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Underground League

A Public Service

Bunnie stepped hesitantly into the locker room, her ears perked but her movements uncertain. It had been years since she'd last set foot here. Years since she'd even thought about returning to the gym she had first trained at.

All things considered, it was exactly as she remembered it - just a whole lot emptier. And, ah, maybe a little smaller - but she HAD been a teenager back then. An awkward, skinny buneary who hadn't yet bloomed into the full-figured lopunny that she was now. Granted, she was still just a hair shorter than five-foot-nothing, not counting the ears, but puberty had at least made certain that she had grown outward - if not upward.

Honestly, she was sometimes envious of her elder sister's lither, more athletic figure. Not often, granted, but... sometimes.

Bunnie drifted around the room, and out of curiosity she paused near what had once been her locker. It obviously wasn't HER locker anymore, but- ah, darn. Locked. Of course.

The lapine peered around the room again, frowning a little. Wasn't someone supposed to be meeting her here? There had been no one in the lobby, and this room was just as devoid of life. In fact, the only evidence that someone had been here recently was a duffle bag sitting atop one of the benches, and the sound of running water coming from the showers.

She supposed she shouldn't have been surprised. It was, after all, well past the normal hours of operation for the gym - and it was a Saturday night, to boot. Bunnie would have preferred to be almost anywhere else, to be honest, if she'd had any choice in the matter.

The sounds of running water stopped and the door to the showers opened, seemingly without cause. It was a curious sight, but a second later a lilac-furred feline strolled into the room, blindly navigating around benches and between lockers as she dried her face with a towel.

Bunnie quirked a brow, one long ear slanting forward as she cleared her throat. "Um... hello?"

The newcomer paused, the towel lowering and then swiftly wrapping about her waist for the sake of modesty. Her eyes narrowed slightly, a twin-tipped tail swaying with muted agitation.

Larissa frowned, and the espeon made a beeline for the lopunny. "You're late."

Bunnie's eyes widened, a protest bubbling to her lips. "What? No! The judge said six o'clock. It's five fifty!"

The feline sighed, pausing by her bag to root through its contents. "No, he said that we START at six o'clock. You should have been here early enough to get ready."

Bunnie pouted, her arms crossing over her slightly pudgy midsection. "Oh. Um, sorry?"

Lari sighed again, finally coming up with a loose gi. She quickly finished toweling herself off, then flicked the wet towel to one side. The damp cloth flitted through the air like a confused bird, telekinetically guided around lockers and into the nearest hamper. The white uniform was pulled on in its place, and a cloth belt was cinched about the espeon's waist to hold it in place.

The lopunny blinked, waiting patiently. When the espeon was finished dressing, though, she spoke again. "So, um, what-? Ack!" And a rumpled gi slapped her in the face.

Lari smirked, zipping her duffel bag back up. "Change into that, then meet me in gym four. Don't keep us waiting."

Bunnie huffed, rubbing her nose lightly before regarding the outfit. It was almost identical to the one worn by the espeon - simple white pants, and an open gi top, albeit without the belt to hold it shut. "Okay, okay! Sheesh."

Lari's smirk vanished, one fist setting to her hip as she cocked her head. "And stow the attitude, Bunnie. You're not here as a volunteer, you're here because you've got fifty hours of community service to work through."

The lopunny pouted again, her long ears skewed as she slumped a little. "So unfair."

"Please," the espeon snorted. Her forked tail flicked behind her again, lashing the air like a whip. "If you didn't want to be punished, you shouldn't have assaulted that photographer. You're just lucky that the judge went so easy on you, what with it being your first offense and all."

Bunnie hesitated again, her ears drooping. It was true. As a rising star in the increasingly popular Underground League, she was still getting used to dealing with the attention that came with her growing fame. Both she and her sister had been running into paparazzi for the better part of a year now, but this was the first time she had actually lost her temper with one...

"But he was hiding in the women's bathroom..." she protested lamely.

Lari snorted, her tailtips flicking up and over her shoulder to waggle in a vaguely chastising manner. "Right, so you should have called the police and let them sort it out. Instead, you decided to kick him in the balls."

"Yeah, but-"

The espeon continued as if uninterrupted. "Which might have been overlooked, but then you made him eat his film."

Bunnie huffed, stomping one long foot against the ground indignantly. "Oh come on, he was a Murkrow! I'm sure he's eaten worse!"

Lari paused pointedly, then cocked her head to the other side. "And then you kicked him in the balls again while he was on the ground."

"Okay," the lopunny relented. Her fingers fumbled with the buttons on her blouse, her ears skewed wide with dismay. "Fine. So maybe I got a little carried away. But it's not like I did anything permanent!"

The feline eyed her incredulously, "You ruptured one of his testicles!"

Bunnie tried to look somber, but one corner of her mouth curled upward just a tiny bit. "Well yeah, but only 'cuz dark-types are weak to fighting attacks! I was pissed, and I forgot to pull my punches! That's a mistake that anyone could have made!"

She stripped off her top, then set to undoing her jeans. She wasn't wearing anything beneath, but she was hardly abashed by it. If nothing else, her time with the Underground League HAD gotten rid of her sense of modesty. "Besides, the paramedics said they'd probably be able to, like, fix it or whatever..."

Larissa rolled her eyes, drumming the fingers of one hand against her hip impatiently. "Yes, well, he's still going to be shooting blanks for the rest of his life."

"Good," Bunnie grumbled under her breath. She didn't say it loud enough for the feline to hear it, though, because she wasn't eager to be lectured on the subject. As far as she was concerned, the bastard had deserved it for snapping pictures of her while she was on the toilet.

Then, louder, she huffed. "Well I DID say I was sorry..."

The feline chuckled now, her ears twitched forward and bemusement in her tone. "Yes, well, that's why the judge let you off with nothing more than community service. Otherwise, you'd be under house arrest right now."

"Yeah yeah," Bunnie grumbled again as she started pulling on the gi. "Just never thought I'd get in trouble for kickin' a guy in the berries."

Lari smiled again, trying to sound reassuring now. "Look, you just need to learn that there's a time and place for that kind of thing. It's fine when you do it in self defense or during during an official match at a gym or arena."

That gave the lopunny pause, her ears twitching back upright as she glanced sidelong toward the feline. "Well, wait, what about tonight? Am I allowed to kick anyone tonight?"

The espeon laughed, her tail swaying playfully. "What, tonight? Hell yes. These guys all had to sign waivers before they were allowed to attend." And a pause, before she added. "But, uh, just don't hurt anyone unless I tell you to."

Bunnie's muzzle split into a bucktoothed grin, and her head bobbed eagerly. "Yes ma'am!"

Larissa chuckled, half-turning. "Now hurry up and finish getting dressed. They're waiting on us." And with that, the espeon strode out of the locker room.

The lopunny mused, absently wrestling her gi over her amply curved frame. It was a little tight, and the front wouldn't quite close all the way, but if she was just going to be taking it off anyway...

She giggled to herself. Maybe community service wouldn't be so bad after all.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"Let me be the first to thank you for your interest in the Underground League," the espeon boomed. Her voice was soft, but it still somehow echoed through the training arena. "It's brave 'mon like you who have made the Underground League one of the fastest-growing leagues in the world."

She went on, but Theo could barely focus on her words. Honestly, he was too restless - or maybe it was more accurate to say that he was too nervous.

The grovyle fidgeted a bit, absently tugging at the gi wrapped about his body. It was a little too stiff, as if it had been laundered with too much starch, and none of the proportions seemed right. The hole in the back was too narrow and it pinched at the base of his tail every time he moved, and he had inadvertently torn the left sleeve while trying to wrestle gi on over his clawed hand.

Theo glanced around uncertainly as the espeon droned on, nervously scanning the gym for the tenth time in as many minutes. Very little had changed since the last nine times he had looked around.

This area of the gym was dedicated toward providing a small but functional arena space, with rubber mats laid out over lacquered wooden flooring. Retractable bleachers were mounted on the walls, currently folded and unoccupied, and an electronic scoreboard was hanging high on one of the walls. The ceiling was high and arched, jumbled with old speakers, lighting rigs, and thousands of feet worth of tangled wiring. Beyond that, though, there wasn't much to see.

Well, no, that wasn't right. There WERE the other 'mon.

Theo glanced back to the espeon. She had introduced herself as Larissa, and she had spent the past twenty minutes or so lecturing the slowly dwindling group of applicants. She was cute, of course, 'though not exactly the grovyle's type, but if this presentation was intended to foster enthusiasm - it wasn't working very well.

He glanced to either side, briefly checking to see how many of his fellow applicants were left. There had been ten to start, but now it looked closer to six - and honestly, most of them were paying more attention to the lopunny behind the espeon. She, at least, was more interesting than listening to a lecture about the history of the Underground League and the various legal risks and ramifications that came with joining it.

Theo looked to the lapine now. She looked familiar, 'though he couldn't quite place the face. But then again, all lopunny's looked the same for him. He paused, briefly trying to decide if that made him racist or not - and he didn't THINK it did - but his train of thought was promptly derailed as the femme noticed him staring. She grinned, waggled her fingers in a half-wave, and then tossed him a lascivious wink.

The grovyle blushed, quickly averting his gaze. The lopunny was cute too - hot, even. But she also wasn't really his type. Not to say that he couldn't appreciate her long, curved legs or incredibly voluptuous frame, but he had some rather specific tastes. In a world with over six-hundred sapient species, it could be hard to find a girl who met a young 'mon's exact fantasies.

Still... she WAS cute. And hot. And very, very naked.

Oh, sure, the lopunny had been wearing a gi when she had first come in, but she had almost immediately taken it off once things had gotten started. Regardless of her species, that had gotten pretty much every applicant's attention - at least judging from the awkwardly concealed tenting in more than one pair of pants.

