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 Apr 25, 2023 3:18:30 GMT 9
TRIGGER WARNING | LOVECRAFTIAN / COSMIC HORROR, UNREALITY
He tries to reach him, the fucking monster that is tearing him apart, but a single step is all it takes for the opportunity to slip from his grasp. He crashes to his knees, the sound of his voice deafening to his earâ
And then it just. Stops.
He opens his eyes to see his hands on the ground. Color drapes down his skin, cohesive, sweeping, and beautiful. They stay solid as he tries touching his face. The game simulates the feeling of skin and body heat perfectly.
He can hear Lacrimosaâs voice whisper a single word, and it is so small. So meek and human. He doesnât respond, too busy getting back up to his feet.
The other trainer loses it. When Kazuki looks up, he sees the madness painted over his fawn-like features. Hands come to snag his arms, causing him to teeter, and a barrage of outrage assails him, and he canât be damned.
âHah,â he says, mouth hitching into an uneasy but wide smile. âHa. Hahahaha!â The laugh is unhinged but he canât bring himself to care. Heâs on his feet. Lacrimosa can scream and claw at him all he wantsâhe still turned out right in the end.
âSomething wrong?â He snickers, the hold on his arms tighter, but what he assumes is more of Lacrimosaâs outburst quickly wipes the smile off his face.
The shadow under Lacrimosa pries him down. âShit! Let go!â Kazuki hisses, pulled by the other trainerâs grip. He tries prying off the claws digging into his skin and ends up falling backward onto the ground. He watches from where he sits as Lacrimosa, shrieking and struggling, disappears into the earth.
<Kazuki!>
He blinks. Sprigatito on his shoulder cries, pointing to Wysteria, whose form dissolves into thin air, the fear frozen on her face as she goes.
âOh, fuck.â Kazuki scrambles, getting back up. He takes Sprigatito from his shoulder, the cat now inconsolable and wailing upon seeing his new friendâs demise. Green eyes search the landscape, trying to find an opening among the fog to escape from, but to no avail.
<Iâm scared! Iâm scared! Kazuki!> Tears fall on his shoulder, dribbling down his skin as the cat burrows against him for comfort.
Nothing but darkness. Nothing but pitch black for miles. âI know. Shit, itâll be alright. JustâŚâ He lays a hand on the back of Sprigatitoâs head and swallows. Itâs better if he doesnât see this.
<I wanna go home! I want Purrai! I wanna go HOME!>
He keeps petting him. âWeâre going, itâs alright. Itâs alright.â
The shadows under his feet stir, widening like a creature opening its mouth.
âDonât cry.â He shuts his eyes and falls.
SPRIGATITO|| 0/150
QAzA9QQv1-20 1-20
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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 24, 2023 5:12:52 GMT 9
And misses.
Kazuki blinks, and then laughs. âThat thing is like 2 feet away from your face. How?â
Tepig blinks, bewildered himself. Shocked enough that it gives the Klink leeway to slam into him, and he growls in frustration, coating himself in flames again.
Kazuki waits, still a little amused as he tosses his pokeball in his hand. Wellâat least he learned how to use fire defensively; he seems to be a quick learner overall. But that aim will be a problem.
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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 Apr 24, 2023 5:08:52 GMT 9
Tepig slams into the Klink, coating it in fire. The klink screeches an unholy sound, trying to grind in retaliation, but with the sheer temperature of Tepigâs body, its gears only suffer for the effort. When it finally breaks free of Tepigâs fire, it floats low to the ground, near the end of its rope.
Kazuki hums, taking out a spare pokeball. âNot bad. Care to do the honors?â
Tepig nods, and while he doesnât cry out in victory, he does seem quite pleased with himself despite how much his leg hurts. He summons another Ember.
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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 24, 2023 5:06:04 GMT 9
After being hit with flames, the Klink retaliates, diving down to catch Tepig between its gears in a Vise Grip.
Tepig attempts to dodge, but his lack of speed leads his leg to get caught by the downward swoop. It deals considerable damage, but Tepig remains standing when he pulls himself free, though a bit unsteadily, as if the leg remains tender.
âYouâre too slow. You need to make it come to you,â Kazuki instructs. âStay put.â
Tepig stays in place, staring down the Klink until it tries to pull him into its gears again. He hears the order and covers himself in flames, preparing a close-quarters Flame Charge.
