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Clarion Call; Emily Soon's Journey
Tweet Topic Started: Oct 5 2010, 09:30 PM (393 Views)
Munchkinator Oct 5 2010, 09:30 PM Post #1
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Okay, so maybe this damn continent was good for something other than battling.

Emily relaxed against one guard rail of the upper deck of the ferry, eyes lightly lidded and head thrown back so that her hair hang over the edge of the railing, off the side of the ship towards the foamy white trail that ringed the boat. The sun was glorious, rays of heat and light beating down on her upturned face and arms. The warmth, the salty fresh air, the wind and the calming rush of the ocean - it was almost hypnotic in its perfection, the perfect moment of calm before the storm. In only an hour or so, they'd dock at Tohea, and then she was off to try this trainer thing, hopefully at Chloe's side - the little twerp had missed the damn boat due to being too damn busy on some project. Well, that was the twerp's story. Frankly, Emily suspected that the vacuous bluenette had just forgotten to set her alarm and overslept, or stayed up too late the night before and hadn't thought to turn the damn thing on in the first place.

That was alright, though. It was - irksome that she hadn't been able to spend the ride with Chloe, catching up after their lives had followed such different paths for the last few years, but they would meet up sooner or later in Tohea. Besides, this way she got a small head start on her sister; not a particularly telling one, but at least she'd be able to get her land legs on and start learning what Chloe already knew about training. Emily sighed lazily, relishing the sensation as tension drained from her body through the long sigh even as the sun continued to drench her in its warming light. Okay, it wasn't completely alright - she'd really wanted to spend the trip with Chloe. It had seemed like such a great idea at the time, just two sisters shacking up in the same room and enjoying the sights and sounds together. Just like the old days, right down to the bunk bed... though Chloe probably would've kept her up all night playing World of Starcraft or whatever.

A small snort, or perhaps scoffing. Emily didn't really know, or care. She loved her sister, she really did, but Chloe could just be so god damn irritating sometimes. It was like the girl just spent so much time on her computer that she'd forgotten how to interface with people. Not that she could really judge, the former diva pondered; she had her own set of problems in dealing with people, though more regarding her difficulty in seeing the worth in people rather than her attitude. She knew to treat people with at least a modicum of respect, but also knew that her manner was sometimes lacking, almost bedside in practice. Brusque and blunt, shying away from politeness for the sake of politeness. Something else to consider, anyways, while on this whole trainer... "thing." Emily wasn't quite sure that she wanted to exactly reinvent herself, but if nothing else this trip might be good for getting rid of some tension while she figured out what she actually wanted to do next in life.

That had been another issue that she'd considered, even worried about for some time, but by this point she'd simply decided to give it a rest. No point in ruining this trip by worrying about her future constantly. Trainers were supposed to be laid back and resourceful, living life day to day and scraping by through incessant training, constantly honing their tactical acumen, and building bonds with their Pokémon. Heh. Pokémon. That'd always been Chloe's idiot fantasy, and now, Emily realized, she was here to share in her sister's dream, to actually do this whole... Pokémon... thing. She self-consciously filed away a note for later to remind herself to read a book about this shit or pump Chloe for information, just to get up to speed. Preferably not relying on the self-titled "Kalypso" for the information. It was bad enough that she was already handicapped by not knowing what she was doing, Emily thought with a momentary twinge of annoyance that creased one eyebrow, but having to ask the twerp for help wasn't something she really wanted to do. She had to do at least some of this for herself, learn it on the fly, or what was the point?

A nudge on her half-exposed leg drew her attention, and Emily lazily opened her eyes, enjoying the sunshine on her face for a moment longer before lazily tilting her head down. Al-Iblis was looking up at her neutrally, one eyebrow quirked. He was always like this - the little fire-fox-thing very rarely spoke, and when he did it was always just that idiotic thing where Pokémon just repeated their names over and over and expected everyone to understand. She'd had to become at least somewhat proficient at reading his expressions and emotions, even if he kept the latter tucked down somewhere below his generally-calm demeanor. Hurm. What was the species name, anyways? Vulx? Vulcan? Emily might've shrugged, if she'd cared enough to evince the emotion. Didn't really matter, as long as he could win.

Al-Iblis continued to stare up at her, something hidden behind his eyes. Almost a reproachful gaze, the singer realized. Maybe concerned. Of what? It wasn't like she was going to fall off the railing, or anything stupid like that - it was tall enough to support her and she had one hand loosely gripping it anyways, leaving the other free to help hold her aright. Huh. If she didnt' know better, she'd think he'd been trying to jolt her out of that downward spiral of thoughts. He was just a dumb animal, though. Well, she mentally amended herself, pretty smart... for an animal. Supposedly he was some kind of tactical genius HURR Creed, but he the little bastard didn't know how to do much other than breathe fire, or make it appear around him if he was feeling really creative. Not exactly the pinnacle of power and versatility. Chloe had gone on for half an hour about how of COURSE Pokémon started off weak just so they could get stronger, but Emily didn't really care, so long as he started winning and kept winning.

"Got that?" The fox continued to stare up, vaguely curious, unless she was imagining things. "Just win. All you need to do." Al-Iblis looked almost annoyed - "of course I'll win" was the message his momentarily-fierce eyes and taut stance said, before he turned away in annoyance and stalked off a few feet. She wasn't sure she cared, but at least it was a good sign that he intended to win. Given how calm he seemed to be most of the time, Emily had started to wonder if he even had the spirit to do more than flop down and fail. Good to know. Good to know, indeed. Hopefully he could back up his stance.

She slowly lowered raised her eyes to the sky once more, reclining as her head moved backwards, pondering as she drunk in the sunshine ever more.

