Back for Round 2 [Interior Warehouse]

[The REAL Joey]

Scolding him for taking her lead, Joey made a nonchalant shrug at her view. "Hey, like I said, it's not what I would'a done but seeing as we're here, we might as well make the most of it." Noticing she was being a lot more bashful than she usually was, Joe couldn't quite piece together we she was acting as she was. Chalking it up to the fact they had likely not seen each other in a while, he realised that she had actually become a lot more grown up in her self. Starting to see things he had originally ignored, he tried to push off his mind from such subjects until they were at least in a time of peace. Thankfully, despite her initial apprehensions she seemed a lot more lively by the time it came onto the subject of battling. He did find it odd however, upon the mention of inviting her to battle alongside him, he noticed her gaze switch over to Calistra. Pondering why she would be looking at his Pokemon of all things, he once again shrugged it off. They were just in the midst of entering a battle.

With Sharada calling out to Esmé, Joey grinned as he chipped in at the tale end of her plotting with Esmé on what they were going to be deciding on treating Biff too. "I see you're all well acquainted at this point? Heh, saves me the bother." Realising that the battle itself would be a dangerous one to say the least, he gestured a movement of his head to the exit out of the safe room and switched his attention over to Calistra. "Oi Cali, make sure Biff and Esmé make it out ok. I know you guys can hold yer own but we need all the space we can bloody get down here." Nodding in agreement, Biff was up like a shot and with his two infant Pokemon in hand, made out the quickest. Leaving Esmé on her own, she jumped to her feet and thrashed her arms up and down. "Nuh uh! You need me! Once you and Shar wallop this oversized dustbin, i'll tame it so we don't have to worry about it--" Stepping forward, Calistra cut in with a haughty interjection. "Silence child. You've been given an order. Now move out if you know what's good for you." Shifting her eyes from Joey and Sharada to Calistra, Esmé could clearly be seen debating a retaliatory comment but instead grumbled and moved on over to the exit. Before she pulled round the corner, she raised a fist and yelled to Sharada. "Give 'em HELL!" Walking over calmly, the woman known as Calistra pushed her out of the room and saw them off, leaving just Joey and Sharada to their own devices.

Cranking his arm around like a windmill, he clicked his neck for good measure as he limbered himself up for the fight. "Great, now we at least got a bit of room to manoeuvre." As Sharada decided on her choice of Pokemon, Joey grinned raucously as he took in the sight of the active little Darumaka. "Blimey, I remember Umaro. All the way back at the festival. Last time we met up, huh? Looks like he's come a long way. Just look at the way the little nipper moves." Clutching the Pokeball in his hand, he grinned wildly as he lifted it in front of his face. "Don't think us lot have been slackin' either. GO! VOLTEK!" Tossing the Pokeball forward, the light erupted with a dazzle. Given Sharada had last seen Voltek when he was a diminutive Elekid, she would perhaps be surprised to see he had not only evolved into an Electabuzz but further yet into an Electivire. Standing tall, the hulking yeti like monster almost doubled backwards as he took in the sight of what they were up against. "By the power of... Joey! What in Johto are you pitting me up against now? I much prefer the fishing we were..." His indecipherable speech coming to an end, he noticed that they weren't the only ones present.

Immediately drawn to the attention of the wriggly little Darumaka prancing about, he followed the trail back to the Pokemon's trainer and noticed who it was. Barely recognising her it had been so long, the Electivire expressed his doubt. "Sharada?!" Pleased to see her, Voltek was about to raise his massive arms to wave but was interrupted by the deep, bellowing roar from the Munchlax. "Oh. Right. Munchlax." Turning back to the fight at hand, Joey cracked his knuckles. "Sorry bud, this one looks like a tough cookie but you know what they say. That's the way the cookie crumbles!" Hearing Sharada order her move, Joey followed in kind. Thrusting his arm forward passionately, he synced up with Voltek. "Alright buddy! Lay into this fat son of a gun with Cross Chop! See how he likes that!" Wasting no time, Voltek went charging forward. He had always been a boisterously reckless fighter but from Sharada's perspective, he had surely gained some refinement. He was bigger, a whole league tougher, this was certain but he now carried some dignity to his movements. Raising both of his tree trunk arms, the Electivire let out a mighty roar of its own as he crossed them downwards in a cross shaped motions. The sheer impact rippled against the Munchlax's body, causing it to go stumbling backwards, careening into the wall.

"Haha! ALRIGHT! This is what happens when you eat all our food...! Oh man... He has, hasn't he? That took us ages to steal that amount of food. Maaaaan..." Falling somewhat sullen, his spirits were picked up as he noted Umaro was now in play. Hopping backwards out of the way, Voltek allowed Darumaka to go charging forward. He was a tiny creature but a courageous one. As he went flying forwards as fast as a speeding bullet, his body ignited with a mighty flame. Scorching at the tip of his body, the impressive flame that cloaked him was a sight to behold. Mere moments later, the Darumaka had gone full pelt into the giga Munchlax, causing a substantial amount of impact and searing as the fires were transferred from Darumaka to the Munchlax. The attack was so incredible that no sooner had the attack been made, the recoil forced Umaro off and caused him to go bouncing off the walls. Crashing into every part imaginable, it was Voltek who bravely stepped in. "I've got you... WOAH HOT!" Grabbing the red bundle of craziness, Voltek hopped him from hand to hand as it appeared he was still searingly hot. Bizarrely enough, as the hit collided with the Munchlax, it appeared to cough up some of the food it had been eating. Only, it wasn't just any food. Letting out a massive cough that cleared its throat a huge pile of motorbikes came crashing downwards into a pile adjacent to them. "Oh dammit... Eight is gonna be seriously hacked off. OUR BIKES! Don't tell me he ate everything on his way here in the storehouse?" Having lost its sustenance, the Munchlax weirdly seemed to downsize as a result.

With their side calmed down from their attacks, Joey took this opportunity to rather laissez fairely bring up idle conversation having just got over the destruction of their bikes. "Sooooo... Life treating ya good?" His face filled with a grin stretching from ear to ear, it was evident he was happy to be in Sharada's presence once more. Sadly, the frivolties would have to be delayed. Having been stomping around in anger, the Munchlax got over its pain and it was severely ticked off. Rampaging, the Pokemon raised both of its hands and like a metronome appeared to wiggle them from side to side. His face wincing in terror, Joey knew full well where this was going. "Oh boy... That looked an awful lot like a metronome to me... AHHHHH!" Seconds later, the Munchlax took aim at Umaro and with an opening of its mighty maw, shot out a massive gunk of seeds. Flying through the air, it made contact with Umaro and exploded violently. A text book Seed Bomb. That wasn't all however. Given how super sized it was, the cheeky blighter was able to make a second attack with all the stamina it had. Wiggling its fingers again, the Pokemon used Metronome and with a devious glint in its eye, leaned over to Voltek and with a rather disarmingly sweet look over its expression, lured Voltek in leaving himself open. With a lightning fast swipe, the Pokemon had used Covet and stolen Voltek's Choice Band. The result was disastrous.

His body sparking up and a violent surge of electricity going off in all directions, Voltek let out a mighty roar. No one stole the bandanna Joey had given to him. No one. "SPLIT YOUR LUNGS WITH BLOOD AND THUNDER! GRRRRARRRRRGGGGRRRRAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHzzzzap!!" Realising Voltek was now incredibly hacked off, he looked to Sharada. "Damn and here I was hopin' to show you how much progress he made since he was a moody little Elekid."



Giga Battle

---

Munchlax | _ | Level ?? |
Health : 65% (264/411)
Status : Normal
I wonder what's for dinner

VERSUS!

Umaro | ♂ | Level 34 |
Health : 66% (68/102 HP)
Status : Normal
FLAME ON

Voltek | ♂ | Level 37 |
Health : 51% (58/113 HP)
Status : Normal
Everybody was kung fu fighting

---

Weather status: Normal

---

A huge pile of bikes was coughed up, reducing the Munchlax's size!

[Morrigan]

Puffing her cheeks with a frown of her brow at his words, knowing that he was still as cheeky as ever atleast put a bit of ease in Sharada's mind. Remembering that this was the same Joe that she had shared many past events with, even she couldn't understand why she was acting so nervous around him. Maybe it was just the length of time they had been apart and their previous meet up in the Unova Festival hadn't ended on particularly the best of terms, as she had to leave him to report to his father. That or she was still jealous he was hanging around with someone as beautiful as Calistra. "I agree. We might as well take it out now we've riled it up. Even if we had left it, it would've just gone searching for more food anyway." Turning to face the Munchlax once again, she rested a hand on her hip. Trying to lower her nerves by questioning where the Munchlax came from or even how it got so big, she became distracted at the exit of both Biff and Esmé. Not surprised to see the bald man dash out first, she felt guilty that Esmé had been told to leave. The young teen had been with Sharada this whole time so she wanted Esmé to watch them succeed. However, with the size of the Munchlax and the potential attacks it could be capable of, Sharada understood that their vacating was for the best. Raising a hand up to her head, Sharada pressed her index finger against her own forehead, flicking it upward as if to signal to Esmé as she shouted her parting words, "Understood."

Turning her back at the sound of clanking heels, Sharada remained silent as the third figure followed the other two, her heels clicking into the distance. Being left alone with Joe, it had indeed been a while. Not even being able to look at him incase she blushed, she instead focused on his comments about Umaro, a smile being brought to her face as he actually remembered him and nodded her head. "Umaro's strength has helped me out more times than I could count. He may be small but he shouldn't be taken lightly." Tilting her head to the side, she diverted her gaze, scratching at her cheek uncomfortably. "T-The festival, huh? It really has been a while, hasn't it? H-Hah-h-haa..." Testing the waters to make sure Joey wasn't upset with her abandoning him that day, she wasn't allowed any time to worry as his own Pokemon was bound to come across as a huge surprise. The name ringing bells, Sharada flinched her eyes as the light flashed in the area. "Ooh! His Elekid! I haven't seen him for so long!" Excited to see him for the first time in what seemed like years, what stood in the small Elekid's place wasn't exactly something she expected. "Wha-Wha-WhaaAAT?" Her eyes lingering over the body of an Electivire, even though she wasn't particularly a fan of electric types, it was clear she was happy to see the progression of his Pokemon.

"T-The last time I heard about Voltek was back when you needed my Voltorb to charge him up cause he was sick. R-Remember?!" Turning energetically to Joey with wide eyes in hopes that he would remember their brief trade via email, atleast her nerves had finally gone. "And now he has evolved into a--" Noticing that Voltek had turned to face her, Sharada's faced beamed happily. It was a shame they couldn't go straight into greetings but they had something to deal with first of all. "I'm really glad that Voltek is okay!" Feeling much more relaxed after this small bit of chatter, Sharada was easing back into her usual self. Chugga and Voltek were one of the main reason Sharada and Joey had met in the first place, so seeing one of them again after so long was really heart warming. "Don't worry Volt, we have your back!" Hoping that her encouragement of giving support would help Voltek feel a little more at ease with facing the giant Munchlax, it was now up to their Pokemon to deal damage. Charging forward first was Voltek, who with his massive arms, chopped down on the Munchlax with such impact that it forced the over sized Pokemon back a few paces. Her attention on the battle waning as Joe drooped over their loss of food, Sharada turned to him with a slight look of concern, "I don't think your food is all that it has eaten."

