Pernicious Growth

energy:

Goro the Croagunk raised his head resolutely, taking in the dull, gray sky barely visible through the poisonous smog rising into the air. A perpetual stream of clouds blocked any view of the sun he might find, only the barest amount of daylight trickling down the sky and through the heavy, toxic fumes that wafted throughout the air. He'd thought to check the sun for its position, so he might gauge the time of day, but it was for naught. As curious as it was, the world had gone chill and the sun had turned shy; only clouds were visible in the sky these days. He sighed, dragging his eyes away from the sky and across the barren flatlands in front of him.

He'd heard stories about the Venen Gulch, how it was home to perhaps the most powerful Poison-type feral Pokémon on this side of the world, save perhaps Grima's Outpost. His usual fanfare in Cattail Marsh had long since grown dull, and he longed for something more powerful, a sense of danger that he'd forgotten in his recent security. The Croagunk had made his home in the dungeon some time prior, eagerly battling the feral Pokémon for his place within. It was a desperate and rewarding struggle, and he'd won himself a healthy stretch of territory in the mystery dungeon, and a healthy amount of respect from the local ferals. It'd been many days since he'd last come into contact with a Pokémon that wasn't a traveler.

His gaze flickered to the ravine in front of him - the eternal scar carved into the earth, stretching across the horizon from one end of his vision to the other, evidence of a once powerful river. He sat on its edge, legs dangling over the side of the ravine, gazing down its terrifying depths. It was a fruitless endeavor, as the poisonous fumes constantly rising from below obscured the floor completely from view. As a matter of fact, he couldn't see past a few feet, the lack of sunlight obscuring his vision even further. He knew it came from the poison-types that made their home there.

But he was of their kin. The poison that ran through his veins was not dissimilar to the toxic fog drifting through the air, and he longed to test himself against his brethren. As a battler, he had training, but if there was something that he lacked, it was experience. He had only ever fought Pokémon distinctly weaker than him-- how did he stack up against the strongest poison-types in the Gulch?

"Here's hopin' my fool self doesn't get killed." The Croagunk rose to his feet nervously, staring down the gulch with a visible anxiousness to him. Fear was a survival tool, he'd once heard. What did it say about him that he wanted to run away from the greatest challenge he'd ever seen in his life? Was it prudent of him, or cowardly? He'd come here with a purpose, a goal in mind, but now it seemed he'd contracted cold feet. He stood frozen over the gulch, seemingly transfixed by the toxic fumes rising from below, wrestling with his sense of survival and longing to test himself. It was clear he wouldn't move by himself, not without assistance, or for a very long time.

Akuroma walked forward, his red eyes glowing from under his hood as he approached the Croagunk and the edge of the ravine. As he approached, the grey clouds above began to rain. It was just a trickle to start with, but by the time Akuroma came beside the poison type, it was a downpour. He didn't care, his one and only goal for coming here was to fight. A rainstorm in a highly poisonous region wasn't going to stop him.

The Gallade stared down at the smog for just a moment. It reminded him of his travels in Blackmist and his home of Pricklemist. He couldn't remember the last time he had been to the former. Sometime before he evolved, he was sure. However, that was neither important nor interesting to him at the moment. With little more than a glance at the poison type as he passed him, the Gallade stepped off the edge, plunging down into the thick smog. Almost involuntarily, Akuroma held his breath as he fell. The smog would only get thicker the further down he went. There was no way he'd avoid the poisonous affects, unlike the Croagunk up above. At the very least, he could have brought a pecha scarf. Sadly, the best he had were a few pecha berries and no knowledge if they even worked in a place where just breathing caused you to be poisoned.

With a thud, the Gallade landed on his feet. His gasped, only to cough and groan as the poison filled his lungs. He straightened up and looked around. Smog. Smog everywhere. He thought about how useful it'd be if he could know Defog or some other move to clear it away.

