A Totodile-ly Unexpected Meeting

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Usually the Pond was filled with an assortment of all kinds of Pokémon...usually young ones, but sometimes older Pokémon come by when they just want to enjoy themselves. At least, this was what Jet had come to discover based on the few days of study he had done while laying low in Grassveil Town since his arrival. This was the type of thing that Jet usually enjoyed doing...sitting by and relaxing, watching what the other Pokémon enjoy doing. He was once even approached by a young Pokémon and asked to play...to which he naturally agreed. It was very difficult to say "no" to the face of an innocent Shinx child.

Today, however, the Small Pond was unusually quiet and empty...and that was exactly what had landed him in this situation.

"I-I'm sorry, but it was all I could manage without going too far out...." Jet the Buizel murmured, having just handed over a few small berries that he had managed to scrounge up from the nearby area to another Buizel.

This second Buizel was about a head taller than himself, had a scar across his right cheek, and the defining icing on the cake for Jet was the fact that he was definitely a bit bulkier. "Did I ask for excuses?" the bigger Buizel asked, scowling down at Jet. Then, without even hesitating or waiting for an answer, he continued."No. What I asked of you was to go get me a decent meal and that in return, I'd forget that I found you all the way out here. But no...instead you bring me this slop!" With that, he plopped the miserable excuse for food into his mouth and ate them right there and then, swallowing it almost as quickly as it went in.

"Y-yeah, I know, b-but the trees around here don't grow berries or anything a-and I don't have the money to-" Jet stammered, starting to feel smaller and smaller as the conversation continued. Oh how he wished there were more Pokémon around right now. This bigger Buizel probably wouldn't be willing to confront him like this if there had been a crowd.

"I don't care what your excuses are!" the other Buizel replied with a growl. Then suddenly, without hesitation he raised his paw, curled it like a fist and threw it toward the side of the smaller Buizel's face.

Jet let out a small yelp as the punch connected solidly with his face. He had been unprepared to be struck like that and ended up on the ground on his stomach at the larger Buizel's feet, with a red mark on his cheek where he had been punched.

"Now then," the bulky Buizel growled, lifting a foot and planting it firmly onto Jet's back, pinning the poor, scrawnier Buizel to the ground. "I guess if you're not going to be forthcoming with the food or some other goods, then I'm just gonna have to take you with me. Maybe you'll do me some good elsewhere. I know for sure that I could always use a good punching bag to test out new moves with if absolutely nothing else." He then smirked, clearly enjoying tormenting Jet and pressed his foot down harder onto Jet's back. "Whaddaya think, huh? Pretty brilliant idea, right?"

"P-please, Neal, just...leave me alone...!" Jet begged, not even bothering to struggle at this point. He knew that that would be a pointless endeavor and would probably only lead to more pain on his part. "I-I'll give it another try, just...just give me more time to do it.... I-I'll be working at the Guild soon with a friend, s-so I'll be able to make some money to get you what you want...."

The larger Buizel, Neal, looked down at the runt cowering under his foot. He considered him for a moment, but his expression was very difficult to read. It just seemed like he was staring down at him, mulling the offer over.

Jet could only hope that this last bid would be enough to convince him. Otherwise, he'd be in some rather big trouble. Or maybe he would get lucky enough for another Pokémon to stumble across them and help him out. But he certainly wasn't going to press his luck on that one. All he could do for now was look upward at Neal with a fearful expression.

As the Totodile lunged for his opponent, his hands open wide and fangs bared for preparation to receive their target, his opponent had conjured forth an attack with his propellor-like tails. The Sonicboom was unavoidable, and hit him squarely on his chevron-marked chest; however, he would not allow himself to be knocked back. Though the stinging, biting sensation of snapping air had sprung willingly into existence along the contour of his thoracic region, his momentum -albeit slowed - carried him through the burst and down onto the ground nearby. The distance between his target and landing area had increased, which would not be acceptable! Once more, Tom attempted to beat himself into a state of unyielding, emotional rage. All sorts of grandmother-scaring phrases and blush inducing slurs came to his mind as he imagined the other Buizel, his foot stamping all the while as he coaxed the kindness out of his disposition temporarily. 

C'mon, think more slanderous and horrible things! Imagine all the original things that could be said to old ladies and cause them to faint! 

