Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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Wanderer

The Liberator
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23
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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Isaac Merlo
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Jan 14, 2023 5:20:53 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]still dont believe it?[break]
look out your window[break][break]

didn't seem to believe Isaac was going for the gym challenge when he first told her. Well, joke's on her! Now he was in her backyard![break][break]

Fortree City was a rarity among gyms. Most were known for their emphasis on traditional battling prowess, with nontraditional formats often being either battles with extra spice thrown in or more esoteric forms of conflict practice. Even 's races, divergent from battles as they were, were still head to head competitions of man and mon against a gym leader in his element.[break][break]

Fortree was different entirely. Fortree had not one but three different nontraditional challenges, and while a few still boiled down to head to head clashes, one took on an altogether different turn. It was an obstacle course, the leader's only role to watch and make sure the challenger made it through a gauntlet of trips and tracks with their butt intact. With traditional challenges being pushed all the harder by new League decree, this strange test became even more of a curiosity than it already was.[break][break]

How in the world could Isaac ignore it?[break][break]

Many who came to Alexei's gym came with avian Pokemon in tow. The current line of gymgoers featured Pidgeot with their hair swept back by the wind, Corviknight who were large enough to carry entire groups of trainers through the skies, Braviary that were already amping themselves up for war, and at least one quartet of Squawkabilly that were carrying a small bus beneath them. Even the more esoteric Pokemon included flying fossils, flying dragons, and flying insects. It was a gym with a very strong sense of identity.[break][break]

Maybe that was why Isaac drew so many eyes as he sat atop the shoulder of a Golurk. It wasn't that he didn't have any flying Pokemon; a Crobat wreathed in shining patterns, a Dragonite that could bring storms with the beat of its wings, a Vespiquen that could bring the light of ruin down upon her foes, and an Aerodactyl fresh from another era were just a few potentials that came to mind. No. Isaac brought the Golurk because he wanted to bring the Golurk.[break][break]

It was time for a very unconventional gym to meet a very unconventional guy.

[break][break]





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Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
fortree gym leader
gym leader
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Alexei Ivanov
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Jan 22, 2023 14:48:55 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


The moment Jack had dropped word that their next challenger was packing a Golurk, Alexei looked up and didn’t blink for a few seconds.

“Say that, again?”

“You ‘eard me, boss, the next guy’s got a Golurk!”

“What!”

There was a look of absolute panic on his face for another few quiet seconds before realizing that all the obstacles were for… standard-sized Pokémon.

Now was the time they’d encountered someone bringing a larger flight-capable Pokémon, and it just happened to be a mcfucking Golurk of all things, too!

“Get… get the obstacles ready.”

“Bu—bu’ how?! Tha’s a Golurk!

“Use that brain of yours, man!”



That… that was how the interaction had gone. So now everyone who wasn’t busy with the infirmaries at the Sanctuary was now scrambling like hell, having to rethink the entire logistics of one of the Gym Leader’s favorite non-trad battles because they had to literally blow up all the obstacles way past their normal size…

“So. I got word on the street you legit brought a Golurk?” he began as he stood up from behind the receptionist’s desk—he could hear the panicked yelling and shouting through the earpiece he was wearing.

“You know… I’ve been waiting for the day someone actually went and did it. What’s your name, you absolute madman?”

But even as he said the last few words, there was this absolute shit-eating grin spreading on his face.

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Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
23
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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Isaac Merlo
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Jan 22, 2023 19:01:05 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]Judging by the long wait at the front of the line, and the hushed silence coming from the surrounding onlookers, the gym leader taking a personal reception seat wasn't the norm around here. Oh dear. The gym challenge hadn't even begun, and yet Isaac was already making waves.[break][break]

Good.[break][break]

"I mean, big guy here isn't for show," Isaac said, a cheeky grin on his face as he patted Titan's shoulder. The Golurk rumbled happily at the attention, a little bit of soul energy flickering out from the seal atop its chest. "No tricks, either. No Dittos or Zoroarks up my sleeves."[break][break]

The pats on Titan's shoulder took a bit more intent. On cue, the Golurk shifted, one knee touching the ground as his arm pointed down towards the ground. If Alex didn't already think Isaac a mad lad, seeing him make a perfect Fred Flintstone style slide down the Golurk's arm would surely seal the deal.[break][break]

Once Isaac landed (with any skidding, and a slight thrust of his arm to stop himself from falling over, being totally intentional!), he stuck out a hand for Alexei to shake. "The name's Isaac Merlo," he said, the confident grin on his face a stark contrast from his eyepatch. "Pleasure to meet ya."[break][break]

"Alex, I presume? To think I'm starting my first gym challenge with a personal welcome from the leader himself." He wasn't lying. Barring the handmade Monster Badge from 's gym, and the Forest Badge he kept as a token from , Isaac's sash was bare of any other badges. Despite this, Isaac's grin was every bit as shit-eating as Alex's. He knew he was breaking the mold here, and he was relishing in it.

