All the Grass Looks the Same

Lennox

was stuck.

It was inevitable, really. Short, stubby legs were not very compatible with soft, mushy ground. It was fine when there was grass to give him some traction, but the first mud pile he came across brought his little trip to the mountains to a screeching halt. Now he was just a bump in the dirt, a pimple on the wide face of this marshy labyrinth. He was held fast by the bastard child chocolate pudding, and boy was it aggravating him.

"Sunnuva bitch," he grumbled as his little legs struggled beneath him. They only opened up air pockets in the mud that were quickly filled back in, but he hadn't given any thought to whether the it was the mud or himself filling said air pockets in. He just kept struggling, and getting frustrated, and cursing up a storm; never once having the thought that he was the thing worsening his misfortune. Though to his credit, he was probably moving forward a whole half a centimeter despite the fact that he was being eaten by the bog.

Briefly, Lennox reflected on the things that had brought him to this point. He liked mountains. He got directions to the mountains. He was about to go to those mountains. "The way through the marsh is shorter," someone had told him. But he had immediately stopped listening before the mon giving him the directions added, "but you definitely shouldn't go through there. That deep mud is sticky and dangerous for small pokemon, some have even drowned in it." He probably wouldn't get himself into so much trouble if he didn't do things like that, but that would have required Lennox to not have a 20/200 hindsight when it came to anything other than what he wanted, and that was about as likely as a fairy getting hit by a dragon. These things just..... weren't really important to Lennox. Mountains were important, but mud was not. Lennox did not fear mud.

He still didn't fear mud, but he was definitely royally pissed off by it. He was so blazing mad by this point that he could feel the blood pounding in his head. He wondered if a bug pokemon had ever spit fire before, because if not HE WAS ABOUT TO BE THE FIRST. Come on, come on!!! He couldn't even roll into a ball anymore, his most maneuverable form. He wasn't just going to sit here in a swamp. He didn't want the swamp, he wanted the mountains, and he was going to GET to those mountains if ALL OF HIS LEGS FELL OFF IN THE PROCESS.

And they were probably going to at this point.

He didn't even think to look around for help. He was barely aware of anything besides the mud he was sinking in (probably because his head was progressively sinking further and further into it as well). He just had to get out, there were no other options. It didn't matter if what he'd been doing for the past two hours wasn't working, he'd make it work. Somehow. Probably if he just kept forcing it harder. Yeah, just kick a little more. Yeah, that was.... no, it wasn't. It definitely wasn't. His rage started to build even more.

"I'll end ya if ya don't get outta my way, mud," he growled at the inanimate object, his inevitable tantrum starting to pick up in volume. The mud did not budge. "...I will, damn it! I'm not kidding. ...Just MOVE."

Cinmere liked to think he was coping as well as anyone would after trekking through the wilderness for four days straight. He was sick of covering his tracks and sick of staying up so late he slept until noon. He was sick of eating suspicious berries that probably weren't poisonous, statistically speaking. He was sick of jumping at every shadow, and he was especially sick of the elements. The rain has finally stopped, but it meant the earth clung to his paws stubbornly and tried to suck him down with every step.

And, yeah, he was worried sick for his family, but they were warriors. Battle was their element. He could barely describe the things they'd lived through and survived. They... were probably fine. He couldn't exactly say the same for himself if he didn't find some kind of civilization soon. Or at least someplace with a proper bed. He was sick of camping, too.

He tugged one of his back paws out of the ground with a grunt, dipping his head and pushing forward. The wilderness would have to end eventually, if he went far enough. Lumi would never let him hear the end of it if he was taken down by a bunch of muck and water. That was all this was, a bunch of mud and grass and water, and he couldn't lose to that. The mountains were so small in the distance now. He had already come so far.

Just keep walking. He reminded himself, steeling himself anew, letting out a tiny, determined huff and continuing to move. He continued on in near silence, determined to make it through this freaking marsh. He- "I'll end ya if ya don't get outta my way, mud," okay what the hell.

