Love Leads To Burns

Now this was just what he really needed. After many adventures in cold, dreadful places, Mordred was finally given the opportunity to enjoy a nice, warm exploration. In the large, volcanic crater, he felt just at home. Sure, it brought back some painful memories, but he couldn't turn away from such welcoming heat. After all, many Scraggy lived and traveled in these types of areas. It was a sort of instinct.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the smell of smoke and humid air. It made him cough a little, but he felt fine. This only made him think that he had lost a bit of his touch. His clan, the Vulcans, had lived in a mountain range with a volcano right in the heart. After being away from these heated areas for so long, it seemed he had grown out of them a little. Determination sparked within the dark type, and with a firm grip on the strap of his satchel, he delved deeper into the crater, ready to take on any wild pokemon that dared to challenge him.

He kept his focus on his surroundings, making sure that he didn't miss anything important. Many explorers had said that this crater contained an abundance of valuable items, most particularly TMs. While the reptile didn't have a need for fire type moves, he knew that he could sell the TMs for a good price, or maybe trade them for a better move. It wasn't everyday he focused on hoarding items or riches, but he wanted to make the most out of his trip here. The journey had been pretty exhausting, after all, and he wasn't going to leave after only some training.

It was much too peaceful at the moment, then again he was only at the earliest surface. The deeper he got, the more strong and dangerous pokemon there would be. Come to think of it, he didn't have any water or rock moves to knock any fire types easily. But this only meant for a bigger challenge, and Mordred found challenges fairly amusing.

She'd finally made it. The Sneasel looked down the daunting chasm with a look of awe, molten lava spurting out at random moments would put off the weak hearted and most ice types. But not this fearless Sneasel. Some would call her foolish, and they would be correct.  Of course a question would have to be asked, why would Kuro, a Sneasel, come to a place filled with fire and ground types that would make her faint faster than a magikarp being hit by a Thunder? Only one word.

"Arcaniiine~ Where are youuu~" Kuro called out to the deep chasm below her, causing a few small rocks to fall down into the hold, showing how far down it went "Well.. that ain't very promising now is it?" She mumbled to herself as she continued walking at her steady pace, making sure to check every nook and cranny for a sign of an Arcanine around here. Yet none.

"Maybe I should've brought Jeremy along with me, I mean sure he would probably say 'we should really live, Arcanine don't leave here' or something like that.." She muttered to herself once again, hoping that her talking to herself didn't let any pokemon notice her. Unless it was an Arcanine

Mordred hadn't waited long before he decided to sit down and meditate. The feeling of nostalgia flooded through him as he remembered how he used to meditate with his siblings in his clan. Sure, it wasn't a very popular lesson, but it was one of the few lessons he took that didn't end with him being beaten to a pulp by his brothers and sisters. Even better, the mentor they had didn't entirely hate him. It was a very peaceful time in his childhood, and he cherished it. Oh how it pained him to realize that he had forgotten all about his meditation.

He took a deep breath, calming his nerves. It wasn't a very bright idea to meditate in such a dangerous area, but the spot he had chosen was just secluded enough that he didn't need to worry about ambushes or being spotted by passing pokemon. He focused on the heat of his surroundings, delving deep into the darkness of his mind. He felt his muscles relax, and it was only then he realized how tired he really was. He just barely caught himself from nodding off, snapping out from his daze and returned to focusing on his meditation. The smell of ash and the blazing temperature of the crater seemed to vanish, leaving him with a bright feeling inside. This could just possibly be one of the calmest moments he'd had since he started his life as an explorer.

Unfortunately, his peace was disturbed once more. Why was it that he was never given enough time to relax? Was his luck really that terrible? He sighed, opening his eyes. His vision returned to normal, and he was soon greeted by the same rocky environment he had entered. However, there seemed to be someone else in the area. He squinted his eye, spotting another pokemon wandering a considerable distance away from him. The colors, the body shape, it all seemed familiar. His eyes widened, his mind finally registering what pokemon that really was. No, it just wasn't possible. Of all the places this pokemon could have wandered in, it had to be here.

He stood up, before beginning to approach the other pokemon. The sneasel seemed to be searching for something, and as he drew closer, he heard what she was saying. Something about Arcanine? Was this pokemon here to train? He waited for a moment, pondering if he should interrupt. It wasn't really his business, but letting an ice type wander on her own . . .

"'Scuse me, what are you doing here?" He asked, directing his words to the Sneasel. She seemed awfully distracted; he could only hope she heard him.

Kuro stopped in her tracks as she heard a voice speak to her, it made her jump slightly as she wasn't expecting anyone to initiate a conversation with her in such a violent environment. She turned to the voice slightly nervous but put on a smile "Just a lil' vacation, looking for a pokemon called Arcanine. Seen any around?" She asked as she begun partaking in her habit of sharpening her claws as she inspected the pokemon that decided to talk to her. The biggest thing she noticed was that he was a pokemon who wore a piece of clothing, she didn't really notice the eyepatch

"Anyway what are you doing here? Probably doing some training right? You look pretty darn strong, strong enough to beat any ground types here to a pulp. And some fire types too" She rambled on about... she didn't even know what she was talking about, her mouth would sometimes just run off on its own. She still had to make sure that this pokemon was to be trusted, she didn't want the pokemon to think she was on her own "My teammate is actually a little behind me, so.. I'm not alone just so ya know... totally not on my own" Aced it. She thought to herself

Oh good, the Sneasel had heard him. He froze instantly, seeing her begin sharpening her claws. His body was about to put him in a fighting stance, only for him to stop half way. The ice type seemed nervous from her voice, and she didn’t hold the murderous aura most opponents usually would. Most likely she was preparing to defend herself. It did seem odd to find someone willing to speak and act civilized in these types of places. Instead of preparing to fight, the scraggy raised his hands defensively. The last thing he needed was to be mistaken for a predator.

“Um, no. I’m pretty sure that I haven’t seen any Arcanine. Nor have I actually heard of any living here,” He said, recalling of the scarce information he had received from the other guild members. There was an abundance of fire pokemon here, obviously, but he had yet to hear a tale of someone battling an Arcanine in this crater. “Wait… Why are you looking for an Arcanine anyways?” He asked, perplexed as to why the Sneasel would go all the way here for a single opponent. He respected pokemon taking difficult challenges, as he was one to do so himself, but this pokemon didn’t seem keen on actually fighting any.

Before he knew it, the Ice type began to ramble. He was flattered at being told that he was of considerable strength, but it still made him a tad uncomfortable. It’s not every day he was told this, and hearing it from a stranger didn’t really make the situation any less odd. He tilted his head upon hearing her mention teammates. “Oh, you’re part of the Guild too?” He got his satchel, raising it enough to show the badge stuck on its flap. “Same here,” He said, thinking that showing he was an explorer would help the Sneasel be less nervous. It didn’t take brains to tell that she felt a little threatened by his sudden presence.