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Navi was a skilled fighter. They didn't want to be, but they were. They took reluctant pride in it, as a Meowstic that could take a hit and throw it back at opponents wasn't common. They were generally seen as glass cannons, which came in handy in the tournaments that they didn't particularly want to be in.
Everything that faced Navi expected one good hit to take them out.
Navi was always thrilled to prove them wrong.
The one that didn't expect them to faint immediately, though, was a Liepard. A dark type that was known for using Fake Out on the first turn.
One that didn't, and instead used Hone Claws.
Navi was a skilled fighter, they knew Liepard couldn't get hurt by a Psyshock. That was the move their trainer commanded of them. Navi wasn't one to disobey orders… but…
They gave the Liepard a little jolt instead. The two went back and forth like this a few times, circling one another on the battlefield, until Navi went to use a stronger move, a signal beam that would have knocked that Liepard off his feet.
And Liepard moved first, hitting Navi with a sucker punch that knocked them out in one go.
"Nice work out there," purred the Liepard that had cost them the win as their trainers chatted. "I was hoping I'd get to face you, Meowstic. You're known for being hard to sweep off your feet."
"You- you were?" Navi was genuinely surprised by this, and looked up into striking green eyes. That Liepard was a bit more close to Navi's face than they'd expected- they tried not to seem too surprised. "Well... thanks! I try my best."
"Why don't we go somewhere quieter? We can come back for our humans later on."
Navi paused at this. Why would they need to go somewhere quieter? Wasn't this fine?
They glanced up at their trainer, De'Arc, and proceeded to change their mind immediately. No, they didn't particularly want to stick around right now. Not after disobeying him and then losing. They didn't exactly want to hear what he had to say about it.
He'd have a lot to say, and Navi knew it'd start with a name that they didn't enjoy.
The Liepard waited patiently. A gentleman. Some would say despite his type, but Navi already knew that dark types were far from bad.
"Sure, somewhere quieter sounds nice."
"Excellent! Come now, Meowstic."
The Liepard began to lead the way with a little lick of his lips, and Navi followed. They could hear De'Arc say something, and nearly flinched, but the Liepard's trainer responded instead, brushing him off and assuring him that they'd be fine.
Freedom from supervision was- freeing, really. It was a rather new experience. Navi went from sheepish over their loss to ecstatic to get to know this other feline. They had no idea where they were headed, but that was fine, they could handle themself. Liepard's trainer was back where they came from anyway.
"What's your name, Meowstic?"
Their heart almost skipped a beat. "N-Navi! It's Navi." They were so glad they got a chance to say that. "What's yours?"
"Just call me Lie. I don't have an official name yet. I'm happier that way."
"Nice to meet you, Lie!" Navi gave a little smile as Lie looked back, and he offered one in return. "You're a good fighter. Your trainer let you choose your own commands?"
He laughed as he turned a corner. Navi followed his trailing tail. "We have an understanding."
An understanding… that sounded nice. They couldn't imagine. They wanted to, but…
They nearly bumped into Lie when he suddenly stopped at the end of an alleyway, looking down at Navi. He was quite a bit taller than them, even on all fours while Navi was on their back legs.
"Would you like to have a little fun, Navi?" he purred, giving a little tilt of his head.
"Uh, sure!"
Somehow, this was the wrong answer, as Lie tilted his head further. Navi couldn't grasp why, really- he was asking to play a game, wasn't he? They were fine with games, they didn't know the rules of every game, but-
Navi let out a small squeak of surprise when Lie pounced on them, and even that pounce was enough to make them stumble down to all fours. Quite the battle cry, for a competitive battler. Navi may have considered fighting back, if it weren't for Lie then giving a gentle bite to the back of their neck.
Oh. The obvious puzzle pieces clicked suddenly. Oh, that's what Lie meant.
"You can back out at any time," Lie purred, slowly moving to groom Navi's head instead. "I don't mind if you don't want to."
Lie was… a heavy presence over Navi. He was much bigger than them. Stronger, too. And Navi's best attack couldn't do a thing to him. They let out a shaky breath they hadn't realized they were holding.
Lie waited a moment, and, feeling he wasn't getting anywhere, started to move away- until Navi's tails snaked around his legs and they leaned up against him.
"I don't mind," Navi said, after likely too long. They could feel Lie's breath on the back of their neck, and they could feel as he shifted his position over them. They weren't used to feeling someone like this, so close like this. "Let's- let's have fun."
"Let me know if you need anything at all." Lie's words rumbled from his chest and Navi could feel it on their back as he ever-so-gently pushed them down.
And Navi enjoyed every second of it as they were swept off their feet again.