The Pichu's head start may not have been enough to ward the Absol off, but speed wasn't her only strategy here. The Pichu dove into yet another nearby bush and then ran through it, dashing around a tree. From there, the Pichu darted up the side of a tree again, but only partially. The Pichu leaped from the side of each tree three times before landing on the ground and continuing her darting around. The Absol may have been fast, but he'd have to keep an eye on her if he wanted to catch her.

Suddenly, her sack seemed to be caught on something as she tried to dart away. Precious seconds were wasted trying to get the sack loose, but she did and kept going. Finally, absolutely fed up with having the sack slow her down, he yellow mouse tied the sack around her chest like a back pack before she began her retreat once again. If the Absol managed to keep up with her so far, which he seemed desperate enough to, then he'd decreased the distance between them quite a bit.

Lucky for him, and not so much for her, the Pichu, despite her better judgement, looked back to see if the Absol was following when she suddenly slammed right into a rock wall. Dang it! This was just not her day! The Pichu's attempt at climbing the rock wall would prove rather fruitless as well. The Pichu climbed half way up before slipping, and landing on her right foot in a bad way. Yowch! Welp, there went her speed advantage.

In a last ditch effort to escape, she started dragging herself toward another bush, but if he had caught up so far, it wasn't likely she'd make it to the bush in time.

The Pichu had reached a bit of an impasse. As hard as she tried to pull herself to the nearest bush, she couldn't pull herself any farther for some reason. Was she really in that much pain? The little electric mouse turned to the Absol, trying her hardest to create distance between them with mild success. And mild, in this case, meant almost nothing right now. The Pichu was intimidated too badly to realize she was being cornered until her back was suddenly against the wall.

Meadow let out a horrified gasp as she could feel her tears at the edge of her eyes. "W-wait," she finally spoke after spending all this time trying to get away. The Pichu was too scared to say anything above the softest of whispers. "P... Please... Why are you... doing this?" Meadow still didn't know why the Absol wanted to hurt her so badly. He barely knew her! Perhaps she wandered too close to his territory? "If... If I did anything to upset you," her voice quivered as she spoke. "I... I'm sorry. Just... Please tell me what I did. Why are you trying to... to hurt me?"

Meadow could practically feel the chilling gaze of the hunter in front of her. Her ears pinned down, and tears streaming down her face, her little heart was now pounding so badly it was about to burst it seemed. Despite this, she refused to look away from her attacker. She had one last tactic to try, but she needed to gain some courage back. With his increased advances, though, all the Pichu could do was give shaky breathes.

It has been a good week or so since Tanis had been literally forced to stay around Invictus, in large part because of the injury he had suffered to his left arm. There were other reasons too of course, but fortunately enough, Invictus itself provided ample opportunities to wander around and get completely and totally lost. Three days ago, he went to a park of sorts where he was greeted by a rather intriguing character whom, despite being rather talkative, seemed like a nice enough Pokémon who strayed as far away from a conflict than he imagined any single Pokémon could do... Not that that's a bad thing of course. The other day, he took a proper tour of the slums where he had been hanging around and calling 'home' for the moment as he rested. It was that evening where he was informed he could travel and battle again so long as he didn't overdo himself. Yesterday he appropriately explored the main capital and the general area. He saw quite a lot of shops and commodities that sold all manner of bits and pieces that weren't in the slums: Books, jewellery, flowers, and all the basic necessities like food and water. But throughout the duration of those days, and since he'd been injured and out of the field, he's not had a single battle or even so much as a confrontation of a single move exchange. He's come close to instigating a few times, but the other Pokémon wanted nothing to do with it, or he was stopped before it began by some 'official' who was keeping the peace. It made sense, Invictus is largely a peaceful place... But it didn't make him feel any better. That's why today, he moved to the outskirts of the town, in a heavily wooded area in hopes that he'd run into someone or something that he could relieve a little stress upon. Being injured is horrible, and being told what to do, or not to do in most cases, is such a pain in the rear end, that it's almost sickening! That and he did learn that it typically wasn't on usual patrols, if rarely, so if he was going to find something, this was the place to do it. Plus, it's a wooded area, trees all over the place, various rocks, and so many bushes, it made for an absolutely perfect place for him to go! Him being here felt natural and even a Pokémon like him could blend into the scenery just as well as any Pokémon who had a green skin tone.

