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Post by mdf2711 on Dec 25, 2014 3:32:55 GMT
Risa said goodbye to her Pokemon momentarily, deciding that it would be better to walk alongside Shinhye alone rather than with her Pokemon friends as company, especially since Shinhye had already returned Avery to his Pokeball. Following suit, Risa recalled Remy, Evander, and Lacey in turn and turned back to the girl, her newest acquaintance. "So I hadn't actually thought about where I wanted to head either. How about we circle around for a bit along the boulevards and we stop at the first place either of us thinks looks appetizing?" the girl suggested with a smirk. "And I'll definitely be paying, don't think you can get out of it like that, Ms. 'Unbecoming-of-me-guilt-trip'," Risa stuck out her tongue in response. "It's my treat," she said plainly, happy to be making a friend she could pay for more than anything, not that money was really such a pinch for the trainer at the moment anyway.
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Post by dracoon on Dec 25, 2014 5:47:12 GMT
"So I hadn't actually thought about where I wanted to head either. How about we circle around for a bit along the boulevards and we stop at the first place either of us thinks looks appetizing? And I'll definitely be paying, don't think you can get out of it like that, Ms. 'Unbecoming-of-me-guilt-trip',"
Shinhye pretended to appear offended, and then chuckled again. "Sure, but matter of warning, I'll just be having a drink," she stated, whistling as she overtook Risa, "Soooooo how'd you end up in the pits anyway? I mean, usually trainers don't just pop in, and most folks only have 1 Pokémon but you've got 3, which puts you on a whole new tier altogether. I assume you probably bought them, like how I bought Avery. If you're uncomfortable 'bout telling me the details about them, I'm totally fine too." Shinhye was obviously in a rambly mood, and hummed as she stuck her hands into her pocket in the chilly night. "I just stumbled upon it once, and it blossomed from there. My bro is a researcher and all, he has a Porygon but he doesn't like fighting. I still haven't decided how to tell him I'm there, cuz considering what kind of person he is he'd probably try to creep around and get himself into trouble." She sighed, blowing cold air in front of her face, "Sometimes I wonder if he already knows but just didn't say it because he didn't want to make my dad worried. He seems that kind."
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Post by mdf2711 on Dec 25, 2014 6:14:19 GMT
Risa listened patiently, almost quiet for a little while, before responding thoughtfully, "Well, I don't really know much about this brother of yours so I can't really say about him for sure. As for me, it's not really a complicated history. I've always had a fascination with battling and the history of Pokemon fighting from the ancient texts and always dreamed of doing great things like being a real Pokemon trainer. Plus, I always had a disdain for Contests, so all the signs pointed toward the pits, naturally," she smiled and pursed her lips before continuing, "Lacey was my first Pokemon, she was a present for my fifth birthday. I loved her from the day I met her but she was not what most would call traditionally beautiful and I was warned that a Trapinch would not fare well in Contests. She evolved over time and became beautiful and proud but neither of us loved the Contest world that shunned us so quickly under flimsy pretenses and pretentious ideals of true outer beauty. Evander and Remy came next. I met them both on the outskirts of town one day. Lacey was teaching me a bit of the Pokemon language, I was doing my best to practice in secret with only her as my teacher in secluded parts of town. They were wild and clearly partners in crime, though they were often at odds unfortunately, and a quarrel while trying to steal a quick meal from a food cart led them on a chase through the city. I followed them with Lacey to the other side of town, as did the police, but I claimed they were mine and I was...warned to keep them better behaved. I forged the paperwork from there and got their Pokeballs and everything after that, lied and told my parents I bought them and gave them baths and made it really hard for anyone to disagree with my story that they came from a local breeder and were purebred. And as for the pits, we stumbled across them one day a few years ago, I don't even really remember how but ever since we've trained very hard and proven ourselves fortunately, they all have such a knack for battling." Risa smiled absently and then blushed, "Sorry for talking so much about myself, that was selfish of me. How exactly did you meet Avery? And what's this interesting story I sense behind you and your brother living here in Lumiose? You aren't from here like I am, are you?" Risa was trying to be conversational but her curiosity was likely showing regardless.
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Post by dracoon on Dec 25, 2014 8:39:49 GMT
Shinhye seemed interested in the story before Risa asked how she had met Avery, and how she and her brother had come to Lumiose. "My brother was a researcher in Unova, but we moved to Kalos after something happened to him and his Porygons." Shinhye deliberately skipped the part of Prius escaping to cause them so much trouble that they had to leave- to her, the details weren't important, "He lost his sight that way, but at least he got to spend more time with us and all. After we moved to Kalos he got my dad a Berry farm at Camphrier and it's just a quick cycle away to pretty much everywhere from there. Luminose is just upwards from Camphrier." She cast a glance at Avery's ball, before continuing her little story, "I bought Avery- saved up some pocket money and stuff. He was a Fennekin egg, and the seller seemed decent enough. My friend got his Chespin from that merchant too, so I thought I could try my luck. Of course, there's the whole 'you need to treat him as a pet!' thing definitely came up, so Avery and I just ran with the whole dual-identity thing. Why not, really?" Letting out a short chuckle, she let out another disarming grin as she viewed the many stores.
