Nico chuckled and made a noise of agreement, entertained yet still looking more focused upon the other. Eventually satisfied with cleaning the other's tinted cheeks and finishing with a quick kiss to the area. The whole situation left him proud that they could take a tough 'mon scratch to the face without any problems.

A soft, thoughtful sigh left his lips as his gaze wandered upward, gazing distantly toward the bright blue sky. The strong sunlight was causing him to squint, and Nico was so deep in thought that he barely registered the pet name that he only slightly enjoyed. "I thought about it... But Lilypad and I are still a little bit- eheheh." A toothy grin as Nico couldn't help himself, "-Lilypad's a bit green when it comes to battles still." The pun was initially unintentional, but Nico was happy to own it. Though a bit of his humor dampened as he added, "Tekka has been... kinda distracted lately."

Arms crossing, another defeated sigh left him, "I think... it might be better to practice more. Look for a new team member as well. But we've been doin' nothing but studying battles the last couple of years; I wanna practice a bit more..." Grinning sheepishly, Nico would shrug at his boyfriend, "Maybe I'm over thinking it...? I just don't wanna seem too hasty or... bull-headed, I guess."

Matt Vice

☉

Let's try this once again...!

@taghere

☉

Most of Nico's attention was set on Kazzy, wary of the rock-type since he could jump up at any moment. A sudden move could result in both of them getting shocked, he could practically feel the energy buzzing out of Juvon's little red cheeks. Able to spare a quick glance, "I think you're good but- hang on."

Thank goodness the squeaky toy worked like a charm. The little dog-mon wasn't a badly behaved Pokemon to begin with; there was simply a lot of energy that needed directing. Come to think of it, Nico came to realize that they'd spent all day fussing about the apartment with no leftover time to mind the Pokemon. Caring for so many 'mons across the board could be time-consuming... "Good boy..." Nico sighed in relief, approaching his boyfriend with a focused expression. "Glad he likes that toy... Did he scratch at your face?" A sympathetic click of the tongue before reaching in his vest pocket to pull out his handkerchief, using the soft fabric to gently rub at what he perceived was a small scratch. It wiped off easily, but the indention of the dirt still didn't look pleasant. "No marks, but damn, his paws aren't soft." The woes of owning a rock-type... Kazzy looked soft, but in reality was made of many sharp parts. "You all good?"

With the situation calming, the fuzzy pikachu relaxed against his trainer's head, relieved and tired. Nico could feel the relief off of the little mouses' muscles, letting out a small chuckle, "I'm not too worried... Juvon's kinda shy, but he forgives easy."

Matt Vice

☉

Such a fun event! Perhaps Nico wouldn't necessarily consider himself an excellent swimmer, nor an expert on anything aquatic really- but it was important to learn!

@taghere

☉

"Oh!" Hopefully watching his boyfriend grab and briefly wrestle with the puppy pokemon- only for Kazzy to slip free. Damn. Nico didn't blame him though- that puppy was a slippery one. "Ah-Ah!" He sharply called out, followed by a very low and stern "No."

Nico's tense frame relaxed a smidge when the rockruff seemed to slow down, at least enough to not be clawing and leaping all over him. Instead bouncing around in a little dance and throwing those wide eyes his way. They bounced right off him. Only returning the gaze with a stern, solid expression of denial.

But then Matthew's comment broke the strict demeanor he held, abruptly giving a nervous, breathless laugh and sighing heavily, "Yeeahhhh... That definitely doesn't apply here." His less dominant hand rose to rub at Juvon's headfur, whispering calming shushes as the mouses electricity died down. There was a momentary calm, but he doubted Kazzy would stay down for very long. "Maybe he needs something to play with? Got a poke-toy in there? If they both had a toy, they might start playing together again." Though Juvon's little chitters went up half-a-notch as he completely disagreed with that sentiment.

Matt Vice

☉

Matthew's voice boomed in Kazzy's direction, and Nico let out a long sigh that was drawn out into a soft groan. These chases normally never ended well, and were always a huge pain to deal with- usually forcing the duo to chase after a hyperactive Pokemon for ages. "Kazzy, c'mon, not now..." But the call was half-hearted, a truthful honesty behind his tone that recognized they wouldn't be able to stop the train once it got rolling. Not without monumental effort.