Hopefully she could back up her stance.

[Just on the ferry to Ayer, chillaxing. A trainer battle would be pretty cool, something to give her a bit of practice before she comes to Tohea officially and flubs her first battle.]
Edited by Munchkinator, Oct 5 2010, 09:33 PM.
 
Ryua Oct 6 2010, 07:06 PM Post #2
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It really was a lovely day, and Tohea was still nothing more than a smudge on the horizon. Still plenty of time to kill before you arrived. While it was no grand cruise ship you were on, there was a nice, wide expanse of deck, kept oddly clear of anything that looked expensive or potentially breakable. A couple coils of very heavy rope, a few neatly piled, sturdy boxes, the first row of lifeboats... and that was about it.

Well, it's a time honored tradition for there to be trainers itching to fight while cooped up on ferries going from one region to another. Even the crew of the ships tended to get into the spirit of things. Every good sailor had a Pokémon or two, to help with tasks aboard ship, or in the water in the event of something going wrong. Since this was a routine trip for the vessel, and nothing had gone wrong, the few sailors in charge of this ship had little to do.

Therefore, as you had given your Vulpix that intriguing command, one of them had overheard you. "Now, that sounds like a smart thing to tell your Pokémon... assuming it's capable of winning anything. If you don't mind getting his fur dirty, let's have a bit of a sparring match," he said. Tossing a Pokeball lightly to the ground in front of him, a Machop burst out of the capsule. It flexed its muscles, obviously in good shape from the hard work of a sailor. "So what do you think, little lady? Feel up for a friendly battle? Don't worry, I won't let my Machop do any permanent damage to your little pet."

...Obviously, he had no idea who he was dealing with, eh?
 
Munchkinator Oct 6 2010, 10:22 PM Post #3
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Emily cracked open one eyelid, then another, lowering her head just enough to be able to see the rest of the deck without blinding herself. A sailor? Quite the gentleman. Wouldn't even hurt a fly, much less a harmless little lady. One corner of her mouth began to twist into a vicious sneer, but she thought better of it. No need to make this unpleasant, after all. Even if it had been a terrible choice in words - well, he was a sailor, what could you expect? In a way, she couldn't be entirely insulted - as poorly chosen as his words had been, the intent had been obvious. Honesty was always refreshing, and bluntness was her thing, after all. At least his intent had been positive.

Not that any of that restrained her from quickly deciding to make him squeal like a pig. Her lidded eyes met Al-Iblis's, a lazy stare with a burning intensity burning deep within. His large, blank eyes met hers, and a spark of understanding traveled between them, his own narrowing slightly as he sat up, then crouched, already feeling the nuclear inferno building within him. If she wanted a battle - then she would get one. Light erupted from his body, a bright glow that was reflected moments later as the sun itself seemed to intensify, the once-warm rays turning into a blinding inferno of heat and light as Drought came into action. Emily watched silently, nodding slightly in acknowledgement at the fox before swiveling her head back to the trainer. She still hadn't said anything, or acknowledged him. All in due time. Her eyes closed once more, relishing the light and heat on her skin for a moment, then opened once more.

Fully, this time, vivid aqua taking in the scene as she pondered. Not a lot of cover. She didn't recognize the sailor's Pokémon, but it looked exceptionally muscular. Very fit. Most likely physical-heavy. There was nothing to say that it couldn't have a ranged move. Still. No point in worrying. If Al-Iblis was anywhere near as good as he was supposed to be, he'd be able to handle it. Then again, she couldn't just rely on him. It was also her time to shine, or at least learn the hard way what not to do. A little from column a, a little from column b. Pushing off in one sinuous movement, one edge of Emily's mouth quirked into the faintest beginnings of a smile that went no further as she took a few steps towards the sailor, paying full attention to him, taking in any relevant details.

Might as well be pleasant. No real reason to be bitchy yet. "I'd be honored." She inclined her head slightly, intended as a gesture of acknowledgement, of respect. They were, after all, equals. She might have been something more in the past, but now she was simply a new Pokémon trainer, one that would have to find their own way in this strange new world. That was much of what had drawn her to Pokémon in the first place - the idea of having to start from scratch, none of her past making things easier, and fight her way to the top. Emily had no doubt that she would, sooner or later; failure was not an option. Not in the slightest. The smile grew a little wider, a touch feral. "Emily." She gestured towards Vulpix, who was now quietly stalking into position. "Al-Iblis." Another pause, another appraisal. "We would be honored to accept your challenge." No turning back now. No chickening out, or relying on useless excuses should she lose. There was no Chloe here to watch her fail or succeed, but that made no difference. One way or another, she would succeed. There was no other option.

Emily wasn't quite sure exactly what to order Al-Iblis to do, but after a moment of thought, opted to leave the exact decisions to him and simply direct the flow of the fight. It seemed like a compromise as good as any to maximize both of their abilities. She pivoted on one heel, rotating ninety degrees in an instant, head still facing forwards. "Al-Iblis!" His head rose slightly, signifying his attention, even if it was less dramatic. "...Don't lose." An imperious jerk of his head, a momentary disdainful look. Inside, she smiled. The more determined he was to prove himself, the better he would perform. Even if he didn't necessarily know the intent behind her words. "Use your range advantage, but don't forget the advantages of closing in." Ember was like a shotgun blast, powerful throughout its effective range but far more brutal and difficult to avoid closer in. One hand shot out, an open palm towards their foe some distance away. "Purge it with flame!"
Edited by Munchkinator, Oct 6 2010, 11:09 PM.
 
