Solitary Setbacks

First topic message reminder :

energy:

Cattail Marsh was not a pretty scene. It was hardly a tourist attraction and it was most assuredly not a popular hotspot. The air was muggy, humid and uncomfortable, the flatlands were mushy and heavy, and the waters that flooded the flatlands were rife with muck and grime, to say nothing of the many bug, poison, and water Pokemon that made their homes there. The dungeon itself was merely a passageway to the infinitely more deadly Misty Mire, harsher swamplands that were home to much more dangerous Pokemon. Cattail Marsh was the sort of dungeon you went to only if you had to go there for something.

Goro the Croagunk called it home. Croagunk themselves were not an uncommon sight in the swamplands, but ones that weren't feral certainly were. Goro himself made his home in the Marsh not because the conditions were particularly favorable, but because how little traffick the area saw. If anything could be said about Goro the Croagunk, then it would be that he valued his privacy. A mercenary by occupation and a hermit by nature, the Marsh was a natural sanctuary for him. After setting off on his own, he'd stumbled into the Marsh on his way to Rainfront Town, and had instantly fell in love with the desolate population and unpleasant environment.

Only one or two ferals been pokin' 'round here today. Good 'ta see they're learnin' their place. Goro liked to spend his time in the Marsh patrolling his territory, a stretch of swamp deep within the dungeon that he claimed for himself. There wasn't anything particularly special about his flatlands, other than an abandoned run-down shack perched up on a gloomy embankment of water. It was dour and damaged, with heavy cracks in the aged wood, empty windows and a missing door-- he loved it. Goro counted himself very fortunate to have found it, and immediately set about beating back any and all feral Pokemon in the area, establishing the area very firmly as his.

Which is what he was doing now. The Croagunk prowled through the swamplands back to his hovel with a satisfied air about him, having discovered only a few Pokemon still lingering in the area. They were learning quickly not to come anywhere near his residence, lest they find themselves on the wrong end of a harsh beating.

ooc:

[Energy: 24 - 15 + 3 = 12]

Alki seemed as eager as ever to begin training.  She made her request, hoping to spar with Goro to their very fullest, and the frog Pokemon agreed.  Darcy nodded, gingerly rising to her feet and stepping back outside, but the smile on her face quickly grew more and more uneasy as the thought began to sink in.  She gave Goro a glance over her shoulder as her paws sank into the damp earth, and she opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again.  ...Surely he wouldn't really slug at Alki with his full strength, right?  She knew firsthand how much force Goro could pack.  One punch alone had been enough to lay her out on the ground, gasping for breath and barely able to get up again.  And if Alki got hurt, no one would be around to use Heal Pulse and make things better.

Darcy shivered.  No, she couldn't allow that.  "Hey, how about we, umm...  Spend some more time practicing our moves first, instead?  To warm up?" she said while flashing a smile, hoping that they wouldn't notice the slight trembling in her voice.  "...Older Pokemon at the guild always say that we shouldn't neglect working on technique.  And Flamethrower looks hard!  And you're new to it!  Right?"  She turned her gaze to Goro, her smile shaky and her eyes clearly hoping for some support...

Eventine carried out 5 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

, , , ,

Alki felt as if a burden were released from her shoulders. Sure, she was about to lose a fight pretty nastily. Sure, the more she thought about it, the less pleasant this sparring session seemed, but she wasn’t a baby, and she wasn’t about to back out. The last thing she needed was for Darcy to think she was a coward, on top of running away from her problems. Alki followed the Skitty outside, feeling the cool, marshland air yet again.

   “Thanks, Goro. I really do appreciate it.” Alki said, smiling as she bounced along the dry land. She had no expectations of winning, not really. She’d seen that he was strong, strong enough to knock Darcy down with one punch. She knew that Skitty were a much more durable species than her own. She was weak, but with a bit of time, perhaps she could make up for those weaknesses. “I’ll do my best. But… like I said, right? Don’t hold back!”

Alki smiled up at Goro, appreciative of the gesture. She was asking for a beatdown, and she was sure that both of them knew it. The fact he was willing to humor her for the sake of her training meant a lot. She turned to face Darcy when the Skitty began to speak. Alki felt the smile on her face slowly dissipate as she noticed the Skitty’s small, nervous footsteps, her unusually panicked voice that sounded almost like Alki’s when she was nervous. Of course, it was a lot more collected than her own. The Igglybuff could still feel the fear in her voice. Guild-members were supposed to fight! They were supposed to be good at it! Surely, Darcy didn’t expect her to back off!

Alki paused, looking up at the Skitty. How was she supposed to answer that? Ignoring it might work, if not for the fact that the guilt she’d feel would hurt just as much as the Croagunk’s punches. Acknowledging it, however, would probably result in the sparring match getting called off. She drew a circle in the ground with her toe, before responding to the Skitty.

“Um, Darcy. I… well, we warmed up earlier, right?” Alki paused, wondering how to continue her little, fake speech. Darcy wasn’t dumb. Neither was she, and she was sure that they both knew that. “L-Look, I can tell you’re worried. But we’re guild-members, right? And we’re the same rank, too. We’re supposed to learn to explore and fight and get stronger, aren’t we? That’s why we’re still apprentices...”

Alki glanced back at Goro, wondering how he'd take her new request. She didn't want to give Darcy a reason to feel afraid, but she didn't want to give Goro a reason to be frustrated either. She turned around, and managed a small, nervous smile up at the Croagunk. She let her arms rest in front of her, clasping one hand in the other as she let her childish smile do it's work. Looking cute had worked for her so far.

“Well, Goro, I know it's… well, I was just wondering. Me and Darcy are a team, right? So… well, would you be alright if we practiced as a team? We're really, um… frankly, we're not all too great, even as a team, so… I was just hoping you'd be fine with that?” Alki turned to face Darcy, flashing the same smile at her sister. This was the best compromise Alki could think of. She just hoped the Skitty would be alright with it.



