Encounter in the Dark Forest.

First topic message reminder :

Having explored several of the other areas around Grassveil Town, Brian the Chimchar had asked some people around town about any other location closeby that he hadn't heard about. After hearing one of the pokemon in the town talk about a dangerous dark forest by the name of Shadowhue, Brian's curiousity took hold of him and ended up he eventually ended up in the forest himself.Coming from the bright and bustling Grassveil Town, to the calming and relaxing Small Pond, and the bright berry filled areas of Pecha Forest, the Shadowhue Forest contrasted in a jarring way at first. The tree's seemed to stretch into the sky itself, seeming to be nearly twice as tall, if not taller than the ones he saw in Pecha Forest. Now only were they tall, but the leaves on them were so gargantuan in size that they blocked out most of the light from the area. Brian couldn't even see the sky beyond them, let alone any light from the sun above. Though thanks to the flame on his tail, he did have a decent amount of light which allowed him to see where he was going. The foreboding atmosphere of the forest probably would have scared off some, but not Brian. Fear wasn't something he felt too easily. To him, feeling fear would just be a unnecessary roadblock in his quest of becoming stronger and exploring new places. Besides, Brian was too interested with the area to just leave without seeing everything it had to offer, regardless of how scary it may seem. He wanted to explore and analyze this new area as he had to with all of the previous new areas he had been too and nothing was going to stop him anytime soon.

"So this is Shadowhue huh? A very interesting place indeed. Hehe, hope those people were right about there being strong pokemon too." Brian said, growing a small grin on his face as he walked onward into the forest, eager to see what awaited him inside.

Energy: 10

"Hehe, well the funny thing is that they don't know that we split up actually. Right outside of our village, there's a crossroads with one path heading in the direction of Grassveil and another heading in the direction of some other place. Before we headed out, we decided that we should go separate ways on our journey. This would make it so we would both have different experiences, visit different place, meet different people and become stronger in different ways. That way, when we eventually come back to our village and have our true battle, we can find out which one of us took the best path in our journey. Though I don't really care whether I win of lose. I just care about having an insanely epic battle with my brother. Oh, just thinking about it makes my blood boil!" Brian said as the flame on his tail began to burn even brighter, responding to Brian's excitement.

Ares would allow his brow to furrow as he imagined the scene of their parting. Perhaps they had been gleefully goading the other on, and devised this grand scheme as they boasted about how accomplished they would be one day? Maybe they had been determined and blinded by sheer joy that they were finally on their journey that they could not imagine having no challenge between them? Whatever had occurred that day had been instigated by rivalry and the spirit of competition, which was something that the Charmander could respect. He had no clue if he had any siblings back in his homeland, but there had been competition between the young soldiers nonetheless - some might even consider it cutthroat.

"You sound really determined to win," the drake would comment, allowing his hand to fall back into its natural position, "I just wish you could understand that all of this is possible outside of the guild. Take me, for instance: I've been on my own and have grown powerful without the assistance of a nursemaid. I've been alone for a long time, and from this time, I have grown experienced and strong. Which reminds me, why are you holding back on joining the guild? Someone as determined as you would have joined ages ago."

"Well, I really wanna join the guild but the first time I got to Grassveil and went there, the guildmaster was out so I just ended up wandering around. I met some cool people, some even possible team members for when I make a team, and got to see some of the neat areas around here and eventually found my way here with you. As for the whole being alone thing you were talking about, it doesn't sound like my kinda lifestyle. Meeting new people is another reason why I want to join the guilds in the first place as it will allow me to make great memories with others, compete with or against them, and just overall make my experience all the more fun." Brian said, growing a warm smile on his face, the flickering of his tail still raging on, indicating that Brian's excitement hadn't died down just yet.

Ares would simply hold his tongue as his companion rambled on. Perhaps, deep down, some individuals just had hardier constitutions and sound minds that enabled them to travel where the wind blew them. The nomadic lifestyle was simply something they were destined to do, and they would find no other pleasure than a life filled with isolation and the occasional encounter. Things like this were appropriate for him because he had grown accustomed to his only companionship being the less than frequent wanderer. His mind had tuned out the desire for social interaction, leaving him with his quest to grow powerful. At the end of the day, perhaps this Chimchar didn't have the mental fortitude to travel the same path that he had - at least that was how he was interpreting the situation through his biased opinion.

"You meet plenty of characters in the wilderness," he would correct Brian, attempting to offer a brighter side to the lonelier trail, "strong ones, weak ones, big ones, small ones. I've been on so many adventures because I don't have to report to anyone - like this one! Think about it: you probably wouldn't have met me if you had already joined the guild." He attempted a cheeky smile, but it would appear more like a forced grin. He wasn't good at persuasion: only arguing.

