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Post by Tout-Perd on Nov 12, 2009 2:39:33 GMT -5
OOC: You clever bastards, you just Duranted another threat. BIC: The moth's antenna took the first impact, knocking it's flight angle downwards. The two other boulders came directly after that, pinning its wings as it fell earthwards. The moth let forth a pained screech, and plummeted earthwards. The mass of entombed insect hit the earth heavily, kicking up a spray of mud. Dace gave a triumphant fist pump, and let loose an equally triumphant whoop. "We got him! We got him, guys!" Dace paused, and walked closer. The Venomoth was still conscious, struggling to free itself from the makeshift prison. Like an ant under one's thumb, though on a much greater scale. It couldn't raise its head, fortunately, or it may have tried to blast the girl. "Aaannnd..." Dace reached into her pocket, producing something. She knelt down, and reached out, as if to touch their imprisoned enemy. There was a flash of azure light, and the three rocks fell to the ground. The girl put her hands in front of her, holding something between them tightly. Something shook between her palms. The movement was strong, enough to almost tear the item out of Dace's hands. She clenched her teeth, and positioned her hands once more, readying for the next impact. A second jolt, this one even greater, knocked Dace from her feet. She scramled, diving on top of the red and white sphere, and put her full weight on it. "You're staying in there!" There was one last shake, this one knocking Dace onto her side. She grunted, but maintained a grip even as she lost her footing. A light on the ball blinked off, going dull and dim. The ball ceased moving. Dace started climbing to her feet as hastily as she could manage. She almost dropped the ball, but brought her other hand up beneath it. She was grinning as widely as she could, showing every tooth. Her shoulders were heaving, but she was proud. Jubilant, even. "We got him, but I'm keeping him." It may have been muddy out, still dank after the rainstorm. Dace was muddy too, but that didn't matter. Not in the least. Right now, she was on top of the world.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Nov 12, 2009 9:26:01 GMT -5
OOC: WHAT MEANS "TO DURANT" I IS STOOPS
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Post by Tout-Perd on Nov 12, 2009 11:07:48 GMT -5
OOC: durant[/size] [door—ruhnt] –verb[/I] to unintentionally circumvent a plot obstacle, typically a singular powerful wild Pocket Monster, in the media of interactive fiction through wit, most often by using preoccuring constructs of the setting and undeniable abilities of present characters, esp. combination attacks between grass and ground Pocket Monsters that result in a capture
Thyra's use of Rock Slide connected by Vine Whip to construct a giant bolo easily duranted the attack of the giant Ursaring.
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Post by {WW}BetaBloodWolf7 on Nov 18, 2009 13:57:52 GMT -5
OOC: Sorry it took so long, a lot of crap just kinda joined together and made it hard for me to post =(
And Pohatu, just so you know, it's ok to post ahead of me when I'm taking this long. That way we can at least keep it moving somewhat.
BIC: Durant emerged from the trees to the sight of Dace holding a pokeball in her hand triumphantly. It only took a moment for Durant to figure out what had happened, and he let out a sigh of relief now that this enemy was gone.
"Oddi?"
Durant looked down to see the Oddish standing next to him and looking up at him. Smiling, Durant knlt down to speak to her.
"Yes, it's all over now."
The Oddish promptly began running about, especially around Durant who was now approaching Dace with Minnow still in his arms.
Minnow, however, no longer seemed to enjoy being carried by Durant. Soon she jumped out of his arms, albeit somewhat gingerly, as if to show that he was quite capable of getting around without help.
Although the Burmy's antics did not hurt Durant, the attitude reminded him of Taraek, whom he was now missing very much. Especially since it was with Taraek that they had taken down the first abnormally strong pokemon.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Nov 19, 2009 23:37:26 GMT -5
"Superb, Ganesh," Laksha said to the Phanpy, without coming too close, because he was busy kicking up dirt to celebrate. He yipped repeatedly, adding in a trumpet at intervals only he understood. She lobbed a pebble at him playfully, and he batted it away with a quick swing of his trunk. He stood still, expecting her to toss another one, but she had just remembered something. Again she pulled out the scrap of fabric from her pocket, and showed it to Dace and Durant.
"Do you suppose that Venomoth was the Pokemon your tutor meant for us to defeat?" she asked. "It must have been, mustn't it? It certainly seemed dangerous enough..."
At Ganesh's insistent bleat, she tossed him another pebble.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Nov 20, 2009 11:54:37 GMT -5
“Thanks, Durant!” Dace dropped to her knees, and threw her arms around the bagworm. It squeaked in protest, but the girl only embraced it more tightly. The scampering Oddish collided with Dace, knocking itself over.
She sighed, and let go of Minnow. She grabbed the Pokemon by its leaves, and tugged it to its feet.
