Struggles for Sovereignty

Perched in the branches of a particularly shady tree, a lone Sableye scanned the premises of the Small Pond, amethyst eyes taking in the dozens of small, young, impressionable Pokémon and how they frolicked both in and outside of the waters. His brow furrowed in distaste, he watched as other Pokémon played games and had mock battles under the watchful eyes of their parents and friends.

Normally, the Darkness Pokémon would not be seen anywhere near a place infested with such joy and playful happiness, but he was new in town, and thus, he was looking to gain influence. Particularly, young followers obtained through manipulation and debts. Younger, baby-like Pokémon were prime targets, as the majority of them were easily trusting and naïve, allowing the silver-tongued Dark-type to weasel himself into their good graces.

However, to his disappointment, there were no pleasing prospects to be found. All young, frail, and weak species. None of them present would grow to be strong or relatively useful; and thus, Dismas was not interested. He fingered the rim of his top-hat irritably, searching desperately for something useful. "Vulnerable... weak, filthy little vermin. None worthy to serve." Heaving a dramatic sigh and further cloaking himself in the shadows of the tree's branches, the ghost-type allowed himself to sit back on his haunches. He leaned back, taking note of the proceedings lazily, and with no small amount of disdain.

It was another calm day for the Buizel. He had recently returned from an expedition and decided to take a day off for himself. The day before had been quite a hectic one. He was just glad that it was all over now. The last thing he wanted to do today was go out on another potentially dangerous trip.

He had spent the first part of his free day at the library, enjoying some rare leisurely reading time. And for once, he had not been interrupted during his entire visit. It had been quite relaxing, and he got to study more for the next time he met his teammates. He could continue to be of great help to them by providing all kinds of information about the local lore, the surrounding areas, and some lands farther from home. However, even he had to grow bored of constant text and he eventually decided that exercise could do him some good.

That was what brought the Buizel here to the Small Pond. He had spent some time simply wandering around the town on a simple walk. However, he had wanted to return to this place, where he had initially met some of his new friends, and see if there was anybody else around like there occasionally was. Perhaps he could even find one of his friends who liked to hang around there from time to time.

Jet looked around the Pond, smiling at the families and young kids wandering around and playing games. He had to admit that he rather envied them. He wished that he could have had such a carefree childhood. But as fun as they were to watch, there didn't seem to be anybody that he could practice battling with. That was the real reason he had come here. He was no good at fighting in his opinion, and still wanted to get better. But since there didn't seem to be anybody present except for busy families and children, he figured that he could just relax and watch them play for now.

With that decided, Jet nodded to himself and stepped over to a nearby tree, looking around him at the joyous goings-on. As he watched, he pulled it out. His Grassveil Guild badge and turned it over in his paws in plain sight. Little did he know, he currently had his back resting upon the very trunk of the tree that a Sableye was perched in. He hadn't even bothered to take note of how particularly shadowed this tree was. All he cared about was watching the kids and occasionally looked at the badge, spinning it around and thinking about his teammate and team leader. "I wonder where that leader of ours even is right now..." he murmured just loud enough for Dismas to hear if he were paying attention, which would be more than enough to allow him to piece the information together: that he was definitely part of the Guild, and his team leader was currently absent.

If he was looking for a candidate, this was one Buizel that just might fit his bill.

Bystanders were as common as anything on the outskirts of the pond; when a lone Buizel wandered in from the direction of the town, the dark-type at first thought nothing of it. His eyes lazily tracked the water-type as he slowly meandered in front of Dismas' tree, pondering as to what he might be doing here all by himself. He tracked the young fighter constantly, along with his other prospects; Dismas is many things, and paranoid was one of them.

Amethyst eyes glinted dangerously as Jet withdrew his badge, and immediately the Darkness pokémon was interested, intensely observing the Sea Weasel Pokémon. His mind worked furiously, piecing together tidbits of information at this new prospect; able-bodied, confident in his posture, but not brash or loud, speaking of both strength and modesty, Dismas noted approvingly. Experienced, judging by the guild badge he was fondling, but also wistful and perhaps a little green, judging by how he was glancing at younger pokémon with something akin to longing on his features. The impish ghost-type crawled forward on the tree branch slowly, observing his potential prey.

"I wonder where that leader of ours even is right now..."

