To Settle A Dispute

Story by AstroSecant on SoFurry

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Admittedly this is kind of just a more-consensual version of Overheated at its core, but I liked the idea of emphasizing the ‘competition’ aspect of something like that. And hey, bitchy trainers getting put in their place, there’s never enough of that! Though they’re at least a little better behaved than some of their predecessors.

OBLIGATORY CONTENT WARNING: This story contains sexual acts between multiple males, size difference, rough sex, mild exhibitionism, and a parade of euphemisms.


“You must be kidding me. I'm TOTALLY the better trainer."

Casper gave the other trainer a disbelieving look. “In what alternate universe? I'm easily better than you."

Davis scoffed. “Oh? Who was it that got their ass kicked by Roland in the second gym, and only squeaked by the second time? And which one of us cruised through it?"

The glower Casper was giving Davis would have passed for a Mean Look. “As I seem to recall, you were the one who almost had to quit because the gym after that was too much for you. The same third gym I took care of no problem."

“Hmph. I was struggling with other things at that time, that didn't mean anything about my skill. Besides, I have the better win-loss record."

“So what? You have a record only 2% better than mine, and you've inflated that on wimpy trainers. I have a better record against trainers with good records!"

Davis was about to respond again when another voice cut in. “Serious question, you two…do you EVER get tired of yapping at each other?" The human reserved a look for the Krookodile who'd spoken up from his lounging position on the ground. “Oh, don't act like you're about to take me on, I'd wipe the floor with you and you know it."

“Cas! Control your damn Pokémon!"

“Rocko's not doing anything to you," Casper shot back. “Maybe you should listen to him, he's telling you to shut up before you embarrass yourself."

“That's not what he was saying and you know it." The other Pokémon, a Zangoose, was laying on his belly on the ground with a lazy and mildly annoyed look. “I swear, you two can't control yourselves for ten seconds around each other."

“Maybe if you two would actually battle each other, we would have other things to think about," Davis remarked with an irked tone. “Like I've told you several times already, Nale."

“The whole reason we stopped was because you two got so distracted with your barking that you forgot to give us orders. Not our fault we became friends while you were trying to be enemies."

Casper groaned and leaned back against a tree. It was a very strange scenario they found themselves in...he and Davis had never been friendly, they'd been rivals almost since they first met and battled. That had been not long after they'd each taken their first gym challenge, fresh off of momentous victories for their time, and so tensions were rather high in that fierce fight where they both thought they were firing on all cylinders. Unfortunately for them, it ended up being a bit of a lucky break for Rocko, then a Sandile and outmatched by the Zangoose...a fortunate strike knocked Nale out, but Davis refused to accept that as a legitimate victory. Since then, the rivalry had persisted, each one trying to outdo the other and prove themselves the superior trainer. As they were taking very similar paths, this meant running into each other and frequent matches against each other, which rocked back and forth in advantage as Rocko evolved and Nale got moves to counter him.

The wrinkle had come only about a month ago, when the Pokémon suddenly refused to battle each other. It had been a match that had gotten sidetracked as some hostility came out and they rather lost focus, giving the Pokémon no orders for a long time. And apparently, the two were rather tired of the constant combat and the constant squabbling...and had somehow ended up very good friends along the way somewhere. When Casper and Davis had finally cooled off a bit and tried to get down to the match, they were met with two Pokémon who flat-out refused to engage. And considering that they each had just the one, that made it rather hard to settle any scores…

Davis rolled his eyes; he was just as annoyed at Nale's behavior as Rocko's, but he'd never let that on. “Well, since you two are so buddy-buddy now, maybe our record against each other is the deciding factor. And I have at least a 3-victory advantage over you, so there."

“The fuck you do! I'M ahead by three! You can't count!"

“I can remember every single battle, including the ones where you clearly used underhanded tactics to win. Just because you don't want to accept the truth-"

“You call ME the cheater? Who tried using stuff to blind Rocko and distract him? You just don't want to count the ones where you didn't like how you lost!"

“Do you have any actual idea what our match-up record is?" Rocko asked languidly.

“Not a fuckin' clue," came the predictable response. “You're a fun match, though. Have to work for it but I don't feel like it's impossible. Not like that damned Fighting gym...ugh."

“I have no idea how I got through that so cleanly, to be honest. Especially since the Grass gym almost destroyed me. I thought it was going to be just as bad, but apparently evolving just before you take the gym on kind of outclasses your foes even with a type disadvantage."

