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Post by Leo Tore on May 17, 2015 11:46:55 GMT -5
He watched over the Mareep with lazy eyes, leaned back in the saddle with his feet dangling out of the stirrups. The grass wasn't as fresh as the Elven lands, but this would do. Leo wanted to avoid going anywhere except human own territory as much as possible. His sheep got their full of the heavenly grass earlier that month anyway. Nemo, his Nidorino, kept the sheep within a circle while Mimi, the Herdier, watched over them from the hill with Leo and Rose the Rapidash. The former war horse had taken to almost sleeping while in the spring sunlight. Summer was coming upon them, the humid temperature said that loud and clear.
Pulling at the reigns, Leo set Rose down the hill and closer to the Mareep. Wild dogs had been stalking them for a few hours now. They had been out grazing since the sun just began to rise. At the moment, it was almost eight, the morning fog having lifted about an hour ago and leaving the grass covered in dew drops. Spider webs that had been planted between the grass shimmered and shined in the light of the steadily rising sun. It would be a wonderful morning if it wasn't for the dogs.
Nemo got the picture and began to charge at them, causing a commotion among the stalking predators. The Mareep ignored the commotion and kept eating. It was almost time to sheer them and sell the wool, or make some winter clothes. Either one was fine with Leo. He even began to dose in the saddle, the sound of barking dogs that were fleeing in pain of the poison that now rushed through their veins acting as a lullaby. Mimi and Nemo wouldn't sleep, but that didn't stop Leo and his horse from dozing off in the sunlight.
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Post by Deleted on May 17, 2015 22:40:01 GMT -5
LOVE YOURSELF TO DEATH get mine and make no excuses waste of precious breath Parker was charging forward, the phanpy as determined as ever to explore as much as possible. Even better, they were out in the open, no buildings or even as many trees for her to worry about rolling into here! Still, she did it in bursts; rolling in sprint distances before popping up to keep some amount of awareness of her surroundings. Conn didn’t mind too much; it was hot for a morning, but as long as she didn’t leave his sight it was good to see her as happy as she was.
The change in scenery was undeniably good for her so far, and he was glad for it.
It was when he heard the small elephant pokemon trumpeting that he remembered that, uh, he should definitely be paying more attention to his surroundings than she was. ‘I don’t know what you’re doing but you probably shouldn’t be doing it,’ would have taken too long to actually say. Instead, when his eyes caught on the small blue pokemon announcing her presence far too close for comfort from a nidorino and herdier that seemed to be guarding a group of mareep, his response was short. “Parker, no.”
It was only then that the phanpy actually hesitated, as if only just then realizing that maybe she shouldn't be running up to greet every other pokemon with such carefree playfulness, trilling out a slightly less confident cry, trunk curling under itself slightly. |
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Post by Leo Tore on May 18, 2015 15:24:27 GMT -5
Nemo reacted to the blue elephant and gave out a battle cry, scratching the ground with his claws. Unfamiliar Pokemon were not welcome, especially after the pack of dogs. Mimi was calmer and sniffed the air. What harm could a little blue elephant do? They had a master, and were therefore trained, yes? The cry of the Nidorino caught Leo's attention and he started from his nap. Rose even woke up and looked over at the commotion, oh dear. What now? She began to move with Leo's directions and was soon as a gallop towards the pink poison rabbit. She placed a hoof in front of Nemo and snorted down at him.
Leo eyed his Pokemon for a few moments before he looked up at the strangers. Oh hey, a Phanpy! He loved Phanpy, they were so cute the way they rolled around without a care in the world. Leo moved Rose forward a bit, taking in the stranger. "Hello," Leo said. He refused to say howdy. He would only stoop so low from his former position in the region. Mimi gave a happy bark and charged forward to say hello to the new Pokemon, but Nemo snorted and watched over the sheep. Leo gave Nemo a sideways glance but it was ignored. The Mareep seemed fine. They were peacefully grazing away and enjoying their time away from the ranch.
"Name's Leo, can I ask for yours?" Leo was still polite, of course. He pulled at Rose's reigns and the horse stood stock still, her ears training on every small noise around her. The sun was slowly getting higher.
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Post by Deleted on May 18, 2015 20:19:08 GMT -5
LOVE YOURSELF TO DEATH get mine and make no excuses waste of precious breath Conn let himself relax once the Rapidash stood between the agitated Nidorino and Parker. He returned the greeting, shielding his eyes from the sun with a hand as he looked up at the trainer on his mount. “Hey, there.” Conn hadn’t actually counted on running into people here, so he was caught a bit off guard. The small blue pokemon, on the other hand, perked up immediately in response to the Herdier’s bark. Finally! Someone wanted to play! The Phanpy hopped once, curling up midair before taking off, at least attempting to roll in a circle around the Herdier.