[Energy = 3 + 5 pages = 8]

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

(Energy: capped at 16, since I think you have to use the max energy you had during the start of the thread. Rip level 5 babby Goro)

As the two girls shuffled out, he noticed in his peripheral that Darcy was trying to meet his gaze for some reason. As he was still coming to grips with the strange sensation that had overwhelmed him earlier, he made it a point not to match eyes with the skitty. Instead, he preoccupied himself with the sparring match that was about to take place, trying desperately to think of a way to convince Alki that he was taking her seriously... without actually doing so. He knew what it was like to not be taken seriously by a stronger opponent, tokens from childhood training with unsympathetic parents, but fighting with no mercy against a Pokémon who admitted to being all but useless in a fight was not something that he wanted to commit to. If he could, he wanted to spare her both the embarrassment of being treated lightly and the pain of... well, getting hit really hard by him. Slowly, he meandered out behind the two other Pokémon, his gait steady and unhurried.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Darcy had reservations about letting her little sister square up with a big mean croagunk that lived in the marsh. He couldn't really blame her, but this was what Alki wanted. Unlike before, Goro tried his best to look reassuring when the kitten Pokémon looked at him, trying to convey without words that he wouldn't really beat up her little sister. At least, not too bad. Of course, the anti-social Croagunk had no real way of knowing how to look like that, so he ended up simply staring flatly at the Skitty for a few awkward moments, thinking very hard about how he wasn't going to hurt Alki and hoping that Darcy would magically understand. Before Goro could process how awkward he was being, Alki chimed in with a truly interesting solution. Immediately, he knew that he agreed with it, and that had absolutely nothing to do with the demure little hand-folding Alki was doing or her cute little smile. Nope, no sir, it was completely unrelated.

Well, that solves that problem. To be true, yes, Goro had been worried about just fighting Alki all by herself. While on one hand, she was able to turn him into a confused mess with just a touch of her lips, on the other she was a tiny little pink fluffy balloon. As long as he made first contact, the fight wouldn't be all that complicated - and more than that, she wouldn't have a chance to really learn if he just bopped her. Adding Darcy into the mix provided him with an excuse not to just run in and end it all before it could begin, and if he wanted Alki to think he was taking this seriously, then he needed that excuse. Plus, there was the element of Darcy herself. Aside from the strange infatuation phenomenon that had washed over him at some point earlier, he didn't know much about what she was capable of. She'd spoken a little bit about herself during breakfast, of course, but given that she seemed to be a very humble individual he didn't expect her to talk her skills up a lot.

He was more interested in the Darcy that he'd met last night; the one with a spine of steel, standing up to a strange Pokémon in defense of her friend with no regrets. There had been a little bit of hesitation on her part, and she had some trouble meeting his gaze, but when she did he caught a glimpse of steadfast resolution. She had to have some reason to believe that she was capable of standing up to him, even if she was afraid and there to rescue her friend. And fighting against two opponents at the same time was a very nice handicap; truly, he was a little bit worried about his odds going into this. Against either one of them alone, he was more or less confident, but both at the same time would give him pause. More than that, it would be valuable experience against those who used these sort of status conditions; he himself only really had experience fighting against others like him. Pokémon who were out to cause as much damage as they could, as fast as they could. Trying to weave through mental conditions and status afflictions would be new to him.

With a small smile and a nod, silently agreeing to the igglybuff's proposal, Goro shook his arms out absently as he began to pace off to the side. He'd come to stand directly across from Darcy and Alki, perhaps ten or twelve feet in between the three Pokémon. Truthfully, this would be one of the few times that he'd be fighting for a wholesome purpose. He'd never set about teaching someone else how to protect themself, despite him having two teachers himself. He made an effort to relax, reminding himself that despite what Alki was asking for, it was not in his best interest to take this as seriously as possible. Being cautious of their shenanigans was one thing, but aiming to hurt them was another. Goro stood by himself on the other side of the small clearing that was his front yard, his face blank but a distinctly excited air surrounding him. "Whenever yer ready, then."

the sunset hero carried out 10 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

, , , , , , , , ,

Goro held her gaze!  Darcy breathed a small sigh of relief, glad that she had gotten his attention.  She knew he wouldn't be one to hurt Alki, no matter how surly and tough he could be.  Maybe together, they could convince her to take things easy for today...

...But he just...  Kept staring.  A blank, stone-cold stare.  Darcy tilted her head and felt her paws start to sweat.  Was he unamused?  Surprised that she had ever doubted him?  Or...  Unamused because no, of course he wouldn't hold back..?  ...The Skitty felt her breathing speed up, and she opened her mouth to say something...

Alki spoke up first, though, and her words made Darcy close her mouth and look away.   She turned her gaze down to the ground and nervously stepped away, pacing in small circles.  "I...  I guess so..." she mumbled.  ...She didn't like it, but Alki was right.  They really were apprentice guild members.  They were expected to be able to help Pokemon in trouble.  And part of that entailed being able to protect them.  When she had agreed to let Alki stay on her team, she had known that they would need to learn how to defend themselves...

But that didn't mean she wanted to!  Alki wasn't ready!  The Skitty squeezed her eyes shut and let out a tiny moan while sinking her claws into the mud.  Alki wouldn't win.  Everyone here knew that!  Goro would hit her and hit her and hit her until she asked him to stop.  She wanted to run up to him and give him a slap and tell him that if he even thought about doing this with Alki she would--

But she heard her name, and her frustrated thoughts simmered down a little as she turned to face Alki.  "I...  I, uh..." she said as she stepped back and uneasily scratched at the ground with a paw.  "I don't know..."  The Skitty's unhappy frown didn't leave her face.  Work as a team?  ...That would be better, but...  She didn't want to fight Goro either.  She was worried for Alki, of course, but would she really fare any better?  She wouldn't be able to stop Goro from hitting her like he had before.  She would have Alki's comforting presence on her side, as well as her Heal Pulse, but...  That would just let him hit her even more, right?  She placed a paw over her stomach where she had been punched earlier.   ...This didn't sound like fun either.  Why were they so insistent?  She gently rocked back and forth and had to suppress another whimper...

But she was given little time to think.  Goro had already situated himself opposite Alki, casually egging her on, and the excited light in the Igglybuff's eyes made it seem like it would only be moments before the two of them leaped into a fight together. "A-alright!  Alright, fine..." Darcy croaked as she walked into the center of the yard and stood squarely in front of Alki.  A surge of adrenaline rising in her throat.  Neither of these two wanted to take no for an answer.  And...  And being involved was better than idly standing by, right?  Maybe she could get Goro to take all of his energy out on herself.  If she could tire him out a little, maybe he would work some of the excitement out of his system, and he wouldn't need to hit Alki...

