Wells' comment cut through the air almost as clearly as Tyson's thunder. Some of the model's fans gasped, a couple gave Wells dirty looks, and most glanced uneasily between the two men, wondering how Tyson would respond. The blonde paused and stared at Wells for a few tense seconds. Then he burst into laughter.

"An understandable mistake, my friend," Tyson replied cheerfully, apparently unfazed by or unaware of the intended insult. "But no, I'm Tyson Dahl, av-AH!"

The blonde jumped and looked down at his leg, where the Manectric had given him a slight jolt of electricity. Then the canine Pokemon twitched his nose and pointed toward the Pokemon Center. Tyson's blank stare turned into a frown as he remembered his current predicament.

"Sorry," Tyson continued, "this isn't the time for former introductions. See ya around."

With that, the model hurried toward the Pokemon Center's front door, led by his Manectric.

***

Marina kept up a faint smile as Alexis talked to her. The Wooper felt a little peeved upon receiving the 'cute little baby' treatment again... but at least the woman wasn't yelling at her. 

Marina's attitude changed in an instant, though, when the blonde called her 'untouchable'. She defiantly slipped out of Alexis' grasp, not even caring about the short fall or the possibility of being trampled. Fortunately, most people in the Pokemon Center lobby remained calm. The loud sound seemed too distant to cause immediate panic. Marina stuck her tongue out at Alexis, turned up her nonexistent nose in a very diva-like fashion, and slowly padded away.

Seconds later, a lone fangirl squeal erupted from somewhere in the crowd as Tyson walked in. His blue eyes scanned the area and came to rest on the young Wooper. Marina looked away and tried to act like she didn't see him.

[i]"Marina!"[/i] Tyson privately scolded her as he approached. [i]"I told you not to wander off. You could've gotten hurt."[/i]

[i]"Like you care,"[/i] the Wooper replied acidly. [i]"All [/i]you [i]care about is flexing your muscles."[/i]

Tyson was in the process of coming up with a good comeback when he noticed the pretty girl standing near Marina. He picked up the Wooper, patted her fondly on the head (to her chagrin), and gave Alexis a charming look.

"Hey, babe. Thanks for keeping an eye on Marina for me."