victory_road | a new rival appears

Entry tags:

a new rival appears

Who: Kaiba, Kingyoku the Goomy, and you!
Where: Obsidian Fieldlands, Cobalt Coastlands, Alabaster Icelands, Hisui
When: July!
Summary: One of the stranded people in Hisui wasn't in the present with the rest of you. Someone is completely lost and angry at the world. Help him or snap back?
Rating: E10+ for minor instances of anger and small injuries.
Log:

wiggle wiggle:

Among the temporally displaced newcomers to Hisui is a tall teenager with messy brown hair and sharp blue eyes, one most of the others won't recognize. He's growled at the guild members, reluctantly taken their deal for clothing and shelter, and ended up walking away with new blue and grey clothing in an ancient style and a strange red and brown ball in his hand.

Once he finds a relatively calm spot on the river, he releases the hatch on the ball. His eyes widen when some sort of purple slimeball pops out. It makes an odd squishy noise at him, twitches its antenna in the air....and rushes straight at the river to play in the shallows. This thing seems to really like the water. It wobbles and shivers like some kind of dessert jelly....

"Great. So I'm...in a new world some hundred years behind mine, where almost everything's trying to kill me, with this little jelly for protection?"

What a day. Kaiba peels off his new sandals and rolls up his pant legs, opting to sit close to the small creature and watch it play. It splashes about, all smiles: contrasting his trainer, all frowns.

working hard for the money:

Kaiba eventually picks up on the basics of Pokémon training through observation (and maybe a few questions). His little friend Kingyoku knows a few attack and defense abilities that he can use if the two get in trouble, and together they're meant to explore the wild and gather supplies. Fine, he can do that.

They don't stray far from camp (how he hates sleeping next to all these strangers), but they do search high and low for berries and leeks to earn their keep. Kingyoku's especially good at finding leeks, doing a little wobbly dance whenever he finds one. It's...almost cute.

Berries are a different story. Kingyoku isn't really solid enough to ram into trees to knock them down, so that leaves Kaiba to attempt to climb them. He hops onto a tree, hauls himself up the branches....

...and is promptly knocked down by a falling larva-like creature wrapped in leaves. Whoops. Kingyoku bubbles angrily, zooming over to try to scare it off! He hisses and spits a hot stream of bubbles. Kaiba looks up bleary-eyed as he hauls himself to his feet. What the heck?

The little goober is protecting him? He feels a strange surge of emotion in his chest and hops up to his feet, just as the weird leaf-bug surges forward for a bite.

"Attack!"

Kingyoku can't dodge in time, but it's so gelatinous that the bite doesn't seem to have much of an effect. And it's in perfect range for Kingyoku to spit some kind of hot breath, sending the thing flying backward.

Kaiba spares a little smile. Maybe they'll survive after all...is what he thinks until another one of these leaf-cloaked larvae drops out of the next tree, also gearing up to attack.

Help?

night skies

After dusk, when it's too dark to safely travel and unnerving ghostly sounds fill the area, Kaiba reluctantly retreats to the beach where everyone's tents are set up. He seems to hesitate around the outskirts of camp, looking at the gathered people socializing with a frown.

How are so many of them calm about this? Taken from their lives, partnering with strange beings...none of it's normal. He's no delicate flower, he can survive, but the idiot who trapped them here needs to get her mistake fixed ASAP.

He plants himself on a log and frowns up at the sky. The stars are surprisingly bright without the light pollution of the modern world, but...! No. No positives.

Kingyoku bumps into his leg then. Ugh, he's going to get his new clothes all slimy. Kaiba oh-so-carefully picks him up and sets him on the log beside him, but his hands are a mess. He wipes them on what remains of his old turtleneck, which he's decided to keep as a rag.

He feeds Kingyoku a berry absently, and takes a deep breath...and that calms him enough to dare to try to speak to one of the more experienced people passing by.

"...How confident are you that they'll send us back?"

