⇨ ALOLA

[ringleaders]

Who: EVERYONE.
When: Day 73 - Day 87
Where: The islands of Alola.
What: The Carnival arrives at its next touring location, a series of tropical islands inhabited by a species of animal called Pokemon and their trainers!
Warnings: Pokemon is pretty PG-rated.

IT'S A POKEMON WORLD↴ Alola is broken up into four different islands, with a number of unique points of interest. Boats can easily be rented in order to get between the islands, or you can just pay for the fair of a scheduled trip. If you can prove you have the skills for it, you can also call on a "Ride Pokemon" - that is, either a Charizard or a Lapras that will fly or swim you between locations. ► POPULATION: Though the islands appear very small as an abstraction in the actual games, that doesn't hold over into the actual reality of it. When interacting with the different locations, imagine that they are about as big and spread out as they would be in real life. It's about on the same scale as Hawaii is on earth. Ignore any wikis that say the population of each island is like 200 people, because that's just adding up all the scripted NPCs, and there are realistically more than six houses per town. ► AMENITIES: Even if they aren't overtly listed on island maps, it can be assumed that all towns and cities will have basic amenities - that is, places to eat, place to go to the washroom, places to buy souvenirs, and the other things one would expect in a tourist heavy area. You can also buy malasadas pretty much anywhere. ► POKECENTERS: You'll be able to find a Pokecenter in pretty much every town - a Pokecenter is a public building in which Pokemon Trainers can rest and get their Pokemon healed. Think of it like free international Pokemon healthcare. You can also buy Pokeballs here, as well as potions and other healing items for later use. ► AETHER FOUNDATION: A peace keeping organization that shelters Pokemon from harm and abuse. If you kill/maim any Pokemon or otherwise act violently in public, they will come to try to take you down with their Pokemon. They also are the main force working against Team Skull. MELEMELE ISLAND↴ [MELEMELE DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU KOKO] [WIKI LINK] ► TRAINER SCHOOL: A full fledged for young, aspiring Pokemon Trainers! Students go here to learn about Pokemon care and battling before setting out on their own journeys. It would be sort of weird for an adult to show up here, like it would for an adult to try to attend an elementary school, but you can probably learn some of the basics just from touring the facility. ► HAU'OLI SHOPPING DISTRICT: The biggest shopping district on Melemele, you can do a lot here, from eating out to getting your hair dyed. A lot of shops are, unsurprisingly, completely Pokemon focused - but there are some that aren't, too. There are also some very nice beach fronts nearby. ► BERRY FIELDS: Berries come in a lot of different types and have different effects when used. Mostly, Pokemon love to eat them, regardless of what type they are. This is a big field of them, most of which are free to take if you catch them when ripe. ► TEN CARAT HILL: The secluded interior of a small mountain, filled with some rare types of rock Pokemon. You have to be able to bypass the left overs of some recent rockslides to get in. ► TRIAL SITE: There is only one trial on this islands, which is the Normal type trial. All you have to do is fight a bunch of Pokemon ferrets, and then fight an even bigger Pokemon ferret that thirsts for your blood. It's not so bad. AKALA ISLAND↴ [AKALA DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU LELE] [WIKI LINK] ► TIDE SONG HOTEL: A big ass hotel near the port - if you want to stay on Alola overnight, this is a pretty good place to go. It isn't too expensive, and is also rather nice. ► DIMENSIONAL RESEARCH LAB: Alola, on occasion, has been the site of various dimensional breaks (haha) in which extraplanar creatures called Ultra Beasts have crossed over. There isn't much information about these beasts, but they are something that are being actively studied. Characters who are nerds might find some of this information interesting. ► HANO GRAND RESORT: The inevitably big, fancy resort that tends to take route in touristy places like this. If you actually pay to spend some time there, you can enjoy all the things you'd expect to find in a fancy resort, except with way more Pokemon. There is also a fancy, secluded beach for resort goers only. ► BATTLE ROYALE DOME: A battle