Friction in the Mist

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ooc:

Sun's up. But it's kinda dark. I don't get it-- this place is a little creepy. Pricklemist Hill was a very foreboding place. Thick mist swirled in the air and the sun seemed to give off very little light, despite the clear lack of trees or buildings to block the sunlight. A single, tall hill stood on the edge of Rainfront Town, perhaps a ten-minute walk, and Goro felt curious despite himself. He wasn't much of an adventurer, and he was definitely not one of those sunny Explorers than ran about the world chasing thrills. But he wanted to feel a sense of kinship, here-- this place was sullen, dour and dark, and a curious scan of the horizon behind him showed no Pokemon willing to follow him to the desolate hill. Isolation would not be the distant dream it was in Cattail Marsh, and the mist gave off a pleasant tingle when it brushed against his skin. Perhaps, if not for the fearful apprehension in the air, Goro could see himself settle down someplace nearby.

But something in him knew not to. Something was inherently wrong about this place. It was as if something went terribly awry and the land would not let itself forget, and while he had to tolerate many a nosy traveler in the well-populated swamplands in his Marsh, here he had to remind himself to relax.

I should at least get ta know the place. He was on edge. Goro huddled in on himself nervously, hunching his soldiers and crossing his arms as he climbed the hill. In his years of travelling and working, he'd never found a place as darkly mysterious as the Hill on the edge of the Rainfront Town. I'm hunkered down practically down the road, anyhow. Nuthin' here's gonna hurt me.

Ah, There was no mistaking it now. Goro watched as the Riolu he'd sent sprawling down a few moments ago crawled back up to his feet, raised his fists and glared back at the Croagunk crossly. Most Pokemon, at that point, would either try to flee or explain themselves. But instead, Apollo was content to trudge back up and go right back at it. There was a telltale look in his eyes, that Goro knew if he was able to look back at himself, would mirror himself when he was in a serious fight. He's a real fighter, then. Good.

If the Riolu was at all like Goro, and he knew this was the case, then he'd want any and all kid gloves to come off. Of course, Goro hadn't held anything back, but he could have pressed his attack even further there. Followed the kid to the ground and wailed on him there, but it was nice to have the reassurance that his opponent knew what he signed up for, and wanted to go at it all the more for it. There was even a little smirk on the Riolu's face, betraying any sense of righteous cause here. He just wanted to fight.

I'll treat ya right, then. Goro rose from his crouch in response, his own hands raising in front of him. He took one last deep breath of the dark, misty air, before exhaling noisily. It'd been a long time since Goro ran into a kindred spirit of this sort. He'd calmed down some, landing some good punches and a very satisfying push kick, but this would be better for him. Slowly, Goro shuffled forward to meet his opponent. Give ya just what ya want. Be a good boy and make it worth my while.

Interestingly enough, his opponent wasn't about to just come rushing at him again. It seemed he'd learned a lesson, just now, and was instead waiting for Goro to start his own attack. That was all well and good for the Croagunk, however. He'd just dished out some unhealthy damage and wasn't about to let Apollo recover any longer. Before, it was polite to let him get to his feet, in case he wanted to forfeit or explain himself. Now, it'd just be stupid.

Suddenly, decisively, Goro lunged forward and closed the gap between them. He'd stopped just at the point where Apollo was in his range, but the smaller fighter would have to step forward to retaliate or dodge backward to escape. Instead of lashing out with another fist, Goro's left foot snapped out in a side-kick at waist level, eager to test his opponent's defences.

Apollo maintained his defensive stance, looking for any sign of Goro's acceptance. He observed the Croagunk carefully as he rose back to his feet, letting out one last croak as he got himself into another fighting stance. He could tell that Goro was more than willing to continue the fight, but he was more interested in how the Croagunk would react to his defensive stance this time. He also made sure to keep an open eye for any kind of sudden advances his opponent would make. After all, there was no guarantee that he would just make slower movements like he had.

Apollo was still actually reeling by his surprise find. Sure, he had been looking for a fight when he attacked the Croagunk, but it had mostly been because he didn't want to get jumped himself later. Now, he had found an opponent that could not only give him a solid rush and a good fight, he had found one that was obviously well trained and who enjoyed the sport of the fight just as much as he did. He had no idea what the odds for such an occurrence were, but he didn't care. All he knew was that he was about to get the greatest battle he'd ever had up to this point.

And finally, it was time to resume the fight, and Apollo found himself having to react again. This Croagunk had wasted little time upon realizing his stance and the open invitation for an offensive assault. He pulled is arms closer together, his paws instinctively clenching more tightly, wondering what his foe was going to do. He expected his opponent to stop just outside of his range, as that was the smart thing to do in a fight against a smaller foe. So there was little point in readying a counterblow.

Sure enough, the Croagunk stopped just outside of his range, seeming eager to get started by taking advantage of his lack of range. Apollo had expected a punch, since those arms were the most obvious features on his opponent's body, but he was met instead with a kick. He had hoped for a punch so that he could more easily grab hold of the arm, but he supposed a leg would have to do.