Al-Iblis Oct 6 2010, 10:37 PM Post #4
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Al-Iblis nodded nigh-imperceptibly in acknowledgement. So, Emily was leaving to him the intricate tactical decisions, simply guiding the general flow of events herself. A passable decision, for a newbie trainer - she probably wouldn't have been able to come up with any better technical details than he. At least she recognized that. It took a certain degree of maturity, of being able to accept one's own failings for what they were, to do so with dignity and grace. As a trainer, she had a long way to go, but she wasn't stupid. He would have preferred a competent trainer, but one could certainly do worse for a master than a quick learner with the ability to see her own failings and account for them without letting it poison her commands. Then again, unless she started giving more concrete commands at some point, he might have to re-evaluate that assessment.

He had already been pondering tactics as Emily slowly made herself ready, so being left to his own devices was no particular issue. It was his hobby, after all. No, to put it in such demeaning terms was to insult himself and all that he stood for. It was his passion, his life and his goal. To overcome all obstacles through mental superiority and tactical acumen. He was very, very good at that. None of it would help if his face met that Machop's veiny fist, of course, so it was reasonably high priority to avoid that. ...On the other hand, he could take a hit. Just not in the face. Al-Iblis filed that away for future thought. If he could arrange to have the hit strike his sides or belly, damage to more critical portions of his body could be averted - and, he realized with a certain degree of amused sadism, it might serve to amplify an Ember already being shot out. He was tempted to actively test the theory, but resolved to only give it a chance if the opportunity arose, which was to say his actual battle plan failed, and he was forced to take a hit. Being able to turn a failure of planning into an unexpected boon would be an incredibly potent tool in his arsenal, and unexpected by the opponent to boot; who'd expect a retaliatory tactic that involved letting someone hit you?

But then, the best defense was a good offense, and he generally preferred to win unscathed. So. Melee Pokémon, undoubtedly. Al-Iblis had never fought a Machop, personally, but was generally familiar with the vague overview of their abilities - incredibly strong, absolutely brutal combatants, so on and so forth. It wasn't exactly a secret that they were inhumanly powerful if they were allowed to take combat into melee, so it would be optimal to end the fight at range. Preferable, anyways, if not nearly as exciting as gallantly dodging a meaty fist and delivering a point-blank finisher. ...Yeah, that was the backup plan now if it managed to close in. Backup to the backup plan. Whatever.

As for an opener... he had the advantage of range, and it would be absolutely foolish to not make use of it. No point in wasting a full assault, though. Might as well open off with just a Bursting Flame, although the Machop likely wouldn't realize the difference between that and an actual Ember in the second or two that the quick-moving attack took to cross the distance between them. So. As soon as the Machop started moving, he'd open with a Bursting Flame, just a quick, simple burst of Fire energy that vaguely resembled a short stream of liquid fire. Not for damage, really, as nice as it would be to open by hitting the Machop in the face - he was more interested in gauging the opponent's reaction speed, and more importantly, seeing which way it dodged. If it did. If not, he could just unleash all barrels on it and take the accursed thing down long before it reached him, but realistically, any Pokémon with so much as a hint of self-preservation would attempt to dodge.

That was what he was hoping to induce, after all. Dodging was great for avoiding an attack, if it was moving slowly enough, but it also left an opening as one regained their bearings after the violent jerk to the side or better yet, a combat roll; regardless, the motion could be traced and followed through to their logical conclusion by instant modeling, and he was very good at modeling possibilities and probabilities. The curse of an overactive mind, but a blessing here. Should the Machop dodge, its course would be set for a moment, even if only for a second or two; it would be disoriented or unable to break out of the dodge. That was when he would loose the second stage of the two-pronged assault, a hail of Embers aimed at where the Machop would be after avoiding the first attack. There wasn't nearly enough distance between them to easily dodge a Bursting Flame followed almost immediately by a single stream of Ember in very rapid succession, especially for a Pokémon who was fairly slow in the first place. Especially if he started moving towards it immediately after the initial Bursting Flame, closing the distance and presenting an extra level of threat. It might serve to at least distract the Machop from picking itself up off the ground, if nothing else.

After that... well, they would just have to see, wouldn't they? Emily's advice wasn't absolutely terrible - if the Machop was burned or at least passably well damaged by the initial dual assault, its ability to defend or even react would be compromised. Al-Iblis pondered finishing it off with an Ember from range, but tossed the idea aside as being unnecessarily unsportsmanlike. If he was to already be moving towards the Machop, especially one already stunned by the intensity of his assault? Well, that was just a perfectly good opportunity to continue to run straight at it, then perhaps a meter or two away, leap into the air and bathe the area in purifying flame as he relied on the sudden nature of the unexpected assault, combined with hopefully altitude to make him a difficult target. In theory, carpet bombing the Machop with Embers would serve to distract it from his landing, giving him time to retreat some distance to avoid any retaliation. Besides, it would look completely badass to finish off his foe from above, like an unstoppable Solar deity descending from above.

Orrrr at least a Vulpix with an overactive imagination. The entire thought process had only taken a few moments as Emily spoke, pondering tactics and running simulations his normal preparation for battle. Al-Iblis stretched out one last time, absolutely ready to start the fight in a heartbeat and finish it even more quickly. At the same time, he almost hoped that the Machop turned out to be tougher than his initial assessment had been; masochistic, perhaps, but a quick battle would be far too boring if he could instead fight a stronger, worthier opponent. Emily wouldn't know the difference if it bit her in the ass, but he would.

[Recap: GAL Fire special, Ember, Ember. However, he has a fairly involved strategy using them, so I request whoever refs this to actually read the post before reffing. It's integral to the battle, since Emily's commands were vague at best, and I'm aiming for a dramatic and aesthetically pleasing battle if possible.]
Edited by Munch, Oct 10 2010, 06:22 PM.
 
