Preparations

{Energy: 20 - 5 (entrance cost) = 15}

It was funny, stepping into these trees. He had only ever been here once before on a scouting trip to gather supplies and to look for Pokémon from the local town who might be interested in forming an Exploration Team with him, though they also had to be Pokémon he deemed worthwhile. But at this point, he had no reason for that. After all...he'd found a good couple of candidates already. All he needed now was to have a decent stockpile of supplies for both himself and his potential teammates. And that was the sole reason the Charmander was stepping between these trees again. Otherwise, he wouldn't be wasting his time in these parts.

To Hidon and the threats he'd faced since first stepping foot into Grassveil Town, and all the battles he'd taken part in so far...the Pokémon here were nothing more than chump change. Or at least, as far as he was aware. After all, these were common training grounds for newcomers...but Hidon had skipped past it and gone straight into the heart of the forest, where the natives called Shadowhue. Sure, he'd been almost taken out a couple times while he'd been there, but he always ended up walking out of the forest fully conscious. So what threat could there possibly be in the training grounds where even the local non-explorers didn't mind stepping into once in a while? If they were going to be fine, why shouldn't he be?

That thought on his mind was what kept Hidon so nonchalant as he made his way through the forest, keeping his eyes peeled for any sign of anything that could prove useful to him. Or even any sign of life. He could always use some action to liven up his search after all. And if he could find a Pokémon to battle while he searched, then all the better. He could still use the combat experience anyway, even if it might not be that much.

(Energy: 19 - 5 entry = 14)

Pecha Forest. Blaine the Scraggy knew this area like the folds on his loose skin. His clan made frequent trips here to hound some defenseless saps and take anything they could get their hands on. Victims of their cold onslaught were only victims of nature itself. That was the essence of survival to Blaine: Eat or be eaten.

It was ironic, in a way. He had survived this long by having a clan he could fall back on. United, their forces could seize just about anything they wanted. It was the very same concept that allowed his former clanmates to usurp his father's chieftainship and kick him out of the clan in one fell swoop. Overnight, everything Blaine had was taken from him, leaving him with nothing but his own muscle.

He chuckled to himself. The chuckle grew into a laugh, then a resounding guffaw. To any listeners, this would sound like a sure sign of a mad Pokemon. And it wouldn't be far from the truth, either. When one's entire world flips on its head so suddenly, it's bound to leave one's mind in a state of whiplash. With no warning whatsoever, Blaine found himself in a situation where he had to survive on his own. He was certain he could do it; in fact, those other Scraggy were only holding him back! He was the son of the strongest and longest-running chief of the clan, after all. However, even he knew that being fully self-reliant involved first gathering supplies and strength. Which meant doing what he did best: scouring the forest for easy targets. He didn't realize it, but his outward display of temporary insanity had probably scared away most of the Pokemon he would have chosen.

Hidon continued to push his way through the trees, beginning to grow mildly frustrated that his search thus far was turning up nothing. Where were the berries? The seeds? The occasional TM or Orb he might or might not ever use? Well...perhaps those might not be as necessary. Still, though. If nothing else, he could sell them to buy other necessary items he could use. And that wasn't being helped at all by his luck thus far.

Just as the Charmander was about to throw his arms up and vocalize his frustrations, however, he heard something. It almost sounded like the victorious laugh of some comic book style of evil or twisted Pokémon that had gotten the better of some defenseless Pokémon. Okay, so maybe the thought was a little bit of an exaggeration dreamed up by his imagination. Still, the possibility intrigued him. If there was some Pokémon that could use his help, he would undoubtedly want to be there. He would need to take that risk. And if he had to fight somebody as a result? Well, that would just be icing on the cake. Besides...this was just the Pecha Forest. What could be out here that could take a guy as strong as him?

So, Hidon followed the sound of he laugh for as long as he could. Unfortunately, it didn't last as long as he had hoped it would. But at least it was easy enough to rush through the forest toward where he last heard the sound. And eventually, he found exactly what he was looking for. While many normal Pokémon would have merely turned the opposite direction and fled from a laugh of insanity, it had in truth actually attracted him. The Charmander suddenly burst through some nearby foliage, finally seeing a Scraggy standing by his lonesome self. "Aha!" he suddenly exclaimed. He quickly halted his momentum and put his claws to his waist, puffing out his chest with pride. "I take it that you're the one I heard laughing from halfway across the forest?" On the Charmander's face, a cocky smirk appeared almost instantaneously. He looked ready for just about anything...but whether or not the Scraggy considered him any more of a threat than the other forest Pokémon had yet to be seen.