area in which 4 trainers fight each other all at once, with teams of there Pokemon. The trainers here are mostly quite expert, and you need a team of three Pokemon to play, so player characters probably won't be able to participate. However, you can still come to watch, if you like seeing a bunch of colourful monsters slapping each other around. ► PANIOLA RANCH: A large ranch that keeps a lot of Pokemon that resemble earth farm animals. You can leave Pokemon here to stay for a while if you need a break from the strains of trainer life. Quite often, however, your Pokemon will end up getting knocked up and leave you with another egg to care for. ► TRIAL SITES: Brooklet Hill is a lake filled area that contains the Water Trial. You have to fight a bunch of schooling Wishiwashi, and then an even bigger schooling Wishiwashi to win. Wela Volcano Park contains the Fire Trial, where you must climb to the top of the dormant volcano, and spot the difference between a series of ceremonial island dances. Then you gotta fight a team of Marrowaks and a giant Salazzle. The Lush Jungle contains the Grass challenge, in which you have to find a series of rare organic ingredients in order to brew something that will lure out a giant Lurantis. ULA'ULA ISLAND↴ [ULA'ULA DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU BULU] [WIKI LINK] ► MALIE GARDEN: A nice big garden to hang out in and chill. Also, there are Pokemon there... and also, Pokemon battles? There's really no end to it. ► MOUNT HOKULANI OBSERVATORY: Up at the top of the local mountain, you can go see a space observatory. Like most things in Alola, it's like a regular observatory, except with more Pokemon, since some Pokemon just straight up come from space. You can take a bus up here, but you can also hike if you want. ► HAINA DESERT: A shitty desert in the middle of the island. Mostly only good for if you want the kinds of Pokemon that live in shitty deserts. ► ABANDONED THRIFTY MEGAMART: A Megamart, but haunted. Extremely haunted, filled with the kind of ghost Pokemon that would actually kill you. You have to take a bunch of pictures of ghosts on your way through here if you want to beat the Ghost Trial. ► PO TOWN: The ramshackle remains of the town that Team Skull have taken over. It's completely walled off from the rest of the world, and is pretty terrible. No point in going in there unless you're fighting crime, in which case you can expect to get challenged to Pokemon battles by a lot of Team Skull knuckleheads. ► LAKE OF THE MOON: A huge, round temple thing in the middle of nowhere. It's used to praise a legendary Pokemon that existed years ago, but there presently doesn't seem to be anything around except cool architecture. ► TRIAL SITES: The Observatory contains the Electric Challenge, during which you have to fend off various kinds of electric grubs, before eventually taking on a giant Vikavolt. The Abandoned Megamart must first be cleared before challenging the Ghost Trial officially, at which point you will have to defeat a powerful Mimikyu. PONI ISLAND↴ [PONI DETAIL MAP] [GUARDIAN DEITY TAPU FINI] [WIKI LINK] ► SEAFOLK VILLAGE: A village made of nothing but houseboats and other water fairing homes. It's the only major town on Poni Island. ► ANCIENT RUINS: Most of Poni Island has been reduced to ruins, over time. Not many people live here, relative to the other islands, but there are a lot of abandoned buildings from when they apparently used to. ► VAST PONI CANYONS: Most of the island is comprised of canyons, caves, and valleys filled with particularly strong Pokemon, and also a lot of fight-hungry Pokemon trainers. Most of them will want to fight you as soon as they see you, since they are there mostly to train, but they will back down if you tell them you're not a trainer. Though, at that point they will strongly urge you to go home, because it's too danger for anything other than the strongest trainers. ► ALTAR OF THE SUN: A matching altar to the one found on Ula'ula, except this time dedicated to a legendary Pokemon of the sun. If you play some magic flutes here at the right time then apparently a giant lion might show up, but there's no way to be sure. ► TRIAL SITES: The only Trial here is the Grand Trial, which is a fight against the leader's ground type Pokemon. You may also get lucky and have the Fairy Trial's kahuna deign to fight you, with her fairy types, if she randomly wanders into your path. Both of them are very strong, and are not advised to challenge for new trainers.

