August ALL THE THINGS (Quests and Open)

[fromsprouts]

Who: Umemiya and you
When: August 2025
Where: In town, The Spire, Quest Locations
Summary: Umemiya settles in, offers his services, and starts getting to work
Warnings: None yet
Note: I default to prose; feel free to flip me to brackets

1. If it can be broke, then it can be fixed [Open, Around Town]
Now that he's gotten the tour and begun to meet everyone, Umemiya's exploring the town on his own--stopping by shops and cafes to introduce himself to the staff, pausing to kick a ball around with a young Ledyba, generally starting to integrate with society. If you're out and about on this lovely summer day, you might get the broadest smile that his snout-face is capable of, and a warm greeting.

"Hey! How's your day going, so far?" Teenage enthusiasm is on full display.


2. If it can be fused, then it can be split [Open, The Spire]
In the process of making friends out in town, one fact Umemiya's volunteered about himself is that he's looking for sparring partners, and he's up to the task of training others how to fight. All anyone needs to do is send him a Grumpearl message, and he'll be glad to meet them in the Spire's training rooms (or to escort them in, if they're from another guild).

Once he and his new training partner have secured one of the training rooms for themself, Umemiya's ears perk up. "So, where should we start?"


3. If if can be lost, then it can be won [For A.B.A, Carts before Charts]
Umemiya shows up to the part of the forest where resource gathering is taking place in a chipper mood, his aura-sensing tendrils tied back loosely with a scarf so they're not a distraction while they work. The young Lucario is about average height for his species, doing a few warm-up stretches to prepare for the upcoming workout. After all, it'd suck to strain anything on his very first quest.


4. If it can be touched, then it can be turned [For Ren, Home on Arrange]
Umemiya is eager to Do Teamwork with Ren, after how their first meeting went. Like, clearly they're cut from the same cloth, and will accomplish great things together. But he's also aware of how the small green cat is limping still.

"Hey. Are you sure you're up for this?" He's leaning against a tree at the edge of the designated area for the outpost, watching Ren's approach.


X. So here we are, reinventing the wheel [Wildcard]
[Feel free to hit me with anything else you're into! My discord and plurk are both darkersolstice if you wanna hit me for anything.]

Comments

[fromsprouts]

"Why would I do something silly as that?"

He rushes into an attack with no more preamble than that, running toward her and spinning into a deft kick, powerful enough to shatter boulders. He's really leaned into that as his starting move in a fight: Rock Smash seemed to shake both Endo and Bigby. But they were both Dark types.

He has yet to learn about Ghost types, and their immunity to fighting moves.

[telewarped]

Under normal circumstances, Shoka might have tried to lurch out of the way of the incoming, unfamiliar attack, but right now she doesn't bother. She stands motionless, waiting for her Disguise ability to absorb the blow...

Instead, it passes right through her without making contact at all, as if she's suddenly made of vapor. It must have been a Normal or Fighting-type move, then. Umemiya might feel a chill spread through his leg, like the sensation of stepping into cold water.

"Aw," Shoka coos mockingly. "Don't tell me that was your best shot."

A long, ghostly arm lashes out from under her shroud, swiping upward at Umemiya with a Scratch attack.

[fromsprouts]

The Scratch does little more than knock Umemiya off-balance; Normal type attacks won't do much against hardened Steel. But in the back of his mind, he's aware that he's in trouble. He only has three damaging moves and a status move. And two of those three damaging moves are Fighting type. It means there's only one tool left in his arsenal to lash out at Shoka with.

...fortunately for him, that's a Metal Claw. He turns for a backhand with that sharp metal spike on the back of his paw.

"I'm not through with you yet!"

As promised, he is not holding back, aiming to just nail her.

[telewarped]

Shoka is trying to hold back and not do much damage, but the resistance that meets her claws still takes her aback. What is this guy even made of, rocks?

In any case, she has to give him credit for being quick on the uptake. Though his first move phased right through her, his second definitely makes contact; the spike on the back of his paw punctures her disguise rag, tearing open its neck and letting loose a spray of dark particles. It makes her look horribly injured as she's sent flying backward, her false head hanging limp—but she's apparently unhurt, judging by the way she immediately rights herself again and crows in approval.

"Now that's more like it!"

With that, she suddenly disappears, sinking down into the depths of her own shadow to prepare a Shadow Sneak. Her shadow elongates then, snaking its way under Umemiya's feet so Shoka can reemerge and strike at him from behind.

[fromsprouts]

Not rocks, Shoka. Steel. That said, Shadow Sneak works fine against him. He takes the blow with a grunt, before whirling on one hindpaw to turn and backhand her with another Metal Claw. He doesn't have any other damaging options, at this point. Not unless he can pull something clever out of his ass.

(Which is possible. He's definitely one of those determinator type of anime boys.)

"What the fuck? I thought I broke your neck for a moment there."