Er, not that Theo wanted to think about that. In fact, he was explicitly trying to NOT think about that. Or look at it. He really wasn't comfortable with the idea of being surrounded by other guys with erections, and doubly so when he was trying to cover up an erection of his own.

He fidgeted again, trying to focus on the espeon's words again - anything to distract him. He had already zoned out for half of her lecture, but it looked like she was still moving at full verbal momentum.

"Sex and violence," Larissa purred. "Those are the pillars upon which the Underground League is founded. In the early years it was just like any other league, with the exception that all combatants were nude, but in more recent years the Underground League has... evolved."

"As I'm sure anyone who's ever watched one of our matches can tell you, these days the League tends to revolve around two distinct themes." The espeon paused, scanning across the faces of the assembled 'mon before she continued. "The sex part is obvious, but the other-"

"Um, how long do we have to stay to get paid?"

Larissa paused again, thrown off by the sudden interruption. She frowned a little, her eyes flitting back across the applicants to pick out the one that had spoken. It was a weedy looking persian at the end of the line.

She sighed. "Excuse me?"

The persian glanced at the other applicants, then shrugged nervously. His ill-fitting gi almost slid off of his thin shoulders, and he quickly tugged it back into place. "Uh, the two-thousand pokebucks? The ads said that, like, we'd get that just for signing up?"

Larissa's ear twitched slightly, her tail flicking slightly as she tried to suppress her irritation. "Yes, well, you'll be receiving that check once you've sat through the presentation, sparred with our volunteer Leaguer, and officially signed up to participate in the Underground League as a first-tier combatant."

The persian skewed an ear, glancing past the espeon and at the 'volunteer' in question. "Wait, uh, we have to fight HER? Isn't that Bunnie Barrett, the third-tier fighter that was just in the news for castrating some reporter in a barfight?"

Lari blinked, glancing back over her shoulder toward Bunnie. The Lopunny beamed, bouncing a little in place as she was acknowledged. She didn't LOOK very dangerous, but then again anyone who had ever watched one of her fights probably knew better.

"Ah, yes, well..." Larissa looked back to the persian. "That's not exactly what happened - and obviously she'll be holding back, so there's no need to-"

The persian held one hand up, stepping out of line. "Uh, yeah, pass."

Larissa frowned again, eying the persian as he moved toward the door. She made no move to stop him, though. Instead she turned back to the remaining males - there were five now. Over half of the original group had now dropped out. She rolled her eyes, then decided to forgo the rest of her carefully crafted introduction.

"Okay," the espeon sighed. "Look. Just to make it clear - if you fight in the Underground League, you WILL be hit in the genitals. You will be hit there very hard and very often. I don't care how good you think you are at fighting, it's going to happen sooner or later. Sixty-three percent of all male combatants in the Underground League lose at least one testicle, so if you don't think you can handle that then you should probably leave now."

The rest of the applicants murmured and grumbled, and after a moment two more left. Aside from Theo, the only two left were a mightyena and a tauros.

Larissa rubbed her forehead as if trying to stave off a headache, but she bounced back quickly. "Right. Well, feel free to mingle for a moment while I take care of some quick paperwork." And with that the espeon drifted away, moving to talk with an audino in a nurse's cap.

Theo glanced sidelong to the mightyena standing next to him. He was a good ten inches taller than the grovyle, and more than a little intimidating. The canine had the grizzled look of a street fighter about him, a prominent silver fang, and an ugly scar that traced over his right eye. He was wearing an outfit that was almost identical to the one Theo had on, only the 'yena's seemed to actually fit.

"Hey," the grovyle murmured uncertainly. "I'm Theo."

The mightyena didn't even look at him, instead snarling. "Don't care. Mind yer own business."

Theo balked, then glanced to his other side instead. A tauros stood there, even taller than the 'yena, and doubly intimidating. The gecko sighed, running his clawed fingers through the leafy plumage he had in place of hair.

Well, intimidating or not, he should at least try to be friendly.

"Uh," he smiled weakly. "Hey, I'm Theo."

The bull-like 'mon glanced down at the gecko, then grinned. "Hey, nice t'meet ya, Theo. Name's Dakota."

The grovyle perked a bit, but both 'mon remained silent for a long moment as they waited. Finally, Theo spoke up again. "So, uh, is this your first time?"

Dakota glanced back down to the gecko, his grin turning into a faint smirk. "Sure is, but I've been trainin' for this kind'a thing all my life."

Theo blinked. "For, uh... really?"

The tauros laughed, the bellowing sound booming across the gym and echoing off the walls. Grinning again, he nodded slightly toward the much shorter 'mon. "Got five sisters."

Theo snorted slightly, but he couldn't help but mirror the bull's grin. He had an older sister too - one who had already found fame and fortune in the Underground League. "Yeah, okay. I can understand that."

The grovyle fell silent again as Larissa moved back toward the group. The espeon was holding a clipboard now, and she had donned a pair of thin-framed reading glasses.

"Right," Larissa mused as she drifted to a halt, her eyes fixed on the clipboard. "Well, at least a few of you have the balls to stick around. I was beginning to think that this might have been a colossal waste of time."

"Hm, alright..." the espeon paused, her glowing eyes flitting across the page. "First thing's first. Dakota South?"

The tauros blinked, glanced to either side, and then raised one hand. "Uh, here? I mean, uh, present 'nd accounted for?"

Larissa's eyes glanced upward, briefly scanning the large male's form, before promptly returning to the clipboard. She nimbly plucked a pen from one of her sleeves, and deftly marked a check next to the bull's name. Her voice boomed unnaturally once more. "Kuro Zasshu?"

The mightyena grunted now, his head inclining slightly.

One brow arched, Lari glanced to the canine. Her wrist flicked again, another check scoring the page. "I'll just assume that means 'present'."

The espeon paused abruptly, tapping her pen against the clipboard thoughtfully. "Wait, that name sounds familiar. I know you..."

Kuro said nothing. He just crossed his arms, drawing himself up in what was no doubt intended to be an imposing stance.

Larissa smiled faintly, gesturing toward mightyena with her pen now. "Right, you're 'The Black Dog'. Don't you normally fight in the bloodsport leagues? We don't usually see your type over here in the Underground League. Why are you making the switch?"

The mightyena's head inclined again in slight acknowledgement. "The money here is better," he grunted. His eyes flicked to the lopunny standing behind Larissa, and he snorted in open derision. "And the fights are easier."

That gave the espeon pause, but she quickly recovered. The faintest frown worked onto her lilac-furred muzzle, and she looked back to her clipboard. The Underground League generally attracted an odd assortment of male combatants - masochists, bigots, and greedy 'mon chief among them. It had only taken roughly ten seconds for Larissa to decide which category the mightyena fell into.

"Hrn," she grunted. "Ah... Theodric Waldman?"

The grovyle started, jumping a little as if he were somehow surprised to hear his own name. He fumbled with his response for a moment. One deep breath, and his clawed hand shot skyward as if he were still in high school. "Here! Present! I, uh, but Theo is fine. I mean, er, instead of Theodric. Because-"

Larissa smiled ever so faintly, the grovyle's fumbling enthusiasm curbing her irritation. It was almost cute - 'though the plant-lizard wasn't exactly her type. Still, cute was cute. She paused, though, her brow furrowed a little. She had marked off all of the applicants who had left early, but there was still one name left on the sign-up sheet. "Ah, Wings? Wings Akimbo?"

The espeon arched a brow, looking back to the group. No, there were still only three 'mon present. One ear skewed, her tail curling into a double-tipped question mark as she moved to cross of the name. "Hn, Wings Akimbo. Doesn't even sound like a real name."

"Yo."

Lari looked back up, clipboard lowered as she glanced about. The voice was seemingly without source, and from the puzzled expressions it was obvious that the feline wasn't the only one confused by this occurrence.

"Up here!"

Every 'mon present peered upward, and a leering zubat waved back down at them. She was a sight, all sleep purple fur and rounded curves - so voluptuous that it was a wonder she could keep herself dangling upside-down from the arena's lighting rig, and doubly so that she had even gotten up there in the first place. Unlike the others, she wasn't in a fighting gi - just a vest, tubetop, cut-off jeans, and a bandanna pulled so low that it completely obscured her eyes. Er, assuming she had eyes in the first place.

Lari seemed a bit dismayed, one ear cocking quizzically. "You're a girl."

The zubat paused, then tilted her head downward - er, upward? Her arms unfolded, the thin wing membranes fluttering slightly as she set her hands to her heavy chest. It was obvious enough that she was female, even with everything packed so tightly to keep her breasts from hanging down into her face. She gave her chest a lewd squeeze, her long tongue flicking out past pointed fangs.

"Like, duh?"

Larissa sighed, and with a thought she hovered off of the ground and flitted through thin air until she was eye-to-bandanna with the she-bat. "We're only doing tryouts for the male applicants tonight. Female applicants will be processed next weekend."

"Oh," the zubat's lips pursed slightly, but just as quickly she was grinning again. "That's cool. I just wanted ta watch, anyway."

The espeon stifled a frustrated groan, one hand pressed to her forehead as she resisted the urge to snap at the 'bat. "This isn't open for public viewing. You can't just-"

Wings pouted, her winged arms folding again as she went from amused to sulking in a split second. "Aw, but Bunnie said I could come!"

At the mention of her name, the lopunny bounced a bit. She had already been practically vibrating for the past few moments, obviously doing her utmost to keep quiet while the espeon and the zubat talked, but apparently she could hold her tongue no longer. She practically squealed, one large paw waving enthusiastically. "Hi Kimbo! Hey! Hiiii!"

The zubat beamed again, her long ears twitching a bit as if she were trying to wave with them. "Hey! 'Sup, slut?"

Larissa did groan this time, long and loud. Drifting back downward, she landed lightly next to the ecstatic lapine. "Of course. You two know each other. Why wouldn't you?"

