Typical

Pokemon: Worlds Collide

Ardanata “Dana” Stamos

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^{France || Industrialized Sector || May 12th}

Dana watched the swordsman’s exchange with the workers silently, guessing the gist of their discussion by the words she understood—Pokemon names and terms. Supposing that the Professors failed to find a way to return to the Pokemon world, she might be tempted into learning another Earthen language, but only then. For now, English would serve her purposes just fine.

When the trainer—Jason, if her memory served—approached with his Gallade, Dana’s Duskull rose up beside her, but she shot it a glance that sent it back on its way.

“Have you been delivering all the wilds you’ve defeated to the Professors?” she asked, ignoring Jason’s gibe. “We should put in a request for more Pokeballs.”

Her eyes swept apathetically over the fainted Togedemaru. Sure it hadn’t taken much to imagine what fate might befall the Togedemaru, considering the cruelty most of Earth’s native species underwent on a day-to-day basis, but Dana didn’t feel the need to bring that up. In her view, retrieving the Pokemon transported to Earth was a minor concern; if it was important, the Professors would have rushed the Pokemon world trainers out to retrieve Pokemon instead of herding them off to waste time in boot camps. Besides, her greatest strength lay in her abilities as a trainer, and honing that strength had always been her priority, Earth or not. There was no use in pretending otherwise, especially not to a fellow trainer.

Her Duskull rose up beside her again, and Dana nodded.

“I’ll make sure to deliver the rest I find to the Professors,” she said to Jason. “Thanks for watching this one. I'll see you back at headquarters.”

With that, she turned to follow her Duskull, exchanging her Marshtomp for her Combusken.

“Flame Charge,” she said as she rounded the corner to where a group of Togedemaru were sitting, chewing on wires and pipes alike. Her Combusken rushed forwards, flames engulfing him as he charged the nearest Togedemaru. Behind him, Dana pulled out a Pokeball, watching as the Pokemon collided.

Not training this mess of a team would be an insult to my status as a trainer and champion, she thought, annoyance flashing through her mind as she noted how slow her Combusken had become, how short the distance he'd knocked his opponent. No, not prioritizing training right now was unthinkable. The Professors had given her no mission, and even if they did, she wouldn't be able to carry out any duties at her former level until she fixed the current state of her team. Training was, therefore, her one and only duty currently, and Dana was—if anything—efficient with her time.

Notes

Pokemon:

• Duskull ♂ — Lvl 34
• Ivysaur* ♀ — Lvl 34
• Combusken ♂ — Lvl 34
• Scizor ♂ — Lvl 34
• Marshtomp ♂ — Lvl 34
• Clefable ♀ — Lvl 34

@Balthazar007 Togedemaru — lvl 18, male. Dana will throw the Pokeball if she wins.
@Zarkun

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Camden Montero

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^{France || Park || May 12th}

The trainers in the area were having various levels of luck finding and battling Pokemon. Some had successfully caught a Pokemon like himself, while others seemed to have lost battles, by the downcast looks of defeat on their faces.

“Ruby, what do you think about fighting a wild Pokemon?” Camden asked, spotting a fleeing Rattata. The Cherubi gave him a blank look, and Camden let up on the idea.

“Alright then, let’s head back for today. There’s berries back at the Poke Headquarters, so I can find out what flavor you’re into,” Camden said, grinning. “From there, I’ll read up on your moveset and figure out how to train you for battles and contests, okay?”

Though the Cherubi didn’t seem to understand much of what he just said, Camden maintained a smile—without showing his teeth, of course—all the way back to the headquarters. Now that he had a Pokemon, the rest would be much easier.

Just grind and bond—how hard can it be? he thought as he picked the Cherubi up and set him on his lap, rubbing his leaf gently. It was funny that the mutant cherry would later evolve into a flower, since most plants flowered before they grew fruit, but the Pokemon version of things suited his purposes better in this case, so he wasn’t complaining.

Notes

Pokemon:

• Ruby // Cherubi ♂ — Lvl 10: modest

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Pokemon: Worlds Collide

@Zarkun Totally fine! Google Translate widget makes translations an easy-peasy task. Will have a reply up in a bit.

Naruto: Good Tidings

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Azumi “Ami” Taketori

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^{Early Morning || Konoha}

Azumi balanced precariously on her toes, craning her neck as she scanned the team lists on the bulletin.

