insidegalra: (Default)
Thace ([personal profile] insidegalra) wrote in [community profile] victory_road2020-08-11 09:58 pm

Vacation? What's that?

Who: Thace and anybody!

Where: Sinnoh! (mostly around Eternia City)

When: duration of the trip

Summary: Thace has never had anything that could truly qualify as a vacation in his life. He's... succeeding? Maybe?

Rating: PG (PTSD mentions)


Pre-Boarding
Everything goes well, at least until one of the airline employees tells Thace that all his Pokemon must be in balls or storage for the trip. Thace had been controlling his discomfort in the bustling crowd well enough, at least until that. Vruli, the still undersized Whismur, wails at the suggestion, and it's enough to drop Thace into a defensive stance with one hand shielding Vruli and his teeth bared. It'd probably be more impressive if he hadn't been changed to human.

A little later he can be found in a quieter part of the waiting area, visibly distraught as he tries to understand his Pokemon's responses to his questions. Vruli is still sniffling and fussy, which isn't helping. He also only has six balls total, but seven companions.

Flight
Thace is very still and outwardly calm during the flight, but a closer look will show that he's very tense, and he hasn't let go of the six Pokeballs with him even once. He should be more controlled than this, but Thace misses the presences he's gotten used to so much. There's also very little to distract from that lonely ache in his chest, which makes it even harder to ignore.

Night-time wanderings
So, the hostel's tiny capsule beds weren't made for seven foot people, who could have guessed? Even without that complication, Thace's wariness ramps up in cities, and he rarely sleeps well even with an adequately sized bed. Sitting in a corner with his back against the wall is not improving that, so each night he eventually gives up after louder-than-usual nightmares and leaves one of his Pokemon (usually Brodar) on guard while he patrols.

He can be found walking around Eternia's streets with Vrig on his back, and half the time, a fussy Vruli against his chest. His steps are almost silent but have a soldier's cadence, and he doesn't stop moving, utterly alert and watchful. Unless it's someone he knows very well, unfortunately, he'll fall into a defensive stance every time he encounters someone, eyes narrowed and shoulders tense.

Museum and Library
During several days, Thace can be found either in the historical museum or the local library. He devours every scrap of information he can glean from the museum's exhibits, and is even willing to seek out staff to ask questions.

And he can be found in the science and technology sections of the library, cross referencing books from rather impressive stacks around him that contain material on Pokeballs, the computer storage system, and Pokemon communication.

Underground
At one point, Vrig communicates to him that she wants a Dusk stone, so Thace can be found on at least two of the days down in the tunnels. He works with determination, while his Pokemon remain close. Vruli, the undersized Whismur, is poking at some of the rocks Thace has dislodged with one of the tools for finer excavation, while the Noibat is giving the walls around them assessing looks. He's definitely planning something, but what?

The Gym
Thace plans to challenge the gym, so there are times when he can be found in the stands watching the matches as info-gathering. He won't say no to company, although he may want to discuss possible strategies. And eventually, he'll take his turn and inform anyone he's traveling or has gotten to know that he's doing it. Maybe they'll want to watch!

Regardless of the outcome, Thace will walk away from the battleground with head held high. Vruli gets scooped up and cuddled from where she was left to wait in the stands first, and then he'll address anyone else who was waiting for him to come out. "That was educational."

Spa day
The inn is much nicer than the hostel, and Thace is taking advantage of the facilities to do some grooming. ...Mostly of his Pokemon, although he probably could be talked into more than a purely functional wash-up for himself. His hair is damp and he's got just a bathrobe on, and all his attention is on his team.

He's acquired a shallow container with which to make a Vruli-sized bubble bath, and she's happily popping bubbles and pushing a floaty Ducklett toy around in the water. Vrig and Zaivar have already had a polish session and are gleaming (and is that some new keys on the Klefki?). But probably the happiest Pokemon present is Athvrix the shiny Espurr. She's getting a thorough brushing from Thace and is purring very loudly from where she's flopped on his lap.


Meadow Mornings
Thace makes a quick trip to the meadow, only stopping to make sure he's got his new cocoon out too, because Kaltor is excited. If it wasn't sunny before, it sure is now! Thace picks some of the berries (and Berries) at first, always leaving plenty behind, while the Cherrim frolics around in Sunshine form.

Then he finds a comfortable spot and settles down to watch Vruli and Athvrix play a weird combo of tag and hide and seek in the flowers while Vrig gives a lesson to the Cascoon that is apparently about timing. All in all, it's a quiet, relaxed morning. Mostly.