As Blaine continued his uneventful trek through the forest, it began to dawn on him that his careless stunt may have indeed cost him the encounter he had hoped for, or at least a lot of time. He stopped, crossing his arms and looking down in thought. Perhaps if he remembered any particular nests or territories belonging to certain Pokemon, he could find and liberate their resources more quickly...

His train of thought was cut short by a sudden, loud rustling noise from behind him. Expecting a large Pokemon, he turned around, only to be met with a much more interesting sight - a Charmander. He did not recall seeing any Charmander in Pecha Forest before. Perhaps an explorer? Explorers tended to have quite the varied stash of loot. A devilish grin played across the Scraggy's face as he recognized how lucky this find was. The Charmander looked so full of himself with that silly smirk of his that Blaine couldn't help but follow up with a hearty chortle.

"Yeah, that was me," sneered Blaine confidently, as if his continued laughter wasn't confirmation enough for the Fire-type. "What, you lookin' to join the circus or something? Cause lemme tell you, you sure look like a fool!" He playfully propped one foot atop a nearby rock, laughing down at the Charmander despite being roughly the same height. "Go ahead, clown. Show me your act. This outta be good." Blaine knew the prideful type all too well. Talking him down was sure to provoke an attack. Although he appeared to have let his guard down, he was expecting an angry physical retaliation for his words.

Hidon's smirk only grew wider as he waited for Blaine's answer to his question. If he was the source of that laugh, then he'd know that he'd found the right guy. Whoever this was must have stolen something from some Pokémon and walked away. Why else would he be here, laughing maniacally by himself in the middle of the forest? But before he could even get his answer, his prideful smirk changed slightly, shortening itself upon seeing the grin that began to spread across the Scraggy's own countenance. And before long, a perfectly hearable laugh met his senses, coming from the same source.

What did this guy think was so funny?

He finally got his answer, but he had already figured it out from the laugh anyway. For a split-second, his smirk started to return, however, and he opened his mouth to say something more, ready to demand that this Scraggy return whatever it was he stole to the citizen he'd stolen it from. But before a sound could even leave his lips, the Scraggy had continued talking. And his smirk quickly died before Blaine's own two eyes. It transformed itself slowly into a frown accompanied by a glare from his eyes. It eventually became a teeth-clenched scowl, though, once Blaine had propped his foot up against a rock and started laughing down at him. Who did THIS clown think he was talking about him like that and calling HIM a clown!?

He let out an audible growl, claws at his waist pulling themselves from his skin and tightening into balls as he began clenching them into fists. He was EXTREMELY tempted to just run over to him and smash his fist into the side of the Fighting-type's face as powerfully as he could and shut him up himself. However, he wasn't pushed that hard quite yet, and he still had a bit of reason to him. He certainly didn't want to rush over and knock the guy's lights out if he might not even be worth the time and effort.

"Who're you calling a clown!?" he demanded, jabbing a finger angrily and accusingly through the air toward the Scraggy. "I'm not the one laughing maniacally to himself! Now you'd better shut your mouth before I come over there and use what my dad taught me to shut it for ya!"

If Blaine wanted him to act predictably, he'd need to keep pushing. But judging from the look on the Charmander's face and his own words, it probably wouldn't take too much more effort to push him over the edge.

Blaine watched the transformation happen with visible amusement. Just as he had predicted, his words were getting to the Charmander, but he had underestimated his willpower slightly. Oh well. At this point, it wouldn't take long. Blaine showed no signs of intimidation as Hidon started to meet his jeering with threats of his own. He listened, formulating an equally aggravating response as his prey talked, but one particular word caught him off guard.

"Dad."

Blaine twitched, hesitating. The loss of his father was too recent for him, and the mere word was enough to set off the fireworks still lingering in the back of his mind. He regained his poker face quickly, realizing it wasn't about him; perhaps not quickly enough for one who was particularly observant, but hopefully this lizard was already too riled up to pay any attention.

He chuckled darkly. "That's some big talk for a street performer," he derided, staying in place. "Was my laugh that maniacal? I guess you'd be an expert on the subject of laughter. Heck, I'd sooner die laughing at you than to your flimsy little claws." He beckoned with his hand, inviting Hidon to act on his hollow threats. "Come on, then," he continued, grinning. "I'm still waiting to see that act of yours."