[PRP] Point A to Point B

[Suudonym]

Seraphine's continuing implications that she had no desire whatsoever to be there were disheartening, and Luke watched the exchange in mild discomfort. He forced an amicable expression in reply to the Serperior's silent greeting, looking up to Ray when he heard her address, "That's fine." He used the momentum from the offer to turn back to Sera, apologetic, "It's fine if you don't want to." He was certainly interested in knowing where his friend stood, since they had both challenged the Hoenn League, but he had no desire to pressure her into a battle in which she wanted no participation - especially since he had apparently already pressured her into the trip itself against her wishes.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

A startled squeal escaped her at the foreign sensation on the back of her neck at the same moment she jerked forward to get away from it, and half-turned her head in time to see the snake slither away. She gave it a dark glare briefly before Luke pulled her attention away, and her expression faltered. "Oh, well," she started haltingly, "we can if you want to.."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Ray wasn't facing Seraphine when the girl had spoken up again after Luke had addressed her. A slow, sly grin spread, practically across the length of Ray's face, her half lidded mossy eyes on Luke.
At Sera's hesitance, and slight caving the women gave the red head an wink.  

[Suudonym]

The meaning of Ray's expression completely escaped Luke along with any distinct knowledge of the power he apparently held over Seraphine. More than any of that, he focused on the fact that it was within his ability to bring about a temporary ceasefire, and so he mustered some enthusiasm and pushed to his feet, "Why not? It'll be good for a change of pace, right?" He crossed the short distance between them and offered a hand to help Sera rise from the grass. Just walking got kind of boring, and the trip was, after all, supposed to be for her training.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

It was a very good thing that Seraphine couldn't see Ray's current expression, and when Luke moved to offer her his hand, she silently, grudgingly, complied and rose to her feet with his aid. "Yeah, I guess," she ceded as she dusted herself off, despite not being dirty. She turned to gesture at Isabella and Jacques and for the latter added, "Jacques, come here."

Despite not wanting to, the Zoroark complied - eventually, after more wanton romping. Once he was there, Sera glanced around uncertainly, not at all sure where to exactly have this battle since there weren't exactly convenient layouts on the grass.  

[BlackPidgeot]

Leaning back against a nearby boulder, Yuri turned and looked on with only a small hint of interest. Waiting to see what would happen with this battle. He hadn't actually stopped to watch a real Pokemon battle before, after all. But he had seen some of Luke's Pokemon in action before and was silently rooting for the red head.  

[Suudonym]

Luke released his Umbreon to face Jacques, though the act of doing so reminded him that Seraphine was still without her pair's pokeballs and thus had no way to effectively transport them if they were exhausted in battle. Before issuing the first order to Tenebrae, he offered the proposal that they fight only until the pokemon decided they had had enough - Ray seemed more interested in seeing how his team functioned than in who between them would be victorious in a battle anyway. On attaining consent to this from trainer and pokemon alike, he redirected his thoughts to the contest at hand.

Though his Aggron was his strongest fighter, Luke preferred the mantle of the saboteur, relying on Tenebrae's Confuse Ray to gain early ground. The Umbreon boasted no type advantage, but he rather enjoyed the saboteur's station himself, reaping the benefits of Jacques's ensuing confusion to make full use of his small arsenal of offensive attacks.

Jacques eventually relented and switched out for Isabella, though Luke kept Tenebrae on the field under the intent of repeating his initial strategy. The Absol, who had watched the first battle from the sidelines, expected the tactic and was thusly unaffected. Luke's response to exchange Tenebrae for Mieu, opening the Flareon's participation with Sunny Day and relying on fire-type moves to combat his opponent's attacks. The battle proceeded normally until the Flareon, tense and bitter about fighting after the anxiety of being in Rocket captivity and failing to protect his trainer when it was most needed, lost his connection with the reality that he was in a casual battle against a friend and bared his small, sharp teeth in a dark snarl against his opponent.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

The first battle progressed fine, with Jacques stumbling back to Sera's side once he forfeited. The second started out better - for Sera, anyway - since Isabella went unaffected by the confusing attack from Tenebrae, though the Absol took everything much more seriously than Jacques did. That would have been just fine, had Mieu not lost or forgotten himself in battle and snarled. Such a reaction only served to instigate the serious dark-type - one who stood for no growling at her or her Mistress, as proven just the night before with that girl's Typhlosion - and caused her to return it with a snarl of her own, her larger fangs bared and her fur bristling along her back.