He blinked a few times, taking an instinctual step back, standing still and weighing whether or not to approach that voice. It didn't exactly sound pleased. He sunk half an inch deeper into the mud as he reeled, trying to figure out what the heck was happening over there. Cinmere could have dreamed up some excuse for himself as to why he followed the sound of what he could only describe as a tantrum. Like how he wasn't thinking straight or whatever after four days of real life wilderness survival. But, no, he was just too concerned and too curious to not approach this stranger.

"...I will, damn it! I'm not kidding. ...Just MOVE." He slowed his pace to a reluctant walk, clearing his throat as he noticed a splash of color in the muck. So this was the source of... that. Whatever word you could use for it. It was almost impressive, that such a little Pokemon could make such a racket. He had played around with the idea that someone was being threatened, but... no. He was literally just talking to mud. Cinmere had been out in the wilderness for days, and even he hadn't started talking to inanimate objects yet.

"Is, um, is everyone okay over here...?" If he was trying to hide his amusement, well, he hoped the smile playing at the corners of his face wasn't too obvious. He leaned down next to the unfamiliar Pokemon. He clearly wasn't in a good mood, and Cinmere knew not to laugh at people, but damn it, knowing you shouldn't laugh just makes you want to laugh more. "Need a hand, little guy? You might want to stop flailing around in the mud, you're making yourself sink deeper." He extended a forepaw, blue eyes bright. "I could use some directions, if you'd care to stop digging your own grave?"


Cinmere's Energy: 1

A Sandshrew managed to get a nice deal in the land of the dragon queen. Using his Stamina band, Trap scarf and that scar left by a Sentret he had managed to get past the citizens and soldier without much information given and avoiding unwanted attention. He grabbed the satchel, still attached to his belt, and played with what was inside without having to take it out. The bag might have been lighter after all the ordeal but he´d finally managed to get a gem full of power.

That was all he had to do inside the Blacktooth kingdom; wait, no, he needed to do something else. Yigo looked around, his feet getting sunk into the layers of sludgy mud. Whatever light managed to get past the infinite extension of cotton clouds was soon darkened by the aura of that mystery dungeon. He had forgotten to ask for directions. Unfortunately, this time there wasn´t a lovable, cute and friendly Oshawott to help him get out of there. Hopefully, if he kept moving forward and avoiding those dancing lights that failed at luring him into following them, he´d eventually find the exit, right?

Getting on all-fours, he continued his uncalled for exploration with a little trotting to avoid sinking into the mud as he advanced. He drove his arms to his chest, looking up to the sky and asking himself why he couldn´t feel the warmth of the sun. Was this place a nightmare? A recurring memory of Tempo drowning in front of him? What if he himself fell into the water and sunk to the bottom? There was no one there to help him now but that was good as he wouldn´t let anyone down this time, right?. He just had to avoid getting inside those rivers that split the little dry land that could be found in the dungeon. There were just too many ris- "I'll end ya if ya don't get outta my way, mud,"

Yigo looked in all directions; he couldn´t see anyone around, yet he had clearly heard someone threatening... mud? Was that a bully extorting a fellow wanderer? A journeyman ambushed by the ferals, trying to drive them off by commands alone? Someone was probably in danger and Yigo wouldn´t let that one slip... if he could help at all. Fortunately, there was no stream of filthy water on his way that needed to be crossed but, as he approached the source of the threat, he found himself at the edge of a cliff. There was no one to be found.

"...I will, damn it! I'm not kidding. ...Just MOVE."

That voice... it was right below him. Had they actually sank that deep into the soil? That was horrible! What if he himself suffered the same fate? Yigo stood up on his two feet and tried to locate whatever was causing so much racket. His ears managed to catch the sound of a Pokemon thrashing about and splattering what was probably mud; it was indeed below him but, lo and behold, a brown fluffy puppy-like Pokemon came rushing heroically to their aid! Would that be an explorer coming in the nick of time?

Apparently, someone was fighting not to get engulfed by the muddy terrain. That crimson bug had no chance of getting out if he kept digging itself in! The canine might not even get him out in time! Oh dear... what to do, what to do...

"The more you move, the more you will sink in... J-Just... stop moving until you friend gets you out of there..."

