On the road to ruins with a pit stop at justice city.

First topic message reminder :

Sorren was bored when the Scyther had come into the guild. Chie was off doing something and Sorren wanted to work on getting the team's rank up. when the big bug had come Sorren made a deal involving doing a job on the way.

The two entered into the dark forest, a solitary beam of sunlight making it through the canopy. The Forrest was alive with cries of distant Pokemon and the smell of vegetation.

"uh, so..." Sorren began, awkwardly "Uh right We should be able to find this Leavanny without taking too much more time than going through normally. in any event I hope you are prepared to help me fight. Oh, and the name's Sorren, I don't believe we've had time to introduce ourselves."

[Enter doungeon -10]
[E:23]

Sorren made his way into a clearing. Some items were stacked inside a tree trunk and the area was littered with pokemon tracks. Sorren surveyed the area, it was all thick foliage, pokemon could be hiding anywhere.

"I'm going to head out, try and use myself as bait, if any pokemon start attacking, use vacuum wave to intervene." Sorren said. Vacuum wave had some range on it and was a really quick move so It would be perfect for this tactic.

Dediles carried out 5 launched of one Shadowhue Forest :

, , , ,

Zorre followed Sorren through the dark forest, not really the leading type of pokemon. They soon came to a clearing, where Sorren stopped, and Zorre stood back, wondering what the combusken was waiting for. Then Sorren told him to wait in ambush, for he was going to try and use himself as bait to draw out any wild pokemon. Zorre nodded and took position, hiding in the leaves of a large bush as Sorren stepped out into the clearing.

Sorren walked up to the tree nonchalantly. he looked inside the hollow of the tree trunk, set down his bag and got out his notebook. He wrote down Oran berry and Defence scarf down in his notes. Shrugging he took half of the pile and put it in his bag, that's when they attacked.

Sorren did a backflip away from the tree. A Pinsir and a Flabébé had tried to jump him from the bushes. all was according to plan, except when they spoke.

"Thief!" The Flabébé accused. "You're gonna pay for what you did!"

Sorren was obviously a little bit confused. but then it made sense. the request in the mission. These might be Leavanny's friends!

"Sorry I thought this stuff was piled by Feral pokemon, I ca-" Sorren began, but the Pinsir had him in it's pincers, choking him.

Sorren had given Zorre instruction to fight if he was attacked, but these pokemon could still be reasoned with. Sorren hoped that Zorre heard the conversation, and if not, that he remembered not to attack the Flabébé until it attacked.

Zorre watched Sorren closely as he proceeded to walk about the clearing. Sorren stopped and picked up some items, placing them in his bag. After he did so, two pokemon jumped out at him. Zorre almost revealed himself then, but held himself back to see what Sorren would do about it. He noticed that the flabebe was talking to Sorren, but the pinsir grabbed Sorren between its jaws. Zorre emerged from the bushes, scowling at the pinsir. "Down, him put you!" he snapped, raising his scythes threateningly, but keeping in mind that they were not supposed to attack first.

"oh no we're so scared~" The Flabébé remarked sarcastically. "listen tall, green and knify, We won't kill this Idiot, only rough him up a bit and take our stuff back and whatever he has as collateral. so go home and let us serve justice you retard bug!"

Sorren could only sit and watch, as he was kinda being choked a bit, he could get a bit of a breath in every now and then, but he could't talk. Sorren would be fine if they attempted to beat him up, he had some training in taking a punch or two. However Zorre didn't know that.

Right now Zorre was a wild card. He may find Sorren's safety more important than the mission restraints. If so that would prove bad for sorren. He needed a plan.

He couldn't attack, but maybe he could provoke. If he could get at least one pokemon actively hitting him then Zorre could step in, which would provoke the other. The only way sorren knew of to do that was something he had never done and hopefully would never do again.

He raised his hand and made a gesture he learned a long time ago from some outlaws at the Flabébé. The effect was instantaneous. Sorren got a vine whip to the face, summoning up what little breath he had Sorren retaliated with an ember, surprising the Pinsir and Flabébé enough that he could pry himself free.

He flopped to the ground,  taking deep painful breaths, for now it would be up to Zorre.

Zorre hissed angrily, incensed by the flabebe's insensitive words. He was lucky that Sorren baited the pokemon into attacking him when he did, for Zorre was ready to rip the flabebe's head from it's neck for its words. As Sorren fell to the ground, Zorre lost control altogether, and screeched angrily, sending a wave of sound energy at the pinsir, sending it skidding backward as the flabebe sent flurries of razor sharp leaves at Zorre.

