' too. Don't worry. You'll get your chance to flex your new powers, Centiskorch. But for now, let's take a break." As much as the Bug type trainer would've enjoyed watching Centiskorch set fire to even more of the Goldenrod Tunnel, he decided to give someone else a chance to shine now, recalling Centiskorch back to his Pokeball for the time being. After that, Yanma returned to the top of Shinya's head, and Shinya resumed roaming through the tunnels in search of more foes for them to face. "Hey, boss. Do ya think I'll be that cool when I finally evolve too?" Yanma asked her trainer with hope in her voice, and Shinya maintained his grin as he answered. "Totally, Yanma. And I can't wait to see it happen someday."

OOC: Naturally, I will have Shinya's Sizzlipede evolve into Centiskorch. Thanks so much!

[Avalon]

Shinya and his bugs had been making mincemeat of the local wildlife and Trainers for how long now? With the lack of a sun or any external light source from which to compare the time of day against, it was rather hard to say. But considering Cizzlipede had now blossomed into a fully grown Centiskorch, it was hard to argue with the results of the former Grunt's training.

Of course, all the noise and hubbub was bound to disturb some fellow traveler through the tunnels sooner of later. This particular traveler was a rolling stone gathering no moss. Or a rolling metal ball gathering no rust, if one really wanted to get pedantic about it. Some foolhardy Trainer had thought it would be so simple, to try and win at Voltorb Flip by bringing his own Voltorb. Of course, he had not realized that the Voltorbs in the game were just cards and that there would be no way of sneaking his own mon into the line-up. Humiliated and embarassed, he had abandoned his Coin Case and released his Pokemon in the tunnels in frustration before storming off to try and make it big by scalping tickets to the next recording of the DJ Mary Show.

Of course, that left a rather irritable Voltorb to roam the underground tunnels, seeing the bright light and fanfare of Centiskorch's evolution. Simmering with anger, the ball let out a metallic screech and rolled toward them at high speed, barking out at them. "Human! Allow me to take my anger out on you!" the words were clearly not a request, more an indication of what was to come.

A wild Voltorb (Level 24) has appeared!
What will Shinya do?

Shiny? 0R0ZJJUGp_1-42

SPOILER: Click to show

Rare? p_1-6 Uncommon? p_1-3
Encounter? p_1-2

1-42·1-6·1-3·1-2

[Venominon]

It was true. The Goldenrod Tunnel had no skylights, clocks, or any means of telling what time it was in the world outside the rather rundown environment. Of course, Shinya could've easily checked the time on his phone, but he was far too caught up in his training for anything like that. And why wouldn't he be? Sizzlipede's evolution into Centiskorch had really lit a fire inside the Alolan trainer. This was only his second taste of the miracle that was evolution since his journey through Johto began, and he was hungry for more. Grinning ear to ear, with his Yanma still cling to the top of his head, Shinya continued to venture through the tunnels, eager to find more opponents, defeat them, and cause another of his Pokemon to evolve before this training session was over.

Granted, Shinya wasn't sure which of his Pokemon would evolve next, or if any of them were even close to evolving to begin with, but none of that mattered to him at this time. This trainer of all things creepy crawly was on a mission, and come hell or high water, he was gonna see it through to the end. Of course, there was always the possibility that their next foe would find them first. A fact which Yanma and her incredible eyesight picked up on, spotting the approaching Ball Pokemon and informing her master right away. "Heads up, boss. Looks like we've got company." Upon hearing the Clear Wing Pokemon's words, Shinya came to a full stop, then slowly turned around to face the now wild Electric type.

Unfortunately for this Voltorb, it should've chosen its words, and its opponent, more carefully, as Shinya didn't take too kindly to the red and white orb's request. "Excuse me?! Listen, ya little paperweight, I am nobody's punchin' bag! But if you're lookin' for trouble, then I think you'll make a pretty good punchin' bag for one of my bugs! Anorith, front and center!" The green-haired young man reached for his own red and white orb, tossed it onto the ground between him and Voltorb, and out came Team Skull's snoozing fossil Pokemon. Literally. Anorith was still sound asleep, with her big eyes closed and a little snot bubble coming out of her nose, despite the impending danger she was now being forced to face.

Yanma wasn't too pleased with this, sweatdropping before raising her voice and yelling at her fellow Bug type, attempting to rouse her from her slumbered state. "Yo, Anorith! How can you be sleepin' at a time like this?! Wake up and start battlin' now! You're makin' the boss look bad here!" Sadly, Yanma got no reaction from Anorith, as the Old Shrimp Pokemon simply continued to snooze away, looking to be having quite the pleasant dream to boot. "It's cool, Yanma! Just watch this! Anorith, use Dig now!" Shinya didn't look or sound worried at all, continuing to grin as he gave Anorith her orders for this battle. And it seemed that his faith was well placed, as just as she had done before, Anorith began to move in her sleep, carrying out her orders and digging her way underground, much to Yanma's wide-eyed shock. "...I don't believe what I'm seein'."