He stifled a small laugh at how polite the man was; he wasn’t really used to being treated to that kind of thing anymore. Still, the corner of his lips tugged into a smile as he responded easily enough. “Sure you can, sir. I’m Connor.” It was a bit strange, really, actually talking and looking up to someone for a change. “I prefer to be called Conn, though.”
He glanced away, finally catching sight of the Mareep, and his eyes lit up. “Those are your Mareep, right? Great pokemon.” Parker finally unfurled at this time, clumsily flopping onto the ground with a cheery cry. “Have you had them long?”
It wasn’t like he was in any kind of rush today, after all. He might as well show basic manners to the group Parker had practically propelled herself into, at least for now. |
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Post by Leo Tore on May 19, 2015 11:23:38 GMT -5
Leo smiled. Connor, nice name. "I'm Leo Tore, lovely Phanpy." He wished he could have gotten a herd of rolling elephants, but he was working on it, slowly getting the funds to get more land and this another herd. He turned back to the Mareep. Nemo was herding some strays back to the group. As long as the Mareep stay within sight, Leo would be find with letting them wander a little. "Hm? Oh, no, a few months, I guess," he said. "Good little sheep though. Smart. How about you? Had your Phanpy for long? A new trainer or...?" Most people he saw these days were either farmers or ranchers, but never would a rancher only have one Pokemon on them in these lands. Good grazing on the grass.
Mimi barked and watched the Phanpy roll around him, before he began to chase her with happy barks and whines, his tail beating the air. Rose watched silently, giving a snort when either one of them got too close. The Herdier came to a halt and whined up at Leo, staring at him with imploring eyes. "Fine, go play. Just stay in sight and make sure no dogs get close to the Mareep." Mimi understood enough and barked happily, bounding away and trying to lead the elephant with him, so they could tumble without annoying Rose. The Rapidash watched the dog bound away and scratched a hoof into the ground, returning to her dozing in the sun.
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Post by Deleted on May 19, 2015 16:55:53 GMT -5
LOVE YOURSELF TO DEATH get mine and make no excuses waste of precious breath The other man repeated his name, and Conn took the hint and the compliment at once, his smile tugging a bit wider. “Leo, then.” Conn and Parker both knew she was cute, really. Her endearing if clumsy naive behavior had saved Conn from more than one set of consequences. There was something nice about how proud the man seemed about his herd of Mareep. Conn allowed his curiosity to rear its head. “They seem pretty well behaved. Are they difficult to care for?”
His first instinct at the question was to lie, or even just go along with the stranger’s assumption. It was likely just small talk, anyway; a gathering of small information the man wouldn’t even remember in a few months. Or worse, something he’d expect to hold Conn to later down the line. Still, maybe carefully placed truths wouldn’t hurt anything. “We only just started traveling. She's still pretty excited about it.” The rest of his pokemon were tucked away; Parker was hard enough to keep track of in all of her unending energy and curiosity without also having to pay mind to Columbo’s persistent caution and worry about hurting absolutely everything.
Speaking of Parker, the little Phanpy had cried out to him to ask her own permission. He hesitated; letting his pokemon play with Leo’s Herdier meant sticking around and continuing the chat, but the new acquaintance seemed safe enough. So far. “Stay where I can see you. I mean it.” The little blue pokemon had already rocketed off after the dog best as she could manage, her small strides not getting her much traction at all before she curled up and rolled after him. He knew she’d heard him, though. He glanced at the Nidorino and the Mareep again before his gaze reached the older man. “Your pokemon seem pretty strong. Is there much to worry about out here?”
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Post by Leo Tore on May 21, 2015 12:22:42 GMT -5
He looked towards the Mareep. Besides getting a few of them to stand still for sheering, they didn't post much of a problem. Leo did only have six of them at the time. He was working towards getting some more. Come winter, their wool would be very popular. As well as their meat, but he didn't want to eat the poor things. He would have to visit the store to see about selling the wool after they were sheered. "Pretty easy, yeah," he said, "a little on the prey side." He eyed the edge of the woods where the dogs fled. Nemo got the hint and herded the sheep a little closer.
"Traveling," he repeated more to himself. "I used to travel a bit, back before all... this." He waved his hand around. He didn't mean the sheep, but the wars that spread. He didn't mention it though, he also traveled a bit before the sheep, after the wars. That was how he found some of his new partners like Rose, standing at a stall half-starved half-terrified of anyone with a weapon. She had gotten a lot better since. Leo turned his attention to Mimi, the Herdier barking gleefully at the Phanpy. A smile tugged at Leo's lips. He might have to see into getting a Phanpy, or another young Pokemon for Mimi to play with. The dog was like a father to the Mareep, constantly protecting them, but at the same time he liked to play.
