A Tour Through Town

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It hadn't been long since Jet's last visit to the town. Of course he hadn't been in and around the town for very long either. The town looked just the same as it had earlier when he had left it: peaceful, sunny with clear weather, and happy Pokémon going about their usual day-to-day activities in the streets. Whether they were going shopping at one of the many stores or simply wandering the town for relaxation's sake was difficult to tell at a glance, but Jet found it rather amusing to occasionally watch a pedestrian and try to guess just what it was that they were out and about for. However, he would not be so easily distracted this time. Not when he had a responsibility to uphold; a promise to keep.

Not even five minutes ago, Jet and his new acquaintance, Avery the Croagunk, had been battling it out in the Small Pond just outside of town. It had not been a serious battle, but more of a simple, practical sparring match between the two on Jet's provocation. The result of the battle had been more than decisive, leading Jet to a quick, and admittedly rather painful, defeat. Not that he had really expected anything more of himself...not when he could not gain any additional information on his opponent before the battle had begun. But even so, it had proven to be a valuable learning experience and he had even made another friend in Avery that he felt comfortable with. In exchange for the somewhat quick bout, Jet had promised Avery that he would try his best to be a decent guide for the Croagunk and show him around Grassveil. And that was what had led the Buizel back to the town.

Jet and Avery had started to make their way through town, headed toward the north side where the Guild was located. That was their end destination, since that's where the Croagunk ultimately wanted to end up. With any luck, they might even run into Lee, Jet's current teammate, on the way there. The walk was rather tough going for Jet, however. He still felt the leftover dull aches and pains from getting beaten down by the Croagunk's barrage of attacks. He even had to take a quick breather once as they travelled to keep himself from falling over in his exhaustion. He had just stopped in front of the large police station and started vaguely describing it while he rested. He simply assumed that Avery knew what a police station was and what it was for, so he skimmed over the topic. The one thing he made sure to mention, however, was that the police station was where the town's public outlaw notice board was available. He had taken note of this rather quickly upon his arrival, since he mostly wanted to help stop bullies and criminals as his motivation for getting stronger.

However, the first spot of interest that Jet really took to was the Springfall Dojo. They presently stood just outside of the gates of the Dojo. He had come by not too long ago too see what kind of training regimen could be offered here.

"This here is the Springfall Dojo," Jet said with clear enthusiasm as he led the two of them to the gates. As he had shown Avery around the town, his timidity had started to disappear. He had started to grow more comfortable with the Croagunk and thus felt less awkward around him. "This was one of the first places to catch my attention, Avery. The whole place is run by a single Oshawott. Not only can she help train you, but she can also teach you new moves and even runs a Technical Machine store on the side. I've been thinking about coming here for training someday. Unfortunately, I think she only trains each Pokémon individually, so it's rather slow-going." He then looked at the Croagunk for the first time in a while. "What d'you think, Avery?" he asked.

Avery stopped himself from biting down on the first Berry of his second Iapapa Berry stick, as Jet pronounced his request. The hybrid put the stick down as he stared at the water type. His facial expression did not change from its neutral stance, his cheeks did not increase nor decrease their inhale/exhale speed, it was only by looking in his eyes that one could see he heard the offer and was thinking over it, if the calculative twinkle was any indication.

So, Jet wanted him to join the team that he and this 'Lee' guy planned to form. The thought had some merit, he could always have someone to watch his back or to spar with daily, as well as having someone around to heal his wounds due to Avery's ability and Jet's movepool. On the other hand he would also have to look out for the others and the third member could be a very annoying type. There was also the factor that Avery had no clue just what this 'Lee' was Pokémon and type wise, nor his personality. Adding to the fact that the one member he did know was timid and not all that certain of himself could pose a problem to Avery in the long run if Jet did not shape up. The Croagunk had nothing against the Water type, he found him a pleasant guy as he didn't bother Avery too much, but he did not scream 'confidence' and 'reliability' either. Oh certainly, Jet could take a beating, Avery was quite familiar with that aspect, but would he stay and fight if they get cornered by Pokémon superior in quality and/or quantity?

Of course, those questions could all be answered if Avery gave his agreement. But did he want to? Did the merits truly outweigh the negative aspects? He didn't know, though he wasn't planning on plain rejecting the offer either, there were too many unknown variables to make a decision.