Acubenz Oct 10 2010, 09:24 PM Post #5
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Standing six foot four with biceps the size of coconuts was a sailor who seemed to be just another face in the model-perfect crew of deckhands that spent their day arm wrestling and Pokemon battling. Do these guys even do anything around the ship besides the aforementioned activities? Well, in the case of you being a trainer eager to get a win I suppose these oddly hairless stromtroopers of the sea being open for a challenge was a gift, of sorts.

The unnamed man had a Pokemon who appeared before yourself and Al-Iblis from a red and white sphere, flexing and flaunting just like his master. Clearly the two had been around each other for a while, and judging by the eerily similarity in their gestures they Pokemon developed mannerisms to match his human. Perhaps one day down the road Al-Iblis and you would share such a wonderful connection? Or maybe you'll ride on his back as fire queen of Tohea, the land you were currently on route to.

Either way Al-Iblis entered battle with the mindset of not losing. His overwhelming badasstry brought about intense sunlight that would aid his ability in battle. Not hearing commands from you other than win, attack, and burn lead the creature to formulate something on his own- leading with a stream of ripping flames that was targeted right for target Machop. "Haha, a lass of a trainer I see. Can't even open up with proper commands. Suko, stretch up and gain focus on agility to dodge any attacks you think that fire pooch might start with." Al-Iblis' target, who was apparently called Suko by his human, began to reach for his toes and hold and then to the sky and then to the left and right, nothing more than casual stretching. Al-Iblis' torrent of fire went very unnoticed, colliding directly with the fighting type's gray belly. "Machop!" He was expressing his pain.

"Hmm, a wise plan. Suko utilize Low Kick to close the distance!" The Machop's trainer once again orated him commands, the Pokemon quick to spam his attack moves on the target. Al-Iblis had established already that he wouldn't be losing, but an unexpected sweeping blow from his opponent ended up with the fox falling face first into the hardwood deck of the boat. He was quick to recover, however, and executed his battle plan of blazing the opponent with a tastefully launched Ember. To no one's surprise the massively boosted fire-attribute attack did more than singe Suko's face, and ended up causing the creature to collapse face-first, not even crying out in pain. With a saddened look on his face the Pokemon's trainer pulled out a red and white sphere, absorbing the creature back into his Poke ball where he could hopefully get some rest after a rather embarrassing defeat.

"Hmm..perhaps you aren't much of a battle tactician, Emily. But it seems that that pooch of yours is elegant in performing strong moves. Aye, and judging by the sun it's got a gift for bringing out powerful light. You've got yourself something special there, lass, whether you see it or not. Hey, something I know about them Vulpix is that they evolve through a Fire Stone- mystic little rocks abundant in Woldton. Once in port it's about a four or five day trip by foot but well worth it. Just a word of advice." The sailor disappeared into a crowd of similar men while the ship reached the dock area of Ayer. With one battle under your belt before you even entered the region and some words of advice from a stranger who just witnessed the fury of Al-Iblis, a Vulpix that breaks the mold of cute and cuddly.

(Hurrdurr 50 :exp for Al-Iblis and $250 added to your profile. Have fun in Ayer town.)
 
Munchkinator Oct 11 2010, 02:20 AM Post #6
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She honestly couldn't tell if he was taunting her or just engaging in friendly commentary as the battle grew hot, but Emily has half tempted to lay right into him. Couldn't even open up with proper commands? Well EXCUSE her for not having years of battle experience, not to mention having the sense to leave the specific actions to Al-Iblis just so he couldn't react to them specifically! Ugh. So much for the gentleman thing. One corner of her mouth curled partway into a sneer, and once more she managed to partially restrain it, though not as well this time; it still hovered about the edges of her mouth as she spoke. "Oh, I just trust my Pokémon to win without needing to patronize them throughout the process. It's called independence."

A disgusted, imperious shake of her head. She absolutely despised being patronized. Notwithstanding, or perhaps because of the fact that he was simply telling the truth. She had been trying to come to terms with that fact, and had thought that she'd done a very good job, but how easily she responded to his nettling made Emily realize that maybe she wasn't quite as well along that path as hoped. Being intensely competitive was - well, it was a part of her, and Emily recognized that. She had no wish to suddenly become not-competitive, not only for the reason that she had no idea what it was like; her intensely competitive nature had helped define her throughout her life, and she certainly wasn't going to deny it now.

It was a strength, an asset to keep her motivated throughout life and now Pokémon training - but it was also a liability. It strengthened her, armored her against adversity, but it also made it difficult to back down or admit fault. Emily could admit that to herself, if not necessarily anyone else - she was proud and competitive, not stupid. Knowing that didn't make it any easier to swallow her pride and respond in a suitably friendly manner when Al-Iblis dominated the Machop and the sailor's tone changed somewhat, opening with more barbs before abruptly transitioning to blaming Al-Iblis entirely for his loss. Again, the initial urge to bite back as viciously as was her wont, and again she tried to restrain herself. Even if it wasn't easy.

She was just another idiot trainer now, not a relatively popular diva with a diverse portfolio and significant modeling work. Her past meant nothing here - it gave her no benefit, though at least it hopefully wouldn't hold her back. Emily was oddly conflicted on that point. As nice as it was to be known, and as much as she really didn't mind the attention? It had become roté, to a degree. That was part of the reason she had moved on to Pokémon training, if only for the time being. Routine was boring. Challenge was good. And she had certainly set herself up with a lovely stream of challenges here. Her first, apparently, would be pretending to be a good winner while bottling up the general urge to alternate between verbally shredding the sailor and banshee-shrieking in shameless, unadulterated joy at dominating that battle.

