For the first time in hours we see something other than endless fields of golden wheat crops: a fence to our right with a gang of brooding pokemon loitering on the other side underneath the shadow of a tree. They watch us as we pass.
Machoke points with two fingers at his eyes before turning them around to point at us.
It takes a lot of pleading for Lopunny to calm down again and to not rush off for a fight. Lucario didn't make it any easier by offering to back her up against the disrespectful curs.
They follow along the fence and keep taunting as we keep on rolling towards Solaceon Town. The Persian pulls faces as provocation.
Moments before an all-out battle was going to take place, Haylie breaks the atmosphere by mentioning that those are abandoned pokemon. Their trainers left them at the pokemon daycare and just never returned.
Hearing that, the gang tucks their tails while my team loudly gloats about how awesome it is to have a pokemon trainer.
Haylie then further explained how Pancham is their newest member. His trainer left him behind when he suddenly committed suicide.
It had been huge news in the town and the surrounding villages when it happened.
"Sheesh." Dawn mutters. "Suicide? Really?"
"Eeyup. Grizzly affair. Guy lived here and asked them to take care of Pancham until he came back from a work trip... He was found hanging four days later."
"That's rough."
"Eeyup. Couldn't take the pressure with the world ending and all that." Haylie sighs. "Pancham was the only one he had in his life, but Ah guess he just wasn't enough."
A coward. One of many. And a selfish bitch; he never thought about what this would do to his pokemon. "Does Pancham know? Or does he think he was abandoned?"
"Someone told him. It's why he doesn't get along with the others."
"Isn't there something we can do for them?" asks Dawn, her voice rising with hopeful concern only to be shattered.
"No. Probably nothing." Haylie sighs. "It's not like we can't find new, willing trainers for them - there're plenty. It's just that they don't want new trainers."
As the cart keeps going, the tiny tree with the depressed pokemon underneath fades away. Too tame to return to the wild, too angered to move on.
Stuck.
"You said you're heading to the daycare," I look past Salazzle to seek out Haylie's bright blue eyes. "Have you thought about making them fight someone? We could battle them to reignite their motivation."
She just smiles at me. "That's noble of you to offer, but they ain't fighters either. They were raised as pets."
Damn. But what other hope is there for them?
Lay down and wait until they die?
But they challenged us, surely that means something! Or does it? It's in their nature to be territorial.
Maybe they just saw us and tried finding out who is the boss now?
... No. I don't think so. From everything I know about pokemon, I know they want to fight. Battle is a natural part of them, even if they don't want to... Oh... Right. Some don't want to fight. Just like some humans who don't want to be trainers.
What would Swole the hero do? Would he allow such a tragedy just because he doesn't know how to fix it?
Dawn taps me on the shoulder. "Swole?"
"Huh? Yes? What's up?"
"The sky, the crowns of the trees."
There are no trees nearby. Her eyelids tighten in concentration as she reaches for something on my head. Ouch; she plucks it.
"That one strand of hair that was poking out. What's up with you? Didn't you hear us? We've stopped. Haylie and Maud have started unloading and asked if we wanted to help."
"Oh."
We've reached the entrance to the daycare after passing a little gate by the side of the road. Neighboring this building's enormous fenced off property is Solaceon Town itself with its rustic houses and the signature orange roof of the pokemon center not too far away.
Beyond it looms the tower of the town's cemetery.
Haylie and Maud have already disembarked, but Maud is still nearby - just half a dozen steps away lugging around a single jug of Moomoo milk.
"Oh! Lucario, do you mind helping them out? It's gotta be good training for your Psychic."
~"Will do, master." She salutes while closing her eyes and allowing her dangling horns to rise to the air.
One, two, three... nine metal containers hover into the air and pass Maud - over to a nearby storage barn.
Lopunny grabs four jugs - six, after lifting two more with her ears, before climbing down a step ladder at the back of the cart.
"Magearna..." I look at her. She's recovering well. I've polished off all of her external rust to help her heal faster, but most of her skirt still misses its paint. Blotches of black grow in some spots, almost resembling a maid outfit, while lines of gold make her look a little bit like a battered Luxury Ball.
Her moves are still unknown because the pokedex refuses to scan her pokeball... If it truly even is hers. I think it belongs to Banette and nobody else. "Do you want to tag along?"
