We should not be fighting here

It was a nice day at The Small Pond. There were a few Pidgey sitting in the trees and a group of Surskit were skating on the pond. There were also a few families resting there. It was pretty peaceful at the pond that day. That was, until Pokkoji arrived.

"Watch out everyone, coming through! Watch your step! As usual, the Caterpie was zooming through. One could wonder where he gets all that energy from. He caused a big ruckus by bumping into other Pokemon. He accidentally even pushed one of the children, a Swablu, in the lake. It's parents were nowhere to be seen.

The cry of the young Pokemon stopped him in his tracks. Pokkoji turned around and saw the child was struggling. He didn't realize he was the one who caused this though. Wait, let me help you! He cried at the child as he rushed to the edge of the lake. He fired a string shot at the child and tried to pull him up. The problem was, he was not strong enough to pull him out. He tried very hard but at this rate he would get pulled in the lake himself. Would he admit he needed help? Not at all.

As the Caterpie struggled, pulling at the strings in a desperate attempt to help the fluttering Swablu, another pair of blue eyes had turned their attention to the ruckus not far where they were situated. After just a few short seconds, it became increasingly obvious that this Caterpie wasn't going to be successful in pulling out the larger bird Pokémon. And at that realization, footsteps began to approach the small Bug-type Pokémon from behind. They stopped directly behind the Worm Pokémon. And the footsteps were then followed by a loud, confident voice.

"Hey, you're just gonna drag yourself into the water like that," the Charmander stated matter-of-factly. But then, the tone shifted slightly. "Heh...here, let a strong Pokémon show you how it's done." The Charmander, without being asked or waiting for permission, reached down to grab the Caterpie's string and began to pull on it alongside Pokkoji, easing the Caterpie's strain. And thankfully, the light-weight bird Pokémon was no trouble at all for the much-larger Fire-type. It was just a few seconds later when they were finally pulling the youngster out of the pond and back onto dry land where she belonged.

The Charmander grinned slightly, pleased to have been of service to this strange circumstance, and he awaited his surely inevitable thanks. After all, if it hadn't been for his help, they both might have gotten wet like that. So, surely the Caterpie would be extremely thankful for fixing his mess for him...right?

As Pokkoji was struggling, he heard a voice behind him.  "Hey, you're just gonna drag yourself into the water like that. Heh...here, let a strong Pokémon show you how it's done." Pokkoji was a bit angry about that. Did he just imply I'm weak? I will prove I'm not. Before he could do or say anything though, the Charmander was pulling the bird out with him.

The swablu shook out her feathers a bit as it reached land. She was pretty cratefull they pulled her out. "Thank you for saving me." The bird said before hopping away. Pokkoji stared at the Charmander in front of him. Having that cleared out he spoke what was on his mind in an angry tone. Did you just imply I'm weak? I'm not weak. I'm the best Pokemon ever!!"

Noticing the flame on the Charmander's tail Pokkoji realized this Pokemon was a fire type. He really didn't like fire types. He was hiding he was scared though. Rescuers aren't supposed to be scared of anything after all.

Hidon grinned at the small Swablu and nodded to him, watching the Flying-type Pokémon hop away from them. He felt good, helping out that little guy. And he was only bound to get more gratitude and thanks. He expectantly looked back at the Caterpie, putting his arms to his waist, striking a heroic pose, as though he had just saved them from a rampaging Ursaring or Beedrill swarm or something like that. But what he got instead took him completely by surprise.

Instead of an awed, thankful gaze, he got an angry glare followed soon by a tone that matched. The tone itself was enough to cause Hidon to recoil slightly in his surprise. That had been the last thing he was expecting! But even then, he couldn't help but allow a slight grin to appear on his face and a slight chuckle could be heard. He found the Caterpie's words rather amusing, to be honest.

"The best Pokémon ever?" the Charmander repeated in a clearly-amused tone. "Sorry little guy, but you can't be the best. You couldn't even pull that little Swablu out of the water by yourself. Though it was pretty cool of you to try." He then reached down and tried to pat Pokkoji on the head, albeit in an unintentional yet somewhat condescending manner. "Besides. You can't possibly be the best as long as I'm around. 'Cause I'm gonna be the strongest Pokémon there is. And a little Bug Pokémon like you wouldn't stand a chance."