Comments

say it loud, say it proud

[whattaprick]

The idea of Lambert training anything is probably laughable, so if there's anyone around here who's a 'trainer' it's the young girl -- who's too shocked by being grabbed by the collar and pulled away to even realize she'd been in any danger to start, at least until the pole crashes down. Once that happens, she almost instantly bursts into tears, too shocked and terrified by how what had originally been a grand plan to 'borrow' mom's Pokemon -- she's with him every day, surely he'll listen to her, right? -- has turned into something that's definitely going to get her grounded for at least a month.

With it painfully obvious that the trainer isn't going to be any use ending this, Lambert focuses his attention on the disoriented Incinerorar. Who, unfortunately, doesn't stay down for long, already beginning to stagger back to its feet...

Can't have that. "Keep him down!"

Spinning on its front hooves, the tiny little donkey flips around again, though instead of throwing dirt up into the other Pokemon's face, it delivers a solid one-two hit to the Incineroar's jaw, hard enough to make Lambert's rib's twinge in sympathy. At least it doesn't send it flying off through the air this time, just tumbling over itself a few times.

[atouts]

There's little else Childermass can do to intervene now, short of throwing out his other two Pokemon. He would like to think Lambert's donkey thing is about to wrap this up, however, so he simply waits it out, one hand still poised over the other pokeballs clipped to his belt. The Growlithe's is in hand, but, obviously, that one is already out and about. The little dog remains by the now bawling girl, keeping himself between her and more or less everything — Incineroar, Mudbray, Lambert, everything. Ready for a fight, but defending until then.

The Incineroar finishes tumbling after that last kick and, even after that, still struggles to get back to its feet, growling and snarling all the while.

"If you're going to finish this, it had better be soon," Childermass warns Lambert. He doesn't want to consider what might happen if that thing finds a second wind.

[whattaprick]

Lambert would snap something back at Childermass about backseat driving if he knew what that even was, but as it is, he simply narrows his eyes and focuses on the fight. He doesn't have to be told twice, and neither does Pig. Over the course of the relatively short time they've been together, they've had plenty of chances to discover what they agree on and what they don't, but when it comes to a fight? Both of them want to win.

Another blast of flame comes Pig's way, and the witcher whistles sharply, cutting a hand through the air. It seems to be a signal the Mudbray understands, even as it braces against he sudden heat trying to singe its fur a second time. This time, it doesn't just charge willy-nilly, but rushes towards the larger Pokémon with a thunder of hooves striking dirt had enough to make the ground underfoot rumble before it rears up and slams its front hooves down.

The last of Incineroar's stubborn fighting spirit finally seems to wither, at that, as it reels away dizzily and collapses to the ground. Even through her sniffles, the girl seems to realize there isn't a snarling cat trying to burn everything down anymore, and she shakily gets to her feet, holding up her Pokeball to return the unconscious cat inside.

Self-satisfied, Pig trots back to Lambert's side, staring at him expectantly. The witcher looks back at the Mudbray intently for a moment or two, like he's expecting something, before he sighs and digs a Pokebean out of a pocket, crouching down to feed it to it and speaking quietly under his breath while he scratches gently between its ears. For now, he's ignoring the kid -- hey, it's not his dog that saved her -- but he is frowning at that downed telephone pole. Damn, there's no way that's not going to attract attention.

[atouts]

Good god, is he leaving him to deal with a crying child? Really?

Yes, yes he is, from what he can tell, since the witcher is busy fawning over his weird little donkey for a job well done rather than dealing with the mess he started (and yes, in this case, he's blaming Lambert, not the literal five or six or whatever year old). Childermass bites back the urge to sigh and snap at Lambert because it won't help anything.

Instead, he crosses over the downed pole and walks past Lambert and Pig, only stopping once he's reached his Growlithe and the little girl who's now weeping into the dog's fur. The Growlithe, being a dog, is definitely trying to console her with snuffles and doggy kisses, because that's what good dogs do and despite spending time with someone like Childermass, that hasn't changed the Growlithe in the least.

"That's enough," he says, though not harshly. He sounds severe no matter what, but he there's no bite or snap to his words. If anything, it reminds the girl of one of the teachers at the nearby school and that's enough to get her to look up. "No one was hurt, so you've nothing to cry over."

Well, except Incineroar but that thing will be fine.

Probably.

"Is this your school?"

He moves on to ask before she can take being told not to cry over this as more reason to cry.

[whattaprick]

Childermass is the better of the two to deal with this, truly -- that friendly Alola shirt of his does much to remind the little girl of one of her neighbors, something she implicitly associates with trustworthy adults or at least people who aren't bad -- and she nods slowly, still clinging on to Growlithe's neck and looking highly unlikely to let go in the near future.

Yes! But we only have to stay until noon. Mommy said she'd pick me up... but she told Incineroar to look after me. 'Mommy' is also apparently running late enough her child has wandered off to pick fights with people, and left a Pokémon to babysit to boot. The reminder about her mother is also starting up the waterworks again, though as ordered, she's bravely sniffling them back. It's pretty hard to hide a knocked-out Pokémon and a knocked-down pole, and the Pokécenter is clear across the other side of the island.

Done with petting Pig, Lambert silently coming up beside Childermass. Outside a fight, Pig... seems much more indolent and relaxed, all the speed and strength it showed earlier gone as it munches away on its treat and stares at the girl with the same apparent usefulness as it's trainer. Which is to say none.

