victory_road | hisui catch-all

Being separated from his friends and his Pokemon is a traumatic affair for Kirishima, but at least he's not truly alone. There are faces he recognizes among the crowd of newcomers and he is likely to gravitate that way while things are being explained. While it sounds like an honest mistake and he can't in good conscience yell himself at the overzealous scientist, he won't be doing anything to stop others from doing so. Only if someone makes to get physically aggressive does he step in, and only to try and restrain the perpetrator from doing anything too rash.

In the meantime he seeks comfort in those he knows, perhaps reuniting with some old contacts time and circumstances have just kept him from staying in touch with.

Nothing can wipe away the worry he feels for the team he's been taken from, but knowing there's something they can do to get back brings him hope. And there's just something that flips in his chest when he tosses out his assigned Pokeball and sees the flop of curly fur over the eyes of what ostensibly is a puppy.

"Heyyy, buddy, I'm Kirishima..." He rasps, dropping into a crouch to better be on the Growlithe's level, if not look her in the eyes. A shaky breath and he gives in. "Can I hug you?"

The open-mouth that looks like a grin, the lolling tongue, and the sway of a fluffy tail all seem to signal permission to him and the redhead gratefully half-flings himself across the gap, onto his knees, in order to hug the pup around the neck, burrying his face into the warm fur. Pokemon truly are amazing. After a moment, he withdraws, using a thumb to wipe away any lingering remnants the fur didn't take from his outpouring of emotion. A laugh stutters out of him when the Growlithe just helpfully washes it away with a sloppy lick to the face.

"Thanks."

Maybe things will be okay.

Kirishima looks around, wondering if anyone else has been similarly blessed, cursed, or just for any other familiar faces while his hands begin the work of some grateful ear scratches for his new partner.

Edited 2022-07-07 06:05 (UTC)

A short distance away there's a little yip. Loki looks over in Kirishima's direction, attention drawn by his new Zorua's vocalization. The pokemon looks up at him, then back at the boy and his dog while doing a little dance.

"I believe my little one would like to say hello to you and your new companion. Were you brought here with the rest of us?"

"Oh, a Zorua! Though..." Kirishima's brow briefly furrows because it's not like any Zorua he's ever seen before. The same could be said for his Growlithe. He decides not to voice the observation yet, instead sitting back on his heels and looking up at the man who addressed him.

"Yeah, now we've all got the new clothes, it's kinda hard to tell, right?" He touches the dark blue kimono top he's wearing, the same as everyone else in the camp. Kirishima hadn't taken any particular flourishes to his outfit yet, still reeling from the rough arrival. He does, however, have medium length cherry red hair that makes him more of a standout among the natives. The smile he offers up to Loki is small and reflexive, the sort of thing one gives to dissuade worries.

"I'm Kirishima. This is Growlithe... at least for now. Maybe we'll find a nickname that suits you the more we get to know each other." He gives the Pokemon a pat on the shoulder. "Do you wanna go play with Zorua?"

Growlithe gives a soft whuff! and a wag of her fluffy tail. Due to the fur, it's hard to say if she's looking at Zorua, but her head is turned that way! While moderation is a trait she often lacks, in this case she recognizes something a bit smaller than her, so she'll let the dancing Pokemon make more of a move.

Edited 2022-07-08 22:34 (UTC)

"Well met, Kirishima. I am Loki. We are still working on a name for Zorua, but I was leaning toward 'Vakker'."

Vakker gives a happy yip at the proposed name before bounding over to yip playfully at Growlithe. Despite his smaller size, he doesn't seem intimidated by the larger pokemon.

As the Zorua bounds over, Growlithe makes to stand and so does Kirishima, both to better engage with who's approached them. The redhead keeps the two Pokemon in his peripheral vision, but he's getting from his new partner's body language she's going for play - maybe a chase or a race - and not a battle. That's a good sign. He hadn't been that lucky with his first 'starter'.

"That sounds pretty cool!" He addresses Loki. "...Does it have a meaning behind it?"

"It's Asgardian for 'beautiful,'" Loki says fondly as he watches Vakker play bow in front of Growlithe before pouncing at him.

"Have you been in this world long?"

It is a bit comical, watching the bigger dog romp off with a smaller fox pouncing after. It earns a little grin from the redhead, the gesture flashing a bit of jagged teeth in the process.

"Asgardian, huh?" Kirishima nods his head and purses his lips. Clearly the name doesn't ring a bell, though admittedly he's not sure if that's because he's just stupid when it comes to the geography of his own home world or if Loki's from somewhere else entirely. The latter would have never been a consideration had Kirishima not been here for a while.