As Brian heard Ares's response, he started to think about what to say as a response. However, after thinking about it for a while, Brian started laughing out of no where. He laughed so loud that it seemed like there was a stereo built into his mouth, as idiotic and out there as that may seem. At first, Brian didn't even know why he was laughing so loudly. It just felt like the time to let out a big laugh. A laugh so loud that it could potentially be heard throughout the entire forest. Eventually Brian stopped laughing and gathered himself, still having his warm smile on his face.

"Hehehe, look at us, going back and forth on this topic. It's like we're part of rival debate trying to prove some kinda point. But I guess that's what happens when two pokemon with different goals or ideals meet each other and start a conversation. It's funny how things can be like that sometimes. Guess that's just how life works. Still, we're not gonna get anywhere just going back and forth like this. If only there was an easier way to get our points across. Hmm...." Brian said as he put his right hand on his chin, trying to think of something to do.

The moment he heard the Chimchar start cackling, Ares grew quite confused and startled. His feet would stop moving, and his eyes would grow quite wide and round. What was wrong with this guy? He had never accommodated this possibility into his plans, and thus was desperately searching for the appropriate reaction to have. Anger? Fear? Sadness? He was drawing a blank, but soon settled upon frustration and anger as the appropriate response. He had, after all, just attempted to bring up a good point, and thus this sort of laughter could be considered as mocking or insulting in tone.

"Hey!" he would snarl, finding himself resisting the urge to spit and hiss, "Knock it off! That's a very valid point, Brian!" He had never been too keen upon being looked down upon or ridiculed, and it was made particularly difficult when he had actually taken a liking to the person who was doing it. Though this was probably not the reason the laugh had been generated, it was seen as exceedingly likely. When Brian attempted to coat over the subject and mention how humorous it was that they were debating, Ares was still fuming. He would stubbornly fold his arms across his chest and allow a rather fowl scowl to warp his facial features. The ape's proposition for another method to get their points across, however, was exceedingly tempting.

"How do you mean?" Ares would inquire, a bite still present to his tone.

"Oh sorry Ares, probably should have worded that better." Brian said as he proceeded to scratch the back of his again out of habit as his warm smile turned to a more silly smile. He could see his companion's normal calm persona turn into a more agitated and annoyed one after he started laughing. Brian didn't mean to anger Ares, he was just doing what his heart told him to do. He still didn't know the full reason behind his laughing earlier, but at the moment he decided to just let that go and explain his statement to Ares.

"I didn't mean to derail your point Ares cause it was a really good point. My heart just told me to laugh and make my previous statement. Since following my heart has gotten me this far, I just decided to trust it as always, However, I guess what I should explain what I really meant. While talking can be a good way to resolve situations like this and allow us to understand each other's feelings, sometimes it's not always the best way to do so. However, there is another way that from my experiences that can always solve these types of problems, and it starts with this." Brian said as he thrusted his right fist in front of him, his flame still flickering with excitement.

An inquisitive look had come over his expressions now as he listened attentively to what Brian had to say. Though the sentiment of anger still wafted about in Ares's mind, the Chimchar had been pardoned; it was merely an upset feeling towards himself for getting so worked up. This was what always happened: he'd get upset over the tiniest remark or the most minute of details and find himself lashing out at others. He believed this to be a mere part of transitioning from one land's customs to another. His origins had been from another nation entirely - one nurtured in the crucible of war - and such arguments often resulted in bloodshed. Aggression would flare, boiling in each individual until they reached the breaking point and one lie dead or defeated. That was how arguments were settled.

Brian thrust forth his right fist, and the Charmander would subtly glance down towards it before allowing a crass, jagged smile to crack along the edges of his lips; his cuspids barely protruded down from his upper lip. War was the first language he had been fluent in, the first one that he had been raised to understand. Battle was the first mother that had nurtured him, the only one that had truly taught him life lessons. Tooth and fang were the peers that had tested him, the ones that had been there by his side. To put simply, Ares recognized a potential brawl when he saw one. A snake like hissing sigh rolled forth across his jaw as his heart fluttered within his chest, and that smile turned into a sinister grin, "Do I spy a potential feud?"

"You know," Brian said as he turned toward Ares, pounding his fist against his chest. "I actually wanted to do this when I first saw you. When I look into your eyes, I can see the passionately burning flame of a proud warrior with a strong, unfaltering spirit. I can tell that you have been through many battles and several intense experiences throughout your lifetime which has changed your perspective on a lot of things. While I can't say I know everything about you yet, I can tell that you are definitely strong in many ways. That's why I think we should do this. My parents taught me that through battle, you can learn about each other. Every attack is fueled by our desires. Every movement is made by our thoughts. Those words from my parents stay true even to this day. When me and my brother saw them spare with each other, we could their spirits clashing as well. They learned more about each others strengths, weaknesses, strategies, emotions, and everything else necessary. I feel that if we do this, we will truly be able to understand each other." Brian said as he stared at Ares with a raging, passionate flame in his eyes that was burning just as brightly as the flame on his tail.

