generalflirt | Appointments Post ( II )

No.. No, I daresay you've got a good set up here.

[HE sounds marginally distracted as she says this, but Linda looks around and ends up nodding in approval. Yeah. this works pretty well for all the purposes they'll need for now. Her tail taps the ground two times to confirm this]

[Cilan claps his hands together] Excellent! With that, we can say that it's training time~!

[You're such a weirdo Cilan--but once he's walked over to a place inside to stand at, he adopts a slightly more professional-sounding tone as he takes out a pokeball.] First, I'd like to ask, if you don't mind--what kind of training do you and Linda normally like to do, and what do you think you'd want to try to improve on today?

Green-san had me working on her responsiveness. Personally, before then, I'd been working on her speed. But lately, we've been working on her physical power.

[He frowns, and then as they start to answer the chamber proper]

However, there's a reason for that.

[Yes, those are things worth improving on, though Cilan does note Masaomi's frown now.]

Oh? What reason is that?

...Her electricity's gone out. [Linda, for her part, actually looks a little ashamed and a little annoyed in this moment. Masaomi and her both are not... proud of this thing by any means. And it's not been a very public thing]

Huh? Really? [Cilan's actually very surprised to hear that as he looks from Masaomi to Linda.] That's quite an unusual taste--in fact, it's a little disconcerting... [He steps closer so that he can give Linda a slight once-over, as if trying to determine if there's anything physically off about her that he can see from here.]

Do you recall when exactly her electricity appeared to have gone out?

Months, now. It went out completely around the time I got back from a kidnapping in February, but it'd been shorting out between then and... Maybe August, last year. [Though the shorting he just took as a sign of the same sort of problems they had worked to get past at the Pichu stage. Obsessive training about her electrical control.]

We've been testing different things- she can still manipulate electricity around her, particularly if she gets a jolt, but she can't seem to store much of any.

[Which means most electric moves effectively don't work]

I see... [Was this before or after the battle the two of them had around August? Either way, this is certainly unusual, especially given what he does know about Pikachu from having formerly been around Ash's Pikachu for a while before coming here to Luceti. After a moment of thought, Cilan reaches out his hands to Linda.] Linda, would be okay if I touch the electrical sacs on your cheeks for a second?

[Yes, we know that's a weird question to ask, but don't worry, he's not going to do anything weird, he's just checking something health-wise.]

[Linda initially goes to recoil - honestly, she doesn't like anyone touching them except for Masaomi. But... with a little nod from her trainer she complies, though she's clearly not fond of the idea.

Though Masaomi can't know it, the reason for this development is simple, though built into how Linda was trained - precise electrical control as a pichu and later a lot of emphasis on specialized moves, some of which are even reaching for a pikachu's arsenal (like aqua tail) meant that the full potential of her ability to output large electrical currents was never really realized, she didn't train herself to store large amounts. ...Though admittedly, the Malnosso pushing the both of them to their limits in this regard during that kidnapping didn't help matters]

[Don't worry Linda, he's just very gently touching them with his fingertips, and then he's pulling his hands back away soon enough.]

There are a few reasons why an electric-type may have trouble when it comes to storing or discharging their electricity. One can be illness causing an inability to release built-up electricity. In the case of Pikachu, it looks like something similar to the flu, I think. It can also be caused by strong electromagnetic forces, which severely affect the electric glands. [Hence why he seemed to be checking them for a second, to see if something felt off about them.] I'm not a Pokemon Doctor, so I can't really confirm that particular taste one way or the other...however, I personally don't think it's illness in this case, since you said that this has been going on for months--if she was sick, I doubt she would be moving as well as she is right now.

Another is, as you said, simply shorting out. As electric-type Pokemon build up electricity, they often need to discharge it somewhere to release excess energy so as not to result in a short or worse. If I recall correctly, Pikachu release the built-up energy through their tail, which acts as a grounding rod, to remove unneeded energy safely. It's possible that Linda's been shorting out because she hasn't been doing this as often as she needed to, either due to how she's been trained or simply being unable to do so given her current electrical output...

