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"Hmm?" Botan was distracted from enjoying the night, by the scrape of claws against stone. Turning, he saw a Nincada observing him from a nearby rock. His lip curled at the sight of the insect and the waving tendrils around its mouth. "Disgusting. Futaba!" He summoned the Eevee from her Pokeball, the fox-like creature landing gracefully in front of him. "Deal with that...thing," he commanded, gesturing towards the bug. He didn't hate all insect Pokemon, just the ones that he considered ugly and not graceful. Nincada and its evolutions were both, so he saw no need to capture it. Better to have it faint than have it stare at him any longer.

Futaba growled at the Nincada, getting a strange clicking noise in return. The insect Pokemon glimmered for a moment, using Harden to boost its defense against the coming attack. Futaba sniffed at the effort, unleashing Swift in response. The bright stars shot towards the bug, striking it repeatedly as the Pokemon squeaked in pain. Tail lashing back and forth, Futaba crouched as the Nincada used Harden again. "Coward," Botan muttered, unimpressed with the creature.

The Eevee streaked forward in a Quick Attack, slamming into the insect and sending it flying into the bushes bordering the pond. She waited a moment to see if it would return, then, satisfied that it had fainted, hopped up on the stone next to Botan. "Excellent job," he crooned, stroking her head. Hopefully that would be the last ugly bug he would see tonight.

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The bushes rustled while Botan was petting Futaba, and a Tangela lumbered out, eyes narrowed and vines waving furiously. Obviously it had been disturbed when the Nincada had been sent into the bushes. "Ugh." The dancer shuddered at the sight of the Pokemon, eyes fixed on the curling, weaving tangle - Futaba sprang from his lap, jolting him out of his spiral of horror, and he watched her fluff up her fur and stare hard at the mass of vines. Charm. Good, he'd hate to see her get hurt fighting that sorry excuse of a Pokemon.

He watched the Tangela send some of those disgusting vines into the ground, rooting itself in place. Futaba jumped into the air and spun rapidly, unleashing a Swift attack that tore into the grass Pokemon but didn't send it flying thanks to the vines anchoring it to the ground. Tangela lashed out with its vine, trying to grab the Eevee, but Futaba nimbly dodged them all. As if she would let this ugly thing mess up her coat with those dirty vines!

"Finish it," Botan ordered coldly. He knew Futaba was strong enough to defeat the other Pokemon, and so turned away to gaze out over the pond once more. Futaba sprang into the air once more, and this time, the Tangela's vines couldn't stand up to her Swift, and it went rolling back into the bushes. The Eevee rubbed against his knee to signal that the battle was over, and he smiled and ran his fingers through her fur.  Night had well and truly fallen by now, and he sighed contentedly as he watched lantern light shimmer off the water. Enju showed its true beauty after dark, and he always enjoyed seeing it.

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The bushes were home to numerous Pokemon, for as soon as one went into them, another one came out. This time it was a round cacti-like Pokemon that Botan didn't recognize when he finally turned to look. Intrigued, he pulled his Pokedex from a hidden pocket and directed the sensor towards the unfamiliar Pokemon. "Cacnea, the Cactus Pokemon. Cacnea lives in arid locations such as deserts. It releases a strong aroma from its flower to attract prey. When prey comes near, this Pokémon shoots sharp thorns from its body to bring the victim down."

"Interesting..." he murmured, studying the Pokemon intently. It looked rather ungainly, but there was something about it that appealed to him. He flipped to Cacnea's evolution, frowning slightly at the sight of the bulky scarecrow-like Pokemon. It was borderline displeasing to his tastes, but perhaps...

Futaba didn't stir from Botan's side, waiting to see what decision her master would make. The dancer snapped the Pokedex shut and put it away, turning his attention to the lurking Cacnea. "Futaba, show it some simple dance moves," he said calmly, already forming an idea. The Eevee moved to the open area beside the pond, tail swishing as Botan started to clap, setting a rhythm. Then she stepped to the left once, then to the right twice, paused, and extended a paw slowly. "Copy as best you can," he directed the Cacnea.

It blinked at him, then did as it was told, hopping in time to the beat of Botan's clapping. The extended arm wavered slightly, but overall the teen was impressed. "Again." The Cacnea went through the motions again, this time with more confidence. "Good, good," Botan said, pleased. The triangle-like legs made its movements a little awkward, and the sharp points would have to be covered if it was to join him on stage, but it was a promising start.

"Now," he said, rising and joining Futaba. "Turn slowly, keeping your arms by your side, then spread them. Like so." He followed his own directions, kimono swishing as he turned and raised his hands. Normally, he would have a fan in his left hand, but that was not needed now. Cacnea shifted from side to side, adjusting its balance, then copied Botan's movements, rotating slowly on one triangular leg. Botan and turned back around to observe, and nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad for your first try," he said, giving the Pokemon a half-smile as it hopped around to face him.

"I would like you to join us," he stated retrieving a Pokeball from his sleeve and expanding it. "You have potential as a dancer, and Futaba and I would prefer not to battle you right now. The choice is yours." He bent down and held out the Pokeball, waiting to see how the Cacnea would respond.