His left arm had been on the wrong side of a Pokémon who had sharp teeth and fire moves that both badly burned him and left large teeth marks on his forearm. Up until yesterday, it had been coated in a bandage that he'd been changing roughly twice a day. Now, the bandages are off! The once blackened skin has all but recovered and returned back to its original coloration, all except for the origin point of where the burn first ignited: just shy of his shoulder, about a third of the way down his arm towards his elbow. The Bite he took has healed over nicely and have become nothing more than new scars that have added to his collection of who knows how many scars he has now. Sadly, they don't trump the largest one that's on his chest and stomach, but it would be difficult to top that. Not that he actually had any idea how he wound up that injured, he just woke up like that, surrounded by Sewaddle. Besides all of that, his arm was all but healed bar the slight burn mark, and he had full control of it once more. So, of course, the first thing he did once he got here was to climb and manoeuvre around the trees for no other reason other the fact that he could do it. There was a great deal of enjoyment that came from the act, the first time he'd done so without pain or serious consequence. It was revitalizing, and he relished in it. For those brief moments, his concerns over his lack of battling faded along with his concerns of ever climbing things again.

He stopped after clambering back down after transferring to five total trees from branch to branch, to travel along the ground. He did this by choice, not because he couldn't do it, but rather because of what he was carrying on his back. After all, he could easily climb up any tree that he came across, which was pretty easy considering where he was. But more importantly was the package he was carrying. It wasn't heavy per-say, though they did weigh him down just a little, not enough to impact him in the truest sense, but as an extra component to himself, but they were rather fragile somewhat, and the last thing he wanted to do was ruin them by doing all manner of mobilities that could destroy them. Of course, the fact that someone eager for a fight is carrying around a bunch of flowers on his back is quite unusual, even to the most experienced of explorers. Still, he had them, and they were latched onto his back by a group of maple leaves that had been woven together to make a bag-like shape of sorts. The stems tucked into them nicely, but sadly the petals making up the flowers themselves poked out of his right shoulder almost like an additional head had grown and sprouted. Time has been cruel to them the past couple of days, and unfortunately some of the flowers that made up the original bouquet he received had wilted beyond repair, which had to be removed. The rest, including the single Gebera Daisy, still remained, that he had carried around for lack of a better location for them.

His travel within the woods was actually more uneventful than he hoped it wouldn't be. The most excitement he got was finding a couple of bits and pieces that he felt was useful for him. These included an apple that he promptly consumed, a couple of sturdy sticks that he felt would be quite good as weapons, and a strange pink colored berry that he found on the ground. He didn't quite know what it was precisely, and it gave off a rather intoxicating smell. Definitely sweet, he could say that much. Beyond those discoveries, Tanis found little else, not even any sign of any Pokémon whatsoever. He found the idea rather peculiar that there wouldn't be anyone here, he knew he blended in rather well and it'd be similar to finding a needle in a forest, but surely he thought there'd at least be some Pokémon grazing or doing something when they don't have company around. Yet, in an ironic twist, there wasn't a soul. After having spent the best part of that morning and early afternoon with not a whole lot to show for it, Tanis opted for a quick break from his walking before deciding to resume again.

Tanis opted to take his quick break against a nearby rock, which for some reason was there. It wasn't entirely unusual to find rocks in an otherwise greenery area, immediate thoughts of Explorer's Respite, which for some reason had that giant cave inside a massive rock protrusion that he couldn't understand why it was there at all! Still, he wasn't going to argue the mechanics behind it, and instead chose it to rest on as opposed to any of the numerous trees and bushes that were surrounding him otherwise. The flowers on his back did prevent him from leaning back entirely in fears of crushing them, so he sat upright, but his lower back pressed against the rock for at least a little respite. The sunny days had continued for effectively the entire week he's been here, which was a refreshing course, and it most certainly helped him decide where to go today. The area he sat on the rock's base had him within the sun's influence as much as possible. The temptation to properly lie down and take a nap under the gaze of the sun was definitely in the forefront of his mind, and he was debating doing so, when something, or someone, broke him out of his thoughts.

It sounded like... a squeak that followed a collision...