Pokkoji heard a chuckle coming from the fire type? Was he laughing him out? Pokkoji was not happy with this, at all. Once again someone was looking down on him. Once again someone thought he was weak. W-Well, would you have gotten him out by yourself? I doubt you even would have dared to get near the water. I just couldn't do it because of the mud making it slippery. The caterpie snapped back at him. Who did this Pokemon think he is?

How the Charmander petted him even seemed to prove further how much he was looking down on Pokkoji. But what the fire type said then really did it. "A fat Pokemon like you? Don't underestimate me! I will show you how strong I am! I'm not going to lose to some stupid fire type who thinks he is better than the rest. Now bring it on! Pokkoji moved back a bit and was glaring at him, standing ready in a fighting stance. This pokemon has to be taught not to look down on anyone, doesn't matter how small they are. This probably wasn't the smartest thing to do though but Pokkoji didn't even think about it.

Hidon nearly burst out laughing as Pokkoji actually asked him if he'd be able to pull the young Pokémon out of the water by himself. His grin visibly widened at that. "Could I have done it myself?" he asked. "Of course I could've done it myself! I'm, like...twice the size of the both of you. I'd be plenty strong enough to pull him out of the water myself." He let out another chuckle immediately after that. He liked the Pokémon's spunk, though, he couldn't lie. He was claiming to be so strong, despite the fact that he barely came up to his waist. But he looked down at the ground at his feet and tested the grass for a moment with his foot. He didn't see any mud down here. "Right...mud. Slippery." he replied in a sarcastic voice, grin widening slightly more.

But that grin quickly fell from his face and became a frown when he heard Pokkoji's insult. A fat Pokémon? What the heck was it with everybody calling him fat!? First it was Pilot, then Raze picked up on it and would throw it out there now and again...and now it was some stranger that none of them even knew? He folded his arms and gave the Caterpie a glare of anger, but then stopped himself when he realized just what the Caterpie was doing. He was moving away from him after issuing what he supposed was supposed to be a challenge.

Hidon put his claws to his waist once again. "...Did you really just challenge me?" Hidon replied, fighting back a laugh to go with his now-raised brow. "Sorry kid, but I'm not interested in fighting a Caterpie that wouldn't even put up a good fight. I don't like beating up weaker or helpless Pokémon. So I guess I'm gonna have to pass. But...thanks for the laugh anyway." He let out another loud very audible chuckle. He couldn't believe this little guy.

Though even he had to admit, his determination was rather admirable.

Pokkoji couldn't believe this guy. He wasn't even taking his challenge serious. "Yes, I did challenge you and I am serious. You should not underestimate me." Pokkoji was actually pretty angry now. The only thing he could think about now was fighting this Pokemon and showing him how wrong he is. He tried taunting the fire type to fight him anyway. "So I am a weak or helpless Pokemon? You are just scared you would lose from an amazing Caterpie like me! What a coward you are! And you say you are going to be the best Pokemon there is? A coward like you could never become the best.

Other Pokemon were watching the two of them. Some were admiring the Caterpie for his bravery, others were just thinking about what an idiot the child was. Everyone was wondering how the Charmander would react.

At first, Hidon was going to ignore everything that this little kid had to say. He was already turning around and he had started walking in the opposite direction. Clearly, this Caterpie was only trying to play with the big boys, but he wouldn't be ready for that for a while now for sure. He wouldn't have any fun in a fight against him, and he honesty didn't want to hurt the little guy. He was just a kid after all, so he didn't have to take what he said too seriously. But despite his plan to merely wave away Pokkoji's statements, he stopped when those last few lines met his ears. That Caterpie...had just called him a coward? That was one insult he couldn't just shake off.

He slowly turned around, realizing that the two of them had somehow already managed to draw in a small crowd around them. He couldn't just walk away now. There were lots of Pokémon keeping an eye on him. If he ran away from this challenge, they might think that he was a coward. A Fire-type who was too afraid to lose to a Caterpie. So, it seemed like his decision had just been made for him.