Yigo had learned that on his own, he himself needing help to get out of a similar situation. Tempo... how wasn´t he like that one Oshawott? He would have recklessly thrown himself down there and get the endangered Pokemon out in an instant. At first, an impulse from his hand tried to push him forward, to become the hero he wanted to be but, then again, he had tried that before already, didn´t he? He withdrew his helping hand, deciding not to take action and just sat there, tail between his legs and head murring low. The last thing the dog Pokemon needed was someone else to save.

*crack*

What was that? The Sandshrew stood up and stepped back, recoiling. He could feel the earth around him weakening and breaking. A fissure showed up in front of him, spreading to the edges of the high ground.A tremor made Yigo tremble just to be followed by the inevitable collapse of the ground beneath him. A shout that resembled more a cry got out of Yigo´s throat, the last he´d let out before falling on a surprisingly soft surface. No... something was wrong. Yigo looked around, something was sticking to his skin. It was mud! He had fallen right next to the bug type! He was going to drown! Yigo attempted to escape himself, trying to use his claws to dig through the mud and open a way for him to escape but it was of no use. His arms kept getting stuck below the layer of mud until, suddenly, he couldn´t get them out of the sludge at all! Yigo though he was done there, that he wouldn´t get out. He was doomed!

Little guy? Little guy? Holy shit, this disembodied voice had a hell of a lot of guts or not a lot of brains if he thought that little quip was just going to skate by without getting his say on the matter had another thing coming! Lennox could tell this guy reckoned himself a regular wise guy just by the way he was talking to him, and the second Lennox had the choice he was not going to be having any of it. Admittedly though.... the mud was making that kind of hard. It was making a lot of things hard, such as breathing and seeing. Lennox couldn't even see who he was supposed to be mad at!! The situation was so many kinds of unacceptable, and while he wanted to keep fighting the mud off on his own so he could face this wise guy with his full dignity... the situation probably did warrant a different strategy this time, if for no other reason than confronting this guy.

Somehow, some way, one of his legs found something that didn't feel completely like mud. It felt more like leg mixed with mud. Then another leg freed itself, and then another, and then another. The very next moment, Lennox was scuttling up whatever had been offered to him, climbing until he felt nothing but fur around him. He stopped here, wiping the mud from his face enough for him to see, so he could figure out who he needed to tumble with. With the mud gone, he could see clearly enough to now see that he was clinging to the side of some kind of dog. A dog with rocks sticking out of it's neck. Ugh, of course, of all the rotten luck. Lennox liked rocks when they were on the ground, but he wasn't well-equipped to handle them in any other situation. Still, he wasn't intimidated by something the same size as him.

"Ain't no friends here, chief," the bug grumbled, turning his head to see who else had spoken. He was thoroughly expecting another wise guy in his foul mood, but he did not find one. The sight he was actually rather sad and unfortunate; another pokemon struggling to fight the mud off as he had been. Lennox stopped being pissed off long enough to feel for this guy. Nobody asked to have a bunch of mud hold them back. One second you're minding your own business, and the next the mud won't let go of you like you owe it some kind of money or something! ".....ah- oh man pal, that looks serious. Sorry about that. Let me see if I can do something for you." He kept hanging on until the Rockruff got closer, and then he curled himself into a ball. If there was one thing Lennox could do here now that he was free, it was get that mud to fuck right off. Well, if the wise-cracker over here would get close enough to some drier mud.

"Don't flinch," he warned gruffly, before he began rolling against the mud. He had to use the drier patch of mud to work up his speed, but eventually he had enough momentum to even overcome the momentum of the stickier mud. It would cling to him, only to get thrown off in a completely different direction. Pretty soon, a sizeable dent had opened up around them that made the mud more shallow. At this point, Lennox was starting to feel pretty good about finding a way to fight off this mud. Now that he was winning he really didn't want to stop. He kept pushing and pushing against the mud, leaving a shallower path in his wake that could be used to wade to a nearby clump of reeds that made the ground more solid. Around the time that he reached this little bank, the novelty of winning a fight against an inanimate object had wore off and Lennox was content in stopping his assault, clearly having come out the better man. He was also the dirtier man. His shell was absolutely caked in mud.

"How's that pal?" Lennox asked, looking rather pleased with himself.

