[Something has had Firepaw in a mood lately. This much was obvious to Shoka right away, even before she had any inkling as to what that something could have been. Now, thanks to an accidental mental bleed with a certain Sunkern, she thinks she may have an idea—but instead of asking Firepaw outright what the problem was, she opted to first employ him as her partner in Shedinja-battling.
Looks to me like you really need to blow off some steam, she told him. And I could use the warm-up.
The Shedinja are relentless in their attack when she and Firepaw arrive at the Archives, but fortunately they both have plenty of super effective moves at their disposal. Despite her recent, extended stay at the Pokéclinic, Shoka is already back to being fighting fit, effortlessly darting about and wildly swinging her tail-stick, while Firepaw burns Shedinja right out of the sky left and right. Somehow, this is the first official quest they've taken on together, but the times they've sparred with each other have apparently paid off; they're in nearly perfect sync (and it definitely also helps that the Shedinja all drop immediately after taking a single hit).
Eventually, however, the two of them inevitably start to get worn out. With vast numbers on their side, the Shedinja manage to get more lucky strikes in the more time passes, leaving Shoka's Disguise broken and Firepaw's fur mussed. At some point, one Shedinja appears behind Firepaw while he's occupied with another and bowls him over with a surprise, critical-hit Shadow Claw.]
Firepaw—!
[Shoka avenges him in an instant by tearing the Shedinja down with Shadow Sneak, but the damage is done, and she's tired, too. It's about time they took a break and let the other teams pick up the slack while they recover. Positioning herself protectively before Firepaw, she draws herself up with a catlike hiss and brandishes her tail-stick, warding the Shedinja off just long enough for another team to swoop in and draw the insects' attention away.
With that done, she deflates and turns to Firepaw.]
Hey—you good? [She nudges close to him, simultaneously offering him support (if he needs it) and guiding him away from the fray.] C'mon. We're taking a breather.
[Firepaw had been just as excited to get some energy out - mostly because fighting the actual people he's upset with isn't productive, for anyone. It's going fantastically, right up until he gets hit with a Shadow Claw that he should have dodged.
He ends up leaning heavily on Shoka, although his hackles are still raised and the smell of burnt fur is leaking from his mouth. He definitely still wants to fight... but he does know when it's time for a break.]
I'm- [no, correction] -I'll be fine. A breather sounds good.
[Really, he's just going to flop down as soon as they're out of immediate danger. If nothing else, he needs to groom the spot where he got hit until it stops aching.]
[Once they've taken shelter and Shoka has double checked that none of the Shedinja were daring enough to follow them, Shoka turns her attention back onto Firepaw. Her disguise is sagging a little and there's a new rip in it that she'll have to sew back up, but when she searches the hollow of her false head, she finds the Oran berries she brought along for this exact purpose fortunately undamaged.
She fishes one out and offers it to Firepaw.]
Here—try to eat this. It'll help.
[That hit he took was nasty, but it still looks like fairly typical battle damage—hopefully nothing a healing item and some rest won't fix.]
And when you're done... Maybe you can tell me what's got you extra fired up today.
[It still takes him a moment to remember that her disguise head isn't actually part of her - so she's fine, even if it looks like her head is gravely injured. He slow-blinks gratefully, and takes the Oran berry to eat it. Not his favorite flavor, but at least it comes with the feeling of his pain leaving.
His fur does bristle, though, when Shoka speaks up. For once, he sinks into the moody expression that Littens are known for.]
I'm just... frustrated. [He pauses.] Do you think I'm gullible?
[From his tone, it sounds like this question has a correct answer.]
[She probably should just say no, because the thought of someone calling Firepaw that (or calling him anything, really) naturally rankles her. Instead, she gives it some thought before deciding:]
You are pretty trusting. But if you weren't, you might not've bothered with me, so I dunno if I'd say that's a bad thing...
[Or that he's too trusting... Though he definitely could be. As far as she knows, it's never backfired on him before (in fact, that accepting nature of his seems to have brought out the kinder sides in those around him, for the most part), but she's not sure if she'd call him the best judge of character.]
[This is actually a much better answer than he was hoping for. His shoulders relax a little.]
I think so? I don't know. Flowey and I... got in a fight on my birthday.
[Which he thought he did a good job hiding, but he was definitely quieter after Flowey left. And he never picked up the flower crown that got thrown on the ground.]
I don't remember exactly what he said. But he thought I was gullible because I like him, and I like Dark Heart. But I like all the newcomers- well, most of them.
[Since he and Bigby have been fighting very publicly, there's no point in pretending everyone likes him.]
On your birthday? Just when I thought that little bottom feeder couldn't stoop any lower...
[Her tone is irritated, offended for Firepaw's sake, but lacking any true bite.]
Flowey's... Well, he can be a total asshole. And a creep. [Her voice softens.] But I think... sometimes he just says stuff. Even when he doesn't really mean it. So you can't take what he says too seriously, when he gets like that. Whatever he told you, chances are he already feels bad about it.
