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 29, 2023 0:02:58 GMT 9
<âand that is the kind of trainer we should have.> Buizel declares, taking full advantage of the fact she could now open her mouth and not immediately perish.
Sprigatito stares at her. Mudbray doesnât pause as sheâs busy keeping up with Kazuki, but she does ask: <How do you know all this?>
<I- well, I had a trainer before this one! Just one, and she was everything I said a trainer should be. She worked at the beach saving people and pokemon.> Buizel looks quite proud.
<Why arenât you with her then?>
At this, Buizel deflates. <She had to move away and couldnât bring pokemon with her, so she released me.>
Sprigatito frowns. <A good trainer shouldnât just leave you like that.>
<What do you know!> Buizel snaps. <Youâve only had one! My first trainer was looking out for me. Our trainer is currently dragging us across a volcano.>
<Why are you being so mean!> Sprigatito snaps back.
<Both of you quiet down back there, or I will turn myself around and jump into the magma,> Mudbray huffs. She's already got her hooves full climbing up a steep crag.
Kazuki stands at the top of the crater mound, waiting for his pokemon to catch up. His team's moving slowly, but they are making a lot of noise. He would be more irritated were it not for the fact the commotion is helping attract some wild pokemon.
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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 Mar 28, 2023 2:57:00 GMT 9
With a little chick spewing embers as their torch, they enter the rest of the tunnel. Kazuki keeps to the back, a little to the side. He remains aware of their flank while still keeping sight of the dim path ahead. Sprigatito hops in, weaving past his legs to walk alongside Silvermoon and in front of his trainer.
Beady red eyes follow their movements, Kazuki at first expecting another attack, but they remain stationary. Silvermoon picks up their torchic and bring attention to the strange markings on the walls.
âI donât know. Could just be a design,â Kazuki says absentmindedly, reaching out to touch the ink with his good hand. Touching it left no flakes, the drawings well-preserved on the cavern walls. He traces the shape of them. âDefinitely not any design Iâve seen.â A little crude butâinteresting.
As Silvermoon steps back, the light dims, but spreads further out to reveal more of the drawing. What he had assumed to be its head turns out to only be a limb. It is much bigger. Much, much bigger.
The cavern has grown quiet. The hairs on Kazukiâs arms stand as he realizes he canât even hear the nidoranâs scraping anymore; theyâve skulked elsewhere, hidden.
The tunnel rumbles, and this deep in, he canât tell if itâs the thunderstorm outside.
âKid,â he says, stepping back as Sprigatito begins to hiss, fur glowing as he summons a few sparse leaves. His body aches, not quite healed; not quite in the state to run. âMight want to get behind me again.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 Mar 28, 2023 2:22:43 GMT 9
Veraiâs composure, usually a point of amusement for him, is now something heâd like to snap over his knee. Kazukiâs shoulders rise and fall with breath, exertion from running full tilt, or bottled rage about to burst.
He hates the question of why.
He doesnât understand why Verai would ask him this, when the man usually kept a tight lip, his cards held close, and acted as if anything Kazuki did is the product of feral machinations beyond his understanding. The display of curiosity is an insult when Kazuki isnât in the mood for games.
âYouâre asking me this, as if I havenât already given you a cat, you greedy bastard. You can have a hundred fucking cats. That one is mine.â
Sprigatito takes some comfort in the basket of by Veraiâs arms. He looks between the two men with concern, with fear. Heâs used to Purrai and his trainer fighting but this feelsâdifferent. He doesnât like this kind of different.
He looks to his trainer and his teammates watching nearby, and does not want to leave the safety heâs cradled in.
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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 2:02:53 GMT 9
âReally?â He says as someone who also didnât know the rules but also didnât care. He simply wanted to get rid of some deadweight; itâs a bonus to get something in return.
The trade, however, seems to think otherwise. It reaches the last possible moment before his eyesight fizzles, as if hit by a flashbang. He doesnât get spots in his eyes, but he blinks anyways, bewildered when Verai faces him.
