Duel amidst the autumn leaves.

One last place to find the answers, one place where he can put his cursed thoughts to rest. Before crossing into the Fallen Leaf Copse, Yigo took a glance from the outside of the mystery dungeon. The waters surrounding the island appeared to be in serenity in contrast to the troubled mind of the wanderer. Seeing leaves fall and stay perfectly still without any currents dragging them along until the wind sent them into the shore was a moment of introspection.

He lied on the edge of the body of water and took a glance at the Sandslash reflected on the surface. The last time he had entered this dungeon, he had been following someone he barely knew in the hopes that she'd get to like him. What did he end up within this adventure? By the time they were out, Yigo was badly bruised and with a scar on his snout that only went away after evolving. But he also found someone that could share that burden with him, someone that he profoundly missed and from which he only had the scarf she gifted to him on that day.

In the reflection, he could see himself wearing the Trap Scarf, worn out from the use. Full of holes and stitches, and somewhat dusty. He had refused to wash it in the past, trying to preserve her scent, but as the months came and went he has already forgotten. He can't tell anymore how she smelled. This was the time, the time to let it all go and return the scarf to where it belongs. Time to bury the past.

Wearing the Trap Scarf around his neck on what Yigo believes will be his last adventure with the item, he sets forth. With his mind ready for the journey, he set foot on the blocky, rocky platforms that gave access into the island of perpetual autumn.

Beneath the giant tree, the dungeon's heart of the storm, a figure began to stir underground. Following a soft yawn, a quadruped rose from it's bed and stretched out, regaining his composure and becoming quiet so as to not awaken the other scouts. Quietly walking over to a nearby desk, typically the one he'd use for report writing, Deimos carefully slung the purple bag resting on it over his body, before pulling it tight.

With his Reaper Bag secured, he quietly snuck out of the underground residence, climbing up to the Windrose Libraries first floor. Glancing around, the Absol failed to detect Elvire and simply presumed her to still be resting. Slinking out through the front entrance, He began heading out to the stepping stones, the soft rays of sunlight illuminating his ashen fur and reflecting off his battle hardened horn. He planned to explore somewhere far away this time, so heading out as early as possible felt most appropriate.

The dungeon entrance was often peaceful but Yigo knew better than to be careless. He remembers his younger self hopping from a pile of copper-colored leaves into the next, gathering leaves for some crafting purpose and generally feeling excited about seeing anything around him fly when he dives into it, be it dirt or leaves.

The Sandslash brought a hand to his eye. That didn't end up well, even though he no longer bears the reminder. For now, it is best to walk quietly, stir no trouble and avoid stomping on anything that could give his position away. Tree trunks, rocks of decent size, and some small bodies of water restricted his movement, leading him ever so forward into the heart of the dungeon. Perhaps if he were a native he would be able to make his way through these roadblocks but it wasn't the case. Ever since he received the Trap Scarf, he hadn't planned on returning into this dungeon.

With only the sounds of morning chirping and the rustling of some lazy Pokémon, Yigo ended up following one of the paths opened to him. It was a downhill trek and it seemed to loop around to the edge of the island. A lack of forestry to the side revealed this fact, as Yigo could turn his head and gaze into the eastside coast. The sun was about to rise from its resting spot, blinding the Sandslash.

"The Sun God smites me. I wonder what he thinks of this" He mumbled, looking down at the lake as the sun reflected on its surface and the wind caused soft ripples. To get to the end, Yigo should be moving on but why couldn't he stay a while longer?

Speedily advancing towards the ever familiar stepping stones so as to leave the region, Deimos came to a pause after witnessing a new visitor arrive. It would be a lie to claim he wasn't surprised to see another up so early, which undeniable drew some curiosity for the old explorer. Watching the Sandslash hurry down a side path, curiosity won out as Deimos began to quietly follow after the figure.

Hiding behind the trunks of thicker trees to hide his presence from his mark, Deimos quietly tailed it until it came to a pause and began to murmur. It was undeniable a scenic view, to watch the sun rise over the eternal land of Autumn, but Deimos wasn't convinced in that being the only reason for such an early visit.

Quietly leaving cover, the ashen furred Pokemon began it's advance, intending to question this guest on it's purpose. After all, why wouldn't you question someone about visiting your home?

