Vying for the Spotlight! A New Challenger Appears?[Sparring]

“… For the last time, setting a complete stranger’s hat on fire is not the proper way to voice whatever complaints you have about their wardrobe, Zenzi,” a tall, dark man groaned, sounding far too done with his Pokemon’s shit for so early in the day. The Fennekin at his feet stared boldly up at the man, seeming quite undeterred by the cold glare he leveled her way. The fur along her spine rippled, and sharp teeth snapped wordless up at him as a sharp-laced, mental rebuke was offered.

+You might be my trainer, but you aren’t the boss of me, Beckenbauer. Watch your mouth.+ Bold amber eyes narrowed, enjoying the surprised look that creased Blaire’s usually-stoic face, even if it was only for a heartbeat. She’d rattled him quite terribly, and some part of her found the deepest, most sadistic pleasure in such a simple fact. She didn’t hate him, but it was important that he knew his place. The second he started talking to her like a stupid child? Well, she wouldn’t allow that sort of transgression.

“… If you want to be technical, I am the boss of you! I don’t like to toss the word ‘own’ around, but if you do something wrong, I’m the one that gets penalized! I’m expected to keep you under control!” he shot back, scowling at a couple of people that were beginning to stare at the man who was seemingly talking to himself.

Clearly, he’d said the wrong thing. He yelped and scrambled back as the Fennekin spat a tiny ember at his feet, snorting derisively at the man. And then, without further rebuke, she turned off and vanished into the crowd, sending a very-hurried psychic scrambling after her. His hand shifted briefly to the balls on his belt – perhaps, if Detrevni and Demetri were out, keeping track of the wayward Fennekin would be simpler.

Or maybe she’d turn them against me, too. I wouldn’t put it past that fox.

Perhaps it was best he attempt to handle the situation on his own first.

Zenzi emerged into one of Eridani City’s more well-known squares, stalking forward as though she had some vendetta against the world. Most people were smart enough to give the hostile-looking Fennekin a bit of a berth, but a sharp look and the snap of tiny fox teeth sent less-aware people scuttling to the side as well.

Her ears swiveled at the irritating sound of human laughter – how anyone could feel pleasant on a day like today eluded the Fire-type. Her gaze centered upon a man and an odd trio of Pokemon – one of which was irritatingly familiar. The sight of another Fennekin always ruffled her fur, but, in a mood like this one, it was almost unbearable to see another fire fox.

Halting behind the bench, she eavesdropped upon their conversation, scowl only deepening as she listened to the topic at hand. Talk of the gym, and of battling? She could hardly believe her ears. The idea that other trainers and their Pokemon were out there talking about normal things such as gym battles and training to get strong, while she was stuck with a group more focused upon spiritual bullshit than physical development, was infuriating. She should have been the one with a normal trainer that didn’t waste his time researching spooky nonsense, and she should have been the one fighting for glory and fame in gym battles.

A sharp, mental voice suddenly attempted to intrude into the young man’s mind – a distinctly feminine voice that was cold, dry, and very matter-of-fact. + You aren’t going to get very far with that crew, you know. Might as well give up before you embarrass yourself too hard.+

Blaire emerged from the crowd and paused, spotting the Fennekin shooting a very familiar glare at a complete stranger. … At least this one isn’t on fire. Yet. That expression and the focus she was giving him could only mean one thing, however, and so he hurried forward, clearing his throat.

“I, er—disregard anything that fox is telling you. She’s being a bit… unstable,” he greeted awkwardly, trying not to flinch away at the look Zenzi shot him. He was remarkably thankful that she was still just a Fennekin; if she’d been a Delphox, he was fairly certain she might have actually considered attacking him.