Whatever he had conjured up seemed to work, for once more he was in a state of induced, fuming Rage. His fingers were curled out in a monstrous hold, while his eyes narrowed and his pupils dilated. There was a sadistic, horrible glee that seemed present as he once more attempted to close the distance between his foe and himself, this time allowing his limbs to determine their appropriate movement. He would dash and feint, claw and charge: if the Tasmanian Devil needed a Pokemon incarnation, this would be him. Should he successfully get within striking distance, the entire basket-case of hell would snap out of its chains and attempt to ravage its adversary. In retrospect, it was quite difficult for the Totodile to imagine himself getting into such a worked up state. Hadn't he just been out for a stroll and gotten lost a mere dozen yards outside the guild?

Neal allowed another smirk to come across his expression as his attack managed to not only score a direct hit, but also forced the rampaging Totodile to end up going off-course and missing him. For a moment, however, the Totodile seemed content to simply stand there. And he wasn't about to pass up yet another opportunity to taunt and gloat his way out of this.

"Heheh...come on, I expected more from an Explorer like yourself. Is this really all you can do?" he taunted, letting his guard drop for only an instant before readying himself for the continued Rage that was undoubtedly going to come. Perhaps it might not be the wisest decision to add more fuel to the raging inferno already ironically taking place in the Water-type Pokémon's body right now...but what did he care? As far as he was concerned, he was winning. And that was all that he cared about: Victory by any means necessary at this point.

Unfortunately for him, nothing could prepare him for the Totodile's next phase of rage. This Totodile barely resembled the one that had so nonchalantly tried to level him with a single Ice Punch. Now he almost resembled the feral Pokémon that one could find in the various dungeons outside of town. He tried his best to keep the crocodile at range, but he couldn't pin the Pokémon's movements down at all. They just seemed so random and sporadic to him...there was no way he could aim another Sonicboom properly like this. As a result, there was no way that he would avoid the incoming assault.

Letting out a loud cry of pain, the large Buizel fell back, desperately trying to shield himself from the raging croc. Unfortunately, there was no way he was getting out of this unscathed. In act, there was nothing more he could do at all but fall victim. He was hammered by the increased effects of Rage and he was knocked flat onto his back, once more laying supine at his opponent's feet and too vulnerable for his liking.

Jet was terrified at this point. Every muscle in his body told him to run and hide from this rampaging Totodile. This was definitely not the same Pokémon that had come to lend him a helping hand. It just wasn't possible...right? Even under the effects of Rage...he couldn't help but feel that this was a bit extreme. Even so, his feet were rooted to the ground as he continued to observe against his better judgment. Soon, it became pretty obvious to him...or at least, so it seemed. He just might have to step in soon to help somebody out. But he honestly had no idea who he would need to help by this point in the battle.

Raging beyond control, Tom barely resembled his chipper self. Sure, he shared the same blue crocodilian shell, but his brain had stubbornly gone to pout after its ingenious plan had failed. His limbs, having experienced a great deal of freedom after their oppressor and leader had vacated the premise, had carried him swiftly to a bowled over enemy. The Buizel was once again upon the ground, allowing him to have the ability to successfully dispatch him through another pathetic slapfight; however, there still remained a bit of reason within his jaw focused skull. It was an inkling, a sudden sensation, that total obliteration of one's enemies was not required for victory. It was quite an unusual idea for his Rage-induced body to comprehend: wouldn't that just make an adversary plot and scheme for vegence? 

There the Totodile stood: poised, erect, and terrifying in semblance. A snarl warbled in his throat, wavering and flickering like the flame of a candle in the wind. His clawed fingers were curled and prepared to slash and dice through fur and flesh to rend an opponent into nothing but shreds. He remained in his position, restrained solely by the notion of victory without the need for debilitatinig conflicts. With his Rage petering out, and his gurgling snarl grew softer and quieter until it had been effaced entirely. Though still aggressive, Tom was more approachable and more reasonable to deal with. He would tower over his enemy, who was spread out against the ground was once more, with the look of rebuking directness.

A single hand would extend out towards the woods, a lone index finger  stretched out and pointing. There was a sharpness to his gaze that was equivalent to a hawk eyeing up a mouse, and it was directed towards his downed enemy. His voice was calm, but struggled to maintain its level-headed characteristics, "Get out of here, punk, before I get really mad! You won't like me when I'm angry!"

