Jumping the Gun [Event]

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Everspring Vale.

It was an absolutely massive area in the east, home to many different terrains and pokemon. Grasslands, rock quarries, cliffsides, streams and rivers and waterfalls and lakes, there was probably more to be found that Dreyar had time in his life. The rumor went that it wasn't even entirely mapped out, after all, meaning there was more for everyone to discover. He had come here pursuing a different rumor, however.

There were earthquakes troubling pokemon all over the area, and even those in neighboring lands felt the aftershocks of whatever was happening here. As a squirtle in the absolute beginning of his career as a potential hero, Dreyar didn't have faith in his ability to find and resolve the situation, but the very least he could do was make himself available to those who might need him while he got his day's worth of practice in, right? He had to train in some mystery dungeon; it might as well be the one with the local pokemon most likely in need of a helping hand right now.

That's what brought him here, hiking up the lower parts of a grassy hill, intent on reaching the top so he could gain himself a modest lay of the land. Outfitted with a bag stuffed with supplies and a joy ribbon tied around his neck, the squirtle was immediately identifiable as a civilized pokemon in a mystery dungeon; the very image of a prepared, novice explorer, even.

22 - 20 (entry): 2 energy

Saido was silent as he continued his trot. He really didn't have much in mind, there weren't many possibilities. If he got close enough, he could probably disorient Dreyar with a well aimed tail whip, but otherwise... All he had was speed. All he could really do was some variation of ramming into him. If it were a real fight, he wouldn't be so opposed to using his claws, but he didn't want to hurt a potential friend that badly. He knew it hurt. He'd experienced it...

So he just had to be creative! With ramming... Dreyar was urging him to bring it, but he didn't want to rush in... The water type would expect it! His parents had always tried to tell him that misdirection was key to being a thief, and he didn't have any reason to believe it was much different in a fight. Of course, he didn't really have many options but to try and be clever, because the Squirtle's moves so far already seemed to be far superior to his.

Aura sphere?

"Bring it? I mean, I dunno, Drey. Patience is a virtue!" Saido bantered back, eyeing his sparring partner's hands. They were lifted to his side, higher, so maybe if he went lower, somehow? The Nickit cocked his head, lifting a paw as he smiled coyly. "It's not wise to rush into things!" He said, winking at Dreyar.

Wasn't that what he was about to do? Well, hopefully he was wrong about that statement... As soon as the words left his mouth, the fox Pokemon broke into a Sprint once more. There wasn't much ground to cover, so with any luck, he could reach his target before the Squirtle could react. Even still, he braced himself for the sensation of hot water, or whatever aura was, as he dived downwards, towards the Squirtle's feet. If he could just knock him off balance, ideally onto his back, maybe he could pin him? It was his best shot, or at least, the best he could think of...

Saido felt grass and dirt scrape against his belly as he dove, hoping to find the Squirtle's legs. He was faster than Dreyar, so there was no way he'd dodge it... Right...?

Saido was going low! Dreyar's eyes widened in panic as he realized what was happening, but he was painfully too slow to do anything about it. The squirtle's legs were rammed out from underneath him before he could react. He hit the ground sideways, wincing in shock and pain as the world flip-flopped, the hand he had closest to the ground scrambling for some kind of purchase. If he could get up quickly—no, wait, Saido must have had some kind of plan on the ground, and that's what he brought him here for. And Dreyar wanted to see what the other pokemon could do.

That didn't mean sticking around and waiting to be handed the loss, though. As quickly as he could, the turtle pokemon withdrew all four limbs into his shell in an instinctive defensive reaction, toppling over to his side so that his shell was laying upside down on the ground. A sitting duck, at first glance, but Dreyar had a little trick prepared for anyone who got too handsy with his shell.

Quickly, he began to rotate on the ground, almost furrowing a slight indent into the ground with how intensely his shell was suddenly swirling. This was Rapid Spin; a decently strong physical attack, but its true value to Dreyar lay in how it made his movements ever-so-quicker. Whatever attack or plan that Saido had laying in wait for him, he would have to take, but in response he was coming away from the exchange with an advantage. Inside his spinning shell, the squirtle closed his eyes in preparation for some kind of attack—it'd be something good, since this was Saido's first and best opportunity at a clean hit.

