Post by Cristy on Nov 12, 2009 1:30:57 GMT -5
{Verdanturf, you think, doesn’t exactly seem like the type of town to host such a large event as the Normal Rank Pokémon Contests. It was absurd to think this small, sleepy town was the home of one of the busiest contest halls in Hoenn – the gate through which all hopeful coordinators must successfully pass through on their way to becoming the best of the best, the literal first step. This is why you are here, along with a plethora of other trainers, all of you vying for that ribbon that will allow the winner to advance to the next hall in Fallarbor.
Waiting for the contest to begin, you decide to take a quick stroll about Verdanturf, the calming atmosphere and fresh air doing wonders to quiet your pre-battle jitters. Most of the town’s residents look to be older folks, but a few young families also seem to favor the location as a tranquil place to raise their children. It’s such a lovely afternoon, too; the weather here is as nice as everything else, pleasantly warm and breezy, quaint buildings spaced far apart in the gently rolling meadows that stretched to the forest and mountain line. Since you have some time to kill, you figure a quick nap in the sun would be heavenly, and stroll through the knee-high grass to find a good spot, a few of the local Roselia scurrying away shyly at your approach while holding their flowers to their face and calling to one another softly. You grin at their retreating forms before your foot promptly catches on something solid and unseen, causing you to trip and faceplant rather comically, your face full of grass and dirt.}
Owww… Oh! Uh, are you okay?
{Spitting out the soil from between your teeth, you pull your legs in to turn and look at what, or rather who, you tripped over. A young boy is sitting there, and it’s no wonder you missed him, since he looked to be wearing nothing but green clothes. Heck, even his /hair/ is green. He shifts uncomfortably, coughing lightly into his hand and looking embarrassed.}
I-I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to be lying right where people were walking; I thought I was out of the way of the main pathway… I guess I wasn’t. Sorry.[/color]
{He seems very sheepish, apologizing even when he isn’t at fault. Telling him that it’s fine causes him to shrink even further into the grass, as he wished to disappear among the stalks.}[/color][/i]
I didn’t mean to trip you, honest. I like to lie out here sometimes, b-but I forget about other people coming through. Especially with the contests and all – coordinators walk through here all the time. …Is that maybe what you’re here for?[/color]
{The second he says it, he gets an almost guilty look, pulling his legs up to his chest nervously, coughing again.[/color][/i]
N-not to pry or anything! If you don’t want to say, you don’t have to; I let my curiosity get the better of me…[/color]
{You laugh to try to put him at ease, and he uncurls a little bit, looking less like he’s going to be sick from sheer uneasiness. After informing him of your situation, he brightens up a little, even offering a small grin.}[/color][/i]
Really? One of my friends participates in contests – I wondered if he was going to come to this one, but I think he’d be competing at the Master Rank by now! …No, I suppose he wouldn’t be back here for such a small competition.[/color]
{His smile fades a bit, but he brings his tired-looking eyes up to look at you, a hint of sadness mixed in with interest.}[/color][/i]
A-anyway, I guess you’re just waiting for the contest to start? Right? There’s not much to do around here, but uhm, I could move if you wanted to practice here in the field...[/color]
{He’s so accommodating it’s nearly painful to watch, so you ask to keep him company, to which he doesn’t object despite looking flustered, although you didn’t expect he would say anything even if he did mind. With a quick bob of his head he looks away, focusing once more on the sky and the sharp lines of the tall grass against the blue and white.}
Sure… Is there, er, something you wanted to talk about?[/color]
**************************************************************************
My parents call me..
{Another slight grin followed by a stifled cough, and he shifts so that he is sitting with his legs crossed, hands on his knees while he thinks about the question, still looking at something far away.}[/color][/i]
If… you’re asking about my name, it’s Wally Mitsuru, and they call me Wally, so…. That makes sense? I don’t know why they would call me anything else...[/color]
{He raises one hand to tug at a strand of his hair, looking contemplative. The question wasn’t meant to need a lot of contemplation, so perhaps he’s thinking of something else.}
***
My Friends call me..
{The new question brings him from his thoughts, and he looks surprised before his expression melts into something warmer, smiling so wide you think it must hurt his face. It even shows in his eyes, very blue and bright and wide with innocence and energy.}[/color][/i]
My Pokémon are my best friends, but I don’t really know what they call me. I guess just Wally? My other friend, the coordinator I told you about? He calls me Wally, too! It’s short and easy to say, so that’s why nobody calls me anything else – not even my aunt and uncle and cousin!
