A Heated Battle

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Ashen was sitting atop a large rock near the Small Pond, staring at the water from a distance. Normally, she would go there to relax and bask in the sunlight, but ever since the skies had gone dark, it had become unseasonably cold, much to the little fire type's dismay. Even so, she enjoyed being by the water, and unless if she traveled all the way to Rainfront Town, the Small Pond was the only place where she could take a break from training and unwind. Ahh, this is nice, She thought, feeling a gentle breeze brush against her black fur.

That being said, the young Houndour was still itching for a sparring match. It had been far too long since she had tested her combat skills against a sentient Pokemon... No matter how much she practiced her attacks on boulders and trees, she knew that it wouldn't help her gain the valuable experience that she needed before she could join the Grassveil Guild. Considering that the pond was a popular site for quick skirmishes, she expected to find someone there who wanted to have a good fight.

(Oh boy. This took a while to write.)

When Rai saw his Zen Headbutt do nothing to the opponent, he knew the fight wouldn't last much longer. Of course... this Pokemon must be a dark-type! Darn! He saw Ashen use another Ember attack on him. He had a small window to avoid the attack (if he hadn't already missed his opportunity), but it was likely too late anyway. He braced himself for the attack. As the hit collided, he could feel the pain and heat of the attack everywhere.

He fell a foot or two away from Ashen. The Zubat knew that if he tried to continue fighting, he'd most likely faint due to the pain. He couldn't faint. Not now. Grassveil wasn't far from the pond, and he wasn't going to pass out now. Who knows what could happen while he was unconscious? Rai sat up and sighed. "I can't fight you any longer. As much as I hate to admit it... you win." Rai muttered most of his forfeit. A part of his mind told him that, yes, he could keep fighting and win this. But, the common sense portion of his brain told him to stay down. Rai sat up, struggling to become airborne. As he got into the air, his whole body was sore. He could barely fly straight. "I really did enjoy that match. That was one of the best fights I've had in a long time. Thank you." The bat Pokemon wasn't going to be a sore loser about this. He knew that you can't win them all.

When flying strained him too much, Rai dropped to the ground and sat up. "You said Grassveil was this way, right? He asked pointing in a direction. It was nice meeting you. If you need me for anything, I'll be signing up at the guild. Rai was still very impressed by Ashen's fighting techniques. It taught him something; if he wanted to grow stronger, Rai would have to think up his own strategies and tactics in the heat of battle.

Ashen blinked, surprised that the sparring match had ended so quickly. That's it...? She thought, cocking her head. He sure didn't take a whole lot of hits. Still, that was a good battle! I'm actually really tired from that... She mentally mumbled to herself, yawning. "Y-yeah, you were really good, too. I-I thought I was done for when I got confused..." She rasped, chuckling a little bit. She was a bit sore from the bites she had received on her neck and midsection, but she knew that a little rest would heal her minor injuries. Tired, the hound hopped back onto her rock.

"Uhm, y-yeah, Grassveil is that way," The fire type confirmed, nodding her head in agreement. Her attention was caught when Rai had mentioned the guild. Oh, so he's going to make a team? That's nice... She thought, aware that it would eventually be her turn to sign up. But first, she needed to find the right partner...

"N-nice to meet you, too," Ashen called out to her new acquaintance as he flew off, waving one of her paws. Once he was gone, she stared at the water, and slowly drifted asleep, having dreams of exploration and adventure...