Neal gazed up at the Totodile as he approached, silently gulping as the crocodile towered over him. It was more an instinctive reaction than one of fear...although he certainly would not doubt if that that was a bigger part of it now than it had been before; he had never seen a Pokémon so furious and almost monstrous if not or his smaller size. The Totodile was surprisingly threatening for a Pokémon that was so much shorter than he was.  So much so that, for a moment, Neal actually considered retreating back into the woods while he still had the chance. This thought was made all the more obvious to him when the Totodile pointed toward the woods and gave him an ultimatum.

But could he really give up that quickly? To him, the fight had really only just begun. He could still go on for a longer period of time. If there was something apart from his strength that he felt that he could rightfully brag about, it was his endurance. But the real question was much simpler: was it worth taking the pain just to try to prove a point that might be impossible to make in the first place? Subjecting himself to such a battle yet again might be completely unnecessary and ridiculous. But at the same time, the thought of simply forfeiting a match after battling for so long just seemed to pull at him, telling him not to give in so easily.

Perhaps he could...test the waters first?

"H-hmph," Neal muttered, although the stammer gave away his slight fear. "A-and what if I don't? What...are you gonna do about it? Stomp me into the dirt? H-heh...I'd love to see you try." Perhaps he was laying it on a bit thick, but it didn't matter to him right now...he just wanted to see what this Totodile would do now. That gaze still put him on edge, however, and he almost started to regret his words immediately after they had left his throat.

Jet just wasn't sure what to think anymore. He was just...confused. Completely and utterly befuddled. Who was this Totodile? Why had he helped him like that? Why had he lied to do so? And just what was he really like, underneath the Rage move? He simply could not tell what was real and what was fake anymore. At least, not with him. But whatever he was, it seemed to be throwing Neal or a loop, so he supposed that that was a plus....

Perhaps if they had been on the same altitude and one combatant had not been mostly reduced to the size of the girth of his belly thanks to him lying flat on his back, it would have been seen as an exceedingly preposterous notion to imagine him being exceedingly intimidating. Sure, fangs and claws were quite useful for successfully deterring opponents, but it would be quite humorous to see a ballsy predator attempting to intimidate a titanic one. As the situation saw it, however, Tom had just embodied the aura and general colossal-feel of the larger predator being harassed by the smaller one: he grew tall, proud, and quite foreboding. His disposition embodied that of a behemoth, in which he might have the possibility to crush any adversary like an insignificant insect. Before him was a sprawled out denizen that was as pathetic in appearance and scale as a flea upon the hide of a hound. He was the one that had to be worshipped and idolized, for he was as immune to the petty feelings of this minuscule animal as a deity was to its mortal subjects.

The Totodile's entirety yearned for the effects of Rage again. There had been such strength and beauty in simply succumbing to a brainless outrage that it had become quite addictive. Such power and skill - of which remained locked away behind a move that required a berserker like mentality to control - was tantalizing and intoxicating. Every hit was just another method of boosting his ability, and even the most minimal of attacks inflicted upon his blue, scaled hide was enough to amp up his strength and ferociousness further. In essence, there was something deep within that desired to treat his anger and frustration as a method in which to feel pleasure. Perhaps, deep into the recesses of his spirit and generally chipper disposition, there was a desire for this senseless battle to continue and never peter out. He was tempted to allow such an impulse to be expressed; certainly nothing too horrible would come out of slapping this fellow around like a soulless rag doll for a few hours longer?

No, peace was the best option here. If push came to shove, Tom would gladly intervene and humor his itch.

Upon hearing the inquiry as to what he would do if the Buizel resisted the reasonable idea of surrender, the crocodile would lunge forward and attempt to hoist the heavy lug into the air with both of his clawed hands placed securely about his yellow collar. Though obviously it might be quite a battle to even lift him, his adrenal glands continued to pump adrenaline throughout his body and would assist his muscles in compensating for their generally insufficient strength. He would lift from his back, and allow his legs to spread out slightly so that he might hold the otter better. Tom was inclined to reveal his effort by allowing his snarling facade to change into one of a grimace, but would work to maintain his aura of ferociousness. "What will I do?" he would snarl, his eyes narrowing as he piercingly stared into those of the other, "You really want to try it, punk?"