(Energy 47)

The Croagunk didn't react when the first raindrop fell, but he audibly flinched when one turned into a flurry. Soon, it was a shower, a heavy cloudburst of rainfall showering the surrounding area, turning the dry, barren ground into slopes of mud. He was stoic as the rain pelted harshly against his leathery skin, the sound audible even among the natural sound of water falling from the cloudy skies. He didn't outwardly object the change in scenery, as he was grateful for the change in perspective. Motionlessly, Goro watched the rain drop right through the poisonous smog that rose up from the Gulch, right into the depths of the ravine. It was unimpeded by anything, natural and unapologetic in its descent.

He was a battler, a trainee fighter, taught by professionals and skilled in his own right. Yet, before the poisonous gorge carved into the earth before him, he was utterly intimidated. He knew he wouldn't run into pithy little Ekans and Weedles down there. Real poison-types lurked down in those depths, feral Pokémon whose lifeblood was venom, and their lifeblood was their weapons. In contrast, what was he? An upstart fighter with no experience against any sort of truly strong opponent? The violet-hued mist swirled as heavy rain dropped into the ravine, parting for the rapid downpour. Was it a sign? Stop hesitating, and do what you came here to do? Be true to your nature?

If it wasn't, what happened next was. As Goro stood over the ravine, he became abruptly of a smothering, heavy presence at his side, simply there. There were no heavy footsteps signaling its approach, no words spoken from one Pokémon to another, no indication that something was coming for him. The Croagunk flinched sharply when it dawned on him that someone was suddenly next to him, stepping back harshly enough he nearly slipped on the wet, treacherous muddy ground.

The figure was tall, nearly twice his height and probably twice his weight, with powerful looking legs leading into rounded hips and a dark, lean torso. It was dark gray and white in coloring, with a golden horn sticking out of its chest. Its face was concealed by a hood, so he wasn't sure what sort of Pokémon he was suddenly dealing with, but it didn't look like any sort of Poison-type he'd ever heard of. What was most intimidating about the strange Pokémon were its arms-- curved, with dangerously sharp looking blades extending from its elbows. Goro stood frozen in shock and fear, despite himself, when the Pokémon turned to give him a distracted glance before suddenly dropping down the Gulch. He caught only a glimpse of piercing, blood-red eyes, and a scarred face, the Pokémon disappearing from his vision before he knew what to say or do.

He remained frozen for a long while after the Pokémon abruptly vanished, staring at the vacant spot where its face was. Whoever or whatever that Pokémon was, it clearly had no doubts or hesitating thoughts before descending into the ravine. And it was obvious-- that Pokémon was strong, powerful and skilled in ways that he had yet to become.

That's what I want ta be.

The thought occurred before he knew it, clear and sharp in his mind. There was no point in hesitating. He was here to train, to hone his skills and gain experience. To fight Pokémon and shed blood while doing so. He was a fighter by nature and a battler by choice-- it was time to be true to himself. Slowly, carefully, Goro dropped down to his knees, carefully climbing down the rocky side of the ravine, wary of slippery rock wall and the rain falling from the sky. There was no chance he'd survive uninjured from a fall like the mysterious Pokémon likely did-- this was the only way up and down, for him. Perhaps he'd catch another glimpse of the stranger while he was down here.

The Gallade huffed as he stood there. He couldn't see much of anything, and he now wondered how he was to navigate the ravine with such poor visibility. Sticking to a wall came to mind, but the Gallade didn't feel he'd find many opponents or interesting items that way. Perhaps he should just wander? Then he'd be in trouble if he couldn't remember which direction the wall was. It's not like he could accurately gauge the width of it. Up top, the rain and smog made it practically impossible to see the other side.

An idea came to the Gallade's mind as he stood there. He spread his legs, kneeling slightly as one arm was pulled back. A mint green glow grew over the bladed arm as the psychic type took in a breath. With a upward swing, a wave of psychic energy flew from his arm and into the smog. As the brightly glowing wave sliced through the poisonous gas, it cut a path for the Gallade. The smog was quick to seal the path, though, as if swallowing his attack which was just a faint glow now.