NOTES ; i apologize for this rude fox that blaire's incapable of controlling, w hoops

current team:
zenzi -- fennekin, 5, hypnosis/scratch/leer/ember
detrevni -- inkay, 5, tackle/peck/constrict/reflect
demetri-- espurr, 5, tackle/leer/covet

To Zenzi’s chagrin, the trainer she’d addressed didn’t even seem to be aware of her existence – a part of her was quite tempted to toss an Ember at the stupid hat he was wearing. Had she given in to temptation, it would have been the second stupid piece of headwear rightfully torched that day. The Fennekin wordlessly huffed, turning a sharp-eyed glare towards the friendly-looking Popplio peeking through the bench slates. She’d never seen a Popplio before, but first impressions weren’t exactly the best, and a part of her was equally tempted to tell the Water-type to mind his own, large-nosed business.

She was bracing herself to do just that when Blaire emerged, breaking her focus and causing her to scowl up at him with clear disdain as he dared to apologize for her. The fur along her spine bristled rather ominously, and her lips curled in the beginning of a snarl that, woefully for her, was ignored by the man as his gaze shifted to Avery and company.

“She has… natural talent, in that area, I think,” he responded quietly, scrawny shoulders lifting in a tiny shrug. “She isn’t capable of normal speech anymore, though – I think that might have something to do with it, but I’m not sure.” The human mind was known to adapt quite well to trauma, after all, especially during childhood; perhaps Zenzi’s mind had figured out a way to adapt itself. “… Of course, just because you can telepathically broadcast whatever you might want to say privately into someone’s head… Well, it doesn’t mean you should.” He certainly didn’t go around inserting his opinions and ideas into peoples’ head without warning – in fact, he preferred to avoid that whenever possible. Something about intruding into another’s private headspace without fair warning seemed inherently wrong to him.

Zenzi, of course, had no such qualms. Her attention was thoroughly snatched by the other Fennekin, and her hackles raised at the fire fox’s words – and at the Popplio’s reaction. Sharp teeth flashed menacingly as the fox braced herself, only relaxing as the Popplio was plucked from the bench by his trainer. Annoyed amber eyes shifted to narrow upon the Fennekin casually grooming herself on the bench, and Integra was the target of the snarky fox’s thoughts this time.

+Getting others to do your dirty work for you? Pathetic – though, I shouldn’t be surprised, since not all Fennekin can be cut from the same crop. One of those weaker ones that’s only really qualified to be someone’s lapdog, I’m assuming.+ She snorted, a sharp-toothed smirk working its way onto her features as she leered up at the other fox.

Blaire squinted suspiciously at the fox, hoping she wasn’t saying anything too offensive. “… Everyone’s riled up today. I think she’s been looking for a fight the entire morning, I’m just sorry you’re the one she decided to pick it with.”

NOTES ; zenzi's gonna get smacked at this rate

That concerned, sympathetic look the stranger gave her did little to smooth Zenzi’s pelt – it almost caused her to bristle even more as she snip-snapped her teeth at the man. It was a good thing looks couldn’t kill; if they could, she would have murdered quite a few mostly-harmless people already that day.

Sensing his Pokemon’s reaction, Blaire rubbed sheepishly at the back of his neck, brows furrowing. “Whatever happened occurred when she was very, very young – even if she would allow you to, I’m not sure if anything could be done. I… appreciate the sentiment, however.” Even if Zen clearly doesn’t.

The Fennekin’s attention snapped back to Integra, and she looked quite smug at the rise her words got from the other fox, standing a little taller with a sharp-fanged smirk dancing across her muzzle. The stern, disapproving look she got from Blaire as the other Fennekin was chastised by her own team members didn’t seem to have much of an impact on the fire fox. If anything, her smirk only widened. What a butt.

Avery’s suggestion gathered both Blaire and Zenzi’s attention, and two pairs of eyes – one mutinous and amber, the other surprised and golden – settled upon the shorter trainer. Despite her current, sour mood, Zenzi seemed to perk up quite readily, stance immediately shifting as she shot an expectant look towards Blaire. The fox had been pushing and pushing for this sort of thing for days now – arguing about the need for growth and how, though their team was growing, they were all still weak and inexperienced – and now it seemed as though her chance was finally here.

