Kazuki
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Mar 20, 2023 10:58:43 GMT 9
After completing the introductory quest with Mom, they are greeted with a notification from the Professor. Another tutorial, except this time it requires them to deliver a package for her.
Simple enough. Like a blood-sucking flea, Kazuki tags along with Verai, hellbent on following his tracks. Sprigatito also joins them, happy to stay out of his ball while his new best friend is around, and delighting in the open space and all the grass he can sniff and chew on.
Their conversation with Professor Ash is brief. Ever the concise type, her instructions and transfer of the item last for all of two minutes, wasting no oneās time before she sends them off with a bright red mark on their maps and the package.
Right, the packageā
āIām surprised she just handed this over,ā Kazuki hums, tossing the expensive pokemon egg in his hands as if it were a baseball. āNot only is it some rich bratās starter, but Iām pretty sure she remembers how I tried to attack her last time.ā Heās following the path set out for them. The destination in mind is at the mansion of said ābratā, which isnāt far but does require quite a good trek.
Sprigatito weaves in and out of his trainerās legs, curious eyes upturned to the big polka-dotted thing in his hands. <New friend?> He wonders if this one can join his and Litten's games.
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Verai
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 877
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Miyagawa Tarou
OOC Username: spibe
Arena Points: 38
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Post by Verai on Mar 21, 2023 1:17:38 GMT 9
Verai had expected Kazuki to leave, once he left the house. He expected Kazuki to scoff and leave at the idea of aiding the Professor. He expected Kazuki to take the parcel and simply walk off.
Kazuki did not leave.
He was still following beside Verai as they walked, Litten and Sprigatito loosely walking with them. "Not for us," Verai answered, opting to ignore Kazuki entirely for the moment. "They're going to be with someone else." As long as the egg got there in one piece...
Another few steps, and Verai turned to glare at his traveling companion. "Can you stop," He hissed, incredibly cat-like, as he snatched the egg out of irresponsible hands. "This isn't a fucking rock. It's an animal." He shifted his grip on the egg to tuck it more securely against himself, but never took his eyes off Kaz. "Where do you get off thinking you can do whatever the hell-"
He stopped, mid-lecture, and looked down at the egg. It was cool to the touch- the shell seemed fine, at least to his lack of knowledge. But... kittens HD to be kept warm, as did humans. Weren't eggs the same? "Why is it cold...? |
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Mar 23, 2023 3:56:39 GMT 9
<Aww!> Sprigatito whines. <But we can teach them stuff! Like games! And how to shoot fire and leaves andā> He continues rambling, his fierce defense of āwhy I should have a teammateā waning only when he gets distracted by a small animal scurrying in the distance.
Kazukiās in the middle of catching the egg when Verai grabs it out of the air. His brows rise, the corners of his eyes creasing as with the hitch of his mouth. āActually, itās a pile of ones and zeroes.ā He makes to grab for the egg, only for Verai to hold it out of reach, their voices melding together as they argue. āMe getting off? Iām not the one who is so easyāā
The bickering comes to an abrupt pause as Verai gawks at the egg, Kazuki baffled for a moment as well. āItās cold?ā He prods it to check for himself. āFeels fresh from the fridge. Thatās unfortunate.ā
And then he pulls something out of his inventoryāthe other thing he had snatched out of the Professorās hands before Verai got to it. It appears to be a pile of soft salmon-colored cloth with padding. Kazuki holds it up to Verai as if checking to see if heāll fit in it.
āGuess youāll have to warm the egg up! Alright Ver, put on the baby carrier.ā
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Verai
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 877
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Miyagawa Tarou
OOC Username: spibe
Arena Points: 38
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Post by Verai on Mar 25, 2023 9:49:19 GMT 9
At Kazuki's riveting commentary, Verai looked at him like he was an idiot. Fresh from the fridge. What a heartless thing to say, even if these were just fucking pixels. He sighed through his teeth as Kazuki rummaged for something, already starting to curl his arms around the egg.