Instead of answering immediately, Avery engulfs another Berry in his mouth and as he chews on the food he looks up in the sky. After another few moments of silence, Avery closes his eyes and releases a sigh. Looking Jet in the eye, the Poison/Fighting Pokémon decided to deign him with an answer. "I am willing to join you into the Guild. But that does not mean I am about to join your team either." Avery gave Jet a sharp look at this, an attempt to stop any interruptions. "I am not going to join a team of which I do not know all members. There is also the possibility that your friend won't approve of me joining, either because he thinks I'm not strong enough or too 'creepy'." He uttered the last word with some detached feelings, clearly because he had been called just that many times in his life. "If I meet Lee and he can accept my membership, and I can accept him then I do not see a problem in joining." He finished his explanation, before devouring the Iapapa stick completely sans stick, his eyes never travelling away from Jet.

Jet watched Avery in silence as the Croagunk stared back at him with that usual, seemingly-vacant expression. He could practically see the gears turning in the Toxic Mouth Pokémon's head. He seemed to be going through quite a bit of thought when considering his proposal. Hopefully, all of the benefits of making a team with him would be enough to outweigh the Croagunk's uncertainties and allow him to join up. If he did, Jet would feel a lot more comfortable when creating the team...he would have two allies to help him grow, both of which were perfectly capable fighters. And they would all be able to help one another, due to the fact that they all had one common advantage: water. They all gained some kind of benefit from water. With the three of them together, they could make for one of the most specialized teams in the Guild...and Avery would be perfect to help due to his typing.

But of course, all of that meant nothing if Avery declined his offer...and Jet certainly would not blame the Croagunk if he did. After all, there were so many aspects that he was unsure of. If it were him, he probably would have been too unnerved by the amount of unknown variables in the situation to be able to accept. However, if he had been given more information, then he just might be able to be talked into it. But as it was, he had very low expectations. Besides...would he join the team if somebody as weak and uncertain as himself were asking? It was almost as if he were asking for Avery to become a bodyguard, although that was not his intention. And with any luck, Avery would not think of it in that light either.

When Avery started eating again, so did Jet. He figured that the Croagunk was still mulling the thought over and simply watching him probably was not doing him any good. He took another bite of his second Mago Berry on his stick and waited patiently or Avery to answer. And when he finally did, Jet got more or less what he expected. However, he had not expected such an open-ended response. As a result, he could not help but smile slightly. "I suppose I can't ask for any more than that." Jet replied in a tone that betrayed how pleased he was to hear Avery's answer. "Then I suppose I will just have to find you again when Lee comes back and you two can meet each other."

Jet couldn't help but notice, though, that Avery seemed...different when me uttered the word "creepy." He couldn't help but cock his head slightly to the side and look at him. He supposed he could understand if he was used to people calling him that. He had to admit, he was a little bit so. But that was nothing to hold against him, in his opinion. Avery seemed like a good person, despite that neutral stare and those cheek pouches of his. And he was certain that Lee would think the same way.

Avery nodded at Jet's plan of action. Though Jet's last sentence reminded Avery of something... Where was he going to stay? He had planned to enter the Guild tonight, but what with the request of recruitment that plan went out of the window. He couldn't rent a room anywhere either, as he did not know the town that well and the only establishment that Jet told him would rent rooms was closed. Another fact was that he only had a certain amount of Poké on his person, and with him not knowing when he'd get introduced to Lee, the Croagunk wanted to save as much money as possible. 'Guess that means I'll be camping.' Avery finished the thought with a sigh. Finished with all his sticks, Avery throws the sticks in a nearby trash can before hopping of the bench they'd been sitting on. He looked at Jet before informing the Water type where he could find him. "If you need me you can find me at the pond where we sparred." His message delivered, Avery puts his pipe in his mouth and nodded a goodbye to Jet before walking off.

Jet simply stayed where he was, watching as Avery stood to throw his garbage away. He looked down at the Mago stick he still had in his possession and let out a small sigh. He hadn't even successfully led the Croagunk to the Guild yet, and he was already on his way out? Well...perhaps it was for the best, for now. Once Lee got back, everything would work out and they could all be part of a really strong, water-based team. They might have a little bit of trouble with Electric-type Pokémon and all, but it would be mostly fine. Especially since that Croagunk was able to use a Ground-type move like Mud Slap.

He just hoped that Lee would feel the same way that he does.

Just as Avery turned to walk away, however, a burst of fire came flying through the air, aimed directly for the Croagunk's back. The barrage of fireballs was an Ember attack, and the source of the flames could be located not even a few feet from where they had been sitting. Sitting in a chair not too far away was a Charmander who had a single stick laying out on the table in front of him, having just finished one.

