Altair
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Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 19:46:24 GMT 9
Oh, boy.
So far away from water out here, in a place like this where he could feel the crackling of electricity on his skin? Yeah he was pretty much in trouble out here. How did he come to be all the way out here?
Nobody will ever know.
It was kind of like that adage where ‘in space, nobody will hear you scream’ only substitute ‘space’ with this strange location where he’d ended up! Oh, shit.
“Yep. I am definitely, absolutely, irrevocably lost,” he began with a sigh as he looked around. Geez, this was going to be a righteous mess and a half to get out of, huh?
At least he had his Froakie with him, so he wasn’t going to be alone at the very least… for the moment.
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Altair
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Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 19:49:22 GMT 9
How did that meme go again…
Shame he couldn’t access any saved ‘sound bytes’ on his ‘sound board’ to play the exact thing he was thinking of! Oh, well…
There was only one way to do it: alone, and without fear!
“Okay. let’s hope we get lucky and find something that we can really use…” he muttered to himself. He was still on-edge, all things considered, because he was so far away from water; and the clouds overhead perpetually set the place in an ‘overcast’ kind of mood!
Like, teasing him with ‘rain’ but no actual rain? That hurt!
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Altair
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Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 20:07:17 GMT 9
It wouldn’t take long before…
‘Get your head out of the clouds, there’s something coming!’
“Huh, what—” he trailed off, looking around before belatedly remembering he’d turned on the ‘Speech’ feature and he actually understood what his Froakie was saying. Holy shit. What an upgrade!
‘You heard me, there’s something coming and it looks angry!’
“Alright, alright!” he exclaimed as he squinted over the horizon, and this was just before the—
A sudden burst of water from the Froakie’s direction would catch him off-guard. He was half-expecting the little amphibian to throw out a Smack Down move, but hey, he wasn’t going to question the validity of a Hydro Pump attack in these circumstances!
(Or at least, it looked like Hydro Pump. What if he was wrong?!)
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Altair
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Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 21:30:39 GMT 9
The two Pokémon collided in a flashy explosion of water and grit; both coming out of the initial tussle with…
“Are you alright?!”
‘This is nothing, I’ll be fine! I’ve got this under control!’
With that, he would watch with bated breath as his Froakie then charged onward; releasing another Water-type attack (at the distance he was, he couldn’t tell what it looked like, because he knew that the Froakie line had several Water-type attacks under its belt) and so left the battle to his companion.
All the while, the Rufflet was definitely not going to go down without a fight, too!
The two would meet across the field once more in another energetic explosion of attacking pixels…
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Altair
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Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 21:32:58 GMT 9
“What happened to ‘I got this under control’?!” he exclaimed as this time, the Rufflet sent the Froakie flying his way; reeling from the force of the attack.
‘I may have overestimated myself.’
“Clearly,” he continued with a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose; however the Froakie wasn’t going to give up yet as he picked up a rock and literally yeeted it at the incoming Rufflet, who looked to meet it head-on with an attack of their own…
This was going to take much longer than it looked, it seemed.
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Altair
•
Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 21:50:40 GMT 9
He knew that the Rufflet looked far from tipping over, and this was where he started to panic—because how many hits did it take for a Rufflet to come crashing down anyway?!
‘This is… harder than it looks.’
“You only noticed this now?” he cracked, watching as this time, the Froakie was able to get a lucky dodge away from the incoming avian Pokémon, before the blur of blue came bounding backwards towards where he was watching the fight unfold.
“I want to put my faith in you, you know…”
‘Then earn it, I will!’
And with those words the Froakie would charge forward again; eager to prove themselves while he waited with bated breath…
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Altair
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Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 21:58:25 GMT 9
There was this saying called ‘famous last words’, and boy did that capture the current moment… what a mess.
As the blur of blue met the blur of purple, he realized that things weren’t looking so great, and he had to make a break for it… ouch!
“You better not fall down while I get the reinforcements!” he called out to the courageous Froakie as he made his hasty retreat because oof, ow, ouch, that shit hurt!