Saido cried out happily as the adrenaline coursed through him. His gambit had worked! Somehow, Dreyar hadn't seen this coming! And now it was working! As Saido scrambled back to his paws, he looked back to see what the water type was getting up to. And instead of any sort of counter-attack, via scald, or an aura sphere, he was... hiding? In his own shell? What was the big idea there? He didn't have to hide, if he was giving up. Saido wasn't going to hurt him...

"Hey, Dreyar, I'm not gonna..." He began softly, slowly approaching the shell. He wasn't sure what to do now. On the one hand, he was a bit underwhelmed if Dreyar was going to give up that easily, but on the other, he didn't want his new friend to be scared of him, by any means. He wasn't going to do that kind of thing! He wasn't that kind of dark type...

Thankfully, the turtle seemed to have a final ace up his sleeve. That meant his worries had been for naught, and the Squirtle wasn't afraid of him! Which... honestly, despite having lost any advantage he might have had (and perhaps even being put at a disadvantage), he was just happy to know he hadn't scared the turtle...

But now he had something else to deal with... He couldn't approach this. The Squirtle was spinning way too fast for him to try to attack him... He'd probably just get himself hit in the process. Might as well take this time to do something though... Any thoughts of playful banter were long gone, now replaced by solemness, caused by his earlier thoughts. He wasn't sure if he wanted to win... Maybe if he let Dreyar win, the Squirtle would like him more? His parents would say he shouldn't be doing something like this, he wasn't suited to it... He was a dark type, after all...

He drove these thoughts out of his mind, instead focusing on Torment. He didn't want Dreyar to use this move again; he couldn't attack him during it. So it'd be nice if he just... couldn't use it anymore. Moreover, it gave him something to focus on. Something tangible...

"Don't try that again, please..." Saido said lightly, although his tone was a bit heavier than it had been before. He wished it wasn't...

Spinning rapidly in his shell, Dreyar absently wondered when Saido was going to take his free shot. He was a sitting duck—he may have been moving, sure, but he was only moving in place; didn't Saido have some kind of long-range attack, or maybe a move strong enough that the recoil he'd feel from striking a spinning shell would be worth it? Evidently not, because instead of being blasted away helplessly, Drey simply heard the fox pokemon's voice. At first, it was hesitant, but then a sliver of force wormed into his voice, and suddenly Dreyar was... stuck in place.

The squirtle blinked dumbly, trying to restart his momentum and rapid spin once more, but his body wouldn't obey his command. Perturbed, confused, and slightly panicked, the water-type elected not to waste any time and simply surge up to his feet, his limbs and head popping out of his shell in one smooth movement. He enjoyed the slightly boosted speed that came with one rapid spin, at least. "I-I can't..." he trailed off, turning to Saido half-questioningly. It dawned on him pretty quickly, then. Saido hadn't attacked him at all.

"You did something, didn't you?" he fished, clenching and unclenching his fists absently as he backed away from Saido a few steps. The fight wasn't quite over, although he doubted either one of them had any trump cards left to play. That probably meant it was fast approaching its conclusion—at this point, all they had left to do was beat on each other, and that was pretty counterproductive to exploring the dungeon afterward.

Still, he didn't want to just leave it a draw. Even if the potent ache in his legs and torso told him that Saido would likely win out in a show of force, it was only proper to see the spar to its conclusion. "Well, that's fine," Dreyar mumbled. "We're back to square one. Let's see what else you got!" the squirtle challenged. He set his stance and readied his hands once more, willing to meet Saido in one last exchange before conceding defeat.

Saido grinned, perking up as the Squirtle seemed to realize just what was going on. Whatever it was Dreyar had been doing, he'd put a stop to it, and he didn't seem too happy about that at all! He didn't mean to be rude at all, but if Dreyar was upset, that meant he was doing something right! At least, in the context of a fight, anyways... Saido laughed pleasantly, taking a leisurely step towards the turtle as he cocked his head, winking at his sparring partner. " Maaaaaaybe, " Saido said, his tail swishing lightly as he began to approach the Squirtle once more.

Dreyar issued a challenge once more, readying his stance, all business. "Aw, that's no fun!" Saido teased lightly, pacing in front of his opponent as he tried to figure out what to do. He was fairly certain that if he could get the Squirtle on the ground, he could pin him down, and the fight would be over, but the only problem was that he didn't really have... well, any move he could use to adequately end the fight. His only option, really, was ramming into him. Again. And there were only so many ways he could do something like that. And he wasn't sure that Dreyar didn't have something more up his sleeve... Sure, he was faster, but if the water type got his arms around his neck again, just like last time, he could easily turn the tables on him again...