The peace was soon disturbed. The distraction that his landscape provided was cut short by the motion of an ashen furred Pokémon. Yigo turned to face him, taking a step back and preparing for the worst but it was soon obvious that this Pokémon was not here to contest anything, not violently, at least.

The Sandslash examined this Pokémon and took a second step back, somewhat taken aback by the appearance of this Absol. Yigo had only seen a couple of Absol in the past, and one happened to be red-skin instead of this one's darker tone. The cloth that he was wearing, the Reaper Cloth, was part of the outfit of Deimos. What were the odds of this Absol being someone other than the scout with which he had shared so many adventures? Despite the Absol's peaceful approach, it had disturbed Yigo's thoughts. He took a second step back, dropping the fighting stance and sitting down on his haunches.

"It is you, isn't it?" Yigo spoke, looking to the side and with his ears lowered. It almost appeared to be shameful to even speak to the Absol. Why does his presence intimidate the Sandslash? "I shouldn't be surprised about our paths crossing again. What are you here for?" The Sandslash forced himself to stare at Deimos even though someone with an observant eye would notice that it took effort.

Quietly observing the Sandslash's reaction to his arrival, Deimos soon let off a soft chuckle due to the sudden retreat. Having worked quite heavily on taming the intimidating presence once wielded in the past, Deimos was fairly certain that wasn't to blame, the question that soon followed being all the confirmation he needed.

"Belated congratulations on your evolution and good morning. To answer your larger question... Is it really that odd for me to be in Fallen Leaf, when i live here? This is where the Windrose Library is based after all" Deimos replied with a soft chuckle. "So, what have you came visiting for?"

It appeared that the Absol had recognized Yigo. A good sign, considering that it confirmed his guess. This was Deimos, the scout from the Windrose Library. Despite Deimos's motives being understandable, Yigo didn't know that he took up residence in here, or that the library was in the Fallen leaf Copse. As for his question, Yigo supposed that he should return his honesty by answering himself.

Nevertheless, Yigo had a strange feeling of distaste, anger at Deimos. His teeth showed for a brief moment and his quills tensed up. It was a childish grudge, and Yigo knew that all too well. This Pokémon, all serene and calm, why couldn't Yigo have stuck around? It's not like this was Deimos's fault since Yigo could have asked about the library sometime... or try seeking Deimos out. That worked out last time. Shaking his head, Yigo tried to hide his feelings, bury them deep inside him and relax his body.

"I came here to leave something behind" Yigo explained, grabbing the pink Trap Scarf that he was wearing around his neck and showing it to the Absol. If the ashen beast remembered, this was what Yigo wore every time they saw each other without fault "This was a gift, and I intend to return it. Since I don't know where I can find... her, I will return it to where she found it" He explained before wearing it on himself again. It was something amusing since the lack of fingers meant that he had to make a knot with his mouth and both claws.

As he did this, a thought crossed his mind, something that may just get rid of his frustration constructively. Sitting down, he looked back at Deimos and cocked his head to the side, his ears rising to denote his sudden interest "If you can spare the time and have nothing better to do, I have something to ask before I move on"

Yigo pointed one of his claws at the Absol with determination, although it wasn't threatening and was more a declaration of intentions "Will you fight me?" He said, allowing him a chance to say no or ask why if he wanted.

Deimos's eyes narrowed for a moment, before relaxing. Due to the past effort of breaking away from the old intimidating appearance he'd once wielded, he'd grown fairly adept at working out body language. With the addition of his constantly growing combat experience, picking out tells from the bodies movements had become a skill he was rather adept in. The tensing of the body was more than enough to indicate that something was wrong.

Quietly listening to the Ground Type's explanation for his visit, Deimos replied with a simple nod. Perhaps the gift was just for use before his evolution? The scarves constant use in prior encounters felt like more than enough evidence to assume that it was rather important to the lad.

The sudden follow up request for a skirmish confirmed the Absol's initial assumption that there was something to the matter, which drew out another soft chuckle. Combat had always been one of the Ashen furred mon's best areas of expertise, even if the last attempt at teaching someone didn't go over particularly well. "I'm not against a spar, however i'd have to lay out a rule first. The residential area for the scouts is built underneath the library, so naturally the first condition is for you to not use that crystal that allowed you to shake the earth so heavily, along with other such moves. Wouldn't want the ceiling of someone's room to collapse on them after all." Deimos replied, feeling the need to ensure the safety of his fellow scouts after last seeing a Z Crystal in effect.