Ares's suspicions were confirmed as Brian explained his intentions and shared his reasoning. It was quite a story, admittedly: he could palpably feel the emotions that burned from within the deep recesses of those ancient memories. There was some sort of energy - some sort of passion - that was riled up and kindled into existence from hearing such an explanation. Visible evidence of this sentiment was seen as his tail's flame burned with great intensity. On and on, it grew brighter and stronger, whipping itself up so that it might burn with the power of one thousand suns. It was a blaze, a conflagration: there was strength and power behind that glow that made it penetrate through the darkness. Shadows shriveled and fled, shrieking in terror as the Charmander allowed his smile to curl further.

They had always been destined to spar, to duel; Fate had twisted her blanket about on her loom so that their destiny-threads would cross at this one specific point in a violent knot. Ares could not resist the temptation to demonstrate his acquired might, and allowed his curled fingers to unfurl from their clenched fists and into arced, readied daggers. A predator personae overcame his senses as he felt his tail gave an idle flick, and he was left with but one demand.

"Enough talk," he would finally declare, a sinister gleam in his eyes; he was an avatar of a war deity, "let's fight."

He was swift and fluid in his movements, for he would push himself backwards with a single thrust of one of his muscular legs. His lungs had taken in a great inhale of the forest's frigid air, corrupted it with soot and ash, and spewed it forth in a napalm of smoke. It smoldered and festered in the air before expanding out in a great burst, shrouding the battlefield in dense SmokeScreen. Shadows and darkness would spread into the air blocked out from light, smothering light and muting sound. By the time that it had rushed out, the Charmander had disappeared into its thick, concealing veil. Let the game begin.

As he saw Area's smile grow wider and a predatorial instinct in his eyes, Brian didn't feel the need to say any more words. He would speak to Ares through his actions. He knew that this wouldn't be an easy task to complete, but that fact excited him more. Brian was finally getting the challenge that he was searching for. He could finally take such a strong opponent in his journey. Regardless of whether he won or loss, Brian would become a stronger Chimchar because of this battle. Still, he didn't want to disappointment Ares. Brian could tell how much he wanted this to happen. To fight a strong opponent one on one with everything you have. To Brian, that was the greatest joy the world had to offer, and he knew Ares felt that way at least a little. So Brian would give this battle everything that he had so they could both get the most out of it. After hearing Area's words , Brian knew that his greatest challenge yet had begun.

Brian saw Ares jump back swiftly as he used Smokescreen, covering the area around him in a thick fog that most Pokemon couldn't see through. However, just like before she Ares used this move on the large bug Pokemon, Brian's keen eyes allowed him to see fairly well even in the smokescreen.He then jumped out of the smoke and started jumping around the area, each jump getting him closer and closer to Ares. Brian was attempting to use his mobility to confuse Ares first, thinking that clashing head on right off the bat wouldn't be the best idea.

The moment that Ares had thrust himself into the concealing fog, he had hoped for the ability to toy with his newly designated opponent. There had been the anticipation and belief that, even with the keenest eyes, the billowing, undulating mass of black smoke would have at least shrouded him in some sort of veil. He had long since believed that his SmokeScreen was his trump card, a move that would assist in dominating his adversaries while he remained in the shadows of its folds. He had long since practiced the art of subterfuge and stealth when he would have preferred the art of berserker-like zeal that his ancestors held in the highest regard; would such practice prove futile and vain against this adversary? If such was the case, then he would need to adapt.

Quickly.

Brian was seemingly hopping about sporadically through the rolling, dense smoke, and making quite a ruckus as the leaves shifted beneath his toes. Whatever he was attempting was not working in the slightest - the experienced battler knew better than to rattle his brain about within his thick skull simply to track the agile ape. Though the Chimchar was attempting to keep his distance, Ares was more than willing to begin hand to hand combat. It was refreshing, nonetheless, that an adversary was not willing to promptly rush in headlong; he had not encountered such a strategy in quite awhile. While it might be quite wise to thicken the SmokeScreen, he would be disappointed to not begin a true confrontation with this interesting brawler.