Goro was starting to regret this little spur-of-the-moment decision. At least, his bright idea to climb down the gulch while he was half-blinded by the poisonous smog and barely able to hold onto it, thanks to the heavy rainfall making his hold slippery and treacherous. He shifted slowly down the ravine wall, testing his hold every time he slipped from rock to rock, to rock. The Croagunk was only able to see a few feet below him, so he wasn't sure how deep the ravine actually was, or how long he'd have to climb down to get to the bottom. His progress was slow and steady, but internally, he was as nervous as he'd ever been.

Was it foolish of him, to follow that mysterious Pokémon down? He'd planned to come here by himself, knowing it was a foolish decision, but if he could maybe find someone willing and able to watch his back, he could fight the feral Pokémon here safely. Or, at least, as safe as you could, at the bottom of the Venen Gulch, surrounded by the strongest Poison-types on this side of the world. The figure was no doubt skilled and powerful, he could feel that much from its presence and demeanor, but on the other hand, it hadn't seemed interested in him at all. Someone of that strength likely had their own reasons to venture to a crap sack place like this, and it likely wasn't as simple a reason as to fight feral Pokémon. At any rate, he couldn't deny his curiosity.

What kind of Pokémon was that? He couldn't go much off of the glimpse of coloring he saw, as it was various shades of gray and white, minus the small, golden horn on its chest. Perhaps a Steel-type, considering the wicked sharp blades it had on its arms, or a Dark-type. The blood-red eyes would suit a darkling very well. The powerful and lean figure would also suit a Fighting-type, however, so in the end, he couldn't wager a guess.

In his moment of introspection, the Croagunk missed a grab for a new handle on the rock-wall, his grip slipping on his other hand, the Croagunk free-falling from his position on the gulch wall. He was silent in his descent, disbelieving in what just occurred to him, hands flying out in front of his face as if to block the poisonous mist he was plunging through, even though he consciously realized it was no harm. He didn't think to shout in alarm until just before he met the ground with a harsh thud, his cry immediately dying off into a weak, struggling wheeze as all the air left his body, the muddy ground scraping against his leathery skin roughly.

He dimly noted a bright flash further down the ravine, but he was quick to write the sensation off as a lightning strike in the distance, for what else could it have been? He lay there in shock and pain, trying and failing to move his suddenly weak, trembling body. The Croagunk couldn't even cry out, chest tight, his lungs suddenly empty of breath and seemingly refusing to take in more. Weakly, he turned over to his stomach, limbs trembling in pain and exhaustion from his fall, pushing his body off of the ground in a desperate attempt to regain a semblance control over himself, laying on the ravine floor half-fallen over in a picturesque scene of misery.

Akuroma blinked as he heard the thud and cry behind him. He turned his head to see the croagunk from before lying on the ground in pain. Did he try to follow Akuroma down by jumping? The Gallade was a taken aback at the foolishness of the Croagunk. The Psychic type turned and walked towards the downed Pokemon,  staring down at him with cold eyes.

He continued staring for quite a while, his only movement being from the involuntary coughs thanks to the poison filling his lungs. After a few moments, the Gallade kneeled down, grabbing a hold of the Croagunk;s wrist. He then stood up straight, dragging the poison type onto his feet.
"Aren't I supposed to be the one having trouble breathing?" he asked the smaller Pokemon.