âThe fuck are you looking at me for? I didnât do anything,â Kazuki snaps back. He feels the inklings of a familiar discomfort.
Meanwhile, the kittens continue to play. Sprigatito makes a game out of balancing a berry on his nose and trying to toss it to Kitty or Kitten, the three of them taking turns and seeing how long it takes for the berry to pop. Heâs finally nudged the right side of a Pecha berry onto his nose, and when he moves his head into the perfect berry toss, it is sent flying.
And does not land.
The Pecha berry hangs in the air, embedded into it like a butterfly wing on a board.
<Hey! What gives!?> Sprigatito whines, hopping on his back legs and trying to nudge it as if it were a basketball stuck in a hoop. It is far too high for him to reach.
Kazukiâs eyes widen. âAh⌠shit."
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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 1:36:12 GMT 9
A train of sound: heavy and frantic footsteps closely followed by the gallop of hooves. Occasionally, the sound of a buizelâs cry, translated: <SPRIGATITOOOO!>
Buizelâs riding on Mudbrayâs back, holding on for dear life as she calls for their missing teammate. <Sprigatito! We didnât mean it! Please come out! Pretty please!> Her eyes search, but none of the green she finds is the little tuft of mint theyâre looking for. Theyâve been at this search for ages. <Could you slow down?!> She asks, nearly falling off as Mudbray leaps over another overgrown root.
Mudbray snorts out of her nose, her head tucked forward. <Iâm barely keeping up.>
Their trainer is tearing through the canopy. Wild pokemon hide back into burrows or jump into the bushes at the sound of him crushing and tearing a path through the broken forest. He only stops to pivot, following some kind of invisible path, like a dog on a trail.
They finally come to a screeching halt at the base of a tree, where the dappled light barely shifts.
âYou,â Kazuki growls. His brows crease, eyes bright with fury and teeth bared. There are twigs and leaves sticking out of his hair and his bare skin is littered with scrapes from jagged rocks and bushes. He steps forward, and Sprigatito in Veraiâs hands presses further against the manâs chest.
âWe scalped the crater and the canopy, but of course, heâs with you.â There isnât a hint of his usual teasing or jest. His eyes move from Verai to Sprigatito. âHand him over.â
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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 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 heâd 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. <Mnrnmgh⌠five⌠more minutesâŚ> 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. âArgh! Quit it!â 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 itâs blood. His sightâs 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 doesnât see the bandits. Just deep indents in the ground, dragging feet, or perhaps where bodies have crashed. The aftermath.
âFuck⌠how long was I out?â He groans, trying to get up. âDid you get rid of them? How the⌠son of a bitch, they clubbed me! Where are they?!â he says this as if he could kill them while nursing what could very well be a concussion.
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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 23:39:29 GMT 9
Verai greets him with all the enthusiasm of a corpse. Kazuki snickers, but before he can make some quip, heâs pushed aside, Verai having bulldozed straight past him, to the Meowth he had obtained from his teamâs romp at the Tower of Cats.
Kazuki stands up and turns to see Verai inspecting his prize critically, disapproval clear in the stiff line of his mouth. The cat looks like itâs just been picked up from an alleyway. Considering they spent a majority of their days fighting and traveling, he hadnât found grooming a point of concern. Even Sprigatito, who groomed himself to excess, is now dyed purple with sticky Bluk juice, rolling in the berry pile as happily as a pig with his fellow kittens.
Their trade is done with no negotiations and no warning. Verai just shoves a random pokeball from his bag into Kazukiâs face, and itâs only then that Kazuki can blink at him, green eyes bewildered.
âAnyone ever tell you how bossy you are?â He laughs. He reaches into his pocket, taking out the meowthâs pokeball. âAnd here I was just going to hand her over to you. I donât need another cat.â TRADE ACCEPTED
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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 21:22:00 GMT 9
A miasma falls over the area.