He didn't hear any of the indications that someone was there beforehand, but he definitely heard that, as that seemed to sound like it was an impact on the very rock he was partially leaning on. Admittedly, the rock was quite large, so that was most certainly a possibility, but the only way he was going to find out was to get to the other side of it and find out what was going on. It was certainly more interesting than anything else that has happened so far today... Which was nothing. So he was content to use up his time and energy to find out what it was. There were two ways he could go about this as he looked up at the rock that split him apart from seeing what was on the other side: He could run around it, or he could try to climb it. He came to the decision immediately with a grin. There was no debate as to what he was going to do to see the other side of this rock. The two sticks that he had in his right paw, he transferred to his tails, one on each of the ends of them on the segments that curl up. They could hold him aloft, so two sticks would be no problem. This also meant that his right paw was free for climbing up the rock. The rock surface itself did provide some small hand holds that could potentially be used for climbing to the top, but Tanis didn't pay any attention to them. He didn't look to see where would be the best place to start climbing with these holds, or determine the best path to take. He immediately got to work by first placing his right paw on the surface, to test his grip. The lack of rain and the rock's surface being slightly gritty meant that he could easily clamber up the thing with no difficulty, that he felt. Smiling, Tanis lifted off by leaping and placing both of his left paws on the rock's surface, lifting up his right foot as well from the ground. From then on, it was a rather simple clamber up to the top within the usual routine that he climbed surfaces: Right paw, left leg, left paw, right leg. Rinse, repeat, follow. So natural was his climbing skills, he moved with equally as much grace and speed than someone who was a natural swimmer or runner. It took him no time at all to reach the curved top of the rock's surface, and not only provided him with a mediocre vantage point, still broken up by the trees littering the place. At the very least, he had a prime view of what was going on.

The first Pokémon he saw was a white-furred creature, standing on all four legs whom definitely looked like he was focused on something that was closer to the rock itself. Like most Pokémon that Tanis has met so far, he didn't have any real idea who or what that Pokémon was, or anything about him for that matter. He was a Pokémon, no doubts about that, but there was definitely something about him that made him look... Intimidating somehow. He wasn't quite sure what was causing it, he didn't look any less frightening than anyone else he's met before, but he could feel that there was something different about him, something that would make going after him perhaps a little less appealing than other Pokémon. That said, he was exhibiting traits of someone that was on the hunt, he was hunched down, as if he was waiting to jump on something, and he seemed to be enjoying himself. This, alongside the red stain that seemed to be on that blade-like thing on his head gave Tanis all the indication he needed that he's a battler and isn't too afraid to get his paws dirty in a scrap. Judging by his stance, he's looking for just that! Tanis' grin returned at the revelation, he's just wandered into a potential battle in progress. This was excellent! Perhaps if he played his cards right, he could maybe get involved. If not against him, than perhaps with whoever his opponent was? Tanis couldn't initially see who that was, so he first had to scoot forward so he could see over the edge of the curved surface of the rock.

His opponent, and who he figured was the one who made the noise, was a small yellow creature who most certainly didn't look happy to be there. In fact, judging by the way she was talking to the other one, she was not enjoying herself one little bit. That was too bad, it doesn't look like she wants to battle. Sighing, he probably should've expected something like this to occur, considering where he actually was. At the same time, he felt as though maybe that would be a bit different considering there didn't seem to be too many Pokémon around here. She sounded quite remorseful for something that seemed like she didn't even know why. It didn't take a psychologist to realize that she was clearly upset, perhaps even so much as pleading for her life. Just how long had this been going on anyway? It was the way she spoke that gave Tanis a momentary pause. She spoke so softly and quietly, it kind of sounded familiar in a strange sort of way. That's not to mention that the yellow tone of her skin seemed rather familiar as well. Was this someone he knew, or was he imagining things? Either way, perhaps he should intervene and pull the fight to himself instead? He was itching for a fight, and it looked like the Absol was as well, at least enough that he was still hounding the cowering one. Tanis didn't put the full pieces together as to who the yellow ball of cowering fluff was, until she started sobbing and drooped her ears down. He went to scratch the back of his neck with his right paw as a habit result of him trying to think of who it was, when he brushed one of the flowers on his back with the back of his paw. For that split second, he looked at the flowers themselves, then back at the scene. Hmm... Now that he thought about it, both her looks and her demeanour kind of reminds him of that florist, Meadow, that he met a few days ago. After he considered that possibility, it took him a couple more seconds for the gears in his head to finally click. At that moment, his eyes widened and he leaned over to the point that it almost looked like he was going to fall off the top of the rock as he tried to get a full look at the yellow mass. Hold on just one cotton-picking second, that's exactly like Meadow. If he didn't know any better, that IS Meadow! What in the name of Invictus was she doing here? And being hounded down by this... Thing?