"Okay!  Everyone ready?  Are we all good to go?" she shouted to no one in particular while raising her hackles and digging at the ground with a forepaw.  She hoped that no one would notice the way she was trembling.  "Alki!  Y-you're gonna stay behind me and use Heal Pulse and Flamethrower!  Just leave everything else to me!  Darcy's got this, okay?"

She shut her eyes, then took a deep breath.  And then another deep breath, and then another, her breathing loud and heavy before finally she couldn't take it anymore.  Her eyes blinked open and she grunted while all of her pent up tension fueled a dash straight at Goro in a desperate attempt to get things over with as quickly as possible.  Fear and adrenaline surged through her blood like fire as he drew closer, and closer, wind breezing through her fur...

But instead of attacking dead-on, she skidded to a stop just short of him.  The Skitty let out another high pitched grunt while she loudly clapped her paws together right in front of his eyes, praying that she could still use Fake Out properly before she shut her eyes and desperately lunged for the bigger Pokemon's legs in the hopes of tripping him up while he was distracted.  As for what would come next...  The Skitty tried not to think about it.  Her mind kept yelling that trying to fight Goro was a bad idea.  Surely it was only a matter of time before he would catch her flat footed and the inevitable beatdown would start.  She just hoped she could wear him out a little before then..!

(5 energy. 16 - 11 from rolls)

Unsurprisingly, Darcy was all for helping out Alki in this little mock-battle. Goro felt his smile widen at the thought, and he found himself very curious as to what the kitten Pokémon could do. She was small, so she was probably very speedy as well, or at least faster than him. The Fighting-type's eyes tracked his prospective opponent's movement eagerly as she padded her way into the center of his front yard, taking an earnest post right in front of Alki. The intention there was very clear - it was immediately obvious that she meant to take the helm in this spar, handling the bulk of the work while Alki played support in the back. While it was a strategy that was clearly colored by her feelings for the igglybuff, it also wasn't incorrect. Putting Alki on the front line, so to speak, was a very bad idea if they wanted any shot at taking down a physically powerful Pokémon. And while Darcy was not exactly a bruiser herself, she was a sight better than a balloon. At least, she would be able to dart around his blows and use her own attacks in tandem with Alki's choices in the back. Just thinking about it gave Goro excited shivers.

Indeed, as Darcy called out to both of them, she shouted her strategy out for them to hear. She'd handle the dirty work while Alki healed her and provided cover with flamethrower. As she was the opponent he was going to be dealing with the most, Goro preoccupied himself with taking her measure. At first glance, she appeared to be simply psyching herself up for the fight, but there was also a minute shaking in her frame that he couldn't quite place at first. But as the skitty gulped down breath after breath after breath, he realized that she was trembling. The knee-jerk explanation for this was fear, of course, but Darcy had more than demonstrated that she was brave enough to stand up to him last night. Was it excitement, then?

He had no time to think on the matter, as with some silent signal Darcy shot off like a rocket. His initial suspicion was correct - she was quick. He knew just from a moment's glance that he would not be able to match her dashing speed, but in a fight like this, that wasn't very important. Goro steadily braced himself against the skitty's charge, spreading his legs and arms out to give him amble positioning to react against her. If she split off in a different direction, then he'd have to be able to react and defend himself - or press the attack. The kitten grew closer and closer to him, and despite the surrealness of her strategy, Goro could not fight the genuine smile of excitement that bloomed on his face. The tension building in his limbs, the elation spreading through his body, this was the kind of action he'd been sorely missing. A battle against real, intelligent opponents.

Goro drew one fist back in preparation as Darcy neared, but he blinked in shock as the Skitty actually halted her charge just short of his range. If he lunged forward, then he'd be off balance once - if - he missed. He made the instantaneous decision not to, and immediately regretted it. Some sort of squealing grunting sound erupted from his opponent, and before he knew it there was a deafeningly loud clap crashing in front of his face. The sudden shock of it all rendered him still, and he actually flinched backward, closing his eyes reflexively and raising both arms in front of his face instinctively, trying to defend against some kind of unseen blow.

Unfortunately, he'd just went according to Darcy's plan. While his top was guarded, his legs were not. The skitty lunged bodily at Goro's thighs, leaping forward in some kind of attempt to trip him up or ground him. As he was shocked and confused by the Fake-Out, it worked out beautifully. His legs gave way to the cream-and-pink kitten sized projectile crashing against them, and Goro only registered the fact that he was falling after it had been set into motion. For one, serene, time-frozen moment, it dawned on him that Dary had out-maneuvered him. Then he fell forward, his face colliding with moist soil and his arms splaying forward helplessly. He ended up belly-down on the ground, with Darcy presumably somewhere behind him. Actually, he knew exactly where she was behind him, judging from a sudden fuzzy grip on his ankles. Still, the shock of getting grounded by a tiny cat had him dumbfounded, and while it was probably a good idea to kick at the cat somewhere near his legs, he ended up simply staring ahead at Alki, painfully aware that she'd just gotten a front-row seat to her older sister taking him down.

Darcy's nervous words and reassurances weren't lost on Alki. She knew the Skitty was a rather peaceful, cheerful figure. Neither of them had done much in the way of fighting, but the prospect of seeing where they stood, how skilled they were as a team was exciting, even for Alki. She let the Skitty step in front of her, mentally preparing herself, reassuring herself that no, she wasn't totally useless in a fight anymore, not like last time. She could do things. They'd both been impressed with flamethrower, right? Well, she could use that. All she had to do was aim, and then throw the flames!

Alki was pulled out of her thoughts by the sound of, well, fighting. Use Flamethrower wasn't exactly a great plan, but Darcy seemed to have one of her own. The Igglybuff bounced forward, eager to see what her sister was capable of, although she remained a safe distance away from the fight. Close enough to use Flamethrower, but far enough away to (hopefully) not get a fist to her gut. Alki swallowed the bile down her throat, as a high pitched grunt, followed by a loud clap, met her ears. Alki's previously tense expression took on an air of pride. Her sister could do that ! Not only was the move impressive, but she was gutsy with it too.