“You'd know better than I would."

“True dat. Now if only I knew how to get these dips to shut up."

“Hah, our greatest Psychics have been working on that question for years, and still have no answers for us." Nale chuckled a bit. “They've been at it so long, who knows what's going to stop them. Though, maybe it's more simple than we think…"

“If there was a simple way, wouldn't we have thought of it?"

“True. I doubt we could smack some sense into them. Or maybe they're pent up and need to get laid. I know I get ornery when I have some unmet needs. Not that they're easily met…"

“Damn, I know what you mean. Maybe we could sneak away from them for a while and romp with each other. Would be a lot more satisfying than my claws."

“True...or maybe…"

Rocko looked over at Nale, and saw a sly grin forming on the Zangoose's face. “You're getting that look that you always get when you're scheming something for the battle. What are you plotting?"

“A solution to all our problems, possibly. And if it doesn't outright solve them, it might at least redirect some of their attention towards something more constructive for us two at least."

“...Tell me more."

The trainers weren't paying any attention to the two scheming Pokémon, continuing their bickering as they were wont to do. Though they were running rather dry on competitions, as Casper's next claim demonstrated. “I definitely have earned more prize money than you have. That's what happens when you fight more talented trainers and beat them more often."

“Yes, well, I've managed my supplies a lot better so I don't NEED to be raking it in to keep going without trouble," Davis countered back.

“Which means I care better for Rocko, because I'm making sure he's in tip-top shape all the time rather than letting him go into fights injured!"

“Or maybe Nale is just so good that he doesn't get hurt!"

“Please, he's good but he's not THAT good. And I'll bet he starts pining for potions and suffering because of your stingy ass…"

“Hey, you two want to talk about how well you take care of us?" Both trainers turned as their Pokémon entered the fray. Rocko was grinning widely as he looked down Casper - Nale's idea had been VERY appealing to him, and he was pretty sure that they were going to be able to get their trainers to go along with it. “We've got a competition for you that has to do with taking care of our needs...I'm sure we can settle who's the better trainer with this."

“What're you talking about?" Casper asked. That look that Rocko had on his face...his Krookodile had a history of being sneaky, and he'd gotten to know the signs of that sneakiness. “If you're trying to prank me…"

“No prank. We're gonna be up front about it."

“Since you two are soooooo eager to claim you're better at taking care of us, we're gonna ask you to take care of us!" cackled Nale as he pushed himself up against Davis suggestively - though he was pretty sure Davis wouldn't get the suggestion until it was laid out in front of him. “In a way you never have before, but you probably should start. Maybe it'll give you something to do other than yipping at each other like Rockruff pups."

Davis was merely confused. “Nale? Wh-what are you doing?"

“Now who can't control their Po-ack!" Casper was cut off as he was yanked to his feet by Rocko. “Hey! Watch the claws! Shirts aren't cheap!"

“Oh? Then you should probably get it off before I decided to do it for you," rumbled Rocko in a half-playful, half-deadly serious tone.

“What? Why?"

“Jeez, for two trainers well into the prime of their lives, you two are pretty oblivious," Nale tsked. He was already trying to pull Davis's shirt up as well, while the human was fighting him. “We wanna fuck."

“You WHAT?!" both humans yelled in tandem.

“Fuck. Bang. Screw. Get laid. Boink. Do the do. Use Pound. I could go on."

“But going on wouldn't get us what we want," Rocko added. “It's not like you've taken us to a breeding center ever, we have to get our jollies when we can in the wild, and that's not often. Really, two strapping young trainers SHOULD be taking care of their Pokémon if they aren't gonna outsource the job."

“But since you two are so intent on competing with each other, we're gonna try to indulge that a bit," continued Nale. “So it's a challenge. Which of you is better at taking care of a Pokémon's sexual needs? We're gonna give one of you bragging rights and the other work to do if he wants to prove himself."

“Ah...N-nale...that...I didn't…"

“You're not gonna refuse your needy partner, are you?" purred Nale. “Or are you already saying you're not as good as Casper?"

“H-hell no! I'm better than him at anything!"

“Talk is cheap. You gotta prove it."

Davis looked around nervously, but Casper was already getting his shirt off - the other human didn't look particularly confident, but was still complying. “I didn't realize you guys were...uhm...needing stuff like that," he admitted bashfully as he bared his chest to Rocko.

