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Post by Kasumi Sasaki on Dec 10, 2020 22:03:32 GMT -6
Ringo: 3/3 Energy
Kasumi was not pouting—she was too old for something that childish. But she was frowning, stuffing her hands in the pockets of her leather jacket, and pointedly not looking at her older sister as the two walked down the dusty road that was Ageos’s Route 1. She was a naturally faster walker than the proper, dainty Rui, so she was always a few steps ahead of the older Sasaki. Rui was clearly putting in the effort to avoid getting left behind, her footsteps occasionally growing louder and faster behind Kasumi until she’d caught up. Finally, with an exaggerated sigh and a brief roll of her eyes, Kasumi came to a stop in the middle of the path and turned to Rui. Ringo, who’d been trying to liven up the mood by running alongside the two, scampering up trees, and hitting trunks with his stick in time to his own beat—earning a few secret smiles from his trainer in the process—climbed onto Kasumi’s shoulder, looking at her questioningly.
“I don’t need a babysitter, you know,” Kasumi said.
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Post by Rui Sasaki on Dec 10, 2020 22:08:28 GMT -6
The spirits walk among us
Please, do not fear them
Honestly, Rui felt sorrier for Clarence than herself as she trailed behind Kasumi down Route 1. The poor Phantump was practically being dragged along behind his trainer every time Rui had to break into a jog because Kasumi had stridden ahead of them. She didn’t understand how anyone could walk so fast, but she held her tongue. She knew her sister was already upset about Rui’s presence; she didn’t want to make it worse. But even Clarence, normally unfazed by almost anything, seemed to be getting annoyed at this, if his quiet warbles and the way his eyes ever-so-slightly narrowed were anything to go by. Then, unexpectedly, Kasumi stopped. Rui half-stumbled to a stop in her surprise. She frowned, momentarily gritting her teeth, at Kasumi’s declaration. “I’m not here to babysit you,” she said, keeping her voice level. “We’re just both going in the same direction.”
Clarence: 3/3 Energy Words: 146
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Post by Kasumi Sasaki on Dec 10, 2020 22:10:19 GMT -6
Ringo: 3/3 Energy
Kasumi felt a small, petty sense of triumph at Rui’s stumble. It was like getting a glimpse at the part of Rui that wasn’t so prim and perfect, and she wished someone besides her had been around to see it. But she pressed her hands into her pockets as far as they would go and forced the little smirk off her face. “That doesn’t mean you have to run after me like I’m gonna get into trouble the moment you take your eyes off me. I walk faster than you, and I’m not gonna slow down just so you can catch up—I wanna get to Cerise City and hit up the Contest Hall ASAP.”
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Post by Rui Sasaki on Dec 10, 2020 22:12:48 GMT -6
The spirits walk among us
Please, do not fear them
Rui took a moment to think over how to word her reply—after all, she didn’t want to come off as overbearing or anything. At her side, Clarence warbled softly. Rui looked down to see him holding his arms out, so she reached down to scoop him up and cradle him in her arms. It was rare for him to want to be carried like this, but she figured this must have been just as exhausting for him… and a moment later, as he nestled into her, she realized it was his way of trying to comfort her, too. Most people probably wouldn’t think of a Ghost-type with a stump for a head as being particularly huggable, but to Rui, he radiated a different type of warmth, something born from the bond between them rather than body heat (or lack thereof, in Clarence’s case). “Don’t you want to look for more Pokémon for your team—er, your band?” Rui asked.
Clarence: 3/3 Energy Words: 160
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Post by Kasumi Sasaki on Dec 10, 2020 22:14:32 GMT -6
Ringo: 3/3 Energy
Of course, leave it to Rui to know exactly what to say just so she could stick around. Why couldn’t she just leave Kasumi alone already? Kasumi crossed her arms. “Well, yeah, but I don’t need you hovering over my shoulder while I do it. I know how to catch Pokémon.”
From his place on Kasumi’s shoulder, Ringo watched his trainer’s sour expression as she argued with her sister. He turned to Rui, eyes already narrowed in solidarity with Kasumi, but they widened a bit in curiosity when he saw the red eyes of Rui’s Phantump staring at him. His expression was unreadable, yet Ringo could still feel… something in it. A question? A plea? The two Grass-types stared at each other as the argument between their humans continued.