Zorre hissed, feeling the leaves strike against his exoskeleton, leaving several scratches but nothing too major. He growled, racing toward the flabebe and striking with his scythes. The flabebe yelped and backed away as quick as possible, but she wasn't fast enough, and Zorre sheared several of the petals off the flower that she rested on.

She shrieked angrily and flew at him, sending a sharp wind against his body. Zorre winced, feeling some fractures in his exoskeleton. He intended to attack the flabebe again, but was distracted by the pinsir ramming into him, attempting to clamp down on one of his limbs with its pincers. Zorre kicked the other bug pokemon away angrily, his wings buzzing frantically on his back.

This wasn't good. Zorre appeared to be fighting extremely recklessly. Sorren did his best to get ready to fight, using Focus Energy to try and help him regain regular circulation. He pounded his fist on the ground in frustration.

Sorren struggled to his feet, taking deep breaths. The pinsir rebounded from Zorre's attack and started attacking him. Sorren used Ember point blank. The combined effect of all the Focus Energys K.O.'d the bug.

"ZORRE! GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF!" Sorren yelled, coughing.

Sorren focused his attention on the Flabébé. He ran up from behind and set Her flower on fire. She jumped and Sorren took the chance to double kick her far away. She probably didn't take much damage being a fairy, but it gave sorren time to try to calm Zorre down.

Zorre barely noticed as Sorren defeated the pinsir and began yelling at him. It was all unintelligible to him, so lost to his feral instincts he was. He did notice when Sorren set the Flabebe on fire, however. The shock of the bright light flaring to life in the dark forest caught him off-guard, sending him flinching away automatically. He shook his head, feeling some of his faculties coming back to him. He looked over at Sorren, embarrassed. "Sorry, I am." he said, blushing heavily.

"It's ok. Just try and be more careful." Sorren said. "we-"

"WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!" Sorren was interrupted by a Distressed looking Leavanny entering the clearing.

His leaves were tattered and his body scratched. Even so, he carried an air of authority with him, and there was much care in his voice. his face held an expression between concern and horror.

Sorren stopped fighting and stepped back. The Flabébé and Pinsir did as well. The Leavanny looked over the four pokemon before him, face contorting to anger. Uh-oh, sorren did not like where this was going.

"Explain yourselves!" Leavanny commanded.

Zorre flinched when the sound of another pokemon yelling reached his ears. He turned to see a Leavanny step into the clearing. The Leavanny was clearly a pokemon used to battles, and he held the air of someone in charge. He stepped forward, anger stretching across his face as he demanded an explanation from them. Zorre dared not to speak, fearing that in his stress and his strange speech would only end in the Leavanny becoming more angered and attacking them.

"They started it!" the Flabébé said pointing at sorren like a small child.

"WHAT!? We were only defending ourselves! It was just a misunderstanding, w-" Sorren said, getting cut off by the Flabébé

"They stole from our stash! we were just getting our stuff back from these thieves!"

"I TOLD YOU I WOULD GIVE YOU YOUR STUFF BACK!"

"DID NOT!"

"ENOUGH! You, Combusken, hand over the items you took and please add something for the trouble. Flabébé, Shut up. I can only take so much of your whining. now tell me what are you doing here."

Sorren handed over the items plus an oran berry, it seemed fair enough to him. he was glad that the fairy was shut up. once the items were safely back where they were found sorren spoke up.

"I am from the guild. My client Is the geodude you are hunting down. I've come to ask you to stand d-"

"HIM?! You're working for that scoundrel!? AND YOU WANT ME TO NOT GET HIM BACK FOR WHAT HE DID?! HE RUINED MY LIFE!"

"Well, I-"

"SHUT UP!" Leavanny shouted, blasting a razor leaf at sorren, who took it in stride.

Leavanny was filled with hatred, and sorren didn't know if he could defuse the situation, but he would do his best. the only problem is Zorre. by the standards of the mission, they now had permission to take out all three of these pokemon. If Zorre didn't hold back then they would never have a chance at a peaceful solution.

[That was a bit long winded, but seeing as Zorre didn't want to say anything I made a point where his action or inaction was worth enough to dedicate an entire post to. I don't have a preference on which you pick.]

Zorre growled lowly in his throat at the attack of his partner, but held back from immediately attacking the leavanny, not wanting to attack if Sorren still wanted to take a diplomatic approach to the situation. Instead he stepped forward, closer to Sorren, leaving his blades at his sides so as not to seem threatening. Then he finally opened his mouth, deciding that even speaking in broken words was better than not speaking at all.

