"Let's play a game," Echo suggested as he and Delta made their steady way down the path to the nearest gym. It was held by Team Mystic for the moment but, decked out in their full Team Instinct gear, both boy and girl looked ready to take it.

"What kind of game are we talking?"

"A word game," he said. Delta mulled that over a moment before giving an easy roll of her shoulders in agreement. Echo smiled wide then, already assured of his victory. "Hope you like Pokémon puns, because I have a lot to hoot-hoot about!"

So that was how it was going to be? Delta slowed her pace to walk alongside him. "Just so long as you don't throw a tyrantrum about it when you lose."

The first exchange done, Echo puffed out his chest. Delta would have fun watching it deflate.

"You can't get mad either, because I know how much you luvdisc me," He said in quick retort. Then with a loud clap of his hands continued, "So this is how today is going to Pokémon go! All day Pokémon puns. First one to give is a slowbro."

Delta rolled her eyes but couldn't quite keep the smile off her face. Time would tell who the real slowbro would be. "Onix-ceptable!" she said. Better to keep it easy for now.

Echo wagged a gloved finger at her, brown eyes looking at her from under a shock of black hair. "It is," he said, "or I machoke you."

"That sounds a little farfetch'd."

Facing forward Echo shrugged his shoulders. He wore that tell-tale smug grin of his that said he was about to pull a few things out of his sleeve.

"True," he mused. "But my ideas are usually unown, even to me. I wonder, though, when my friend will be getting married so I can have you be my plusle one. I'll show you off to my friends, we can spinda on the dance floor. I mean, wynaut?"

It was more the context than the sudden barrage of puns that flustered her. She stopped, so did he, and she went to smack the grin off his face. Echo laughed as he caught her hand and pulled her close. He raised his brows then as if to ask, 'concede?'

That wasn't happening. She racked her brain quickly for a comeback, settled on the first thing to spring to mind and spoke through gritted teeth.

"I'll have to ask you natu spin me too much."

"That's fine as long as we gallade on the dance floor."

Just to spite her Echo twirled her out of his arms. Somehow she'd expected that he'd do that but on the dirt path the brunette had to take a moment to regain her balance.

"That was a stretch," he continued, already moving on ahead of her, "but it's ok. Because I am serperior at these puns."

Straightening her hat, and knowing full well he couldn't see it, Delta pulled a face at him. "Nah, I think you're slaking a bit."

The dummy had probably spent all of yesterday coming up with these. It would be just like him. All the same, she wasn't going to let him just walk all over her like this. It was time to step up her game.

"Some say I'm emboar-ish when it comes to my stubbornness. But I must axew a question."

Shaking her head Delta shot back, "What answer are you seaking?"

Echo glanced back at her then with his trademark grin. "Do you mind if I raichu a love song? And then get a pikachu?"

Delta was itching to smack him on the arm by now. "Now you're asking furret."

"Don't be so goomy."

"There's no shaymin it."

Up ahead she could see the top of the gym's tower poking out over the trees, its top defender broadcasted on a large screen above it.

"Don't be such a nidoqueen," Echo chided. "Being away from you brings out my inner primeape." He paused another moment just to look back at her. He did so enjoy teasing her like that. "Sorry, I just think you are really exeggcute, and very beautifly today."

He laughed, and Delta knew her face and ears had gone red. Two could play at that game.

She cleared her throat to do away with her embarrassment and put on her best poker face. "All you have to do now is turn on your charmander pants will come right off."

Echo was silent a moment, shocked into silence that she was the one to say such a thing, then crouched down, his head in his hands and groaned.

It was her turn now to have a laugh at his expense. "I'm sorry," she said, though she wasn't really. "I've been sitting on that one and I absol-utely had to use it."

"I'm going to throh you..." He was so quiet she almost couldn't hear him grumbling.

Delta crouched down beside him and leaned her chin in her hand. "Aww, I just swanna have fun."

The boy was quiet another few seconds before he peeked out at her through his fingers. Then with a sigh he uncovered his face and stood.

"I have to admit that was pretty goodra. Kinda oddish that I didn't use it since it's my life goal to get you out of that jumpsuit. Maybe one day I'll be the machamp."

This time Delta did whirl on him, fully intent on giving him a good hard punch in the shoulder. He let her, and gingerly rubbed the spot after. Still laughing to himself he apologized, "It's hard to do this without mankey-ing sex puns."