“That was really cool!” She yelled, momentarily forgetting that she should be helping with the fight. But there was the Croagunk. Staring up at her. Up. Why up? Oh! Alki's eyes regained a panicked sort of focus, as she found herself running through her short list of moves, again and again. Sing was slow, it wasn't guaranteed to work, and it might affect Darcy too. Sweet kiss involved getting close, and that was exactly what Darcy didn't want. Heal pulse was pointless! Darcy had been too much of a badass so far to get hurt. And so, her rapid process of realization showed her what move to use.

Flamethrower. It was a move she hadn't practiced all too much. It wasn't a move she'd used on anyone at all, before. How long had she known it? Would it really be that powerful?

The Igglybuff began to whine, digging her heels in as she thought of just how wrong things could go. Aim incorrectly, she could hit Darcy, or just not hit anything. Suppose the move was too weak, and didn't have an effect? Or she accidentally hurt them?

What if she forgot how to perform it?

No. No way. That wouldn't happen. Alki began to aim, focusing both her eyes on the real, intelligent Pokemon that was the Croagunk. It'd help. Flamethrower, if nothing else, would distract him from his fight with Darcy. The two were supposed to look after each other, right? And Darcy had clearly demonstrated her willingness to fight...

Alki locked eyes with the Croagunk, the embarrassment in his eyes clear. Was her guilt that clear in her own? Alki closed her eyes once she began to use Flamethrower. While she started it off as powerfully as she could, she found herself weakening it, bit by bit. It was just a practice fight… it would certainly still hurt, right? Alki kept the flames steady on her target, praying that she wasn't taking it too far. As Alki felt her energy run out, she opened her eyes, scampering backwards to observe her handiwork. She was capable of stronger, she knew that. As the smoke from her move cleared, however, she wondered if she'd done too little. She couldn't see them, properly. Was everything alright?

“D-Darcy?” She stammered, guilt traceable in her voice. She hoped the Skitty could tell her what to do. Give instructions. She was the leader, right? She'd know better than Alki. What did she know about fighting anyways? The Skitty was clearly a lot more skilled...

The Skitty had half-expected her plan to be a flop, for Goro to brace himself against his tackle and not fall over at all.  So for it to actually succeed, lunging at his legs and firmly wrapping her paws around his ankles before bringing Goro down to the ground at her side, Darcy let out a surprised gasp.  ...Somehow, it had worked!  Fake Out had worked, and Goro hadn't just slugged her in the gut like she had been so fully expecting.  She heard Alki's cheer from a few meters behind her, and the Skitty felt a rosy glow rise in her cheeks.  Fighting had really never been her strong suit. Being around the other guildmembers had always been proof enough of that...  But if she could catch someone like Goro off guard, maybe she would be okay, if she just spent more time practicing...

She paused there for a moment while holding on to Goro's ankles, still surprised by herself.  ...But things were far from over.  She heard Alki whine softly before taking a deep breath, and Darcy looked over her shoulder just in time to see a small whirlwind of flames rush towards the two of them.  "S-sorry!  Sorry, Goro, I'm sorry!" she shouted while her eyes widened and she scrambled behind the frog Pokemon, releasing his legs in favor of getting as far away from the intense waves of heat as she could.  Her eyes widened and her body began trembling again as she came to a stop a few feet away, fire and smoke making it difficult to see her Croagunk friend.  She had known Flamethrower was a powerful move, even from a small Pokemon like Alki, but the reality of how fierce it could be had never struck her until she had come so close to being on the receiving end.

"A-Arceus, Goro, are you okay?  I'm sorry..." she gasped, taking a step forward as the flames began to clear, worry shining in her eyes.  What had she been thinking, telling Alki to use their most powerful move for something as small as a practice match?  Guilt choked up the Skitty's throat and suddenly made it hard to breathe.  "C-can you get up?  Do you want to stop..?  S-sorry..."

Belatedly, it occurred to Goro that perhaps it was a bad battle strategy to simply lay there and stare at his opponent while she prepared her move. Still, he was reeling in a mix of stupefied shock and embarrassment after he made the realization that not only did Darcy take him down, but Alki witnessed it and cheered her on. How on earth did he just let himself get grounded by a cat? The Croagunk was still contemplating this when Alki geared herself up to use Flamethrower, laying on his stomach trying to come to grips with the situation. It wasn't until Alki actually began to spew a long stream of fire from her mouth at his face did it occur to him that it was a good idea to get moving. Still, being on the ground and with Darcy holding his ankles in place, there wasn't much he could do about the situation. Fortunately for him, almost as soon as the flames flew outward, he felt the skitty scramble desperately off of him and presumably toward somewhere that wasn't in danger of being torched. Dimly, Goro heard her shouting something at him, but he was a little bit preoccupied with the fire rushing at him. Desperately, he too surged to his feet in an attempt to escape the path of the attack.

By the time he'd gotten to his feet, however, the flames had already washed over him. They crashed into him with a truly intense heat - when Alki had demonstrated her technique during breakfast, he did not imagine it would feel anything like this. The pain was searing, his leathery skin burning hotly under the potency of the stream of fire. Instinctively, he made to escape the stream by staggering backward out of its reach, grunting half in panic and half in pain, but the sheer power of the move must have shocked Alki as well since it spread out and around him so quickly. He knew that the last thing she'd want to do was attack with such ferocity, but Flamethrower was no child's toy. Goro had just learned that the hard way, his hands raising up in front of his face as his body burned from the heat. The flames must have overflown past him, as well, as smoke was rising up around him rapidly. That meant Alki had let the stream of fire actually die off - he'd been unable to tell, bearing the agony in pained silence.

But, for all that it hurt, he couldn't help but be deeply impressed. Never in his time in the Marsh did any wild Pokémon utilize such a strategy against him. All of the battles here had been so simple, just him and another Pokémon beating senselessly on each other, but during his first real fight against real Pokémon, they'd mercilessly laid him out and torched him with savage, tactical intelligence. It was exciting, being able to witness and experience such a thing. These were the kind of fights that he was missing out on, in the real world outside of Cattail Marsh.