Given it wasn't really a fight, he supposes he probably shouldn't ask for the girl's lunch money.

[atouts]

Lambert would be in so much trouble if he did, too, but it thankfully doesn't come to that (yet, anyways). Childermass looks between the girl and the school and the witcher, as he comes up to stand by him, and then back to the girl once more.

"You should run along and find one of your teachers, then," he tells her. The other option is hauling a random child halfway across an island to a Pokemon center and you had better bet your ass he doesn't want to do that. "Tell them what you did, honestly, and let them know your cat knocked over a pole."

A pole for... lines. Of something. Electricity, he thinks? Someone should probably get on fixing that.

"Can you do that?"

[whattaprick]

The girl still hesitates, and this time Lambert speaks up, leaning down so he's actually on eye level with the kid as he steps out from behind the magician.

"What's wrong? Your mom's not gonna hurt you for something that wasn't your fault, is she?" The question seems to surprise and confuse the girl -- like the possibility of that had never even occurred to her -- but before she can do more than shake her head adamantly and say no, mommy would never Lambert's already raising a hand.

"Then do what the nice man says," he murmurs. A mind that young doesn't need more than a gentle nudge, and the indignation fades as the girl looks confused for a moment, before she nods sleepily and turns away.

Standing again, Lambert scowls at the downed pole, then glances back at the magician. "Better clear out before the guards come sniffing around, unless you've got something to fix that."

[atouts]

And she's off back towards the school before Childermass can really say or do anything else, which, normally, he would be fine with. Normally, however, would not include Lambert's shady mind magic. He looks from the witcher to the departing girl, then to the downed pole. There isn't much else left to do besides leaving, but once Lambert is standing? It doesn't matter if he's suddenly taller than the magician is. He's still going to snap a hand up and over to grab one of those gold ram horns and give it a yank.

"That would have ended the same without magic," he says and he can't really help that he sounds mildly irritated by it. Having been on the end of that same spell before, that's no doubt the source of it. However, he can't argue about leaving before the police show up.

Depending entirely on whether he gets to keep a grip on Lambert's horn, he fully intends on dragging him along as he turns to go and none too gently at that.

[whattaprick]

Whatever Lambert was expecting, it wasn't that, and the element of surprise will let him yank the Nightrider along for a little bit, face twisting in various expressions like he can't decide how to respond to the indignity. What's under Childermass's hand is both too smooth to be bone, and more solid than their ornamental appearance makes them seem, and it's warmer to the touch than one would expect. The witcher's tail stiffens, but as much as it feels and looks ridiculous (especially to people who see only the glamour, and not what's actually going on) it doesn't actually hurt, so the instinct to free himself doesn't immediately kick in.

"It ended it faster," he points out, neck angled awkwardly to accommodate the sudden weight on his head, which feels really bizarre still. Pig trots along beside them placidly, but doesn't seem in the least concerned about the proceedings nor interested in freeing her master from his predicament. One ear lazily splays towards the other Pokemon significantly shorter than her, but that's more or less all there is to it.

[atouts]

"You really are shameless," Childermass states rather matter-of-factly, still dragging him away from the scene of the battle gone horribly awry. The Growlithe, naturally, follows along after, same as Pig. Similarly unworried, too, and far more interested in sizing up the unknown Mudbray next to him.

And thanks to the glamour, it doesn't look too off. It still appears to be one grown man dragging another away by his ear, like some child who's gotten himself in trouble, but it could be stranger.

i just can't type out the goddamn pokemon saying their own names ... i can't ...

[whattaprick]

"Don't you know it's most attractive quality?" Lambert asks, the sardonic tone of voice only slightly spoiled by the fact that he's still being pulled away. Before long, he manages to get his feet under him enough that he'll straighten and use his strength to tug back against the grip Childermass has on him, aiming to make the magician let go or be pulled up short -- or worse, towards him.

In the meantime Pig's brush of a tail sweeps over her flanks as she turns her head to look curiously at the Growlithe. He's bigger than the Rockruffs she's encountered up to this point, her only real point of reference. As ever, the Mudbray doesn't have a particularly playful nature, but she'll nicker in greeting anyway, communicating in whatever weird way it is Pokemon have of understanding each other.

[atouts]

Which the Growlithe takes as his cue to start chasing around the Mudbray in an attempt to play. Serious moments have passed, therefore play with him. There's a lot of rushing away, then stopping to look back, then rushing back over to Pig's side, rinse repeat. Dogs, really...