Cackling away in his little laugh, it was then Umaro's turn to follow suit, immediately wanting to deal damage after Voltek to keep the rhythm going. Cloaking his body in a mass of flames, Sharada was quick to fall silent and watch with a look of intrigue. It was her first time seeing the move herself and whilst she was aware it had a risk, after consulting her Pokedex, she hoped that Umaro could take it. As the impact landed and the body of her Darumaka recoiled back, she instinctively took a step forward and cried out his name, "UMARO!" Unaware that the after blast would be so great, Sharada herself was prepared to dash forward to catch the steaming Darumaka if necessary but luckily, Voltek was much closer. Hopping the hot Pokemon in his hands like a steamed potato, despite the damage he had acquired, the Darumaka was able laugh as his body was tossed from side to side before being placed on the ground again. Sighing in relief, Sharada considered her next attack, not wanting Umaro to suffer another recoil like that. Coming to a decision, the thundering sound of crashing from ahead caused her to jump slightly, the sight of bikes piling vilely out of the Munchlax's mouth making her stomach churn. "How could it even eat that many?!" Raising a defensive arm as Joey then further exploded to the side of her after seeing the state of the bikes, she knew he would have to learn of the storehouse sooner or later so quickly added to the injury. Trying to come across as sweet or innocent to hopefully lower the blow, she poked her two index fingers together as she wriggled around uncomfortably, eyes not quite being able to look at him despite her body facing his direction. "Well! You see! The Storehouse, is, er, kinda, er... Well! Me and Esmé went there first and it is, er, well, you see..." Trailing off, she finally looked him in the face, bracing herself incase her words only angered Joey further. "It's kinda... Wrecked." Flinching instinctively, she looked to Joe sadly, as if she were a child about to be scolded. She knew he wouldn't blame her but she still felt guilty for being unable to help. "We did try."

Before her words had time to sink in, Joey shot her a rather casual question, wearing his usual grin. Blinking to him at first, her arms slowly lowered but sure enough, she managed a smile straight back at him. Truly, she was also happy to see him again. "Yeah. I've been just fine." Closing her eyes happily, she retorted back. Hoping to know how he was also doing and dropping a hint to see just who the woman accompanying him was. "Judging from Volt and the pretty lady with you, you are doing well too." Running a hand over the back of her neck, she turned back to the battle awkwardly, "I'm happy for you." Suggesting she thought Joey and Calistra to be a couple, she suddenly staggered on the spot as the floor quaked from the stomping of the Munchlax. Steadying herself, her eyes shot back over to the huge Pokemon, who had shrunk only slightly. "Ooh no... Here it comes!" Watching as it shook it's giant hands from side to side, it immediately turned to Umaro and unleashed a flurry of seeds which caused the Darumaka to roll back. Her attention now focused on Umaro, she didn't realise at first that it then quickly turned to also attack Voltek in turn. "Are you alright, Umaro? Hang in there!" Leaping back up to his feet, the small simian turned and manically waved his hands to Sharada, indicating that he was fine. Smiling at this, her serene look quickly turned into a scream of fright as Voltek unleash an array of electricity. Cowering somewhat at the sound, she wearily turned to see he had gone completely enraged. "What the heck just happened?!" Immediately seeing the Munchlax holding onto something purple what vaguely resembled Joey's bandanna, Sharada didn't know the story behind it so instead grunted somewhat, "Why is he so angry about some manky bandanna?" Glancing to Joe, she raised her hand and tacked on a quick, "No offence."

With the fight now well and truly under way and Voltek drowning in rage, she needed to fight off this fear of thunder and lightning in order to stand proud in front of Joe, to prove he had no need to worry about her, as well as be a support for Umaro. "No. I can already tell that he has changed. I'm glad." Trailing off into a pause, she smiled back to Joe, "Glad that you saved them, back when we first met. If it wasn't for you, both Voltek and Chugga would still be with that guy." Tapping the tip of her boot against the ground, she gave her attention back to Umaro, "But if Voltek can't control himself and hits Umaro by accident, I'll make sure both of you regret it." Smirking, she shrugged her shoulders, "Not that Umaro couldn't dodge his electricity, of course." Coughing, she issued her next order with a sterner voice, "Umaro, this time use Hammer Arm! Watch out for Volt too and er, don't damage the bandanna that the Munchlax is holding." Not really taking much notice of why Voltek was acting so angry, Umaro didn't seem intimidated in the slightest and was too humoured by the sight of such a large Pokemon throwing up bikes. Chopping down his arms playfully in warm up, karate chopping motions, he was ready to follow after Voltek with his own mighty arms.

[The REAL Joey]

Relaying the news to him that the storehouse was actually in fact trashed, Joey grabbed his face with both of his hands and clawed it downwards as he took in the news. He was beleaguered enough by the fact a good number of their bikes had been mistaken by this overindulging Munchlax as chow. "Oh man. You're having a laugh right? This is a joke? How the hell is it wrecked?! Eightball is gonna have my head on a pike at this rate." Rubbing his forehead with worry, he shook it off and decided for now the best bet would be to take care of the Munchlax. "Pah, forget it for now. You, me, Cali, Biff and Esmé will tidy it up later. They're out on some motorbike convention ride and won't be back for a few days." Thinking about their reasons for doing so, he touched lightly upon it. "Someone's gotta fly the flag in memory of the Kanto Bike Federation, y'know?" His eye shifting quickly to the Munchlax to observe what it was up to, he flicked it back to Sharada in response to her reply about how she was doing.

"That's it? It's been sometime I didn't know if a whole lot had gone down and all that. You should hear some of the crazy stuff been doing down my end!" Wanting to elaborate further, he was cut off when she bought up he and this Cali. About to open his mouth to ask why she was seemingly so haughty over he and Calistra, he realised that if the last time she saw Voltek was when he was an Elekid, than the last time they met Calistra was but a mere Zorua and had remained in her usual form. Realising that she was likely jealous over some insanely striking female waltzing around with him, he decided to leave off for the time being. Seeing her face when he would ask Calistra to resume her normal form would a memory worth remembering. About to tease her and leave it ambiguous, he was prevented as the Munchlax stomped around angrily.

Unleashing metronome based array of attacks, Joey picked up on Sharada being particularly terrified. "Huh? What's up with you? I know Voltek can be downright fierce but you seem way too agitated." Looking back to Voltek, he realised that despite ironing out some anger issues, the tempestuous rage the Pokemon embodied from his years of abuse was still there, bubbling beneath the surface. It was only thanks to Joey being such a calming influence that it rarely reared its head around him but when someone goes and steals his favourite bandanna... "That manky bandanna you speak of is something I handed down to him as a sign of our bonds. It's one of my bandannas I used to wear and eh, well. As you can see, he's pretty fond of it." Clearly still angry, Voltek was about to enter a whole new league of rage as the Munchlax examined the bandanna and with a tilt back of its head, it raised the bandanna up above its open mouth and let it float downwards as it gulped it whole with a mighty swallow.

"YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT! GRRRRARRRRRGGGGRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHzzzzap!!" His body now sparking off with wild bolts of electricity. Voltek took a few heavy stomps forward before his body began to lean forwards and his steps turned into a running charge. Having not even advised a move, Joey let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh boy, Wild Charge. That Munchlax is gonna get a severe kick outta that. A kick of about 10,000 gigawatt's." Now going full pelt, Voltek's angry roars were the only thing audible over the violent zaps of electricity zapping off of his body. With a final charging leap at the end, he went flying through the air with his shoulder lowered so he would hit full centre with his body. Its eyes widening, the Munchlax was so big it had no time whatsoever to move out the way and with a deft blow, was knocked backwards into the wall as Voltek coursed not only the kinetic energy from his charge to the creature but also a powerful burst of electricity that sounded like a thundercloud exploding off in the room.

Bouncing back from the sheer recoil, Voltek went flying through the air and with a heavy thud, skidded backwards as he landed on his back. Small sparks of electricity still flying off in random directions, he groaned but wasn't out for the count just yet. "Grrrarrrghzzzzap... Not... Done yet..." Getting to his feet, he was just in time to see Umaro proceed onwards and at this point, they had a good rhythm going. Using his superabundance of energy, Umaro stood before the Munchlax and with a quick build of hops from side to side, made a final hop backwards before launching into the air and with a windmill motion of his arm, he wound up a hit and sent it flying forwards with the sheer merciless impact a hammer would have on a defiant nail. Creating a deep impact, the Munchlax doubled over and with the wind knocked from its lungs, was visibly damaged. Umaro bounced back and it seemed from the incredible strike, had knackered his arm a little and slowed his speed somewhat. With a quick succession of devastating attacks. It appeared the Pokemon had no choice but to wretch now its stomach had been forced to dislodge something else it had swallowed. Or rather, someone else. Letting out a mighty heavy, two beings went flying through the air and landed before Joey and Sharada's feet. Groaning groggily, they looked up realising they were free and whom they had been saved by.

"I TELL YOU. THAT IS THE LAST TIME I DECIDE TO PLAY HERO. WHEN I SAW GREEDY GUTS REACH FOR YOU LIKE YOU WERE AN EGG SNACK, I WASN'T GOING TO LET HIM BUT NEVER AGAIN." With the Pokemon's loud quaking voice booming the room, it was obvious this Pokemon was none other than Amp, Joey's Loudred. "OH HELLO THERE! NICE TO SEE YOU JOEY. SHARADA." Tumbling about but relieved to be free, the bundle of eggs regrouped and paid their gratitude. "Boy, are we glad to be free. That was an eggstremely horrible situation to be in. No yolk!" Grimacing, Joey forgot just how poor Eggbert's puns were. "Great to see you guys but you might wanna run, Munchlax is about to go ballistic." Turning around to look at the Munchlax and mysterious see it shrink in size once more the two Pokemon agreed and sped off with due haste. "Just what else does he have stored away in that fat gut?! Seems like every time we hit him hard he coughs up something else. Then maybe..." A glint appearing in Joey's eye, he chuckled once before looking to Sharada. "Maybe we can get him down to normal size if we keep up our attacks!"

Easier said than done. No sooner than they had attacked, the Munchlax let out a... Feeble roar? Considering it had sounded like a deafening behemoth from earlier, it was peculiar to hear it now cry out with a much more infantile tone. "Wait, you don't think that's its normal voice but ever since it ate Amp it was using his powered up vocals to cry out like a real scary beast?" Wincing, Joey couldn't see it being any other way. Nevertheless, having waited around long enough being struck out, the Munchlax wiggled its arms from side to side like a Metronome and it wasn't long before it had summoned its next move. Focusing directly on Voltek, the Pokemon's eyes glowed mysterious and flashed with a bright light which had Voltek stumbling backwards until he fell down onto one knee, his arm propping up as he struggled to get a grip. "Nnngh... The... *****'s disabled my electricity... Grrraaarghzap!" Trying to summon a slew of sparks from his body, nothing happened. That wasn't all however, wiggling his arms with another metronome, the Munchlax appeared to harness temporary psychic power which altered the very time structure of the room. Making time flow in a topsy turvy manner, everything seemed so slow but the way the Munchlax wobbled about on the spot had become so fast. "Hnngh, dammit... He pulled a Trick Room on us!"



Giga Battle

---

Munchlax | _ | Level ?? |
Health : 30% (118/411)
Status : Normal; Trick Room activated 1/5
Ease off, i'm just here for the snackoos

VERSUS!

Umaro | ♂ | Level 34 |
Health : 66% (68/102 HP)
Status : Normal; Speed -1
Bringing down the hammer

Voltek | ♂ | Level 37 |
Health : 51% (58/113 HP)
Status : Normal; Wild Charge Disabled 1/4
Try that again, I dare you

---

Weather status: Normal

---

Amp the Loudred and Eggbert the Exeggcute were freed, reducing the Munchlax's size!