Dracorexion carried out 10 launched of one Venen Gulch :

, , , , , , , , ,

Fuck, fuck, fuck - this was such a fool idea! He lay half-crouched, on both knees and lurching forward, supported by one hand in the mud and the other clutching his chest, the pressure in his torso gradually loosening, but not quickly enough. There were spots in the edges of Goro's vision, his head fuzzy and his body weak from the harsh landing, staring weakly ahead of him. He didn't have but a few feet of vision, the clouds blocking any daylight from trickling down through both the rain and heavy clouds of smog lurking at the bottom of the Venen Gulch. He kept his head resolutely in front of him, weary but wary, dreading the approach of any feral Pokémon that might have heard his rough landing and stifled cry. He had confidence in himself, normally... at least, he did when he fought at Cattail Marsh, where the most dangerous thing he'd run into was half-mad, weaker Croagunks and wild Froakies. However, against a feral from the Gulch? Just getting down here was difficult enough for most Pokémon, to say nothing of the literally deadly presence they exuded. He was as good as dead if something stronger than him found him in such a state! The Croagunk lay hurting in the mud, praying for the time to gather himself and his wits.

But, just his luck, a figure stepped forward. The same figure, in fact, from before, at the top of the ravine. The mysterious Pokémon that'd spared him naught but a glance now strode forward-- toward him-- seemingly unbothered by the contaminated fog swirling at the bottom of the Gulch. He'd assume it was a Poison-type, if not for the minuscule, barely noticeable coughs that occasionally wracked its frame, evidence of a very strong Pokémon being poisoned. Despite himself and his level of awareness, Goro could do nothing but stare in astonishment and horror as the mystery Pokémon walked toward him, crimson eyes colder than any winter storm he'd seen. Why the hell would it attack him now, rather than before, when it snuck up on him undetected?

He stared transfixed at the Gallade as it approached, stoic save for the miniature coughs. Goro's eyes were wide, his heartbeat was racing, and he was sure this was how he was gonna go. The fuck kind of ending was this? Goro the Croagunk-- died after falling down a ravine, chasing after a Pokémon clearly smarter and stronger than him. Dumb bastard didn't even have sense enough to run away as he was finished off by whoever decided to snuff him out! The Croagunk flinched harshly as his wrist was grasped in a cool, strong grip, the power and tension of the hand grasping him speaking tales of the other Pokémon's strength. He was jerked up abruptly as his visitor-- helper? Savior?-- pulled the Croagunk right up with him, his chest suddenly lightening with the ability to breathe again. The Gallade's words washed over him dimly while he heaved in breath after fresh breath, relishing in the ability to take in air again. His other arm rested on his knee, supporting himself as he stood hunched over.

"Ya made it-- ah, shit, this hurts-- ya made it look easy, jumpin' on down here," Goro swallowed one last gulp of air before looking up at the Pokémon in front of him, taking in his appearance once more. Now that he was up close and personal with the stranger, he hadn't anything to say, depsite his curiosity and awe. "I, thanks, uh..."

"Of course I'm ok. I knew I'd survive. You, on the other hand, look like hell now," the Gallade stated rather plainly. He then let the poison type's wrist go, continuing to stare down at him from under his hood. After a moment of silence, Akuroma turned back around beginning to head into the smog. "Well, good luck to you, see ya," he said, raising a hand in goodbye as he walked away.

Elsewhere, the Gallade wasn't the only one to have heard the Croagunk's fall. Another such Croagunk watched the pair from inside the fog. Behind him stood a smirking Nidoqueen and a stoic Arbok. "Kehehe,
you two gang up on the Gallade, I'll handle my cousin there," the Croagunk said. The other two nodded before disappearing into the smog.

(Energy 4)

Goro looked up reverently as the Gallade spoke down to him, dropping his wrist and not actually leaving immediately, like last time. What the hell should he say? Hey, who and what kind of Pokémon are you? No, of course not. The last thing he wanted to do here was annoying or offending this stranger by being pushy or nosy. But... what did he want from him? Advice? Help? No, the Gallade had helped him enough already. And Goro wasn't so far gone as to ask for it.

He trailed off uncertainly, watching the Gallade stride away after a moment of silence passed between the two, perhaps a mutual understanding that there was no more that needed to be said. Of course, this stranger had his own reasons for being here, obviously nothing so base as simply fighting other Poison-type Pokémon. The poison-fighting hybrid sighed mellowly, turning away from the stranger with the queerest feeling of disappointment. It was for the best; if Goro was in his shoes, the last thing he'd want was a little hanger-on.