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Post by Rui Sasaki on Dec 10, 2020 22:16:18 GMT -6
The spirits walk among us
Please, do not fear them
“I’m not—!” Rui closed her eyes and took a deep breath through her nose to calm herself. Getting worked up wouldn’t help. “I know you know how to catch Pokémon, Kasumi. And I’m not trying to stand over your shoulder. But…” No, she wouldn’t do that. She wouldn’t guilt-trip her own sister by pointing out that she was only here because of Rui. “But Mama and Grandmother asked me to make sure you were safe while we’re here.” Clarence, meanwhile, was unfazed by the momentary glare that Ringo gave him. Instead, he calmly locked eyes with the Grookey and began to think about Rui. How she was a good person. How she was only worried about her sister. How she only wanted what was best for her. Neither Clarence nor his trainer was telepathic, but he still wanted Ringo to understand that Rui wasn’t the bad guy here.
Clarence: 3/3 Energy Words: 149
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Post by Kasumi Sasaki on Dec 10, 2020 22:17:39 GMT -6
Ringo: 3/3 Energy
“It’s Route 1, Rui! It’s a straight path from here to Cerise—Route 1 back home is more complicated than this! The only way I could be safer is if you put me in a bubble or something.”
She really hoped Rui didn’t get any ideas from that.
“And do you have to do everything they tell you to do?” Kasumi continued. “I mean, you’re an adult! You’re actually allowed to say no to them without getting in trouble!”
Ringo found himself in a bit of an awkward position. Even though Kasumi was his trainer now, he didn’t know her that well yet. There was undoubtedly a bond between the two, the kind that tied trainers with their Pokémon from the moment they met, and that made him want to take Kasumi’s side, but… he didn’t like how they were arguing. He didn’t like seeing Kasumi upset like this, but he didn’t think Rui was a bad person, either. Before he could think of a way to resolve this, though, he heard something rustling in the grass off the side of the road. His ears twitched, and he raised himself up to get a better look at whatever it was.
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Post by Rui Sasaki on Dec 10, 2020 22:18:34 GMT -6
The spirits walk among us
Please, do not fear them
Rui’s eyes went wide when Kasumi snapped at her about listening to her mom and grandmother. “Wh—?” she stammered out before she could give herself a chance to think about what she was saying. “What do you want me to say to them, Kasumi? ‘No, I won’t make sure my sister’s safe while we’re overseas in an unfamiliar region’? I want you to be safe just as much as they do!” Clarence, too, seemed to notice something out of the ordinary. He cooed softly in his haunting voice, catching Rui’s attention—it was rare for him to “say” anything unprompted. “What is it, Clarence?” she asked as the Phantump in her arms looked around.
Clarence: 3/3 Energy Words: 115
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Post by RaikouRider on Dec 11, 2020 13:00:50 GMT -6
Rui Sasaki A wild Chespin appears! Command?STATS
| HP: 150
| Atk: 0
| Def: 0
| SpA: 0
| SpD: 0
| Spe: 0
| NOTES
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Kasumi Sasaki A wild Fletchling appears! Command?STATS
| HP: 150
| Atk: 0
| Def: 0
| SpA: 0
| SpD: 0
| Spe: 0
| NOTES
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Post by Kasumi Sasaki on Dec 13, 2020 17:32:23 GMT -6
Ringo: Level 5, 2/3 Energy
The feeling of Ringo's paws on Kasumi's head as the Grookey raised himself up to look into the tall grass finally tore her attention from her argument with her sister to whatever Ringo was looking at. "What is it?" she asked, voice low.
Her answer came in the form of a squeaky, panicked cry, followed by a bipedal Grass-type (at least, it looked Grass-type to her) running out of the grass. It skidded to a stop and looked wide-eyed at the group gathered in the middle of the road, only to whip its head back around at the sound of angry chirping.
Kasumi pulled out her phone as a red-and-gray bird Pokémon swooped in, chasing after the Grass-type. With a few quick taps of her thumbs on the screen (her ability to actually use phones without fumbling like an old lady was the only thing Kasumi really had over Rui), she'd pulled up her Pokédex app and pointed her phone's camera at the two Pokémon. All the motion meant it took a while for the scan to finish, but eventually, the app read out the names of these two Pokémon: Chespin and Fletchling, both native to Kalos. Apparently, Chespin had a curious streak that tended to get it into trouble, and Fletchling was merciless against intruders in its territory.
