Handyman (Razgriz x poisonedxkisses)

[Razgriz]

A young man traveled down the lonesome roads, a fully-grown Rapidash following closely behind. Dressed in a black tank top, blue jeans, black fingerless gloves and white sneakers, he looked rather unremarkable. Standing at 5'11', his shaggy, spiky brown hair fluttered ever so slightly in the gentle breeze, his lean form suggesting one who performed a great deal of physical activity. Two things, however, often made him stand out in the crowd. Well, three actually.

One defining characteristic was the strange coloration of his irises; they were a unique combination of cobalt and gunmetal. He had no idea why his eyes looked the way they did; people asked him often and he gave that very same answer. Another trait was the trio of prominent scars extending diagonally from left temple to right jawline. This was a result of his getting in the way of a rather irked Weavile attacking one of his friends at home; he almost lost his eye that day. This was one tidbit of information he never gave out to anyone; the less people knew about him, the better he felt.

Ironically, he wasn't some hotshot trainer or a wanted fugitive; no, he didn't really do Pokemon battles, unless the opponent seemed really strong or in case they got his temper up. Even still, he rarely did anything; his Rapidash Pyra often took care of that of her own free will. She was probably the fieriest Rapidash out of his Granddad's ranch back home; she was also the one he grew up and spent the most time with. These two had a bond few trainers could hope to match with their Pokemon; as a result, he didn't really go after new Pokemon. Pyra was all he needed; she wasn't some show pet to put through professional battles or contests, unless she really wanted, and she wouldn't be afraid to let him know what her answer was.

No, he mostly spent his time doing oddjobs whenever he wandered into the towns. This was what he was known for; he'd earned the nickname "Nick the Wandering Handyman". Though people in new towns probably wouldn't recognize him as such, unless they happened to be where he was when he did his thing. He either did that or just wandered around aimlessly, taking on whatever challenge seemed to find him or he found himself. He didn't really have anywhere to be; his only remaining family member, his Granddad, passed away not too long ago and of course he went back for his funeral. That was another tidbit he kept to himself; he now wandered the roads with the only one he could consider true family, the fiery Rapidash Pyra.

Eventually, they found another town, one Nick had never visited before. This one seemed to be bustling with activity; surely there'd something to do here. "What do you think, Pyra? This look good to you?" Nick said to his companion; Pyra then mouthed his shoulder gently. That was her way of saying 'Yes'. Her way of saying 'No' was bumping the back of his head with her snout rather hard. "Well, alright then. Let's see what this place has to offer." Nick then said as made his way into town.

 

[poisonedxkisses]

((I'm aware in the anime Dawn's pokemon aren't nicknamed, but I figured I'd name for the hell of it.))

A young girl sat at a table outside of a cafe, her Piplup, Napoleon sitting on the chair next to her. She had a sandwich in front of her and pokemon food in front of her Napoleon. She sighed and turned her attention to her pokedex, looking up some pokemon on it. She wanted to take on the gym in the town, but it was turning out to be a lot harder than expected due to the type match-ups. She sighed and finished her lunch, pushing the plate away from her as she looked around. Ash and Brock had run off somewhere and she was getting aggravated at how they always left her behind.

Soon Napoleon was finished eating and she left some money on the table before wandering around the town. She stopped at a few stores, staring at the merchandise through the window. She kicked a stone and watched it bounce down the street. She headed towards the edge of the city, wanting to train her pokemon a little more before taking on the gym leader. She waited for Napoleon to catch up and smiled a bit. The girl started to hum to herself, brushing her blue hair out of her sapphire eyes. She heaved a sighed and walked into some of the grass by the edge of town.

As she searched for some wild pokemon she noticed a young guy coming towards them with a Rapidash. She couldn't help but watch him interact with the Rapidash. “He's kinda cute, isn't he Napoleon?” she asked and smiled to herself. She walked towards him slowly. She was a couple of feet away from him when Ash ran up behind her. “Dawn!!” he said. “We've been looking for you all over.” Dawn sighed and turned around. “Oh, well I was just going to train a bit.” She stole a glance at the other guy as he approached. “I'll catch up with you later.” she said and moved towards the stranger. Ash scratched his head and shrugged turning to walk away. Dawn smiled as she approached him. “Hey, I'm Dawn.” she said and smiled at him, hoping her didn't find her odd for randomly approaching him.