Saido crouched down, warily watching the water type. He seemed intent on letting Saido come to him, so he didn't really have a choice... "It's no fun, always making me come to you..." The nickit whined, smiling up at the turtle. He couldn't blame him. Although it'd certainly make this fight much simpler if Dreyar chased him down, instead of the other way around...  

And with that, Saido burst forward once more, towards the Squirtle... What was he supposed to do? He didn't really have a plan anymore... And he wanted the fight to end! One way or the other... It'd been fun, so the result didn't really matter... He was just happy he'd done alright! No tricks... No going low, none of that! He was just hoping his speed would translate to enough strength, to knock over the Squirtle, and maybe pin him down...

As Saido run, he turned away from the Squirtle, attempting to protect his neck, instead tumbling into the water type side-first, practically tripping into him, all four paws giving way as his body turned into a projectile of it's own.

"Wheeeeeee!" Saido cried out, equal parts confused, terrified, and thrilled with the new development. Was this the best choice possible? Perhaps not... But it was certainly the most fun! And at the very least, Dreyar probably wouldn't be grabbing his neck after this... Unless he'd somehow expected this? But how! It's not like Saido had planned to trip as he ran towards Dreyar...

It may have been no fun for Saido, having to come at Dreyar over and over again, but the squirtle certainly wasn't going to chase after the speedier pokemon. Maybe with some liberal use of Rapid Spin, he might be able to pin the fox down, but he felt much more comfortable taking things slow. Set in his stance while eying his sparring opponent carefully, Dreyar said nothing as his Saido geared up for one more charge.

He thought he was ready for it, but then there was an unexpected development. The nickit was coming at him—and there really was no other way to say this—sideways, having hurled himself off the ground and launching himself back-first. The squirtle's initial confusion gave way to shock as he realized there was no part for him to grab at; no neck, no legs, nothing! Slightly panicking, Drey spit out a blast of scalding hot water at where Saido's face was, but missed his mark entirely as the nickit came at him in such an unorthodox manner.

The fox rammed into the turtle, and Drey was catapulted backward by the other pokemon's force. His feet left the ground and his equilibrium shifted, his shell slamming hard onto the ground as he was knocked onto his back cleanly by Saido. His breath escaped him in a pained wheeze, eyes clenching shut reflexively as the pain and surprise hit him. What kind of approach had that been?

He tried to get back up and settle the score, but... he couldn't. Not immediately anyway, and he realized why a moment later. He'd been knocked onto his back; onto his shell, and he wasn't going to get back onto his feet without either some considerable effort or some third-party help. It was the curse of turtle pokemon everywhere, and Drey couldn't help but chuckle weakly at the realization. It was as fitting of a conclusion as anything else; he'd been beaten squarely.

Dreyar let loose a calm sigh afterward, beginning to shift around in an attempt to get up, but he couldn't quite manage it. He was still considerably out of breath from the surprisingly good bout. "That... heh, alright, ya got me!" he called out a moment later, opening his eyes to stare up at the cloudy sky. "I give, I give. Now how's about a helping hand up?" he asked, blindly holding a hand upward in hopes that the fox pokemon would take it and help haul the squirtle up to his feet.

Saido fared little better than the water type turtle. Even as his accidental stroke of genius seemed to pan out, he kept his momentum as he flew, the lighter fox Pokemon rolling over and over, world spinning around as he came to rest, only a few feet away from Dreyar. Panting, he took a second to compose himself. That had been... Much more fun than he'd expected it to be! He... Had he done good? He almost felt as though he'd done good! Even though his body kinda ached, he felt proud from his performance... His parents had always said he wouldn't be good for anything except what they wanted him to be, but this felt... Well, it felt like he'd done good!

Slowly, the fox Pokemon rose back up to his feet, taking a deep breath. That had been close! Of course, he knew it was a mock battle, and he was sure they both would've stopped before either of them got seriously hurt, but... It was easy to forget! It'd felt like a real fight!

The Nickit tilted his head as the Squirtle's voice of surrender rung out. The turtle was on his back, rocking back and forth, seemingly unable to get up. "I... Gotcha...?" Saido repeated dully, his emotions taking a second to catch up with the facts. Finally, it hit him. "So does that mean I... Won?" The Nickit said, beaming as he approached the turtle. It wasn't his intention to gloat, but... Dreyar wouldn't hold it against him if he reveled in it, just for a second, would he? He'd won an honest fight! Not like the fights his parents had won against him...