"Stop!" he started -it was hard to mess up single words, after all- "Fight not, want us!" he spoke determinedly, staring at the leavanny with hard eyes. "Not know, us, what fight us for you. Only jobs, doing we are. Not understand, can you?" he asked the leavanny seriously. If the leavanny attacked him or Sorren again, he wouldn't hold back any longer, but he had to give the pokemon a chance to recant their actions.

"What are you even saying? BAH! It doesn't matter. Just let me give that Geodude what's coming to him! Can't you understand!? I need vengence! I Need closure, I-I NEED-" Leavanny said, tears starting to stream down his cheeks.

"YOU DON'T NEED REVENGE!" Sorren shouted. "WHAT WILL THAT ACOMPLISH!? YOU ARE JUST ADDING MORE PAIN AND MISSERY TO THE WORLD. I-"

"SPARE ME YOUR IDEALOGICAL NONSENSE! I'M GOING TO TAKE YOU OUT AND SHOW THAT BADGE OF YOURS TO GEODUDE BEFORE I GET HIM NEXT!"

With that Leavanny attacked, scratching up sorren with X scissor. Sorren retaliated with a scratch. They would not get out of this without a fight, but they could at least teach Leavanny a lesson. Sorren would take hits from the bug, and Sorren would do his best to console him. He would not give up on Leavanny.

"Zorre, It looks like we have to fight. Can you handle the Pinsir and Flabébé?" Sorren asked, conviction in his voice. "Don't interfere with my fight with Leavanny, I know this is cliché, but This is something I need to do on my own."

[a little bit of post commentary. Sorren still believes
he can save Leavanny, he believes he can let him wear himself out and then he can console him. However the thing is, Sorren is trying to be the hero here. Doing something by himself sounds cool, and sure the job was for his team and zore doesn't have to help, but he is still bad at letting other people help him. do with that information what you will.]

Zorre nodded at Sorren. This wasn't his mission, and besides, he'd have his scythes full enough with the pinsir and the flabebe. He snorted and prowled toward the pinsir, his scythes glinting in the light from the sun that trickled through the treeline above them. Zorre's eyes flashed as they met the pinsir's. The pinsir grinned arrogantly and charged at him, large spiked jaws aimed for Zorre's throat. Zorre danced out of the way and slashed at the pinsir's body as he passed by, drawing green blood from his fellow bug-type's body. The flabebe shrieked at the injury to her partner and flew at his head, sending a whirlwind of leaves scattering against his hard exoskeleton. He winced and attempted to dodge, failing in the attempt but leaving him close enough to the fairy type to slash at her renewed flower, causing the petals to fall from their perch.

"You don't have to do this! I won't blame you for anything you've done, but I can't let you hurt my client. He might be a despicable dirtbag for all I know, but he doesn't deserve this!" Sorren pleaded, guarding blows from Leavanny as he lashed out at him. "NO ONE DESERVES REVENGE!"

"HE DOES! I NEED JUSTICE!" Leavanny shouted, tears streaming down his face.

"IF YOU REALLY NEEDED JUSTICE THAN YOU WOULD HAVE POSTED AN OUTLAW NOTICE FOR GEODUDE!" Sorren yelled back.

He was taking a beating, but he wouldn't give up, he couldn't. hardly anyone was truly evil, most people belive they are justified. they believe they are doing right. That was enough for Sorren, he would prove the error in Leavanny's ways.

"WHY DON'T YOU FIGHT!?" Leavanny screeched with confounded anger.

"BECAUSE I'M ON YOUR SIDE! I BELIVE IN YOU!" Sorren said, himself now crying.

"NO YOU JUST WANT TO STOP ME! YOU DON'T CARE WHAT GEODUDE DID!"

Sorren dodged an x-scizor and stumbled back. He was afriad. For the first time in a long time he was scared. His iner fire flared with his fear. He was afraid of what would become of Leavanny, afraid of what would become of him.

It happened so fast sorren hardly realized what he had done. He was confused, on the brink of loosing hope. He was scared on a very base level. Maybe instinct took over, maybe it was reflex, maybe he had really given up hope, but the result was the same.

Sorren set leavanny on fire. His blaze in full effect, he had used ember. the dual weakness to fire had made Leavanny incredibly flammable. He flailed around screaming, his friends stopping fighting to watch. time had stopped.

eventually the fire had stopped, sorren stood up, unaware of when he fell to his knees. Leavanny was naked, stripped of it's leaf clothing and heavily burned. There was no chance he was conscious. His friends finally jumped into action, taking him away.

"It... It's over, lets get going" Sorren said, contemplating what had happened.

[we could just end it here, it feels like this story was sorren's, and Zorre was just an observer, hopefully we can reverse rolls in the next thread if you still want go to monocrome]