4.0 Dedicated to its Members and Fans of Pokemon A Pokemon Sandbox RP
Pokémon Dubstep (ft. Lindsey Stirling)
W
elcome Adventurer to EPOCH! A Pokemon Sandbox Rp set in the original region of Nue. Everything you need to know will be in the Guidebook and PokeDex 101!
EPOCH uses the Manga and is built on the Original ideas suggested by our members.
We are more than just a Pokemon RP, we're a friendly community with a goal on being a memorable experience for those that look in.
Golden Rule: Treat others as you wish to be treated. If you find yourself content with being an asshole EPOCH and its members will not tolerate you.
RULES
Understand We're All Human. Respect the staffers as well as your fellow members and guests. We all have flaws, tempers and quirks. Be patient with one another, but if issues involving other members come up please don’t just grin and bear it. Contact a staff member, informing them of what's going on so they can address and resolve the situation. The staff won't know what's bothering you unless you tell them.
EPOCH is PG-13. Proboards’ Terms of Service:
Sex; When you get under the clothes, fade to black.
Violence; Do not go into extreme nauseating detail.
Cursing; This is so fucking allowed, but don't go overboard.
Suggestive Content; In avatars, signatures and templates can attract the wrong kind of attention. So be careful.
Brand new, shiny region. New Pokemon to meet. If someone were to tell her there were grand adventures to explore too, Xue was confident that her chest would explode from all the excitement. The new trainer hype was still present in her. In fact, she wasn't quite sure it was the same feeling. She had spent a bit in her previous area, gathering a team of would-be partners and found out what style of battling fit her best. Today was dedicated to getting to know the surroundings Cyllage City. Kaguya, her starter and smaller-than-average Ralts, happily hummed a tune upon Xue's shoulder as she walked the beachfront.
"You know Kagu, Kalos isn't all that much different from home around this time. Loads of sun without being overly muggy." Xue said.
Kaguya raised her arms up jovially, responding, <Raa ral!/'Definitely!'>
Xue laughed and petted her Pokemon's hair before she went back to her humming. The goal today was to run into a Water-type Pokemon that could join her team. Not to say she'd be picky on the options available, though her encounters and members so far all seem to follow a typing trend. This peppy, pink-haired she-devil took pride in wielding like-minded Pokemon, but wondered what she'd do if there was a change. Change was inevitable and the only real constant.
Xue sighed and shrugged her shoulders, almost shaking off a startled Kaguya, "Meh, I'll figure it out as happens!"
The sounds of splashing water attracted Xue's attention seaside, feeling a sense of relaxation coming as the waves washed onto shore. Beautiful, pristine blue sea with a pair of eyes and yellow spikes staring towards the shore. Xue stopped mid-pan after realizing what it was that she just looked past. Focusing to her front, the pink-haired trainer saw a rather ferocious looking Water-type curiously staring down the shoreline. Reasons were unknown, though the girl had every bit of motivation to at least identify the creature.
"Letse what we got here." she said taking a look at the PDA's encyclopedia app. She searched and found the article that fit the bill. "A Carvanha huh? Man, these Pokedex holders sure are busy to get that much information to update PDA apps like this!"
The app said the Pokemon was a Water and Dark mixture, noting basic findings and habits the species had. That was bothersome. Her team didn't really have a solid answer to Dark or Water types yet, though the Pokemon could definitely do a number if it got close enough. She'd have to fight the Pokemon off its comfort area in order to stand a chance!
"Psychic attacks are no good, so how about we just challenge it face to face? Doing it live, Armada!" Xue commanded, tapping the release button to her Beldum's Pokeball.
In a flash of light, the metallic ocular Pokemon hummed about until it spotted the wild Carvanha. Instinctively, Armada took a ready stance and tried to control its levitation. Xue giggled at her Beldum's act, noticing that its bobbing only increased in frequency due to its excitement. She'd have to bring it to shore if possible, so the one who seized the initiative would take the advantage!
"Armada, take that big mouth fish out of the ocean with a Take Down off the starboard!"