Goro turned away as well, the two Pokémon walking in separate ways until he noticed another of his kind step out of the poisonous fog. Another Croagunk, that is, his mirror in height and weight, the only difference between the two being the Joy Ribbon Goro had tied around his bicep. Goro blinked dumbly as he took in the new arrival, not quite making the connection that it was a feral Pokémon. His fists were half-raised in front of him, loosely observing his brethren. "You need somethin', cos?"

Akuroma's leave was halted by the Croagunk's voice. The Gallade turned back to see another Croagunk now standing next Goro. "Hm?" the Gallade said, his eyes scanning the pair. He was grateful for Goro's joy ribbon, lest he'd be unsure on who was who at the moment. However, the Gallade was failing to notice two figures approaching him from behind. With the gulch's natural toxin's flowing through his body, his senses were dampened. So it was no surprise that the Gallade found himself caught off guard as the Arbok suddenly sprang into action, tightly coiling around him. Akuroma growled loudly, stamping his feet on the ground as he attempted to push the Arbok off of him. In his struggles, Akuroma's arms began to gain that mint green glow, psychic energy bleeding out between the poison type's coils.

The Nidoqueen soon joined the fray, her fist covered in poison as she slammed it across the Gallade's cheek. The force of the attack sent both Akuroma and the Arbok flying back into the wall of the cliff. Both were dazed slightly, with Akuroma's vision blinking in and out as the Arbok loosened it's grip on him. He coughed, another growl flowing out as the psychic energy disappeared. The Gallade now rammed back into the wall over and over, smashing the Arbok into it until the poison type let go.

The Gallade's fists erupted into electricity as he charged at the fleeing snake, pure hatred and murderous intent in his red eyes. His fists smashed into the earth over and over as he attempted to hit the Arbok, only for the snake to slither out of the way.

For Goro's part, he was almost immediately overwhelmed by the other Croagunk. It darted forward, no words wasted on banter, fist shooting out in a textbook right hook that crashed the side of Goro's face, sending the dazed poison-fighting hybrid reeling. He was already sore, tired, hurting and injured from his fall down the ravine, and either the other Poison-type knew that, or was confident enough in its skills that it didn't see a risk in taking on another of its species. He stumbled backward, one hand raising to nurse his jaw in shock, the other still loosely held at his side. In his astonishment, he didn't realize what was happening until it was already underway, the other Croagunk suddenly all over him, fists flying recklessly and confidently. Goro raised his guard hastily, arms raising to cover his face and upper torso, taking powerful blows that belied the other Croagunk's similar size. Diamond-hard fists collided harshly against his forearms, the dull thwack of leather skin smacking against leathery skin resounding in the ravine. Do I fuckin' hit that hard? Or is this guy just stronger?

So focused was he on defense, that he was unprepared when the other Poison-type swept his legs out from under him, Goro falling backward on the ground, the muddy ground chafing against his back uncomfortably. His brethren wasted no time, mounting the fallen Croagunk steadily, straddling Goro's torso and swinging fists down on him. He tried keeping his arms up and defending, protecting his face from the raining blows, but they were too powerful to simply block. I'm a sittin' duck here! What do I do?

The answer came to him instinctively, snatching the other Croagunk's wrist unthinkingly when the aggressive Croagunk went for too wide a swing. Immediately, it swung the other fist in retaliation, Goro snatching his other wrist out of the air with his other hand, keeping hold of both the Croagunk's arms as it sat on his chest, wrestling for control of the situation. A sudden snarl escaped from his lips in his frustration, before Goro thrust his head forward in a savage headbutt, sending the other Croagunk rolling backward. He went limp on the ground, catching his breath for a moment before rising to his feet after the other Poison-type rolled off of him, surely dazed but definitely not defeated.