OOC: Running Shoes used, if that'll help the whole Dig two turns thing. Thanks.

[Pixel]

<Yeah I am looking for trouble!> The voltorb retorted. <I am having the WORST day because humans are idiots! So come at me! I'm gonna take you down. Make you regret coming down here into the tunnels.> Vibrating with energy, the voltorb quickly charged up and sent out a beam of electricity at the anorith before it dug below the earth. <COME BACK HERE!> Zzzzz. ZAP ZAP. It electrocuted the ground around where Anorith vanished. <I wasn't done with you! Now get back up here and take my revenge head on, you coward!> The belligerent voltorb clearly wasn't thinking of anyone but itself and its own frustrations. Even Shinya was being ignored in favor of the pokemon it had decided would be its punching bag for zaps.

However, the fossil was much, much stronger than the voltorb, and upon emerging from the ground, slammed the voltorb into next week. It rolled off into the shadows from the impact, unable to continue battling.

---

Anorith gained +1200

2142/2269 exp to next level
+1 happiness

[Venominon]

As Voltorb rolled off into the shadows in defeat, and Yanma continued to process the reality of Anorith's sleep fighting, Shinya smirked and chuckled some more. "Well, if nothin' else, that's one thing we can agree on. Humans are indeed a stupid race full of idiots. The trick is learnin' how to be just smart enough to use that to your advantage. If ya can even hear me right now, I do hope you'll be like me and make good use of that advice one day." Shinya voiced his two cents to the probably now unconscious Ball Pokemon, then called the still slumbering Anorith back to her Pokeball so that she could continue her rest in peace, without fear of being attacked by some outside force.

It was around that time when Yanma finally finished processing the things she had just seen, shaking her head a few times before shouting out in amazement. "Okay, what the heck?! I had no idea Anorith could do anythin' like that! I guess we all really underestimated her, huh boss?! All this time, I thought she was just a gigantic lazy ass, but she's not so bad after all!" The Clear Wing Pokemon had sparkles in her eyes as she spoke, already planning to question her teammate about this the very moment she arose from her slumber. But for now, Yanma's reaction caused Shinya to chuckle some more, as he stuck his hands into his pockets and continued to venture down the tunnel before him. "All in good time, Yanma. Now, c'mon. Let's find ya some chumps to beatdown."

[Pixel]

In times of crisis, there were always folks who took advantage of the distraction to get up to no good. Now that they were deeper in the tunnel and further from the explosion site, there were far fewer people and it was almost eerily quiet in stretches of the tunnel. Between abandoned businesses and evacuated social areas, it was practically a ghost town. One could easily imagine a gastly floating about, causing mischief and being spooky.

However, as Shinya walked, he would hear voices a little further down.

"I said, not interested. Now go away. I want to get out of this tunnel, the freakin' roof caved in! Hey! Let go of me!" A woman was clearly unhappy with the other party, her tone more irate than afraid. She followed up that scolding with what was very clearly a slap by the sound of it. By the time Shinya reached the site of the argument, the man had one hand on his cheek and the woman was adjusting her bag. Clearly, she grew up on the rough side of town and didn't take nonsense from anybody, even brutes twice her size. "When a lady says no, you walk away, loser! Oh my god, were you raised in a barn by a herd of tauros or something? Learn some manners!" She stomped on his foot and he tried to grab her again, but she ducked, avoiding the hand and spotting Shinya. Her face lit up and she ran over to him. "Hey you! You got pokemon, right? This jerk won't leave me alone. Could you like, distract him as I ditch this place?"

"OI! COME BACK HERE! WE AINT DONE TALKIN', BI—"

"OH HELL YES WE ARE DONE TALKING, YOU MANKEY BRAINED NUNCE!" she screeched back, before smiling sweetly at Shinya. "Please? Help a girl out?"

---

Beauty Kaitlynn is getting harassed by a street thug
Help her out?

Team:
LV 28 Machoke | Guts | Fire Punch^EM, Thunder Punch^EM, Ice Punch^EM, Revenge
LV 28 Haunter | Levitate | Hypnosis, Confuse Ray, Hex, Acid Spray^TM

[Venominon]

Given that he had grown up in a town that looked very much like a ghost town itself, Shinya wasn't so easily frightened by conditions such as these. In fact, he seemed to relish them, taking full advantage of them to get up to some mischief of his own. With smirks upon their faces, the Team Skull grunt and his Yanma smashed in vending machines for snacks and drinks, chucked pieces of debris through any and all glass objects they saw, and spray-painted Team Skull's emblem all over the tunnels to ensure that everyone who saw their trail of destruction knew that it was them who did it. Then, after sharing a few laughs together, Shinya finally called Yanma back to her Pokeball to give her a chance to rest.