[Morrigan]

The conversation of the Bike Storehouse causing her to look around uncomfortably, the level of his reaction wasn't nearly as bad as what she expected but he still seemed pretty irritated by it. Biting her lip as she raised her eyebrows sadly, she watched as his rubbed at his face before questioning her more about it. Truthfully, whilst Munchlax had indeed eaten a number of bikes, the problem in the storehouse was down to something else entirely. "Well, you see, the thing is, I can't really say how wrecked it is." Rolling her head from side to side, she continued, "'Cause it was completely covered in webbing. The entire room." Seeing as the Munchlax was busy recoiling from the pain it had received, Sharada took the opportunity to elaborate a little further. "We were trying to find Biff, so we went to the Storehouse first. Turns out Nerscylla and her Spinarak had decided to take it over during the commotion." Faltering slightly, she found it hard to explain that she had to face his Pokemon in a battle. "I... Sorta had to deal with her. B-But she scuttled off, so she should be fine! I just-- S-Sorry." Realising that every time she visited, she ended up contributing to destruction one way or another, she hoped that offering her help to clean up would be accepted. "Y-Yeah. I was gonna stick around to help out. You don't mind, right?" Glancing across to him as she learnt where the others had gone to, she realised that such a thing was probably quite important to Joey too but because he wasn't able to go back to Kanto, probably meant that he was unable to attend with the others. "Ahh. I was wondering why it was quiet." Trailing off, she tried to cheer him up some, unsure if he would see it her way. "I know we have a Giga Munchlax to deal with and loads of cleaning up afterward b-but atleast you get to see me, you know? Hahah-haha-ha..." Saying it out loud, she realised how ridiculous this situation really was and quickly fell silent.

Still on edge with the zapping from Voltek, every now and again she was visibly cower or attempt to raise her arms protectively but forced herself to stop. Joey had quickly picked up on this and didn't hold back in pointing it out, a sigh escaping her lips. The two were close but she had always been stubborn in the fact that she wouldn't let him know too much about herself. But something like this, she was surprised he didn't know already. Body twitching once again at a flash, she began to explain cautiously, "D-Don't laugh." She stuttered, hoping that he would take her fear seriously. "I have been caught in a mid sea storm numerous times growing up and just... The memories of the thunder and lightning freak me out, it was so vivid and real, I really feared for my life so many times." Keeping it as basic as possible, as usual, she quickly rounded her fear off, knowing that he would get the picture. "S-So it's not Voltek it's just... I hate the sound and the flashing of it." Looking fairly pitiful as she stared to the ground, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't exactly accept electric Pokemon either. "Zebstrika is my only electric type Pokemon. You gave him to me, so of course I want to look after him. And I trust him but... Touching him still makes me weary." Immediately looking away, the subject was a serious one to her.

Learning the reason for Voltek's anger was indeed due to the bandanna, Sharada looked across, hoping that her Darumaka was still okay. Skipping about and using the sparks as some kind of beat to dance to, she couldn't quite understand still but obviously there was a indispensable value there. "I see. I guess he'll just have to take it back then." But on her words, a heavy shadow dropped across her face, eyes lingering over the Munchlax who had since lifted it above his head, "Munch, don't do it." She muttered under her breath, only to watch in horror as the Munchlax ate the bandanna with a single gulp, "Oh my god." A surge of electricity now cloaking his body, Voltek dashed forward with his attack, the description from Joe causing shivers down her spine. That was certainly something she didn't want to be hit with. Not expecting such a boom on impact, the tremendous noise was enough for Sharada to drop into a crouching position and cover her head with her arms. Clenching down her teeth, it took every ounce of strength to hold back her scream. "Don't be scared, dammit. Volt needs to do this for us to win! And I cant let Joe see me being such a little kid!" Lifting her head, she tripped back at the sight of the Electivire's body skidding across the floor towards them. Landing on her rear, she grimaced but slowly stood back to her feet. She couldn't create a fear for Voltek now, he hadn't done anything wrong. During this moment of straightening herself back out, Umaro had also landed his hit, a pair of Pokemon being thrown up this time around.

Landing before them both was Amp the Loudred and a group of Exeggcute. Immediately scanning her eyes over Amp, she had met the Loudred once before fairly recently and although his booming voice was almost deafening, she was glad that he was okay. "Amp! Are you alright?!" Before she could even acknowledge Eggbert properly, Joe suggested for their exit, to which Sharada agreed with a nod. "So it's not just bikes, food and bandanna's but this thing is eating Pokemon too?" Listening as Joe came up with his own explanation and plan, the brunette looked over to the Munchlax and squinted her eyes, noticing that it was indeed getting smaller. "I think you're right." She mumbled, finally turning to him with a bit more confidence, "Alright, then we'll keep on with this offensive. We don't have much choice anyway but if what you're saying ends up being right, then a normal sized Munchlax is better than a massive one." Also knowing that it would take a while, she flickered her eyes between both Pokemon, wondering if they would be able to pull through. The Munchlax had metronome and if it summoned something like Self Destruct, considering it's size, they could all be in serious danger. Watching as it then proceeded to open it's mouth, Sharada's posture dropped as it's roar suddenly sounded like a different Pokemon entirely. Or more likely, the same but just not as threatening. It was still a decent size but it's roar had calmed down completely. "No way. I guess that would explain why it suddenly sounds so... Young."

Bracing themselves, the Munchlax began it's retaliation, disabling the electrical powers of Voltek and then further throwing them into a strange room. Looking around and sensing something was incredibly wrong, Sharada was beginning to get fed up with tricks, considering the trails that herself and Tenebrae had recently been through. Not saying anything as attempting to explain it to Joe would likely be impossible, as she didn't even entirely know what it was all about, she instead became worried about the Munchlax, as it's speed appeared to rocket. "This is too strange. Where did this Pokemon even come from in the first place?!" Noticing that Umaro was still wriggling about at the same sort of pace, Sharada found it a little odd but then remembered the after effect of the previous move. "Umaro! Hammer Arm again!" She rushed out her order, as if realising how to make the trick room change to their advantage. Looking to Joe, she hoped he would be able to clarify her idea, "If powerful moves like Hammer Arm slow a Pokemon down, then in a Trick Room it'll do the opposite, right?" Looking at him with child like innocence as if expecting some form of praise, despite the clashing of thunder and opening nerves of meeting Joey again, she was atleast enjoying using her head in the most challenging battle she had been in for a long while.

[The REAL Joey]

His grin wild, Joey rubbed the tip of his nose with his thumb and nodded. From the very moment he had met her, he had built up a good layer of trust and with good reason. Everytime he had come to depend on her, she had pulled through. And even in a dire situation such as this, the girl was clever to come up with such a decent strategy as that. "Haha, you got it. Hell, I don't think I would'a even noticed that. Heh, takin' the foe's advantage and turn it upside down on its head, that's some real brains there." Looking over to the Munchlax, Joey narrowed his eyes a little and appeared to be somewhat erring on the side of uncertainty. "It'll help but I get the feelin' this thing is so damn slow it's still gonna benefit the most." Sizing up and down the now vastly reduced Munchlax, Joey shrugged off his doubts and tried to keep the group positive. "No matter though, the more you use it, the faster Umaro'll become and given how much of a beating this thing has taken, it'll be a while before this thing goes down fer the count." Gritting his teeth as he tried to think of some sort of trump card they could pull out of their sleeves, Joey was sadly without a master strategy and realised the only way through was to weather it out.

"Hey Shar, you gotta stay strong for me ok? Volt's had his signature move disabled but it looks like he's so het up he's gonna spark big time. You can make it, ok?" Nodding his head for some reassurance, he had understood everything she had said and wanted to ensure that she wouldn't be cowered by his Pokemon. "What ya gotta realise is, the storms and thunder you saw whilst out on the ship were nature and good ol' mother nature, she's a cranky one. Unpredictable too. Pokemon, my Voltek, your Kirin, hell the Voltorb you kindly donated to me, they are all of that very same element but they got control. You'll be alright." Flashing a cocky smirk, he once again demonstrated his haphazard recklessness. "'Sides, if I saw a stray bolt zappin' towards ya, i'd be the first in line jumping in to save ya." Looking back over to the battle, he realised that with the laws of physics now temporarily screwed up, it meant that the usual slow coach Munchlax was now with such an advantage he had already began speeding up to attack. "Alright, brace yourself. That little swine's gonna metronome some more, I can feel it."

Sure enough, the Munchlax began dallying back and forth as it swung its arms from side to side, mimicking that of an actual metronome. The alteration to the move was unique to say the least and it was potentially a good thing this wasn't being seen by more people as it had the foundations to go viral and become the hottest new groove around. As the obese creature finished its move, it let out a cheeky gremlin like cackle as it leered its eyes at all its foes before it. Lowering its stubby legs, the Pokemon crouched slightly before jumping in the air and then coming crashing down. The sheer devastating impact it had was easy to see. No sooner than had it touched the ground, violent tremors were trigged that caused the very room and everything inside of it to quake furiously. Even Joey struggled to keep up with the vibrations and instead decided to drop to his knees and hope for the best. "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAHHHHHHHH! Watch it! That's an Earthquake!" As the destruction continued, it eventually led to the tremors causing the ground to up heave and with a near fatal smack, dabbed some of the flooring up in the face of both Umaro and Voltek, leaving them perilously close to exhaustion.

That wasn't all however. Having sussed it was now winning the fight, the Munchlax continued with its assault. Beginning to tick its arms from side to side, it was going to be a deadly gamble to see if it could pull another destructive move from its arsenal. Having initiated the move, the Munchlax raised a hand forward and with a definite aim at Umaro, appeared to remain still. "Uh oh... I don't like how he's not doing anything." Voltek too was aware of this. "No, you're wrong. He IS up to something. I can feel a surge in the electrical current in the room..." Trying to figure it out, Voltek's eyes narrowed as he burst out. "NO!" Realising that this next moment could end horribly, Joey yelled out to Voltek. "VOLT! Do whatever it takes, protect Umaro!" Switching from Joe to the Munchlax with a nod, the stalwart guardian knew what had to be done. Having manipulated the electrical energy of the room, a small frenetic orb of lightning power was now forming. It grew chaotically with sparks and bolts of electrical power streaming off. Expanding bigger and bigger, Joey tried to ascertain the move. "Dammit... It's like... Zap Cannon?!"

With the room now blinded by the brightness of the coursing orb of electricity, the Munchlax stretched his arm further and with a cannon like shot, fired off the orb, recoiling back as it bumped into the safe door behind it. Flying through the air with extreme prejudice and surprisingly deadly accuracy, Voltek stomped his foot on the ground and with a sudden start made his way over to where Umaro was. Now standing directly in front of the path of destruction, Voltek tapped into his bestial side in order to summon the courage and bravery needed to halt the incoming chaos. "I will not let you harm this friend, GrrrrrrrAAAAAAAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHZZZZZzzzaaAAARRRRPPPP!" Throwing his bulky arms forward, Voltek somehow managed to grab onto the coursing orb of energy and seemed to struggle with it. Although his wild charge had been disabled, he had used what spare electricity he had to counter balance the current. His tail lifted up and striking out in front of him, Voltek used every fibre in his body to try and prevent it passing. His feet skidding backwards as he struggled to maintain grip, he roared over the unfolding drama. "UMARO! Little one, you must strike whilst the hammer is hot. Leave... This... To... ME! GRRRAAAZZZZZAAAAAPPPP!"