Bunnie bounced again, her handpaws waving back and forth in perpetual motion. Not that Theo or the others were complaining, of course, since a truly excessive amount of jiggling was involved. "Yeah, she's my bestie! I told her she could come and watch, so-" And she paused, as if it was only now occurring to her that this might not be appropriate. "Wait, uh, is that okay?"

The espeon paused, then finally uttered one last sigh. By all rights Lari should have immediately ejected the zubat, and possibly the lopunny as well, but then she'd have to reschedule the entire tryout. And honestly, she didn't want to spend more time in Saffron City than absolutely necessary.

"Fine," she grumbled. "As long as your 'friend' can keep quiet and stay out of the way."

Bunnie perked. "Oh, she can! She totally can! Right, Kimbo?"

"I'm a ghost!" The zubat announced, very matter-of-factly. And with surprising grace and speed, she folded her entire body upward, her clawed hands grasping for handholds before she pulled herself atop the lighting rig. Scampering out of sight, she settled into the deepest shadows like some curvacious gargoyle. "See? Invisible!"

Larissa eyed the shadowed ceiling for a moment longer, before finally turning her baleful gaze back to the applicants. She cleared her throat, wiped the frown off of her muzzle, and instantly settled back into the professional faux-enthusiasm that was expected of her.

"Right, so, let's get started." She forced herself to smile - although really, she didn't have to try very hard. This was the part of the tryouts that she always looked forward to the most. "You three, take off your clothes."

Kuro immediately set to stripping himself down, and Dakota only hesitated for a split second before he followed suit. Only Theo truly balked, blushing so hard that his leafy green scales took on a more purplish hue.

"What!?" He protested. "Why!?"

Lari arched a brow, but she offered a very sincere smile. "Theo, every battle in the Underground League is fought in the nude. If you can't go nude in front of a half-dozen 'mon, you won't stand a chance in front of fifty-thousand screaming fans."

Theo hesitated for a few seconds longer, and the espeon leaned in. One lilac-furred hand set to the grovyle's shoulder, and Larissa purred. "Look, Theo, you seem like a nice guy. The Underground League might not really be a good fit for you. If you want to call it quits, no one will think any less of you for it."

A voice drifted down from overhead, "I will!"

Larissa hissed, shooting a glare toward the ceiling. "Shut up."

"Sorry!" Came the unconvincing response.

Theo steeled himself, his clawed hands worrying at his knotted belt. "Er, no. I'm fine, uh, just... give me a second here-"

He struggled with his ill-fitting gi for a moment, but it was an uphill struggle. His claws and leaves caught on every bit of fabric, and his clumsy fingers struggled with the tightly knotted belt - and finally the espeon came to his rescue. Telekinetic fingers, invisible but still quite real, gripped firmly at the edges of his garb and guided the fabric carefully over the more angular parts of his anatomy.

His top came off first, the sleeves billowing out to slide over the sharp-edged leaves that draped from his wrists, and the slender grovyle blushed some as he was left bare-chested. He wasn't exactly muscular, but he was at least slender and athletically toned. As those invisible fingers tugged at the hem of his pants, though, he blushed anew as he was suddenly assailed by second thoughts.

"N-no, wait!"

And down they went, before his claws could snag at the retreating garment. The white cloth pooled around his thick ankles, tangling against the much heavier talons that graced his toes. Blushing so deep that he almost feeled light-headed, the grovyle's hands shot downward to awkwardly cover his now exposed - and still very erect - manhood. A wolf-whistle drifted from overhead, and that just made him blush even harder.

"Tch," Larissa clucked her tongue. She was standing in front of the lizard now, and with a gesture she telekinetically brushed both of the male's hands out of the way. "Hands at your sides, please."

The espeon waited for a moment, until the grovyle stopped trying to resist the psychic pull at his wrists. Once he seemed content to keep his hands at his sides as she had instructed, the feline smiled and leaned in to briefly inspect his goods. Those invisible fingers brushed against his most tender scales unseen, as if to telekinetically stroke along his length and cup at his heavy plums.

"Hm," Larissa murmured to herself thoughtfully. The grovyle was average in length, just over six inches, but his balls were a bit more impressive. The seedpods were easily the size of ripe plums, rather befitting of the grovyle's plant-like nature. "Not bad. Decently sized. I think you'll do just fine in the league."

Her gaze flitted back up to the lizard's face, and she suppressed a chuckle. Honestly, it looked like the poor 'mon was about to pass out on the spot. Obviously he was inexperienced with more than just the Underground League, but that wouldn't last. Not if he insisted on staying the course.

She slipped past Theo, turning her attention to the mightyena. He was similarly proportioned to the grovyle despite his greater mass, 'though his length was slightly greater and his pair slightly smaller. Larissa only gave them the briefest inspection, loath to give the canine any gratification. "Hn, passable."

Kuro snorted, his lip curling slightly, but he didn't say anything. Larissa quickly moved on.

The espeon moved in front of the tauros now, and she couldn't help but smile as the massive male tensed a little. Predictably, the bull-like 'mon was more amply sized - almost to the comical extreme. The male stood almost seven feet tall and four feet wide, yet somehow his endowments still seemed excessive.

Larissa flicked her tongue lightly over her lips, her ears twitching forward as she reached outward with her mind. Telekinetic fingers traced lightly along the contours of Dakota's smooth length, measuring it from base to tip, before gripping softly about it to check it's girth. It was... impressive. Impractical, perhaps - something like that would do some serious damage to a girl her size. But still, it was impressive nonetheless.

Unable to resist the urge, she twitched one ear back, those invisible hands giving the male's length an experimental tug. The bull grunted in response, his eyes flicking half-shut. Smiling faintly, the espeon quickly abandoned her mental grip, and her attention instead drifted lower.

"Hnn," Larissa grunted approvingly. Those telekinetic fingers cupped beneath the tauros's grapefruit-sized orbs, and the bull gasped now. Apparently they were very sensitive, which was hardly surprising given their size. But then again, that wasn't necessarily a good thing for an aspiring fighter in the Underground League. "Dakota, you're either going to do very well in the league, or very badly. Still, I think you'll be popular either way."

Dakota managed a half-grin, just a little breathless. "Thank you, ma'am."

The espeon chuckled softly, stepping back now. Padding several feet distant, she moved to the edge of one of the padded fighting mats. One finger crooked to beckon the other 'mon after her, and they all followed.

"Alright, now we're going to have each of you spar against Bunnie here," Larissa purred soothingly. This was the point where most applicants got cold feet, so she had long since learned to tread lightly. "This will give me an idea of your fighting abilities, and give you an idea of what the Underground League is all about."

Kuro perked almost imperceptibly, his weight rocking forward from his heels to his toes as he readied himself. It was obvious that he was just waiting for the opportunity to volunteer, and doubly obvious that he was eager to pit himself against the soft-looking little lopunny.

Larissa's ear twitched slightly, and she stepped right past him. A smile still on her muzzle, she gestured to the tauros instead. "Dakota, why don't you go first?"

The tauros seemed a little surprised, but he stepped forward obligingly. Bunnie had already moved onto one end of the wide mat, and the bull-like 'mon moved to the side opposite from her. It was only as he looked down at the much shorter femme that he suddenly seemed hesitant. He had a height advantage of at least twenty inches on her, and weighed in at least a hundred pounds heavier.

"Uh," Dakota glanced back toward Larissa. "I dunno if I'm really comfortable with this, ma'am. I mean, I ain't sexist or nothin', but this don't really look like a fair fight."

Lari simply smiled sweetly, looking to the lopunny now. "Bunnie? Do you think this looks like a fair fight?"

And Bunnie offered a bucktoothed grin in response, her gaze dipping low. "With targets that big? Hell no!"

The espeon laughed politely, an ear twitching as she gave the tauros a reassuring psychic pat on the shoulder. "Bunnie here is a third-tier combatant in the Underground League. She's fought in, ah, thirty matches?"

Bunnie stuck her cute little tongue out, waggling the pink tip playfully as she bounced again. It was a distracting move, and from the look on the bull's face it was also a very effective one. "Thirty-two! With twenty-five wins!"

Lari nodded, looking back to the tauros. "So give it your all. But, ah... don't worry. She'll go easy on you."

The lopunny almost pouted at that, but the espeon shot her a steely look. Both of the feline's ears twitched forward, and she made a brief telepathic connection with the sulking lapine. "You heard me. Go easy on him, Bunnie. I've got a hunch about this one."

Bunnie rolled her eyes, but she still nodded a slight acknowledgement. She bounced again, this time sliding her weight to her toes as she started to limber herself up. Size advantage or not, she wasn't all that worried. Some of her easiest wins had come from her matches against 'mon twice her size.

Dakota glanced to Bunnie, then back to Larissa. The espeon gave him another reassuring nod, and the tauros finally sighed and moved in. He still didn't think it looked like a fair fight, but what the hell. The only other option was to back down, and that just seemed silly given the circumstances.

"Sorry 'bout this," he murmured apologetically, and he closed in on the bouncing Bunnie.

The lopunny was suddenly alert, her ears perked and her cream-furred fingers curled into loose fists. Her legs tensed, and she bounced lightly on her thick toes slowly, ready to duck and roll at a second's notice. Of course, it still served as a prime distraction, and given that the tauros was still sporting an erection so thick that it could be used as a club, she had to assume it was working.

Dakota kept his distance for a few seconds, but it quickly became obvious that the lapine was waiting for him to make the first move. Drawing in a deep breath, he dug his hooves against the mat and lashed out with one brawny arm. It was a powerful swing, one that would easily topple a vending machine or smash a door off of its hinges, but it was also slow and predictable. For someone of Bunnie's speed, it almost gave her time to yawn before reacting.

The lapine waited until literally the last split second, then darted low - the bull's flailing limb just barely brushing the very tips of her long ears. Her broad feet pattered against the cushioned floor, her curved body twisting neatly past the bull's guard, and she sprang upright again once she was behind him.