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Altair
•
Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 22:10:58 GMT 9
And that was one.
They were back, and the Rufflet was waiting for their return… funny how these things worked, right?
He cackled. By the time he’d arrived, the Froakie had already thrown himself straight into the heat of the battle once more, raining down utter hell—or what the Froakie perceived as ‘utter hell’—in the face of the Rufflet that wasn’t going to be giving up anytime soon.
The beginnings of a smirk would cross his face as he watched the insanity unfold—he’d better have that Pokémon Center somewhere down the road on speed dial if things didn’t go his way.
“Come on, you got this!” he thought of cheering his Froakie on.
Maybe there was some aspect like that in this game, too? He had no idea.
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Altair
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Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 22:13:39 GMT 9
He could only cringe as the Froakie let out a surprised ‘RIBBIT!’ noise of pain, because ouch that shit had to hurt way too much as the blur of blue came streaking his way.
‘They’re really tough. I’ll give them that.’
“Clearly,” he sighed. He’d best prepare to get the hell out of there and come back again, because that first attack really hurt like a truck hitting a Deerling caught in headlights—
But the Froakie was no quitter, oh no! Absolutely not!
And in time, the blur of blue would rejoin the battle once more.
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Altair
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Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 5, 2024 22:16:35 GMT 9
There went the headlights in this comedy of errors as more chaos ensued…
Yep, he would definitely have to keep the ‘speed dial’ of the Pokémon Center saved as a hotkey—then he belatedly realized he was starting to play this entire game like it was XIV all over again.
Boy, his early days as a Thaumaturge came back to haunt him right about now.
“Come on! We’re not giving up on you, you know!” he addressed both the Froakie and the Rufflet, who would spread its wings in a triumphant pose; as if mocking them for trying to attack them while they were still so weak!
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Josh Devlin
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Lionheart
The Creed
Posts: 1,269
Trainer Class: 
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 68
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Post by Josh Devlin on Mar 6, 2024 14:57:05 GMT 9
The clopping of hooves would echo about the Surge Steppes between lightning strikes, their source fearless galloping around one of the most wide-open fields in Asper. It was Josh's playground, the one place where he could zip across maps at top speed while having plenty of time to rein the Mudsdale out of others' way.
Even so, it couldn't hurt for everyone else to stay out of the fast lane, could it?
"Hyah!" the young man cried, spurring the Mudsdale into a Sprint. It was still a rough ride, but one his body had become somewhat acclimated to. Even so, his body could only take so much of being harshly bounced up and down before returning to a slower pace.
While the ground-type was recovering, he accidentally stepped into an encounter circle. Just as he was able to click Run to escape the nuisance Rufflet, he noticed that there was a second member in his party display at the bottom of the HUD. From his hit point count, it seemed like the Rufflet's original assailant was... starting level. Against one of the hardest encounters in the early game areas.
This wouldn't end well. He had to intervene after Silvermoon had saved his life in the same way. It was called karma. Paying it forward.
"Granmarg, STOMP!" the mounted trainer ordered, sharply tugging the reins toward the Rufflet. The Mudsdale would spring toward the small bird; even if they couldn't catch it underhoof, their sheer momentum could knock it out of the sky and buy time for Altair to muster his forces.
Altair |
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Altair
•
Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 7, 2024 0:44:30 GMT 9
He hoped that the Nurse out on this route wouldn’t get to see him too often because he was back for more punishment from the stubborn little bird when he saw that… he was no longer alone.
Oh? he thought as his Froakie all but literally leapt out of his hold and charged right at the Rufflet once more, very much intent to prove themselves worthy to him.
(The Pokémon didn’t really need to, but he noticed that the poor Water-type tended to try way too hard to impress him! Aww.)
“Hey, thanks for the assist,” he called out to the rider on the… holy shit that was one big-ass equine they were on the back of.