For a short while after that, Shinya was all on his own, sticking his hands into his pockets and whistling Team Skull's theme song as he strode deeper and deeper into the Goldenrod Tunnels. As much as he enjoyed causing mischief and mayhem, he sometimes found himself wishing for a real fight. And this time, it seemed Arceus had responded to his wishes. The sounds of some new voices suddenly reached Shinya's ears, causing him to come to a stop, turn in the direction of these voices, and venture towards them out of sheer curiosity. But make no mistake, Shinya was no knight in shining armor. Rather, from the voices and sounds he heard; it sounded like someone was causing some serious trouble. And as far as Shinya was concerned, no one was allowed to cause more trouble than Team Skull.

Upon reaching the scene, the Alolan trainer raised an eyebrow at first, wondering if this was a case of domestic abuse or just some desperate loser who couldn't take "no" for an answer. Either way, Shinya's puzzled facial expression was quickly replaced by an amused smirk, as he found all of this to be rather comical and even chuckled to himself a little bit. Of course, this whole scene wasn't really any of his business, but Shinya didn't care. Not at all. Besides, it looked as though the woman had decided to make it his business, as Shinya lost his smirk the moment she ran over and started hiding behind him. "Uhhh...Excuse you?" Shinya glanced at the woman and asked her a rhetorical question, clearly not too amused about being used as a human shield.

Nevertheless, Shinya listened to Kaitlynn's questions, then gave her his answers one by one. "First off, yeah. Of course, I got Pokemon. What kinda scrub would walk around these tunnels without any Pokemon? Second, yeah. I can see that. Who's he? An ex-boyfriend of yours or somethin'? And third, why should I help ya? What's in it for me, babe?" Before the beauty could answer any of Shinya's questions, the man who had been harassing her suddenly opened his mouth up to yell, which said beauty quickly responded to with some yells of her own, much to Shinya's annoyance. "YO! HOW 'BOUT YA BOTH SHUT THE HELL UP AND QUIT YELLIN' IN MY EAR?!"

Although the other male trainer was clearly bigger than him, Shinya wasn't about to be intimidated by someone who just got his ass handed to him by a woman who probably didn't have any Pokemon of her own. And when that woman smiled at him and asked for his help a second time, he let out a sigh, reach for one of his Pokeballs, and activated the round device. "Fine. Whatever. But ya owe me one, babe. Just remember the name Team Skull. Ya got that?" After passing along Team Skull's name to Kaitlynn, Shinya faced the approaching man again and quickly tossed down his Pokeball in front of him, stopping him in his tracks. "That's far enough, chump! I don't know who this chick is, but if it's a fight ya want, then Team Skull will destroy ya! Now, say hello to Centiskorch!"

The red and white orb burst open, and the temperature in the tunnel instantly rose by about twenty degrees, as the Radiator Pokemon took form and glared at the older male. "Hey there, fatty! Guess you're the first chump I get to burn alive with my new and improved flames! I've been waitin' for this moment!" Centiskorch glared right at the opposing trainer, his entire body glowing and radiating with pure heat, causing the tiles and cement underneath him to begin to melt slightly. "That's right, Centiskorch. Not sure how it happened, but this chump just called us out. And you know what happens to those who carelessly call out Team Skull." Shinya remarked with a smirk and a chuckle, almost as fired up as his Bug/Fire type was for the battle that was about to unfold.

OOC: Shinya chooses to start this battle with Centiskorch. No moves have been called though, since I don't know what his opponent's first Pokemon is gonna be.

[Pixel]

Kaitlynn beamed at Shinya, unbothered by his bluntness. He was the sort she was used to being around anyway. She made sure to simper real sweet when he agreed to help, twisting a bit of hair around her finger. "Of course~ I'm a girl of honor and all that. I wouldn't leave you high and dry after you helped me out." She giggly coyly, keeping up her girlish act despite the fact that she had just gone toe-to-toe with the brick wall of a brute no less than thirty seconds ago. "Anywaaaayyy, that is Dante. And he WISHES he was my ex. No, he's just a class A loser that never learned to take a hint. Apparently being a pretty girl in this world means that I owe him attention if he buys me a drink or pays me a compliment." She huffed. "I was minding my own business, trying to get out of this tunnel after the cave in on the other side, and he very rudely assumed I needed an escort. I told him I was just fine on my own and he grabbed my arm. That's when you showed up, cutie~"

The beauty stayed close behind him. Watched as he sent out his first pokemon.