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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 24, 2023 4:58:37 GMT 9
They find one of those floating metal pokemon at last. The Klinkâs gears grind together as it floats past them.
âHere we are,â Kazuki says, clapping his hands together. âLetâs see what youâve got.â
Tepig nods, moving to take his place on the battlefield. Kazuki, in all honesty, does not have much in way of expectations. Itâs a starter from a new trainer. Heâs expecting at least one shrine visit, but itâs still imperative to see what foundation theyâre working with, though the bar is not high considering they have a fish that only knows splash and tackle on the team.
âEmber.â Taking a deep breath, the ball on Tepigâs tail glows, before he breathes out, fire bursting from his nose. They donât reach high, but they do hit the Klink as it dips down unknowingly, the grinding of gears that much louder as they pull its attention.
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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 24, 2023 4:34:46 GMT 9
The trek has gone dead silent, which is good on a hunt, but unnerving by this point. Kazuki looks down to Tepig walking beside him. The pig had made one attempt to spark conversation and had left it at that. Compared to his starter, who babbles endlessly and bears his emotions like a signal light, this one is a bit more reserved.
âYouâre not still thinking about earlier, are you?â Kazuki asks, a little irritable.
Tepig blinks, looking up at him, shaking his head, but the trainer doesnât buy it. Not when theyâre moving so slowly.
âI donât know about your trainer, but youâre on my team now.â He picks up the pace, and Tepig, albeit lagging a bit at first, actually keeps up. âYeah, youâre weak. Most of the team is, but thatâs why weâre out here.â
Kazuki scoffs. âBy the time you see your old trainer again, youâll be able to kick his and his team's ass without breaking a sweat.â
Tepig doesnât want to do that at all, and he's uncertain even if he'd like a reunion, but he is intrigued. He has never been part of a team before, and the promise of becoming stronger is tantalizing. He watches his trainer toss away another small boulder and finds himself wishing fervently for the day heâll be able to do the same.
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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 Apr 24, 2023 3:43:41 GMT 9
Sprigatito purrs happily into the little forehead kiss, hopping onto the grass. Before Kazuki can move to pick him up, Verai grabs him by the arm.
The manâs fingers are digging into flesh, distorting ink and turning his skin white. Were this any other day, heâd be delighted, but a crease forms between his brows as Verai delivers his warningâbefore his face deadens entirely at the mention of a cast.
He stares him in the eyes and pushes out the word, âCrystal.â
Then he yanks back his arm.
He kneels down and picks up his cat, the tight curl of his snarl finally loosening as the familiar weight returns to his shoulder. He thinks he should feel triumphant; he got the cat in the end, even ifânot really. They turn to go. This is one of the few times heâs not in the mood to pursue Verai for the rest of his play session.
âHey,â he says, and Sprigatito on his shoulder blinks. He tilts his head to the cat's big green ear to mutter gently, intent on not being heard beyond the two of them despite already facing away from the other trainer.
<Oh!> The cat brightens, a smile so blinding itâs heaven-sent. <Yeah! I forgive you for not paying attention!>
âCan you be any louder?â Kazuki grumbles.
<Can you thank Purrai next?> Sprigatito asks, pawing his cheek.
âWhat? Why?â
Sprigatito just gives him a flat look, which on his tiny face looks more like a pout. <You know why,> he insists, sinking his paw into his cheek. <Be nice!>
Kazuki resists the urge to start listing judo moves in his head. He turns around, and with a face as if having swallowed ten prunes, begins to slowly, and mechanically say: âThank. You. For watching. My cat.â
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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 24, 2023 0:41:06 GMT 9
Another player came to join their group, this one already carrying an instrument. Kazuki clicks his tongue impatiently, wondering how the man had already nabbed one while the rest of them were being hassled by their pokemon. Taylor answers Morpheusâ question first, calling what Mumble and Scorbunny were up to âmischiefâ. âKnowing the little bastard, itâs probably less mischief and more literal crime.â And on any other turf, maybe heâd be proud of that.