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Josh Devlin
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Lionheart
The Creed
Posts: 1,269
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 68
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Post by Josh Devlin on Mar 7, 2024 1:09:04 GMT 9
"No problem," the blonde answered. skillfully reining Granmarg in a direction where the ground-type could body block. While Josh didn't have to worry about suffering damage himself until he got access to the Player class, it was good to practice for when that time came. "The wild Pokémon out here are murder. Have you thought about going to Asper's commercial district and buying some HP upgrades?" Assuming Altair's name tag was visible mid-combat and not just an icon, he would greet the white-haired man by name.
"One more time, Granmarg!" the rider ordered. Despite the CRITICAL HIT from the Rufflet, the level advantage the Mudsdale had kept him from slowing down too much as a result of his wounds. All that level grinding with Franka paid off in spades. With sheer STRENGTH, horse and rider would attempt to ride down the small bird before it could take off again.
Altair |
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Altair
•
Sky Trainer
Mythstar
Posts: 544
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Evert Steilsson
OOC Username: Akivili
Arena Points: 59
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Post by Altair on Mar 7, 2024 1:32:37 GMT 9
He would eventually make his belated return, and the Froakie in his arms would only stare in silent shock at the… obviously knocked-out Rufflet.
“Damn,” he whistled once the Froakie had properly sized up the Mudsdale (and promptly decided not to mess with the beast) before hopping out of his arms to poke at the passed-out Rufflet, “…you not only have a beast of a mount, you also hit like a truck! What level even are you?!” he exclaimed, squinting in the other man’s direction (unless this information was hidden) out of silent wonder.
And yeah, about that…
“…I got lost,” was his plain and simple explanation.
“Can you blame me if I wanted to explore the area by my own?” he added with a hint of snark in his voice as he felt his elfin ears twitch just a little bit.
How did this bit go again…
Scrolling through his inventory, he then eventually found the Pokéball that had an infinity sign next to it before chucking it right at the poor thing that had been basically ‘stomped flat’ by the Mudsdale.
“And I have just the perfect nickname for this cheeky little shit of a Rufflet… Kyouya.”
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Josh Devlin
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Lionheart
The Creed
Posts: 1,269
Trainer Class:
Player Name: Josh Devlin
OOC Username: RaikouRider
Arena Points: 68
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Post by Josh Devlin on Mar 7, 2024 1:51:01 GMT 9
"Thank you," was Granmarg's reply: a deep, noble voice if Altair had PokéSpeech enabled. "Couldn't do it without Josh. Couldn't ask for a better rider."
"Stop it, Granmarg. You're flattering me," Josh blushed.
"I mean it. One day, you will be able to ride even a god just as skillfully. I look forward to seeing it." Him? Ride a legendary Pokémon? Even after meeting the level requirements to ride one, he actually had to get one in his party. In any other game, it felt like pure chance, being in the right place at the right time to receive a god's blessing. A story quest reward its bearer alone would wield, and no one else. Was this like every other game? Or did UNOVR have some secret to it? He had a lot of research to do yet. Perhaps another trip through the game's help files was in order. Maybe there was a resource on acquiring them. Maybe.
Turning to Altair, Josh addressed the man's questions. "Didn't mean to ignore you. I'm... level six right now. What's more important than raw level, though, is buying upgrades. One of the first purchases I made was maxing out Tall Grass HP. How much time have you spent shopping?" he asked, waiting for an answer before addressing the eager traveler's other questions.
"It's okay. It happened to me, too. I've been searching the Steppes every day for a Ponyta. I really want a Ponyta. Two, even. Been out here every day for three weeks straight and still haven't found one. They're uncommons, too. I've somehow run into every rare under the sun and still haven't found one."
Josh hummed at hearing the name Altair gave the Rufflet. It was certainly better than Slider - a cheeky Top Gun reference. Getting his team of other birds, Iceman and Goose, wouldn't be too challenging. It was Maverick that would be a hurdle to overcome, as Maverick was a Latios.
Popping open a second Poké Ball, a Zebstrika emerged, all geared up and ready to bear a guest back to Briarbane. "Need a lift back to town? You look hurt." Regardless of whether he accepted the ride back or not, or Altair 's destination, that was where Josh would be headed. A seat in the poker room at the Firewater Saloon had his name on it...
Altair |
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