Understanding the severity of the situation, Umaro instantaneously appeared from the side of Voltek and with a thundering hustle of his feet, built up enough momentum to go careening off to deal with the Munchlax. Knowing this climatic struggle between two electrical forces was likely scaring Sharada to death, Joey stepped in front of her and made sure should Voltek fail, that no harm would come to her. Trying to shout over the surging currents, Joey hoped Sharada could hear. "DON'T WORRY! WE GOT THIS! HA HA!" As he did, Umaro had made it up to the Munchlax and with a fearful look in the greedy gut's eyes, noticed how powered up the Darumaka was. Hustling up his body even further, Umaro leapt into the air and clasping his diminutive little hands together bought a crushing hammer blow downwards onto the Pokemon. Staggering the Munchlax, the Pokemon knew its time was numbered if it had to contend with any more fighting moves like that.

Back with Voltek, it seemed the Electivire was doing everything he could to counter the zap cannon. Feeling his body strain, he let out a mighty deafening roar as every cell in his body seemed to come alive and soak up the electricity he was trying to prevent breaching his watch. Feeling his body power up, it fired off a motor like drive from within and Voltek simply lowered his arms by his sides, clenching his fists as he let the energy simply absorb into his body. The sheer absorption wasn't without consequence. Generating a massive shock wave, it went flowing outwards with a violent surge, knocking Joey clean off his feet and into the wall to where Biff had pretended to be knocked out. Now glowing with a powerful aura, the yeti like creature looked at the bruised and beaten Munchlax and raised a pointed finger to the Pokemon. "This ends here." Leaping forward with such ferocity it was almost as if he was gliding along the floor, Voltek swung his arms in a cross shaped formation, unleashing the final move needed to claim victory.

Striking relentlessly, the Munchlax let out a horrible squeal as it felt whatever else it had dislodged in its body cough up as a huge load of sealed food went tumbling out into the room they were in. Reducing in size even further, the Munchlax went crashing into the safe door and by now had shrunken down to normal size. Slumping to the floor unconscious, the Pokemon let out an involuntary burp as a slimy purple bandanna fell out of his mouth. With the battle now secured, Voltek stared down at the Munchlax, his eyes filled with a rage not unlike the one he showed in his youth. Standing there, simply saying nothing, it was unpredictable as to how he would react if approached. Given how they had just won a dire battle such as that, it would seem Joey would be yelling his lungs out over how flawless their victory was but he was... Silent. Looking to where he had landed, it seemed he was slumped over from when he had been sent flying earlier. A red substance trickling from out of his bandanna and down his face, it was troubling to say the least.



Giga Battle

---

Munchlax | _ | Level ?? |
Health : 0% (0/411)
Status : KO'd
...

VERSUS!

Umaro | ♂ | Level 34 |
Health : 1% (1/102 HP)
Status : Normal; Speed -2
They call me MC Hammer

Voltek | ♂ | Level 37 |
Health : 1% (1/113 HP)
Status : Normal; Speed +1, Wild Charge Disabled 2/4
Beat seven ways to Sunday

---

Weather status: Normal

---

Unspoilt food supply has been returned, reducing the Munchlax down to normal size!

Oh... And the cherished bandanna was coughed up too!

[Morrigan]

Sharada was relying on the support of Joe in this fight more than he probably realised. The reason Sharada had come back to the Warehouse in the first place was to affirm her feelings for him and be reminded as to why she was helping him. Team Rocket was corrupting her mind, as much as she didn't want to admit it, especially with the inclusion of Garcian and his offer of helping her become stronger. It was something that she wanted on a personal level and he was also teaching his style not to aid Team Rocket but to pass on the succession from his own Mentor. But then there were people like Tobias who were clearly criminals but he was still able to read her like an open book and she appreciated his bluntness. She was beginning to feel comfortable in the group and even fit in more herself but just seeing Joey's wild grin reminded her why she was there. Even if Joey had potentially found a different partner, he was her first friend and his friendship meant so much to her. Even if this all ended with her leaving Johto and never seeing him again, his genuine wanting of protecting others and bring an end to Team Rocket kept her following in his path. He may have felt in her debt as she was helping him with his wishes but since meeting, under bad circumstances or not, they had built an unbreakable bond and she was going to see it through. Smiling at his response to her idea, she knew it might still take a while but anything was worth a go. "I know both Umaro and Voltek can hang in there, so we've gotta try anything."

Remembering yet another reason why she liked him so much, the brunette turned to him with a surprised expression as he gave her his own opinion on her fears of thunder and lightning. Surprisingly insightful, she hooked onto each and every word with wide eyes. He may have been hot headed and a little dumb at times but she had to admit that his words made sense. Drooping somewhat, she couldn't help but feel that she must've treated Kirin so distantly in the past. "I... I know. But. What if they don't like me and attack me?" Her worries heard by Lute, who was managing to stay silent on her head, suddenly crashed her beak down onto Sharada's head. "O-OW!" Gasping in pain, she went to massage the hit, brushing past the soft wings of the Swablu whilst slowing being hit with a feeling of realisation. "I guess that it could be the same for all Pokemon. That they could attack, I mean." Narrowing her eyes, she looked over to Voltek, who was fighting his hardest in order to keep them both safe. Despite his rage, he had not turned on them to attack, so why was she being so doubtful? "It's not something I can just shake off but. After this, I'll make sure to thank Voltek." Trying to look determined, she still came across as unsure but maybe something as huge as an Electivire would be enough to prove that not all electric types are something to fear. Taken off guard by the quick comment tacked on from Joe, she felt her cheeks blush somewhat so quickly turned the other way. "A-Ahh... I guess you would do something as dangerous as that. T-Thanks."

Trying to repeat Joey's words over in her head to gain some confidence, she quickly found herself staggering on the spot as the area was sent into a giant, shaking Earthquake. "WOO-OOO-OOAHHH!" Following suit of Joey and also landing back to the floor, she hesitantly looked up and through the shaking, watched as both Pokemon were struck with the ground. Umaro's footwork not looking so good and breath becoming much heavier, Sharada felt helpless in the matter, even as the Munchlax quickly summoned a next attack, raising it's arm. Pointing directly to Umaro, it certainly had Sharada's attention, the small red simian merely staring back as he too, felt a power building up. For Sharada, the next few moments were like a blur. Still on the ground, her eyes widened in horror as the Munchlax began to summon a ball of raging electricity, aimed straight at her Pokemon. Body quivering as it grew larger and more frantic, so did Sharada's fear and as much as she wanted to call out her support to Umaro, no voice would leave her open mouth and her legs wouldn't move at all. If it hadn't been for both Joe and Voltek, that very moment could have been the end for Umaro.

The Darumaka clenching his eyes shut and raising his little hands as the formed orb was about to be fired, Sharada's vision was quickly blocked by the body of Joey, who stood protectively in front of her. Umaro, who thought his end was nigh, was also surprised as the move hadn't yet hit. Wincing an eye open cautiously, he stared in awe at the back of the huge body of Voltek, who had jumped in just in time to grapple hold of the cannon's fire. Straining his body to hold the powerful electrical blast in his gargantuan hands, the small Darumaka responded to the plea of Voltek and for the first time, didn't feel like dancing. Inspired by the protection, bravery and kindness of the Electivire, Umaro moved out from behind his huge yellow body and in a mad dash, went straight for the Munchlax in hope to finish this battle once and for all. Placing all his might into his tiny fists, he jumped up with his remaining energy and landed a whacking great slam down on the body of Munchlax. But it still wasn't enough to end it. Sharada, absolutely petrified by the heavy static looming in the air and sound of rampaging sparks, was cowering behind the tall body of Joe. Holding Lute tightly in her arms, the Swablu wished that there was something she could do to calm her fears but as a roar from Voltek echoed out, it just increased them. Feeling the grip of her body tighten, the duo were shocked as a shadow soon flew over them.

As Voltek absorbed the power of the attack and released a huge shock wave, Joey's body was sent flying back and took most of the blast. Already being on the floor, Sharada was hit also but not on a level which would damage her thanks to Joey cushioning the blow. Feeling her back hit the floor and then take a bit of a tumble, she winced as the side of her face touched the cold, warehouse floor, eyes laced with tears from the fear of being electrocuted. In her blurred vision, she watched Voltek stomp closer to the Munchlax and with his final smash, ended the battle. The area now fell into silence and in Sharada's eyes, Voltek was the only one standing. Having merely been an observer this entire time, Lute managed to wriggle her way out of the tight grasp of Sharada's hold and stood by the side of her trainer. Chirping incessantly as if to make her stand, the bird hopped around to the brunette's back and forcefully pushed her. Rolling onto her front, Sharada pressed both of her palms against the ground and with the help of her knees, forced herself off the ground. Still somewhat shaken, she managed to stand back up to her feet. Filthy from head to toe after falling to the dusty ground, her dirtied face glanced around at the destruction before her.

Standing over the body of Munchlax was Voltek and although she couldn't see his face, the brunette could tell by his posture that the Electivire might've continued his onslaught despite the Pokemon being unable to fight back. Considering Umaro was also near the body of Munchlax, she was unsure of his condition so if Voltek were to continue attacking, there was a possibility of Umaro getting caught in the blast. "VOLTEK! STOP!" She bravely called out, hoping her voice would lure the Darumaka into view, "PLEASE CALM DOWN! YOU DON'T HAVE TO FIGHT ANYMORE!" Calling as she was far too scared of him to approach closer, she begun to wearily look around incase Darumaka had been thrown anywhere which was when she turned and finally took in the sight of Joe. Slumped against the wall, her expression turned to that of horror, face immediately growing pale. "J-Joe?" Sharada muttered under her breath as her body began to shake. His lack of movement and usual loud mouth only adding to her concern, as what looked like blood trickled down the side of his head. Umaro was important to her and whilst she would feel guilty later on, she couldn't help but change direction at the sight of how lifeless Joey looked. "JOEY!!" Lifting her feet, she dashed to his side, skidding to the floor on her knees and crawling to his side. Resting a hand on his shoulder, she gave him a firm shake, "Joey! JOEY! Wake up! JOEY!"

Landing on the ground, Lute watched from the sidelines as a frantic Sharada tried to cautiously shake him awake. The brunette quickly used both of her hands to lift his face, trying to prop his lifeless head up so she could get a better look at him. "D-Dammit, Joey! Open your eyes!" Trying to hold back her tears, it was difficult for her, after already fighting the urge to do so when the battle of electricity was surging on. Hands trembling against his face, her voice eventually broke down into a wail as he still wasn't shifting. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry for leaving you alone at the festival! I really am sorry!" Sobbing some more, she pulled his head closer to rest it on her shoulder, "P-Please open your eyes! Joey!!" Knowing that Sharada would more than likely be sobbing his name for a while, Lute turned and with a flap of her wings, decided to go and investigate the state of Umaro. It was unlike the small Darumaka to be quiet for this long so if her Pokemon was in a similar state to Joey, then Lute knew her trainer would be on absolute melt down. Sensing the rage from Voltek, Lute had to be careful as if she came across as a threat, her tiny body would be electrified into a puff of a smoke. Landing on a piece of rubble to survey the situation, the Swablu's beady eyes blinked at what she witnessed.

Pushing himself out from underneath a bit of rubble, Umaro had somehow managed to survive the battle, his large eyes staring around to try and understand what the silence was all about. In the distance, he could hear Sharada's sobbing voice but standing in the way, was the tall figure of Voltek. Quickly remembering that they were in a battle together, Umaro turned, eyes staring at the body of the unconscious Munchlax. They had managed to succeed! Cackling happily whilst hopping from one foot to the other, Umaro appeared to be celebrating whilst spouting out some gibberish words in his own tongue but quickly stopped as he realised no one else was really happy. Looking to the side, he stared to the towering figure of Voltek, a deadly look glaring in his eyes as he stared at the fainted Munchlax. Sharada's words from earlier likely falling on deaf ears, it was up to Umaro to convince the Electivire not to commit any more violence.

