Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]

i used to dream in the dark of palisades park

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Tsukistar

Elliot
They/Them
19
April 12th
Lavaridge Town
Pansexual
Ranger-Coordinator
Cadet
5'9" / 175 cm height
5'9" / 175 cm height
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El Sunderland
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Dec 21, 2023 20:22:53 GMT
El Sunderland Avatar
It had been awhile since El pursued a gym badge, with everything that had been going on with Hoenn. But as the winter season kicks in and blankets the world white, everything felt... Pretty quiet, all things considered. Prime opportunity to try their hand at a badge or two, if you asked them - and an opening at Fortree Gym had popped up at the perfect time!

It was a gym that they had been eyeballing for awhile really, given that this was the very same city that they were stationed out of as a Ranger - but it was hard to find those open windows when you were also busy with other things, more often than not.

But, now was the time - and they were ready to see what they could do. "How're you feeling, Akero?" El questioned, glancing to their partner for this challenge.

At their side, Akero the Togekiss hopped along, making an eager whistle as she puffed up her feathers. The winter season had made her even fluffier and rounder looking than usual - but she was no less aerodynamic or race-ready. In fact, El was looking forward to being able to use some of the moves that they had taught him in preparation for less speed-oriented work.

But, first things first was meeting up with the gym leader - they wanted to be there nice and fashionably early!
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played by

Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
sanctuary owner
civilian
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Alexei Ivanov
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Jan 9, 2024 18:21:31 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


Seasons changed, and life went on—yes, this also included taking in gym challengers even in the dead of the ‘winter’!

Even if there was a light dusting on the ground, everything went on at its usual, frenetic pace—and today was no different, all things considered. Heck, he had two challengers coming in today, and this one was the first of them—

The sight of the fluffy Togekiss made him blink the moment he saw the two were already at the front entrance of the building!

“Oh, hello!” he called out from the front desk as he slid the papers into the envelope before standing up and going around the desk.

“You’re here today for a gym challenge, right?” he confirmed.

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played by

Tsukistar

Elliot
They/Them
19
April 12th
Lavaridge Town
Pansexual
Ranger-Coordinator
Cadet
5'9" / 175 cm height
5'9" / 175 cm height
Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?
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El Sunderland
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Jan 13, 2024 6:45:01 GMT
El Sunderland Avatar
As Alexei greets them, El and Akero both perk up. The young Ranger smiles bright and waves, nodding. "Mhmm! Hope I'm not too early?" They respond, extending a hand to Alexei for a handshake as they approach. "Just wanted to make sure I was ready, incase there's anything we needed to hash out ahead of time."

Akero, meanwhile, would greet Alexei with a happy trilling whistle, preening at one of her wings idly. She was eager to fly, and see what this gym challenge was all about!
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Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
sanctuary owner
civilian
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Alexei Ivanov
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Jan 21, 2024 19:12:31 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


He knew how fluffy Togekiss were when they flew—although to be fair, his own Togekiss was much smaller than the one he was witnessing preening their wings at for today.

(This was why he had several ridable avians, but alas Togekiss just wasn’t one of them. Well, if he were as fun-sized as his husband partner, then maybe he would consider riding one!)

“You’re just on time, actually,” he continued as he then tilted his head in the direction of the door on the right side that led to the outdoor, open-air arena and opening it for them.

“You first,” he offered, waiting until everyone in their party had crossed the threshold before slipping out behind them and closing the door as well.

The moment everyone was outside—a vast variety of shadows would be seen flying from above—a wide variety of Flying, as well as not-so-Flying typed-Pokémon would come out to play… or in this case be absolute showoffs.

“Come on, guys,” he cackled quietly. “Must you really show off every single chance you get?” he laughed as there were some stray feathers from the Braviary that flew overhead that fell to the ground.

Turning to their challenger for the day, he would presently ask them, “I’m curious—what are you expecting out of the non-trad option that you chose for today’s challenge?”


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played by

Tsukistar

Elliot
They/Them
19
April 12th
Lavaridge Town
Pansexual
Ranger-Coordinator
Cadet
5'9" / 175 cm height
5'9" / 175 cm height
Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?
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El Sunderland
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Jan 31, 2024 0:40:53 GMT
El Sunderland Avatar
El was eager as they followed Alexei's lead - and the sight of the flying pokemon overhead brought a delighted smile to the young Ranger's face. They laugh alongside the gym leader, mentioning "That must mean they're feeling good, though!" with a beaming grin. "You have so many flying - and not even necessarily flying-type - pokemon, though; it's great!"

