MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Jul 3, 2023 10:58:06 GMT

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[attr="class","arties"]

Above them is a brilliant blue summer sky. With the sun down, they’re bathed in the light of a hundred thousand stars. Distant galaxies burn across millions of years to deliver them these motes of light. In a region where everything moves a mile a minute, they are forced to sit still.[break][break]
Where once he delivered mail across a dead land, now he delivers marshmallows to the Champ. A fire crackles. It makes him nostalgic for a dream. The sky was nowhere close to this beautiful, nor did the food smell as sweet. He’s skewered the first marshmallow on a stick and turns it over to roast. It does him some good, being away from everything. Hanging out with a friend. Remembering what it is to be Navy rather than Lord Navidson, Pale Rider.[break][break]
“I dunno who invented smores,” the sheriff muses, “but they deserve a peace prize. Get Chairwoman Goode to write out a posthum commendation.”

[break][break]

+ kyle lopez

[attr="class","pokeclass"]
Vortigern Rest/Sleep talk/Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sword’s Dance/Outrage/Poison Jab/Stealth Rock

Roland Electric Terrain/Psycho Cut/Moon Blast/Focus Blast/Thunderbolt/Knock Off

Thin Lizzy Shed Tail/Dragon Rush/Shift Gear/Quick Attack/Dragon Pulse/Rapid Spin

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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played by

aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

champion

2240 height

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jul 5, 2023 1:17:03 GMT

for someone who wasn't an outdoor person, kyle has surprisingly been adept at camping. his memory suggests having avoided all sorts of similar trips, but preparing the camp seemed to come naturally to him.

excursions to the dangerous unknown had been central to a previous life, camping being an essential skill for them. oddly enough, kyle seems to be in tune with nature despite being a city boy at heart.

he ignores navy's musing, and instead, tries to ignore these weird sense of deja vu by tapping in on what he really was supposed to be.

"aren't we too old to be camping like this?" he asks, watching his marshmallow roast on a stick. "and did you run out of friends to ask?"

he can't blame him though. kyle was that friend you can easily drag along on misadventures as long as you ask.

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played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

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TAG WITH @teddie

POSTED ON Jul 5, 2023 3:43:41 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“You’re the perfect crossroad of accessible and acceptable, Lopez.” Navy sounds cheerful as he pulls back his marshmallow, testing it. Chewing the edge to see if it’s done. It seems he is displeased, as he puts it back over the fire.[break][break]
“Most of the people I hang out with socially these days are teenagers.” A pause as he considers if that’s wholly correct. “Well, Josh too. But I’m not in the mood for Raikou or racing today. Don’t got a big bird plushie hidden in your bag, do ya?” Josh, on account of his age, is afforded snark not normally given to Tsubaki, Eris, or the other teenagers he’s met.[break][break]
“…besides, feels nostalgic. Getting away from everything. Just spending time with old friends. Things don’t gotta change just ‘cause we get older.”

[break][break]

+ kyle lopez

[attr="class","pokeclass"]
Vortigern Rest/Sleep talk/Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sword’s Dance/Outrage/Poison Jab/Stealth Rock

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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played by

aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

champion

2240 height

Join my dream it's just the right time, woah

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jul 6, 2023 10:16:36 GMT

"a-accessible? you make it sound like i'm easy." he was, but that was besides the point.

there was a smile on his face as he smears the marshmallow from his stick in his smore, thereby making the holy sandwich of camping.

"speaking of nostalgia, have you felt something similar when you left the cave back then?" he asks, pertaining to the recent skirmish involving the dogs and the ruinous beasts. "i usually feel something with other people present back then, just like josh, but i guess you're not one of them."

he tilts his head as he faces navy with the question, letting the cold night air cool down the smore in his hand. there's an intent gaze that attempted to force the feeling out, but nothing came.

"eh, it's hard to explain, but do you get what i'm telling?"

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played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,008 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie

POSTED ON Jul 6, 2023 11:35:56 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“I think I get you.” Navy makes his own smore as he speaks, taking a bite and delighting in the summertime snack. “You were closer to Miss Kitty. Mooselini got me.” He doles out these nicknames in a dry voice, trying his hand at the irreverence everyone else has for gods and legends.[break][break]
“I try not to think about it. Any of it. Luckily this head of mine seems to agree. If I focus on stuff, I forget all about what happened.” He tries to not let pain show. He was one among many who paid a high price to regress into this life, where he’s Navy, aspiring champion, defender of Hoenn. One among many on the League’s defensive line.[break][break]
“…you wanna talk about what happened in there?” There’s official reports, but Navy’s always been a fan of oral histories. They grow with every retelling in a way words printed in black and white don’t.

[break][break]

+ kyle lopez

[attr="class","pokeclass"]
Vortigern Rest/Sleep talk/Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sword’s Dance/Outrage/Poison Jab/Stealth Rock

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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played by

aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

champion

2240 height

Join my dream it's just the right time, woah

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jul 8, 2023 1:32:58 GMT

"better now than any time else." he takes a bite off his smore. "it's not like we'll want to spend the entire night staring at each other eating these."

he has endured more awkward situations, so he would've survived it regardless.

