&& . let the RHYTHM take { c o n t r o l } ``

[Yumi]

Smoothie pushed her head into his hand, her ears folding back, and sighing in contentment. She could tell already. She liked this guy. A lot. "Flare..." She could sit there all day and be petted by him, and she wouldn't mind in the least. She growled a bit when he stopped to bother with Yumi. At that moment, she felt like taking a page from Belle's book to bite her trainer in the leg. "Flareon...!" She wailed as Leo snickered. He loved when no one paid her arrogant ways attention.

"Eeeeeveee." He replied, drawing his name out. It was almost as if he was teasing her. "Flare!" She snapped, causing the eevee to hide behind Yumi's leg. Smoothie followed behind, chasing him around the girl, Carter, and around the tree. "Fllllaarrreeeeooonn!" She yelled, probably yelling a "get back here!". Yumi froze under his touch, a shiver running up her spine. What the heck was he planning now? She dearly hoped he wasn't planning on making her even more red.

What was she? A toy?! She could feel herself raging in her mind. His next words caused her to rethink though. Okay, maybe for someone with even her personality need to relax a bit. She blew a tuff of hair out of her face, sighing. "Right, right..." She muttered, taking a deep breathe as she was told. She could feel the color draining from her face as she caught sight of her flareon walking back over. Smoothie sat down, panting. Some how... Leo always managed to outrun her. So what if he was 10 years younger?! She was still young.

"Eeeeeevveee~!" He teased from his spot at the base of the tree. She huffed back. Smoothie rubbed her side against Carter's leg, almost like a cat. She welcomed his hand on her head, pushing her head back into it like before. Okay! As long as I don't let it accidentaly spill that I told... and as long Carter doeesn't say anything to her. Wait, he doesn't know her! No way would she ever know! And Suichi can't tell because he wasn't here to hear! Aahahaha! I'mma get away with it~! I'mma get away with it~!

Yumi let a grin take form on her face. Yes! Ayame wasn't going to beat on her this time. It was perfect. Besides, if Ayame ever did find out... she could always claim that she'd tell Carter what an, in Suichi's words, "evil witch who only acts sweet and uses her looks to lure in customers". Oh yeah! Ayame wouldn't want that. "IT'S PERFECT!" She exclaimed outloud without realizing. She blinked a few times. "Eh? What do you mean?" She asked with a pout. She knew how to have fun! Loads of fun! She just... never had a guy get that close! Yeah, that was it.

Yumi reached up to poke his cheek with a teal painted manicured nail. "You okay?" She asked, picking up on it.

[Hayden]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,459px,true] Hm? Yeah, fine. Just thinking, that's all. He replied, brushing it off. He shouldn't. It wasn't something that was so easily forgotten, like the name of the last challenger. But he could pretend it was, so he slipped a smile on, twirled a pokeball on his fingertip for a moment before tapping the button and letting out Siren, her metal plates that made up her body shimmering in the sun. The steel-flying type glared at him, having been having a nice nap before he so rudely made her wake up by letting her out. He grabbed the fin-shaped point on the top of her head, holding it steady for a few moments before she huffed and stopped trying to peck his eyes out. Right. Hop on. Flying is always a good start. He informed her. He did intend to hop on behind her, mostly to make sure Siren didn't throw a tantrum and throw the poor girl. SHe would behave with him there too, so he wouldn't have to worry about it. He slipped a rope around the Skarmory's neck, tying a knot in it so that Yumi had something to hold onto if she felt the need. He was fine without it, but he'd been flying places for years and half the time of something much less cooperative than Siren. For all her nuances, the skarmory was pretty great when it came to down to it. -bleckkk-

[Yumi]

Yumi tilted her head to the side as she watched him closely. Was he sure that he was okay? Leo mimicked her, tiliting his head in the same diection, and when her head tilted in the other direction, he was only seconds behind her. "Oh..." If he was just thinking, he looked deep in thought... or... or... OH NO! I OFFENDED HIM! Yumi screeched in her head, eyes suddenly wide. Maybe he did go around kissing people he just met on the cheek for fun! Or a greeting or nice gesture or something! Or he was just teasing her for fun! Yeah, that was it. Nice going, Yumi! You finally make a first... er, kinda... friend since you've been out of the dang house and buisness and you mess up!