“You did good, guys. And us trainers, too. That moth was pretty tough, but we whooped him. And we didn’t even need to switch at all, either!” Dace tried to wring some mud out of the hem of her shirt, the tie dye colors dimmed by the gray-brown clay of the cape.
“Well, kinda, since Durant and I couldn’t switch anyways, but that’s just common sense, right?” Dace stopped babbling long enough to listen to Laksha, a thoughtful look on her face.
“I guess that it makes sense to wonder about that, but I think the trainers on the bridge helped us figure that one out,” Dace put a grimy finger to her chin, staring at the piece of fabric, “Since they said that anybody who could beat them should be tough enough to fight the guys up here, y’know? But it took like three of us to fight this one guy. So he’s gotta be too tough for the people around here.”
“And that reminds me…” She held up the Pokeball that had captured their quarry, staring into her murky reflection on the cherry-red surface.
“I need to name this bug…”
“It’s a good thing I already had one picked out, way back before I even met you guys. I saw the name, and I though, Hey, Dace, that’s a really good name for a Pokemon! So I decided that the first thing I caught would get this name.”
Dace extended her hand, the sphere resting on her palm.
“Guys, meet Mr. Monkeyface Prickleback.”
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Post by {WW}BetaBloodWolf7 on Nov 20, 2009 15:53:04 GMT -5
Durant ignored Dace's choice of a name for her Venemoth and instead turned back to town and stared down the trail.
Oddish was a great companion and all, but she wasn't Taraek.
"Guys.." he began slowly. "Can we go back to town now? I think all of our pokemon have earned a break. And I want to get my friend back.."
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Post by Beelzebibble on Nov 21, 2009 19:48:21 GMT -5
"Can we...?" Laksha looked to Dace. "I guess that would be best, wouldn't it? If we've done what we came here to do... It's only a shame we don't know for certain."
She turned the fabric over in her fingers. "Now that I think of it, I'm not entirely sure why we didn't ask anyone at the Pokemon Center about the nature of whatever Pokemon was causing such a threat. Whether it was a Granbull, or a Venomoth, or... Don't you think that was a bit of an oversight? Hasty, weren't we?"
OOC: Oh Laksha. Doubting Thomas to the end.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Dec 1, 2009 18:42:17 GMT -5
Dace glanced at Durant. She was hoping that the name would brighten things up, but he was still mopey...
"Sure. Where else would we go? There's not an arcade or a grocery store or anything up here, right? So we gotta turn around." Dace noted the slope to the south. There was a steep bank, barely climbable, but beneath it was a beach path that cut straight back towards Cerulean again. Seeing as how they had nothing more to do but amble around, the shortcut home seemed like a clear answer.
"Laksha, if there was anything bigger and meaner around, doncha think it would've been the thing that attacked us? I mean, only the biggest and meanest Pokemon will attack somebody that's not in the bushes... Or a cave, or the water... Or..." Dace sighed, and turned on her heel.
"C'mon, Durant, Laksha, let's get going home." Dace stepped over to the slope, and removed her backpack. She looped one of the shoulder straps over a gnarled post, and then stepped out over the steep drop. She skittered down the slope quickly at first, but her grip on the free loop of the bag served as a brake.
She inhaled deeply once, and then let go of her backpack. She slipped down the remaining slope, falling onto the sand knees first. Dace bounced right back up, though, and brushed the grains from her legs.
"Not that bad, right guys... Uh, um..." Dace went from looking up to them to regarding her shoes very quickly.
"Could somebody throw me my bag?"
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Post by {WW}BetaBloodWolf7 on Dec 4, 2009 12:13:12 GMT -5
Durant wasn't even paying attention to his friends at this point. Instead he was wishing he had bought even just one revive. This had been the longest he'd been separated from Taraek in years, and it left him feeling more than a little bit lonely.
He didn't even hear Dace's request to have her bag tossed to her, and he even passed by her as she waited for the bag.
Oddish, sensing her trainer's sadness, stayed close to him. Trying to give whatever comfort her presence could.
OOC: Oi....
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Post by Beelzebibble on Dec 4, 2009 22:13:10 GMT -5
Ganesh hooked Dace's backpack with his trunk as he bounded forward, and dragged it a little unceremoniously beside him down the slope. By the time he caught up to Dace and held the backpack up to her (after having tripped at least once over its straps on the way), the thing appeared distinctly worse for wear. This was lost on Ganesh, however, who looked as though he had just rescued an orphan from a burning building.
Laksha, as usual, brought up the rear. In this skirt, there was simply nothing she could do to an incline but edge carefully down it. She hurried to catch up with Dace and Ganesh, but Durant and his Oddish were some distance ahead. She frowned after him. Surely they'd been through enough emotional stress at this point to be able to stick together? But she couldn't bring herself to say anything to him. She supposed it was understandable, really, that the one among them whose bond to his main Pokemon was closest would be hit the hardest when that Pokemon was hurt...