"What. Is that." He growled, eyes narrowing to slits as he glared at whatever gods-forsaken thing Kazuki was offering him. Baby carrier? It unfolded into the shape of... something. Probably a pokemon. Pink with little ears, all spread out like a star, and with a perfectly-sized pouch for the egg. Still glaring at Kazuki, suspicious of some trick beyond the obvious, he took the carrier, and gently slipped the egg inside.
Verai snorted, jerking back at the sudden flash of information, and tried unsuccessfully to wave it away with his hand. "This is ridiculous-"
Kitten, meanwhile, screamed. <I want to help!!!!> She cried, pawing at Verai's leg. <Please! I can keep it warm! Let me help!! Purrai!!! Please!> She wailed. |
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Mar 26, 2023 20:45:17 GMT 9
Veraiās reaction is hysterical. Kazuki doesnāt deign to answer his questionābecause itās stupid, he already called it what it isāand just shakes the baby carrier, grinning as he waits for the man to take it.
And he does. It now hangs on his front, this cartoonish pink star thing, and when Verai puts the egg inside it, it looks as if itās hugging the fragile shell. It evokes the image of a first-time parent. It is a devastating combination with Verai, whose avatar is shredded and comes with fuzzy cat ears.
āThis is perfect.ā Kazuki gives him a once-over with his hand on his chin, as if he were pondering a work of art. āAnd here I thought fatherhood wouldnāt suit you.ā
āOh, donāt forget the incubator.ā He picks up the screaming kitten from the ground like a football, plopping her atop the egg and then smacking Verai hard on the shoulder. āNow get moving, dad-to-be. We might just be able to deliver this thing before it gets cold!ā
Laughing, Kazuki saunters on, free hands shoved into his pockets as Sprigatito pads after him. The road theyāre on leads them from the open plains of the Steppes towards a clump of gnarled trees, where tracks of wooden wheels dig long lines into the dirt.
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Verai
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 877
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Miyagawa Tarou
OOC Username: spibe
Arena Points: 38
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Post by Verai on Mar 27, 2023 3:08:16 GMT 9
And here I thought fatherhood wouldn't suit you.
The casual remark sent a torrent of anger through Verai. His first impulse was to punch Kazuki in the face. It was his second and third impulses, too. He wanted to grab Kazuki, grab him and scream. Because Kazuki was wrong. Him, and everyone else- Fatherhood had suited him, he had done it and come out the end with the most wonderful daughter in the world. I've done it. I did it despite everything and the courts disagree with you. Bria disagrees with you. I disagree with you. I have done it and raised someone to be better than I am. What have you contributed?
But, he couldn't. If Kazuki in real life was anything like how he was in this game... So Verai just closed his teeth around the secret, and simply waited through the talk, reacting only when Kazuki dumped Kitten on his chest. He held Kitten gently, who curled up and started purring. He trudged after Kazuki and Sprigatito, glancing at the old trees they approached. |
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Mar 27, 2023 13:23:30 GMT 9
Oblivious to the turmoil he inflicts, Kazuki moves ahead with his sights set on the strange little wood, inconsiderate of the load Verai is carrying. The sheer open space makes it seem much smaller than it actually is, and that becomes apparent when he enters the threshold and becomes surrounded by the trees and their twisting branches.
His shoes scuff against the tracks on the ground. He only offers it a glance before continuing on, snapping the branches with his hands as he moves along. He litters the ground with twigs out of boredom.
A rustle of branches catches his attention, and he has all but a second before he finds himself reeling off his feetāthe back of his head caved by a thick club.
Sprigatito's yowl can be heard through the thicket.
Kazuki manages to keep from falling onto the ground, grabbing at whatever is closest to himāwhich happens to be the weapon. He growls, yanking at it, still unable to open his eyes and see which fucker had the audacity to hit him.
Another hit slams into his ribs, sending him down. Blunt weapons come from multiple sides, until everything turns black.
The assailants mutter among themselves as they inspect the unconscious man. One of them bounds him with rope while the other tosses the writhing cat in a bag. They had gotten the wrong guy.
