Rumours Of My Demise Have Been Greatly Exaggerated [Lenny/Cain]

Tanned hands tore off a liberal chunk of the next piece of bread and slipped it into an open and eager mouth. An open and eager human mouth, no less; chewing and humming idly at the same time, Cain Adonis, younger brother of prodigal son, fellow adventurer, and Atoria's Ivory League Champion, Victor Adonis, watched trains whisk past on platforms in the distance.

Not really considering the brush nearby to be actually of worth when it came to training, Cain instead figured he'd head straight up for a one-way pass from Citrine Station off to Garnet Gym, where he'd train against the nearby resistance, dive into the Chiten Forest, and then loop straight back around - and take the fight to Blake White, when he was just about ready. It seemed the most logical thing, really; that process of thought would mean he'd loop a ring around the major cities and gym towns of the entire region, eventually ending up close enough to home in Moonstone Town, before he could get a train across to Victory Road and try his hand at the Ivory League. Well, that was the plan, at least.

"Tototototo!" Came the mischievous and unfortunately far-too-familiar reptilian voice; and a moment later, the healthy, warm weight of the freshly-baked slice of bread in his hands was replaced with thin air, and the sound of sharp teeth ripping through and wolfing down bread, yanking it from side to side as a dog would a stuffed toy, and spraying all manner of crumbs everywhere. For starters, Cain was frozen, not entirely sure what had happened, left scratching the back of his head... and then, he realised.

"HEY! Come back here with that, ya' little bastard!" Peering over an azure-blue shoulder were exceptionally large eyes and a reptilian snout, just for long enough to allow Cain to make a dive for him, then fall flat on his face as the Pokemon bounded aside, grinning sheepishly and continuing to dive into his bread. Enter Total, long-time partner and thorn in the side of Cain.

"Tototototo-" That same, echoing cry, almost too much like laughter, was cut short by a sharp thwap noise. Total leapt forwards, dropped the drool-coated bread, and stumpy scaled arms flocked to the back of his head as he yelped. "To!" Standing there, apparently Cain's saviour, was his second Pokemon, Jared. The Larvitar, ever-serious and ever-devoted to his trainer's will, stared proudly up into the sky, before diving down, scooping up the bread, and offering it to Cain, who grimaced and rejected it. Even he wasn't hungry enough to eat a Totodile's sloppy seconds.

"...Lar." Shrugging, instead, much to Total's chagrin, he picked up the spittle-soaked piece of bread, and dropped it into his own mouth, as Cain sidled back upon his belt, and the pair continued to play for a moment. The boy adjusted the tape on his knuckles with a sigh, and looked up to the platform; number one. The left-most platform of the entire, sprawling station. And, thus far, the loneliest.

Cain sighed, and voiced his thoughts. "I wonder if anyone else is getting the train?"

"Just a little more, Clyde; you can do it."

Lenny was a lone figure on the train; a lot more people went to Malachite Town than from it, so he was the only person on his carriage by the end of his journey. He squatted down just next to the door, a Cyndaquil in front of him as it tried desperately to avoid the gap. It waved in the air, making sure it didn't bump into anything. Behind both of them, an irritated glare coming from behind a mask of bone, was Bonnie, a long suffering Cubone. She knew that the train was going to be leaving, but Lenny had neglected to note that the train was already giving its last calls, instead taking the time to aid Clyde down with a patience Bonnie decided at that time was no virtue.

"Cuuuu..." She grumbled, a harsh tone within it that both Lenny and Clyde failed to notice.

"C-c-cyyyyyyyyynn..." Clyde murmured thoughtfully, before it felt the pavement below its foot.

"There you go! I knew you could do it!" Lenny shouted proudly as Clyde made a tentative jump onto the train platform. He walked off just as the train doors began to close. Bonnie rushed inbetween the fast closing gap and through the blonde's gangly legs. She clambered all the way up his body before smacking his head harshly with her weapon. Lenny winced slightly, but it seemed to hurt him far less than it would do another man. "Ow! I know we were in a hurry, Bonnie, but I had to have Clyde try. If he wants to keep his eyes closed them we need to help him learn to navigate like that." He explained to Bonnie, though it did little to improve her mood, the Cubone giving a sharp huff and slouching against his head. He smiled slightly, before looking down. "Where's my luggage?" Lenny asked. Bonnie rolled her eyes as he began to look in all directions for it. "Where is it?!" He asked again, before he felt a tugging on his shoulder. His eyes met Bonnie's, which wearily gestured to his backpack. "Oh, yeah... I'm wearing it... Well, at least I know I won't lose it now!" He said optimistically, not noticing Bonnie's facepalm; he had done the same thing when setting off, and twice on the journey itself. Lenny looked back to Clyde, just noticing him ponderously walking across the platform and towards a pair of playing pokemon. "Hold on Clyde, you're getting pretty close to some..."

