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Emolga flew clear of the blast, flame's heat warming her fur as the rain collided with her like a hail of bullets. She was drenched, saturated with rainwater, but she was safe. Or as safe as she could get with an enraged dinosaur as her opponent. She stayed out of his immediate range, but remained close enough to be accurate with her attacks.

With Tyrant focused on destroying Clemont's property, he wouldn't notice Emolga launching another Electro Ball at him. If he was as enraged and disobedient as he seemed, he would be unlikely to care for or hear any warning Helena might have. Electro Ball shot at him as if launched from a cannon. If it collided, it would explode, charge Tyrant with electricity and bowl him over, his paralysed muscles unlikely to coordinate themselves enough to retain his balance.

If he went down, more arcs of electricity would jump onto his body, frying whatever they touched. And he'd be left wide open for another Electro Ball to blast him. If he didn't do something, Emolga would keep launching the attack until Tyrant stopped moving.

Electro Ball hit the generator and blew it up in Tyrant's face. It might not have done much damage, but it still provided Emolga some cover, the exploding fire and scraps of metal blasting hot white and blinding. From Emolga's perspective, the flames wouldn't be the all-encompassing blast that they were from Tyrant's. While his vision would be scorched, she simply had a dark after-image in the middle of hers. It made aiming a little bit more difficult, but by no means impossible.

Emolga threw another Electro Ball, aiming to attack through the flames before Tyrant knew enough to avoid it. To her surprise, he jumped directly at her as she flew sideways, keeping what was once a safe distance. Despite her initial concern, Emolga considered this a blessing. It was unlikely that Tyrant would be able to dodge or parry a move he was leaping into. If it hit, it would likely clothesline the pokémon and send him crashing onto his back, bottom-first.

But Emolga wasn't taking any chances. As soon as she threw her Electro Ball, she soared upward, over Tyrant, where she could rain down more Electro Balls.

Luckily Tyrant had taken the brunt of the generator explosion, so his vision was much worse than Emolga's. His Round was off enough that she didn't have to worry about evading it; the sound blast struck the ceiling and sent fragments crumbling down, the dust dissolving into the rain. He was incredibly fast for a paralysed pokémon, it was almost inexplicable. Emolga frowned, swooping down again.

She'd test his ability to dodge her at point blank. Her vision was clearing up, and she had her speed.

Emolga used Quick Attack for an additional speed boost, dodging whatever poorly aimed attack Tyrant thought to use. Thanks to Quick Attack, she'd likely blink out of his view entirely until she was crashing into Tyrant's side. It wouldn't do much damage if it hit, but it'd let Emolga get alongside his flank and hurl a melee Electro Ball with enough force to send him staggering sideways.

The Aerial Ace came out of nowhere, trading blows with Emolga's Electro Ball. Luckily, she was at the Tyrantrum's flank, and his miniature arms hadn't the dexterity to do more than slap her, and since he had no opposable digits, he wouldn't be able to grab her either. Because Emolga's speed was at maximum, Electro Ball was at its strongest, and if it didn't ignite Tyrant's paralysis, it would stagger him enough to prevent him from aiming his Head Smash.

Emolga used the force of Aerial Ace to kickstart her evasion process. She went underneath Tyrant, darting between his legs, out of Aerial Ace and Head Smash range. She threw another Electro Ball, this time at his d**k. If that didn't take him down, nothing would.

Benedict felt his teeth bare. "Leaf!" He shouted, and the emotion of his voice would reach Essence, just in time. Magical leaf would rise to meet the confusion before it could strike her. It would end much the same way as before, an inert crashing that diffused one and crumble another.

"Drain it!" He'd shout, and Essence would use a draining ability in desperation, a necessity to stay alive. It would be adjusted to account for gravity...

And Giga Drain would shoot out aiming to pull the strength from the Lunatone.

"Move!" Benedict called, eyes widening. This gravity field was a problem, and likely would continue being one. Giga drain... Well, it wasn't likely that the ability could actually harm her, given that it was her draining energy from a target. Some was lost in transit between the target and herself, but he didn't want to take that risk. If Essence fainted from it, she was down. If he was right, it didn't matter. Better not to take it.

Essence, bless her heart, forced herself to roll just out of the way. Dust would, once again, be kicked up, this time with more force than the mega drain from earlier had managed when knocking the stalactites down. The gravitational field, of course, would make the dust more concentrated around itself, but it would be out long enough for the confusion to fire...

