islandshore | 48 - text/action for Celadon

[A pounding at his door jerks Riku out of his slumber. Though he presses his pillow to his ears, the bellows and growls that follow alert him that, sadly, he won't be catching any more Z's.

It's all just a part of the routine, really. Some overzealous Pokémon demanding attention. Quake, probably. While he blearily rubs his eyes and slides down off his bed, his trusty Charizard trails close behind...

As expected, one snarling Garchomp greets him, complete with putrid breath. More roars follow, and though Riku manages to squeeze past his ornery dragon, Quake stomps behind, continuing to growl, thrash, and flail...

Sigh. Even when Riku tells him to back down, that he's not up for training today, that he's still sore from last week (not to mention worn down), Quake continues his tantrum. He even charges himself straight at his Trainer in an Outrage attack.

It's by sheer dumb luck that he dodges the blow, leaving Flare to pin him down. Rather than stick around, Riku slips off, wandering the halls. He occasionally peers into the different arenas; he'd be stupid not to check up on the... fifty, sixty-some monsters that've made the TC their home. And of course there's no mistaking the shrieks and screeches coming from the lockdown chamber... Of course, he lacks the patience to deal with Terror today. He's already worn down as it is.

As he makes the rounds, the situation doesn't fare much better. One step into the ice arena, and he's greeted by a grumbling Dragonite. Having raised Draco from an egg, he recognizes his chest beating, wing flapping, and tail swishing as signs of impatience. Like Quake, he wants to train. When Riku says no, to go find Quake or Cleaver, a similar reaction follows. Roars, stomping, overall frustration... It's not like he needs to train with Riku every day, anyway. He's a high level dragon in a place full of others like himself... Sheesh.

By the time he makes it back into his room and scoops up his metal Keyblade, he's left feeling more drained than when he initially woke up. Drained and a little drenched; a Hydro Pump to the face tends to do that. And he gets their enthusiasm-- he trained them to love battles. And he loves them, too, but there's no denying that feeling of monotony that's crept up on him. He's got all the badges, he's got his business, but where does he go from there?

When was the last time he really sparred with an opponent that didn't breathe fire, spew water, or launch Aura Spheres? And in spending so much time focusing on his team, has he really become stronger himself? When Flare finally returns to his side, he shoots his Charizard a stiffened smile. His eyes soon drift back to his training weapon, though. If something were to happen and he needed to rely on himself and not his team, could he even do it...?

He sighs.]

Maybe you were right all along; I really have gone overboard.

[A text message appears in the early hours of the day:]

What does it mean to be strong?

I thought I had the answers, but I guess I got a little sidetracked along the way.

This place puts a huge focus on training powerful teams. Collecting badges, facing challenges, and I appreciate that. It's given me something to do, and it's hard to imagine life without those goofballs on my team to liven things up. But still, you can build a tough team without being strong on your own.

[There's a short pause before he continues his message. He has to search for the right words, try to piece together what he wants to say in a way that even he can understand...

Maybe he should get to the point.]

How many people here still fight? I've tried to keep up on my swordplay, but there's only so much I can teach myself. I know there are people out there better than me. Stronger than me... People with experience outside of play sword fights on an island day after day.

I guess what I'm really trying to ask is, well... Is there anyone out there who'd be willing to show someone else the ropes? I've done pretty much all I can with Pokémon battles, but I know I've got a long way to go with my own personal strength. And besides, I just... need something new to strive for. Something to break my routine.

[He ends his message there. It came out wordier than he intended... more like a rant than anything else. But with his thoughts out for all the see, he slips out into the city and proceeds to wander aimlessly with his 'Gear in hand.

Maybe he just needs a different outlook. He's got a much bigger world at his disposal now, and he's just barely scratched the surface...

But where does he start?]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[-she didn't have much to offer. Her prowess came largely from her magic, and the efforts she put into training herself outside that never involved a sword. If anything, she should point him Sayaka's way.

Instead-]

If you're looking for something to strive for, there must be countless things you could do, even here. But if you want to focus on fighting- the sort you don't find here- I'm curious why.

Because I trained, as much as I could, but that was a necessity. If I didn't, I would have ended up dead, or watched someone else die. And even then

[There's a pause there, but after a minute she drops whatever else she might have said to just ask-]

Why do you want to fight?

Edited 2013-03-23 23:26 (UTC)

To protect the things that matter.

[It's a short, simple response.]

I can't always rely on Pokémon to fight my battles. There are people here who attack humans, either on their own or with their teams. I don't want to be helpless in those situations.

I want to be able to stand my ground even against someone bigger, stronger, and more experienced than me. Not just for myself, but for my friends.

[That battle with 'Seth' was an eye opener, to say the least. Proof that not every Rocket is as incompetent as Cobra.]

[-that would have been extremely reassuring, if not for the detailed reasons.]

I never caught anything about people being attacked here. I caught that attack on the gym earlier in the week, but

I've never seen anyone carrying weapons or preparing for trouble.

It's happened plenty of times. There was once an attack on the Magnet Train. Once I bumped into a Rocket trying to destroy the gyms, and he and his team had no qualms with attacking me. In the past, the Sprout Tower's suffered attacks, not to mention Goldenrod City not too long ago...

Point is, this place can be dangerous. Trouble sometimes strikes when you least expect it.

[-she doesn't know what most of those places are yet, or who the Rockets are (thank you, being too busy to read the news) but just reading that...]

That's quite different from what I assumed of this world. But then what place would be upfront about incidents like that?

If the strength you're looking for is to be prepared for such things, I can understand.

The people here are in a perpetual state of denial when it comes to stuff like that. You get your news broadcasts every now and then, but I think they're so used to living peaceful lives that they don't stop to consider the dangers of using Pokémon. In the wrong hands, though? They're some of the most powerful 'weapons' out there, and that's ignoring illegal weaponry.

And that's definitely my main motivator. A part of it's also so I feel... well, less reliant on my team. I can hold my own in a fight, but I usually only spar with my friend Sora and my Pokémon. I want to be able to handle even an unexpected attacker.

And in protecting yourself and others. I guess Pokémon could be both a great help and threat, depending.

But if your point is less being the physically strongest, than being prepared for the unexpected, or any potential mode of attack

I would advise looking for someone to help you. Not just a mentor or trainer, but someone to work alongside, and learn with. No one can be prepared for everything, and one slip up is all it can take, in this sort of thing.

But working with others can cover blind spots and weaknesses.

The thing with Pokémon is that they are powerful, but they also have their own free will and their own faults. Having an extra set of eyes can help or hinder depending on the circumstances.

As for group work, I guess I can try to drag Sora along with me the next time I get caught in a serious mess. A combo of that and personal training has to at least help a little.

There's just gotta be a balance, since a larger group can attract unwanted attention.

Large groups, yes. It can be an issue, having to watch someone else's back in the middle of trouble. But the price of having no one watch yours

It can be much higher.

And it's more than worth it with friends. The longer you fight together, the smoother it should get.

True. Better safe than sorry, and at least with higher numbers you've got a better chance of making it out in one piece.

I just wish I could keep all my friends in one place sometimes. Sora's always with me, but the rest are scattered all over both regions.

Yes. And if there's more danger here than a team fainting, that's extra important.

Do you ever get a chance to cross paths? Or plan a meet up somewhere?

We bump into each other from time to time, but I haven't really planned any big meetups.

Maybe I should. It'd give me something else to do.

Then there you are. That's a good goal to have.

Perhaps they can even offer more advice on fighting, if any of them know something.

48 - text/action for Celadon

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