The larger, bulkier Buizel's eyes widened as he felt the crocodile Pokémon's strong claws grab hold o him by his floatation collar and lift him off of the ground. He wouldn't have taken the Totodile to be this strong from the exchanges of blows that they had just shared between them. He knew that he was a skilled enough fighter, sure, but not really all that physically powerful. He flinched slightly as he felt his feet leave the grass and he looked down at the Totodile from above. There wasn't a lot he could do from here. Well, there was, but he wouldn't be able to do a whole lot with it. He could throw a punch or a kick or use a move if he really wanted to. However, with the Totodile asserting his dominance like this and demonstrating just how strong he truly was, the idea didn't even last in his mind for more than a few seconds. Plus, the look in his eyes actually struck him to the core this time. But the question here was...would he be better off continuing the struggle? Or perhaps he should just surrender now, given that the runt Buizel simply wasn't worth the trouble?

As the larger Buizel continued to think his next movements through, he remained quiet and simply looked back down defiantly at the Totodile that was hoisting him up. He did not seem to notice that the Totodile was having a bit of trouble lifting him, but that was the least of his concerns at the moment. He didn't answer Tom. Instead, he lifted his paws up to grasp at the Totodile's wrist, trying desperately to pry them off of his collar, grunting with the effort...although likely to be very much in vain.

Jet watched in silence, still standing nearby. He had such a difficult time trying to look through the Totodile's actions...they were just so different and unordinary. He couldn't get a visible read on the Totodile's true personality and his true self. Was he a battle-crazed maniac like his Rage attacks had demonstrated? Or perhaps he was, instead, simply a Pokémon that liked to prove his dominance and strength to any Pokémon he met? That would certainly explain the fear and intimidation tactics he was witnessing right now. But then again, it would be possible that all of this was nothing more than a façade of sorts and he could be completely different. There was just no way he could tell from this battle alone. His personally seemed to gradually shift as the events continued to unfold before his eyes.

Honestly, at this point, he was more intrigued than afraid.

Tom had plenty of thoughts going through his head, and all were desperately attempting to express themselves. They were sporadic, random, and unsorted: the children of a wandering attention span that was set upon observing the natural world about them and commenting loudly about it. They were akin to stubborn folk, for these thoughts continued to adamantly press a topics that more or less proved useless in this situation. They were varied in their discussion: some were curious as to what this Buizel had been eating that made him this robust and heavy, others were debating on how to proceed next, and several were wondering how much longer it might take to "persuade" this bully to back off.

Of course, such musings were left concealed and locked away within the pink folds of his brain. His outside semblance, which was perhaps just as expressive as his mind's wonderings when he so allowed it, remained as hostile and aggressive as possibly. It was at this point that his legs and lower spine began to ache, though such regions of his body were denied the ability to quake and quiver from the exertion. If he was to successfully chase off this ruffian, it would require a unification of his mind and body: a determination that bound himself strong and steady in the upcoming moments. Tom would steel himself to this resolve of liberating this poor denizen from his tormentor, and was thus further strengthened; his body would comply with his mind's will for but a while longer. It was must, a necessity: he would feel awful about himself if he was not able to complete his goal.

As the Buizel grabbed for the Totodile's wrists, the crocodile would strengthen his grip and egg his arms to hoist him higher. He refused to yield his control over the situation, to shrivel back and surrender to a situation that pushed his muscles. To further convince this punk, he would thrust him violently back and forth, as if searching for loose change in a pair of pants. A snarl warbled in his throat before he would do this, his claws digging themselves into the otter's fur, "Well?" Shake, shake, shake.

One thing was for certain: after this, he was going to take some strength classes.

The large Buizel felt the Totodile's grip only tighten as he continued to uselessly, and rather pathetically struggle against it. On top of this, he felt the crocodile Pokémon start to roughly shake him about, causing him to flinch as he tried to avoid the whiplash effect that this could have on him. It was at this point that he became aware that he could not keep this up for much longer. Despite all of his struggles, this Totodile always managed to come out on top. If he was lucky, he'd be able to punch this other Water-type Pokémon down a couple more times...but if he got back up and was more willing to keep fighting, then he doubted that he could outlast him. He was already starting to push his own level of endurance on a fight that probably wasn't even worth it to begin with. So no, as far as he was concerned, this fight was over and he was not about to let himself get more humiliated and more beaten than he already was.

