MARCH UPDATE

POSTED ON Jul 29, 2023 6:09:44 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

It’s another beautiful day in Dewford. The land’s become something of a nature preserve for him outside of the city. Thanks to some politicking with the mayor, he has been afforded some land. Vortigern has taken a mate, much to the dismay of everyone in the area. A few gible are running around. Perhaps mating has cooled the black dragon’s head. At the very least, he isn’t as vicious within his own lair.[break][break]
Birds soar the sky. One of them lands on Navy’s shoulder as he drives a jeep through the area. Archivald is a Hoothoot that was rescued from smugglers. He’s a good boy, whistling a song for Navy and Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki as they drive.[break][break]
“Dontcha just love all this space, Baki? Pokemon can have room to breathe. They’re all way happier here than in any daycare.” It’s small talk. She’s welcome to change the subject whenever she likes. Archivald nuzzles against Navy’s cheek.[break][break]
“This little guy likes me a lot.”

[break][break]

+ Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

[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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[newclass=.arties .pkspr:hover]background:rgba(0,0,0,0.2); filter:none; transition:0.5s all;[/newclass]
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played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Jul 29, 2023 23:06:17 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]Tsubaki slowly runs her hand along the head of the pokemon sitting in her lap. [break][break]

Idle thought, lost in her head, she gazes absently out the window for a while. Her hands are covered by thin leather gloves, thick enough to abate the poisonous film covering the Wooper's body. She's taken precautions to avoid the pain that comes with handling it, but it doesn't seem to mind. It sits happily, eager to be near its master.[break][break]

"Open space unnerves me."[break][break]

Just like the wooper sitting in her lap, still attuned to the sea it was forced out of generations ago. It still has a proclivity toward the sea, not open, rolling hills like these.[break][break]

It's her typical barb, a beautiful rose's defense mechanism. She does it by instinct, without realizing at first, until the words have already come tumbling out of her mouth. [break][break]

She turns to Navy with a sheepish look, eager to explain herself. A privilege she doesn't afford many others.[break][break]

"I grew up in the city. It's so cramped and crowded. But you get so used to it, open space like this makes you feel like something's wrong. Even when it's not."[break][break]

The desire of this girl to explain herself is a new development. [break][break]

She hasn't cared to in the past, but the facade she's kept up has crumbled bit by bit as she's spent time with this guy. Til she's afraid of scaring him away completely, the guy who cares about her seemingly unconditionally. It isn't rational, and that's why she huffs with embarrassment.[break][break]

"But you grew up in Slateport, right? That's a big city too."[break][break]

Similar upbringings, she hinting at, but they couldn't be more different, at least at first glance. [break][break]

+ Navy

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","petalpoketsu"] ♀ - water absorb - earthquake / poison jab / counter / amnesia / yawn / toxic spikes

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

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[/newclass]
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[newclass=.starimgtsu]width: 100px; height: 100px; position: relative; border-radius: 100%; object-fit: cover;[/newclass]
[newclass=.starimgtsu img]height:100px;width:100px;border-radius:100%;[/newclass]
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[newclass=.petalpoketsu]text-align: center; margin: 0 auto; [/newclass]
[newclass=.petalpoketsu img]margin-top:0px; [/newclass]
[newclass=.circleoutline1tsu]border-radius: 100%; width: 120px; height: 120px; background: var(--accent); opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; [/newclass]
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[newclass=.rouxcredittsu]align:right; color:#AB4646; font-size:10px; text-align:right; padding:10px; [/newclass]

close tab

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 23:12:58 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

Her reaction makes him chuckle. She has to offer up an explanation. Has to explain herself to him.[break][break]
“You’re cute, you know that, right? Half the guys in town have a crush on you.” Maybe it’s rude of him to blow up their spot like that, but so be it. It’s just what he feels like saying in that moment. “But yeah, I grew up in Slateport.”[break][break]
He remembers those days, running like a beast through the woods. Scared. Concerned. Not wanting to come back home. Running the roads with orphans like kyle lopez and Jett Roan. Those were the days. He misses the faces, but not the place.[break][break]
“Asking me questions like that, like you barely know me. What gives, Baki?” Nothing wrong with a little light teasing in the afternoon, just to pass the time.[break][break]
“I miss it sometimes, but I like it here. You can get to know people. Life’s slower. I can recover between all the big brawls. And, trust me, there’s lots of big brawls here in Hoenn.”