Kazuki grimaces, covering his mouth with one hand. The stench is unbearable, a mix of dumpster, kitchen grease, and flatulence. Theyâre literally on top of a volcano but this is what makes turning around a much preferred option.
Glancing over his shoulder, his pokemon appear to agree. Mudbrayâs face is scrunched even with Buizel doing her best to reach over and cover her muzzle, which isnât much since itâs just one paw. The other paw is used to cover her own nose. Sprigatitoâs cheeks are puffed up, tears budding in his eyes as he shakes his fur, aromatic scent puffing out of him like a small air freshener. It provides some relief.
The perpetrator appears to be a sneering naval mine, floating in the air not far from the team. It continues on its way, not deliberately aiming for anyone, but marking its territory with a hefty douse of toxic fumes. Already there is a rodent-like pokemon lying on its back on the crater, legs and nubby arms to the air and fully knocked out.
The team attempts to move fast through the Koffingâs territory.
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 Mar 27, 2023 20:48:47 GMT 9
<KITTEN!> Sprigatito cries, nearly falling off his trainerâs shoulder in his excitement at both the snacks and the sight of his best friend. He climbs down Kazukiâs arm, pricking the manâs skin with his claws, before jumping off it like a springboard and scurrying straight for Kitten and the berries, fully intending to barrel into both.
Behind him is what appears to be a Meowth, who had been walking on the ground rather than catching a ride on their trainer. The new cat approaches curiously and cautiously, unsure of how to act in front of the unfamiliar pokemon.
Kazuki doesn't appear particularly bothered by the claws, and in fact, prefers them there over his face. He follows his cats with long, lazy strides, watching Verai with a growing smile. When he gets close enough, he drops down to crouch in front of the man, reaching forwards to pluck one of the berries from his lap.
âI leave you alone for a bit and youâre already becoming a monk?â He chuckles, popping the berry into his mouth. âCouldâve just called, Ver.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 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 feetâthe 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 himâwhich 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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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 13:06:03 GMT 9
âOr maybe not. Instead of moving past them, the slugma shoots a volley of fire their way. Mudbray manages to out-speed it, but only just so. The flames collide against the basalt floor, rebounding against smooth tile in a fountain. Sprigatito and Buizel yelp as Mudbray takes cover behind a rock, her tail lightly singed.
When they emerge, they see Kazuki haphazardly patting himself down, cursing under his breath. He looks ready to take back his orders, but the slugma has already disappeared from view.
<Thatâs who you want to impress?> Buizel asks Sprigatito once the team recovers its pace. <I know heâs our trainer and all, but he doesnât seem very⌠good. At the whole training thing.>
<Heâs abysmal,> Mudbray agrees.
<Heâs our trainer.> Sprigatito says, not raising his voice. Itâs small and resolved. <Thereâs no changing who our trainer is. Itâs our job as his team to be tough.>
Buizel laments the expression on his face. <So, I feel like you guys have a fucked up definition of personal responsibility.> Actually, the whole team vibe has been off since she joined in, but sheâd been under the assumption it was just a âweâre arguingâ thing and notâyâknow, budding psychological issues.
Mudbray scoffs. <You donât even know.>
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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 12:40:22 GMT 9
Kazuki gives them a flat look when they only emphasize their name again. But the bandage is secure; he moves his elbow in circles, testing it out. The wound still hurts like a bitch, but it doesnât seem on the verge of killing him via bloodletting anymore, so this should do.
Sprigatito is picked up with ease. <Am I done with guard duty?> he asks disappointedly, perking up when Silvermoon kisses his head. He purrs while curled up in their arms. The kiss meant he had done a good job.
As Silvermoon asks Kazuki about their next move, the man is in the middle of getting up. Heâs on a knee when everything flashes white and the burrow is filled with the sound of the howling skies outside. His sight fizzles and shakes with strange shapes, before finally settling.
It takes him a second to realize the floating text and symbols have completely disappeared. He attempts to pull out his inventory. The map. Anything.