Too late. Clyde's foot met the foot of a Larvitar, and the two were sent toppling in a messy heap. Clyde gave a frightened yelp as he fell, his eyes firmly shut every minute of it. He finally forced himself up, planting his hands onto the Lavitar's face and eyelid and shoulder to get up. "Cynda?" It said in a confused murmur.

"Clyde, I'm over here!" Lenny hollered, and Clyde turned to the noise and followed it with arms far ahead. He quickly met Lenny's leg and held onto it, making sure he knew it was Lenny. "Sorry about that." Lenny quickly apologised to the trainer who owned the Lavitar, before making sure Clyde was fine. The only one maintaining interest on the Lavitar and his trainer was Bonnie, who simply looked at them in a weary expression of understanding, as if she was saying; Yeah, I know. I'm the one keeping this team together, could you tell?

Smack. Jared teetered comically for a moment, before finally toppling, staring in a rather deadpan manner at what appeared to be a small, confused mouse atop him. "Cynda?" It was at this moment that Cain chose to look towards Jared and the Cyndaquil, arching an eyebrow, half-way through his latest mouthful of bread, expression frozen flat on his face.

"...Lar?" But, it was Jared who spoke, ultimately, not his trainer. That was, at least, until a rather impeding paw came for his face and upper body as the Cyndaquil less-than-gracefully used the Larvitar to try and pull himself up with a series of squeaks. "Lar!" It appeared, with an exclamation, that Jared didn't take too kindly to this. And, of course, off to the side, as per usual, Total was standing, chuckling heartily at the pair's misfortune.

"Sorry about that." The Cynaquil scuttled back off towards its trainer, and Cain's glance fell from Jared dusting himself off towards the source of the voice, a small, blonde-haired boy who'd just departed from the platform behind him, with a train having come from Malachite Town, or so the boards read a few moments ago. Cain nodded apprehensively, scanning the kid up and down as Jared returned to his right side; and Total to his left. Swiftly, Cain stood to his feet and shrugged on his satchel, tucking the remainder of the bread inside.

"It's fine," Cain remarked, his apprehensive stare ceasing as he stepped forwards briskly and offered his hand. "I'm Cain." Hazel eyes flitted down to the Pokemon on either side of the shorter, blonde boy. "Cyndaquil, huh?" A low chuckle emanated from his throat. "I picked Totodile, myself..."

"Cyndaquil, huh?" A low chuckle gave small echo in the train station as Lenny O'Hara looked up to the one who addressed him. "I picked Totodile, myself..."

"Oh, really?" Lenny replied, standing back up to address the pale haired man. Something in the back of Lenny's mind told him that he knew this guy, but he couldn't place it right away. "I... well, I caught Clyde rather than chose him; my first pokemon was actually Bonnie here, who, again, I didn't really choose." He explained, gesturing to the Cubone that kept up a constant stony gaze at all in the train station, but she did pause to give a nod to Lenny. She remembered that night, when he saved her from all those pokemon. If it wasn't for that, she wouldn't be here, and while she acted like she despised every minute, secretly she was glad she went with Lenny. He gave no hint as to the exact circumstance in his voice, but it was in a pleased tone, so it at least sounded like what it was; an unexpected but happy event that brought them together. Lenny himself looked back to the pale haired man, who looked a few years his senior.

"I'm sure I've seen you before." He remarked, thinking back as far as he could. "... I'm sure you're in the crowd somewhere, in one of the fights for the Ivory League. See, I watched those to death, so much that I've started recognising specific crowd members. There's this one chick who flashed in the first fight between Piper and O'Connor, and she was there again in the second; same seat, too..." He paused, narrowing his eyes. "... where you at any of the Ivory League fights last year? In the crowd? Did you compete? Did you see the O'Connor vs Adonis battle? Oh my god that was awesome! See, I rooted for O'Connor because he's an idol, but wow was... what's his name... him, he was good! Like, one in a million good... what?" He felt a small tap on his leg, and looked down to Bonnie giving him a stern look. Lenny smiled, sighing to himself. "Oh! Yeah, sorry, I should've asked your name. Thanks Bonnie. Ummm... what did you say it was?"

"I... well, I caught Clyde rather than chose him; my first pokemon was actually Bonnie here, who, again, I didn't really choose." Cain looked down to Total and smiled as the Totodile circled about a nearby trash can in an investigative manner, sniffing it and the like. Lenny's stories reminded him of... well, him. He hadn't really had a choice with Total; he was the last of the lot. A good starter, nonetheless, but a runt, and a runt with a bad attitude. Surprising, really. His eyes fell upon Jared once more.