"A-alright...alright...!" he managed to cough through his slightly constricted throat. "Th-there's no way the runt over there is worth this much trouble. You want to help a useless waste of space like him, go ahead." With that, he dropped his paws, releasing the Totodile's wrists and allowed his arms to fall to his sides. He was held helpless in the air by Tom's claws...and he didn't bother to struggle anymore. This would be an embarrassing surrender...but there was no way it could be any worse than allowing the fight to continue and possibly losing by another fit of random flailing from his opponent.

Jet's eyes widened as he listened to the larger Buizel's words. Neal had never allowed himself to surrender before. The fact that the Totodile had actually managed to convince Neal to give up on tormenting him now was very surprising. He didn't think Neal was actually the type to ever be intimidated by anyone...but it seems that he wasn't quite on the mark. There were some things that even Neal seemed to give in to. Maybe he could stick with this Totodile for a little bit longer...at least until he figured that Neal wasn't coming back. He doubted that the large Buizel would return at the risk of getting beaten again.

There was look of pleasure upon the intimidating crocodile's maw as he heard the Buizel surrender, which was more or less a signal to the rest of his body that their overexertion had proven worthwhile. Within his thick skull, his rambling thoughts had fallen into line and were swooning with relief; their sentiment was matched by his aching muscles that had never experienced lifting a heavy organism such as this before. Perhaps he had anticipated that the otter would not have been as fat or "big boned" as he had appeared prior, but such inklings had been invalidated as soon as he had hoisted him up from the ground. Undoubtedly, it might have proven comical - or an ideal plot line for an episode in a sitcom - for the smaller denizen to have confabulated his own strength in order to intimidate a bully.

His intent was not to let the illusion end there of a big, scary, and strong Water-type, however. He would more or less thrust the Buizel forwards and away from him, all the while letting his claws unhook from his fur and skin so that he might fall in arc. It was intended for the bully to stumble backwards, but, judging by how graceful he had been prior in their battle, there was still the possibility that he might not be unbalanced. As soon as this character had been released from the restrictive hold he had held him in, Tom would allow his arms to fly to his sides so that he might take on the persona of a pissed off super hero: hands placed neatly upon his hip bones, chin tilted upwards, brow furrowed, chest puffed out, and eyes narrowed. At the end of the day, that's probably how he imagined himself. He was a super hero who had been here at the right place at the right time. All that was left was for this otter to scamper off so that he might address his rescued party more properly.

The large Buizel clearly didn't like the look on the Totodile's face that he was given. However, he said nothing about it. Speaking outward about what he was thinking was certainly not going to end well for him. Not when he was being helplessly clutched in his powerful claws. He certainly didn't want to end up on the wrong end of a punch from his other hand, that was for sure. Especially not after he had already surrendered in such a humiliating manner. Thankfully, nobody else was around to see his utter defeat.

When the Totodile finally released his grip, Neal was thrust backward, quickly falling hard onto his back at the Totodile's feet once more. He glared angrily up at Tom, who was currently standing over him. However, he remained quiet until he had rolled over and managed to push himself back to his feet. It took some effort, but climbing back up wasn't too bad just yet. He took three hesitant steps backward, not taking his eyes off of the shorter Water-type Pokémon. His eyes narrowed slightly and his paws clenched themselves into fists of their own accord as he watched the Totodile stand there, looking proud, like he had just saved the day. He couldn't stand that stupid heroic look. "I don't know who you are," he growled furiously at Tom, finally lifting one of his paws to point forcefully at him. "But don't you think for even a second that I'll forget this! I'll be back...and you'll pay for this!" With that, he spun around and lowered himself onto all fours, scampering away, soon disappearing into the tree line.

