Convincing

Tasha swallowed thickly as she made her approach. Despite all the encouragement she received from the others it was still nerve-wracking. He was so.. big! And intimidating! The luxray sat peaceful observing the sky as Tasha approached. The dark coloration and mist-like body parts weren't helping her nerves as he only seemed more intimidating up close. Tentatively she sat down near him, but far enough that if she felt the need to run she might have a chance. The luxray turned to regard her, with his eerie, blank eyes. It felt a lot like her very soul was being peering into. She shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

"You." His deep voice addressed her. She made a tiny squeak but looked up to face him. "You're the pokemon the breeders were talking about. That got in here without being brought by a trainer? Yet had proper paperwork dropped off later?" He tilted his head in question.

"T-that's me." She admitted. "My trainer is... pretty lax with everything." She pawed the ground. "They more or less let us do our own thing."

The luxray hummed and thankfully turned away. "Then why are you here? Why come if not by the whims of your trainer?"

"Well..." Tasha started. That felt like a complicated answer, and she got the distinct feeling she should probably keep her answer as short as possible. "A lot of my friends have been having clutches lately and I-I don't know. I wanted to... see what it was like?" Tasha cringed. That felt like a bad answer that didn't really express her feelings but it would have to do.

"A follow up question then. Why me? Why any of us here? Why not a pokemon that is far more willing to give anyone that experience? If you're at all aware as to why the breeders have put myself and others up for breeding you'll know why none of us are probably a good choice for this." The luxray shook his head, mist taking a moment to settle back into place. "There are plenty of pokemon out there."

"T-that's true." She manged to get out. "But even if our trainer isn't really involved we still like to do nice things for them. You probably know about the whole reward thing, right?" Tasha felt very award explaining her reasoning to the luxray. Why couldn't this be as simple as what had happened with her friends?

"So you're here for the reward then?" He seemed almost, disappointed.

"No! Well not entirely no." Tasha quickly backpedaled as she stood up to properly face the luxray. "You were also... well you caught my eye." Wow at the rate she was digging herself a hole she'd actually learn the move before long.

"I... caught your eye?" The luxray sounded confused, Oh Arceus end her now. She was going to perish from embarrassment at this rate. "You know, many have said that before but they're usually..." He gestured widely with his paw. "A bit more assertive let's say.... and larger. You barely come up to my chest when I stand."

"I-" She cut herself off. Well yes she wasn't exactly large, but that shouldn't mean anything! She was just as capable as anyone else. She huffed and looked down. "You shouldn't judge someone based on their size. I've heard that there are plenty of legendaires that are small. Like my friend Skipper! They're a mew and not much bigger than me!" She looked back up at him, challengingly.

He turned to face her and rose to her unspoken challenge. "Oh? Is that so?"

"Yes, that is so." She said slightly mockingly. Honestly she wasn't sure where this confidence was coming from but she hoped it would stick around long enough for her to convince the luxray.

He gave her a distinctly unimpressed look. "While I might be able to believe that your friend is strong I feel as if I can say with reasonable certainty that you are not." He moved to tower over her. She shrunk away from him as her confidence left her. "I have not seen anything that has impressed me so far, so why should I even entertain this? You've done a very poor job at convincing me thus far."

Taking a deep breath to calm her shaking she looked the luxray in his unnerving, blank eyes. "Because what if someone who's stronger than you comes along and forces you?"

The luxray scoffs. "There is no pokemon that could come here that is stronger than me."

Tasha glared for all she was worth. "You don't know that for sure. Trainers can have really strong pokemon. Even stronger than you. I'd bet that my friend Relic or Chance could take you on and win and those two are just pokemon I know! Who knows what other trainers with strong pokemon you might catch the eye of? What if they're all jerks? If we just agrees to do this the breeders will probably get off your back. It doesn't cost you anything. You don't even have to interact with whatever comes out of the clutch." Tasha breathed heavily as she recovered from her long winded rant.

The luxray stared at her for a long, tense moment. She nearly lost her confidence again before the luxray spoke. "Very well." Tasha looked at him surprised and he snorted. "Your.. little speech has moved me I suppose. You are correct that this is positive to both of us." He held out a large paw for her to shake. "We have an agreement then?" She nodded and slotted her much smaller paw into his. She'd actually done it.