Don't Play With Fire

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Synd'r had quite taken to exploring the areas surrounding Grassveil in the recent past, but surprisingly had yet to visit the pleasant location that was Pecha Forest. As the residents of Grassveil had described, it was a light little wood where, during the day, it looked almost like a mini paradise, with food abundantly growing on the branches of the trees in the form of the berries that the forest was named for.

It didn't have the beauty of a winter wonderland, but it was still something that Synd'r could appreciate. However, the forest's aesthetics were not why she was here. She was here for two purposes. The first was her -so far- fruitless searching for Reisei. The second was less noble, but necessary if she was to get to know how the area's underworld worked. It was rumored that even in such a pleasant location, and so close to Grassveil and it's Guild, certain outlaws would roam.

The Vulpix couldn't help but wonder if it was foolish for them to choose such a location in which to base themselves, especially as she would never pick somewhere so close to the region's largest Exploration Guild. But nevertheless, it might be worth her time to investigate any fellow outlaw presences, and so here she was.

Capone scoffed at the six-tailed Pokemon's clear mirth. He couldn't stand mockery, but he could at least keep his cool demeanor when it was aimed at him. He didn't bother to look at her when he replied.

"I stumbled upon them by way of luck. They were just sitting on the ground somewhere in Grassveil." The Slakoth thought back to the small act of fortune the world gave him. Someone Pokemon probably worked hard to get these, but must have dropped them. He didn't care though, he needed them more than anyone. So he grabbed them."I picked them up off the ground, and I've been thinking of what to do with them ever since."

He continued looking at the two Pokemon they were following. He didn't know if he could take them on if it cam to that, at least not on his own. He could possibly take down the Pineco with a Night Slash, but that would be weak against a Murkrow, and Scratch wasn't the strongest of attacks, either. Though he rarely used force to get things he wanted, anyways. He decided it would be better suited to his safety to wait for an opportunity to arise, and then he would hide. He knew he wouldn't be able to out run any of them, but he knew how to disappear in the shadows fairly well.

"So, if I may inquire something." Capone whispered to Synd'r when he thought the two escorts wouldn't be able to hear them speak quietly. "Why'd you lie? Not that I'm against it, but I'm surprised those two couldn't realize that you must know where Grassveil is, considering the beginning of the main path in the forest is nearby."

"Fair enough..." the Vulpix shrugged as Capone explained how he had gotten his seeds. It seemed that the Slakoth wasn't completely a morally upstanding citizen then. Someone else might well have handed those lost items in to the police. After all, they were in the middle of a town, not a dungeon or other such location.

From that point on, she walked alongside Capone in silence as the duo in front lead the way... or at least, it was silent until the Slakoth whispered his question.

Turning her gaze from the forest duo to Capone, Synd'r shrugged, "You never know who might be hostile in these places. Besides, they don't know I just came from there, I could have come from the opposite side of the forest," she replied quietly, flicking her amber gaze from Capone to the others as she spoke to make sure they weren't listening in.
You never show all your cards until you need to, but since Capone had asked so politely she was willing to answer his question. The Vulpix was also hoping that by being honest with the Slakoth, she could gain his trust. At least enough to not question her when the opportunity arose to turn on the helpful forest duo.

"Quite true. I suppose that makes sense." Capone whispered back once more. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with her statement. He still felt a bit suspicious, but not enough to warrant bringing it up. It might also lead to his facade being unraveled.

He continued in silence with the Vulpix. He was still going as fast as he was before, but he could certainly feel the energy he had when he first ate the seed was slowly draining from his system. Hopefully they arrived at this rumored place before then. He wondered if he would even get an opportunity, anyways. He was still hopeful, but he could tell that he was in a very unfavorable situation.

Energy: 11 + 1 = 12

After a short duration of walking, the Murkrow and Pineco paused up ahead, waiting for Synd'r and Capone to catch up. When they did so, the Pineco nodded to the area in front of them.
"And here we are!" she smiled, continuing to explain about their location, "The spring! Rumour says that if you bathe in it you'll feel super energised."

Synd'r passed forward and glanced around the new area. It really was a small little spring in the middle of the woods. It didn't look particularly warm to bathe in, but the water was crystal clear. Perhaps it had some sort of properties that weren't clear at first glance and that was why it was rumoured to increase someone's speed?