A pained gasp crept out of Goro's gullet involuntarily as the attack died down, smoke rising up and around him. The pain was good for him, in a way, as it was a harsh reminder of what he had promised exactly. He'd agreed to fight, not to showcase moves or play around - the tactical prowess demonstrated by both of the girls was proof that they understood this, maybe even better than he did. He wanted to prove himself against them, too - he did not want to lose. Alki had come to him for training because he was strong. He had to prove that. The gasp earlier turned into a determined grunt as Goro elected to truly move for the first time in the spar, staggering forward almost groggily. His skin was burnt and blistered, he could tell just from the pain it caused when he moved - he didn't know how severe it was, but the next few days were going to be painful, no matter what. As he strode out of the cloud of smoke, he trained on his eyes on the igglybuff in front of him.

She looked guilty and insecure - very nervous. Both things were very out of place in a serious fight, like the one she asked for. "That... that was amazing." Talking was surprisingly painful. He didn't think he'd inhaled any of the smoke, but apparently, something was going on in there, as even to his own ears his voice sounded strained and scratchy. He had to think hard to find his words, focus past the pain that was ever-constant on his skin. "Let's have more of that. No shenanigans."

In contrast, the second time he spoke, his voice was hollow and twisted, reverberating through the clearing with an authority that was distinctly dark in nature. It was the first time that he'd opted to use his move Taunt - apparently, it caused those who heard it to fight without utilizing status techniques or items. From what he knew, however, it only lasted a few minutes. Coupled with the pain searing through him from Alki's attack, he figured that if he was going to win cleanly, it had to be then.

Alki could hear the Skitty's loud exclamations, laced with the same guilt that the Igglybuff was currently feeling. But she could only focus on the cloud of smoke that was rising from the after effects of her move. It was strong. It was much stronger than Alki imagined it would be, after all, she wasn't a fire type, and she wasn't exactly experienced with the move. Yet, even so, it seemed to have left it's mark on the Croagunk all the same. Alki couldn't bring herself to say anything, as she simply struggled to make out an image through the smoke. He was alright, right? Yes… he seemed to be standing, and the Skitty was only a couple paces away, apologizing over and over.

She hadn't meant to really hurt him. Alki began to sag, feeling a sudden weight upon her. It was just a practice fight, and she hadn't been able to control herself. She'd just gone in and used Flamethrower in his face. What happened to weakening the move? It seemed that was easier said than done. Control was important, but she didn't seem to have an ounce of it. The Igglybuff opened her mouth to finally provide her own apologies, but the Croagunk seemed to have his own words in mind.

But they certainly were not the words she thought he'd say. Perhaps a bit of “Hey, what the hell?” mixed in with “That was way too far.” Or maybe she just expected him to call her stupid for that? Instead, what she got was the Croagunk staggering forward to congratulate her. Congratulate her for burning him? Was that sarcasm?

“Thanks, but… sorry?” She mumbled after a short pause. Did he even hear her? Did she want him to hear her, anyways? Were they still supposed to be fighting? At least she'd covered all her bases with those words.

The Igglybuff found her answer to that question soon enough. He taunted, practically yelled at her, not to call her stupid, not to ask her what the hell she was thinking, but to ask her for more. More? He wanted her to burn him more? Well… she couldn't do that! Could she? It was just a sparring match!

But at least she knew that she was still supposed to be fighting.

“More?” Alki asked, a subtle anger building up inside her. She could vaguely think about how this wasn't normal, how she wouldn't usually be this angry, and how this was a move he was using on her. No, all she could focus on was how much she'd needed to fight. All she'd ever done her whole life was sit down and take the insults and the jeering and, at times, even the attacks, without a word of complaint. Where had Flamethrower been when she'd lived at the pond? Alki's eyes scrunched up as she stared at the Croagunk with a new found ferocity. She wasn't angry at him. She was angry that it'd taken her this long to grow a backbone. As the Igglybuff dug her feet in and prepared for the fight, she found herself glaring at the Skitty as well. She could fight just fine. She didn't need babying, and she didn't need protection. She was a guild member. All those kids at the pond had been wrong about her. Her parents had been wrong. She was gonna show these two why.

“I've got more… She mumbled, as she began to eye up the Croagunk. There wasn't anything between her and him. Between the grown poison type, and the small fairy type, Alki knew who would win. Well, she'd just have to put something between them, then! If she could drive him just a bit further away, just stall for a tiny bit, then Darcy could do something as well! Maybe, just maybe, they could win! If they could last a bit longer…

But for now, all Alki wanted Darcy to do was watch. She was watching, right?

Alki aimed at the ground by the Croagunk's feet, hoping the sudden heat would drive him away. She sweeped her head back and forth, creating a small, but hot, wall of flames between them. After his earlier burns, he'd be at least a bit afraid of them, right? And she didn't want to burn him even more on accident… but she also didn't want him close to her at all. Alki began to focus on her move, trying to make the flames more intense, keep him away from her, and with a bit of luck, maybe she could impress them too. He wouldn't rush through a wall of fire, now, would he? Alki snuck a glance at the Skitty, hoping she could catch a glimpse of some pride for the Igglybuff. Something more than worry. She was capable by herself, too! She didn't always need the Skitty in front of her...

Darcy bit her lip, her trembling not fading one bit as she stared into the flames, wishing that they would dissipate faster.  Did the older guildmembers truly spar using moves like this one?  It was almost impossible to imagine.  Seeing Goro be coated in fire made her wish she had dragged him out of the way, or shielded him with her body, or...  Or something!  This was too intense just for a play-fight!  He didn't deserve it..!

But the flames finally dispersed, and what was left in their wake made Darcy's mouth drop open.  ...It was Goro, standing up straight, clearly in pain.  But he didn't look angry or frightened.  He looked alive.  His usual relaxed and grumpy gait was sharp and energetic, like the swathe of flames hadn't been a dirty trick, but instead a pleasant surprise.  Darcy shook her head with bewilderment as the frog Pokemon congratulated Alki, even though his voice was so raspy and pained...  In fact, he went so far as to ask for more.  His voice commandingly rang through the clearing, sending waves of shock and surprise through the Skitty's whole body...

Without quite realizing why, her brow furrowed, a frustrated pout appearing on her face as his words bounced back and forth inside her head.  This was exactly what she had stepped in to stop!  She'd never expected Goro to be the one in need of protection, but he was taking this too seriously, even as the one being most badly hurt.  Enough was enough...