Well, that wasn't quite fair. Emily glanced at Al-Iblis, who had picked himself up primly, licking his fur as he attempted to return it to its usual generally-pristine state. She had provided some guidance, but it was little more than loosely affecting the general flow of battle - her Pokémon had done all the real work, both in thinking up a strategy and actually carrying it out, not to mention taking a vicious blow from the now-totaled Machop. How much credit could she actually take for this, and how much was Al-Iblis's due? Was this supposed to be obvious to every other Pokémon trainer, and it was simply her failing that she didn't know what to do? Em paused, torn, before opting to walk stiffly up to the one that she supposed she owed most of the thanks for this fight.

Lowering herself to one knee with some effort, swallowing her pride as best she could, Emily looked at him for a moment, trying to think of how to phrase her words. In theory, it was obvious - just thank him. Simple and clean, get it over with without looking like an idiot. For some reason, part of her rebelled, though. It was just a stupid animal! It probably couldn't even understand her outside of the names of moves it knew! Why was she, the human, the trainer, supposed to thank something that only existed as her weapon of choice in battle for doing what it existed simply to do? It was ridiculous.

...And for some reason, she wanted to do it anyways. Pointless. Completely pointless. Emily waffled over it for a few moments more, Al-Iblis lazily raising one eyebrow as he stared at her with a general lack of interest. She shook her head, annoyed at herself without even knowing why, and opened her mouth to speak. Nothing came out. Hurm. This was going to be harder than hoped. Maybe it was time to try from a different tack. Start simple, real simple. Basic as could be. Couldn't screw that up. "You did well, Al-Iblis. Thank you for your efforts." Okay, yeah, apparently she could screw that up. Why the hell had she just acted so formal? Completely not like her. It was these stupid Pokémon, she knew it. They'd be the death of her yet. And the damn fox-thing had the gall to look at her with a look of slight disdain, one eyebrow still raised. What, did it expect more? Ugh. "Look. You were great. And. Thank you. For dealing with me. I'm not a great trainer, yet, but I will be. So I won't betray your trust. Just bear with me for now."

Something unreadable flickered through Al-Iblis's eyes, a glint of emotion that Emily was unable to read or decipher before it was gone, and then he had the damn gall to just turn around and walk away on her, back to his little crow's nest atop a coil of rope. Stupid mutt. She sighed, rising back up to her full height and turning back to the retreating sailor, who had finally said something useful for once. Well, maybe that was being a little harsh on him. Even if he was being a twit about it, he was trying to help. Joy. More practice in swallowing her emotions! Emily was really starting to question this entire "trainer" thing if it required her to deal with people like this all the time. After a few moments of warring with herself, she realized that she wouldn't be able to grind out anything so much as resembling a pleasantly grateful response, and so replied with little more than a curt nod to the man's back as he turned to leave, not trusting herself to say anything.

Her annoyance was curtailed, if only somewhat, by the realization that they were docking in Ayer. Somehow, having won her first battle gave the ex-diva a measure of confidence that had been lacking so far today, though not entirely through her own failure. Pokémon training was - well, she wasn't going to lie to herself and act like she'd just won that battle through sheer immense tactical genius, but if she could win her first battle against a presumably fairly well-experienced trainer, either Al-Iblis was exceptionally good, or this whole thing wasn't as hard as trainers made it out to be. She wasn't sure which it was, or which she wanted it to be; the latter would make this less intimidating than initially hoped, but also rob this adventure of any real challenge. Life without challenge? Not worth it.

Al-Iblis primly hopped off of his little fortress of twine, wandering over to his master with all the hurry and intensity of a - well, something that had very little of either. He already seemed to be somewhat recovered from the fight, in spirit and body. Impressive regenerative capabilities, or maybe he just hadn't taken much damage in the fight. Emily wasn't sure which, not really having an effective metric by which to measure damage. She hadn't exactly spent the last five years as a referee to Pokémon matches; so long as they weren't coughing up a lung, all of the little bastards looked about the same to her. Oh well. Al-Iblis had earned a temporary reprieve from her ire through his stellar performance, so no point in taking it out on him. Time to see what this town, or perhaps more accurately the continent, held in store for her.
Edited by Munchkinator, Oct 11 2010, 02:35 AM.
 
Acubenz Oct 13 2010, 11:03 AM Post #7
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July 24, 2007
OoC: Ref courtesy of Ether the Awesome.

So the boat docked, your Vulpix got a bit of rest after the battle it won, and the both of you were ready to get going to see what was in store for you, correct? It was understandable, Tohea was so much more different than Sinnoh. Was the trip boring? Of course not, you managed to thrash a sailor on the way here, who gets to brag about something like that? Just think about the awesome ways you can twist that into an amazing story, but we're getting off track. It was now time to go, with trusty Vulpix at your side, you probably were getting ready to actually leave, but suddenly from behind a voice called out to you. "That was an rather impressive battle."

The voice was smooth yet androgynous, and if you'd turn to see the person who spoke it, you'd see a young looking boy, or what appeared to be a boy. They appeared to be around several years younger than yourself. But he was wearing a suit, so it was just a tad bit misleading. Though the collar of his shirt was loosened and a few of the buttons sat opened, revealing a flat chest, but not far enough down to determine if he were a guy or girl. His tie hung even more loosely around his loose collar. Fortunately his shirt was still tucked in, and his jacket, which seemed one size too large, hung on him nicely. His red framed glasses, that seemed to capture the glare of the sun hung lowly on the rim of his nose.