[...Magnetic - like magnet... rise? No, probably not. But the second thing makes him lick his lips. So. What. So it was his- no, of course it was. Linda, for her part, just looks up at him with some sort of pout. So he had been having her hold back too much. But at the same time, she doesn't have it in her to be as hateful as she could be. Really, she's just frustrated now and will think on it more in time. Particularly because this guy is spitballing]

Yeah?

Hm...I believe you have two options before you. [He holds up both hands, to weigh the options.] One option is to switch gears and concentrate on trying to regain her electricity--starting small and working your way back up to her stronger moves. This taste may take some time and requires patience.

The other option is to continue working on her other abilities that don't require electricity. Those flavors will certainly ripen exponentially, though there is the risk that her ability to discharge electricity would become even harder to improve on. Personally, the former option is the one with the most appealing taste, though it's not unheard of for someone to train a Pokemon skilled in moves not of it's own type.

[Ultimately though, the choice is up to the both of you. He'd like to hear your opinion on what it is you want to do today.]

[He frowns at that, turning to Linda. Really, the second thing is what they have been doing, just because of wanting to compensate for her current weakness. Linda can't stand being weak and in the short term, it was their only solution, particularly with any lack of a mentor. Or well... a mentor that he liked, anyway.

The two of them have a long conversation of eye movements and little gestures and facial expressions, before finally the both start to say something vocally, cut each other off, and sigh. Masaomi glances back at Cilan and-]

We've been dong your second option, for a while now. Linda's very proud of her strength, and we had to give her strength that he electricity wasn't giving her. But... I don't want to deny her that birthright of hers, either.

[Linda crosses her arms. She agrees, but with reservations. She's still stuck on this revelation that it might be Masaomi's fault]

I see. [Cilan may have been watching the back-and-forth exchange between the two of them, but he's not a mind-reader. People communicate with their Pokemon in different ways, after all. Anything he says concerning their little "conversation" are things that he can only interpret for himself. One thing he has noticed is that they seem to be very concerned with "strength", but...rather than commenting on it just yet, that pokeball from earlier reappears in his hand.]

In that case, if you wish to improve her electrical output a little more, I think I have a partner that might be able to help. [He tosses the pokeball up, and out comes Stunfisk, that strange fish-looking Pokemon of his. Stunfisk blinks once before staring at Masaomi and Linda a little--it still has that odd blank stare, but it does seem to be slightly curious in what's going on as it then looks up at it's trainer.] Stunfisk here is a dual-type: Electric and Ground. Meaning it can discharge electricity of it's own, but at the same is immune to it in battle. Perhaps Linda could practice her electric moves on it without fear of any actual harm to it, and--you said before that she can still manipulate electricity around her, right? Stunfisk can provide the needed jolt for her until she's able to store and discharge it again on her own...

[In fact, his Stunfisk currently knows weaker electric moves such as Thundershock at the moment that they can experiment and start with, so you don't have to worry about Linda getting hurt somehow either. Stunfisk even does some kind of nodding motion--don't worry, we're on our best behavior today, no trolling attitude right now since this isn't a battle.]

Alright, stands to reason.

[Linda agrees too, obviously, and the two of them glance at each other. Linda tries once again to build up a charge and- like usual of late, nothing. She snarls and goes for it again, rubbing her paws together. She's trying to build up some static.

Meanwhile]

Just so you know, the other technique we've been working on is this one where he tail is super strong and precise. We've even broken rocks with it.

Ah, so that's why you wanted to have rocks as part of our training field... [Understandable--like he said before, sometimes he has his own Pokemon practice techniques with a rocky field too.] Would it happen to be "Rock Smash" you've been working on, or something else?

[Meanwhile, Stunfisk quietly watches Linda's attempts to build up static for a minute or two before the fish starts creating some light static around it's own fins, holding one of them out to her but not doing anything with it yet. Do you want to try to borrow some of our electricity?]