Wobbling forward to try and distract Voltek's stare, Umaro was not scared by his size or strength. If anything, Voltek was one of the first Pokemon outside of his own species that Umaro respected. Once again spouting utter gibberish in his own tongue, Umaro was like a child in the sense that even to other Pokemon, his words made no sense what so ever. In his mind, he was thanking Voltek for stepping in and protecting him from the Zap Cannon, whilst waving his little hands around. Thinking of a way to thank Voltek further, the Darumaka could only think of one thing. Sharing his special, golden poo. He had only ever done so with Sharada and Joey's own Darumaka, Darmani K., so if he presented one to Voltek, surely that would be the best way to show his gratitude. Immediately beginning to strain his expression, Umaro seemed to be having some trouble so began to push harder but as he did, his body began to glow a bright light. Shading her vision from the glare, Lute looked unimpressed. Was Umaro really evolving amidst making a poo worthy enough to hand to Voltek? Out of thanks?!

The light soon dying down, what stood between the Munchlax and Voltek was no longer a small simian. Much larger before, Umaro now had a round body, propped up by two huge fists. A grin which would rival Joe's spread across his face, Umaro's eyebrows now burnt with an incredible lashing of fire, portraying his fiery, passionate spirit. Round eyes looking directly into Voltek's, Umaro had clearly been uplifted by the Electivire's strength, gratitude helping him to evolve. Or rather, straining a poo. Placing the huge lump of golden goodness to one side, the new form of Darmanitan turned to look over the body of Munchlax, spotting the one thing precious to Voltek. Lifting up the slimy, saliva covered bandanna, Umaro pulled a humorous, grossed out face but began to gently heat it up against his body, drying the material out but not burning it. Smelling a bit funny, although that might have been due to the amount of time it had previous spent on Joe's head, it was atleast back to normal. Using his massive hand, he held the bandanna toward Voltek. His younger form would've thought a poo would be enough but now, with a bit more consideration, Umaro realised that this bandanna was something he had been fighting for. "Here. Your cherished item." His words no longer gibberish, a deep voice boomed from Umaro's body. "You have taught me something today and for that, I am grateful. For protecting me, I will be forever in your debt. You are my sworn brother now." Grinning, even if Voltek wouldn't calm down after hearing his words and retaining his prized bandanna, Umaro would step forward to forcefully calm him down, in a friendly skirmish if necessary. Not knowing his previous life of being under an abusive trainer, Umaro hoped that it wouldn't come to having to fight his self-dubbed brother.

OOC: Since this was such an awesome battle, I am going to use a Rare Candy in replacement for Experience and evolve Darumaka into Darmanitan, making Umaro Level 35! I'll be left with x2 RC now.

[The REAL Joey]

This would be a moment of truth for Voltek. It had been true that in his past he was something of a wild child. His species, his abusive up bringing, the very fact he had been around for Joey so long. All of this culminated into a clear cut reaction to this turn of events. To fight. To claim overwhelming dominance over the opponent so there would be no chance of reprisal but as he turned and looked to the newly evolved Umaro, Voltek's eyes had a glint of something other than beast like rage in them. Looking at the evolved simian from head to toe, it was clear that from that battle that Umaro had grown great leaps and bounds. Could he do the same? Trying to shake off the unyielding rage in his heart, Voltek noticed that the fire ape had warmed through the once saliva drenched bandanna and was now presenting this to him. Using far more strength than he exhibited in the battle prior, Voltek threw aside his primal urges and turned to face Umaro head on. Extending out his hand, he took the bandanna, clenching it tightly in his as he looked down at the treasured item. Brooding deeply in thought, Voltek looked up and with a show of surprise, was unaware Umaro could talk, having only just gotten used to his nonsensical babbling. Listening carefully to the Darmanitan's words, Voltek reiterated what he had heard. "Brother...?" Nodding his head as he lowered his arm clutching the bandanna, he used his free arm to signify he wished to grasp Umaro's arm in a display of trust and their bonds. "Sworn brothers!"

Realising that having fought along side with incredible synergy, Voltek looked at his prized possession once more before deciding to offer it up to Umaro. "Here. As a token of gratitude to my sworn brother. You can take this." Given how much rich meaning there was behind this simple bandanna, it was far more useful than any normal bit of cloth. Simply utilising it gave the user the sort of boost they would receive from a choice band, presenting it out, it appeared Umaro had earnt this was his bravery and courage he had displayed in the fight. It would be the mark of their friendship.

Congratulations! For clearing the warehouse quest, you have been presented x1 Choice Band!
Hopefully a wash might get rid of some of the stink...

As the two Pokemon embraced their status as sworn brothers, it appeared that Joey had kept his eyes open ajar just barely to try and see what all the commotion was about. Realising Sharada too had likely been distracted by the sudden evolution bought about by Umaro's strain, he quickly closed his eyes again. The only problem was, from all the shaking Sharada had done, it had meant that some of the tomato sauce which had somehow splashed onto his head in the wall impact had now trickled down to his lips. Unable to keep his little act up, he subtly stuck out his tongue and with a savouring lick, burst out with something of a cheeky laughter. "Mmmmhmmm... Haha. This could do with some herbs in it." Opening his eyes, he looked up to see Sharada tearful. Realising that his little game of pretend may not have been the best option, he softened his cheeky look and pulled a worried look over his face. "Hey Shar... No need for tears, eh? Come on. Don't be silly." Raising his gloved hand, he wiped away a tear or two from her cheek with his fingerless gloves and couldn't help but resume his wild grin. "Heh, I couldn't help but see if Biff's tactic would actually work or not."

Wiping another trickle of sauce off his face and giving it a good suck off his finger, he sat up a little bit from the sprawled position he had been in. "Urgh, I ain't gonna lie. I may not be dead or owt but I don't feel in tip top shape. I swear, by the time i'm down saunterin' about Johto, i'm gonna be a decrepit old fart." Shaking his head, he winced slightly as he stood up and assessed the situation. "Woah. Maybe we ain't gonna be so low on food after all. Maaaaan... What a glutton to have eaten all this crap without trying to get it out of its packaging?" Picking up a coughed up tin of beans from the floor, he gave it a wipe down on his jacket and pocketed it away. "Dunno 'bout you but i'm starvin'. Flew all the way over here when I heard there was some distress." Looking around at all the damage, he rolled his eyes. "Urgh. We got a lot of work to do in getting this place back to its previous dire state." Shaking his head, he turned to look at Sharada. "Oh come on, you're not mad at me are ya for pullin' that lil' stunt?" Standing there, it appeared Joey may not have been quite aware it wasn't the best of choices to play with a girl's feelings like that.

[Morrigan]

As Umaro stood before Voltek, the grinning Darmanitan was able to watch the Electrivire push his primal rage to one side at the sight of this bandanna. It stood for the lengthy journey Voltek had travelled, from parting from his abusive trainer and then growing up in the capable hands of Joe. There was a part in the middle where rage almost consumed him but upon evolving and then being gifted this bandanna, he would always be reminded of how far he had become. For Umaro, he wasn't able to understand this progression Voltek had made but from the yeti like creatures strength, Umaro knew he was worthy of his own respect. Grinning with his eyes as Voltek lifted the now dried purple bandanna from his grip, the Darmanitan also lifted a gargantuan fist from the ground and with his hand outstretched, accepted the grasp from Voltek. Both of their powerful arms bulging, they were a duo what shouldn't be messed with. Especially considering the bond which had now formed. Chuckling deeply as Voltek accepted Umaro's brotherly invitation, he withdrew his hands and steadied his much larger body back into a more balanced position.

At this point, the Munchlax had been defeated, Voltek had regained his prized item and Umaro had felt so overwhelmed with both emotional and physical strength that it allowed him to evolve, that what happened next made him pause. With his large, yellow hand outstretched, Umaro blinked at the sight of Voltek offering the bandanna back. Considering how much it meant to Voltek, the significance only amplified as it was then passed to Umaro. "Are you certain?" He queried but quickly realised he couldn't pass up on the chance of accepting something from his sworn brother. For Umaro, this would signify their meeting and battle, as well as their unwavering bond and to remind Umaro he always had a brother out there. Taking the bandanna back, Umaro looked down at the purple cloth. For him specifically, it was also the time when someone stepped forward to protect him from an otherwise fatal blast. He was incredibly grateful. "Then... I will! I will never forget this day. Thank you!" His voice then following into a deep boom of a laugh. Lute, who had viewed all of this from the side lines, stretched out her fluffy wings and began to approach, now that she knew everything was safe. Landing on the head of Umaro, the Darmanitan halted his laughter but retained his grin, "Bahaha! How nice of you to join us in our... Hmm?" Pecking him gently, she tried to direct his attention over to the humans, his grip tightening around the gifted bandanna as he spotted Sharada. "Uh oh. Something seems amiss." Watching from a safe distance, the team of Pokemon surveyed what was about to unfold between their trainers.

Sharada, who was still under the impression that Joey had received such a deadly hit to the head that his life was in danger, was still gripping onto her friend possessively. She wasn't sure what to do to try and shake him awake, unaware that he already was and was simply putting on an act. So when the light suggesting an evolution took place, she had unfortunately missed it, placing her attention into Joey alone. Trying to hold back the tears now streaming down her face, her grip immediately loosened as a chuckle came from below her. Leaning back, she watched as the once lifeless Joey sat himself back up and raising a hand to her face, began to wipe away her tears of worry. "J-Joe! Y-You're okay!" She was about to breath a sigh of relief, until she heard his next few words. "...W-Wait. W-What?" Not quite believing that he had just imitated the trick Biff had used on them earlier, the swift wipe of the sauce on his face that he then put into his mouth confirmed that he hadn't received a head injury like Sharada had panicked about. But more like he was just pretending. Learning this, Sharada remained on her knees by his side but lowered her head so that her hair covered her expression and slumped her arms, defeated.

His next words flowed into her ears but didn't register in her head, her own mind beginning to fill with thoughts of rage. It was only when he next line was seemingly aimed at her that she reacted. Staggering weakly back to her feet, she stood before Joe but remained silent. She still didn't look at him or acknowledge his words but her body was clearly shaking. Suddenly, with a lift of her arm, she sent a resounding slap straight across Joey's face. She may have playfully slapped him in the past but this time was different. Every fibre of hatred for him was issued in this hit and she didn't hold back. "You... Absolute... IDIOT!!" Shrieking at the top of her voice as Joey recovered from the hit, she finally lifted her face to look at him. Angered, red eyes from the previous bout of crying, her expression was that of absolute rage, one that even she didn't know she was capable of making. "Do you not even THINK that there are some people out there who actually care for a stupid, idiot, BUFFOON OF A MAN LIKE YOU!!" Taking a stomp forward, she raised her hand as if to lash out at him again but ended up continuing with her shouting instead, "I am putting my life on the line for you! I CARE for you! And THIS is how you play with my feelings?! PRETENDING TO BE DEAD?!" Grabbing the edge of his jacket, she grit her teeth and dug her nails into the leather, as if trying to reign herself back in, "I know you like to play games but your timing is so inconsiderate... It's times like this that I really hate you."