And miss as Essence used the momentum from her Giga Drain's dust-splosion to help her roll out of the field. Anger was on her face, and she didn't even bother putting the energy out to try and stand. Mobility wouldn't help when she could overpower most of her enemy's moves. Giga drain would go out once more, the moment she spotted the Lunatone. This time without the black field to stop it.

Coumarine City – Coumarine Hotel

The balcony of the suite overlooked the marina, a beautiful view of crystalline water and sailboats lazing about. The game was at halftime, so Jace and Doran smoked cigarettes while Matheson looked at the ocean over the guardrail. Doran watched silently, eyes going back and forth between Matheson and Jace as each one spoke.

“Hunting accident my a**,” Jace grumbled. He glanced inside to the living room at Salieri and Silas before puffing smoke. “I cannot believe you brought her here.”
“She was hurt. What was I supposed to say?” asked Math, who turned to face him. “No, go find a hospital you crazy lady? Forget it.”
“Why didn’t she call a hospital? Sketchy, Math, sketchy…she didn’t even apologize.”
“Yes she did,” Matheson said, unable to muster full defiance.
Jace jumped on that. “No, she said ‘My bad’. That doesn’t qualify.”
“Sal’s not going to grovel at your feet, Jace. She’s been through a lot lately, okay? She made a mistake, I took care of it, we’ll fix things.”

“Math.” Doran tapped ash off his cigarette and pointed it at Math. “What’s your deal? You have such a boner for this girl.”

Math pushed aside Doran’s hand. He opened his mouth like he had said ‘No’, except he didn’t say a word and just kept gesturing and shaking his head like he hadn’t done anything wrong, until settling on, “Don’t call it a boner, Doran, it’s more flowery than a boner.”

Doran laughed. “Are you-“ Jace started, ready to shriek. He calmed himself slightly and leaned forward, sternly whispering, “Are you serious? Her?”
“I can see it, she’s cute,” Doran mused with a shrug. “But the Punk Girl thing isn’t my thing.”
“I’m not talking about that,” Jace said, bringing the volume back up and addressing Math. “I’m talking about you wanting to stick it into a potential enemy of the state.”
“I think she inked my cousin Antoine in the face the other day,” Doran added.
Jace’s eyes widened. “Yeah, it was a girl with a Horsea, right? She left ink graffiti all over my bathroom mirror.”
“Yeah. Antoine’s kind of a douche, so, it wasn’t that bad, but…”

By now, Math was blushing bright pink. It wasn’t just that he did indeed have a figurative (at least) boner for Salieri. He didn’t know how deep her opposition of the nobility ran. When he talked to Levi, and when they spoke in the cabin, Sal didn’t seem like a bad person. Yet there was no doubt that she had battled Faust, and what had happened to her? What happened to him?

“She’s not a terrorist, she’s complicated. I don’t know, I’m trying to figure her out. Look, Jace, if I don’t get her to see that not all nobles are total connards, she’s gonna run off again and do to somebody else what she did to you. But worse.”

Jace exhaled through his nostrils and leaned back, taking a drag. “You’re probably right about that last part. So, why are you into her?”
“Um.” Doran plopped into one of the balcony’s chair. “Did you tell her you’re engaged?”

Jace joined Doran in giving Matheson a pressuring look. Math whistled one low, looooooong note, then looked away. “I, uh. Hmm…Merde.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Salieri had much of the first quarter of the game taking a shower. She tried to make it quick, because she didn’t want to miss the game or make it seem like she was stalling awkward conversation with nobles. Which in part she had been. Cleaning herself had taken longer than expected, with all the dirt blood and Kecleon scale residue.

After drying off and changing into a clean and inexplicably identical outfit, Salieri ventured back into the living room, where Matheson insisted she take a seat on the couch while he and Rhea fixed her wounds. Rhea issued a Heal Order to a small squadron of Combee grubs. Each one quietly buzzed around Sal’s cuts, applying a honey-like paste over the cuts that gave her a tingly feeling. Three of them teamed up to create a silk wrap around Sal’s bruised leg that would soothe her wound into repair over time. A few others would clean up her gash and prep it to be stitched by Matheson himself.

Silas had given her a beer during this procedure, and conversation didn’t delve into how Sal got hurt past a few simple lies she gave them. Since everyone present was either a Paladins fan or wanted the Strikers to lose, everyone was on the same side when it came to the game, all in unison for cheers or boos. Jace hadn’t even given Sal more grief, though he did his best to avoid looking at her for the first two quarters.