 

[Razgriz]

(lol, it's fine. Though, I'm curious, why Napoleon?)

---

Nick was looking around when he saw a rather attractive young woman approach him. His face flushed ever so slightly as he tried to think of how to avoid conversation. Pyra sensed this and nudged him with her snout; it was like she was urging him to reach out. It wasn't that Nick disliked people, it was that people made him uncomfortable due to his being on his own for so long. He really didn't stick around a place for too long, simply because he knew that for how much he'd seen, there was so much more. And he didn't want to feel tied down. Unfortunately, that meant his social skills were somewhat lacking.

But, Nick worked up the courage to reply back. He put on a smile and replied in his slightly baritone voice, "Hello, my name's Nick. It's a pleasure to meet you." He paused, not quite sure if he should say something else. Just then, as if to save him, Pyra made her way forward and lowered her head in greeting; she also 'turned off' the fire in her mane so that in case Dawn wanted to touch her she wouldn't burn. Nick chuckled, "Seems like Pyra's taken a liking to you already." That was her nature though; she always assumed the best in people. Her mentality was, as long as you didn't hurt Nick or her, you were a friend.

---

(To Anyone reading this RP, all underage characters in this story have been advanced to 16 or older)

 

[poisonedxkisses]

((Final evolved form of Piplup is Empoleon. Reminds me of emperor, so I think and emperor with oleon at the end = Napoleon lol))

Dawn smiled warmly at him and nodded. "Nick. Nice to meet you too." she said and laughed a bit as Pyra moved closer. She reached out and patted Pyra's head. "Nice to meet you too Pyra..." she said. She motioned to her Piplup. "And this little one is Napoleon." she said and the Piplup jumped up and down happily.

"Well I'm glad Pyra doesn't find me as a threat." she said and smiled. "So, what are you planning on doing in town?" she asked curiously. "I've been here for the last couple days so I can show you around if you want. She was a little curious about the scars on his face but it added a cute ruggedness to his features. She scratched Pyra's neck and looked back at Nick. "Are you thinking of challenging the gym?" she asked.

 

[Razgriz]

(Ah, OK. That makes sense. I would have never made that connection, lol)

---

Nick smiled and said something his granddad always said, "Nah, she won't hurt ya unless you try to hurt me or her. Otherwise, she's as gentle as a kitten." He then answered her question about what he planned on doing, "Not entirely sure, but I most likely won't be challenging the gym. Gym battles aren't really my thing." Pyra then gave him her other version of 'No', a hard stare into the eyes. Yep, scratch that off the imaginary to-do list. "Well, if you have some free time, I'd like that" he then said in response to her offer of showing him the town.

Nick then looked down at little Napoleon as he jumped up and down happily. "Cute Pokemon for a cute girl" he suddenly blurted out instead of thinking it in his mind like he wanted to; he suddenly clamped a hand over his mouth when he realized he said it out loud. His heart raced as he smacked himself mentally and scolded himself in his mind, "Oh, shit, way to go, Nick. You just met her and now she'll probably think you're a pervert or something." He swore he heard Pyra gave her version of a snicker; a trio of short-breathed snorts.

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn smiled and laughed a bit. "Well that's good to know." she said and smiled. "Really, I thought all trainers were into the whole gym scene." she said and laughed a bit. "And yeah, I have free time. I have nothing to do for the next couple hours cause Ash is lollygagging with Brock so I don't really have anything to do."

She blushed at his words and smiled a little. "You're funny." she said cutely. "And thank you. You're pretty good looking yourself." she said and winked. She smiled and shook her hair out of her face and chuckled when Pyra made the small snorts. "I think she's making fun of you." she teased him as she shifted her weight. "Come on, I'll show you around."

 

[Razgriz]

Nick couldn't help but feel relieved that Dawn didn't punch him or kick him in the jewels; that would have made getting around very difficult. A punch he could take; getting a foot in the groin was a whole other story. He rubbed the back of his head nervously as his face reddened, "Eh-he, thanks. Though that came out inappropriately, I meant what I said." The way she shook her hair only served to heighten his embarrassment.

He then decided to follow wherever she would take him, their companions tailing behind as well. He then remembered after that embarrassing episode that she had commented on trainers being into the gym thing, "But, to respond to your previous statement, I honestly never really saw the point of going into gyms. Pyra doesn't like it too much, either, and I won't make her do anything that makes her feel uncomfortable. She's too good of a friend for me to be like that to her."