Lennox the Venipede - 3 energy

Cinmere watched with mild amusement as the angry bug scurried out of the muck. He hadn't said anything to hint he was mad yet, but you know when someone feels an emotion so intensely, it seems to radiate from them? That was what was happening now. He could tell this stranger wasn't especially happy with him, but he could make his peace with that so long as he wasn't drowning. You learned to take insults in stride when you had a sibling. And, fair, he had been messing with the Venipede, just a little bit. He shifted over to a patch of dirt that was slightly drier, giving the bug type a place to stand. Huh. This Pokemon was larger than he expected, now that he wasn't up to his head in mud. He'd been expecting something more... Caterpie-sized, maybe? He didn't linger on that for too long before a newcomer caught his attention, snapping his gaze over to the Sandshrew.

He had sunk before Cinmere even noticed him. And... he was also flailing around uselessly in the mud. Oh dear. The Rockruff chided himself, he needed to be more observant. He approached the Sandshrew, careful not to leave any of his paws in the same place for more than a few seconds so the mud didn't grab hold of him, too. “Oh, drat. Stay still, alright?” He advised, trying to figure out how he could even help this stranger out of the muck. Cinmere didn't think he was strong enough to pull him, but maybe he could dig him out...? Luckily, Lennox seemed to have the situation handled. He watched as the centipede left his side, leaving a large muddy patch on Cinmere's fur where he had clung a second before.

“Are you okay? Just stay calm, I'm sure this will only take a second.” He called to Yigo, hoping to comfort him a tiny bit while Lennox did his work. He didn't really know what the Venipede was trying to do, but he seemed to want to help...? May as well let him give his plan a shot, since Cinmere didn't have any bright ideas. He stepped back from Lennox, deciding to give the bug a bit of a space - and it was a good thing he did, because a few seconds later, mud was flying everywhere. It wasn't the cleanest process, but the Sandshrew was free by the end of it! And they even had a nice little path to dry land.

Cinmere looked over to Lennox, beaming brightly as he called out to the bug. “Well done! Thank you for the pathway.” How thoughtful of him to make a path for them. He didn't move on right away, instead offering a shoulder to Yigo. “Coming?” He urged gently, giving him a small smile and a nod. Hopefully he wasn't shaken up too badly, he'd looked a little scared back there, to put it gently.

Yigo checked for a solution around him for the last time. How could he had gotten stuck! Would the ground, tainted by that drenched water claim him? He´d had to rely on what he wanted to avoid in the first place. The Sandshrew did well to remember his own advice yet the panic was not quelled with silent stoicism. disappointment made him give on trying to escape on his own, knowing that his fate was, and will always be, tied to someone else´s. He was nothing alone and he knew it. The puppy Pokemon got into the mud and got closer to where both the Venipede and himself were trapped. A slight ray of hope illuminated his face as the debris made the sludge get over his head. It didn´t last much. The Rockruff didn´t even make an attempt at rescuing Yigo, it had gone straight for the bug type.

It was... the sensible choice considering Yigo´s record but that was not a valid reason to leave him there! He wanted to get rescued! He didn´t want to die in a place that dark! "D-Don´t... don´t leave me alone! Please!" he begged as he glanced over the Rockruff, now carrying the Venipede to a safe area. Soon, his footing was no more, feet sinking into the sludge while his body slowly descended into the pit´s bottom. Luckily enough, it didn´t end the dire way. Once the bug type got to a safe place it had started rolling in place. Yigo did not understand it at first. Did it get stuck again? No! He was helping him out by getting rid of the mud! It attracted the mug to themselves just get thrown behind, enough for a path to open that´d lead Yigo out of that trap.

He didn´t waste a second, just needed to struggle a bit more trying to get his feet unstuck during the first steps before joining the friendly Pokemon. His heart was racing and had a hard time recovering. His whole skin was covered in sticky mud that his arms tried to get off him unsuccessfully. He tried digging his claws dig in the mud so he could scratch the layers out but he´d only hurt himself in the process.

