The Enemy of My Enemy Is Smelly

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When Goro the croagunk had heard from a traveler that there was water nearby, this was not what he expected.

The outlaw stared at the frozen stream with a dumbfounded look on his face, his hairless brow twitching in irritation. He was cold, tired, hungry, and he was already sick of eating snow. He'd run out of food for this little trip this morning and he was days away from any kind of civilization. His stomach was already rumbling idly and he was quite thirsty. And it seemed that a nice, ice-cold, refreshing drink was just too much to ask for.

He sighed and turned away from the large body of ice, his breath steaming in the cold of the afternoon. He could hear the sound of water rushing underneath the icy river, so it was probably just the top that was frozen over. But how on earth was he supposed to get to it without falling under and drowning? He croaked loudly in frustration, sitting down in the snow and crossing his arms in thought.

Goro was distinguishable by others of his kind by a few different markers. Perhaps most notably was his left hand - it was quite misshapen and he was always gentle with it nowadays, hinting at a significant injury. A red-stained, tattered joy ribbon was tied to his left bicep, and in his other hand was a bindle containing his supplies (or what was left of them).

To any onlooker, he probably looked like a homeless vagabond down on his luck. In actuality, he was a very bored outlaw with nothing better to do with his time than to get himself into trouble like this.

Goro was quiet after that, sipping lightly on his tea while the two dewgong did the same. He'd heard of the drink many times before but he never gave it a shot, lacking a tea pot or even any cups, honestly. Drinking the swamp water straight from the pond back home did just fine for him, usually. But the warmth of this drink did wonders in this kind of weather, even he could admit.

A shadow of movement in the distance caught his eye, and he noticed a ghostly figure floating behind the trees a ways. Large, blue, round, and kind of... translucent, the sight reminded Goro very much of the ghosts back in the Ruined Chateau. It was not a good feeling. One of the dewgongs followed his line of sight and made a sound of recognition.

"Oh, never you mind that business there," Talis said. "That old jellicent thinks he's scary, floating around the forest like that. You keep a healthy distance and he won't harm you none on your way out."

"Uh huh," he muttered, eyeing it warily. He wasn't sure if he trusted that information, especially given his past experience with ghosts. "Well... that's it for me. Got places to be. Thanks for the tea, guys." Goro finished his cup and stood, stretching a bit. The croagunk could feel the warmness of the drink permeating through his body, and it made him smile softly for a second. It made him feel generous enough to even thank the two pokemon, uncharacteristically enough.

He snatched his bindle up out of the snow and shook the lingering snow of his legs, restless and energized after the small break. "You comin' with, pup?" Goro grinned at her before gesturing toward the big water-type floating behind the trees in the distance. "Unless you wanna take yer chances with that guy, that is."

Opal hadn't noticed the jellicent, but when the matter was brought to her attention, she looked and couldn't help feeling the name was appropriate. That thing did kind of look like jelly. "Thanks for the warning," Opal thanked the dewgongs and made sure to heed their words. She didn't want to find out what the jelly pokemon was capable of.

It was with disappointment that Opal got ready to leave. She'd hoped to stay and converse for a little longer, or perhaps she was annoyed because the croagunk was starting to call the shots. "Yeah, I'm coming, but I'm ditching you as soon as we get somewhere warmer." she growled at him. With a last look at the dewgongs, she thanked them for the tea and bid them farewell.

"You two get along now~! Don't be shy if you ever stop by again!" called the two dewgongs as the travelers gathered themselves and left.

Goro, in particular, was in a much better mood than when he found them, so he decided to at least wave them goodbye as he walked away. "So... Opal, huh?" Not even a minute after walking, a cruel smile found its way onto Goro's face. "Pretty stupid name if you ask me." He wasn't sure why he felt the inclination to pick on her, but it was there and he wasn't about to ignore it. Goro was pretty sure it had something to do with karma. What goes around comes around, and whatnot. It happened to him a lot, so now it was his turn to be mean to others. That's how that worked, right?

