"Apparently that happens when you lower-level pokemon breed who don't have a lot of low-level abilities in common," the Soldier says. Look, he practically has the breeder handbook memorized. He's got this. "They only get whatever abilities the parents share. So Stevie here isn't likely to have much talent for battle." He gives the Absol on his shoulder a little scratch behind the horn, distracting him from the battle. That's fine by him. He has no desire to see his furry friends fight for real.

Fuzzle looks around, vaguely bewildered, but only for a moment. He is one of the few pokemon the Soldier's collected who likes fighting-- and is actually good at it. He yowls, with Disarming Voice, aiming less to hurt and more to disrupt Tank's zooming so he can Tackle (or, well, pounce). If Tank is going to escalate, so is Fuzzlebutt!