She tilts her head a perfect 45 degrees to the left as she closes her eyes for exactly one second. The crown around her head that looks like both a maid's headband and a set of teeth on a cog, rotate against her head's tilt.
Perhaps there is some machinery hidden within her neck that interacts with those teeth? Would I hurt my hand if I cradled her head while it was tilting?
"Yes." She replies. "I want to tag along - meaning, to follow and support you and Lopunny as you unload the cart."
She moves with perfect precision, rising from the bench in the back of the cart, bending over to grab a milk canister, lifting it up to her chest as if it didn't have any weight at all, and finally cradling it like an egg.
After stepping up to the ladder, she bends again at the waist to inspect the steps closely and straightens out again. She has a flawless posture with a ramrod straight back as she steps down, never looking where she puts her feet.
She reaches me with a polite smile. "After you, Mister Solo."
Sometimes she switches up how she calls me. Mister, Master, Sir. I've tried figuring out why, but I think it's just random.
I lead the way, and she follows in my steps. By the time I reach the storage barn, Lopunny passes me for her second round, and I have to duck when a bunch of canisters threaten to hit my head.
Inside the barn, Haylie stands on the second level of a large storage shelf that reaches up to the ceiling. The first row is already filled, and she stacks up the canisters as they come.
I reach her and hand them over.
"Thanks for the help, again. Even though mah parents bullied yer girlfriend's family."
"No problem. Don't mention it." I'd rather not have Zoey learn that I was nice to her enemy. "Seriously, don't mention it. By the way, is the daycare owner around? I want to talk to him about battling those pokemon from earlier."
"He's gotta be somewhere in the fields. It's high noon, so Ah reckon he's taking care of the little ones right now. But, Ah guess ya can just battle those pokemon if ya really want to. They don't have owners, remember?"
"Meaning, they count as wild pokemon even though they aren't. Got it. Guess I will just... walk the fields and see who I meet first."
"Master, what about the rest of the milk?" Magearna comments, lifting her jug to hand it over to Haylie.
"Lopunny and Lucario can catch up as soon as they're done. Shouldn't take them long."
"Considering current progress, it will take them an estimated two minutes."
We could wait for that... We should wait for that. The world is dangerous, and I shouldn't walk around without Lopunny... But I shouldn't become frozen in fear either.
I get going while waving Haylie goodbye - Maud too when we pass each other.
Lopunny and Lucario cross my path next, and I instruct them to stay with Dawn to make sure she's safe. Lucario knows to keep us within her Aura range.
"Salazzle, you're coming with us." The lazy lizard pokes her head out of the cart, where she napped on the cushions while Dawn petted her neck. She scrambles up like a startled animal before crawling off the cart-- "Don't forget Swadloon." Without missing a beat, she turns around and digs through the back of the wagon.
A few moments later, she joins us with Swadloon gripped by her tail.
"We'll be back soon, Dawn."
She's tapping away on her phone without looking up. "Bye." She pauses, and her face morphs through a couple emotions before settling on a teasing grin. "Don't get lost."
---
It is perfectly sunny summer weather, and the past days have been the hottest on record - Sinnoh's record. A scarf would be too hot today - a shirt might be the right choice. Still, nights are always bitter cold. Just a few degrees over 0.
The vast meadow I step through reminds me of the fields just outside of Twinleaf Town. Where the pokemon have not yet grazed, the grass is tall and lush, and a brisk breeze blows through it. Blades rustle while sweet and flowery scents waft to my nostrils.
A barn provides some shade for a few resting pokemon, a little playground gives them some entertainment - like the Phanpy-shaped slide: Aipom, Smeargle, followed by a much bigger Miltank, slide down the plastic Phanpy's trunk one by one, screaming and laughing in their pokemon tongue.
Aipom spots us and wags the hand on the tip of his tail as a greeting. Magearna returns the gesture while Salazzle hisses insults - I flick her snoot for that.
A couple of Goldeen poke out of a nearby pond and giggle when Salazzle directs her hisses at me. They remind me a little of... nevermind.
Everything is so peaceful here. It feels as if a wave of contentment washes over me, causing me to slow down for a few moments to take in the beauty.
The Sinnoh region. A breathtaking, awe-inspiring corner of the pokemon world, complete with an amazing array of pokemon.
Everywhere I look, pokemon are soaring through the air, gliding through the water, riding on the land, and sharing the region with all sorts of people; pokemon trainers.
