Getting to the Department Store had turned out to be more difficult than Emil'd anticipated as he'd exited the Gym some minutes earlier. Not only were the streets still just as bustling as they had been in the morning, the weather had taken a turn for the hotter by now as well. It was almost midday, and it being June, that meant quite the high temperatures. And while it was nothing compared to some of the more Southern cities and regions, it was still nothing to sneer at. The asphalt seemed to almost radiate heat, and the thousands upon thousands of people pushing past you no matter where you went certainly didn't make breathing any easier. Simply put, the city was suffocating.

And to make matters worse, Nerissa had completely ruined Emil's plans of maintaining a steady but moderate pace to avoid bumping into people and exerting himself too much. The girl had passed him by somewhere a little past the railway, and, with a way too forceful a slap on the back, announced that the last to reach the Department Store would be responsible for providing the other with money for Poké Balls - something Emil knew right off the bat he couldn't afford. As such, the second he'd recovered from her sudden assault, he'd dashed off after her in an attempt to keep himself from losing. Unfortunately enough, the girl seemed to possess some genes of a Ninjask, because she had long since disappeared form sight and was presumably already waiting at their destination.

[i]Curses...[/i]

Emil was still running even now, back soaked underneath his fine coat. He never was one to excel in physical activity of any sort. Still, he hoped that he'd at least beat Stella. He absolutely did not want to be the one paying for two women's shopping trip. If he'd learnt anything from living with a household full of women, it was that they never missed the chance to spent money - especially if said money wasn't theirs. Besides, Stella looked like she had enough income to afford whatever he and Nerissa wanted. The opposite was not true. So, basically, this way it would be the most fair, yes?

It was in the middle of those thoughts that Emil ran around a corner - and smashed his shoulder against someone before he could catch himself and stop his forward dash. He winched, stumbling from the impact and snapping his frustrated glare at the stranger in an instant - only to shrink back when he saw the man he was looking at. Standing at a good six foot and then some, the man had relatively wide shoulders, and his face was adorned with piercings. His hair was spiky, short and red as fire, and his icy eyes drilled into the smaller teen's forehead. Behind him, adorning a similar glare as its master was a rather rugged Arcanine, its fur spotty and one ear looking like something'd taken a bite out of it at some point. 

Emil caught himself staring, and quickly drew in a breath, straightening his back and brushing his shoulder with one hand.

"I beg your pardon," he began as dauntlessly as he could, brows furrowed. "You would do well to watch where you-"

"You're lucky I'm in a hurry, fucker," the man shot without a pause, the chains around his wrists clinging as he pulled his overcoat to cover him better again, as if in an attempt to hide something. "Otherwise, I would've pounded your face into mincemeat for Terror to munch on and then shit out on your parents' porch."

At the mention of "Terror", the man slightly nodded his head backwards towards his Arcanine, the various chain necklaces making a clinging sound at the motion. Emil was at a loss for words. The answer hadn't been quite what he'd expected.

"Wh-"

"Next time, you're dead. That's all I'm saying. Now fuck off."

And with that, gone was the man and his huge canine, disappearing into the crowds as if never there in the first place. Emil stared after the guy for a while, emotions ranging from terrified to angry, to flabbergasted at the nerve and the [i]language.[/i] Where in the world was that person raised? The teen scoffed, crossing his arms for a few seconds, before he suddenly realized he was in a hurry. The contest was still on! He swore, if that... [i]freak[/i] cost him the loss, he would let him hear it. Probably. Possibly with Nerissa and Stella standing behind him as support...

Shaking his head Emil kicked himself back into a run. Much to his relief, it seemed as if the pushy salesmen that had tried to get trainers to visit the Department Store had vanished for now, possibly thanks to the guards that now stood around the shopping structure's entrance, making sure the crowds didn't go too crazy and keeping count on the people that entered and exited. Had been about time they got some order into the building! This way, shopping would be done much faster, thank god. He wasn't particularly fond off the act, mostly because he never had enough money to get the things he wanted. He had an expensive taste.

Emil sighed in relief when he got close enough to the building to notice only Nerissa standing there, seemingly exhausted (though probably not even half as much as he did). So that... had to mean that Stella was yet to arrive, yes? Then, he was on time? Praise the heavens if so!

"You... what in the world were you... thinking?" Emil panted as he slowed down and stopped next to the girl, leaning on his knees and gasping for air. He could feel his face was red. Well, at least he wore a lot of cologne and probably didn't smell of sweat, despite being soaked - that would have been the worst. "Running around like a madman in scorching heat like this - do you have a death wish!?"