"...Hmph," he muttered, meeting Pokkoji's gaze. "Nobody calls Hidon, the leader of Team Rising a coward. I'll show you I'm no coward. You want a fight? Fine, I'll give you one. Just don't say I didn't warn you or give you a chance to walk away." He put his claws to his waist once again, stance widening slightly. To him, it was time to teach a spoiled little kid a lesson or two.

Pokkoji finally seemed to have managed to get the fire type to fight him. He did say something interesting though. This Pokemon is part of the guild? He says he is a team leader. I never heard of team rising before though. He can't be that strong then but I must be careful. Others are watching too....I can't lose here.

Pokkoji started thinking about a strategy. He only could use two moves. String Shot and Tackle. It was dangerous to just straight out tackle him head on. Maybe Pokkoji could restrics his movements with String Shot? It was worth a shot.

Oh? So you are going to accept my challenge now, huh? I will beat you, you will see. After he said that, Pokkoji fired a String Shot at the feet of the fire type, trying to make sure he can't go anywhere. After that he would see what else to do.

The longer he stood there, the more Hidon began to think about what he was actually doing. He had to be careful here. If he ran away, he would look like a coward to this crowd that had accumulated. But at the same time, if he beat up this little guy too much, he would probably look like a bully. And that was the last thing he wanted to look like. So then, maybe he should just take it easy on the little guy? If he did that, made the fight seem closer than it actually should be, maybe the crowd would pick up on that and think of him as a good person? But at the same time, he had to make sure not to take it TOO easy on him. After all, if he came too close to losing, he would look extremely weak in front of this crowd. And the words "I was letting him win" would sound just like nothing more than an excuse.

As Hidon was lost in thought about how to handle the battle, he wasn't really paying attention to Pokkoji. But he was okay with that, since he didn't think the Caterpie was much of a threat. He didn't even seem to notice that the Worm Pokémon had just declared his victory ahead of time. But unfortunately for the Charmander, his inattentiveness allowed Pokkoji's String Shot to meet its mark, his feet suddenly getting covered with some sort of sticky web-like substance.

"Huh...?" Hidon murmured, snapping his attention back to the battle in progress. He looked down and realized that the Caterpie had just shot a String Shot at him. "Oh please, is that all you've got?" the Charmander asked and started walking toward the Charmander, ready to give him a good whack on the head.

...But he didn't go anywhere. The webbing on his feet was connected to the ground...and he wasn't able to pull his leg free from it. He was effectively, temporarily, rooted in place! "Wh-what the heck...!?" he exclaimed in surprise, suddenly trying to pull his legs free with more vigor.

At first, Pokkoji thought he had failed to get his opponent stuck. The Pokemon was asking if that was all Pokkoji got, and honestly, it was. The caterpie was getting worried for a moment, until he noticed the fire type actually got stuck. Pokkoji was happy he succesfully managed to root the fire type into place. Not only that, it seemed as if he was caught of guard by it too. He  seemed to not have expected something like that from a Caterpie. It was his fault for underestimating Pokkoji. This certainly came into the Pokkoji's favor. He knew fire could burn down the String Shot but he certainly would not tell that to the fire type.

Alright, this is my chance. Now that he is distracted I can attack. The Caterpie quickly moved towards the fire type. Since he was too busy with the web, this was a good moment. "Alright, take this!" The Caterpie yelled as he tried to tackle his opponent in the stomach. Pokkoji could only hope the fire type would not use any fire moves on him during this.

Hidon continued pulling at his legs as hard as he could, surprised by just how sturdy this webbing seemed to be. He had seen this stuff before, but it had come from an Ariados. He didn't expect webbing from a Caterpie to be about as strong. He couldn't believe he'd let himself get caught like this. He had to pull his feet free or he'd be like a sitting duck for the Caterpie's next attack! But it didn't seem to matter how much he struggled, he couldn't pull himself free. He quickly came to realize, though, that the back of his legs were unhindered since Pokkoji had attacked from the front. But just as he was starting to pull his legs backward in an attempt to yank them out where he'd get the least amount of resistance, his opponent had let out a battle cry, distracting him momentarily from the string.

"HRMPH!" Hidon suddenly grunted as he felt the Caterpie's head momentarily embed itself deep into the Charmander's gut. All of the wind in his system was blasted right out of his mouth as Pokkoji's Tackle attack scored a direct hit on his midsection. His eyes went wide as the pain emanated through him. That moment took him completely by surprise.