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn smiled. "You're so adorable when you blush." she said and laughed lightly. "You're welcome. And don't worry about it. I know I'm gorgeous." she said and winked. She started walking back to the town with him and nodded as he started talking.

"Well, I guess that makes sense." she said and looked back at Pyra. "You're a lover, not a fighter, huh?" she asked the Rapidash, a smile on her face. She turned back to look at Nick. "I'm glad you treat her like that." she said. "So many people nowadays misuse and mistreat their pokemon. It's a little sad." she walked into town and smiled at him. "So... what do you want to do first? Shopping, eating, relaxing?" she asked.

 

[Razgriz]

Nick couldn't even respond as Dawn started to tease him about his blushing; and it didn't make it easier that Pyra gave her trio of short-breathed snorts. "Not my fault I can't talk to women." Nick thought; he was trying to change that, but years of learned behavior were difficult to undo.

Dawn was right on that, though; his travels had shown not only the good humanity could do with Pokemon, it also revealed a more sinister side. People he saw often mistreated their Pokemon for being 'weak'. The way he saw it, a Pokemon being trained is only as good as its teacher. Which, under ideal circumstances in his mind, were the Pokemon's true parents. But, in many cases today, it was the trainer; if the Pokemon did poorly, then it was the trainer's fault. He was about to open his mouth to say something, when his stomach rumbled rather loudly. His face now looked like a tomato as he said "Do you mind if we get some food? I'm starving."

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn watched as his face got redder and redder. "Hey... relax." she said, placing a hand on his arm. "I'm not going to bite." she said and chuckled. "Not unless you want me too that is." she said playfully. She nodded and brushed a hand through her hair. "Yeah, we can get food. What do you feel like?" she asked. "There's this nice little cafe over there." she said and pointed.

Dawn led him down the road, pointing out the places to eat. She stopped and turned towards him. "So, what's your poison?" she asked. "I ate not too long ago, but I'll still sit with you while you eat." She was enjoying hanging out with Nick, and she wasn't quite sure where Ash and Brock had ended up so she had some time.

 

[Razgriz]

Nick tried to calm himself; unfortunately, an attractive woman in this proximity to him didn't make it easy. His redness eventually started to fade, and he tried to decide where to eat. The aromas were intoxicating; he eventually decided on a souphouse. The board out front advertised a delicious-looking meat stew with potatoes and a large roll. "I think that place looks like something for me." he said to Dawn.

It was at this Pyra came up and nudged him in the shoulder. "You're hungry, too, huh?" Pyra nudged his shoulder again and seemed to point with her snout towards a large field of grass not too far from where they were. "You don't have to ask permission, Pyra. Go right ahead if you're hungry. I'll see you later, OK?" With that the fire-mare whinnied a bit before trotting off to munch on the greenery. Pyra was unique in that she was one of the few trained Pokemon who didn't eat Pokemon food; in fact, when Nick gave her some to try, she hated it. So, he let her eat any greenery that was public property; she was smart and perceptive enough to know which veggies that were someone's garden and which weren't.

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn nodded and smiled at him. "Soup, yummy!" she said and laughed a bit. She walked over the the souphouse with Nick and smiled as the hostess sat them. She tilted her head curiously as Pyra nudged his arm. "You don't feed her pokemon food?" she asked almost in disbelief.

She watched Pyra trot off and start to nibbled at the grass. "Wow, I've never seen that before." she said and smiled. "Most trainers feed their pokemon with the pokemon food. Why don't you?" she asked curiously. She wasn't trying to pry, but it was just odd to her. She smiled up at the waitress and decided to just get a small bowl of cream of broccoli soup and some rolls. She looked back at Nick and leaned an elbow on the table.

 

[Razgriz]

Nick ordered his stew after he sat down; he then smiled as he answered Dawn's question "Simple: She downright hates it. Had her try some, spit it right back out. Tried a couple different types of it, too. Same result every time." He then paused as he saw Pyra munching away happily, then looked back toward Dawn and continued, "And frankly, I think she's healthier without it. Don't know if you've ever seen a Rapidash before, but she's bigger than most of 'em, even some of the stallions. A real powerhouse, too." He then leaned in close and said, "Trust me when I say this: Pyra is one Rapidash you don't want mad at you." His tone suggested he was proud of her, prouder than most trainers would be. Then again, he didn't really see himself as a trainer. They weren't trainer and Pokemon, they were family. Pyra got the way she was by doing things all Rapidash did in the wild.