After a moment of silence, Jet's attention was dragged from he retreating Buizel to his Totodile savior once again. "W...wow...." he murmured at last in awe. He quickly ran up to the Totodile and put his paws together. "Th-thank you...!" he said in a clearly grateful and sincere manner. His eyes were practically sparkling as he looked at Tom, smiling. "Y-you were so strong and cool...th-the way you handled and beat Neal so easily...and the way you saved me like that...! I've never known anybody that could get him to surrender like that. Usually he fights to the very end no matter what, but not with you...! I-I wish I was as strong as you are...." It was then that his awe and gratefulness seemed to dim down a bit and partially turn into him putting himself down. "B-but I don't think I'll be at that level any time soon...."

Perhaps it would have been just fine leaving it at that: he had just rescued someone, chased off a bully, and had even just acquired an enemy. With such an exciting and adrenaline filled day, Tom could not possibly imagine how such a sun cycle might evolve into something greater. Such a notion was enough to make the Totodile's chest puff out further and a general haughty air to consume him entirely. A single hand would be used to idly swat away such "petty" words as if they were nothing but fruit flies, and it was evident that he did not think too highly of such folly vows of vengeance. Though he believed himself fairly secure in his anonymity thanks to the lack of disclosure of his alias, there was little that was capable of hiding a cocky disposition and a proud semblance.

Admittedly, the crocodile had been quite tempted to risk taunting his routed aggressor; perhaps a jab at his intelligence, or maybe even a play upon words around the subject of his bravery? Tom had opted out in order preserve what little dignity he had left after his sporadic flailing Rage attack, and would maintain the glorified superhero pose. Watching the large Buizel scamper off was more than satisfying: it was electrifyingly pleasurable. There was some freedom in knowing that one was capable of smashing skulls and cracking down upon adversaries, and doing so when another needed help just topped the sundae.

A smug grin would be given as the Buizel who had been liberated from this "Neal" character graciously thanked him, and he would use a single thumb-like digit to wipe across his nostrils to simply exemplify how sheerly cool he was - this was what cool Pokemon did, right? "Oh, it was nothing," he would say in a nonchalant manner, "I'm just happy I was here at the right place, at the right time!"

Tom would jerkily extend forth a single hand, his voice still containing a note of cheery aloofness, "The name's Tom! What's yours?"

Jet smiled at the Totodile that had saved him. "Th-that sure didn't look like 'nothing." he replied earnestly. "But really, thank you for your help...!" He seemed really happy to have had Neal chased away. "That guy was always after me and picking on me." When he Totodile extended a hand, probably offering to shake his own in a proper greeting, Jet did not hesitate to accept it. He grabbed onto Tom's claw with his own paw and shook it lightly. "My name...? My name is Jet. I'm, uh...kind of new to this place. I was just exploring a little bit before Neal found me. And after...maybe ten minutes or so, you showed up?" It was then that he realized that he had started to ramble a little there. A blush of embarrassment appeared on his face and he pulled away. "S-sorry, I guess you're probably not interested in all of that, though."

Jet looked the Totodile up and down. So his name was Tom, was it? He certainly gave off the vibe that he was nice and strong. Once his initial embarrassment had worn off, he smiled again. "B-but anyway, it's really nice to meet you, Tom," he said. "You were really strong and brave out there...I can only wish that I was able to do that kind of stuff...."[/b] He trailed off there. He certainly didn't seem to have much confidence in himself, if that wasn't apparent in the cowardly and submissive manner he had tried to handle the larger Buizel bully.

If there was one thing Tom was prone to do, it was ramble. He could talk all day and all night about the most random of subjects if one were to get him started, and he was always willing to lend an ear to hear what another had to say. If anything, words to him were the greatest of all Pokemon invention. Capable of inflicting pain and soothing injury, language and linguistics were something that he could always appreciate. It didn't matter to him how long he or another might blather; they were expressing themselves and allowing their mind to process through a verbalized format. It was good for finding out what was on another's mind or getting information about a particular subject - in fact, it would be unwise to tell someone to stop. When someone was not allowed to speak, they could withdraw or grow aggressive. He perceived this as a desperate need or desire to express oneself, and could not allow that to happen to anyone.

With the corners of his lips curled up and a happy-go-lucky look plastered upon his warm countenance, the blue crocodile couldn't help but give a friendly nod and a nonchalant wave of his free hand. "I'm always interested!" Tom replied. "I can't imagine why I wouldn't be interested - it's always important to look at the source of an issue and see how it evolved into a problem. Neal sounds like a ruffian if ever there was one, so I'm glad that I was able to help a good 'mon like yourself out of a sticky situation!" He did his best to come off as friendly and happy as possible. He feared from prior experience that his display of fury and berserker like rage might deter this individual, but so far it didn't seem too bad. Everything was going swimmingly.