"The Chespin must have intruded on the Fletchling's territory, so it's retaliating," Rui said.
"Yeah, I figured that out," Kasumi snapped back. She wasn't stupid, after all. "Anyway, it's none of our business, so let's just—hey!" She ducked as the Fletchling flew right at her. Ringo chattered angrily at the Tiny Robin Pokémon and shook a fist. "Oh, okay, you asked for it! Ringo, let's go!" Ringo let out a battle cry as he leaped off Kasumi's head, then took the stick from his leafy hair and hit the ground a couple of times with it.
"Kasumi, wait!" Rui called.
Kasumi ignored her. "Ringo, use Scratch!"
Ringo reeled back a paw to strike, but the Fletchling was faster, slamming into him with a Quick Attack that sent him stumbling backwards. But when the Fletchling swooped back around for another strike, Ringo was ready, and his Scratch struck true before his opponent could hit him again. Yet the power difference, albeit a slight one, between them soon became apparently with how much faster Ringo seemed to be tiring out.
"Keep at it, Ringo!" Kasumi called. "You've almost got her!" She would not lose her first real battle with Ringo, not to a little bird.
Notes: Ringo has lost 1 energy.
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Post by Rui Sasaki on Dec 13, 2020 18:10:09 GMT -6
The spirits walk among us
Please, do not fear them
Rui winced when she realized she'd said her thoughts about the Chespin and Fletchling out loud, but before she could say anything, Kasumi was directing her Pokémon to attack. "Kasumi, wait!" she called. Ringo, along with every other Pokémon currently present, had a type disadvantage against the Fletchling. Oh, what she wouldn't give to have one of her other Pokémon with her...! Yet Kasumi ignored her and directed Ringo to attack, anyway. Much to Rui's relief, the Fletchling didn't attack with any Flying-type moves, but it was still obvious the Tiny Robin Pokémon had an edge over her opponent. Yet Kasumi didn't do anything to close that gap between them, opting to keep recklessly attacking, instead. At this rate...! "Clarence, use Tackle!" she directed. With a haunting warble, the Phantump floated out of her grasp and slammed into the Fletchling, causing her to cry out in alarm. "Hey, what are you doing?" Kasumi asked. "We both have a type disadvantage," Rui said. "Flying-types are strong against Grass-types." "So why are you sending in Clarence?" "If it's two on one, we might have a fair chance, even with those disadvantages. Besides..." She watched as the Fletchling dove at Clarence with a Tackle, only to phase right through him with another alarmed cry. Rui nodded. "Her Normal-type moves don't affect Clarence." "Yeah, great, but we were doing fine without you. C'mon, Ringo, let's finish this!" Though clearly worse for wear, Ringo slammed his stick on the ground, let out a screech, and ran at the Fletchling to deliver one final Scratch. The Fletchling fluttered back, looking between both of her opponents. Apparently deciding that she was outmatched, she flew back into the forest on unsteady wings. "Ha! See?" Kasumi turned to Rui with crossed arms and a confident grin. "Told you we had her." Ringo joined in her celebration with a hoot of his own before clambering back onto his trainer's shoulder. Rui smiled, then felt a tug on her long skirt. She turned to see that the Chespin had taken refuge behind her and was now looking up at her with big, curious eyes. "It's all right," she said softly, kneeling down. "You're safe now." She scratched under the Chespin's chin with one finger, not wanting to test the sharpness of the Pokémon's quills. The Chespin squeaked happily. Rui turned toward her sister. "But you should really be thanking Kasumi. She did most of the battling, after all." The Chespin peered out from behind Rui's legs, then gave Kasumi a grateful squeak and a wave. Kasumi tilted her head up, still grinning. It seemed she was enjoying the attention. "Try to stay out of trouble from now on, okay?" Rui asked. The Chespin squeaked, though Rui wasn't entirely convinced it was in agreement, before heading into the tall grass on the other side of where the Fletchling had flown off. "Well, we should probably move on," Rui said, standing up and brushing off her skirt. "I'd imagine that Fletchling is part of a flock, and we wouldn't want to be on the wrong side of another attack." "Eh, we could handle it," Kasumi said. Still, she turned on her heel and started walking back down the path, hands locked casually behind her head. Rui scooped up Clarence and followed. "Ringo has other moves besides Scratch, right?" Rui asked after a moment. "Just Growl, why?" Kasumi tilted her head with a wary quirk of her brow. "I just think that battle would have gone better if you'd used it," Rui said. "With a lower Attack, the—" Kasumi's loud, clearly annoyed groan interrupted her. "Ugh, are we seriously doing this right now? I won, didn't I?" "Well, you did have help..." Kasumi rolled her eyes with a frustrated sigh and picked up her pace, quickly putting a surprising amount of distance between her and Rui. "Ah, Kasumi...!" She held Clarence in one arm and used the other to hold onto her skirt as she ran after her sister.