<BbzzzzbbzT!> Beldum cried out, quickly blasting forward and then taking a sharp right that startled the lonesome Carvanha. A moment's later, the metallic Pokemon crashed into the right side of Carvanha, knocking it off balance and dazing the wild one. Beldum cringed a bit from the impact; a sign that Xue did not ignore. She'd have to finish this now while the Carvanha was still mellow and passive.
"Once more Armada, but strike from the nest and sink this fish!" <BZZT~!>
The Pokemon went upwards, and then plummetted down onto Carvanha's head. A Take Down to the head and away the fishy swam. These individuals were obviously not food and proving to be more trouble than it was worth. If it was going to get hit, then the Carvanha would prefer to do so when surrounded by its friends. Armada floated back to the surface and came back to its trainer. Xue noticed it wasn't too beat up, though did work itself up.
"Well done Armada! You've definitely shown more spunk today than ever before! Keep at it, and we'll get you up to speed in no time." Xue encouraged, which got a favorable response.
It was a shame that Carvanha wasn't going to be a member of the team, but the Pokemon trainer couldn't stop there. There would be other opportunities.
Post by Elinda Aspen on Nov 13, 2014 22:03:33 GMT -5
We're pushing through the warped wind Outstripping the cold sky Nevertheless, we still continue to wander
It was a sobering experience, to realize that for every step you took forward you had taken several leaps back.
What had honestly been one of the highest points of Elinda's life, the League tournament and her battle against Kazuki in the finals, had ironically been soured by what had been intended as a triumphant return home - frankly, to a house that had been all but lifeless. At first Elinda had expected it - with Ryusuke still on the move and Squirt still supposedly somewhere in Orre it had come as a welcome relief, with the older trainer settling in to wait for Taichi to come back in the evening. When he hadn't though, Elinda had started to wonder - attempting to contact him through his old Nav wasn't an option since Ryusuke had it now, but when she had finally decided to go to his work place to look for him the news that she'd gotten wasn't what Elinda had been expecting. That her husband was no longer in Lilycove, that he had quit his job there, and used them as references to get a job elsewhere in Johto, in Blackthorn. Normally not something that Elinda would've been worried about given that he evidently hadn't sold the family home in Lilycove, but given that he wasn't answering the phone that his old employer had given her as a contact... waiting around in Hoenn for him to come back honestly hadn't seemed like a good idea. She couldn't explain it, but for some reason going to Johto herself seemed like the only option really available at the time, and in keeping with it she had hopped a liner leaving the tropical region for the Ugumi family's home region.
That wasn't to say, however, that her mind hadn't managed to wander as usual, and that reaching Johto was her sole concern - maybe her priority, but there were other things on the trainer's mind as well. Tasukai, for one - Elinda had not been a fan of the trainer for a long, long time, and while the League tournament had admittedly done some good in helping with that concern, it worried Elinda that she didn't understand what the younger woman's Blaziken had done during that battle. For many, many years Elinda had been able to pride herself on having extensive knowledge on virtually any Pokemon placed in front of her - as well she should after thirty years of pursuing the trainer lifestyle and traveling. But that, that had been something new, and while attempting to follow up on it through her old Devon contacts and the glorious font of information known as the internet hadn't been as fruitful as she'd hoped, it had at least pointed her in a direction. Whether or not it was the right one remained to be seen, but considering that it was on the way to Johto, anyways... when her liner had come within eye shot of the Kalosian coast, Elinda had done what she almost always did, and rather than waiting for the ship to dock in another day or so at a major port the trainer had jumped ship.
Metagross released from his Pokeball and Elinda perched atop the titan as he flew along several dozen meters above the water, the trainer mentally reviewed her findings as the pair began to approach the coastline. While Devon had been less than helpful, the internet of all places had been able to at least offer something in terms of rumors and gossip. Not the most reputable sources of information, but there was usually at least a kernel of truth to every lie or story, and without much else to go on the most Elinda could do was follow the leads to Shalour and the Badlands north of a city called Lumiose and see if they amounted to anything. If not, she could at least rule out that information if she ran across it at any point later on - if, however, there was something to be found, it'd at least be a start. Waves passing below the pair, Elinda would find herself lost in thought as the shore finally swept below them, Metagross slightly slowing his pace as he noticed another human below, with one of his own kind of all things - immature, but a rarity just the same.
