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It was certainly not atypical for Guy to go wandering out on his own. It gave him some time to think, gather his thoughts, and, if no one else was around, practice with his sword. It had been a while since his last practice, he couldn't help reminding himself. The last time he had even unsheathed it was back then. Back during the Contest... That's right. The last time he used his sword was on another person. On that Luke look-alike. That Asch b*****d. If Guy ever got his hands on that guy again, he would-

But now was not the time for such thoughts! Now was the time for reflection. Now was the time Guy had to relax and think on his own. ...Well, he wasn't completely on his own. He never was. As per usual, Anonymes floated alongside him. Guy's blue eyes glanced over to his Pokemon at his shoulder, and the Ghost seemed to smile back at him. The swordsman smiled back and sighed. That Lampent... It was like he was obsessed with him or something. He never let Guy out of his sight. It wasn't like Guy didn't appreciate his Pokemon's company: quite the opposite, actually. But sometimes, Guy couldn't help but wish that he had another companion with him besides the overly-attached Ghost.

Guy's stroll had led him to the heart of the Camphoreon City park. He quite enjoyed the quiet scenery and tranquil sights the park delivered to its patrons. It helped to clear his mind and senses. He glanced in all directions around him and Anonymes as they walked. Suddenly, a strange form appeared from the peripheries of his vision, which caused him to spin around in confusion. When he turned to face the direction where the odd shape came from, it was gone. He blinked, then slowly continued walking, glancing back behind him to see if he could catch a glimpse of what startled him. It was shaped oddly, colored red and blue, he thought. But... perhaps it was just his imagination? ...Yes. Yes, that must have been it.

As Guy entered a small clearing in the park, he was met with a peculiar, yet welcome, sight. Sitting on a blanket several meters in front of him was the blue-haired woman he had met earlier. She was the one Rosie knew. She was one of the trainers whose Pokemon was stolen. ...What was her name? It was something foreign-sounding... Izumi! That was it. "...Miss Izumi," he called out questioningly to the sitting tattooed woman as he slowly walked out from the trees, Anonymes at his shoulder. "Is that you?"

The nervous stammer from Izumi made Guy question whether or not he should have approached. He completely forgot: she was the nervous one. The very nervous one. Ah well... No use undoing what has already been done. Slowly, very slowly, Guy took one step towards the woman, then another. He held his hands up as a sign of peace and that he meant her no harm. "I was just taking a walk with Anonymes through the park." As the Lampent's name was mentioned, Anon peeked out from behind his master's large collar and stared at the blue-haired woman with wide eyes. After a moment, he waved an arm out to her in a friendly greeting. "I didn't expect to find anyone around here. How are you?" Now that he was here, he might as well make pleasant conversation with her.

- - -

Somewhere, hidden in the bushes, a second pair of eyes watched the humans in the clearing along with the first. A soft, yet menacing growl came from the pair of blue-green eyes as it locked its sights on the male of the two humans. That one... that one had strength. Perhaps enough strength to test...?

"Oh, a picnic, mm? That sounds nice," Guy commented politely. Seemed somewhat strange to be eating a picnic all by oneself... Didn't Izumi have one of her Pokemon about her most of the time...? Guy couldn't exactly remember. "A sandwich? Ah. Yes, thank you very much, I'd love one." As he stepped closer to Izumi, close enough to take the food she offered, he could feel his body unconsciously stiffen. He tried to fight being the uncomfortable sensation and, once he had hold of the sandwich, he quickly backed away from the woman. He knew he shouldn't feel so scared of being close to Izumi - she was one of Miss Rosie's friends, after all - but it wasn't like he could fight it. "Th-thank you," he said again, taking a bite of the food. Mm, peanut-butter.

- - -

A second growl came from the higher pair of eyes as they narrowed and watched the two interacting humans carefully. The eyes glanced downward towards the shorter pair and another growl came, curt and direct. The eyes gravitated back upwards. Only a matter of time... The male human needed to be watched more, observed more. ...Not yet.

"Plants?" The question seemed rather impromptu, and it caught Guy off guard. ...Did he like plants? He figured that he did. He wasn't exactly sure. It wasn't like he was totally passionate about plants or anything like that. That would just be weird. "I... suppose that I like plants well enough. They can be rather... enjoyable." Oh, man, what was he saying? He was sounding like an idiot here! Why couldn't he be better with talking with people, especially women? A fatal flaw of his, it was... He took another bite of his sandwich.