Still, Laksha muttered to Dace, "For what it's worth, I think Mr. Monkeyface Prickleback is a name any Pokemon would be proud of."
Ganesh stomped the ground a bit as he started walking. He loved adventures! Did they really have to be done with this one? But, come to think of it, going home was also very cozy. Wait, yes, Ganesh loved going home too.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Dec 11, 2009 3:27:49 GMT -5
"Thanks, Ganesh!" Dace knelt down, and tussled the diminuitive elephant's ears with her hands. She lifted the pack with a grunt, and tried to work it onto her back with a movement resembling a bird trying to fly in reverse. She got it settled, and then, with a look of discomfort, reached behind her and adjusted the collapsed tent so that it stopped prodding her in the lower back.
Staggering slightly, she knelt down and gave Ganesh a half a hug before he had already taken off, forcing his way to the front.
"Akshally, Laksha, he's not supposed to be proud of his name. He attacked some trainers, and like you said, that's kinda jerky for him to do. So I named him this so he'd remember I'm boss, y'know? Sure, he won't like it, but he's just going to have to deal." Dace punched her palm for emphasis, and paused to discretely shake her smarting hand.
She decided the best thing to do would be to move on, both from the topic and in location. Her footsteps began to increase in pace, and after a bit of scampering, she managed to catch up to Durant.
"C'mon, Durant! Stop moping. We came up here, did what we had to, and we kicked a lot of butt!" Dace paused after the last word, eyes darting around. Realizing that no disciplinarians would be coming out of thin air, she continued.
"I know you're bummed that Taraek's hurt right now, but don't let that get you down. Think about when we get back to town, and he gets healed, and then you can tell him what you and Oddish managed to do! Doncha think he'll be proud of you guys, being all able to take care of yourselves and such?"
"Of course, you also gotta remember that it's really easy to heal Pokemon, and unless they try to be awake while they're in their ball, they sleep through the whole thing. So Taraek had one thing that hurt him a bit, but he's probably dreaming about eating a big heaping bowl of... Well, whatever it is that Bulba- uh, Ivysaurs, eat. And then next thing he knows, he's all better and travelling with you again and beating up bad Pokemon and stuff." Dace's voice trailed off as she spoke, trying to find her words as each one ran ahead to her mouth.
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Post by {WW}BetaBloodWolf7 on Dec 15, 2009 23:25:32 GMT -5
"No," began Durant. "he'll be upset that he... that he lost.. Then he'll be really upset when he finds out that he missed the chance to fight a really powerful pokemon. It doesn't matter if pokemon are 'easy' to heal. He was still hurt by... by them again..."
He paused and began remembering all the times his sister and Spitfire had harassed and abused them.
"But you wouldn't know about that. You captured another pokemon and your first act as it's trainer was to punish it when what you should have been doing was setting a good example, and trying to become friends."
He rubbed his shoulder again. "No, you wouldn't know about that." He then waited for Laksha and didn't continue walking till she was inbetween himself and Dace.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Dec 20, 2009 11:57:40 GMT -5
Ganesh flapped his ears to flick away an insect as he trotted happily down the dirt path at the front of the group. Compared to yesterday the sun was shining so brightly today! That was fantastic. Ganesh loved the sun. His skin felt nice and dry under the warm light. Being sopping wet like yesterday, he really didn't like that so much. Once his ears were unoccupied with the insect, he tilted them back toward the group. The boy was saying some stuff he couldn't really make out. Oh, well, that happened a lot. It was hard for him to follow anyone's words except Laksha's. To be honest, maybe the thing was that he just didn't find anyone else's voice as pleasant as Laksha's soft, airy tone. Yeah... Ganesh could listen to her talk for hours. His eyelids drooped contentedly.
"Ganesh."
There was her voice! He whipped his head around. Laksha, back some distance, had knelt onto the ground. She wasn't smiling. Oh no maybe she was hurt. Ganesh hurtled to her side at once and nudged her legs with his trunk to see was there anything wrong. She patted a hand on his head, but didn't look at him. She was still looking up at the other two humans. Ganesh blinked around, confused.
"Durant, if the three of us are going any further together, we're doing so as friends. Otherwise, you should feel free to return to Cerulean, and I will stay out here for a while longer. Ganesh is obviously strong enough right now to protect me."
Ganesh saw an opportunity to be helpful and so bounced up and down a bit and trumpeted to show off how strong he was right then. Anything for Laksha!
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Post by Tout-Perd on Jan 12, 2010 2:20:51 GMT -5
"Durant..." Dace went silent for a short while, the ever present blush to her cheeks deepening slightly. She started to walk faster, as if to pass by Laksha. A gust of a wind rustled past, and the girl shook her head. She backed off quietly.
She listened to what Laksha said, and let the words sink in. Laksha hadn't been the type to threaten them with discipline, as far as she had known, but between Durant's gloom and her own... Dace put a hand to the side of her head, thinking. She didn't exactly get what she was doing wrong, if anything. So it must've been mostly Durant being a stick in the mud.
