lucetilogs | Pokémon battle! And we'll see who is the better trainer! And we'll see who has the bigger Pokéballs!

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Pokémon battle! And we'll see who is the better trainer! And we'll see who has the bigger Pokéballs!

Who: Gold (

tsuntrader), plus any spectators!
What: Silver issued a battle challenge to Gold, who accepted.
When: Saturday afternoon
Where: The Battle Dome
Summary: Gold and Silver have been in Luceti together for a year and yet have never had a single Pokémon battle. Deciding it's time to rectify, they head off to the Battle Dome to throw down!
Rating: PG? I mean, it's Pokémon...
[Gold had been anxiously waiting for this day. Sure, the standard format for Pokémon battles involved just battling whenever your eyes meet, but if they did that, there'd be constant battles all day, every day. Therefore, these things had to be planned.

...Besides that, Silver was his rival. Always has been, always will be. That makes this battle special. A battle to settle old scores... No, a battle to determine who's the best trainer out of the two of them, and furthermore... To show everyone just how it's done.

It was time. Their battle lies ahead.]

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[He accepts this derailment.]

Yeah, I guess Linda's more like a normal Firebender!

Huh... [...You know, Linda, if Explotaro can use lightning, maybe you can use fire in some way? He nods at this deciding to give it more thought later, and thus pats her on the head one more time before taking this moment to move on. To Wind. He points at the fourth symbol down]

"Kaze" is one of the most powerful elements in the physical world, because if you recall as you go down it's stronger. It represents things which expand and and have freedom of movement. In the natural world that's, obviously, air and things like smoke. So in human processes, its obvious breathing. Buuuut, perhaps more importantly than those, it serves as the representation of the human mind. People learn and expand their horizons, gaining intelligence, wisdom, knowledge, experience over time. Emotionally, though, it's supposed to be lined with a freeing experience; elusiveness, benevolence, perhaps even evasiveness at its most negative.

Fitting, compared to the few wind users I know. [And then to Aang:] Though I guess you would count there too now.

[A goofy grin crosses Aang's face as he listens. He's reminded so much of the Airbender way, it gives him a comfort to think that there are others like that out there. His smile only flickers a bit at the "evasiveness at its most negative"; it reminds him of all the issues he's been dancing around, not just with Katara but involving the problems with Zuko from back home. But he quickly clears that from his mind, flashing Shikamaru a grin for his comment.]

That... it reminds me a lot of the air nomads, Masaomi. As for the air chakra... it, uh, involves love. And it's blocked by grief. The monks did frown upon attachments like love, but they did encourage a general love and respect for the world and all of its living things. And... I guess it's easier to be free like that when you don't let grief weigh you down. I... I haven't been the best at that, but the guru showed me a way of looking at it that's not so bad. He told me that even when loved ones have... gone, love was a form of energy that... doesn't die, but it's reborn as new love. Since it's located in the heart.

[Don't look at Katara, don't look at Katara. ...Okay maybe a quick glance. But he then glances at everyone else to try to be less obvious and clears his throat.]

[Grief hu--- oh, oh right. He was the last of them, a survivor of a genocide he never even got to witness. Even beyond that, he awoke in the future, where he never got to experience the life he ought to have had. He knows these things only through Katara's stories and his own ghosts-of-memory from the AU, but it stands out to him, mostly... because of the chat Shikamaru forced on "him." He glances appreciatively at Shikamaru for a moment before nodding and looking back at Aang]

Maaah, if you were to ask me, love's the most powerful force that exists in this and any world. Tempered by resolve, it's a leveler that defines a man.

[...Shikamaru knows the dark irony of him saying this with a bright smile. He hopes it doesn't show to Aang, who doesn't]

[It earns him a measured look of disapproval too, gone before Aang should have the chance to catch it.]

Oddly enough, that's also a component of the Will of Fire: the way your guru showed you to see it. That when we die, our hopes and ambitions don't go away, but are instead passed onto the next generation.

[And he smiles.] At the same time it makes sense too. These are all part of a bigger whole, aren't they? Not separate; part of one body.

[He's not really sure what to make of Masaomi's statement and just offers an awkward grin - luckily Shikamaru offers a good transition.]

That's right, Shikamaru. That's one of the lessons I learned back home... that everything's connected, even when they try to be separate. And that's connected to the sixth chakra... the light chakra. It's about insight and blocked by illusion, located in the forehead. I was shown that the differences we make between ourselves, in our nations and in our bending... they're all illusions. We're all really part of one whole.

[He was describing the state of things back home, but as he spoke, he felt like he was talking about the community here as well. This smile was more sincere.]

Eeeeh, I think that's too existential for me.

[He said as he petted Linda's cheeks some more, a big grin spreading on his face. ...Shikamaru obviously would know this is not true and he understands. He just might be a bit... selfish. Or not. he might just be being ignorant on purpose]

Makes perfect sense to me, as one of our other elements deals with that.

[And releasing Masaomi's shoulder now, if only to lightly elbow him in the ribs.]

So why don't you get to this "void" one you were talking about.

[He frowns a bit at at Masaomi's disapproval, but feels validated by Shikamaru. He turns his attention back to Masaomi.]

Yeah, Masaomi. What's the last element like? [And how does it shape up to the last chakra?]

[He winces at Shikamaru's elbow, but then rolls his eyes before pointing at the final symbol... with some minor reference in spite of himself]

Kuu's the most enigmatic element, mostly because it's the one which transcends the physical existence of things for the most part. As I said, "earth" cover the ground, "water" covers the seas and plants, and "fire" covers animals. "Wind" covers what makes "humans" different than animals. "Void" is beyond all those, representing things we can't touch and probably can't even interact with.