There! she thought, spotting her name at last. It was listed under a “Maruyama Ai” alongside “Rinha Masumi” and “Takahashi Minori.”

Who’s ‘Maruyama Ai’? she wondered as she retreated from the board. That the name failed to ring bells was disappointing; she’d been looking forward to her first day as a Genin because of what it promised, and though she knew she shouldn’t assume anything before she met her team captain, she still felt a bit let down. Why couldn’t she have gotten flashy and funny Takama Hiroki as her sensei, or even the strict and respected Sugawara Ruchiko?

But, her lots had been drawn, and dwelling on could have’s and might have’s would get her nowhere. Her team captain would be the mysterious “Maruyama Ai,” and her teammates would be Minori and Masumi.

Well, at least Masumi I kind of know, Azumi thought, the brown-haired boy coming to mind. Masumi Rinha had been one of the leading voices in her year—both inside and outside the classroom. He possessed the wit and talent she would never have, and he’d clearly be the lead student of the team. While Azumi would hesitate to say that she disliked Masumi, she certainly held no fond feelings for him; he’d snubbed her a few times back in the day, and though he’d never done so directly, she’d felt the disdainful animosity whenever she was on his team during competitive events like the annual kunai throwing contest among the Genin. Hopefully he’d turn out to be nicer than he’d seemed in the past.

Minori, on the other hand, was the quiet, white-haired boy in the class. Like most of the silent students, he seemed to do well enough in his studies, and beside his silence and relative anonymity, he seemed like a teammate Azumi could see herself getting along with—more so than Masumi, at least.

Well, there’s Masumi, she thought, spotting Masumi through the crowd. The boy was leaning back against a tree on the fringe of the courtyard, his brows furrowed as he kicked at the dirt under him.

Bad mood already? Azumi thought, frowning as she walked over. Her hope that he was nicer than she thought was beginning to fade.

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Masumi “Sumi” Rinha

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^{Early Morning || Konoha}

“Masumi?”

Masumi looked up to see the Taketori girl, Azumi, who continued on now that she had his attention.

“I just saw the bulletin. We’re teammates!”

Masumi gave one final kick at the ground before letting up and nodding. “Yeah,” he said flatly. Having arrived early to see the listings, he’d been disappointed to find that his team was all mediocre—no stand-outs whatsoever, captain or teammate. Maruyama Ai was a mystery, Minori a loner, and Azumi…

“So, are you excited?” Azumi was asking, a friendly smile on her face. Masumi stared at her blankly, trying to fathom a reply other than the instinctual one.

“I’m alright,” he said after a pause. Minori was better than Azumi, at least, but his real hopes went to his team captain. Her anonymity meant either that she was very strong or very weak, and Masumi hoped it was the former.

“Oh, there’s Minori!” Azumi said, waving to the white-haired boy in the crowd. “Minori! Over here!”

Masumi focused his attention on Minori, trying to gauge him. Maybe he was hiding talent that he didn’t let on? That would be ideal, considering that they were grouped with Azumi, who struggled to test averagely.

Pokemon: Worlds Collide

@LuckyBlackCat the 0th post IC lists 3 Pokeballs each for all characters, including the Pokemon world trainers, so I'm pretty sure they have.

//edit: meant to capitalize "Pokeball" but instead changed it to "Pokemon." Clearly need more than 5-6 hrs sleep per day.

Pokemon: Worlds Collide

Ardanata “Dana” Stamos

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France || Industrialized Sector || May 12th

Dana didn’t speak French, but after a series of attempts at pointing and signing, Dana worked out the gist of what the workers were asking, and she shook her head. She had no interest in any of the Pokemon in the area past that of training fodder. However, seeing the workers’ joy and the chewed pipes, Dana guessed at the workers were cheering for more than just her victory.

“Are there any other Pokemon you’d like me to take care of?” Dana asked in English. If none of them understood, there’d be no point in continuing to try to communicate anyway.

After a pause, one of the workers stepped forwards. “There are many of them, all the time,” he said in choppy English as he pointed to the fainted Togedemaru. “Too many. Bigger is worse—strong enough to bite through pipes. If you, trainer, could help us catch them, that would be a great help.”