Pushing his jacket back out of her hands, she took a step back, flicking her head to the side, "Why do I care about someone like you... I always thought our friendship was something a bit more..." Trailing off as the feeling of guilt hit her, she sent him another venomous glare, "I wont make that mistake again. Why should I put so much of my care into you, when there are others who deserve it more." Narrowing her eyes, she turned with a flick of her ponytail but soon found herself frozen once again. Instead of her sweet, little Darumaka, a different creature stood. But judging from his markings, it was still her Pokemon, she could feel it in her gut. "U-UMARO!" Leaving the side of Joey with a sprint, she approached the trio of Pokemon and immediately looked over her Pokemon. "Then, that light from earlier... Was you?!" His natural grin widening, he didn't appear to even consider that she would've missed it on purpose but her unnessecary action of placing her worry in Joe had led her to miss the sight. "I-I'm so sorry Umaro! I missed something important because of--" Raising his hand, he went to pat her head in comfort but he was forced to stop as she spotted the purple bandanna in his hand. "Where did you get that?" Sharada suddenly questioned dryly, "Give it back to Voltek." Shaking his head, Umaro knew that Sharada couldn't understand but gripped onto it protectively and make a few suggestive gestures. "No, I refuse. This is a gift from my sworn brother."

At this point, Sharada realised just how much Umaro had changed. No longer was he the small, dancing, cheeky cackling Darumaka but he now held some form of intelligence and he was determined to keep this item. Feeling that she didn't have the right to take it from him, she felt the comforting touch of Lute land back on her head, shifting her body from left to right as if also disagreeing with Sharada's words. "...Fine. If Voltek is okay with it, then you can keep it." Laughing out loud, Umaro held the bandanna to his chest and was about to suggest Sharada place it on before she slowly turned to face Voltek. Blinking slowly, her anger in Joe had meant she was able to place her fear to one side for the time being, as she didn't realise just how close she was standing to him. Eyes red raw from the crying and rubbing, she still stared at the Electivire, before bowing her head thankfully, "Thanks for protecting Umaro." Her words were blunt and if it had not been for Joe, maybe she would've been a bit more sweet. Still, his trainers actions were nothing to do with the Electivire, so she couldn't stay mad at him and tried to shake her mind from Joe's recent actions, whilst still keeping her back to the other trainer. "You really have grown, Voltek. I'm happy to see you doing well." Trying to force something akin to that of a smile, she eventually turned back to Umaro and began tying the bandanna around his arm.

With the bandanna now securely in place, Sharada remembered the fainted Munchlax and straightened her back. Placing a hand on her hip as Umaro marvelled in his gift, Sharada raised her voice as if implying to talk to Joe but didn't particularly acknowledge him as she wasn't going to forgive him just yet. "So, what is going to happen with the Munchlax?"

[The REAL Joey]

Hearing the resounding slap score across Joey's face, Voltek looked up from his discussion with Umaro and watched with some definite uncertainty. He had always known Joey and Sharada to get on very well with each other but that sudden strike along with Sharada's heated words confused the giant yeti. Joey on the other hand let his face go with the momentum of the slap. Standing before Sharada still, he remained askance in the direction he had been slapped, his face lowered slightly but his cheek bare, reddened by the blow. Not saying anything, he let Sharada stomp forward as she erupted further like an overflowing volcano, letting her rage be known. Listening to everything she had to say he was taken off guard slightly as he felt her grip dig into the corner of his jacket, feeling himself be pulled forward, he looked at her dead in the eye, his face now marked with a massive red slap mark across his cheek.

Saying nothing, he let her have her say whilst secretly thinking to himself. "Damn, she must really have the hots for me." Letting her finish, he cleared his throat and watched as she swished her hair with came to terms with the revelation of her Umaro having evolved, Joey let out a sigh as he began looking at his feet. He had stuffed away a tin of beans but it looks like there were a lot of other tins they could make do for a bit of supper. Slinking off his signature jacket, he tied up the sleeves and began using it as a carrier for all the tins he was picking up. As Sharada looked over to Voltek and thanked him, the big yellow Electivire nervously scratched the top of his head as he accepted her thanks. He had known Sharada for a time and having just seen her explosion just then, he was slightly fearful of her. "T-Thanks... I would do anything to fight for my friends. It has definitely been some time." Realising he was now taller than her, he took in her sight carefully as he realised she now looked different from a heightened angle. As she peered between Umaro and Voltek, the subject of the Munchlax was bought up.

"He is a dangerous foe. If he can expand his size and become so strong, the same thing will happen again." Nodded Voltek as he peered down at the unconscious glutton. As Voltek examined the Pokemon carefully, a voice called out from the centre of the safe room main floor. It was none other than Joey's but it was a lot less noisy than his usual typical self. It was as if he had been thinking over what she had said whilst collecting tins of food. "You care about me because you like me. And I like you too. It's the whole reason I played that little trick just then to see ya reaction." Slinging his now bulging jacket over his shoulder and leaving a hand to grab onto the tied up sleeves, he continued. "I guess I should be a bit more considerate but at the same time, if we don't fool around, make a joke or two, simply just appreciate the light hearted side of life, things get a bit too dense y'know?" Walking over casually, he moved into where the group was standing and eventually leaned over the Munchlax. "When ya think how close we came to being this thing's lunch, yikes. I ain't ever seen this little bugger before either. And it doesn't seem like the thing's anyone's Pokemon... Huh." Scooping up the fainted Pokemon with his spare arm, he moved out of the way, slowly making his way over to the elevator as he tussled with the jacket slung over his shoulder.

The grates opening, he stood in and turned around, awaiting them to follow him. "I tell ya what though, maybe we oughta to have just sent out you to slap him one. Since when did you get such a wallop behind ya, eh?" Trying to brush off any awkward feeling between them, he gestured them to hitch a ride on the elevator. "C'mon. We best let the gang know we're alright. I reckon after the earthquakes and the zapping they're wonderin' what the hell is goin' on." His face resuming his trademark wild grin, he beamed loudly. "Heh, that and I just found some grub we can eat. We'll light up one of the barrel drums and sit round and have ourselves a little camp fire like meal. Whaddya say?"

[Morrigan]

Standing in between both Voltek and Umaro, Sharada had her arms folded and wore a heavy frown, not particularly looking in anyone's direction but it was clear that she was still somewhat irritable. Thinking about how a situation like that could potentially get her in trouble if she were to ever see it happen during her time as a Rocket, she boiled the reaction down to her needing to get a better control over her emotions. She had a special connection with Joe, so seeing anything happen to him would make her fall into a frenzied panic without truly thinking, his joking personality often leaving him over exaggerating his injuries, like just now. But it was also the same with Pokemon, both her own and others. Digging her nails into her arm, the brunette snarled a little whilst remaining her glare against the ground. Although Joe was in the wrong too, she may have just overreacted herself. It had been a long time since the duo had last met so perhaps she was hoping for him to be a bit more caring and thoughtful to her. When the first thing he did was pull a joke on her, it had lead her to believe that he wasn't serious about them any more but just maybe that wasn't the case.

Far too embarrassed to even attempt some form of apology, she instead became flustered with irritation, going back on the wonder as to why Joe made her react in this way. Shaking her head subtly, she looked across to Voltek, who now towered over her. Looking the Electivire in the eye without much emotion to her face, she listened to his grumbles and remained still as he also looked over her. The electric type was somewhat intimidating but since he was a Elekid he had never particularly scared Sharada. Maybe annoyed her by joining in with Joey's thieving antics but standing by his side like this made her wonder why she would be scared of him in the first place. Taking in a deep breath, she was slowly calming down and with it, came a more natural smile. "I hope Chugga is doing well too." Closing her eyes with a tilt of her head, the brunette knew that the two had spent their lives together for a while, she just hoped that they both still got along. Turning to look over the fainted Munchlax, she yet again couldn't understand Voltek's words but knew he was probably cautious. The Munchlax had been a strong foe and even with two Pokemon attacking it, it had managed to survive for quite a while. Wondering if it was best just to get rid of it or possibly even capture it, they were soon interrupted by Joe who had decided to finally shed his thoughts.

As their Pokemon turned to face the biker as he spoke, Sharada found herself folding her arms angrily, keeping her back facing him yet listening to his words. Finding herself wearing a frown yet again, she scoffed and shrugged her shoulders irritably, "A reaction." Hissing under her breath amidst his words, she understood that he was trying to lighten the situation but it was hardly something she had found funny. Maybe if he had pinched a Pokeball from her like old times, she would've found it somewhat nostalgic but she clearly didn't appreciate this death joke as she turned her nose away from him snootily. Turning to the side as Joey passed her to approach the Munchlax, he didn't appear to have any sort of information on the Munchlax himself. "Hmph. With all these Pokemon running rampant here, it's no surprise that something like a Munchlax could slip in undetected." Realising she had just insulted Looker's surveillance skills more than anything, she flinched somewhat, turning to waltz towards the elevator herself as Umaro began to follow alongside Voltek. As she reached the open grates, she finally looked to Joe once again, her face still angry as he suggested just sending her in next time. "Whats that? You want another so that your cheeks match?" Threatening him with the idea of another slap, she decided to brush past him, taking a stand next to Umaro.

With everyone inside the elevator, she swiftly closed the grates and selected the floor above, wobbling somewhat as the lift shifted into action. Grumbling under her breath for a few moments, Sharada still had pouted cheeks and her arms folded but seemed to want to say something. "Just so you know. I am only hanging around to see Esmé." Looking down her nose at him with narrowed eyes, she tapped the tip of her foot against the floor. "It's not as if I came here to see you in the first place, anyway." Despite this being true, deep down she did hope to bump into him and her earlier feeling of relief and adoration upon seeing him hadn't completely disappeared either. Feeling somewhat hungry herself, her eyes did glimmer at the idea of food, especially with such a cosy idea to boot. She had never really camped before this journey but she still hadn't shared a meal with friends. Even if half of them were idiots. Not turning down the idea, she scratched at her cheek, "I'm just gonna eat something, help clean up and then be off. Now that you're here, I don't really need to stay anyway." Her expression not nearly as vicious, it was clear that she was just spouting nonsense because of his recent behaviour. If she could, she would just stay in the Warehouse and always be there to welcome him back with open arms. But she wasn't going to openly say her feelings of him at this point.

[The REAL Joey]

Reassuring his grip on the bulky Munchlax as well as his jacket full of cans, Joey raised an incredulous eyebrow as the lift continued going upwards. "Woah. Who are you and what have you done with Sharada?" His tone retaining something of a jokester, he was starting to become a bit worried about her. He realised his prank may have pushed wrong a few buttons but was there really something bothering her that much? Picking up what she had said about the Munchlax slipping in, he made a small scoffing sound and highlighted why it might have been so easy. "That or y'know, Looker being away it had more than enough chances. Even then, had a number of my Pokemon break out on their own a while back. Looker got pretty damn peeved over that, I tell ya. Like I said, they're out on that bike rally. And I don't expect Biff and Esmé to be guarding all the entrances to this ramshackle hideout. I dunno, I reckon its safe to assume its from the wild." Juggling the Pokemon in his arms somewhat, Joey grinned raucously as he complimented both Umaro and Voltek. "Hah! You guys did crazy good. Don't think i've ever seen such heavy hittin' blows." Looking to Sharada who he understood was still being distant, Joey beamed. "And to think that's the same little cheeky which we got all that time back at the Unova Festival. Sadly, Darmani K's just been chillin' here and ain't seen much action." Looking at Umaro's grin, Joey flashed the Pokemon one of his own. "T'be fair, if it evolves into a grinner like that, i'm gonna have to give Darmani K. a crash course in training."