Elsewhere, far behind them, a strangely-long shadow seemed to dip and disappear, accompanied by an odd translucent shadow that trailed swiftly.
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Post by mdf2711 on Dec 27, 2014 4:19:54 GMT
Risa's eyes grew wide. She let Shinhye finish speaking but as soon as she was done, Risa cut in with an amazed, "You raised Avery from an egg? That's amazing. I can't say the same for any of my Pokemon but it's quite impressive that you did so yourself. The bond between you two must be very strong," Risa noted, as she had not really witnessed much to contradict this nor to prove it but the information she had just learned was impressive enough to warrant nonetheless. As the pair continued, Risa engaged Shinhye in a conversation about her home life in an attempt to learn more but quickly spotted a restaurant that looked appealing and pointed ahead toward their left, "Look! A little dumpling shop! Hot dumplings sounds great right now, do you want to go there?"
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Post by dracoon on Dec 27, 2014 5:37:58 GMT
"Sure, why not?" Shinhye piped up, pushing the door open. A wizened lady smiled as some Bunearies were serving other customers, and Shinhye paled a few shades seeing the lone figure hunched over a table close to her. The tousled-haired man was busy with his dumplings, his Porygon2 hovering quietly beside him with none of the pep from earlier. "Umm, I think we should go elsewhere. Right," Shinhye hastily began making her way out, and the man placed his chopsticks down abruptly before grabbing her arm. "And where do you think you're going," stated the man ominously, and Shinhye tried to wiggle away. "Bro...please, how long have you been tailing me...?" she whimpered, looking flustered and at Risa's general direction while trying to free herself from Sungrok's grip. The Porygon2 merely hummed in amusement, unwilling to lift a finger to the conflict the synthetic Pokémon was all too used to.
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Post by mdf2711 on Dec 28, 2014 2:00:56 GMT
Risa and Shinhye were alone as they entered the restaurant but it seemed like Shinhye became immediately nervous as they opened the door and she asked to leave. The reason became immediately obvious as a man grabbed her and a Porygon2 floated beside him. So this was the brother Shinhye had mentioned. Risa was torn, wanting to help her new friend but not sure if it was appropriate for her to interrupt their exchange. Shinhye certainly seemed uncomfortable and Risa was feeling bold, especially since there was no evidence that her friend had done anything wrong at all, Avery safely away in his Pokeball and the same could be said for Evander, Lacey, and Remy. It was fairly obvious from Risa's perspective that this brother seemed rather controlling and she thought it was just a touch too creepy, regardless of what Shinhye seemed to think about it. "Let her go!" she cried, smacking the man smartly with the back of her outstretched hand. "Let her go!" she called again, "Can't you see you're causing a scene? Leave her be this instant!"
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Post by dracoon on Dec 28, 2014 2:17:36 GMT
Sungrok visibly raised an eyebrow at the blow to his hand, despite his eyes being obscured by his fringe. To the grown man, it felt like nothing but he did seem mildly amused. "Schoolmate?" he stated, and Shinhye pulled up a chair to sit beside him. Prius made a noise which sounded like the frequency of a recorded laugh track, before zooming away at Shinhye trying to swat him. By that time, he had let go and Shinhye sat as though she had been caught red-handed doing something wrong. "Uh, we were just...discussing schoolwork. She's a new friend, and we wanted to get something before we went home?" ventured Shinhye, skilled in lying without being aware that Sungrok actually knew her true whereabouts. She wrung her hands as she shoved a dumpling into her mouth, and Sungrok turned to stare in the general direction at the girl who had spoken.
"Causing a scene? You must be new here," stated Sungrok coolly, his unfocused gaze chilling against the dim reflection of the lamp. He smirked, still amused at the girl's naiveté before he turned to his food, "You should put in an order or something, she eats like an ocean."
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Post by mdf2711 on Dec 28, 2014 3:38:01 GMT
Risa took a seat with Shinhye and Sungrok. It seemed like the pair had made up, possibly...it was very hard to tell. His Porygon2 seemed curiously odd enough and his laughing seemed to signify to Risa that all was now good. She ntoed that they had such an odd sibling relationship as Shinhye sat and began to eat dumplings and lie about who Risa was and how they came to be in the dumpling restaurant. At least the ending wasn't a lie, they really had just gone in to get a bite to eat before heading home. She could work with that, though she certainly was unhappy about Sungrok confronting them. She stared at him for a moment, unsure whether he was being nice as he spoke to her directly about her earlier comments. Risa eventually gave up studying the man, who she had now deduced was obviously blind even though she'd been unable to tell earlier thanks to his hat, and wondered if she should feel bad for hitting him. Shrugging it off, the girl called over a Buneary waiter and ordered a helping of food for the whole table to share in since she had promised to buy the meal anyway. The Buneary skipped over a short time later and handed over a tray of food. Risa broke the silence between herself and Shinhye's brother, finally introducing herself, "My name is Risa," she stated cooly. "And you're Shinhye's brother, she's told me quite a bit about you...except, of course, for you name."