"You come in here and make a big purchase like that and expect to walk away unhindered?" the Charmander asked, quickly jumping from his seat and landing on the ground, arms at his waist. He had a very confident smirk on his face. "I don't think so. You'd best hand over your cash now or else there's more where that came from." The Charmander then glanced around him. "And nobody else better so much as make a move, or you'll all pay the price!"

Jet's eyes widened with shock as he saw the Ember attack get launched at Avery from behind. He remained where he was at the Charmander's threat, not wanting to risk turning the Fire Lizard's rage upon himself. He glanced at Avery. He was a strong fighter, wasn't he? Then perhaps...just perhaps he could handle this by himself anyway...?

Avery hadn't even had the time to put the pipe in his mouth before he felt the heat of an attack coming his way. He didn't even bother looking behind himself in order to find out what it was, opting to dodge the attack altogether by jumping to the side. He briefly hoped that Jet wouldn't get hit by a stray attack, but the thought was but a small whisper to the questions that popped up. Who attacked me? What did they attack me with? Why did they attack me? The second question was answered the moment he saw the lingering effects of a fire based attack. The first question only needed Avery to follow the direction from where the arrogant voice came from and watch the speaker. The last answer was granted when the hybrid simply listened to the words that the orange Pokémon, a Fire type if the attack and flame on its tail was any indication, formed.

At the end of its speech, Avery simply put the pipe calmly in his mouth and blew in it before even deigning the attacker with an answer."So just because I spent a lot of money once, means I'm rich and not someone who was really hungry and is now with little to no money? So just because you attacked me, and missed if I may add, you expect me to cooperate by handing my money over to you? So just because you gave a threat you think you can take on every Pokémon in this town all by yourself? You are either quite confident in your strength or just stupid. I don't know which." The observation was given in a dull tone, neither meant to belittle nor to antagonize the Fire type but only used as an objective point of view from Avery's side. With that, Avery put the pipe back in his mouth as if he had no care in the world, wondering what the assaulter will do now and whether the town's residents had a backbone or not.

The Charmander simply scoffed at Avery's words. "Clearly, you have money to burn if you could afford so much at once. Besides, getting your cash is only half the fun." He then smashed his right fist into his left, open palm. "It's just as much fun grinding pathetic Pokémon like you under my foot at every possible turn." He then pointed toward Avery. "So no, I don't expect you to just hand over all of your cash. In fact, I was hoping you wouldn't. It's always more fun to take things by force." He then paused for a moment to consider the last of Avery's words before he continued. "And don't think that this is my first time. I'm more than confident in my strength and ability to crush you." He then allowed a smirk to cross his face. "And I swear, I'll do just that."

Jet was silent and simply watching the exchange between the two in a nervous manner. He had already put together that Avery's ability must have been that of Dry Skin. He had read about it in one of his many visits to the nearby library. An ability that granted its owner complete immunity to water type attacks...but at the cost of more damage from fire. He knew that the Croagunk would be at a real disadvantage here. But hopefully, as long as the Charmander did not catch onto this weakness, Avery might not need help. And that was what he hoped for. So, he clenched his paws into fists beneath the table, and silently cheered Avery on in his head.

The Charmander smirked as he stared Avery down. "That Ember was just a warning shot." he said in a clearly cocky tone. "If you plan to get out of this with both your wallet and your body unharmed, you're sadly mistaken. That Ember was the least of what I can do. But if you're so sure of yourself that you won't yield to me, then why don't you come at me and show me what you've got?" He then crouched slightly, as though preparing for something. "I promise you that I won't disappoint."

Avery gave the Charmander a blank look, though one could debate that his look was always blank, before speaking once more. "I can't help but notice on how you changed that 'crush everyone else as well' into 'crush the guy I just attacked'. He then seemed to gain an afterthought. "Doesn't that mean you're pathetic as well if you have to steal money from a pathetic Pokémon? Certainly one as great, powerful and confident as you could take the money from Pokémon stronger than little me." The sarcasm that he used was blatant to even the most dense Pokémon. Though the emotion disappeared and a shadow fell over his eyes. "Can't you?" The question was joined with a tone of coldness that could send a shiver up the spines of Pokémon who had never seen a single fight in their life.

The Charmander did not seem like the negotiable type, and thus Avery was already assessing the battlefield this place would become for any particular spots of benefit. He was disappointed in the lack of action the bystanders were taking, though that may be because they knew the Charmander from their own experience as a victim or saw him dealing with a victim.

