princelyspirit | Duel 03 // Video // Route 36... sort of

[Well, this is strange. Instead of a clear video, the feed presents a distorted color bar, accompanied by a garbled whines covered with static. The lines squeeze and dilate as a voice cuts through the noise, and the colors begin to adjust and morph into actual images]

-good? Alright!

[A blurry image of a girl comes on the screen, and once the video grows clear, those watching can see a shot of Utena standing somewhere at Route 36. Strange - the trees in the video are fuller than they are now, and their leaves brighter and more colorful, too; the foliage looks closer to the way it did early in October. An old video, perhaps?

[Either way, Utena beams at the camera, one hand on her hip, and something small and metallic in the other - the camera would have to zoom in to get a better look at it]

Okay, so... it took a while, but I've- excuse me, I mean we finally beat our first gym. And that's not the only thing that's new, either. Just take a look at these guys!

[There's silence as she stands still, and after a second, her smile falters and she quickly waves her hand to the left. The camera jerks immediately towards a group of pokemon - a proud Rapidash waving his fiery mane in the air, a smug Graveler flexing his rocky arms towards an aloof Pideot, and a shy Beedrill hovering just a ways from them.]

Okay, got it Miki? Great! [clears her throat] Like I was saying, I got these guys to evolve, too. Most of them toughened up for Falkner, except for Kakuna- [is that...is that beedrill hovering lower now? Utena begins to speak quickly, in an attempt to yank her foot out of her mouth] But! We were able to get some training time in with her, too, and she was a great help out in the woods. We couldn't have done it without her.

[and she's hovering higher again! Utena breathes a sigh of relief, and rummages for her map off camera]

Anyway, now that that's taken care of, we can go on to the next town. It should take a couple days, but...hmn? What is it, Pon-...Rapidash?

[The camera follows Rapidash as it trots towards Utena, its ears perked up. Utena blinks, her head tilted in confusion, before her eyes widen and she shakes her head]

No. Nooo no no no no. No way, Rapidash. I'm not taking you over to the next town!

[And his ears and tails droop down. That hurts, Utena! She looks a bit guilty, but she tries to hold her resolve]

...look, it's not... [sighs] It's not that you're slow, but-

[And his ears droop even further, before he nudges her side. Ultimate guilt trip]

...okay, fine. We'll go for one ride around the woods, all right? [Rapidash's ears perk up!] But just one, you got it?

Raises his head proudly, while Utena whistles for Graveler. Once he rolls over, Rapidash stays still, and Utena braces herself against his back while the rock pokemon gives her a boost up. Soon enough, she's swung her legs over her mount, ready to ride. She gives a small, nervous smile as she strokes the side of his neck]

Happy now? Ra! Okay, okay... now, let's just take it slow and eeeaaaaah!

[Utena's words transform into an undignified scream as Rapidash bolts off, becoming a white and red blur on the camera. The {Pdgeot takes off after them, followed quickly by the Beedrill, and Miki the Pachirisu chitters at Graveler from behind the gear before the feed goes off]

[OOC: Basically, instead of a backdated post, Utena's gear glitched out and showed an old, embarrassing, unposted video from back in October. tl;dr, you really, really shouldn't try to ride a Rapidash bareback. She's over in Goldenrod now, and any replies will be from long after her misadventure]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

In months, you say? I hope the warranty's still valid. It might not stay an isolated incident.

[Though at least it's a relatively minor problem.]

Well, you did seem like you weren't enjoying yourself. He can't have liked that.

I'm not sure these things even have warranties. I mean, they pretty much just toss them at you and go, "hey, good luck!" Though, there might be a place where I can get it checked out, in case it goes completely bonkers...

[trails off, before moving back to more important stuff. Her voice softens a bit when she begins to talk about her rapidash]

And yeah, you're probably right. He didn't mean any harm - he's really sweet, honestly - he just... well, got a little excited. He's always been a bit of a showoff, even before he evolved, and I think he wanted everyone to see what he could do now that he was bigger and stronger.