Blaire found it hard to argue against, even if he looked more than a little baffled at the stranger’s casual use of the word ‘friend’ towards him. Could you call yourself friends with someone after your Pokemon had almost caused a war in the middle of the city square? Color him skeptical, but a part of him was fairly certain friendship didn’t usually involve such matters.

“… It would be a decent way to expend some of that pent-up energy, I suppose,” he conceded, earning an excited wriggle from Zenzi. “… I have some other Pokemon that would be able to learn a lot, as well, either by watching or participating.” His hand slipped to lightly grasp the two occupied Pokeballs at his waist, plucking them before tossing them into the air. Twin flashes of light revealed a floating, glowing squid looking almost boredly around the area and a small, psychic kitten that looked uncharacteristically grumpy, as though he’d just been woken up from a catnap.

“We’re going to have a battle, it seems. I, uh—I figured you might enjoy participating. Or just watching, maybe. … Up to you.”

The Inkay turned a silent, but curious, gaze towards Avery and the gathering of Pokemon, eyes narrowing thoughtfully before he offered a nod. Demetri opened tiny jaws in a yawn as he blinked the sleep from his eyes, looking a little less grumpy and a touch more intrigued as he glanced to the strangers.

+Mnn… I suppose a battle would make sense. We could certainly use the practice, all things considered.+

Ears twitching impatiently, Zenzi huffed to get Blaire’s attention, hurrying forward to a less-occupied part of the square and whipping around to face Avery and company. She shifted into a defensive position, offering a silent snarl and a flash of her teeth. Clearly, if a battle was to be had, she was electing herself as Blaire’s first choice.

Blaire frowned slightly, but shifted over to stand a couple of feet behind the fox, casting an apologetic look towards the other trainer. “… You can have the first move, if you’d like. Ready whenever you are.” Detrevni floated to settled in his usual spot atop Blaire’s head, and Demetri settled by Blaire’s side, wide eyes staring curiously out at the fox glaring down her potential opponents.

NOTES ; all of blaire's pokemon are still level FIVE for this fight! gonna be fun, hopefully!

Blaire watched, against all odds, things progress rather smoothly once he released his other Pokemon. The Popplio and Tynamo both seemed to claim their respective opponents, and he was relieved to see that both Trev and Demetri seemed receptive to the idea as well. The Inkay shifted atop Blaire’s head to better study the Popplio, while Demetri glanced curiously over at the Tynamo, intrigued by the excited energy the Electric-type seemed to radiate.

Blaire’s brows lofted at his opponent’s statement. Fun? Even on one of his better days, ‘fun’ was a bit of a foreign concept to the man. And so he only offered a polite nod in response to Avery’s enthusiasm, golden gaze shifting to study the Fennekin face-off. I just hope it doesn’t get too violent. His attention turned to Zenzi, his eyes taking on the faintest, eerie glow as he focused his attentions upon the Fennekin, trying to ease his way into the Fire-type’s mind.

“… I know you’re capable of handling yourself, but this is a battle, and I’m going to offer advice, whether you want me to or not.”

+… So long as you don’t distract me, Beckenbauer. +

“I don’t know if that Fennekin has an egg move or not. Stay on your toes, and don’t reveal your trump card too early.”

+I’m not a kit, Blaire. Chill.+ The fox chuffed, attention diverted at Avery’s command. The other Fennekin lunged forward in a blur of red-and-yellow fur, and Zenzi shifted to brace herself for the initial onslaught, having very little intention of dodging. Her fangs bared together in an expectant snarl as she stared the approaching Fennekin down, face twisting into a terrible expression as amber eyes gleamed red. The Leer had little offensive value, but, paired with an offensive attack, it could be dangerous indeed.

