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Post by Avaja on Feb 24, 2014 17:11:10 GMT -6
Avaja's initial reaction to Damien's collapse was one of triumph.
All at once, he felt a wave of pride in not only his Pokemon's abilities, but in his own potential as a trainer, too. To others, it may have appeared to be a simple practice battle between him and his girlfriend's newly acquired teams, but to him, it was so much more. Avaja had already promised Gem that he wouldn't pull any punches on her behalf. What was the point of an empty victory? She would have beat him, sure, but under controlled circumstances and skewed methods. That was no way to learn. Avaja had always been taught that the more daunting the obstacle, the more satisfying the prize. It wouldn't have been earned, it would have been charity. Had she asked for it, he would have given it to her without question, but he was glad it hadn't come to that.
And then, Avaja's heart sunk when he realized that Damien hadn't gotten up yet.
Had he fainted already? No...no, he was still moving, although only slightly. While his attention had been focused on Gem's Ralts, both Y'vir and Zion took heavy damage as a result of Avaja's lack of commands. Zion barely managed to hang on, thanks to his last-second endurance, and Y'vir was in a similar state, battle-weary and panting heavily. They looked up to him for their next orders, but they never came. He had stopped cold, staring quietly as Gem gently brushed the dirt from Damien's head.
What had he done?
Gem calmly expressed Damien's withdrawal from the battle and decided to turn the battle into a 1 vs 2 matchup. Shaking his head, Avaja returned both Y'vir and Zion to their Pokeballs without a word and ran across the field to Gem's side, his heart thumping with guilt. Even Lilith had awoken from her nap and raised her head to see why the battle had gone quiet so suddenly.
Damien had said, "I don't wanna fight anymore." Those were his exact words. Avaja had not only heard them in his head, he had felt them. The little Pokemon's disdain for battle appeared evident even before the battle started, but because of Avaja's brutality in battle that he had finally given up the ghost. Gemini had quite possibly lost a fighter before she had even challenged a true trainer.
And her boyfriend was to blame.
"I forfeit. I don't want to fight anymore either."
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Post by Gemini on Feb 26, 2014 0:00:42 GMT -6
"I forfeit. I don't want to fight anymore either."
Gemini furrowed her brow, staring up at Avaja (who was suddenly beside her). "Forfeit? But..." Avaja didn’t give up for anything. Gem had grown up with Avaja and watched his frustrations with his older brother. After years of being second-best, Avaja had learned to seize every victory when it was within grasp and relish it. She knew, too, that he wouldn’t have gone easy on her. He would have considered it a disservice not to test her true affinity as a trainer. So why…?
Damien had turned his attention from the loose strands of Gemini's hair to Avaja's face, no doubt using every bit of his creepy psychic power to scrutinize his true intent. His eyes were hidden behind his blue helmet of hair, but he was evidently staring at Gem’s boyfriend. The little Ralts’ horns were vibrating with the feelings of all the sentient beings around him, and Gemini was curious what he felt from her beloved. Remorse? Guilt? Defeat? She felt as if she were feeling an entirely new side to Avaja. Why give up when he had the upper hand? Damien had been upset, but… Gemini thought he was being a little drama prince. Did Avaja see it differently? Damien must have been content that Avaja's feelings (whatever they were) were true, because he nodded once in approval and turned back to Gem's hair, once again completely engrossed.
Gemini’s heart thumped in her chest as she realized the unique bond Avaja and Damien had. The two of them may not have realized it yet, but the two seemed to have a connection. Gemini was confused as hell as to what the connection actually consisted of… But she was positive that it existed.
Gemini cleared her throat, throwing off the awkward moment. "Should we keep going? There's a gym at Violet City... Or should we train up beforehand?" One the one hand, Gemini was ready to leave all of this drama behind on Route 30 and proceed to the city. If they kept going, they might even encounter a new Pokémon to add to their roster. On the other hand, Gem didn't know the next opportunity she and Avaja would have to train up. She’d heard rumors that the upcoming gym leader was far greater than a newbie like herself. “What do you think, ‘Vaja?”
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Post by Avaja on Feb 27, 2014 14:29:28 GMT -6
Gemini had said something, but Avaja was a million miles away, deep in the depths of his own mind.
Guilt had seized him in an iron grip to the point where he felt as if he had to labor in order to breathe. He felt absolutely terrible. He didn't even know who he was anymore. The lengths he had been willing to go to win was sickening. And for what? An insignificant 1-up over his girlfriend? It sounded so childish, now that he looked back on what he had done. How seriously he had taken the friendly battle. And even how seriously he was reacting to it now. Perhaps he was just overreacting. But even with that thought, Damien's voice echoed in his head over and over, repeating, "I don't wanna fight anymore." He wondered if he would ever be able to get over how horrible he had treated the little guy. Eventually, he hoped, but he couldn't see it happening any time in the future.
"…hmm? Oh…y-yeah. A little training sounds good."
Avaja clipped Zion and Y'vir's Pokeballs to his belt and whistled for Lilith, who watched him curiously as she trotted to his side. Her icy blue eyes studied his face scrutinizingly, scouring it for any clues as to why he was acting so strangely. She hadn't known him for very long, but from what she had seen of him, this was a totally different person altogether. It worried her, quite honestly. How could she look to him for guidance when he couldn't even govern his own emotions? She would have to watch him very carefully. This wasn't the human that had won her respect.