[She can say that with confidence because she already knows that Flowey feels bad about it and has apparently been stewing in that regret for weeks. Even if she didn't, however, she would likely still be able to suspect as much, considering how her own encounters with Flowey have turned out (and also considering the ways in which she can relate to him herself).]
... What do you like about him? [A pause.] Or what did you like, before he went and blew it?
[Even with all of his frustration, he still tenses when Shoka calls Flowey a bottom feeder. It's... a fresh wound, and maybe he wouldn't care nearly as much if he hadn't been so excited to share a den with Flowey before all of this.
The rest of what he says does relax him again, though. He mulls it over for a moment, buying himself some time by grooming a paw that already looks fine.]
I'm not sure. He just... seemed like he wanted to help. And I liked talking to someone who wasn't a human.
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Looks to me like you really need to blow off some steam, she told him. And I could use the warm-up.
The Shedinja are relentless in their attack when she and Firepaw arrive at the Archives, but fortunately they both have plenty of super effective moves at their disposal. Despite her recent, extended stay at the Pokéclinic, Shoka is already back to being fighting fit, effortlessly darting about and wildly swinging her tail-stick, while Firepaw burns Shedinja right out of the sky left and right. Somehow, this is the first official quest they've taken on together, but the times they've sparred with each other have apparently paid off; they're in nearly perfect sync (and it definitely also helps that the Shedinja all drop immediately after taking a single hit).
Eventually, however, the two of them inevitably start to get worn out. With vast numbers on their side, the Shedinja manage to get more lucky strikes in the more time passes, leaving Shoka's Disguise broken and Firepaw's fur mussed. At some point, one Shedinja appears behind Firepaw while he's occupied with another and bowls him over with a surprise, critical-hit Shadow Claw.]
Firepaw—!
[Shoka avenges him in an instant by tearing the Shedinja down with Shadow Sneak, but the damage is done, and she's tired, too. It's about time they took a break and let the other teams pick up the slack while they recover. Positioning herself protectively before Firepaw, she draws herself up with a catlike hiss and brandishes her tail-stick, warding the Shedinja off just long enough for another team to swoop in and draw the insects' attention away.
With that done, she deflates and turns to Firepaw.]
Hey—you good? [She nudges close to him, simultaneously offering him support (if he needs it) and guiding him away from the fray.] C'mon. We're taking a breather.
no subject
He ends up leaning heavily on Shoka, although his hackles are still raised and the smell of burnt fur is leaking from his mouth. He definitely still wants to fight... but he does know when it's time for a break.]
I'm- [no, correction] -I'll be fine. A breather sounds good.
[Really, he's just going to flop down as soon as they're out of immediate danger. If nothing else, he needs to groom the spot where he got hit until it stops aching.]
no subject
She fishes one out and offers it to Firepaw.]
Here—try to eat this. It'll help.
[That hit he took was nasty, but it still looks like fairly typical battle damage—hopefully nothing a healing item and some rest won't fix.]
And when you're done... Maybe you can tell me what's got you extra fired up today.
no subject
His fur does bristle, though, when Shoka speaks up. For once, he sinks into the moody expression that Littens are known for.]
I'm just... frustrated. [He pauses.] Do you think I'm gullible?
[From his tone, it sounds like this question has a correct answer.]
no subject
You are pretty trusting. But if you weren't, you might not've bothered with me, so I dunno if I'd say that's a bad thing...
[Or that he's too trusting... Though he definitely could be. As far as she knows, it's never backfired on him before (in fact, that accepting nature of his seems to have brought out the kinder sides in those around him, for the most part), but she's not sure if she'd call him the best judge of character.]
Why? Did you trust someone you shouldn't have?
no subject
I think so? I don't know. Flowey and I... got in a fight on my birthday.
[Which he thought he did a good job hiding, but he was definitely quieter after Flowey left. And he never picked up the flower crown that got thrown on the ground.]
I don't remember exactly what he said. But he thought I was gullible because I like him, and I like Dark Heart. But I like all the newcomers- well, most of them.
[Since he and Bigby have been fighting very publicly, there's no point in pretending everyone likes him.]
no subject
On your birthday? Just when I thought that little bottom feeder couldn't stoop any lower...
[Her tone is irritated, offended for Firepaw's sake, but lacking any true bite.]
Flowey's... Well, he can be a total asshole. And a creep. [Her voice softens.] But I think... sometimes he just says stuff. Even when he doesn't really mean it. So you can't take what he says too seriously, when he gets like that. Whatever he told you, chances are he already feels bad about it.
[She can say that with confidence because she already knows that Flowey feels bad about it and has apparently been stewing in that regret for weeks. Even if she didn't, however, she would likely still be able to suspect as much, considering how her own encounters with Flowey have turned out (and also considering the ways in which she can relate to him herself).]
... What do you like about him? [A pause.] Or what did you like, before he went and blew it?
no subject
The rest of what he says does relax him again, though. He mulls it over for a moment, buying himself some time by grooming a paw that already looks fine.]
I'm not sure. He just... seemed like he wanted to help. And I liked talking to someone who wasn't a human.
[A pause.]
No offense.