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Fury Cutter gets more powerful with each successive hit, Kasiya thought, as Riley raced towards Casimir, its leek ready to strike. "Break its combo, Casimir! If it misses, the attack power will go back to normal!" Kasiya cried, nearly jumping up and down. Understanding flashed in the Absol's blood-red eyes, and he deftly jumped to the side, feeling the breeze rush past his head as Riley's attack missed him by the faintest amount. "Okay Casimir! We've got him now! Quick Attack!" Gladly, Casimir launched himself forward, slashing downward with his dark, curved horn.

The Farfetch'd let out a yelp as the attack connected - this time it was a critical hit in Casimir's favor. The duck Pokemon whimpered a bit, unable to stand. Jacob bit his lower lip, looking both disappointed and happy at the same time. "Wow," he said, scratching his head as he returned Riley to his Pokeball. "That...Pokemon is really tough," he said, searching for what it could be in his mind. "Most people don't think to break Fury Cutter's chain attacks until it's too late. Good thinking."

"Thanks," Kasiya grinned, as Casimir came back towards her. He cast her a blank look, although his eyes gleamed with respect for a moment. The girl stared at him for a few seconds, reaching her hand out to touch him. "You were great! We're really starting to-" Casimir jerked his head away, making sure to keep out her reach. "-Understand each other..." she trailed off, and held up the black and yellow Ultra Ball to pull him back.

"Hey, you wouldn't mind it if we exchanged numbers, would you? I'd love to have a rematch sometime in the future." Jacob's sweet smile was ever-present, and Kasiya swooned a little, only able to nod along. "See you around, I'm heading back to Saffron City."

"Goodbye, Jacob! And keep safe!" she waved, adding the 'keep safe' part as more of an afterthought. She also didn't really feel the need to start warning everyone she met about the Slayer... if she knew one thing, it was that humans became pretty stupid when presented with such information, which often led to widespread panic and chaos. She glanced down at her PokeNav, to double-check that she'd entered Jacob's name properly, catching sight of the little envelope icon in the corner. It flashed at her, reminding her that she had a message. "Where is my head lately?" she asked herself, selecting the message and reading as she walked. "They're waiting for me. I guess that took longer than expected. If I hurry, maybe I can catch - ow!" she cried out suddenly, having walked into the exact same signpost that Mike had earlier and landing flat on her bottom.

Mike wore a rather mellow gaze, a barely noticeable frown on his lips. "Just stressed out is all." He said, exhaling a sharp sigh. "Only two days ago I finally won over the attention of a girl I've had feelings for since before girls interested me." His thoughts went back to his red headed damsel, the frown momentarily disappearing. "Then, following that little incident, I return to Kanto for some training and sight seeing to find out some whack job is out for my friend's blood." Mike glanced back at Nina, still glad she was in one piece. He halted his walk, standing upright and looking up to the sky. "I just hoped I could have a day, just one day of peace. Some time to train, just you know, relax." The boy flicked his head to the side, his unruly bangs drifting over to the side. "It just is hard to have down time when you have friends like this I guess." His expression was solemn, not hateful. He loved his friends, no one could ever say otherwise. He just wanted some time with Kassie, to catch up.

All this 'Slayer' business was such an inconvenience. Mike let out another sigh, this one a bit longer and drawn out. "I suggest that both of you girls take some time off. While I know you don't agree with me, both of you had some close calls with death, and I'd feel much better if you got the slightest bit of rest." His back was turned, so they could not see his strained expression, he let out one last sigh, stuffing his hands in his jacket.

"Don't worry about that Nina, it's no big deal." Mike said, moving his head side to side. "It was a cute gesture to be sure, and defiantly helped my confidence concerning my looks." He turned around, wearing his usual smile. "Like I said earlier, don't worry about it." The exit to Route 12 was just a few meters away, Mike spied the gateway house leading to the scenic sea faring walkway. He wondered where Kasiya had gone, he missed her company already. "You two should head home, get some rest, bond with each other. Trust me, you'll thank me later for it." He said, as if speaking from past experience.