I wouldn't know. [He doesn't have his pokedex. Still. He's developed it during his time of not having it.

But then, Linda refuses :T No, she's got this - in fact, she can make little sparks around her in the air. So there's that! Ziit. Ziiit. ...No that's no good. :T Hmmm]

Oh? Hm...I'm not entirely familiar with everything regarding how the device works, but I think the pokedex might be able to tell you... [...Or did he not get it back after Green left? Hrm.] Or you could try demonstrating it for me, and I could see for myself if that's what it is.

[Stunfisk just blinks, still rather patiently holding out it's fin with the offered electricity. We could literally just sit here waiting, it's not like we have anywhere else to be...well, unless Cilan says otherwise. Or until we get bored.]

[:T :T :T

She makes more sparks - just small little things. Sounds, mostly, there's very little in the way of visible electricity. Finally, annoyed at how little she's creating though, she reaches her tail out to get ahold of the charge the fish is offering. It smarts a little, at first. But she doesn't retract the tail, instead trying to ground herself]

Yeah, I'll do that in a bit.

[What do pokemon mean to you. Hah]

[Don't worry, Stunfisk will try to keep it at a consistent, easy charge for her until Linda grounds herself and is comfortable with it, or if she chooses to move back away. It even finally says something this time (in it's slow, rather deep tone of Poke'dialect) that sounds like it's asking if she's okay.]

Mm, alright. [Cilan can't read minds, so he has very little way of knowing what exactly Masaomi is thinking right now. And maybe it's a good thing that he can't or he'd be disappointed at that internal "hah" when thinking that question of yours.] Whatever this move of yours may be, considering how much effort you two appear to have been putting into training these other techniques, I imagine that it likely has an effective taste. [If it's Rock Smash like he's currently suspecting it is, then yes, it would certainly be convenient to be able to break rocks that may be in one's way...]

That's our hope, anyway. Hit hard, and move away even faster. [He says this with an over-exaggerated shrug, watching Linda get the charge.

Linda, for her part, assures Stunfisk that she can take it. In pokemon land, she probably sounds like Rie Kugimiya ~~wait what~~ but no, she tries to spark more, generate a field around her. She's clearly pushing herself. She's even wincing a little here and there because this feeling of working with so much power is alien, almost. She feels like she's a pichu again, really]

[~~So she sounds like Celebi from the 13th Pokemon movie?~~ Well that's okay 'cause in pokemonland, Cilan's Stunfisk is voiced by Unshō Ishizuka who also happens to be the narrator for the Pokemon anime. It'll take her word for now that she's able to handle it, but at the first sign of trouble, then it might intervene.]

It looks like having her borrow the electricity from Stunfisk is working... [That's a good sign, if it means it's possible for her to regain full use of her own electricity in the future.] ...Ah, but she should try not to push herself too hard. Being determined is good, but being stubborn could have poor results if you're not careful. [So please don't hurt yourself Linda...]

[Linda, hearing that vaguely over the sound of her limited success charging, snarls out some sort of "shut up what do you know, idiot" commentary as only a Rie Kugimiya character could. But Masaomi, for his part, nods, keeping his eye intent on her. He allows her a certain level of bluster - without it she wouldn't be herself and wouldn't cooperate worth a damn - but he doesn't think she's at her limits of the bluster. Yet.]

You know as surprising as this might be, I'm the one who holds back in this relationship.

[It's not surprising...]

Really? [For his part, Cilan...isn't too surprised to hear that. Or rather, Masaomi isn't the first person who has ever expressed concern that they are the ones holding their Pokemon back, rather than the other way around. Though the reason why does vary between people.]

And why do you think that, Masaomi? [If you don't mind telling us, that is.]

No matter when you ask me, I'm going to say it's symbiotic. Necessary. [He watches Linda intently as she says this. With some level of pride, even]

She's prideful and more than a bit of a handful. She also can get in over her head, so someone's got to reign her in. Green-san only hammered that point in more.

[And he still doesn't have his pokedex because of that]

Appointments Post ( II )

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