route_1065 | We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind~

We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind~

Who: Sheena (

easyshot )
Where: Route 29
When: Shortly after Sheena sets foot outside New Bark Town. Nighttime.
Summary: The start of a long and sporadic relationship, reminiscent of one she already had in Tethe'alla.
Rating: PG-13, in case of language?
Log:

Nighttime. Okay, that was cool. Sheena had gone hiking in the woods and mountains during worse situations. But then again she had her friends watching her back, and there was something about Regal's looming bulk stomping along up front alongside Lloyd and Presea that gave her a sense of security. The three were the most devastating physical fighters she'd ever seen, and that wasn't even getting started on Genis and Raine's magical prowess. Even Colette could be graceful now and then when she really had to be.

As for Zelos, well. He was... a meatshield.

The grass slithered over her boots and legs up to her hips, parting smoothly while Sheena threaded her way through with inaudible footsteps. If it weren't for her stealth-oriented abilities, Fujibayashi had the distinct feeling some of the local fauna would be a great deal less docile with a bumbling human crashing through the bush in the middle of the night. Of course it always helped to have her Vulpix curled around her neck like a scarf. The second set of eyes could pick out any attackers that she might not spot immediately.

"You know, I think we might just make it to the next town in one piece." Sheena commented, stepping carefully over a fallen branch swaddled in moss. "This isn't as hard as a lot of people make it out to be." Corrine (as she now called her furry companion) blinked sleepily and yawned, baring sharp little teeth for a moment before licking his chops and peering into the night again with an air of resignation. If his trainer was going to be an idiot and get herself attacked, he might as well come along for the entertainment.

Not that the Mizuho kunoichi didn't already have a brush or two with the odd Rattata, or the occasional Sentret. Only one confrontation actually escalated into a battle, luckily. The others didn't seem interested in combat with her bristling Vulpix and let her back away with no further incident.

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Patience was a virtue, and any sniper worth his scope had patience by the truckload. Given that Kurz was one of the most prodigal snipers ever handed a rifle, this meant he could wait for an opportunity as long as he had to. Normally this was a talent that applied to the battlefield, since a single well-timed shot could change the entire flow of a battle.

It also applied to meeting women.

For this reason, Kurz had scaled a tree near the intersection midway down Route 29, his eyes focused on the path that led from New Bark Town. It was a particularly straight stretch, which made it a perfect vantage point; he could see someone coming from a long distance away and set himself up accordingly. He had a couple possible candidates in mind... and even in the dark of night, his keen eyes spotted one of them as she made her way steadily forward.

He recognized that bust; the young woman with the Vulpix.

Smirking a little he knocked the back of his hand against the tree trunk, signaling his Rattata below to get into position. He hadn't had very long to train it, but the pokemon had one simple task; how badly could it go?

Time might tell, soon enough. For now however, the rat pokemon scurried into the path ahead of Sheena, staring directly at her as she approached. It had been ordered to look fierce, scary, but... really, it was just kind of staring blankly at her. Apparently he hadn't taken note of it's Bashful nature.

Blink blink.

Both Sheena and her passenger came to a dead halt and sort of. Stared back in silence at the Rattata in the middle of the road. Deer in headlights syndrome, anyone?

Seeing as her Vulpix wasn't spitting fire in a righteous rage and bristling like a poofy red mop on legs, she cocked an eyebrow and circled a generous distance around what she assumed to be just another run-of-the-mill wild pokemon that didn't have a taste for having it's fur scorched off. If there was one thing to be thankful for in this wierd universe... it would have to be that her partner pokemon was surprisingly protective for such a little animal. But the more she thought about it, the more she appreciated her decision on naming him plus having him wear his namesake's last momento.

Plus, y'know. There was something strangely satisfying about watching a still-smouldering opponent scrabbling away into the underbrush as fast as it could possibly move. As sadistic as that sounded.