But at least Alki seemed to be trying to keep herself safe like the Skitty had asked, blowing another fierce stream of flames in front of her to ward Goro off.  Darcy's gaze softened and she gave her an appreciative nod.  The thought of Goro hitting her sister still made her feel sick to her stomach, even if Flamethrower had proven to be such a powerful line of defense.  Between Alki's inexperience with such a ferocious move, and Goro's raw strength, no sort of fight between those two seemed like it would have a happy outcome... She needed to put a stop to things. Or at least to keep those two apart...

"Goro..." she murmured softly, her tone growing gentle and sugary as she stepped forward, her concern pouring into her words as she let Disarming Voice take control of her speech.  "Please don't push yourself so hard, okay?  This is all just for practice.  If we need to take a break, Alki and I'll understand."

She took another step forward as if to touch him, or at least to measure just how badly hurt he was.  The memory of Alki's scathing flames was still fresh in her mind.  It was tough to think that he was really okay after being swallowed up by them...  "I wanna take a look at your burns and make sure they're not too bad.  I have a move that should help them feel better...  Doesn't that sound nice..?"

At this point, Goro was very eager to see what kind of fight his opponents put up again. Their attack just now had been a beautiful thing to witness, especially since it had hurt like hell. For all of Alki's claims of not being well-versed as a team, the two of them worked together seamlessly - or, at least, they had in that particular instance. Darcy had stalled the threat against them at the first possible opportunity, utilizing that strange clapping attack that left him shocked and flinched, then took him down with an expertise that surprised everyone present. She'd then proceeded to grab hold of him as Alki geared herself up to deal damage against their prone target. The skitty had abandoned that particular effort once the stream of flames came forth, but honestly, it was hard to blame her. His skin felt raw and crisp in ways that he never wanted it to feel again; it seared with a sharp pain that he couldn't just shake off or bounce back from. It was ever-present, a deep scalding sensation that he was going to have to deal with until one of the girls healed him after the match. It was that particular thought that made it less stressful to deal with - he knew Alki had a move called Heal Pulse, and while he hadn't heard of it before, it wasn't exactly difficult to glean what it was supposed to do. He'd be alright, even if the burn was worse than it felt.

His taunt had apparently worked against Alki, at least, since instead of singing him to vulnerable sleep, she actually appeared to get frighteningly angry with him before spewing another stream of fire in his direction - by the legendaries, these pink little girls were scary. At this point, he had a very healthy respect for how much that move hurt, so as soon as it registered what she was doing, he was moving back with an urgency and speed in steps that surprised even himself. Still, he was a bit disoriented from the punishment that he'd just been dealt, so really he'd just managed to stagger backward very quickly as a rushing wreathe of flames licked dangerously at his feet. His feet. Goro's fists were curled in surprised anger before he even understood fully what she was aiming for. What on earth did the guild do to these little girls? Was it some kind of training they were put through or were these two just naturally evil geniuses? Did every explorer fight like this?

He was stopped by jumping in and punishing her for the cheeky attempt when she aimed her flames in a sweeping motion in front of her, effectively creating a wall of fire between the two of them. The stream wasn't particularly big or powerful, so he could probably charge through without too much fuss, but the burning on his skin dissuaded him from doing so. If there was a chance, though, it evaporated quickly as Alki evidently concentrated harder on the stream of fire, causing it to pulse outward with renewed vigor and ferocity. Where on earth had this little girl learned to spit fire? Against all conventional sense, he felt a growing grudging respect for the little balloon in front of him.

Still, she had effectively walled off any approaches from him. He technically could rush in and attack her, but he'd pay a painful price to do so. The good thing about it was at least she was going to be preoccupied with the fire she was using, so it wasn't like he had to worry about her for a few moments. Resolutely, the croagunk turned on a dime to take in the skitty that had outmaneuvered him earlier, absently pacing backward to put some distance between him and the little monster belching fire in his general direction. For her part, Darcy looked uncharacteristically frustrated with the way things were going, which was more than a bit confusing. For all intents and purposes, the two of them were winning. Why on earth be upset about that? Still, though, she approached... even if it was slowly and rather demurely. It was confusing, to be sure, especially when coupled with the fact that she had a pretty decent opportunity to surprise him while he was preoccupied with Alki.

It was when Darcy spoke that he realized what she was up to. Her words washed over him seamlessly, and he was lowering his fists before he had even noticed it. Still, though, for all that he felt a growing sense of ease and comfort at the words she spoke, he felt an equally strong surge of annoyance rise up within him. She wanted to stop, of all things? She'd been so gung-ho just a few moments earlier, rushing into the fight before anyone else. And he felt... not fine, exactly, but he wasn't terribly hurt or anything. If anything, he was having a blast. Never in a million years would he have expected Darcy or even Alki to be able to put up such a fight - it made him wonder, for a few moments, if he was a bit too arrogant. Still, Alki had asked him for a real fight, and that meant taking this seriously. He had no intentions of taking a break just because he got turned a little bit crispy.

"I told her I'd take this seriously," Goro turned to take in the skitty in front of him, trying to communicate the importance of this fight to him and Alki. While he wasn't going to risk a real injury, he did intend to give the igglybuff a very real and honest approximation of how strong she was in relation to him, and how well she'd perform in a fight like this. The croagunk's flat eyes hardened a bit as he stared down Darcy, trying to muster up the will to fight her. Her words were having a much more potent effect on him that he thought they would - did she just have a way with words or something? "I intend to. You ought to, too. Don't blame me for this, yeah?"

To drive the point home, Goro stepped forward with a strong sense of purpose, his left fist suddenly shooting out from his hip. As it tore a path toward the skitty in front of him, a stout uppercut aimed upward at her cheek, he made it a point not to put too much force behind the move. It was intended to be a love tap, and nothing more - something to communicate to Darcy that, while he didn't want to hurt her, he also didn't intend on treating this like some sort of game. A wake-up call, of a sort. If the nimble skitty didn't dodge it, he didn't expect it to do much damage; perhaps it would shock her more than it would hurt her if nothing else. With Alki, he preferred her to think he was taking this serious since she'd asked for it, he wasn't about to go out of his way to do the same to her older sister. Not only was that just senselessly mean, but he liked her, for what it was worth.