Vridka evolving quite suddenly into Beautifly is certainly exciting, and he proudly shows off his new wings to anyone who will stop and look.

Crash course in Berries (please save him)
Shortly after the peaceful morning and a very unexpected encounter, Thace heads back into town to research his new Berry find. A few questions has him pointed at the flower shop, and well, maybe he wasn't expecting the response to his inquiry about Berry growing.

Thace stands with a faint look of overwhelmed surprise while no less than two of the employees very excitedly tell him all about Berries! ...While piling his arms full of all the 'necessities' to get a start on growing them. It just may be a little too much for one man to carry all on his own, and Thace hasn't been able to get a word in edgewise. Help?

As for his Pokemon, two of them are listening with interest, while Vrig uses her tassel to help steady the growing pile of things. Athvrix can be found peeking out of a pot at his feet while Vruli carries a trowel around him in circles, very proud of her new toy.

Poffin Class
Thace is still in the flower shop at noon, although the chaos is mostly under control. His new supplies are stacked neatly, and he's intently listening to the class on Poffin making while following along.

Vruli wanted to make poffins too! She's making a mess more than anything, but with Vrig's help to steady the spoon, she might get something edible out of the experience yet.

Can you take a break from a vacation?
After all the excitement of the morning, Thace has retreated to somewhere quieter. It just so happens that it's a roof of one of the houses facing the meadow. He's reclining on his side and carefully controlling equal consumption of poffins by giving his Pokemon little bites to nibble on. If someone manages to climb up to him, he'll give them a nod. "Busy day?"
breakyourlife: (TH (93))

The Gym

[personal profile] breakyourlife 2020-08-12 10:35 pm (UTC)(link)
Truth be told, Steve would rather just go in and get this fight over with. It's not in his nature to put this much thought in, and all this strategizing is starting to give him a headache. The thing is, it's a new region and he wants to impress them. He's trained up quite a few level 100 Pokémon by now, so why not show off with the elite team?

It seems he's not the only one who's frequenting the gym before challenging it either. Easily distracted as he is, or perhaps because of how tall Thace is, Steve can't help but notice. When he finds himself seated nearby one morning he decides to strike up conversation.

"You planning on fighting her?"
breakyourlife: (TH (28))

[personal profile] breakyourlife 2020-08-13 11:53 pm (UTC)(link)
That also definitely stands out. It's not uncommon to see people with one or two of their team out and about, but you don't usually see this many out of their balls. Especially not somewhere like this.

"I think my guys should take her pretty easy," Steve says casually. "Even with the elite team we have a lot of advantages."

It's not quite the truth, otherwise why would he be watching so many challenges before taking his own? But Steve isn't one to voice his fear of defeat without needing to. Especially not to some guy he just met.
breakyourlife: (TH (35))

[personal profile] breakyourlife 2020-08-14 03:34 am (UTC)(link)
"Roserade?" Steve sounds a little incredulous at that. "Don't you have a fire type?"

Steve's been in this world several months at this point, but despite his outward confidence he hasn't grasped the intricacies of battle outside of (most) type matches and a few stolen move combinations. Still. He knows elite teams are nothing to take lightly, which is why he's actually taking the time to try to plan. The last thing he wants is to be humiliated in a brand new region.

"I've got birds. I bet they can take Torterra. Unless it has rock moves. They hate rocks."
fingersandteeth: (unsure)

The Gym

[personal profile] fingersandteeth 2020-08-14 06:48 am (UTC)(link)
Steven is also a believer in doing his research before each Gym, which is why he ends up watching a few matches seated nearby to Thace one of those days. After watching a second match, in which the challenger manages to eke out a win with their Delibird, he turns his head to say, "I always like it when people go after the non-obvious type weaknesses, myself. Probably because I took Erika down with a Woobat and a Galvantula, for lack of any Fire types except a Litwick I'd only just caught."
fingersandteeth: (relaxed)

[personal profile] fingersandteeth 2020-08-14 05:44 pm (UTC)(link)
Steven whistles. "Okay, yeah, that's-- not a lot to work with. But. If you'll give me a minute--"

And he'll reach down into his backpack (which he's using instead of his usual briefcase for his bag because vacation) and pulls out his HM case.