The Charmander scowled for a moment at Avery's response. But it quickly transformed into a smirk surprisingly quickly. "I could take money from Pokémon tougher than you, of course." he said, puffing out his chest with a great amount of pride. "But why bother putting in all of that effort when I could just make more taking out runts like you?" He had clearly decided to completely ignore Avery's sarcastic tone and answer him anyway. "But enough talk. I want what you have, and I WILL get it!" With that, the Charmander did not hesitate. He opened his mouth and suddenly let loose another barrage of small fireballs; another Ember attack, aimed directly for Avery's chest.

Jet glanced around at the crowd around him. Each one seemed rather frightened of the Charmander...including the shopkeeper. Although the shopkeeper could be excused for being a Steel-type Pokémon, he was shocked to see that nobody was standing up to him and wanting to help Avery out? Was it because they had already seen the Charmander strike once before? Or...perhaps the Charmander was a well-known Outlaw, wanted by the police? Jet had to admit that he had never actually found the time to stop by and look at the notice board. In any case, Avery was in trouble...but with any luck, he would be fine...right...?

Avery ignored the Charmander's arrogant bragging, opting to pay notice to its body language. The moment the Lizard Pokémon opened its mouth completely, Avery was on the move. He dashed to his left in order to dodge the fireballs that were flying towards his previous location. He paid little attention to any sound of discomfort the bystanders were making, if they weren't going to help they might as well make themselves scarce in Avery's opinion.

With the fireballs out of the way, the Croagunk decided to retaliate and dashed towards the assaulter. When the Charmander was still out of his reach, Avery put his pipe in his mouth before blowing in it with a deep breath. The blown air was then forced to escape on the other end, creating a screen of bubbles meant to disorient the Fire type. In the meantime Avery'd dig his other hand in the ground before throwing the mud in Charmander's face that got forcefully pulled out of the ground. If the attack went on without a hitch, the hybrid was planning on jabbing the Charmander in the throat with his pipe. This last attack would discourage the fire type from using any flamed projectiles due to the injured throat.

The Charmander's scowl returned as Avery was able to dodge his Ember attack so easily. But it didn't matter to him. He could do better than a simple Ember attack...and he could do it as soon as Avery got close. For now, he focused his attention on the Croagunk's pathetic attempts to take him by surprise and cause some damage. "If you think some bubbles are going to make a difference, you've got another thing coming!" he muttered, raising his claws and readying to slash through the bubbles and pop them easily enough. But before he could, he saw the Croagunk digging his hand into the ground. He knew what was going to happen now. So instead of worrying about the bubbles, he focused on sidestepping Avery's Mud-Slap attack.

The Charmander quickly tried to turn the tables in this attack. As he side-stepped the Mud-Slap, he tried to rush forward, raising his claws once again. As he did, he quickly attempted to bring them down and slash at his opponent's body, utilizing his Scratch attack. It was not meant to cause a lot of damage...but if he could take his opponent by surprise, perhaps he could follow up with a more powerful attack....

Meanwhile, Jet continued to simply sit and watch the battle take place before him. He knew that he should be helping Avery right now...and he actually really wanted to. His entire mind was practically shouting at him for not already being in the middle of the battle. But...his body was frozen where it was. It would not listen to his commands and all he could do was sit there and hope for the Croagunk to come out of this alright....

Avery took the Charmander's dodge in stride, it would have been quite a let-down if the Pokémon couldn't have evaded that after all the boasting it did. Because the Charmander had to dodge sideways, Avery was given a few extra moments to act, which was just what he needed in order to stash his pipe and allow himself the use of all his limbs. If this had been a slight spar and Avery tended to do so, then the Croagunk would have scoffed at the lizard's attack. But he didn't, he kept the thought to himself, opting to use his fists instead of emotional gestures that could give a hint about his next attack.

When the claws were but mere feet away from him Avery started his counterstrike. He hit the Charmander's arm with the palm of his hand, using enough force to increase the claws' decent and allowing Avery an opening on the side. An opening he took advantage of. Giving the lizard little to no time to react, Avery was already stepping in the Fire type's side and aimed for a chop to hit the Charmander's neck. This attack could deal severe damage to the Lizard Pokémon, from disorientating to making him fall unconscious. Not taken the risk of his opponent still being awake, Avery was already on the move in order to deliver a punch to the lizard's spine to paralyse him further, before jumping away and creating space between the two of them.