If she didn't want to be walking back alone, she'd need to do something.
"Durant!" Dace's footsteps quickened, and soon she was running. She blew past Laksha like a shot out of a gun.
"Hey, hey. Don't be all gloomy like that. That's not how you're supposed to be," She put a hand on his shoulder, and pulled. She might have been smaller, but it was still enough to make him face her.
"If you're all gloomy and sad, who's winning?" Dace stopped moving, forcing Durant to come to a complete stop. She turned him to face her, putting a hand on either shoulder.
"That's a really serious question, alright?" Her dark eyes had a fierce determination in them.
"If you're sad, then you know who wins? That bully that did everything she could to make you miserable. If you're sad, she's happy. She gets what she wants."
"If you're sad, you know who doesn't want you to be sad? Taraek. Do you know who loses if you let yourself get all bummed out, all dark and mopey? Taraek does. You know who else doesn't want you to be sad? Laksha, and Ganesh, and Minnow..." Dace let go of Durant's arms, and started walking again.
"And me."
"If you let what Ophelia did get you down, then you really lost to her. That's what she wanted to do to you. If you let her make you sad, we all lost to her. It doesn't matter if we won or lost the battle. If you're sad, she won."
"So..." Dace adjusted the straps on her pack, pitching her weight forwards against them.
"Smile. Even if you feel like you gotta cry, smile. If you can still put a smile on your face after what happened up there, then you and Taraek are the winners, you know?"
OOC: One more round and I wrap this up, I think. Not a great post by me here, but I think it sums up the key theme to both Dace and Durant's plot arcs.
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Post by {WW}BetaBloodWolf7 on Feb 25, 2010 23:12:09 GMT -5
Laksha's words cut stung. That the person who had a tough time fighting his sister and the Venemoth because of her own timidness would tell him that his company wasn't wanted unless he perked up hurt. He turned and looked at Laksha sorrowfully, turned back, and began to walk away. If his best friend wasn't important to her, then she wasn't someone he wanted to be around after all.
"Durant!"
At first he didn't register that someone was calling out to him, then he felt a hand pulling his shoulder. The hand pulled on him until he turned around.
"If you're all gloomy and sad, who's winning?" Inquired Dace as she put her other hand on his unoccupied shoulder.
"That's a serious question, alright?" She stared at him, causing him to avert his gaze. She continued to talk mostly about how he was letting his sister win if he didn't cheer up.
He listened to her, and began feeling better, if only a little bit. She was right. His sister enjoyed every moment he felt bad, she always had.
"So... smile. Even if you feel like you gotta cry, smile. If you can still put a smile on your face after what happened up there, then you and Taraek are the winners, you know?" Durant knew she was right. Nothing would aggravate Ophelia more than for him to put on a happy face, except perhaps for him to actually be happy.
"Thanks Dace." He said, putting his arms around her. He held onto her for a moment, then pulled away from her, a slight pink tint appearing in his cheeks.
"We- we do need to get to Cerulean though." He said turning to look down the road.
A minute passed and Laksha and Dace had both walked past him. He watched both for a moment, thinking about Daces' words, as well as Laksha's. Laksha didn't actually want him gone, she just wanted him to stop moping, just like Dace did.
"Two friends" he said to himself. Then he smiled and ran to catch up to them.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Mar 6, 2010 21:29:39 GMT -5
"Oh honestly..."
Laksha pushed up off the ground and started down the path when Durant mentioned Cerulean. She'd realized it was a bit silly of her to be acting the part of the regulator simply because she was the oldest of the three of them. After all, fourteen wasn't so very old. In the grand scheme of things she was given to understand that they all still had quite some more growing ahead of them.
She looked farther down the path. In the distance she could already see the river and Nugget Bridge. Soon after that they'd be back in Cerulean, and then it would be Saffron again, and then, for her, the Magnet Train back west to Goldenrod... She missed home. How disappointing that she should miss home after only being on her own for twenty-four hours, but it was true. She missed the scents of her mother's cooking and the sounds of her father's puttering about the house. This had been a grand adventure but she was ready for it to end.
Of course Ganesh would be happy with any course of action -- that was clear enough. He just liked to be on the move. He was throwing glances up at Laksha and stomping the ground every handful of steps. His ears flapped with anticipation. Eventually she nodded and gestured forward slightly with one open palm.
Ganesh let forth a short cry of excitement before curling his front legs under and rolling forward into a ball. Immediately he started putting distance between himself and the trainers and in another moment he was just a blue dot faintly visible down the path, moving toward the bridge.
There was something she couldn't place. The bleat had been a little deeper, slightly more guttural than usual. Not even noticeable to someone who hadn't heard a Phanpy vocalize as much as she had, but it was there... A reminder, however inadvertent, that Ganesh had just a bit more growing to do himself.
