Jumping the Gun [Event]

Everspring Vale.

It was an absolutely massive area in the east, home to many different terrains and pokemon. Grasslands, rock quarries, cliffsides, streams and rivers and waterfalls and lakes, there was probably more to be found that Dreyar had time in his life. The rumor went that it wasn't even entirely mapped out, after all, meaning there was more for everyone to discover. He had come here pursuing a different rumor, however.

There were earthquakes troubling pokemon all over the area, and even those in neighboring lands felt the aftershocks of whatever was happening here. As a squirtle in the absolute beginning of his career as a potential hero, Dreyar didn't have faith in his ability to find and resolve the situation, but the very least he could do was make himself available to those who might need him while he got his day's worth of practice in, right? He had to train in some mystery dungeon; it might as well be the one with the local pokemon most likely in need of a helping hand right now.

That's what brought him here, hiking up the lower parts of a grassy hill, intent on reaching the top so he could gain himself a modest lay of the land. Outfitted with a bag stuffed with supplies and a joy ribbon tied around his neck, the squirtle was immediately identifiable as a civilized pokemon in a mystery dungeon; the very image of a prepared, novice explorer, even.

22 - 20 (entry): 2 energy

(Energy: 22 - 20 = 2)

The dungeons out here were absolutely breath-taking! This place seemed like it had come straight out of a fantasy-adventure book! He hadn't been there too long, but had already seen so many impressive sights! When he'd entered the dungeon, he'd seen a tall, slim waterfall, pouring down a cliffside. It had been forming a stream, and he'd jumped into it, playing in it a bit. Sure, he'd come here to train, but that didn't mean he couldn't have a bit of fun while he was at it, right?

The deeper he went into the dungeon, the more and more he found his breath being taken away. Of course, he couldn't let his guard down. This was a dungeon, and regardless of it's natural beauty, it was still a dangerous place. But that was ok! That was why Saido was there, after all. He had to practice! When he was a police officer, he'd be facing danger constantly! So better to get some practice in early, right?

It was in the middle of these thoughts that the Nickit saw another civilized Pokemon. A squirtle was climbing up the hill, and he seemed like quite the prepared individual! Even from a distance, he could see that his bag was stuffed full of something, and the bright colors of a joy ribbon were practically unmistakable! Saido began to trot towards the Squirtle, trying to make as much noise as possible. If he was civilized, there was no need to be sneaky, after all! The Nickit hummed a little song he remembered hearing, trying to make his presence aware, before he was finally practically alongside the Squirtle.

"Hey! Whatcha doin' out here?" The Nickit asked, cocking his head amicably. He hoped the Squirtle had heard him coming. He'd done his best in that regard, at least...

Dreyar turned, having heard the approach of another pokemon and he smiled automatically when it turned out to be friendly. "Grinding," he answered back easily. "Or, well, not yet, but... I'm about to start training, yeah." the squirtle went on, surveying their surroundings from his spot on the top of the hill. It wasn't a very big hill, and so he only had a limited view, but from the looks of things he and this guy were pretty alone up here, all by themselves.

He exhaled an easy breath, truthfully a little disappointed that this guy wasn't a wild pokemon out to get him, because that's sort of what he came here for. On the other hand, though, he was friendly, and Dreyar... well, he needed friends, as desperate as that sounded. "Pickings are pretty sparse out here, it looks like. I'm Dreyar," he introduced himself, holding a hand out to the fox pokemon to shake. He wondered what species it was. "What's your name?"

What luck! This other Pokemon seemed like he was interested precisely in what Saido was interested as well: practice! He was smiling at him, and Saido positively beamed back. It was nice to meet someone friendly on one of his first ventures outside the town. The Squirtle surveyed his surroundings, while Saido sat down beside him, taking a short rest. This place was a long way away from where he usually spent his time. The travel... Wasn't unwelcome, but it would certainly take getting used to if he was to travel like this more in the future. And he was going to have to, wasn't he?

"Hey! Well, that's why I'm here too! To practice, I mean. Are you very experienced? You seem quite used to this sort of grinding thing..." Truth be told, he'd never heard that word before, but it wasn't too difficult to piece together it's meaning. "Hey! We could even practice together! If you want, I mean... The Nickit trailed off, standing up and stretching as the Squirtle lamented the lack of "Pickings". Practice, he presumed that meant. He couldn't help but agree. Although at the very least, that meant more time to sightsee! It was a very pretty dungeon...

Dreyar, his name was. Saido repeated the name softly under his breath, committing it to memory. It was a nice name. He wasn't quite sure if he liked his very much, but it was the one he'd been given, at the end of the day.