"Same with Jared, I caught him too," The Larvitar nodded neutrally, standing stalwart by Cain's leg. Jared had been the wild Pokemon, and he had adhered to Cain's being his trainer fairly quickly, yet Total still had problems with authority. And, intelligence, it seemed. After finishing his investigation of the trash can, he crouched down, before leaping, and forcing himself straight up towards the mouth of it. A mouth that was unfortunately not Totodile-sized. The Pokemon waggled for a moment, well and truly stuck. Jared looked quizically from Total's hindquarters to Cain, who had long since noticed, and just ignored it. "The moron over there is Total." Cain muttered.

"TOTOTOTOTOTO!" The echoes within the trash can gave Total's voice a rather resounding quality to it, and with all his might, he attempted to dislodge himself. It took him a good thirty seconds of fright and foul smell, but before long, with a satisfying pop, he came undone, and scattered backwards across the platform, darting around to Cain's other leg and acting as if the debacle had never happened. The kid began talking about the league. "... I'm sure you're in the crowd somewhere, in one of the fights for the Ivory League. See, I watched those to death, so much that I've started recognising specific crowd members. There's this one chick who flashed in the first fight between Piper and O'Connor, and she was there again in the second; same seat, too..." Just... just so long as he didn't talk about.

"... where you at any of the Ivory League fights last year? In the crowd? Did you compete? Did you see the O'Connor vs Adonis battle? Oh my god that was awesome! See, I rooted for O'Connor because he's an idol, but wow was... what's his name... him, he was good! Like, one in a million good... what?" Cain began to growl. Of course. Of COURSE. The first greenhorn he met straight out of Citrine Town, not even so far as the station, and it was a kid sycophantically obsessed with his brother. And, the pathetic blondie couldn't even remember his name! Had he not been bitter at his brother still, he would have turned around and left right then due to the kid's ignorance. "Oh! Yeah, sorry, I should've asked your name. Thanks Bonnie. Ummm... what did you say it was?"

Cain tried to wipe the growl from his face, and put an uneasy smile back on, running tape-clad fingers and knuckles through a head of pale white-blonde hair, before extending his hand. "Cain." The boxer spoke bluntly, not wanting to give his last name. He'd... try and keep that quiet, for now. "Kid... seeing as you've got Pokemon, and a bag... I'm guessing you're a trainer..." Wayward eyes fell back upon the train board. The carriage for Garnet wasn't due for another twenty minutes or so. "How about a match?" Cain smiled. Fire darted in those vibrant hazel eyes, before he spat out an addendum. "Maybe we can have an O'Connor versus Adonis of our own, eh!?"

Bonnie stood to the side of most of the conversation, watching Cain's Totodile inspect the closest dustbin and get stuck in it. A hidden smirk curled across her face at the spectacle, before she looked back to Cain and Lenny. The more Lenny spoke, the more annoyed Cain seemed to be. The Cubone began to get the unnerving sensation that something was wrong, or at least that Lenny was saying something wrong. She tapped him on the leg, and all he did was ask for his name, but at least he wasn't venturing down that avenue.

"Cain, huh? Nice to meet you." Lenny said.

"How about a match? Maybe we can have an O'Connor versus Adonis of our own, eh!?" Lenny looked around, to the various platforms. There wasn't a train that he was interested in catching for a while, so he could spare the time. He extended his arm forward, hoping for it to be met and shook.

"Ok, you're on! My name's Lenny, by the way." He added onto the end of his sentence, before he looked down to Clyde, who remained silent and pretty much still for the whole of the preceeding, staying safe and hanging only Lenny's leg. "Are you ok to fight, Clyde? We'll need the practise if we want to take anyone on." The Cyndaquil didn't hesitate, nodding to his trainer before trying to navigate past his boot.

"Quiiiiiiil..." Clyde gave light murmur as it pawed across Lenny's boot and finally forced itself off him. Lenny bent down to help the stumbling creature, gently nudging it in the right direction. He looked up and grinned for a moment to Cain before looking back.

"Sorry about this. Clyde's blind, pretty much. His eyes won't open, so I help him around." He explained. He didn't know whether he should say that he didn't know why Clyde refused to open them, so he left it at that. He stood back as Clyde steadied himself on his hindlegs, before leaning forward onto all fours, ready to fight. He gave a determined huff, and an orange blaze burst out of his back. Bonnie stayed back, ready to step in at any point, her bone club in an iron hard grip. Lenny simply smiled, and nodded to Cain. "Right. Are we starting, Cain?"

"Sorry about this. Clyde's blind, pretty much. His eyes won't open, so I help him around." The kid had caught a blind Pokemon... Cain had thought Lenny had looked a little incompetent. Maybe that was why he was stuck with two? A shrug later, and Total was back at his side; upon a simple gesture, Jared returned to safeguard the holy grail that was Cain's backpack, shed and left upon the bench rather carelessly.