Alki’s flames lost their intensity, and she could feel the energy that went into the move, and left her body. Yet the sudden spirit she had recently acquired did not leave in any measure at all. She wasn’t weak. She could keep going if she wanted to! Even if it hurt, Alki maintained the stream of fire, a few seconds more, letting it die down slowly, fizzle out, even if her throat burned. She’d done alright. Alki tried to prevent it, but she couldn’t help but let out a dry cough. Was Goro away? Was Darcy back? Alki coughed again, louder. “Oh, Arceus...” She mumbled to herself. She stared at the dying flames on the ground, remnants of her move. Had she always been capable of that much? And if so, why had nobody ever told her?

The Igglybuff cleared her throat, trying her best to fix the dryness that was present. Trying, and failing. She needed more practice. Eventually. For now, she just needed to do something to keep the Croagunk busy. Sing? No. Definitely not sing. That was what a coward used. Guild members weren’t cowards. She wasn’t a coward. Darcy needed to see that. She didn’t need protection!

But she wasn’t stupid, either. Why would she ever try to brawl against a fighting-and-poison type Pokemon that was at least twice as tall as her? No, that was a fool's errand. Yet the thought of even attempting to use Flamethrower again made her throat feel scratchy. Alki backpedaled slightly, looking between the Skitty and the Croagunk. She couldn't fight without Flamethrower, and she wasn't about to take a coward’s way out and sing him to sleep.

Alki bounced towards the house, hoping that the rapidly dissipating smoke would provide her some cover. There was water inside, right? Water, and maybe something else she could use… but the water would, at least for a bit, soothe her throat. That would mean she could use Flamethrower. She wasn't running away! She just was… retreating. For strategic reasons. Just like chess, right? She couldn't always attack, after all.


Once inside the dark, broken down shack, Alki searched frantically for the canteen that Darcy had brought in before the spar. There. Right where she'd left it. Alki grabbed it, sat herself down. She unscrewed the top, frantically throwing it to the side on the dirty, worn floor. She could do one better. She wasn't running, but hiding would give her more time! Assuming Goro wasn't on his way over right now… Alki headed towards the back of the house. There were a couple missing planks. Was she small enough to sneak through? The blankets from the previous night were there too… Alki picked one up, and squeezed herself through the hole in the wall. She was behind the house, blocked from view. Unless Goro had followed her. But he was busy with Darcy, right? Unless he wasn't…

Alki stuffed the hole she'd come through with the blanket. Then she'd be blocked from view if he came through the door. And as the vast expanse of marsh stared back at her, she couldn't help but smile. She'd thought the fight would go so much worse. But… it was a bit exhilarating, even. Terrifying, too. But she'd never felt this much adrenaline in her life. Adrenaline and power.

Alki brought the bottle to her lips, and began to drink. She was hiding, she reminded herself, but only for a bit. She'd be fighting again soon enough.

No luck, at least not yet.  Darcy took a step backward and frowned uneasily as Goro reaffirmed that no, he was okay, and that he'd been serious when promising Alki a real fight.  The look in his narrowed eyes was unmistakable, glowering down at her with annoyance, still fierce and determined despite her words.

She vaguely noticed Alki slip away from the battle and into the shack, and the Skitty felt a small rush of relief, glad to see her getting away from such a scary Pokemon.  ...But Goro stepped forward and commanded her attention once again.  The Skitty cowered back one or two more steps and had to remind herself to keep taking deep breaths.  She had expected this point to come, a point where she wouldn't be able to catch him off guard anymore...  Memories of being punched in the stomach returned unbidden and she found herself shaking, rooted to the spot and unable to look away.  She had known this would happen, known what she was offering to do when she had joined these two, but when he raised a fist and swung at her face shock and fear kept her paws frozen as she squeezed her eyes shut and cringed backward--

She squeaked ungracefully and staggered back a few steps, ears ringing and a dull pain shooting across her face.  She had to hold back a whimper as she raised a paw to her cheek.  It...  Didn't hurt too badly, not like his punch from before, but all the same, the Skitty stepped back even further, her hind paws coming up against the brambles and swampy water at the edge of the yard.  "Alright...  Alright, I get it..." she murmured, rubbing her face a little more before shakily returning her paw to the ground and looking up into Goro's eyes, trembling a little but meeting his gaze with as much bravery as she could manage.  "...If that's how it's gonna be, I-I don't wanna be left out...  I-I mean it. N-not if Alki's gonna be here too."

But as she spread out her legs and got ready to fight, circling around Goro with a few hops before coming to a stop, she realized...  She didn't know how to approach him, not without any of her silly normal-type tricks, moves that wouldn't do anything to wear him out, at least according to his commanding, hollow voice from earlier.  She felt her body fill up with regret for never sparring with the other guildmembers back at home.  It had never sounded like fun, of course, but now that Alki's safety was on the line, she wished she had at least a little practice..!

She took a deep breath, and held it, pawing at the ground.  Well, she couldn't stall forever.  Charging at his legs...  That had worked before, right?  Maybe if she kept low to the ground, and far away from his right arm, it would work again?  Trying not to think too hard about what she was doing, she took off at a run, circling around Goro's legs a little more before lunging forward and hoping to knock him off balance once again..!

Goro couldn't understand what was wrong with Darcy. Why was she taking such deep breaths and shaking like a little leaf? He knew she was braver than this, stronger than this. She'd gotten right in his face last night in defense of her friend, and just a few moments ago she'd outmaneuvered him and planted him on the ground! She had guts and skill, but just as Goro was about to throw his love-tap at her, she froze up like it was her first time in a scrap. It was horribly confusing - did she just... not like it? She wasn't a bad fighter, at least, not from what he'd seen so far. She'd made good use of her flinching move and used the opportunity in the best possible way for both her and her teammate. More than that, she had guts, he knew she did.

After his fist made contact with her cheek, he felt... pretty guilty, actually. She was still trembling, still shaking. He had a sneaking suspicion that maybe she didn't want a part of this at all... and he and Alki had forced her into it. But wouldn't she have said something? She didn't need to say yes when the brat asked her to participate - he wouldn't hurt Alki in a one on one. Didn't Darcy know that? He'd tried to convey that as best as he could in that instance where they made eye contact! His spirits lifted a little bit when the skitty seemed to have gotten the message, murmuring agreement and rubbing the spot where he'd tapped her gingerly with a paw. It wasn't long until she was moving as well, meeting his gaze and actually circling him. He wanted to feel elated at the sight, wanted to feel that rush of excitement that came with a good fight and the following victory, but the notion that Darcy wasn't having fun was starting to really take root in his mind.