Heads turn at the sound of another entering the wood.
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Verai
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 877
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Miyagawa Tarou
OOC Username: spibe
Arena Points: 38
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Post by Verai on Mar 27, 2023 23:15:50 GMT 9
Verai had trailed behind Kazuki by choice- He walked through the woods unafraid, broadcasting his location to all who heard. Maybe he was confident there was nothing there, or that he could take on whatever was. Verai thought it better to not tempt fate. So, he hung back, shaking out his arms and rolling his shoulders as he watched Kazuki forge ahead.
He steadied his breathing as he watched Kazuki go down. The egg was affecting his weight and balance, and left him a sizable weakness in the front, but it was still better than setting the egg down. There were at least three of them, two currently bent over Kazuki, one holding Sprigatito. "If anyone grabs you, do whatever you can. No matter who it is." He warned, quietly. Kitten simply flattened herself against him, ears pinned.
Verai stepped into the woods.
One of them stepped forward. The leader, he assumed, the man spitting at the ground and cracking his knuckles. "There 'e is." He said, pointing towards Verai. They didn't have the element of surprise, like with the other, but surely it wouldn't matter.
It didn't matter at all- the first ran at him, and Verai simply tossed him aside, throwing him into a tree without much effort. He returned his gaze to the leader.
The rest of them lunged.
It wasn't the easiest fight he'd been in- but it damn wasn't the hardest. Verai hissed, keeping head and chest both guarded, lashing out where he could. At least one bludgeon was taken, and the favor returned to the bandits. More of them collapsed, and Verai again, again, returned his gaze to the leader. "Folar-" One of the remaining bandits said, and was cut off by a wave of his hand.
"We're leavin' with the egg."
"No." Verai said, simply.
It was not a long fight.
Verai sat, near where Kazuki lay, inspecting the egg. It seemed a bit warmer, at least. <Euufen!!> Kitten growled, yaking on the drawstring with her teeth, until the little sack fell open, litten tumbling back. <<Oof- Sprigatito!!> She then turned her attention to Kazuki, tilting her head to figure out how to help, and opted to jump up on him. <Wake up!!!> |
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Mar 28, 2023 1:01:19 GMT 9
Sprigatito is curled somewhere small and dark. It is also incredibly warm, and he curls into a ball, letting it soothe him and the spot where his head hit a rock after heād been tossed. In this happy little sack, there are no scary men or scary woods. Just warm and fluffy.
And then the warm smacks him in the face with a paw, the happy little sack tipping over. Sprigatito rolls out and flops on the hard ground. <Mnrnmghā¦ fiveā¦ more minutesā¦> He tucks his face against the dirt between his paws and he continues snoozing with remarkable speed.
The other sleeping beauty jolts awake at the sensation of little paws using his tender ribs as a trampoline. āArgh! Quit it!ā Kazuki hisses, pushing the cat off his chest, only to wince at the first movement. He reaches behind his head. His fingers trace the shape of a sizeable bump, the jagged edge of a fresh scar. His hand returns blood-tipped, or he assumes itās blood. His sightās a bit of a blur right now.
Cursing, sighing, he gently rests his head down and looks skyward. Dreary clouds peek through the leaves. His eyes trail to see Verai sitting nearby, still cradling that fucking egg. There are no other voices. No signs of human life. When he tries to look at the area around them, he doesnāt see the bandits. Just deep indents in the ground, dragging feet, or perhaps where bodies have crashed. The aftermath.
āFuckā¦ how long was I out?ā He groans, trying to get up. āDid you get rid of them? How theā¦ son of a bitch, they clubbed me! Where are they?!ā he says this as if he could kill them while nursing what could very well be a concussion. |
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Verai
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 877
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Miyagawa Tarou
OOC Username: spibe
Arena Points: 38
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Post by Verai on Mar 28, 2023 2:48:09 GMT 9
Verai waited, letting Kazuki get out all of his questions, and opts to not answer most of them. "Gone." He answers simply instead, coaxing Kitten over so she wouldn't be on so many of his ribs. He's quiet, a moment, before his red eyes flick back up to Kazuki. "Maybe they wouldn't have gotten the jump on you so easily if you hadn't been making so much noise." Verai dismissed. "Maybe you can keep your mouth shut now."