"Listen…Gem…I'm really sorry about…y'know. All that." He said shyly, turning to glance down at the Ralts in her grasp. Apologies were in order, but he knew he wouldn't be able to apologize enough. To either of them. "That goes for you too, Damien. I was way out of line. It'll never happen again, I promise."
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Post by Gemini on Mar 7, 2014 16:21:00 GMT -6
Gemini frowned as waves of emotion washed over Avaja’s face. What was up with him today? He nonchalantly agreed to a bit of training before proceeding to the next city, but Gem knew him well enough to read him. He had a lot on his mind, and he wasn’t about to tell her about it. Gemini briefly caught the eye of his new Absol, Lilith. Even she looked concerned about her trainer.
Maybe Avaja started misinterpreting the frown on Gemini’s face, because he then began to apologize. “Huh? Oh, no.” She smiled, but she didn’t really meet his eyes. “It’s just a battle. But… maybe we should team up from now on rather than having skirmishes?” She winked, but she was dead serious. Avaja seemed very shaken up about taking down her Pokemon, for crying out loud. Gemini knew that all sorts of people loved to battle, and not all took losing with as strong a front as she. What happens when Avaja is forced to battle a toddler or an old lady to achieve his goal? Gemini hoped that if they were able to take on challengers together, episodes like this could be avoided in the future.
Sadly, her diplomacy didn’t seem to be paying off. Avaja had started apologizing to Damien! Gemini facepalmed internally as her boyfriend talked directly to the little Ralts, knowing that her Pokemon would be able to sense his true feelings with or without his words. But what did she know? Maybe Damien enjoyed having the verbal apology along with the internal, but he gave no indication that this was likely. In fact, he didn’t give much of an indication that he was even listening. Gem hated not being able to see her Pokémon’s eyes—it was disconcerting to have a Pokemon who could sense her feelings but could hide his own so well. At least Damien’s head was turned towards Avaja, so there was probably a good chance he was listening. Damien didn’t deign to respond, so Gem had to change the subject. “Are you gonna train with Lilith, then?”
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Post by Avaja on Mar 14, 2014 13:35:00 GMT -6
Avaja perked up a bit when Gemini changed the subject back over to training. Now that he thought about it, it sounded like exactly what he needed to clear his head. It may have been, at the core, another form of battling and boosting the battling potential of his team, but at the same time, if he so wished it, he could train his Pokemon in a much less confrontational way. Just like how soldiers shoot targets on a firing range, it was a way to refine one's talents without actually thrusting oneself headlong into the fray. Avaja figured that a bit of training might just warm him back up to the idea of battling. Because as of right now, he didn't know if he would even be able to fight the Gym Leader in the first town.
How would he break the news to Gem?
Avaja nodded in response to Gem's question. "Yeah, I think I'll train her first. She's been missing out on all the action lately, so I think some exercise'll do her a world of good right about now." Lilith heard her name and stood at attention, curiously awaiting her instructions. However, she remained wary of Avaja to some extent. Perhaps she would gain more insight into her trainer's psyche with a spot of sparring. That, and she'd been resting all morning, leaving her feeling...well, restless. She was itching to fight. Itching to show Avaja what she could do.
Avaja knelt and stared directly into Lilith's icy-blue eyes. "Listen carefully, Lily. There are plenty of different facets of your fighting that can give you an edge in battle. That horn of yours looks like it can do some serious damage, and I'm sure you know how to use it." He chuckled softly, rubbing the velvet-like fur coating her deadly horn, and she grinned darkly at him in response. But when he waggled his finger at her and shook his head, her grin faded and she stared blankly at him, obviously confused. "But that's not all there is to it, L. What happens if the other Pokemon is faster? Or stronger? Or smarter? Just charging blindly with your horn lowered won't do any good, see? They could dodge it, or counterattack, or even worse, use your own strength against you."
Lilith lowered her eyes a bit, the truth of Avaja's words sinking deep in her soul. She'd had nothing but success with her previous tactics, which, ironically, involved using her brute strength to win. However, when it came to the trap she'd gotten caught in, her strength had done nothing to save her. Nothing at all. She had no idea what would have happened if Avaja had not found her, as she couldn't even rely on herself to escape, as she'd always done. Perhaps with Avaja's guidance, she never would have gotten caught in the trap in the first place. A heightened sense of perception would have revealed the trap before she'd even tripped it. She was impressed with Avaja for the second time that day. Turns out he was full of surprises.
"You've got to understand your opponent to win. Understand?"
Lilith nodded sagely. "Sol. Absol." (Yes. I understand.)
Avaja smiled again. "Good. Let's get started."
"Don't focus on how hard you cut the apples, Lily! Focus on cutting as many as you can!" Avaja called out. He, Y'vir, and Zion each perched carefully from different trees surrounding Lilith, each with about a peck of apples gathered from nearby trees. As they each threw down apples, Lilith's job was to slice them before they hit the ground. This was to train not only her perception, but also her speed and stamina. Avaja, Y'vir, and Zion each had about 30 apples they could throw at her at any time they liked, meaning she would have to take notice of every apple and slice it with her horn in the very short time it took for them to fall. At first, Avaja'd had something much simpler in mind for her, but Lilith was the one who suggested such a difficult endeavor.
