The Spider and the Fly

With Yuina Higashi

Yeah, well, Doug wanted their capture back, so they would have to fork her over.

"I'm so sorry..." Doug breathed under his breath, grasping a pokeball— before throwing it out, releasing his Vivillon unto the battlefield. "BUT I'LL DO WHAT I HAVE TO, BUGS OR NOT! LUCI— HURRICANE!"

The spidops coming down to intercept them, using that webbing as a pseudo-crane?

Well, they suddenly found themselves subjected to very rough winds, a storm whipping about in the forest and threatening to throw them all off whilst Basara, secured to the tree with his mighty axes, continued to climb.

Doug wasn't an advocate for violence, but when he chose it, he made his choice very decisively.

"We're coming for ya, Yuina! Don't worry— I know how to deal with bugs!"

---

TL;DR:

ER: HOENN EDITION

FT. Andrea Vaneau

Doug smiled as he watched her reconsider.

"What I just did was more or less just poke holes into yer earlier logic." He said, winking. "Ya don't have to fully switch yer stance— but it's good to be curious, ain't it?"

The mark of true intellectual honesty wasn't in accepting everything that came, but in being willing to consider it, think about it, look into it, and perhaps come to a more complete understanding of a subject or issue.

"A historian, though..." Doug said, crossing his arms thoughtfully. "Honestly, I dunno if any of them would be specialized in human evolution."

Perhaps it would be better to send her to one of the professors...? Then again, both women were terribly busy...

Wait. He did know a... museum curator~.

"... Is the name Yuina Higashi familiar to you, Ms. Vaneau?" He asked her casually, giving her a toothy smile.

---

TL;DR:

PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY

ft. a whole lotta noodle arms, dummies and uggies.

He watched his fellow inmate fall silent and pull away from the bars, releasing a low, relieved sigh.

Watching them take a seat away from him didn't do much to him— he didn't wanna be all that close to a complete stranger either, no matter how spectacularly familiar the rack was. He was committed to someone already, even if she didn't know it yet.

He had more or less prepared himself for more silence— more observing.

But then the other spoke words he would've never expected, making his masked face snap right back towards them.

"... For real?" He asked, lowly, for a moment.

Forget their neighbors— they didn't need the guards hearing them either.

He considered the other's words... before glancing over the bars.

"... Let's discuss that later." He said, turning his gaze back to them. "Now ain't a good time."

Guards were still patrolling.

"Anyway. You can call me Docasi Tallahassee— Or Doc for short." He said after a moment. "I'm a physician; not a lot I can do behind bars but... if ya feel off, let me know. We'll figure something out."

It was then that the platform began to lower.

He raised a digit to where his lips would've been.

Something was coming.

---

TL;DR:
-Later.
-The name's Docasi Tallahassee.
-ACTION: count guards, check their equipment

PRISMATIC PENITENTIARY

ft. a whole lotta noodle arms, dummies and uggies.

"Oi." Came behind Yuina Higashi. "The heck was that fo'?"

The man she had missed earlier had opinions about her flailing to share, and her obvious panicking was clearly not going to stop him.

Leaned up and sat against the wall, the dramatic lighting of the prison shone down upon the man's mask, revealing to the prisoner just what exactly was attached to her face— and wrapped around her neck.

"Ya done? Calm down." The young man said... his galarian accent thick and obviously fake. "I've had my fill of screaming for today, thanks."

He had been awake for a while now. Enough to speedrun the 5 stages some folk seemed to have gotten hung up on. Enough to know his mask couldn't be removed, his connection with Lele was being severely impeded, and using his powers was just begging for a throttling.

And enough to try and look around after getting acquainted with his surroundings.

The shape of the place. The warden of said place. The number of guards, their equipment.

Oh yes, he had had plenty of times to wallow in just how fucked they were while sleeping beauty got some shut eye.

"Trust me— get away from the bars and lower yer voice— We're in a prison." He reminded her. "And ya don't want the guards' or worse, the warden's attention in prison."

---

TL;DR:
-Awake.
-Calm down, beautiful woman I've never met.
-ACTION: count guards, check their equipment

Taking an Open.

Monster Hunter

With Lucia Aldrete

"They're only weak to three!" He said, pouting. Well, she wasn't entirely wrong. "Well, they are resisted by seven other types, I guess."

Still, he didn't seem to mind it much, grinning Lucia's way. She didn't seem to be judging you, which helped.

"Why? 'Cause I love 'em." He said with a simple shrug, turning his gaze over to the battle unfolding before them and smiling.

The titan had fallen already, panting. Though looking worse for wear, Garo and Hero had fought tooth and nail and brought low even that mighty titan.

"I don't got a reason— not any based on logic anyway. I've always thought they were neat, and... I guess I never grew out of that." He said.

Just as she loved hero unconditionally, it seemed Doug loved his bugs much the same— if not quite as personally as she loved her partner.

Not for all bugs, anyway.

"Speaking of cool pokemon..." Doug said, grinning as he gestured with his neck at the titan. "This one's all yours. Go get 'em, champ. "

TL;DR:

Fl1jCJHA
TOTAL = 1008

2 AM

An evening with Yuina Higashi

His cheeks reddened as she scuttled closer, shoulders tensing as her head reclined against them.

She was getting bolder by the day, golly gee.

Cuter somehow, too.

"You're very welcome." He said, leaning his forehead against her locks of hair.

Do not. Kiss. Her head. Weirdo.

"I... I'm glad I was there. I don't wanna think about... what else could've happened." Doug confessed, the arm around Yuina's waist growing a bit more firm, pulling her closer. "Now I'm a bit scared. I don't wanna let'cha outta my sight."