The Charmander's eyes widened slightly as he felt his own Scratch attack get pushed away so easily. He knew that it was a somewhat weak attack, but at the same time, he had not expected his opponent to push it away and cause him to leave himself open. Maybe this Croagunk was a lot more skilled than he had initially thought. Only a strong, talented fighter could have deflected his attack and countered him so well. Could he have accidently challenged an adventurer or someone of the sort? He could be in trouble if his opponent was an experienced adventurer. He had little time to ponder the idea, however, as he felt the Croagunk's chop collide with his neck, causing him to flinch in pain...followed quickly by the punch to his spine, which stunned him for a brief moment. He was forced down onto his stomach at the Croagunk's feet before the Toxic Mouth Pokémon jumped away.

...Or at least tried to. The Charmander was not so weak that he was about to let his opponent get away from him so easily. Despite the points he had been struck in, he reached out and tried to grab hold of Avery's foot before he could jump away. If he could grab hold of his leg, then he would hopefully be able to roll over on the ground, bringing the leg along with him and hopefully slam the Croagunk into the ground beside him. If he couldn't reach him in time, he would have to amend his plans and simply rise back to his feet again and work out how to hit this somewhat agile opponent....

Meanwhile, Jet smiled as he saw Avery land a good pair of blows on the Charmander. "Yeah, you can do it Avery...!" Jet finally cheered, deciding that he had had enough remaining quiet for safety's sake. Hopefully, as long as Avery kept him busy, he wouldn't have to worry about consequences of his actions very much here. Or at lest, that was the conclusion he jumped to in the middle of the moment. Hopefully, fate would not decide otherwise.

Avery hadn't expected his opponent to retaliate so quickly, no one had ever recuperated this quickly before. This made Avery lose his guard for a few seconds, seconds that were capitalized by the Charmander. The moment one of his feet got caught, Avery cursed in his head for his carelessness before he and his body were greeted by the floor. He refused though to just take the full damage he might receive like an idiot that'd flail with his hands. His father had thrown him in the ground more than once in this manner and he'd learned on how to lessen the damage somewhat.

Raising his arms in a crossed stance, Avery hoped that the guarded form was enough to deal with the impact he felt a second later. He had to hand it to the Charmander, he wasn't all full of hot air. He wasn't going to just stay down though. He still felt the Charmander's hand on his foot but wasn't about to let the Fire type have such an advantage over him. Avery quickly acted by rolling to the side of his caught foot and deciding to slug his captor in the gut with enough force that should release him from his grasp. If that didn't do it then Avery'd simply aim for the Fire type's throat, as he doubted the lizard could throw him away.

The Charmander's rather desperate attempt to catch Avery by surprise was a success and his attack worked just as he wanted it to. Well, more or less. His opponent had managed to skillfully dull the damage slightly by falling in a guarded position. Clearly, this was no simple pedestrian he had targeted, but somebody with plenty of experience in battle. There was no doubt in his mind at this point...this was going to be one of his most challenging robberies yet. A normal thief might have taken this amount of resistance and decided that the effort wasn't worth the potential payment...but not him. No, he always loved a good challenge...and this was one rare opportunity to have such a challenge. He refused to back down and flee like an ordinary thief.

However, he did not have much time to mull things over; he felt a powerful fist collide directly with the pit of his gut. His eyes went wide as the air was forced straight out of his lungs. "Urghk...!" he grunted in pain. Just as Avery planned, his grip on his opponent's leg was released at this point, and he folded slightly over the Croagunk's fist. He was clearly stunned, leaving himself open to another attack...or to allow Avery the opportunity to escape from the scuffle.

Jet flinched slightly when he saw Avery get taken down to the ground like he had. But the Croagunk seemed capable of bouncing back well enough. He still seemed to be doing okay. Hopefully, he could just keep it up....

Seeing the state the Charmander was in made Avery change his plans from creating distance to getting in close and seal the deal. The guard less stance of the lizard was too good of an opportunity to ignore, making Avery perform the action he was going to execute if his punch had been ineffective. Thus without pause, Avery aimed a jab at the Charmander's throat in the hope of dealing loads of damage to the fire type's wind pipe. Though he wouldn't mind if the wind pipe had been crushed.

Afterwards he did jump backwards, eyes on the Charmander and his surroundings. The lack of action from anyone truly baffled the Poison/Fighting hybrid. Were the resident's of this town truly this spineless? He didn't bother searching for Jet, preferring to keep his focus on the opponent, though the lack of action the Buizel took made Avery question his reliability even further. Oh, he had no problem with the fight staying a one-on-one, but he had at least hoped the Buizel'd do something. He never heard the Water type's cheering due to being too absorbed with the fight.