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Post by dracoon on Dec 28, 2014 6:50:11 GMT
"My name is Risa. And you're Shinhye's brother, she's told me quite a bit about you...except, of course, for your name."Sungrok raised an eyebrow at the masculine voice but the feminine name, but allowed her to finish before he could respond. "They call me Sungrok, but you can always call me 'professor'," he stated in response with a wide shit-eating grin, earning a muffled narcissist from Shinhye who was busily stuffing herself. "The Porygon2 with me is Prius. One might say we're companions than Pokémon and owner." Shinhye wolfed down a dumpling and stated in response, "Both of them are pieces of- mrrphfth" as Sungrok casually gave her a mouthful of rice to go with the dumpling. Prius beeped, scanning Risa in curiosity before humming to process the information with vested interest. The Porygon2 made a rhythmic noise to signify the information being completely crunched, before he floated away from Sungrok to download it. Prius was finicky with what he liked to keep, and Sungrok made no move to stop the odd cyberduck whatsoever.
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Post by mdf2711 on Dec 29, 2014 4:31:25 GMT
"I see," Risa nodded, munching on a dumpling curiously. She brushed her bangs out of her eyes and pursed her lips slowly, then rolled her tongue impatiently inside her mouth. The girl paused as she swallowed finally, unsure of how to continue politely, and finally decided to speak again. "Well, Shinhye speaks highly of you." This much was true but Risa glared at the man nonetheless, still quite disturbed at his manners regarding his baby sister and confused as hell as to whether it was acceptable of the trio to be sitting together so calmly eating dumplings after such an incident. Was Shinhye really so ready to forgive? And why was the brother so short with his answers, never speaking much or offering more information than necessary or even seeming to care to be engaged in the strained small talk? Risa was irked by all this to no end, but decided not to say anything about it. At least, she would keep quiet for now, in front of Sungrok and the strange Porygon2 of his. She was not keen on being recorded saying anything, especially not something nasty, and decided she would wait until later to speak to Shinhye more privately about the situation, it was not as if Sungrok could interrupt forever.
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Post by dracoon on Dec 29, 2014 5:18:44 GMT
"She does?" Sungrok seemed mildly incredulous when Shinhye slung a long arm over his shoulder, grinning goofily. "Of course! You're the best~" cooed the younger girl, and the man only chuckled shyly in response. They were obviously close from their banter and how Shinhye was just so relaxed about everything. "You left a bruise on my wrist too," she groaned at last after finishing her soup, rubbing her wrist as Sungrok directed a look of genuine guilt in her general direction.
"If you actually told me where you went after school, I wouldn't have to mount a wild goose chase post-work hours everyday to look for you. Not like Dad's said anything, but he's just as worried. You're a girl with a pet Braixen, not a girl with a hulking Tyranitar. I doubt Avery alone would be able to stand against muggers or what have you," pointed out Sungrok, poking Shinhye's forehead with a finger. Shinhye whined and hunched so much her neck seemed to disappear, and Sungrok suddenly felt that he was leaving Risa out of the conversation entirely. It was too easy to forget others' presence when they were together. "So. How'd you meet Shinhye anyway? Y'know, schoolmates and stuff, what have you. Do you have Pokémon too? And I hope Shinhye doesn't give you trouble- she's prone," he quipped, earning a loud whine of 'bro, please!' from Shinhye as she pouted.
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Post by mdf2711 on Dec 30, 2014 4:55:21 GMT
Risa nodded. "Yes, school. We met at school," she lied easily. "We're not in the same class so we hadn't met until just today while exiting the school grounds. I was just going to leave and I happened to bump into your sister in the crowd. Of course, she blamed herself at first but it was clearly my fault. After that we began talking and were getting along really well. We went window shopping for a bit," the girl added to cover up for some of the missing time that had been obviously spent at the pits, "and then we were looking for a place to eat for a while before we decided this place looks nice."
