"There you are," I said with a smirk as I left the entrance to HQ. In the cavern outside HQ's entrance, Keiko was standing next to a pond, bathing her Lapras, Laura.
"I kinda felt bad," she explained, smiling at me a bit. "I took inventory of my caught pokemon this morning and only then remembered Laura. I traded for her, but-"
"Don't beat yourself up about it. Nobody's perfect. She seems happy that you're paying her attention now, at least."
"Yeah. She wasn't all that dirty when I came down here, I just felt like pampering her as an apology. Though I wonder how she's been feeding herself."
"Samurai told me that there's a pretty big tunnel at the bottom of this pond that leads outside. She's probably been submerging for the sake of hunting berries outside," I offered.
Sure enough, Keiko visibly relaxed when she heard that. "Thank you for saying that. My imagination was being mean to me," she explained, rewarding my kindness with a hug. "Although remembering Laura made me remember something else. I didn't... really say anything to my adopted parents about going back to Snagem after you recovered from your coma. With everything that was going on, especially with us becoming close as a couple, it just slipped my mind. My childhood was rough, and they had a hand in that, but I was still better off with them in my life I wanna go to Tohjo and check on them. With my pokemon, I can protect myself while I go there, but... I'd really appreciate it if you came with me."
I gave Keiko another hug, to reassure her. "Of course I'll come with you. It'll be easier to explain our relationship that way, not to mention breaking the news of your hybridization"
This idea wasn't very reassuring to Keiko, however. "Oh, yeah, I forgot about that," she said, sounding very unsure of herself.
"Once we explain how it happened, I'm sure they'll accept you," I said, though I didn't know her adoptive parents and couldn't say that for sure.
"I hope so," Keiko nodded. With that, she recalled Laura and we made our way out.
Sub could be found in the med lab, laying on one of the beds, covered in bandages, Doc Owl having treated him for the numerous burns he suffered when Bohdan decided to learn Flamethrower during their training session and turn himself into a literal rocket. But 'rocket' wasn't correct enough to describe what happened. Rather Bohdan became a missile, jettisoning for his trainer at a violent pace and upon contact exploding. The Koffing didn't intend to harm his trainer, instead he was caught up in the joyous moment of not only learning a new attack but also conquering the obstacles his trainer put perform him. This caused the happy-go-lucky to be filled with joy, and explosive gasses, and couldn't wait to be by his trainer's side and give him a big, and regretfully explosive, 'hug'.
So now Sub relaxed in the med lab, laying back in pain as Bohdan floated above him happily. It took a lot to trouble the Koffing and while his trainer was burned and hurt he was still alive. Apparently this was good enough for the gas bag as he bobbed up and down, smiling all the while.
After a long recovery, both of the mental and physical sorts, I finally found my way into the training room trying to get back to basics as it were. Tristen would eventually find me there as well, shirt and vest off at least, trying to do squats with a large barbell with an exorbitant amount of weight, more than what any normal human would be able to do and would be taxing for any hybrid sans a choice few.
"Blizz?" Tristen spoke up. "Is...that too much?"
"Just...eugh...augh...enough, actually." I said as I tried to stand up straight once more. "But...either way, I should be able to do a bit more than this. Unfortunately...our massive stand in Black City put me...ugh..." I started to slowly squat back down. "...in such a bad state that I had to focus more on recovery more...than anything. If I am...hold on..." I started to press back up to stand up straight. "...if I am doing nothing but that, then I am not training, and if I am not...augh...good God...ugh...then...I get rather...lazy and its hell, as you're seeing here, to get back in shape." I then start going back down once again. "Granted I can still train my Pokemon in particular, which I do, but that's just half my repertoire...I really only got myself to blame for what happened back there in Black City. And besides, to further answer the question, can't get any improvement if I don't..." I started to stand up once again, slowly. "...challenge myself...at...least some."
"Some?" Tristen said, staring at the large amounts of weight that he noticed me carrying.
"Maachaaa." Across the training room, Tristen and I stared in confusion for a moment. Orderly, Doc Owl's assistant, was apparently in here as well. Each arm carrying barbells with grand amount more weight and having a time of it, really. So much in fact, the rods that held the weight were starting to bend from the sheer amount of weight on each ends.
"...aaaaaaand suddenly self-conscious." I dropped the barbell I was carrying behind me, leaving a massive metallic crashing thud on the ground, making Tristen jump out of shock from the sudden noise. "Done." I said, walking off to go get my shirt and vest.
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 11:07 am
||Ulla and Leon||
Leon walked into Snagem looking exhausted. His clothes were torn as he was walking into HQ. He was carrying his new artifact that he got, two needles that were sharp on one end, while the other end had a rose blooming from them. He looked at them, not 100% sure how to carry them around. If he were to just leave it in his pocket, he would need to be extra careful that it doesn't fall out. He sighed. "Just another thing to be careful about..." He said as he heard a loud boom which followed after a scream. "...Was that Ulla?" He said as he started walking to where that loud boom came from.