[break][break]

+ Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

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

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

close tab

played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Jul 29, 2023 23:39:19 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]She lets out an aggrieved sigh. [break][break]

The prickly persona she's so fond of returns in full force. [break][break]

He's joking, of course. Teasing, is all. But even so.[break][break]

"I'm leading the conversation, stupid."[break][break]

She side-eyes him, before turning her nose up and looking out the window. Anything, to divert her attention from him, pretend she doesn't care about the substance of what he's saying.[break][break]

Half the boys in town?[break][break]

... Slowly, she comes around. Lets it fade, as she lets the rest of his words marinate in her skull, the less inflammatory things.[break][break]

"So I've noticed.[break][break]

She eyes the bruises on his body. The way his clothes have subtle rips and stains, the way he's disheveled. He's pushing himself harshly, trying to reach the top, negating his well-being for the sake of the apex. [break][break]

But what's left for you when you reach it by carving yourself away?[break][break]

"To me, Kanto seemed worse. But maybe it was the line of work, if you catch my drift. You didn't have a choice, it was fight or die. Here, there are moments of peace, opportunities to catch your breath. It's the difference between soldiers on the front lines and the reserve."[break][break]

She slowly runs her fingers along her pokemon's poisonous barbs. [break][break]

From the luck of heaven alone, it isn't using them to fight a brutal war in the underground in a city far away. Because of the man next to them, it sits peacefully, gazing out at the surroundings with a smile on its face. [break][break]

It doesn't know war, or what it means when you lose one.[break][break]

"I wonder if I'll end up with nostalgia for it, one day."[break][break]

It's a pointed remark. The disreputable people Navy's probably consorted with, fellow orphans without a proper education or upbringing, who turned to violence to survive. And yet, he romanticizes it, misses that life. [break][break]

His every word dissuades her from a life of battle, but he breathes conflict with every step.[break][break]

+ Navy

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","petalpoketsu"] ♀ - water absorb - earthquake / poison jab / counter / amnesia / yawn / toxic spikes

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

close tab

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 23:46:59 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“I hope you don’t.” He says with all the sincerity his heart can muster. He sounds tired. Always tired. He is no soldier in the reserve. He’s one that marches, day after day, down to the sea. He burns himself to keep these people safe.[break][break]
“I met this kid, the first time we were here. Kouji. I probably told you about him. We beat the hell out of each other.” Just remembering that pain makes him recoil. “We bared our souls to each other. We saw the futures we both want. He wants a world where the strong survive and the weak die.”[break][break]
Kids imagine all kinds of futures when they’re young – before the truth of how the world truly is sets in. Navy hates that Kouji’s world is already a reality. All the people who sit at the top do there because of their strength. People below them burn themselves up to get stronger so they, too, can sit at the top of the mountain.[break][break]
“That sounds like an awful world, to me. A world that only values strength.” He caresses Archivald, who hoots and leans against his hand. “I don’t want that to be the kind of world you miss, Baki. That’s the kind of world Kanto sounds like. I want a world where you can be weak and enjoy your life. Same for everyone else.”[break][break]
And if a select few have to bear the burden of strength so that others do not, so be it.[break][break]
“I just wish you’d give peace a chance. It’s not the end of the world if you kick your feet up for a little bit and see what school’s all about.”

