"Heh. Giving up so easily?" came a deep voice from behind Oshawott. "You wont get any stronger by fighting such weak opponents." The words echoed inside his thick, round-ridged shell. inside, the speaker was un-moving, the only sign of life were a pair of wide, white eyes that watched the little water Pokemon.

"A shell huh?" said Pupitar, eyeing Oshawott's chosen weapon. "They can be pretty useful, but I've never seen one used for offence." A silver sheen passed over his shell, as if to emphasise his point. "Well go on then," he said, vice low and goading "if you think your shell can pierce mine."

"Oh!" The voice startled Shoalgun, though not enough to have her jump in fright. Knights were afraid of nothing, after all. That said, the small Oshawott swerved around to face the owner of the voice, blinking in surprise at the... shell? 

It was definitely a shell - though the voice seemed to be coming from somewhere inside it. 

The little knight's confusion was abruptly replaced by a look of sheer enthusiasm when the Pupitar challenged her to hit his shell. "And what might be your name, wretched creature?" There was no hesitation as the Oshawott raised her shell in the air again, puffing out her chest. "You will find, foul demon, that my blade is as sharp as err..." Blue eyes blinked as the water-type tried to find the right words. "...It is very sharp!"

She'd workshop it later.

With an energetic swing of her stubby paw, Shoalgun let the shell swing down in a Razor Shell, though she was careful not to hit the Pupitar too hard. They were just playing, after all.

● tag: Zac Ramsay                
● notes: daycare playdate mission!

    "About as sharp as your tongue," said the wry voice from inside the shell. Oshawott's attack hadn't even scratched Pupitar's defences.
    
"You asked for my name," said the Pupitar, who was waiting for Oshawott's answer and subsequent attack.
"Call me Odium, and treat me as such. This isn't just training, little one, this is practice. Think of me as the villain you may one day be cutting down with that...thing"


Pupitar let out an brief sigh that echoed inside his armoured shell. "Look kid, I can tell you're holding back. If this is just a game to you then fine, but if you're really looking to be something more? Well then start acting like it." Pupitar tilted, and seemed to sit up straighter. A difficult feat considering he could hardly move.

Pupitar indicated the shell clutched in Oshawott's paw. "So which is it kid? Is that a toy or a weapon?"

Big eyes blinked at the Pupitar's words. The stubby paw holding onto the shell grew momentarily slack as surprise jolted through the small Oshawott. She'd never really encountered another pokémon who'd taken her words, well, seriously. There was Clarabelle - who'd attempted to teach Shoalgun how to punch - but the Lopunny had swiftly given up on the Oshawott once she realized the water-type's stubby paws couldn't hope to actually reach anyone.

Not without her trusty shell, anyway.

But it was a nice feeling to be taken seriously. So much so that Shoalgun couldn't help the small tears in the corners of her eyes, which she quickly wiped away lest the other pokémon see them.

"Prepare yourself for battle, Sir Odium! From now on you shall be known as my honorable arch-nemesis!" Shoalgun didn't dawdle; given enough incentive, the water-type raised her shell proudly, the excitement in her eyes at odds with her valiant, somewhat heroic pose. 

If nothing else, Shoalgun was very dedicated.

"En garde, Sir Odium! You shall taste defeat by my, err..." There was a moment in which Shoalgun stumbled, but she quickly recovered. "By my blade!" And with that, the Oshawott swung her blade shell at the Pupitar, the RAZOR SHELL whistling through the air before it hit the hard shell of her opponent.

● tag: Zac Ramsay                
● notes: daycare playdate mission!

    The shell sliced through the air and hit Odium, but the attack was off, ill-angled. Instead of slashing it ricocheted, leaving only she faintest hint of divot in the rocky shell. 
    "You pulled back," said the voice from inside the shell. "Right before you hit me you tilted back."
    Odium chuckled, an unpleasant sound like two handfuls of gravel being rubbed together. "You're scared, and it shows."
    The eyes glared out at the little Pokemon, taking in the impact of his harsh words. "I'm not telling you not to be scared, because you should be. You're small, you're untrained, and you're barely armed. But you are armed. That is a weapon there, and the one thing weapons are good for it fighting. So fight. Fight me. Hit me, AGAIN, and this time STRIKE with your blade instead of wishing you were somewhere else." 