Even though Sheena had no qualms about simply trusting her assessment of the rogue Rattata's body language and walked on without more than a pause, Corrine kept his luminous red-brown eyes on the rodent Pokemon with thinly veiled menace reinforced by the telltale twitching of his fluffy tails, turning his head to track it while Sheena walked. The agitation and tension in his body probably would've been enough to discourage even the crankiest wild Pokemon.

... Damnit, Rattata, that really didn't go as planned. So much for plan A (which involved a daring rescue via Igglybuff so he could come off as having saved her from a particularly ferocious wild rattata). Instead the poor rat was frozen in place, and if one looked at it - closely - they might see that it was quivering.

Okay. No big deal. He had a backup plan, and a backup plan for his backup plan. He'd manage somehow, and that's why he tapped the trunk twice in rapid succession.

Plan B was afoot.

Plodding out of the brush was Ziggy, who waddled/ran almost right by the kunoichi to approach the Rattata. It seemed to examine it for a moment before turning to face Kurz's position, waving an arm (stub?) with practiced enthusiasm. "Iggly! Iggly buff!" And so, right on cue, Kurz maneuvered his way down the tree as Ziggy led the still-terrified Rattata to its trainer. The blond sunk to one knee, patting the rat's head with an exasperated laugh.

"Told ya not to run off! You might get seriously lost next time, y'know." Rattata, barely needing to act at this point, leaped onto Kurz's shoulder to hide behind his head, peeking out at the still-wary Vulpix. Oh god it was still looking-- and back behind Kurz's hair it shrank.

Plan B: the caring trainer routine.

He glanced up at Sheena as if noticing her just then, blinking with an expertly executed laugh of feigned surprise. "Well, well! Looks like you've saved me a lot of trouble." he beamed, rising to his feet with a hand on his hip. "If he hadn't stopped, who knows how long it would've taken!"

That got a jump out of her, once she pivoted in place to watch the puffy pink... thing lead the quavering rat past her. Corrine didn't look impressed one bit, however, and growled softly until Sheena patted him between the ears, after which he settled for keeping a suspicious eye on the two other Pokemon.

"It's yours?" Her eyebrows dove into a frown. She recognized that face, as dark out as it was. So it turned out this guy wasn't just overly friendly, but totally irresponsible too. Somehow that didn't surprise her much. "...you should keep a better eye on your pets. It could've gotten hurt."

Hurt, that is, as in 'stick a fork in it, it's grilled and toasty' kind of hurt.

As to his other comments, her shoulders rose and fell in a 'oh well' kind of shrug. So far most of the Pokemon she'd come across were pretty smart, for mutant critters. The lost Rattata probably would've found it's way back to Kurz anyway at some point. "Glad to be of help, I guess. Not that I did much more than walk past."

"Hey, not like I tried to let it get away! Might've noticed, but he scares pretty easy; he sorta took off outta nowhere, and he's way faster than I am." His grin was sheepish, as he raised a hand behind his head to pat the frightened Pokemon on the back lightly. "Guess I might do best to keep him in his ball, heh!"

As he spoke Ziggy seemed to take its own interest in Corrine, apparently not nearly as phased by its glare as Rattata was. If it was capable of raising its eyebrows, it would be; he'd never seen a Pokemon like that before, so naturally he was a little curious.

"Well, even if it was more luck than anything, it was still because of you that it stopped at all." He stepped forward, offering his hand to her with a grin. "So I'm gonna have to thank ya, hun, like it or not."

"Then put it on a leash or something." She retorted wryly, crossing her arms over her chest. Now that she did study the rat, it did seem pretty timid. Sort of endearing in an odd way; Sheena felt a vague urge to scratch it behind the ears just to make it feel better. Maybe it was her affinity for comforting small animals talking.

Now the OTHER one...

To put it bluntly, it looked like an oversized cherry cake with eyes. She wasn't terribly sure what to make of it, but judging by Corrine's reaction of giving a hefty snort and looking away in a lofty fashion, it wasn't much of a threat either. Maybe her Vulpix just had a massive ego complex. She'd have to decide on that at a later date once they got better aquainted with each other.

