World Tree MUSH

     It's a brilliant and beautiful day in the neighborhood. The sky is a brilliant blue in all directions with small clouds fluttering in the breeze along with the occasional spearow and beedril. The weather is warm and inviting the tall grass shifts wistfully from one side to the other caught in the air. In the distance a school-bell rings calling out the end of another day for the various students of all ages. 

     The trail is well kept without a single rock out of place and the diglets pop up from the ground to the side hiding away whenever one would pass them by. It's a wonder of nature in every direction with berries hung fresh in the brush, and apples high on the trees. 

     Through all the calm of nature a grunt rings out as a man dressed in black and white with a skull bandana and vibrant green hair slams against the ground sliding on his back to hit up against a nearby tree. He looks up bleary eyed at the shadow of a man standing in the midst of the path before his eyes close and he passes out for a moments slumber. 

     "I said move on." The gravely voiced man says firmly standing with both hands still inside the pockets of his coat. He's dressed in a long black trench-coat with a matching pitch black wide brimmed hat. In the summer weather he stands out quite a good deal for the region yet with the recent rains it's not too unexpected. 

     All around him stand a group of thugs all dressed in the same skull branded outfits circling him round. "Come on pops, we just want you to play ball is all." Some tossing pokeballs up and down in their hands. "Just a quick battle's all we're askin." 

     The tall dark man takes a long drag from his cigar barely moving an inch, his coat still fluttering back into place from where he'd struck the first to take their chance to duck in at him. "And I said no." He looks up slightly most of his face hidden in the shadow of his hat save for that dull glow from the tip of his cigar. "I've got bigger fish to fry in town."

     It was certainly a beautiful day to be in the open, like most days in Alola, bugs and small pokemon doing their things, and small kids returning home to eat and gather energy for another afternoon in the beach and similar fun activities!. Of course, Luke was not going to class, but he was still out in the open, and taking a stroll with his pokemon, just to relax, and perhaps find a good spot to train!. 

    It's not long before he walks into that particular situation, first spotting the... group of thugs, grumbling about those guys being a pest, "Maybe I'll get to test if your training is working." he muses outloud, before hearing another voice... a familiar voice. He forgets the pokeball and moves closer, "Hey, what's going on?" he asks, looking around and spotting the tall, dark figure, trying to place the voice with a face.

     "Beat it dude, this gramps here is asking for a smack-down." One of the thugs comments eliciting a laugh from another who seems to find it the most entertaining joke of the day. "Yeah, guys such a coward I bet he's only got a metapod." More laughter coming out from the group. "So gramps, you ready to l-"

     "Luke," Benito comments, cutting the thug off calmly, while barely even moving. One of the thugs tries to chime in but Benito just keeps talking. "I was looking for you." The thug tries again to cut in. "I was worried I'd have a hard time tracking you down" Already starting to walk out of the center of the group ignoring the team skull members as they start to try and block him still in the midst of the circle. "I promised you those bubblegum cigars if you watched my back, and I must say I'm a man of m-" 

     "STOP IGNORING M-" Benito presses a single gloved finger up against the skull thug's lip, who blinks rapidly for a few moments very confused. He looks like he's about ready to blow a gasket before Benito kicks right back into what he was saying. "Shh, the adults are talking."

    Luke more amused than anything, "Honestly?, I think you should avoid making him mad..." he offers politely, chuckling a bit, "Big talk for someone that might only have a Zubat and a Drowzee." is his reply.
     He focuses on his acquaintance, "Benito, right?" he says, smiling and nodding, "Well, that was good timing, was just wandering around." he offers, following his lead and just moving closer, "I was curious about them!" he interjects, trying not to snicker at the confusion from the grunts. "Hey, hey, if it makes you feel better, I can battle you, all of you, and you can go back after you get beaten."

     "Hey! I'll have you know I've got //TWO// Zubat and a Drowzee!" The one who'd been complaining about Benito's potentially lackluster pokemon chimes in. That voice results in a look of shame from one of the other skull thugs mixed with a low groaning sigh and a hushed "Really dude, we just spent a week in that cave hunting pokemon and you still only got the two Zubat?" Which causes the face of the first to go a bit red. 

     "I prefer Mr.Bontade, but Benito works just fine." Benito reassures just in time to cut off the exact same skull thug who's still trying to act big and tough, clearly the leader of this little group, or rather second in command since the leader of this particular thug squad is currently passed out under a tree covered in apples. 

     Reaching into the pocket of his trench-coat Benito pulls out a full carton of bubblegum cigars and tosses them over to the young pokemon champion that is Luke. There's a smirk on his face. "Trust me, they're a real treat. Got sugar in the center so if you blow through it, then it looks like you're smoking." Already just blotting the thugs out of his mind.

    Luke tries really, really hard not to chuckle as the other grunts actually seem to humilliate the grunt further, rather than stick out for their defense. "That's cute." he finally says, "Look, if you want to be taken seriously... maybe get better pokemon, or more at least." he says gently, before tuning out the annoying thugs, one hand reaching for one of his pokeballs, just in case they try something funny. "Hey, thank you!" he tells benito with a bright grin, reaching for the delicious candy, "I think they sound amazing.". He casually takes one to try it right then, "Quite good!".