Slowly, a predatory grin formed on the imp's mug, not at all friendly, but dangerous; akin to what you'd see on a Krookodile on the hunt. If there was something that the dark-type excelled at, it was dissecting people psychologically. This Buizel... young, and naive. Too weak to lead his own team, but strong enough to help. Useful. Not dangerous. Not leader material, yet, but certainly a follower. What were the odds that a young guild-member would practically fall into his lap so early?

Dismas had struck gold.

It would be crucial to sneak up on him. Establish himself as stronger, more dangerous. As a rescue team member, not leader, he hoped the Buizel would default to him subconsciously. The imp dropped softly onto the ground underneath the shade, tall grass masking his footsteps even further than the childlike cries and exclamations in the distance. Slowly, almost serpent-like, the Darkness pokémon crept behind his prey, sure to mask his presence from both the Buizel and any nosy onlookers-- until he was just behind the water-type, craning his neck to just behind Jet's ear, tensing gleefully as he prepared to scare the Buizel.

"Hello, friend~," the imp uttered quietly, one hand on the rim of his tophat, the other adjusting his monocle, still donning a predatory smile.

Jet was focused too much on twirling the Explorer's Badge in his paws and looking out at the crowd. He was too engrossed in watching one particular mock battle taking place between two Nidoran of opposite gender. Amusingly, it was the female Nidoran that seemed to be winning, rather than what the stereotype would predict. He was so focused on the events unfolding before him that he had not even noticed that he was being observed...let alone the being's presence as it snuck up behind him, creeping about.

Thus, when a sudden voice spoke up near his ear, his eyes widened and his body reacted instinctively. He jumped, clearly taken completely off-guard, and he slid himself forward and spun his body around so that he was staring at where the voice had come from. He had even lost his grip on his Explorer's Badge, unintentionally dropping it at the Sableye's feet in his shock. He also could not help but let out a loud, rather unmanly cry of surprise. He could feel his heartbeat increase in frequency for a short while, as he looked at the Ghost-type Pokémon standing right in front of him.

Jet breathed deeply for a few moments, unable to even respond at first. He looked at the Sableye, suddenly feeling extremely unnerved. Not only because he was looking at a Ghost and Dark-type hybrid Pokémon, but those gemstone eyes, that creepy smile with the top hat and monocle completing the off-putting, unusual appearance.

"...C-c-can I help you...?" he finally managed to squeak out, trying to calm himself down.

Dismas' smile widened exponentially as Jet whirled about, a hysterical, cold bout of laughter at the back of his throat. Despite his amusement at striking terror into the water-type, he nevertheless smothered the high-pitched sniggering rising up inside him. A delighted glint in his gemstone eyes and a much lighter air about him in general, the Sableye then raised his hands non threateningly, head cocked in an inquisitive manner as he studied the young sea weasel pokémon.

"Actually... yes, I believe that you can... help me, that is," the hybrid dark-and-ghost type paused to bend over and pick up Jet's Explorer's Badge, his top-hat strangley not falling off of his head. He held the crest up in the sunlight and studied it for a moment, committing the insignia and shape to memory before twirling it about in his claws casually, purposefully not handing it back to Jet. "Pardon me, for the fright, friend. But I couldn't help notice that you seemed so... focused. And, well. Sometimes I can't help myself."

Dismas paused thoughtfully, before tipping his hat and giving the water-type a brief bow. "My name is Dismas, and as you can see, I am a Sableye." The dark-type made a show of visually sizing the Buizel up, looking at him from top to bottom as though he were a specimen to be studied, or a piece of meat for sizing. Dismas leaned forward, eyebrows raised and a smirk played about his face. "Might I have the pleasure of your name, friend?"

Jet continued to simply sit there, trying to allow his heart rate to return to normal. This Sableye's loud laugh was just as unnerving as the rest of his appearance. He couldn't help but swallowing hard, making a small yet still audible gulp sound. Something about this Sableye really put him off, even if he disregarded the appearance. He wasn't sure exactly what it was...perhaps it was that glint in those gemstones that he called eyes. He normally wasn't one to judge a Pokémon by appearance and first impressions alone, but still....

"E-erm..." Jet murmured lowly and timidly, looking down and trying to avoid eye contact. He watched the Sableye bend over and retrieve the badge that he had dropped at his feet, eyes widening slightly. Now he had no choice but to stick around. He couldn't leave without that badge in his possession. And, despite the Sableye's friendly-seeming demeanor, he couldn't help but notice that he seemed to intentionally keep the badge from him.