The determined expression that had been on Shoalgun's face flickered and faded at the Pupitar's harsh words, chased away by a narrowing of usually wide, watery eyes. The shell was gripped tightly in her paw, growing more so at the accusation that she was scared.

A moment of silent settled over the two opponents, brimming with a rising tension that crackled like lightning between them. By now the little Oshawott would've said something already, declared her undying devotion to being a knight, or shouted out an empty threat that served no purpose other than to showcase her own naiveté.

But Odium's words, harsh though they were, had struck true. Shoalgun spoke of being a knight, and the determination was there, but something was holding her back.

No more.

"You besmirch my honor, Sir Odium. Very well!" Shoalgun positioned herself, shifting her weight between her two stubby legs in a SWORDS DANCE. She was all too aware that her training was lacking - she was too young to have the same kind of experience that this Pupitar fellow spoke of. But she was hard-working and- she would show him how tough she could be. "I shall have to prove myself a worthy opponent then! I won't let this be a deterrent to my knighthood."

The sharp edge of her shell glowed a pale, bright blue as Shoalgun jumped at the Pupitar, putting all of her weight into the move as she hit the Pupitar with a RAZOR SHELL for the third time.

● tag: Zac Ramsay                
● notes: daycare playdate mission!

    Odium watched his foe prepare with a mix of curiosity and enjoyment. Not fear, for there was never any chance of the attack cutting through to his core. The little knight re-positioned, shifting her weight between her legs. Internally, Pupitar smiled. Finally, some promise, he thought to himself.
    "I shall have to prove myself a worthy opponent then! I won't let this be a deterrent to my knighthood."
    "I would not have offered my help if I had thought that this little chat be the end of your knighthood," Odium replied, as the Oshawott's blade started to glow. He had really worked her up, and the results of his taunting and testing were becoming clear.     The little creature lacked focus (among other things), but there was something clarifying about rage, about single-minded purpose unfettered by affairs of the head. 
    The knight launched itself at Odium for a third time, and the glowing shell struck true. It slashed down, past Odium's eye, and left a thin blue streak down his carapace. For a moment it seemed like the shell would split, splattering the scene with blood like one of those old battle movies, but instead the slash just faded back to a matte blue. 
    "A direct hit," Odium said. "Weak, but direct. Once you have cultivated some strength and reach you will be formidable."
He held back his more subtle criticism, waiting to see how the little knight responded to repeated failure. It had been a nice, clean hit, after all. She should be happy. 

The outcome of her direct attack was somewhat anticlimatic despite all of Shoalgun's preparation. Not that the small Oshawott had wanted to carve the larger pokémon down the middle or split his carapace, that hadn't been the point at all, but still...

It had felt more powerful than her other hits.

Watery eyes looked down at the shell in her hand, remembering the way it had glowed a soft blue with the strength of her determination (her rage?) just before she'd jumped to attack. It had never done that before.

The Pupitar's words only served to confirm her suspicions, bolstering the flames that were slowly growing behind her eyes. When Shoalgun turned to face the Pupitar, she appeared more solemn, the earlier playfulness being replaced by a newfound respect - and a fierce rivalry.

"I appreciate your valuable lesson, Sir Odium. I will take it to heart and I will train myself to be able to defeat you - one day!" 

The rest of her impassioned speech was halted when a familiar voice caught her attention. 

Shoalgun turned her head, expression brightening at the sight of familiar silver eyes and a head of blond curls. Her trainer. "I will take my absense of you, Sir Odium. For now. We shall meet again, and next time you will taste defeat!"

The promise lingered in the air between them, lofty words hiding a fierce determination. With a last look at the Pupitar, Shoalgun walked over to her trainer, tanned hands picking her up and away from sight. 

● tag: Zac Ramsay                
● notes: daycare playdate mission!

    And just like that, their first battle was ended. Not by mutual agreement or first blood, but by trainer intervention. Inside his shell, Odium let out a sigh of relief. That last attack was different. Good stance and follow through. Not too bad, actually.
    He would never admit it, but the blue edge of the shell during Oshawott's last attack had worried Pupitar. Not scared him, but... he had barely had time to put up his IRON DEFENCE.
    Odium watched his adversary disappear through the door and out into the world. 
    I will see you again, little knight, Odium vowed. And when I do, you had better have longer reach and a better weapon, for next time I intend to fight back.