As soon as Pokkoji had moved his body out of Hidon's stomach, the fire-type Pokémon immediately collapsed, sinking to his knees, the String Shot keeping the front of his feet planted on the ground, but allowing the back half of his feet to rise enough. His arms instinctively folded across his stomach while he struggled to regain his breath. He curled up slightly, head lowering toward the ground so that he was now relatively eye level with the Caterpie...perhaps even slightly lower, if the worm's head was held high enough.

He wasn't the only one stunned. Apparently, the crowd was just as surprised as he was, mumbling amongst themselves as the Charmander was brought to his knees.

Pokkoji actually didn't think he would have been able to hit the fire type like this. He was expecting a counterattack of any sort. You can imagine he was happy at bringing the fire type to his knees. He had tackled him with everything he got. It had given Pokkoji a bit of a headache but he ignored it. Now was not the time to be complaining. This was a battle after all. One to prove he was not a weakling.

Pokkoji could hear mumbling coming from the crowd. Things like: "The charmander got brought on his knees?" and "That Caterpie must have been stronger than we thought." The Caterpie raised his head proudly. Pokkoji felt like he did something amazing and he allowed himself to enjoy it for a while.. "Now who were you calling weak?" He said towards the hurt Pokemon in front of him. It's not a good thing to underestimate me.

Pokkoji didn't let this raise to his head. That he brought his opponent, from what he understood to be a Charmander now thanks to the crowd, to his knees didn't mean he had won yet. The Caterpie crawled backwards, away from the Charmander. This way he would not be getting a surprise his in his back. He could never be too careful.

Hidon grunted, still struggling to regain his lost breath. He could hear the crowd's mumbles just as well as Pokkoji could. Thankfully, none of them seemed to come to the conclusion that Hidon was weak. Still, though, he was helpless at the moment. He wasn't even able to snap back at Pokkoji when the worm Pokémon took the time to taunt him again. He opened his mouth to try to say something witty right back at him, but the only sound that escaped him was a gasp of air and a quick cough. And that only humiliated him further, since it meant that he could do nothing but take the Caterpie's words without dishing anything back.

Hidon felt a slight blush of embarrassment appear on his face, but at least he was finally given the time he needed to recover from that Caterpie's headbutt to his stomach. He put one palm flat onto the ground as he finally took in his first full, deep breath since that strong hit. He couldn't let that happen again. He needed to get out of this webbing quickly. He needed to make that Caterpie pay for humiliating him like that, and he would have a much harder time doing that as long as he was rooted in place. So, he quickly brought his head down and opened his maw once more.

The Charmander allowed flames from his Ember attack to fall from his mouth, hitting the sticky substance around his feet, which incinerated with ease and relatively quickly. His feet were free at last. And with that, he was able to move his right leg forward, plant it on the ground in front of him, and put all of his weight on that foot to push himself back up to his feet again. "Glad you...enjoyed that." he grunted. "You're not gonna get another one."

Pokkoji couldn't see the blush appear on the face of the Charmander as he was already too far away. The bug smiled a bit as his opponent was not able to say anything back to him. I must have really hit him hard. He seems to be out of breath. Heh, is he really as strong as he thinks he is? How pathetic. Thought were going through Pokkoji's head as he looked at the Charmander there, kneeling on the ground with his arms folded around his stomach. He did look pathetic.

Pokkoji his eyes widened as the Charmander broke free. He said Pokkoji wasn't going to get another one.Oh no, what do I do now? Try restricting him again? That won't work, will it? Tackle him? No, that is not a good option either. um... Pokkoji tried to calm down and looked around, wondering if there was something he could do. Maybe...He got free by using a fire attack from his mouth, right? If I can tie it shut, then I might be able to win.

The caterpie looked at the Charmander. "I'm just getting started."Pokkoji fired another String Shot, again aiming at the feet of the Fire Pokemon. Pokkoji was ready to dodge any incoming attacks if needed. He was expecting the fire type to dodge it this time. If the Charmander would try to use ember, Pokkoji would aim the String Shot at his mouth to hopefully tie it shut.