"I am, I am!" Nico insisted in response, hardly able to hold back the eye roll in his tone, though now he put more effort in his voice. Hurrying up to the running duo before calling for the one 'mon that he knew would actually listen, "C'mere, Juvon!"

Juvon was still fleeing for his tail's life. Frantically sprinting at a pace faster than the rockruff's in an effort to remain out of the dog's reach. Pointed ears shot straight up as he heard the call from his trainer, whirling around to leap over Kazzy and make a bee-line for Nico, jumping once again to get swept up in his arms. Little front paws batted and gestured toward Kazzy, repeatedly and insistently jabbering in Nico's ear about how much he disapproves of the situation. Little crackles of static were telltale signs that the electric-type almost had enough. "Easy bud! Kazzy- no! No jumping!" The trainer insisted, moving Juvon high up onto his shoulder too free his hand in an effort to pre-emptively brace for the rock-type jumping all over him in order to reach his target. "Do NOT make us put you two in your Pokeballs!"

Matt Vice

☉

Nico's gaze lazily focused on Matthew for a few seconds, scanning the others expression and eyes- perhaps he was imagining things, but was there a certain... tension? The normally sharp-eyed Matthew looked cloudy-eyed- as if his mind was somewhere else. Yet he jested like always, behaving no differently and leading Nico to believe he might have been imagining ... something.

"Nah... I'm really not, actually. Not even a little nervous!" Nico admitted, surprise peaking in his voice upon realizing how truthful he was being. They were essentially homeless, yes, but a fond smile down at his Pikachu served as a strong reminder of how prepared they were for this. Upon hearing his pet name, Nico made a scoffing laugh as he always did, the faintest tint of red touching his cheeks.

"Well uh-" When trying to genuinely answer the question of what to do next, Nico found his eyes trailing down the road. Toward the direction of the gym. There was really only one thing to prepare for right now... But before he could voice their next goal, Matthew's rockruff let out a high pitched yap, followed by another equally high pitched squeal of shock.

"Bi-KAH-!" The Pikachu exclaimed in alarm, immediately taking off and fleeing from the assumed attacker.

"Oh jeez- Kazzy no-! He's gonna get shocked again if he keeps that up." Nico insisted.

Matt Vice

☉

Ugly, low-pitched scrapes could be heard throughout the entire floor as Nico struggled to pull the door closed. While the building could boast beautiful, sturdy stone that looked quite appealing to the eye, old age resulted in certain quirks within the building. His least favorite was the damned front door to their apartment. Since the door was slightly out of frame, it would occasionally fail to shut properly. Nico was stuck trying to pull the door closed enough to lock it merely so they could fulfill their final duty as tenants. "Damn thi- finally!" Nico let out a breath of relief as he was finally able to pull the door closed, content that, at last, their move was finally complete.

Now, Nico and Matthew were officially homeless.

"That took way too damn long... I hate moving out; and we didn't even have any furniture!" Nico complained, turning away from the reddish-brown door to finally step on the street beyond, tired from the frustration yet somewhat giddy from this freeing feeling. How strange it felt to be completely unattached and 'free'... Though Nico wasn't sure if 'free' was necessarily the right word. "Guess it's over with though... No apartment for us!" He aimed a playful grin toward the other young man standing nearby, "What do ya think? Time to freak out or should we run free?" The bouncy tone broadcasted his jokey-mood, excitement from the move leaving him feeling lighthearted and maybe even a bit nervous.

After a year of driven college-work, having the complete freedom of choosing what to do was so strangely liberating...

His Pokemon were indifferent to this change. With Tekka and Lilypad recalled in their pokeballs, only Juvon was scampering about. Ears and tail both pointed to the sky as he sniffed strange smells sticking to the pavement, nose and whiskers twitching rapidly. "Bii?" Turning, the yellow-furred mouse scampered back to Nico's shoes, gazing up at his trainer expectantly.

Matt Vice

☉