While the two Croagunk's fight began to actually take shape, Akuroma finally landed a hit on the Arbok. His fist smashed the poison type's tail into the ground, electricity flying into the scaly Pokemon. With a loud hiss of pain, the Arbok's body was forced to suddenly straighten out thanks to the electricity. Akuroma reached forward with his free hand, intending on ending the snake as quickly as possible. However, the Nidoqueen jumped back into the fray, charging into Akuroma with as much force as she could muster.

The Gallade flew backwards once more, his body flipping on the ground before his skid to a stop between the two Croagunk. The psychic type groaned as he stood up, the stone attached to one of his gloves beginning to glow brightly. A swirling mixture of glowing oranges and yellows surrounded Akuroma's body, the smog around the area beginning to swirl around his form. As if trying to snuff whatever Akuroma was doing, the smog continued to thicken.

Suddenly Akuroma shot out of the smog cloud, poisonous gas trailing behind him as his fist slammed into the Nidoqueen. The heavy Pokemon was lifted off the ground, only for Akuroma to grab her arm and slam her into the ground over and over again. The Arbok quickly began to flee again at the sight of it's now helpless ally being pummeled. He didn't get far as Akuroma tossed the Nidoqueen on top of him.

Both dazed, they were helpless as Akuroma approached them, one arm erupting with blue energy. The Mega Gallade stopped just short of the pair, his fist pulled back. With a wide swing downward, Akuroma slammed his fist into the ground, a trail of large spiked rocks erupting from the ground in front of him before it hit the pair, sending them flying off into the smog.

He stood there for a moment, looking into the poisonous gas before he turned to see how Goro's battle was faring.

In contrast, Goro was not having the best day of his life. The fall from of the ravine was damaging enough, leaving him drained and sore, but the Croagunk who attacked first and attacked aggressively was not letting up on his injured counterpart. He'd risen sluggishly from his position on the ground, expecting to see the other Croagunk perhaps nursing a head injury from the savage headbutt or even dazed from the attack he'd just delivered, instead to discover the other Poison Mouth Pokémon just as furious from the attack as Goro was shocked. It stood resolutely in front of him, fists raised confidently at its sides, eager to put this particular conflict to bed and get back to its allies.

It advanced with aplomb, stepping forward and punching strongly, hard fists smacking against Goro's hasty guard again. It let loose a skilled flurry of blows, punches striking hard against Goro's forearms and lower torso, actually forcing him to retreat to the side of the ravine, his back chafing hard against the rocky wall. For Goro's part, he chose to play defense again, waiting for an opportunity to strike that wouldn't get shut down by this equally skilled opponent. He had no idea how he would measure up against this particular Croagunk if he wasn't damaged from the pitfall, but so far it seemed that the other one was just... stronger than him. His strikes were hard, sure, and skilled, and its judgment and decision-making skills were good enough that Goro had to wait for an opportunity, rather than lash out and get punished for fighting stupidly. It fought hard and fast, offering no mercy to an injured enemy and wasted no words on childish banter. The only fault in its game plan was the wide swings while he had mounted Goro earlier, but that was a pittance compared to how powerful it seemed otherwise.

Goro was actually sweating in exhaustion and worry when his opportunity presented itself, a rapid series of bright, warm flashes lighting up the nearby area in the ravine, a light show like no other. He didn't know what the fuck was happening down there, as he'd noticed another flash from that area when the other Croagunk first attacked him, but this time it actually took heed of the light show, pausing in his assault on Goro to turn his gaze down the ravine, peering concerningly at the commotion as if he had something other to worry about. A flare of indignant anger and vicious outrage surged through him at the sight, his face souring at the fact that his opponent was so confident in its victory that it actually took its eyes off of him to worry about something else. I'm your opponent! And I'm right here, ugly!