There's a moment where El is distracted simply watching the flock zip about above - trying to see how many of the pokemon they could identify just from a glance alone. Their inner nerd was absolutely thriving here, to say the least!

But as Alexei speaks up and asks a question, they blink - snapped from their little reverie. "Oh! Uhm - I had signed up for the obstacle course because, well..." They glance over to him, and consider their words for a moment. "Akero here... He started off as mostly being just for races; being speedy and maneuverable, right? But I've recently started trying to train him to be able to help me out on the field - with Ranger work - which is more than just, uhm, being able to get from A to B really fast."

"I've taught her a few moves for different utility - like Reflect, to act as a windshield or provide protection from collisions. Or Defog, to clear up low visibility conditions." El smiles brightly with this, clearly proud of their decision-making. "But I want to give her more experience flying around in tricky conditions that aren't just the wide open sky... And an obstacle course seemed like it'd be a good test, without actually putting either of us in a dangerous situation."
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played by

Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
sanctuary owner
civilian
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Alexei Ivanov
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Feb 17, 2024 6:04:42 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


“There was a reason why when I picked flying, it wasn’t just the type but the entire theme to go along with it,” he began once El was done explaining their side of things.

“There’s a whole lot of Pokémon that can fly, even though they’re not strictly classified in the ‘Flying’ type as a whole, so why discriminate? That’s why I have as many of the ones that can fly on my roster whenever challengers come by to ask for either a traditional or a non-traditional match.”

There was this grin on his face as he continued.

“And besides, there are also battles that are fought in the sea, and in the skies—battle itself isn’t just limited to being flat on the ground.”

He then realized something else—

“Were you in the Silph cup that was held here on the Fortree grounds the last time there was a big race?” he confirmed. He knew that there was a Togekiss among the participants, however he just had to make sure—

“And yes, the aerial obstacle course is also more of a lesson as well in navigation through multiple situations. You never know what’s going to happen.”

In short order they would arrive at the ‘starting point’ of where the obstacle course would begin—

He would then pull out his bird whistle and then blow on it exactly once; before a Hydreigon would come flying over from somewhere.

“I’d love to take the race with my own Togekiss, however she’s rather small for her species and wouldn’t bear my weight! So you’ll be going up against my Hydreigon instead. While they may look to be blind, they also have a great sense of hearing, so…”

The ‘Cerberus’-like draconid bellowed, snapping his arm-hands before looking in the approximate direction where he stood.

“Here, take these goggles, you’ll need it when we go through there. Meet you in the air!” he continued as he then got on the back of his Hydreigon (with no saddle, scandalous) before flying up to the ‘aerial’ starting point where Ethan this time, waited for them on the back of a Fearow.

This would be more on El’s benefit, as he’d already flown this course several times and loved every single time he’d done it.

“O-okay, so,” the brown-haired receptionist would begin, stammering slightly as the Fearow adjusted altitude to match the Togekiss, “…all you need to do is to get through the entire course in one piece. It’s also all-natural flying, so no Pokémon moves of any kind allowed! There are four obstacles you’ll both be flying through—so it’s not a race, it’s more on a technical navigation course through what you see up ahead. Oh, as a reminder, Be careful out there, and see you both at the opposite end!”

With that, the starting whistle would go off and the challenge was on!

The first obstacle would be a blinding, cascading grit of howling sand and stone; a literal Sandstorm of epic proportions.

The Hydreigon would then fly through the howling grit; not relying on his sense of sight but on his sense of hearing to traverse through the storm that was blowing around the area.

The rocks and sand would make it rather difficult for both of them to see, especially with falling boulders coming from several surprise directions making this no walk in the park!

sJ2ESbkE



Part 1: Sandstorm by Darude; roll higher than the total of Alex’s rolls to get through the first half of the obstacle! Do you want to know what happens if you roll lower?