"M-my name is, erm...is Jet," he said just as timidly. "N-nice to meet you, s-sir." He made a quick, jerky bowing motion in greeting before righting himself again. He didn't want to keep his eyes off of him for too long. Especially not with him sizing him up like he was. "I-I'm an explorer, a-and I...erm...I-I really need that badge back. I-it's kind of important to me. I-I came here to train...t-to practice battling with somebody. B-but since there's nobody here, I-I suppose I should, uh...p-probably be on my way. S-so...if you wouldn't mind please...g-giving it back now...?" He held his paw out timidly and expectantly. He only hoped that it was that simple.

The moment he could get his paws on that badge, he was going to be looking for the first excuse he could to leave.

"Ah. Practice battling... You're a fighter, then?" With a noticably strained voice, Dismas momentarily ignored his request, gemstone eyes locked onto Jet's paw. While he made the outward effort to still appear nonthreatening, internally he was already seething. This timid, shy little whelp of a wallflower had the gall to order him around? Forgo any sort of courtesy or smalltalk and demand the badge back? After he had so graciously picked it up for him? No. That would not do. "Of course you're a fighter. You're a guild-member... a full-fledged explorer! Surely you're very experienced, very strong. Well then. Let's see,"

Making a point to turn his back on Jet and ignoring the outstretched paw, Dismas turned and stepped a few paces, placing some distance between the two. The dark-type threw a mocking glance over his shoulder and dangled  the badge out at arms' length- well out of Jet's reach now. "In case it isn't obvious, I'm very new to town. Wet behind the ears, practically defenseless in my naïvety! And as it may be, we both have something the other wants... I hold your badge, and you, a plethora of knowledge and experience! You're a veteran member of the guild, after all... a member of a rescue-team, a regular to the town! What say you give me a tour? Or even just some friendly advice?" The ghostly imp turned towards Jet, legs spread and shoulders set, posture depicting strength and his eyes practically daring Jet to challenge him. He clenched the Buizel's badge in an alarmingly strong grip. "But if that doesn't suit your fancy... you could always try and take it from me. I could use a bit of battle experience, too, partner. Whaddya say?"

Jet blushed slightly at Dismas' words. He couldn't help but feel as though the Sableye was not being completely sincere at the moment. Nobody who looked at him would have ever jumped to those conclusions. Although perhaps the Guild simply carried that kind of a reputation? It wasn't something he had particularly looked into, so perhaps there was something to it. He quickly opened his mouth, as though he had planned to correct the Sableye, but he couldn't get a word in before Dismas had turned his back on himand started stepping away again.

His heart sank slightly at the motion and he began to feel a slight feeling of panic begin to build up inside of his chest. However, his timidity prevented him from taking even a single step forward. He soon turned around, held his badge out mockingly, as though daring him to try to come over there and take it back, and issued his demands. But...who did this guy think he was? He picked up his badge, stepped away and taunted him with it, trying to parley with something that wasn't his to barter with.

"U-um..." Jet murmured in his same tone that betrayed a lack of confidence. "I-I think you might be overestimating me a little bit. I-I'm not that experienced. I-I've only left town a couple of times a-and I'm not even the leader of my team." He paused, thinking over what he should say next. He was treading on dangerous ground here. Though he had a sinking feeling that he was not about to have much of a choice in the matter. "Erm...b-but that badge is, uh...is mine already. S-so I'm sorry...b-but I can't be making any kind of deals to get it back. I-I just...I need it." He quickly took note of the Sableye's challenging gaze, clutching his badge with clearly no intent on letting it go. "S-so please.... J-just...give it back...?"

With great hesitation, Jet started taking shaky steps forward, eventually reaching his paw out to try to grab the badge in the Sableye's grip, hoping to get it back without starting something. But for some reason, he wasn't sure that that was possible at this point.

So weak. Vulnerable. Hesitant, unsure of himself... but steadfast, brave enough to charge forward, and confident enough to stick to his guns. Despite the tension in the moment and growing number of concerned onlookers, the ghostly imp grinned to himself even as his eyes narrowed in anger. This Buizel would make for a fine follower. Stong enough to serve, and probably weak enough to put down. All that remained was to establish dominance and gain his loyalty. Both were tall orders, but you had to start somewhere, and the dark-type figured this was a good start as any other.

