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

It's an HM, actually, and it's earned from the gym in Cianwood City.

[...Although.]

Are you near Goldenrod at the moment?

I'm right in Goldenrod, actually - I was going to hop down to Azalea Town, but there were a couple of people here that I needed to meet up with, first. [tilts her head] Why do you ask?

If you have a spare hour and can find your way to the Breeding Center here, I might be able to assist you. The HM is reusable, and I live next door to the Center. If you'd like to borrow it for a few minutes to teach your Pidgeot Fly, I'd be more than happy to oblige.

It really does make quite the difference, and it's no detriment to me to loan it to you.

Really? That'd be great! Though, are you sure it's no trouble? I appreciate it, don't get me wrong, but I don't want to be a bother, either.

It's a simple enough process, and I'm not doing anything at the moment. Assuming you don't mind the possibility of being accosted by entirely too many Eevees and their evolutions, I certainly don't mind being of assistance.

No, no, that's fine. And you said you were right by the Breeding Center, right? Is there anything else I should know before I drop by?

Next door. It's the house with the elaborate side garden and the tennis court in the back. So long as you think you can find it, I'd imagine that should suffice. It's hard to miss.

A tennis court and a garden? [lets out a low whistle] Wow, you really went all out, huh? Anyway, I'll be there in a few minutes. See you soon!

[Unfortunately, a few minutes turned into something more like half an hour - the place was a bit harder to find than she thought. Either way, she's at the front of Yagyuu's house, hands stuffed in the pockets of her hoodie as she cranes her neck, looking at his home from the top to bottom. She doesn't dawdle for long, though, and after a moment she raises her fist and knocks lightly against the door.]

[At the sound of the knock, if Utena is listening closely, she'll be able to pick out a rapid-fire cacophony of tiny nails clicking and clacking against the floor as the Eevee Welcoming Committee (all sixteen of them) thunder down to bounce around eagerly and wait in anticipation for the door to open so they can swarm whoever's just arrived.

Fortunately for Utena, though, Yagyuu manages to beat them back a little and trap them in one of the spare rooms before finally opening the door, looking slightly harried but generally neat and presentable.]

Ah, hello. I apologize for the wait; it took me a minute to get a...certain subsection of my roster under control.

[What the heck is that? It sounds kind of like a pack of tiny little dogs running towards the door- or, well, pokemon, now that she thinks about it. Curiosity gets the better of her, and she leans to the side, trying to get a peek into the window. Once she hears the door open, though, she straightens up immediately, back ramrod straight.]

No, no, it's fine. I mean, you did warn me, right?

[calming down now]

Anyway, Pidgeot's still in her pokeball. Do you want me to bring her inside, or should we do this out here?

Outside would be best, I think. If she's big enough for you to fly on, she's likely better suited to the outdoors.

[He blinks a bit.]

You haven't named her yet?

I... haven't been able to think of a good name, actually. [gives a sheepish smile] But, they don't really seem to mind - I mean, I don't think they really care much, right?

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

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