--((prompts for weeks 3-4))--

never quite clean (fieldlands)

The trouble with having a Goomy for a partner is that they're very slimy. And very affectionate. That means his only fully intact outfit is very often slimy.

Kaiba's once again at the river by the dam at dusk, wearing his slightly ripped black leather pants while he washes his clothes *again*. He has a whole setup for laundry with buckets, water heated by a small fire (thanks to the little Ponyta curled up on the sands nearby), and he's rubbing his hands raw with scrubbing. Goomy slime really is stubborn.

Meanwhile the guilty Pokémon plays in the shallows in front of his Trainer, doing his usual dance.

"I'd probably kill for a washing machine right now."

highest heights (coastlands)

Once Kingyoku and his new fiery pony Zephyra are both a little stronger, it's finally time to train against tougher Pokémon! He takes them to the Cobalt Coastlands for some searching, training, and gathering. And an incredible view of the ocean wouldn't hurt, really.

He finds such a view on the cliffside to the left, and there's a relatively easy walking path up there. They have to battle their way through a few Pokémon, but once they make it to the top...it's an incredible view of the beach, with a few hidden lakes and lagoons on either side.

Time to let Kingyoku and Zephyra see the view! He lets his two Pokémon out of their balls and takes a seat on the cliff beside them. A little risky? Of course. But the view can't be beat.

He just...gently pulls King back from the ledge before he can attract a nearby bird. "Easy. I don't know how an aerial battle's gonna work when you can't fly."

King seems to pout. He's a dragon, he wants to fly! But that's not gonna happen, buddy.

hot spring field trip (end of month, icelands)

Kaiba is absolutely miserable once they arrive in the Icelands. He has a team of three by now, but his gentle little moth isn't really doing well in the cold. It's Zephyra who takes the lead here, the pony's gentle heat very welcome in this environment. He walks beside her on his travels, and her flames seem to scare off most of the smaller Ice-types. That's a relief.

He's looking for somewhere to stop and double check his supplies when he finds an unexpectedly peaceful place...a hot spring. Zephyra accidentally kicks a rock and the Pokémon in the spring turn to him...but they collectively shrug and turn back. Two that resemble muscular men with reptilian faces approach...but all they do is flex, laugh...and are they waving them over?

"...do we join them?" Kaiba asks, frozen in place. What a bizarre situation.

wildcard:
[ ooc: want a different prompt? feel free to suggest one here! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

He isn't the same Marik. Much like when Kaiba had to rebuild his mind minus the "darker" part thanks to the Pharaoh, the blonde has had to do it on a lesser scale. While his more psychotic side is gone, he still does have his darker tendencies. That's something he'll never get rid of. How can you when you've gone through as much as he has? But now he's a bit more familiar with the dark parts of his mind and is able to express them as himself. No more putting the blame on others. He's responsible for whatever terrible things he may wind up doing.

Marik looks up to meet Kaiba's gaze, a bit taken aback by the other boy's calm response. He might not have forgiven him audibly but he's giving him a second chance, and that's all the Egyptian could ask for.

And so he takes a hold of Kaiba's hand and gives it a firm shake, managing a smile.

"Thank you, Kaiba. I... I do appreciate it. I promise I won't do you wrong."

The nicer Marik way of saying 'I'm not going to backstab you' perhaps.

"...I'll promise the same. Not that I have infinite resources anymore, but I can probably interfere in a situation or two."

A faint smile briefly crosses his face. He's reasonably sure he's not making a mistake here? He takes a breath, finishes the firm shake, then sits back. He's noticeably more relaxed as King slides up onto the bank beside him, cooing happily.

"I'd ask if you want to gather berries with me, but I don't think your ghost is likely to be much better at slamming into trees than King. Maybe leeks."

Marik shrugs. "Eh, in this case I'll gladly accept your brains to your money."

Which is true. Kaiba is incredibly sharp and intelligent for someone his age. Someone who can provide a different perspective on things.

And over the past few months, the blonde has gotten by without his own vast funds pretty decently so it isn't a huge deal to him. Kaiba though. Kaiba is fresh from being transported here so he understands the shock. ... It must be even worse though given they're in the past.

