Pokémon: The Price of Caution.

Lee's suddenly two fold headache is totally forgotten when he watches Vulpix bounce limply across the ground, coming to a stop almost at his feet a bloody and battered mess.

Bagon rears his head back and roars his victory to the heavens before he begins to glow a blinding white. The roar deepens as his body grows, morphing into a sphere upon four legs. When the light fades, a Shelgon stands in Bagon's place.

The crowd is silent for a second, then two, then three...

"Vulpix is unable to battle!" The teen acting as the ref yells. "The winners are Shelgon and Zinnia!"

The crowd cheers and a giddy Zinnia runs to hug her new Shelgon, but it's all lost to Lee as he stares at his Vulpix, his lifeline in this world, broken and limp. 'It's exactly like Mu-.' He shuts his eyes and forces the bile in the back of his throat down. 'Pokemon are tough. Supernaturally tough. She's okay. She's okay...' He thinks to himself, only half believing his own words.

Lee reaches for Vulpix's pokeball in a stiff, mechanical way. At his muttered; "Vulpix, return," his vixen is pulled into the ball as a beam of red light.

"Man oh man! That little cutie is really tough!" Lee turns to his left, Seeing a beaming Zinnia and the battered Shelgon at her side. "I knew Bagon was on his way to evolving, but I thought it would take weeks to get there. Vulpix was a great opponent to be able to get him there in one go."

Shelgon grumbles something behind his namesake shell that sounds like a vague agreement. The praise given to Vulpix eases the scarred trainer's stinging pride some, but does nothing for his still rolling stomach. "Thanks," Lee grounds out, crossing his arms and looking to the side. "If she were conscious I'm sure she would appreciate it." An instant later he internally kicks himself for the rude tone. Zinnia's grin falls some. "Yeah, uh..."

Lee sighs and rubs the bridge of his nose. "Look, sorry for being kind of short. I just want to get Vulpix checked into the Pokemon Center after that last move on her. She's never been... hurt that badly before."

The dragon trainer crosses her own arms and tilts her head. "Don't tell me you've never lost before?" she asks with an amused scoff. "She'll be fine after a bit with the Pokemon Center. Don't be a baby."

Lee's hand clinches around Vulpix's ball so hard his knuckles turn white.

"Oh man Vulpix actually lost?! I never thought I'd see the day!" Brendan skids to a stop by Brendan and Zinnia. "That match was great!" He exclaims before turning to Zinnia with a raised brow. "Kind of dirty of Bagon to pretend to be down only to launch an attack, though. If he got up and was fair, Vulpix would have had that."

Zinnia scowls. "What?!"

"You heard me!" The tanned woman scowls a little harder and butts into Brendan's personal space. Brendan simply holds his ground with his head held high. "There was no call yet so why did Vulpix step closer?"

Lee screws his eyes shut and sighs, begrudgingly admitting to himself that Zinnia has a point no matter how much he dislikes it.

"It's not sportsman-like!" Brendan shoots back, now frowning himself. "It was a cheap shot!"

Zinnia laughs and ruffles Brendan's hair through his hat, making him pull away with a; "Hey!" She smirks. "Kid, how do you think pokemon battle in the wild? They fight until someone is down and out. There are no 'cheap shots' in a no-holds-barred battle. I don't think using Confuse Ray over and over is very sportsman-like either."

Brendan takes a breath to retort, but stops when Lee places a hand on his shoulder. "Brendan, it's fine." Lee starts, making both Zinnia and Brendan look at him in surprise. Jesus, it's only midday and he's already exhausted. "She's got a point, no matter how much I don't want to agree. Vulpix and I made a mistake and paid for it. We'll not do it again." The words sting his lips like acid. "But-!" Brendan stops short and huffs when Lee shakes his head.

"Good battle, Zinnia," Lee says with a shallow nod to the bewildered Zinnia before turning to Shelgon, who had been watching the proceedings silently. "Congrats on your evolution, Shelgon. We're out." Lee turns, not taking his hand of Brendan's shoulder so the boy turns with him, then both start towards the rear entrance of the Pokemon Center. As they leave, Lee can feel Zinnia's ruby-colored eyes on his back.

'Fucking hell,' Lee breathes out tiredly as he and Brendan walk. By now, most of the spectators had dispersed, giving them a straight shot inside. 'Don't but such a pussy, Lee. You've seen it first hand and crunched the numbers when you didn't trust your eyes. Vulpix, no, pokemon in general are out of this world when it comes to durability. She's fine. She won't be like-' He violently cuts off the train of thought and snakes a hand down into his jacket pocket, where Vulpix's warm ball reassures him of the life inside. 'She's fine.'

"Shelgon, return! Wait up!"

They get several steps in before Zinnia calls for them and catches up with a few quick steps. The tanned woman stops in front of them with an unsure look upon her face and her fists clenched. For a few seconds, the three stand in silence.

"Yes?" Lee ventures, trying to break the oncoming awkwardness.

Zinnia tries to say something, but seconds guesses herself and closes her mouth. Then she takes a breath. "Okay, maybe that last move was a little overkill," she mutters, looking away and unclenching a hand to rub her arm. "I thought you were some stuck-up hotshot from the scars and all, and I've got this mission my tribe that I have to do no matter the cost," she says with a sigh. "I sometimes forget that most trainers train pokemon for sport and not all out battles. I'm...sorry," she grumbles, looking down at the ground.

'Mission from her tribe?' Lee wonders with a frown, not recalling much about Zinnia other than her Dragon-based team. 'Dragon-something right? Draconids? What was their thing again?'

"Y-Yes. I'm from the Draconid Tribe. How did you know?" Zinnia asks, seemingly caught flat-footed. Her surprise swiftly turns to suspicion as her eyes narrow into ruby slits. "Our tribe isn't well known, and you don't look like you're from Hoenn..."

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