Taking his offered hand, she shook it briefly then let go again with a distinctly businesslike motion that indicated she must've had urgent business elsewhere, or she'd seen the Ninjasignal flashing far off in the distance. Being a superhero was a taxing business, after all, and they'd get nothing done if they stopped to talk to every citizen on the way.

But something told her that claiming to be Superninja and her sidekick the Fuzzy Wonder probably wouldn't fly.

The world was full of critics with no humor, after all.

A handshake was a good way to get a read on a person, and Sheena's spoke two distinct words: not interested. But if little things like that were enough to stop the promiscuous sniper, then he'd never get anywhere. Besides, 'dislike' and 'like' were fluid things; they could be changed with time.

And with his patience, time was something he had an abundance of.

For now, though, he had to find a common ground, or at least something of mutual interest to talk about... and why not go with the foxlike creature draped so elegantly on her shoulders? "I can tell you don't need a leash for yours," he grinned, "I don't think I've seen it move much more than its head this entire time." He took a moment to check his PokeGear, poking a button once. "... Vulpix, huh? Fitting."

It should also be noted that if Ziggy had fingers, he might be flipping Corrine off. Maybe. It's a distinct possibility, anyway. Regardless, he shot the high-and-mighty fox a distinctly unimpressed look of his own, round eyes forming semicircles of discontent. Well screw you, too.

Oh, Kurz. If you only knew what she had to endure during Lloyd's adventures.

In two words?
Bathhouse incident. Spoke for itself.

She offered him a furitive little smile of her own, gently scratching Corrine's chin with a fingertip and blissfully unaware of the increasing intensity of the little vulpine's gaze. "We took a liking to each other. Typically he won't leave my side for very long, but that's probably because he insists on being carried." Her head tilted to one side while she nodded towards his Igglybuff, again totally oblivious to the silent exchange of insults. "I've never seen one of those before. Are they rare?"

IN THE MEANTIME, that proverbial flipping of the bird was the final straw that broke the camel's back -- Fujibayashi flinched as her Vulpix all but launched itself from her shoulder, it's fur standing on end while ominous cinders popped and sizzled from between it's teeth while it snarled in a surprising volume considering it's size. No mistake, Corrine was locked, loaded, and ready to rumble.

The glove. It be thrown down, bizatch.

SHOW ME YOUR POKEMANZ.

"I'm starting to wonder that mys--" Whatever insight he was prepared to offer apparently got tossed to the wayside as the firefox (I am so sorry for that) leaped into action, and for a moment he almost expected that it was going to go straight for Ziggy's face. He blinked once, surprise evident on his features as he studied just how mad it was. The Pokemon hadn't even said anything, how had Ziggy managed to piss it off that much?

He almost had to respect the ability to ignite someone's temper with a glance.

Ziggy himself didn't react much at first; one might have assumed it was stunned into silence, perhaps even frozen on the spot from the Vulpix's fearsome display. Indeed, it seemed ready to back down-- and then it positively smirked, letting out what passed for a chuckle amongst Igglybuffs. Even if the sound was sort of cute, it definitely held an edge to it, as if to try to entice a greater reaction.

Rattata had pretty much dug its claws into Kurz's neck in sheer fright, and he had to pry it off before he could even think of saying a thing. "Holy crap," he muttered, blinking down at the stareoff, "can't say I've seen him do that before."

His eyes glanced up to meet the other trainer's, pursing his lips in thought for a second. "Well, as far as I can tell from what I've seen on the network, the thing to do in this kinda situation is battle. Haven't tried it before, myself. You?"

MY POKEMANZ, LET ME SHOW YOU THEM

Warmth she usually associated with an open bonfire greeted her fingers when she paused in the act of reaching for her furious partner. After considering this interesting new development, Sheena decided to err on the side of caution and pass on the opportunity to get burned fingers.