My steps eventually slow to a full stop. There's a bench near the pond, and I just happen to pause right beside it.
I watch it for a moment before looking back at the way we came from. Salazzle has already climbed on it and stands with her forelegs on the backrest. She arches her back and stretches her neck. Eyes closed, her maw opens up wide for a yawn. Her scales shimmer slightly under the sun.
She snaps her mouth closed and startles briefly when I scratching the side of her neck.
"Let's wait for Lopunny and Lucario after all." Swadloon chirps a muffled question into Salazzle's tail. "I want to share this moment with them too. This is nice, isn't it?"
"Indeed. Idyllic."
~"Meh. It'ss misssing ssome ssweet treatss and ssome battle!"
Heh. I expected something like that from Lopunny, not from Salazzle. "We'll get to battle soon enough, Salazzle. It's not like those pokemon will run away, eh?"
~"I guesss not... Anyway! Come ssit on the bench sso I can ssit on your lap, masster!"
I flick her snoot again and pull away before she can bite me. "Let's postpone that for the night when I rub in that scale-lotion of yours. We want to keep them nice and shiny, don't we?"
~"You could rub something else into my sscales."
"Hm?"
~"Ssome of your nice, thick lotion."
"Your scale lotion?"
~"Your sspecial lotion." A clawed finger trails down the front of my shirt, sometimes catching on the fabric, but she's careful enough not to tear it. ~"Or you could use mine again. Rub my lotion all over my body and take a good whiff of it."
A memory of our steamy night in the bathroom shoots to the front of my mind as the words trigger something unconscious in me. My pants suddenly feel too tight, and my eyes can't help but peek down her body.
We could... Maybe we can... There's nobody around except the pokemon... I shake off the looping thoughts and flick Salazzle's cute snoot. "Stop seducing me. We're in public."
"Salazzle, you shouldn't embarrass our trainer with your lack of decorum."
~"Decorum, decarum. That sstuff doesn't matter."
"I am quite certain that Mistress Lopunny would disagree with you."
"She would? She's doing half of the seducing herself."
"Hmmm." Magearna makes a static noise, sounding a bit like a Beedrill's wings. "Perhaps I should pretend you are right." Pretend?!
"What makes you say that?"
"Mistress Lopunny uses her cutlery fairly well. Of the six entities in your harem, only Akari Platinum is more proficient at proper table etiquette."
We just haven't been in a setting that required manners. "I guess Lopunny does watch her table manners at all times. I think it's because my mom's pokemon used to make fun of her because she ate like a savage before."
Magearna nods mechanically. "Indeed. Shame is quite the motivator. Perhaps we should shame Salazzle?"
~"Hey!" Salazzle spits a small ember at Magearna. ~"Don't put any ideas into him!"
"Ouch." Magearna looks down at her chest, where the mote of fire left a singed, blackened spot. She then takes a step away from Salazzle and puts me in the crossfire. "That wasn't very nice of you. Shame."
I flick Salazzle's snoot again. "Seriously. Don't attack her, Salazzle. She doesn't know any moves."
~"That's not true. She knowss Helping Hand and Draining Kiss!" She points her claw at Magearna. ~"Ssshame on you for being so uselsesss! You should at least learn Pound."
"Apologies. I will try to improve."
I roll my eyes. "Don't listen to her slander, Magearna. You know more than those two moves; we just don't have a way of finding them out."
~"What sort of pokemon doesn't know what moves she knows? Uselesssss." Salazzle dodges the flick of my fingers.
And Swadloon chimes in before Salazzle muzzles her with her tail again. ~"She doesn't even know Protect."
~"Shush. Eggs don't talk."
"Salazzle, if you continue being mean to Magearna or Swadloon, I'm going to tell Lopunny about what happened in the bathtub after she fell asleep. Remember how you--"
~"Hissss! Alright! Sheessssh I get it! No more teasing!" I flick her snoot just for good measure. Her tongue darts out to try and catch my finger in time but suddenly stays still in the middle of the air. Slowly, it retracts. She cranes her neck to look past me. ~"Speak of the bunny, and she shall appear."
About two hundred meters away, Lopunny and Lucario take a carefree stroll across the meadows of the Solaceon Town daycare. Lopunny's ears are perked, and a wide grin is plastered on her face. As she gets within hearing distance, she speaks up, ~"What was it he should not tell me, Salazzle?!"