Leaning back by the cause of the other's chuckle, the Absol seemed to be relishing in the fact that his opponent was in no mood to get involved in a tussle, and was more than eager to get involved anyway. Tanis had expressed a few emotions during the course of each situation as it unfolded, but the one he gave to him was a good contender to be just as dark as the Absol's laughter was. He didn't quite understand the reason how all of this begun in the first place, but he understood enough that he knew something was about to happen, and it wasn't going to end well for one of them. Meadow pleaded her case, which was answered only with a simple retort that said more than what Tanis wanted to hear to get ready for what he was about to do. Tanis crouched down and begun fiddling with the maple leaf bag that he had been wearing, allowing it and the contents to softly drop to the rock's surface. Now was not the time for carrying flowers, he needed all the manoeuvrability he could get for this one. If he was as cold and callous as he let himself out to be, he can't be caught with anything hindering him any more than it needs to. He wasn't sure what sort of history those two had with each other, but by the sounds of it, it's collapsed to the point of malicious and deadly intent. All Tanis required was a single reason to jump in and get involved, and right now two very good reasons have presented itself: The Absol I seeking a scuffle, and a friend is in trouble. One was enough, two sealed it as a certainty.

Before standing back up, he relieved his tails of the two sticks that they had burdened with, grasping one in each paw before standing back up. Tanis glared at the Absol, his target, as he stepped closer and closer towards the rock, eyeing his prize after having mocked her mercilessly. He had a few choice words of his own to tell him, but he felt actions spoke louder than any words could, so instead of yelling back at him, he instead opted for a more action-based response. Swinging the stick in his left paw so he was holding it by the sharper end, he geared his left arm up over his right shoulder, applying force and weight, forcing the arm to shake with how much he was applying to it, before letting the stick fly by swinging his arm out in front of him and releasing the stick once he felt he got it about three paces forward from where Absol currently was, figuring it would take approximately that long for him to get there in time for the stick to jab him... Somewhere, Tanis didn't really care where it would hit him. The trajectory seemed good to him, but he wasn't going to wait around and find out if he walked into it or not. Instead, Tanis moved onto the second phase of his plan, interception. With no hesitation, he placed the remaining stick in his mouth, and, like a dog who is running back to his master after having caught the stick they threw, began a full-tilt run down the opposite side of the rock's surface he had climbed up from, making a direct beeline for Meadow's position, being directly above her. The process took only a few seconds, and once he reached approximately five feet away from actually reaching the grass, he performed a simple kick-off of the rock's surface to land about three feet from the rock's position. His landing was far from graceful, landing on all fours and tearing apart numerous grass blades out from under himself in the process, but the intent and purpose was exactly how he wanted it. By the time he touched down, the stick he threw had also reached its destination, but where it reached, only Absol really knew.

There was a sharp and distinct difference between Tanis and Meadow that was quite easy to tell just by looking at them both. While Meadow spent the majority of the time running, hiding and using every trick she could think of getting away from her persistent predator, Tanis was showcasing a less deceptive and more to-the-point approach. Not to mention that he showed zero signs that he was going to try fleeing from what he's literally just jumped into simply by the way he was looking at the Absol. The Absol made his intent perfectly clear, and his intent was murder. An unfortunate truth is that Tanis is no stranger to performing such an evil act himself, but their reasons for it are very much different, he's sure. Nonetheless, since the Absol was so kind to state his intentions as clear as day, Tanis felt it only fitting to declare his own. He removed the stick from his mouth, grasping it on the blunt end on his right paw, eyeing his target with renewed vigor. With a callous and sly grin, he gave his retort. Perhaps not too smart against someone intent on spilling blood, but if it drew his attention away from his initial target, then that worked for him. "... And how long do you have left to live?" It came on the response that, while he had apparently waited long enough, he still actually had the time to intimidate his prey before actually delivering the final attack. Tanis didn't bother to look at Meadow to see if she'd actually been involved in a scrap against this Absol. If she did, it was a one-sided affair since he didn't look all that hurt. Not that it changed anything in his eyes, he'd committed himself to going after him, and he was going to see it through. After all, he was looking to get into a battle for a while now, and now he's on the cusp of a potentially good one, this wasn't something he was going to let slip by just because he wanted to be conservative and watch the action unfold. No, he was all-in on this one, just as he always is.