Just then the waitress returned with their order; Nick's eyes widened at the huge bowl of stew that was set before him. "Oh, wow, this looks incredible! Bon appetit." he exclaimed before setting into his meal.

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn nodded and took a bite of her soup as it arrived. "Oh, that's weird... I've never had a pokemon that didn't like it." she said. "Just goes to prove how unique she is. She is absolutely stunning." Dawn smiled at him and brushed her hair back over her shoulders so it didn't fall into her soup when she leaned down.

"How's it taste?" she asked before playfully moving her spoon to his bowl, expecting him to smack her hand away like Ash or Brock did when they ate dinner together.

 

[Razgriz]

"Well, I'm glad you think so. Most people don't appreciate her beauty; they think she's just an ordinary run-of-the-mill Rapidash." When she put her spoon to his bowl and asked him how it tasted, he smiled and said invitingly "It's pretty darn good. Try some, I can't eat all this." The roll that came with it was long gone; he dipped it into the broth itself and found it to be excellent.

"So, Dawn, I'd like to know more about you. What do you do normally?" he then asked; he didn't like talking about himself a lot and Pyra always scolded him in her own way whenever she found out he was talking about her too much.

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn shook her head. "No, definitely not run of the mill. It's almost like she understands you on a deeper level." she said and watched her eat. She smiled as he offered her some stew and she picked up a spoonful before eating it. "Mmm that is good." she said and smiled.

"What do I do? I basically tag along with Ash and Brock, trying to become a top Coordinator." she said and smiled. "What about you? What do you do from town to town if you don't battle?" she asked him. She smiled at him and finished her soup and rolls, stretching a bit.

 

[Razgriz]

Nick chuckled and looked away, "Well, this probably isn't going sound as exciting as battling Pokemon. But, Pyra and I, we're drifters." He then looked back at Dawn, "We just go from town to town, seeing what each place has to offer. And if the opportunity presents itself, or if I ask around enough, I do oddjobs around the town I'm in. Heck, I even got to help one of the Jennies track down a Team Rocket stronghold. Whoa, nelly, THAT was exciting!" And it was true; sure it was just a small cell of the original organization, but hey, Team Rocket is Team Rocket. He saw a flyer in the Kanto region detailing a hefty sum for information regarding Giovanni's location; that'd be the adventure of the century right there. Nick'd do it for free; he didn't need that much money.

Unbeknownst to either of them, a shady-looking man was waiting not too far away; he was looking for his next victim. He eventually found the perfect mark; a young, curvy woman carrying a spaghetti-thread purse. Those cheap threads broke easily and if he timed it right, he could try to wrench it before she could take a hold of it.

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn listened to Nick explain what he and Pyra did. "Actually that sounds wonderful. You don't have to worry about not being strong enough to beat gym leaders, and other trainers. At least not as often as I do." she said and laughed lightly. She listened to his story and smiled. "Wow, you were really able to take down Team Rocket? That's amazing." she pulled her hair away from her face and smiled.

The young woman made her way towards the souphouse, her blue hair pulled into a ponytail. She held onto her purse lightly. She continued walking, not noticing the shady figure watching her movements.

 

[Razgriz]

"Yeah, it does take a lot of the edge off. But you know, not many people take to the quiet lifestyle. Say there's not enough action, nothing exciting happens. Way I see it, they got it backwards. You take things slower, you're bound to see something the 'rushers', as I call them, might miss. And Dawn, let me tell you, those things you find can lead to something far more exciting than a Pokemon battle. And even if it don't, well, ain't no harm in tryin', my granddad always said."

He then chuckled, "Oh, no, no. I was a....oh, what'd she call me.....a 'consultant'. Yeah, that was it. See, her logic, and mighty fine logic it was, was that since I'm a stranger and a young one to boot, Team Rocket won't recognize me and it won't raise suspicion if I happen to be askin' questions. She wanted me to snoop around, see what I could find out. Something I noticed about Pyra during this time, she's got a real nose for troublemakers when she's focused. She pointed out the right people, and Jenny moved in to take them down."