She beamed, one hand slapping to her cocked hip as she beamed. "Missed me!"

Dakota gaped, stumbling a bit as his fist swung through the empty space where the lopunny had just been standing. He stumbled a bit, his aimless momentum dragging him forward a few awkward steps before he caught himself. His hooves gouged back into the mat, and he twisted again - this time lashing backward in a powerful but clumsy backfist.

"Whoop!" Bunnie ducked low again, her hands slapping against the mat as she tucked and rolled well below the strike. She flipped back onto her feet a second later, behind the tauros again before he had even finished twisting about. One hand lashed outward, and she gave the male a playful but firm slap across his muscular flank. "Missed again!"

The male stumbled again, taking several more awkward steps before he again caught himself. He grunted faintly, his complexion darkening as he tried to spin back about in a vain effort to keep up with the swift little lopunny. He wasn't getting angry, but he was certainly getting frustrated. His height advantage was working against him now - the female's shorter stature was just making it that much easier for her to duck his punches.

Dakota grunted, his brow furrowed as he quickly rethought his approach. He had trained of course, but punching bags never dodged, and his physique was so intimidating that he rarely ended up fighting live opponents. He thought back to the many times he had sparred with his sisters, and changed his tactics.

The tauros finished turning about, again facing the lopunny, but this time he slowly began to circle her. The lapine seemed particularly unconcerned and held her ground, even as Dakota slowly worked his way behind her. It was almost TOO easy for him to work his way into position, but the bull didn't give it a second thought.

His leg lashed out in a powerful forward-kick, aimed at the back of the lopunny's legs. As he had predicted, she almost immediately launched herself up and over his clumsy blow. The second she was airborne, though, he jerked his leg back down and lunged forward. If he could just catch the nimble little lapine while she was airborne he could grapple her to the ground, and then he would have a distinct advantage.

Still, he didn't want to actually crush her. He almost subconsciously pulled back his weight a little as he crashed into her, but his considerable bulk was still enough to drive her downward as he flung his meaty arms about her body.

"Eep!" Bunnie squealed as she suddenly found herself being grappled from behind. Her legs lashed downward again, her heels bracing against the mat and her legs straining as Dakota lurched forward against her shoulders. Her legs were powerful, but she knew full well that she was just seconds from finding herself pinned beneath a quarter-ton of beef. That meant it was time to stop playing around.

Her body rocked to one side, her weight settling against one heel to free up her other leg. Almost without thinking, her foot jerked backward, her thick heel instinctively planting itself against the male's crotch with a meaty 'smack' of flesh-on-flesh. She hardly even had to aim, really - the bull's oysters were massive, and his left ball took the brunt of the kick.

"Guh," he grunted, almost sounding more surprised than pained. A split second later that changed, as he groaned instead. Dakota lurched forward even harder, almost burying the lopunny under his muscular bulk, but she managed to just barely squirm free before his muzzle planted against the mat. One massive hand cradled his stricken sac, the other slapping against the ground as he coughed breathlessly. "Oh, Arceus!"

Bunnie hopped back onto her feet, scampering several steps away until she was standing at the edge of the mat. Her haste seemed needless, though, because the tauros was still on his hands and knees.

Larissa leaned in, already at the lopunny's side. Her voice was low, and her tone slightly irritated. "Bunnie, I told you to go easy on him!"

"I did!" The lapine protested in return. "That was barely half-strength!"

The espeon paused, then sighed. Well, that confirmed her suspicions. Sisters or not, it was obvious that any women the tauros had fought in the past had clearly gone easy on him. And, of course, those sensitive balls were more of a liability than an asset in the arena. She circled around the mat until she was near the groaning male.

"Dakota?" She purred soothingly. "Would you, ah... like to bow out?"

The tauros drew in a deep breath, doing his utmost to stifle another groan. At the espeon's query, though, he forced himself back upright with slow and laborious motions. It took a long moment, but he finally worked his way back onto his hooves. "Ngh... n-... nah, that just... hf... caught me off-guard. I'm, hh... good t'go fer another round."

Lari's head cocked slightly, her expression openly skeptical. But she wasn't going to argue. She shrugged, then slipped away from the mat again. Once she was at a safe distance, she nodded toward the lopunny.

And Bunnie closed back in almost instantly. The lapine's steps were light despite her top-heavy frame, and she abruptly reversed direction as the tauros predictably lashed out at her face. Stopping just out of his reach, her own arms flicked upward to catch the bull's fist, almost casually pulling him forward and even further off-balance.

Dakota lurched forward, this time unintentionally, and he stepped right into the lopunny's headbutt. The solid bone of her forehead briefly competed with the soft cartilage in his nose, and the bull uttered a shrill bellow of pain as he jerked his head backward again. As he struggled to pull away the femme just smirked, yanking hard on his arm again to halt his awkward retreat - and this time her knee jerked upward into his already aching crotch. She tempered her blow even more this time, but the momentum was still sufficient to drive her broad kneecap firmly into the bull's soft, bloated orbs until they squashed out grossly against his tensed thighs.

The male's pained cry lilted upward now to an almost girlish pitch, and his hooves dug into the mat as he instinctively redoubled his efforts to pull back from this new source of pain - and Bunnie 'helped' him by replanting her heels against the mat, slapping her palms against his broad chest, and shoving as hard as she could. Dakota toppled backward, his arms pinwheeling wildly before he crashed thunderously to the ground.

The male sprawled out on his back now, his eyes closed to slits as he coughed and groaned. One hand clutched at his bloodied nose but the other predictably dipped to his crotch, his thick fingers curling defensively over his aching oysters. The lopunny and espeon both waited a moment, but this time the tauros made no effort to rise.

Larissa cleared her throat, her ears perked as she tried to take on a very matter-of-fact tone. "Being big or strong isn't always an advantage in the Underground League. Most of the smaller female combatants have spent years learning to use their size and speed to their advantage. There's no 'fighting fair' here. They'll go for any weakness they think they can exploit, and..."

She glanced back to the fallen bull, almost looking apologetic as she murmured. "Once they have the advantage, they press it until their opponent folds."

Bunnie peered blankly, but a split second later acknowledgement washed over her fuzzy features. She stepped forward eagerly, skipping over her groaning opponent's hooves as she took up a position between his legs. His balls were far too plump to let him protect them just by squeezing his thighs together, and his hand was nowhere near large enough to protect them both at once.

The lopunny briefly took stock of things, before she fixated on one opening in particular. Her paws slapped to either side of the bull's still-rigid cock, and one foot lifted - her thick toes jabbing right past the male's woefully inadequate defense and onto his right gonad. She pulled hard on the throbbing member in her grip, simultaneously grinding the ball of her foot downward onto Dakota's plush egg - and she marveled at how easily the heavy organ flattened out against the mat. It was very much like stomping down onto a piece of overripe fruit, and she couldn't help but wonder if the cushioned mat was the only thing keeping the teste from being crushed entirely out of shape.

Dakota's jaw dropped, his eyes bulging almost absurdly as if they were ready to explode from their sockets. Both of his hands wrapped around the female's leg now, gripping tight against her shapely calf, but it was far too late to make any difference. Agony was coursing through his powerful body, and nausea was sapping at his strength. His every effort to remove that firmly planted foot just made things worse, inadvertently 'helping' her grind his pinned calfmaker against the ground.

The male's jaw worked, his guttural moan quickly spiking upward in pitch more and more with each passing second, until he was mewling in a shrill and breathless soprano. This treatment persisted for several painfully long seconds, the firm grind of her thick toepads slowly coaxing a steady drool of impotent spunk from the bull's reddened length, and the seed quickly slicked over the lapine's fingers.

With a slick "POP" she suddenly lost her grip on her only pawhold, and Dakota's distorted 'nad sloshed underfoot as the lopunny's footing shot out from beneath her. Bunnie squealed, tripping backward over the bull's twitching legs, and she fell heavily onto her well-padded rump.

Dakota wasted no time, heaving himself onto his side before curling halfway into the fetal position. Both hands cradled against his stricken pair, and he practically whimpered as he drooled against the mat.

Bunnie huffed, blushing a little as she pushed herself back upright. She shook her hands a bit, trying to flick the thick coating of addled sperm from her fingers, before finally resorting to just wiping them against her plush thighs. Peeking down at the twitching and squirming tauros, she perked her ears. "So, hey! Like, uh, d'you give up and stuff? Normally guys tap out about now. Or, y'know, they pass out."

The bull just coughed, his head jerking wordlessly. He couldn't find the voice for it, but apparently he was trying to very emphatically surrendered.

Larissa glanced toward the door, putting out a firm psychic signal, and a slim audino in a nurse's cap and blouse hustled into the arena. The espeon gestured downward toward the fallen tauros, and the nurse quickly moved to tend to him.

Looking back to the remaining applicants, the feline smiled sweetly. "Alright, let's move to the next mat and try again. Who'd like to go next?"

Theo blanched a bit, his leafy scales going almost white as he fumbled with some incoherent protest or another. Thankfully, the mightyena almost immediately stepped past him.

"Me," Kuro growled. "I'll go next."

The espeon cocked her head slightly to the other side, her ears twitching forward as she tried to look innocent. "Oh? Are you sure? She took down Dakota pretty easily, and he was almost a foot taller than you are."

The mightyena snarled, stepping past the feline. Without waiting for further instruction, he stepped up onto the mat, squaring off with the grinning lopunny. "Please, the bull was clumsy and stupid. He fell for tricks so obvious that even a pup would see through them."

Kuro cracked his knuckles audibly, his eyes narrowed as he studied his foe. "I am a warrior, and I will not be bested by a woman." He practically sneered the last word, as if it were a vile slur.

Larissa rolled her eyes, 'though she was careful to do it only after the mightyena's attention was turned toward the lopunny. "Oh, well, when you put it THAT way..." Her ear twitched forward, a telepathic link briefly established with Bunnie once more. "No playing around with this one. I want you to DESTROY him."