Tanis only had one mild slip of second guessing himself when he literally felt the absolute pressure that the Absol was exerting through his dominance on his part. Despite Tanis getting involved, he was still very much the predator in this case. Tanis is a Herbivore in every part of the word, and while he didn't know what Meadow preferred to eat, he didn't hunt for meat. He would easily concede that fact to the Absol. But he didn't let that fact deter him from what he wanted to do. His eyes constantly on the Absol's own eyes, he swung his right arm to his side, along with the stick he's holding, as he assumed his battle position. His right arm and the stick held in his paw placed slightly outwards behind himself, just shy of actually touching his tails, his left arm ran perpendicular with his body as it stretched completely outwards, but bent from the elbow so it ran across his chest, shielding it. All he really needed was a shield of some sort to really make that work better than it currently wasn't. He crouched slightly, bending his knees a touch to allow his legs free mobility from essentially any real direction. His overall body had him standing with his own left side facing the Absol, but his head stayed perfectly straight and true to his opponent. Despite what inner thoughts he was feeling from the dominance that the Absol was trying to exhibit, Tanis remained steadfast and literally met the Pokémon's cold gaze with his very own. No more excitement, no more eager quarrelling, now, it's time for business. As far as Tanis was concerned, the outlaws were about to throw down! "You wanna fight? Come on then!" According to him, there wasn't any further need to throw any more words at each other, from him or from the Absol. He's more than ready to get it started, he just needed one final nudge to literally leap and start attacking him. The only question is, will Absol give him that push?





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A wild Tanis has appeared! :v I received permission from both Meadow and Lucifer to jump into this here fold. I'm sorry if it's so long, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to jump straight into the action and perform the patented instigation of a fight that Tanis oh-so dearly loves, and I couldn't help myself with the idea I had. If you want me to edit, change or delete this post, just let me know. Also, Lucifer, we don't have to battle if you don't want to, please don't think that you have to. :3 I posted now because I'm going to be away completely tomorrow for definite. Otherwise this would've had to wait until Monday. Hope that's alright.

Lucifer finally had his prey right where he wanted. As the cowardly Pichu turned into a gibbering mess, he prepared to make his kill. However, a sudden interruption in the form of a flying stick put a stop to that. Although the Absol was hit, the stick did minimal damage and simply got stuck in his fur. Lucifer sighed with mild annoyance and turned his head away from the rude Treecko who had decided to interfere. He then proceeded to remove the stick and groom himself before looking back at the newcomer again.

The Dark type merely snorted at the other male's rude remark. "You should really ask yourself that question, seeing as no one had the sense to teach you when to mind your own business." Lucifer was rather unfazed by the Treecko's desire to battle as the Grass type's collection of battle scars were very visible. Unlike the other male, he was more hungry for food than battle. "Actually, I just want to have my dinner and get on with my business here. I don't have time to deal with a fool who acts like he was raised by Aipom and Ambipom."

Meadow clenched her teeth and squinted her eyes at the very first thing he said to Tanis. How dare he talk to her friend in such a manner? If he wasn’t being such a bully, maybe Tanis wouldn’t have felt the need to jump in and lend a paw. The Pichu could see quite a bit of eagerness in the Gecko Pokemon’s eyes, though, lending to the notion that he might have wanted to battle anyway, but it wasn’t enough for Meadow to truly be aware of it. Heck, if he hadn’t been so scary, she might have given the canine a few choice words. Unfortunately it was taking all the courage she had to show her disdain for the way he was talking to Tanis.

Besides, the Treecko didn’t seem to have anything to say about that comment. Or, anything he said, really. The Treecko kept his eyes directly at his foe with a stoick and stern expression. It didn’t seem like anything the canine would say would make this cool reptile lose his… well, cool. Meadow wished she had that much control over her own emotions.

Meadow’s bravado, however, diminished when the canine was still more eager to have her as a snack than battle. Despite physically trying to stay brave alongside her friend, the Pichu’s head lowered as she scooted a few millimeters toward her friend, just to feel safer. He just wanted Tanis to move on, but the Treecko made it clear through his actions that he wasn’t going anywhere. Meadow found herself smiling a little at Tanis’s brave actions, though she didn’t even mean to smile as much as she did. She didn’t want to embarrass the Treecko for helping her, or make him regret it, but he’d be in for some hugs and thank yous if they both got out of this alive.

Frankly, with Tanis’s help, Meadow was certain they’d both be okay. Meadow herself wasn’t entirely sure how she would be able to contribute, but she would do her best!