Loud footfalls behind Laksha told her that someone was running to catch up. Yes, Durant was now in step alongside Dace, a little ways behind Laksha. His face looked a little brighter. Dace had won him over. No surprise. Dace could likely persuade a Cubone to chin up. She had a particular way with words. Already she was clapping him on the shoulder and starting in with another line.
Laksha smiled and looked back toward the bridge.
"You two."
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Post by Tout-Perd on Mar 12, 2010 2:46:32 GMT -5
Dace tugged at her shirt sleeve, adjusting it. The mud had been making it all clingy and uncomfortable, but she’d dry out soon enough. Durant was happy, the sun was somewhat out, Laksha was smiling again and not being as terse as she was earlier, and she had made her first capture.
She threw her head back, and let out a loud sigh.
“This is what training’s supposed to be like. Just a trip, with friends, with their Pokemon. I mean, there’s not much better than that, right?” She cocked her head slightly.
“When we get back to Cerulean, we’ll probably all need to split up again pretty soon I bet. So, guys, I just wanted to tell you, thanks. If you two… And Taraek, and Ganesh, and Matsya, and Sankh, and Oddish-“ Dace wetted her lips, “And Minnow too. If you all hadn’t been along to help me, I’d just be sitting around my room, coloring a book or watching TV or somethin’. Sooo… Thanks.”
She closed her eyes, feeling the sun streaming down from above. The temperature was just right, in her opinion. Warm enough to be comfortable, cold enough to keep one awake. Hard to think of anything better than that.
She hummed quietly, under her breath. A few bars of something, some song from television or the radio. She didn’t know the words. She didn’t even know if there WAS words. But it was a happy little tune, and it just felt like the right thing to hum. Maybe, if she wasn’t with so small of a group, she’d be singing. However, without a crowd to hide in-
Dace’s eyes snapped open, and she spun on her heel. A noise had come from above in a tree, the last one before the bridge. It was a gnarled, mostly leafless derelict, its roots set into the craggy stone that edged the peninsula. She didn't notice any shapes that particularly stood out, but something had to have made a sound in there. Ganesh stopped nearby, also glancing upwards with a curious sniffing.
Something moved from behind the tree, and Dace's hand shot to her pocket. She drew Minnow's ball. Even if she was tired, Minnow was a better pick than an unknown like Venomoth.
“Easy, Dace,” The voice was warm but restrained, low without being deep. In front of her was the familiar image of her Tutor, hovering an inch or two above the beach grass and gravel. With a soft crunch, the figure lowered themselves to the ground.
“Laksha and Durant, no? Pleased to meet you both,” The tutor bowed slightly. It seemed that a wrapping of cloth hid their face well, even the eyes being shielded behind a pair of dark glasses. A bulky, somewhat shapeless grey leather jacket hung off of their form, seemingly dominating their appearance.
“I've been keeping track of you all since the Beginner's Cup. It's truly heartening to see how much you all have improved. Inspiring, even.” The teacher's voice was warm, though no expression was to be seen through their layers of disguise.
“Thanks!” Dace's shout was pure and simple, no conflict in the emotions. If there was one thing that COULD improve her day, well, this was it.
“You handled the challenge I gave you admirab-”
“What about Ophelia?”
“Who's that? Another friend of yours? I'm afraid I'm not aware of her,” The tutor's shoulders visibly slumped, “I only-”
“Pff! Not a friend of ours, right guys? She's Durant's mean big sister and she picked a fight with us and we managed to get away,” Dace's smile wilted slightly.
“I'm... afraid that I wasn't present for that. Other... obligations left me indisposed for keeping an eye on your group for most of the past two days.” They shook their head, putting up a glove to steady their glasses.
“Eh, it's okay I guess. That just means we did even better than you thought we did, right?”
“That it does.” Now that the others were drawing closer, it seemed the Tutor's stature wasn't as imposing as it had seemed at first. Indeed, they were barely head and shoulders taller than Laksha.
“So, what now?” Dace grabbed the sleeve of the jacket, and gave it a rough tug. The tutor lurched slightly, and then decided to follow the girl after gently prying her hand free.
“Well, we all go home, I suppose... Or, wherever we can go, for those of us that aren't going home.”
“That's a bummer.”
“True... Oh! But one more thing, before you part ways!” The Tutor shoved their hands into their jacket pockets, and withdrew them quickly. Putting a hand on Dace's shoulder, they stopped walking long enough for Durant and Laksha to catch up.
“I did get you all something on the flight over. Nothing that's too fantastic... But in capable hands like the ones that defeated the monster of the cape...” The figure's calm was broken by a note of pride, “I'm positive that they all could end up as something incredible.” In the teacher's open palm, resting gently on the soft fabric of their large gloves, were three Pokeballs.
“One for each of y-!” The teacher was cut off as Dace caught them in a vigorous hug, inadvertently ramming her shoulder right into their gut.