“As often as you masturbate, I'd have thought you'd've thought about whether I do or not before now," chuckled the Krookodile. “I was trying to figure out how long it would take you to ask me to help you. But it looks like I needed to push the issue...at least now you're gonna do something better with your mouth than annoying me."

“You're not gonna let him outdo you THAT easily, are you?" Nale prodded Davis, snapping the human out of his trance and getting him scrambling to start disrobing. He might have been a bit overwhelmed, but like hell he was going to concede anything to Casper! Throwing his shirt to the side, he took a bit of pride in that he was overtaking Casper in getting down his shorts, the other being a little more hesitant...but he stalled when he was down to his briefs, realizing in that moment that he was about to be naked in front of someone that wasn't his Pokémon partner for the first time in his maturity. And even those instances hadn't been frequent…

Casper was also hesitating as he got to his boxers, giving an uncertain look to Rocko. The Krookodile grinned back. “What? You think I'm gonna be judging you? All humans are tiny compared to Pokémon, and you're not gonna be on top anyway. Of course, if you want some help, I could definitely do some...quick assistance." His clawed fingers flexed a bit, and that was enough for Casper to shake his head and just get to it. His boxers hit the ground and he stepped out of them and kicked them away, red-faced but determined. The source of his embarrassment might have been that he was getting harder down there despite the weirdness of the situation…

Davis finally joined him after he saw Nale's claws starting to unsheathe, his briefs going down to reveal his own cock, which was stirring more slowly but still getting a similar response. He wasn't exactly packing much, which he was more than aware of and definitely a little insecure about. It was a small bit of comfort that Casper didn't seem to be particularly large either...not that he wanted to be looking at that.

“See, ain't so tough, right?" growled Rocko approvingly. “Heh, for all you two like to talk about differences, you're pretty similar when it comes down to it." The Pokémon looked between the two of them; both of them were fairly slender and built about the same, Davis was a couple inches taller than Casper but their frames were almost an exact match. Casper's very light, almost white hair was certainly a contrast with Davis's raven-black, but that was the only major distinction. “So, who's gonna be the first to blow their partner to completion?"

“Ah...um…" Casper glanced over at Davis, grateful that he was a bit apprehensive as well. His task was more daunting, though...Rocko and Nale were about equally tall, standing about five feet each, a little under the two humans, but they were broad enough that the looked like the larger creatures, and Rocko was broader still than Nale. But he knew Rocko wouldn't do anything to hurt him, they were so close to each other and counted on each other...he got on his knees in front of the reptile, getting down low to start rubbing against the slit the Krookodile had. He knew just enough to know that that was where Rocko's junk was hiding, but beyond that it was all improvisation…

Davis followed suit shortly after, not needing to get quite as low down to work on Nale. The Zangoose's fur hid his tackle most of the time, but it was swelling out more now and the sheath and ballsack were getting quite impressively large. His hands were rubbing against the exposed parts, trying to get his actual shaft to emerge, though he knew that wasn't going to be sufficient...he'd never blown anyone before, was a virgin through and through, didn't really think he was into males, though he wasn't really putting up much argument to doing this with Nale. Maybe it was just the idea of duty...or maybe it was just not wanting Casper to outdo him.

It was the latter that pushed him to make the first move with his mouth, leaning forward and licking the furry sheath. He heard Nale moan above him and got a very strong scent of musk in his nose...it wasn't as bad as he expected it to be. “Oh, yeah, that's more like it...keep licking…"

Casper overheard this, and knew he was falling behind. And that simply wouldn't do...if Davis could tongue Nale, surely he could do the same to Rocko. His face got nice and deep against that slit, his nose huffing that oily Dark-type musk with that powerful earthen scent, and his tongue started to lash against the inner walls, lapping up the naturally lubing slit fluids. It was a slightly funky taste, but he was quickly getting accustomed to it. What he wasn't ready for was Rocko's clawed hand on his head, pushing him in there and keeping him from backing away. He brought his hands to the Krookodile's ankles, since he didn't have much to do with them otherwise.