"Y..eah, I mean not as long as others, but it's been a couple years now! In the future of this one, though, apparently?" He rubs at the back of his neck. "I'm not sure I heard all of the explanation right, but it sounds like someone messed with a time machine and brought all the off-worlders here."

Edited 2022-07-15 01:37 (UTC)

The teeth catch Loki's eye, but he doesn't comment on it, instead diverting his attention back to the pokemon just as Vakker to 'tackles' Growlithe, the larger dog rolling to the ground in compliance with the 'attack.' It really is adorable.

Still, at the mention of their predicament he can't help but frown. "Yes, and the so called 'scientist' who did it should count herself lucky she is currently our only way back to the future of this land." Yeah, he's angry and only barely containing the murderous impulses by virtue of this technically being a children's property!

"A couple years, you say? That is still quite a bit of time. And there are others who have been here longer?"

Kirishima can catch an angry tone and sympathizes, but he's not in the habit of immediately ascribing murderous intent to strangers. If he were, the conversation might be different. For the moment, this Loki just seems like formal-speaking newbie.

"Yeah. When we--" A moment's hesitation, "Me and my friend got here, we asked some questions on the network and one of the people who helped us said he'd been here for ten years. That was almost two years ago, so..." Buckle in, Loki, you could be here for a while. "What about you? How long've you been away from Asgard?"

If they are still here, it would be twelve years. With Loki's extended lifespan, it shouldn't seem like a long time, but he can't help but think how much has changed for himself in less time and get a little dizzy with the thought of being here so long.

"Only a few weeks. It feels as if I just settled into a routine when this happened." He gestures to the wilderness around them.

"That sucks. And none of us came here with our Pokemon from the other time. I hope it's like back where we're from where no one even knows we're gone." Kirishima folds his arms, squeezing one of his own biceps in silent worry with a hand.

"I may not know much about this place, but if you've got any questions about Pokemon or whatever, I'd be happy to help."

After testing the waters with his newly acquired Growlithe by doing some chores in camp, Kirishima feels confident enough in their bond to take her outside and really put her to work. The can-do attitude she exhibited by nearly starting a kitchen fire really lends itself, he thinks, to scorching Bidoofs away from the camp. While the things seem bumbling, they can certainly take a hit and Kirishima has to remind himself they almost certainly wouldn't think twice about chowing down on the camp's reserves and structures.

Patrols also mean he can do a little gathering work as their route brings them across the occasional medicinal leek in the Obsidian Fields. Hopefully he's not accidentally getting in the way of someone else's payoff? It's a stroke of fortune and meatheadedness as Kirishima attempts to punch and kick his way through a tumblestone ( he can't ) only to discover Growlithe is completely capable of doing so herself. A Rock type in addition to Fire, how awesome is that!

After almost two years, training Pokemon feels routine, but in a comforting way. What he finds he's really missed is doing a job something like what he ought to be doing back where he came from - protecting people, scouting a perimeter for trouble. All that's left is a good old-fashioned rescue.

Edited 2022-07-07 06:05 (UTC)

On patrol, Kirishima will find a disaster in progress. There's an unfamiliar teenager standing alone in a low field, a small and obviously injured Goomy at his side. They're being faced down by a very angry-looking Luxio, who's currently tensing for an attack. The air is crackling with electricity.

The little Goomy rears up as if to spew bubbles, but Kaiba recalls him to his Poké Ball. "No, we have to go!" He spins on his heel and runs----but how is this thing so fast? He looks wildly around for an answer.

Obviously not throwing himself into the water. Climbing---no, it looks like it can climb faster than him. He tries to run for the bridge, but the air fills with electricity. He falls on one knee with a yelp.

There are a few rocks in reach, and he tries to grab for one and throw---but his arm really doesn't want to work, still stinging with electricity.

Great. This is how he dies, torn apart by some electric lion thing.

...Hopefully someone will come by and find King's ball.

"Growww!"

The howl comes with a small torrent of rocks flying over Kaiba's head and pelting into the adolescent, but still vicious lion Pokemon. If it weren't for the noise, it could feasibly be a dying man's last imagination. A moment later, a tiger-striped, overgrown puppy comes bounding into view while Luxio reels from the blast, briefly obscuring the view with the volume of it's fluffy, curly tail.