As the apples began to descend, slowly at first, Lilith had no problem slicing them to pieces. Her horn swung swiftly through the air every which way, neatly dividing the apples into perfect halves, all while she allowed herself dainty flourishes at the end of each slice. She was enjoying the training for now, as she was breezing through the earliest and easiest stage. She was cocky. Avaja liked that, but he didn't want it to be her downfall. Being confident in your own abilities was key to success in not just battling, but in life, too. Nevertheless, there was always a limit to everything, and too much cockiness could be taken as arrogance or conceit, both considered negative, and for good reason. Arrogance was often a term associated with one who would not be able to back up their claims, if properly tested. Avaja hoped to Arceus that this would not be the case, should Lilith be thrust into a proper battle.
Avaja noticed that while she was hitting every apple as they came down, she was putting every ounce of her energy into every slash, splitting the apples cleanly, but potentially wearing herself out much faster. The whole point of this training exercise was to learn to save her energy in case she had multiple enemies to face. Her speed and power were definitely there; it was just her health Avaja was worried about. Each apple was now beginning to be cut slower and slower. Some actually began to hit the ground without being cut. Lilith showed obvious signs of fatigue now, as fresh sweat coated her brow. Her chest was beginning to heave a bit, too.
Avaja called gently down to her again. "Lilith. Not so hard. Precision, not power."
Growling a bit, Lilith caught the next apple between her teeth just out of spite and bit it, causing the juices to stream down her chin as she glared up at him coldly. Avaja glared back, then jumped down from his tree and grabbed a handful of the apple slices, which were only a fraction of their previous sizes at complete apples. Avaja tossed a handful of the slices up into the air, causing Lilith to grunt with exasperation as she attempted to hit them all. She managed to hit one of the slices, only one, eviscerating it as the rest thudded softly against her on their way down.
"If that were Bullet Seed, that would have did some serious damage." Avaja remarked quietly, tossing another handful into the air. Lilith missed all of them again, except two this time. "Ember. You're burned." Another handful in the air. Five out of seven were slashed apart. "Bubblebeam still managed to graze you. I hear it hurts something fierce." Avaja teased. The next time Avaja tossed a handful of apple slices into the air, ten out of ten slices had been destroyed by Lilith, who panted heavily as apple juice dripped from her sharp horn. Avaja allowed a small smile to appear on his face as he reached out and caressed Lilith's shimmering fur with a loving touch.
"You've done great, Lilith. I'm proud of you."
(WC: 669; 669 = 13 EXP) (Lilith grew to Level 6! To next level: 3/12)
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Post by Gemini on Mar 22, 2014 11:05:50 GMT -6
Looking around the dusty, dirt path and mangled, stunted trees around her, Gemini had to admit that Route 30 wasn’t much. The path didn’t seem to be well maintained, and in some places, the dirt had been completely overrun by brown, dying weeds. Frowning, she glanced across the way at Avaja, who seemed to be… sitting in a tree and throwing apples at Lilith? Whatever. He could train his way, and Gemini would train hers. Gemini beckoned her Chikorita to stand by her feet and swung her Ralts off her shoulder, setting him at her feet. She knelt before them, lowering her voice as to not disturb Avaja.
“Okay, you two. We’re gonna get a little stronger today!” She pumped her fist victoriously, hoping to inspire her Pokémon. “Now Damien, I know you don’t want to fight. And I will never make you.” She leveled her gaze at him, wishing she could meet his eyes through his blue, protective dome. “But I do believe that you need to learn to defend yourself through whatever means possible. I don’t want you to be hurt. Will you train with me?”
“I will.”
Not much of a talker, was he? A bit chagrined, she turned to Vitae. “And you? Do you wanna train?” Vitae threw her head back, beaming. “Chikaaaa!” Gemini took that as an affirmative and got to work. ________________________________________________________________________
Still unsure of her Pokémon’s abilities and limitations, Gem decided to take it a bit easy in the beginning. “Alright, friends. We’re gonna work on your first move, the one that the two of you have in common: Growl.”[/font] Gemini had discovered that her handy dandy Pokedex had a program within it called the “Move Dex”. Not only did the program tell her what moves her Pokémon might learn, but it also gave a description of the move and its power.