Meadow’s courage was brought back when another insult was spewed, and one that did seem to annoy him. Well, annoy him to attack anyway. This time, she would have said something, but in a flash the gecko vanished. Meadow’s heart clenched for a moment, but just as soon as he vanished he reappeared again. Whether or not the Quick Attack made its mark, Meadow didn’t know nor did she care. All she cared about was that the Treecko was still there. Even if he wasn’t there to help her, it was just nice to have him there.

The Treecko faced the Absol with a decisive look. He wasn’t going to allow him to go anywhere near Meadow, she was certain! But Meadow needed to help, too. She was the one in danger, after all, and she wasn’t about to stand there and do nothing. Her foot made her a bit immobile for the moment, so her move Tickle would be useless. At the same time, Tanis was giving the mean Absol a chance to escape, and even if she found the Absol’s actions horrible, she couldn’t bring herself to confuse him with Sweet Kiss.

Meadow didn’t want Tanis to get hurt, so she made a decision of her own. The Pichu moved a few meters forward, though she was rather reluctant to do so. She stanced herself behind Tanis, covering her face for a few moments, before looking up at the cruel Pokemon, widening her eyes in the most endearing way she could. In retrospect, she probably should have tried her Charm attack from the start, but her fear sort of got in the way of thinking clearly, she supposed. Whatever the case, she remained behind her friend, gingerly placing a paw on his back in support as she continued using her Charm attack.

Meadow used Charm!

Tanis couldn't have written the script of his Quick Attack any better. His speed was excellent, his form was flawless and the impact with his tails felt clean and solid. A textbook example of how to perform it in an absolute nutshell. The only real dampener from an otherwise perfect attack, was the true influence of the impact. He felt his tails strike the skin underneath the mane that he swamped his tails in, but the mane itself felt quite thick and appeared to nullify a little of the force that he had implemented behind it. Making the overall damage slightly less than what he had planned. Still, any damage is good damage, so he wasn't going to complain with results that pointed him in the positive direction, in his opinion. He was content with his initial strike, and it proved more than enough of a point to the Absol that he was here to stay and he was going to be a real eyesore for the foreseeable future! His overall stance remained unchanged as he managed to reset it back to how it was before he started his assault. The only real difference was that he was continuing to try and meet the Absol's eyes with his own, a tougher task now that he was up close and all he was getting was more mane than his actual face. He just had to work with what he got, and if that was all he got, he'd simply have to put up with it.

Full props did have to be given to Meadow for attempting to follow Tanis' lead. What he was completely unaware of, was just how much of an impact he was truly having to the one who was moments away from being eaten alive. He didn't use his Quick Attack to try to garner distance between them both, it was a response on his part considering the current situation. He wanted to get close so the majority of his moves were more effective at that range. His move made a most excellent distance closer and initial damage dealer that generated a little more shock value than it likely did damage. Really it more depended on if he hit a weak spot or not for it to be effective in that regard, which he didn't on this occasion. Tanis was unaware of what she had tried to do, with his back to her. This in turn did mean her Charm didn't affect him either, even if he wasn't the target for it. What Tanis did see however, was the Absol eyeing her in much the same way he'd done to himself before he charged in to attack. That turned into a huge problem in Tanis' mind. That means she's drawn attention to herself again, that or whatever this canine was thinking involved her in some manner or another. That was the core worry that he was concerned about diving into battle like that. The Absol's initial interest was on Meadow, while Tanis was a second Pokémon to make cause for concern, Meadow was still the primary target. He could see it as clear as day. Despite his own words and in spite of his initial strike, they were all for naught in that regard. The dark type would not be swayed any more than Tanis would be. That was important information for him to have: If taunting and being a pest wasn't going to work, then his energy could instead be spent on something that would work. His Quick Attack most certainly worked, so attacking him was the best option at this time. That worked for him.

To her credit however, she was doing exactly what Tanis envisioned she was doing, in that she was standing somewhere behind himself. He didn't know where precisely she was, only that she was originally beside him before he took off towards the Absol. While maybe not quite as battle-tuned as the other two Pokémon present, her instincts were right on the money and worked to a tee. This did force the dark type to actually force himself past Tanis himself before he had any opportunity to get to herself. He knew that, and his declaration came as no surprise to Tanis when their eyes locked again. It's all about the hunger again, and Meadow is holding the key. Geez, if whatever she's got is that good, maybe he should see what it is and taste it himself? How good Meadow tastes aside, they both appeared to be ready for whatever Absol opted to throw at them, Tanis especially. He still had zero idea what sort of Pokémon he was dealing with, and no clue what he was capable of. The scythe that was on the Pokémon's head looked like the most pronounced thing about him, which he guessed was one tool at the Pokémon's disposal used for combat. It definitely looked quite sharp and have a lethal wave about it, which in comparison to the sticks that Tanis was using, made them seem more like twigs in comparison. It was a core problem to be sure, but the Absol hadn't utilized it as of yet, so it wasn't as big of a concern than it likely should've been at that particular moment.

