“You’re right, I don’t have any knowledge about why you avoid them. But, I do know you. Well, mostly. Sort of. Kind of.” He paused here for a moment, to judge just how well he knew Mal. “Well, well enough to know that you always do put the health of your pokémon above your own personal health. So, by that logic, you were out here before Sepia took ill. This also means that she only became sick recently, because if she’d been acting like this for more than… oh, a week, you’d be in the pokecenter now, come Hell or high water. I only act like a complete moron, Mal; it turns out that I do have a brain and I even use it occasionally.”

Unnecessary his a**. Once again, Alastair looked doubtfully at the sleeping form of Sepia; if Mal could do anything for Sepia’s health, then she would have done so already. And it clearly wasn’t doing Mal any good either, sleeping out here. “Right, well, if you’re staying out here, I’m gonna stay out here too. Make your choice, Mal; either put up with my company, to take a trip to the nearest Pokecenter.” It sounded about fair to him. And her answer would tell him just how serious the situation was.

Odd how he didn’t consider it much of an insult if she decided she much preferred the Pokecenter fate. He, for one, was glad that he was sitting down. If he didn’t know where Kabuki was, he didn’t even want to risk turning his back on the Ninetales again. It still hurt after that last bite.

“…Good God, what are they doing to poor Phin?” he asked, finally noticing that the little shinx had stopped squealing.

Lum watched with interest as Stell played around with Phin before deciding that, yes, maybe it was ok. After all, Stell knew best! Stell knew everything best! With a happy noise, she nosed Phine before biting one ear softly and tugging it out. Without hands, this was the best she could do. It certainly made the faces just that much funnier.