"people have been remembering things, but i guess it's different depending on the person." he had been called other titles that he does not remember, but he oddly enough finds the urge to respond to them. "like people have been calling me a king, but that's pretty much out of character no matter the context."

he crosses his arms as he begins to speculate.

"unless that's what people call champions now. is that it?"

it doesn't sound right, but the heavy feeling of responsibility suddenly felt like it was lifted when he jolted wide awake after the cave. he accounts it as both the region's champion and an officer of public safety, but it shouldn't be the case if he had been one from the beginning to present.

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played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

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TAG WITH @teddie

POSTED ON Jul 10, 2023 5:58:28 GMT

Elise Calcifet likes this

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“There’s not much difference between a king and a champ.” Navy admits that while devouring what’s left of his smore. He frames the words in a quiet tone, as if they’re just another thread of the conversation.[break][break]
“Well…” Eyes flit back and forth across the flames of the campfire before finding Kyle once again. “…between a good king and a good champ. You defend the people. You put them before yourself.” He holds a serious expression and then breaks it with a laugh.[break][break]
“Man, when I say it like that, it’s a bunch of buzzwords. I got on Elise about that, the last time we talked.” Elise Calcifet, princess of Galar, is forced by responsibility, bloodright, and birth to consider these sorts of things.[break][break]
“It’s funny. They never talk ‘bout what it means to be Champ in the movies, did they? It’s always about the journey there. What was it like, the day after they appointed you? Not the day itself. I’m sure that was fun, but that’s still a silver screen moment. They never film the day after, when you wake up and realize you have to keep going, see what it all means.”

[break][break]

+ kyle lopez

[attr="class","pokeclass"]
Vortigern Rest/Sleep talk/Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sword’s Dance/Outrage/Poison Jab/Stealth Rock

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

champion

2240 height

Join my dream it's just the right time, woah

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TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jul 11, 2023 3:31:44 GMT

kyle stifles a laugh at navy's self-realization.

"you're really playing the gym leader role well with that. just keep throwing those buzzwords out and people will think you know something. it worked for me."

as soon as he finishes the smore, he roasts another marshmallow on his stick. he'll make sure navy didn't bring the snacks for a camping trip for nothing.

"well, it's a dead-end job." being champion that is. "there's no further objective. the only kind of stories they can make with those are sitcoms and romance, but even then, there are better concepts for those."

like a private investigator turned sheriff on a small beach town near a literal wormhole connecting their world to another realm.

"in my case, i suppose it wasn't that much different. the elite four are too great at being gatekeepers that they might be better than me in sanctioned matches. my function might as well stay as it was before the whole thing happened, i suppose: just a regular officer for public safety."

kyle turns to navy. "don't think much of my position. the only privilege is the pay. every citizen of hoenn gets to experience the cool stuff anyways, like big fights with legendary pokemon."

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played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,008 posts

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TAG WITH @teddie

POSTED ON Jul 11, 2023 4:17:40 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“Wish they didn’t.” Navy commits sacrilege along with the words, eating a raw marshmallow from the bag. It’s a matter of moments before he regrets the decision, remembering why the roasted marshmallow is held in such high esteem.[break][break]
“I wouldn’t call it fun.” He lies. “It’s our job to fight, and then kids show up anyway. Arceus…I can’t imagine what Hideo and Eris are going through after Galar. It’s one thing to be our age and do crap like that. Imagine going from thirteen to thirty, and then having to be thirteen again. It’s like something from a body horror vampire book.” So he makes the same mistakes again, the cycle of his life again and again.[break][break]
“It’s crazy how desensitized Melody and you are to just how crazy some of this shit is.” He grins throughout, finding humor in Kyle’s cavalier nature. “Tell you what, I’ll make sure to enjoy the ride up to the top. Arceus knows picking the locks on the gates to you’s gonna take me forever. Fairburne getting replaced by Connors might make my life easier, but…”[break][break]
He's spurred to make an admission by the spirit kindled within granite cave.[break][break]
“…it’s a shame. I wanna fight all the best our region has to offer.”

[break][break]

+ kyle lopez

[attr="class","pokeclass"]
Vortigern Rest/Sleep talk/Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sword’s Dance/Outrage/Poison Jab/Stealth Rock

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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played by

aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

champion

2240 height

Join my dream it's just the right time, woah

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part of

TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jul 21, 2023 6:03:37 GMT

"that's what i think too," he tells navy. "people have probably already told them not to, but they still do. they say they care, but they're too shortsighted to see it. i'm sure that's not new to you, haha."

it's a common theme for navy at this point. people who barely have their lives together throwing it for the sake of "the greater good" was novel, but barely efficient if it costs the sanity of people who care about them.

"as soon as you get the title, everything's gonna be boring. take your time. the gym stuff's more exciting than the elite four, i promise you."

the gym leaders had fun with their challenges, while the elite four often have an ego to protect with their matches.

"the best stuff, though, is the privilege of being on the know of when the cool events happen. sanctioned battles are boring. all out fights with no rules are where it's at."

desensitized or not, his excitement towards such things was, lowkey, what drives kyle not to succumb to panic or hopelessness when faced with disastrous situations.