The croagunk was sure to keep his eyes peeled on his surroundings as he walked, however. He was equally wary of any pokemon coming out to confront them, whether it be the ghost they just saw or something new. There were those rookie gangsters from earlier as well, or even Opal herself if she decided she had enough of him being a jerk. He wouldn't much blame her, but he hoped it would come to a fight if it went there. He didn't fancy the idea of having to find his way out of this tundra from a brand new place.

"Not as stupid as yours," Opal quipped back, "I mean, Goro? What does that even mean? At least I'm named after something pretty. I think it suits me."

She wasn't afraid to remind the frog that she knew his name as well now. Maybe it would make him less annoying for long enough to be rid of him. He deserved a good bite to the face, but she didn't want to end up with that foul taste in her mouth again.

As they walked through the forest, Opal checked behind them every now and then, making sure the jellicent was indeed keeping away. Thankfully for now, it was just sticking to following at a distance and making spooky noises.

Even though he put it out there, Goro was still surprised to hear his name come out of the growlithe's mouth. It wasn't something he heard other pokemon say often. As a kid he lived a pretty mobile lifestyle, always moving from one hamlet to another seedy town depending on his parents' flow of work, so he never had friends. Even after setting out on his own, he was very much an isolationist, so company was scarce. The company he had nowadays wasn't much better; his boss called him Lumpy, of all things.

"Pretty, huh? You're a pretty big eyesore, if that's what you mean. Heh. Hehe." The croagunk was unable to resist chuckling at his awful attempt at humor, his shoulders shaking at his own bad joke. He ignored the jab at his own name, feeling much the same as Opal, honestly. If his name had some kind of meaning, he was never told about it. And he wasn't likely to learn what it was anytime soon, considering he couldn't even read.

Despite his ribbing of the growlithe, though, he was glad to have her around. He didn't miss how she kept checking behind them, presumably gauging the distance of the ghost that kept making scary sounds behind them. "You're useful, though. What was that ball thing you used, earlier? On the bandits?" He'd been wondering ever since he saw it. Just from the two glimpses he saw, it seemed that the growlithe was pretty good with items, but as someone who never bothered with them... it was intriguing. He just hoped she had another one handy just in case. Goro didn't feel entirely comfortable facing it himself - he'd fought ghosts before, and it was just as tedious as it was difficult. It was hard to punch a guy when your fist swung right through him, after all.

"Grr... You're just jealous because I'm better looking than you..." Opal clearly didn't find the croagunk's joke anywhere near as amusing as he did. She didn't care what he thought about her looks, but he was really grating on her nerves. And now he expected her to tell him about what she was carrying? She had absolutely no inclination to do so with how he was behaving. "Never you mind what that was. And I have more of them, so don't try anything."

If Opal had knowledge of Goro's past and upbringing, her disposition might have been more sympathetic. Maybe she would even have offered a friendly ear and tried to reform him. As it was, however, she just saw a horrible, smelly thug who needed to be arrested sooner rather than later.

Goro's face scrunched up in distaste, his lip curling in offense. How rotten. All he was did was ask what the item was, and she had to go and hoard the knowledge like it was exclusive to her? To think that he'd called her useful to her face. At least she admitted to having more of them. That meant if anything else came out that he couldn't handle, she could just make it vanish to someplace else... if she had told the truth about what the item did, of course. Maybe it didn't teleport the victim - maybe it did something worse. He didn't think she was the sort to lie about that, though, dire consequences or none.

"Yeah, well, whatever. You damn near got us creamed with it last time, makin' those big guys come out of the forest like that..." The croagunk crossed his arms, his bindle nestled between them awkwardly. "Just be careful with the things. I don't wanna end up back where I started." It wasn't as if knowing the name of the orb would mean he was immune to it. He knew what it looked like, though, and that was the important thing. He knew to avoid the bright blue orbs now.

The thickets of trees around them began to melt away as the pair of pokemon walked on, and sure enough, just as the dewgong said, they came to the last stretch of woods. The edge of the forest was visible as they went on, and beyond that was a wide expanse of snow and ice. From here, Goro could even see the frozen stream in the distance, as wide and expansive as it was. He wondered how close he was to that walrein's territory from here. No doubt they were far away, though.