The girl swallowed slowly. "And that's of course how we found you. Great minds think alike, eh? That or these dumplings are just plain delicious!" she cheered, stuffing one into her mouth greedily and ignoring the comment Sungrok made about hunting down his sister, which still gave Risa a creepy chill. After swallowing, she answered Sungrok's other question, "Yes, I do have Pokemon. I have three actually. Lacey, Remy, and Evander. A Vibrava, Mankey, and Zangoose. They don't much like Contest Spectaculars but we do our best and get along great. I got them all from breeders in the city," she lied again. Risa frowned, not liking to lie about this but knowing it was for the best to keep her Pokemon safe and also the secret about Shinhye and the secret underground battling arena, which Sungrok was still unaware of as far as Risa knew.
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Post by dracoon on Dec 30, 2014 7:49:50 GMT
Sungrok finally recognized the voice (and the girl's lies), but chose to make little more than a nod of approval as he turned to his dumplings once more. The radio of the dumpling shop came on with an urgent announcement- that a rogue Pokémon had burst out of one of Lumiose's studios and was making its way downtown. It was a Rhyperior that had been cast to act in the latest Pokémon movie, but it had used Horn Drill to destroy the studio before escaping the premise. Sungrok put his chopsticks down, an enigmatic grin crossing his face. "Contest Pokémon, hmm? Let's see how much heroics these 'contest Pokémon' can get up to," he stated at last, before footing the bill at the counter. Prius grew suddenly alert at the challenge, zipping ahead to follow behind Sungrok before Shinhye gripped his arm.
"I'm going with you," she stated firmly, "You just said that if I were to go with just Avery we won't make it. What about you and Prius?" Sungrok smiled placidly, the Porygon2 letting out a look of slight offense before fading back to his usual lull of calm. "I'll be fine. I needed something to help me with heavy lifting anyway. That is, if the police don't cull that Rhyperior first." The Porygon2 shot forward, casually humming as the man extended his cane. The first rogue Pokémon was but the tip of the iceberg- there would definitely be more as more trainers began to get disillusioned with their lifestyle, mused the man as he took the streets.
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Post by mdf2711 on Dec 30, 2014 9:22:49 GMT
Risa stared at Shinhye with a puzzled expression. Sungrok had said it would be fine but she wasn't sure if that meant it would be fine for Shinhye and herself to follow the older man and join him in trying to protect the innocent bystanders from the rampaging Rhyperior or whether he had just intended that he would be fine on his own with Prius the Porygon2 to do all the heavy lifting. His ambiguity had confused Risa momentarily - though she was quite ready to follow along with Shinhye if that was indeed the plan - but she would look to Shinhye to make the decision and tag along.
Though, Risa couldn't help but notice a nagging fear at the back of her mind about using highly trained, battle ready Pokemon to combat a foe like an angry Rhyperior in front of many people. In a public space, using moves in a way that was not intended for Contest appeals might get...ugly. And while it wouldn't immediately give away the pits, there was a chance it could raise suspicion. The girl was hesitant and knew even if she did follow that she would be sure her Pokemon did not battle outright, only use their various natural talents, such as Lacey's flying or Remy's nimble agility and climbing or Evander's sharp claws which would not confuse or surprise anyone. Nodding, Risa firmly decided: heroism - good, show-off battling sportsmanship - bad.
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Rodrick shouted to his Vanillite and Pansear. Jax quickly darted around again and Willis floated in the opposite direction. Shooting an Icicle Spear at the rocky hide of his foe, the little ice cream cone-like Pokemon was doing his best to attack and then dart away, zooming away almost as soon as the attack left his body to find another safe vantage point to attack from lest he risk getting damaged by the angry monstrous Pokemon. Jax, on the other hand, was throwing numerous fireballs and then darting about like a crazy monkey, circling the Rhyperior in a completely predictable manner but trying to keep his distance, his perimeter shifting each time he moved as the rampaging foe advanced to stay out of harm's way and as far from imminent danger as possible while still being recklessly brave and in the center of everything. The little boy that was the trainer to these two raked a hand through his bangs and looked slightly concerned from his vantage point. Willis and Jax had insisted he stay safe and he was none too pleased about being so far away from his friends fighting down the street but appreciated their concern nonethless.
The boy watched as his Pokemon darted around again and again, a constant blur of motion, Willis completely unpredictable and Jax rather easy to predict except every time the Rhyperior attempted to lunge for his new position, Willis attacked from an unexpected angle to buy the Pansear more time to attack and scurry away again. They had been walking home inconspicuously, trying to remain as low-profile as they could manage. It had been going great until they saw the hulking shape of the Rhyperior stomping in the distance and the radio broadcast alerted them to the danger in front of them, which the monstrous behemoth of Pokemon seemed even more annoyed by. So much for low-profile, Rodrick sighed as he continued to call out advice and cautions to his Pokemon duo fighting the gigantic creature, wondering how long it had been since all the nearby pedestrians had fled in terror and wondering if the police were planning on showing up any time soon. At least not much property has been destroyed yet, that's definitely an upside to the situation, Rodrick mused strangely to himself, still overseeing the scene with concern.
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