"Well, practice it is, friend." Dismas, still smiling that predatory Krookodile smile, stepped forward as well, effectively closing the distance between the two. "I'm new at this, though, so take it easy on me."

With that said, the Sableye lashed out with one sharpened claw, aimed to smack away Jet's outstretched paw and make it painfully clear that the Buizel was not going to get the Explorer's Badge back without fighting for it.

Jet was not surprised in the slightest when Dismas replied the way that he did. The Sableye's demeanor had pointed to this being the most likely possible outcome. And so...Jet knew what was going to happen next before it even did. When the Sableye closed the distance between them completely and swiped a claw at his outstretched paw, he quickly withdrew his arm and avoided the claw altogether. The act had been obvious enough for him to see it coming. Especially after those last words. Still, he took a hesitant step backward, unsure if this was a fight he wanted to stick to. But no...he couldn't back down now. Not yet, anyway.

"W-well, I-I was hoping to avoid this, b-but if it's a battle you want, th-then I-I guess I can give it to you." Jet replied, hesitantly clenching his paws and curling them into fists. "B-but if you really want to practice...then taking it easy on you isn't going to get you anywhere. Enemies won't take it easy...a-and neither will I." With that, he had knowingly accepted the reality of the situation. There would definitely be no way to get that Explorer's Badge back without beating him. He would just have to put his training with his friends to good use here.

He took a deep breath and made the first real move. He spun his body around, his tail beginning to glow slightly. Soon, water began to rush around his tail like a vortex as he swung his Aqua Tail around in a full circular motion, aiming to slam it as hard as he could into the Sableye's side.

As it was the first time he was in a battle with someone other than his parents, Dismas felt a twinge of unease before bodily leaping backwards to avoid Jet's Aqua Tail. This was the first time facing someone relatively close to his size, other than his mother, so he was understandably apprehensive. Immediately, the ghostly imp worked to analyze his opponent rather than flee or counterattack. The Buizel was smart enough to realize that his first swipe was coming- and he was also quick enough to avoid it alltogether. Confident enough to lead with such a move- if Aqual Tail connected, the dark-type confessed it would probably be quite forceful. Dismas was small, and nimble- so he prided himself in knowing that he'd normally be quicker than larger opponents. That was not the case here- he was safe to assume they were either equally quick, or Jet was quicker- the latter more likely than the former.

Therefore, he was far more likely to hit Jet if he was surprised- so counterattacking was the way to go. A fraction of his anxiety eased now that he had a battle plan- and he felt marginally better about this bout. His lip curled in disdain at Jet's words, Dismas surprisingly kept silent, darting forward with sharpened claws, poised for a uppercut-style Scratch attack, but fully prepared and planning to abort the move once Jet reacted.

Jet's Aqua Tail met nothing but air. Of course, he hadn't totally expected to land a solid hit either. After all, he didn't know much about his opponent...or even about Sableye in general. Information on the species was surprisingly hard to come by. But apparently, this Pokémon was quick enough to evade him like that. However, it was by a small margin. Perhaps he was faster than him? In which case, his best chance would be to overwhelm with a barrage of attacks and lead him into a punishing blow with his Aqua Tail.

As Dismas stood watching and analyzing him, he did much the same. However, his focus at the moment was on his own arsenal of techniques. His adversary was a Ghost-type, so his Sonicboom attack, which was his go-to damage dealer since it did not rely on his lacking physical strength, would be completely useless. It was also unlikely that this Sableye could use Fire-type attacks, so his water Spout would also be of no use to him. That left him with two options. Rain Dance, which could be used to boost his speed and his power, and his power-hitter Aqua Tail. Thankfully, his Swift Swim would make it easier to land blows with his Aqua Tail while it was raining...but for now, he wanted to keep that move a secret. After all, revealing your hand to an opponent was the very worst strategy one could have. He would need to hold that back until the opportune moment, whereupon he would deliver a very punishing series of decisive blows.

Or so he hoped at least.

