noah returns with his hand clutching the ropes of several leashes. it's as if he's a zoo's balloon vendor, but instead of colourful orbs, he wields a moving forest of black fur. several mightyena, eager to return home, but wary of the stranger halt with sniffing snouts.

"uh, sure!" noah squints, wondering whether he is supposed to know the girl before him. he's clad in athleisure- but his shoes are pristine. "why do you ask?"

he hushes the mightyena, ordering them all to sit on their haunches. their bushy tails stream behind them as if they were entirely separate pokemon of their own.

"are you a fan too?"

June Fair

"yeah! basically live here now." noah whistles and the mightyena file into the fenced property, rushing for their bowls inside. "i know him personally alright," his voice grows smug here, tinged with a dreamy warble, "but let's cut the questions."

he narrows his eyes and steps into the gap between the fences. crossing his arms, noah examines her with an obvious air of skepticism.

"why do you wanna know?" noah's eyebrow rises into a skeptical scar. "sorry, 'cause i gotta guard him against crazy fans. trust me, i know what they can do."

June Fair

not mental, huh? noah swallows dryly as if he were gulping down a hairball. the girl before him possesses spunk. a flair that reminds him of himself— but perhaps it is only natural. she seems close in age, and noah stills pops like a firecracker at new year.

"well, kyle is basically a rock star, man." noah tightens the knit of his arms and swells his chest out like a shield. "more than that, actually. he's my boyfriend."

the confession disarms him and his arms fall slack. he reaches into his pocket before fishing out a pokeball. tossing it up and down from an open palm, noah hums.

"he's not gonna be here for awhile, which like, sucks for the both of us." a smug look spreads across his face, gluing his lips to the corners of his cheeks. "buuuut, if you want, i can be his stand in. he trains me, so t-b-h, if you can't get through me, you won't stand chance with him."

June Fair

"appetizer?" noah droops, his hands in clawed goblets as he weighs the degrading epithet unfavorably. "i'm more like the main course— and kyle's the dessert. uh, people like the dessert more, don't they?"

as he rummages through his jogging shorts, noah does not take his eyes off of her. the bodyguard can't help but be skeptical still. there's a chance she's simply scouting out the property: a burglar's first contact.

he'd have to make this quick.

"sure. my fave," noah pulls out a pokeball and closes the gate. he gestures to the lawn in front of the fences.

he tosses one ball skyward, and his unfezant flourishes its wings for flight.

"i'll be nice— and give you the first move. how about that?" noah grins.

June Fair

a boltund. he's reminded of the static that once tickled his hands. the sudden windy weave of blizzard— and the outpost. summer should be coming soon.

"a dog person? i like you already!"

noah rubs his hands together. a wild smile grows across his face— a newfound confidence now brimming through his trained form. he barks his commands and his sneakers shift firmly on the ground.

"detect. feather dance. time it right."

noah's unfezant dives downward to avoid the attack and releases a flurry of feathers to mask its position. its grey body disappears into the expelled plumage before arcs of razor winds (AIR CUTTER) soar toward the canine.

June Fair

noah's unfezant does not remain idle. for a creature of the air, it seems to practice footwork. the bird takes after noah's older habits and like a fighter in the ring, it does not stop moving.

as the unfezant dives forth to pursue the impact of its AIR CUTTER, the feathers peel away to reveal a leaping boltund—an electric comet whipping around a planet.

as the unfezant is struck, the bird squawks shrilly. PARALYZED, the unfezant's wings flap in awkward rhythms, like a puppet with tangled strings.

"so, are you a big fan of kyle too? are the rest of your pokemon dogs too?" noah throws a finger toward the boltund. "butler, your move! FACADE!"

the electricity crackles on its wings and intensifies as the unfezant swoops for the boltund, hoping to strike it with a powerful blow of its wings. as it dives, it strafes from side to side— the pink wattle surrounding its glare like an arrowhead.

June Fair

"finish it, butler!" the unfezant's pink tendrils flow behind it like festival banners.

like grinding stone, the winds sharpen the bird's beak at the peak of its dive. noah's fists tighten, his legs bent like his white knuckles.

but the unfezant's blitzkrieg grinds against gravel instead as the electric coils of PARALYSIS flatten its wings. the unfezant is blown back by the boltund's WILD CHARGE. when it lands, the unfezant does not stand back up.

noah recalls his pokemon with a shake of the head. "sorry buddy. that was unlucky." he claps his own face, hands like a hariyama's salted mitts. "aight. widow, you're up."

he tosses his ball and a crabominable, drooling from its stiff lip, punches its pincirs together.

"hey, not bad! you've been in the game awhile then?"

June Fair