[break][break]

+ Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

[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

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Jul 31, 2023 2:52:54 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]Her fingers linger on the pokemon's poisonous barbs, breath caught in her throat.[break][break]

"... But. That's a world where people can choose to be weak, isn't it? A world where they don't need to be strong, if they don't want to."[break][break]

She stares straight ahead, deadpan look on her face. There's no hint of what she's thinking on her face. Nothing but a calm sigh of resolve, setting her sights on the horizon ahead of her.[break][break]

"In that world... the people who want to be strong, shouldn't they be allowed to as well? [break][break]

"Otherwise, it's just forcing them to be weak. A crime just as bad as forcing them to be strong. You'd defang the wicked, declaw the vicious, muzzle the powerful, those who feel it in their blood: a longing desire to fight, and keep fighting, because that's all they've ever known."[break][break]

She grasps her knee as she speaks of both of them. [break][break]

Her fingers sink deep, transmitting the pain of the venom that coats her gloves. But she's focused on what lies in front of them, out the windshield. It's like she doesn't notice the pain at all.[break][break]

"And if you're unwilling to do all that, how do you enforce that kind of world, anyway? Strong people will continue to want to be strong, and continue to force their wills on others. On the weak people you've let exist. You've gotta be strong too, in that scenario, right? To protect the weak. It feeds a cycle of violence. [break][break]

But, there have to be people who want to fight for the sake of the weak in that world of yours."[break][break]

And she wants to be one of those people.[break][break]

Is that so wrong?[break][break]

+ Navy

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","petalpoketsu"] ♀ - water absorb - earthquake / poison jab / counter / amnesia / yawn / toxic spikes

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

close tab

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 31, 2023 3:09:19 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“But you’re young.” It always boils down to that. He can tell her that with a candor he can’t with Eris, or Hideo, or Vanilla. They’re lost causes. They’re not family. She is.[break][break]
“And if that’s what you wanna do when you’re older, I don’t mind it…but what if it doesn’t work out? It’s a lot harder to fix your life later. Speaking from experience.” Archivald looks up at his trainer with sad eyes.[break][break]
“You dedicate your whole life to being strong, you’ll wake up one day with no other choice but to keep fighting – for yourself and others. If you go to college, get a degree, you at least have the chance to do both. Besides…do you really think that you can’t be strong if you do something else, too? Two of the Elite 4 in Hoenn are musicians. One’s a CEO. In other regions, there’s actors and gardeners and everything else.”[break][break]
“Anybody can be strong, but if all you spend your life on is trying to be strong, you won’t be satisfied if you’re not.” He speaks, half to himself, half to her. “You won’t be satisfied anywhere except the top of the mountain.”

[break][break]

+ Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

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

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

close tab

played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Jul 31, 2023 3:34:24 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]"Like you."[break][break]

She turns and meets his gaze. [break][break]

"You don't want me to end up like you, that's what this is, isn't it?"[break][break]

Her accusation is like a knife. Sharp and exact, more precise than any poison could ever be. She's suddenly realized exactly what this is all about.[break][break]

"You'll take me under your wing, you'll teach me how to do what you do, but you hate yourself so much you don't want another Navy running around, is that it? Maybe you don't want anyone to compete with?[break][break]

How arrogant."[break][break]

It's a lonely existence, trying to reach the top of that mountain, isn't it? [break][break]

She grabs the handle of the truck and opens the door. There's a constant ringing as it protests, but she doesn't relent. She meets Navy's eyes, her voice rising with frustration.[break][break]

"Stop the car. Lemme out."[break][break]

She's about to jump out of the moving car if he doesn't.[break][break]

The Wooper in her lap glances at the dirt road running beneath them with trepidation, brought out of its stupor by the sudden change in atmosphere. [break][break]

+ Navy

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","petalpoketsu"] ♀ - water absorb - earthquake / poison jab / counter / amnesia / yawn / toxic spikes

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

close tab

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 31, 2023 4:13:16 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“No,” he says as the jeep grinds to a halt, “I fucking don’t want you to be another me, Tsubaki.” He’s not shouting, but his voice is raised. “I want you to be Tsubaki. I was an idiot when I was your age. I had to dodge gangs, I had to learn how to keep my head low. I did it all for someone else and it was hard. Why would you want to live a hard life when you don’t have to?!” He speaks with candor he never did with Gabe.[break][break]
“Fuck me, do you know the kind of people we’re dealing with? Of course you do, Kanto Rockets are even worse. These are the kinds of people who hurt people. I don’t want you to get hurt. I don’t want to have to look at your body on a fucking morgue slab because you’re so Arceus damn insistent that this is the only thing you can do.”