"Right. Are we starting, Cain?" It appeared the kid had gotten his Pokemon ready; he was using the blind, bumbling Cyndaquil to start. Perhaps not the best of choices... a grin as Total entered the fray, snarling and attempting to stop the ground and quake it as if he were a vicious Feraligatr. He finished by sticking his tongue out, and relaxing into an ease state. Cyndaquil and Totodile were fairly simple match-ups; Fire didn't stand a chance against Water, despite how strong those blazes on the little blind mouse's back were burning.

"Yeah," Cain nodded with a tentative grin. It had been far too long since he'd had a good battle; a couple of months at most. "I'll start with Total, here," A smile as he looked down to the little blue crocodile, who looked back up and snapped his jaws enthusiastically. It appeared Total had some excitement to get out of his system, too.

"TOTOTOTO!" Came the cry once more as he took on a happy-go-lucky stance, Jared standing back, arms crossed, defiantly watching Bonnie, likewise ready to enter the fray if things were to go pear-shaped. "DILE!" The small reptile finished with another toothy grin, wobbling from side to side, physically unable to stay still. Cain regarded the thing slowly and considered Total's moves... he needed something fast to wipe the floor with this kid.

"Go for Aqua Jet, Total," A grin. "Show that little rat that you're not to be messed with," The crocodile's eyes narrowed, and his vibrations stopped. Leaping up upon a nearby vending machine, Total tugged at a pipe running along the top of the station roof's interior, and after a few liberal swings, pulled it loose, blasting water all over the floor until there was nothing left but a dribble. Finally, of course, the Pokemon lost balance, and fell flat on its hindquarters, scrabbling to its feet and growling at Clyde.

"Toto..." With that, Total took a few steps backwards, the water having carved a long puddle across the platform's various furrows. "DILE!" With that, he launched himself forwards, speeding through the puddle and causing jets of water to spurt out either side, moving along at a breakneck speed that even Cain had only seen a couple of times - faster than the Pokemon even moved to get food. It spun around, holding its little ridged shoulder forwards, ready to slam into the Cyndaquil if the move made contact.

"Go for Aqua Jet, Total. Show that little rat that you're not to be messed with." Cain said, immediately making Lenny nervous.

"That's not good..." He hummed under his breath. The small water pokemon immediately leapt to the top of a nearby vending machine, before yanking repeatedly on a pipe and sending water all over the battlefield. Clyde quivered slightly as he heard the splashing all around him, unsure of which way the Totodile was coming from. Lenny gulped slightly. Clyde's Flame Burst wasn't going to be much use anyway, but now with the water all over the place fire wasn't even going to be usable. Tackle, on the other hand...

"Alright! Clyde, to two o'clock your way! Use tackle!" He shouted. The blind pokemon immediately spun on its hind leg and pressed itself to the wet floor, before charging forward. Total went charging towards Clyde at an even faster pace, water tearing itself off the ground and forming a fierce wave around him. The two pokemon got closer and closer, though Lenny just saw the Totodile jutt his shoulder out. "CLYDE!" He shouted urgently. "DUCK YOUR HEAD!"

BOOMPH!

Clyde's head missed Total's shoulder, and instead smacked the water pokemon in the jaw, throwing it off balance. However, he couldn't avoid the water and took a punishing blast to the face. He skated backwards, moaning in pain and shivering. He obviously took the hit far worse than Total, who was at best knocked to the side and off balance. Lenny seethed.

"Clyde! Are you ok?" He asked in a panic. Clyde finally managed to dig his feet in and grind to a halt. The fire pokemon shook a little, before nodding. Lenny looked to Bonnie. "Should I call him off?" He asked, but Bonnie shook her head furiously and pointed back to the Totodile. It was, luckily, knocked to one of the few dry patches of the station platform. If he was going to get another attack going, it wouldn't be Aqua Jet, and therefore he wouldn't be fast enough to avoid another hit from Clyde. It wouldn't win the fight, but certainly give Bonnie a later edge. Lenny saw the logic and nodded.

"If you say so, but the next attack will probably knock Clyde out, and you'll need to fight both of them..." He explained, but Bonnie shrugged him off, spinning her bone in her hand with a menacing "Cuuu..." Lenny looked back at Clyde. "You heard the lady! Tackle again, Clyde, five o'clock!" The fire pokemon nodded, before turning head-on to Total and charging forward. With the water giving it less friction and much more speed, Clyde careened towards Total with alarming pace. Lenny looked back to Cain to see his reaction.

"Clyde! Are you ok?" Cain snarled regardless, watching Total pick himself back up with pride, and begin to growl back at the Cyndaquil. That was more like it. A grin stretched onto the boy's face; all semblance of worry etched on had been washed free with his Pokemon's recovery. As always, Jared stood at the sideline, ready and waiting.