Clarence: Level 5, 2/3 Energy Words: 666 (spoopy) Notes: Clarence lost 1 energy, and Kasumi's Ringo gained 1 level.
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Post by RaikouRider on Dec 13, 2020 21:43:34 GMT -6
Rui Sasaki A wild Skiddo appears! Command?STATS
| HP: 150
| Atk: 0
| Def: 0
| SpA: 0
| SpD: 0
| Spe: 0
| NOTES
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Kasumi Sasaki A wild Caterpie appears! Command?STATS
| HP: 150
| Atk: 0
| Def: 0
| SpA: 0
| SpD: 0
| Spe: 0
| NOTES
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Post by Kasumi Sasaki on Dec 20, 2020 15:19:58 GMT -6
Ringo: Level 6, 2/3 Energy
Stupid Rui, always knowing everything, always having to be better than her... Kasumi held her fists at her side and her mouth in a tight frown as she fast-walked ahead. Ringo chittered his concern, holding tight to her shoulder so he wouldn't fall off. Kasumi sighed.
"Why does she have to be like that?" she asked. "Can't she just let me have my victory?"
Ringo let out a sad little squeak in response.
"See, this is why I didn't wanna travel with her," Kasumi continued. "If she'd just let us go on our own, we'd be kicking all kinds of butt without getting nagged at. But noooooo, she doesn't trust me to walk down a straight road by myself. It's like—" She stopped both her speech and her steps, eyes wide in surprise when something suddenly rubbed her cheek. She slid her gaze over to see Ringo rather aggressively nuzzling her. For a few seconds, she didn't know how to respond... and then she snickered.
"Are you trying to cheer me up?" she asked, barely containing her laughter. Ringo hooted his affirmation. Kasumi let a few chuckles escape, then lifted Ringo off her shoulder so he could carry him in her arms. "Thanks, buddy. I'm glad someone's on my side, at least."
Speaking of... She realized she hadn't heard Rui plodding behind her yet. Kasumi hadn't been walking that fast, had she? She turned around to see Rui waving to a departing Skiddo a bit father back. Huh, what had happened there? Wait, no, who cared about that? She spun around on her heel, fully intending to continue down the route with or without Rui, but she didn't even make it one step before something shot out at Ringo. He and Kasumi yelped at the same time, the latter stumbling backwards to avoid another shot of whatever the heck had just hit her Pokémon. Kasumi looked up toward where it had come from and saw a Caterpie staring down at them from partway up a tree. Then she looked back down at Ringo, who was trying unsuccessfully to peel the String Shot off of him.
"Hey, what's the big idea?!" Kasumi shouted. The Caterpie let out a shriek in response, then fired another String Shot. Kasumi was quick to react, though, and moved out of the way to keep Ringo from getting hit again. "All right, fine! Ringo, use—!" She was halfway to setting Ringo down when he let out a hoot and shook his head. "Huh? What? Why not?"
The Grookey chittered something that Kasumi, naturally, didn't understand, but it felt... reassuring, somehow. She let him jump down to the ground and begin to chitter up at the Caterpie, who paused before squeaking back. Ringo let out a triumphant hoot, held up his stick, and ran to the base of the tree the Caterpie was perched in. He tapped his foot a few times to an unheard rhythm, then began to drum on the trunk of the tree. The Caterpie squeaked fearfully and started to crawl up, but she came to a stop when she saw something amazing: The tree's leaves, which had withered and fallen with the cold, were beginning to grow back! She squealed with joy and pattered her way up the tree as Ringo's song continued, now with some added "ooks" to spice it up. He finished with a flourish, and Kasumi couldn't help but clap.
"That was awesome, Ringo!" she cheered. Between bites of the fresh green leaves, the Caterpie squealed out her agreement. Ringo puffed out his chest with pride and tucked his stick back into his leafy tufts.