"We just gotta take a chansey," she said as she shook out her hand. "But I guess some of them are pretty funny. They're gonna make me fraxure my funny bone."

Echo appeared thoughtful for a moment. "Damn," he said. "I should steelix that one."

"You want to dewott?"

"Don't get so mad about it. Tentacool down, love."

She guessed he was probably running out of stock material by now and she said as much.

"That pun was gastly."

He feigned hurt at her disapproval but, just like always, he recovered quickly enough. Spinning around on his heel he walked backwards down the dirt path to face her. "Ho-oh ok. Looks like someone won't be getting many smoochums when we go out later."

"Don't jynx it, deerling," she said and wagged a finger at him.

Echo laughed at that and after a moment's thought kept them going. "You know, if anyone heard us they would think we are metagross."

"I think we're pretty cleffa. And I'm finding this quite amewsing." Delta neglected to mention that this game was his idea to begin with.

Nodding along, he added, "Mewtwo."

Both boy and girl went quiet a moment, looked at one another and shared a laugh.

"I can't bayleef we've kept it going this long, though," Delta said. She left her house this morning expecting to battle with pokemon, not puns. Thinking them up on the spot as the tower grew bigger behind the trees wasn't easy.

"I'm just waiting for you to give up so I can diancie in victini." He still sounded so sure of himself.

Arms folded behind her, she smiled. "Nah, I'm gonna e-raticate you with my pokepuns."

"Don't be so krabby," Echo scoffed.

Delta looked at him and lifted her chin. "I'll do what I want. And then I'll rhydon into the sunset singing Kakuna Ratata." She saw his face fall at that and grinned. "I giratina you can't beat that one."

"I'll beat you yet. Just give me a second to meditite," he said and spun back around to face forward.

"We'll seel about that." It was too bad for him that Delta had hit her stride.

He was already getting annoyed, though he did a fair job at hiding it. He rolled his shoulders, shrugging off her taunt like water off a golduck's back. "Don't be such a kyogre. I'm barely getting starly."

"Just admit you relicanth keep up with me."

"I swear I will smack you in the froslass!"

She'd spoken too soon. This golduck wasn't shedding water as easily as it normally would.

"I'll be sure to wear a shelmet then."

Echo appeared nonplussed at her retort. It took him a minute before he gathered enough wits to say anything back. "Why would you cover your head when I'm dewgong-ing for that sweet –?"

Delta cut him off there with a tug on the brim of his hat and a swift, "Wynaut?"

He swatted her hand away and fixed his hat. Yellow wasn't his best colour but Delta didn't dislike him in it. She did like seeing him get flustered like this, though. She considered it payback for his advance from earlier.

"Staryu are gonna lose, love," he said as he hid his face. "Sorry but starmie will be the victreebel."

Delta shook her head, ponytail swinging in kind behind her. "You're not going to weedle your way out of this loss. My puns are goldeen."

"Then it's time to rapidash your chances of winning."

"I'll just catch a magikarp-et back into first place."

Echo made a shooing motion with his hand. "You can't even hold a lantern to my skill. Hoppip back to second." He was so focused on her that he failed to notice he'd wandered off the dirt path and was about to walk into a tree. The boy turned around just in time to take it straight to the face.

Stifling a laugh, Delta walked right on past him. "Ekans see clearly now that you're not going to win this."

He poked his face out, now red from his run-in, and glared daggers at the back of her head. "You're starting to beartic me off."

"I gotta bisharp," Delta shot back. Then without missing a beat she spun on her toes and drove the final nail into the coffin. "I can't help it if I'm rufflet your feathers. I guess it must be kinda unfezant, though."

With a drawn out groan Echo dropped unceremoniously to the ground.

"I can't. I concede. You win, damn it."

Delta set her hands on her hips then and with a wide grin said, "I told you so. Time to do my victini dance and celebi-rate!"

"No more," he pleaded. "I can't take it."

When he put it like that she couldn't help but do another. Delta all but skipped back over and knelt down in front of him.

"You seem a little sunkern. Would a vullaby cheer you up?"

He threw his hands into the dirt and cried up at the sky, the word drawn out as long as his breath could hold.

"Stop!"

.

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A/N: So there you have it. My attempt at humour. I'm not used to writing this sort of thing so my bad if it falls a little short. Still, if you've read this far, why not drop me a review and let me know what you think? It'd be much appreciated!