“According to this... this… ‘Move Dex’, the overall goal of Growl is to lower your foe’s attack. There are two tactics—intimidation or adorableness. Let’s try intimidation.” Gemini didn’t really feel like either of her Pokémon was very intimidating, but it was worth trying both ways. “Damien, you start. Growl at Vitae. Use your voice to convince her that you’re big and powerful and that her attacks wouldn’t hurt you anyways. Got it?” Damien nodded once, then turned to face his mock opponent. Determinedly, he took a deep breath into his little lungs before exhaling, allowing the air to vibrate his vocal cords in what he hoped would be a deep, scary snarl. Unfortunately for Gemini’s little Ralts, this wasn’t exactly what happened. Gemini burst into laughter, throwing back her head. Even sweet, kind Vitae’s face turned a reddish tint on her green skin from what Gem could only assume was withheld laughter. And who couldn’t laugh? What Damien had hoped would be a deep, threatening Growl sounded more like a Meowth’s squeak if you stepped on its tail. Luckily for Gem, Damien didn’t seem to be insulted by her laughter. In fact, rather than getting mad, the little guy seemed to be feeding off her joy. Bashfully, he scratched the back of his head and looked at the ground. But Gemini caught his grin and was all the happier for it. “Damien, I don’t think you’re scary enough yet to pull it off. Maybe we should try the alternative method? Go for a cute, innocent growl. Convince the enemy you’re too little to be a threat. Make them feel disgusted that their trainer is making them fight such a small fry. Capisce?” His grin gone, Damien gave her a determined nod. Vitae, who had been quietly sitting on the sidelines and had, for the most part, regained her composure, became the target of his next Growl. Damien lifted his head to meet Vitae’s eyes with his wide-eyed gaze. Balling his tiny hands into fists, he gave a soft Growl, so harmless it was almost a purr. Vitae knew his tactic—she had heard Gemini explain it to him, after all. But she still couldn’t help the relaxing of her limbs and the smile that crept across her face as he gave his little Growl. Damien was weak and powerless compared to herself, and Vi knew she was too soft-hearted to beat on this Ralts. Gemini was staring at Vitae to gauge her reaction, and the Chikorita gave her a cocky grin.
“And that,” Gemini said, giving her Chikorita a hard look, “was a perfectly executed Growl. Your attack is lowered to the point to where your Tackle would be useless, isn’t it?” Vitae’s smile broke as she became confused. “He seems weak to you, and now it’d be impossible to make you take the battle seriously. Right?” Gemini smiled in spite of herself. “Don’t be upset, Vi—it’s not because you did anything wrong. Damien was just performing the move correctly. Are you ready to learn it?” Vitae nodded slowly, self-conscious despite her trainer’s reassurances. Was she really too arrogant?
“Okay, Vi. I want you to try the same tactic—you’re the cutest, sweetest Chikorita I know, and I bet you could convince the meanest Magmar through a little diplomacy that violence isn’t the answer. Use that Growl of yours to tell the opponent you really don’t want to fight. Damien looks ready, so fire at will.” Vitae took her battle stance, which was mistake number one. Chikorita are considerably bigger than Ralts, and the fact that Damien would have to look up at his opponent made it hard for him to imagine that she was weak. Mistake number two was that Gemini overestimated Vitae’s guile and acting ability. Although the young Chikorita tried to go for the big-eyed, innocent look, Gemini and Damien both caught the glint of determination in her eye. Vitae was enjoying battle practice, and she was letting it show. Despite these signs, Gemini was optimistic. Vitae was an angel, and surely she could pull off something as simple as a Growl. Gem was dead wrong. Vitae’s Growl was completely different than Damien’s, and nothing about her body language spelled “meek”. Damien was completely unaffected by the attack, and not just because he had no will to fight to begin with. Gemini, with much regret, had to accept her coaching wasn’t working. Dejectedly, Vitae turned to her trainer for guidance. “Don’t worry about it, Vitae.” Gemini smiled, burying her nose in the “Move Dex” once more. “I’ll get this figured out.” As her trainer occupied herself with research, Vitae ripped at her own ego quietly. All she had wanted was to impress Gemini—was that really so tough? Even Damien, who despised battling, had been able to effectively Growl. What was she doing wrong? “Aha!” her trainer said dorkishly from a few feet away, sticking her pointer finger up in the air as she beamed at Vitae. “It’s so simple. Do it the other way. Be intimidating, not cute.” The Chikorita furrowed her brow. Was it really that easy? Well… There was only one way to find out. Vitae dug her feet in the earth and gave the Ralts before her the stare down. She had become fiercely protective of Gemini in a short amount of time, and no way in hell was any enemy, faux or no, going to get close to her trainer. Gemini watched on bated breath as Vitae let her Growl escape. It was a great deal deeper than Damien’s, but, more importantly, much more powerful. Gemini watched as Damien visually shrunk, taking a submissive posture at the single Growl. The trainer grinned widely and congratulated her starter for finding her niche. “That was really great, Vitae! Can the two of you keep using the move at one another? Practice helps!” Gemini was very proud of both her Pokémon, but she really wanted them to continue their tactics so they wouldn’t forget.
The two Pokémon continued to Growl at one another, lowering each other’s attack to an infinitesimal amount. Gemini knew it would be dangerous if she were to be attacked by a wild Pokémon, as her Pokémon would be powerless to defend her. Still, Gemini was willing to take the risk. Route 30 seemed pretty desolate so far, and she knew Avaja was plenty capable of protecting her. While she had been daydreaming, Damien and Vitae had continued Growling to the point where their attack was no longer being lowered—they had either become immune to one another’s tactics (finally), or their attack simply couldn’t go any lower. Whatever the case, Gemini knew it was time to move on with the training.