Mimi barked at the rolling ball of blue elephant and chased after her, his tail wagging a mile per minute. Leo's smile only faded at the question. He looked back to the sheep, trying to get a proper answer. "Yes, between magical creatures and wild dogs, there's a lot to worry about." He couldn't train the sheep, they weren't bred for that, so it was up to his Pokemon. "Oh, but there isn't too much worry. Not out here in the Farmlands, anyway. I used to be a trainer back in the day, so I guess you can say I just naturally train my Pokemon to be strong." He didn't mention he trained them to be strong, and was still training, in case of another war. Forced retired champion or not, he still needed to protect the humans.
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Post by Deleted on May 22, 2015 20:21:02 GMT -5
LOVE YOURSELF TO DEATH get mine and make no excuses waste of precious breath He listened to the man, waiting until he seemed finished answering Conn’s barrage of questions before he would speak again. When Leo looked away, Conn followed the man’s gaze best as he could manage, listening closely. He reigned in his excitement, but the truth was that enjoyed electric types most of all. There was just something about the raw energy they were able to harness that had always hooked his attention. Enough of that, though.
”You were a trainer?” He wasn’t particularly surprised, and he let it show in his voice; the question was more of a step in manners. "Would it be okay to ask for some tips?" He did not wait for an answer. "Parker's really naive, and that's refreshing most of the time, but it can also be," he glanced briefly in the direction of the Nidorino before looking back at Leo. "Trouble." Speaking of the Phanpy, the small blue elephant tumbled alone the field in wider circles, encouraged by the Herdier's playful barking and sensed excitement, before she tumbled out of the tight ball she had formed, finally landing facing the Herdier with some light, short trumpeting noises. This was the most fun she'd had all morning!
"Her mate isn't much of a fighter, either, really. I don't want to crush their spirits or anything extreme, but it'd be good if they could learn to defend themselves." And, well, him. Not that he needed to outright say it. He was being honest, though; the most experience either of them had actually had could be more accurately referred to as play fights than any kind of serious training. Leo Tore - what even is consistency in a lie of omission? conn forgot. |
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Post by Leo Tore on May 23, 2015 12:52:08 GMT -5
The surprise in the voice wasn't what Leo expected. He thought it would be simple enough for a former trainer to be a Rancher, but now that he thought about it, most trainers these days focused on protecting the human territory, or the territory of their home species. Ranchers, not so much. He just tried to make a living and keep his head down. It had worked pretty well so far, he was just going to have to re-dye his hair in the next few months. The sudden barrage of questions surprised Leo the most. He took to watching the Phanpy while Connor talked.
Mimi had rolled onto his belly and rubbed his back into the ground, giving playful yips before he flipped over and laid his chin to the ground, tongue hanging out while his tail was up in the air. Leo knew his current small team was no match for his former team, even if Nemo shared DNA with one of Leo's former Pokemon, but they were getting there. Who knows, maybe in a few years they would outmatch the former team. His smile flickered away at the thought of his old Pokemon wandering the region without him. Now wild and free to do as they wished, Leo hoped they wouldn't be capturing and treated badly. At least most of them fled.
"The trick," Leo said after Connor had stopped, "is to just treat them with respect. The first Pokemon I had never really fought until I needed to be protected." he chewed on his lip. "They will fight when they see fit. It is good to train them with weak wild Pokemon though, give them a taste of how to fight. Or even have them go against a stronger Pokemon and learn how to dodge. That's the most important thing." He looked back at the Mareep. They were about to start dosing off. It was almost time to take them back home. "If you want, I can get Mimi to show them how to dodge attacks. Not an actual fight, of course. He won't aim to injure." Mimi heard his name and raised his head, giving a whine before he went back to playing.
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Post by Deleted on May 23, 2015 17:49:55 GMT -5
LOVE YOURSELF TO DEATH get mine and make no excuses waste of precious breath He watched Leo, glancing in Parker's direction every now and again. She seemed to be having fun, shuffling up to the Herdier triumphantly and trying to place her trunk on the taller pokemon's muzzle after he flipped upright, proud of herself.
Conn wasn't sure what to call the feeling of no longer being under some stern watchful eye or another having his every movement scrutinized. Someone else might have described it as a weight being lifted, or as being freed in some way. Conn didn't care for such things when applied to himself, however, so he left it at the simplicity of being nice. It was nice when Leo looked away while he talked, having more important things to focus on than whatever Conn might or might not really be up to.
He listened when Leo answered him, having actually waited until he was finished talking; something else he wasn't particularly familiar with, but he didn't really focus on that either. It was the offer that actually outright surprised him, though he tried not to let it show, glancing away at the Phanpy and Herdier again as he rolled his options around in his mind.
What could it hurt?