"It's nice to meet you, Dreyar. My name's Saido! I'm gonna be a policemon one day!" The Nickit said proudly, standing taller at the mere mention of his goal. It was important to be confident, after all! "How about you, though...? Are you an explorer?"

Dreyar's smile spread from ear to ear as the pokemon introduced himself quite thoroughly. Here was someone else ready and willing to test themselves, and he even wanted to be a part of a police force! The squirtle's excitement was almost palpable at meeting a like minded pokemon.

"Uh, not really. Not by trade, at least. I just come out here to dungeons like this to practice. I'm not with any of the guilds," Drey revealed. Though it would be nice to get paid for his passion, that kind of went against the whole point of being a hero for the sake of it.  "And I'm... not really experienced, no, heh. I know how to fight, but I'm pretty new to this dungeon crawling stuff, and I haven't trained a whole lot yet." he went on, answering the fox's question.

He scratched his chin a bit, mulling over the offer he was given. "I'd love to get some practice in, but only if we pull our punches. We're in a mystery dungeon after all, and I don't want to be all beat up and tired for whatever wild pokemon that come across us afterward." he agreed. "I've got healing items and a useful move to patch us up after, too. Whaddya say, Saido?" Drey finished, leaning forward in excitement. It would be a tame sparring match, but the prospect of testing himself against another pokemon his age with similar goals was almost intoxicating.

Saido's smile grew as the strange, friendly Pokemon's grin grew as well. He seemed to grow and more excited, and that sort of excitement proved to be contagious to the Nickit. The fox nodded along eagerly as Dreyar explained his situation to him. He wasn't a guild member, and he wasn't experienced. But he knew how to fight, which indicated that he wasn't exactly sheltered either. How well could he fight? Probably better than him, Saido wasn't actually all too good... But the main characters of all the book he'd gotten to read never started as the best either, and that gave him a bit of comfort...

And to his excitement, the squirtle agreed to his offer! Of course, it came with a condition, but the condition seemed quite reasonable, so Saido nodded along eagerly. "No no, that makes sense! I'll do my best to keep an eye out in case someone actually dangerous comes by!" And with that, the fox trotted away, a few paces from the squirtle, before turning to look back at him. Eager to get started, he began to nod. "I'm ready when you are! I'll be sure to go easy on ya!"

Likewise, Dreyar walked backward a few steps as well, just as eager for distance as his newest sparring partner. He couldn't resist a small giggle as he did so; this guy had a little attitude, which he was all for. "Likewise," Dreyar said, rolling his arms and shoulders in preparation. He couldn't wait to see what this guy could do.

Taking and releasing a deep breath, the squirtle tried and failed to suppress the rising nervousness and excitement bubbling up in him. "We'll start on one, okay?" Dreyar pitched. Hastily swinging an arm around himself, the water type cast his bag off to the side, tossing it gently into the grass a stone's throw away. "Three... two...

"One!" he called, bursting into movement as soon as he spoke. Squirtle's weren't especially fast, but sitting around wasn't exactly a premium strategy. Dreyar hustled backward, keeping an eye on Saido as he moved. At the same time, he flexed a muscle in his throat, calling up a surge of water.

Thrusting his head forward, Dreyar spat out a torrent of Scald, the hot water aimed at an area vaguely around Saido's feet. He wasn't trying to hit him so much as gauge the fox pokemon's speed and how likely he was to dodge regular attacks; Dreyar fully expected the dark type to evade the opening blow.

the sunset hero carried out 2 launched of one Everspring Vale :

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Saido smiled as the Squirtle retorted back with the simple word. He didn't seem too keen to tease him, which he was quite fine with! Practice was practice, and he seemed like the type who would let his actions speak for themselves. Either way was fine, either way was fun! He was just so excited for him to finish his countdown, 3, 2, 1, and then the fight would begin! He could hardly contain himself!

Saido watched as the Squirtle threw his bag to the side. The presence of the strap around his neck, and the bag held tightly to his side made themselves known to him. He couldn't take them off though, then he'd see the bruises... But enough of  that! He was counting now! Three, two, one...

Saido giggled as Dreyar yelled out the one loudly, bursting into action. He was moving backwards, and already, Saido could tell that he was... well, probably faster. The Squirtle seemed to have something planned though, so he could hardly afford to let his guard down. This was practice! He was in a fight! The excitement of the moment hardly allowed him to think properly, but... Wait! Water! Coming towards him!

The fox leaped backwards, stumbling slightly as he landed. That had been unexpected. He'd been careless... Even if his movement wasn't too fast, his moves certainly seemed to be moving at quite a respectable speed. Droplets of water clung to the grass, and was he just imagining the vapor? The water hadn't been particularly close though...