Apollo feigned a poor defense, allowing the side-kick to sneak through his defenses; an attack that hadn't been seen coming. The foot collided with his waist, causing him to grunt in pain. However, he had anticipated the blow and stood his ground with ease. His real intention was revealed almost immediately. He reached out with his paws and tried to grasp his opponent's leg. He had long-since realized that his opponent was difficult to land a strike against. But would he be able to fare well against a takedown or a throw...?

Goro's eyes widened when the Riolu in front of him simply took the side-kick with no extra fanfare, except for a grunt. He'd expected the more agile fighter to perhaps duck under it and step in, or jump over it and try for another aerial attack like he did earlier. Granted, the last one didn't exactly end well for the smaller fighter, but Goro knew by now that his opponent was nothing if not determined. The feedback behind his snap kick was decent, his shin colliding cleanly with Apollo's waist, and the poison-fighting hybrid was surprised to see him stand his ground easily. He didn't sway with the blow or collapse under it, instead digging his heels in and reaching out for his opponent.

What-- is th' little guy gonna try n' toss me?  The Croagunk barely reacted when his attack landed, and when he felt leanly muscled forearms and paws grasp at his extended leg, he didn't have time to gawk or counterattack. Part of him wanted to lean forward and swing a fist at the Riolu, as he was in range of Goro's longer arms, but he was still rooted to the ground with another leg and didn't want to risk landing poorly. Or does he want me ta' hold still fer a special move?

Goro elected to play it safe, instead of fighting back or countering. The poison-fighting hybrid rose his guard in front of his face, wary of some kind of special attack coming out of the Riolu's mouth, or something similar. If he was going to attempt a takedown or throw, this was his best opportunity.

The Riolu smirked; his opponent had fallen right into his little trap. He felt his paws wrap firmly around his opponent's leg upon taking the kick. He winced slightly in pain as the kick landed against him, but this was going to work in his favor. Of that, he was certain. And his certainty was only compounded as his opponent's guard was raised. Heheh...that was perfect. His opponent was clearly expecting him to deliver some kind of counterattack. Of course, due to his opponent's size advantage, it would be difficult to land a direct blow to him from here, so he no doubt expected something else to come from him somehow. But if he thought that his fighting style would allow him to make an indirect attack, he was in for a surprise.

Apollo quickly went to work, not wanting his opponent to realize what he was up to before he could finish his move. His grip on his foe's leg tightened, his muscles tensed, and he quickly attempted to rotate his grip, trying to spin his opponent's leg inwards. At the same time, he began to twist his own body around. He allowed his own body to drop, pulling his opponent's leg around with him as he twisted. His goal was a simple one: He was attempting to use this screw motion in order to spin his opponent off of his remaining leg, spin in the air, and crash into the ground beside him as hard as he could.

If he could manage everything correctly, he would end up on his own back as well, right beside where the Croagunk would crash into the ground himself. He would then proceed to attempt to take advantage of his opponent's confusion from the unexpected attack by rolling over, attempting to pin his opponent down, pressing his knees down against his opponent's wrists and putting all of his weight down on them. Once in a proper position, if he could get that far, he would raise his paws upward, clenched, and would start trying to rain them down into the Croagunk's cheeks as quickly and as hard as he could.

When two heartbeats passed and Goro didn't feel any sort of attack on his guard, he snuck a quick peek through his raised arms. No attack was heading towards him-- and the Riolu was in front of him, actually turning into his leg, spinning in a tell-tale motion still gripping Goro's outstretched foot. A thread of nervousness ran through the Croagunk when he felt a strong pull at his leg-- in a way it should not be bending. Naturally, his body rotated in tandem with his leg, and Goro belatedly realized that the smaller fighter was actually throwing him. His body turned counterclockwise and his remaining leg, which previously was rooting him to the ground, scraped helplessly against the grass as he took to the air.

It wasn't so much a throw as it was a hard takedown, Goro realized, as the world in front of him was thrown upwards and he caught a clear view of the dark, misty sky before he landed on the ground harshly. His guard raised tight in front of him while he was thrown and while he fell, arms bent and forearms protecting his face. He didn't want to risk a counterattack when he was so uncertain of what this fighter was capable of-- he'd expected a special attack, there, but clearly this other Pokemon had no qualms taking the fight to bigger Pokemon. Moreover, the way in which the Riolu took him down was rash-- he'd clearly caught a glimpse of Apollo dropping down with him, and if his current manner of fighting was any indication of what would happen next, Goro fully expected the Riolu to attack him while they were both knocked down. He tightened his guard in anticipation, protecting his face from attack. If the Riolu mounted him, then he'd have ample opportunity to punch at his opponent. We've already done this, kiddo, and last time ya barely got away from me. If ya want a repeat performance, I'll play yer game.