"You've still got fight left in you, Total," Cain reassured the Pokemon with a low, and already-triumphant growl. That Aqua Jet had REALLY sent the Cyndaquil flying. "You're not down yet!" A downwards fist-pump for good measure, and the Totodile turned back around and snapped his jaw enthusiastically, before turning back to the flaming mouse who couldn't seem to muster anything more than a sniffle.

The Cubone began twisting her club. Total snapped back, and Jared arched his brow. "You heard the lady! Tackle again, Clyde, five o'clock!" Lenny's enthusiastic chants weren't helping, either. Total braced himself visibly, and watched as the oncoming Cyndaquil did his absolute best to put as much might as he could into the strike - but it wasn't nearly enough. Total bared his claws and put on a victory grin; that Aqua Jet had crippled the Pokemon. There was no way he'd be getting back up after this.

The next tackle connected and caught Total in his body, but the crocodile Pokemon was sturdy enough to stay standing. "Total! Use Scratch!" Came Cain's cry; and it appeared it was the time of obedience for the Totodile. The creature rose one claw as the impact came, using the other miniature hand to push the Cyndaquil back away. Sunlight danced upon the thin chrome sliver as Total dislodged himself from the Pokemon, and drew a great, lancing, downwards stroke across Clyde's face, pawing with a single swipe and as much force as he could, the Cyndaquil immediately buckling and falling down into unconsciousness, wheezing gently as it phased into sleep.

Cain put on a grin. The Pokemon was finished, and Total still had some fight left in him. "ALRIGHT!" The less-than-prodigal son howled, wallowing in almost-victory for a moment, before remembering his situation and surveying the Cubone as coldly as he could. "Total, step back," Cain smiled, blissfully unaware of the type matchup here, relying on brute force and luck to carry him. "It's Jared's turn in the limelight,"

Surprisingly, the Totodile inclined its head and leapt back, panting for a moment. Whilst he was still kicking, that last bout had tired him out enough to cause him a mite of discomfort. Almost on command, the Larvitar jumped forwards, aside from the puddle of water, and silently swung into position with its brow furrowed and its shoulder forwards, legs at a stable distance apart. Two crimson eyes trailed by black streaks above a determined line of a mouth trained themselves on the Cubone, and the makings of a quiet snarl began to simmer out. "...Lar."

"CLYDE!" Lenny shouted in concern, unable to do anything as his Cyndaquil skirted to a halt, passing out from exhaustion the moment the Totodile's Scratch collided with him. The flares on his back simmered to a light flame. As Total was called off, Lenny ran over to collect his pokemon. "You did great, Clyde." He said, before putting him in his backpack. He looked back to his opponent and shrugged a little. "That's the problem of not having Pokeballs; you have to carry them to the next Pokemon Centre." He explained, halfway between a light observation and a joking complaint. His gaze then drifted back to his Cubone. "Bonnie, are you..." He began, but she immediately raised her hand, silencing him.

"Cuuu..." She let out a low growl, the sun reflecting off her bony helmet and dancing across the puddles of water created by Total earlier, making the battlefield seem as if parts of it were made of glass. She watched the Larvitar facing her with a hard, determined glare. A gaze of black met one of crimson. Bonnie slid her foot back and her bone under her left arm, readying herself, before beginning a hard sprint towards Jared. Lenny watched her, before noticing that she was smashing her feet into the puddles as hard as she could, spreading droplets of water across her legs. She got within ten feet of the Lavitar, before turning away and stepping into another puddle, then to the side to hit another. Lenny's brow furrowed with confusion, until he saw what she was planning.

She was coating her feet with as much water as possible so she could slide herself straight into Jared. Lenny smiled slightly, trying to time it. Seven feet... five... three!

"Bonnie, Bone Club, now!" Lenny shouted, and Bonnie stopped running, instead lifting both her legs up and sending them crashing down. She kept sliding, though, and as she brought one foot back and extending the arm holding the bone out, she spun once and twice, the bone whistling as it picked up more and more momentum like a furious pendulum.

SLAM!

The bone met Jared just under the ribcage, on the black diamond on his left hand side, with deafening noise to accompany. The Larvitar was hurled into the air behind her as she slid to a halt, almost directly in front of Cain. She looked up to the boxer as Jared crashed into a puddle someways behind her, cracking the stone under him and sending the water into the air. He keeled onto the floor, unconscious. Bonnie's eyes pierced out from behind her mask, before she stepped backwards, back in a fighting stance and ready to take on Total. Lenny looked around awkwardly, feeling as if his impact on events was loose at best.