âItâs busted.â
The rain comes down as a heavy sheet past the burrow, the Steppes now indecipherable under the thunderstorm.
They are trapped in the tunnel without a way to access their supplies or their other pokemon. There is no contacting other players. As far as he can tell, there is no way to log out either.
âWelp,â Kazuki slaps his thighs and stands up. âGuess thatâs that.â
He pauses only to regard Silvermoon, his eyes briefly glancing at his cat. âHey, Silvermoon,â he rolls the name around. Still weird. âYou got a light? We canât explore the rest of the tunnel when itâs that dark.â
[Prompt]OVm4dD4|1d100
1d100
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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 11:18:56 GMT 9
The first thing they encounter is a slug. Kazuki purses his lips, unimpressed as he watches it crawl across raw, bubbling magma. Itâs a slug made of lava. Canât punch that.
âKeep moving,â he orders behind him, continuing a new path around the crater, walking and climbing with little effort despite the heat.
<Do you think heâd let me be the leader?> Sprigatito asks, but frowns, his ears pressed against his head. He already knows the answer.
<If itâs any consolation, I donât think that guy trusts anyone to be leader,> Buizel chuckles. She pats the little guy on his fluffy head. <You donât have to rush. We all get strong eventually.>
Sprigatitoâs hair is pressed in front of his eyes by her paw, but he doesnât shake. Doesnât react much at all, except sulk, pawing against the pack slung over Mudbrayâs back and watching as the little fire slug languidly sashays past them.
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 Mar 27, 2023 11:11:23 GMT 9
<Are they still arguing?> Buizel leans forwards to whisper to Mudbray, but Sprigatito flinches where heâs hanging limply off Mudbrayâs back, so itâs a moot effort.
<Mm.> The donkey continues walking, glad to have piled more layers of dry mud on her hooves. The sharp edges of stone and the occasional flying ember donât faze her as she follows her trainer, who is skulking around like some kind of goblin for the next pokemon to traumatize. <Pansear would not join us again unless called by our trainer. They have not talked since the fishing trip.>
Buizel sighs, sitting back. <But itâs so silly!>
<Itâs not silly!> Sprigatito interjects, or whines, rather. <Iâm the first member of the team! And Iâm the strongest.>
<Mudbrayâs the strongest,> Buizel corrects. <And I donât know, I guess you could be leader by seniority, but we wouldn't vote for you. No offense.>
<A leader canât be chosen by strength or seniority. We are all young and weak.> Mudbray points out. <If there is to be a leader, that will be assigned by the human.>
Sprigatito raises his head to look past Mudbray, watching the back of his trainer as the man scales the jagged rocks. Swirling tattoos stare back at him, a single symbol he doesnât understand surrounded by camellias and dragon scales stretched atop muscle.
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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 3:10:03 GMT 9
âTime for some actual training.â
He had finally arrived at Beta Island. The place had two things going for it: One, the variety of pokemon, and two, the possibility heâll be able to track down his target even on an exclusive area.
Today, heâs focusing on the former.
The crater is hell on digital earth. The game has mimicked volcanic conditions with frightening accuracyâfrom the scent of smog to the encompassing heat emitted by magma. Smooth tiles are interspersed with natural rugged terrain, and he occasionally spots shards of metal and melted wire. What a strange place.
Heâs severely underdressed for this area, having refused to add any protective layers to his ridiculous avatar. Sweat has already piled onto his skin, the heat making his tattoos almost smudged.
Behind him, Mudbray trudges at the speed of a snail slathered in molasses. Sprigatito had once again refused to return to his ball, and his trainer wasnât letting him climb onto his shoulder, so heâs sitting on Mudbrayâs back and withering into a pulp for his hubris. One of their new team members, a Buizel obtained from the fishing event, is sitting shotgun on Mudbrayâs back, occasionally spraying both affected pokemon with water so they donât suffer to death.
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