"I can't believe it..." The Nickit said, before he lightly grabbed the turtles arm with his mouth, attempting to pull the turtle up. He smiled sincerely at his partner, nodding as he did so. When the task was completed, Saido sat down, tail wagging as he grinned at Dreyar. "That was fun! You were really cool you know! I wish I knew the moves you do... Aura sphere?" Saido looked down at his paws, shaking his head, as though disappointed in them. "I only know how to run fast right now, that's lame... Say, think you could teach me aura sphere...? Saido asked, tilting his head as he softly nudged the turtle. His admiration for his sparring partner was plain to see, as was his dissatisfaction with himself. He wasn't sure he could learn that move, but man, would it be cooler than the dark type moves he was destined to learn...

"I could try showing you how to do it, but I don't think that would work," Dreyar said, pulling himself up with Saido's assistance. His expression was thoughtful as he considered what the fox pokemon asked of him. "You'd know better than me if you could learn how to do it. Do other pokemon like you get that move? Or do you know any other, uh... sorry, I don't know quite what you are, exactly, heh." the squirtle trailed off, his explanation faltering in the face of his lack of knowledge. Saido must have been some kind of normal or dark type by his best guess, but Dreyar was too unfamiliar with his species to help.

The squirtle sat right back down, in no hurry to get a move on. Talking was a good way to catch your breath after a fight, and an even better way to get to know your opponent. "But if either of your parents knows how to do it, that means you can usually figure it out, too. I learned how to do it from this place in Rainfront called the Dream Catchers'. They can teach you moves that your ancestors knew with this weird dreaming technique, it's a real trip." he explained. "I wouldn't say the way you fight is lame, though. It's simple, definitely, but that's not a bad thing! Most pokemon at our age fight pretty simply, I think." he went on, smiling wide at the other pokemon. Drey hoped they could be friends, now, beyond just being friendly with one another. He quite liked this Saido guy.

Saido laughed softly, seating himself as he regarded the Squirtle curiously. He seemed to be taking the inquiry seriously, which Saido appreciated, but... Well, he didn't have very high hopes. Nothing against Dreyar, of course, it was just... something about that move seemed out of reach to him. It seemed almost too cool for someone like him... After all, what moves did his father use? He didn't quite know, exactly, but he'd experienced them first hand, and all of them had seemed cruel... A flicker of a smile appeared on the fox's face, trying his best to maintain the happiness that had come with battling. He just couldn't learn aura sphere... It wasn't that big a deal!

"Ah, no worries! Lots of people seem to be unfamiliar with, uh, what I am, so... Uh, no worries! I'm a dark type!" Saido explained, not an ounce of enthusiasm or pride in his voice at this revelation. What was there to be proud of? It's just... what he was. A stroke of bad luck... "And you're a water type, huh? Heh..." Being a water type would be cool! Could they breathe underwater...?

Dreyar went on to explain where he'd learned his move. Some place in Rainfront that taught you moves via dreams? That sounded... really cool, actually! "So they teach you moves by sleeping? That sounds... Well, I wouldn't mind trying that out! I wonder what kind of moves I would learn? Something more interesting, huh... I wonder if any ancestors of mine knew any moves that aren't dark type... That'd be cool!" Saido nodded along, his tail swinging back and forth as he became more and more relaxed. The regret over his typing seemed to fade the more they spoke, and before long, the smile on his face hardly seemed forced anymore.

"Yeah, I guess that's true, huh? The way you fight is anything but simple though! You know a bunch of different moves, and I think they'd be really scary if you weren't holding back! Like that hot water thing? That would hurt... Not to mention Aura Sphere! That hurt a bit, and the spinning move you did...? I'm lucky I got to cancel it... I don't know what I would've done otherwise! Heh..." Saido chuckled softly, placing his head atop his forepaws, as he allowed himself to relax more. They were still in a dungeon, but as far as he could tell, this area, at least, was relatively safe. "Sorry about that, by the way. The cancelling, I mean... Hey!" His head rose again, grinning at the turtle. They'd only just met, but he quite liked him, and it'd be cool to get to be friends with someone as interesting as this! "Once we both learn a few more moves, we should do this again! Practice, I mean... I think it'd be fun! And we could both learn a lot if we kept at it! You're really good..."