~"Urgh! Nothing, you over-eared rabbit."
~"Magearna, my dear student, mind telling me what you were discussing just now?"
"Of course not, Mistress Lopunny. Swole was talking about how Salazzle--"
"Shush, Magearna. Lopunny doesn't need to know, and Salazzle is allowed to have some secrets."
"Error. Conflicting orders. Prioritizing by rank... Error. Both entities hold the same official rank." Huh? I fix Lopunny in a glare, watching her eyes widen as she stops her approach all of a sudden. "Sorting by personal preference... Success. Apologies, Mistress Lopunny. That is a secret, and I am unable to talk about it."
~"Ahahaha, it's alright! It's alright! Don't worry about it, Magearna. Haha, secrets. Sure!"
~"His his his his!" Salazzle laughs before shifting her voice to sing her taunts. ~"You're in trouble ♬. You're in trouble ♬."
~"Shut it! I'm not!"
~"You are." Lucario states.
~"Yep. You fucked up." Salazzle agrees.
~"hmmhmgmshm!" Swadloon is muzzled.
~"I'm not!"
"What is going on?"
"That's what I'd like to know too, Magearna."
~"Nothing! Don't worry about, master. How are you feeling today? Tense? Need a massage? Do you want to win at brawling today?"
My eyes tighten further in suspicion. Something's going on.
She's feeling nervous. She fidgets. Why? She almost feels... afraid? "Take a seat."
~"Gulp." Lopunny gulps, slowly inching closer until she gets in range to sit down on the bench right next to Salazzle.
Her back is turned, but her ears stand up attentively. She tilts her head a little to peek over her shoulder.
"Is this about your hierarchy stuff?"
Her shoulders stiffen up, but she remains tight-lipped.
I guess that's the only thing that might make some sense. She did almost break the chain of command. It doesn't seem all that serious, but I guess it could lead to something worse for weaker trainers.
First, insubordination, then finding support among the other pokemon in the team - that is a deadly recipe for any abusive trainer whose pokemon could be plotting revenge. After all, the other teammates serve to balance the scales during a rebellion.
"Do you think I'd be worried about a rebellion, Lopunny?" Her stiff shoulders tense up even further when I grab them, digging my fingers into her hardened muscles. "Well, I'm not. Tell your whacky instincts to shut up. We all know I own you."
She turns her head, looking back and up at me. Her ears have folded against her head.
"I trust you completely. All of you. So don't be afraid of a fuck-up here or there. You're mine, and I'm your trainer - no degree of insubordination will change that."
~"Master..." Lopunny mutters as she relaxes. Her muscles become softer as I stroke along her shoulder.
Just the other week, we almost got into a fight over... something - can't remember - and now she's afraid of disobeying. Pokemon are such strange and mysterious creatures.
Is it because we had sex again? Or perhaps because Magearna joined and brought their hierarchy into disorder?
I could test one hypothesis next time one of them is mad at me... Hehe.
... "Well, let's go and look for that troublemaking gang of pokemon. We'll battle them and set them straight. Magearna, prepare yourself for your very first pokemon battle!"
"... ... ... What?"
---
"Are you ready, Machoke?!"
"Macho-Ma!" He's ready, fists pulled up to his face like a boxer while bouncing on the tips of his feet.
At the sidelines, his friends cheer him on. Persian meows, Herdier barks, and Gogoat bleats, and their enthusiasm even catches on with Pancham, bringing him out of the shade of his tree and into the light to see the epic battle that is about to unfold.
In our corner stands... "Magearna, are you ready to use Draining Kiss?!"
"No."
"Then let's-- no?"
"Yes."
"Why? Are you too nervous? Do you need another one of my motivational speeches?"
"I don't want to kiss him."
"Oh." Of course. It is a rather intimate pokemon attack. Although, Lopunny has no qualms about using it in battle. Hold on... "But that is your only attack."
"I can still fight with these." Magearna copies Machoke's pose and lifts her fists in front of her face. However, she doesn't hop on the tips of her feet.
Machoke takes a step closer, watching Magearna for deceit. Another step - the distance between them grows closer. Fire builds within his fist as he reels back his arm. Cautious steps.
"Magearna, that won't work. Dodge."
"I'm sure it will." She reels her fist back in an attempt to copy Fire Punch. "Take this, Machoke! I use flaming punch!"
