"And what's wrong with bein' petty, huh?"

A woman strides out from the underbrush in front of them, confident grin on her face and a wild look in her eye. Her hands rest on her hip, where two swords clack against one another for the first time, the woman no longer taking care to muffle her footsteps now she'd blown her cover.

"Looks like I lucked out. You're that kid. This'll be easy enough."

She takes no care for theatrics. A flick of both wrists and her swords are in her hand. They shimmer in the light of the sun, relishing the chance to draw blood in broad daylight.

"Not a lotta honor in killin' kids, but a gym leader? Now there's a story!"

She lunges forward straight at the kid, as swift and as short as she could make her every movement, steel blades screaming as they cut through air.

Screaming for the taste of blood.

The sudden, new voice drew the boy's attention, the Oranguru looking over as well. It wasn't someone the Oranguru recognized, as she'd informed him, and she didn't sound all that friendly. A ne'er-do-well, maybe?

The two swords she wielded didn't dissuade him from that conclusion. Nor did her running towards him, her intentions made clear.

As she began to bound her way over towards him, the boy took a second to realize what he should do.

This one lacked the sense of urgency the real one should have. Not ideal in this kind of situation - perhaps he would be better for distracting people.

But the Oranguru was, ironically, quicker on the draw; a glow from her fan illuminating the area around them. A Trick Room surrounded them, giving the boy a chance to act.

"Killing people over that? Talk about petty."

It gave him a chance to take out a Pokeball, giving it a lazy throw - the ball flying off to the side.

"Whoops."

This one also had to work on his one-handed ball-throwing technique.

The Toxic Chain Oricorio that emerged wouldn't have had enough time to rush over and intercept - so the Oranguru Instructed the boy to act first; a glow from her fan would make it seem like the Shadow Sneak came from her, rather than from the boy's own shadow, as it rushed over to intercept the oncoming Rocket.

Oranguru set up a Trick Room

Hideo sent out Toxic Chain Oricorio - in the wrong direction

Shadow Sneak used to intercept Hana (looks like it came from Oranguru)

Aoki Hana

The shadows shift, and a trained eye catches their movement even if the brain does not register it.

The woman's hand shifts downward just in time, not to defend against the blow, but if anything, to catch it. The edge of her sword pointed at the ground as the attack emerges, Hana is buffeted to the side, letting out a silent curse.

"Hah! And again I ask, what's wrong with bein' petty?"

A wide grin crosses the woman's face.

Her second blade slips from her grasp, falling into the void of her shadow beneath her. A moment later, and it appears from the kid's own, striking out at him directly with a shadow sneak of its own.