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played by

Tsukistar

Elliot
They/Them
19
April 12th
Lavaridge Town
Pansexual
Ranger-Coordinator
Cadet
5'9" / 175 cm height
5'9" / 175 cm height
Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?
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646 posts
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El Sunderland
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Feb 17, 2024 23:56:13 GMT
El Sunderland Avatar
At the mention of the Silph Cup, El perked up - smiling bright. "Yeah, Akero and I were!" They chirped in confirmation, "It was a ton of fun - even if it got a little bit hectic, especially towards the end. Even if I didn't win, being in the top 50% is pretty good, right?" Their smile grows into a bright grin in Alexei's direction - adding "Maybe next time, I'll win the cup like you did - and like my brother did in the one before that!"

They were eager to work towards plenty of accolades, and catch up to in one way or another. Because even if he was already plenty proud of them, that was no reason to stop trying their best!

But, then came the approach towards the obstacle course; and as Alexei called a Hydreigon over, El couldn't help a soft laugh. "Maybe I oughta bring my Hydreigon next time I visit, then? Ysera's a real sweetheart." They mused out loud, as they visibly admired the gym leader's own dragon.

Following Alexei's lead though, they'd fit the goggles on - before settling into Akero's saddle. "Let's go, buddy;" They murmured - stroking the Togekiss' feathers before they nudged her to take flight.

Akero, clearly delighted to finally take wing, would whistle in joy as he ascended into the air - and would even give a cheery sing-song whistle to the receptionist and Fearow in greeting, as the duo approached!

El, meanwhile, would listen close as the rules were laid out - it was all pretty simple and straightforward enough, so they'd give a nod in turn. Just get to the end - which, in theory, didn't seem too hard...

... But, that was until they were faced with a blinding Sandstorm..! El blinked owlishly at the sight - and at just how fearlessly Alexei dove into the howling winds... But they wouldn't let themselves fall behind..!

"If this storm is self-contained... It's probably not all blowing in just one direction, right?" They mused to Akero - otherwise, the sandstorm would be all over the place and making a mess of things! If this was something closer to a twister... "Don't hurt or tire yourself going against the wind - if we follow the flow, it should carry us to the other side!"

That was just simple physics, with how wind usually moved, right?

Akero whistled in understanding - and going forth, he'd let his wings catch the howling winds and carry him, to conserve his stamina. All the while, El would similarly focus in on their hearing and sense of direction... But, that was until a dark shape beared down on them from above! "W-woah..!"

They had to have Akero bank to the side to avoid a falling boulder - and before they knew it, there was another coming the duo's way!

Just what sorts of real-life situations was this course supposed to prepare you for?!

fWONMMaX
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played by

Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
sanctuary owner
civilian
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Alexei Ivanov
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Feb 18, 2024 18:33:10 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


El would wonder no longer, as their seemingly ‘aimless wandering’ through the howling grit would be interrupted by the loud, cracking sound of boulders splitting in half—a split second sooner and they’d have been knocked off the back of their Togekiss had they not been careful!

That was one of the things that anyone flying through the air had to be ready for—surprise obstacles! Not to mention that—

Okay, this was new. There were pointy, levitating rocks scattered throughout the latter half of the course; and if they happened to get grazed by one of those, it would really hurt!

Over at where Alex was flying with his Hydreigon, one of the ‘hydra’-mouths then chomped on an incoming boulder and shattered it to dust; before the other ‘hydra’-mouth then punched another out of the way—

Unintentionally sending it straight towards where El and their Togekiss was headed! Yikes!

jksL3Fte



Part 1: Sandstorm by Darude; roll exactly one of the two numbers of Alex’s rolls to get through the second half of the obstacle! Do you want to know what happens if you miss?


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played by

Tsukistar

Elliot
They/Them
19
April 12th
Lavaridge Town
Pansexual
Ranger-Coordinator
Cadet
5'9" / 175 cm height
5'9" / 175 cm height
Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?
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646 posts
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El Sunderland
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Feb 20, 2024 2:42:01 GMT
El Sunderland Avatar
While preserving Akero's stamina by following the flow of the wind was probably the right call - it was safe to say that the plan had been thrown a bit off-kilter by the presence of other obstacles.

The two would dodge out of the way of another boulder even as it was split - El holding tight to Akero's reins all the whilst, leaning low against her to keep themself safe. However, in the process, Akero would brush up against a sharp rock that was hovering in the air - which scraped at her feathers, drawing out a startled and pained keen from the Togekiss!