As he finished, so too did the elevator, reaching its destination with a wobbly creak as it groaned out from having transported its load back up to the ground floor of the warehouse. Stepping off into the corridor, Joey watched as the group filled out and used his boot to kick across the grate. He may have had his hands full but he was as dexterous as ever. "Say Shar, you seem to have taken a liking to Esmé. Nice to see some of the new gang gettin' on with ya. She can be a little bit of a handful. Happy as larry one moment and tearing up the next. Guess it's her age." Shaking his head, they progressed along the corridor as Joe continued on. "Bumping into her was weird though. She was like some feral kid just living out in the wild. From the sounds of it, you guys fought together. Hope she ain't pulled out her Tyranitar on ya." The way he chuckled at the end was all too hinting on how Joey had more than likely bumped into the creature when he first met the trainer. "Then there's Biff too but err... I guess playin' dead and being covered in sauce means you ain't got too good an understanding of him." Looking over his shoulder as he glanced at Sharada, he revealed a very surprising fact. "He's Rocko's younger bro. He came charging over here because reports have been circulating in Kanto how there's Rocket business buildin' up. That or I think their ma kicked him out because he got another tattoo." Shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly, he concluded his thoughts. "Guess he worries about his bro. He's bit of an odd one though. He puts on the tough guy persona well but his choice in Pokemon is... Unexpected, heh."

Standing before the corridor entrance into the main interior of the warehouse, Joey looked to Sharada again as Voltek and Umaro caught up with them. "Y'sure you wanna hang about. I get you're mad but... Hey. Come on. It's been a while right?" Nodding his head with a gentle smile, he abruptly kicked his leg forward bursting open the door which made for a sudden start. "What is uppppppppppppppppp?!" Strolling forward, Biff, Esmé and the sullen woman known as Cali looked up. Their reactions all differing. Biff who was squatting by a structural support nodded his head in acknowledgement. "Yo Joe. Huh... WHHHHHUUUUUUUHHHHHHHH?! Ain't that the monster?!" His eyes widening as he looked at the Munchlax in the biker's arms, Joey grinned wildly. Esmé seemed incredibly excited rushing over to the group. "Joe-Joe! Shar! Oh... Hm?" Noticing Umaro, it was clear she had never seen a Darmanitan before. "Oooooh... He's so cool!" Her head snapping back to Joey as Biff made an observation of the Munchlax, Esmé turned her nose, her hands placed firmly on her hips as she seemed to brush off the chaos the Pokemon had made. "Hah, I see you beat him. That's nothing I couldn't have done. After all, who's silly idea was it to call it a monster? It's only a Munchlax!" Her eyes flicking over to Biff, the bald delinquent shook his head and sighed under his breath. "Pretty sure you dubbed it that..."

Her face twitching, Esmé was clearly about to blow up with rage when Calistra stood forward, her presence silencing them both. Moving closer to where both Sharada and Joey stood, she kept her arms folded as she looked at Joey with her unsettling predatory like eyes. "I see you survived simpleton." At this point, if Sharada was unaware this was Calistra, it was clear to see things were about to get a bit more excitable.

[Morrigan]

With a fold of her arms and heavy frown of her brow, Sharada glared over to Joey as he playfully took a jibe at her. It was hard to admit but maybe she had changed, somewhat. Even when they very first met and she wasn't particularly fond of him, she wasn't as snappy as she was now. The only time she had truly portrayed her feelings for him had been Christmas but after that, she had started her mission on Team Rocket. Maybe after one or two problems were cleared up she would revert back to normal but for now, she still had that death trick nagging at her on top of one or two other things. "Hmph. Idiot." She grumbled under her breath with a turn of her nose away from him. If she could just be true to herself, she would've absolutely gone in for a hug. Perhaps it would be a good idea since his arms were currently full of Munchlax and tins. Eye him up from the corner of her eye in consideration, she rolled her eyes dramatically as she took her security issue to heart. "Yes, yes. I know. Jeez, you seem just as uptight." Trailing off, her folded arms loosened, "And your... Pokemon got out? Everyone came back, right? Pokeball or not, they can't just wander around with Team Rocket about." Considering she was one, she paused and turned away. She had been on a target capture mission before but what would happen if Joey was ever a target?

Deflating somewhat at the thought, she partially listened in to him praising her Darmanitan. Looking to the huge simian and his over bearing grin, she couldn't help but smile too, "I've had Umaro with me since we left the festival. He really a core place in my team." Realising that this was probably the first time he had seen Sharada so grumpy, she laughed it off too, wondering why she was being so over dramatic about this. She just couldn't help it. Placing a comforting hand on Umaro's head, she rubbed his warm fur, "Thanks for everything so far, Umaro." His eye grinning as he felt her touch, Sharada felt herself wobble as the elevator came to a standstill. Looking across as the grates were kicked open, she and the other Pokemon followed the lead of Joe and stepped out of the elevator. "Hmm?" Standing on the spot with both hands resting on her hips, she blinked over to Joe as he revealed what his perceptive skills had picked up. "Yeah, I like Esmé. She didn't turn away from trouble and... She may have gotten a little upset once or twice but she still pulled through. She just needs a bit of comforting in times like that. She's only young." Nodding her head in response to him asking her if they battled, she parted her lips to explain but immediately paused on the spot as he mentioned a particular Pokemon. "A Tyranitar?!" Head drooping forward, she grumbled to herself, "She really was just going easy on me."

Sighing, she lifted her head, this time to hear about Biff. Lifting a hand, she shook it from side to side, "Ahh, he ran off as soon as I turned up. I don't know anything about him besides him having tattoos er, everywhere." Itching her cheek somewhat, she still couldn't believe someone his age was covered in ink but regardless, it was his choice. "Esmé did mention he was the younger brother of someone but..." Trailing off, she held up her hand to partially cover her sudden smile, "I never would've expected Rocko. Guess the baldness should've given that one away." As their travel of the corridor came to an end, Sharada found herself staring at the huge pair of doors. Wondering if Joey wanted her to open them, she took a single step forward to take a better look at his face. As he questioned if she truly wanted to stay, she tilted her head to the side slightly, "...I'm not that mad. Am I?" Examining the red mark still apaprent on his face, her own expression did narrow somewhat, "Ah. Maybe I am." Shaking her head, she turned back to look at the doors, "I don't mind staying. I came here to have a break anyway, if the gang was here or not. I just didn't expect a roaming monster." Since her behaviour had dulled and she felt a bit calmer after a bit of general discussion, she turned to Joe once more, although her voice was much softer. "Hey Joey, listen." However, before she could even string up a form of apology, Joey had rather tactlessly kicked his way through the door.

Standing on the spot looking a bit bewildered, she let out a hefty grumble before turning on her heel and slowly following after him, "Stupid... Idiot..." She grunted under her breath, "...But I guess he's alright." Trailing a distance behind Joe, she looked up to see Esmé dashing towards them, her excited expression changing from Umaro to the Munchlax. Smiling softly at the playful bickering between Esmé and Biff, Sharada moved to the side, away from Joe, to pretend to check over her Darmanitan. Not directly looking to the group, she still called over to them, "I'd still call that Munchlax a monster. Never heard of one growing in size like that. And it's moves were powerful to boot." Kneeling down in front of Umaro, Sharada also exchanged looks with Lute, who had perched on his warm head. Closing her eyes, Umaro felt Sharada's whole body flinch as the third figure stepped toward Joe and spoke out to him. "Who the heck is this person. I haven't been introduced and she hasn't even acknowledged me either. What, am I seriously just second best to her?" Teeth clenched, her body quivered angrily in regards to this mystery woman. Lifting his large hand, Umaro placed it comfortingly on the back of Sharada, who instinctively looked up with her blue eyes. His face grinning at her, she begun to calm down. "Yeah... Who cares who she is. With my Pokemon, I don't need anyone, anyway. I can move forward with them alone." Standing back to her feet, Sharada turned, her soured expression lingering back on her face. "Who are you anyway?" She questioned with a slightly raised voice, directed at Cali. "...I agree that he is a simpleton, though." Raising her eyebrows suggestively at Joe, she shook her head in an unimpressed manner before turning back toward Calistra, unaware that she was the same Pokemon Sharada had shot tranquillising darts into back in Team Rocket.

[The REAL Joey]

As Sharada finally interacted with the aloof, haughty individual, she flicked her eyes from Joey to her and gave her a small narrowing glare. Her eyes had a very weird look to them, almost inhuman like. Very unsettling should one view them for too long. Her entire outfit, make up and hair were also of a very unusual colour. It was as if she came from an entirely different world altogether. "Hm? Who am I?" Unaware Sharada was uncertain of who she was, Calistra decided to play on this. "I should think you would know better than any of these humans here." Slowly encircling Sharada, her heels clacking against the cold warehouse floor, she spoke in a measured manner. Calculated. Now stepping behind her, she paused, inhaling deeply as she recognised a familiar scent. "I see you've not abandoned the runt." Continuing on, encircling her further, the woman known as Calistra eventually returned around, however, it was no longer the striking figure that she had first seen. Instead, was a carbon copy of Sharada herself. Leaning forward, she continued, her voice very much the same as before and not quite fitting with Sharada's appearance.

"I am you."

Her expression deathly serious, it would be Joey who would break the uncomfortable bizarreness of the situation. "Err... Very funny Cali. When the hell did'ya get a sense of humour? Knock it off with the illusions already." Her eyes shooting of to Joey, she gave him a leer as he butted in. "I knew it. The moment she came onto the scene, I noticed you got all tensed up. That and well... You don't recognise her, obviously." Leaning back, the imposter of Sharada began to distort and change. As if an oil painting had been dampened, the supposed illusion began to fade out of distinguishable recognition. In their place, a feral, beastly looking creature stood, roughly about the height between that of Joey and Sharada. Despite the creature's different form, her markings, fur and looks should have been enough of an indicator for Sharada to realise that it was a Pokemon related to that of a Zorua. Staring at her with her own true eyes, Joey eventually cut through the silence. "Shar, it's Cali. You know? Calistra?" Certain he had decided to give her the name back when they were enjoying the Unova Festival together whilst Sharada was there, it suddenly dawned on Joey just how much catching up they needed doing.

Shaking his head with a somewhat uncomfortable laugh, he made a nonchalant shrug as he looked up to Sharada. "Haha, I suppose a lot has happened since we last met, eh?" Standing back as Calistra looked down at them both with a haughty look over her face, it appeared the illusion fox Pokemon wasn't in the mood for social interactions. "Hmph. I'll leave you to the simpleton." Conjuring another quick illusion, she morphed her appearance back into the wild biker look from earlier and headed off. "I require some air." Heading off to the entrance, she made her way out, leaving the four of them in the main interior. Still bickering between themselves, Esmé and Biff appeared largely out of the loop of what had just unfolded, leaving Joey to things a bit better. "Sorry, I thought you would've realised. I call her Cali for short as a nickname. The fact she doesn't claw my face off makes me think she doesn't mind it." Laughing with a bit more relaxation in his tone, he continued on with what he had been saying. "Seein' as you said you'd be stickin' about for a bit, i'm sure we can go at length about it all. But one day she evolved. It took a lot of bonding and hardship but she changed from the little Zorua you remember into that haughty Zoroark she is now. With the change so too did her human illusion get up. It caught me a bit off guard. Bet I rubbed off onto her, eh? Hahahaha."