- - -

A sigh came from the higher pair of eyes following the short pair's whine. Really... How ridiculous this was. She was hungry, and he was itching for a fight. ...Why were they waiting, then? The higher pair of eyes rested on the male human's sword at his hip. Perfect. With any luck, this one could put up a fight, and if not, well... Yet another defeat to add to the collection.

With that logic in mind, the beast to which the higher pair of eyes belonged stepped out of the shadows of the undergrowth and revealed itself to be a large blue and red Zoroark. Glowing white symbols ran down the sides of his red mane, and his eyes were narrowed dangerously. His teeth were bared and he stepped towards Guy on all fours, tail lashing.

The sudden appearance of the angry-looking Zoroark made Guy's heart jump for a moment. His blue eyes widened, then lowered as he concentrated on the wild Pokemon. That was the one... That was the creature he saw earlier while he was walking! Was it following him? What did it want...? Was it here to steal some food? No, that couldn't be it. It wasn't focused on the food. It was focused on him. Guy's lips pressed tightly together as he tried to determine the situation. It was a Pokemon... So he should fight it with his own Pokemon, right?

"Anon... Do you think you can take this guy?"

The Lampent, who was staring wide-eyed at the mysterious Pokemon, shook his head nervously. Did... did Master want him to fight? If Master wished it, he would fight, but... Anon didn't think he would win. That Pokemon was scary, and looked mean. It would hurt Anon. Anon would fight for Master, he would fight to the death, if need be, but... He had to be honest. He was scared.

- - -

In fact, the Lampent was in for a stroke of good luck, for the Zoroark did not want to fight him. How dense humans could be. He hoped that the human's lack of comprehension would not hinder his talent in battle. In order to properly convey his message, the Zoroark reared onto his hind legs and stood at his full height. A smirk could be seen on his face as he pantomimed drawing a sword from an imaginary sheath at his hip - much like how Guy would draw his own sword.

Oh yes, the young one would get her food, all right... And he would get his victory.

Out of the corner of his vision, Guy saw Izumi panic and hastily scramble for the nearest tree. What was she doing?! "Miss Izumi! Miss Izumi, what are you doing?! Where are you-"

His shouting was cut off by an angry bark from the Zoroark standing in front on him. What was this human doing?! Didn't he recognize a challenge when he saw one? The Zoroark pantomimed withdrawing a sword once again. Hopefully, the human would get the message.

Guy sighed and looked back to the wild Pokemon. He closed his eyes for a moment, his right hand moving over to grasp the hilt of his sword. "Fine. If you want a fight... I'll give you one." With one quick, fluid motion, the sword was taken from its sheath. The blade glinted against the sunlight in Guy's right hand, and the sheath was gripped tightly in his left. His eyes were lowered in concentration.

"...Don't worry, Miss Izumi. I'll take care of it."

The Zoroark grinned, showing off his white fangs. Finally. It was time to get this started. With a triumphant snarl, the wild Pokemon lunged forward, claws, teeth, and ambitions bared.

Obviously, Guy carried a sword around with him. Some found it to be an oddity, but to him it was just an extension of himself. Rarely did he venture out anywhere without his trust steel. Now, it seemed like that precaution was to pay off, for here was a challenger of his strength, not with Pokemon, but with Guy himself. The thought of it was too good for Guy to pass up.

Guy saw and anticipated the lunge from his opponent and deftly dodged it, stepping quickly to one side and holding up the sword sheath against the Pokemon's claws and fangs. He then swung the blade around to try to parry against the Zoroark, but the transforming Pokemon was too agile. Deftly, the Pokemon slid backwards, then leaped off of his hind paws and slashed his claws downward. Guy somersaulted to the side and landed upright on one knee, breathing heavily. This would be a struggle for him... He was out of practice. He just prayed that the Zoroark wasn't out for blood.

Anonymes watched his master nervously as he fought. It was always so exciting to watch Master. After all, Master was excellent at sword-fighting. But the Zoroark... He was scary. He was talented, too. Perhaps as talented as Master? No! Of course not! Master would win! Anon was sure of it! Master would be the victor! But wait. What was that? Behind Miss Izumi? ...Was it a Pokemon? ...Was it trying to scare her? The nerve! The raw nerve! Anon would stop them! He would save Miss Izumi! With that stirring motivation in mind, the Lampent quickly floated over to the tree, trying to see what was poking around in the undergrowth.