Though she caught sight of his smile, she couldn't help but to yell at herself... and hit herself in the head once... or twice... okay, three times she gave herself a knock on the head with her knuckles. Leo, who was still mimicking her, lifted his little paw... and hit himself three times on the head; again he was only seconds after her. Smoothie gave Carter the "I can't believe I know these two" look. Though she loved them both dearly... they were dum-dums sometimes. Why am I such an idiot...? She sighed through her nose. All she had to do was apologize. He'd understand... right? "I'm sorry if I offe-SHINY!" She cut herself off, suddenly interested in the Skarmory. It was shiny, and she loved shiny things.

But then he told her to hop on... "Eh!? Are you serious?" She asked, taking a step back. Sure, she loved shiny pokemon. Sure the pokemon had caught her interest, but Yumi hated heights, and flying. She hit her head again in the same manner (as did Leo, the silly little thing). GAH! Don't say that! You'll offend him again or his pokemon... or both, Yu! "Eheheheh... just kidding! Okay!" She replied with a slightly nervous grin. If she closed her eyes, she'd be okay... or at least, that's what she kept telling herself. She withdrew two pokeballs from her belt, and turned. Leo sat upstraight, acting as if he was just sitting still the entire time. "Smoothie, Leo, return." She clipped the pokeballs back into their spots once her pokemon were back inside.

Taking a deep breathe, Yumi tried to climb onto the Skarmory's back.

[Hayden]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,459px,true] He helped her on, knowing from experience that it was difficult to get on any sort of metal pokemon until you figured out the "trick of the trade" so to speak. There was a scratchy growl-ish sound and he just dumped the water remaining in his water bottle over the skarmory's head, earning himself an indignant squawk as a reply. Behave, Siren. Or I'll make sure you rust. Skarr... He deemed it equivalent to a "sorry" and he slipped up behind Yumi, reaching up to grab her hands and wrap them around where she should hold. He didn't really need to anymore, though he wondered if he should, just to ease her mind. She seemed rather nervous about the whole thing. Hold there. She's pretty smooth, but I'll keep a hold on you just in case, too. There's nothing to worry about, promise. He informed her, wrapping one arm around her waist; if she threw a fit, she really shouldn't. It really was just to make sure she didn't fall and die on him, because that would not be fun at all. He decided, in the end, to reach forward and grip next to her hand with his other hand, if only to confirm to her that even if she should fall, he was holding on to the skarmory and her, so she wouldn't fall far. His pokemon spread her wings, ready to stretch them and fly, but he tightened his grip, pulling back a bit. Siren waited at that request, and he tipped his head slightly, peering around and over her shoulder at her. You ready?

[Yumi]

"Thanks." Yumi muttered out once she was on the back of the pokemon. At first, the Skarmory didn't seem to like the idea of her getting on. The girl squeaked when Siren started to growl, scared she was about to be thrown off. Then again, if she was thrown off, then they wouldn't have to fly anywhere... the pokemon didn't like her on its back. So she'd have to deal with a little bit of pain from being thrown, that was okay! She dealt with being abused by her older sister. This was nothing... until Carter dumped water on it.

Yumi sighed, almost sounding like it was in relief. Too bad it wasn't. There was her last chance to get away from flying without saying anything herself. "O-okay." She wouldn't dare let go of the Skarmory now, even if they were still on land. Her fingers tightened slightly as she tensed up. He'd given her fair warning, she figured. Besides, if he held onto her she had a less chance to fall... unless he fell first. Oh boy. Everything was going to be okay. It wasn't so bad.

This was going to be fun! This would be better than her first flying experience. This would prove that her older brother was just an idiot, and did it just to scare her. Carter wasn't going to purposely drop her, then wait to catch her while she fell and screamed. She gulped a bit, before clearing her throat. "Yeah."