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Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
fortree gym leader
gym leader
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Alexei Ivanov
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Jan 26, 2023 10:02:24 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


The panicking was still ongoing through the earpiece, the shouting evident as the people outside were still scrambling to account for the challenger’s larger-than-life Pokémon companion—

There was a reason why he’d put a quiet blanket ban on Wailord or anything as large as a Celesteela certain rocket spaceship Pokémon that a certain had brought (but that was the only so far recorded instance, but then…) along.

Thankfully, the other man—who he now knew to be Isaac—had just as much a shit-eating grin on his face as Alex did.

“Yes, that’s me—for simplicity’s sake you can call me Alex,” he began as he returned the handshake. “I only have a Golett for the moment—two of them, actually—and you’re here for mass madness, right?”

The glint in his eye was evident.


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Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
23
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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Isaac Merlo
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Jan 26, 2023 13:58:13 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]"I'm here to see what lessons your gym's here to teach," Isaac said. "What made you want to run it this way. What light you're hoping it sheds for Hoenn and its people. You know, all that stuff." He wasn't just here to grab a badge and run. He genuinely wanted to get some growth out of this one of a kind learning experience.[break][break]

It was why, if he continued with this challenge, he vowed to face each gym leader on their own terms.[break][break]

But Isaac couldn't lie. He was also a sucker for some chaos. "And if that means mass madness?" he asked, finding it nigh impossible to hide the excitement in his grin. Fortree City was almost too peaceful of a place for such a chaotic meeting of the minds. It was a delicious contrast.[break][break]

"Then fuck me up, fam."

[break][break]





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played by

Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
fortree gym leader
gym leader
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Alexei Ivanov
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Feb 2, 2023 6:37:43 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


He wondered how far word had gotten out about the Gyms restructuring to adapt to more ‘traditional’ challenges, so for Isaac to come out with what he said—

That took Alexei aback.

There was only one other person who at the moment had taken a non-trad slot—unsurprisingly that was his better half , and he had a suspicion as to why the other had done so. Either way…

“Alright, come out back, follow me—although you might wanna have your Golurk go around and meet us outside,” he nodded as he pointed his head at the door that led to the outdoors arena—

And once they were through to the back, there would be a ‘normal’ obstacle course, only in this case everything had been supersized to account for the challenger’s larger-than-normal mount.

One of the obstacles was literally, on fire

“Welcome to mass chaos, as I put it. Or in other words—fly through all the obstacles without falling off your Golurk and make it to the end in one piece,” he said in an extremely ‘grandiose’ manner, throwing his arms out for good measure.


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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
23
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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Isaac Merlo
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Feb 2, 2023 13:57:44 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]Huh. Why'd the man seem taken aback? Was teaching not the purpose of the gym challenge? Perhaps the recent emphasis on traditional battling skills had made the leader worry about the value his nontraditional lessons held.[break][break]

Isaac could get that. He knew what it was like to be discounted out of hand. Maybe he'd do an extra good job today.[break][break]

Clearly, the feeling was mutual. The dizzying array of tricks, traps, and obstacles, scaled up to the size of a Golurk, was nothing short of beautiful. Isaac could practically hear triumphant music swelling behind them as he was given a firsthand look at Traptastic Park. Was that fire Isaac could see over the horizon? Oh, exquisite. would love this place, had she ever gotten the inclination to try the gym circuit.[break][break]

"Arceus, it's beautiful," Isaac said, not even trying to hold his grin back at this point. Fortree was the sight of an ultra rift these days, right? Briefly, Isaac wondered how many of these obstacles would match the trials and tribulations within. "You really pulled out all the stops, huh?"[break][break]

The Golurk reached a hand around its shoulder, grabbing Isaac and pulling him closely to its chest. Its other hand remained held out, ready to perform any feats of finer manipulation that might prove necessary. Its legs retreated into its torso, green soul energy spilling forth from it with all the force of a jet engine.[break][break]

"Ready when you are!"

[break][break]





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played by

Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
fortree gym leader
gym leader
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5,045 posts
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Alexei Ivanov
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Feb 22, 2023 12:20:51 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


“You thought I was going to fly this on one of my avians? Oh no. Oh no, not exactly.”

As deranged the entire course was, he was now determined to do this on equal terms—and in a few moments an equally-colossal shadow flew overhead before alighting, landing with one hand outstretched and waiting for him to climb on the shoulder of his own equally-as-large Golurk.