It wasn't long before Casper had something more to play with, as Rocko's cock pushed out of his slit and started to enter his mouth. Rocko finally allowed him to back off, but not so much that he would come all the way off of that growing shaft. He got to pull back with it, got to see its mass as it emerged and stiffened and swelled to full glory. He could hardly believe what he was seeing when it finally finished filling out - the thing was close to his forearm in length and girth, more than double his own in every dimension. No wonder Rocko had called him tiny, if this was what Pokémon packed! He kept licking and sucking on the tip, swallowing gritty and oily pre that had a slightly bitter taste, though it was oddly not unpleasant for something bitter.

Davis would have liked to have seen what Casper was moaning over, but he was a bit too preoccupied with what Nale was presenting to him. He too was completely unprepared for what the Zangoose was packing, its length was just about equal to Rocko's but a touch narrower, but it had short and sharp barbs dotting the length of it. There was an especially dense concentration at the tip, which Davis was currently having to lick and suck on; his head wasn't being held like Casper's was but he felt obligated not to back off at this point. He had more to do with his hands at least, continuing to fondle that large sack with one while he clung to Nale's hip with the other. All this while drinking down salty pre and slurping over the musky meat, trying not to wince as his tongue was raked by the barbs.

“You know...you CAN go deeper," Nale murred deviously. “Just the tip, that's not even as much as Casper can handle…"

Davis wasn't sure he could handle anymore - that girthy staff looked like it would stretch him pretty massively, the tip was more pointed but he was already feeling a bit of stretch from what he was taking in. But the thought of being outdone by Casper was intolerable...the idea that his competitiveness was being exploited hadn't really sunk in yet, right now he was fixated on proving himself. Taking a deep breath, he pushed down, the barbed tip grazing the back of his throat and making him gag a bit, but he backed off only slightly and then pushed on, getting it deeper with less difficulty than he expected. He was still only about halfway down, and now the barbs were raking against even more sensitive flesh, but he powered through it...it honestly felt a little better than he would have expected.

Rocko was aware of what Davis was doing, and used that to his advantage with Casper. “You can't tell me that's all you can handle? Your rival's going in deep, I'll bet he gets all the way to the hilt. You don't want me to think you're inferior to him, do you?"

Casper's face screwed up a bit as he let out a muffled sound of denial. To him, clearly it must have been easier for Davis to take his Pokémon if he could go that deep, but he still wanted to prove that he was better, and if that meant going all the way...Rocko wouldn't have suggested he try if it was dangerous, right? He pushed down, trying to get deeper, hoping he wouldn't choke on it...to his surprise the tip slid into his throat uncontested, gag reflex numbed by compounds in that devious Dark-type preseed. He didn't know the reason, but he didn't look a gift horse in the mouth - he dragged himself down, bobbing hard and deep, letting the heat of that rough surface rake against his throat and drag along his tongue. His jaw stretched more and more, but still somehow he managed to draw in air around that massive tool, and that encouraged him to get deeper and deeper...until his face was once again pressed against that slit, flooding his air with disorienting, relaxing reptile musk.

Davis reached Nale's furry crotch almost at the same time, his throat slowing him down from that sharpness a little more but eventually conceding. Now both his hands were taking hold of the Zangoose's hips so that he could steady himself as he pulled back and pushed down, working that impressive tool with all he could. All he really had to go on for how well he was doing were Nale's moans and cries, which were pretty loud...but his ears were also taking in Rocko's growls and groans of pleasure, how close he sounded to going off. He didn't want to be beaten for sure, but he didn't really know what more he could do to speed things along, so he just kept at it, sucking and swallowing and humming and doing more of whatever make Nale's pleasure greater.

Casper was at it as well, his back and forth getting more vigorous as the friction in his throat started to feel more pleasurable. The taste was starting to go from not-offensive to desirable as well, despite it being a taste he wouldn't ordinarily enjoy. He was also paying attention to his rival's Pokémon, how he sounded, and was doing everything he could to get something comparable out of Rocko. He was noticing that his sounds seemed to be helping the Krookodile, so he wasn't holding back on the moans or hums, getting rewarded by more throbs and gushes of pre directly into his gullet.

Both Pokémon milked it for all they could, enjoying the attention their trainers were giving them. The inexperience was clear, but they were making up for it with enthusiasm, albeit rather induced by the Pokémon. It was surprising to them that it continued to be so effective, that they would still be pushed by the illusion of competition rather than realize they were being goaded, but they certainly weren't complaining. As close as they were to release, they could hardly complain about anything.