"Missed me!" Saido yelled out jokingly, before he prepared himself for his counterattack. There was quite a lot of ground to cover between himeslf and Dreyar, but he could move pretty fast, and the Squirtle hadn't been moving all too fast himself... Without really thinking too much about it, Saido began to sprint towards the Squirtle, an extreme burst of speed propelling him forward much faster than he was used to. Exhilaratingly fast...

With any luck, he'd find his target...

Dreyar remained silent, though the still present grin on his face betrayed how he was feeling at the moment. He didn't expect the Scald to land; he just wanted to see how fast Saido was. The answer was... deceptively so. Saido was deceptively fast. For a moment, as the fox stumbled back, he thought he might be around his own speed.

Then his opponent blasted off toward him super quickly, shifting into a full sprint headed right for him. It caught Dreyar off guard, but well taught and maintained habits rose to the surface regardless, thanks to his mother's diligent training. The squirtle dug his heels into the ground and braced for Saido's impact, not even bothering to try dodging. Instead, he reached his arms out in the instant before contact was made, opting to try to physically grappling the fox as he barrelled into him.

The blow was going to hurt Drey, no doubt, but if he could get his arms around the dark tape's neck, maybe he could pin him down... it would make taking the attack worth it.

0 energy

Saido couldn't help but feel quite puzzled in the middle of his sprint. Why wasn't Dreyar attempting to dodge? If he were in his position, he'd be trying to get away like crazy, not just stand there... He wasn't moving at all! That was a bit silly of him... He couldn't believe that his newfound friends was giving up quite that easy, considering his earlier statements. The question still remained, then. Why was he standing still...?

He rammed the Squirtle, slowing down considerably at the last second. He was still fast enough to knock Dreyar off balance, assuming he'd measured himself properly, but not fast enough to actually hurt him... But he soon began to regret having slowed down. He felt hands curve around his neck, grabbing hold of him. The momentum of his own move, plus the impact against Dreyar sent both of them tumbling, and he still felt the hands around his neck as they landed in the grass.

"Hey! Let me go!" Saido cried out breathlessly as they landed in the grass. He played both his forepaws on the Squirtle as his hind legs scrambled to find purchase. He couldn't really use any of his other moves, so this was the best he could do... He attempted to push the Squirtle away with as much force as he could muster, but he wasn't all too big... Then again, who knew? Maybe he was stronger than he thought...

Dreyar was officially at a disadvantage. The squirtle winced heavily as he was rammed, falling to the ground alongside Saido. Even as he got a decent hold on his opponent, the fox was already struggling to get out of his grasp... and Dreyar didn't know how to fight back.

Part of his training was learning how to grapple, and that meant he'd learned techniques and tricks geared for that. The only problem was that Dreyar exclusively trained with his mom and other members of his family; Saido had four legs and no arms, and thus all the holds and submissions were just... way off. Dreyar's hands didn't know where to grab.

He was going to have to compromise. He wanted to make headway, but he couldn't keep hold of Saido. "If you insist..." Drey grunted, flattening his hands and closing his eyes briefly. He reached for an inner energy that most pokemon didn't know existed, forming a sphere of aura between his two hands.

Then he fired the Aura Sphere, point blank into Saido as they grappled. He was careful to dial back the potency of the move, more focused on getting the hit in than doing full damage. This way, they'd both get what they wanted. Dreyar got his hit in, and Saido got his freedom back.

Woah! Bright blue orb! Saido watched in awe as the Squirtle closed his eyes and let him go, but only for a moment. He didn't know Squirtle could learn that move! One of the main characters in one of the books he'd read knew Aura sphere, but he was a Lucario, not a Squirtle. Saido had no time to prevent the sphere from crashing into him; in the confusion, the best he could do was brace himself for the impact. He grunted softly as the aura sphere sent him tumbling backwards a meter or so. Despite this, however, the smile on his face seemed larger than ever. Scrambling to his feet, he couldn't help but praise the Squirtle.

"Wow! You know aura sphere? I didn't know you could learn that, that's so cool!" Saido said, a big, goofy grin on his face. He was noticeably more relaxed than he'd been just seconds ago, too excited to be tense. He wish he knew a move that exciting!

But exciting or not, he was still in a fight... The Nickit smiled broadly at Dreyar, before he turned his attention to the claws on his feet. He didn't intend to actually use them, but given he had a second, and this was probably what he would do in an actual fight, what was the harm? He focused on the move he'd learned, a burst of dark energy from within him seeming to sharpen them. He hated that, but so long as he had the move...

It gave him time to think, too. Dreyar hadn't tried to dodge, instead having him head on. It hadn't worked out too well for Saido, given the results, but if he did it again, the water type would probably use a similar tactic. So if he changed his approach up just a bit, enough to seem like he was doing the same thing, but change it up at the last second...?

