The Difference between a Rival and an Ally

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A small fox like creature with gray fur for a coat yawned and shook herself as she wandered about the forest, foraging for food and items. She also searched for a new victim to steal from. The sun shined on two gold clip-on earrings on her right ear, both on the lower part of her ear. She had recently stolen these from a jewelry store in Grassviel, after having stared longingly at it for days from afar. The Zorua was proud of her catch, and paid no attention to how it stood out with its shining. She thought of it as more of a bait trap, luring pokemon towards the shining object upon her ear for her to steal from. She smirked as she sat down and began to groom behind her ear in the dark forest that was her home. She was comfortable here in the dark, at least so she convinced herself. The zorua was slightly uneasy in the dark, being alone and undefended..

A Sentret...I wonder if it's the same one I ran into earlier. The Oshawott wondered, nodding her head as Mirage explained the issue.
"Sounds like you've already done what you can for now. And let me clarify something: I'll help out if I can, but if it puts me too far into harms way then I would like I'm out." Ava responded, knowing that she wasn't being completely truthful. She would say that she didn't want to get any more trouble then she wanted, but the thrill of the chase and the adrenaline from the danger was something that, mixed with impulsiveness, made her want to keep going and kept her pushing situations.

"I wouldn't blame you, why risk your life for another?" Mirage huffed, she would most certainly rather save her own hide rather than another pokemon's. If it were a friend and a small chance of her dying she would, but if it was someone she knew nothing about she would probably look away or die of laughter. Mirage enjoyed the feeling of winning, not losing. The adrenaline was fear to her, and to be avoided unless it meant she was on a roll.
"So, for the sake of keeping this conversation going and not falling into silence, where are you from?"
Mirage wanted the oshawott to stay here, there was nobody else to mess with or talk to. She had already had her share of playing with this strange creature, so tricks were not on her mind at the moment.

Ava smirked somewhat, grabbing her shell and tossing it up into the air, catching it and repeating the action multiple times.
"I assume you're ready to answer questions of equal value when I answer yours," She commented, more of a statement then a question as she continued. "My best guess would be a distance away from Rainfront Town, somewhere along the coast." The Oshawott answered. Truth be told she didn't know exactly where she was from. She could find her way there and go easily, but having to explain it was harder for her.
"Now, how about you? Where would you be from?" Avaria questioned in response, looking over at Mirage while her shell was in the air and reaching out to grab it, missing it as the shell clattered to the ground. Okay, might want to work on that if I'm going to do this often. She thought to herself.

Mirage laughed at the oshawott's attempt to look cool, and merely answered, "Quite a distance away from here, we had no name for the place, just a small town that I call "Trashton"" Mirage grew a bit bitter at the memory of the town. Her parents had been rejected job after job just because her mother was pure dark type, and was considered evil and filled with ill intent. Mirage had nearly starved until she took up the life of thievery. Her parents rejected her ill ways, and continued trying to find a legitimate job despite's the town's prejudice against the dark types. She had grown tired of her parent's foolishness, and decided to run away, if they weren't going to accept the obviously needed lifestyle then she would elsewhere.

"It doesn't sound like you enjoyed the place much, giving it a name like that. I figure you must have some bad blood with it." Avaria commented as an observation, thinking about it. She had been rather fond of where she used to live. Emphasis on had. After everything that had happened with her family there she no longer enjoyed going back to that area, it was a source of emotional attachment, and that wasn't something she needed in her life.
"And how did someone like yourself end up an outlaw?" The Oshawott asked, picking up her shell and placing it back on her front. Maybe it was just what Mirage wanted to do, or maybe something forced her into it. There were plenty of reasons to become an outlaw, but the root of the matter to understanding one was why they were doing what they did.

"Because that's what they wanted. The only way of life for me," Mirage said bluntly. She thought for a moment and figured no harm would come from weaving her tale of woe to the Oshawott, "My parents were constantly denied jobs and sales because of my mother's type, pure dark type. They thought that because she was a dark type she was evil and would do bad things to their shops, even so far as claim it would bring bad voodoo. I was beginning to starve and gave the town what it wanted, a dark type thief. The only way I was allowed food was to steal it from them, so that's what I did. Even the ones who seemed to be nice made obvious of their thoughts towards my family." She remained serious through the talk, proving she was telling the truth, but it could also have appeared she was lying. After all, this was a deceitful little fox that pretended to be an idiot to lure a foe closer.

It's a viable story, though I do have to keep in mind it's possible that it isn't true. Avaria reminded herself as she listened to Mirage. She could be trying to lure me in or get me to lower my guard. I just have to keep an eye out for that.
"Sounds like in your mind you didn't really have much of an option. Maybe you just enjoy being the big bad thief who gets to stir up trouble? It's something that's possible." The Oshawott suggested, picking her shell up off of the ground. She figured that Mirage could have gone somewhere else away from her home town, and try and get a better lifestyle there. In Ava's mind the Zorua either honestly didn't see another option or just told herself that there wasn't one, and the reason for the latter she would conclude is that somewhere deep down it was what Mirage wanted. She believed that some Pokemon were born good, some were born bad, and some were born in shades of gray, some brighter and darker then others.