He took vicious satisfaction in rearing back his right hand before launching it in a powerful straight punch, his hard fist crashing hard against the side of other Croagunk's face as it was distracted by the scene down the gorge, looking awfully scared for some reason. Goro's punch sent it stumbling backward, shocked and hurt, teetering dangerously on its feet before Goro gave it a taste of its own medicine, sweeping the other Pokémon's legs out from under its feet with a sweet little ankle trip, causing the other frog Pokémon to drop to the ground with a dull thud. He wasted no time, immediately dropping down on his enemy, legs bending forward to pin its arms harshly to the muddy ground, Goro mounting his opponent with an intent to hurt him.

The poison-fighter hybrid lost himself in his rage and bloodlust, letting loose his fists in savage and brutal swings, punching the other Croagunk right past unconsciousness and into serious injury, fast-forming bruises and blood spreading on the other Pokémon's face. It dimly occurred to him that he might want to look up and see what the Croagunk was so worried about, just before Goro slugged him, but he was so furious at himself for his poor fighting and his opponent for actually looking away from him that he was focused only on beating him as viciously as possible.

Akuroma frowned as he watched Goro go into a blind rage. While he himself was just in one, at the very least he wasn't going overboard. At least, he didn't in his mind. The psychic type strode towards the pair, stopping just behind Goro. "Stop," he commanded. Akuroma was no saint, that was for sure. He'd stolen, beaten, and generally made other Pokemon's lives hell when he was an active outlaw. However he never killed. It wasn't some moral code, at least in his mind it wasn't. Killing just didn't make sense. All it did was take a life. There was no gain in his eyes. A powerful opponent should be kept alive to fight later. A wealthy shop owner should be kept alive to return to his trade. A figure of the community should be kept alive as an example.

The Gallade's body took on the same glow from before. However, this time there was no wind as the extensions he gained from his mega evolution disappeared like embers leaving a flame. The stone on his glove gave a final glint of light before it seemed to dim more so than before his transformation. It wasn't moment after that Akuroma's cough returned. Whether it was the mega evolution or simply the adrenaline, it seemed the effects of the poisonous smog had lessened on him during the fight. A fact Akuroma hoped would continue to prove true if he wanted to stay here for a good while.

While part of Goro was furious, the other was viciously satisfied. This was exactly what he came here for! This Croagunk was probably stronger than him, and it gave him a tougher fight than any feral in the Marsh had so far. What the hell was the point in living in the swamp if Poison-types like this were lurking about the Gulch? This was where he needed to come to get a good fight, not hunting down Goomies and Poliwags in the marshlands, hoping for the occasional Poliwhirl. As his fist tore across the other Croagunk's face, Goro smiled eerily, a palpable sense of gratification washing over the frog Pokémon. Who knew what other, stronger Pokémon lurked in this very same ravine? He was only down here for a few seconds before this opportunity presented itself. From this point on, the fights would be even more brutal.

Goro froze when a cold command reached his ears, the rage and anger coursing through him abruptly evaporating, leaving him suddenly sore and tired, still straddling his counterpart, fists aching from the repeated punches to his opponent. Now that the haze had cleared from his eyes, he could take in his enemy more clearly, and the poison-fighter hybrid grimaced as he took in the other Croagunk's visage, ugly fast-forming purple spotting his face, blood streaking from various cuts and orifices on his face. His eye, in particular, was veritably swelling from where Goro had struck it for the first time. Shit, I almost killed this fella.

It wasn't until a moment later that Goro realized someone had told him to stop. The Croagunk turned slowly, eyes taking in the Mega-Gallade suddenly behind him, blood-red eyes piercing his visage and ebony blades poised behind him dangerously. Quickly, Goro threw himself off the other Croagunk, tripping backward and landing on his rear in front of the older, stronger Pokémon. Did he evolve?! The stranger was already clearly extremely powerful, dropping down into the Gulch and striding forward despite the poisonous fumes swirling about the air. But now... there was no telling what he could do. Goro was sweating profusely at this point, eyes taking in the glowing Psychic-fighting type standing in front of him imperiously. In his shock and fear, it didn't occur to him to speak or even retreat, staring up at the dangerous predator staring him down in dumbfounded silence.