islandshore | 24th - video/action for Olivine;

[When the feed starts up, it's upside-down, but there's a clear shot of a very angry Riku standing next to a large pile of exhausted Pokémon including a very large Charizard, Feraligatr, Nidoking, Scizor, Lucario, and a Rotom, which manages to float over to the Gear and slowly lift it up.

Riku, however, looks less than impressed.]

Get back up! You can't just sit there.

[The Pokémon groan and shift a little, but alas, they're just too exhausted to keep going.]

C'mon. You're going to keep fighting, you got that? I don't care how tired you are.

[There's a sad sounding vrrrrrm from Surge, who hovers over to Riku.]

See? If Surge can do it, so can--

[Aaaand then the Gear falls. Looks like even Surge didn't have the energy to keep going.]

Can't believe this...

[After a moment, he scoops up the Gear and shuts it off. Those in Olivine are free to see this unpleasant display. A little while after his defeat, Riku's going to be working his team incredibly hard, putting them up against each other.

Someone's a sore loser, to say the least.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

_{[Aaaand she's gonna call him on it! ... In the bluntest, most Heathery way possible.]}

Oh my god, what are you, one of those overachieving perfectionist parents who makes their kid study all night long when they get an A instead of an A+?

Losses HAPPEN. Maybe if you put on your big-girl panties and stopped WORKING your friggin' animals to death every time they messed up, they wouldn't mess up so often!

_{[... Not that she knows how often they do or don't mess up, but the point still stands!]}

Except this is the only time I've lost since I first got here. I know what I'm doing, okay?

[Maybe he got a little worked up about the loss, but he's got a darn good reason for it.]

So what, you think you're perfect?

Everybody messes up eventually. So it took you awhile to lose.

It's not the end of the fuckin' world. Get over it.

... And don't take it out on your Pokemon. C'mon, man. Have some class.

[Uuugh. So many people taking this seriously.]

Fine. Maybe I got carried away. Happy now?

_{[Well, that's what happens when this sorta thing's broadcast, bro!]}

I'm not the one you should be trying to make happy.

[That was totally Surge's fault. Darn Rotom.]

What do you expect me to do? Give them a pat on the back?

Well, I wouldn't wanna fight for anybody who got this dramatic over ONE lost battle, I'll tell you that much.

[Pffff. In the background, his Lucario snorts. Yeah, boys are kinda dense.]

Not like I expected it. They've never let me down before.

See? That's your problem!

You take it so fucking personal!

They didn't let you down, they lost. There's a difference.

If you were doing a job for somebody and someone stronger than you came outta nowhere and clubbed you over the head with a rock, would YOU feel good if you woke up and the dude was standing over you all, 'HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?! GOD YOU'RE SUCH A FAILURE!'

There's a difference between a job and a battle.

[Even if she's got a point, that's a pretty weird comparison to draw.]

_{[Yeah... she realizes that after the fact, so she shakes her head a bit.]}

Look, that's not the point.

Point is, you're acting like it's some kind of personal affront that they lost. Do you seriously not see what's wrong with that?

I had a personal stake in that battle, okay?

[Darn Leon...]

Yeah? Well, the world doesn't revolve around you, princess.

Sometimes people lose things they have personal stakes in. Welcome to real life.

_{[Heather really is not making a good impression, is she.]}

[Yeah, no. He's getting pretty irritated.]

That's nice. Thing is, it's not gonna change how I handle my team.

_{[Yeah, Heather has that effect on people sometimes. Or a lot.]}

You'd better get used to losing, then.

Because sooner or later, they are not gonna wanna fight for you.

And that's assuming you don't break 'em before that happens.

They won't turn on me. I've worked them hard for more than a year, and nothing's changed.

And I'm not gonna lose. That match was a slip-up.

If it was just a slip-up, why the hell are you so convinced that working them to death will do anything but ruin their chances of doing anything?

It's better than doing nothing.

[Read: He's angry and isn't the most rational when he's angry.]

Maybe on whatever planet you're from, but on mine, uncrippled Pokemon are better fighters than crippled ones.

_{[Not that he's... crippling his Pokemon, but the ... work-till-you-collapse method is just a sort of dangerous one in general. She saw particularly-obsessive track-team people back in high school mess themselves up pretty bad by doing just that.]}

You do realize I'm not crippling them, right?

[Seriously, someone's overreacting in his book.]

Okay, I'll tone down the overdramatic language so you can get it through your head.

You think you're making them better fighters by doing this.

You're not.

And that's stupid.

_{[She spreads her arms expressively in a more-sarcastic-than-necessary 'The More You Know' gesture.]}

That simple enough for ya?

[Aaaand cue eyeroll.]

Simple, but it doesn't change a thing. If my training methods didn't work, I wouldn't have all the badges or a bunch of maxed out Pokémon.

_{[Heather actually arches a critical brow at that.]

[When she speaks again, the mocking tone is gone, but it's replaced with a twinge of something similar to disgust. It's not the bragging that brings that on-- heck, she brags all the time. It's ... the way he refers to the Pokemon.]}

... Is that all they are to you?

High statistics that won you a few shiny travel-sized trophies?

[Oh dear. He can already sense some kind of preachy friendship speech coming on...]

I train Pokémon to win battles. I'll tell you that much.

_{[Not to worry, Riku! Silent Hill... is not a place that really fosters that good ol'-fashioned passion for the power of friendship, and as such, Heather won't be making any speeches on the subject any time soon.]

[Instead, she sort of lets out a chuff, eyes lidding and an unamused smirk playing across her face.]}

No wonder you lost.

[Video]

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