As Integra got close, Zenzi tucked her chin into her chest and flattened her ears, offering as little space as possible for the initial strikes to hit anything too vital. The Fennekin felt a hot flush of pain lance over her cheek as sharp claws made contact, sinking through the fur and leaving stinging, painful scratches in their wake. Biting back a soundless snarl of annoyance, her muscles bunched as she shifted from a defensive position to an offensive one, lunging forward with fangs and claws bared. Rather than the graceful, careful swipes, a beast, bristling with fury and the desire for retribution, launched herself at Integra, aiming a rough, brutal Scratch at the other Fennekin’s frame. Blaire’s words, quiet and in her head, were all but lost amid the anger that set her thoughts ablaze, that drove her towards trying to make the other Fennekin realize just how outclassed she hopefully was.

"… Focus, Zen. Don’t get too excited."

NOTES ; zenzi uses leer and scratch. she's hit by scratch! bold italics is telepathy.

Though his outward expression betrayed little, Blaire was growing steadily more concerned with the way Zenzi was battling. The Fennekin wasn’t weak, that much was certain, but the way she currently seemed to be operating was… sub-par, if he was honest. Though she was usually an aggressive, forward creature, this sort of aggression wasn’t quite as common. It was as though anger had overridden any sort of strategy or planning that she might have employed in another battle. The Fennekin’s emotions were clearly getting the better of her in this situation, and Blaire grimaced, hoping that wasn’t going to be a fatal flaw.

Maybe it’s because it’s against another Fennekin. I’ve never seen her quite so worked up before…

He half-listened to Avery’s external commentary, though the major part of his focus was still on attempting to talk some sense into his starter Pokemon. “You need to focus. Calm down; don’t get carried away.” As stern as he attempted to sound, he bit back the irritation he felt as the Fennekin ignored him entirely. Clearly, she was too focused on the matter at hand to really pay him any mind.

This isn’t going to end well, if it keeps like this. Damn it.

Blaire grimaced as the other Fennekin sank into a taunting position, waggling her tail mockingly at Zenzi; in her current state, Zenzi would likely just lunge right into the fray, common sense be damned. “Don’t, Zenzi, it might be a trick,” he warned uselessly as the fox lunged into motion, bearing down upon the other Fennekin with a silent snarl. She lunged forward, claws and fangs flashing as she aimed another Scratch at the other Fennekin – a Scratch that was rendered all but useless as she was blindsided by a Scratch that sent her reeling and sprawling over the ground. Though she couldn’t vocalize the yelp that would have surely been uttered, Blaire heard the sound leave the little fire fox’s body as she landed heavily on one side, laying there for a long couple of moments.

Breaking the telepathy, Blaire spoke aloud for the first time in a couple of minutes, hoping that he could somehow talk some sense into the fox that way instead. “Zenzi! Calm down and just breathe. I know you can recover from this.” Though a part of him was worried, his tone remained calm and cold – almost detached.

Trembling with the effort it took to stand, Zenzi pushed herself to her paws, a tiny amount of blood dripping from a Scratch that had sharply clipped her muzzle. The last attack had clearly done critical damage, and, though the battle was short, the Fennekin’s lack of experience was clearly taking its toll. Blaire wasn’t sure she’d be able to take another solid hit.

At least the other Fennekin seemed to have knocked some sense into her, in the most literal sense of the word.

Hackles raised, she snarled defiantly at the other Fennekin despite her trembling limbs, but she made no move forward this time. Instead, she held back, muscles tensed and prepared to move when the other Fennekin began her assault.

“… Good. Let her come to you, and then spring your trap. You can do it – I know you can.”

NOTES ; apparently fennekin can't even learn leer, r ip. thoroughly disregard zenzi's leering and just take it as her glaring aggressively please, apologies! she's just about out of commission in a second anyways i think!

Blaire narrowed his eyes at the other man and his Fennekin, concentration breaking for a second – and, with it, his telepathic connection with the fox. The duo seemed to be far more in-sync than Zenzi and himself, though a selfish part of Blaire thoroughly blamed that on Zenzi, rather than on himself. Still, I could have taken better command of the situation. … Maybe it’ll be good for her, to see that she can’t always win by doing things her way.