But they didnât have proof yet. Caspian refuses to return his pokemon, and the dynamic duo huddling ahead of them appears to be relatively civil. Scorbunny in particular, seems positively ecstatic, bouncing with Mumble as if they were engaging in a little dance. <We can start anywhere! The worldâs our oyster!>
But before he can begin the bonfire, a new pokemon protests nearby. Scorbunny pouts at Hibiscus. <No, we wonât! Itâs just a little fire! A teensy bit!> But it doesnât stop the bulbasaur from tattling to the trainers.
When Caspian turns to him, Kazukiâs expression is less horrified as he is severely disappointed. âNah, that sounds about right.â Theory confirmed, Kazuki finally heads over to the pokemon, intending to break things up before anyone can cry some more or get them banned from the Rookery.
Scorbunny panics, seeing his trainer stomping towards him. <Shoot, the boss!> Think! He has approximately 5 seconds before the operation is toast, and with Mumble dragged in, he can't afford to fail. He just needs toâ<Stand back!> He lunges, moving to grab Hibiscus, realizing the bulbasaur is far heavier than his little paws could dream of lifting, and instead just kind of. Lies there, draped over Hibiscus' bulb. <I have a hostage!>
It does actually stop Kazuki, whose brows rise high. âAs if youâd actually burn him.â
<I can and I will!> Scorbunny leans down to whisper to Hibiscus. <I wonât actually, so ah, just play along, yeah? I just need a coupleâa secondsâŚ> His little leg stretches down the bulbasaurâs side, the fire patch on the bottom of his foot lighting up as he wiggles his toes, trying to touch the grass.
Kazuki snorts, looking over his shoulder. âHey, Taylor! Tell your bird to douse the rabbit.â
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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 23, 2023 21:14:44 GMT 9
<That⌠doesnât answer my question.>
Kazuki sighs, bending down to lift up a stone blocking the path down the slope theyâve wandered onto. âThe guy I got you from was some fancy newbie, ran into him in town. I was trying to get rid of a pokemon I had and basically nabbed you from him.â No point sugarcoating that, either. The pig would find out eventually, and if heâs learned anything from his starterâs runaway stunt, itâs that these critters are more emotional than youâd expect.
<You stole me?> Tepigâs as aghast as expected, but he doesnât burst into tears or fly into a rage. He just seems troubled, and he climbs down a bit slower.
âTechnically, it was a trade,â Kazuki corrects primly. âA pretty good one, too. Gave him some rare fancy cat called an Espeon, and if he had an issue with it, then I should be banned by now.â He had been expecting it to some degree, but no oneâs popped up to intervene since his crime. They move onto the next area and spot a Mareep chewing on a patch of grass. âHm. Letâs pass on this one. Youâre better off fighting one of those floating chunks of metal at your level, and I donât need to catch some weak cottonball.â
Tepig nods, though his trainer canât see it. He follows quietly, ruminating on what heâs learned about his original trainer. A fancy newbie who received a fancy cat. He compares it with the trainer he now has: a blunt thief tossing rocks around like a caveman, who has no need for weak pokemon.
They move on.
Spawn Reset
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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 23, 2023 13:18:16 GMT 9
TRIGGER WARNING | LOVECRAFTIAN / COSMIC HORROR, UNREALITY
The panic of his inability to move seizes Kazuki hard enough that he doesnât notice Lacrimosaâs approach, doesnât see how fluidly the newcomer he had dubbed harmless wades through the corruption as if born for it. When it becomes apparent none of his efforts will free him, he raises his head and finds the other a hairsbreadth away.
The sound of his voice is once again, all he hears; soft and lilting words as gentle as the brush of his hand, with none of the comfort. Itâs all cold, painting goosebumps over his skin.
And yet it doesnât come close to the sheer terror inflicted by the look in his eyes. For a second, it appears Lacrimosa isnât seeing him, which is ridiculous since heâs staring straight into his eyes. Kazuki has never been one to back down from eye contact no matter how withering the glare, but thisâ this stare that doesnât pierce, but instead shines a light down on him, as if heâs a specimen on a table with no hope of escape, as if everything he is can be peeled apart at will.
âDonât fucking touch me,â he manages to grit out, trying to remind himself that this isnât real. That this is just some- some fucking weirdo without a sense of boundaries. He can still move his hands, and he reaches to grab Lacrimosaâs wrist. âI donât know whatâs happening to you, but you need toââ
The dimming sound of knives dragging hush. Lacrimosa doesnât move as the shadows drape over him, fitting like a glove. It overwhelms the rest of the landscape, leaves only Lacrimosaâs pure white as the spotlight, the beacon in the vast ocean of ink.