The lopunny arched a brow, her own long ears twitching toward the espeon in turn. She couldn't beam a psychic message back at the feline, but her question was obvious given her puzzled expression.

Lari sighed, sticking her tongue out a little as she quickly shot a telepathic addendum at the lapine. "No, I don't mean you should castrate him. Ah, not on purpose, anyway, but if it happens it happens. Just take him down hard and fast, and DON'T underestimate him. He's dangerous."

Bunnie bobbed her head slightly, then looked back to the mightyena. He was waiting impatiently for the sparring match to begin.

Once the espeon was sure that Bunnie was ready, she gestured with one clawed finger. "Okay, fight."

Kuro was already moving before Larissa had even finished uttering the word, and he lashed out with one clawed hand. It was a cheap shot, and clearly an attack intended to maim or kill, but the lopunny somehow saw it coming. Her powerful legs coiled and launched in the span of a single breath, and she vaulted over the swiping claws, her leg lashing out with impossible speed. Her heel crushed into one side of the mightyena's muzzle, snapping his head about in a spray of blood and spit, and one silver fang went flipping through the air so quickly that it embedded into the wall like a bullet.

The canine staggered back, but he recovered with alarming swiftness. His arm rose, one hand wiping blood away from his split lip, and he cautiously circled the lopunny. "Hrn... fast. Try that again."

Bunnie circled in turn, panting just slightly. Even as fast as she was, she had only just barely beaten the mightyena to the punch. He really WAS dangerous. If anything, Larissa had understated that fact, so the lopunny certainly wasn't going to take any chances. Her normal good humor had vanished, and the lapine suddenly felt an awful lot like her older, meaner sister. "After you, you son of a bitch."

Lari frowned, watching the two pokemorphs as they slowly circled each other. Clearing her throat, she spoke loudly. "Remember, the Underground League is NOT one of the bloodsport leagues. Bruises and broken bones happen, but lethal attacks are strictly forbidden."

Kuro snorted derisively, his tongue playing over the bloody gap where his silver tooth had been. Still, he did shift his stance slightly, and his hands curled slightly to turn his claws inward. They weren't quite fists, but the gesture at least made it clear that he had acknowledged the espeon's words.

The 'yena seemed hesitant to approach now, and after a long moment of wary circling it became obvious that he was no waiting for the lopunny to make the first move. A thousand possible avenues of attack flitted through Bunnie's brain, but she discarded them one by one. Normally she would just bat her eyes, jiggle in all the right places, and her opponent would be distracted enough to give her a good opening - but somehow she doubted that it would work this time.

Finally, she opted to go simple. Bunnie drew in a deep breath, her already ample chest puffing out even further, and as she exhaled she abruptly kicked off against the ground and streaked to the left. And the right. And forward. And almost imperceptibly, one stepped backward. Her curved frame shimmered slightly, then split off in four different directions.

Kuro grunted now, drawing back slightly as he found himself surrounded. It was hardly the first time he'd seen someone use the substitute technique, but it was easily one of the smoothest executions he had ever witnessed. His breath caught in his throat, and the mightyena's head jerked from one side to the other. The mat was only so large, and there were three flickering images approaching.

But he refused to panic, and instead he calmly took a step back. The first lopunny, the one that had streaked straight toward him, came within arms reach. He lashed out a hand, viciously slashing through the ephemeral form. It vanished, and the canine almost literally spit out a curse.

He instinctively took another step back, twisting now as he tried to keep tabs on the smirking lapines that were now flanking him. Their movements were mirrored perfectly, making it impossible to tell which one might be real, so the 'yena took a chance. His lithe frame rippled, his entire body twisting about as he lashed a heel-kick through one of the figures as it passed him on the left. Again, it flickered out of existence, and the third smirking lopunny streaked past him on the right.

Koru spun the rest of the way about, an inarticulate snarl welling up at the back of his throat. It was frustrating, of course, but he forced himself to focus. His clawed fingers flexed, gripping at nothingness, and somehow drew thin ribbons of pure darkness from the air. In just a scant second he had formed a ball of inky-black shadowstuff, and he pitched it outward to neatly intercept the last of the lightning-fast images.

He paused, frowning a little as it vanished without a sound. Through simple process of elimination he should have hit the lopunny by now. There had been three images, and he had picked them off one by one, but-

His eyes abruptly widened, his ears shooting upright as realization suddenly dawned. There hadn't been three images - there had been four. There had been the one that had barely moved - the one that he currently had his back to.

His heel braced against the mat as he tried to pivot back around, but he knew it was already too late. It had been such a basic trick, and yet he had still fallen for it like a first-year novice. He was barely halfway about before the actual lopunny was upon him.

The arch of Bunnie's left foot kicked soundly into the back of Kuro's planted leg, and the limb folded sharply. The mightyena yelped, his knee hitting the mat hard as his leg buckled beneath him, and a split second later the surprisingly lithe lopunny was at his other side. Her leg jerked upward, her knee slamming into his side just below his ribs, and pain shot through the canine's kidney.

Kuro gasped harshly, his hands slapping against the mat hard enough to gouge his clawed fingertips halfway through the cushioning. It took everything he had to keep himself from collapsing on the spot - it really HAD been a vicious blow, and the lopunny's legs were surprisingly powerful, but his adrenaline surged and he quickly managed to lurch himself upward again.

The instant he had recovered his footing, Bunnie struck again. She knew that the 'yena was already disoriented and winded, and she wasn't about to let up. Her hips pivoted, her toes spreading wide as she braced herself against the mat, and her entire body twisted as she launched a dizzying uppercut right into the canine's gaping jaw.

Kuro's muzzle snapped shut so hard that he nearly bit the tip of his tongue off, with enough force left over to jerk his entire head backward. White-hot agony spiked through his brain, and hazy red spots danced across his field of vision. The mightyena staggered slightly, his eyes rolling wildly as he tried - and failed - to regain his bearings.

"G-... grf, f-... fuckin'... bitch..." the male gasped, stumbling a few steps to one side before he caught himself. He overcompensated, lurching to the other side now, and the world sloshed unsteadily beneath him. A blurry form loomed in front of him, and this time he didn't even think - he just attacked. Even as dizzy as he was, he couldn't help but utter a satisfied grunt as his fist plowed right into something solid, and the form toppled.

"Agh, Arceus, my eye!" Theo groaned from the ground, one scaled hand plastered over his face. The mightyena had stumbled right off of the mat so quickly that the grovyle hadn't had time to defend himself from the wild swing. "What the HELL, man!?"

Kuro furrowed his brow, blinking furiously as he tried to clear up his vision. No, that wasn't right. He was fighting a lopunny, and even through his wobbling perception he could tell that the person he'd just decked was green. That was the wrong color entirely. Lopunnies were, uh... what? Purple? No, that was the espeon. They were, uh, not-green. That sounded right. Lopunnies were definitely not-green, and just as not-purple, so he just needed to hit something that was neither green nor purple.

The mightyena fixed his bleary sights on something that was brown instead, laying into it with everything he had - and he promptly broke three fingers as his fist bounced off of the wood-paneled wall. He yelped again, clutching his wounded hand to his chest, his eyes closed tight as he choked off a whimper.

Okay, okay, he just needed to take a moment. He could still turn this around. He just needed to catch his breath, recover his wits, and come out swinging. Sure his kidney was bruised, and he'd lost a tooth, and he'd twisted his knee, and he'd broken a few fingers - but he'd had worse. He shoved aside the rage that was threatening to overwhelm his senses, sucked in another slow breath, and steeled himself before flicking his eyes open again. He was ready.

"Hi!" Bunnie squealed, almost nose-to-nose with the staggered canine. And then her foot came up, hard.

"Fuck," the mightyena gasped, and the word barely cleared his lips before the lopunny's padded toes came crashing up between his legs. His hips bucked backward at the impact, every single tender bit and piece of his anatomy briefly crushed flat as it was sandwiched between the rabbit's broad foot and his own pelvis. It was a deceptively simple move, the low kick, but effective. Especially against the dark-type.

Just as quickly Bunnie was skipping backward three quick steps, and the 'yena was on his knees. He coughed hard, his eyes watering and his ears slicked flat. "Fffffuuck," he repeated, as if it might somehow help to allay the rapidly blooming nausea or the twin spikes of agony running through his loins. His voice lilted embarrassingly, taking the bite out of his bitter cursing. "You bitch!"

"Pfft," the lopunny grinned. "You're just lucky you're not fighting my sister, 'cuz she wouldn't have stopped at just one kick."

Kuro opened his muzzle to spit back a retort, but he gagged instead. The lapine's legs really were strong. Very strong. Very, very strong. And she hadn't held back even a little. His jaw snapped shut again, and he uttered another pained whimper as he just tried to focus on not throwing up. "NnnnNnnhh..."

Bunnie perked an ear, stepping forward to plant one foot against the back of the cringing 'yena's head. Pushing his muzzle to the hardwood floor, she beamed. "Sssso, duzzat mean you give? Or should I keep going?"

The male just whimpered again, shuddering a bit as he panted harshly against the ground. Finally, after an agonizingly long pause, he managed a reluctant nod. Yes, he'd had enough.

Larissa smiled, crooking one finger as she beckoned for the nurse, and the audino quickly padded over to tend to the fallen mightyena. Looking back to the only applicant who was still standing, the espeon cleared her throat. "Much like any other league, battles in the Underground League can involve a number of unconventional tactics. Although many matches will devolve into a physical brawl, it's not unusual to see combatants using fire, ice, psionics - even poison."

Lari paused, her lips pursed slightly before she continued. It was obvious that the grovyle was a little green around the gills, figuratively speaking, so she adopted a soothing tone. "Ah, but like most regulated leagues, any attacks deemed potentially lethal are heavily restricted under penalty of criminal charges and immediate expulsion from the league."