Adjusting his grip on the jacket sack he had propped over his shoulder, it reminded him that he probably should get dinner started. "Oh! I picked up some grub from downstairs." Shooting her a quick look, he made sure to cover his own tail. "And don't worry, they're all sealed. The Munchlax didn't spoil 'em." Licking his lips, he remembered picking up one of his favourites. "Mmmmm... I got tinned beans with sausages. Some other stuff there too, but you fancy some?" Grinning raucously, he twisted around and yelled over to the bickering couple. "YO! ESMÉ! BIFF! TIME FOR SOME CHOW?!" Snapping out of their argument, the two seemed both keen on the idea. "Damn man, thought you'd never say. Since I got covered in sauce, my tum's been growlin'." Her eyes leering with annoyance, Esmé was still bitter from earlier. "If you like the sauce that much you can go clean it up from the floor downstairs, you tosser!" As they descended into arguments again, Voltek came out of nowhere, two decrepit yet comfy looking sofa propped up on his shoulders, arms gripping onto to ensure they wouldn't fall. The very fact he had procured these without Joey asking hinted at this being something of a ritual.

"I have got the seating." Looking up to Voltek, Joey grinned. "Nice work my friend, prop them over there and i'll get that oil drum lit up. Or Chuggs will." In the centre of the interior was a line steel can drum which was about as ramshackle as the warehouse itself. Sliced in two, the top part was missing and it appeared that members of the gang lit it up from time to time to combat the chilly temperatures the warehouse was home to. Moving over, Voltek placed the two lengthy sofas down adjacent to one another with the drum can in the middle between them. Planting his jacket and the assortment of tinned foods down on a sofa, Joey walked over to the can and nodded. "Good, just need a light." Scratching the stubble on his chin, his hand fell to a Pokeball on his holster without so much a thought. Casually summoning the Pokemon, he met the Pokemon with a greeting. "Sup Chugga, mind doin' us a favour? Gonna have a little campfire session. Light it up will ya?" Bubbling as small puffs of smoke poured out of its body, the Weezing was compliant. "Brah, if that's all you need, i'm in." Expanding up in size, the Pokemon let out a small controlled stream of fire that lit up the contents inside the tin can drum. Now that some warmth had been made, the whole of the group began closing in. "Haha, let's tuck in."

[Morrigan]

As Calistra began to circle Sharada with clicks of her red heels, the brunette wore a heavy frown. It certainly felt as if she was the prey of the circling predator, the silence from the others not particularly helping matters. Truly thinking that this person was close enough to Joe that it was why he was remaining so silent, the girl glanced across her shoulder wearily as Calistra began to speak out. Her form was wild but considering that they were in a biker gang where no one cared, she wasn't considered out of place. Animal like eyes, strange markings and a repetitive red and black colour combo, she should have been able to make the connection much sooner had she realised how similar to Tenebrae she was. Calistra's voice giving her the chills, Sharada lowered her head somewhat defensively as the biker chick stated she should know out of the lot of them. "Hmph, what are you saying?" she grumbled, still having no idea. Heels tapping and coming to a halt behind her, Sharada's eyes widened as Calistra inhaled deeply, taken somewhat aback by her actions and her words not quite registering. "H-Huh?" About to turn and back away, something entirely unexpected happened. Being face to face with a perfect replica of herself, Sharada looked stunned as Calistra leaned closer with her guise, the eyes of Sharada widening in horror. Who the heck was this?

Finally gaining a bit of courage to speak up, Sharada fought her way through her silence and parted her mouth to speak, only to put interupted by the voice of Joe. Feeling secretly relieved that he had decided to intervene, Sharada didn't take her eyes from Calistra but did ease up from less tense and more puzzled. "Illusions?" Her posture straightening at his next words, Sharada's eyebrows twitched irritably as her face turned a slight shade of red as he pointed out her difference in personality. Sure she had been jealous but it was only because she couldn't fault the woman's beauty and confident personality. Her image of Cali suddenly being shattered, Sharada finally learned the truth. The sight of the human almost melting into that of a wild Pokemon, Sharada raised a hand to the side of her face, trying to hide her dubious expression. What stood there was a Zoroark, the creature that Zorua evolved into. Having recently bumped into a wild Gastly what showed a picture of Sharada standing next to one, bit by bit, all the pieces of the puzzle began to fit together. Her face turning a even heavier shade of scarlet, her fingers began to twitch nervously as she just realised she had been jealous of... a Pokemon.

Remaining completely silent but clearly a mixture of shaken, confused and embarrassed, it wouldn't of been surprising if steam began to rise from her head with how red hot she had become. "B-But I-I t-thought b-but..." Not even able to string a sentence together, she tried to comfort her head with her hand, eyes closing as she began to curse to herself how idiotic she had come across as. Doubting and lashing out at Joe because of jealousy which then had moved further onto Calistra, Sharada couldn't believe how stupid she felt. Peering up shyly as Calistra spoke out and merged back into her human form, this time Sharada was prepared for it but still stuttered a weak, "Y-Yeah" as she left the group. Looking to the ground as Calistra began to walk away, Sharada cowered somewhat as Joe spoke up once again, flinching her eyes such as she expected to be assaulted with laughter and jokes aimed at her. With more consideration than she had expected of him, she eased her eyes open and managed to look in his direction, despite still being bright red and listened to his words. Briefly learning of how far the two had progressed, she couldn't say that she was on the same level with Tenebrae but they too, were getting there. "...A Zoroark?" Considering her uncertainty, it was likely that Tenebrae, who travelled with her, hadn't yet evolved. "I guess that... She was so human like, I couldn't even tell. But. I am glad you and Calistra have worked something out. Back then, I wasn't sure if either of them would ever open up." Trailing off, it seemed her mind was still somewhere else, thinking how she had previously thought Calistra to be his partner. Going red again, this revelation had at the very least made her feel a little relieved, "S-Sorry." Hoping he would understand, she swiftly turned away to hide her embarrassed expression.

Luckily for her, she was about to have a few moments to regain her composure as Joe rattled the many cans he held up by his coat, Still not quite looking at him, she flicked her hand into the air, "Y-Yeah, I'll have some too." Turning her back to him as both he and Voltek began to prepare the empty, steel drum to be used as a container for fire, she felt Lute land on her head of hair and Umaro approach her side. Both Pokemon looking at her in wonder, she appeared to be deeply engrossed by the floor, her arms folded tightly and expression looking somewhat uncomfortable. "Such... An... Idiot... How could I not know that was Calistra?! D-Dammit, now he is gonna think I am totally obsessive! Urgh, I only came here to relax and now I feel I have just messed it all up." Her hands immediately clawing at her face, she shook her head furiously before straightening herself up. "Okay!" She spoke out to herself confidentially, receiving a laugh from Umaro who lifted his fist and patted her side, a bit too forcefully than intended and causing her to trip forward. Her cheeks still a bit red, she turned regardless and reproached the group with a fire now burning in the centre of the interior warehouse. A pair of sofas for seating, roaring fire and numerous tins of food, it was certainly feeling a bit more homely or rather something friends would do. It was a nice feeling to be a part of.

"Oh, I want--!" Immediately coming to a halt as she approached Chugga, the smelt extruding from him did hit her but as she recognised the Pokemon himself, was able to somewhat fight it off. "C-Chugga?!" Exclaiming in surprise, her eyes scanned over the Weezing before shooting back to Voltek, then back to Chugga again, "You look... So different! And you breath fire!!" Considering Umaro had recently evolved into a Darmanitan, Sharada couldn't help but feeling that Joey had ploughed on ahead in terms of Pokemon. Voltek, Chugga and even Calistra, all of his team had become so strong. Smiling over to him, she appeared much less irritated towards him than she was earlier, "You guys really have grown."

[The REAL Joey]

Peeling open the tin can lid, Joey prepared away with the food as Chugga span around in the air extravagantly. He had always been fond of Sharada from the time she had helped Joey escape them from their abusive trainer. "Brah, it's all thanks to that burnt down crumbly old town. Some real stuff went down." "REALLY DOWN!" Bubbling away as he spoke in his odd dialect, Joe looked up as he produced a rather slap dash contraption. Sporting a number of pots and pans which were affixed to a number of metal pipes, it seemed like he was going to be placing this over the drum can and letting it cook. It would appear this was something he and his gang did often. Starting to fill up the sauce pans with the contents of the tins, he looked up and grinned softly. "You really think?" He asked genuinely. For Joey, so much had happened in such a short space of time so he had very little time to reflect over his progress but if Sharada had thought so then surely that accounted for something. "Sure some of us have got bigger 'n uglier, hell, even sprouted a second head." Provoking a sudden reaction from Chugga's second head. "CHANGES." Joey continued on. "But it still feels like we're the same. If anythin' it feels like we're slippin'."

"You know I got this personal mission against Team Rocket but... Eh. Lately it's come to a stand still. Just no leads or activity. It's like they've started doin' things with a lot more caution and co-ordination." Pulling bit of a glum face, it was a dejecting feeling as they would be so brazen, he'd encounter them left, right and centre and sort them out on the spot with his reckless behaviour. "And then there's this league challenge. I was on my way to the next city before comin' back here. That distress signal had me worried." Letting out a small laugh as he stirred some of the contents in the sauce pans, he moved on from the negatives and bought up the good. "You are right though. A lot of my Pokemon are have really stepped up for me. I'm grateful for it." Looking over to Biff and Esmé he grinned. "That and my gang's gettin' bigger. What with these new recruits. Maybe it's not all so bad after all." Sticking up for their boss, Esmé was the first to chime in. "But you've always been so tough Joe-Joe! Nobody's put up a fight like the one you did when we first met." Emulating a grin worthy of Joey's, Biff responded also. "Haha yeah! To me you've always been someone to look up to. My big bro may be an ass but he has good mates." Laughing, Joey relaxed back on the worn sofa. "Heh, thanks for the vote of confidence guys."

His eyes flicking over to Sharada, Joey decided to test the waters. "What about you, eh? Things must be goin' places for you right? I worry about you a lot y'know? I still don't feel completely ok in case your cover gets blown." Looking away from her as he went to check on their food, he got out a tray which had a number of battered cutlery and used a fork to spoon up some of the baked beans he had been cooking. Sampling it for readiness, he was taken aback by just how warmed up it had become. "Ready!" Leaning over the sofa again, he bought out a number of bowls and began preparing up. "So we got beans, beans, beans and... Beans. Plus some pokechow for our guys. They definitely earned this." Handing over a portion to everyone present in the group, he looked down and licked his lips. "Time to get stuck in!" "Mmmmmmm! This beats eating scraps in the wild!" "Ehhh...? Beans again...? Maaaan... That's all we eat." "Well next time maybe we can steal some other food cargo." Shaking his head, Joey began digging in. It wasn't anything extravagant but it at least would warm them through and fill their bellies. Chugga and Voltek took began nibbling on their munch. Devouring politely, Voltek looked over to his new sworn brother in the hopes he would find the food good. "I hope you enjoy this feast, brother. Tonight we dine like victors." "Brah, who you callin' brah?" "GOOD CHUMS!" Floating up from his food, Chugga seemed curious as he floated nearer to Voltek and Umaro. "Brah, feels like i'm missing somethin'." "DEVELOPMENTS!"

All the while their conversation drew on, a distant figure off in the distance loomed in the shadows. Despite saying she had withdrawn from some air, it appeared that Calistra was observing the group. Her upbringing had meant she trusted no one and despite having started to build some form of relationship with Joey, she had no idea how to interact in such a big group such as that. Many moons ago, there had been similar occurrences with her clan back in Unova but this seemed so different. For a start, humans were involved. Sniffing her nose with disgust she muttered despondently to herself. "Hmph. As if I would want to associate with such company."