"That's..." That looked like Stealth Rock, right? Did that mean that the boulders that they were trying to dodge past was a Rock Tomb or Rock Slide?

Were Akero's moves not forbidden, a Defog or Reflect would've surely helped a bunch... But, they had to make do with what they had - which for the Togekiss, was stamina and maneuverability.

As the two had to bank out of the way of another boulder - this one having come flying from an awfully odd angle - El would lightly tug Akero's reins to bring the Togekiss back on the 'path'. "Focus on weaving between the Stealth Rocks - I'll try to watch for boulders," They told her.

Akero whistled in affirmative, beating her wings a couple of times to slip between a few of the levitating stones.

El could only hope that this would be enough to make it out of the storm alright...

MOS6IOXE
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played by

Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
sanctuary owner
civilian
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Alexei Ivanov
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Mar 6, 2024 19:00:26 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


While the boulder that came flying at the two would throw them off-course for the briefest of moments, things weren’t over yet—as once they were able to navigate to the next part of the obstacle course; rathr than being greeted by rain, they would be greeted by the sounds of what appeared to be…

Cannon fire explosions.

Why explosions?

The fact would become clear as an unruly flock of Toucannon in all manner of sizes would come screaming down on the both of them; alternating between bursts of Bullet Seed and Beak Blast (which explained the booming noises when they went off) being fired from every single possible angle.

It truly was…

Bullet Hell.

Even he was caught off-guard by the sudden change in the obstacle, before a crackling voice in his ear said with a triumphant smirk that he could hear from this distance, “Thank me later! That was just supposed to be only the Beak Blast Battalion but Ethan had other ideas!”

Up ahead, the Hydreigon would suddenly do an inversion as the loud ricochet of Bullet Seed attacks being fired at maximum velocity (thanks to all the Toucannons having Skill Link as their ability) very nearly caught the hydra-hands off-guard!

“WHOA!” he yelped as not a moment too soon, the sizzle of a near point-blank Beak Blast to the face would cause him to drop several feet in height before the very noticeably shiny plumage of Sam the Toucannon would catch his attention.

Clearly, they weren’t here to mess around.

bS3r6xq|



Part 2: Alolan Bullet Hellscape; roll lower than the total of Alex’s rolls to get through the second half of the obstacle! Do you want to know what happens if you roll higher?


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played by

Tsukistar

Elliot
They/Them
19
April 12th
Lavaridge Town
Pansexual
Ranger-Coordinator
Cadet
5'9" / 175 cm height
5'9" / 175 cm height
Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?
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El Sunderland
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Mar 15, 2024 21:55:39 GMT
El Sunderland Avatar
The sandstorm, safe to say, had been a bit of hell for the two. But at the first glimpse of sunlight past the swirling sand and flying rocks, El is quick to direct Akero out of the storm. They're a bit battered by it, and it certainly took a bit more out of the two than they had expected...

... But as El shakes a bit of sand off their jacket, they're ready to continue forwards..! "Ehehe; we can see, we can fly!" They'd crack a joke to Akero, spirits still feeling good.

Akero, in turn, would whistle cheerily... Though, her call would rise into a startled keen as a few Bullet Seeds nearly hit them! El, similarly, couldn't help a yelp as they had Akero bank to the side to avoid the barrage!

Seeing as the Toucannons were above, though... "Keep your distance, Akero!" The more space they had to dodge, the better!

bVLSPWT8
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Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
sanctuary owner
civilian
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Alexei Ivanov
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON May 8, 2024 20:50:46 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


Oh, they thought the Toucannon Armada™ were only above?

Well, there were Toucannon also circling below; and had opened fire with even more ricochet’ing Bullet Seed attacks; however by some sheer force of luck the Togekiss had heard the incoming sounds of ‘gunfire’ (which was just really the hard-shelled seeds popping open from the force of the attacks being fired) and would be able to immediately maneuver out of harm’s way to safety.

But ‘safety’ wasn’t a word that existed in these Toucannons’ bird-brains… at least, when the shiny leader of the pack is mentioned.

A very loud, derisive cawing noise would come from the shiny Toucannon’s direction—which would then signal all the other Toucannon to open fire at will; for if they had a pattern to the madness, then wouldn’t that be playing too safe?

