[ti]private[/ti]003 — Riveting Rivalries

"Oh." The Beta Tester exclaims, continuing to ignore the demands of the boy and causing prismatic rays of light to shift as she tilts her head. The rays of light sometimes glitch and vanish before returning to their usual look — one of the results of Catalyst subclass perks meeting those of a Beta Tester. "Rion... That's kind of like Rio, and that's a cute movie. I like that."

With a smirk and a flick of the wrist, an extensive and cluttered UI is summoned for only Domino to see. A hand rests in midair, on an invisible keyboard, and with the quick motion of three fingers, RIO THE RIVAL is named at that moment. The tag over his head changes.

"Perfect. Now, kid, can you play us some Samba? It would be fitting, no?"

"What?! 'Course not! I only rock out and I'm not here to put on a show!"

"Tsk, so rude." She chides, and it's then that she looks at the stranger once more. Silvermoon. She smiles at them, bringing out a Pokéball. "Guess we'll have to fight him, what do you say? You in?"

She smiles at the stranger and their Type: Null, and when confirmation is given that they'll join her in this Tutorial, her feelings about this new development are summed up in what many would claim must be Domino's favourite word:

"Cool."

It's then that her attention finally falls back on the kid with the guitar, and reaching for one of the tiny tiny Pokéballs at her belt, she grabs one, causing it to return to its usual Pokéball size.

"Not gonna lie, I'm usually more of a Support main." She admits to Silvermoon, a slight smirk adorning her expression. "...But it's just a tutorial battle, so I'll use one of my Sweepers so it goes faster for us. Plus, I haven't had a chance to introduce B.K. to other Type:Null yet."

Just as Rio is about to speak up (probably to complain yet again), Domino's Pokémon is released to stand between her and the NPC: a Type: Null indeed, gaze sharp and stance battle-ready.

<'This one smells like trouble... and dirty laundry.'>

Domino would find this hilarious... if she had PokéSpeech enabled, that is. All she hears instead is the low and displeased growl of her Pokémon, leading her to finally directly address Rio:

"Alright, kid. Call out your Pokémon. Let's do this shit."

Chimchar and Blitzle. Not revolutionary, but on-theme for their "rocker" rival and fitting of a tutorial. They're not here to reinvent the wheel. So, Domino does no more than smirk and give her Pokémon a nod, leaving the rest up to him.

Silvermoon's Type: Null attacks first, B.K. watching as claws as sharp as his strike the small monkey. His attention turns to the Blitzle in turn, targets having been chosen, and just as the pony is about to charge with an sparkling attack, the piercing stare of the Type: Null causes it to stop on its tracks, harmful psychic energy imprisoning it in place.

"No! No! Stage fright is for losers. Chimchar, it's time for your solo!" Rio the Rival commands his Pokémon, but just as before, Domino acts like the NPC isn't there at all (just to get on his nerve, of course), and instead she turns to look at Silvermoon.

"Oh. That's 'cause of the Catalyst class, when you equip it it makes you kind like... a prism. Super fuckin' chaotic class but a blast to use. Still more of a fan of Beta Tester, though." As she talks shifts in her stance, the technicolour lights do as well, truly being refracted through her body towards her surroundings. "What about you? What's your favourite class?"

"Oh, Ironsmith. That's a fun one, very aesthetic." Domino smirks, and although Silvermoon seems much less over-the-top than the Ironsmiths that she's familiar with (namely Tuesday), she can't help but wonder if they too will be that way if they do end up having that class as their main. It seems to come with the territory. "Don't worry too much about classes, you can always switch around until you find what suits you best. A lot of people like to optimise their builds, but personally I like going for what I have the most fun with."

While Domino offers potentially-helpful and absolutely-unsolicited advice, the battle carries on, Type: Null facing off against the Rival's Pokémon. B.K nods when Kintsugi charges at the Chimchar, and a second later he too does much the same, slashing at the still-imprisoned Blitzle.

Had they stunned Rio into silence? It probably won't last...