The victory would be short-lived, as the sounds of stirring water once again attracted the pink-haired bundle of joy and company. It first came to view as a bunch of tiny, pink-hued stems budding from the ocean's surface. Xue shaded her eyes with her left hand, and squinted for a better look; quickly adopting a look of excitement upon realizing what it was! A pack of Corsola, whom was a Pokemon she was very familiar with! Typically not popular with trainers outside of females, they loved to come in big groups and have a very hive-like mentality. The last encounter the trainer had with the coral Pokemon reminded her that it favored defensive options and held surprising speed when on its home terrain. That being said, she would have to adopt a similar approach used on the Carvanha from before. Capturing a Corsola did sound enticing, though the training opportunity outweighed that option by a mile!
Xue reached for her the insides of her tote bag, drawing out a Pokeball holding a member of her team. "Armada's going to need some back up, so to battle Xing Cai!"
Appearing in a dazzle of light was the sheathed Honedge, marking her arrival with a graceful battlecry. Both Xing Cai and Armada moved in front of their trainer, eyeing out the Corsola's formation. It was tight knit, like a phalynx used by warriors of old. The front Corsola looked the biggest of the bunch. Some of the others were also decently sized, all of which seeming to protect the smaller Corsola in the center. A wise strategy, and one she was not unaccustomed to seeing. Or dealing with!
The Corsola horde advanced, pushing forward with great speed and presence. Xue wanted to clap at how well the wild Pokemon moved as a group, though they didn't give her the opportunity. The smaller Corsolas in the middle fired a paired mixture of Power Gem and a Bubblebeam at her chosen pair. Noticing the assault, Xue threw her left arm to the side and called out,
"Separate and let's test their formation's integrity! Xing Cai, prepare yourself with a Swords Dance and then Fury Cutter to starboard! Armada, strike their port with Take Down!"
Honedge and Beldum broke off and moved to conduct the pincer attack on the grouped up Corsolas. Once sheathed, Xing Cai's well-kept blade glistened off the reflected sunlight under the offense boosting effects of Sword Dance. Moments later, the ghostly weapon flung forth with an alarming burst of speed that matched Armada's valiant charge. The impending threat of an attack caused the formation to stop, as the pink coral Pokemon divided their attention to their side flanks and awaited the coming strike. Corsola's in-tune rallying could be heard when a large splash erupted at the contact point. Both walls holding out against the brutal, tactical strike from Xue's pair. The right, assaulted by Xing Cai, were holding out against the repeated lashing of Fury Cutter uses with evident signs of a breach forming.
On the left though, Armada was not making much progress. The Beldum's attacks were fierce, though did not grow in power like Xing Cai's Fury Cutter. As such, Armada's recoil was adding up faster than it could tear down the Corsola wall. To add to the steel-psychic's troubles, the bigger Corsola shifted from the front to the center of the left formation and had casted a mixture of Reflect and Aqua Ring for the group. All the Take Downs that Armada successfully scored, slowly began to be undone under the boost of Aqua Ring. Xue called for her Beldum to fall back, but the Corsolas were quick to strike! The left flank opened up and gave one of the center Corsola's a clear shot at Armada, firing off Spike Cannon. Armada, despite its tough hide, was pushed back with great force and eventually sent flying to the shoreline. Corsola stopped the barrage of the Spike Cannon and followed it with a
"ARMADA!" Xue cried out, quickly dropping her bag and charging into a diving catch for her Beldum.
It's heavy, dense body stung her lithe arms even through the adrenaline rush. Xue looked over Armada's body quickly and noticed it was fairly tired, though could fight. She advocated against it though; gently rubbing the area around Armada's eye and reassuring the Pokemon.
"Good job and rest here Armada. There's no shame in knowing when to take a break. Trust me and your teammates to bring home the game! Ain't that right, Beato?" Xue cheered, throwing out a new Pokeball and letting out Litwick.