"That's the problem of not having Pokeballs; you have to carry them to the next Pokemon Centre." Cain nodded in agreement, not bothering to say anything; the boxer's face had curled into such a triumphant grin, and his face had lit up with colour. He was apparently rather happy with himself at the little victory he'd managed yet today. And this kid... didn't seem too bad. "Cuuu..." Came a low growl as the Cubone finally began to move, eyes trained directly on Jared.

"...Jared," Cain spoke, finally a gentle tone of concern cracking those triumphant chords of his. The boxer's confidence was dwindling by the moment as the Cubone began to pick up speed and spin the rather imposing bone in its hand. Things were starting to look worse and worse with the moment. "Brace for that attack, and then counter with Bite," The Larvitar inclined its head and only bolstered its stance with a low, thrumming, defiant growl.

"Bonnie, Bone Club, now!" That was unfortunately a counter that would never come. The Pokemon rose its weapon, and before Jared even had a chance to defend, or dodge, welted the Larvitar head-on in the stomach, sending the Rock-type reeling in a low arc in the air. Jared landed, skidded along the train station's cracking paving slabs, and came to a gentle halt, eyes shut, very much unconscious.

Ground against Rock had been an unfortunate match-up in the first place; the realisation hit Cain all-too-late, and he rose a hand to his face, heading to Jared's unconscious form, checking. "Stupid, stupid, STUPID!" A growl, and he kicked a nearby bin out of sheer frustration, and set the Larvitar down as gently as he could back atop his backpack. However, from what his brother had taught him, both Rock and Ground types were weak... to Water.

Whilst the regret flickered on Cain's face, it wasn't long before a would-be triumphant smirk took hold once more, and his eyes met Total's. Both nodded simultaneously, and the Totodile skidded back in front of his trainer, snarling visibly at the Cubone as she took her position once more in front of Lenny - directly in line with the strip of water. "TOTOTOTOTOTOTO!" He howled, pounding his feet against the damp slabs beneath.

"Total," Cain snarled, his eyes narrowing as he raised his fists into a ready stance, holding them in a guard by his chest. Total did the same, almost falling over, before stabilising himself and lurching forwards. "Hit her with an Aqua Jet... for Jared," The crocodile Pokemon inclined its head, and began to build up tension, before breaking into a charge once more, spewing up frothy white-headed waves on either side as he lowered his shoulder and made straight for Bonnie.

Both Lenny and Bonnie silently watched Cain's reaction, Lenny looking concerned and Bonnie feeling nothing but smug satisfaction. She was, after all, the brains of the outfit in her eyes, and she felt she could finish this fight with consumate ease. Lenny, however, bit his lip. It was true that Clyde had done damage to Total, who was not in as good a condition as Bonnie, but that Aqua Jet attack was fierce and fast, and ground pokemon were very weak to water attacks.

"Total! Hit her with an Aqua Jet... for Jared." Cain commanded, the crocodile pokemon obeying while letting out a furious howl. Lenny looked to Bonnie, who under her mask smirked with aplomb. His own expression was one of worry, though.

"Bonnie, be careful. That Aqua Jet's going to hurt. Try to knock him to the side, don't focus on a head-on strike." He explained, only for him to get shrugged off. Bonnie wasn't really bothered about what Lenny had to say at this point; after all, the spinning strike was her idea, and Lenny had already got Clyde knocked out. She instead turned her back to Total, her bone in a two handed grip for a lancing strike to the water pokemon's head. She watched it get closer and closer, then struck.

"Cuuuu...BONE!" Bonnie barked, before throwing all her body weight into her arms as she turned back and forced it forwards. With a deafening "thwack" the two pokemon collided. Total's head smacked straight into the Bone Club attack, and having already been tired back by Clyde's two tackles from earlier, he was forced backwards with in pain. Bonnie took a hit that was fractionally more powerful, but able to knock her backwards nonetheless. Bonnie was engulfed in water and only able to hold her balance for a second before the current threw her into the air and crashing into the ground.

"BONNIE!" Lenny shouted, rushing over and helping Bonnie to her feet. The blonde trainer looked back at Total; he actually looked worse for wear than Bonnie did, but Lenny was more concerned with where he landed; in a huge puddle of water. He was faster than Bonnie, and while he couldn't take another attack, neither could Bonnie, and at this point speed would be what mattered. Lenny nervously looked to Bonnie. "Bonnie, we're probably not going to win this without being a bit more defensive, so maybe we should focus on..."

Before he could even finish, Bonnie smacked his hand away with her club, before beginning to charge forward again. She didn't care about the water, or the idea of letting up the momentum; all she saw was a tired out looking pokemon that looked a lot weaker right now than she did. She ignored Lenny's shout as he desperately called out her name, instead readying her bone like a lance, ready to win the fight totally. "Bonnie! That Aqua Jet's too fast, you've got to avoid it!" Lenny shouted to no avail, Bonnie focused entirely on a head-on, final strike.