The man saw his opportunity; unfortunately, it happened to be right in front of where Nick was. The man dashed forward and pulled with enough force on the handbag to break the straps altogether. He then took off; Nick saw this happen and was out of his seat in a flash after saying, "Be right back." The man was fast alright; Nick however grew up in a ranch. Out there, you had to be fast, agile, and above all, smarter than the thing you were chasing should a ranch animal try to get away. This guy was neither of those things compared to Nick; the young man overtook the would-be robber in seconds.

Nick then kicked a leg out, tripping the man and causing him to fall flat on his face. Nick caught the flying purse deftly in one hand. He then looked down at the crook and grimaced, "Didn't your mother teach you not to steal from a lady?" The crook looked up and growled, "Ah, you're a snot-nosed punk. What do you know?" Nick chuckled, "Apparently enough to take your sorry ass down." The robber then rose, obviously ready for a fight; he was a big dude. A good-head and half taller than Nick and easily twice as broad of shoulder. "You puny little brat, I'll snap you like a twig." he growled

Just then they heard a steady 'clop, clop, clop' as Pyra approached the man. Her eyes burned just as fiercely as her mane; anyone standing close would feel the extraordinary heat she was putting off. "Did I introduce Pyra yet? Yeah, she doesn't take kindly to anyone threatening me." Nick then said with a slight smile. "Ah, it's just a stupid horse, what could it do?" the robber then showed his intellectual side. Nick's eye twitched before he swept one of the man's legs from out under him, causing him to fall hard on his back and hit his head on the pavement. "And I..don't take kindly to scumbags insulting her." Nick growled, his gunmetal-cobalt eyes flashing. Nick then looked around and said to the small crowd, "Is there a police office around here? If so, could someone please contact them and book this guy for attempted robbery."

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn smiled and listened talk about taking it slow. “Sounds like a great lifestyle to me. It's always go, go, go with Ash and Brock... Kinda gets annoying after a while. She pulled out a pouch and placed some money on the table to pay for her food, not wanting to inconvenience Nick. “The way you talk about your grandpa... sounds like he meant a lot to you.” she said and smiled.

As he began to describe what he did to help Officer Jenny she nodded. “Well, still you helped take down a ring of notorious, hardened criminals.” she leaned back in her chair and yawned slightly. “Yeah, Pyra seems to be a great pokemon. And she's lucky to have such a great guy as a trainer.” she said and smiled. After a couple minutes she saw the shady man dash towards the woman who was walking past. “Oh my God!” she gasped, as the man ripped the purse off her arm and as Nick told her he'd be back and dashed off after him. “Be careful!” she called after him, looking worriedly at Napoleon.

The woman watched dumbfounded by what had just happened. She watched as Nick confronted the man and the Rapidash trotted over to his side. “Are you alright?” she heard behind her. She turned around and saw Dawn. “Y...yes, I'm alright. Just a little shaken up. I hope he doesn't get hurt. That man is twice his side.” Dawn shook her head. “I think he'll be fine.” she replied. She watched him take down the criminal and call for a police officer. She felt a small smile creeping over her face. It would be a lot more fun traveling with him... seems like there's always some kind of adventure... plus he's a hell of a lot better looking than Ash. She watched as Officer Jenny came through the crowd and arrested the large man. Dawn rushed up to Nick and smiled. “Wow! That was amazing.” she said.

 

[Razgriz]

Nick watched as Jenny carted the man off to jail. "Tch, stealing from a lady. How low can you get?" he said as he glared daggers into the man's back. He was a real old-school boy; his parents instilled the most important virtues into him at an early age before they passed away due to illness. Be polite to your elders, help those in need, and try to make everything a learning experience. His time at his granddad's ranch made him appreciate the value of hard work; to him, thieves were the lowest form of scum on the planet. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Dawn came up to him; he grinned goofily and rubbed the back of his head, "Ah, it was nothin'. I don't much care for folks who steal from others, especially if it's from a lady."

He then remembered that he was still holding the woman's purse. "Excuse me for a second" he said to Dawn; he then made his way to the female victim and held out her bag to her. He then said politely, "Ma'am, I believe this is yours. My suggestion? Get a sturdier shoulder strap and stronger buckles, that way lowlifes like him can't snatch it from ya. I'd do it myself if I knew how to repair a lady's purse."

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn nodded and smiled. "Yeah, that is pretty awful." she smiled and motioned that he could leave. "I'll be here." she said, trying not to swoon. He was so dreamy. Strong, handsome, and nice to boot. She watched as he walked to the other woman and couldn't help but watch his ass move as he walked away. Shit... he is so hot. she thought to herself.