Beatrice, the Litwick, had a bad habit of immediately clinging to Xue and demanding attention. Excessive.amounts.of.attention. Today though, she got the message from one look at her trainer's eye. It was time for work and love will come after. Of which, the pink haired trainer didn't forget about the valiant assault of Xing Cai. The pink-haired trainer smirked after seeing the progress made; taking note of the different line up of Corsola's resisting the Fury Cutter barrage. Xing Cai beautifully dodged and weaved past the Bubblebeams and Spike Cannon shots from the center, striking with added force along the wall each time. The pattern was beginning to wear down the bigger Corsolas enough to show battle fatigue. She was sure Xing Cai was also getting tired, though the time was now for a decisive blow!
"Hang in there Xing Cai! Beato, I need a good Smog cover towards the horde!" Xue commanded, as the Litwick's flame pumped brightly.
A huff and out came a thick, purple smoke that coated the immediate area. Xue could hear the Corsola's begin to whine from the lack of visibility and poison. Then came the next push.
"Xing Cai! Fury Cutter from the skies on the center Corsolas!"
<Honedgeeeee!!/'The finale!'> the ghost blade said proudly, swinging down and spiking the two smaller Corsolas with a wide slash.
"You're up now Kagu! Scare'em off so we can have a little break!" Xue said with confidence and holding Armada in her arms.
Kaguya, the shiny Ralts, hopped off and took aim from the shorelines. The Corsola group moved forward in an attempt to break free from the smog, only to get a clear view of the tiny Ralts. Kaguya gave a tiny curtsy before taking a big breath in. All in preparation for...
"...HYPER VOICE!" <Ra RALLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!>
The loud, powerful sound blast punched through the waves and struck the wave of Corsola with great force. Enough to break the front line and hit the back ranks with ease! Those Corsola, who originally could weather the hit, were struggling now due to the persistence from Xing Cai's furious assault. Which was Xue's intention from the start, minus Armada's incident. Xing Cai and Kaguya, were Xue's two eldest Pokemon and the most experienced when it came to battling. They had their strengths, and while still pre-evolved, trusted their trainer extremely. As the Corsola horde pouted and fled back to deeper water with their wounded, the pink-haired girl jumped up and down with joy after getting tackled by her team! A hard fought, strategic victory always felt satisfying to have! Even Armada, who was pushed back, happily coo'd to its trainer's jubilant expressions.
"Seriously team, great job. Chalk that up as a first victory against double the amount of forces!" Xue said, earning a cheer from the Pokemon.
NOTES. I always feel guilty attacking Clamperl, who looks like its sleeping.
Sunlight. I awaken from a dream.
These Ordinary Days.
The mood was still jubilant from the group's victory over the horde of Corsola's just now. Except for Armada, who felt that it was the only Pokemon to not have made a significant contribution. It celebrated the victory with its comrades and couldn't shake the guilt that hit home harder. Xue noticed the sudden mood change and took note of Armada's slow removal from her embrace.
"Hey now Armada, don't beat yourself up on it so much. Everybody had a part in this, and that includes you." she explained, though the mono-eye Pokemon still sulked.
What caused it to perk up shortly after, was seeing something in the shallow water. A Clamperl, dozing off in the warm waters, was open for a strike! Being around its trainer taught that a strong pre-emptive decides the momentum of a fight. As such, the Pokemon shivered at the chance towards redemption!
"Kagu-chi, use Confusion!" <Raa!>
Before Armada could lash out with a Take Down, it found itself suspended in mid-air by an unseen force. This force was familiar to the Pokemon, being a move with the same typing as itself. The question it had though, which Armada turned around to see, was why?
Xue was playing with one of her longer strands of hair as she walked up to the Beldum. She petted it behind its eye, and gave a soft smile.
"Armada, you don't need to do that. That Pokemon has nothing to do with us and you need to take better care of yourself. I can see the recoil is still bothering you you know?" Xue explained, taking out a clean towel and began to wipe Beldum off.
<Bzzt Bel be be beldum./'I wish to fight though! I can still take an enemy on!'> the Beldum struggled against Xue's kind gesture.
The pink haired trainer wouldn't give in though! "Nu-uh! You need to rest up until we head back to the Pokemon Center. I'll get some more Potions and herbs for the road, but really Armada. You can't help anybody if you end up fainting you know?"
<?!>
It stopped struggling after that, allowing Xue's slender fingers to probe and find the extent of the damage done from the battle. Some of the wounds caused it to wince as she passed it by, though Armada noticed she let out a sigh with a relieved look. Didn't seem serious according to its trainer.
