[FIN] Bite Me

[Tori Honoo]

"Damn it!" the man swore, tossing his bag onto the bag under the tree he had passed nearly twenty times in frustration. Midas padded to a stop behind him, watching with unwavering eyes. It was dark now, well into the night, and with the clouds covering the moon, there was little illumination aside from the soft, barely there glow from the fur of the shiny pokemon. And even that wasn't enough to see by.

Slumping down against the tree and sliding to it's base, Zane drug out his cell to check for any indication of service-- not that it would help any, he mused angrily. The only people he had met in this region were Lowell, who hadn't bothered to give him contact info, and Dove, who wouldn't be of any help at all in this situation.

Though he was an apt tracker, the older trainer was tired, both mentally and physically from the day's travel. Normally, he would have been out of this damn forest now, hopefully asleep somewhere more comfortable than the forest he now found himself in. Closing his eyes, he crossed his arms and set his head back; maybe he could catch a few minutes of sleep. That might make things a little better, even if it was dark as hell and he likely wouldn't be able to find his way out til morning.

The massive golden arcanine looked again at his trainer then moved to lie next to him after starting a small fire at the man's feet, a safe distance from the other trees. That, at least, would keep them somewhat warm, and the pokemon's constant, loyal watch would be enough to keep the flames in check while Zane rested. He huffed deeply at the man's gruff 'thanks', then trained his eyes on the fire and his ears on the forest, listening for anything that might become a threat to either of them.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

The fire was bright enough to attract a new pair of bright eyes as a humanoid figure stepped out from behind the trunk of a tree nearby. He glanced from the fire to the Arcanine to the trainer on its back, regarding them with curiosity and interest. The black-haired young man snickered in the shadows.

Tip-toeing forward, he walked gingerly and picked his way around dry leaves and small twigs in order to stand before the large fire-type. Then he stuck his fingers in his mouth and made a big, goofy face, sticking out his tongue mockingly.  

[Tori Honoo]

With no hesitation, Midas stood his full height, eyes blazing and growl deep enough to shake the earth below the stranger's feet. Zane lulled his head to the side, his glare matching his companion's.

"Who the hell are you, and why are you here?" he snapped, not caring in the slightest that this was the first time he had ever seen this man in his life. Definitely didn't look to be the type that deserved a polite hello, anyway, especially not when Zane couldn't even bring himself to put together any other phrase than 'get lost' in his head.

He drew a knee up, then, draping one strong arm over it, waiting for the stranger's response.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

At the Arcanine's growl, the man shut his eyes and flinched, bracing himself, but stood his ground. He waved a hand in front of his face, looking disgusted by the pokemon's breath, but continued to smile.

Turning his head at the trainer's voice, he bent at the waist to regard Zane curiously, his arms out behind him for balance. After a couple of blinks, he snickered harder than ever and plopped himself down behind the stranger. Scooting closer, he beamed at him face to face, noses practically touching.  

[Tori Honoo]

Zane stared for half a second, then turned and kicked at the new guy, his lips twisted in disgust. "Seriously, who the hell are you?" he bit again, making sure to keep his distance from the creep.

Midas stayed cautiously at Zane's side, watching Izaya carefully. Not many humans had the audacity to bring themselves so close, especially not after a warning growl. His fur began to stand on end along his neck.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

Perhaps not many humans had the audacity to bring themselves so close, but this one was different. So different, in fact, that when he was kicked, the light-weight fellow yipped and tumbled backwards, revealing a small, fluffy tail peeking out from his fur-trimmed coat.

Unlike the fur of his coat, however, this tail was completely black. In an instant, the guy leapt up, was a spinning blur, and landed back on his feet in the shape of a small, fox-like pokemon. "Zor!" he barked at the human and his pokemon. "Zorua!" Fur bristling at being kicked, the little dark-type leapt up once more and transformed into a perfect replica of Midas with an expression to match. He roared in their faces.  

[Tori Honoo]

Rolling his eyes, Zane slumped back against the tree. "Just get rid of it, Midas," he tiredly commanded.

The arcanine bent, a returning roar drowning out the tail end his trainer's command, already acting on his wishes. With little further warning, the legendary type attacked the fake with a strong blast of fire, then followed after it, just for extra measure.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

Upon the frontal assult, the little pokemon's Illusion was broken and he tumbled back with a howl of pain.

"Riviere? I told you not to go so far ahead!" an irritable voice called from nearby.

A young teen with dark hair and a childish face came jogging over, falling to his knees to examine the black Zorua's injuries. He looked him over with concern and anger as another figure appeared from the smoke.

This one was older and more serious of demeanor, looking over at the Arcanine before narrowing his eyes. Then he caught sight of Zane and walked over to him until the trainer was at his feet. "Oi," he spoke up. "Were you the one who attacked my pokemon...?"  