Which, of course, sent them both into a tailspin. Kitten watched them argue, for a moment, and went over to Sprigatito. <Hey! It's time to wake up!! We gotta deliver our egg. Friend.> Friend egg? The thing! What Purrai had.
And then the arguing stopped, for an instant, at a weird noise, and Kitten glanced over- To see Purrai, and a bunch of people with ropes, some trying to pull the egg-friend off of him, one keeping Purrai restrained as he tried to keep from being strangled. <HEY!> She shrieked, enraged, and sunk her fangs into the legs of one of the Bad Men. |
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Apr 1, 2023 20:56:06 GMT 9
Whatever pain heās in isnāt enough to deter him from rising to the baitāhe snaps back at Veraiās (objectively correct) comments with a āFuck you! Youāre the one with the cat ears!ā before it all quickly devolves into a nonsense argument that keeps him distracted, at least until they hear a tell-tale crunch.
The shrubs burst nearby, pairs of gloved hands bearing ropes coming to seize him and Verai. The strangers werenāt the faces he recalls, but they must be affiliated with the last group to have found them so soon.
āI am not doing this shit again,ā Kazuki hisses, the rope digging harsh tracks against his neck where a bandit tries choke him. He slams his foot into the banditāsāa pained gasp over his earābefore wrapping his arm behind the manās head, grabbing his arm, and tossing him forwards.
Sprigatito stirs at the muffled sound of Kittenās voice, raising his head, his whiskers lined with dirt as he blinks sleepily to see his friendās silhouette running off towards the trainers. He blinks again at the sight of unfamiliar company.
<ā¦ Ah? AH! BAD GUYS!> He yelps, scrambling up to his feet as he sees Purrai being apprehended, Kitten jumping to bite an enemy, and his trainer charging bodily into the herd.
Kazukiās brain rattles in his head as he moves, his battered ribs making clear signs as to why he should cut this shit out immediately, yet he dives in anyways, driving his fists into whatever skulls he can reach, manic laughter bubbling out of his throat as he tears through the assailants.
Itās not efficient enough. They overwhelm him with numbers, and soon one of them slips through the frenzy to conk him on the soft spot of his head and he goes down like a wild boar at the end of a hunt.
āAnd that, Rikol,ā One bandit tuts while tying up the two hostages, āis why bashing āem over the headās better than all your rope nonsense.ā
Rikol grumbles. āJust hurry up, weāve got to bring them and the egg to Ravdah before nightfall. You, over there! Fetch the wagon!ā
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Verai
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You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 877
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Miyagawa Tarou
OOC Username: spibe
Arena Points: 38
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Post by Verai on Apr 8, 2023 7:11:09 GMT 9
The world came slowly, Verai coughing weakly before his eyes flicked open. The sound of hoofbeats, something rattling under him. No... he coughed again. He was moving, rattled on a cart, or something. There was a tarp covering him, blocking his view, but- Kazuki was laying there, eyes closed and still, a pair of thick rucksacks that he could only assume held their pokemon. He shifted. His legs were free, but his wrists and arms were bound, and his throat was sore and raw. "Kaz," He said, kept low by choice and husky by the strangulation. "Get up." when the other didn't respond, Verai eased himself closer, and kicked at his leg. Not to hurt- mostly- but to wake him up... if he could.
Kitten came to with a sharp gasp, eyes opening into utter blackness. <Sprigatito?> She asked, voice for once striking with fear. <Purrai?> No one answered, and she reached out, feeling only cloth with her paws. She was trapped- she had to do something. She charged forward, blind, and slammed into something else, the pair tumbling before smacking into the wall of the cart. <Oof! Let me out! I'll eat you!> She cried, paws beating ineffectively at what she'd initially bashed into, which could only be Her Captors. |
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on Apr 12, 2023 23:08:49 GMT 9
āMrghh,ā blubbered Kazuki intelligently, the side of his face smushed against a wooden floor covered in strands of hay and the lingering scent of manure. His foot kicks in the direction of where it was hit, missing Veraiās leg entirely. His eyelids twitch with a momentary attempt to awaken, only to squeeze as aftershocks of pain greet him. He ultimately relents to the phantom brain damage and settles. A thin line of red has dried from the impact point on his head down his neck.