"Hey," the Totodile would suddenly say, his eyes widening and his body straightening up jerkily as he suddenly remembered something, "you could do that with me, actually! I was headed for the glorious treasure that lies in the area around the Coral Forest, and I'm having the damnedest time trying to find it. You seem smart, so maybe you know the way? You can come along, too!"

Jet watched Tom's expression as the Totodile not only waved away his fears of him not caring, but he also went on to explain why he thought that way. This Totodile's demeanor had changed dramatically from when he had been battling and talking with Neal earlier. Now that he had had a little bit more time to figure out just who and what this Totodile was about, he figured he could come to a reasonable conclusion. His rage during that battle must have been part of an attack of some kind. Otherwise, it was something that simply came out of him in the middle of a tough battle. In either case, he seemed like a nice enough person under normal circumstances. But hopefully, he wasn't simply being deceived. He certainly wouldn't put it against some stranger to save him only to do something to him at another time or get something from him.

But at the same time, Jet knew that simply acting under such a cowardly and distrustful thought process was going to get him nowhere. He opened his mouth to say something, but he was stopped as the Totodile began to speak first. He gave the Totodile a curious look, urging him to continue...but he didn't need to wait very long. Soon the Totodile explained what he had thought of...and Jet had no idea how to respond. He was silent for a moment unsure of just what exactly he should do from here. He still had yet to even form a team with his companions like he had wanted to...would it really be alright to go out on an adventure with this stranger without them?

"...W-well...uh...." Jet replied in a nervous manner. He rubbed the back of his head. "I-I don't know what good I would do.... I-I mean...I'm not all that strong, b-but I...." He then stopped for a moment, reconsidering his options. "...W-well, I don't exactly know the way to the Coral Forest...b-but I can probably figure out a map or something easily enough if you needed me to do that. And...and I suppose that I do owe you for saving me from Neal...." He looked down for a moment, giving it one last, thorough examination in his mind. While he had wanted his first adventure to be with his comrades, he supposed that this wouldn't be such a bad thing. If anything, the experience he gathered from this venture could prove useful to his teammates. "...I-if you really want me along...th-then I guess I can come with you and help you...." he finally finished.

Tom could hardly contain his enthusiasm and excitement when Jet seemingly attempted to convince himself of rallying to his cause. Sure, it was a tad peculiar for a complete stranger to so haphazardly invite another on an adventure - even if the individual in question had recently liberated the other from a rather imposing fellow. It was to both of their benefits that they should go and explore even if the level between their skill and experience was so great; Pokemon were observational learners, after all. Where Jet might acquire knowledge upon ability execution and how to defend oneself through simple watchful behavior, the blue crocodile would be able to learn a bit more about how to navigate and orient himself. He was, after all, quite notorious for being quite inept with a map and directions in general. It was an annoying little quirk of his.

"Excellent!" Tom replied, "You won't believe how exciting it is to hear that you'll help and come along - simply splendid!" He hadn't considered the need for reimbursing his actions, but he supposed it was a good gesture on this Buizel's part. It showed that he was at least a considerate and well mannered creature, and those that fell under that category were always the most welcomed of company. It was upon mentioning the map that truly got the Totodile revved up and ready to mobilize. He had so carelessly tossed about his rugged and worn map in submission to the idea of not being able to get to his final destination, and here was someone willing to assist! He scampered to retrieve it, and brought it back like a hound retrieving a stick for its master.

Unfurling it with a crisp crinkle, Tom allowed his stubby blue fingers to smooth out the acquired creases and show some affection to the ragged piece of paper. It was turned upside down, but the Totodile was apparently ignorant to this face. He was simply too caught up in the moment of finally being able to get to the Coral Forests. Finally, the piece of parchment that had perplexed him greatly would be of use - albeit to an individual that was not as prone to getting lost as himself. He eagerly held it out for the Buizel so that he might better examine it, and allowed his voice to verbalize his sentiments, "Alright, where to?"