[Center][h2][u]The SlakKing of Phenac![/u][/h2]
[h3][i]Phenac City | Outside The Pre Gym, surrounded by little fans![/i][/h3]
[/Center]

[center][sub][b]"Big brooo!"
"Big brooother!"[/b][/sub][/center]

"Good grief..." Noel sighed to himself, his exiting of the Pre-Gym being met with more company than expected. He had just bid his farewells to his father, only to run into a small roadblock consisting of a bunch of children. The thought of going on a trip was tiring enough, he didn't need everyone taking what energy he had away before this whole trip even started. Regardless, he couldn't really be upset with the kids. They were probably worried; Without him here, what would become of them when the bullies had nobody to stop them? He figured he ought to address it instead of leaving them hanging out to dry.

A grin on his face and a tired look in his eyes, he looked down at the group of kids in front of him. "You guys using Double-Team? I swear we already said our goodbyes today, huh?" He could see the instant irritation and distress on their faces, causing his grin to widen a bit at their expense.

[b]"Maybe we don't wanna say goodbye!"[/b] One small girl spoke, a few tears in her eyes and a bit of snot dribbling out of her nose. [b]"Yeah! What if the bullies start picking on us since you're gone, big bro?"[/b] A young boy added, fear in his voice.

Noel exhaled some air through his nose at these words; Honestly, he prepared them for this; They shouldn't be so scared. They were just kids, though. What was he really going to do about it? "Listen," He began, his usual slouch disappearing for a moment as he managed to stand up strait to speak with the children: "You've all learned a lot at the Pre-Gym school, haven't you? And from me. You might not realize it, but I already taught you little ones to take care of yourself. Do you need proof of that?"

To his mild irritation, a majority of the kids nodded. This was really going to be tiring, huh? Fine, though. If he had to prove a point, he would: His eyes scanned the crowd, dismissing some of the smaller heighted-children as he searched for one in particular. Once he discovered this individual, he extended his hand, pointing at [url=https://i.pinimg.com/236x/a8/ae/35/a8ae3524d43ff3f4e83a80389a14730b--anime-chibi-manga-anime.jpg]her.[/url]

"Mira," Noel called, eyes narrowing. This girl was the oldest of the group, and a good learner. She was nervous, but she didn't usually let it stop her. Her eager to learn personality mixed with the way she cared about the other kids made her the perfect canidate for leading them while he was gone. 

[b]"M-Me?!"[/b] She questioned, startled and uncertain of what Noel wanted. She looked up to him for his willingness to dedicate his time to teaching them about Pokemon even outside of school; And protected them from the older kids. She couldn't imagine the city without Noel around, but if he was trying to make a point right now, why did he need her? She was getting really nervous.

Noel nodded at her response. "I want you to battle me." He stated flatly, causing a moment of silence.

... Followed by a small [i]uproar[/i] from the children as they were all surprised. Especially Mira.

[b]"Battle you?!"[/b] She repeated, surprised. What was he trying to do, embarrass her?! She knew he could beat the bullies no sweat, what did he think she could do against him?! She was going to get clobbered!

"At least your hearing ain't broke." Noel remarked, falling back into his slouch as he walked over to a clearing in front of the Pre-Gym. The sound of the flowing water was only matched by the chattering of the kids, as Noel eventually stopped. Noticing that despite her nervous response, she had followed and gotten into position a fair distance from him. Clearing his throat, he called out to her about the rules: "This will be a Single Battle. One Pokemon each, we play for keeps. Got it?" 

Mira nervously fiddled around in her hoodie for her partner's Pokeball, nodding to Noel's conditions. She couldn't believe this: She didn't like being in the spotlight, this guy knew that! But she knew that he liked to get under their skin every once in awhile, so... Was this some kind of joke? She wasn't laughing; And even if he was a good battler, she wasn't going to hold back, either. She knew she couldn't.

[b]"I understand!"[/b] She shouted back, Pokeball in hand.

Noel felt proud, in a way. He didn't want to expend so much energy, but if it meant they'd feel more secure with him gone, he'd have to do it. Detaching the Pokeball from his belt, A small click was all it took for it to expand from it's smaller form; The large sphere grasped firmly. To any outsider, it wasn't particularly certain what was happening: For all they knew, it was some older boy battling a girl half his age at best for some... Reason. He could care less what they thought though; He knew what he had to do.

Without hesitation, both trainers threw their Pokeball.

[Hider=A Battle Takes Place!]
[Center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPuK1-1E8rQ[/youtube]

"Show 'em, Komala!"

[b]"C-Come on, Bunnelby!"[/b][/Center]

Both Pokemon took the stage; Komala landing and instantly plopping over to it's side while snoring, as Bunnelby stood strong; Yet a bit confused at who his opponent was. The Bunnelby didn't have much in the way of distinct features; Medical bandaging was wrapped around it's left ear, put in place by the opposing trainer, which made this a bit conflicting for Bunnelby wanting to battle.

"This isn't a grudge match, but I do want you both to take it seriously." Noel commented, keeping his grin.

[b]"Me and Bunnelby will take it seriously!"[/b] Mira shouted back, clenching her fist. If she didn't, he might wipe the floor with Bunnelby, right? She wouldn't let that happen to her partner. Since he wanted her to fight so much, she'd even make the first move! [b]"Come on, Bunnelby! Quick Attack!"[/b]

Noel smiled at this initiative.