... Not that it would last!

Absol's declaration made clear his intent once again. But his actions started off as something opposed to that notion. Of course, Tanis' intervention didn't quite make it as clear-cut as maybe he would've liked. Still, he was determined to claim his prize, and Tanis was equally as determined to keep the prize as far away from his stomach as he was able. Though the reaction wasn't what the grass type was expecting, he was very happy that it was. The Absol made no motion with intent to going after Meadow, instead, he bought the scythe on his head into play and prepared to swing it square at him. It literally came in the form of bearing his head to the left, a momentary pause to brace himself for the impact, and then swinging his head, along with the scythe, in Tanis' path, sweeping the blade towards his right. In his prime position, he had clear vision of what he was doing, he saw the blade swinging and moving, before hurtling towards him like a car speeding and moments away from striking him! He had only a single second to react to it before it reached him. It had to be fast, and it had to be good! While the 'good' part was questionable at best, he performed it as fast as any Pokémon could. It came in the form of instantly changing his stance to greet the incoming blade. He threw his right arm up in the way of the trajectory of the scythe itself, the stick held in that paw pointing sharp-side down towards the ground and formed the basis of the impact he was about to receive. His left foot stretched as far as he could send it to his left side, his right leg bent and pinned into position. His left arm hovered just over his stomach reason, his paw poised in the direction of his right arm, as if waiting for something. With that, he was ready... Or he hoped he was ready!

With a satisfyingly sounding clang, the blade of the Absol met with the forest's own strength as the stick greeted it with such relentless force, it put Tanis' grip on the ground to the test. The initial impact was enough to drag him four inches away from where he was originally standing, his paws dragged along the grass, kicking up dirt and numerous blades of the green stuff as he went. His paw's grip proved a more ultimate matchup to Absol's pushing power, at least on the front of actually getting Tanis to go anywhere other than in his way. This promptly began what Tanis would call a 'Clash', in which two Pokémon pit themselves against each other in attempt to dominate the other in one means or another. In this instance, Absol was attempting to use his blade to get Tanis out of the way, while he was attempting to deflect the attempt and facing the blade head-on. His stick was the prime source of the impact. After impacting with it, Tanis transferred his free paw to the sharper end of the stick, holding it on one of its sides to prevent him from actually stabbing himself. A good number of things became immediately apparent the moment the fight for dominance began. The first was that his stick was bending slightly under the force, which wasn't an initial promising sign, but it was all Tanis had to deflect that scythe, so he had little choice in the matter. The next was just how much trouble he was having actually maintaining a neutral stand-off. He hadn't realized it until this precise moment, but this Absol was quite strong, stronger than he was. The best that he could do was either keeping things as they were, or Absol would gain a touch more ground against him. Tanis gritted his teeth against the pressure as he tried to worm his way out of this matchup. He was losing this little skirmish, and he knew it. So the only real way he was going to win this one was to force the dark type into a mistake and utilizing it to his advantage. That sounded like a good idea in theory, but with the tension of the moment, it was very tough to think of a suitable solution while actually trying to keep things from getting worse for him.

The entire clash lasted a solid five seconds, more one-sided than Tanis was hoping it would be, but he held his ground enough that he was able to keep it going enough to make Absol's initial attempts of getting him out of the way a failure. With the intensity of the situation, and considering both Pokémon weren't going to let the other one win, there was ultimately going to be only one who would come out on top. Also considering that both Pokémon were tenacious enough to not call it quits until the very end, something had to give for it to reach a conclusion. For this particular clash, it was Tanis' stick. Under the sharp blade of Absol's scythe, along with the constant strain that had been placed upon it trying to push the blade back, the stick crumbled under the pressure with a snapping sound that rung in everyone's ears just as cleanly as if it was a bone. Now holding only a third of what was originally a sharp implement, Tanis was left completely powerless against the incoming strike. Moreover, because of the force he was exerting into that stick, the breakage had begun to force him forward and towards the blade itself, unable to stop himself in time. It only took a split second after that moment for Absol to connect with Tanis' right arm, slicing the limb cleanly and pushing him back the way he came like a ragdoll. He could maybe hold his ground well enough, but when his entire body is pushing him backwards and reeling back-first towards the grass, it doesn't really matter how good his paw grip is. Absol's plan worked to perfection, as Tanis was forced to a single-spiral to the Absol's right. He smacked against the ground onto his back, skidding for a single second before the continuing force made him flip over again onto his stomach. This time he was able to stop himself with his lifeline: His paws. Their grip once again proving invaluable in limiting just how far he went.