"Ooooh, that one looks all big and tough!" Well at least she wasn't afraid of bugs? Up this close Shinya would be able to smell her vanilla body lotion and the faint scent of hair spray in her well-styled locks. She tried to grab his arm and hold onto it. Like would recognize like. He could probably tell this was all an act on her part, but everyone did what they had to for the sake of self-preservation in a big, scary world. Kaitlynn keyed up the cutsie and helpless and feminine when she wanted a guy to help her out. Though whether that annoyed or endeared her to the person she was trying to get help from, well, that was always a roll of the dice.

Dante clearly did NOT like the fact that HIS WOMAN was clinging to some random punk and threw a pokeball, revealing a bulky Machoke that instantly started to flex. "GET BACK OVER HERE! WE AINT DONE TALKING!" he growled. "AND BUTT OUT OF THIS, PIPSQUEAK. THAT'S MY GIRL."

"WHAT-EVER! I AM SOOOOOOO NOT YOUR GIRL, CREEPOID!"

---

Street Thug Dante sent out his [LV 28] Machoke

[Venominon]

Hearing the sound of her voice yet again, Shinya turned his head to glance at Kaitlynn as soon as she started talking to him again, but he didn't really buy her words or her act for one second. "Yeah...Somehow I doubt that." Shinya bluntly said to her, figuring that she'll probably just sneak away during the battle or something, while he and Dante are focused on each other. Given his background, Shinya was no stranger to people like her either. And judging by her make up, attire, and the location she had chosen to spend time in, the Bug type specialist guessed that "honor" was most likely not something that this girl was known for. Still, on the off chance that she actually would stick around and keep her word, Shinya could walk away from this confrontation with a brand-new sister-at-arms.

Needless to say, trust wasn't something that Shinya gave out easily. In his eyes, it had to be earned. And earning trust from this Team Skull grunt was anything but easy. Be that as it may, he still heard Kaitlynn out, taking the time to listen to her side of this story at the very least. "Hmph. I see. So, this chump's name is Dante. Not like it matters. Like most other losers I encounter, I'm just gonna stick to "chump" for this guy. Also, don't call me "cutie". That name's Shinya, babe. Shinya Stinger. Got it memorized?" Shinya posed a rhetorical question to the beauty, then immediately pulled his arm away from her when she tried to grab onto it, still not buying her performance for one second.

"Ya know, ya don't have to act like some helpless princess around me either. I'm not savin' your ass outta the goodness of my heart or any of that crap. Nah. Right now, I'm just a bad guy who's made the choice to destroy a worse guy to further my own goals. Get the picture?" The Alolan trainer poses another question to the female, but it wasn't rhetorical this time, and her cutsie routine clearly wasn't working. "Still, you're not the worst lookin' chick I've ever seen, ya got good survival instincts, and ya smell like one of those fancy desserts. I'll give ya that much." Although he wasn't even the least bit seduced by her false charms, Shinya still made the decision to pay her some compliments. Why? Because if there was one group of people that Shinya treated with respect, it was all his bros and sis' of Team Skull, and Kaitlynn still had the potential to become one before the day was done.

From there, both Shinya and Centiskorch watched as Dante sent out his first Pokemon into battle, then they both listened in annoyance as Dante and Kaitlynn started screaming at each other again. "Rgh! These two are so damn loud! And comin' from me, that's sayin' somethin'! Can I just burn 'em all alive, boss?!" Centiskorch asked his trainer, turning his head to glance back at him as he did, clearly not afraid of the Superpower Pokemon that had just appeared before him. "As temptin' as that sounds, let's just start with the Machoke, Centiskorch. This muscle-brained scrub has got nothin' on ya." Shinya answered his Pokemon's question, not very impressed by their opponent's Pokemon of choice either.

The Bug type duo turned to face their opponents once again after that, and Shinya was quick to come with an insult to throw right back at the street thug. "Tch! Better a pipsqueak than a wide load like yourself! Seriously, I've never seen such an ironic pairin' as you and your Machoke here! Maybe he can give ya some fitness lessons sometime! That is, if ya ever decide to put down the fork!" And while Dante was processing all of his insulting remarks, Shinya took full advantage of the opening he had created and gave his Pokemon friend some orders. "Seems we've got a big eater on our hands, Centiskorch! So, how 'bout some BBQ?! Give 'em a taste of your Flame Wheel! Heck, make it a double order!" That was exactly what the Radiator Pokemon was hoping to hear, grinning, rolling himself up into a large wheel, wrapping himself in flames, and heading straight for Machoke.

OOC: Running Shoes used. Two Flame Wheels.