If anyone was curious, they would find that loud boom came from the kitchen. They would find Ulla, Decidueye, Lucario, and Velvet all covered in curry. Decidueye was puffed up from the shock of the loud boom, while Velvet was licking off some of the curry from her coat, and Lucario was focusing on wiping off the curry that got onto Ulla. Ulla giggled as she turned down the stove. "Maybe we should turn this down. That way that doesn't happen again."
I had made my way outside of HQ and out on Mt Silver proper. I had found a nice, grassy, and somewhat flat area close to the cave that hid our entrance was in, and I thought it would be perfect for a certain member of my team. Said member was let out of his ball right away, the Venusaur almost immediately relaxing under the bright sunlight.
"I thought you'd enjoy yourself here. Now, don't worry. I'm not leaving you here forever. This is just a place for you to relax and get some sunlight until I need your help again. I figured being out in the open would be better for you than lying in your ball in the room," I explained to Sauron, who responded happily enough for someone who looked like he was ready to take a nap.
Before I could say anything else, I felt something nearby, like a small explosion centered underground. Worried, I patted Sauron's head and left him there, making my way back to HQ.
The main lobby was unharmed, so my next target was the kitchen, and sure enough, that's where I found Leon - who I didn't know had returned from his training - and a curry-covered Ulla. "You okay, Ulla?" I asked, wanting to know if she'd gotten herself hurt or not.
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 11:51 am
||Ulla and Leon||
Leon finally made it to the kitchen as he was almost not surprised on what happened. ....Have your meals always been like this?" When Ulla heard Leon's voice, she turned quickly as her eyes sparkled. She quickly hugged him as Leon almost lost balance. "Big brother welcome home!" She said happily as Leon was happy too. But also disgusted at the same time. "Thank you but can you please get off of me? You are going to get curry all over me." He said as he realized that he still had his artifact in his hand. He tucked them into his inside coat pocket which seemed much safer for now.
Both of them noticed Ter walk over to them as Ulla smiled. "I'm fine." Then something popped in her head. "You two are just in time for lunch actually! Come on, I just made a fresh batch of curry!" She said as she pulled both of them into the kitchen and sat them down. While Leon and Ter were seated, Ulla was making their plates happily. Leon sighed as he rested his hand in his palm. He then noticed Decidueye who was cleaned but it looked like he broke out in a sweat. "You okay Decidueye-" He then realized that Decidueye might have eaten some of the curry as it looked like a small puff of smoke came out of his mouth. Deicidueye then pulled the strings on his hood to close it shut as it looked like smoke/steam was coming out of the small hole. Nervously, Leon turned to Ulla as she was pouring the curry over some rice.
I had to smirk when I saw how happy she was that Leon was back. "I don't much care for spicy foods normally. But if it's something you made, I might as well give it a shot," I replied, taking a seat. As Leon sat down as well, I felt how different his energy was. "Welcome back, by the way," I said to him, feeling weirdly self-conscious about my own artifact, which hung on a pendant that i kept under my shirt.
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 12:55 pm
||Ulla and Leon||
"Thank you...Hopefully Ulla's meal will strengthen me. I'm so exhausted." He said as he took out one of the needles. It looked like it was made out of metal, this needle he took out was white and had a rose at one end. He spun it around his finger carefully to show him how his Artifact looked. "Now I just gotta figure out, how I'm gonna pull this out smoothly. My hair isn't long enough to use it as a tie. And if I leave it in my coat pocket, it might seem obvious I'll be pulling it out.""How about a side satchel?" Ulla said as she came over with two plates of curry. She placed them both in front of Ter and Leon as it looked like it was glowing a terrifying red. "I remember looking at old photos. Dad use to carry some his Pokeballs around his waist. He'd put them on one side of his belt that way he wouldn't need to be digging through his bag."
Leon thought about it as he looked to his side, trying to imagine a little pouch. "That might be able to work. We will see when I actually need to use it. These are basically a weapon, while your's is just an accessory." He said as he then looked at his food. He was a bit intimidated by the looks of it as he looked over at Lucario and Velvet who were eating some as well. "Ulla, how did you learn how to make this?" Ulla smiled happily. "I made it the way you usually make it. I know you like your curry spicy. So I added a bit more Tamato Berries.""Have you tried it?" The little girl shook her head. "I was hoping someone would be able to try it for me." Leon took another glance at Velvet and Lucario. Velvet had no issue what so ever, Lucario was pulling through but it was obvious, he was turning a bit red. Leon sighed as he took a spoonful and ate some.
Nothing happened at first, but then his eyes went wide as his face started to turn a bit pink. It felt his stomach was turning and burning on the inside. Especially in his throat as he covered his mouth. Leon tried not to show any sort of pain on his face as he looked over at Ter. "W-Why don't you have a bite? Y-You wouldn't want...your adopted daughter's f-fuud to go cold." He said the best he could trying not to break his cool.
I couldn't help but smirk at what Leon said to me as he struggled not to spit out the food his sister made. "I don't know if you know this, but my latent ability as a Psychic Channeler is the ability to sense other people's emotions," I explained openly, though I kept my gaze on Leon. "So while I can't feel the pain you're going through, I can feel how you feel about it."