“Thanks! Thanks a lot, Tutor!” Dace broke the hug and grabbed the one nearest her, a small D.B. etched into the cherry-red surface. “What is it?”
“It's a... well, a Clamperl. I didn't have time to search for valuable, rare species and be monitoring a group of potential students at the same time.”
Dace cradled the orb in her hands, and nodded. Even if it was just a fairly common, routine creature... A gift, in faith, from her Tutor... That made it worth more than she could even begin to think about.
OOC: Eh, a bit sudden, but I think it's time to wrap it up. You both remember whatcha got, right? Feel free to auto the Tutor a bit in your posts, but don't give away anything on their actual identity.
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Post by Beelzebibble on Mar 14, 2010 15:44:09 GMT -5
OOC: Dace's theme is now officially Pokemon with multiple evolution paths (and Venomoth).
After a moment's hesitation, Laksha accepted the Pokeball with "L.K." scratched onto the surface. She wasn't normally accustomed to receiving gifts from strangers, but this nameless tutor was, perhaps, not quite a stranger... Certainly not to Dace. And in absolute fairness, anyone whom Dace would target for one of her hugs was someone whom Laksha could probably trust. Furthermore, to be as honest as possible, Laksha was extremely curious about what was in this Pokeball.
She pressed the button, and the ball parted to allow a sphere of red light to escape. The light manifested into a small round bird covered in emerald-green plumage. Its squat wings and tail were colored scarlet and black. A blunt beak and a pair of almond-shaped eyes with thick dark irises made up the face. The form was topped with a crimson feather much longer than the green feathers over the rest of the Pokemon's body.
"A Natu!" Laksha let out a small gasp. Her braided hair whipped around behind her head as she looked quickly up to the tutor. "How did you know I've been hoping for one?"
The tutor raised both gloved palms. "I didn't," they admitted. "But he seemed to."
For the Natu had hopped up to Laksha at once and was now pecking at her sandal. She bent down and reached out an arm, and the flightless bird jumped on and sidestepped up to her shoulder, where he perched as comfortably as if he'd done so for years. Laksha winced as his talons pricked slightly through the fabric of her shirt into her skin, but she was too taken by the Natu's behavior to protest. One eye, the only one visible to her on this side of his body, was fixed on her, but it would perhaps be redundant at this point to say that the gaze was not wary.
"I've never seen a Pokemon act so friendly toward an unknown human before," she said.
"Oh, now, that shouldn't puzzle a smart girl like you, Laksha," said the tutor. "It's just as I said..."
But she understood. She smiled. Natus were a species gifted with prescience, if not as much so as their fully-grown forms, Xatus. This one must have already foreseen a happy future with Laksha as his trainer. As such, he'd decided to do away with the typical period of uncomfortable adjustment, and move straight on to treating Laksha as an old friend... Laksha giggled and turned her face away as he shook out his wings for a second. The verdant feathers seemed to let off a resonant hum, barely audible, as they rustled.
"What else do you see?" she murmured.
The Natu clicked his beak once and blinked without hurry.
Laksha beamed up at the tutor. "Thank you so much. Sir," she eventually added, after realizing she needed to use a polite form of address and wagering from the tutor's voice that "sir" was a slightly safer bet than "ma'am".
She lifted a cocoa-colored fingertip to the Natu's beak, and he nipped it gently. Remembering a story her mother had once told her of a brave bird and friend of the gods, she decided to call him Jatayu.
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Post by Tout-Perd on Mar 31, 2010 7:17:55 GMT -5
OOC: C'mon, Blood. Just give us something to work with, man. After you do that, it's just one more round and we're done.
Hell, I'll trade a post in GnR for one here, within 48 hours. Or I'll buy you several gallons of cranberry juice if I fail at that.
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Post by {WW}BetaBloodWolf7 on Apr 7, 2010 20:15:43 GMT -5
The mention of his sister made Durant feel a twinge of pain. Rather than let it get to him he simply ignored it and instead focused on the small pokeball still on ground with D.L. etched into it.
Knowing that whoever it Dace had hugged was obviously someone trustworthy, he followed Laksha and picked up the pokeball, after watching her meet her Natu. He was curious what pokemon had been given to him, but at the same time concerned about taking a pokemon that was completely whom he'd never seen before. A quick look showed him that bot Dace and Laksha were eagerly waiting to see hat pokemon had been given to him.
When he pressed the small button on the front of the ball, a bright white light erupted out of it. "I hope you don't mind another Grass type" said the tutor in a tone indicating that it knew he wouldn't.
"At least it's a little bit different from Taraek and Oddish that he'll provide some variation" it said as the white disappeared, revealing the large green lilypad and blue body of a Lotad.
Durant was nearly ecstatic. Lotad was one of the few grass types that actually survived when moved to Orre, Hoppip being the other. He picked it up and gave it a good look.
