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[4play]

Okay. So. [Reaching down, IV lifts a curious-looking Meowth kitten up into the sight of the camera.] This is Not my Cat.

He’s literally not my cat, but he thinks he is, or whatever else cat logic that equals making himself at home in my traveling bag means that I also ought to feed and entertain him now.

Recently not my cat has started to pelt me with small change -- is that f- I mean, is that normal? It looks like it's grabbing that amulet or whatever it has first and then poing! Always straight in my face!


[He gives Not His Cat an accusatory stare that gets met with the feline version of a :3 face. Can you blame such a cute face? It's definitely planning another coin attack and when to best spring it on its human.

Sighing, IV sets the kitten down.]


I'm also looking for anybody who'd be interested in hunting for pokemon together. It's recently ...been brought to my notice that only having one that's truly capable of fighting might not be a good thing, so any help or advice on how to build a good team would be worth gold.

Comments

[4play]

So you have all kinds of Eevees except one.

[He keeps paying Bella some attention, but makes also a mental note to attack Radley with electric types, should there ever be a need for it. Not that he has any reasons or plans to yet. It's just a good thing to know.]

You know, the more monsters you have, the more that is a good selling point for them! [He chuckles.] I only have three so far, but they'd still eat me out of my pants of they could. Especially Shark!

[crystalmaster]

Actually, Bella is the only evolved one I have so far. All the others are their original selves.

[He has wondered what he'll do if he starts getting all the evolved forms. Will he leave out Flareon and Jolteon? He's still not sure. But if anyone does try attacking him with electric, he knows what's strong against it.

He pets Bella and the others currently visible.]

Shark, hmm? Yes, he sounds like a heavy eater.

[4play]

I see. She's the class genius then~ Have you been here for long?

[IV will have to look into what might happen when his own pokemon are ready to take the same step soon.]

Yeah. He's a magikarp I named after an old ....friend.

[crystalmaster]

[Radley chuckles.]

She is very helpful and loves looking after everyone. But she seems to think she's a bigger, bluer, ice-making Eevee.

[Bella calls in agreement.]

Oh, I see. I wonder how he would feel about that.

[4play]

Isn't that just what she is? You don't have to act like an ice queen, just because you're an icy beauty~

[His expression turns impish.]

I'm sure the other Shark would have a lot to say to meeting his companion-in-name. Most likely a lot of things that are both very loud and very creative. They both like to flail around a lot.

[crystalmaster]

I quite agree. But I mean, I'm not sure she really understands she evolved. She often tries to do everything the Eevees are doing. She loves making ice, though.

[Radley giggles.]

It sounds very appropriate. I wonder if I'll ever name a Pokemon after my rival.

[4play]

Oh? Do you have somebody worth naming a monster after?

[crystalmaster]

I'd rather name them after my friends than my rival. But if I ever get a really short-tempered Pokemon who likes ranting and raving, well, "Malcolm" would be such an appropriate name for it.

[4play]

See, naming them after my friends is something that I wouldn't be able to do. [Because he doesn't have any.] It'd just feel weird, yelling my friend's names, ordering them around during a fight. It'd create an awkward overlap with my memories of the man and the monster too.

That's also why I stillhaven't found a good name for my Rockruff yet. I used to have a dog named Alexander as a kid and the pokemon seems to like that name, but I can't do that. It'd feel too much like replacing one with the other. How do you go about picking names for your pokemon?

Also, I think that there's pokemon types like that. Rageape, or what they were called? They look like big angry puff balls with boxing gloves.

[crystalmaster]

That would be pretty weird. I've wondered what I'll do if any of my friends come. Then things might get confusing.

I choose names based on who they remind me of, sometimes. Scotch, he's really energetic and curious, just like his human namesake.

[He laughs and tries not to shudder.]

That sounds terrifying.

[At least Malcolm was usually more bark than bite when it came to himself fighting. He had been far too good at giving sadistic orders for others to carry out.]

[4play]

[He laughs along before shaking his head.]

Shark is something of a notorious water duelist where I come from. It's because of my that he lost his dueling license, something he still blames me for. People like to pitch us as Fire vs. Water.

[crystalmaster]

[Radley blinks at this.]

... Did he deserve to lose his license?

[4play]

He looked through my deck right before the two of us were slated to fight in the finals of a pretty big tournament. I won't deny that I'm also at fault for leaving them somewhere where he could reach them, and there's that he must have been pretty nervous, what with it being his first big event and all that.... but, he was caught. On camera.

There's not much either of us could have done to save him after that, is there?

[What IV isn't saying is that he set Shark up to get the chance to look through his cards. He's not even particularly sorry for it. He merely gave the other the chance. Shark was the one who couldn't resist and who went that foolishly about it that he was caught and had his reputation destroyed by it.]

[crystalmaster]

... No, I guess not. That is a pretty foolish thing to do. But how did he get caught on camera? Was it a security camera?

[4play]

It was. They have them in all the waiting rooms for the participants - to make sure everybody's playing fair. The stadium wasn't only used for hosting duels, either, so I always figured that it was just part of their general security routine.

Do you think it was a strange thing to have? I'm not really familiar with how these things are usually handled in Japan. [another bald-faced lie]

[crystalmaster]

It makes sense to me. I guess he wasn't aware of the cameras?

[Which doesn't make as much sense to him.]

[4play]

Surprisingly not. I've wondered about the same, before you ask.

My best guess is that his nerves got the better of him.

[crystalmaster]

Yeah, nerves can really do a number on a person.

[Himself included.]

[4play]

They. It takes even pro duelists a good amount of time to get used to not succumbing to them, and even that can fail.

[Usually IV is damn good at keeping his nerves, even with his hot temper, but his last duel -- there's no denying that he lost it because of it. He'd chalk that up to very special circumstances rather than just losing his nerves, though.]

[crystalmaster]

I can believe it.

[He had seen it from many of his Duelists back home, former pro and otherwise. It had made Kalin's ice-cold approach all the more chilling and eerie to watch.

Some of his Pokemon approach the screen again, wanting to talk to the kitty.]