Our hearts, covered in patches and stitches, are in a state of instability.

[generalflirt]

Who: Masaomi (and Linda), Shikamaru (and a deer), and much later Silver (with some pokemon?)
What: A hike through the mountains
When: The 10th onwards (ending...17thish?)
Where: The... Mountains. Including a fertile valley.
Summary: Masaomi is really depressed and really needs to get away. So he goes to hunt down Shikamaru (and later makes good on a bet)
Rating: Vegas

[To say Masaomi Kida was in pain would be the understatement of the century. It wasn't just what happened the day before. It wasn't just the trip home which he now remembered. It wasn't just the sweetness of the lie which made it hurt. It wasn't anything else to do with the AU experiment either. It was all of those things and more - his own weakness, his own pain, his own frustration with the person he was now. And frankly, he couldn't take it anymore. As he promised the Error Katara on the 9th, he was gone by the tenth, marching out of the village by mid-day in his ninja flack vest and carrying a decent sized backpack of food with him. ...

It seemed like a better idea then. He got the mountains's base by the end of the day, made camp a ways up, and then began his hike in the morning. He kept this up (with isolated meditation attempts and "training Linda" attempts until about the morning on the 12th, at which point, well. He concluded he was lost.

...It was then that he ran into an enormous deer. I will let Pi decide if that is threaded or we just cut to the chase]

Comments

[tsuntrader]

I thought it was pretty obvious. [...] But I also grew up with it.

You sound like no one's told you anything like this before.

[generalflirt]

Gold told me something about four moves and basketball specialization, Crystal-chan told me something about type matches and experience points, Yellow-chan told me something about being friends with her, Ingo-san told me something about how pichus zap themselves so I needed to train her to master her currents - which I did, by the way - and Crystal-chan backed that up... and as for Red-kun he told me I should get rubber gloves. Ah, and Ingo-san told me about evolution. [His chat with Green trailed off into a dropped thread didn't go that far and then Brenden and Eusine told him literally nothing of value]

1/2

[tsuntrader]

[...All good things to know, but did no one really give him... The basics?...]

[tsuntrader]

[Guys-] All of that's good stuff to know, but- None of them told you the basics? [Really, guys? Come on-]

[generalflirt]

Uh... Gold told me that she's a glass cannon? He also gave me a few tips about working out Volt Tackle. Told me to try to work out a defensive move or a healing move to compensate.

[Those aren't the basics?]

...Oh and I suppose Mewtwo threatened me.

[tsuntrader]

[...Ugh. Alright, alright.]

Forget all of that for now. We'll get to that later. [How does he describe this? ...How about-] Look, what are some of the first things you learn to do when you're little?

[generalflirt]

...Suck on a nipple?

[...what]

[tsuntrader]

[...What-] You know, I can always drop you.

[generalflirt]

[He laughs. It's only about 50% forced, which is a massive improvement from even a few days ago. He leans his upper body back (try not to fall, Silver) as he thinks]

Okay too young. Crawl, I suppose?

[tsuntrader]

[Wow Masaomi, you are making it really hard for him to focus on this lesson thing. The fact that the laugh sounds kind of forced does register, but he decides to leave it be for now. Focus.]

Better. Crawl, grip on things, pick things up, walk, run, jump. You get the picture.

[generalflirt]

Yeah... humans are born comparatively un-developed.

[Okay leaning back up, there, he'll make it easier]

[tsuntrader]

Yep. Pokémon can do all of that stuff from the minute they hop out of their egg.

That doesn't mean that training doesn't work the same way. Before you worry about any of the more complicated stuff, you should be working on building her strength, endurance, speed, reflexes, defenses... The basics.

It's the same way with moves. Focus on simpler moves like Tail Whip, Thundershock, or Tackle. Then move onto the more fun stuff. She probably knows some more elaborate moves from her parents, so focus on those at most.

[generalflirt]

Silver-kun, I don't know her moves. I don't know moves in general and I don't have one of those ma-- pokedexs to tell me them. I just know she was born with Volt Tackle, Thundershock, some thing called Return I still don't get, and Fake Out. Beyond that, we've developed... ah, maybe six or so new techniques?

[tsuntrader]

[Six. Six? Why is he working on six new things when he has four good things to focus on right there.] That's my point. You shouldn't be worrying about extra moves. You should be worrying about training her to become stronger and faster and to master the stuff she already knows. Focus on those four.

What's the strongest Thundershock you've ever seen her use? Or Volt Tackle? Do you even have a clue about how strong she really is?

[generalflirt]

Well I tried, for a while! I've got nothing to test a strong thundershock on. At this point I think she'd be able to kill me if I let her go all out. Plus, like I said, shocking herself, so we worked on refining her control of lower levels of output.

[He ignores Volt Tackle for now. But the point here is obvious. He doesn't see it as "extra" or "new" - he sees them as extensions of his work on existing things]

[tsuntrader]

Two words. Battle Dome.

[generalflirt]

...I'm not that good at working it.

[Half lie]

[tsuntrader]

Then we can go together. [You're not getting out of this, Masaomi.]

[generalflirt]

Regardless, I worked out so she doesn't zap herself anymore. At all.

[come on that's impressive right]

[tsuntrader]

...That part's impressive.

[generalflirt]

[...] Silver-kun, do me a favor. That pokedex can tell you the moves she knows and will learn, or something like that, right? Can you throw me a bone?

[tsuntrader]

It can tell me the moves she knows, but shouldn't you know that?

[generalflirt]

Not by the names you know them. I don't want you making fun of me is "stun shock" isn't what you call it.

[tsuntrader]

[And that's the moment when he completely stops moving. Pause pause pause pause pause.]

Have I once in this entire conversation made fun of you?

[generalflirt]

[...]

Rephrase: Gold would.

[He is in so bad of mood, okay]