"Speak for yourself! It's not by much, I don't think, but I can feel you're stronger than me. You hit pretty hard for someone around my age," Dreyar laughed in response, pleased by the compliment to his skills. He found himself equally fond of Saido. "I'm down to practice anytime! Sparring, dungeon runs, whatever you wanna do. I'm trying to do as much of it as I can, really, and the more, the merrier!" the squirtle explained further. "Having someone as tough as you with me just makes it safer."

Drey shifted his sitting position on the ground, resting an elbow on his knee and his chin in that hand. An absent smile was on his face as he looked the pokemon he'd encountered up and down. Saido was friendly, driven, strong, and optimistic; all great traits to find in someone else his age. Forget just training partners, he could see himself being really good friends with this guy someday. And he needed friends. Having left home pretty recently, Dreyar didn't know a lot of people.

That made his next words much clearer. "I live on the beach near Rainfront in case you ever wanna come looking for me, but I travel quite a bit nowadays. You might run into my mom if you look hard enough; she's a big ol' blastoise, so she looks a lot like me except huge, and she's got a cannon on her back." Cannon, singular, of course, because of his own foolishness. The reminder didn't dim the smile on his face, though. "She'll let me know if ya stop by sometime." He did return home now and again, of course, and she'd be more than happy to know that he was making friends.

Absentmindedly, the squirtle let his gaze wander from the pokemon he'd hopefully befriended. Speaking of training, they were still in a wide, sprawling mystery dungeon with nothing but time and opportunity in front of them. Drey scratched his chin, waiting for a moment in the conversation to ask the fox pokemon to accompany him on his exploration.

Saido nodded, the grin growing on his face as he received a compliment from the Squirtle in return. It's true, it wasn't by too much, but it was oddly encouraging to hear that bit of praise from Dreyar. He'd never been stronger than anyone before, but then again, he had never gotten very many opportunities to battle anyone... The Nickit shifted his weight, tightening the strap on his bag which covered his flank. "Ah, that's really kind of you to say! Thank you!" The Nickit exclaimed, once his task was complete. "I'd be happy to do any of that stuff! More than happy, actually! I need to train a lot if I'm ever going to join the police!" The fox grinned, ears perking up as he smiled at the turtle.

Absently, he wondered if the Squirtle would be interested in going to a karaoke restaurant, but... He wasn't sure that fell under the umbrella of training. It'd certainly be fun though! But that was a question for another day... Saido listened to Dreyar talk about his home in Rainfront, and then his mother. So she looked like him, except a lot bigger, and... with a cannon? Didn't blastoise usually have two...? He seemed to remember reading about a blastoise once, and he was fairly sure there'd been two cannons, but... either way, it wasn't really his business. Maybe he'd ask about it one day, but... Well, why pry? "A blastoise, huh? Aren't blastoise really big? She's probably really strong too, huh? That's so cool! You're lucky!" Saido said, instead focusing on the species as a whole. Among other things, he wished his mom had been a species like that...

"I'd love to meet her one day! But... Uh, for now, would you like to maybe keep exploring? There's a lot of this place we haven't seen yet! But... Only if you want to too!" Saido asked, quickly transitioning to the question that had been on his mind! As pleasant as Dreyar was, Saido had come here to do other things besides just chat! "I just think it'd be a lot of fun, is all!"

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Everspring Vale :

Mada carried out 1 launched of one Everspring Vale :

"Of course!" Dreyar exclaimed in response. "You took the words right out of my mouth. Someone like you watching my back makes practicing here a lot more sensible, haha. I hear this place is pretty unforgiving." Encountering Saido first thing was an unbelievable stroke of luck—to Dreyar's understanding, most pokemon who hung out in mystery dungeons were either registered explorers on the job, pokemon who lived in mystery dungeons, or... well, wild pokemon who also lived there, but lacked the ability to do anything but mindlessly fight and survive.

Most of those characters either wouldn't have the time or inclination to spend time with a rookie like Dreyar. But Saido was very similar to him! A young pokemon with a dream to be a warrior of justice - a police officer in his case, but a hero in Dreyar's. "Let's see what we can find, yeah?" he ventured, reaching down to pick up his bag now that the practice spar was over and done with. "...And yeah, my mom is really strong." he added as an after-thought, his tone pleased at the recognition from someone else. It was about time someone other than him heard of his mom and pegged her for the absolute force of nature that she was.

"Strongest person I've ever seen." he went on, slinging his bag over his shoulder and beginning the walk down the hill, confident Saido would stroll right along at his side. "I'll be lucky if I wind up half the turtle she is one day."