Uh oh. That's not a move. "Dodge!!"
With his own battle shout, Machoke dashes the rest of the way. Fire Punch burning brightly, his fist leaves a burning trail behind.
Without moving from the spot, Magearna copies the attack and strikes - she leans her full body into the punch, meeting his fist with expert precision as it blossoms into a fiery explosion that engulfs her whole arm.
The blast doesn't last long. The synthetic flesh of her hand vaporizes in an instant, exposing her wiring and metal joints underneath. Black sludge with singed metal is all that remains of her hand and wrist the moment the clash ends.
Magearna and Machoke stare at the remains of her hand dripping to the ground with wide eyes.
"Ouch," Magearna says before attempting to take up her battle-pose again. Her fingers can't even form a fist as the cooling liquid gunks up the machinery of her arm. "I surrender."
"Macho--"
Another droplet of her former skin drips to the grass, joining the growing puddle.
"Machoke! Macho-man!" He's panicking.
"No need to apologize," Magearna says with a calm and fearless (monotone) voice. "I miscalculated the strength of our punches. Do you accept my surrender?"
I slap my hand against my forehead. "He does!"
Mochoke nods. "Ma! Macho!"
"Now, get back here, Magearna. I need to treat that wound."
She bows to her opponent and thanks him for the fruitful battle. Magearna turns around on the spot before walking away from the makeshift arena with ridged steps.
She approaches with that blackened metal skeleton of hers held out in front of her, catching another droplet of molten sludge. "Hello, trainer. It looks like I don't know how to use fiery strike either. Apologies."
I ignore it while applying the potion to her skin. A sigh escapes my lips when a layer of char peels off. "What were you thinking?"
"I--"
"Hold on." I let out another sigh as her skin slowly begins bubbling at the edges of the damage. "You definitely weren't thinking. Do we need to go over the type charts again? What is your biggest weakness?"
"Fire. Apologies. I forgot it in the heat of the moment." Was... was that an intended pun? I flick her forehead.
The pupils in her eyes shrink as she watches the tip of my finger. Then she zooms in on my face, taking in the details of my lips, the creases between my eyebrows, my eyes... in the end, she bows her head. "I will learn from this. I promise."
"Good." Instead of pulling my hand away, like I have to after flicking Salazzle, I put it on her shoulder instead, grabbing the harsh, metal orb that whirrs just a little with the soft vibrations of her internal motors. "But I think it's best if you sit these fights out today. We need to figure out more of your moves before you can actually fight anyone."
"Understood." Her voice doesn't change, and her face stays motionless. "Apologies for being useless."
"Good grief. Don't worry about it: everyone had a useless phase. Speaking of useless, Swadloon! Stop hiding behind Salazzle and step up. It's your turn to shine - show everyone how much you've improved!"
"Swa?!" She mumbles into Salazzle's tail.
"Yes! You! And you, Machoke! Don't you dare laugh at her again - we'll show you not to underestimate us!"
"Machochocho!" He ignores my warning, sealing his fate as he grips his stomach muscles, pretending to die of laughter... Or maybe actually dying.
Either way, it won't matter once Swadloon gets her hands-- her claws--, paws--, flippers?--... her nothing on him. Good grief.
Since she won't walk up to the battlefield on her own, I extract her from Salazzle's clutches and place her into the arena boundaries - marked by flattened grass where I knocked them over.
"Are you ready, Swadloon? Prepare your mightiest Sticky Web!"
"Swa!" She shouts without nodding - since she lacks the neck for it. "Swaaaaaa!"
Her battle shout knocks Machoke over. He slams into the flower-covered field before smacking the ground repeatedly with his flat palm, choking on air as he struggles to breathe.
"Laugh it up! You'll see! Go, Swadloon!"
She charges the attack up, shining softly before shooting ropes. Thick wads of sticky white liquid fire from her... I can't see from where. As they fly across the air, they spread out and widen into nets large enough to cover Machoke from head to toe.
Some misses, coating the ground in sticky fluids that will make walking difficult, but most of it strikes the target, gluing Machoke to the ground in multiple overlapping webs.
"Ma?" he wonders out loud, groaning while he lifts his hand. Sticky strings connect his arm to everything in his vicinity, tearing as he overcomes their stretching point, just to stick to something else. "Macho!"
His companions laugh from the sidelines. Persian covers her mouth with a paw but fails to restrain her choking laughter.