With this in mind, he would be quite prompt to anticipating where the ape would hop next. Though one might consider the fact that sporadic meant random, there was still an algorithm and pattern in which randomness might occur. As Brian encroached upon his person, drawing closer and closer into his range and increasing his accuracy, he would fire off a Dragon Pulse attack and attempt to hit the Chimchar with it. It would spew forth with explosive power, dashing forward in a sphere-like ball that sliced through the smoke with the ease of a hot knife through butter. It screeched forward through the air with the speed of a snake's strike, yearning to make contact with orange fur and explode with volatile, dragon-based energy; such an impact might generate enough inertia to knock him back.

As he saw the large sphere of energy rushing towards him, he could feel an intense and powerful aura radiating from it. Not wanting to take any major same this early on in their battle, Brian jumped up as fast as he could and grabbed onto a tree branch above him, avoiding the attack. While Brian would normally be staring in awe at such a magnificent attack, he couldn't afford to do so now. On the battlefield, one little mistake could lead to your defeat and while Brian didn't care if he won or loss this battle, he didn't want it to end so soon either. The rush of adrenaline and the feeling of excitement flowing through him was unbelievably high. He was having the time of his life out there and he wanted it to last as long as possible.

After latching onto the tree branch, Brian began leaping to other branches around him. He kept going from branch to branch at a steady speed and pace, all the while watching Ares from the treetops, waiting for his chance to strike.

The ebony and thunder-sky-blue sphere that accelerated towards its target seemed to sizzle and smolder the air and smoke that were unfortunate enough to make contact with its pearl shape. It was an audible noise as it surged through the atmosphere towards whatever solid object that would make contact with it, a sort of burning noise that one might hear if grease and oil upon a skittle begins to boil. When its target lunged out of the way, the ball of energy would continue upon its predetermined path, crackling and sputtering as it raced on with no discrimination. A tree would be unfortunate enough to find itself the recipient of the attack, and splinters and bark would scatter about the makeshift arena as the ball exploded out in a magnificent, toppling burst. The stalwart behemoth, with limbs that stretched towards the heavens and extend up into the atmosphere, shuddered once before collapsing away from the injury inflicted upon it. The stability that it had once boasted had been undermined by such a grievous, gaping wound that was akin to being struck by lightning; if it had been sentient, it most certainly would not have known what hit it.

Down it fell, creaking and moaning in terror as it crushed foliage of all sorts - bushes, flowers, small trees - that lay in its wake. A trembling thump was audible, causing the ground to shudder as the noise and smell of crushed vegetation became present. Though Ares had long since allowed his sights to be set upon attempting to hit Brian once more, he would not remain aloof or ignorant to the towering pine's fall; yet, who could? Such an awe-inspiring, ancient tree could not be so easily ignored when it finally moved and made noise.

The smoke had begun to dissipate as the Dragon Pulse and the downdraft provided by the air beneath the pine's needles being projected out pumped it out with a powerful swoop. The avatar of war, analyzing his quarry with the intensity of a half-starved predator, could not help but feel exposed; it was as if he had been flipped onto his back and was about to be viciously devoured like a cooked lobster. Though it was important to keep a level head in battle, this sudden sentiment caused his adrenal glands to begin pumping copious amounts of fight-or-flight liquid throughout his veins. Things seemed to slow as he regained his composure, and his pupils tracked the ape that lunged about through the trees.

He was once more resigned to the fact that he would have to trap the Chimchar's movements, and thus would allow a shower of fireballs in an Ember attack to rain down upon the trees in which he lunged. It was not his intent hit Brian - quite the contrary, it would be in his best interest to not hit the leaping ape - but to ignite the needles and leaves that would produce a thick smoke. Though they shared the same typing, nothing could drive a creature out of hiding better than choking smog.

Seeing the Embers rain down onto the trees he was leaping on, Brian did his best to dodge the incoming flames until he latched onto the trunk of a large tree nearby and began climbing it. He kept climbing until he was above the thick leaves of the large tree and out of Ares's sights. He stood on a tree branch above the leaves and took a second to catch his breath. All of the leaping he had done was slightly tiring, though his stamina wasn't near depletion. Then Brian saw a thick cloud of smoke rising from below the leaves, most likely caused by the Embers that Ares had set loose. Even though he was a fire type and could see through the Smokescreen before fairly well, Brian knew that spending too much time withing the fog could leave him in a weakened state, something that would practically end the match for him. Not wanting the match to end so soon, Brian leaped away from the fog and decided to use this height to his advantage. He leaped toward a branch near him but instead of landing on it to continue leaping, Brian instead focused his energy into his right fist and created another Fire Punch. He then used this Fire Punch to hit the branch with such force that it was sent flying off of the tree it was attached to and headed in the direction of Ares. Brian then latched onto the side of a tree trunk and watched the branch, wondering how Ares will respond.