"It's pretty young if it can still walk on land." he said smiling. The Lotad, however, rolled it's eyes at the Durant and squirmed in his hands until he put it down.
"Oh, yeah... Sorry." he said still smiling. "I guess you're not quite as friendly as Laksha's Natu. "
OOC: Sorry, one of those stupid things happened and it wouldn't let me type. Oi....
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Post by Tout-Perd on Apr 8, 2010 0:58:39 GMT -5
OOC: Solid, solid work, Blood. My next post marks the ending round, gents. It's been a heck of a ride.
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Post by Tout-Perd on May 9, 2010 14:07:35 GMT -5
Dace surveyed her friends intently, watching their interactions with their new party members. She considered sending out Clamperl to examine it, but stopped with the ball halfway ready. “Do we have the time?” “If you want,” The Tutor’s voice was neutral still, calm and smooth. “M’kay,” Dace dropped the orb, and it blossomed into a soft white flash. After a moment, the light coalesced into a stout, rounded form. It was a blue shell the size of a decorative pillow, closed tightly. “C’mon, you can open up. I won’t hurt you,” Dace leaned in, and ran her hand along the shell soothingly. A small, high pitched growl came from inside the shell. “Don't worry, I'm your trainer. I just want to see your face. Open up, okay?” Another growl was the only response from the badly behaved bivalve. Dace sighed, and then dropped to her hands and knees. She rummaged about for a bit, scrambling in the dirt and dust of the seaside path. After a moment, she pocketed something, and returned to the side of her reticent recruit She stood off to the side, and produced a smooth rock from her pocket. With an underhanded toss, she bounced it off of the sturdy shell. THOK! It skipped off, and into the water with a soft plunk. There was a brief pause, and then the shell opened a crack Dace stayed to the side, watching carefully. It opened a bit more, and the girl lunged down on it. She jammed her fingers in between the two bony plates, and leaned in close. “Dace! Get your hands out of there! A Clamperl can shut hard enough to break somebody's leg, nevermind a child's fingers!” “Shhhh...” Dace kept her face close, and threw her most winning smile on. The shell slowly edged open, slightly more. There was a growl again, but this one edged into a purring noise. “See, I'm not that bad. I'm Dace Balao, and I'm going to be your train-” Her eyes flicked over towards the others, “No, I'm going to be your friend from now on.” The gap widened until the others could see the shining face of the Pokemon. It had a cautious smile on its face, a pale reflection of Dace's open grin. “I'm really glad to meet you. Are you happy to meet me?” Dace paused, noting a hiccup in the purring of the Pokemon. “Don't worry. You'll be glad you did, someday. As I said, my name's Dace and yours is? Dace released her hold on the edges of the shell, and it remained open, “You don't have one, right? Of course you don't, since Pokemon don't get names from their moms and dads.” “Maybe I can come up with one, if I think a bit...” Dace knelt by the clam, her elbow resting on her knee, and her chin on her palm. “Hmmm, hm, hmmm...” What was a fitting name? Minnow was easy to name, it just came to her. Monkeyface wasn't that hard, since she had been wanting to use the name, but Durant didn't like it much, and the Venomoth wouldn't either. This one, there was some pressure... Other people had opinions about whatever she named it. But it had returned to its purring, a slightly higher note now. Hmmm... Purr? Something with Purr, or maybe close... “Burbot! That's a good name, right?” She threw herself forwards, leaning on her palms to see her Pokemon's face better. She could feel the gravel on her hands in spots, but she ignored it. Best to talk face to face, since it led to trust. It didn't change its ways much. Its purring had deepened, and its smile was faint but present. It looked up to her with hopeful eyes. “Then that's it. Burbot and Balao, we'll be together for a while, y'know?” Dace put a hand on the shell, and gave it a solid pat. “There's no way I can carry you though, so we're going to have to put you back in the ball, okay?” Dace raised the orb to the Pokemon, the grit of the path leaving white marks on her hand. It nodded the best it could without a neck, and dissolved back into light again. She glanced over at the others, and then back to the Tutor. “I guess we can get going now.” The tutor nodded. “I'm glad to have met both of you. In some ways, I feel Dace has been taught more by your friendship than anything that I could have done for her,” The tutor put a hand on Dace's shoulder. “Don't sell yourself short. You taught me how to battle and all that!” “I don't think I'm as much benefit as you think I am, Dace,” The mysterious figure drew back from their student, and then slowly nodded to the others. They had ambled most of the way down the bridge in the process of examining their new additions, and could see the white and slate of Cerulean City sprawling out before them. The sunlight glimmered and sparkled off of the windows and swimming pools about the suburbs and coastline. “It's probably best to split up here, considering where we're all headed. If I'm not mistaken, Dace's home is on the far side of Saffron from where you both need to go.” Dace paused, and rubbed at her cheek with the heel of her hand. She hadn't really considered the implications of her teacher showing up when they had appeared, but it DID mean that her friends would be going home soon, and the adventure was over. She... didn't really care for that. She sighed slightly, under her breath, and then turned to look towards the ocean. OOC: Final round, commence! It's been a pleasure, gentlemen. After you guys post, I capstone this sucker, and we move on to the Blackthorn plot.
