Mike had to admit, this place was pretty cool.

He'd been slumped over a computer panel for nearly half an hour, idly flipping through the different pre-made battle arenas.  Live volcanoes, submerged coral forests, futuristic floating cities -- his heart skipped excitedly, racing his imagination along the endless stretch of possibilities.  Next time, he'd have to bring Avery to one of these.  Maybe they'd let him bring in his camera, assuming it worked inside the domes, and holy fuck would they get some awesome footage.

< Are we gonna' go in and fight? >  Kickstart whined, pawing at the linoleum.  He'd been interested in the cool pictures on the screen at first, too, but now he just wanted to go.

"Yeah, dude, hold on a second.  I guess I have to find an open room, uh-"

A few minutes of blind button-mashing later, Mike had his assignment: 256-b.  Huh.  He marked the room 'claimed' and nudged Kickstart with his foot.

"This way, fluffball."

< I'm not a fluffball! >

"You're just the cutest little fluffball-"

< I'll bite you! >

Kickstart bared his teeth, but his growl was small and high-pitched, and Mike couldn't help the brief 'aww' that escaped his lips.

"Save your energy for your opponent, yeah?  This is gonna' be your first real battle, so we need to be focused."

Kickstart sobered immediately, ears twitching back as he scowled down the brightly lit corridor.  He pranced ahead of Mike, chest puffed out and tail held high.  As soon as he was past, Mike let himself smirk -- fuck, he was cute.

Mike pushed his shaggy mess of blonde hair off his forehead and squinted down at the battle assignment. Dewpider?  What the fuck kind of name was that?  Probably something stupid, and probably -- hopefully -- something Kickstart could take down easily.  If anything, Mike supposed, it would be a good way to get a look at Kickstart's battle strategies without getting kicked in the nuts. 

They reached their room and entered, Mike and Kickstart both blinking in the sudden harshness of the psuedo-sunlight.

"Yo, did I say this was cool yet?  This is really fuckin' cool."

< Yeah, > Kickstart agreed, the tip of his tail wiggling as he tried to control the urge to wag.  < Where's the other guy?  Who do I get to fight? >

Mike looked around, soaking up the 'arena'.  It was a sprawling, empty town; a winding dirt road and old-timey western houses set into a mountainside.  He wondered how far the illusion went -- could they head up the mountain?  Could they go and get lost in the forest below?  He grinned a toothy, manic grin: very cool, indeed.

"He's probably a coward," Mike finally replied, raising his voice for theatrical effect, "Hiding out in one of these buildings, I bet!"

Kickstart gasped.  

< I'll find him, watch me, > he said with a bark, and took off sprinting down the main road. He got all of thirty feet before he stumbled the first time, his tiny puppy feet getting tangled as he charged forward.  Shaking himself, he jumped back to his feet and barreled on, zig-zagging in aimless patterns across the main road.

Mike sighed and headed towards the most interesting building: the saloon.  A hanging sign creaked to-and-fro just above the door, featuring a winking miltank holding a cup of frothy beer.  He had to hand it to the magidome techs, the level of detail here was stunning.

When he reached the double doors he squared up, feet planted wide.  If he was wrong and no one was in here, well, that'd be a shame.  He kicked through the doors, wishing a split second later that he had both brought a cowboy hat, and managed to move out of the way so the doors hadn't swung back and smacked him in the ass.  Hoping the guy seated by the bar hadn't noticed, Mike swaggered into the saloon.

"This town ain't big enough for the both o-"

< HIYAAAAAAAAAAA- > Kickstart shouted, shrill snarl piercing through Mike's over-the-top southern accent.  He charged into the room and through Mike's legs, skidding to a halt before the other trainer.  < Come on, let's fight! >

Mike dropped his arms to his sides, a look of mock defeat on his face.

"Well, you heard the fluffball.  Ready when you are?"

words 708 tag @chariot
i took some liberties with the setting, i hope that's alright!  if anything i wrote doesn't fit with your vision of the battle, definitely let me know and i can edit.  
how do you want to add experience?  immediately as it's gained, or after the battle is over?  
this will also be an egg thread for my horsea egg, which i may or may not have forgotten about/will mention next post c':

kickstart the eevee
^{lvl 5. adaptability.  helping hand | growl | tackle | tail whip | sand attack}