Some words managed to calm him, it was a simple question: "Coming?". It was an invitation for him to join the Rockruff and maybe the Venipede. Yigo took a step back from the Rockruff and he looked away for a second, who was this Pokemon? Where are they going? Was it safe to go with them? He didn´t know anything about them... but that was easy to change "W-What´s... your name?" A glanced got directed back at the pair of Pokemon. It looked like the bug type had the same issue as Yigo; moreover, it also seemed to like rolling around and looked proficient at that. The puppy Pokemon, on the other hand, had a relieved face and was in an inviting gesture. Something felt right about trusting them "I´m... Y-Yigo... I´d like to know who I have to thank if I´m... if I´m coming with you" he tried to say having a hard time maintaining eye contact. His speech contained some stuttering and his tone was low and somewhat high-pitched.

Seeing that his efforts had led to the other two pokemon freeing themselves of the mud, Lennox felt confident that he could call this one a victory. "The name's Lennox, Yigo. I got no problems with ya stickin' around, if you don't mind the mountains. That's where I'm headed," he said in response to the sandshrew, giving him a nod. Looking at the yellow pokemon cause his thoughts to trail back to his little personal victory. He could tell he was getting stronger; he had been tackling this swamp long enough now that it seemed like he was getting the upper hand. At the very least, it felt that way. He remembered how he had been enjoying tackling this mud sink when he had first entered a few days ago, right up until he got stuck with no grass in the soft ground and had proceeded to get beaten by the mud no, no, he had just gotten held up. It was a temporary loss, if anything. That would insinuate that his parents had been right, and like hell he would let that be the case. Of course, he had had some help in order to jet out of that rut..... that realization definitely detracted from his victory a bit. Still, he supposed he should be grateful. He wouldn't have been able to continue otherwise. But the nerve of that guy-

Lennox's brain sputtered as the compliment he had received from the dog was processed. Oh. Well, shit. ""Uuh you're welcome, I guess. It wasn't any biggie; can't go gettin' stuck and then ignore someone else with the same problem..." The compliment through him off track, just a bit. He'd be suspicious of it being sarcasm, but he knew enough about that to know that that hadn't sounded anything like sarcasm. Or at least, it didn't sound like any sarcasm he knew. Besides, he knew enough from experience how much it sucked when someone you gave a compliment too ignored it completely. Yet another small victory that boosted his confidence once more.

Now rather pleased with his achievements and thrown off his original attitude for the time being, Lennox took this paused in his one-track thought process to actually look around and get his bearings, of all things. It was an impressive breech of his normal lack of the finer points of observation. He had been expecting to find the mountains right away upon his observation, but was inevitably was disappointed when he looked out beyond them and all he could see was more grass and mud. Flat grass and mud at that, earth that barely even resembled

Spoiler:

To his left, upon observation, he could see more grass, and some trees. Still no mountains however.

Spoiler:

At this point, he got significantly less interested in the scenery in his completely futile search for mountains. Anything behind him? Nope. Were there any to the right? Nada. Nothing. There were no mountains anywhere, which was just a big inconvenience if nothing else. The irritation immediately set back in, making the little centipede's brow furrow once again. Conquering the swamp was fun and all, but in comparison it just seemed like a less admirable challenge the facing the mountains. It was just a flat, sticky mud hole; it had nothing in common with the immovable mass of a mountain. The challenge that had been invigorating a little while before was starting to become a bit interesting. He didn't want to waste too much energy here, but boy did this soaking wet mud pile seem intent on forcing him too.

Hey, speaking of things that were challenging him in slightly unwelcome ways.

""Wait a tick, hold the phone," Lennox grunted, suddenly remembering why he had been so bothered in the first place. "What's the big idea, anyways? I mean,
you got some funnies," he continued, realizing he actually appreciated what he now understood was a joke about him sinking into the mud, "" but 'little guy?' I ain't that little." Lennox paused as he considered this further. Now that he could see the good spirit behind the words, Lennox almost felt like the 'little guy' comment was... almost akin to a pet name. Which was weird, definitely weird. It wasn't like he had a lot of pokemon that would bother giving him nicknames, though. But- no, "little guy" wasn't a term of endearment!..... always!..... BUT, the dog had been mocking his predicament.....! ....that he was also sharing... but it was belittling... ACK

The bug let out an audible "tch." ""LOOK, OKAY, if you think I'm less capable than you or somethin' because of how I look, you're wrong. I'll prove it to you right now if I gotta!" he exclaimed, fully prepared to make good on that promise it the rockruff wanted to oblige him.