“Okay, you two. That’s good enough for Growl. Damien, I’d really like to work on your Confusion attack. It’s the only damage-inducing move you’ll have for quite a while, so I’d like to have it down pat. Don’t worry—I won’t expect you to use it on another Pokémon. We won’t even practice on Vitae. How does that sound?” She smiled at him. Damien didn’t respond, but he didn’t seem disinterested, either. “According to my research,” she lifted the “Move Dex” smugly, “Confusion uses telekinesis to hit the target. Instead of whacking things all day, why don’t we focus on the non-combat part of the skill? If we increase your telekinetic power, then your Confusion attack will increase in power.” “That seems logical.” What a talker he was. Nonetheless, Gemini was eager to get started. She had never experienced psychic ability up close, and she was curious to see how powerful the little guy was. “Okay… See that rock there?” She pointed to a rock the size of her fist about three feet away, just off the dusty route. “Can you bring it to me without moving?” Damien did so in about two seconds flat, dropping it gently into her lap. “Wow.” She blinked, glancing around her surroundings for a more challenging target. “What about that Pidgeot’s nest that’s falling apart up there?” The fraying nest sat about twelve feet above them. In a flash, the nest was on her head upside down like a hat. She laughed, patting her Ralts on the head before giving him the “hat.” “You’d better be happy there weren’t any eggs in there, little guy.” Nonchalant as she seemed, Gemini was deeply impressed by his abilities. Grinning, she spied her next target about forty feet away in a tree. “See that apple Avaja is holding?” She didn’t even need to finish her sentence. Within seconds, the apple shot across the clearing, shined itself on Gem’s shirt, and set itself gently at Vitae’s feet, the perfect snack. Gemini was awed by his power, but something was nagging at her—the little Ralts seemed dreadfully bored. Moving objects was old news to him and he hadn’t even broken a sweat. “Hey, Damien… Can you use telekinesis to lift yourself?” He nodded, lifting himself a few inches off the dry grass. With a grin, she turned towards her Chikorita. “Good work, Damien.” she said, filing away the fact that he could levitate. “We’ve trained quite a bit. Vitae and I are gonna work now.” He didn’t react, so Gemini took that as affirmation.
“Alright, Vitae.” Gemini grinned, patting the leaf on the Chikorita’s head. “I know you’ve got your Growl down, so now we should work on your Tackle. Don’t overthink this move, alright? There’s no finesse involved. All you have to do is slam your body into the target. Ideally, you should bounce off the target back where you started, and quickly enough to where you don’t take any damage. Ready?” The tactics had sort of flown over Vitae’s head, but she nodded eagerly anyways. Proudly, Gemini pointed at the tallest, widest tree for about 50 yards in any direction. “Use Tackle!” Gemini had to give the little Pokémon credit—she didn’t let reality get her down. Not only did she ignore the fact that the tree was ten times her size at the base, but she also conveniently forgot how Damien had used Growl on her to nullify her attack. Vitae slammed headlong into the trunk of the tree again and again, reckless of her safety and ignorant of her positioning. “Vitae, no.” Gemini stepped between her Pokémon and the tree, and Vitae bounced harmlessly off her trainer. “I did tell you that Tackle is a move without finesse—but that doesn’t mean you go in without a strategy.” Vitae frowned. What was the difference? Gemini furrowed her brow and struggled to explain herself properly. “Tackle is a pretty reckless move in and of itself. But… when the Tackle is finished, I need you in a position to where you're prepared to dodge your opponent’s next attack. So when you’re through Tackling the tree, use the momentum to bounce yourself back to where you were before the attack.” Gemini realized within a few trials that the task she had given was probably too hard. The tree was huge, yes, but it was still circular. So every time Vitae pushed herself off her opponent, hoping to land right back where she started… she landed way off. Vitae wasn’t accounting for the curvature of the tree, but she was young and inexperienced. “It’s okay, Vitae! Let me find you a straighter target…” As she scanned the forest for a better practice target, the strategy finally began to click for Vitae. Instead of pushing herself straight back from wherever she attacked, Vitae figured out that she had to point her rear end towards her trainer. Vitae landed neatly at her trainer’s feet and began excitedly nudging her leg. Absentmindedly, Gemini patted her head as she continued to look for a better target. “What about that tree there…?” “Trainer Gemini. I think Vitae is trying to show you her new skill.” The extended monologue from Damien caught her attention. Glancing down, she saw Vitae’s excited expression. “Were you able to do it?” “Chikorita!” With a flair of drama, Vitae set up the mock battle in her head. Bracing her feet against the unstable ruins beneath her, she Growled deeply at the huge bully of a Rayquaza before her. She watched in smug satisfaction as the legendary Pokemon shuddered in fear. With a twitch of her tail, she pounced in a perfectly executed Tackle attack. As soon as she made contact with his rough skin, she positioned her body and landed nimbly out of his range, too agile for the big guy. She proudly beamed up at her trainer, who clapped in appreciation. “That was amazing, Vitae!” The Chikorita smiled smugly, knowing she had outsmarted the Rayquaza (or sycamore). “You two did really well today—I think we’ve all learned a lot. Let’s call it a day.”
(WC: 2220; 2200 = 22 EXP per Pokemon) (Damien grew to Level 7! To next level: 5/14) (Vitae grew to Level 7! To next level: 5/14) (Vitae learned Razor Leaf!)
