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Post by snark on Oct 8, 2019 7:57:43 GMT
Mayu's first stop in Cerulean City is, of course, the Pokemon Center. She's in pretty good shape, all things considered, but Rho needs some healing and she herself could use a rest. While the nurses tend to her Lickitung, she heads outside to release the newly caught Archen.
"Show me what you did with the berry plant again," she orders, hoping that it understands her better than the other way around. Hybrids are supposed to be able to communicate with Pokemon just like they do amongst themselves, but maybe fossil Pokemon are an exception? They might be using a different language, so to speak.
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May 31, 2023 21:25:23 GMT
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Post by Raven on Oct 8, 2019 8:02:09 GMT
Archen looks up at Mayu like 'what do you want me to do?'. It sort of wanders about randomly for a bit, though never straying too far.
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Post by snark on Oct 8, 2019 8:05:47 GMT
"Berry," Mayu says impatiently. She digs in her pack and pulls out a Figy Berry, as if to demonstrate. Then she points at the ground."
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Post by Raven on Oct 8, 2019 8:21:20 GMT
Archen does exactly as asked. It takes the Figy Berry and puts it on the ground. That's what you wanted, right? The berry on the ground?
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Post by snark on Oct 8, 2019 8:31:41 GMT
Well. This may have been a waste of a Pokeball. Then again, it was the one she found in Mt Moon, so it's not as if she wasted any money on it. Mayu decides to put Archen through her usual introductory training. If the thing is truly incapable of understanding basic commands she can... sell it to a museum, maybe, or a zoo? A fossil collector? There must be someone out there who wants an Archen, although they might come to regret it.
If nothing else, some practice sparring will help her determine whether it knows any Grass moves. She picks Epsilon as its first partner, hoping to lure out any such thing with the promise of a vulnerable target.
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Post by Raven on Oct 8, 2019 8:33:18 GMT
After having it train with her other Pokemon for a bit, Mayu's new Archen seems to decide it is hungry. It does that weird scree-ing thing again and boom. New berry plant. Naturally, it gobbles up all the berries from said plant before Mayu can think to nab one.
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Post by snark on Oct 8, 2019 8:53:56 GMT
"That!" says Mayu, pointing at the newly-sprouted plant. "Do that again."
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Post by Raven on Oct 8, 2019 9:07:52 GMT
Archen looks up at you, then back to the plant. Oh! Did the human want some too? It does the thing again, this time not eating the berries that grow.
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Post by snark on Oct 8, 2019 9:10:53 GMT
Finally. Mayu picks one of the berries and examines it to see if she can tell what type it is.
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Post by Raven on Oct 8, 2019 9:19:41 GMT
It looks kinda like an Oran Berry, but it's weird. It's an odd, colorless hue. It's not that it's 'grey', more like it...somehow has no color at all? No, wait, nevermind. It's just a really odd shade of grey that seems to refract light in a specific way. Very strange. For some reason, your mind supplies the word 'Berry' as its name. |
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Post by snark on Oct 8, 2019 21:55:03 GMT
Interesting. Probably not terribly useful if this is simply an ancestor to the Oran Berry, but interesting. Mayu recalls Archen - makes a note to return in a few hours and check if the plants are still here - and heads west, intending to explore Mt Moon a little more before she attempts the Gym.
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Post by snark on Oct 10, 2019 0:15:52 GMT
Try as she might, Mayu can't find anything more interesting than the herd of Dunsparce. She's pretty sure she's been through most of these tunnels at least once already, and though there are a couple of narrow passageways she thinks she could squeeze through, it's starting to get pretty late. Time to retire... and tomorrow, perhaps, she'll face the Cerulean Gym. Her Pokemon have been acquitting themselves well, she may as well see if she's ready.
Come morning, she visits the Cerulean Gym and inquires about the challenge process.
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Post by Raven on Oct 22, 2019 5:21:40 GMT
The girl at the counter first asks Mayu if she's here for the public pool or the Gym. Mayu's inquiry immediately answers that question, and she is given the details. She will need to defeat a single Gym Trainer in order to challenge the Leader. If Mayu wishes to have a full-contact battle, she will be swimming in the battle-pool with her Pokemon. Desk-girl suggests that if Mayu does not own any, there is a shop here in the building that sells swimwear. The details of the Gym Trainer fight are up to the individual, but Cerulean Gym favors Double Battles.
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Post by snark on Oct 22, 2019 5:35:04 GMT
"... in that case, I will be requiring a swimsuit. Is the battle with the Gym Trainer full-contact as well?"
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Post by Raven on Oct 22, 2019 5:57:09 GMT
As far as desk-girl knows, it is not. The Cerulean Gym shop sells Swimsuits/Trunks for 300 PYen and Bikinis/Speedos for 200 Pyen.
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Post by snark on Oct 22, 2019 6:33:40 GMT
Mayu surveys the selection of swimsuits with her usual outward impassivity. Inwardly, on the other hand... None of these cover nearly as much as she's used to (though honestly, nothing short of a burqa would cover as much as Mayu is used to). None of them cover what she considers most important. On the other hand, she remembers concluding at the beach that specialized swimwear probably is a good idea. Of course, that was partly the saltwater, and as far as she knows Cerulean's pool isn't... but trying to wear her usual garb would certainly impair her mobility, and she can't allow that.
She settles for a one-piece swimsuit and goes looking for a Gym trainer to fight.
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Post by Raven on Oct 22, 2019 7:12:21 GMT
As it turns out, desk-girl didn't quite have accurate information about the pre-leader challenge. Instead of just one Pokemon, Mayu may end up fighting two Gym Trainers at once in a Double battle. She is helpfully informed of this by one of her opponents: a green-haired girl named Amanda.
"So, Challenger, this is how it's gonna work: Megan and I-" she motions to the brunette at her side, who waves politely "-are gonna take you on as one. The two of us will each send out one Pokemon to face you at the same time. Naturally, you send out two of your own to do battle. This will go until one side has lost four Pokemon. Beat us both, and you get to face the Leader. Lose and you have to come back tomorrow to try again. Potentially with different Gym Trainers." She explains. "Am I being clear enough?" She asks curiously.
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Post by snark on Oct 22, 2019 9:07:54 GMT
Four Pokemon, two at a time. The increased number of trainers on the other side does not appear to yield any tactical advantage, but perhaps not all of Cerulean's trainers have enough strong Pokemon to fill out a team of four on their own? Irrelevant. "Yes."
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Post by Raven on Oct 22, 2019 14:41:35 GMT
Amanda nods. "Good, good. Alrighty! Let's get started!" She exclaims. Her and Megan take you to one of the many 'battle-pools' and send out their Pokemon. (Moved to Encounters)
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Post by snark on Oct 25, 2019 2:58:12 GMT
For some reason, Mayu's second loss to a Gym leader doesn't sting quite so badly as the first. Useful data was gathered. She'll be more prepared next time - and next time will come soon. With just a couple changes to her tactics, she can imagine that battle going differently.
She has at least a day to go before she can test that theory. A brief stop at the local Poke Mart tells her that while they don't have what she's looking for, the department store centered in Celadon should. Mayu sets out south along route 5.
Treasure: sdVRFgvQ1d100
1d81d100·1d8
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