Lennox the Venipede - 6 energy (that lasted a long time)

FoxFireAlchemist carried out 6 launched of one Cattail Marsh :

, , , , ,

Hmm. So the angry little bug was heading to the mountains? He couldn't help but wonder why. Cinmere couldn't know for sure, but he didn't think there was much of anything over there. Was he looking for an item? Training, perhaps? His expression flickered to a more thoughtful one as he pondered what might have guided this Lennox character there, of all places. The kinds of Pokemon that lurked in the mountains tended to be tough, or very territorial. Or both. His own pack wasn't feral, but they were guilty on both counts and didn't take too kindly to intruders. From living there, he knew there were a lot of feral Pokemon there you just didn't mess with. Maybe whatever mountain he was heading to was different than his home, but they still tended to be rugged environments where the strongest survived. From what he'd read, at least.

He couldn't help but smile slightly (and perhaps not entirely innocently) as Lennox reeled from the compliment. Was he not used to them? Certainly didn't seem like it, with the way he reacted. Ha, he could have some fun with that. It was very easy to throw this bug off balance, wasn't it? Cinmere had been genuine just now, though, about thanking him for making a path. Cinmere could have saved the Sandshrew, he felt confident about that, but he couldn't have done it so quickly or carved a way for him afterwards. He didn't want to make the bug think he was being sarcastic, so he refrained from playing that card for now. He made a mental note of how he took compliments, though, he was sure it would come in handy later.

He offered a shoulder to Yigo, hoping to help to guide the sand mouse to a drier part of the marsh. "Nice meeting you, Yigo. I'm Cinmere." He said, doing his best to keep his tone welcoming and steady. He didn't want to scare this guy, he'd been through enough after sinking into the mud. He still sounded a little shaken up from that, at least, he did from Cinmere's perspective. Or maybe that was just how he talked? He shifted his paws, lifting them up before the mud could grab hold of them. He was happy being the only member of the party who hadn't almost drowned in mud, and he planned on keeping that title for as long as he could, thank you very much.

He kept an eye on the Sandshrew, wanting to make sure he was alright. Or at the very least, he wanted to make sure he standing somewhere he wasn't going to sink again. "Ha, I normally like mud, believe it or not, but this is worse than normal. Let's all keep an eye on each other while we're here. What brought you here anyways, Yigo?" He questioned. Maybe a bit of conversation would calm him down a little? Taking his mind off things that bothered him worked for Cinmere, at least, maybe it would work for this guy too? Worth a shot, at any rate. It wasn't long afterwards when the Venipede seemed to be finished examining his surroundings. Apparently he wasn't happy with what he saw, because he was back to being just as grumpy as before. Cinmere couldn't exactly blame him. There was marsh as far as the eye could see.

'Got some funnies'? Cinmere tilted his head, visibly confused. Never heard someone say that before. It took him a moment to figure out what that even meant. Oh. That joke about him digging his own grave. Yeah, actually, Cinmere stood by that one, that had been exactly what the bug type had been doing. He thought it had been a little clever! "In my defense, you are shorter than me, and I'm already smaller than most." He said with feigned puzzlement, the hint of a smile leaking through his mask. This was way too easy. "Sorry, little bug!" He called, wondering if he was dousing the fire with water or gasoline. Surely he'd get that he was just teasing by now, right?

... right?

Yeah, even Cinmere hadn't believed that one.

Hmm. Had he taken it too far? Probably, he had. Cinmere usually teased people, but this guy was real touchy, for one reason or another. Maybe he was just having a bad day. Very well could have been, considering Cinmere found him half-drowned in mud. Yeah, maybe he should have brought it down a notch, now he was challenging him to a battle. Well, that couldn't do too much harm. Might do him good to blow off some steam, and besides, the Rockruff could use some more battle practice. Really, as the one who pushed Lennox to that point, he felt a little bit obligated to listen to his request. "I'm sure you're plenty capable, but if you'd like a battle, I'll oblige." He hummed, glancing back at Yigo a little apologetically. "Aha, sorry, this is my fault. Should only take us a second." He honestly hoped it wouldn't spook this Sandshrew too badly that his allies were sparring, but he didn't want to let the hotheaded little bug down, either. Besides, Cinmere sort of wanted a fight, too. He'd already done enough running the last few days to last him a lifetime.