"Normally he's pretty calm. But if I had to guess..." A larger cinder popped explosively into the night in an explosion of sparks and a short burst of light that made her wince. Corrine was definitely stoking himself up for a good scrap with gusto. "...I'd say these two aren't going to play nicely."

Sheena Fujibayashi: summoner, ninja, master of understatement. Yup.

Pearly whites sank into her bottom lip for a moment, weighing her options. At worst her scrappy Vulpix would get his tailfur handed to him on a silver platter and she'd lose a little pocket money, but Cherrygrove was maybe five minutes away at most. A short jaunt to the Pokemon Center would rectify one of the two consequences in no time.
And on the other hand it'd probably be a good idea to have the two combatants get the aggression out of their systems right from the get go. Of course it'd be nice to win, but they hadn't made a point of training a lot since she started out. Kurz had more experience.

"Can't say I've done it myself either. But we can give it a shot." Sheena finally relented, although she looked a little doubtful that this was a good idea. "Is one-on-one okay with you? I haven't caught any others yet."

Kurz knelt down at Ziggy's side, studying him for a moment. He sure looked itching for some action, anyway; admittedly, Kurz was a little wary of going through with this. Even if the Igglybuff had plenty of confidence, it didn't seem to have any real attacks. In fact, all three of the moves it did have, according to his PokeGear, didn't even do damage.

Meanwhile, that little Vulpix was about ready to unleash literal hellfire. This was not going to be pretty, if he didn't act accordingly; some real creativity would be in order if he even wanted to have a chance.

"Heh! Do you really think this little guy's up for fighting?" he joked, patting Rattata's head with a coy grin, "I'm pretty sure he'd have a heart attack if I tried to make him fight against that. One-on-one'll do; besides, Ziggy seems to want it that way, anywho." He rose to his feet, stepping back once as Ziggy did its best to match the intimidation game.

... by inflating itself to twice its size. Again; Kurz had never seen it do that before, and the effect was certainly something to behold.

Shoving a hand in his pocket, Kurz studied the scene with a half-shrug. "Not exactly sure what formalities are in order for this sorta thing, to be honest. Guess I'm ready when you are! God knows our Pokemon are, anyway."

Something close to a hint of humor curled one corner of her mouth in a crooked smile while watching the two bristle and posture at one another. In fact, it was kind of surprising how big Kurz's Igglybuff could inflate itself; any more air and there might be a threat of it exploding like a balloon. Unpleasant thought.
Corrine, mainwhile, was doing everything he possibly could to make himself look just as big and intimidating. Lots of growling and sharp little teeth and fluffed-out fur. Any casual bystander that walked past might think the two had a massive 'Yo mama' fight in Poke-ese or something, because these Pokemon were just that into the moment.

So, glancing between massive pink balloon with eyes and furball with teeth, Sheena resignedly dug around in her pockets for the funds she'd have to cough up if/when she lost this battle. But hey, at least it was going to be entertaining, right?

"Ready, g--"

FSHOOM. She didn't even get a chance to finish the syllable before Corrine opened his mouth wide and spat sizzling embers at his opponent.

_{[TRAINER Sheena's Vulpix used EMBER. >:V ]}

One error in inflating itself to such a size; Igglybuff was no small target, and the Vulpix's surprise attack didn't really give it much time to react. It deflated suddenly back to its normal size, but even by then it was too late. The little pink ball wasn't exactly agile, after all, and the embers struck home, knocking the balloon-with-legs onto its back.

Of course, being a ball, it just rolled onto its feet again, clearly unamused. Kurz shared the sentiment, his eyes narrowing a little at the situation.

"Well that wasn't fair." he muttered, glancing at his PokeGear. With only three attacks, his options were limited... well, better try to weaken the enemy, right? "Charm it, Ziggy!"

The puffball did not seem to like this idea (since it just finished PISSING VULPIX OFF) but followed along nonetheless. In an abrupt change of attitude it smiled happily, waving an arm as its eyes took on a strange, alluring glow, hoping to weaken the foe's Attack. Sharply.

