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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 29, 2020 0:57:42 GMT
A week later...
Thel and Em shared a heartfelt goodbye, he and Whitney traveling the remainder of the way to Olivine together. The route was quiet, save a raucous stop at a Miltank farm, where Whitney insisted on giving the owner a hard time about some of his business practices (which really weren't even all that bad). Olivine itself was a coastal town, the scent of the sea rolling in on a steady breeze. After her verbal sprint earlier in the day, the pink haired gym leader was all too happy to give Thel a tour.
"At the south end of town you've got the Lighthouse, Jasmine looks after a couple of Ampharos that do shifts up there, lighting the way for ships in the night so they can navigate the rocks and reefs to safely get to shore. Visibility is really bad out on the water at night I guess." She commented as they moved past the towering building. "The mart and center will be really easy to pick out on the east end of town, and they're all pretty samey, but Olivine has a contest hall! Probably only makes it here by virtue of the Charm School, it is the only one in the entire region. People pamper and dress up their Pokemon to show off and try to impress judges. It's all very..." Whitney wrinkled her nose, and made some vague hand gesture.
"And lastly, on the north end of town, we have Jasmine's gym, and the Charm School!" The gym itself was sturdily built, but mundane looking. Metallic trim accented the eaves, doorway, and along the windowsills, silver against black giving it a simple but refined appearance. The Charm School dwarfed everything else in Olivine by some margin. Three stories, with a full lawn extending back into the trees. Fluted columns and a broad set of mahogany doors with brass knockers, the front of the building dominated by large bay windows, where even from outside, the level of activity was clear.
After returning to town and waiting around the center with Gunshow, Chuck returned looking beaten, bruised, and haggard. Sheepishly telling the girls that Team Aqua had no intention on leaving, and he had only managed a draw by virtue of some weird deer that showed up, the gym leader intended to lick his wounds, train hard, and go back for a round two. He insisted they stay with him, and his wife going forward. The center was no place for guests. Even managed to get a bit of time in with her while he was laid up, something she was profusely thankful for. It had been a lot of waiting, apparently old humans heal pretty slowly. It might be up to the pair to take matters into their own hands.
On offering Queen the piece of horn that Terra was given, the Pokemon fixates her attention on some distant point north and west. If Terra takes the time to follow her, she paces anxiously at the shoreline until she's recalled. The behavior is the same any time she is left to wander without a fight, or training to do. There is a certain eagerness about it all. Talon behaves similarly, though as he remains attached to Muku any time he is out of his ball, he dramatically points her arm in the same direction.
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 29, 2020 1:29:16 GMT
Thel cherishes the last of the moments that he'd have with Em for a time, until finally having to leave for the next town. It's bittersweet, but he hopes that it'll be worth it in the end. He doesn't share what exactly had happened on the mountain, either. It felt like a private place, something that he shouldn't mention
He doesn't really understand all the nuances of the Miltank whatevers, so he just nods and agrees with Whitney, rather than risk her yelling at him or stomping off or something like that. He doesn't need that in his life right now.
The city is a strange hodgepodge. On the one hand, it's all so much smaller than Goldenrod... but on the other, the Charm School and Gym and lighthouse here just feel more imposing, even if they're smaller than the Department Store thing.
"Thank you for all of this, Whitney," he says, understanding that their time together would soon be at a close. "For helping to guide me, for telling me about this place, for you and your mother sheltering me when I was alone and panicking. It really has meant a lot. When you see her again, would you be alright passing my thanks onto her, too?"
He looks at the door, awkwardly. "So, am I just going in, or do you have to come in with me, or... I'm not quite sure how this works."
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Mar 25, 2024 21:53:28 GMT
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Post by birdy51 on Jul 29, 2020 11:56:42 GMT
Out in the backyard, Muku trains herself, body, mind, and sword. Of course it was the sword. It was always the sword.
While the rest of her team had a pretty good handle on how to train themselves. Mmip even evolved without Muku even noticing. However, Talon needed extra attention, Talon needed stay by her side and in her hand. Always. As she raises them to the sky, she poses, before sinking into another position. Then another, sword outstretched pointing towards the horizon. A third, sword behind the head, leg up in the crook of her other leg, and the free hand reaching for air. Swift like a coursing river. With all the force of a great typhoon. With all the strength of a raging fire, mysterious as the dark side of the moon.
This training was ludicrous and everyone knew it.
With a noisy screech, she breaks from her forms and hangs her head back to the sky. "Why do I have to keep doing this!? This is silly!" She cries in agony. Every day, at least two hours, go do wave your arms around outside Muku. Build up your muscles Muku. Your form is all crazy Muku, stand still and watch. Do it like this. And watch again. Here, crush this boulder, it's easy. Even a child could crush a boulder. See? Just like that! Now go practice your forms while my wife gets me an ice pack because, oh no, my back, this hurts, ow, I need to stop throwing boulders on top of statues.