The Vulpix smiled pleasantly to the Pinecoand thanked her for leading them there before she padded over to the edge of the water and dipped a paw in. Blinking in surprise, she could feel something different about the water. She had only placed the tip of a paw in and already she could tell that this odd spring had something different about it...

Capone could feel the energy from his Quick seed mostly disappear when they got to the spring. He was thankful it only now ran out, and not before. He didn't want to use another one so he could save it for later, and so he wouldn't have to taste it again right after having one earlier. That is, if this spring actually does raise his speed at all.

"Thank you for the help, you friendly fellows. Maybe I won't need Quick seeds ever again." The Slakoth smiled at the thought of never being restrained by the shackles of his speed ever again.

He worked his way to the water's edge and looked in. It was so clear, he could barely see his reflection in it. He dipped a claw into the spring, and immediately felt the rush of energy that he had received from the Quick seed return in full force. He slid into the pool slowly, adjusting to the cold temperature.

"This energy feels amazing." It took all of Capon'es will to not burst out of his calm state of mind. The energy felt addicting, so he figured he should get out of it before it consumes him. But soaking for a minute wouldn't do any harm to his psyche.

After letting the natural powers of the water bring him this speed and energy, he decided to pull himself out of the water, though he hesitated for just a moment. The energy felt too good to let go, but that was exactly why he needed to get out of the pool. After stepping onto the dry land, he grabbed a rag out of his bag to make sure he would be wet the rest of his time in the forest.

Synd'r cautiously stepped into the spring. The water was cold as she had suspected by the lack of steam coming from it's surface, but the energising feeling it brought to be within it's waters was definitely refreshing. The Vulpix dipped the rest of her body under the water, before returning her head to the surface so that she could breathe and allow the feathers behind her ears to dry.

I wonder if other dungeons have such odd places as this, Synd'r thought to herself. Perhaps if she could ever find such a useful place in a less travelled area she could make it a home of sorts. It would certainly be useful. Or even, if not a spring such as this, another oddity within a dungeon.

Deciding not to spend too long within the spring, Synd'r soon stood up once again and padded out of the water, shaking her fur off a little. She was not completely dry, but she knew that her core body temperature was high enough that it would not take her long to finish drying off and so she set about beginning to brush misplaced areas of fur back in the right direction.

During this while, the Murkrow and the Pineco watched on from nearby, quietly chatting to one another and wondering if the Vulpix and Slakoth duo needed their help to get back to the edge of the woods.

After he finished drying himself off, Capone made his way back to the Murkrow and Pineco. He hoped beyond hope that there would be a golden opportunity for him, but it was looking less and less likely. He couldn't let many people know what he really was at this point. It was too dangerous. He didn't worry about the Murkrow or Pineco, he doubted they would go off to the authorities when they live in these woods. Even if they did, he could easily find a way to get out of it. Most Pokemon he had met seemed to trust a fellow citizen of their own town more than a Pokemon living in a dungeon.

His problem was Synd'r. She obviously wasn't all Miss Goody-Two-Shoes or anything, but she didn't seem like she would be accepting of him stealing an orb off of some Murkrow. This would be a troublesome deed to pull off, but he could always use some extra cash.

As he began to thank the two Pokemon again, he heard rustling coming from all around him. From the air, two Ledyba flew down and began charging at the group, and from just in front of the Slakoth, a Tangela willed a couple a vines at them. Capone, filled with this energy and having heard the noises beforehand, was able to dodge all the attacks, but the Murkrow and Pineco weren't so lucky. They got tangled up by the vines, and were being thrashed about. He decided that he would look like he was going to help and when Synd'r actually helped and become distracted, he would take down the Murkrow and Pineco, and go off into hiding with the orb.

"Can you take down the Tangela and Ledyba, Synd'r? I'll free those two while they're distracted!" Capone called out to the Vulpix. As he did, he started making his way to the two in the middle of it all.

Synd'r's ear's twitched as she heard the rustling sounds, angling to identify which directions they were coming from. However, she did not move from grooming her pelt until one of the Ledyba dived bombed her from the sky at which point she used the buzzing sound of it's wing beats to judge when to dodge and aptly leaped out of the way just in the nick of time.

She turned to see the Tangela capture the Pineco and the Murkrow within it's vines, lifting them very slightly off of the ground so that they could quite stand on it or use it to propel themselves out from the vines. She heard Capone's cry and she shot a small glance towards him before tracking the Ledyba's movement through the air. Watching as the bug type flew away from her and back towards the trapped duo, Synd'r grinned at her opportunity.