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played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,008 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie

POSTED ON Jul 24, 2023 12:41:42 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

Kyle’s words make him pensive, and he hides it behind the smile. Hearing his friend talk like that…it makes him think Gabe was too good for the world he was born into. It’s a rare thought, seldom one that crosses his mind, but the thought is there. Any time his crybaby brother saw someone break a rule in a duel, he pitched a fit. [break][break]
“So really, we’re just two guys who like to cheat.” His smile is sharp, self-deprecating. “Man, Lopez. We’re a pair of assholes”[break][break]
Reaching into a cooler kept close by, Navy pulls out a beer and cracks it open. Blessed white foam rises. He drinks of the poison and sighs a happy sigh.[break][break]
“Don’t worry, I’m enjoying the ride. May as well. It’ll be the apocalypse again before you know it.” He blinks. “There I go, sounding like the rest of you now. So tell me…you really don’t have a dream, now that you’re champ?” It seems a strange thing to ask someone he’s known for so long, but a creature fundamentally driven to always move forward cannot fathom the mountaintop, or how there’s nowhere else to go.

[break][break]

+ kyle lopez

[attr="class","pokeclass"]
Vortigern Rest/Sleep talk/Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sword’s Dance/Outrage/Poison Jab/Stealth Rock

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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played by

aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

champion

2240 height

Join my dream it's just the right time, woah

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DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jul 28, 2023 16:21:44 GMT

"i miss that reputation," he casually remarks after being called an asshole. "too many people have been painting me as a saint that i was starting to feel bad to break expectations."

he joined the police force for an excuse to write off dog expenses in his taxes. he signed up the elite four for the money. he most definitely did not want the responsibility that came with the power of an avatar, which was why he refused tapu koko.

a longing sigh of his delinquent days comes before another topic springs up in their campfire talks.

"never did. i have the name of an npc for a reason."

ho-oh has rewired kyle in subtle ways, but it did not fix the bleak view of the future kyle has when it comes to his own.

"do you remember that one survey? the one that mentioned canon events and stuff?" he brings up all of a sudden. "what if i'm just being kept alive by the universe to play a role in its story? maybe i'm a substitute for someone, you know. someone who actually wanted to be a champion and was an embodiment of purity that ho-oh supposedly represents? that would be crazy."

survivor's guilt from rocket's initial slateport invasion still ran heavy in his thoughts.

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played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,008 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie

POSTED ON Jul 29, 2023 4:38:22 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“I dunno anything about other universes, man. I know there’s plenty of people who’d say I’m wrong, but…” Scooting off the log he’s been sitting, he kicks his feet out, looks up at the stars and sips on a beer.[break][break]
“…I don’t think the universe really cares. Callan was telling me about what happened to you guys on Mirage Island. I don’t know anything about other universes or worlds. I’m just some idiot who fights. All I know is that here, in this world, you’re the champion. You have people who care about you. You’re a better person than you think you are.” He flicks his eyes towards Kyle, looking serious.[break][break]
“Gabe n’ me nearly died that day, too. You’re a damn better champion than Cooper ever was. Helped usher us all onto those trains and then ran off with the professor. I don’t think you’re the kind of person who’d do that, if you were in her shoes.” A smile edges its way onto his face.[break][break]
“Besides, you can be an asshole and still have a gold heart. Do me a favor, will ya man?” He does something forward. Bold, even. He takes Kyle’s hand…[break][break]
…and brings it down to the grass just past the camp site.[break][break]
“Whenever you describe yourself or anyone else in video game lingo…just remember how this grass feels. It’ll help.”

[break][break]

+ kyle lopez

[attr="class","pokeclass"]
Vortigern Rest/Sleep talk/Earthquake/Stone Edge/Sword’s Dance/Outrage/Poison Jab/Stealth Rock

[attr="class","credit"]milky

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played by

aero

dog boy

he/him

october 24

verdanturf

asexual

private investigator

champion

2240 height

Join my dream it's just the right time, woah

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part of

TAG WITH @kyle

POSTED ON Jul 29, 2023 17:06:53 GMT

kyle touches the grass. "this doesn't help..."

despite being raised in verdanturf, he feels like a city boy. deep down, his natural environment is concrete.

"did you know i technically have a license to be a practicing ranger?" he suddenly brings up. "i only lasted a month."

he heaves a heavy sigh, before his lips curve to a slight smile.

"besides it's just a hypothetical, idjit." he hands grab the blades of grass and throw it on navy's face. "don't you have a sense of fantasy for this fairy tale of a world hoenn is currently turning into?"

kyle wants to give up on wondering about what makes the world tick after learning that the more they learn about it, the less it made sense. fortunately, he hasn't yet.

"how about you? any dreams in case you eventually get crowned as one" he asks, turning the question on navy. "you know, hypothetically, when you take my place as top champion."

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played by

Teddie

Michael Navidson

He/Him

October 13th

Slateport

Heterosexual

Elite 4.

Sheriff

5'10" / 177.8 cm height

In the warrior's code, there's no surrender. Though his body says stop, his spirit cries, "NEVER!"

awards

4,008 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @teddie