[break][break]

+ Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

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

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

close tab

played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki

POSTED ON Jul 31, 2023 5:42:22 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","petalbasetsu"]

[attr="class","star1tsu"]

[attr="class","circleoutline1tsu"]

[attr="class","starimgtsu"]

[attr="class","star2tsu"]She freezes. One foot out of the truck, listening to his words. Words from the only person that seems to care about her in this whole awful, fucked up world. [break][break]

Tension in her shoulders releases as she stares out of the truck at all the empty fields. The open spaces that make her so uncomfortable, far more inviting than the interior of the vehicle. [break][break]

Finally, she wipes a tear on her sleeve and turns back to him.[break][break]

"... Then I'll be Tsubaki."[break][break]

Her voice flutters a little, committing to a role she was never able to fit into. A girl she was never able to be. [break][break]

She had to be a wild animal back home, had to bare her fangs and hide her true self, just to survive. She had to be strong. Now, she's lost that need, and the vacuum left where a whole person should've grown up, developed, matured into a respectable young girl is left vacant.[break][break]

Letting herself be weak, it'll fill that void all the same. She'll lose herself in that, become someone she's not.[break][break]

"Because I know how much they hurt people, I'll be the sort of person that only Tsubaki can become."[break][break]

She'll fill that void properly.[break][break]

She'll become someone.[break][break]

"I can't be happy with an easy life. I'm sorry. [break][break]

As long as people like that exist, as long as there are still people who've done what I did, I'll never be able to, Navy.[break][break]

But. I don't even know how, but I'll become Tsubaki. I'll go to school. I'll become a botanist. I'll grow strong, in all the ways you can't, cause you're affording me these opportunities you never had. [break][break]

But this is something only I can do. As someone who once preyed on the weak. Let me be strong, let me protect them. I can't turn my back on all the people I hurt now, just because I don't have to be that wild animal anymore."[break][break]

She swallows, her throat dry. She's never torn down her facade like this before, and it shows. She's not even sure what to do with herself.[break][break]

But still, she doesn't avert her eyes anymore.[break][break]

"If you want me to be Tsubaki, Navy, then you need to stop treating me like Gabe. [break][break]

I'm my own person, so let me make my own mistakes. It's horrible what happened to your brother, it's so awful it hurts my heart to think about, but you can't smother me trying to protect me from this world. I'm gonna have to live in it regardless."[break][break]

It's not the obstinate refusal of a child. She understands exactly what the stakes are, and she's begging him to understand her. [break][break]

Not as his protegee, as his ward, as a dependent he needs to protect, just as he had his own brother —— but as a grown woman, as Tsubaki.[break][break]

She's asking him to let her grow up.[break][break]

+ Navy

[attr="class","star3tsu"]

[attr="class","petalpoketsu"] ♀ - water absorb - earthquake / poison jab / counter / amnesia / yawn / toxic spikes

[attr="class","rouxcredittsu"]♠

close tab

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 31, 2023 10:17:41 GMT

[nospaces]

[attr="class","arties"]

“Yeah, I can get behind that.” He finally says after she finishes saying everything that she has to say. There’s so much he’d want to add, but they’re good for now. They can leave it there. She’s acquiesced, and so he has to see her like an adult.[break][break]
“We’ll everything sorted out, together. You’re Tsubaki, not Gabe. You’re right.” Nodding along, he waves her back inside.[break][break]
“Get in the car, Baki.” It starts up again. He cranks it. They turn around and start heading back to Dewford. “Like I keep telling you, you have an endorsement from the Chairwoman herself. You can leverage that into any uni you want. You’ll be the best botanist in the world. Definitely a better skillset you have than mine.”[break][break]
And so they talk and talk. Navy feels better for having had this discussion, like they understand one another now.

[break][break]

+ Hyakkaryōran Tsubaki

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

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

close tab

played by

Nagato

Baki

She/Her

December 21

Saffron City

Gym Leader

Officer

156 cm // 5'1" height

oceans of angels, oceans of stars, down by the sea is where you drown your scars

awards

1,089 posts

DOLLARS

part of

TAG WITH @2baki