Who came first was hard to tell - the two Pokémon let go pretty close to the same time, at the very least their cries came out almost in sync. Fresh cream burst out of their dicks, flooding the throats and stomachs of their trainers; after the first several shots, they both pulled back and gave the humans a proper taste of their seed. Both had to struggle to keep up with the volume, but by now they were both used to the taste of their Pokémon partners that the seed was more or less a treat, and they didn't try to pull away or get free of the spunk as it poured into them. It was a bit harder for Casper to swallow the oily and gritty seed, but Davis's throat was rawer and less responsive, so it evened out in the end and they both made a bit of a mess from leakage before the orgasms ended. Only then did the Pokémon let go of their humans, looking down at them in satisfaction.

“Well, you two did a pretty good job, I'd say...for rookies." Rocko snickered a bit. “We'll have to get you some more experience, but we'll have plenty of time for that."

“Not bad taking the whole thing, though," Nale remarked with genuine acclaim. “Not every newbie would trust themselves or us enough. Of course, we're not as big as SOME Pokémon…"

“You two...are fuckin' huge…" Casper panted; he could now see what Nale was packing, and while it was thinner, those barbs made it look like more of a challenge than Rocko's. Not that he'd ever tell Davis that. “How do you cum so much…"

“Just the perk of being a Pokémon, baby. We don't have dinky dicks like humans, we're packing enough to make you FEEL it."

“Most humans feel fine, I think." Davis was a touch hoarse. “Uh...which of us won?"

“Hah, I don't think I can tell...I could feel when I came, but I wasn't able to see what Rocko was doing."

“Yeah, I think it was too close to call," agreed Rocko. “You both matched each other for effort, but we can't tell the results. So let's go for a tiebreaker."

“Tiebreaker?" Casper asked blankly.

“Yep. As in, we run your asses and see which of YOU comes first."

“It's a perfect tiebreaker - we get to see which of you enjoys our attention more," agreed Nale with a cackle. “Plus, you two get to cum properly, and you'll get to say you're not virgins anymore."

“Don't worry about how big we are - if your throats can handle us, your asses undoubtedly can," added Rocko. “So how about you both get down on all fours and present yourselves like proper...eager boys?"

Casper and Davis exchanged looks. At this point they were starting to slightly see past the illusion of competition - this was clearly Rocko and Nale using them to get their rocks off. But neither one was willing to concede to the other, they weren't going to deny their partners their pleasure and have that be held over their heads. So they turned and got on their hands and knees, angled towards each other but not facing each other, waiting for their partners to mount up. Neither one was paying attention to how the other felt, but both were still sporting hard-ons that showed no signs of flagging - a fact that didn't escape Rocko and Nale as they got into position.

The heavy, dry body pressing against Casper's back felt heavier than he'd ever remembered, but it was Rocko's growl into his ear that really felt weighty. “I'll admit, I haven't been saying it, but I've been wanting this for a good while...been tempted to take one of these trips out into the wild to jump you and pound you and make you cry out my name. Heh, this way is better, though…" One of the croc's clawed hands pinned Casper's arm to the ground, and the human's eyes bugged out as he felt that fat cock SHOVE its way into his asshole, breaking his cherry in furious fashion and causing him to feel intense friction from that rough-surfaced tool. He let out a strained cry as his body reflexively tightened, making him feel even more stretched.

Nale didn't go in any easier on Davis, making the other human cry out at the same time as those barbs clawed against his rear. He waited to taunt until after he'd hilted, though. “Fuck, feels just as good as I imagined...been wanting to fuck you for ages, was just looking for the right excuse, couldn't have imagined anything better than doing it right next to Rocko while his trainer gets nailed too." The Zangoose was almost laying on top of Davis as he started to rut hard and fast, making those barbs scratch hard against the human's inner walls. The scratching got slightly less intense once his passage was wet down with precum, but it was a constant and powerful presence that Davis felt much stronger every time he clenched down. And he was clenching a LOT.

It was a rough start for both of them, but very quickly the tense, strained cries gave way to breathy moans and much more pleasurable caterwauls. The barbs got to feel REALLY nice inside Davis as he got accustomed to them, the powerful stretch helped him get drilled in his pleasure button quite a lot, and once his body adjusted a bit to the potent stretch even that felt just right. Casper was in much the same boat, with the rough flesh providing a close approximation of those barbs in terms of inner sensations and that added thickness providing just the pressure to amp up the friction. The superficial 'match' laid between them had been lost on both of them now, both were ensconced in the wild rush of sexual thrill that their partners were putting them into.