"Doesn't look too serious, so that's a good thing. We'll stay here a little longer, but no more battling till we get back to the city Armada! I mean it!" Xue scolded.
Just as she finished calming down a distressed Armada, Xue noticed a fin surface from the surface. It didn't belong to her first guess, being the bullies of the sea. The fin had a far curvy and gentle look; swimming closer and closer in shore. As it approached, the pink aquatic Pokemon became clearly visible and seemed to hold no ill intention. Xue didn't recall the name of this gentle Pokemon and its slightly awkward appearance. Both looked at each other after making eye contact and stared for a moment. Xue's team looked in anticipation and awaited their commands.
Instead, Xue gave a gentle smile and waved to the fish Pokemon. She did need a Water-type for her team, though today would simply not be the day. There was no rush and deep down, the teen didn't feel right engaging the Alomamola. Call it the butterflies or a sign of weakness, but she couldn't bring herself to engage such a gentle appearing Pokemon in the wild. The Alomamola gave a nod of thanks, and then swam off.
"Haauuu~ Today was a bust, but at least you all got some stuff out of it!" Xue admitted in defeat, before noticing a large object and a splotch of bright hair amidst the blue sea.
"Is that a...Metagross? Look Armada! That's what you have the potential to turn into!"
Armada made some sounds that sounded happy, as the group looked towards the individual moving by.
Post by Elinda Aspen on Nov 23, 2014 18:52:52 GMT -5
We're pushing through the warped wind Outstripping the cold sky Nevertheless, we still continue to wander
As the trainer below began to duke it out with additional wild Pokemon emerging from the shallow coastal waters below, Metagross found his slowed pace crawling to a complete stop as events began to unfold. Generally speaking, the titan didn't tend to concern himself with the affairs of humans beyond his partner, her spawn being the sole exception to that particular rule so far - her life partner knew how to take care of himself even without her around, and aside from direct blood relations he simply didn't see any other humans often enough to really care for them. For all the rhetoric that humans tended to spout about their relative superiority concerning civilization and their ability to make tools, much of it was empty - his species had survived, nay, thrived in far harsher environments, and without that the little pink fleshy things wouldn't last for more than a few days save for a few. As for Elinda herself - she was the exception to that. Metagross was under no delusions concerning her lifespan and that of his own, well aware that he would likely outlive both her and her spawn, but she'd been one of the few to earn his personal respect in that she wasn't averse to taking on any role she might ask of her Pokemon, and perfectly willing to follow them into battle herself, even leading the charge if needed. So far he'd yet to see that quality in any other human he'd personally met, but something about the trainer below piqued his interest - it might have been simple nostalgia given how himself and his partner had started out, but there was something more to it than that.
"'Gross?" Almost from the moment that the Steel type thought of said trainer, Elinda finally began to notice that the landscape below them wasn't moving nearly as quickly as before, having been more or less kept in her peripheral vision until then, and that the wind that had been pulling at her face and clothing was no longer there. Metagross, rather than answering directly or showing any real sign that he had heard her at all, would instead tilt his body slightly to keep the younger trainer below them in his field of vision. In the process of doing so, however, Elinda would likewise have them brought into view, blinking in surprise. That was what he had stopped for? Not much tended to get his attention, let alone other trainers - their Pokemon, sure, especially if he was itching for a work out and they looked like a challenge, but that definitely wasn't the case here. Nor was it the Beldum, sent flying back by a combined attack from the Corsola horde. They'd met a few other trainers with his kin since returning to the world at large, but he hadn't taken notice of them or their trainers, so why this one?
Well aware that the Pokemon wasn't exactly one for communication, especially when something else held his attention, the blonde woman simply decided to settle for the fact that she was thankfully still effectively glued to the top of the Steel giant when he had decided to realign his body to look downwards. Not exactly the most comfortable position since it had gravity pulling at her upper body which wasn't supported by anything beyond her own abdomen and the air she was breathing, but at the very least it meant that he hadn't forgotten her. Without much else to do, however, and well aware that they weren't going anywhere until Metagross saw everything he wanted to, Elinda instead resigned herself to watching the novice trainer's battle unfold. At least she was assuming novice - Elinda had a trained eye when it came to talent, but it was always difficult to tell with newer trainers. There was a fine line between beginner's luck and genuine talent, poor decision making and actual ignorance - without actually being acquainted with an individual it was honestly more a guessing game than anything else, and such was the case here.