What the hell is he?
Sprigatitoâs scream sounds from the ground near Kazukiâs feet. The cat scrambles for purchase on his leg, trying to climb to sanctuary as the darkness pouring around Lacrimosa threatens to drown him. <Wysteria! Whatâs happening? Whatâs your trainer doing?!> He doesnât know what to do. He tries to look to his trainer for guidance, only to find the man deep in the other trainerâs thrall.
âYouâre fucking with me,â Kazuki says, smiling crookedly despite not believing it himself. âI borrowed the guyâs face, but Iâm not him. I donât know why you think I am.â
This isnât real. This has no effect on him. This canât hurt him.
Lacrimosa reaches forwards, and he realizes heâs holding his breath. The pale hand flicks, tugging at something he canât see.
What follows is sharp, blinding pain.
His avatar is a lattice of programming language interpreting synapse. It is wound tightly together with safeties and ready to abort at any moment to ensure players never experience more than theyâre supposed to in the game. The problem with Kazuki is that he can realistically experience a lot, and that heâs a stubborn bitch who refuses to take anything less than that.
He curls over himself, a feeling like being unwound ripping through him. His senses flicker, an unusual error causing stimuli to crash together and emerge as nonsense. Colors and shapes change. The sound changes. He sees, for a second, a dull wall with a mounted screen, a pretty but empty room, and a cast.
â̡ĚÍÍÍSTO̡ĚÍĚ°ĚŻPĚľÍÍ!â His avatar screeches, lunging for Lacrimosa as its form fizzles and twitches with instability, still tethered to the ground by an unmoving leg.
SPRIGATITO || 50/150
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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 23, 2023 10:37:07 GMT 9
Theyâre walking in silence for a long time before Tepig finally gets sick of it and talks. <Trainer.>
Kazuki doesnât stop, busy pathing through the uneven stones. Often, he has to take longer routes or kick away obstructions to ensure the path is feasible for a pokemon with such stubby legs. Sure, he could just pick him up like a melon and cart him to the next encounter, but he canât have Tepig learning to skip leg day at such a young age. âWhat?â
<Why was I traded?> Tepig for his part, is following quite well. He doesnât protest at their pace. He doesnât ask for help when the jump down feels a little too high. He simply grits his teeth and gets it done. Yet he canât seem to get over this tidbit of his lifeâthis, in all honesty, useless question, since his original trainer means nothing to him.
Right?
Kazuki pauses, experiencing vivid flashbacks of clocking Tepigâs trainer with an espeon's pokeball and rifling through his pockets as the man dressed like a dead poet tried shoving him away. â⌠It was a spur-of-the-moment thing.â
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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
|
Post by Kazuki on Apr 23, 2023 1:43:23 GMT 9
Scorbunny cackles, feeling the wind in his fur, and the embers on the soles of his feet. He can hear his trainer chasing after him but he refuses to be deterred- he is a âmon on a mission. And heâs willing to do whatever it takes, even if it means turning the Rookery into a second Giant Omelet.
Speaking of omelets, it appears heâs got company.
<You there!> Scorbunny brightens, slamming the breaks and coming to a skidding stop. He bounces up to Mumble and throws his arm over his baby blue shoulders, chummy despite having known him for all of two seconds. <Youâre just the âmon Iâm lookinâ for. You wanna get this job done, yeah? Get those sweet, sweet instruments? Make your boss happy?>
He bulldozes on regardless of the response. <Iâve got the perfect plan. See, the problemâs all this⌠nature, yeah?> He kicks at a blade of grass. <Canât see for squat! Itâll be years before we find a tiny harmonica under all that. So letâs just get rid of it!> He hops excitedly on his feet. <Iâll let loose an itty-bitty fire to clean up, and then youâyou brilliant, adorable birdâcan put it out with some fancy water moves! What do you say, pal?>
Kazuki, meanwhile, comes to a stop near the girl whose pokemon had just tailed after his. âWhat the hell is that little maniac up to?â He narrows his eyes at the pokemon, but doesnât attempt to approach. He hasnât had Scorbunny for long, but what he does know is that the rabbit is unpredictable; for all he knew, trying to disrupt their huddle could spell doom for Taylor's pokemon.