And it didn't escape the Pokémon how their partners were responding. “Rrrr, didn't take much to turn you into a mewling...puddle, did it?" Rocko growled into Casper's ear; the temptation to use harsher language was so strong, he loved throwing out the raw language when getting frisky, but he held his tongue in check, not wanting his trainer to think it was actually how he thought of him. “You want more of this?"

“Ngah...nn...yeees…" Casper managed to moan out through rapid breaths. “P-please...Rocko...mmmore, I…"

“Ooh, sounds like someone's getting into it," Nale grunted through his humps, furry body rubbing against Davis's back as his cock spurted another load into that freshly deflowered colon. “How about you? Do you love this and want more of my fantastic cock spearing your tight butt?"

“Yes...I...I want more…" Davis was finding words harder to come by, but the sheer desire leaking from them was more than enough for Nale, who turned up his efforts to the max. The wet sounds of slapping and squirting got louder by the moment as the two Pokémon went into full-on rut mode. The scents of the two Pokémon were mingling into the air, impossible to miss even for the inexperienced human nose, and it was only adding to the haze of sex and lust that Casper and Davis were fully surrendered to.

And nothing indicated this more than their throbbing cocks, swinging and spurting precum beneath them, wetting the grass that tickled their tips as it brushed against them. With as much force and stimulation as they were getting, it was only a matter of time before they let loose with their loads to paint the soil white...and in fitting fashion, it was impossible to tell who had released first, both of them crying out in pure ecstasy as they hit their climaxes, a much sharper pleasure high than their own hands had ever brought them, gushing as much as their balls could muster onto the ground. It could hardly hold a candle to the output of the Pokémon, but they were quite productive for their smaller sizes.

It was their clenching bodies that brought the next big reaction, both of the Pokémon not holding anything back as their humans clenched down on them, making the pressure and pleasure rocket up to the max. With a pair of loud cries, Rocko and Nale hit their second orgasm of the day, painting the walls of their humans with the first cum they had ever felt. And they didn't seem to lose any volume despite how recently they had released, pumping round after round of batter into those eager and clenching rears, smearing it all around and making a proper mess of them as a good finale to their fun.

Neither Pokémon seemed in any rush to pull out; they took hold of their humans and rolled them onto their sides, arms remaining wrapped around and cock remaining fully embedded. Neither Davis or Casper had any desire to fight it at this point, both too worn out for anything other than just relaxing in the arms of their Pokémon. For a while there was nothing more than silence between them, until Nale finally regained enough breath to break it. “Heh...see, isn't that a lot more fun than fighting?"

“Y...yeah...I guess…" mumbled Davis tiredly. “Didn't...know you wanted to...do that with me…"

“Well, now you do. And now you'll be a lot less awkward about it."

“Same with you," Rocko murred as he rubbed Casper's stomach. “We're gonna have a lot more fun, isn't that right?"

“Yeah...yeah, we will…" Casper agreed.

“Good, good. And I hope you don't mind if I use some...colorful language. I promise it's just because I find it fun, not because I think any less of you."

“I...I guess that's all right. Uh...so...who, uh, who won?"

“Won?"

“Who did a better job of pleasing you guys?" Davis chimed in. “We...both want to be the best at that...and I guess it's a match that you guys will like more than...well, us arguing…"

“Oh, we couldn't POSSIBLY tell," Nale said slyly. “Not after just one round...especially since you two are both so NEW at this, it wouldn't be a very meaningful comparison. After all, you don't know how good you are at battling until you've had some fights under your belt...same goes for fucking."

“And even if you're experienced, it wouldn't be fair to judge without knowing what the other had to bring," agreed Rocko with a conniving growl. “We'll each have to...test your skills. I think you two will probably want to get used to being around each other without annoying each other, if we're going to find an answer…"

Neither Casper nor Davis said anything, but they had a feeling that was going to be what happened going forward. They had to admit, though, that this seemed like a better way of resolving their differences than just trying to out-talk each other. And though they both were starting to realize that they'd been a bit exploited, they still both wanted to prove themselves the better of the two. Whether that would still matter to them at the end of this was a question that wouldn't occur to them for quite some time…