"My reputation from there followed me here, I don't care what I am as long as I get to live and enjoy myself. Now, since i've answered your question, how about you? What's the story behind the little blue and white piplup looking thing that stands before me?" Mirage spoke smoothly. Her earrings flicked once more, giving another tingle, as the passing wind made them itch. The tingling echoed slightly, and traveled a slightly farther than the sounds of their voices thanks to the wind. The tingling traveled into the ears of a light sleeper, a pokemon that did not want to be disturbed...

This dice is not existing.

"Oshawott, actually. Rather different from a Piplup." She corrected the Zorua, feeling as if she should before telling her story.
"I didn't really grow up in a town, more on my own with my siblings and my parents. It was hard providing for us, and then it got harder when good ol' dad left. So, being the oldest one of my siblings, I decided to provide for us how I could. And that just happened to be stealing what we needed. Things didn't exactly go well though." Ava explained, thinking back on the situation as she talked before pushing the thoughts out of her mind. They were distractions, nothing more. The Oshawott winced slightly at the somewhat louder earring jingle, glancing around in search of anything nearby that may have heard.

There was a silence before a strange prickly creature rolled out of the bush. It landed on what seemed to be its feet and screeched, pointing at the two as if to say, "YOOOOOU..."
Mirage blinked as her brow furrowed and her ears flattened against her head, an obvious "what the f*ck is this?" face. Mirage shook the face off of her own and growled, it was obvious this pokemon wanted a fight. At least there was someone else to have fun with. The Zorua remained where she was though, wanting the cacnea or the oshawott to make a move first. She was prepared to dodge or help out, the oshawott seemed like an okay kind of pokemon, no reason to NOT help it out.

Ava frowned at the appearance of the wild Pokemon, scowling slightly.
"Hey, we were in the middle of talking about ourselves here. Who said you could interrupt?" She muttered rhetorically, grabbing her scalchop once more. The Oshawott assumed that she would have the Zorua's help, but may sure to keep in mind the fact that it was entirely possible Mirage could attack her as well. Avaria quickly stepped over to the Cacnea and slashed down with her scalchop, a dark aura coming off of it as she used Night Slash on the other Pokemon.

The cacnea was struck by the attack, dealing moderate damage and making it wish slightly that it was evolved so it would take less damage. The cacnea seemed to hiss as much as a cactus could hiss, and was surrounded in a green aura as it attempted to use Absorb on the oshawott. Mirage, meanwhile, had bright glowing claws as she ran towards the Cacnea, she raised a paw up high and slashed it across the cacnea's arm. The cacnea screamed in pain, but Mirage felt as if she could keep going as rage built up inside her. She continued to scratch the cacnea until she had struck it four times, taking a leap back as the attack faded. It was Fury Swipes!

Well, shi- She started to think, watching as the Cacnea prepared to use Absorb on her as she coughed a bit, feeling it drain the life from her. Ava's line of thought was immediately broken as Mirage went in for the attack, seeing the Zorua swipe at the Cacnea repeatedly. Looks like she's helping out after all. That's good. With that thought the Oshawott saw as the Cacnea shrieked from the attack, weakened and yet angered by it. With a purple glow coming from its arm it swung at Mirage, using a Poison Sting attack. Whether the Zorua had moved to dodge it already or not Avaria swung her scalchop out, holding it in front of the attack and blocking it. Favor returned. I'd rather not be in anyone's debt for something.

Mirage did not move as the shell and the Cacnea's arm collided, instead of fleeing to a safer distance the Zorua's claws glowed and grew longer once more as she made a sharp arch around the Oshawott as the Cacnea was trying to regain balance from the parry. Mirage surprised it from behind with another barrage of furious swiping and clawing at the green cactus. The cacnea screamed once more and attacked the fox once more, striking her this time, but she had managed to get in a few good hits with the surprise attack. Despite being smacked with a pound of thorns across the face, Mirage was glad for the move. The Cacnea was now covered in scars and scratches in its cactus flesh. The unintentional act of teamwork had paid off slightly!

Ava backed up a step as the Cacnea spun to face Mirage, hitting her in the face with an attack. It doesn't seem to be giving up yet...maybe if we can get it down it'll stop putting up a fight. The Oshawott thought to herself, keeping her shell in her paw and lunging at the Cacnea, tackling it onto the ground. She gasped slightly as she did, the thorns on it pricking her as she tried to hold it down. Maybe I didn't think that through too much... Ava looked over at the Zorua as the Cacnea squirmed underneath her, its round shape making it hard to do so. She wondered what mirage would do as it started to push her off, growling as if irritated by the two.