[Tori Honoo]

Zane sighed, then shoved a hand through his hair in annoyance. "I take it that was your Zorua, then?" Pulling himself to his feet, he towered over the scrawny young man, even with his back pressed to the tree. "Really shouldn't let it wander up to strangers like that," he said softly, trying not to let his need for sleep cloud his mind.

Midas stopped, standing his ground, his eyes flicking between the 'teen' and the man who spoke. With another warning growl, he dug his claws into the ground, kneading at the forest floor in anticipation.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"No," the Rocket answered icily, wearing an unemotional smile. "It belongs to a friend of mine. I'm looking after it for her." Short in stature and lean in muscle, the informant nevertheless seemed undaunted by the taller trainer.

Crimson eyes carefully appraised him. "I didn't think anyone else was out here. Kind of a bully, aren't you? Attacking a poor, defenseless little pokemon so clearly unprepared for battle." He gestured behind him at the weakened Zorua in the teenager's arms.

While the older men talked, the teen glared at the shiny pokemon, cradling Riviere to his chest. At Midas' growl, the boy growled back - not as fiercely, but pretty impressively for a human.

The dark-type trainer's head turned sharply. "Aoba!" he yelled at the boy. "Come here. I'm not going to have you going around causing me any more trouble tonight, understand?"

The kid called Aoba glared just as loathingly at the informer if not more so than he had at the Arcanine. With a snarky display of his tongue, Aoba smile and turned to run to the man's side. As he hurried, a light blue tail with a dark blue tip peeped out from under his jacket just enough for Midas to see.  

[Tori Honoo]

"Well, you're doing a hell of a job of it," he frowned, glaring in the pokemon's direction. "Really shouldn't let it wander off, pretending to be human without teaching it proper boundaries first. And really, it couldn't be that defenseless if it turned itself into a copy my arcanine." Zane waved a hand, closing his eyes for a moment before rubbing his temples.

When 'Aoba' returned to the man's side, it was Midas' turn to roll his eyes. Returning to his own trainer's side with a yawn, the fire-type lay down again, his attention on the small group that had gathered in front of them.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"And what would you know anything about being 'proper'?" he asked, leaning towards the guy with a dark and sinister grin, his hands in the pockets of his parka.

"It wasn't a copy. This pokemon is not a Ditto," he said after a few minutes. "It can't transform; it wouldn't have been any more harmful to you in its current shape than it would have with its illusion," the informant stated matter-of-factly, gesturing to the limp form of Riviere in Aoba's arms.

Withdrawing a pokeball from his pocket, he returned the black Zorua to it before looking back to Zane. "It's a pokemon from Unova, though, so I wouldn't expect a simpleton like you to have any knowledge on it."

Without turning away from the other trainer, he reached behind the childish-looking teenager who snarled at him as he grabbed its tail. The boy glowed and spun about before reappearing as a lighter blue Zorua. He still looked just as peeved at the shorter man than ever, but he ignored it.

"See?" The red-eyed stranger gestured to the angry little fox pokemon. "Still...hasn't your mother ever told you not to judge others by their appearances...?" He wagged a finger in Zane's face scoldingly. "Tsk, tsk, tsk...you should be ashamed of yourself."  

[Tori Honoo]

Zane stared ahead, completely unfazed by the man's expression. "Formidable or not, it was getting on my nerves," he sighed, leaning back against the tree again and crossing his arms over his chest. Seriously, this guy needed to move on before he asked Midas to force him move on.

When he mentioned Unova, however, Zane chuckled to himself, to tired to care,."And what makes you think I wouldn't know anything about Unova?" When asked about his mother, however, Zane opened his eyes again, cutting them at the stranger.

...

Midas growled softly at Zane's side, fully tuned in on the man's temperament.  

[lZAYA ORlHARA]

"Ah~ But you look the sort who'll let just about anything get on your nerves, am I right?" he asked, playfully poking Zane in the chest above his crossed arms. "You'd better watch that temper. It's terrible for your health." The huge smile on the informant's face didn't seem to suggest he was all that concerned for anyone's health - not the trainer's, nor his own.

"You don't know enough to recognize a Zorua for what it is and that's all I need to know about what you don't to make my judgement." The Rocket grinned and held out his hand. "Name's Nakura. Nice to meet you~ And it really doesn't matter how much you know, because I've got all the information you need. It's my occupation, you see, giving people info."

Aoba, irritated at the waste of time, jumped into the air to mimic the illusion of Zane, plus a tail. His own trainer didn't seem to notice, not even when he pulled down his bottom eyelid to make a mocking face at Midas.  

[Tori Honoo]

Zane kept his narrow gaze steady on the man's face, ignoring the double of himself that now stood behind the stranger. "Why would I need anything from you?" he asked flatly, ignoring the man's outstretched hand. "And to be honest, I really don't care who the hell you are."

Midas, though he didn't change his posture, continued to watch the conversation, switching his gaze to the other man's pokemon as it changed forms again. With a soft huff and a smirk, the giant fire-type rolled his eyes, not allowing himself to be bothered by the tiny Zorua. He found it more amusing than frustrating, if anything.