Surprisingly, she found herself having fun. It could be partially explained by that one beer: despite all her strengths, Salieri was a lightweight when it came to alcohol. So infamously so that Mia had created a scale of “Sal’s Six Pack Level”, which only measured from one to six beers. Level one was a laxer sense of humor. But she was also having genuine fun hanging with Matheson. Even though he was concerned with her health, he never worried too much, cracking jokes with his friends and asking Sal about the game like he wasn’t acting as her doctor. Like they’d known each other for a while.

At halftime, Doran and Jace stepped out for a smoke and Matheson joined them. Now prepared for Math to stitch her back and covered with drying healing sap, Salieri wasn’t in a position to move. Silas stayed inside, something Sal was glad about because he had been the most friendly of Math’s friends. Neither one was really paying attention to the halftime show, some band playing some song.

“Want another?” Silas asked, holding a fresh beer. Salieri shook her head.
“No thanks. You don’t want to see me at Level Two.”
“Level Two?”
“It’s a beer thing. Ah, forget it, uh…my bad, I’m blanking on your name.”

Silas cracked the bottle open for himself. “No worries, the name’s Silas. Silas of House Dinkler.”
Sal stifled a giggle. “…Dinkler?”
The tubby noble rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, lesser house. We didn’t really luck out in the name department.”
“Hey, you are what you are. If that’s your name, I say own it.”

She clinked her bottle to his, and chugged what little remained. Sal’s eyes wandered over to outside, watching the back of Matheson’s head. “Are you and Matheson close?”
“Uh, yeah. The four of us have known each other for a while, all met in the same club at school. Math’s a good guy.”
“Is he challenging the league this season?”
“Nah, Math has been holding onto the same badges for years. He didn’t really quit, he just sort of…stopped? I mean, if I was him, I would’ve taken that streak straight to the top.”
“So he was good, huh?” Salieri asked.
“He’s like the best trainer I know. Personally, anyway. You know that bracelet he wears with the weird stone in it?”
“I do. What about it?”
Silas just rose his eyebrows and took a swig. “Ace in the hole. It’s some wild stuff.”
“What? You gotta tell me what it is.”
“Nope.”
“You gotta.”
“Nope.”
“Fine. Hey, what club were you guys a part of?”

Silas hesitated to answer the question. That’s when the halftime show ended, creating a perfect way to avoid that question. Silas got up and opened the door to the balcony. “It’s back!”

The boys scrambled back into the room and took their seats just as the third quarter began. Math blitzed the one next to Salieri, and Rhea hovered into the room with a med kit. “Thanks Rhea,” he said while taking out a needle and thread. Sal winced at the sight of it, something that intrigued Math. “Don’t like needles?”
“Not when they’re sticking in me.”
“Don’t worry, Rhea numbed your gash.” He sat up on the edge of the couch behind her, and she leaned back between his legs. “You won’t feel a thing. I’m in the zone right now, it’ll be fine GODDAMN FUMBLE?! REALLY!?”
“GET IT TOGETHER, O’NEIL!” Salieri yelled at the screen, punching the couch. Sal and Math calmed down as if nothing had happened. “Okay, okay, let’s stop screaming during the stitches.”
“I’ll try.”

The two of them were the most enthusiastic of the bunch, and now that Jace was looking for it he could see the signs he missed before. The subtle things: sideways glances, tiny smiles. And whether Sal knew it was happening or not, she was giving off the same signs.

Doran’s phone buzzed during the replay and he stood. “Surplus of nachos in the bar downstairs. They’re giving them out for free.”
Silas stood as well. “Count me in. Guys?”
Math and Sal glanced at each other, then shook their heads. “I have to get these stitches in.”
Jace folded his arms. He didn’t really want to go, but he didn’t want to stay with just Math and Sal either. He got up as well. “We’ll be back later,” he grumbled.
Silas gave Sal a little wave. “Nice to meet you, Salieri.”
“You too, Silas.”

Sal also exchanged a quick nod with Doran before the three of them went out the door. Rhea buzzed into another room, leaving Sal and Math alone. The two of them became silent, now aware of their situation. Math cleared his throat, breaking the tension.

“Okay, I’m going in.” Math started stitching. Salieri winced and tensed up, until Math placed his free hand on her shoulder. It made her feel safer, and suddenly she was relaxed. Each pricking sensation was fleeting, replaced by a mild pinching sensation that lasted longer. “You okay?”
“Yeah. Your friends seem nice,” Sal said, eyes on the game. “Except for Jace-“
Math paused his stitching. “You have to tell me what happened with you and Faust, Salieri.”