Even before you could respond, if you were going to, he knelt down and reached outwards to Vulpex, not fully extending his hand, offering it up to see whether it would sniff at it or run away. Though it didn't seem Al-Iblis was entirely too interested. "Its pretty amazing how you managed to succeed with very few orders. You must certainly be top percentile." The kid had a rather large smile on his face, even after being ignored after your fox. He slowly stood to his feet to finally acknowledge your existence, but the smile that was there faded into a frown of apathy. It wasn't hard to get the feeling he didn't care about people as much as he did Pokémon.

"...Have I seen you before?" He'd swear to you it wasn't a pick up line if you asked him, well he'd probably just shurg and move on like he was pretty much doing now. "Well that isn't important. You've got a pretty prime Pokémon there, Did you train it to act on its own like that?" Yes, there it was, he really wasn't as interested in you as he was Al-Iblis, what a pity, right? A few clouds passed over head and the glare was finally off of his glasses, his eyes were narrowed and sharp, pretty much saying he wanted nothing to do with you, but still, here he was talking to you.

"No, I'm sorry, thats no way to start a conversation. I'm Mattis, and I'd like to challenge you to a battle once we get off the boat." Mattis, was that is first or last name, it's a pretty wei- whoa! This guy is all over the place. He was switching gears so quickly that you have very little time to answer him even if you wanted to. The boy reached into his suit jacket for an inner pocket and out came a pokeball. A press of the button up front cause it to expell a small round, short, tubby Pokémon that instantly moved to Mattis' leg and clung tightly to him.

What do you say? Were you going to entertain this challenger and his Munchlax. Al-Iblis had rested enough to be at 19/22, if you did he'd lead you off the boat and over to the local park where the two of you would start battling. It'd be a bit close to the street, but far away from the sand box, sea-saws, trees and shubbery that the two of you could battle no problem. Then again, you could ignore him and go find someone/something else to do.


Level 7 :male :munchlax
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Munchkinator Oct 14 2010, 01:35 AM Post #8
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It was amusing, really, in sort of an ironic way. Winning that first battle had left her on edge, as if she was waiting for the other shoe to fall. The sailor would admit to having actually gone easy on her, or the delayed effects of some attack would hit Al-Iblis, or he'd decide that she was a terrible trainer and strike off on his own, leaving her alone and destitute on an alien continent so Chloe could come and laugh and have to rescue her. Again. Not even she could miss the irony inherent to turning into a nervous wreck simply by winning, but Emily still couldn't ignore the feeling, as little sense as it made - and when she was nervous, she had to do something. Anything. Run, yell, scream, anything to distract herself.

Of course, none of that would solve the problem. She was scared. It was so simple to say that she couldn't help but hate herself a little more for not being able to actually come to terms with it. Worried that the first victory had just been a fluke, terrified that the next - and every subsequent opponent - would outright flatten her without so much as a hint of weakness, not even a flicker of an exploitable strategy - simply excellence born of experience that she did not have, could not have given her past choices in life. That was weakness on her part, something that could, and would, be exploited. She'd spent enough time around people to know that much - she needed to get better, and fast, or her irrational fears would become true.

Still. Fear or not. She was Emily god damn Soon. Pop diva, model, radio personality. Now, also a trainer. She'd always confronted the things that terrified her. Always. That was how she lived. Sometimes things didn't go as planned, and sometimes they went better than hoped - but if confronting the problem would at least let her grow, as a person or as an artist or as a singer or as a model or as a rock climber or as a gymnast, she had always, always taken it head on and wrestled with her fears until they were - not fears. That didn't mean that she was good at everything. That was... well, she didn't like to admit it, but it was true. Somethings Emily just hadn't ever been able to get a bead on. Confronting her fears, though - it was never exactly an enjoyable experience, but incredibly cathartic in the end, when she finally managed to at least minimize the problem they posed.

Okay. Focus. Focus. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes to try to drown everything else out. Alright. The problem: she was scared of losing to people and proving to be a terrible trainer. Regardless of the observational evidence so far. Deep breath. How could she confront that fear? Well, no, it wasn't quite that simple. She knew that she was going to get pounded eventually. The vast difference in experience suggested that. So, the issue was two-fold; she had to educate herself as quickly as possible, drawing from the experiences of others while supplementing her own, and at the same time - easy or no, she had to keep fighting. The only way that she'd be able to improve her own experience directly was to fight, even if that meant taking a few losses along the way. Everyone lost occasionally, right? No one could blame her for a few losses here and there.

Another breath as she fought to keep the sudden rush of emotion under control. Okay, yeah, fine, her own hyperdeveloped competitive sense and irrational need to always be right. Emily pondered being amused at how easy it was to dispassionately view her own flaws in a detached sense when meditating like this, but opted to let sleeping dogs lie. Focus on the good, not the bad. The cure, not the cause. What was she going to do to remedy the situation, rather than just sit here crying like a small child about how life just wasn't fair, and because she'd spent the rest of her life focusing on perfectly valid pursuits, she hadn't wasted it like the rest of these trainer goons?

There. That was better. Belittle people for a few seconds and her mood was already improving! Marvelous. Didn't solve anything, but certainly made her feel better about herself. Okay. Fight people, get experience. That much made sense. It'd take some effort to propel herself, but that much was - doable, if nothing else. She was used to effort, to challenge. It was rarely outright pleasant to force oneself to do the things that one did not want to do, but it was possible, and she specialized in doing exactly that. Abruptly boosting her own knowledgebase, though, and more specifically draining others for theirs? That was slightly more complicated. She didn't really have the time nor the inclination for classes, if she even knew where to look for them. Library, maybe? Something to keep in mind, at least.