"And..." the espeon tapped her muzzle thoughtfully, glancing over the grovyle from leafy head to clawed toe. "Some combatants take it in a different direction entirely, using tactics that would be considered... unorthodox for almost any other league. Theo, would you like to spar with Bunnie next...?"

The grovyle hesitated, his leafy mane slicked back with obvious apprehension. He turned slightly, peering sidelong at the mat where the tauros was still huddled. Dakota was obviously still pained, despite the ice pack he was clutching to his massive balls, 'though he DID look like he was slowly recovering. "Uh..."

Theo glanced in the other direction now, to where the mightyena was being comforted by the audino in the nurse's outfit. The canine was obviously in a considerable amount of agony, and the nurse was whispering soothingly - something about how she was fairly certain they'd be able to save his ruptured-... something. The nurse stopped in mid-sentence as two paramedics entered from one side of the arena, and the 'yena was loaded onto a stretcher.

"I, um..." the plant-type winced a little. "Did, uh, did Bunnie just pop that guy's nut?"

Larissa glanced toward the nurse, and the audino made a vague gesture with one hand. Clearing her throat, she glanced back to the grovyle. "Ah, well, just a little. I've been assured that the damage can be repaired easily - he'll be just fine given a few weeks of bed rest."

Theo winced again, hardly seeming comforted. Honestly, he hadn't even fought anyone yet, and he already had a black eye. "I'm, uh... I'm sorry, Miss Larissa. I'm really starting to think that this might have been a huge mistake."

The espeon's ear twitched slightly, but she was careful to temper her disappointment. It was hardly surprising, especially given the circumstances. She uttered a soft sigh, nodding as she-

"Aw, c'mon Theo-" Bunnie was pouting now, and she was quick to flounce over to the grovyle without prompting. Lari almost scolded her, but a glance at the flustered lizard's expression was enough to silence her.

Theodric was wide-eyed. Honestly, it had been distracting enough watching the rabbit bounce around everywhere, but having it aimed right at him was something else entirely. "W-well, uh..."

Bunnie bounced again, pushing up onto her toes as she eagerly flung her arms about the grovyle, squashing herself up against him. Her voice lilted slightly into a whine that was equal parts annoying and adorable. "Come ooooooonnnn!"

Theo swallowed hard, his slender neck arching back some as he - well, no, he didn't try to pull away. Really, he was just trying to avoid staring, but it was a pointless endeavor. The stocky lopunny was slightly shorter than he was, and he could feel every inch of her soft-furred body as she rocked lightly against him. Her breasts were pressed tightly to his chest, and as her hips cocked the sleek fur of her belly tickled lightly against the tip of the male's still-rigid length.

He gasped softly, and the grovyle tried to subtly shift his stance to reorient his manhood. "I'm... uh... I'm... j-... just..."

Bunnie cocked her head back now, her eyes wide and watery, her lower lip quivering as she practically dangled off of the male's shoulders. The fact that this caused one of her rounded hips to push firmly up against the lizard's cock, pinning it softly against his stomach, was almost certainly unintentional. Probably. Maybe.

But then again, the gentle grinding against the underside of his pinned length made it seem slightly less accidental.

"Pleeeeeeeease?" she sniffed. "I promise, I'll make it worth your while...!"

"Well-mnf!"

The grovyle's flustered response was cut short as a dark shape dropped from the rafters, and the taller zubat plastered herself against the lizard's back. One winged arm curled about Theo's chest, and the other shoved his head muzzle-first right into the the pouting Bunnie's ample cleavage. It was quite possibly the least subtle move possible, but from her fanged grin it was obvious she didn't care.

"Hey, c'mon scales," Wings leered. "How can you say no to THOSE?"

"Kimbo! You'r embarrassing me!" Bunnie feigned blushing, her ears tilted back - 'though she made no move to dislodge the suffocating grovyle. Her hips wriggled again, her poofy tail waggling as she more subtly gave the gasping male's length another grind or two.

Larissa snorted softly, embarrassed enough for the both of them. Okay, enough was enough - the zubat wasn't even supposed to be part of the proceedings. Telekinetic fingers tweaked sharply at the lopunny and the zubat's long ears, respectively, eliciting startled squeaks from the both of them. "Okay, that's quite enough of that. Let the poor guy breath. If he wants to back out, that's his right. There's nothing forcing him to-"

"N-... no, it's fine," Theo panted as he managed to come up for air. He was flushed hard, from embarrassment and arousal and breathlessness, but he seemed resolved. Carefully extricating himself from the plush grip of both females, he awkwardly glanced toward Larissa now. "I'll- nf... I'll do it. I, um... I mean, I've already come this far, right? So... I might as well at least finish the tryout."

"Yay!" Bunnie squealed, somehow bouncing even more vigorously than before. Almost every inch of her body jiggled in unison, and the grovyle's voice cracked and choked off before he could say anything else. "Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you-thank-"

"Ah, nope, save it for-" Larissa quickly interjected herself between the lopunny and the grovyle, before Bunnie could glomp herself onto the unfortunate male all over again. One lilac-furred hand set to each of the 'mon's chests, and she smirked. "Save it for the sparring match. Take up your positions on the mat, and we'll get started in just a moment."

Bunnie giggled, flouncing to the indicated spot, and the speechless male hesitantly followed after her. As she moved, though, the lapine peeked back over her shoulder and gave the zubat a little wink.

Wings' face split into a crooked grin, and she gave a double thumbs-up in return. Her grin faded, though, as the espeon loomed over her.

"And you," Larissa purred firmly. "You're out. I appreciate your enthusiasm, but that was neither quiet nor out of the way."

The zubat opened her fanged muzzle, but something in the espeon's voice stopped her. She slouched a little, her shoulders slumping. "Aw, fuck."

Lari pointed at the door, firmly. "Out. Women's tryouts are next weekend. Come back then."

Wings perked a little at that, a faint grin sliding back onto her blunted muzzle. "Oh yeah?" And the feline nodded ever so slightly, prompting a much wider smile from the she-bat. "Fuck yeah! See you then!"

"Yes yes," the espeon chuckled. She gently but firmly ushered the enthused 'bat to the door, her eyes rolling subtly. "Off you go now."

Bunny waved almost manically, her body bouncing again as if she were worried that the 'bat might somehow miss the gesture."Bye-eee, Kimbo! Catch you later!"

The zubat snerked, one of her wings raised in turn. "Later, slut!"

And with that, the espeon firmly shoved the 'bat out the door. She was a little less gentle about this now, but it was getting late, and Larissa was eager to wrap things up. The door was quickly closed, locked, and almost as an afterthought the espeon telekinetically barricaded the door with a handy chair. It was a fire hazard, but she really didn't want the zubat sneaking back in again.

Turning back to the remaining 'mon, Lari smiled sweetly. "Right, okay, you two can fight now. And, ah, Theo - just remember to tap out if you're feeling overwhelmed. Bunnie will stop the second you tell her too."

Theo blinked uncertainly, but quickly nodded. "R-right. Will do."

Larissa's ear twitched forward, and she very briefly met her gaze with the lopunnies. A mental connection was established, and her mental voice thrummed through the lapine's mind. "I like this one, so try not to castrate him. We need at least ONE of these guys to sign up, or the whole evening is a wash."

Bunnie snickered, but she nodded. Absently brushing at her hips, she tried to smooth down her fur as she turned her gaze onto the grovyle. "Alright, hun! After you!"

"Oh," Theo cocked his jaw, briefly considering his options, before he nodded and dropped into a fighting position. He tried - and failed - to shift his gaze to the lopunny's face, but he did manage to at least partially clear his mind. He flexed his clawed finger, tensing and untensing his muscles. He wasn't the strongest 'mon, or the smartest, but he was fast. Maybe not as fast as the battle-hardened lopunny, but hopefully still fast enough. "Right."

He stepped forward, his toeclaws digging lightly into the cushioned surface of the battle mat with each step. Bouncing lightly as he subconsciously emulated the lapine's constant movement, he curled his fingers and tossed off a quick jab to test Bunnie's defenses.

She casually slapped his fist aside, grinning broadly. "Nope!"

Theo jerked backward hastily, but the lopunny didn't pursue. Calming himself, the grovyle cautiously moved back in. He had been trying his utmost not to stare at her body, but now he studied it - it wasn't as if he was going to lose his erection any time soon. At the very least he could try to be analytical, because she HAD to have a weakness SOMEwhere.

He twitched slightly, tossing off another quick jab at the female's plush chest, and she slapped it aside again. The grovyle squeaked, and jerked away again before she could counter-attack.

But still, she made no effort to pursue. Her grin remained steady, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Nuh-uh!"

Theo cocked his head slightly, his brow arched. He was beginning to sense something of a pattern here - it was kind of obvious, really, now that he thought about it. The playful deflections were cute, of course, and a little frustrating, but they were indicative of the lopunny's preferred fighting style.

The grovyle moved in again, carefully watching the female's slightly pudgy thighs as he approached. As he had predicted, her muscles tensed, and her thick toes gripped at the mat below her. She was obviously preparing herself for his attack, focused more on countering than on attacking.

Theo smirked a little, and he jabbed low this time, toward Bunnie's belly.

She grinned, both of her large paws slapping downward as she caught his fist and easily shoved it off-course. "Try aga-ieep!"

The grovyle's other hand lashed out, snagging one of the female's extended wrists before she could withdraw. His quick attack had been a feint this time, and he had clearly caught the lapine off-guard with his follow-up. He jerked firmly at the lopunny's captured arm, and this time she lurched forward.

"H-hey!" She squeaked, and her knee jerked upward almost reflexively as the bunny and the lizard were suddenly far too close to each other. The grovyle twisted, though, the clumsy kick striking him in the thigh instead of the groin. It stung, but it was certainly preferable to the alternative.