“I’m happy to help. I’ll just need to know where they are,” Dana said.

The worker shook his head. “The small ones always run when we come, and the big ones are smarter. They know where we don’t check for them.”

“Alright. I’ll just defeat any big ones I come across,” Dana said, looking to her Duskull, which sank down into the ground. “Where should I bring the ones I find?”

Notes

Pokemon:

• Duskull ♂ — Lvl 34
• Ivysaur* ♀ — Lvl 34
• Combusken ♂ — Lvl 34
• Scizor ♂ — Lvl 34
• Marshtomp ♂ — Lvl 34
• Clefable ♀ — Lvl 34

@Balthazar007

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Camden Montero

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France || May 12th

Camden couldn’t keep the grin off his face as he retrieved his Pokeball. He’d done it—caught his first Pokemon. Everything was as it should be again, which was to be expected. His earlier doubts were clearly unfounded.

Cherubi—Ruby, Camden thought, calling out the Cherubi once he was a fair distance from the bushes. With a flash of light, the confused grass-type appeared, blinking and looking around with alarm.

“Hey there,” Camden said, crouching down. The Cherubi regarded him with wary eyes that flicked between him and the bushes behind. “I’m Camden, and I’ll be your trainer. Cherubi—do you mind if I call you ‘Ruby’?”

The Cherubi stared at him and, after a brief moment of silent consideration, nodded, its vestigial head bobbing with the motion.

“Great,” Camden said, grinning as he straightened up. “Nice to meet you, Ruby. I’m sure we’ll get along fine.”

I’ll have to train him and such, but first, Camden thought, looking around at the other trainers in the area, let’s see what everyone else is up to.

Notes

Pokemon:

• Ruby // Cherubi ♂ — Lvl 10

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Pokemon: Worlds Collide

@Cerces22 Ah, just wanted to make sure, since handing off control of a NPC could be kinda weird if he had prior plans. But if that's the case, then I'm going to go ahead haha

Pokemon: Worlds Collide

@Balthazar007 Am I allowed temporary control of the NPCs you introduce (ie the factory workers)? I'm thinking of having Dana interact with them a bit, but if I'm not in control of them then my post for her is going to be super short. Maybe NPCs can just be batoned off between you and the users? Or would you prefer that they're controlled solely by you?

Pokemon: Worlds Collide

Ardanata “Dana” Stamos

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France || Industrialized Sector || May 12th

The ventures out to catch Pokemon were a chore in Dana’s eyes, but she accepted and completed them without complaint. However, it wasn’t until the group arrived in France and was given notice of their schedule that Dana finally felt that things were starting to move along at a decent pace. She wasted no time in plotting out her training plans for the next few days, and right after lecture and lunch she was en route to the city to track down her first round of targets: Togedemaru.

Combusken and Marshtomp, then Gothita or Mr. Mime with Scizor and Duskull, she thought as the driver pulled up in the city. She’d come with a group during the drive up, but she quickly broke from them, heading for the urban fringes where neighborhoods gave way to empty lots and factories.

Once she’d reached the correct environment, finding the Pokemon wasn’t a challenge, and it didn’t take long before she started coming across a few tumbling out from behind buildings or fences. However, Dana had no interest in the first few she came across; they were apparently weak, young, scared, and easily startled. Most of them quickly scuttled away at the sound of Dana’s approach, and the ones who stayed for a glance disappeared quickly at the sight of her and her Marshtomp.

After a while of walking, Dana’s Duskull drifted up to settle beside her, its red eyes glowing.

“Lead the way,” Dana said, following the Duskull towards a back lot. There, chewing on a pipe from the tarp-covered pile beside it, was a large Togedemaru that, upon noticing Dana and her Pokemon, whipped its tail aggressively, electricity sparking at its cheeks.

“Mud Bomb,” Dana said. Her Marshtomp complied, throwing out a ball of mud half the size of its target. Beside her, her Duskull settled in idly, red eyes drifting slowly between the battling Pokemon.

