Hm? Finally, signs of life in the antechamber, it seemed.

A slick, gray-haired trainer and a rather sporty looking Charmander came traipsing down the corridor, waving him down with a brief introduction. His lips twitched into a lopsided grin, raising a hand in mutual acquaintance. Their name was Derek, and the Charmander was Zeke, though he couldn't know if that was shorthand for anything else. His chin dipped in a nod before jabbing a thumb at himself emphatically, "Mine's Kevin, and her name is Shoka," he recited in turn, identifying the Growlithe with a finger directed towards the loyal pooch.

She barked once, but remained stationary otherwise. Kevin noted how bundled up they were and pieced together a likely story: Fusube City. They certainly weren't anyone he might've knew from Chouji Town, and they seemed ill at ease in the chill of these caverns, though he wondered if it was fair to judge considering his own grievances with this abominable place...

The trailblazing newcomer made an inquiry about wild pokemon, but Kevin could only lower his head and give a curt shake of his head, confirming the negatory with closed eyes that winked back open to lock onto this 'Derek'. "I think they just need some incentive..."

There came a racket from the rime-coated stalactites overhead, icy fragments billowing into a cloud of dust as it fell to the ground in a downpour, revealing two pokemon that had somehow collapsed the floor overhead. When the glittering spectacle subsided enough for human eyes to see past, Kevin recognized a Vulpix and a Numel leering at them warily. "Shoka, go-"

And yet his Growlithe had already confidently placed itself between the enemy Vulpix and himself, forelegs lowered in a poise that spoke to its agile nature, as if it were preparing to bound forward at breakneck pace on a whim. The wild pokemon, perhaps daunted by this sudden opposition, attempted a disarming flick of its notoriously aesthetic tails (Tail Whip). Shoka simpered.


"Use Ember!" By now Kevin was well aware that fighting fire with fire, while not always a sound strategy, was viable if one could exploit the dynamics of it. And yet as the tempered flames scattered across the wild Vulpix, Kevin detected a very familiar aura forming around the fox's figure. It seemed to thrive under the searing assault, rather than succumb, as the pokemon seemed encouraged to strike due to this error.


There was a moment where Kevin faltered to make a decision that the Vulpix seized, raining a subsequent barrage of embers targeting his Growlithe in that moment, although in just the same way it was futile as Shoka came out undaunted by the scorch.


"Try a Bite!" The Ranger would've enjoyed an opportunity to exploit the unnaturally augmented power of Shoka's Ember, but there wasn't a suitable target outside of the Numel, and he was placing his faith in this 'Derek' to handle it for him. So in that moment his attention was fixated on the Vulpix, watching to see how it could fare against his own pokemon.

It gave a shrill cry when Shoka clenched its jaws into its foreleg, allowing his Growlithe to throw it to the ground uncontested, the Vulpix shuddering feebly but hardly down for the count. Shoka jumped back just in time for another swoosh of its tails to graze her, tickling at her wet, black nose as she put distance between them. She seemed to sneeze at the sensation distractedly.


"Don't let up!" This matchup would have been a stalemate if not for Shoka's advantage with a slightly more diverse move set, so instead of both pokemon exhausting each other until all they could do was thrash about stubbornly, Kevin's Growlithe would simply have to whittle at the enemy until it could bear abuse no longer.

The wild Vulpix seemed discontent before its legs staggered beneath its weight, letting out one last feral grunt before toppling over onto its side, its body marred with puncture wounds, its precious fur coat in ruins.


"Shoka, use your powered-up Ember on that ice cluster..." His Growlithe seemed perplexed at the notion, but followed closely to the spot where Kevin pointed; a dense cluster of what could've been solid ice or simply frozen over boulders. In a jiffy the area was kindled with a fierce blaze, revealing the extent of what lie in wait. Perhaps it wasn't much of a hunch, but...

Surely the denizens of this place would seek out the harbinger of such flames, and attempt to dissuade them through force. He was beginning to consider that might've been how the Vulpix and Numel came crashing from above; this act should test that theory.

[attr="class","Vgentemptitle"]A Wild Pokemon Has Appeared

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[attr="class","Vgentemptitle"]A Wild Pokemon Has Appeared

[attr="class","Vgentempdiv"]

"Nice catch. Cyndaquil are pretty rare, I think," he sounded off, though somewhat disinterested by the tone he struck with Derek. It wasn't Derek's fault though, and Kevin was genuinely delighted at their turnout. There were definitely some interesting pokemon making an appearance in the Ice Path. He counted his good graces that there weren't a plethora of Rock and Ground types rampaging in the absence of their frigid cohabitants.