She glares at Chuck's general direction menacingly. Not that it stopped him. Next day he twerked his back again sparring with the Gunshow. And oh, the Gunshow. As if on cue, she could imagine him flexing. There was really only so much flexing she could stand from anyone person, but with twice the arms, that meant twice the flexing and that was just too much flexing for anyone bird to bear.
Of course, this complaining didn't help anything. No, if nothing else, this lull in the exercise was an ample excuse for Talon to rip themselves up and point off into the distance with purpose. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You want to go there. But we're still waiting on Chuck and. Urrrrrgh." Muku's head rolls back skyward, her eyes drifting into the back of their head. Count to ten. One, two, three... Two? Probably. Good enough.
The young girl takes in a halting breath and forces Talon to stand down for a second. Muku had gotten stronger during her time in Cianwood. Even if she didn't like the method, she was a lot better in tune with both herself and her Pokémon. She flourishes Talon, arcing them through the sea air and around her back, her body. She felt nimble, she felt lithe. She felt alive in a way that she didn't quite get yet. But she would. Some day. For now however, she was bored. Dangerously bored. Starly weren't meant to remain in one place for long and it had been nearly a week already. Turning to Terra, she recalls Talon and calls out to her, saying, "Ok. Ok! Do you want to go do something? This is getting really, really boring."
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Post by Greenwolfkate on Jul 30, 2020 3:57:40 GMT
At the sight of the gym leader returning looking much worse for the wear, not a reassuring sight in the slightest. The waiting for Chuck to recover was annoying, there was so much that they could be doing. Humans really were far too fragile! However they still had to worry about Team Aqua since he had failed in clearing them out.
The first day after Queen had a chance to heal some of the worse of the wounds, Terra had held the horn fragment out. At the change in the pokemon's behavior, the trainer would follow after her. A mental note taken at the pacing at the water's edge.
The week passed with the mixture of training both with and without her new sword of stone, town exploring, and keeping up with Queen, making sure that she wouldn't wander too far with the new determined staring into the horizon.
Today she was working with Clang, the newest team member. Flexes and pounding into boulders before them. The pokemon given an outlet to focus his strength on. "Ready?" Terra asked, before striking the dense object with a fist at the same time as her pokemon. Large cracks spreading throughout the boulder. "Good job," she praised the dragon with a nod and a grin. A new twig from local trees stuck out from between her teeth. A short bellow being given in a proud manner as the pokemon lifted his head high to display himself.
At Muku's words the trainer turns her attention from her pokemon. "Yeah, I agree. It's about time to wrap up. At least for today," Terra didn't quite mind the training as bad as Muku, it allowed her to toughen and strengthen her body. Still so very far from her old form, but definitely far better than when she had first changed. It was proven to her each time she felt herself train. Muscles not nearly as quickly worn out from the exertion. "We could...hm..." Terra mused to herself a hand coming to her chin. Options slightly limited due to being on an island. "We could try and make some money? I know we've mostly been training, but having a bit more money would make it easier to stock up on supplies. What about you. Anything in mind?" she asks with a tilt of her head.
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Mar 25, 2024 21:53:28 GMT
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Post by birdy51 on Jul 30, 2020 12:51:02 GMT
"I don't have any ideas, I just like complaining." She offers shrugging her shoulders. Terra did have the right of it, 500 Pokéyen seemed like a lot to her simple bird eyes, but she knew what 3000 Pokéyen could buy. Many a time she walked by shop windows and many a time she had to walk away. Kursz always seemed to have just enough to get what he liked. Kursz. How WAS Kursz doing? The absence of the giant left a big hole in Muku's heart, the kind of absence that can only be filled by pointless trinkets and stupid shit. To be blunt, she was on board with making money.
"I think you're on to something with the whole money thing. Chuck and Chuck's wife have been really nice and all letting us stay here, but they haven't given us any money because we haven't battled. Which, which. Muku thinks that is kind of wild that you have to battle people and take their money as if that might be all the economy is based on, but coming from a nest based economy where you just trade big sticks for small sticks and down, I don't think it's probably the only way people make money. I mean, if Starlys got money for battling, they'd be rich because they'd always be beating up something but then again, we also get beat up a lot and you know it probably evens out in the end? This is a long way of saying that, I think maybe that money is something that I know how to get but I like to have it and maybe it would be good to figure out if there are other ways of getting money that don't involve crushing the competition in a tango of death, because while Muku likes to tango, Chuck still seems laid up and I don't really want to bother him with a battle yet, so maybe we should try to figure out where humans get their money from?"
