a general April catch-all;

[outbounds]

Who: Emmet and you!
What: Fun with Illusion, a question, and W, for wildcard and/or Weird Wet Wdog. If he is not Doing something at all times he will get zoomies. Please provide your local Battle Facility Head with sufficient enrichment lest the zoomies win.
When: at some point during and throughout April (+ potentially early May depending)
Where: Up and down and all around!
Warnings: will be added as necessary, though I'm not foreseeing anything in particular; currently none?

a. zoroark, what zoroark. no zoroarks detected here

i.
[ Along the curving stretches of sand down by the southernmost portions of the coast, there might be some sort of loaf or large ball of mixed dark and cream fur dozing off and taking a nap in the cozy late afternoon sun. It might look pretty familiar, actually: if anyone's seen one before (which isn't hard, given that there's one in residence over at the Oran Berry guild quarters, and especially not so for the Oran Berry members, whose nighttime accommodations mean that they've almost certainly seen a sleeping one before), then they'll recognize the curled up loafball as the ferrety, badgerlike creature that is a Typhlosion. ... Hisuian flavor.

... It might not be the best idea for a fire type to be napping this close to the water, actually, especially if it seems like the tide might be coming in soon. Maybe you should give them a nudge and tell them to relocate? ]

ii.
[ The definitely-a-Typhlosion-trust seems to be enjoying a nice stroll through town, wandering through and between various stalls and storefronts in what seems to be good spirits, at home in the bustling crowd, and perking up even further whenever something, whether it be a tasty looking spicy treat or a particularly well-crafted and useful seeming good, catches his attention.

To whoever might also be wandering around, and just so happened to stop by whatever stall they're both in front of at the same time as him: ]

It's nice to see all the different things on display, right? How often do you think they hold those drives?

[ A sharp, attentive eye might note a few things if they watch for long enough or are looking specifically for it: he doesn't carry himself like someone unsure of or still adjusting to being newly quadrupedal, but his movements might seem somewhat stiff and a little awkward at times nonetheless. Do his paws always make full contact with the ground when he moves? Do his teeth look just a little too sharp when glimpsed through his smile?

And do the flame collars give off faint amounts of heat even when they're not ignited? That's why there's something like a very faint heat haze clinging around the nape of his neck, no? It's a nice and warm day out, though; maybe fire-types just run warmer than other types? ]

b. what kind of pokemon are you, how do you do the things you do—

[ Some fine day, you will probably (maybe) be minding your own business and enjoying a respite between missions if you're one of the more involved persons among them who apparently all can't stop Working or Doing, or ... maybe you're just vibing, because you're one of the few people here who apparently knows what a work-life balance is, and how to not overextend yourself into a pile of exhaustion and sore paws from trying to Help. Seriously, what is that. Or maybe you are in fact looking for something to do, restless without something to be actively working on. Regardless.

Some fine day, you might just run into him, or he might run into you, completely coincidentally, but whichever the case is, the white fox is going to greet you with a cheerful grin all the same. ]

Oh! Hello! Verrrry good timing. I wanted to ask you something!

[ Sweep. Dramatic gesture. Point. ]

You should tell me the moves you've learned here so far. The things you've figured out and the things you're still working on, yup.

[ wait which part of that is a question— ]

c. general wildcard option + bonus

[ Remix any of the above as you please, or, if not:

Given the nature of the Oran Berry guild headquarters, if you're an Oran Berry member it's not hard to just run into him randomly in some odd tunnel or room at the Spire. He spends enough time in the training rooms that it's a fairly safe bet to try there first if you're looking for him and don't want to do it via Grumpearl, but he can also be found out and about doing odd jobs around the city as well as just outside it, closer to the outskirts of town whether on the edges of the forest or up and down the coast. He's certainly in and out of the forest often enough for the various foraging quests that are a constant part of life in the settlement, so even if someone's not specifically questing with him it's still fairly possible for them to come across each other that way.

Feel free to have your character bump into or find him wherever you like, but if you have questions or want to plot anything specific out you can drop by any of my PMs, DMs, or my plurk over at ellipsesinaction! Timing is flexible for all of these, so truly they can more or less be happening Whenever (unexpected exploration results notwithstanding). This is also a blanket "if you want to have your character challenge/be challenged by him to a battle/spar then by all means go for it".