His attention was snapped back into the matter at hand when Darcy pawed lightly at the ground before darting right off. To her credit, she didn't jump right into things, actually circling him a bit. He was wary of this approaching skitty, as he knew all too well that she tended to be surprising in instances like this. When he'd first met her, he thought she was just a cowering girl hiding behind his shack, but she'd proved him wrong. When he agreed to spar with her and Alki, he figured she would be a tricky fighter, but instead she'd lunged right at him and set her teammate up beautifully. Now, he tried to prepare himself for whatever she tried next. After circling him lightly, the skitty lunged forward once more toward his legs. It wasn't a bad idea - he'd fallen prey to that tactic once before in this fight. But, unlike last time, Goro was light on his feet with a whole new healthy respect and appreciation for the kitten Pokémon's speed. Once she shot forward at him, Goro sidestepped hard to the side, almost throwing himself out of the way.

At the same time, his left fist shined a silvery hue that marked his Bullet Punch attack. It tore a sudden path for where he figured Darcy's flank would be if he dodged her successfully. The ploy here was simple; sidestep, then counter punch. Should that work out for him, then things would finally start to be going his way in this fight. He couldn't just let both of the girls beat up on him indefinitely - he had to prove himself, show them why they came to him, rather than the other way around.

As the igglybuff drank from the canteen, she wondered as to what her next course of action should be. She couldn’t hear Goro anywhere, and she felt rather secure in the thought that if he hadn’t found her yet, he probably hadn’t noticed she’d left the fight. Although, he would notice sooner rather than later, wouldn’t he? That, or Darcy would notice instead, and then she’d probably assume the worst, wouldn’t she? It wouldn’t be Darcy if she didn’t, after all, and then she’d call off the fight, start looking for Alki. How stupid and embarrassing it would be if they found her behind his house! She inclined the canteen even more, hoping there’d be even more water for her parched throat. She felt a couple drops more fall into her mouth, shook the lightweight canteen, but no more came out. She’d gotten away with her silly plan, at least. She looked out across the marshland, at the sun that was slowly rising across the sky. She’d have to leave soon, get back into the fight, or else they’d think she was the exact opposite of what she wanted them to think. A coward. She wasn’t a coward! The igglybuff picked herself up, taking out the blanket from the crack in the house, and tossing the canteen back inside. The sooner she returned, the sooner she’d be able to help Darcy!

The girl considered leaving the blanket behind as well. She stared at it for a couple of seconds, wondering what good it might do her. It was just a blanket! Yet, at the same time, maybe it could serve a purpose for the fight. Not to mention that it made her feel just a bit more comfortable, having something in her hand that she could hold onto. Not to mention it was soft, almost like the Skitty’s fur… even if there was no other purpose, holding it in her hand seemed to calm her nerves. She switched it from her right hand to her dominant left, and bounced forward across the hard, dry land, around the house, and towards the din of the fight.

Alki did not find it difficult to regain her fighting spirit. After all, neither of them thought her capable quite yet, did they? They probably still thought of her as a weak little thing, incapable of being by herself. She wasn’t that anymore! Well… maybe a bit. She was getting better! That was a fair statement, and it wasn’t inaccurate! She’d gone from cowering behind a stranger on her first day in grassveil, all the way to today! She wasn’t doing horribly in this little sparring session, after all. She’d gotten a couple of good hits in on the croagunk. Her throat felt quite a bit better now, and surely, between herself and Darcy, they could do it! She felt the optimistic side of her beginning to win out, her thoughts slowly transferring into devising a plan, but she found her bounces stopping abruptly, and that optimism was extinguished in an instant, her eyes narrowing and blood flushing her cheeks as she glared at the scene before her.

She felt bile rising in her throat as the first thing she witnessed was the Croagunk striking her best friend across the cheek. The anger that she thought had been dissipating flared up within her once again. Who did he think he was? If she were a bit more level-headed, then perhaps she would’ve remembered that they were sparring, and Darcy had decided to join in. She’d known what she was getting into, perhaps more so than Alki did. The effects of the Croagunk’s move had not left her completely -- or maybe they had, and her sudden, rash decision was the product of pure emotion, rather than any move the Croagunk had used on her.

Either way, she found herself bouncing towards the Croagunk, rather than keeping her space like the Skitty had instructed. Who cared what she’d told her? It was a fight, and she wasn’t about to let Darcy take all the punishment… she could take a few hits from Goro, right? She wasn’t that weak a species! The girl realized with startling urgency that she was very, very close to the Croagunk, and had no particular plan in mind. Her eyes widened, but she was far too close to back off now… he wasn’t looking quite in her direction, and he seemed quite focused on the skitty. Perhaps she was sneaking up on him? Maybe he was playing dumb. Either way, she couldn’t back off. She could take a hit!

Alki’s eyes flickered to the blanket she still held in her hand. Well… now seemed like as good a time as any to use it! She sent out a short burst of flame towards the blanket, watching it alight. She was really close now to the Croagunk, and the flaming blanket that she still held in her hand was growing hotter and hotter at a rather alarming pace. One bounce, two bounces, and… now! She tried to preserve as much of her momentum as possible, and it seemed to be at least somewhat effective. The igglybuff whipped the fiery blanket over the Croagunk’s shoulder, trying her best to make sure it’d wrap around it. She couldn’t be sure if it did. No amount of determination protected her hand from fire, and she’d closed her eyes halfway through her jump, afraid of what she might see. A fist would be a rather scary thing to behold, especially if it were coming towards her.

Had it worked? Who knew. Alki landed on the ground, stumbling forward as she did her best to get away from the Croagunk. She was most certainly the slowest of the group, though, and by a rather wide margin. Both were bigger, and both were certainly faster, and the best thing that Alki could hope for was that her small distraction with the blanket would catch the Croagunk by surprise. If it worked, then maybe she’d taken some pressure off of Darcy, and if it hadn’t, then all she’d done was give her best friend even more to worry about. Alki braced herself for a punch that she couldn’t be sure was coming. Better safe than sorry...