[ ZIGGY STARDUST used CHARM! ]

Her Vulpix looked more disturbed than charmed, but the effect was the same. It had no desire to get within physical poking distance to Ziggy's freaky-deaky glowing self. But that suited Corrine just fine, since he seemed to think settling for sniping his adversary with blazing hot burning bits from a safe distance was a better idea. That was, after all, his strength.

"...that's an attack?" Mystified, Sheena glanced between Kurz's glittering Pokemon and her own as if looking for some physical signs of damae, but there didn't seem to be any. Maybe it was one of those status effect dealers she'd read about (Or more precisely, skimmed over) in the manual thing stuffed away into the bottom of her knapsack. But for the life of her she couldn't figure out what said status effect it might be.

Ah, well. Her turn.

The ninja grew a little bolder and tried her hand at this command business with a little more enthusiasm. "Torch that sucker, Corrine! Ember!" Unsurprisingly he seemed more than happy to comply to the order, having been stoking up his internal flame until the time came to use it. And boy... what a marshmallow-toaster that one was!
SPEC. ATTACK POKEMON ARE AWESOME, BY THE WAY.

Sorry lowered physical ATTACK stats don't apply, hur hur hur.

_{[Foe VULPIX's ATTACK fell! CORRINE used FLAMING DEATH BLEAGHHHH.]}

What. WHAT. THAT DIDN'T LOOK WEAKER AT ALL, WHAT THE HELL.

Ziggy found itself knocked back once again as Kurz scrambled to check his PokeGear and figure out what happened. It sure looked like the attack had hit, so why...? Augh, it didn't make a difference, in the end. Charm had proven itself to be a pretty pointless move for this fight, anyway, so he'd have to plan around it.

With only two moves. Awesome.

Well, at this point he had decided that the stat-changing moves wouldn't help him any, so that really only left him with one option. It was risky, to be sure, but what choice did he have? Besides, they had planned for such an occasion, though he hadn't expected to need it so soon. But it looked like Ziggy's HP was starting to run low; it probably couldn't take another hit like that.

"Ziggy, you ready? Sing it out cold!"

Igglybuff inhaled deeply before letting loose its infectious tune, rocking back and forth in place in time with its own rhythm. It only took a few moments for Kurz to feel the effects, and he figured he'd end up asleep pretty soon as well. That had been the trend, anyway, but this time he was prepared. Him and Ziggy had worked out a post-slumber strategy well in advance, so it could act even after its trainer dozed off.

He could only hope that Vulpix dozed off with him.

[ Igglybuff used GOOD NIGHT ]

Sing? Seriously? That couldn't be very intimidating.

Right on the heels of Kurz's command, Sheena barely managed to eke out the first syllable of their next move before Ziggy's crooning took effect. Corrine's mouth opened wide to raze his opponent into ashes, but only one or two actual embers made it out before being interrupted by a yawn. A few moments after, he settled down into a fuzzy red ball, his muzzle hidden under his many tails in an impromptu nap. The few soft snores that could be heard were muffled by his thick fur.

Fujibayashi herself didn't have much time to snap her Pokemon out of it either, considering how her own eyes were slowly but surely sliding shut while the singing took hold of her own body. She swayed drunkenly forward one step and halfway through another before sinking down on one knee like a puppet with it's strings cut, sprawling facedown not that far away from her partner with one arm outstretched.

And that's about all she saw prior to being out like a light.

Condition: Sleep.
She had a feeling she'd start to hate it. And chances were she'd be furious once she woke up.

_{[FJADSLKFJASLKF YOU STALLING BRAT]}

Edited 2010-06-09 04:34 (UTC)

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We can dance if we want to, we can leave your friends behind~

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TRAINER SHEENA WANTS TO BATTLE! SENT OUT VULPIX.

GO! IGGLYBUFF!

DUN DUN DUN DUNDUN DUN DUN~

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