Theo pressed the attack now, slipping around Bunnie before she could recover her balance. He kept a tight grip on her wrist, twisting her arm about as he stepped behind her. She squealed now, trying to twist about before the grovyle could get her into an arm-lock, but again the lizard seemed to predict her move.

His knee pressed to the back of her leg, forcing her down to one knee and halting her movement. His weight leaned onto the pinned limb, and she gasped now, her eyes wide. Bunnie jerked her free arm backward now, trying to drive her elbow into Theo's gut, but she was too slow - and the clumsy attack just made it that much easier for the grovyle to capture that arm as well.

Theo folded both of the squirming lopunny's arms behind her back, then leaned forward sharply to drive her to the ground. Her face slapped against the mat, her body bent at the waist as the grovyle almost draped atop her. It was an awkward pin, but apparently effective, and the entire exchange had taken less than ten seconds.

Larissa whistled low, her ears twitching forward. She was genuinely surprised. "Impressive. Bunnie, would you like to tap out before this goes any further?"

The lapine gasped softly, her cheek pressed firmly to the mat. One big blue eye rolled back, though, fixing on the grovyle hunched over her. Grinning, she managed a breathless giggle. "Never!"

And her tail twitched. It wasn't much of a tail, really - barely more than a ball of fur and fluff - though it was certainly cute. On most days, it's primary purpose seemed to be drawing attention to her shapely rear, but at the moment she was using at as an insidious weapon.

"W- woah," Theo grunted. Hunched against her as he was, his crotch was almost pressed right against her rump, and that twitching tail was tickling softly along his crotch like a malicious feather duster. It certainly wasn't painful, but it was more than a little distracting. "N-... now hold on a minute, this is-"

"No quarter!" Bunnie squealed, her whole body squirming now as she flicked her tail more vigorously. It was hardly a precision assault, but honestly - tickling at any part of the male's crotch was equally effective.

"O-" The lizard moaned faintly, his hips shifting as he tried to pull his length away from that twitching tail, but that just caused the soft fur to brush against his leaf-scaled sac instead. He blushed hard, barely suppressing a shiver, and jerked his hips back even further in an effort to escape the teasing tuft of fur. "Okay, no, stop th-"

"Ha!" Bunnie crowed victoriously. As the grovyle had pulled back, his weight had shifted off of her pinned leg. Her thighs tensed, her knees planting against the mat, and she jerked her rump upward between the male's spreadeagled thighs. It was an attack that was just as awkward as the teasing had been, but it somehow found its mark.

Theo squeaked as that smooth-furred flesh slapped against his crotch, the grovyle's loose sac briefly mashed between the lopunny's tensed rear and his own inner thigh. It wasn't particularly devastating, but it was certainly startling, and still enough to elicite a sharp ache as the plant-type's seeds were ever-so-briefly squashed out of shape.

"Nguh-" he uttered inarticulately, his body folding further against Bunnie's back. His grip on her arms loosened a bit, and she immediately tried to wrench them free. Theo quickly tightened his claws again, though, not nearly winded enough to let that ploy work. Thinking quickly, he slid backward some, his widespread knees planted to either side of the lapine's calves. It got his aching balls away from the lopunny's rear, and his length away from that mischievous tail, but-

"Oh," he grunted as he suddenly realized his mis-step. "Sshi-"

Bunnie giggled gleefully, her hips jerking forward now as she folded her legs behind her. Both of her rounded heels jerked backward and upward, one thumping against the back of the lizard's thigh, and the other slapping harshly against the back of his dangling sac. Again, it wasn't a particularly devastating blow, but it was more than enough to redouble that sharp ache in his seedpods.

"-Ahh!" He lilted, the clumsy heel-kick still striking smartly enough to slap his balls forward into his cock, and his eyes watered a little at the unaccustomed ache. His hips jerked forward now, as the male instinctively opted to deal with the lopunny's rear instead of her feet. The lapine's rump was jerking back upward, doubtless with the intent of scrambling his eggs again, but this time with entirely unintended consequences.

"Oh!" Bunnie squeaked, her ears shooting bolt upright as the grovyle's crotch slapped against her rump again, and this time SHE blushed. "Th-... Theo, you dog!"

The grovyle coughed, his leaves rustling as he jerked against the lopunny's body. He was a little disoriented, of course, and his plums ached, but as he tried to keep his weight pressed awkwardly against the gasping female's body he suddenly realized something. With the last thrust of his hips, he'd suddenly found his painfully hard length planted somewhere very, very explicit - and from the tight, wet squeeze around his member, the lopunny was rather receptive to the positioning.

Theodric blushed hard, jerking backward as he almost immediately pulled away. He released her arms without thinking, trying to lurch awkwardly to his feet as he unhilted himself from the lopunny's inviting confines. "Ah, sshit, s-... sorry! I didn't mean to-"

Bunnie smirked, her hands planted against the mat as she slid her entire body about nimbly. Even as she pivoted about, she lashed out one long leg, and promptly kicked the stammering grovyle's feet out from under him. He crashed to the ground, hard, the breath exploding from his body.

The lopunny clambered to her own feet now, looming over the gasping lizard. She was panting a little herself, one paw set to her chest and the other far-less subtly placed between her thighs. "Nnh..." she moaned softly, "... you tease."

Theo tried to push himself up into a sitting position, stammering out some incomprehensible apology, but he was suddenly breathless all over again. The panting Bunnie planted her foot firmly to his chest, slamming him back down against the mat before twisting about to settle atop him. His protests were quickly muffled as the lopunny pinned his head between her thighs, and she stretched languidly across the male's squirming frame.

"Mn," she crooned. She shifted a bit, her heavy breasts pressing to the lizard's toned stomach as she turned her attention to his crotch. Her elbows planted to either side of the grovyle's hips, and one hand clamped between his legs as she found the most immediate handhold available. "Okay, hun, time to stop fighting back."

The grovyle just squirmed harder, his hands planting against the female's plush hips as he tried to find enough leverage to prise her off of him, and the lopunny promptly started squeezing. "Ah-ah," she giggled. "Stop fighting!"

Theo froze, his whole body going tense as those soft-furred fingers gouged against his scaled scrotum. The lapine was obviously well-practiced when it came to handling those precious nuggets, regardless of species, and his plums bulged obscenely from between her tensed fingers as she bore down on them warningly. He squirmed just a bit more, prompting Bunnie to clamp down just a tad harder, and the male finally fell still.

Bunnie perked an ear, glancing back over her shoulder as she maintained the pressure for a few seconds longer - until a wavering moan drifted up from her tightly clamped thighs. Grinning, she finally relented. It was obvious that the male had, at least for the moment, opted for cooperation over pain.

"Good," she crooned. "Now don't even think of kneeing me in the face, or I might just bite something off-"

Theo tensed, his barely formed question choking off into a squeak as Bunnie smoothly dived her mouth onto his aching cock. "Nnnh... a-... ah!?"

The lopunny uttered a muffled giggle, but she said nothing, instead unabashedly swallowing the plant-lizard's entire length down. It was perfectly sized for it - not too long, not too thick, but just enough to press to fill her muzzle without pressing too firmly against the back of her throat. Her nimble tongue squirmed about the captive length, greedily lapping her own juices off of his slicked flesh as she practically buried her nose against the grovyle's aching balls.

Theodric's entire body tensed now, but... he wasn't resisting anymore. Honestly, he was barely even thinking now, his entire mind focused on what was happening lower. The slick stroke of the lopunny's tongue mingled almost seamlessly with the sharp ache in his balls, and his hips rolled instinctively up against the rabbit's muzzle almost instinctively. "Nnnhh... ohh, Arceus...!"

Bunnie giggled again, her head drawing back as she dragged her lips along his length from it's plump base to it's tapered tip with a lewd sucking sound. It was just slightly awkward with her pronounced buck-teeth, but she'd had years to hone her technique, and the grovyle's renewed moans were a testament to her skill.

The lopunny drew back, panting softly against the saliva-slicked head of his manhood, and she gave it a playful little lick with her velvet-soft tongue. "Mnn, nice. That's right, hun, just lie back and- oh!"

It was the lapine's turn to squirm now, as the emboldened grovyle flexed his long neck. Those powerful thighs were still doing a very good job of keeping his head pinned in place, but he still had just enough wiggle-room to rock the tip of his reptilian muzzle against Bunnie's swollen sex, his surprisingly long tongue slipping out to swipe against her.

"Ohh..." she gasped, her thighs tensing a bit harder. Of all the reactions she had expected, this really wasn't one of them. The lopunny swallowed hard, her muzzle gaping as the grovyle better brought his tongue to bear, probing at her quivering confines. "Ohhhh...! Arceus, that's... nhh...!"

Larissa blinked, watching for a moment longer as the two combatants writhed against each other. Her own lilac-furred eartips reddened a bit, but she finally dragged her gaze away. It was one thing to watch it in the middle of a crowded arena, where she knew she wasn't the only one gawking, but this felt... different.

"Wow," the zubat next to her whistled low, her long ears slanted forward as she blindly ogled the combatants. "So, like, when I come in for the orientation next week, will I get to do THAT? 'Cuz I'm not gonna lie, that looks like a LOT of fun."

Lari hesitated, then slapped one lilac-furred hand to her muzzle as she groaned. "How... how did you get back in here? You're not supposed to be here."

"Window!" Wings grinned smugly. It was a simple enough explanation, but-

"There-" Larissa scowled, "This is an arena, there ARE no windows!"

"Oh." Wings seemed mollified for a split second, before her blunted muzzle split wide into a fanged grin once more. "I dunno, then. Ventilation shaft, I guess."

Larissa growled softly, but she bit back the first few retorts that came to mind. Drawing in a deep breath, she snapped her fingers. "Dina!"

The audino in the nurses blouse appeared almost instantly at her side, mutely shoving the zubat back toward the exit. Lari sighed again, turning her attention back toward the 'fight' in progress- and it was only then that she noticed the gaping tauros.

