Water balloon fights weren't normally his thing, but he wasn't normally nursing the threat of heat stroke. As a Circhester native he's like a delicate ice sculpture melting under the oppression of Hoenn's sun.

So when someone hails him, tells him they're looking for participants, well—

"Why not?"

Coming fresh off the match with Raphael Pryde, Gavin's Luxray pads at his side, its fluffy mane sparking with electricity. Gavin's careful to avoid being shocked as he loads the Pokemon up with balloons.

He's on his way to finding a place to post up and hide when Skyler's Pokemon would doubtless spot the Pokemon-and-trainer duo and alert Skyler to their presence.

Pyukumuku, like the good water balloon partner that it is, immediately shifts its weight on Skyler's head upon catching sight of their enemy opponent walking towards them in plain sight. To be fair, the man's still strapping his own water balloons to the Luxray's sides when peeking silver eyes find him.

A hot pink water balloon (with a smiley face etched onto it in sharpie) wobbles in Skyler Dross's hand, the water within its elastic shape looking for a way to escape. "Get ready, Pie." Leaning forward in anticipation (and hissing when Pyukumuku's innards hit the side of her head), the captain shifts slightly in place to get a better angle.

Not a second later two water balloons are flying towards their intended victims targets. One of them, aimed for the Luxray, is coated in a thin layer of TOXIC, courtesy of a sea cucumber.

The day Captain Skyler Dross plays fair is the day the ocean dries up.

A mess of blond curls and a Pyukumuku would appear from behind the rocks, their initial position now compromised. Captain Dross waves with an insolent grin, Gavin's disguise working perfectly and preventing the captain from recognizing Patrick Cavalli or Gavin Merlino.

Attempting to dive behind another rock, she gives her Pyukumuku another balloon.

water balloon fight!

Cillian Quinn

As Gavin carefully affixes the harness to Luxray, the feline lifts its head and sniffs suspiciously at the air. A low growl rumbles in its throat, fur rippling along its spine and tail lashing.

Gavin takes such signals seriously.

He straightens up immediately, hand reaching for another pokeball when a hot pink water balloon smacks against his shoulder and bursts on impact. The water's not as cold as he's expecting but still a pleasant reprieve from the heat, even if it splashes up and into his ear.

Luxray is decidedly less pleased with its own soaking.

A THUNDER WAVE sparks across the balloons strapped to its back, and Gavin's gloved hand plucks one up as he turns to the Captain. She doesn't recognize him, but he knows her. Liam doesn't, though, so he plays ignorant.

"Dirty trick, that."

His Galarian accent colours the words as he hurls the balloon.

Victory comes in the shape of dripping wet fur and a furious Luxray whose eyes focus on Captain Dross and her makeshift Pyukumuku hat. She responds to the feline glare with an unapologetic grin of her own.

Sun-baked rock meets her side when she leans against it, curiosity coming alive in the gleam of silver eyes when the man speaks.

"Brave of you to challenge a Hoenn native to a water fight." The Galarian accent hadn't gone unnoticed. "We're known to have far too much of it here, did you know?" It's a running joke among Hoenn natives.

A strange sense of familiarity overcomes the captain for a sliver of a second, narrowed silver eyes peering intently into the curve of a mouth, the sharp cut of a jawline, the piercing stare that reminds her of Lu-

No. No, just a coincidence. 

The moment of distraction is enough for a water balloon to hit the captain's side, electrified water splashing the Pyukumuku. She immediately dodges behind a rock, but the damage has already been done: Pie is paralized. 

"Dirty tricks, huh?" 

Sarcasm drips from her voice, but she's grinning. More than welcoming the challenge. 

water balloon fight!

Cillian Quinn

"Galar's no shortage of ocean and beaches."

It's not nearly as hot, either, which is perhaps the thing Gavin misses most about his homeland. Winter.

Her scrutiny prickles at the back of his neck and for a brief, wild moment, Gavin thinks she's seen right through his disguise to the criminal masquerading beneath. That she's moments from hailing the League officials mingling about to keep an eye on the tournament.

It passes, and he can breathe again.

"Says the one who poisoned mine!"

Luxray yowls in celebration of its victory, ICY FANGS causing frost to form a chilly coating on the outside of the next balloon. Gavin squeezes it briefly to ensure it's not frozen solid — that would be more than a dirty trick — before lobbing it toward Skyler.

Laughter spills out at the man's response, free and untethered from any sort of worry, halfway drunk on the rush of adrenaline. Weeks later they would face each on opposites sides of a brewing conflict, but for today the war they wrought between each other was harmless.

Hopefully it would remain that way.

Captain Dross hoists herself easily over the rock she'd been hiding behind, feet scrapping against the rough surface as she stands in full view - an easy target. On her head, Pie seems to have regained some semblance of health, the PURIFY easing its previous status condition.

Ice breaks behind them, droplets hitting the back of Skyler's neck as she slips onto the floor with a troublesome grin and one balloon in each hand.

"That's the only way to play." 

And then she starts running straight at Gavin, hurtling a balloon at him as she does. 

pie used purify!
pie isn't paralyzed anymore!

water balloon fight!