That's hard to wrap his head around. Let's just forget that.

He chuckles at the thought of King trying to headbutt trees.

"Yeah. Probably not. He can float up to them but... doesn't really have the hands to pick them. I guess leeks are our best bet."

Marik pauses as he looks over at his Gastly.

"He needs a name. I've been so preoccupied, I haven't thought of one..."

Kaiba decides to gently pet King. The Goomy coos happily, oblivious to the slime now all over his Trainer's hand. Ah...well, he'll just have to get used to being slimed.

His attention then turns to Marik's dilemma.

"How did you pick names for your others?"

"Just older Egyptian or Arabic names. Nothing particularly fancy." He takes a moment to look at his newest Pokémon and considers a few names.

... Hmm. Perhaps a bit unoriginal but it fits.

"Usi," he says. "It means smoke."

The Gastly seems pleased. Marik smiles and stands up, giving himself a bit to stretch before addressing Kaiba.

"Well, shall we then?"

"Usi," Kaiba repeats, committing the name to memory. Quick, easy to remember, simple to call out in battle. It fits.

King happily slides out of the water and coos up at Kaiba, and he reaches down to pet him one more time. Good little goo dragon.

"They grow more closer to the river, so we shouldn't have to go far. There's one," he points, listening for Pokémon sounds before they trek forward. Hopefully they won't be ambushed this time...

...he does hear a sound, but it seems to be one of the small beavers common around the dam. They're mostly harmless.

At least they seem to have decently capable pokémon with them.

Marik leads the way though, following the riverside and keeping an eye out for any wild pokémon that might look like trouble. They're left alone thankfully and eventually reach a good spot with lots of vegetation. The blonde grins, proud of their find, and rushes forward-

Only to trip over a weed.

His life flashes before his eyes (Not really. He's just being dramatic) and everything feels like it's going in slow motion. He makes a grab for... well, he's not sure but that fails miserably as he falls into the not very deep river.

Splash.

There's some pathetic splashing about as Marik realizes he actually doesn't know how to swim.

And then he realizes... the water is shallow enough to crouch in without being submerged. He props himself up on his hands and knees, still partially under the water, and Kaiba gets treated to the hilarious visual of the Egyptian looking like a wet cat with runny eye makeup.

He does not look happy.

Kaiba is content to go along for the journey. It's a relief to have company---safety in numbers, after all. Marik and Usi are welcome companions, which is an odd thing to think---considering the way Kaiba and Marik's meetings tend to go.

He hangs back as Marik rushes ahead, only to be surprised as his companion manages to trip over his feet and vault into the river. That...is definitely unpleasant, he sympathizes, but King thinks this is funny! The little Goomy slides after him with surprising speed, plopping into the river next to Marik and nudging his leg.

"...you alive there?" Kaiba asks, taking his time in walking closer. He does his best not to cringe.

Is he alive? Or did he die of embarrassment?

"... Yes." He manages to mutter from under all that hair before rising back up - with a quick pat to Goomy for coming over to him. "Well, now that I'm drenched, I guess I can do the dirtier work."

Marik lets out an exasperated siiighhh and wrings out his hair as best he can. He looks over at Kaiba, not realizing yet that his makeup looks absolutely ridiculous now. Like the stereotypical girl with too much makeup that has been crying.

Usi's actively trying not to snicker. He's glad his trainer is safe, yes, but... well, you know.

"You know... if I had been expecting I'd dive face first into a river, I'd have enjoyed that more."

Someone's ego is bruised. Look at that embarrassed pout.

"... At least I found some leeks. I suppose that makes my fumble worth it."

A pause.

"Stop snickering, Usi."

King nuzzles Marik's hand and makes happy Goomy noises, gladly gathering some leeks in its mouth! See, he can be helpful too!

As for Kaiba...well, he'll be carefully twisting and tying his ruined (and washed) turtleneck into an extra bag for leek carrying. He gathers the few on the bank, then looks up at Marik.