"Now finish it off with a Tackle!" Comes the bark of an order, masculine with a bit of gravel. The view becomes even more obscured as the owner decides to set himself between the Pokemon battle ( really more of a takedown ) and Kaiba, becoming a natural body-block.

It's a blessing and a curse that the Obsidian Fieldlands have such wide, open fields that allow for those who stand on the hills or mountainous outcroppings to see for miles. The curse is that the Luxio spotted Kaiba just trying to live his life and took it personally; the blessing is he's not alone. Kirishima had already seen the other young man from further up the path towards the camp, tall as he seemed even from a distance, and the clash that seemed inevitable the moment he spotted the telltale yellow flick of that tail-tip nearby. So he and Growlithe were already on their way.

Now, seeing the Luxio crumple into a faint, Kirishima turns towards the brunette to give a cursory check for any obvious injuries. It looked like he got a nasty blast before, but he'd decided against hauling the man away since he looked like he might just be able to run on his own if just given a moment - not that he needed to any more. Whether Kaiba continued to go across the bridge or not, Kirishima will check in with him.

"Dude, that was so manly! Are you good?"

Kaiba is curled around King's ball, trying to summon up the strength to launch a rock or run or something, anything, when the scary lightning lion is suddenly stonewalled by a hard-headed puppy.

The lion falls. Kaiba takes a moment to recover his breath, and makes one more attempt to stand. He finally makes it up, the partial paralysis gone. He's now able to face his rescuers, the man and the pup.

"I got stunned, like a taser. I think I can move now." He stretches his limbs, and finds they're no longer locked, just sore. "But I'll need to find more berries and leeks. Kingyoku got hurt trying to protect me."

He rolls the simple wooden ball in his hand.

Kirishima keeps an eye on Kaiba, close enough to simply reach down and haul the other to his feet or keep him stabilized without being bid, but it seems like the other can make it up on his own so the redhead lets him.

"Less hurt than they woulda been, thanks to you! I saw you recall 'em and take the hit yourself. Electric moves are no joke!" He's impressed. "Let's get to a safer location first, but I've got some medicine with me. Can you walk back across the bridge towards camp?"

"...Yeah, I'm fine." Kaiba can push through and get them to safety. It's only a little lingering pain, he's had far worse. He clings tight to King's ball the whole walk over, only briefly looking over at his rescuer.

"How did your dog crush it? I've never seen an attack like that."

"Cover us, Growlithe." Is the instruction from the trainer as he escorts Kaiba back across the bridge, only a step or so behind so he can keep a watch both on the other male and the path ahead. There should be nothing around the bridge on this side except the occasionally stupid Magikarp or Bidoof, neither of which he worried about as much as the Buizel, which were more eastern last he looked. It'll be a nice place to rest for a moment and tend to the Pokemon this guy has - something the redhead notes to still be protected fiercely.

"You mean Rock Slide?" Kirishima sounds bemused. It's one of the most basic Rock attacks! Then again, he's noticed Rock and Ground seem to be under-appreciated, or ~~definitely~~ maybe he's just more drawn to those types himself. "Every Pokemon has a different style of doin' it, but she just howled and summoned a bunch of the river rocks to hit the Luxio, I think"

Yeah, like that's just common and how it is.

"You have a Goomy, right? They can learn that move too with a TM! Though... I don't think they have anything like those here. Our Gear doesn't even work here."

"It's my third day with Pokémon," he explains. "I've heard the rest of you have been training with them for months or years in the future, but I came straight here from home."

There's a lot to learn and he doesn't have the learning resources the others did when they started. He's extremely bitter about it, but he makes it to the safe spot regardless. He carefully lets Kingyoku out, and the little Goomy rushes to the shallows where it feels safe. Kaiba crouches at the edge, keeping him within arms' reach.

"Right. I've been told his attacking moves are Bubble and Dragon Breath, and neither of them seemed to hurt that lion much."

"FOR REAL?!" Is Kirishima's sympathetic, though all too loud outburst when Kaiba tells him this is his third day. He thought it was bad enough every off-worlder he knew got yanked here too, but to find out there were new arrivals with this as their first experience? "That's crazy! Yeah, in the future - man, that's weird to say - there's technology and cities and stuff. I mean Pokemon still attack you in the wild there all the time, but there are a lot more resources for you to deal with that."

As he's speaking, Kirishima is digging out from his bag a little glass bottle of purple liquid. He offers it to Kaiba.

"Here. It's a remedy. It'll heal Kingyoku. Normally this sorta stuff comes in a spray bottle, if you can believe that. Has anyone told you about type advantages yet?"