Painted white, Machoke peels himself off the ground, giving us enough time to prepare the next move. "Grass Knot!"
Just as the last string attached to his knee tears, green glowing grass suddenly sprouts from the ground and wraps around his ankles before yanking back.
He flails wildly, trying to catch his balance. His arm brushes against his waist just once before sticking to it as if glued. The unexpected loss of control shifts his center of gravity over the edge.
Machoke falls face-first. He braces himself, trying to break his fall with his other arm.
But it is futile.
The moment his fingers brush against a single blade of grass, the whole area underneath him begins to shine and pull Machoke the rest of the way, smashing him into the soil with a bang. The wind from the collapse is strong enough to be felt as a breeze even from here.
"Maaaa!" He groans while his compatriots all shut up with the same wide-eyed expression on their faces. Within the audience, Pancham doesn't look out of place among the gang anymore, all staring in wonder at the fight.
When the pain subsides, Machoke begins the arduous task of breaking free from Swadloon's webs once again; he lets his frustrations be heard, "Maaaa!"
"Not so funny anymore, huh? Swadloon, keep it up with Struggle Bug!"
"Swaaaaa!" She screeches at the top of her lungs, vibrating with bug-type powers that seek to escape. The moment her battle shout ends, a single sparkling orb of green energy comes flying from her mouth, trailing with green sparkles as if it were a massive green mote of Ember.
Swadloon lobs it through the air and strikes her target, knocking him down again just as he brings an arm underneath himself to push himself up.
"Another one!"
"Swaaad-" She charges it up and fires! "-looooon!"
"Machoke!" he shouts. "Macho-- oof." Struggle Bug strikes. "Macho-Ma! Machoke!"
"Are you surrendering?!"
He looks away, as far as his bound-up head allows him. "... Ma."
"No way! I won't accept it!"
"M-- Machoke?"
"That's right! I know you know Fire Punch! Don't you dare give up without even fighting back once!"
His eyes dart to Magearna before returning to me. "Macho!"
"So what if I am a hypocrite? You don't get her special privileges. Give it your best shot, Machoke! Use Fire Punch against the ground! And you, Swadloon, keep it up with Struggle Bug!"
~"Yes!"
"Ma-- Ma! Machoooo!" He shouts as fire builds up in his fist, turning the strings binding it to the ground to ashes the moment the flames lick at them. He lifts his arm as yet another mote of bug energy strikes his back for little effect. "Machoke!"
He slams Fire Punch into the ground with flames blooming into an inferno that engulfs him whole. As fast as it has blazed to life, it also dies down again, leaving Machoke free and unrestrained.
He stares at his newfound freedom in surprise just long enough for yet another Struggle Bug to strike him in the face.
"Ma, Macho!" He says it in a way that reminds me of a child being bullied before pushing himself off the scorched ground. Without wasting another moment, he sprints across the battlefield. Fist reeled back, it shines white - metallic?
It's Bullet Punch. Too fast for Grass Knot.
"Tank it and use String Shot like we practiced!"
His fist turns into a blur. He bends low to aim at the much smaller target.
Pow!
With a bang, he punches straight into Swadloon's face, sending her off like a soccer ball, but attached to his fist is a string.
Connected to the string flies Swadloon, soon stretching the thin rope between them to the maximum. The leaf growths on top of her head harden and glitter in the afternoon's light. "Now! Use Razor Leaf!"
String Shot pulls her like a bungee cord, sending her flying at full speed. Machoke doesn't even have time to blink before Swadloon crashes headfirst into his face.
Critical hit.
Swadloon bounces off and rolls across the ground until the string starts to stretch again, helping her to come to a standstill.
In the meantime, Machoke tips over - his eyes have turned into swirls.
Machoke is KO.
The laughter has ended long ago. Silence is all that remains except for Swadloon's rapid chirping as she's gasping for breath.
I scan the faces of the onlookers with a smug smirk growing on my face.
Persian's mouth is wide open. Herdier takes a step back when our eyes cross. Gogoat has found a dandelion and eats it. Pancham smiles and applauds.
At least one is entertained. "Well? Who's next?! Swadloon and I will take on anyone!"
Pancham's smile drops, and his applause halts the moment Herdier pushes a paw against his back and presses him ahead. "Pa-- Pancham?"
"Pancham! You want to go next? Alright! Step right up for the fight!"