A distressed whinnying cascaded down the frozen path, giving wake to a regal horse of greater bearing than the previous feral creatures he'd dispatched; a Ponyta with a billowing mane that cast an orange glow across the cavern's walls. It would be a standoff another, then...

"Shoka, can you still fight?" The mutt promptly barked an affirmative, body worn but spirit unyielding. She shifted herself between Kevin and the Ponyta, the wild pokemon neighing a hellish sound, a flurry of hooves striking forward as it reared on its hind legs.


"If it does that again, go for its back legs!" His Growlithe seemed to catch on, but was running out of stamina, and decided to loose an unprovoked Ember at the wild equine creature before him. Yet ultimately it proved in vain as the scorching mane of the beast seemed only to intensify, scattering a likewise ineffective barrage of blazing soot in their direction. This was such a pain in the ass. If he was going to take anything away from this little forray, it would be that he needed more pokemon, especially of a diverse range of types.

"You have to bite it!" Shoka seemed reluctant, winded from its previous battles, but strived to meet Kevin's expectations. As she bounded forward and lunged for a foreleg, the Ponyta swung around and slapped the brunt of its tail in Shoka's face, disrupting the attack.


In that moment however, her teeth were to its haunch, piercing its hide and eviscerating the fleshy membranes beneath to let the ooze inside trickle out. The Ponyta thrashed with a shrill cry, agonized by the incisors digging into her, but adapted to the situation remarkably: A swift kick with her rear legs landed squarely on Shoka, sending her backwards but ripping the wound agape under the traumatic forces. SHOKA!

Kevin took a step forward on impulse, the Ponyta eyeing him suspiciously, but he bowed away when he noticed a tuft of beige fur hobble over a pile of rubble. The wild pokemon seemed to show a level of astonishment, kicking up the dust at its feet, whinnying in distress. Shoka approached slowly, a rumbling escaping her chest in a low snarl. Kevin felt admiration, but also a deep rooted concern for his companion's well-being. Shoka...

Kevin could feel the temperature rising as the Ponyta's mane swelled in size, its desperation mounting, compelling it to blindly pursue her target. And yet as her forward march came bearing down upon Shoka, Kevin's Growlithe bounced to the side as to make it a grazing pass, and instead found purchase in the scrawny foreleg that so flailed past him. Once more the beast screeched in anguish, thrashing in the hopes of dislodging the Growlithe's jaws. It raised itself upright, Shoka dropping low to the ground. This was the final confrontation.

The Ponyta brought its bearing upwards just to come crashing down upon the canine where it fell, and yet in this moment as Shoka descended to the ground, she was as a magnet drawn to metal; her teeth to its rear leg came swiftly, catching the pokemon by its flank as it had so willingly exposed it, offering it little reprieve from the fangs which ripped and crunched. The pale beast jolted at the sensation, slumping over on its side with a thud.


"You... you did it! Sh-Shoka," he tried to praise the Growlithe, but in her ardor she was snarling as she wrenched at the leg still caught in her jaws. His footfalls clambered throughout the chamber as he rushed to his pokemon, dropping low to the ground and trying to place a hand on her comfortingly, but she resisted his pull out of hysteria. "SHOKA! Listen to me," he hollered.

The leg fell limp from its mouth, and the Growlithe whined exhaustedly, laying her head low against Kevin's lap. Kevin combed his fingers through the fur on her head and over her back tenderly, trying to work out the stress. "I'm sorry, Shoka. I shouldn't have pushed you so hard..." Another distorted whine, although it almost sounded as if it meant to disapprove his sentiment, but quickly melted into lively panting as she caught her breath. "You were awesome, y'know."

---

From his prone position Kevin could see Derek was preparing to leave, although he wondered which way that might be. Suppose he was indeed from Fusube: He would ought to head back, right? Or perhaps they were beginning a little journey of their own; it was impossible for him to know. And so he resolved to ask them.

"Hey; Derek, right? Where ya headin' next?" Kevin scooped up his Growlithe, cradling it against his chest as he rose to his feet, finding a foothold on the dusty bedrock beneath them. The Ranger crept over to the other trainer, hoping to accompany them if they shared a common destination, for there was a certain safety in numbers. "Chouji Town or Fusube City?" He waited.