[Hayden]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,459px,true] He sighed softly and shook her head. She seemed set on being nervous and tense for this, and, although he let Siren finally take off into the sky like she wanted, he let go of his grip(not the arm around her waist, just his hand) and moved it over top of hers for a moment. Relax, Yumi. You won't fall. Siren squawked softly in confirmation, keeping her flight as smooth and steady as possible, they there was always going to be a slight bit of turbulence. She was a stuck up, vain, priss who often tried to get her own way, but she knew better than to act up in the air, even in the slightest bit. She wanted to be the boss, not kill anyone, after all. Her head twisted back a bit when Carter tapped the side of her neck, pointing to a cliff, a bit in the distance right now. He knew from going there a couple times to train that you couldn't get there without flying, or serious rock climbing gear and experience. Few ever went there for that reason, so it had become one of his favorite training spots, but it was close enough Yumi wouldn't have to deal with the flight for too long. She'd get a break. He figured she'd appreciate it. Ska! Siren agreed readily, picking up the pace a bit with an angling of her wings, getting the wind behind her while still heading in the right direction.

[Yumi]

The moment Siren took off of the ground, Yumi shut her eyes tightly. It's going to be okay! It's going to be okay! Everything's going to be okay! She took another deep breathe, trying to calm herself some more. She resisted the urge to scream, and the urge to allow her hand a tighter grip. She didn't want to do that. Her hand would be sore from holding onto tightly. Besides... the Skarmory might've disliked her for it.

Nothing will happen... She thought as Carter placed his hand over hers. She peeked an eye open slightly to see, but then it shut just as quick; her eyelids locking in place. "R-right... you promise, right?" She breathed out her words, before biting down on her lip. She wanted to open her eyes, she wanted to see. She'd always been fasincated by clouds, and the sky... she just didn't like to go up in it. This was the chance she had to see the clouds up close though! Closer than she ever had, laying back on grass in the morning sun with Smoothie--back when she was an eevee, of course. After Smoothie had evolved, they hadn't had much time to just kick back in the grass or a lawn chair.

[Hayden]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,459px,true] He hugged her closer with his arm, and left his hand over top of hers, just hoping to get her to relax, open her eyes. Flying could be beautiful, relaxing and amazing if you let it, and she wasn't. I promise, Yu. You'll be okay. He murmured, making sure to keep a tight hold on her, as to reassure her, acting sort of like a human seatbelt until they landed. He slipped off quickly, then held out a hand to help her down. See? I told you you'd be alright. He said with a small smile, though he wasn't laughing at her. Heights, and flying, was a legitimate fear.

[Yumi]

Yumi kept biting down on her lip, luckily it wasn't enough to make it bleed... yet. She tried to block out the fact that she was flying, and instead tried to imagine being somewhere else. Like a nice, hot beach with the sand under her toes... or even playing in the winter snow with her father Glaceon, like she had always done as a child. Either one of those mental images would do, and she seemed to be calming down. She started to daydream with her eyes closed. "Nyaaahh~" She could taste the yummy ice cream from the beach's snack bar... but then again, feeling the cold snow between her fingers were great!

"Eh?" Carter's voice broke her from her mental paradises, causing her to peek an eye open. Well, not that she was calm... this didn't seem to bad. Still... she didn't dare to open both of her eyes. One was good enough. "Yu? That's what my mom and Suichi call me!" She exclaimed happily. It was then she realised that he had pulled her closer, making her a bit red in the face.

She gave a heavy sigh of relief once they had landed, daring to open her other eye now. Where... were they? "Yeah..." She muttered, patting the back of the Skarmory's head. "Thanks for the ride." She said, though she didn't like the ride all that much. She took Carter's hand, getting down next. Just where her feet belonged... on solid ground.

[Hayden]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,459px,true] You really need to relax. Siren's a miserable beast, but as soon as you could actually get hurt, she's an angel. The skarmory squawked slightly, not appreciating being called a miserable beast. He seemed to have a way with pissing off his pokemon or something, because the leg that had gotten clawed by Belle was then pecked, albeit with far more care than Belle had given it. More of a warning. Belle needed to learn how to give warnings. Really. The skarmory promptly moved off to the side, taking her beak after her steel feathers, sharpening some of them with it. It was then he decided he should probably let Belle out, now that he was thinking about it and before she got too angry. The lock wasn't even off for half a second before the flash of red revealed a rather angry delcatty. Apparently avoiding her anger wasn't going to happen. She let out a growl, claws popping out. This wasn't going to be good. Then the claws went back in and she hopped up onto his shoulders, paws using his head as a punching bag for a moment, along with a rant which he only understood half of. He didn't need to understand any of it to know the essentials, though. The essentials being "Don't ever do that again, you rotten, lowlife child!". Yes, Arabelle, I love you to. This earned him another growl and some more paw whacks before his hand grabbed her scruff and held her out in front of him, her paws swinging wildly, claws out and digging into his wrist for a second. He dropped her instantly. Son of a- He cut himself off, hand clamped over the fresh scratches. She just purred with satisfaction and curled up on a small ledge nearby, looking quite pleased with herself. He really couldn't remember why he never left her at home.

