Nate had honestly been ready to leave without even getting a damn drink. It had looked like things were settling down with Prim and the woman who definitely wasn't a kid (what had the Wallace guy called her? Odette, or something?), but then "Wallace" had fallen down and had some kind of fit, and these weird half-bird people were suddenly all over the place yelling, and there was a pokémon battle or something going on at the far end of the bar?
Nate couldn't really believe that there was a famous gym leader right here, randomly, at this bar--they probably had some kind of stage show or something, this being a cruise and all, and that guy was an impersonator. Sure. That made sense. And even though the bird-pokémon-whatevers made his stomach lurch whenever he looked at them, but they were
too small and anyway there were two, they couldn't be
that guy, it was fine. But still, you know what? No drink was worth this. What he needed to do was go find his cabin and lie facedown in the fucking dark and
quiet for a few hours until this stupid boat ride was over. Had gotten up to do just that, in fact, when lights popped overhead and several bottles behind the bar shattered.
Nate threw up his hands to shield himself from flying glass, and then somehow things got even fucking weirder when some chick--some,
something--like Odette's evil twin appeared out of fucking nowhere and started crowing about the waterslide in a voice like radio static. And then it was an actual battle, and another fucking interpreter showed up--of Steven fucking Stone? (That aggron seemed plenty real, though.) And some nutcase was shouting about killing people, and that was it, even a quiet retreat was clearly not in the cards. The bartender was distracted as hell, and Nate leaned over and grabbed the first bottle he could reach from behind the bar. At least he wouldn't be totally defenseless if someone decided to come at him next, and if he ever managed to make it to his damn cabin he could down this and try to forget this shit ever happened.
It looked like things were finally breaking up around the aggron and the fucking
demon or whatever the fuck that was, but the psycho goth guy was apparently not taking "no" for an answer. Nate hesitated, gripping the neck of the bottle tight. Not his problem and not like he had a great chance against a guy with two pokémon, and why the hell had he told Mightyena to go off and enjoy herself, goddamn?
Maybe because he hadn't expected the boat to a supposed fucking
friendship festival to erupt in violence, that's why. Nate gritted his teeth and took after the guys with the long coats; not like he could really stand around when some guy was actually attacking a dude with his pokémon. If he could come up on the guy when he wasn't expecting it, maybe he could at least knock him down for a bit, give that other espeon the chance to put a hold on him before he fucking
shanked somebody.
It seemed that a misunderstanding had occured. Misunderstandings must be corrected. Especially this one, which made his tendrils quiver somewhat. Bouba hastened to explain: "I am not a fish. I am a Jellicent. Jellicent are far superior to fish. I will also clarify that I am not the Apostate Somnolescent Jellicent. I am Fifth Sub-Delegate to the Apostate Somnolescent Jellicent. Very different! I am still a Jellicent, however."
Bouba did not know what a mightyena was, but she did not appear very mighty to him. He decided she was not a threat. As for the not-so-distant commotion he could hear with what passed for a jellicent's auditory organs, it was also likely not a threat. He judged it unworthy of his energy. For now.
Okay, so he was a jellicent, then. That sounded more like the name for a pokémon. Mightyena was about to ask what a fifth sub-delegate was when the sounds of battle reached her ears, which swiveled to give her a better read on the situation. That sounded like a
big battle. Multiple yells, humans and pokémon, with more voices joining in even as she listened.
What were the chances Nate was involved with that somehow? He
said he was going to stay out of trouble, but... Oh, she never should have let him out of her sight.
"Sorry," Mightyena said. "I really have to go. I think my trainer is--" Not two meters away a charizard rose up with a roar, taking a defensive stance between her, the jellicent, and a couple of humans and pokémon nearby and cutting her off from whatever was going on on the far side of the pool. "It was nice meeting you! Talk later!"
Without waiting for an answer she turned and vanished into her own shadow.