The bull was obviously still bruised and aching, but clearly the... explicit grappling had made huge progress toward restoring his sex drive - at least if the meaty bludgeon jutting from his crotch was any indication.

"W-... well damn," Dakota drawled breathlessly. "Why the heck wasn't MY sparrin' match like THAT one...?"

The espeon cleared her throat, and she quickly moved to the bull's side. "Ah, yes, well, roughly ten percent of all Underground League matches end in public sex. Although it's comparatively rare, it's not... unusual, given the charged and sexual nature of the matches."

The tauros glanced to the feline, although he had to make an obvious effort to take his eyes off of the 'sparring' still taking place. "Uh, n-... no kiddin'?"

Larissa bobbed her head slightly, chuckling. "Yes, and that's not even going into the roughly twenty-seven percent of the combatants who have sex AFTER a battle has concluded. Between some of our more promiscuous fighters, and the numerous groupies, I think it's far more common than most viewers would suspect."

Dakota exhaled slowly, his eyes drifting back to the writhing 'mon on the battle mat. He softly repeated himself. "Well damn."

And a pause, before he glanced back to the espeon in what he probably thought was a subtle fashion. "I, uh, don't s'pose you'd be in'erested in...?"

Larissa snorted, but she couldn't help but smile. "Ah, no. Arceus, no. I'm, ah, flattered Dakota, but... I'm fairly certain that trying to sleep with a sizable tauros such as yourself would actually kill me." She hesitated, before offering a comforting smile. "But there are plenty of larger femmes in the league, both among the fighters AND among the fanbase..."

Dakota still looked a little disappointed, but... "Heck, fine. Y-yeah. Uh, sign me up. I'll, uh, just gimme the paperwork, 'cuz I'm in!"

The espeon grinned a little, her fingers flicking lightly through the air. Her clipboard and pen fluttered across the arena like confused birds, and she plucked them neatly from the air. "Fantastic. I'll just- oh, wait..." Lari paused, glancing back toward Bunnie and Theo. The moaning was rapidly growing in intensity. "I think they're just about done."

"Aahn-!" Bunnie groaned, her crotch pressed firmly to the grovyle's scaled muzzle. Her own jaw was gaped, but her paw was still lazily stroking the lizard's manhood as he worked. "Nnh... d-... don't you dare stop, you bastard! I'll fucking castrate you if- nnngh - I'l... hh... oh, Arceus, yesss, just like that...!"

And the lapine's back arched, her head thrown back as she shuddered with orgasmic bliss. Her eyes rolled back, her hips bucking softly against Theo's muzzle as it was drenched with her juices. Her voice faded, and she uttered one last happy squeal before slumping atop the male.

"Hff," she panted hard. "Hhh.. w-... wow. Holy shit, hun, that was..." and a pause, as the gears in her brain turned unsteadily. She was having a hard time stringing those things together. Uh, you know, the letters that... that... formed... worms? Or was it words? Yes, words sounded right. She couldn't string those together very well at the moment. "J-... just, wow."

Theodric drew his head back a bit, gasping for breath as well - but the lopunny quickly shifted her position atop him. She slid against his body, pulling herself up until she was straddling his chest, her back to him. He squeaked faintly, squirming a bit as his clawed hands gripped at the female's hips. "Er, th-... thanks?"

"Mmmn," Bunnie crooned. "No, hun. Thank YOU. It almost makes me feel bad about what has to come next."

The grovyle chuckled, blushing a bit as he wriggled beneath the lapine. "Hf, w-...w ell, er, you're welcome. I, uh, don't get much practice with my tongue, but-" And a pause, "Er, wait, what? What comes next?"

"Well," the lopunny giggled, her paws slipping to either side of the lizard's still-hard shaft, curling loosely about his plums instead. "This is still a fight, and one of us has to tap out. Sssooo, I was thinking I might just start squeezing your balls until you give up."

Theo went wide-eyed, his claws curling a bit against the lopunny's plush hips now. He groaned as he felt those soft fingers settling into place, and his blue balls practically throbbed in even that gentle grip. "N-.. now wait, uh, you-... this isn't... you wouldn't!"

"Oh Theo," she smirked. "If you'd ever actually watched one of my fights, you'd know better."

And with that said, she secured her grip and then clamped down - gently at first, but with rapidly growing pressure. Some lewd thought flitted into her brain as she watched greenish spunk well up at the tip of the panicked grovyle's cock - there was just something about physically squeezing a guy's spuds dry. It never disappointed.

"Nnn-" Theo's muscles tensed so firmly that his entire body ached - but that was nothing compared to the agony that was suddenly blossoming in his already aching balls. His eyes rolled back, his claws digging more firmly into the lopunny's hips as he tried to displace her. "Nng... s-... stop! Agh, y-... you can't!"

Bunnie huffed, squirming a bit as she felt the grovyle's clawtips digging into her flesh. Her grip shifted subtly, and she settled her blunted thumbnails snugly against the plums she was steadily crushing out of shape. "Hey, knock that off! No claws, or I'll use mine!"

"G-... guh... y-..." Theo wheezed now, the pain steadily rising from 'agony' to 'pure hell' as the rabbit continued to increase the pressure. Arceus, he had taken the occasional shot to the 'nads in the past, but this... this was something else. How was it even possible for those soft paws - the same paws that were so blissfully stroking him just moments earlier - to cause such misery.

Larissa cleared her throat pointedly, and Bunnie stuck her tongue out in response. Her grip relaxed a bit, and the lopunny grinned down at the grovyle. "So, you ready to give? Or do I hafta finish juicing your berries?"

The lizard's head jerked in three quick, spastic nods, and the lopunny obediently surrendered her prizes. Giving the slowly swelling orbs a much gentler caress, she giggled brightly.

"Good boy."

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

"I think it went pretty well in there!"

Larissa absently chewed on her pen, then scribbled a few things down on her clipboard. The orientation had been over for almost half an hour now, and the espeon was still filling out paperwork. There were insurance policies and health plans to set up, training sessions to schedule, and-

"Lari?"

The espeon blinked, glancing up from where she sat. She was back in the locker room now, and Bunnie's nose was hovering just a scant inch from her own. "What?"

Bunnie gave her a bucktoothed grin, pulling back again. "I said I think it went pretty well in there, don't you?"

"Well..." Larissa cocked her head a little, her forked tail swaying behind her. "It went well-enough, I think. I'm still amazed that you convinced Theo to join, though. I was sure he'd back out the instant he could speak again."

Lari paused, then eyed the lopunny a tad suspiciously. "How DID you change his mind?"

Bunnie blinked innocently, her eyes wide. It didn't help that she was still entirely nude, but somehow the lopunny still managed to pull off the illusion of innocence. She almost immediately ruined it, though, with her sly little smirk. "Oh, like, I have my ways."

The espeon snorted slightly, her eyes flitting back to her paperwork. "Uh-huh. Well, let's just hope that he and Dakota last longer than the last batch did. I'd rather not have to go on a recruiting run every other week."

"I dunno," the lopunny smirked. "I thought it was pretty fun!"

Larissa paused again, one brow arched delicately... but then she nodded. "Yes, fine. I suppose it was rather enjoyable. Except perhaps the bit with Kuro. That's a headache that I really would have rather avoided."

"Pfft, whatever." Bunnie snorted. "Come on, that guy was an asshole. Besides, didn't you say all the guys had to sign waivers?"

Lari smirked just faintly, but she quickly moved one lavender-furred hand up to conceal the expression. The lopunny was annoying at times, even infuriating, but occasionally her blunt demeanor had its charm. "Of course. But still, waivers or not, it's bad publicity when someone loses an organ during orientation. Fortunately, I don't think he's the sort to go spreading the story around."

Bunnie's ears perked, her little pink nose scrunching up a bit. "Oh, does that mean-?"

"Yes," Larissa sighed. "You shouldn't go spreading it around. We want men to sign up with the Underground League, not run away screaming when they find out they have to spar with you."

The lopunny snickered at that, her ears swaying to one side as she cocked her head. "Most guys don't start screamin' until AFTER I've sparred with them, but... uh... point taken."

Larissa snorted softly, and she couldn't help but smile again. She didn't even bother to conceal it this time, but she did force her attention back onto the paperwork heaped on her lap. There were still five more pages to fill out, so it was best to stay on task. "Good night, Bunnie. I'll see you at the women's orientation next weekend."

Bunnie snatched up a towel, grinning now as she draped it about her waist. "Not goin' home just yet! Still gotta hit the showers!"

Lari quirked a brow, quizzically. Glancing back up, she twitched one ear forward. "You're, ah... didn't you already take a shower?"

Bunnie paused, already halfway to the door. She peeked back over her shoulder at the espeon, all innocence and sunshine. "Uh..."

"And," Larissa smirked just faintly. "That's the door out into the hallway. The women's showers are in the other direction."

Bunnie opened her muzzle, a dozen excuses bubbling up at the back of her mind, but then she simply shrugged. There was no point in lying to a mind reader. Her muzzle curled into a decidedly less innocent grin, and she giggled anew. "Yeah, uh, I was thinkin' I might head on over to the guys' showers instead."

Larissa rolled her eyes, still smirking as she went right back to her paperwork. Well, that certainly explained why the grovyle had seemed so eager to sign up. "Mmhm. Well, just remind Theodric that he has a mandatory medical exam on Wednesday, and the Underground League Meet-and-Greet is in two weeks."

"Oh-" Bunnie had the decency to blush a bit, but she quickly nodded. "Right, yeah, I'm sure I'll, uh... I'll totally remember to-... bye!"

And with that the lopunny beat a hasty retreat, an all-too-eager bounce in her step.

Larissa chuckled, her eyes closed lightly as she was left to her thoughts. Bunnie still had forty-eight hours of community service to work through, and there were, what, five more weeks before the next Tournament Season started? Maybe six?

And the espeon smiled to herself. For the first time in years, she was rather looking forward to running the next orientation.