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Post by Beelzebibble on May 14, 2010 0:46:17 GMT -5
Laksha leaned with her elbows on the railing of the bridge next to Dace. Jatayu hopped off her shoulder and perched next to her, watching the waves crash down slowly against the rocky shoreline. Upon reflection, Laksha pulled out her scrunchie and let her braid slip out around her shoulders. The salty breeze from the other direction picked her black hair up slightly and draped a strand or two across her face. She smiled at the other girl. "If you don't mind," she said, "my parents probably won't be expecting me home for another night or two... Perhaps I could come see your house?" She wondered if it was impolite to ask. Altogether she didn't suspect Dace would see it that way but she quickly tempered her question with: "That is, I don't want to impose... I'd just like to see a little more of Kanto before heading home, I think." Before she could go on, along barrelled Ganesh, who had been waiting for them at the end of the bridge. He rolled up to her happily, but pulled out of his ball shape once he was close enough to get a surprised look at Jatayu. He wheezed. "Oh -- Ganesh, this is Jatayu." Laksha knelt down to address the Phanpy, and held out an arm for the Natu to latch onto. "He's going to be joining us, so be kind to him, won't you?" Ganesh looked back and forth between the girl and the bird for a moment, still piecing the situation together, but eventually reared back on his hind legs and trumpeted cheerily. The thump when his front legs landed heavily back on the bridge threatened to splinter the wood. Laksha grinned, but Jatayu's reaction was distinctly cold. In fact, when Ganesh's blue-gray trunk came up sniffing to get a measure of Jatayu's scent, the Natu fluttered forward and landed a sharp peck on one floppy ear. Ganesh swung his ears back and recoiled with an affronted huff. Laksha, too, was ruffled: "Jatayu! Be polite!" But Jatayu only looked back out to sea. Laksha stroked Ganesh's ear gently and gave a worried glance at the Natu. If he was behaving so unkindly toward Ganesh after greeting Laksha so warmly... Was Ganesh going to commit some future injustice against Jatayu that neither he nor Laksha could predict? But what if that cold introduction had just created the dynamic which would, itself, lead to Ganesh's action? Laksha sighed. Ten minutes with a clairvoyant Pokemon and she was already reasoning like the hero of a story about time travel. The future suddenly looked confusing. "You'll apologize to Ganesh," she said firmly. Jatayu bowed his beak slightly, but otherwise didn't react. Laksha bent closer and whispered into Ganesh's ear, "Never mind him. He sees things you and I don't. His understanding is different. Not better. Just different." Ganesh looked up at her with a frustrated snort. He still looked hurt. She kissed him on the top of the head. He melted. " You are my Phanpy," she murmured categorically, and although this was an obvious and not very meaningful observation Ganesh blinked in contentment and understanding. OOC: Please let's take a nice healthy break before starting another story with these kids. I'm getting really fed up with Laksha.
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Post by {WW}BetaBloodWolf7 on May 31, 2010 15:47:00 GMT -5
Durant wedged himself between Laksha and Dace and looked down into the water. He felt his Lotad brush against his leg, then he watched as the lily-pad pokemon jumped into the water beneath them. He seemed to be enjoying himself immensely, causing Durant to feel guilty that his fun would have to end soon.
Oddish, who was still outside of her pokeball, seemed to be feeling better too. As he picked her up to set her on the railing the shaking he'd grown accustomed to was missing. Once on the railing she watched Lotad as he swam back and forth by the bridge. Suddenly she jumped off the railing ad landed on top of the lily-pad. The sudden addition of weight caused Lotad to sink almost immediately after Oddish landed. A moment later Oddish was struggling to stay above the surface. Durant was about to jump in to save her when Lotad reappeared beneath Oddish and began to ferry her to the shore.
Durant laughed at them, then put his arms around Laksha and Dace and pulled them close. "Even with the bad times," he began, as his right arm twitched in response. "It's been fun. I wish it didn't have to end, but both of you are going to Dace's house and I don't think there's enough room for me. So I'm going to go straight to Johto. I'll call Aunt Julie while I'm at the Pokemon Center, then I'll go to the Tohjo Falls."He then turned to look at Laksha. "Maybe I'll see you some time while I'm there. I'll try to." Then he turned his head so that he could look at Dace. "I hope I can see you again too. I'll try calling some time so that we can at least stay in touch."
Then he pulled them both into a quick hug and began walking towards he Pokemon Center.
OOC: Sorry if it's not quite up to par, there's a storm here and I wanted to get it up.
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