But for the Absol, it was enough.

Skidding to a stop on all fours, the Absol himself begun a full-on sprint in a direct beeline for Meadow. Tanis couldn't stop him from doing so from his current position, but he realized the folly right away, and quickly took off after him, choosing to ignore the newly opened gash he'd taken just below his right shoulder, and also discarding the now useless stick that he had been holding up until now. The Absol was strong, but also quite fast. If there was one thing Tanis was as well, it was fast! He was a mere two seconds behind the canine, yet with his own full-on sprinting on all four legs, Tanis wasn't losing any ground, but he wasn't catching up either. He knew that he could be much faster however, using his Quick Attack for a good spurt of speed, that would be more than enough to catch him. The difference in this instance, was that Tanis was on the move. It would take a little more time to prepare his body enough to use it in comparison to using it while stationary. He was trying to get it working as quickly as he could do it, tensing his body up in its preparation, but it was too soon, he couldn't do it right now. With him a couple of seconds behind the Absol, who was barrelling towards Meadow, it would be her that would have to stave off whatever he was planning to do, not Tanis. All he needed was just a minor distraction, just a small one of Absol slowing down just a touch, and he'd have him! That's all that was required. Failing that, just a delay of how things currently were, until he could get the speed-influencing Quick Attack under his control and within his influence, he'd have him then as well.

But he was concerned. He knew Meadow's disposition just as much as she did, and likely Absol did as well. She had crumbled when he laid eyes on the situation, would she do so again now that there was nothing between her and the Absol? He was afraid that she would... But this was not the time for her to do that, this was her life they were talking about here, not some random controlled sparring match. This was very much real, and this was a situation that she had to overcome, what 'they' had to overcome. Yet in Tanis' position, there was literally only one thing he could do, and he did it in mid-sprint, because it was all he could think of at that moment. "Meadow... Stand strong... I'm coming!" In between two breaths, he blurted out what could be conceived as something that she was already aware of. But it was hope that had got her to take a stand against the Absol, so he, himself, was hoping that saying that would be enough to give her a little extra push to try something, anything, that would disrupt the Absol just a little bit. The saying 'Give an inch, take a mile' works wonders in this instance. Because of the speed both Pokémon were going, all it would take is Absol to slow down just a little bit for Tanis to recover some ground. Unlike the clash that the canine was victorious, this was a different 'clash' that fell into Tanis' favour. For Absol to accomplish his goal, he had to do some very specific manoeuvring in order to get hold of her. Tanis, meanwhile, had a much more simpler goal in mind: Plough directly into the dark type and cling onto him! For that, he only needed to do one thing, catch up. Until he did that, he simply just needed to stay on toe with him. This gave the Absol the disadvantage.

This also isn't forgetting that Meadow is not an immobile target.

Meadow putting up any kind of resistance would disrupt what the Absol was also trying to do, which also fell into Tanis' advantage. He knew the dark type was aware that he could close the distance, and rapidly. So why he was actually trying this, he wasn't entirely sure. It seemed desperate... Then again, what Tanis was doing could also be construed as desperate. Also, Meadow seemed desperate right from the outset.... This whole entire thing is just one big desperate mess with all sorts of actions and emotions going on. He couldn't speak for the other two Pokémon, but Tanis was pretty angry with both himself, but mostly at Absol. Did he really think he'd be able to get an advantage simply by swatting him away like that? He got a clean path, it's true.. But at what cost? He may not have paid anything for it at the moment, but just wait until Tanis got hold of him again...





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A mistake I commonly make is making my characters 'immortal', so to speak. That said, I really enjoyed making that side-swipe into a clash. Hope you don't mind, I thought it worked rather well. :3 I enjoyed this one immensely. Tanis and anger... A lethal combination.