If they can afford to give us all one, they must be easy to find and not too expensive. Maybe getting a brand new one would be worth it.

He's certain proved that he's really fast. With a little more control, it'd be hard to top him in a race. Does he like competing?

Does he like it? He pretty much lives on it... though, to be honest, I'm not sure if he likes winning so much as the attention. It's sort of like hanging around with a little kid sometimes, honestly. You know, like how when they learn something new, and they have to show it to everyone in the world.

Though... [She smiles, just a little bit] I can't really blame him, to be honest. I mean, if I could do half the stuff that he can do, I'd probably want to show off a little myself.

Plenty of professional work in their fields for the attention, and even certain adults like to show off their new talents. We shouldn't be surprised to see a Pokémon feel the same way. ...Though I'd personally show off my ability not to get burned by my own mane instead of my speed, if I was him.

[laughs a bit]

I don't know, he kind of shows that off just by existing. But, I see what you mean - it doesn't matter how old you are, or if you're a human or Pokemon, everyone wants to be acknowledged somehow. And... I think, more than that, everybody wants to feel useful, too, especially Pokemon. I mean, being fast and strong doesn't just make you look cool, it also wins battles - and Pokemon who win battles tend to stay with trainers more often. Or at least, that's what I've seen around here.

Edited 2012-11-22 07:35 (UTC)

Still, they've got to be valued for more than their fighting abilities, right? I mean, it's fun to go out with them and train outside, but it's just as fun to clean the inn room all together, or to have lunch outside by the beach.

I know that there's more to them than just fighting, but sometimes I wonder if they know that. Well, not all of them, but... sorry, I guess I'm not being very clear. It's just that one of my Pokemon had some trouble because she didn't feel as useful as the rest of my team. I think she's feeling better now, but sometimes I wonder I'm doing enough to show that there's more important things than battles.

Can she help you with chores or work? Can her attacks or ability be used outside of battle? My Sentret feels good even when she doesn't battle because she can help find supplies, my Bibarel uses his Water Gun when we're thirsty...

Mmn... her abilities aren't really suited outside of fights, to be honest. She's really helped us out, though, and - well, it's just nice to have her around. I just want to make sure that she knows that.

Give her regular hugs and pettings. Or the best hay you can find, maybe. It's all the small gestures put together that show that you care.

[...would a giant wasp really be into hugs and cuddles like that? Well, at least there's the food...]

Well, I don't think she'd be a big fan of hay, but I should be able to find something she'd like...though, to be honest, I'm not sure what kind of food a bug would really be into. But, that's not the important part - what matters is just finding stuff that makes her feel special, right? Anyway, thanks for listening like this. It really does help.

Grass, then? Or pollen, maybe, if there's a way to find that... But I'm glad I could help, really.

I'll give those a shot, and see how they work. But, she does kind of like sweet things, now that I think about it...maybe some fruit or honey?

[pauses for a moment, just as she realizes something]

Sorry, I'm going on like this, and I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Utena Tenjou, and it's nice to meet you - and again, thanks for the help.

Edited 2012-11-25 18:50 (UTC)

It's nice to meet you too, Utena; I'm Captain Ash. You're more than welcome, though I hope my ideas will actually be of some use.

Wait, Captain? [lets out a low whistle] Wow, you must've been some kind of big shot back home, weren't you?

Not that big. I just had a ship and a crew.

[...A spaceship and a pirate crew, but still.]

An actual ship, huh... it sounds like something out of an old adventure book. So, what was it like? Was it exciting, or was it just a whole lot of work for you guys?

It depended on the day. Sometimes we had to spend a whole week updating our inventory, other times we'd just hear strange rumors and investigate... But in general it was pleasant. My crew are great people to be with.

Duel 03 // Video // Route 36... sort of

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