Yes, maybe that could work...

"I gotcha all figured out though, Drey!"  Saido taunted, eyeing the turtle for an opening. It wouldn't do to get blasted by a torrent of hot water, or another burst of aura while he quick attacked, would it?

Hauling himself up to his feet, Dreyar exhaled a breath he didn't remember sucking in. Saido was faster, stronger, and heavier than he pegged him to be - there was a surprising amount of force behind his attack and subsequent struggles on the ground. He was suddenly a lot less sure of his chances in this little mock battle; something told him that the fox pokemon had more practical experience than he did, even if it wasn't strictly combat-related.

He grinned at the compliment he was given, though. Aura Sphere was a pretty rare move - not a lot of pokemon outside of the riolu line could learn it, and he was proud of his prowess with it, even as limited as it was. He couldn't do anything else with aura, but honestly, why would he want to do anything else with it besides blast people?

"Oh, is that right?" Drey bantered back, his voice lighthearted in contrast to his intent eyes. He kept his arms loose at his hips, ready form another Aura Sphere in case the situation called for it, but he didn't rush into it. Maybe Saido wanted to talk for a reason—did the move scare him into buying time to think of a countermeasure, or did he have some kind of plan? Either way, the squirtle was happy to trade barbs for a moment; he wasn't set on winning as much as he was seeing what Saido could do. He liked this other pokemon.

Digging his heels into the soil beneath him, Dreyar planted his feet and spread his stance, looking for all the world that he didn't plan on moving. Whatever Saido wanted to do, Drey was going to take it head-on and go from there. "Prove it!" he taunted, clenching and unclenching his hands in nervous apprehension. He had a feeling this next exchange was going to decide the battle on way or another.

Saido grinned and nodded, cocking his head slightly as the Squirtle returned back his banter. Was battling always this fun? He was having a blast! "Yep! That's right! Alllllll figured out, Sorry Drey!" He said easily, the dark type relaxing his limbs as he grinned cockily at the Squirtle. He tilted his head as he watched the water type. His tail swished lazily in the moment of respite from the fight. But he couldn't stay this relaxed for long, the turtle was already digging his heels into the ground, taunting him back, and he couldn't just let him get away with that!

"Prove it? Well, if you wanna lose so badly, I suppose I will!" Saido said, winking. He didn't care too much for winning, really. It'd be nice if he did, since this would be his first fight, and it'd be quite encouraging really, but, well, it wasn't the end of the world if he lost either. Dreyar seemed quite nice, and he found himself liking the water type...

Well, now he had to figure out how to get to the Squirtle... If he could grapple on his terms, preferably without the Squirtles arms around his neck, he might have a better shot, especially considering he could use his tail to disorient him as well, it was just... getting there that was the problem. He didn't particularly wanted to get blasted by an aura sphere or burnt by hot water, so he had to dodge it... He couldn't just run to him, not that fast.

But if he walked, and then watched out for one of those two moves...? Well, he didn't have to rush things, did he? Just walk up slowly, and then use his quick attack to dodge, run around, and hopefully strike the Squirtle? Well, there wasn't much else he could do until he got into range, could he? So he started to walk, slowly, but with an air of cocky indifference. Of course, this was spooky. If he was too slow, or blinked at the wrong time, or any number of things happened, his plan would get shut down before it even began. But really, he couldn't think of anything else, and regardless of the consequences, he wanted to keep going!

"Well! Here I come!" Saido announced cheerily, eying the Squirtle carefully for any sudden movements. If he used either of the moves he'd shown before, he could hopefully dodge them, with some luck. At least, that was the plan...

Dreyar continued to watch Saido carefully, eagerly trying to pick out any changes in his demeanor or approach. The only thing that was different, though, was how slow and casual the fox was being about his assault. He was almost just walking right up to him, not even bothering to use his considerable speed advantage. He wasn't underestimating him, was he? "Bring it already!" the squirtle urged, crouching lower as he prepared for the inevitable attack. He couldn't not lash out now that he'd committed to hard to it.

And Dreyar was going to wait for it. After a moment of consideration, he withdrew his hands from his hips to hang higher up at his sides, a more versatile position for them in case Saido tried something different. Which he was pretty sure was going to happen. There was simply too much build-up and suspense for the fox to simply ram into him again. Dreyar shifted to face his opponent side-face, placing one shoulder in front of him. This way, he presented himself as a less sizable target; if Saido wanted to go for his more vulnerable front, he'd have to go around at least, and that would buy Dreyar at least an instant of time to react. And when that happened...

He exhaled calmly. When that happened, Dreyar was going to try something different himself. Aura Sphere would always connect, but he saw how Saido reacted to that attack already. Maybe he could take the guy for a little spin instead.