They had no idea of what could happen next. If they were trying to get Yuina... maybe he really should just be around her more.

"Ya really might be stuck with me, this time." He managed to crack, snickering softly.

---

TL;DR:-Doug is awake.

CULL THE HERD

With Eris Halla.

He reached over, ruffling her hair.

"Sheesh, ya sound older than me when ya talk like that." He said with a snort. "Not wrong, tho."

He turned his gaze back to the lumbering golem. It didn't look any closer to finding whatever it was that it was looking for now than it had 20 minutes ago.

And Eris did not look any less willing to just sit back and watch.

They were in for the long haul.

---

dSiI6uVy

TL;DR:
Total: 1524

PP2: CELEBI

cait alfric's patron

Petalburg Woods, the stomping grounds of Hoenn's bugcatching community, were in a mighty disarray.

Time itself was going haywire all about the place, and toxic chained pokemon rampaged about as if they owned the place.

But they weren't just going after whoever happened to be near— they had a target. Follow enough of the rabid things, and you would find it.

The prince of the forest— Ms. Cait's former patron— afflicted with the same poison as many others had before, but resisting mightily against it.

"Lele." Doug muttered lowly as he approached cautiously.

His bug type pokemon were taking care of nearby, toxic chained grass-types.

For now, however briefly, it was just him and Celebi.

And Celebi's once upon a Star Soiree's dance partner.

"Oh, this time you pay attention." He muttered, half joking, as his matron appeared.

Her gaze was unreadable, as ever, though the intensity behind it was felt stronger than anything he had gotten from her recently.

Guess she likes Celebi. He had suspected as much since back then, but it was nice to know for certain.

He reached over and poked her cheek.

"Let's help out." He said, reaching into his satchel and producing his scalpel, pink healing scales flowing through the blade as he grinned at her.

She lightly cocked her head, but did not impede him as he advanced.

"Hey." He said, alerting the pained prince. No need to surprise the poor, extremely powerful time lord. "Mr. Celebi. Dunno if ya recall me— I'm a friend o' Ms. Cait. If not me, maybe ya recall Lele?"

He gestured to his matron, whom hovered near the poisoned god.

"I know this, uh, probably looks a lil' scare." He said waving the scalpel briefly. "But I'mma use it to try n'help. That alright with ya?"

He grinned, winking at it as he sank to a knee before it, gently letting scales flutter down unto his body as Tapu lele watched, before nodding.

"Don'cha worry. Yer being treated by Hoenn's best." He said, winking. "Can't give Ms. Cait's favorite god half-assed treatment now, can I?"

---

TL;DR:
-Attempt to heal the ESCAPING CELEBI—or reference the CELEBI in some way.

Monster Hunter

With Lucia Aldrete

Doug smiled, and shrugged.

"Eh. I'm a bugcatcher." He said simply, as his Orbeetle and her Dunsparce continued to abuse the unfortunate titan. "Been so since I was a kid. I could tell ya to always pick the stronger pokemon, but honestly? The best trainers can make their favorites work."

If there was one thing he didn't want to pass on, either to Lucia, or any other future proteges he might look over, it was the flawed belief that only certain pokemon were worth using, if one desired victory.

"It's good to keep typings in mind, but if you're clever, ya'll be able to make it work even if ya become a type specialist like me." He said, before winking. "That's what Gym Leaders and Elite 4s do, and they're strong, ain't they?"

He grinned.

"Still, it's good ya got the basics down so well already. Yer a smart lass, Lucia." He said. "Keep types in mind when building yer team— even if ya only ever use yer favorites, ya'll find that most pokemon out there have a lotta options available to them."

---

TL;DR:

lJ_jHt|c
TOTAL = 969

Monster Hunter

With Lucia Aldrete

As it turned out though— Drill run was technically countering the lumbering titan's typing— and as it was held down by the Orbeetle's psychic pressure, the dinosaur had no choice but to take the blow in full, releasing a furious roar as it bit unto its side.

"That makes sense." Doug said, nodding with a smile. When he was young, his method hadn't been too dissimilar— except that he only captured bugs. But they had to be the big, cool bugs, like Pinsir and Scyther to get into his 'main' team.

"And right ya are! A guy like that, ya can tell it'll be strong n'useful from the get go." Assuming Lucia could control it, at least.

Doug knelt before Lucia, grinning as he pointed at Hero and Garo going at it against the beast.

"Ya know about typings, right? Super effective moves, ineffective moves, all that?" He asked. "One of the basic team building strategies is called Typing Coverage."

He held up a finger, actin' all scholarly like.

"The simple principle is to have pokemon that can hit a wide range of types, while also resisting lots of different types between themselves." He explained. "That way, if ya find something that say, Hero's struggling with, ya can switch in one of yer pokemon that resists that thing, and also hits it back real hard."

---

TL;DR:Doug is using his Tapu Lele avatar power, healing scales, to speed up Lucia's leg's recovery.

FXs8K2LQ
TOTAL = 783

-Still thinking
-Still thinking
-UNOWN

CULL THE HERD

With Eris Halla.

He had no idea what a Regi-Gigas meant. "They really committed to the Regi bit, huh?"

He was a bit worried now, though. 'Gigas' didn't quite fit any obvious typing...

"God, now I really hope there is a Regibug out there... no, maybe Regisect?" He said, looking back at Regirock and imagining a golem made of chitin carapaces in its place..

Beautiful. Elegant. Undetectable by radar.

Wait what?

"Royals... Think they meant the doggies?" They looked pretty royal, once they put on their cool armor.

---

gQo0Eq2y

TL;DR:
Total: 1418