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Post by Avaja on Mar 22, 2014 20:57:21 GMT -6
Avaja allowed himself to steal a few glances at his girlfriend as she trained. He was a little surprised that she--no, surprised wasn't the right word. Embarrassed? That was closer. He was a little embarrassed that she was doing a better job of training her Pokemon than she was. In fact, she seemed to have a method sorted out already and she'd only gotten her Pokemon a few hours ago. Her intelligence and ability to adapt boggled his mind, even now, and he couldn't help but wonder how many other tricks she had hidden up her sleeve. She'd been dating her for what felt like forever, but every day he learned something new about her. He assumed that was the key to a life-long relationship. And a good one at that.
Avaja addressed his Pokemon as a drill instructor would, who were lined up neatly before him with their shoulders back and their eyes straight forward. "Alright, everyone. No more kid stuff. I'm going to be training each and every one of you at the same time. We will train until all of you are absolutely exhausted and begging for mercy. And then we're gonna train some more! But when I'm through with all of you, I will be the proudest trainer in the world, because each of you will have taken the first step towards realizing your true potential. Until then, I want to see 110%!" Avaja leaned in dangerously close to Lilith, who kept her eyes forward, and shouted as loud as he could: "DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?!""Absol!" "Quil!" "Lu!" (Yes, sir!) "Excellent." Avaja grinned and beckoned his Cyndaquil and Riolu, who both padded over to him eagerly. "Now listen, each of you were outstanding during battle today. You never let up, and you followed my every command perfectly. But there's always room for improvement. Zion?" Zion's ears twitched a bit as he looked up at Avaja curiously. "Let's work on your Quick Attack."Zion grinned mischievously and proceeded to swiftly dash around Avaja to the point where he was nothing but a blur of blue. By repeating "Rioriorioriorioriorioriorio!" over and over, the little fuzzball was only making things more difficult. He just had to have a naughty nature, Avaja thought to himself, pinching his nasal bridge. At least he's getting his energy out somehow...but what's the point of him using that attack blindly? Avaja would have to figure out a training method that would appeal to Zion's wild side. "For the love of--don't you ever shut up? Lily, use your Feint attack to spook him a bit."Lilith nodded and scratched at the ground a bit as she prepared for her attack--or lack thereof. She made an excellent show of her ferocity by releasing a low growl and tensing her muscled body, which even Zion must have noticed. After licking her chops, she lunged forward, snarling, and stopped just short of the blue ring Zion had become, causing him to shriek with fright and seek shelter behind Avaja's legs. Avaja shook his head, smirking, and patted the little Riolu on the head curtly. "Ready to get down to business then?"Zion nodded nervously, still shaking. Chuckling softly, Avaja knelt beside Zion and pet him soothingly until the shaking stopped. "Alright, Z, I want you to remember that your Quick Attack isn't only for offense. It can be used for defense, too. Just like you were doing before, when you were running around? I couldn't have caught you if I'd tried. You were going way too fast! And odds are if you're faster than me, you're probably faster than any Pokemon on this planet." Avaja could've swore he heard Gem scoff at him, but he may have been hearing things. Still, he glared at her for a bit before continuing. "...ahem. Anyway, as I was saying, if you go that fast, you can probably dodge any attack that comes your way." With that said, Avaja winked at Y'vir, who had been creeping up behind Zion the entire time. The wink was the signal for a sneak attack--except Y'vir felt it was necessary to announce the sneak attack formally--and loudly. "CYNDAAAAAAA!! Cyndaquil!" (YAAAAAAAAH!! Sneak attack!)As Avaja facepalmed with frustration, Zion easily stepped out of the way and delivered a swift, punishing kick to Y'vir's hind-quarters to send him sprawling. Y'vir's tiny legs waggled as he struggled to get to his feet (and regain his dignity). Lilith roared with laughter. Avaja picked up Y'vir and dusted him off before addressing Zion again. "Uhh...yeah. Obviously, that was supposed to be a challenge. But silly me, right? Lilith, your turn." Lilith grinned maliciously and stalked towards Zion slowly, who backed slowly away, chattering his teeth like mad. Avaja stood off to the side, calling out instructions to both Pokemon respectively. Lilith was being included, but this training was initially for Zion. She would only play a supporting role this time around. "Lily, I'll have you alternate between using your Scratch and your Feint attack. That'll keep him on his toes. Zion! You'll either have to dodge her attacks with your speed, or use your Endure to hang in there! Alright you two, go!"Lilith started off with a convincing Feint attack, which Zion tried his hardest to endure by clenching his teeth and bracing himself for what he considered to be imminent impact. However, when no such impact came, he opened his eyes again only to have the horn of an Absol whack him bluntly over the head, the way you would a naughty child. A weak Scratch attack. The assault hadn't done any serious damage to him, but it had definitely hurt. "Rio-lu..." (That's gonna leave a mark...) Zion grumbled and got back into a battle-ready position across from Lilith, who was also ready for her next attack. She leapt forward with another Feint attack, but this time, Zion was ready. He waited until she stopped, mere inches from his face, and flicked her right on her nose. She yelped with surprise, obviously taken aback by