The pair of Pokemon seemed to be friendly, albeit somewhat awkwardly. The bug type looked like he was going to the Blacktooth mountains, the place from which Yigo got into the marsh from. On the other hand, the Rockruff seemed quite eager to lend him a hand and fostered teamwork. It almost looked like he was the leader of a team from the guild, concerned for the safety of everyone involved. The Sandshrew was caught by surprise by the question of the rock type without noticing that he had his mouth open on drooling whilst scratching the mud out of his skin. He shrank to himself, poking one end of his arms against the other nervously "Uhm... I-I got lost on my way to Rainfront..." There was no point in hiding it. If they were going to be getting any expectations out of him, they´d better be low "I got back from... from the Blacktooth Kingdom. Was there where you wa-" His question was interrupted by another conversation. As soon as he started explaining how he got there, those two had already ignored him! Are they fighting over... size? Why was being small something bad anyways? The smaller you are, the better since you are harder to see and fight.

Yigo got on his fours and took quick measurements of the size of all the Pokemon. They were all pretty similar! It was true that the Venipede was the smallest while Yigo and Cinmere had almost the same size but why did that matter at all? Standing on his two back feet once more, he got one of his arms near his face while he looked at the other two Pokemon with a puzzled expression. Yigo was going to probably volunteer to guide the Venipede to the mountains or, at least, give him some advice on how to proceed with the knights and he would gladly accept the request of Cinmere to go together - the place was really scary after all. However, he found himself wondering if he should intervene or just... leave. Maybe they were like that familiar Croagunk and the only way they had to bond was through battle. Wasn´t there a safer place to spar? After all, they still were in a mystery dungeon where feral Pokemon could take advantage of the battle to have them weakened and ambush them! Yigo looked around the flat area. Nothing seemed to be around, at least. The water looked calm too, a steady stream of water flowing through the rivers. Maybe he could way a moment or two there "Do... Don´t get hurt!" he muttered, stepping back and counting the seconds that they were taking. His eyes shuffled between the two Pokemon and the area around them while his feet struggled to get some solid footing. The Sandshrew was nervous. He just hoped that the Rockruff was right and that the match wouldn´t last long...

Yigo´s Energy: 3

You could practically see the steam rising off of the stout centipede's body. Ooo, this guy. Acting like he was in on a joke that was over Lennox's head; taunting him with this secret language that Lennox couldn't figure out. ...Maybe that was fair, because if there was really a secret language he wasn't exactly gathering the meaning. The pieces of full, literal understanding understanding weren't necessarily there. But that didn't mean that Lennox didn't know that this guy... dog... whatever was being a lofty punk! He bristled with offense all over. He didn't believe this guy had the chops to back it up, either. There was no way this would end without war.

"Are you some kinda joke, calling me out like that and then acting like it ain't none of your buisness?" the bug seethed, throwing some shade back in response to the light shade that had come his way. He wanted to see that guy Cinmere either own up or give up, not both at once. It wasn't much of a statement if the dog was gonna deflate himself with the coward's way out, and Lennox didn't want to bother with that kind of pussy-footing. "That ain't a way to go, guy. If you're gonna insult me then don't go an act like you're above it; come at me honestly or keep it in your dumb fuzzy mug. Or don't be surprised if you get hit!" he sneered, readying his stingers. They wouldn't do him a whole lot of good against actual rocks, but that wasn't really a thought that would have occurred to the bug anyways.

He heard the more meek one, Yigo, calling out for them to be careful, to not get hurt. He almost felt bad, starting shit in front of the more modest pokemon and ultimately leaving him to the sideline to watch, but it was only a passing unpleasantness. The red centipede had to defend his pride; he hadn't come all the way out here to be yet another mon's punching bag. There would be time for words and amends and apologies and all that manner of things later. He wasn't worried about much more than putting the highfalutin' dog over there down for putting him down.