Whatever the case, the elder trainer got more than just a small sampling of the kid's skills - for whatever it was worth the place she was in appeared to be a hot spot for wild Pokemon, or she'd used Sweet Scent without realizing exactly how deep she'd gotten herself. The Corsola horde, needless to say, was where doubts had initially begun to crop up - Beldum were not particularly well known for their combat prowess, being fairly vulnerable early on as juveniles before evolving. Sending one into a fight like that was not a good decision, and if the trainer knew her Pokemon, she had to know that. At the very least, though, the initial poor decision was followed by much better ones as the trainer restrained the Steel type from lashing out at other noncombative wild Pokemon in the area. Who knew, maybe it was the Pokemon, not the trainer... from this far away it was admittedly difficult to hear much of anything, and Elinda hadn't seen the start of the fight, only the blue paper weight get hit by the Spike Cannon. Analysis aside, however, it seemed like Metagross had other thoughts in mind besides Elinda's own personal desire to head inland to follow up on the whole reason they'd traveled to the region in the first place.
"'Gros- no, come on, places to be, battles to fight-" Elinda started, her ride abruptly dropping a few feet with little to no warning as the younger trainer finally spotted them, his intent to land on the beach below clear. She was admittedly not in the mood for the usual marathon battling that tended to be par for the course, not after the League and what she had found home back in Hoenn, but at this point Elinda was willing to say nearly anything to get the Iron leg Pokemon to listen. Contrary to popular opinion, Elinda was well aware that she had no real control over most of her Pokemon, Metagross in particular. It was the same thing with Snubbull, really - people tended to take them for stupid, when in reality they were just stubborn and far more intelligent than people granted them credit for. Yes, they'd listen, but more often than not the Pokemon would take you opinion under advisement, decide against it and do whatever it was they wanted - it wasn't that they didn't understand, far from it, and more often than not Metagross tended to listen because Elinda made sense when she told or asked him for anything. Apparently not today, though.
Descending to only a few meters above the beach, Metagross would suddenly let gravity do its work for him as his massive bulk dropped like a rock to impact with the ground below, the soft sand absorbing most of the shock and preventing Elinda from being shaken like a doll atop him upon landing. Still several meters away from the other trainer to avoid blasting her with the wave of sand and other debris kicked up by his weight, the Steel type would silently stand in place as he regarded her, at least until Elinda herself finally recovered from the jolt of the landing, intending to rebuke the titan before catching sight of the other trainer.
"Uwaaa, you think they're gonna be okay with the landing?" Xue commented before the touchdown.
Impact zone looked a whole lot more impressive than it probably felt. A puff of sand and a not-so-cushy ride probably meant the person on top's bum may be hurting a bit. She dashed on over a bit closer before coming to a stop in front of the Metagross in question. Xue's entire Pokemon team also took a look at the ones in front and instantly recognized they were far superior than what they've faced thus far. Call it a natural instinct, but all of them either paid proper respect or was ignorant on what to do. Armada and Kaguya both properly fit that bill. One was anxious to hover around and see the mighty Metagross, while the other kinda enjoyed playing with her megastone hairpiece during non-singing periods. Either way, all of them gave a proper courtesy of some sort of greeting to the new pair.
"It's a pleasure to meetcha! I'm Xue Yi and this here are my partners in action!" Xue introduced with a peppy salute.
She then noticed the mighty sheen of Metagross, which was something not very commonly found. A couple of its kind came into the spa before, and most either had a roughed up exterior or over polished look that said a lot about the trainer. This one, while showing the signs of experience, had a lot of care placed in its growth. Xue noticed a few areas that may have some need in vitamins or rubs, but that wasn't her place to say. She fondly remembered when Armada had issues in moving freely when they first met. Now, to think she'd meet such a great example of properly raised Pokemon in the form of what Armada will become! It was like a dream come true!
"If you dont' mind me saying miss, your Metagross's sheen and demeanor says a lot about its bond with you! Truly an awesome sight!" Xue remarked.