Hurm. Trainer groups? Emily knew little to nothing about them, merely that trainers - despite their vaunted individuality - occasionally got together in groups for, you know, some reason. Maybe she should have paid more attention at the time. Groups. Like clans? She wasn't sure if that sounded right - it sounded very rigid and structured, and that just didn't sound like the trainer stereotype. Stereotypes were only that, of course - stereotypes. Commonly held public beliefs, generally based on extremely simplified conceptions of a group. Often with a strong background in racism or sexism, but that wasn't really the point here; supposedly trainers were some kind of Master Race that had evolved far beyond all of those petty issues, though Emily had her doubts. If they were really all that great, colossal screwups by some trainer or another wouldn't be on the news. But she was getting off track here. Trainer groups. She didn't really have any ideas, at least nothing specific, but it was a kernel of something, the core of a suggestion niggling at the back of her mind.

Trainerlink. That social networking thing. Supposedly, becoming a trainer got one a free account there, and apparently you could access it from any cell phone. Her fingers closed around the lumpy mass in one pocket. it was worth a try, anyways. At worst, it'd just be a waste of a few minutes. Her eyes opened, fingers moved - moments later, her new smartphone. Recent model. Top of the line. Custom, of course. Had to match her outfit. Flip-out keyboard, good battery life. And for all that, she still hadn't used it as much more than a status symbol and for the occasional text message. Ironic. A thin smile. Might as well get her money's worth out of it now. Trainerlink was easily accessed. She was inexperienced with that specific design, not technologically retarded. Navigating within the Trainerlink - not actually all that hard, surprisingly. She supposed that they had to make it simple enough for ten year olds to navigate.

Emily preferred not to dwell on the minor fact that she'd probably had more trouble finding, connecting, and navigating an interface that had likely been developed for ten year olds than most of its intended userbase, and instead moved on to looking for - "Guilds," they were apparently called. They were also apparently self-evident to every trainer, because she couldn't find a good overview of what they were for a few minutes, and the Tohean scene seemed to be stagnating. At best. To be more accurate - for some godforsaken reason, it was empty. Completely. Freaking. Empty. Had she come to the wrong area? Perhaps this... "Guild" functionality had only been recently added? Interesting. Perhaps Guilds weren't as popular amongst trainers as she'd thought. Even if it was new, her initial expectation would have been to see dozens of poorly thought out, poorly written advertisements for fly-by-night adventures that had never gone anywhere. Perhaps there were requirements that she had missed?

Ah. There they were. Tucked safely away in a system message. No wonder - it apparently cost one thousand dollars to even start one, not to mention five members signing up in person. That certainly explained the relative dearth of guilds! Trainers were mostly individualistic, though - always focused on their solo adventures, rather than teamwork. Didn't need to have spent your life steeped in trainer culture to know that much - any idiot on the street could have told her that, and Emily wasn't quite far gone enough from the comforting embrace of sanity and rationality to have forgotten that. Well, one might argue that she had left both beyond long ago simply by dint of giving up on being a reasonably successful diva in order to become a newbie Pokemon trainer, but that was neither here nor there. She had an opportunity!

Emily Soon was not a legendary trainer, nor did she know all that many trainers in the first place. But she did know people - she didn't generally manage to bring herself to care about them, but she knew them. She'd had to learn in order to get anywhere in life. Most people weren't leaders. Most people simply didn't have that spark, the quality that let them stand up, break through their roté existence as simply another statistic, and rise above. For all the talk of trainers being evolved metahumans, for all the talk of them being intensely individualistic - they were still people. It was an incredibly simplistic and obvious observation, but an important one for her train of thought. They had their differences, certainly, but at the core, the thing that made them tick - trainers were people. There were strong ones, and there were weak ones. There were individualistic ones, and those who would prefer to work together. There were those who would hide their knowledge, and those who would share it. There were those who thirsted for power, and those who simply did this whole gig for fun.

Observations that any fool could have made, perhaps, but they suggested tantalizing possibilities to Emily, dancing at the edge of her consciousness - pushing ever outwards, ever upwards. Perhaps she wasn't quite so alone here as she had thought, so hopelessly outclassed and out-thought. Those who would not lead, followed. Those who would not follow, were doomed to lead. She had never led a guild before, of course, but that minor fact didn't perturb her in the least. She was charismatic and dominant enough to propel herself through life so far, enforcing her will against executives and lawyers; doing as much with trainers couldn't be all that difficult. Perhaps, if she were to create a guild dedicated to sharing knowledge - no, that wouldn't do. She didn't have enough to share to make it anything other than an obvious farce. Besides, that was remarkably single-faceted.

And yet the idea stuck, and it grew. Roots spread downward as it flowered upwards, directing her thoughts. She was competitive. Obscenely so. It was a weakness, at times, but it was also a strength, Perhaps it could be a strength here, rather than a weakenss - applied to this guild concept. Cooperation and competition alike between guild members - battling each other, but not for high stakes, or for honor, but to exchange knowledge, and teach others even as they learned. That, she could do. With Al-Iblis's help, at least, but Emily was adamant in her certainty that she could flower as a trainer as well, given time and practice. In an environment that encouraged that, she realized, it would not only be her that benefited; every member of the guild was. Ironic that such an intensely selfish idea - finding a way to leech knowledge and experience from others - had blossomed into something so uncharacteristically charitable.

No, that wasn't quite correct; it wasn't so much charitability as simply an equal trade. Intelligence, rationality, potential - she had all of those. It was not simply ego - Emily knew that she could excel, given time and effort. She had the same genes that Chloe did, even if the little twerp was still smarter. But there were other skills that one could use, and by extent abuse. If it was for the benefit of others, though, as well as the self - was it abuse, or simply a venture equally profitable for all parties involved? A joint effort between equals, rather than a pyramid scheme. Something from which everyone came out ahead. Greater than the sum of its parts.