"BONNIE!" The hit had made contact, and hard enough; likewise for Total, but he was still standing. Regardless... Cain knew he couldn't forfeit now. The victory in the air was palpable, materialising and fizzing as violently as it could on his tongue. Lenny's shout earned a minor reprieve, Cain all the more gracious for it, a moment of rest before he dealt what both knew would be the final hit.

"Back a second, Total," The Totodile was readying himself for another strike when Cain's commands came through, smoother and cooler than ever before. Lenny was intervening, picking Bonnie up off the ground; if this was any League match, Cain knew from what Victor had told him that this was grounds for disqualification. But... they were just having a friendly battle at the train station, more or less on an even keel, it was no harm done, really.

The boxer watched as the Cubone regained her balance and smacked Lenny back into the sidelines. A grin smacked onto his face, widening upon that tanned pallor as he nodded to Total, and received a similar gesture in return as the panting blue-skinned reptilian took his stance again. The Totodile was flimsy; but Aqua Jet hit fast and hard. It was sudden death, now. Next hit would win the match, given the current casualties putting them at one-all. "You know the score, Total," The smile stretched ever longer across a tanned, victorious expression. "Aqua Jet, and pummel that Cubone into next week,"

The final inclination of his head. Total and Cain saw Bonnie bracing herself and raising the club, readying for the attack, but it was too late. The water accumulated, the Totodile built up tension in his contacting muscles, and Lenny cried out. "Bonnie! That Aqua Jet's too fast, you've got to avoid it!"

If the Cubone had heeded its master's advice, perhaps the battle's outcome would have gone differently. But, no; Bonnie stood, defiant, and Total charged straight for her, lowering his shoulder in that textbook, distinctive manner a third time. Before she even had a chance to swing, the move made contact and sent her reeling with a crash, swiftly skidding across the train station floor; and this time, the Pokemon stayed down, leaving one creature standing last. Total, at the top of it all, panting, exhausted, soaked to high hell, and grinning like the moron he was, rose a lethargic and triumphant fist.

The tension all but faded in the air as Bonnie drifted into unconsciousness, and the battle's outcome became clear. Cain froze for a moment, before the grin affixed to his face opened and let a cry of victory resonate from the train station's walls, his veritable winner's howl echoing across every platform Citrine Station had. "AAAAAAAAALRIGHT! HAHA!" Swooping forwards to cradle the blue reptile and lifting him back over to the bench where he sat down, and momentarily shut his eyes, panting heavily and getting a few moments' rest, Cain made a few more fist-pumping motions, before collecting himself... and, finally, turning to Lenny once everything else was in order.

"Kid, I know I won, and all," A sigh as he put his hands on his hips for a moment. "But you've got strategy. And whilst things went a little different, for a moment, I thought my number was up..." Another grin, and something explosive flickered in those eyes of his. "And my number's NEVER been up before," Undefeated - both in Pokemon and boxing. Slowly, he let both arms fall, took a deep breath, exhaled, and then rose one in a handshake. "So I guess you've probably got your own thing going on, but if ya' don't..." For a moment, that facade cracked, and a smile of camaraderie shimmered on through. "...you should come travel with me. Can't have too many friends, right, uh," Oh, crap... what was this kid's name?!

"Larry...?" He hazarded a guess, shrugging anxiously and keeping his hand thrust out, his offer still very much extended.

Lenny couldn't react in any way other than wincing as he heard the splash and the thud of collision. He only looked back when a bone rolled to his feet, followed quickly by Bonnie herself, skidding towards his feet with eyes closed and fists uncurling involuntarily. He frowned slightly, unsure whether to be glad she did as well as she did, or unhappy that she disobeyed him and lost as a result. He put his backpack down to put her in. He noticed, however, that Clyde had begun to stir, albiet dizzily and with a heavy weariness. "Errrr, Clyde, if you're awake, you don't mind sitting on my shoulders for the moment? I don't think I can fit both of you with all my stuff." A muffled "Quiiil," of agreement, and he carefully swapped the two pokemon, Bonnie a limp weight in his grip and completely out for the count, while Clyde slowly guided himself onto the blonde's shoulders and clung on in a safe position. Lenny slowly stood up, keeping his shoulders as still as possible for the benefit of the fire mouse that rested on them, before looking at to the victorious Cain.

"Kid, I know I won, and all, but you've got strategy. And whilst things went a little different, for a moment, I thought my number was up..." Cain began, still smiling from his victory. "And my number's NEVER been up before," Lenny's brow raised slightly at this. An undefeated trainer? Suddenly, Lenny started to feel a lot better about losing; at least he knew that lost to someone good. Cain extended his arm, hand out waiting to be shaken. "So I guess you've probably got your own thing going on, but if ya' don't... you should come travel with me. Can't have too many friends, right, uh,"

A pause.