But since that isn't actually causing any harm or trouble, Childermass doesn't pay the dog's antics much mind. If he earns himself a kick for annoying the Mudbray, well, it'll be considered an important lesson learned.

"Maybe it is in your own head," the magician shoots back uncaringly, but that's all he gets a chance to say and as far as he gets a chance to drag Lambert before he finally straightens up. The strength of a witcher (one now taller than him, irritatingly enough) versus Childermass's own? It's no contest. He doesn't let go of the horn, mind, the sudden movement taking him enough by surprise that he ends up getting pulled up and right back towards the other man.

[whattaprick]

The trouble with acting indifferently towards someone like Lambert is that it only ever makes him want to keep pressing for attention until it's given to him. With Childermass more indifferent than most, it's only encouragement to go above and beyond even his usual pestering -- and he's annoyed from being caught by the horn. So with the magician caught off guard and off balance, and because proximity had gotten him that entertaining reaction last time, Lambert's tail curls around his waist and pulled him in the rest of the way so they're flush together, bared midriff right up against astoundingly tacky shirt.

"Well," he drawls, grinning down into Childermass's face, fangs making him look even more wicked than ever as he looks him over and proves the magician right about that shamelessness all over again. "It seems to have attracted you."

While that is going on, Pig's going to consider the Growlithe, come to a stop -- since they seem to have halted for now -- and then cock a hoof and send a splatter of mud towards it. Not an attack, like with the Incineroar, but certainly an attempt to force the dog to change course mid-bound. Pig's idea of 'play' isn't much better than her master's.

[atouts]

This is certainly one of the stranger situations he's found himself in and that alone makes it quite the feat to continue acting indifferent towards it all. He does give Lambert an indignant look for two or three seconds, feathers rising some and red coming to his face — though whether it's embarrassment or anger that fuels that is hard to tell — but then he purses his lips into a thin line and doubles down on only looking bored of the witcher's ridiculous game. He finally does let go of the one horn he'd been pulling him along by, but only so he can use that same hand to give a shove.

"Stop being stupid," he scolds him in the same tone he would have scolded the girl from before. "Do you want to still be around when someone comes looking for who took that pole down?"

Meanwhile, on the less irritating side of things, the Growlithe can't exactly change direction mid-leap. The slop of mud hits him, sending the puppy bowling over into the dirt and dust where he rolls over once, lays there startled for a very brief moment, then pops back up to his feet to pick up right where he left off again. Mud isn't about to dissuade him from racing around Pig.

[whattaprick]

"I don't hear anyone coming, and my ears are much better than yours," Lambert answers with a shrug as he's pushed pack. It's a pity that he couldn't provoke more than that reaction -- he'll have to content himself with the feathers and the flush, he grins and pulls back to let the magician have his personal space back now that he's let him go. That was all he'd been aiming for in the first place. His tail is more reluctant to comply, taking its time unsliding from the magician's waist with a slither of scales against cotton.

The slap of mud to the face seems to amuse the Mudbray, which seems perkier now that a real game's been initiated. She'll take the chance to aim another shot of mud again, ears pricked and bouncing in place -- which is making the ground underfoot rock a bit, something that makes Lambert glance over sharply.

"Hey, no earthquakes."

[atouts]

The Growlithe dodges out of the way of the next glob of mud, finally picking up on the new game and running about, then stopping to wait for the Mudbray to try again. Well, up until the ground rocks and Lambert tells the Pokemon to cut it out. Playing is one thing, accidental earthquakes... They've caused enough collateral damage already, haven't they?

As it is, the sudden shake under his feet sets Childermass to grabbing for Lambert's arm again anyway, to keep himself from toppling over. So much for personal space. He probably would have been fine had the tail removing itself not felt so damn unsettling, among other words he could use for that.

"That thing can cause earthquakes? And you have it?" Great. He lets out a quiet huff. "We're all doomed."

[whattaprick]

"Your pup's the one getting her worked up," Lambert retorts. His arm flexes slightly under Childermass's grip, but rather than shake him off, his hand drops to the magician's hip and gives it a casual squeeze.

"Gotta admit, though, I want to see what it can do besides run around." He already knows, by this point, that even the most innocuous looking things are capable of much more destruction than their diminutive size would suggest.

"How about it?" he grins at him over the edge of his sunglasses, brows raised. It's a familiar look, one Childermass will no doubt recognize from the Celebration, usually preceding objectively terrible but subjectively fun suggestions. "You up to the challenge?"