"Can do," she grinned, bounding forwards a few steps after the Ledyba.

Just as the Ledyba was about to attack the Pineco and Murkrow, Synd'r parted her jaws and released an Ember attack, the flames quickly shooting towards the bug and colliding with it. Using her innate ability to control the flames she spouted, Synd'r allowed these flames to travel just a little bit further than the Ledyba, singing some of the Tangela's vines at the same time as discretely burning a small hole through the string around the Murkrow's neck.

The orb around the Murkrow's neck tumbled to the ground following the Ledyba's own descent and Synd'r leaped for the weakened Ledyba, bodily tackling it away from the duo who had lead them to the spring. The same movement caught the Murkrow's orb in it's trajectory, taking it away from the immediate scene of the fight. A quick Roar move from Synd'r and the Ledyba was thoroughly cowed, fleeing and leaving only the second Ledyba and the Tangela behind.

The Vulpix targeted the Tangela next, releasing another ball of fire in the form of an Ember attack towards the grass type. The second Ledyba attempted to intercept to protect the Tangela, but was a little too late to stop the move from hitting it's mark.

Now flying towards Synd'r, the Ledyba unleashed a Swift attack which Synd'r promptly attempted to dodge, the flying stars however caught her side. Annoyed at the Ledyba for harming her, the young Vulpix growled quietly before the sound grew louder and reverberated throughout the small clearing in the form of another Roar attack. The sound blew the Ledyba backwards and out of the clearing that held the spring, leaving only the Tangela remaining.

While Capone attempted to free the two from the clutches of the wild Tangela, he looked back to find a good time when Synd'r would be distracted. Once she was hit with a swift attack, he saw his opportunity. He decided to use Night Slash, aiming for the vines, but missing slightly on purpose. He could at least try to keep up a facade that way if anyone realized what he was doing. The Murkrow and Pineco cried out in pain, yelling at him. He quickly apologized, saying that his missed the vines.

Unfortunately, Synd'r regained her focus on the Tangela, and the Slakoth was most definitely in his field of view. His opportunity had disappeared, and now he was hoping to get lucky. He continued trying to cut the vines, this time not using Night Slash, as that may be suspicious if he "missed" more than a few times without hitting the vines once.

That's when he smelled something horribly sweet. His senses numbed, and the sweet smell became incredibly faint. He began to fall, slowly at first. He tried keeping his eyes open, but it didn't work. They continued blinking, pulling up less and less each time. He looked at the Murkrow and Pineco, and it seemed to be the same with them. He looked at the Tangela, who was sending out spores everywhere. Then he looked at Synd'r. The spores made their way to her, too. His plan was ruined. He could only hope that he would wake up first, before everyone else, and have time to take the orb and get away, or at least hide.

I was so close! SO CLOSE! My golden opportunity was just whisked away by this damned vine on legs! Capone drifted off to sleep, landing with a soft thud on the grass. His sleep was dreamless in a way. He was dreaming, yes, but it was blank. It was all just pure white. Not even a white room filled with white things. Just a space that was white. Endless. Lonely. Unforgiving. And he stayed like that until he awoke.

The Tangela seemed to release spores of some sort, and the smell in the air suddenly became rather sweet. It took a moment for Synd'r to realise just what these spores where, but by that time she had already breathed the powder in and it was too late to reverse it's effects. As she began to get drowsier, she used Ember one last time to catch the Tangela who had thought it was safe, knocking it out just as she too fell asleep beneath the blanket of the powder's effects.

A while later, Synd'r's brown eyes blinked open and she immediately got to her feet, shaking her head to rid herself of that sleepy feeling. All four of them had been caught in the Tangela's Sleep Powder attack, but luckily she had managed to knock it out before she had fallen asleep and it still appeared to be unconscious now.

That said, the Murkrow and Pineco were both still asleep. Not wanting to accidentally wake them, she left them be and wandered over to where she had left the Petrify Orb that she had singed from around the Murkrow's neck earlier. Gently picking it up, Synd'r curled one of her six tails around it to keep it safe and hidden within her fur before she glanced around the clearing one more time.

Capone slowly stood up, the drowsy nature of his biology trying to take over. But years of training his mind to stay alert fought it off enough to be awake. As he got up, he noticed that a certain Vulpix had been awake too, and was picking up a round thing off the ground.

