Naomi had been looking at 'Tai. The newly evolved Dragonair was preening, looking around at its sleeker and longer form. He was posing for her, she was sure, the look in his eyes confident and knowing. So Lydia's remarks caught her off guard. She looked over at the antics of the Tentacruel, and blushed when Lydia talked about it wanting inside his trainer.<br/><br/><span style="color: #6495ED">"Some pokemon are like that, I ... heard."</span>She glanced at 'Tai, who was now gliding up to them. Her blush deepened slightly. Hoping Lydia hadn't noticed, she remarked,<span style="color: #6495ED">"And you have a Braviary! Don't they usually need quite a lot of experience before they, um, evolve?"</span><br/><br/>Further conversation was interrupted as 'Tai swept up to them. He curled around Naomi and Lydia, pulling them together in a victory hug!<br/><br/>*****<br/><br/>The rest of their travel had been uneventful, 'Tai spending a little time showing off to the slightly disgruntled and annoyed Somnificent.<br/><br/>When they finally reached "The Battlefield", the reason for the name became immediately apparent. The Pokemon League here apparently had organized along different lines, with six flamboyantly and uniquely garbed trainers; perhaps these were the 'elite four no six' of the Yugen Isles, or perhaps the gym trainers had decided on an outing for this day.<br/><br/>The whole display reminded Naomi of an exhibition day, only marginally less controlled and somewhat more organized. It wasn't the battles that grabbed her attention, and she rooted in her pack to dig out an ID badge. She was clipping the Devon Test Labs emblem to her shirt when Lydia caught her hand.<br/><br/>Naomi smiled at Lydia, fingers entwining.<span style="color: #6495ED">"Honestly, as much as I want to see how well Kat does? Assuming you want to show her off and get a few battles in? I do have an actual job to do here, and I think I should check in first, and see if they've fixed the power distribution problems of that device. It'd change pokemon journeys tremendously, if we can work out all the kinks and get it to market at a reasonable cost."</span><br/><br/>Where trainers might be eyeing the different powerful pokemon in the makeshift arenas with envy and admiration, Naomi's gaze held the same look for the solar panels and machine sitting on the hill. Giving Lydia another somewhat apologetic look, she kissed Lydia's cheek and said,<span style="color: #6495ED">"I'll see you there after I get this done, okay?"</span><br/><br/>Letting go of Lydia's hand, she smiled again and then started making her way over to the pile of trainers waiting for their pokemon to be healed.<br/><br/>Somnificent commented to 'Tai that he'd better get their trainer laid soon, or she just might leave them for the gleaming apparatus on the hill. 'Tai whapped him on the back of the head, lightly.<div class="messageTextEndMarker"> </div>