"Oh thank you sir!" the woman said as he handed her back her purse. She nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, i guess you're right about getting a purse with thicker straps." she said and rubbed the back of her head. "Sometimes I'm just a little ditzy." she laughed and bowed her head. "Well thank you again, I should get going." she said and started to walk away. Dawn quickly shifted her gaze so it didn't seem like he was staring at him, especially since the look in her eyes was filled with longing. She blinked a bit and smiled at him. "So, all in a days work, huh?" she asked, laughing lightly.

 

[Razgriz]

"You stay safe now" Nick said as he watched the woman walk off. It always made him feel like he was doing his family good whenever he helped someone out. Gave him a sense of purpose. "It's the little things that count, Nick. Remember that always and you'll be happy for life" his granddad used to always say to him. And so far, Nick found nothing to contradict that statement.

He probably would have been redder than a fresh-cooked lobster if he had seen the way Dawn was looking at him. Luckily his back was turned, so he missed the whole thing. He turned around when he heard Dawn speak to him again. "I suppose. Just tryin' to be helpful is all." Dawn would learn very quick that he was not one to brag about the things he did; his granddad had been essential in reinforcing the values of modesty and humility. And he tried to live up to be like him; his granddad was in his opinion, the very pinnacle of what being a man was about. Hard-working, self-sufficient, strong, and able to admit his mistakes. That was one of the few goals he had in life; grow up to be just like his granddad.

He then tried to deflect the conversation away from him, "So, I heard you say earlier traveled with someone named Ash. Forgive me for prying, but is it the same Ash Ketchum I've heard about? The one who's beaten all the Gym Leaders from here to Kanto?" He wasn't trying to sound like a fanboy; he was just trying to see if the people matched up.

 

[poisonedxkisses]

Dawn smiled and chuckled a bit. "Strong and humble to boot." she said and ran a hand through her hair. "You really are a great guy." she said and shifted on her weight. "Yes sir, the one and only." she said and smiled. "We've been traveling together for a while now." she said.

As if on cue Ash and Brock made their way over to the dissipating crowd. "Hey, what was going on here?" Brock asked. Dawn smiled and pointed to Nick. "Nick help take down a criminal who stole some ladies purse." she said. Ash looked over Nick and eyed him curiously. When he had talked to Dawn before she had seemed eager to get him to go away and he wondered if maybe it was because of something she saw in him. "Oh really? Well, I've taken down criminals too." he said trying to prove something to Dawn. Dawn rolled her eyes and laughed. "Yeah, but you do it with pokemon... Nick did it with his bare hands." She blushed a bit realizing she sounded like a fan girl. Ash didn't like the fact that Dawn seemed so into this new guy. "Well, Dawn we were gonna get going. I just beat the gym." he said. Dawn looked to Ash and Brock then back to Nick. "Well... uhm, Nick do you mind if I go with you? At least until the next town? I can meet up with Ash and Brock there?" Ash felt like he got punched in the gut. "D..Don't inconvenience him Dawn." Dawn pouted and bit her lip, hoping Nick didn't find it an inconvenience.

 

[Razgriz]

Nick flushed furiously when Dawn said he was a great guy; he really wasn't used to getting this much attention for his deeds. People have congratulated him in the past, but he always left before anything more could happen. Just then, two people arrived and talked to Dawn. He assumed one of them was Ash, though he wasn't sure who the other one was. Then he heard the shorter one say he just beat the gym; that one had to be Ash. He then deduced the taller, tanned-skin one was Brock. He saw that things were also starting to degrade; if there was one thing he hated more than anything, it was causing trouble for people who didn't deserve it. And Dawn, as far as he could tell, didn't deserve it one bit.

"I.I....uh.." he then said nervously; in truth it wouldn't inconvenience him. He was just worried that Dawn might be the one receiving trouble. He knew he could handle Ash if he got violent, though he would prefer if it didn't come to that. But, it didn't help that he could tell they had been with each other for some time now. They were probably pretty good friends, which made him torn about what his answer should be. "W...well, it wouldn't be an inconvenience to me." he then said nervously after a long, drawn-out pause. Pyra sensed that this was making Nick uncomfortable; she trotted forward and rested her head on his shoulder, showing him she was right there to support him.