[telewarped]

This time, with Shoka's disguise broken, the Metal Claw hits hard; she tumbles backward with a yelp. Ow?! Even if she's going easy on him, a newbie shouldn't be able to deal that much damage to her! He must have a type advantage on his side. Maybe it's Steel, then, not Rock...

"Uh, because you did?" Or at least he broke the closest thing she has to a neck. She rights herself again—with effort this time, her movements made somewhat sluggish by the weight of her drooping disguise-head. "And now you're gonna regret it."

She wants to sharpen her claws and dive at him with all she's got—Play Rough, maybe, or Wood Hammer... But she's trying not to go all out, so she settles for Thief instead, lunging at him with her claws unsheathed.

(He's new enough that he might not have anything on his person... But if he is holding anything, it's hers now.)

[fromsprouts]

So, on the upside, she's able to nab the green scarf he's been using to tie back his aura-sensing tendrils when not actively in a fight. It's not useful for anything, but hey, she has it.

...but the attack doesn't do all that much to him. Fighting type, after all. Heels never win. And beyond that, she's activated his trap card Ability, Justified, by hitting him with a Dark-type move. His Attack is bolstered, and to him it feels like catching a second wind, in the light of her unfair assault.

"Hey. That wasn't fair." Rather than diving in with another attack, though, he uses Life Dew. There's an audible splash as the little damage she's done is healed off with a shimmer of blue light.

[telewarped]

As the scarf slips away into her claws, Shoka giggles. "Gonna cry about it?"

Apparently he won't; he brushes the attack off easily, and though she can't be completely sure, that glow he's giving off definitely looks like a healing move. He's tough—she'll give him that.

His scarf disappears under her disguise rag (she'll return it to him when they're finished here).

"Just full of surprises, aren't you?"

She'll try to give him a little surprise in return, then: Double Team. She starts to circle him, darting around startlingly quick for a legless creature—quick enough that she leaves a trail of afterimages in her wake. Even if they're only illusions, incapable of attacking, they're extremely convincing; soon, it looks like he's surrounded by dozens of her, with the real Shoka lost in the shuffle.

Umemiya's definitely tough... So just a little Play Rough can't hurt, right? If his type is Fighting/Steel, like she's guessed from the way he's taken the moves she's used so far, then a Fairy-type move should only deal regular damage.

With no warning, the real Shoka emerges from the line of doppelgangers, launching herself at Umemiya from his side and wildly swinging her wooden tail like a club.

[fromsprouts]

He doesn't dodge the blow, tanking it on a shoulder with a solid stance and gritted teeth. Yes, it only does regular damage, and that's more than a stubbed toe, but he's used to this sort of pain. He spars hard, and gets into real fights regularly. A clonk with a club is nothing new.

"Gotta keep you on your toes, right?"

She told him not to hold back, so it's immediately another whirling Metal Claw at where he knows the bulk of her actual body is, now that the disguise has been busted. The effect of Double-Team means he's guessing at which is the actual Shoka when he turns.

[telewarped]

His claw tears through thin air; the illusion fades into nothing.

"Wow," says Shoka's voice from behind him. "You were way off!"

She launches herself at him again, her own claws unsheathed, a cruel laugh in her throat—only to stop cold before she actually makes contact. Images flash through her mind: flesh shredding under her claws, bloodied feathers scattered across the beach.

She stands statue-still, eyes wide inside her disguise—a suddenly very open target.

[fromsprouts]

That is, for better or worse, a mid-training reaction Umemiya has said before. What she said about not holding back is discarded, as he moves closer not to attack, but to check that she's okay.

"...Shoka?"

He can tell she's reacting to something that isn't him, pulling up short like that.

[telewarped]

At the sound of her name, Shoka flinches, blinking rapidly for a moment—and then forces out a feeble laugh.

"Yeah, I'm... gonna tap out." She shuffles backward, claws sheathed under her disguise. "You win—this time."

Though her tone is light and nonchalant, she can't quite keep the slight, shaken waver out of her voice.

"Y'know, you're not half bad... For a newbie. Almost like you've been a..." She looks him up and down (but avoids meeting his eyes). "... Whatever-you-are before."

[fromsprouts]

"How bad did I hurt you? Do you need to be healed?"

He absolutely fires up Life Dew, the quiet sound of water dripping in a cave audible, before cool healing flashes over both of them. Because her tapping out like that, that's worrying. He must have pushed her too hard.

[telewarped]

"Hey, don't give yourself too much credit," she's quick to reassure. "I'm good, I just... Woah."

The healing aura washes over her, easing the aches of battle, but her disguise remains torn, its head still hanging limp, long ears nearly dragging on the ground.

"... Thanks... But I'm fine, seriously. Just need to patch up my disguise, that's all."

It's a feeble excuse, considering the fact that she fought on just fine through several turns even with her disguise broken, but she hopes he won't question it.

[fromsprouts]

He wants to pry. He really, really wants to pry. But that's not going to help her right now.

"...uh. Well. Tell me if you're ever up to that again, I guess. Sorry."

But he'll let her go with no further comment, taking the time to clean up the training room.