the little Pokemon's defiance, but Avaja could tell that she was intentionally overreacting a bit to boost the confidence of her adopted brother. Avaja smiled. He was proud of the bond the two Pokemon had already begun to form. As Lilith sped forward again, Zion stood still and grinned triumphantly, obviously expecting another Feint. Nope. Lilith whacked him with her horn smartly with another light Scratch attack, causing Zion to squeak with pain and growl angrily. Avaja cupped his hands over his mouth and shouted advice to a fuming Zion. "You can't just guess what's going to happen, Z! You've got to learn to read your opponent. Fighting isn't a matter of "maybe," it's a matter of "fact"--as a matter of fact! Get it?" Everyone within earshot rolled their eyes, including a few Pokemon who had stopped to watch the strangers for a while. You could've heard a Spinda drop for a few moments as the terrible pun quite possibly gave every one of Avaja's Pokemon cancer. After taking a few more hits from Lilith, Zion had begun to understand what Avaja had meant by reading his opponents. Lily had a tell. It was faint, but there. Whenever she was going to Feint, she would look at Zion's feet briefly to make sure that she didn't accidentally stomp on them when she jumped forward. The whole point of the attack was to pretend that you were going to attack. Actually hitting the other Pokemon would totally defeat the purpose. If she was going to actually try and hit him with her Scratch attack, she would keep her eyes locked onto his. This was probably so that she could track her opponent's movements in case they tried to avoid her, the exact opposite of when she was just feinting. Zion kept this to himself as his training carried on. Zion's improvement had started to reveal itself more and more with every attack. Each time Lilith would try and Scratch him, he would deftly sidestep and counterattack with a pulled punch or kick. He would also sometimes simply Endure the attack by stopping her blade with his paws crossed defensively over his body. This took considerably less effort than dodging did, but it also seemed to hurt Z to some extent. On the contrary, when Lilith would Feint, Zion would figure out some way of humiliating the acting Absol, whether it be tripping her to send her sprawling into the dirt, or headbutting her with his surprisingly thick skull to make her see stars. Either way, both Pokemon had become quite winded, and Avaja had seen enough. For now, that is. "Alright, guys, I've seen enough. Take a breather. You guys are done for the day." Zion turned to face Lilith and bowed respectfully. Lilith blinked, shocked a bit, but bowed in return and even gave him a small smile. "Abssssol. Sol, absol." (You've got spunk, kid. I like you.)"Riiioluu, lulu. Rio-lu. Rii." (Thanks. But call me a kid again and I'll shove that horn up your ass.)Lilith rolled her eyes and shoved him playfully as Avaja sat beside Y'vir, who'd been waiting impatiently for his turn to receive training. Avaja pet the soft fur on Y'vir's back, taking care not to rub the vents where embers erupted from. "Sorry, buddy, but you're the oldest. I had to make sure the other two were taken care of first. Don't worry, though--it's your turn now. Just you and me." Y'vir looked up at him and cried out happily. Avaja had been right to be careful of where his hand was--Y'vir's back ignited simultaneously with his emotions, and if Avaja's hand had been a few inches closer, he would have received a rather nasty burn. "Okay, 'vir, let's work on your Leer attack some. The whole reason why we Leer is to get the opponent to run away, right?" Y'vir nodded rapidly in response--until Avaja poked him in the snout and told him otherwise. "WRONG! The reason you Leer is to lower the other Pokemon's defenses. And if the other Pokemon's defenses are lowered, that means you've got an advantage, see? You can run up and deliver some punishment while they're weak! The old one-two punch! Lower their defenses, then BAM! Hit 'em with your Tackle attack!" Avaja punched the air to emphasize his point, which only "fired" up his Cyndaquil more. (Forgive the puns, it's late.) "But first, let's make sure your Leer attack is up to par. Show me whatcha got, tough guy."Y'vir took a deep breath, braced himself, and--stared at Avaja with the most pathetic face he had ever seen. "...you've gotta be kidding me, buddy. I mean scare me, really try to scare me." Y'vir continued to deliver painfully unfrightening glares for the next few minutes until Avaja decided he had to approach this in another way. If he just kept trying to teach Y'vir in this way, he would get nowhere fast. He wanted results, not to be laughed out of every battle Y'vir ever entered. But how could he appeal to the little guy? He didn't know how to light a fire in Y'vir's belly. He could be wrong, but he wondered if Y'vir's poor attempts at intimidation were psychological..? If that were the case, Avaja would just have to strike a nerve up there to see the results he wanted. Maybe if he put himself in Y'vir's shoes... "I think I know what the problem is." Y'vir stopped glaring to gaze quizzically up at him. "Yup, that's right. I know what's wrong. You wanna know what's wrong? You don't think that you're scary, that's the problem. You think that just because you're little that you couldn't scare anyone even if you tried. It's not your Leer that needs work, it's your confidence!" Y'vir looked down and frowned slightly. Avaja had been right after all. "Listen, Y'vir. I know how you feel. Believe it or not, I...I always feel like the little guy in my family. My brother is bigger and stronger than I am, so it's hard to think of myself as a tough guy." Avaja ran his fingers shyly through his red hair and exhaled deeply. His Pokemon, not just Y'vir, but Lilith and Zion too, were listening carefully to what he was saying. He felt like his cheeks were going to catch fire. But he knew it was for a good cause. "But you wanna know something? You and I have both got something that tips the scale." With that said, he reached up, tugged out a strand of his hair, and showed it to Y'vir, who blinked and stared at it blankly. "...and no, I don't mean hair. What I mean is...red! It's red! We've both got red!" The same blankness. [/color]"Look, I'll explain it to ya. Do you know why fire's red?"