"Second, i won't be going all out at the start so that i can observe and watch for any blatant problems with your combat style. Since we use different moves, i'll mostly be focusing on your stance, guard and similar areas so i can point out issues and help you improve in that regard. I do have a move that specializes in striking such vulnerabilities after all."

Deimos accepted to fight without much trouble. Yigo raised an eyebrow when the Absol let out a chuckle. It made him smile, seeing as he was getting his wish. The rules were reasonable since Yigo didn't want a serious battle. He went to the satchel that contained his Groundium Z of his belt and dropped it onto the floor. It also meant that using a move like Earthquake.

"I accept your rules, if you don't make use of your special stone" Yigo spoke, remembering from their time at Shadowhue Forest that Deimos had such an artifact. After that, he got onto all fours, letting his teeth show and lowering his front while raising his rear. Even though he looked aggressive, he felt excited. His teeth weren't threatening, he was smiling.

Why was that? Yigo wants to release his feelings in a healthy manner. For a Pokémon that's awful for words, his body language makes of him an open book for anyone observant enough. Moreover, Yigo is very easily riled up for better or worse. Be it exploring, protecting someone or enjoying himself. Will Deimos pick up on what he's thinking?

"I'm ready, Deimos... Here I come!" His smile disappeared and charged ahead. He starts hopping forth to build speed while approaching until Deimos is at a striking range of his claw. He is not aiming anywhere in particular but wishes to spend his energy and fury from seeing Deimos at the start with this strike. It is a dangerous blow but very inaccurate where Deimos can sidestep it easily, parry it or push Yigo's body while he's trying to deliver the Crush Claw.

Seeing that the rules were so easily accepted, Deimos carefully set his own bag aside and moved it away from the area of conflict. Beyond the stored food items and the Absolite, the Journal's presence was more than enough of an excuse to remove items from the equation. How could he face the Boss if he got the custom journal destroyed? It wasn't something that one could just find another of.

Returning to the battlefield after setting his equipment safely aside, Deimos's eyes narrowed as he glared towards the evolved Shrew, watching for the slightest indication of action so as to plan out appropriate countermeasures. Lacking Future Sight, a move employed during the last attempt to tutor someone in the ways of combat, Deimos decided to let Yigo pick the range to fight in, instead of just harrying the lad outright with Stone Edge.

Holding his ground as Yigo charged forwards with the intent to draw the battle into close combat, Deimos suppressed the urge to shake his head disapprovingly and waited for the foe to approach. His most used form of combat while the kid was around had always been close combat with his claws, so seeing that was the area of combat the enemy had chosen, it was undeniably a bit surprising. "Guess i'll start off with something familiar then." Deimos remarked, Spectral energies forming and flowing across his body and down to his claws.

Waiting until Yigo entered range, the energies sparked to life, forming an extension to his natural claws, extending his range and destructive power to meet the incoming strike head on. Lashing out with an overhead slash with the intent to blow throw the incoming assault, Deimos was looking forward to seeing just how much the kid's strength had grown.

[SL roll = 12]

Deimos seemed to agree with Yigo's motion, anting to test the strength of his blow. Yigo's strike was akin to a swing. Not a slash where he focuses on cutting or a lunge where he is trying to pierce with a direct strike, but something that uses his arm's motion to put some weight into his claw and use that as the source of damage.

It helps that his claws are not sharp, but have small spikes and dents in them. They were often used to shred and tear, make openings for other blows by removing pieces of fur or natural armour. When met against Deimos's claw strike, he should notice that Yigo's strength has increased significantly from what he would remember. Nothing too spectacular, but something he would expect from a young adult of his kind.

If Deimos underestimates Yigo's strength, he's going to push back against his claw but if he presses down with his own overhead claw slash, Yigo is going to be unable to keep his balance and be forced to throw himself to the side to avoid a direct slash. It could still grace his spikey side but Yigo would swiftly recover back onto his feet and put some distance between the two if Deimos doesn't press the advantage.