"Larry...?" He asked unsuredly. Lenny didn't react for a second, but smirked as he grabbed the tanned palm and shook it enthusiastically.

"If I forgot your name once, you're allowed to forget mine. It's Lenny." He explained, a smile on his face. "I'd love to join you. You look like you know where you're going, and I don't have the first clue where to begin." He let go of the hand, a smile on his face. Clyde remained on his shoulder, keeping his eyes closed and his paws wrapped onto the straps of Lenny's backpack. Lenny looked back, peering into the unzipped backpack. Bonnie was still out, but at least looked comfortable. "Maybe start at the pokemon centre; I don't know about your Totodile, but Bonnie and Clyde are pretty beat up."

"Cynda..." The fire mouse gave an agreeing tone as he yawned. Lenny began to walk in the direction of the station foyer where the Pokemon Centre would usually be located, gesturing for Cain to follow. As he walked, he tried to think of some small talk they could have.

"Speaking of pokemon, where did you get yours? Did you get them from Professor Redwood? Is she as hot in real life as in the PokeJournal? Because she was hoooooot..." He began to ramble, before he heard a half-awake grumbling "... booone..." come from his backpack. He looked over, seeing Bonnie turn over slightly in her sleep. Whether she heard what Lenny had said or not, Lenny didn't know. He looked back to Cain. "Errr, yeah, your pokemon..."

"If I forgot your name once, you're allowed to forget mine. It's Lenny." Oh YEAAAH! It all came flooding back now. Lenny, Lenny, Lenny. He needed to... not forget that. Scratching the back of his head, Cain let the kid continue. "I'd love to join you. You look like you know where you're going, and I don't have the first clue where to begin."

The boxer's face lit up, and he turned immediately to his Pokemon, unsheathing two cherry-sized Pokeballs from his belt. "ALRIGHT!" He made that signature fist-pumping motion of his once more, and expanded both of the Pokeballs with a gentle tap on their respective buttons, tossing one into another hand. "Time for these guys to get some rest," Cain murmured, momentarily distracted from his victory and new companion, absorbing the pair of them back in with a brief flash of crimson light bathing the train platform, before the Pokeballs shut automatically, and resized themselves, Cain tucking them back into his belt.

"Maybe start at the pokemon centre; I don't know about your Totodile, but Bonnie and Clyde are pretty beat up." That didn't sound like such a bad idea; Cain picked up his satchel, and watched as the Cyndaquil shook hazardously from side to side, clinging precariously to Lenny's shoulders, as lethargic as it appeared to be. The younger Adonis sibling arched an eyebrow and scratched his head once more, before flipping open the over to his bag and retrieving three of his six remaining Pokeballs, downsized appropriately.

"Here," Cain murmured, tossing them over to his newfound comrade one at a time. "Give those two somewhere of their own to rest, and keep the other for your next Pokemon," It felt good, now the victory rush had faded, to be humble and work on his charity. This guy was going to follow him around at his request, and they were, from now on, as hard as it was to bite the bullet and think it, teammates. So a little help here and there was probably a good idea. Plus, those things were surprisingly heavy. "Pokemon Centre doesn't sound like a bad idea," Cain nodded, concurring, eyes flicking back up to the train board.

The train for Garnet City was coming in another three or four minutes. The station was just as busy as it had been twenty minutes ago, with Lenny and Cain being the sole residents of Platform 1. "Speaking of pokemon, where did you get yours? Did you get them from Professor Redwood? Is she as hot in real life as in the PokeJournal? Because she was hoooooot..." Cain took a double-take, but understood exactly what the kid was stating.

"Yeah, I got Total from her," Cain said, jerking a thumb towards his belt, before looking quickly from side to side. "And... yes, MAN, she was smoking," He shrugged with a little chuckle, before gesturing to the tracks. Only a minute or so away, timetabled. Cain could see the train's headlights blaring in the distance through the gentle afternoon breeze, piercing and illuminating a good thirty feet in front of it. "Well... this is us,"

A grin, the train grinding to a halt in the silence. "Like you said," The doors hissed open. People trickled out, and, for a moment, Platform 1 was the busiest at Citrine Station as businessman, trainers, and family-makers alike spilled out until the carriages were all but empty, Cain shaking his satchel around to hang at his back, leaping atop the train and grabbing one of the poles conveniently placed for the process of lifting yourself on. "First stop's the Pokemon Centre... in Garnet City,"

Triumph that had faded flickered back into those illuminating orbs of his. Blake awaited, Garnet City's cynic of a Gym Leader, Normal-type specialist... and soon-to-be another cross on the list of trainers Cain Adonis had defeated on his path to Champion.