[atouts]

That's one way to get him to shove off and away from Lambert quick. Really, he should be affronted in general at this point, but he's still Childermass. He doesn't want to give Lambert anything more than a scowl before taking a few seconds to figure out what he's even on about.

That is not a look he should trust.

But he's also quite sober this time around.

"What? You mean a battle? Haven't you had enough with that last one?"

[whattaprick]

"Doesn't count as a battle if their Pokemon isn't listening to them," Lambert says, which to his mind is a perfectly reasonable distinction to make.

"And it definitely doesn't count if there isn't anything to win." Of course he'd add that. In any case, he doesn't seem terribly invested in Childermass answering one way or another, turning his head to whistle sharply at his Mudbray, which has thankfully stopped with the bouncing and making the earth move under their feet. Pig doesn't immediately move, though, glancing between Lambert and the Growlithe. She'd wanted to play...

"She and that butterball of yours have the right idea."

[atouts]

The Growlithe's own frolicking about slows to stop when Pig is called away, the dog's ears drooping when she goes. He looks lost for a few seconds before simply deciding to go back to his own trainer, although he waits until he's right next to both Childermass and Lambert to finally take a moment and shake the mud off.

Naturally, mud goes flying from his fluffy ruff of fur.

"Playing isn't the same as—" He stops when splattered with mud, turning to frown disapprovingly down at the Growlithe. He just barks back happily at him. Of course. The magician shakes his head and turns his attention back to Lambert. He almost carries on with disagreeing, but he stops, thinking, then instead says, "Fine. If you're really that curious, wager the dagger I gave you and I'll agree to a fight."

TIMESKIPPING ACROSS THE HORIZON

[whattaprick]

Mud goes flying onto Lambert as well, but he doesn't seem that bothered about it -- if only because Pig has ruined infinitely more sets of clothing as it is (and in fact, he probably already had mud on his clothes before Childermass ever showed up).

"All right." He doesn't really care about the dagger either way, except that if Childermass is sore about him keeping it, it's all the more reason to hold on to it and annoy him. "But if I win..." He pauses, considering. "You're paying for a night's stay at that fancy resort."

Whether or not the magician agrees to those terms or bargains them down, then the more practical matter that needs to be addressed becomes where to fight -- there's too much potential for collateral damage where they are now, so eventually they find an empty field to battle in instead. There, Lambert gets to show off that he hasn't spent all his time horsing around with his weird donkey-pet and has actually invested in catching other Pokemon.

The Haunter that emerges cackling from its Pokeball makes short enough work of the bird Childermass sends out, only to be cut down by the Butterfree the magician calls on next -- probably because Lambert and Haunter spent so long laughing at it they never saw the beam coming. Lambert's next Pokemon, a Scyther, barely listens to his commands but slices into the other bug with a speed and deadliness not unlike the witcher and his swords himself, only to faint when the Growlithe roasts him with flames as fierce as the Incineroar's.

Pig wins the day by knocking the Growlithe off its paws and simply burying him in mud. By the time the pup staggers, unable to rise again, Lambert's sweaty with exertion (his Pokemon really don't care where their trainer is in the course of their fights, and there were a few near-misses there) but he's laughing, elated by the thrill of competition.

"Now how's that for a battle?"

[atouts]

Childermass is less thrilled, considering he's the one who lost. He's also hardly sweating at all, at least when compared to Lambert. His own team may have lost in the end, but even they knew better than to aim at their trainer. All the more annoying to lose to someone like the witcher and his lot, but—

"Not bad," he gives him that much, "Though I wondered if your Pokemon might have been aiming for you instead of my own."

If there's any distress over the Growlithe, at the very least, laying out cold on the ground, he sure doesn't show it. No, he just looks at the dog, frowns briefly, then recalls him to his Pokeball. It's just how things are here, so he can't see much point in being bothered by it. That done, he does have to admit defeat officially, at least by way of unenthusiastically adding when he looks up again, "One night at the resort. Try not to drag it out too long."

[whattaprick]

"Oh no," Lambert answers, predictably obnoxious. "You can bet I'm getting my money's worth out of this win. Come on, Pig." Pig glances up at her master inquisitively, and he shakes his head, letting her snap back into her Pokéball in a blaze of light.

Sauntering past Childermass with a flick of his tail, to start heading back to town and get their Pokémon healed and catch the next ferry, Lambert can't help adding: "Don't worry, I'll pay for the drinks."

His mirth, naturally, comes from the notion that Childermass would accept any drinks he paid for at all, considering their last debacle.