Edited 2022-07-08 23:33 (UTC)

Kaiba cringes just a little---whoa, they're not in a loud city here. But it's all right...he's here to care for King, who's still a little shaken up from the experience. He gratefully accepts the medicine and administers it, and after a few moments, the Goomy is back to his usual self! He's dancing in the water as he usually does.

"I've been told the basics like the circle of grass, fire, and water, and I've been able to puzzle out a few more, but apparently there's a whole chart with complex interactions and Pokémon can have more than one type. And conveniently, everyone's copy of the chart was on a device that no longer works."

He's a little sour about that. "Is rock strong against electric, then?"

Sorry, Kaiba, you're dealing with someone who's pretty excitable and has a powerful set of lungs on him. Good thing you're both away from an area where stealth is required. But Kirishima calms down quickly, especially when he watches the medicine revive the Goomy. He can't help a chuckle at its wobbly little dance, though it's bittersweet since it reminds him of his own. His team is back in the future and it's just him and Growlithe now - not that she's bad company!

Growlithe goes to take a drink from the river, at first downstream from Kingyoku, only to snuffle and drool the water right back out. Bleh! Kaiba's not the only one learning a lesson today.

"No, it's got normal effectiveness, but Rock Slide is a physical move and Electric types as a general rule have weak defenses to those sort of attacks." Kirishima moves to sit on a rather large rock that is near the riverside. "Ground type is the only super effective type against them - actually Electric doesn't usually effect Ground types at all. You're right, Pokemon sometimes have more than one type, but not more than two. But it gets even more confusing when you learn not all their moves have to necessarily match their types!"

He gives a huff and rubs the back of his neck. "Honestly? The best way to learn is doing exactly what you're doing. Learning what the partner you have can do. Even if you're some sort of genius who can memorize that chart, it's nothing next to experience. I don't think anyone looks at a Goomy and goes 'that's a dragon'. Right? But it is."

Edited 2022-07-09 01:00 (UTC)

Kaiba watches the Growlithe curiously...okay, Goomy residue is gross. Got that. He reaches over to pet King, glad that his partner is doing better. King warbles happily in response.

"Right. I was hoping to learn more, because I really don't want to put King in a dangerous situation...but he's what's called a special attacker, then?"

He gently splashes King in the River, and King playfully spits back.

"And you're right. Definitely didn't ping him as a dragon. I know my dragons, and he definitely didn't ping as one."

But he is friend-shaped. Kaiba smiles fondly at his little partner.

Growlithe, for her part, walks around Kaiba and King to go wash her mouth out and drink upstream. After that, she begins a semi-circle patrol around them, as the shore butts up against hills and woods on the way back to camp.

"Right. I kinda think of special attacks like energy or elemental attacks. Electricity, fire, water, psychic..." Kirishima cocks a wry, sharp-toothed grin watching the two interact. For someone who's only been here a few days, this stranger seems to be taking well to his partner and vice versa.

"There're lots of dragon Pokemon who don't look like dragons. Noibat looks like a bat, Gible looks like a shark. If you ever meet a Gible, do not try and throw it in water! It's a Ground type!" But now his curiosity is piqued. "Are dragons real where you come from?"

Kaiba has to think about that for a moment. "Not by most people's standards. They're not waiting around the outskirts of town hoarding treasure or anything along those lines...at least not in my era. But in the past, there were people whose souls took the form of dragons, and one of them was my ally."

The Blue Eyes White Dragon, his most trusted friend. He doesn't dare take the card out and risk water damage right now, though.

He glances at the dog guarding them and almost smiles. "Mm. I...suppose I should thank you both for saving us," he says, finally.

"Wooahh..." Kirishima breathes, grin widening as his imagination takes off with this piece of information. Of course there were legends where he's from about spirits possessing things or continuing on and there's Ghost Pokemon here, but how cool is it to think you could just straight up become a dragon when you die? It would make putting one's life on the line as a professional hero a little less daunting, at least he thinks so. "That's awesome!"

Kaiba probably could have told him literally anything and Kirishima would have believed it when it came to where he's from. He's heard all sorts of crazy things, but this one might rank up there on the cool factor.

"Aw man, you're welcome! I think we're both just happy we could help." Growlithe seems to still be in working mode, though one might notice the waggle of her fluffy tail as she otherwise seems to remain alert - that head is on a swivel at least even if the eyes are obscured by fur. "But I gotta say, you saved King all on your own. And even if Bubble wasn't the best choice, you guys still set it up for us to knock Luxio down!"