Cillian Quinn

Sharp eyes don't miss the way the Pyukumuku seems less stiff as it lounges on Skyler's head. Gavin's not particularly familiar with the species but he knows enough about battling to guess at a shift in status, even if he doesn't understand how.

Unfortunate.

Well, it seems to have taken up the Pokemon's energy to do so.

He clicks his tongue, and another slush-filled balloon soars from ICY FANGS toward the captain's improvised hat.

Gavin throws a regular balloon at Skyler while she's charging him, her own balloon catching him in the arm despite his attempt to dodge out of the way. Water soaks his shirt and it clings close to his skin; he's glad he hadn't brought his gun to the tournament.

This time it isn't as easy to dodge the balloon lobbed her way, no matter how many twists and turns she takes, or how swiftly her feet carry her. Water splashes against her side, warding off the scorching hot Hoenn sun for a few precious seconds.

Pie isn't doing so well, its innards frozen solid along with the balloon that it'd been clutching at the time. Distressed sounds trickle down from the top of Skyler's head, but the captain is barely paying them much attention for now.

This man is a complete stranger to her, and a foreign one at that. And although Skyler had met many a Galarian in her time as a ship captain, having crossed paths with this specific person would be too much of a coincidence.

And although vengeance sits sweetly on her tongue as she lunges at the man in an attempt to fling a water balloon directly at his head, she's also somewhat distracted.

This close to her opponent that annoying sense of familiarity returns.

"You remind me of someone."

pie is frozen!

water balloon fight!

Cillian Quinn

He dodges, this time. Ducks, to be more precise, the lobbed balloon soaring overhead.

Her words chill him more effectively than the water could.

What does she know?

She'd met him as Patrick Cavalli on more than one occasion. He's disguised now, shades to mask the amber of his eyes and his hair a deep chestnut brown instead of its natural blond, but perhaps she was more observant than he'd given her credit for.

His expression doesn't betray him as he lobs another balloon. ELECTRIC TERRAIN sizzles across the ground as Luxray bounds around them.

"And who do I remind you of?"

He smiles, sharp edges tucked away beneath a softer facade.

"You probably don't know her."

Sparks of electricity dance across the sun-kissed surface of her skin and up to her unruly mess of curls. Skyler wonders if mixing water and electricity is a wise idea - but the thought dies a swift death at the stare that pierces through her from behind dark lens.

It isn't Patrick Cavalli she's thinking of.

Dodging the water balloon more out of instinct rather than any sort conscious decision, Captain Dross sneaks a foot behind the man's leg in an attempt to trip him. Not to hurt him, of course. Just so she can distract him enough to win this water fight. 

And because a nagging curiosity won't leave her. Because she wants to dispell the memory of amber eyes boring into her own, vicious and hungry.

Pyukumuku thaws out soon enough due to Purify, its innards waving around in aggravation. Should its new target, the Luxray, come close enough, Pie would try to Soak it. 

pie used purify!
will use soak on luxray if/when it approaches!

water balloon fight!

Cillian Quinn

Her?

Gavin laughs, a sound that manages to masquerade as light and genuine.

"Is she Galarian, too? We don't all know each other, contrary to popular belief."

It's a common enough joke that he trusts she'll catch the jest.

skyler dross's foot winds around his calf but Gavin is sturdier than he looks at a glance, planting his weight and maneuvering out of the way with ease. This was child's play; THEO BECKETT had taught him not only how to fight dirty but how to counter dirty fighters.

"Nice try."

In close quarters, now, he aims to break a balloon against her shoulder.

Luxray, soaked and furious, lunges for Pyukumuku with a WILD CHARGE.

Gavin manages to maneuver out of the way of her dirty trick. Instead of being pissed about it, Skyler throws her head back in what appears to be delighted laughter. It quickly becomes apparent as her teeth flash out in a savage grin, that she's enjoys hand-to-hand combat - even if it's just a water balloon fight.

"My bad, you two probably don't know each other." And just like that the subject is swept aside and mostly forgotten. "Nice dodge, by the way. You fight?" She doesn't mean pokemon battles.

Luxray's lounge is noticed both by the pokemon and its trainer - hard not to when there's a lion jumping at your head. With a curse spat out under her breath, Skyler bends her knees and ducks out of the way, while Pyukumuku uses TOXIC directly on the overhead Luxray.

Unfortunately, that also means that the water balloon pops easily against her shoulder.

Gritting her teeth, Skyler all but lunges at Gavin, one balloon in each hand as she attempts to shove them at the underboss.

pie used toxic!

water balloon fight!

Cillian Quinn

She seems positively delighted by his prowess; Gavin can't help but to be reminded of Tempest Quinn. There's a fluttering fondness in the pit of his stomach that goes largely ignored in the heat of the intense water balloon fight.

"I do, yeh." His accent clips the affirmation. "You too?"

He wonders if she ever goes to the underground fighting rings. It's been a while since he's had a good scrap down there. Rocket's kept him busy.

Luxray sails overhead and more toxins join those inflicted by an earlier burst balloon. When the lion lands and gives its mane a stubborn swipe, those toxins take root in its system. It stumbles as it swerves around, growling.

Gavin plants his feet to endure her lunge; if he goes down, she'll go with him.