Still, he had a ways south to go. Rainfront was quite close to home, and that would be his destination if he kept on this way. It was close to Grassveil, too, which was probably where Opal was headed... he glanced at her warily. "So I guess yer gonna run on back to your guild and ask 'em about the big bad croagunk you met up north, huh?" Truth be told, he didn't know for sure if he was an outlaw. He suspected it, given that he had been up to some pretty bad stuff lately. But he didn't know yet. Opal would probably learn his status before he did, given where she worked and where she was going.

"Well, I didn't. And you act like I knew about them. Now stop bothering me. Those orbs aren't the only items I've got packed."

Opal felt some degree of happiness as the stream returned to her field of view. There was also a bit of apprehensiveness, but the walrein was nowhere to be seen. Two of those small sphere pokemon swimming past did cause a bit of alarm, but they took no notice of the travelers and merrily swam on their way. Maybe they weren't related. It would be convenient if they weren't.

Ignoring the croagunk's question, Opal commented with a pointed look at him, "Let's not get too close. We don't need more problems."

Goro harrumphed, his crossed arms tightening against each other. He stomped onward regardless, casting a surveying eye over the frozen stream. There was a significant portion of the lake that wasn't actually frozen, or perhaps it had been and someone smashed it open as Goro did. He spotted a lapras helping two other fish pokemon, a qwilfish and a smaller-looking dewgong, get back under the water. It was quite the hectic sight.

The rotten dog ignored him outright when he tried to talk about her guild. Maybe he should have expected that, but he figured the spunky little mutt would at least brag about how she was going to get him arrested or something. He merely walked in silence, equal parts irritated and freezing cold. He thought to maybe ask for another one of those Sunny Days, but given just how defiant Opal was being, he didn't think he'd have much luck. And with this many pokemon hanging around, he didn't want to earthquake her into submission and risk some stranger coming in to play hero.

"I guess I'll find out when some rescue team shows up my doorstep, then." he went on, unwilling to completely drop the topic just because Opal wasn't talking. "Then again, it ain't like you know where I live. Probably gonna have to track me down, so I got a little bit of time, at least."

"Yeah, well, we'll get you eventually."

Opal watched warily as Goro examined the stream. He wasn't thinking of using Earthquake again, was he? Last time should have taught him that this was an awful idea! If he was going to do that, she would make a run for it, usefulness be damned.

Thankfully, though, no quakes were forthcoming. It seemed that instead of smashing more of the stream, the croagunk was looking at some pokemon in it. There was a lapras, one that looked like a smaller, chubbier dewgong, and a spiky one that Opal didn't recognise. It was nice to see the lapras helping the other two. This frozen stream wasn't completely full of thugs, but that didn't mean Opal wanted to visit again any time soon.

The croagunk snorted, amused. "You'll hafta beat me, first. And I don't think you got it in ya," he replied, a cruel smile on his face. "Especially since you haven't tried your luck by now. " It wasn't normally like him to rub other peoples' weakness in their face unless they slighted him somehow, but the little declaration of war got him excited. Goro found himself eager for the next time he met Opal the growlithe. She had the spunk and the disposition of someone who knew how to get what she wanted, so if she wanted him behind bars, it'd at least be a good fight. By the time he met her next, maybe he'll have learned a thing or two as well. That was the point of this little trip, after all.

"But feel free to try," Goro continued, laying his bindle over his shoulder as he grinned at Opal. "Should be a fun time."

Even if she and her guild managed to track him down, they'd have a fight on their hands. Ideally, Goro liked to do his business one-on-one, but he had allies of his own. If the pup and her buddies stormed his boss' place of business looking to cart him back home, it'd be one hell of a brawl. He favored their side, of course, but he had to wonder what kind of pokemon worked for the guild that Opal was so confident.

"More because I needed you unbeaten than beaten after that big blue pokemon turned up," Opal replied, referring to the walrein, "But if I'm not strong enough to arrest you now, I will be later. Just you wait."

The growlithe resisted the urge to take the bait, for bait she knew it was. She could have turned the conversation around, saying that Goro can't be a good fighter if he hadn't initiated a battle, but she didn't feel like risking another combat. With a warmer climate so close, there wasn't really any point seeing just how powerful the croagunk was. She would learn more about his species and prepare for the next time they met.