Growling and snarling wasn't any part of a casual battle meant just for fun, and such an unexpected reaction from both pokemon almost startled Seraphine. This was not okay at all -- a decision in her head made almost the same moment as Isabella readied another attack and seemed poise to spring at Mieu. "Isabella!" Sera called sharply, taking a step forward, and remembering once more that she didn't have the luxury ball on her person with which to recall her pokemon. "Cut that s**t out!" Yelling would have to suffice for deterring her pokemon's bad mood instead.  

[Blood_Goddess]

As the battle started, Ray settled herself on the slope to watch, and only watch.
Not a word was uttered from the women as she sat, her arms draped over her knee and a calm look in her eyes despite them flicking back and forth from the pokemon to the trainers, making mental notes.

It wasn't until the Flareon had suddenly started to take the battle very seriously that the women blinked slowly, pushing herself to her feet when Isabella retorted and attacked.
Still the women said, and did nothing, watching the trainers and how they handled this situation, her arms crossing over her chest. Knowing perfectly well that the two balls belonging to Sera's pokemon were still attached to her jacket.

Double Stripe let out a soft hiss as well, head held high as he remained next to Ray.  

[Suudonym]

Luke's reaction to Mieu's behavior was similarly immediate, and the sound of the growl was followed in rapid succession by his response, "Mieu, enough." The tone was firm and steady, though not without traces of alarm at the Flareon's sudden change in demeanor, and the fire-type's ears flattened as he turned to regard his trainer, his posture sheepish. Luke crouched and extended a hand, beckoning the eeveelution to return to his side; he had apparently underestimated the kind of effect recent events had had on the pokemon's disposition. "Sorry Sera, Isabella," Luke said, running a hand over Mieu's shoulder in reassurance briefly before gesturing to the aforementioned, "Mieu, you apologize too."

The Flareon turned obediently and offered a meek "fieuuu" in apology. Of course he knew that Seraphine and her pokemon were friends, and the thought that he had been so mean to his master's friends was mortifying.  

[BlackFireKitsune]

Isabella had halted her negative behavior the moment Sera had called out to her, and her growling ceased completely, though she remained ready to resume the battle if need be. However, as Mieu stopped due to Luke's words and the pair subsequently, Seraphine moved up to Isabella's side and curled her fingers around the horn that curved up from the dark-type's head. "Don't worry about it," she said with a shrug, although the sudden change in the mood of the battle had confused and concerned her at least a little. Unlike Luke, she didn't immediately attribute the Flareon's behavior as a direct result of his recent captivity.  

[Blood_Goddess]

The battle seemed to take a moment to completely halt, as pokemon returned to their trainers and the two younger boy and girl exchanged a few words of apology.
Her lips pulling to one side of her face, Ray unfolded her arms, her long stride bringing her over to Luke, though her eyes were on Mieu.
"Mind if I asked what happened there?" She asked curiously.  

[Suudonym]

Mieu's ears remained down, his head lowered despite Seraphine's acceptance of the apology. Luke didn't want to presume anything on the Flareon's behalf, but the pokemon certainly couldn't respond adequately to Ray's inquiry, so he filled in the blanks with the only information he had, "Mieu was in Rocket custody for several months. He didn't look like he was hurt or anything when I got him back, but he's acted differently since then."  

[Blood_Goddess]

Ray gave Luke a deep frown at his explanation, not expecting the answer she got, and putting into perspective of the pokemon how that might have had to deal with.
Ray let out a grunt toward the boy, before she crouched down and looked over to the Pokemon.
"Hi Mieu" she spoke, her lips turning up in a mellow smile as a gloved hand lifted up in a greeting. "My name's Rayan, nice to meet you." She held said hand out toward the fire type, though not crowding the pokemon.
"So, I know you don't really know me, I know I'm pretty creepy." she jabbed a thumb over her shoulder toward Sera "So says pinkie pie over there anyway." Ray shrugged. "But would you be okay if I asked you to do a few things with me, just for a bit?"  

[Suudonym]

At the unfamiliar woman's proximity, Mieu instinctively moved closer to his trainer - though rather than seeking protection, his intent was to protect. It was the Flareon's nature to be friendly, though, and when Luke made no signs of any adverse reaction, he voiced a quiet "faa" in greeting and tilted his head curiously, unwilling to offer full compliance without knowing the scope of what the stranger intended to ask.