She pauses for a breath, before adding with finality, "Maybe it grows on trees?"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Mar 26, 2024 17:35:49 GMT
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Post by Robot on Jul 30, 2020 13:23:02 GMT
"Don't worry about it Thel, it's been a really fun break. Might not talk to Mom for awhile though, she's bound to be really hot under the collar this time. It'll start with something like "WHITNEY-BELLE!"". The gym leader scrunched her face up and put on a mock imitation of her mother's voice.
Waving the train of thought off, she took his hand and opened one of the doors letting herself right in. "Come on, I'll get you all introduced.". The front lobby was all dark brown wood panelling that had been painstakingly detailed, and some sort of lush maroon carpeting, giving the building more of a somber air. A brunette with a tightly wound bun in her hair, and a pair of too small glasses watched the pair quizzically until she recognized Whitney.
"Ah a returning alumni.". She said cooly, a wry smile at the corner of her mouth. "What brings you in all the way from Goldenrod?". Whitney seemed unphased by the address. "Maddie! Been too long, this is Thel, I'm sponsoring him in person, had to make it an extra posh affair you know how it is."
"Yes, your mother sent a very vocal correspondence ahead of you. This must be Thel?". She arched an eyebrow at the boy in girl's clothes, looking wholly unabashed. "Introducing a rooster to a henhouse would be just like you Whitney. Am I to address Thel as a she, then?"
Before the boy can answer,Whitney elbows him in the side, and nods slowly. The gesture isn't lost on 'Maddie' who watches the pair with great scrutiny.
On asking around, most of the jobs in Cianwood are out on the water, gathering kelp, fishing, crabbing, and searching for something called 'pearls'. Inland it is clearing aggressive Pokemon, seawall construction which is mostly monopolized by fighting types. In the center itself, there are several listings to assist in training difficult or unruly Pokemon.
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Post by birdy51 on Jul 30, 2020 15:45:54 GMT
Dismayed, but not particularly surprised by the lack of money trees, Muku's focus shifts to the one job she knew she could do very, very well. Training Pokémon.
Talon aside, her Pokémon were both uniformly well-behaved and excellent attackers in battle. Even Chuck had some goods words on how hard some of her best hitters could hit, particularly the boulder shattering powers of Hornise and even Mmip. So a few unruly Pokémon? She cracked her knuckles. That wouldn't be a problem.
"I think I can do this one, the one with getting Pokemon to stop being little shits. Are any catching your eyes, Terra?"
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 30, 2020 19:00:43 GMT
It's hard for Thel to see if he likes the building or not. On the one hand, it's nice, it's big, it's all very well decorated… but on the other, it definitely feels like the sun isn't illuminating inside quite as hard as he'd like. He's sure he'll get used to it, though.
He can definitely detect some tension going on between the two women though... it's very awkward feeling, but he knows to absolutely not get into it. So he doesn't even flinch when Whitney elbows him. It hasn't been long enough for him to get out of expecting things like that.
It feels like this was something that probably should have been discussed beforehand, if this was needed, but he rolls with it. Because, with a sinking feeling, he realizes that he might not be welcome here. He was all excited for this... but it might not even want him.
He doesn't let that series of thoughts show on his face, though, instead nodding and giving a smile to the person scrutinizing him. "Yes, Lady Maddie," he says, simply.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 30, 2020 20:39:13 GMT
"Please call me Madeline, Whitney's address is improper and she knows it." Madeline sits up a little straighter, rising behind the desk and rounding to look Thel over. "Why do you want to come to an all girl's charm school, Miss Thel?" There was genuine curiosity in her tone, though it was delivered with poise and perhaps the faintest hint of accusation. It very much reminded him of his time with the Lady, and how she would ask, or say things that were meant in a way not presented. Madeline shot Whitney a look, and she took a step backwards out of Thel's peripheral, unable to help him further.
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 30, 2020 20:45:31 GMT
"Oh, my apologies, Madeline," he says, flushing. "I'll be more cautious with address in the future." It's a familiar situation, but not exactly the most comfortable anymore...
"I want to be here because the things that I've been told that you teach," he says. "Manners, grace, cooking, a-all of that sort of things. It's what I want to learn. I don't know exactly where my future lies, and I feel that this would all be very helpful in figuring things out."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 30, 2020 20:50:46 GMT
"You want to learn what it means to be a lady, then? A girl of standing, good grooming, and pedigree. A woman worthy of respect, talented in both battle and entertaining?" Madeline asked again in a firm tone, her posture firm and unyielding, everything from the set of her shoulders to the angle at which she presented her eyes to Thel spoke of commanding the encounter.
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 30, 2020 20:57:45 GMT
Does he want to be a Lady? He doesn't know. He wants to have the confidence of the Lady, the skill, the strength... but he doesn't want to be imperious, to hurt others. But... he doesn't have to, does he? He can just be respected, and act more like Em.