He decided that he liked Opal after this little adventure. Spunky, useful in the cold environment, and even when she was faced with something stronger than her - him - she absolutely refused to show weakness. If only he'd been as resolute in his younger days, then maybe things would be a little bit different. But Goro had been a lot more insecure back then, and even when he struck out on his own and established himself, he ended up folding like wet paper when someone strong enough challenged him.

He didn't regret it, as he was in a good place now, but it was still food for thought. The croagunk realized that he wanted to see what Opal would be like when she was strong enough to hunt him down. Would she still act this strong and proud, or would she fold in the face of adversity? Would he even be able to tell?

"Don't make me wait too long," Goro replied, turning away from the growlithe. "I'm lookin' forward to it."

He set off walking in a different direction, splitting off from the explorer, his back facing her as he left. He kept moving in that direction for a minute or so before a thought struck him. Maybe he could give her a little taste of what he could do before they split ways. Sending the pup scattering this way and that with low-powered earthquakes when they first met had been amusing enough, but he'd gone easy on her. If she was serious about hunting him down... Goro decided that she should know what she was asking for.

With that thought in mind, Goro stopped walking when he was about twenty yards away from her. He turned, lifted his left foot up, and stomped down hard with everything he had. Immediately, the snowy ground behind to shake and tremor. Unlike the previous ones, though, now the earth splintered and cracked under the full power of his earthquake. The frozen stream wasn't close enough to be affected by the quake, but Opal sure was, and this time he wasn't playing around. He didn't fear for her wellbeing; she had that healing move, after all.

It was Goro's way of saying farewell. Something to remember him by, and something to look forward to when he found him again one day. As rude and brutish as it was, it was about as wholesome as he could get.

Opal didn't know that this frog had once been an insecure pushover, but she had no interest in finding out his life story. She knew his name, and would hopefully learn where he liked to frequent. Maybe even where he lived. Those little tidbits were good enough for her.

There wasn't too much more walking to be done before the pair arrived at the exit to this icy place. At long last, there was the promise of warmth and sunlight! And the promise of not having to have Goro around! Opal couldn't wait to get home, and started to pick up the pace. She stopped and took a curious glance as the croagunk bid her farewell and split off. Did the direction he was heading in mean anything? Who cared? He was gone at last!

After taking in the information, Opal set off again. She had only gone about half a dozen steps when the ground began to quake violently beneath her. It was an Earthquake! That bastard Goro just had to mess with her one last time, didn't he?! The pup let loose with a torrent of barking and snarling as she jumped around in an effort to avoid the brunt of the attack. If they hadn't just separated, she would have gone for his face and tried to give him a good mauling to teach him a lesson. For now, she silently vowed revenge. She would be stronger next time they met, and she would defeat him.

The sound of frenzied, angry snarling and barking behind him made Goro chuckle to himself. That would give her something to think about as she got stronger. How good would she be when he saw her again? He let his imagination run wild for a moment, thinking over how a fight between him and a stronger Opal would play out. The fire and teeth would be intimidating once they were more dangerous, but he had tools to use against her. And likewise, she had tools to use against him.

The pup knew how to use items, and she had a healing move and she could summon sunlight, of course, but how useful would that be against him? He found that he wasn't sure as he made his way home. It was a thrilling thought. The fact that there was a pokemon out there who would be improving herself for the express purpose of bringing him down made him quiver with excitement. Not that he would need it, but it was some excellent incentive for him not to slow down when it came to improving. Because if he did, she'd show up one day to make him regret it.

The little detour he made up north, he realized, wasn't all bad. He came out of it shaking and shivering like a leaf covered in a myriad of bruises, but he gained insight. And he made himself a little rival out of a spunky growlithe. That was certainly worth the trouble he went through. He'd go home and go back to work a little bit wiser, and somewhere else in the world another pokemon would do the same, with him in mind.

Now the only question on his mind was whether or not he should tell his boss that he pissed off a legitimate guild member... and given her his name. A rescue team would come looking for them one day, for better or for worse.