But while Jet had been lost in thought for his planning stages, he had not realized that his adversary was already on the move. His eyes widened in surprise when he realized that Dismas was already upon him, claws slashing through the air. He had no time to react at this point, and the uppercut Scratch scored a direct hit against the Buizel's jaw, throwing his head upward and causing him to let out a pained grunt and stumble backward a couple of steps. However, he decided to try to use this to his advantage and lowered his arms, acting as though his guard had been demolished. This would create a very tempting opportunity for any opponent: an undefended midsection would lead to a punishing gut shot in most situations, thus leading to a winded foe. But this was what he wanted. He was attempting to bait Dismas into rushing in for the attack before he could recover from the Scratch completely. Then, perhaps his guard would be lowered enough for him to sneak an Aqua Tail through....

As claw connected with flesh, Dismas felt a strong thrum of satisfaction and glee- he didn't expect his opponent to just sit there and take it! If Jet felt so uneasy about fighting a dark-ghost hybrid such as himself, then Dismas would take advantage of it immediately. His other claw poised to strike, Dismas eagerly stepped forward as his opponent staggered backwards, hoping to press his advantage and overwhelm the Sea Weasel Pokémon before he could recover.

Gemstone eyes glinted greedily as it appeared the Buizel's guard fell apart in shock, Dismas falling for the trick completely- There! This was his chance. The Darkness Pokémon brought his other claw around at a vicious angle, on track to Scratch down the Buizel's torso. After this, Dismas thought greedily, a third Scratch across the face would, while not knock the Buizel out, hopefully establish the dark-type as top dog. Premature victory surged through the ghostly imp's veins, internally celebrating an easy victory. It was a pity, the corrupted imp contemplated, that Jet proved to be so weak- but that just meant that he'd be too afraid to fight against the Sableye later on down the line.

The Sableye had taken his bait, just as he had planned. And now, it was time to punish him for his greediness. When the Ghost-type Pokémon came in for the strike, obviously intending to delve into a combination of attacks and overwhelm him, he quickly shifted his footing. In order to strike, he needed to quickly shift his feet...and then he spun around, his torso being whipped around just as quickly as his hips. His tail was brought around while the Sableye's claws neared him. It would be a very close encounter, but this was something that Jet was good at...planning and timing. He had executed his next move with the calculation of when it would be the best time to use it. And just before the Scratch connected would be perfect. He could turn the Sableye's initial hit against him and lead into a powerful attack.

With his footing corrected and body spinning around, spun with the maximum amount of torque that his body could allow from this position, as his tail began swirling in a vortex of water once again. This time, he was likely to catch his adversary off-guard. His Aqua Tail was hopefully much more likely to land a direct hit. And if he could do successfully slam his attack into Dismas' side like he planned, he might be able to press his advantage further. He would just have to be quick to analyze his opponent's movements immediately following his strike.

Of course if it turned out that he had miscalculated something about Dismas' attack, this situation could turn very bad for him very quickly....

In an instant, Dismas' face lost its bloodthirsty smile. Confusion etched his brow briefly, as his claw, still true to the same path, looked as if it would miss. The Buizel's center of gravity seemed to... shift, his feet, hips and torso turning swiftly, Dismas had to only wonder what--- In a second instant, rage polluted his features. Dismas was many things- and dimwitted was certainly not one of them. Rather the opposite- he recognized what happened very soon. He'd been baited. And like any sort of greedy, wet-behind-the-ears fool, he'd bit the bait and now, the Buizel twisting underneath him at a strange angle, Dismas tensed his muscles for whatever Jet had in store- but he could not prepare for what was about to come. In a third instant, a deep, pained grunt escaped his throat before he could do anything about it, the Buizel's water-fueled Aqual Tail slamming into his right side with, predictably, stunning force.

The blow struck stong and true, and the dark imp found his feet tangled amongst themselves as he veered to the right- the same angle Aqua Tail struck- and Dismas noted that the ground seemed to be approaching him very quickly. He hit the ground, but had the presence of mind to roll sideways with the blow, trying to keep distance between Jet and himself.

A moment later, Dismas lay a few paces away from Jet, right side soggy, wet, and aching from the Aqual Tail, and himself heaving pained breaths from the strong blow to the ribs. He rose, slowly and shakily, facial features speaking of rage and humiliation. The Darkness Pokémon dimly noted that his claws were clenched and shaking in anger- teeth grinding and eyes glinting dangerously. He stood shamefully silent, glaring death at his adversary, and ready to dart forward at a moments notice.