"If you really have the time for that, I think it could do them some good. Sure." He glanced back at Leo when he finished speaking. He focused on him, again, a nagging in the back of his mind. Would this count on a favor? Conn hated favors. |
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Post by Leo Tore on May 24, 2015 8:02:55 GMT -5
Leo waited patiently in silence. He had no problem while the other thought and instead turned his attention back to Nemo and the sheep. The Mareep had huddled together in a fluffy mass and had begun to snooze the higher the sun got. Nemo had placed himself between the sheep and the forest, watching for dogs like a protective mother watched for predators. Leo smiled when the answer finally came and led Rose over towards Nemo before he dismounted, loosening the saddle and her bitless bridle so she could graze in comfort. The Rapidash gave him a weary look and move close to the sheep, silently nibbling at grass with her eyes on the stranger.
As he approached Connor again, Leo let out a shrill whistle and Mimi's tail stopped mid-wag. He looked over at Leo before darting over and sitting in front of him, paws up to the toes of Leo's shoes. "Not at all," said Leo, "I have nothing else to do today anyway. It'll be fun!" He smiled and clicked his tongue and Mimi. The dog got the picture and spun around. He got into a battle position and his ears poked forward. His tail sometimes wagged, hoping to say to the Phanpy that it was a play fight. Leo took a step back and looked Mimi over, making sure his position was a good one for the little pup.
"Whenever you are ready." Mimi barked in agreement.
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Post by Deleted on May 24, 2015 17:23:02 GMT -5
LOVE YOURSELF TO DEATH get mine and make no excuses waste of precious breath Then it wasn't a favor then, not really. Good. That made things simpler. Conn relaxed a bit, not even having realized he was tense in the first place, and called out to the Phanpy. She'd already been following Mimi, so it was very little trouble at all for Parker to barrel up in front of Conn.
"We're going to practice dodging, okay? This is a play battle, so remember to be careful where you put your weight." The Herdier was much stronger than Parker, sure, but the fact remained that the Phanpy had more weight behind her than most expected when looking at her. Parker gave an excited cry, before shaking off and turning to face the Herdier.
Connor glanced at Leo, "I'm assuming this is one on one, right?" Woudn't be fair otherwise. He turned his attention back to Parker, "That means we're ready when you are. Remember, just try to avoid getting hit, alright?" The Phanpy hopped into her very best battle ready pose facing the dog pokemon, ears flapping a bit with the fast motion while she let out a low trumpeting. She was ready! |
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Post by Leo Tore on May 27, 2015 15:49:35 GMT -5
He nodded. "One on one yes." He clicked his tongue and Mimi let out a mock growl and bared his teeth. Leo took a few steps back and looked at Connor. "When training your Pokemon, it is vital to remember to only give good praise. Even if they fail, praise them for trying." He smiled at Mimi. "Go easy, alright? Less than half strength." The dog barked. The sheep stirred from their napping pile and Nemo even began to watch. Rose took to watching the sheep.
Mimi shook himself and waited for an order, his muscles tensed and ready to pounce. "Tackle." He darted forward at top speed, but slowed down as he got a foot away from the Phanpy before darting forward with his tough back facing the Phanpy. Mimi placed one paw out, ready to stop himself if the Phanpy failed to move out of the way in time, his eyes focused on the blue elephant.
Leo watched carefully before looking back to the sheep. Aww, they had gotten in a giant pile to sleep in. How cute. He looked back to the mock battle then, almost holding his breath.
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Post by Deleted on May 28, 2015 23:39:51 GMT -5
LOVE YOURSELF TO DEATH get mine and make no excuses waste of precious breath Conn made a point of nodding once when Leo spoke, to avoid any idea that he was ignoring what he was saying. His eyes were trained mostly on Parker, now. How was he going to give her feedback if he wasn't paying attention, after all?
Parker started when Mimi jumped at her, skittering out of the way just barely in time, her little legs barely able to bound her where she needed to be fast enough. "That's good," Conn said, "Try like Columbo next time. Short and sweet, yeah?" The Phanpy snorted, bracing herself ready to try to roll away for a short spurt of distance, much different from her usual habits. |
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Post by Leo Tore on May 29, 2015 17:22:01 GMT -5
Mimi looked at Leo for a few short moments, waiting for another order. Leo watched the Phanpy and made sure she had her footing before he nodded to Mimi. The dog growled and rushed forward again for another tackle, but he prepared a bite right after. It would require dodging twice. Some moves, in Leo's experience, just required constant dodging before an action could be made to retaliate. It was best to start that early.
The dog rushed and Leo crossed his arms. it was all just strategy, really, battling and the like. Dodging, to him, was the most important thing. It would not only wear an attack out but also lower their moral. it was the vital part in winning any battle, but taste varied for everyone.
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