"Well done, you two."
Kasumi whirled around at the sound of the voice and a second, more delicate pair of hands clapping. Of course it was Rui, smiling warmly at her like everything was just fine and dandy. But before Kasumi could retort, Ringo leaped up onto her shoulder and chittered proudly. It was enough to quell Kasumi's anger, even if only a little.
"See? Told you we can handle ourselves," Kasumi said.
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Post by Rui Sasaki on Dec 23, 2020 20:44:09 GMT -6
The spirits walk among us
Please, do not fear them
Rui did not consider herself to be out of shape. She exercised regularly enough, she'd practiced a few ceremonial dances for her shrine duties, and her spiritual work often got more on the physical side. But all of that was a far cry from running down a dusty road after a teenager who was determined to leave her behind, and her exhaustion combined with the stab in her heart that such a thought gave her finally had her bend over, holding a knee and panting. Clarence gave a worried warble from Rui's arm; Rui sighed and moved her hand from her knee to hold him in both arms. "I know, Clarence," she said softly between heavy breaths. Clarence nuzzled a bit into Rui's chest; though having a tree stump possessed by a ghost nuzzling against her wasn't the most pleasant sensation, Rui still found comfort in it. She stroked the back of his head as her breathing evened out. A few moments later, Rui felt Clarence's head turn, and then there was rustling in the grass to the side of the road. A Skiddo poked his nose out, sniffed the air, and then looked curiously at Rui and Clarence. "Hello, there," Rui said. Clarence felt as calm as ever in her arms, so she doubted this Pokémon was a threat. Weren't Skiddos heavily domesticated, as well? The Skiddo let out a friendly-sounding bleat and began to walk across the path. He brushed casually against Rui's leg as he passed, prompting Rui to reach down and give him a quick scratch behind the ear. He bleated his satisfaction and continued on his way with Rui giving him a wave farewell. Something about the interaction left her feeling more refreshed. She looked ahead, half-convinced that Kasumi would have vanished over the horizon by now, but she'd stopped a little way ahead. Had she encountered another wild Pokémon? Would she be okay? She'd struggled against the Fletchling, and with just Ringo on her team... Clarence let out a short, surprisingly stern warble, apparently sensing Rui's intention to dash ahead again. Rui sighed. "I know, I know... I just want to make sure she's safe." Clarence stared up at her. Rui gave a relenting smile. "Okay. We'll walk." She walked fast, though, and caught up to her sister in time to see Ringo drumming on a tree, causing its leaves to grow back. Up in the branches, a Caterpie cheered at her newfound meal and began to munch away. What a relief—Kasumi would have been at another type disadvantage here, so seeing her and Ringo solve the situation peacefully put her at ease. She let Clarence down to hover at her side and clapped along with Kasumi. "Well done, you two," she said, catching her sister's attention. For a moment, Kasumi looked like she was going to say something less than pleasant, but Ringo leaped onto her shoulder and seemed to calm her down with his chittering. So instead, Kasumi looked proud as she said, "See? Told you we can handle ourselves." "I never doubted you could. But you do tend to be a bit... well, reckless, I suppose." Kasumi let out a heavy sigh and turned around. "Yeah, sure, rain on my parade again, why don'tcha?" she asked sardonically as she began to walk. At least he pace was one Rui could keep up with this time. "I'm not—I'm not trying to rain on your parade, Kasumi. You really did do a good job back there." "Uh-huh." Rui frowned and glanced down at Clarence, who'd taken her hand and reflected her expression with a small frown of his own. Silence followed as Rui tried to figure out what she could say next. Why was Kasumi so resistant to her advice? Didn't she see that Rui just wanted to help?
Clarence: Level 5, 2/3 Energy Words: 638
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Post by SpinnerNite on Dec 24, 2020 2:15:05 GMT -6
A wild Pokemon has appeared! What will you do? Rui Sasaki STATS
| HP: 150
| Atk: 0
| Def: 0
| SpA: 0
| SpD: 0
| Spe: 0
| NOTES
| Personality, Tags, will scroll
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A wild Pokemon has appeared! What will you do? Kasumi Sasaki STATS
| HP: 150
| Atk: 0
| Def: 0
| SpA: 0
| SpD: 0
| Spe: 0
| NOTES
| Personality, Tags, will scroll
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