Her fingers flew over the keyboard as Emily began to type. She was advertising, plain and simple - granted, this wasn't a business, but showing a weak front would simply crush any semblance of leadership or promise in her writing. That much she knew from her past. Something that transferred, at least. The ex-diva allowed herself a small smile, satisfied as well as triumphant. Toss in some flowery wording, make it sound like they'd be the Second Coming - well, she knew that she'd probably edit it a thousand times after posting, but it was important to at least put up a strong initial effort so that the edits could be focused on sharpening it, rather than fixing the core concepts. Heh. Shoulders of titans, indeed. Very pretty prose, very inspiring. Hopefully. Well, it flowed pretty well to her, anyways. Hopefully that would be good enough to encourage enough people to join. In the meantime, she needed to beat the crap out of a bunch of trainers, get some money, and PIMP OUT HER RIDE. Guild. Whatever. She'd figure out how to actually start the stupid thing later.

Phone slid shut, keyboard disappearing within just in time for someone to waylay her. Of course. Of course. Spend three seconds standing still and someone's going to take that as an excuse to jump you. She slowly turned around, a plastic smile frozen in place. It became more forced very quickly as her new friend quickly proved to have little to no interest in her, but rather in her Pokemon. Bloody fucking social rejects these days. Couldn't even make a token effort to act friendly. It was only Al-Iblis's complete lack of caring or interest in responding to the little shit that kept Emily from snapping back a vicious retort, annoyed by the lack of attention she was getting, but the bitch-child eventually started paying attention to her again, even if his interest was still quite obviously in Al-Iblis. Lovely. Fucking lovely. Not five minutes into her Pokemon journey and some little cum-guzzling fuckpuppet was already acting like a complete social recluse and making her feel like a speck of dust on the wall. Fuck-fucking-tastic. Okay, if he wanted a battle she was going to goddamn accept, even if he had a goddamn water dude made out of anti-fire. Wasn't that important? FUCK THIS NOISE.

Or maybe she was just being a diva. At this point, Emily didn't care. her eyes sharpening a bit, she didn't bother holding back. People who meant well, she could deal with. Even if they worded everything badly. People who didn't even bother paying attention to her? Yeah, they could all go to hell. "You're not all that hot with people, are you?" Imperious sniff. Dubious look. He certainly didn't look like much, though she had no idea how to gauge trainers. "Whatever - you're on. Al-Iblis, get moving." He finally deigned to show her some attention, assuaging her wounded ego slightly. Even if his lazy saunter over to her wasn't quite as immediate and hurried of a response as would have been nice. It was funny, actually. This Pokemon trainer thing - if she didn't get to have any of the benefits of her past, she sure as hell wasn't going to bother accepting the handicaps. Being nice to people was only necessary when you wanted something out of them, and all that she wanted out of this shit-eating little cocksucker was his crushing defeat. "Lead on, twerp." A supercilious smile. She didn't really know or care how good he or his damn Pokemon were, but he could use a lesson in humility if he was going to ignore her.

[Yeah yeah she'll just follow.]
 
Ryua Oct 15 2010, 10:54 PM Post #9
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Now that was enthusiasm. You technically hadn't actually stepped foot onto Tohea, but you were already setting up a guild. Ready to succeed, much? Well, that was certainly one strategy to succeed, and it was probably a good one. Determination could make anything occur, really. Especially if one happened to have a hyper-intelligent Vulpix just as set on dominating the world as you were.

Isn't it odd, that predilection of people to be drawn towards someone who is clearly occupied with something else? Really, it's a good way to meet people- ignore them completely. Draws them like moths to a candle. Which probably, considering Al-libls ability and personality, was an ironically apt description, as they were likely to go up in flames. Or at least that androgenous kid and his Munchlax were heading that way, asking for a battle of their own free will. It was more fun to destroy people who were actually asking for it, right?

So, having gotten your acceptance for a battle, the kid excitedly scampered off of the ship in front of you. He'd originally reached to grab your arm and pull you along, but then wisely thought better of it. Off the docks, and across the road, he finally led you to an open area of park that would probably be a nice place to have a picnic.

There was a small, uncomplicated fountain-style pond forming the south corner of the battle area. It was about a foot tall, made of a simple concrete circle with a small water jet in the middle. The clearing itself was roughly 40 feet long, 25 across, and in a rough oblong shape. The road made up one side, and ornamental leaf trees of some sort bordered the top and west sides, blending back into a sort of groomed forest. Ground cover between the trees was minimal except for a few wire fences around the tree trunks to keep wild Pokémon from eating the bark.

Some pleasant shrubberies were grouped together in an aesthetically pleasing sort of formation, about midway between the fountain and the edge of the forest. A cobblestone courtyard type of thing surrounded the fountain in an even circle, about 5 feet out from the edge of the fountain. The rest of the ground was mostly hard-packed earth with scant, worn grass on most of the surface. The grass was healthier looking in the treed areas, due to less traffic. It looked like the area was well used, either for games or battles. The ground here was quite level, a low picket fence cutting off the park from the roadway, with a simple gap in the boards for a gate. Perhaps not the loveliest park you had ever seen, but at least you didn't have to worry about your Vulpix toasting anything expensive.

"So, is this good?" the eager trainer asked, standing next to the forested area, a few feet away from the trees. His Munchlax was scratching his ear. "Ready to go?" Man, the kid really was eager to see Al-lblis in battle, wasn't he?

:munchlax Lv 7 :male
 
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