"...You might want to wash your face. But don't do it downstream from King."

... Oh.

Oh. Oh, no. His makeup! The Egyptian freaks out for a moment as he realizes it's been ruined, along with the kohl stick in his pocket.

Truly a sad day.

Marik grimaces and makes sure he's not down river from the smile as he washes his face, leaving enough kohl around his eyes though to continue giving him that smokey look. It's not much though.

Gods, he feels so plain without it.

Sucking up his pride, Marik gets to picking some leeks with the rest of them, remaining silent for a few minutes. Then he crouches down near King and whispers to him, trying to hide his smirk: "Think I should splash him?"

Kaiba nods to let him know that he's cleaned up all right, though the river reflection probably could've told him that. He crouches to neatly pile some leeks, putting him in prime splashing range.

And King thinks this is an excellent idea too! He bounces and does his little dance, smiling up at Marik. Yes, let's all have fun together!

You know, that thought never even occurred to him to look in the river for his reflection so Kaiba's nod is answer enough.

Not that it will matter much in a minute after he gets conformation from King, to which he cackles about. Marik uses both hands to swipe sideways and send a wave of river water flying at the taller teen.

"Aargh!"

Kaiba staggers back as he's thoroughly splashed. He narrows his eyes at Kingyoku...who appears to be laughing as he dances. Traitor.

"If it's war you want...then war you'll get."

A smirk falls across his features, and he kicks his shoes off and wades into the river. He retaliates with a low sweeping water wave---though he has a little courtesy left in him, he's not aiming for the face.

This. This sort of thing is exactly what Marik's been wanting since reconciling with the Pharaoh. To enjoy life. Something as simple as a water fight is a new and exciting thing to him. He doesn't even care that the force of the water knocks him backwards fully into the river again.

He kicks his feet, trying his best to splash Kaiba with whatever ounce of water he can, all while laughing his head off. Which is in turn making him almost too weak to fight back.

"King, help me!"

Meanwhile Usi's just watching this all unfold from the riverside, shaking his head.

His trainer is insane, clearly.

King helps! He bounces up and starts spraying bubbles---gently, not hard enough to hurt anyone. Kaiba sputters and tries to fan them away, but he drops on his knees beside Marik and King.

"It'll take hours to dry," he complains, but he splish-splashes anyway. Might as well while they're down here.

King is the best boy. The gentle bubbles floating around and bumping against Kaiba just makes him laugh harder. Maybe it's silly to be laughing like this but he's needed this release. Like a good cry, which he might be doing but it's hard to tell with how soaked Marik is. Pathetic attempts to splash Kaiba are made but he's not really aiming for him anymore, just sort of splashing in general.

After a few minutes, the Egyptian is far too weak to continue the fight and floats there on his back, trying to catch his breath and grinning like a fool. His makeup is pretty much gone now.

"Okay... I concede. You win, Kaiba. I've tuckered... myself out too quickly..."

King wins! He leaps into Seto's lap and nuzzles him, bubbling happily. Everyone's playing in the water with him, this is so great. Seto sighs, but he gently hugs his Goomy. It's nice to see him so playful.

He hauls himself over to the river bank and looks back at Marik, still surprised by that smile. He's having fun...it reminds him of someone else he knows.

"We're going to have to work on your stamina, then," he says gently. "But this spot's safe enough. I've only seen a couple beavers floating by, and they're harmless."

He cranes his neck as King wades over, and the small Goomy gently headbutts Marik's side. "Think he wants to make sure you're okay."

"Heh. Yeah. I'm hoping traveling more will help with that," he replies from his spot in the river. Once King comes over and nudges him though Marik sits up and slowly raises from the water. "Thanks for checking on me, King."

He wades out of the river, tucking the Goomy under his arm until he back on land and next to Kaiba, then sets him down.

"Guess we should head back to the camp then? We didn't get a whole lot of leeks... but some is better than nothing."

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

a new rival appears

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