Post by Elinda Aspen on Nov 27, 2014 17:58:24 GMT -5
We're pushing through the warped wind Outstripping the cold sky Nevertheless, we still continue to wander
..... okay, not at all what Elinda was expecting. Not in the slightest. Sure, the kid had a Beldum, but most people tended to be a lot more wary about approaching, same way they tended to be with trainers running around with Mightyena out of their Pokeballs. Sure, the things may have been completely harmless and attention whores to boot, but their bad reputation generally made most people a lot more nervous around them than they needed to be, and Metagross hardly looked as cuddly as the little furry beasts did. Whatever response Elinda might have had for the other trainer, though, was shaken by the kid's relative lack of unease in the face of the titan. Maybe she'd been raised around one of the things like Elinda had - that was where she got his egg, after all - or maybe there was something else at play here that Elinda didn't quite grasp, but it was equal parts refreshing and surprising. With the introduction of the other trainer's name and her own Pokemon, though, the veteran couldn't help but take a moment to look them over, both answering her earlier question and confirming her particular suspicion in the process.
Two of the Pokemon, Elinda recognized right off the bat, one through virtue of having raised it herself and the other just from having spent the last several years living in Hoenn - both of them fairly popular among the trainers that were lucky enough to get their hands on what would eventually be very powerful attackers, at least in most scenarios. The other two, however, took Elinda a moment - the Litwick she eventually recognized as being a Unovan species, and one that she hadn't seen very often since her trip to the region back in her twenties before Ryusuke had been born. The last one, though, Elinda didn't recognize at all - she had only briefly been in Kalos before and had to assume it was native to the region, and likely a Steel type just going off of basic appearances. As far as Elinda could tell, though, they were all fairly young and inexperienced, with three confirmed as having not evolved yet, and going off that trend Elinda could only assume the same was true for the Kalosian critter. Definitely a newbie trainer, although no real way to say how new - again, fine line between natural talent and beginner's luck, and the fact that the kid had four Pokemon didn't really help distinguish between the two, nor the kid's appraisal of her own Metagross. Well, not like Elinda particularly cared about being subtle.
".... Elinda, and thanks? Have to ask, how long've you been a trainer for?" Direct and to the point, but better than than stumbling for words. Typically speaking Elinda was far more used to people being pissed off at her for some reason or another, or failing that more exasperated than anything else. It'd been a long, long time since anyone had approached her rather than the other way around, and it was going to take a bit for the elder trainer to get used to that again - until then, though, better to just move things along as they were going, and hope that Metagross got whatever it was he wanted out of this so that they could get moving again and hopefully reach Lumiose before sunset. Assuming he wasn't just doing this because he could - the Steel type was hardly showing any sign of what he'd intended out of this, simply standing in place and appearing to blankly stare ahead at the kid's own Pokemon.
Elinda certainly didn't pull any punches when it came to the points that mattered. She gave awkward moments of pause, and spent a majority of the time eyeing out her own team. A mark of an experienced trainer, and something Xue was certainly lacking having only been in the business just shy of eight months. Of those eight months, just under one was spent in Kalos!
"Ehehe~ As you suspect Elinda, I'm still new to the Pokemon trainer life and been traveling just about eight months I think?" Xue said. "Prior to officially being a trainer though, I worked at a Pokemon health spa and attended an academy for about eight years."
Her history wasn't exactly the most decorated of trainer glory. In fact, she was the first in a very long while to even go that route within her family! Even longer to convince them to let her go! Eight long years were spent and each one of them were worth the opportunity. She hardly wasted a day and always sought opportunities to study aspects necessary to become one of the elite trainers. Pokemon health and performance, battle tactics, practice and movement, and trainer mentalities. These were but a sample of what she tackled on her Pokemon trainer laundry list.
Of course the tables turned quite some bit when her team was formed. She had come across a variety of candidates, and Xue didn't want to admit her tastes were picky. A gut feeling was all she needed, and hadn't steered her choices so far!
"How about yourself Elinda?" Xue asked. "A contender for most-obvious-statement-of-the-year, but your experience is practically sparkling. For example, a Metagross's health and battle experience is similar to many Steel-types and reflects in their sheen; as well as the distribution of their plating. Bar situational cases of course!"