He taps his fists together at the knuckles.

Kaiba looks over at the Growlithe and suppresses a little smile---he'd never had a pup at home, but he knows how eager they can be to please. She'll be a loyal companion for such a headstrong trainer.

He reaches for King and gently pats him. "We'll keep practicing," he assures his Goomy. Then, back to Kirishima: "How do I figure out everything he can do? Another trainer mentioned a few move names to try, but I'm not sure if there's something else I should look at."

Edited 2022-07-11 03:09 (UTC)

"Good question. A database makes it a lot easier there. Ask him to show you what he's got!" Kirishima rubs his chin as he looks at the two. "What about Protect? That's a good defensive one. Absorb can give him back health, but it requires him taking energy from someone else so it's probably not one you wanna get demonstrated. But I don't think anything else needs a target."

"Alright. Can you...protect yourself? Increase your defenses?"

Kaiba's patient when he asks King these questions. He's not sure exactly what he's looking for, but it seems the Goomy understands the request. He lets out a little grunt, and a strange sort of wave-shield seems to appear before him! Kaiba gently tosses a berry at the shield to test it out, and it bounces right off, the shield flickering a moment before disappearing.

"Good," Kaiba praises, picking up the berry and feeding it to him. King's thrilled to have another snack! "So I guess he's tougher than he looks."

King burbles happily.

"Oh yeah, the Goomy line's best attribute is their Special Defense! So against those energy type attacks. And because he's a Dragon type, there aren't many attack types that are super effective on him - really just ice, fairy, and other dragons. One strategy that might be effective until you get the hang of predicting how other Pokemon attack or their type is to use Protect and Absorb to wear them down until they pass out. It can take forever, but it's one way to do it."

Kirishima shrugs. He's not the most patient of people when it comes to a fight, especially not in the wild, but he definitely appreciates the value of a damage soak and time has gotten him better at strategizing it. "I wouldn't worry too much about the specific names of moves right now, even if they're all pretty basic. As long as King understands what you mean, that's all that matters. Once we get all these machine parts, we'll be able to get back to a place you can look at a PokeDex."

King seems super-excited about this news. He dances in place with a happy little burble, as he tends to do.

"He's trying his best. I'll keep working with him. But...you think they'll be all right, coming so far out of their time?"

And here Kirishima was thinking the worst thing about these chores would be remembering home.

What has now been years ago, Kirishima's classmates had all taken a camping trip out to a remote site in the mountains. Granted, that ended up becoming one of the more stressful moments of their lives as they were attacked by a bunch of supervillains intent on kidnapping one of them... But before that it had been a lot like this situation. Everyone roving around, doing chores that will ultimately benefit everyone, one of those being cooking for the community.

It's the first or second day since they all arrived and Kirishima is hoping to get to know his Growlithe better. So while he wants to be going on patrols, he's deciding to take it slow and try things closer to camp. Being a Fire type Pokemon, Kirishima can only think Growlithe's best use for her abilities is at the cookpot. He's not the world's best cook, but he did have that person breathing down his neck teaching him how to be a serviceable chef at some point. The recipe isn't his problem.

"Okay, Growlithe, use Ember on those logs!"

"Groowwwww!"

Kirishima's lucky he was at the prep station still, because the flames that hit the wood are more of a jet - clearly the puppy is giving it her all - and it sends partially lit logs scattering out of the otherwise controlled pit and onto the grass, which also begins to ignite.

"Crap! Fire!" The redhead calls out, abandoning the meal to look around for anything immediately available to help put the thing out. T-minus two seconds before his shirt comes off in desperation.

A familiar face is all Shoto wants to see right now. The last thing he needs is to find out this separated him from the already dwindling amount of his classmates. He's on his way over, observing from the side with his small Cyndaquil tucked up under his chin where it rests.

About to call out to Kirishima, Shoto pauses instead when there's a massive fire move and then a further call of fire. Well. If there's one thing he's learned he's alright with. Setting the shy little one on his shoulder, Shoto lifts a pot off one of the other stations just to pour the water-only contents out over it. The world may be safe from ~~the party nipple~~ for now but Shoto is a little on edge. "Are you alright?" No longer can he control temperature and has to rely on hoping Kirishima is fine and doesn't need a medic.

hisui catch-all

arrival; show and tail; ota

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patrol; it's been a hard day's night; ota

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chores; shit's on fire yo; ota

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