Nina looked off to the side, and let out a sigh. "But, I had wanted to go with you guys..." She sounded like a child who had been promised something special but was denied it after waiting patiently. Shakily, she got to her feet. "If it wasn't for my own stupidity of being a psychic and being so receptive to thoughts then this wouldn't happen and I wouldn't be feeling weak and--"

"Nina," Whitney said pointedly, "get over it. It's not your fault. The end." Whitney reached for a Pokeball, and Rio was released. The Dodrio walked around near Mike, squawking everytime it took a step. The three heads looked at him quizzically.

"Hay Rio," Whitney said, "stop violating Mike and get over here. We need to leave. As in, like, right now." The bird looked slightly annoyed, and went back to his trainer, who got on his back. Whitney looked over her shoulder to Nina. "Get on," she said sternly.

Nina looked miffed, and didn't move for a moment, but eventually she cracked, and sighed. "I guess I'll be going now," she said, somewhat disappointed. She walked over to Mike and gave him a hug, before turning to meet Whitney and Rio. She climbed onto the Pokemon's back as it started to "fly."

"Tell Kasiya I'm sorry I couldn't go along with you," Nina said to Mike, half a smile on her face. "I'll... see you later." The girl looked downward so that her hair was covering her eyes. A couple of tears fell onto Rio's back. The bird lifted up into the air, and took off.

"Hello!" Kasiya said cheerfully, waving as she neared her friend. "Miss me?" Her spirits were soaring, she'd just had three battles, and three wins, nonetheless. At the moment, she felt as though she could run all the way to Fuchsia, although logic stopped her from doing just that; she didn't need her heart bursting in her chest from exhaustion. "So south we go," she said jovially, jogging past him and stopping at the front doors of the checkpoint. "C'mon Mikey! What are you waiting for?" She shoved on the door; an irksome sound escaping her lips as she realized it wouldn't budge. She tried a few more times to shove open the door, even banging on it a few times before she noticed the little notice taped to the door. Pull. "Stupid small fonts," the girl giggled sheepishly as she yanked opens the door.

((Hey Mike... was it Bugsy or Miharu's turn to reply? I can't remember...))
Keegan walked for a bit longer before he finally returned to the Pokemon Center. It wasn't because he was sleepy that he returned. It was because he was starting to get cold. He made his way back over to the couch he'd claimed earlier, kicking off his shoes and once more trying to get comfortable. He closed his eyes, thinking about the last time he'd suffered from insomnia. He'd given up on sleep, and wandered aimlessly until he came upon Lavender Town. That had been a wonderful evening. He smiled to himself as he drifted off, reliving the memory. At that moment, he somehow knew things would all turn out okay in the long run, even though he had a ways to go yet.

He woke up early the next morning, feeling oddly refreshed and well rested, or rather, rested enough for someone who'd only got about five hours of sleep. He stood up and stretched, putting his shoes back on and going about his usual morning business. He made his way back over to Dante, sipping a cup of coffee, wondering if he should wake him or not.

"No problem," Ky said, sighing a little when he saw that M.A.'s tension was somewhat relieved. 'It must be tough to have such an uncontrollable fear of such things. I wonder what could have happened to her to make her feel that way,' Ky thought as he looked back to Sting.

Sting had been somehow energized by M.A.'s attention and took it upon himself to release it towards the harmless air, firing a Fury Attack for show. Ky laughed at the spectacle. "You goofball," Ky said, shaking his head. As Sting continued to fight the Oxygen Pokemon, Little Guy began to tussle in Ky's hands, stretching his wings as far as he could. "Looks like you're ready for some more, huh?" Ky asked Little Guy, who chirped in return.

Ky then saw the hilarious scene of Daemyn and Ulani. A thought then occured to him. "Hey M.A. Since everyone seems to be full of energy, you want to battle?" Ky hoped that he hadn't asked too soon after her nap.

(( I believe that I posted Bugsy shooting a Poison Sting at Aska. ))

A giggle escaped him as Kassie's adorable antics tickled his funny bone. "You're too cute you know that?" He said as he pulled the door open next to her, walking to the bridging building. "So, what took you so long?" The boy blew his bangs out from his face, awaiting her response.