She pet her Beldum and pointed out the joints right behind its eyes.
"Kinda like Armada here, who had a much more corroded luster and less battered skin when I found it!"
Her team came in and returned some of the stares. Xue didn't really think of much when her health background came out in conversations. That was just how she thought. Almost each one of her Pokemon had a sort of history that brought them together and with it, Xue's mind was challenged to overcome the trouble.
"Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to keep you. I'm sure you've places to be yes?"
Post by Elinda Aspen on Dec 4, 2014 1:22:10 GMT -5
We're pushing through the warped wind Outstripping the cold sky Nevertheless, we still continue to wander
That was... actually somewhat surprising, and not an answer Elinda had been entirely expecting from the kid. Then again, clean cut "yes" and "no" responses were becoming an increasing rarity these days, but it certainly explained why she hadn't exactly been able to pin point where the half pint was concerning her development as a trainer. Booksmarts tended to throw that entire guessing game off since they heavily compensated for lack of first hand experience, assumed the individual knew enough, and if there was anything that trainer academies tended to do these days it was put heavy emphasis on an analytical mind. Something that had taken Elinda much longer than eight months to build up, and it hadn't been until her early teens that she'd started to be a lot more disciplined in her approach to battling - and that was with an early start growing up in a family of breeders and trainers. Yet another thing that this kid seemed to benefit from... it might not have been a breeder's ranch, but the newbie definitely had some experience evaluating a Pokemon with a quick glance.
Having the tables suddenly turned on her as far as questions went, though, was something Elinda hadn't exactly been expecting. And really, what was she to say? Less than ten years ago this would have been a flowing conversation with the veteran more than happy to exchange words back and forth at breakneck pace, but that was long before she had made mistakes, decisions that she was less than proud of. The founding of Arcane, what they had eventually become and what they had done to Elinda's home? That was not information Elinda particularly wanted to be spread around, both out of embarrassment and because that was no longer who she was. Or at least that's what the elder trainer hoped - after everything she'd put herself, her friends and her family through she'd hoped that at least a few of those lessons had rubbed off on her, the experiences there to prevent her from making the same mistakes again, and if possible to prevent others from doing so as well. More than that... well, her family or lack therof wasn't exactly something that one shared with others, and she was starting to understand Ricki's irritation with her digging following Snowpoint two years ago. Thoughts and realizations that became all that much more awkward as the girl in front of Elinda kept piling on the praise, intentional or not.
"A lot longer than I'd like to admit, honestly. Metagross and Aggron were my first two Pokemon, that's probably why." Elinda answered. No need to go elaborate or go into what had transpired back on the Indigo Plateau a few weeks prior - Elinda had more than enough attention of that kind back when she'd worked for Devon, and she wasn't in any real rush to go back to it. Or to explain that the only reason Metagross looked the way he did was thanks to the promise she had made herself to pay back her team in full for their efforts at the League. The kid was right about what she said - as most Steel Pokemons' hides or shells hardened with age and experience, effectively polishing themselves - but that only held true for so long. Eventually wear and tear would show itself, and it was only thanks to the resort treatment back in Verdanturf that his body was a solid cobalt blue with that sharp gleam - under most circumstances it was far duller and darker, his hide possessing an almost rough quality to it from all the attacks he had taken over the years. Sandstorm did help with that polishing aspect slightly, but it didn't cover up everything. Not by a long shot, and Scizor was probably the best example of the fact that the rule didn't always hold true.
"No, it's fine, honestly. We sort of jumped ship early and Metagross probably saw it as an opportunity to stop and rest a bit before we continued on to Lumiose." Fuck, why? Against all of her earlier instincts, why say that when the rookie had been polite enough to offer a free way out without the awkwardness of cutting and running for it? Something that Metagross obviously caught onto, the words finally seeming to break the Iron Leg Pokemon out of his trance as his eyes drifted upwards as if to try and look at Elinda. An impossibility given where she was atop him, but the subtle motion that came with it was one that Elinda knew all too well - in the meantime, though, she refused to acknowledge the fact that she was aware of it and draw unwelcome attention to Metagross' shift in attention.