"I've got the full Johto set," he says. "It should only take a minute to give your Noibat Fly and that was very useful when I did Erika's gym. It's one of those moves where you can avoid getting hit for a turn."
marmoron: marmoron (waiting to be picked up)

preboarding

[personal profile] marmoron 2020-08-14 05:51 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Keith isn't exactly fond of the Jennies and has been eyeing the security to see if there's a way to sneak his knife on board when he spots the commotion with Thace. Hurriedly he moves towards his fellow Blade. ]

Thace.

[ Then giving the bawling Whismur a glance. ]

What's wrong?
fingersandteeth: (relaxed)

[personal profile] fingersandteeth 2020-08-14 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
"I mean, it's fine," Steven says. "I'm not giving it to you. I'm just going to use it on your pokemon and it's an HM, which means you can use it more than once. I'm still keeping it. But I figure, why not? It doesn't cost me anything to help you out that way and it'll be useful for you. And once you're ready to challenge one of the gyms that clears you for Flying out of battle, it'll be even more useful."
marmoron: marmoron (finding words)

[personal profile] marmoron 2020-08-14 09:39 pm (UTC)(link)
[ Ahhhh. Keith relaxes visibly at that, leaning down to offer the Whismur a pat on the head. ]

If it puts you at ease, neither being inside a pokeball nor storage causes your pokemon any harm. Here, let me show you.

[ Sliding his bag down his shoulder, he grabs a pokeball from inside. A moment later, a Houndoom emerges from inside which yawns and stretches before coming over to nip playfully at Keith's sleeve. ]

See? Not so bad right, Buddy?
lioness_rampant: (normal_VLD_S1_E3_0115)

[personal profile] lioness_rampant 2020-08-15 02:42 am (UTC)(link)
[ Of course, where Keith can be found, it's safe to assume that Allura isn't very far behind. She's never been in an airport before, nor has she ever experienced overpriced airport food, so of course she had to throw herself headfirst at the food court.

When she approaches, its with her Pachirisu, Trigel, perched on her shoulder, and Gyrgan the Cinderace beside her. She and Gyrgan have their hands full with two large soft pretzels, a bag of pokemon treats, and something that looks like a slurpee. She's not exactly surprised to see him chatting with someone she doesn't recognize, but they're mostly acquainted with the same people. ]


Oh! Keith, who's your friend?
marmoron: (hanging on a moment)

[personal profile] marmoron 2020-08-15 04:51 am (UTC)(link)
Oh.

[ Keith winces. Woops, he did not mean to make the baby's anxiety worse. Buddy releases his sleeve, backing away from the crying with a judging look. Keith puts an arm around the demon doggo, trying to get him to be a lil friendlier. ]

I understand how you feel, but--

[ Hold that thought, here comes Allura. He grins up at the princess and her pokemon entourage. ]

Hey. Looks like you guys found some good stuff. [ Then more seriously: ] Allura, this is Thace. Thace, Princess Allura.
un_oiseau_rebelle: (Sidelong glance)

Pre-boarding

[personal profile] un_oiseau_rebelle 2020-08-15 07:00 am (UTC)(link)
"For what it's worth," Shinobu offers, having overheard bits of Thace's side of the conversation, "the pokeballs and the storage PC at least seem to be comfortable for the pokemon in them. At most some of mine have complained about being bored." Mostly his Zigzagoon, who has a knack for finding items, not all of which are unowned.
standless: (GASP...)

P O F F I N S

[personal profile] standless 2020-08-15 10:04 am (UTC)(link)
[As a breeder, Jonathan is naturally invested in this poffin business himself. He feels he's gotten quite good with curries (though his wife is quick to insist they are Never spicy enough), but poffins are apparently where it's at.

He's even taking notes. He has so many notes going on, and he's treating this as seriously as he would any of his classes. And-
]

D-danny, no! [he hisses, his yamper breaking free of their pokeball to clamber onto the table before them. HE! WANTS! TO TASTE!!] I am so sorry- [Sorry Thace, he'll- He'll just get the yamper out of the way-]
un_oiseau_rebelle: (Sideways glance)

[personal profile] un_oiseau_rebelle 2020-08-15 09:01 pm (UTC)(link)
It's not that Shinobu doesn't have qualms of his own about this society and the ways pokemon exist within it, but still. Wow. "I think in this case the requirement is more a matter of safety protocols - it's much easier to keep them close in case of an emergency if they're in the balls."

That and the airline's probably had some bad experiences with loose pokemon causing trouble in the past, but he's not so sure he should mention that right now. Instead, he turns his attention to the Espurr. "You really want one of those, don't you?" he asks it.

Page 1 of 6