Children Playing and Fighters Yearning

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The Small Pond was inherently a peaceful place; a large clearing surrounded by a crowd of tall trees, providing ample shade for all visitors. Daylight leaked through the foliage above them, sprinkling sunlight onto the crystal clear pond in the middle of the clearing. A gaggle of baby and basic Pokemon littered the glade, playing in the water and grass abound, their shrieking laughter and giggles bringing cheer to their spectators; parents, grandparents, explorers and officers watching from the shadier portions of the open area. Denizens of Grassveil loved the hotspot, as it was the perfect place to bring their young ones to spend the day.

It was warm. The Small Pond was always a cheering, innocent scene. Picturesque, even.

This is what I coulda had. Instead of training. In the backdrop, behind a few trees almost hidden from sight, there crouched a Croagunk low to the ground. His eyes were crinkled wistfully, a harrowing little smile playing at his lips. Goro rested his elbow on his knee as he crouched, and his chin on his elbow. His poison sacs inflated for a moment, making a quiet croaking sound that went largely unheard amidst the laughter of younger Pokemon a few yards away. I'd a been softer, but maybe happier. Smarter, hopefully.

"Jet, huh. Yeah-- yeah, it's good 'ta meet you too, Jet." Goro sailed right past Jet's outstretched paw, giving no indication he noticed the handshake, content to take in Jet's rambling words as they came while they headed towards Jet's spot of the Pond. The Sea Weasel Pokemon's nervous stammering washed over him, and he found himself becoming a little bit more endeared to the well-meaning water-type. "I don' need much help, not really. I'm actually hunkered down tha way in the Marsh, by th' Rainfront Town, so it's a bit of a trek to get down here. Nice of ya 'ta offer, though."

He was content to lag behind the Buizel a bit, letting the younger Pokemon lead them deeper through the Pond. He was eager to see what Jet had to offer, exactly; the Buizel was clearly a water-type, but he was built like no other one Goro had run into before. He'd fought a few on jobs, before, but he ran into much more back in the Marsh, and al of the water-types there were built strong and stocky, Pokemon of great health and warriors of attrition. Even the smaller ones-- the Poliwags and Poliwhirls, thick masses of fins and muscle and water storage. In contrast, Jet was tall and lean, with a long body and slender arms. Probably a great swimmer, quick in the water. At least, all water-types he'd seen could use water, and he was sure Jet was no different.

It wasn't long before they waded through to Jet's sparring place-- a decent sized clearing, close to the water and large enough for more than a few Pokemon to brawl inside. It was perfect. "This'll do us fine, yeah. "

Goro frowned belatedly, taking in the tail-end of Jet's chattering. His face soured and he kept his mouth shut, uncharacteristically taking care not to upset or offend his soon-to-be sparring partner. If Jet didn't want to use the water in this fight, of course, that was his prerogative, but it wasn't exactly good sense. Training to fight outside of aquatic conditions was a good idea-- smart, even-- but ignoring it when he did have it accessible was something Goro himself would never do. But, again, Goro didn't know too much about the Rescue Teams, and how they fought. If they were so honorable that they wouldn't abuse their advantages in a fight, then far be it from the drifting mercenary to change that about Jet. And, of course, this wasn't exactly a serious bout. I'll take a look at how he fights, first, and if he needs the help, I'll chuck th' kid in to th' Pond.

"Aw'right, ace. B'fore I take a look at anythin' specific, I wanna see how it is ya fight now-- so come at me like I was someone you were takin' seriously. A feral, or an outlaw." Goro spread his legs evenly and burrowed his toes into the dirt, arms held loosely at his sides. If Jet elected to fight from a distance with water-gun attacks, then Goro would be ready to dodge them. And if the Buizel wanted to close in and duke it out up close, then Goro wasn't about to be sympathetic with him, for that decision. "If I see somethin' yer doin' wrong, I'll let ya know. But don' worry about hurtin' me-- I 'kin take a hit."