... Oddly enough, sometimes it's difficult to find him at all. Wonder where he goes. He might show back up dripping wet and completely soaked through, though, depending; surely he's not just out taking a swim? ]

Comments

[dripdrive]

Subways? Like trains? [Interesting. Anasui's never been compelled to dismantle a train before but he's still interested all the same. And how a subway relates to Pokemon at all.]

So you're already experienced with your moves? ... Any advice for trying to unlock mine? I'm fine to practice fighting but it'd be more like a scrap than any conventional battle, I'd imagine...

[outbounds]

Like trains, yep. Being a Subway Master is one thing during battles or if a crowd is getting unruly but otherwise I am a conductor.

[ just a perfectly normal conductor from not-new york city, as you do. ]

And as far as moves go ... to a certain degree! I am unfamiliar with my subspecies specifically because it is either very endangered or extinct in my time, or both uncommon and living remotely enough that no one's seen it. There is a different variant I am basing some of my estimations of what I should be able to do off of, but it is a lot of trial and error even with someone else reliably informing me what this shape should be capable of.

My advice? Get into a spar and lean into what your instincts say. If you have no idea what to do then do what feels like it comes naturally. And then you can experiment with and develop things from there. A lot of moves can be like that. Iterations on previous things I mean, things getting stronger with experience.

[dripdrive]

[Anasui nods as if that makes sense. Then he moves on, figuring there's not much else he can say on the matter.

The man quietly digests the information and then nods. The long sentences take a moment for Anasui to process but he gets the idea. Emmet is still learning about himself - even if he is more informed.]

... Then you're volunteering? You approached me and wanted to know about my moves. If that's your advice, then I assume that means you want to battle. I'm ready to go.

[outbounds]

I am willing. Admittedly! If there was any likely overlap between us, and you were more used to your current cab already. I would have asked how it feels to use certain kinds of moves.

But you are relatively new and adjusting still I bet. [ Even they, the ones from the first set of arrivals still are, so... ] I am Emmet. You will find that I am always up for a battle. Might as well give you the chance to warm up your engine, stretch your muscles, so to speak! Even if you've already done battling here, more experience never hurt.

[ His weight settles backwards a little, rebalancing to let him stand a little taller as he glances around and mentally marks out a couple points in their surroundings. There should be enough space for them here. Emmet's built for speed and Anasui looks to be too (though he wonders a little about short burst agility and tighter, sharper, close-quarters maneuverability, as opposed to mostly-straight distance runs). They want enough room to be comfortable leaning into that advantage, but maybe just restricted enough so that they can't only rely on it... ]

A few precautions and ground rules to start. Formal battles where I come from normally go until one party can no longer continue. Either by knockout or surrender, but in this case it will simply be until one of us taps out or wants to stop. Which we will do immediately whenever one of us wants it! I do not think we have to worry about any too potentially destructive moves like Earthquake or Eruption but all the same. Low power, pull your attacks as appropriate. We are prrrretty resilient but actual intent to harm is prohibited. Field boundaries will be from the end of that street over there to the edge of the grass over there, covering the area in between that's paved over with cobblestone. But, if we have to relocate we can.

Any questions?

[dripdrive]

[Current cab? Oh! Train lingo. He gets that. And he's following the logic too. Finally, someone who spoke sense.]

More experience never hurt. [Anasui echoes Emmet as he straightens up. Anasui casts an idle glance around them, taking into account the terrain of the battlefield like it was second nature. Here was fine for fighting - worst case scenario, they would practice here and then choose somewhere else to practice a different day.

Admittedly, Anasui looks... surprised when Emmet mentions rules. He knew this was training but still... Fighting was usually no punches held, life and death locked against one another and sharing a single breath. Anasui knew how to hold back, of course, but the formality of it all is... interesting.

Not that he vocalises it. Anasui just gives a solemn nod.]

I can do that. No questions.

... All the same, I'm not going to go too easy on you. Especially if you have more experience than me.