He then cackled quietly—nobody else was outside, so Isaac was going to get the entire rundown from him directly. Because this was crazy in and on itself.

“Alright, so first things first—this is more a test of navigation with said unpredictable factors,” he pointed at the supersized obstacles. “No Pokémon moves allowed for navigation, of course!”

Clearly, because the collateral damage was just going to be off the charts.

“Either way, there’s a bunch of obstacles, there may be some weather changes, but overall—we fly through this entire thing, and obviously, get to the other side in one piece. Preferably alive.”

Because he remembered when flew this part of the course her hair almost caught fire…

“Alright, let’s fucking go!”

With that his own Golurk lurched to life, headed unsurprisingly towards the first—row of obstacles—various battering rams that were swinging. Only these weren’t normal rams, these were the ones that were ignited and set on fire.

(Clearly someone had a thing for fire, hilariously.)

r1ZglhQx



Part 1: a literal trial by flame. roll higher than the total of Alex’s rolls to safely get through the first half of the flaming gauntlet. Do you want to know what happens if you miss the objective?


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Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
23
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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Isaac Merlo
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Feb 22, 2023 14:03:01 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]Titan extended a fist towards his brother in arms. Clearly, a fistbump between giant mecha was the only thing this challenge needed to transcend into the realm of true over-the-topness.[break][break]

In this very moment, there was nobody Isaac respected more than Alexei. Giving him a personal introduction to the gym? Not just obliging to his crazy challenge, but also rising up to meet it on his own terms? Gleefully indulging in the madcap all the while? Isaac wished he'd had the foresight to come here sooner! This ruled![break][break]

"That's the great thing about our rides, buddy," Isaac said, drinking in the beautiful mayhem that had been set up ahead of him. "They're ghosts! We're already dead men flying!" Isaac was ready to laugh in the face of death, and he could tell from the ear to ear grin on Alex's face that he wasn't alone.[break][break]

Now they just had to put their money where their mouths were.[break][break]

Flaming battering rams. A smarter man might have waited for the fire to burn them down to a more manageable size. That smarter man was boring and should be shamed in the town square. Instead, Isaac watched them swing, aiming to get a sense of their patterns and momentum. All somewhat off sync, as they should be. Different weights and timings made it more interesting.[break][break]

He waited until the criss-crossing stopped, and they all bobbed in a single direction. "Now!" Isaac said, spurring Titan on to run the gauntlet at its most oppprtune moment.[break][break]

jiww3_fv

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played by

Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
fortree gym leader
gym leader
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5,045 posts
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Alexei Ivanov
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Mar 6, 2023 17:34:57 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


It was hilarious that two Golurks were flying around in the skies—it was literally a show to see, seeing as most of the Sanctuary staff that wasn’t busy had turned out to see the insanity that was going on up there.

Instead of one of the flaming obstacles beaning the Golurk where Isaac was flying on—inching ahead and making it through the fire, it was Alexei who had almost gotten unseated by the blaze of flame that came hurtling his way.

“Holy hellballs on a stick!” he yelled as his Golurk got struck by one of the obstacles—thankfully the flames slid past the monolith’s shoulders—however he could smell the singe of burning hair as they flew onward.

The ‘pillars’ of aerial fire only increased in size—and intensity—as the two Golurks flew forward. Just how was it possible to avoid getting burned at this point?

Time to go through the Gauntlet Wall™ of Fire and Flames!

cxxgsWmx



Part 1: a literal trial by flame. roll exactly one of the numbers of Alex’s rolls to safely get through the second half of the flaming gauntlet. Do you want to know what happens if you miss the objective?


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Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
23
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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Isaac Merlo
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Mar 6, 2023 17:46:34 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]"You good back there?" Isaac called, looking over his shoulder to check on the alarmed gym leader. Luckily, the flame seemed to break against the Golurk, doing little more than startling the gym leader himself.[break][break]

Well, outside of a little burned-up hair. Eye widening in shock, Isaac made a quick patting motion on his head to remind Alexei to snuff the fire out.[break][break]

By the time he turned around, he was greeted with the second half of the firewall. It was massive. It was intense. It was practically inescapable. It was now less of a question if Isaac and Titan would end up getting singed, and more how bad the burns would be when it happened.[break][break]

"You're crazy, man," Isaac repeated, that daredevil's grin back on his face. There was no pattern to this one, or at least not one reliable enough to solve. There was no gap large enough to squeeze his way through. There was no waiting it out.[break][break]

There was only going for it.[break][break]

Isaac tucked himself under Titan's shoulder, spurred the Golurk to fly into action, and then held on for dear life.[break][break]

SP|Gq|4z

[break][break]





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Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
fortree gym leader
gym leader
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Alexei Ivanov
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Mar 6, 2023 18:12:00 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


He noticed that Isaac had looked over his shoulder and made something like an extinguishing gesture before the singing smell got stronger and then he realized—

“Ah, shit!”