"I, uh, I don't know what 'pedigree' means," he admits, sheepishly. "But everything else that you said, good standing, good grooming, respect, talents... That's what I want, yes." He gives a confident nod.
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 30, 2020 21:34:37 GMT
Madeline glances between Thel, and Whitney, the latter who gives her a cheesily big smile. A soft sigh through her nose, her brow softens. "Alright. I will get your paperwork together, Miss Thel...?" A pause while she waits for him to answer. "Your last name please?" After he answers, she nods. "Very well, you will be expected to follow our rules and curriculum with one additional rule Miss Lucasta. If you should ever be found indecent around the girls, found spying upon them, or touching them in lewd or unbecoming ways, you will be expelled. We will make special allowances for you to change clothes separate from them, and room separate from them. If that is acceptable, I will process your papers today and submit them to the headmistress."
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 30, 2020 21:44:34 GMT
"Of course," he nods. "I would never be unbecoming around anyone. That's all understood and acceptable. What else do you need from me now?"
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 30, 2020 22:01:23 GMT
"We'll need your measurements for your uniform, and for you to register your Pokemon. This way please. Whitney, you can see yourself out." Madeline gestures for Thel to follow close behind, leading the boy along to a room with a machine that looks like one of the healing machines at the Pokemon Center. "Set your Pokemon here please. They'll be registered to you, you will be permitted to use them during some of your lessons. Pokemon are to remain in their balls unless you are on the practice fields, in your personal quarters, or otherwise instructed. You will occasionally be provided a rental Pokemon for practice use, during these times yours will be placed in storage here on site." After Thel complied, the machine brought up a set of four images, though the Joltik's was strange and glitchy, with his trainer number next to them.
From there, he's introduced to a well dressed young redhead, in a dress vest, blouse, and pleated skirt. "Vivien, please take Miss Lucasta's measurements and get her a full uniform. Miss Lucasta, you may see yourself out to tend to Whitney when Vivien is finished. I expect to see you back here at 8 am sharp tomorrow." Madeline waits to see if the boy has anything, before excusing herself back to the desk. Vivien gives the boy a shy smile. "Ever had your measurements taken before?"
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 30, 2020 22:07:53 GMT
"Alright, I see," he nods in understanding, though it's going to be weird not having Hope by his side regularly. She was a comforting presence. ...he hopes that they weren't too put out by this. Because he couldn't even warn them that he wouldn't be able to be with them or give them brushies for a time.
"Uh... I had my height and weight taken for when I got my Trainer Card about two weeks ago," he says, fumbling for that. "They're on there. So that should be what they still are."
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Post by Robot on Jul 30, 2020 22:18:42 GMT
"I'll take that as a no." Vivien giggled softly, retrieving a thin strip of something with markings on it that looked very flexible and soft. "Hold your arms out to your sides please." She stretched the strip along each arm, across his shoulders, around Thel's chest, waist, hips, each leg, then along his inseam which was disquieting with Madeline's warnings, but Vivien seemed very professional about it all so the moment passed. "The underwear is pretty standard, I'll get to work on hemming and shortening everything... ah, here, step on this."
The girl guided Thel to a flat metal thing, and moved another metal piece in against his foot. "Size six... alright." Fetching a pair of shoes from a cupboard, they have a high polish and a buckle, a slight heel to the back of them with a blunt but rounded toe. "You'll want to keep these to a nice polish, a buffing pad and a little bit of wax will do the trick. You'll have to get your uniform in the morning, it'll take me some time to do the modifications on it."
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 30, 2020 22:22:18 GMT
"Oh, okay," he says, nodding, looking the more unusual shoes over. "Do I have to go out and get those, or are they here? And, uh, what should I do now. I'm a little bit lost on how this all works exactly, of what I'm expected to do in order to learn."
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6,666 posts
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92 likes
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I'm not going to say it was damage, but it was damage.
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Mar 26, 2024 17:35:49 GMT
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Post by Robot on Jul 30, 2020 22:27:38 GMT
"Well it's too late in the day to start today. You'll need to get your own supplies to keep your shoes tidy, same goes for your makeup. Appearances are very important here, you'll find." She winks playfully. "For now, I imagine you go and relax, settle at the center for the night or challenge the gym. Check out the lighthouse, just relax."
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Post by DataNinja on Jul 30, 2020 22:48:46 GMT
"Okay, thank you, Vivien," he says, nodding. "Is there, uh, a list of what I need that I can pick up before tomorrow? And I how early should I arrive tomorrow? Sunrise early? Before that? I'm sorry for asking so many questions, I just don't want to mess up this opportunity." This very much has the feeling of his before life. Where you don't mess up. Or else.
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