     Luke is already looking away from the grunts, "So, what do you think of this place so far?" he says, "Did you get into any trouble with pokemon?"

     "Nice enough vacation spot if you can look past the pest control problem." Now not even looking at the Team Skull members anymore. One of the team skull members clutches onto the rattata for a moment looking quite offended. The expression says very clearly his offense on behalf of his pokemon right to the moment Benito corrects himself. "It's the two legged pests that seem to give me trouble." 

     Puffing away on his cigar Luke would hear the click of a hammer being pulled back on a pistol followed by a quiet whimpering from that defacto leader. A second later the dropping of a pokeball onto the ground followed by the running of feet and crying of all things. From the looks that leader had reached for a pokeball and apparently Benito was a bit faster on the draw of his pistol. The pokeball from his hand now laying at his feet along with a slowly growing puddle. 

     "Now that's just sad." Benito comments at the pure white faced young adult. He's almost a bit too old for Team Skull considering the usual rank they recruit from then again so was the actual leader of this little squad.

    Luke smiles, "Well, glad you like this place." and glances back at the poor mooks, "Maybe you'd like to get away... trust me he is..." and sighs as he hears the noise from the gun, glancing back at the pokeball. "Please just get out of our way, I promise to offer you a battle later, if you want to do that." he says softly. He turns back to Benito, "Well... guns are not that common here, can't blame them for being nervous to be aimed by a gun by an intimidating person... I know I'd be scared." he says. 

     He looks at the other grunts, "Maybe you want to go back with him and give him his pokemon?" he asks softly, "Here, take this." he begins, giving them some pocket change, a couple empty pokeballs and some snacks from his back. "Just... make up something about beating some random person or whatnot, no one has to know this happened, unless you start bothering us again."

     Without hesitation Benito spins the gun around in his hand and slaps it back into the holster. A quick kick of the boot sends the ball up into Benito's hand. Benito tosses the ball back to the remaining thugs, and then just places his hands back into his own pockets taking a quiet drag from his cigar. 

     Those that are left do their part to help up the unconscious leader of their small subgroup. They accept the money and pokeballs handed to them with trepidation not a single one among them feeling even slightly comfortable. They're very clearly out of their element and not used to dealing with anyone who would refuse a pokemon battle. "T-this isn't uh-" One of them starts before just sighing quietly. "Oh forget it." The group starting to walk away with their tales between their legs so to say.

    Luke sighs faintly as the grunts leave, "Too bad for them, I would have battled them happily, perhaps take some money from them if they lost." he says, shaking his head and smiling back to his new friend, nibbling on the candy cigar, "In any case, glad you found this place, was wondering how I might come to find you." he says with a chuckle, pulling his hand from his pokeball belt, "I would use a decent trainer battle after those odd things at the tower."

     "When someone needs to find me I have a bad habit of finding them first." Spoken with a smile as he takes a quick moment to ruffle Luke's hair. "Meant to tell you sooner you did good kid, but I've had some business crop up back home." He walks along the path moving at a relaxed pace. "Only thing that gets in the way of business is family." 

     He looks up to the clouds puffing away happily at his cigar as he winds down the contents of it one drag at a time. "You ever want to make good money on fights I can hook you up with a bookie, plenty of people back home who'd be willing to pay good money to see you fight other trainers."

    Luke chuckles and seems quite content with the show of affection, relaxing a bit and stretching, "Thanks, i just tried, I think my pokemon do most of the work, really." he says, following Benito and nodding, "I can understand that... sometimes things happen and you have to rush somewhere to fix things.". 

     The mention of setting up battles for money gets a grin, "Well, there are arenas like that here, but I admit that doing such things for people from other worlds might be fun, easier to impress.", rubbing his chin, "I was considering trying to suggest some kind of tournament for people from other worlds to enter, but... it's so hard to figure how strong or not someone is.". He does seem to seriously consider the offer, "I can try to find some pokemon trainers willing to put a show like that as well."

     "What I was thinking" Benito shoving his hands deeper into the pockets of his trech-coat as the two move along just taking in the atmosphere of the route while in the background a trainer tries to get his Pokemon to headbutt down a tree that requires cut. "Is we hire a few trainers on, play up the fights as something more dangerous then they are." He lets out a large puff of cigar smoke up into the sky making little rings with each puff. "Trainers get to have fun battling each other, and the audience gets to feel they're watching some sort of forbidden cage match." 

     Off in the tall grass several sunkern hop up and down trying to help a lone minum reach a low hanging apple. There's little success in the act but it's just the beauty of nature. "No one gets hurt of course but if the people watching think the pokemon are?" He shrugs his shoulders. "Means more money for everyone, and they get their entertainment."

    Luke seems to be enjoying the candy cigar, chewing on the treat and simply chuckling a bit as he sees a random trainer working on the path, before turning back to Benito, "So you want this to be like those wrestling matches on TV?" he says softly, "Make it a bigger show than it is?" he says softly, before glancing at the pokemon nearby. 