The other trainer seemed to be calling the fight anyways – at the very least, he wasn’t intending to knock out Zenzi with whatever move he was doing. For a heartbeat, Avery and his Fennekin almost seemed to breathe as one single, integrated creature before the Fennekin drew in a deep breath. Blaire had dealt with Zenzi enough to realize the attack the other Fennekin was preparing, and, with a grimace, he directed his thoughts rapidly towards the trembling Fire-type before him.

“Ember. Dodge it.”

The wave of flames that came from the Fennekin was the strangest Ember he’d ever seen, however, spreading out in so wide an arc that it was impossible for Zenzi, slowed and tired as she was, to even hope to avoid them. The Fire-type could only brace herself, digging her claws into the earth as fire surrounded her and licked sharply at her fur.

The attack left her singed and even weaker than before, but, out of sheer stubbornness, she shifted forward, as though preparing to launch herself into an attack regardless. Perhaps the other fox’s jibe had elicited the response from her – at any rate, there was quite the malicious, almost-savage gleam in her eyes as she tried to capture the other Fennekin’s gaze, eyes beginning to glow a strange, suggestive purple. If she could just convince the other Fennekin to sleep, there was no way she’d lose. If she could just get one more hit in—

“… Stop, Zen. It’s over.” Blaire’s words, spoken aloud this time, were ignored as she took another step forward, muscles trembling and aching from the effort. She was clearly exhausted, and letting her push herself harder in her current state was some sort of cruelty. The fox didn’t seem eager to listen to him, however, and he grimaced, lifting a hand towards the fox and curling his fingers slightly.

“I said stop, Zen. Now.”

His fingers glowed a soft, purple hue as he directed his focus at the Fennekin, grimacing slightly as he concentrated. His hand lifted, and, with it, the Fennekin, outlined in the same psychic energies, lifted as well, startling in surprise and churning her paws through the air for a couple of heartbeats. Fury was rapidly getting redirected at Blaire as she realized what the man was doing, but exhaustion made it difficult for her to really do much about it. The Fennekin gnashed her teeth as she was brought over to the man and deposited gently next to him, the Telekinesis dispelling itself. Still trembling, she shot a mutinous, betrayed look up at him, though she couldn’t will herself to her paws to take further action. Fatigue dragged at her muscles, and she slumped slightly, only sheer stubbornness keeping her awake.

“… Next time, we do things my way, not yours,” Blaire told her rather bluntly, ignoring the faint curl of the lip he got in response. “Clearly, you aren’t as naturally talented as you seem to think.” The Fennekin had no response to that, and, satisfied with the brief scolding, the psychic turned to his other Pokemon, who had watched much of the bout with unreadable expressions upon their faces.

“… Alright, Demetri. Are you ready for your turn?” he queried softly, hoping the psychic kitten would actually listen, rather than making the same mistakes Zenzi had. The Espurr seemed nervous for a moment before nodding, excitement bristling his fur as he stood. +O-of course! I’ll make you proud, I hope, Blaire!+ he chirruped as he hurried forward to take Zenzi’s place, glancing across to the opposing side.

He was startled for a heartbeat as Blaire’s voice sounded again, this time in his head, though the surprise rapidly faded. He was more than familiar with the idea of telepathy, even if he hadn’t utilized it much himself.

“I’m not sure who you’ll be up against – the Tynamo, probably. Keep your distance for a bit and feel things out, alright? Let them come to you, not the other way around.”

The Espurr offered a little nod, looking quite determined as he braced himself upon the battlefield. He had no reason not to trust Blaire’s ideas, especially after seeing how badly Zenzi had botched things when following her own strategies.

NOTES ; zenzi tries to stay in and use hypnosis, but is stopped by blaire forcibly taking her out of the fight via telekinesis (8/10 psi points left!) he sends out demetri, but only tells him to scope things out, rather than launching any sort of attack