The funny thing is that the Hydreigon that had been meandering around in mid-air like some drunken fist practitioner would actually get hit by the incoming barrage of Bullet Seed hell from several directions; causing him to come to a stop in mid-air before very nearly being overtaken by aerial fire!

“Never thought I’d get hit by my own obstacles,” he would smirk, the Hydreigon roaring indiscriminately and itching to incinerate the stupid birds—but they would continue their drunken flight pattern through the thicker ‘volley of fire’ that waited up ahead.

DhwOgrys



Part 2: Alolan Bullet Hellscape; have the two numbers you roll fall between the range of Alex’s roll to continue on safely! (basically, your two rolled numbers should land between 51 and 98)


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played by

Tsukistar

Elliot
They/Them
19
April 12th
Lavaridge Town
Pansexual
Ranger-Coordinator
Cadet
5'9" / 175 cm height
5'9" / 175 cm height
Would you like an adventure now, or would you like to have your tea first?
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646 posts
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El Sunderland
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON May 14, 2024 21:44:26 GMT
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So far so good; this was going a bit better than the sandstorm hell that they had to traverse before. Akero would dance between the volleys of 'bullets' without too much trouble, banking and rolling as need be! All the while, El held tight to the saddle - eyes scanning their surroundings... Only to spot the ringleader, a shiny Toucannon that was riling up the rest of the flock!

Diversity win: The bi pride bird was trying to kill them. But, at the very least, it seemed that Alexei wasn't spared from the wrath of the flock, the Hydreigon's roar briefly drawing El's attention. Poor guy...

Though, they had their own troubles to worry about. "I'll keep an eye on the ones above - you watch the ones below." They told Akero - adjusting their grip on her reins. Hopefully, a bit of coordination would be enough to get them through this slice of the gauntlet..!

W_VV9xV1
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Ven

Alex / Lexy
he / him / his
thirty
december 22
Mistralton, Unova
homosexual demiromantic
sanctuary owner
civilian
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Alexei Ivanov
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON May 31, 2024 23:59:16 GMT
Alexei Ivanov Avatar


Much tempted as he was to use Earthquake to shake off the Toucannon Armada™, there were several factors that would render this entire thing moot:

• Toucannon were part-Flying type, and therefore had immunity to Ground-type moves,
• Wouldn’t it look silly if a Hydreigon used a Ground-type move in mid-air and look like a clown?

The loud, derisive cawing would continue assaulting both him and El; to the point that the ricochet fire of the remaining Bullet Seed attacks would pelt not just the Hydreigon, but the Togekiss as well as they both cleared out of the second obstacle!

(Sometimes, the members of the Toucannon Armada™ did their job too well!)

The next obstacle, though…

The sound of rumbling clouds would reach El’s ears, and if they were smart enough (or wearing a jacket) they would do well to throw up their hood before going into the next one!

He could only guess who had deliberately chosen to put rain after ‘bullet hell’; what with the way the next stretch of the course had torrential downpours and near-zero visibility. The risk of getting lost in the haze was pretty high, unless one had sharp ears and would listen for the rumbling of the thunder clouds up above…

CNZAGkDd



Part 3: Welcome to the Thunder Plains; where near-zero visibility and torrential rain will hinder your journey forward!

Roll lower than the total of Alex’s rolls to proceed!


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SHIV

GONGAGER
he/him
25
October 13
GONGAGA
gongaga-romantic
gongager
gongago
me?
gongaga
808 height
808 height
WHERE ARE UNOVA REMAKES
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shiv
Winter Flight [Nontraditional Gym]
POSTED ON Jun 1, 2024 22:06:01 GMT
shiv Avatar
[nospaces]
[attr="class","TRAINER"]
[attr="class","omaccepted"]
[attr="class","omacceptedtop"]GYM BATTLE COMPLETE!

[attr="class","omacceptedmid"]

YOU RECEIVE THE REWARDS BELOW:[break]


[attr="class","omacceptedlinks"]
[attr="class","omacceptedlinks1"]TAGS:
(NON-TRAD)
img
The Shula Region
Hogwarts AU
RPG Unlimited
MR
The Enroi Region
N:FB
Vyrehaven
Celestial Guardians, AU Sailor Moon RP
EO GENESIS
Code and Crown: An advanced literate warriors cats RP, set in medieval times
Swords Clashing