    He reaches for one of his pokeball, and releases a small guy, a little kitten which seems ot have a 5 yen coin on it's forehead, "I think that sounds fun, as long as we are not tricking people." he says softly, "I would use some more money." he says.

     "Now you're seeing what I'm thinking about." Benito comments coming to a stop and watching the cat with a coin on its head with some interest. He pulls the cigar out of his mouth for a moment crouching down slightly to get a better look at it before chomping right back down onto that cancer stick of his. "Just like wrestling." 

     The trainer with his growlith keeps trying to headbutt the tree down, not seeming to get the point of how to get past it. Though sometimes that's just the nature of things. He's trying to call out a bunch of different commands but all just seem to boil down to a bog standard headbutt attack. 

     Meanwhile the minum keeps hopping every time just a slight bit shy of catching the apple. It calls out its own name a few times the sunkern underneath it doing their part to lift up just a little higher none of them seemingly noticing the meowth that's been thrown out into play just yet.

    Luke rubs his chin a bit longer, "Well, I am game." he finally says, "Count me in.". The feline is not a meowth actually, but a baby version called 'Konya', it is just adorable and sleepy looking. It glances up at the smoking man curiously, meowing at him and taking a few steps closer, "I think it likes you." he says with a grin. "Figured it is a nice day, should get some sun.". 

    The trainer looks at the teamwork from the pokemon a bit more, chuckling gently as they struggle with the tree, "Want to help them get some apples?" he asks the kitten, who carefully walks to the bottom of the tree, meows at the other small pokemon, and seems to try to knock some fruit loose by throwing small... coins?.

     The sunkern call back "Sun, sun." In a happy little voice, before the Minum hops off the top of the tower which shortly thereafter collapses. The sunkern bounce and sing a happy little song as apples fall from the tree. The Minum bounds up and down rushing from one apple to the next collecting where it can, before a plusel and a few pichu peak out their heads from the brush. Rather small as far as their species go, runts of the litter as one could say. 

     The Minum walks back over bringing apples for the other hiding pokemon who barely wait an instant before digging right into the fruit brought their way. There's a happy little chorus of contented pokemon by the side of the road. 

     One of the coins bounds off hard tinking off the tree and skidding down to the feet of Benito. He looks down at it, kneeling into a crouch to grab a few coins. In his head the gears are turning, and he's getting an idea. "Say." He speaks up after a while of the pokemon joyfully chomping down and singing, even as the sunkern 'dance' about the konya. "You got an idea what these coins are made of?" As he flicks the coin between his fingers effortlessly rolling it from one to the next. "Think I got some side work on top of that battle plan for you..."

    The cat seems proud of the fact it actually hit the target, and gets several pets from Luke, before watching the cat quickly rushing to try to gather the stray coins, seems quite good at finding them!. Luke lets the cat work on it's hoarding skills long enough to face Benito, "You know? I am not sure, I know it keeps some of my pocket change, but I don't know where it gets those coins." he muses. "I heard some peopel think they might be valuable.". Yes, he has no clue if they are gold or whatnot, only that they LOOK like gold.

     He takes the coin and stuffs it into the breast pocket of the suit under his trench-coat. There's a pause for thought as Benito mulls it over in his head. "Either way, I think the whole underground pokemon fight scene will be real popular with the dog fighting crowd, and a lot safer for the animals involved." He puffs away a few times. "It'll be good for business." He ruffles Luke's hair "Glad you're onboard kid."

    Benito might be lucky that Luke is not quite familiar with the idea of 'dog fighting' as it might be on other... places, so he just seems interested in the dea of presenting battles on other worlds. Still, he pauses at the mention of underground, "Wait, underground?" he asks curiously, reaching to pet his cat, who glances at Benito as that last coin is stashed in a pocket.

     "I wouldn't worry about it too much kid, the cops on my home blossom are just a little overprotective is all." Benito says quietly before starting right back off down the road slowly but surely. "They put a hard ban on any and all imports from other branches, keeping everything for themselves, and tend to be far too strict, so certain business enterprises sprung up to give the people what they need to survive, and forget about their struggles and cares."

    Luke tilts his head to one side, "I guess I can understand that... as logn as we are not breaking anything serious or harming people." he muses, apparently agreeing with what Benito says, moving a bit faster, "We can always get people to visit here and do the fighting here, but I figure traveling outside is also a trouble."

     "Tell me who's getting hurt." Benito says confidently, slowing his gait somewhat so that he doesn't outrun Luke. "The pokemon? No more then they already are in regular friendly battles." He looks up the road towards the city slowly coming closer. "The people watching? Why they'll only bet what they're willing to lose, and aren't mandated to bet anything at all. It's borderline free entertainment." He looks over towards him. "The Government? Well they aren't losing out on anything they didn't already say they don't want." He snags an apple off of a nearby tree and chomps a quick bite as the other hand pulls out the cigar. "It's a victimless crime, and really if there's no victim what is the crime?"

    Luke didn't need to be convinced pokemon fights were fine, was mostly worried on causing problems on Benito's world, or having his own troubles once he gets there. The mention of betting catches his attention, but he does not seem to mind much, eating more of that candy cigar of his, "I guess you are right."