[...He glances at Katara. He tries not to and then shakes his head to refocus on Aang] There's a lot of words for it. "Spirit," "thought," "creativity" - it relates to energy's most prime form, and thus is associated with inventiveness, power, and in a way, language.

[He taps his thumb on the paper now] The void and the heavens... "sora" - it's something you can associate with the quintessential element of the world to make the world worth something beyond just life. In theory, someone strong with it could act without thought, sense without using their senses.

[But that. Is very existential. He smiles at the end of it]

[Oh that strikes a chord with him, for the same reasons Aang's description of the Light chakra did. He doesn't even notice Masaomi's millionth wayward glance that time.]

Yin and Yang.

[Masaomi's descriptions strike Aang to his core with such viid detail. He spends a moment staring as thoughts race through his mind. He did notice the way Masaomi looked at Katara... and he felt sad in a way. Although their situations are completely different, is that what it would have been like if he stayed a fully-realized Avatar? It makes sense. To be "void", able to completely protect the world without truly being part of it.

Now, let all of those attachments grow. Let them flow down the river, forgotten.

That was the one sacrifice he could never make. Aang had bent the truth when it came to his chakra training - since his ill-fated attempt at the Azula incident locked it until the end of the war, it didn't really matter anyway. Given what this Katara knew about what she meant to him, it was risky to mention this chakra at all...]

[...But he found himself saying it anyway, while looking past everyone else.]

That's... that's the thought chakra. Located at the crown of the head. It's pure cosmic energy. Blocked by... [In a lower voice] earthly attachments.

[He... hears both of those and neither really makes a whole lot of sense to him. To be fair, Aang's makes more sense and it's clearly something painful for him (why?) so he keeps his gaze fixed on the squirt for some time. He fluttered there and sighs, before-

...Linda you had the same idea, didn't you.

At the same time Masaomi claps a hand on Aang's shoulder she pats his side. Their motions are quite in sync]

Sounds like "nirvana," where I come from. I'm not sure it'd suit a man like me.

[He can only explain it as it pertains to his world, but frankly Aang's sounds more gripping.

Then again, that may be all the more reason to, if the guy's looking for a distraction.]

Yin and Yang is the sixth chakra, the balance of physical and spiritual energies. Different ratios produce different results.

[Which is something he's teaching you, Masaomi, so it actually does apply.]

I don't know about pure cosmic energy, but as such, its applications are infinite. Most people are geared towards one or two of the five elemental chakras instead, but unlike those you don't need to be Yin and Yang natured to use it.

[Masaomi and Linda's team gestures help to temper his spirits, and he offers each of them a smile before looking at Shikamaru.]

I know about yin and yang. It has to do with balance in my world, too. Especially with the way the moon pushes and pulls at the tides. But the cosmic energy is... it's more like the void Masaomi was talking about. Splitting one's self entirely from the earth to control powers that are above those powerful on earth. I... I don't think it's for everyone.

[All right, boys, don't get her wrong. She loves that three of her favorite male people are getting along so well, and this conversation has been so interesting that so far, she's been content to listen in - okay, that's a lie. There were several points where she would have liked to interject, but usually around that point one or the other of you gave her a Significant Glance or paused to deliberately Not Look At Her, so she decided that the better part of not drawing attention to herself and those glances was to be silent and "oblivious." And she is so good at being oblivious, you'd never tell the way she kept dropping her gaze and looking away had anything to do with anything.

...except for those looks which she genuinely did miss, after all.

Her heart is gladdened at Masaomi and Linda's support for Aang, but... this is all new information for her as well. Give up all earthly attachments? Splitting himself from the earth entirely?

Now's the point where she has to speak up, concerned.]

No, I don't think it is either.

[Katara has never been the biggest fan of the Avatar State. He as a person is just as important as he is as the Avatar. Had he really... done that? Cut himself off of everything? Seeing a person as only a tool was something Katara had learned to hate in Luceti. They might have to talk about this later.]

[She was... listening. Oh, of course she was. Though he's originally surprised enough to recoil his hand off Aang like he was suddenly shocked, he pulls that up to itch the bridge of his nose with a smirk. Figures. They were all talking and there's no way she was not listening through the course of all this. Linda keeps her hand on Aang, but Masaomi leans back]

Where I come from YinYang's balance of two opposite forces. Could be pretty much anything, but it had to do we keeping internal order. Buuut, for all our philosophies and elements we don't have ninjutsu or bending. [A short little laugh at that]

Still, I hope you all found the elements interesting.

I think people could stand to gain a little more from it.

[But elaborating anymore on that would be acting contrary. From what he's been told, everyone thinks his world is backwards in a lot of respects, so understanding that it's better to leave and let lie.]

But what you had to say was pretty cool, all right. You should bring up that stuff more often, man. Sometimes it's nice to have some intelligent conversation.

[He winces slightly when Katara speaks up. She was listening. And there was one more thing he'd have to explain to her. He gave her a slow nod before returning his attention to the other guys.]

I did think they were really interesting, Masaomi. Especially with all those strange similarities. I'd like to have more talks like this, too.

[You guys. She was sitting right here. Of course she was listening.

And she wasn't surprised at Shikamaru's answer. Of course he would think a way of disengaging from the world would be beneficial. That was one of the reasons why she worried about him.]

I guess it just goes to show that we've all got more in common than we thought. Even if parts of the elements of our worlds are different, the essential root is still the same.

A...aha. You say "world," I say "country." [To correct that, quickly. He doesn't disagree with Katara's sentiment, but he's always quick to remind people that... Earth is huge, with many conflicts ideologies. Hell, that thing he summed up isn't even universally accepted in Japan] I mean, in China the elements art Water, Fire, Metal, Wood, and Earth.

[-great, now he wants to know about that. Wood is an element, albeit one you can only get from a rare bloodline limit.]

Disagreements are a common ground too, of course.

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