Looking around, the only other trainer he can see is a blonde guy with the name Caspian hovering over his head, and his distracted bulbasaur. A bulbasaur. Fantastic.
âOi, blonde! Might want to return the vegetable!â He calls, because quite frankly heâd like to avoid a body count in the Rookery. He still wants to hatch a dog. âUnless you want it boiled.â
A fire type, a water type, and a grass type walk into a very flammable field.
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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 21, 2023 4:06:15 GMT 9
âJust do it.â Kazukiâs quite frankly amazed this is even up for debate. Since they met, Verai has wanted to snap him like a toothpickâwhich is the goalâbut the moment he offers a free beating, he hesitates?
The guy fumbles with the desk ornament for a bit, before finally throwing the punch.
Despite bracing for it, Kazuki still feels the impact in his bones. He blinks, feels pain bloom on the side of his face and runs his tongue over his teeth. He spits a patter of blood on the floor.
âBitch,â he chuckles, before the desk bursts open.
Long tendrils surge out from the fake wood, its drawers flying open, the gaps in the wood straining, splitting, cracking at the force of the tangible shadows.
Kazuki leaps back. The triumph is momentary, killed when he fails to recognize the arms that emerge. There arenât any markings or stone fragments to form a palm. It doesnât form anything at all, remaining sludge-like and pouring indefinitely.
Sprigatito screams as the inky puddle expands, leaping quickly onto a chair.
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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 21, 2023 2:38:31 GMT 9
âGarbage,â is all the answer Kazuki can offer to the question of what this broken wonderland theyâve been transported to is. It doesnât make any sense as to why it even exists. There are patches that seem identical to what theyâve seen in the overworld, but others are entirely nonexistent from the usual maps. There are no other signs of life beyond their group.
<I think we didâŚ?> Sprigatito blinks warily at their surroundings, the scents unfamiliar save for his friends. He gets up unsteadily, his heart still beating wild in his chest after such a terrifying encounter. He vigorously shakes his body, fluffing up. <Come on, itâs time to go!> The trainers were already on the move.
âNo shit,â Kazuki says, following after Verai as they investigate the glitching labyrinth. He leans to peek over Veraiâs shoulder into the room, recognizing immediately what it isâor what itâs supposed to be.
Verai goes to check the entrance of the tent, getting rain on himself, while he immediately moves for the desk. âItâs VR. Anythingâs possible, and that's why we just saw our fucking nightmares come to life,â he answers absentmindedly, eyes focused on the desk flanked by crooked chairs and a filing cabinet.
Itâs similar to the Professorâs, but the textures are simple, it doesnât feel quite like wood. He pats it and feels something off. As if hollow, or hollow and filled. He tries to pull its drawers and peek into its gaps, but thereâs no way to open it. UnlessâŚ
âOi, Ver.â He raises his head. âAttack me.â
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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 21, 2023 0:50:38 GMT 9
By some miracle, he finds himself back on Route 3. The endeavor has taken one white out, the death of an antique store, a prison break, a mugging, and generally making an enemy out of local law enforcement, but he can finally resume training as per usual.
Sprigatito is gone from his roster. Seems he really had left to hang out with Verai and the bastardâs cat (the traitor), and until child custody is returned to him again, Kazuki has to ponder which of his other pokemon to use as an improvised bloodhound.
His eyes land on the unfamiliar ball in his hand. Compared to his collection, it shines with pristine metal, as if fresh from the factory. That newbie in the frills likely hadnât even battled with whatever was inside, or not by much at least.
He tosses it. From the beam of light comes a small orange pig with bunny ears. Its large brown eyes blink at him, curious, confused. He vaguely recognizes it as one of the critters from Professor Ash's poster- a fire type, most likely.
âYou got traded. Iâm your trainer now,â Kazuki says without an ounce of sugarcoating. Tepigâs eyes widen, shock and disbelief apparent as Kazuki moves to start exploring and he remains seated.
âYou coming or what?â The man pauses long enough to look over his shoulder. âYou can either follow me and train or sit on your own all day.â
Tepig stares at him, his nose twitching. He ponders for a little while, before slowly getting up and walking after Kazuki, not even sparing a glance around him. As far as he knows, this colorful human is his only trainer. He had never met eyes with whoever received him first.
ENTERING THE TALL GRASS!
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