[/color] Lilith opened her mouth to explain exactly why fire was red, but was swiftly silenced by Avaja promptly clearing his throat to interrupt her. "...fire is red because it demands attention. It demands respect. Fire--even the word sparks on your tongue, doesn't it? The most terrifying fires start from the smallest ember, the scariest blazes from the itty-bittiest cinder. We may be small, but we've got fire on our side. And let me tell you something, Y'vir. Nothing is scarier than that." Y'vir blinked a few times, allowing his trainer's words to sink deep within as Avaja stood up and positioned himself across from his Pokemon once again. "When you're ready, let's see your Leer again. But this time--with fire!"At his command, Y'vir focused a penetrating gaze on Avaja, and this time, bright red flames emerged from the little Pokemon's back, sending little embers this way and that as Y'vir's Leer remained locked on him no matter where he tried to go. Avaja whistled as the hairs on the back of his neck stood up a bit. Even though it was hard to think of Cyndaquil as anything other than the cute, tiny Pokemon that had followed him home from the Professor's Lab, something about Y'vir's Leer made him seem almost...feral. Like a dangerous, wild animal with nothing to lose. Although he had told Y'vir that they were cut from the same cloth, he hoped that there was nothing in him like that. For Gemini's sake. "Umm...th-that's great, buddy. It sure scared the hell out of me." Avaja chuckled, patting Y'vir soothingly. "Whaddya say we call it a day, guys?"
(WC: 2,401; 2400 = 24 EXP per Pokemon) (Zion grew to Level 6! Zion learned Counter! To next level: 1/12) (Y'vir grew to level 7! Y'vir learned Smokescreen! To next level: 2/14)
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Post by Gemini on Mar 26, 2014 19:38:40 GMT -6
Gemini caught the Cyndaquil's Leer from forty feet away and still shuddered. "Bloody hell." Even more troubling was the fact that the Leer wasn't even directed towards her--Avaja was the unlucky fellow to catch the full blast of the attack. Gemini rubbed her arms, which had broken out in goosebumps at Y'vir's move. Still, she had to respect that 'vaja had picked a powerful starter--she just prayed her boyfriend and his Cyndaquil could keep each other in check. The quartet looked like they had finished up their training for the day, and so had Gemini and her Pokemon. She had been letting her friends relax and regain a few health points before continuing on to Violet City. Coincidentally, this gave Gemini the opportunity to observe her boyfriend's training methods. Like herself, he seemed to employ inspirational talks in communicating strategies to his Pokemon. Luckily, Avaja also had the advantage of having Pokemon that were willing to spar with one another; this was a luxury, she noted a bit ruefully as she eyed Damien, that Gemini did not share. "C'mon, you two. We're losing daylight, and I don't know about you, but I like sleeping in beds more than hard, dusty roads." Vitae shuddered in disgust, glancing down at her feet. They were covered in dust, and Vi felt if she went too much longer without getting a proper bath, Gemini might just have two Pokemon unwilling to battle. "Chiko-chikorita." (Let's get going.) As usual, Damien said nothing. Gemini's Pokemon followed willingly as she approached her boyfriend. "Hey, stranger. Ready to keep moving?"
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Post by Avaja on Apr 9, 2014 6:58:42 GMT -6
After Avaja had finished singing praises to each of his talented Pokemon, he looked up to notice Gemini approaching him with her own Pokemon following closely. It seemed that everyone had finally finished training and that they were ready to move on. Avaja smiled. Despite the rather traumatic ordeal he had gone through, the day had been actually quite fun. He had been itching to spend time with his girlfriend all day--well, he was always itching to spend time with her. No matter how much they hung out, stayed up all night talking, or just plain collapsed on each other out of sheer boredom, he found himself begging for more time when it had been all spent. It was official. He was addicted. A love junkie: a teeth-scratching, imaginary fly-shooing love junkie. Even though he and Gem had spent relatively little time just alone now that they'd both gotten Pokemon, just having her close-by was surreal. He'd have to figure out a really special way of telling her.
Usually people do it with a ring, no?
"Hey, yourself," Avaja retorted, grinning. "Yeah, I think I've worn 'em out enough for today. Everyone's earned a well-deserved rest." Avaja stroked Gem's cheek with the blade of his thumb gently. "That includes you, 8."
8 and 9. Gemini and Avaja, respectively. Nicknames they'd given one another--well, nicknames he'd picked out for them when they first started dating. Avaja was pretty sure Gem had no idea what her number meant, but she seemed more than happy to have a personal title ascribed by her boyfriend himself. Avaja'd certainly had his reasons for picking the number he had, but she'd never bothered to ask for an explanation, and he was glad for it. Not that he wouldn't tell her, per se, but he was kinda hoping she'd figured it out for herself.
With that, Avaja looped his arm with his girlfriend's and led her down the path towards Violet City and their very first challenge together as Pokemon Trainers.
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