Jet looked downward for the briefest of moments when his paw wasn't accepted in the shake, but he supposed it didn't really matter too much. Besides, it was just as likely that he simply wasn't familiar with the gesture and didn't notice what he was doing. So, he quickly perked himself back up and kept his attention on where it should be: the sparring match that would be soon to come. He smiled slightly, turning quickly to look at Goro again. It would seem that his rather secluded spot near the Pond was good enough for his new companion. That was good; that means that they could now focus on the actual battle.

"A-'Ace?'" Jet murmured, tilting his head slightly in confusion for a moment at the unexpected nickname. However, he quickly let it slide out of his mind as the Croagunk continued to speak. 'So...he wants to test my abilities first, then?' Jet thought to himself as he finished his instructions. "Th-that sounds rather rational and fair to me, I-I suppose," he responded. If he had been honest, he would have liked to start with the opening spar. But deferring to the likely-more experienced Pokemon was probably for the best in his mind. He gave a nod to confirm his words, took a few steps backward to put some distance between them, and readied himself.

'So...I have to think about this then.' Jet thought, trying to recall everything that he knew about the mysterious Poison and Fighting-type hybrid. 'The last Croagunk that I fought had an ability that actually restored is strength when struck by water. Perhaps I should confirm his ability first and foremost? Preferably at range, if my knowledge on Croagunk is accurate about their ranged abilities....' His plan solidified in his mind, he quickly pulled his head back and thrust it forward a moment later. He allowed a stream of water to launch forth from his mouth, aimed straight for the chest of his foe.

If his opponent was restored by water moves, he would likely stay in place and take the hit. If not, then he would avoid the attack or counter it in some way.... If nothing else, he'd at least be able to identify if any of his moves would be useless before he got in too deep....

Yeah, I figured as much. Goro wasn't surprised when Jet drew his head back and shot a powerful surge of water from his mouth. This was the way that nearly every water-type he'd encountered preferred to fight. Why run in when you can spray down your opponent with powerful streams of water from a distance? He didn't disagree with the sentiment, and he was glad that Jet was mature enough of a fighter to recognize his advantage. He'd half expected the Buizel to run forward and start throwing punches, as that was the way most young Pokemon wanted to fight. But that was fighting-type territory, and it seemed Jet knew that. Or, at least, he was smart enough to avoid a scrap with a fighting-type if at all possible.

Instead of dodging to either side or crouching under the incoming blast of water, Goro leaned far forward and raised his arms vertically in front of him, effectively covering his face and upper body. The goal here was to learn as much as he could about Jet the Buizel as a fighter-- his natural strengths and weaknesses, how he liked to fight, and how powerful his attacks were. If his Water Gun was just a measly squirt of water, well, seeing as how he was a Water-type, that would be the first thing they'd work on.

Indeed, Goro was pleasantly surprised when he felt the heavy force of rushing water, and the subsequent harsh sting of pain that quickly spread through his guarding arms. He was determined to seem as unaffected as possible, so Jet would have an idea of what he was dealing with. If dodged this attack or let it blow him away, then the Buizel wouldn't treat this as seriously as he should. The Croagunk's feet dug into the dirt and his guard remained tight, withstanding the special attack stoically. The water splashed harshly against his arms, however, dousing the Croagunk and the immediate area around him. That's... real decent power. Ouch.

As the stream diminshed against his arms, Goro peeked over his guard to take in the sight in front of him, and started to shuffle forward steadily. He'd approach the Buizel gradually and observe how Jet fought. He was hoping the Buizel would fight smart, keep his distance, and try more Water Gun attacks. Or perhaps get strategic, and herd him someplace advantageuous, like against the treelines or near the Pond, where Jet would have the advantage of accessible water. But it seemed like the Buizel had the right idea so far-- this was how water-types battled, and he was smart for being true to his typing. Show me what ya got, ace.