Hammering down forcefully with the spectral claw extension, Deimos felt the pair of claws collide forcefully, blowing through the incoming strike due to the difference of physical strength. "Noticeably stronger in physical terms, though still weaker than the average physical strength of my kind. Pretty solid overall though." Deimos remarked as his blow broke through the opponent's offence, directing it just off to the side to avoid inflicting any direct injuries. The contest of strength was more than enough to prove that good, full force hit could hurt a hell of a lot.

Willing the spectral blades to disperse after forcing the enemy back, Deimos quietly tapped on the earth with the same set of claws he'd swung down prior, activating Stone Edge. Direct physical combat had been tested. Now to see how well the lad could handle being harried from afar!

[SL roll = 14]

His strike didn't go through. It wasn't going to be that easy as evolving to get the upper hand. Deimos was powering through his claw and the only thing Yigo could do was try to sidestep the counterblow. It appeared to have worked since he didn't feel any sharp claws piercing his arm or side. Nevertheless, this should be a lesson in humility. Even now, Deimos could crown himself the strongest in raw force, Yigo will have to find another way.

This caused Yigo to frown, focus on trying to find a flaw in the Absol's attitude. At least, his initial fury had been spent with the first clash but the scout wasn't done. A swift move with his claw and a ring of rock pebbles and shards started surrounding the ashen-furred beast like a protective barrier before they start propelling towards the Sandslash.

Yigo only felt a few direct strikes, trying to pierce or crash into his quills before his senses kicked in and curled in to the shape of a ball. Still, he wasn't going to give Deimos a static target, instead rolling around the scout to try and dodge some projectiles. Perhaps Yigo can't see while in this form, but the added defense is going to be useful to dampen the effects and give Deimos a look at what he may do next. Yigo's speed will start building up, even through the Rock Slide showering him.

Against the current, he'll charge, picking shards of rock and dirt and turning into a small boulder. From there, Yigo will have to guess how Deimos will react to try and land the Rollout. If he is successful, he can keep building up speed and material with which to increase his weight

Deimos held his position after the initial clash from stone edge, observing the shrew's choice to roll around as a ball once more. Such a technique had been pulled off before, during the first Shadowhue incident, aimed at a Venomoth if memory served. Being well aware of the destructive power constantly building momentum could bring, thoughts rapidly spun within his mind, puzzling over how to stop the lad's momentum without suffering a direct collision. Sucker Punch usually proved quite capable for intercepting incoming assaults but in such a situation it would only be playing into Yigo's hands. The extended range of spectral claws could work, but He doubted the recoil of such a clash would be in his favour. Two moves down.

Blizzard came to mind, but with the lad having already agreed to hold back on his large area wide attacks employing one felt against the spirit of the spar, so that was a third move down. Detect could avoid the problem temporarily, but wouldn't resolve the issue from snowballing, so that option was also out of the picture. That left Night Slash and Stone Edge. Night Slash would suffer similar issues to Sucker Punch, leaving only Stone Edge as a viable option. Yigo had already shown an ability to absorb the shards to strengthen his snowballing effect, forcing a more outside of the box solution. One quick glance around was enough to form a plan as long as the move's accuracy issues cooperated.

Slamming a claw down forcefully once again, a sudden and tyrannical surge of energy flowed out from his core, enhancing the might of the move being summoned force. Super Luck had activated and poured out energy with no restraint into the earth through his lowered claws, more than enough for the plan ahead.

"If clashing directly isn't favorable, improvise." Deimos muttered, as a large pillar of earth surged out of the ground at an angle, not directed at the kid at all but on his circling path. The pillar instead, formed a large ramp pointing east and straight towards the water. Good luck rolling on that!

[SL roll: 20. Super Luck Activated]

The round trajectory of the rolling boulder allowed the Sandslash to keep gathering material. Once he felt the shards stopping to strike at the rocky shell, Yigo felt like it was time to stop circling his foe and charge at Deimos. The added time to curl up allowed him to spend less time gathering power. A pillar surged in front of his route, with such an inclination and direction that would send Yigo rolling into the body of water surrounding the copse.

What Deimos may have intended as a clever strategy proved to be unsuccessful. Yigo's boulder merely crushed the pilar in front of him, razing it as if his spikes were still present outside the rocky hide. It was merely an obstacle that blunted his advance, buying Deimos some more time yet the Rollout still rolled forth. Now, instead of going around Deimos picking speed, it charged towards the scout, leaving a trail of dirt on its way. What a way to ruin a perfectly nice and enjoyable scenery.