Crashes and loud scrapes are heard from where Kitten makes her valiant attempt at retaliation. A familiar cry sounds at the force of the hits, Sprigatitoās voice ringing outā<Donāt eat me! Iām not tasty!>āas he squeals, waking up to an attack. He's been knocked on his back and is trying to defend himself by wildly flailing his paws over his head.
Someone chuckles above them. āHey, you. Youāre finally awake.ā Having heard Verai through the muffle of the tarp, the bandit sitting by kicks him. āThought you could pull a fast one on us, huh? All ācause you beat Folarā"
Whatever monologue he had prepared is interrupted by the fighting sacks in the corner of the wagon. Cursing under his breath, the bandit gets up, moving to grab the two sacks. āCut that out or by Kalos, Iāll toss both of you into the wheels!ā
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Verai
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 877
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Miyagawa Tarou
OOC Username: spibe
Arena Points: 38
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Post by Verai on Apr 15, 2023 14:41:02 GMT 9
Verai grunted lowly as he was kicked, letting himself slump back onto the cart proper. He shifted, letting the man's own voice, and the chaos from the cats, muffle his movements as he tried to get his arms under and in front of him. Thankfully, Kitten was causing plenty of problems- a blessing and curse both. He needed to hurry.
<Let me out!!!> She screamed, batting at Sprigatito again blindly, and shrieking when the sack she was in was picked up. <PUT ME DOWN!!> There was a rustle, like the bandit had shook the bag, and Verai quietly rolled forward to his feet. Thankfully, the bandits had already tied his arms together- which he hooked around the bandit to grab him, muffling his mouth with his hand. "Kazuki," He growled, waiting for the bandit to pass out. "Wake the fuck up." Slowly, he knelt, setting the unconscious man on the ground, casting another withering glare at the other trainer.
"Hold on," He murmured, trying to untie the sacks onehanded. <Purrai!> "Quiet," He cautioned, relief flooding him at the sight of both cats, unharmed. "Help me get these ropes off, and get Kazuki up. Quietly." It wouldn't be long before more of the bandits noticed. |
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Kazuki
•
You Can't Take Me
The Creed
Posts: 883
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Himura Atsushi
OOC Username: Sleepy
Arena Points: 113
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Post by Kazuki on May 15, 2023 3:34:04 GMT 9
Sprigatito does not understand! The voice sounds exactly like Kittenās, but heās still getting slapped! He matches his friendās shrieking, only to find himself pawing air, and then his entire self airborne. Then comes a heavy THUMP, and he finds himself faced with Purrai as theyāre released from the bag.
Sprigatito hops out, only to gasp at the sight of his trainer slumped on the floor of the wagon. <Kazuki!> He squeaks, pawing at Kazukiās as if he were beating dough, on the verge of tears. <Are you dead?! Please donāt be dead! Pretty please!>
At last, the man stirs, swatting away the paws from his mouth. āQuit it,ā he hisses, blinking, only to squeeze his eyes shut. āSon of a bitchā¦ Māgonna kill āemā¦ā His wrists hurt. He wiggles his hands and finds them bound like Veraiās. Sprigatitoās eyes widen, and with a look of determination, he bares his fangs.
The wagon comes to a stop. Mutters come from the front. The heavy plod of boots as the driver hops down and heads to check the back. āShut up back there! What the hell is going on?ā
The man moves to pull the flap open, only to get immediately bodied.
Sprigatito pokes his head out of the wagon, seeing his trainer punching the driver unconscious on the ground. He looks back to Verai and meows cheerfully, <Heās awaaake!> |
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