He then frantically fanned at the back of his head and felt heat—thank fuck the flames were extinguished in short order. Eventually his own Golurk flew through the unpredictability of the fires that burned brighter than the sun—

Only for them both to be suddenly drenched with a torrential downpour.

“From fire—water!” he sputtered, as the torrential downpour replaced the blazing heat from earlier. While normal weather obstacles made up one of his other non-traditional challenges, what made this even harder was the fact that alongside the downpour, there were also mud coming down alongside the storm!

Now it was a battle of visibility—would the mud get in your eyes?

pVeOuUai



Part 2: zero visibility! Roll lower of the numbers of Alex’s rolls to safely get through the first half of the second obstacle. Do you want to know what happens if you miss the objective?


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Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
23
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
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Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
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Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Mar 6, 2023 18:25:33 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]The flames were roaring to life, only getting larger and more imposing the closer Isaac came. The heat of the inferno stung at Isaac's face. Cinders popped and stung at his eye. Titan tried to crumple his body smaller and smaller, but any opening was rapidly swallowed up. There was no way around this wall of flame.[break][break]

Then from heat came cool. From dryness came wetness. From fire came water. The wall of flame was but a test of courage, and Isaac and Alex scored a nice, relaxing shower for their efforts. Nice![break][break]

Isaac sputtered out water, trying to dry his face a little on his equally soaked shirt. Titan groaned in irritation, having much preferred a nice, relaxing clay bake to the moisture that was now seeping through his cracked body. "Relax, big guy. We both know the best way to dry you off. Full speed ahead!"[break][break]

Obliging, Titan spun his body in a great circle to shake some of the moisture off, then charged relentlessly into the deluge. He threw his great, big hands over his head like a makeshift visor, hoping to keep his optics safe from any pesky mudfalls. Sure, his trainer was left exposed to the elements as a result. But that sounded like an Isaac problem, not a Titan problem.[break][break]

xlHPji_0

[break][break]





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Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
fortree gym leader
gym leader
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Alexei Ivanov
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Mar 6, 2023 18:38:43 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


The downpour cooled down literally everything around them, and thankfully for him he’d managed to squint through the near-zero visibility downpour, the mud squelching and barely missing his line of vision—yikes, that was close!

Isaac, on the other hand—unfortunately was the target of a rather large splattering of mud that soaked him from the top down, clouding his field of vision with the way it landed—some of the remnants also landed in the Golurk’s eyes, to boot.

Whoopsie!

The downpour wasn’t just the only obstacle pouring down, because as they cut through the latter half of the skies, there were sudden bursts of thick, viscous mud attempting to knock the Golurks out of the air!

SIWJ6Q4S



Part 2: zero visibility! Roll between of the numbers of Alex’s rolls to safely get through the second half of the second obstacle. Do you want to know what happens if you miss the objective?


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played by

Wanderer

The Liberator
he/him/his
23
April 10
Lavaridge Town
Figuring it Out
Penitent
Renegade
Turned on my friends and brought them pain. I have no right to show I can change. But I gotta try!
awards
4,311 posts
Isaac Merlo DOLLARS
part of
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Isaac Merlo
Believe It Or Not, I'm Walking On Air [Gym, Nontrad #3]
POSTED ON Mar 6, 2023 18:49:32 GMT
Isaac Merlo Avatar
[nospaces]

[attr="class","skullhover"]

[attr="class","skullimg"]

[attr="class","skulltitle"]導通抵抗
[attr="class","skulloverlap"]BUT HOLD YOUR BREATH, GUESS WHO'S RUNNING THE SHOW?



[attr="class","skullbody"]They gave a muddy inch, and life took a muddy mile. Faster than you could say "Nickelodeon", mud cascaded from above, leaving Isaac little more than a blinking pile of brown goo. He took it back: now, he hoped wasn't watching![break][break]

The mud in Titan's optics was a lot less bad, but it was still enough to obscure the obstacles coming from up ahead. This was especially true when those obstacles were even more mud! The first one clipped Titan's side before he even knew what was going on, meaving the slippery, muddied-up Isaac almost rolling right off of his back.[break][break]

Not today. Titan caught him before he could fall, keeping him grabbed securely so there wouldn't be risk of any further accidents.[break][break]

His flight path was onwards and upwards. Keeping adjacent to these high powered mud cannons would get him pummelled. Flying below would be easier, but . . . unpleasant. The high road would be far more rewarding, and maybe give him the opportunity to spin himself dry before the wetness started to get painful.[break][break]

_ScryJiV

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