Notes

Pokemon:

• Duskull ♂ — Lv 34
• Ivysaur* ♀ — Lv 34
• Combusken ♂ — Lv 34
• Scizor ♂ — Lv 34
• Marshtomp ♂ — Lv 34
• Clefable ♀ — Lv 34

@Balthazar007 Togedemaru — Lvl 20

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Camden Montero

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France || May 12th

Camden fidgeted impatiently, trying and failing to take in anything the Professor was saying. Preoccupied was an understatement—Camden was couldn’t stop thinking about his lack of Pokemon. Sure he hadn’t expected himself to be the first or second to catch a Pokemon—though he hadn’t exactly thought impossible either—but to be one of the trailing tail of the group? One of the sparse handful that still lacked Pokemon? This he had never considered.

Russia was too barren, he thought angrily, flicking his pencil. After his failed attempt to capture the Stantler, he’d had no luck in finding another Pokemon. While others in the group caught Pokemon, he had nothing but empty Pokeballs and idle time. Professor Sycamore’s announcement the prior night promised another chance to catch Pokemon, but Camden was thoroughly irritated at the entire course of events. Sure, he’d thrown hundreds—maybe even thousands—of failed Pokeballs in his games, but in real life it felt different. Where ten Pokeballs in-game were dismissed with a few button presses and annoyed exhalations, his three very real, very present Pokeballs dredged up something Camden hadn’t felt in a while: failure.

For the majority of his life, Camden had gotten what he’d wanted. His grades were decent, his social circles respectable, and his participation in extracurriculars passable. Though he’d never stood out above the rest of his peers, he’d averaged in the upper half for as long as he could remember.

Now, though, his lack of Pokemon was physical testament to his inferiority in the group. He wasn’t even middling at this point; he was falling behind.

Disbelief didn’t even begin to cover it—Camden was shocked. How had he come to be in the lower half, the trailing tail of the curve? How was it that his peers were succeeding where he failed? Had he been wrong in believing he could become a Pokemon trainer? That he could face the challenges and come up successful? Was he wrong to be confident in his own success, certain that he would always make the cut?

Ridiculous, Camden thought, dismissing the thought. It wasn’t like he’d truly fallen behind or anything; he still had time to catch up, and he was sure he’d do that and more once he finally caught a Pokemon.

This is just a minor mishap—a bump in the road, he thought as his eyes drifted to the clock. One hour left.

---

During the bus ride to the park, Camden’s leg bounced impatiently—even nervously.

Not happening, he thought to himself as his eyes drifted over to the Pokemon world trainers in the van. Asking them for help is admitting defeat, and I don’t go down that easily, he thought, dismissing the idea of asking the trainers to weaken a wild Pokemon for him once in for all. He’d rather fail a hundred times more than stoop to ask for help for something so simple.

I’ll catch a Pokemon on my own, or not at all, he thought, as the group exited the van. Conversation was the last thing on his mind at this point; everything could wait until after he caught his first Pokemon, and with this thought in mind, he made straight for the park’s bushes, intent on finding what he’d come for: a Cherubi. Sure the prospect of owning a cherry wasn’t super appealing, but Cherrim’s ability to unveil itself from its overcast form to its sunshine form was a show-stopping tactic that Camden just couldn’t let up.

Luck appeared to be on his side today, for behind the first bush he peered behind was a dozing Cherubi.

C’mere, you overgrown cherry, he thought, retrieving a Pokeball from his pocket and throwing it at the Cherubi. Failure? Failure he’d seen, felt, and dealt with, so let it come at him again. He wasn’t scared of failing again—he’d pick up and throw the Pokeballs however many number of times was required. Let failure come at him, because a single success would cancel all of it.

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@Balthazar007 Cherubi — lvl 10, male

Pokemon: Worlds Collide

@Cerces22 Mr. Mime likes crowds, so dunno if that's going to be around the park. Maybe in the city? But, that reminds me: isn't Mr. Mime the evolved form of Mime Jr.? So that'd make it and Jigglypuff (Iggybuff) the only evolved forms on the list.

Pokemon: Worlds Collide

@Cerces22 Makes sense, but if I'm going to characterize correctly, Dana's a complete lone wolf. I can get Camden to stick around and be social, but Dana's a no-go unless it's strictly required (not that she's "social" then, but eh).

But whipping up my post right now. Dana's going to head to the city's industrial fringe to grind on some Togedemaru, and Camden's going to try to catch a Cherubi at the park. I'll write Camden's post so that he's with a group, so anyone can chime in if they're heading to the park as well (dunno if the park is close to the forest, but hey, there's an idea).