Sal looked down. Math sighed and kept going. “You didn’t trust me when we first met. I get that, but then you called me up for this, and I thought you trusted me now-“
“It isn’t easy for me to just trust somebody.” She put a hand on his knee and he paused again. Matheson didn’t have to save her yesterday, or show her any hospitality. But he did. He was good to her. He was a good person. “I don’t think you’ll like what I have to say.”

Matheson wanted to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it was hard when she was being so mysterious. “So what happened?”
“Well, I challenged the PASS THE ******** BALL, DUDE!”
“COME ON! This defense is horrible. Benching Sam Grady was not the right call. “
“I could not agree more.”
“So you were saying?”
“Yeah, anyway, I challenged the Cyllage Gym this morning. Got the badge-“
“Fantastique! Congratulations.”
“Thanks, but in the middle of that battle, Faust attacked my Pokémon again.” He didn’t say anything, so she went on. “There’s a waterfall in the gym. He hid behind it and shot my Quilladin, made it look like an accident. So I just…I got tired of hiding and I tracked him down. Then he started shooting again-“

Math stopped to lean over so Salieri could see his disbelief. “You tracked down Faust?” It was one thing to evade a sniper, a feat in and of itself. It was another to close in on one that was shooting at you.
“Yeah? Is that so hard to believe?” she asked back, indignant.
He shook his head and went back to stitching. “No, it’s just crazy. I mean, you’re not crazy, it is crazy. Nevermind. Did you find him? It looks like you found him.”
“I found him. We fought. He had a gun, so I-“

What she did to Faust was not something that she had said out loud yet. The thought of verbalizing it made her uncomfortable, like a kid caught with their hands in the cookie jar. Math was waiting on bated breath. “I spraypainted his eyes.”

He must have been surprised, because he threaded the next line harder than he had intended. “Are you serious?”
“Ow!”
“Sorry. Are you serious?”
“It was self defense!” Salieri stammered, lying through her teeth. “I had nothing else, my Pokémon were fighting his and my switch was in his foot-“
“Switch, like switchblade? Like you stabbed him in the foot!?” The two of them were practically screaming now.
“I had to!”
“Why!?”
“Because he had it coming! Okay?! Why should he be happy?! Why should he get what he wants, while my family pays for it?! He can’t get what he wants, I’d rather die than let him get what he wants!”

The game went to commercial. “The stitches are done,” Matheson sighed as he got off the couch and muted the TV, pacing with his hands running through his hair. Salieri grabbed her arms, as if she was cold, and didn’t look at him. “Geez, Salieri…” Finally, after some deep breaths, he circled around to right in front of her and squatted.

“Your friend Levi told me the nobles wronged you. Wronged you badly, and I can only imagine what happened to you to get you to this point…it isn’t something you can just let go of, is it?”

Salieri looked to her side, avoiding his eyes at all costs. “You don’t know a damn thing…Why do you even care?”
“Because I don’t want to be the guy that patches you up after you get into a fight. I want to patch you up before you get into a fight.”
“What does that even mean?”
“It means I like you, and I want to get to know you, and I think we should go on a date. And wow, now was really not the time to say that. Oh my GOD. Excuse me.”

Matheson got up and fast walked out of the room, leaving Salieri flabbergasted on the couch. A part of her knew it was going to come to this, but she never expected it to come up this way. “You know what?” he called from another room. “I can’t take it back now. Do you want to go out tomorrow?”

She turned. His voice was coming from farther away. “Why did you leave?”
“Because I’m being such an a** right now and I’m embarrassed about it.”

Salieri got up and walked into the suite’s kitchen, where Matheson was leaning with his forehead against the fridge. “You don’t have to say anything.”
“Right. Okay.” She sat down at the table, rubbing her face with her hands. There was silence for a minute.
“Okay, you have to say something.”
“Yes. I’ll go on a date with you. How’s two o’clock?”
“Lunch date? Yeah, that’s great. I’ll call you.”
“Great.”

The two of them, not looking at each other, were silently freaking out. In a way, Salieri felt elated, but she also wanted to curl into a ball and gush about everything to Mia. Math was also elated, but mortified at his execution.

They could hear Silas, Doran and Jace burst into the apartment. “Math? You still here?” Silas called out. “We brought back nachos.”
“Yep,” Math called. “We’re still here.”
“Come on, or you’ll miss the next play?”

Math looked to Sal. Right now, it was hard for either of them to believe anything existed outside of the space they shared. “Do you want to finish watching the game?”
“Yeah. I do.”