With that explained, I turned my attention to Ulla. "Judging by Deucideye's and Leon's reactions, I think you may have made this a little too spicy. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to feed this to anyone else." I explained, hoping she wouldn't take what I said too personally. I wasn't trying to say her cooking was bad, but that she had made a bit of a mistake.
After saying that, though, Keiko walked through the kitchen. "Hi, Ulla. Welcome back, Leon," she said to the two. She walked past me, rubbing my shoulder in greeting. Before she sat down, though, she noticed the curried rice before me. "Oh, I've never tried this before."
I knew what she had intended by saying that because it wasn't the first time we'd shared food before. "That's not-" I tried to warn her, but the rice-filled fork was in her mouth before I could finish the sentence.
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 1:26 pm
||Ulla and Leon||
"Pain?" She tilted her head confused as she listened to Ter. She suddenly realized as she looked at Deciueye who was in the corner blowing smoke and Leon who was struggling to keep his cool. "I-I'm totally fine Ulla. Don't-""I'm so sorry big brother!" She said as she rushed to the fridge and made a glass of milk as she gave it to Leon. Leon quickly chugged it down as his red face turned back to it's normal color. He breathed heavily as he gave the glass back to Ulla. "You might want to give some to Decidueye." Ulla nodded as she made another glass. There was still steam blowing out of the small hole as Ulla tugged onto Decidueye's hand and placed the glass of milk in his hand. He realized what was in his hand as he chugged it down in the small hole of his hood.
Ulla sighed of relief as Leon was leaning back in his chair. "If only Poison Channeling had some sort of ability like that." He said as he noticed Keiko enter the room. "Hey Keiko. You just missed-" He then stopped mid sentence as he watched Keiko take a bite. "...the...fire show." Ulla turned to see Keiko now eating the deadly curry she made as she ran to the fridge again to grab some milk. "S-Sorry..." She said very apologetic as she placed the glass of milk on the table.
"Sorry about what?" Keiko asked calmly, to my surprise. I was even more surprised to see her take a second bite. "It tastes good enooOOOAAAAH!!!"
Keiko dropped the plate on the table and rushed to the sink, trying to kill the fire with water. After a few glasses worth, she remembered the milk Ulla held and quickly took it from her, downing it surprisingly quickly. Unsurprisingly, the milk cooled her down enough to stop her from continuing to panic. "Ahhh. That's better. What did you put in that?"
"She put a bit more spice in it than she meant to," I explained, hoping to keep Ulla from feeling like her cooking was coming into question. "From what I could see, the rice was fine."
Keiko caught on to what I was trying to do, and realized why when she remembered how apologetic Ulla was. "Well, that was my own fault. I should really look before I eat. So don't feel too bad, okay?" Keiko said, smiling at Ulla.
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 4:39 pm
||Ulla and Leon||
While Keiko was downing water from the sink, if anyone were to notice. Ulla had tears forming in her eyes, feeling like she hurt them. Leon quickly noticed this as he sighed and ruffled her hair. "Don't worry. Let me help you next time. I'll show you how much spice I add into it, okay?" He said as he took out two Pokeballs as a Litten and Pyroar popped out. He then placed the curry plate on the floor as they both sniffed it but then started eating it. "At least the Fire Pokemon love it." Ulla watch the Pokemon eat it happily as she turned to Keiko who seemed to be fine now.
Ulla merely nodded as she looked at the pot with a little bit of curry left in it. She walked over to it as she stared at it as she got a spoonful and ate it. Leon was a bit shocked that she did that as he stood up ready to give her some milk. From previous times, she couldn't really handle the spice level he would make his curry at. This time though, it looked like she was handling it pretty well. She looked at the three of them with the best smile she could. "Y-You guys are right...I added too much.""Oi you don't need to force it."
"Everybody makes mistakes. It just gives you an opportunity to learn," I said, hoping that would make her feel a bit better. Keiko knew how to accomplish that better than I did, the Lopunny hybrid giving Ulla a soft hug. "It's okay. Nobody's hurt, so you don't have to worry. I'm sure you'll get it right next time, so don't give up, okay?"
With Ulla taken care of, I turned my attention to Leon. "Before I forget to ask, how did your training go?"
Posted: Sun Feb 03, 2019 5:49 pm
||Ulla and Leon||
Ulla felt a little bit better that Keiko hugged her as she was now feeling the burn of her curry. Leon chuckled a little bit until Ter asked about his training. He went silent for a bit before revealing both of his bo shurikens. One white, the other black. "Barely managed to get out. But, it was worth it." He started spinning the white one around his fingers once again. "I'm just worried. About Ulla..." He said as he glanced at Ulla who was now drinking a glass a milk to take care of the burn. "That could be discussed at another time though. For now. Everything is handled." He said as he looked at the black needle. Feeling a bit uncomfortable, he put that one away for safety measures.
"Indeed it is," I said to Leon, looking up at Keiko with a smirk. The hybrid returned my smile as she sat back down. Keiko was still focused on Ulla, though. "Do you want us to help you give it another shot, or do you want to take a break from cooking for a bit?" Keiko asked. I wasn't sure if it was a good idea to bring it up right away, but the offer was already on the table.
