[ti]spawn[/ti]Ironing Out (pt. 2)

“You’re real fond of him.” Kazuki clicks his tongue. “And have you found out about his retirement?”

<Just now.> Combusken says, and it gives Kazuki pause, but nothing on the pokemon’s face or even her confident stride shows distress. At most, maybe she holds herself a little higher. <I’m not going to throw a fit over it. You’re a trainer, changing your team is natural, expected, and encouraged.>

Kazuki raises a brow. “Even if it’s the monkey?”

<Even if it’s my mentor.> She surveys the steppe with keen eyes. <Anyone can be replaced if they aren’t strong enough. That’s just how it goes.>

There’s a second of almost poetic rumination as they stand together, overlooking the vast, thundering world that sprawls before them.

“… Every single one of you on my team has issues, huh,” Kazuki mutters, stating the obvious.

But fleeing isn’t as smooth as expected. Her hit lands, enough to ward the Blitzle off temporarily, but when she moves to sprint out of its radius, it rears back and charges again, cutting off her path. She brandishes her claws. Taking this as a challenge, the Blitzle moves for another charge, its body wrapped in lightning.

Combusken’s eyes glow. A brief flash of the future, only seconds from the present. She uses DETECT to evade.

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He doesn’t reply immediately, and the silence that stretches between them is awkward. A nidoran comes to scurry past them, but neither of them take notice.

“No. I’m the same as always. Why?”

Combusken’s expression scrunches. <There is something. Not just with you. I’ve been feeling odd.>

At this, Kazuki fully turns to her. “You sick?” The way he says it seems almost alarmed, or perhaps full of dread. Regardless, it isn’t comforting. “Are you feeling sleepy?”

Combusken shakes her head. <No. No, quite the opposite.> She looks at her claws. <I feel like I have too much energy, so much that I have to hold myself back while I fight.> She’s been taught by Pansear to act intelligently in battle; to conserve energy when she can and land strong hits in the right places, but it doesn’t feel like it’s working.

<Is this normal?> she asks, unable to decipher the look on Kazuki’s face.

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The grip on his leg is gone. Combusken holds her claws to her chest, and it reminds him of how she was as a Torchic. Profoundly unsure of herself, but ready to peck the eyes out of whatever tries to harm her.

<Am I the only one who has it?> She hasn’t been that involved outside of her pokeball, so it makes no sense that something contagious would land on her.

“No. The cat has it too.”

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<Has the rest of the team began showing side effects too?>

Kazuki has resumed walking, taking a careful detour away from a tree housing a Rufflet nest. Combusken follows, albeit still with that careful distance between them, as if even his shadow could be a possible contamination. It irritates him, but he doesn’t know enough about the PARASITE to refute her.

“None that I’ve observed. Or at least, no one’s told me to my face. Have they told you anything during the breaks?”

Combusken looks down at her scampering feet in concentration. <Let me think…>

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As he says it, a whistle sounds in the air, and the look on Combusken’s face switches as she catches sight of something over his shoulder.

WHAM!

Huh. How convenient.

GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

There’s the taps of a message being sent before the battle music sweeps across the field. The message blips out of existence and reappears

It takes some time before the recipient arrives. When Saint can see Kazuki and his combusken fighting another Duraludon, the duo have already gathered a fair share of injuries. The Duraludon is, just as before, pants-shittingly terrifying.

Saint sighs. He gently places Gumball on his shoulder, the popplio smushing himself against his neck, before taking out the ball containing his Vulpix. He really should name her soon.

As expected, the Duraludon bulldozes all of them.

Saint winces, still staying out of the blast range, although even here he’s susceptible to the tremors the dragon is causing. Compared to the last one, this particular unit isn’t holding back any punches, and he can’t bear to look as it crushes the Kazuki against a stone wall.

His Vulpix stares at him worriedly, still waiting orders. He can’t bring himself to say anything. If he gives a command, he might be sending her straight to an early grave.