--- I had to bring Belle back xD she's amusing ---

[Yumi]

Yumi gave a nervous laugh at his comment. "I am relaxed. I'm the most relaxed person ever!" She stated, putting her hands on her hips. "I just... don't have a good experience with flying..." She added in a whisper, reaching for Leo and Smoothie's pokeballs off of her belt. She had second thoughts at first, considering where they were. Was it safe to let Leo out? Lords knows what the eevee would do... heck, for all she knew he would run off the edge or something.

No... Leo wasn't THAT crazy and hyper. Everything would be fine. "Ride's over, you can come back out." With that flash of red, there sat the two pokemon. Smoothie yawned, giving her a blunt look. Just who said it was okay to wake her up from her nap?! Leo, on the other hand, seemed happy. "Eve!" He chimed, standing on all fours. Ooo! He was excited! This was a new place--one he'd never seen before. He had to explore... once everyone's eyes were off of him.

"She doesn't look too happy..." The girl muttered, watching the delcatty carefully. Uh oh. What the cat like pokemon did next, made Yumi and both her pokemon watch with wide eyes. Well, surprised wide eyes and sweatdrops. She beats on him as bad as Mom's Meganium and Ayame do on me... Ah, yes. She could remember it now... all the times she made Ayame mad of course, as well as the fact that her mother's over-sized (as Yumi would call it) "dino-weed" hated her. It had all started when she had accidentaly set one of its antenna thing's on fire as a child.

There had been a black out, and as Yumi was searching to make sure all the pokemon were okay... she tripped, fell, and her candle had hit the pokemon. "Wow... she beats on you like Meganium... like there's no tommarrow..." She commented, sweatdropping again. "...Do you want a bandage or something for your wrist?" Leo hid behind Yumi's leg, now offically scared of Arabelle.

---

LOLOL. I love that thing xD. I have... an urge to use her new pooch and say she forgot she had it CUZ ITS SO CUTE (and an excuse to abuse Carter mo-*shot*)

[Hayden]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=width,459px,true] Although wincing, he managed to smile, shaking his head and shrugging. He peeked under his hand, then took it away. It wasn't really bleeding, it wasn't that deep. It just stung. Nah. It's fine. I'm kind of used to it. Belle was my mom's; a babysitter. After my mom passed, she took on the roll of keeping me in line. She takes it a little too seriously sometimes and hasn't really let it go, even though I can take care of myself just fine. He replied, smile fading a bit as he mentioned his mother. It had been long enough that it wasn't much of a sore subject, but that didn't mean he didn't miss her. He did. Quite a bit. He didn't have many memories of her, he'd been rather young when she had died, but he'd struggled to keep hold of those few memories just so that he had something. In fact, even Belle's satisfied smirk had faded, her ears drooped a little. There was a soft, half-hearted growl when he claimed she took her job too seriously, but nothing more. Carter's smile came back a moment later though. She's gotten grumpy in her older age. She used to be rather gentle.

[Yumi]

"Are you sure?" Yumi asked with, yet, another sweatdrop. She bent down to pick up Smoothie, cuddling the flareon to her chest. Not that the pokemon minded. She loved the attention, and affection. She licked Yumi's hand, almost as if returning some kind of affection. Well, she would've rather had Carter cuddle her to his chest... but this was better than nothing.

"Oh..." She muttered, frowning. She didn't know what it was like to lose her mother. Afterall, her mother was still alive. Still, somehow she felt upset. So, she didn't know the lady personally... "Sorry..." She piped up, keeping her frown. "Maybe she just misses you being little...?" Yumi tried, biting down on her lip. She sat Smoothie back down. Little did Yumi know or notice... Leo was sneaking off somewhere. Which, as usual, was never good.

---

Bleck D8