Bunnelby blasted forward; It's speed seeming to be a good tactic to use against a slow-moving Pokemon like Komala, who snored away as Bunnelby rushed him, taking a leap into the air to deliver the blow as a kick with one of it's large rabbit feet. To it's surprise, Komala lazily rolled to the side, causing Bunnelby to miss; Landing on one foot and stumbling a bit towards Noel.

[b]"I don't get how it dodged?!"[/b] Mira said in a short outburst, eyes wide.

"Komala might be asleep, but maybe that just makes you underestimate it." Noel retorted, eyes going to Komala as the small Pokemon pulled itself up, only to fall on it's log and snore. 

[b]"It can't get lucky twice, right?! Bunnelby, Quick Attack again!"[/b] Mira commanded, her Pokemon rushing forward once more, attempting to deliver a similar kick; Only this time it connected. Not with Komala itself, but with the log it was laying on. This sent the log rolling, with Komala gripping it and rolling along as well, grumbling as if it was merely annoyed by what was happening; Like an itch while you're asleep.

[b]"Don't stop now, Bunnelby! Hit Komala again!"[/b] 

A drop of sweat went down Noel's face. Not from any sort of nervousness involving the battle, but more of a stunned reaction to how aggressive Mira was. He watched Bunnelby approach Komala again, and gave it a moment of thought: before deciding to take action. "Komala! It's time for some Payback!"

Komala seemed to become alert at this command; Using it's strength to turn itself and the log upright, skidding to a halt using the log. Noel's plan came into place; His Payback strategy allowed him to hit hard once someone thought they had the upper hand. Unfortunately it seemed like Mira was going to lose after all--

[b]"Bunnelby, dodge to your left!"[/b] Mira called out, disrupting Noel mid-thought. Noel's eyes widened as Komala brought down it's log and met nothing but the ground; Bunnelby now having an advantage. [b]"That won't work on me! I've seen way too many of your battles to fall for your Payback strategy!"[/b] Mira shouted with a smugness to her now; She was definitely getting more confident after dodging his strategy.

"So you actually did learn something." Noel spoke under his breath, amused. This was exactly the kind of thing he wanted.

[b]"Now, Bunnelby, show Komala who's boss! Use your Double-Slap attack!"[/b] With the command, Bunnelby took advantage of Komala being disoriented and used it's ears to apply multiple slaps; Smacking it back and forth as it tried to hold onto it's log. But as the slaps continued, eventually Komala gave in; A fifth slap knocked it flat on the ground, and after a moment of observation, it was clear that Komala had been knocked out by the assault.

[sub]"I didn't expect her to stomp me like that..."[/sub] Noel muttered to himself, figuring he should have went in a bit harsher. He didn't do his best, against his own wishes, but regardless, she handled the battle well. He smiled as Mira ran forward to hug her Bunnelby; 
 Noel himself quickly approached Snooze, his trusty Komala friend, and scooped him up, along with his sleeping log. "You did good, pal." Noel noted to his small Poke-friend, before returning him to his Pokeball.[/Hider]

[hr]
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[Center][h2][i]Battle End[/i][/h2][/Center]

The children all ran foward, surrounding Mira and celebrating her victory with a ton of compliments. Noel approached with his hands in his pockets, simply smiling down at her as he made a remark: "You did well, for a kid."

[b]"Only because you taught me well!"[/b] Mira replied cheerfully, snuggling her Bunnelby.

Noel's head lowered somewhat as he tried to hold back a blush of embarrassment. These little kids got to him, sometimes. "I taught you to take care of yourself. This is just proof that nobody is going to bully you while I'm gone. Use that skill to keep yourself safe; I won't always be around, you get it?"

Mira looked at her Bunnelby, and the group of kids seemed to mutter about themselves, a bit of confidence building as they had all learned a thing or two from Noel. Maybe they could do it; If Mira could battle like that, then surely they could too! or at least she could teach them how! [b]"I guess you're right--"[/b] She paused, feeling a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Noel's tired grin.

"I'm trusting you to keep an eye on these [i]boogers,[/i] okay? You've proven you can." Noel said, serious in tone despite his remark towards the kids. They needed faith in themselves if they were to operate while he wasn't around: And within too long, he'd be out of Phenac for awhile. So they'd have to hold the fort.

Mira almost looked like she was going to cry, but after removing her glasses momentarily to rub her eyes, she looked more firm and confident as she nodded to Noel. [b]"You've got it, SlakKing."[/b]

"That name is kinda lame, but fitting." Noel replied, never getting used to it. If it made them happy though, he wouldn't argue. Turning, he began to walk off; But stopped and turned for a moment to wave at the kids. "I've got to go let Komala rest before I leave, and get some supplies. Why don't we all meet up at the gate, before I leave? You guys can laugh at me dealing with the sand, or something. You know I hate sand."

Mira, standing, gave Noel an enthusiastic thumbs' up. [b]"We wouldn't miss it!"[/b]

Without another word, Noel walked off towards the Pokemon Center, leaving the kids to their own devices as they mostly bothered Mira, celebrating her victory today. Noel, personally, was just glad to get some quiet. But you know, if he learned anything in his years dealing with this city, it was never quiet for long.

Hopefully the outside world would be a bit quieter.