Is that the orb that was around the Murkrow's neck? He thought to himself, squinting as Synd'r wrapped it up in her tails. He didn't realize she was a thief all this time. So that was why she had lied earlier. Well, he wasn't going to let her stand in his way. If she was an outlaw, then she probably wouldn't be too keen on going to the authorities if he were to do anything.

"So, you're just another thief, huh?" The Slakoth said loud enough for her to hear, but quiet enough so as to not wake up the other two. He might be able to do something about the Vulpix on his own, but there was no way he could take on a Murkrow and Pineco on his own after taking on Synd'r. "Sorry, but I'm not letting something like that leave this forest unless it's in my hands. Hand it over. Or else. I may not look it, but I'm more than capable in a fight."

Of course, he was bluffing, but she didn't need to know that. And if it did come down to a fight, then he'd find a way to win it. He usually lucked out in these sorts of situations.

Her dark gaze landed on the Slakoth who had awakened a little quicker than she'd estimated... perhaps he was just so cursed to be lazy himself that he was weirdly resistant to such a status effect. The Vulpix held in a small chuckle at the odd thought, despite it likely being completely false.

At Capone's words, her gaze hardened at the development. Perhaps he was more of an upstanding citizen than she'd assumed? She was willing to fight but she knew she didn't have to if she didn't want to. It was one on one at the moment after all. When the Slakoth's words continued however, she chuckled.

"Well I can't exactly say you're a law-abiding individual yourself then," she replied matter-of-factly. At least he wouldn't be the type to go to the police force about her thievery if this conversation was anything to go by.
"However, all is fair in the underworld. I got it first. You should have been a faster."

A flick of her tails and a watchful eye waited for the Slakoth's response. As capable as he believed himself to be, Synd'r considered herself more so, but she was smart enough not to underestimate someone whose full capabilities were currently unknown.

The Slakoth could tell she wasn't backing off. He knew he couldn't take her on in a fight alone, but it would be too risky to get the aide of the others then have to take them out on his own. He had to think of a way out of this situation with a gain for him. He was planning on building an entire empire one day. He hadn't gotten much done to further those plans but maybe today was the day to start that.

He looked back at the two sleeping Pokemon. He went over thousands of different ideas as to what he should do. A light bulb went off in his mind.

"Maybe we can strike up some sort of agreement? I'd hate for things to get messy,
and those two could wake up at any moment." Capone spoke up as he turned back to Synd'r. He hoped this would work out in his favor. "Seeing as you have the orb in your possession, it's more likely they'll side with me to try and get the orb back, and three against one are pretty good odds for me. However, if we do succeed, then that would leave me to fight the other two on my own. The only hope for me would be if you took out the other two and I still won, but that wouldn't be likely. If they wake up, we're both out of luck. But if we work together, maybe we'll both get something out of this."

The Vulpix listened to the Slakoth's words with mild interest. It was clear that Capone was trying to maximise his own gains from this venture whilst minimising his losses, however he didn't seem to realise that she was the one still holding all the cards.

Curling her tail further around the orb and obscuring it from view with her red fur, Synd'r smirked at the Slakoth's proposal, "I think you're forgetting that I could just walk away right now if I wanted to," she replied, "And if those two wake up, I can just argue that you attacked me whilst I tried to keep the orb away from you. It shouldn't take much to convince them after your 'misses' earlier."

Synd'r stood with a small smile on her face, curious as to how the Slakoth would talk his way out of this one. After all, she had heard the Murkrow and Pineco's cries of pain earlier on in the short battle, although at that point she had thought nothing of them. It was only when thinking back on it now that she had more of the facts that she had put two and two together.

Capone sighed in displeasure. Nothing was going as he had hoped. What she said made perfect sense. He couldn't predict how the other two would react perfectly, either. The brain was something no one could fully understand. There was a chance they would work with him, and a chance they wouldn't. For all he knew, they would turn on both of them.

Then it hit him. He didn't need to gain anything now to invest in a positive outcome for the future. He didn't need to get that orb, but he could possibly make an ally in the future.

"Fine, you win. But I can still offer you great things if we work together in the future. I know how people work. I know how to get things done. If I had a word for a middle name, it'd be Strategist. If anything, I could owe you more favors. You'd probably like that, if nothing else. So, what do you say? Alliance?" The Slakoth slumped his shoulders, putting up an air of vulnerability. He had a backup plan if he needed it. He hoped he wouldn't need it.