{He’s all smiles, laughing a little under his quickening breath. As his breathing slows, he almost seems lost in his own head for minute, probably thinking happy thoughts about friendship and love and rainbows and whatever else they talk about on Saturday morning children’s cartoons. He certainly had that sort of expression. You let him linger like this for a moment before moving on, clearing your throat to catch his wandering attention. When he looks back, the smile is already fading a little, bit by bit, to his default mask.}[/color][/i]
***
I'm not an it! I'm a..[/size][/b]
{An odd question, but he does look slightly girly, and his mannerisms thus far have been a little feminine, too. After bringing it up, you think he might look slightly embarrassed. He stares at his lap, pale cheeks gaining a bit of color as his shoulders tense up while he processes how best to answer.}[/color][/i]
I’m a boy! I… I mean, I think I look like one, but my cousin Wanda and I look a lot alike, and I don’t think she looks like a boy, so… maybe I am kinda girly… and scrawny… But I am a boy! [/color]
{He nods his head sharply once, a slight frown in place and eyebrows drawn together as he looks pointedly at you before sliding his gaze away. He seems uneasy, as if you might tease or debate his answer; but you figure it’s best to move on at this point, before he passes out – just getting worked up over that, his breathing is a bit wheezy and he’s looking a shade paler than before.}[/color]
***
I am a...[/size][/b]
{He calms down relatively quickly, no longer upset but not nearly as happy as he was before. It’s clear from the way he’s staring at you that this little meet and greet ended up being more than he thought. But he doesn’t seem to waste much time answering, pulling his thoughts into order.}[/color][/i]
I’m a trainer. My parents… Weren’t very keen on me becoming one. I wasn’t very suitable for training at the time, a-and they stopped me, initially, because they wanted me to stay put and not run off… I didn’t appreciate their decision at the time, but I wasn’t very healthy then, so I suppose it was for the best…[/color]
{He stops to cough again, this time sounding a bit worse as if to emphasize the point. He looks almost remorseful as he clears his throat and catches his breath, shaking a little but still determined.}[/color][/i]
B-but now I’m better, honest! I had to do a lot of training, a-and I might not be good enough to face the Elite Four yet, but I think… I think I’m a great trainer. I don’t need to stay here anymore, at least![/color]
{With that declaration, he does sound a lot better – at least he didn’t fall into another coughing fit, and a new smile is creeping up. He curls his legs back into his chest again, child-like and tiny. Speaking of, you wonder…}[/color]
***
I don't need wrinkle cream! I'm.. [/size][/b]
{This question doesn’t seem to faze him, as if it is expected, and he rests his chin on the tops of his knees, looking off into the grass. Listening, you can hear the quiet peeps of the wild Roselia in the near distance; probably the same ones you frightened off earlier, come back to frolic.}[/color][/i]
I’m ten. A lot of people told me I look a little younger, since I’m small; but I’ve grown a lot, so I hope I don’t look so young anymore… I-I mean I don’t want to look OLD, but looking like a little kid forever would be sort of weird. [/color]
{His grin is a little lopsided, but genuine. He’s relaxed again at least, blue eyes soft and hazy while he focuses on something else. For a ten year old he is pretty thin – all bones and kind of pale. You probably wouldn’t have guessed him to be a trainer at first, but he does seem to possess an inner strength that peeks through now and then, especially with the way he holds himself.}[/color][/i]
***
Do you think I need a diet?
{Since he is abnormally thin, it seems a right time to ask; even his knuckles and finger joints are oddly pronounced and jutting from his skin. It feels awkward to mention it so casually to a stranger, but it sort of slips out, and makes him shift away, loosening his hold on his legs until they’re resting one on top of the other on the grass, his hands folded together on top.}[/color][/i]
I… I’ve been sick a lot of my life. That’s what causes me to be so skinny… I don’t want to be, because I get tired so easily and that makes training really hard, but there isn’t much I can do about it…[/color]
{He fidgets, shoulders jumping slightly from a couple mild coughs, fingers from one hand tapping the knuckle bones on the other.}[/color][/i]
My illness is also why I’m so pale… Maybe if I spent more time outdoors I wouldn’t look like a… a ghost, but sometimes I have to stay in the hospital for awhile, and so I can’t be outside constantly. …I feel guilty about it, actually, b-because I know my Pokémon hate being cooped up a lot more than I do. I…[/color]
{He stops abruptly to cough again, and you wait for him to finish but his guilty gaze returns to his hands, tapping out a melody only known to him.}[/color][/i]
…I like the color green… I guess you can tell by looking at me, huh?[/color]
{His joke is all too forced, you think, the laughing lilt to his voice at the end pained.}[/color][/i]
B-but yeah… I get my green hair from my dad’s side of the family, a-and my cousin has it, too. Maybe it skips a generation…? Uuuhm… I used to have on just a white button up shirt, b-but with all my traveling, I got this special suit to put on top of it… It’s really warm too, and dark green, so I like it a lot. It has a respirator built into it, just in case I need it, but I’ve only had to use it a few times since I got it… I don’t like using it anyway – I want to try and build up my strength without it!
…a-and uh, besides that, I guess my clothes are kind of plain; dark green pants and light blue and white shoes… Blue. My eyes are blue, and my mom says she loves them, but I don’t know why. I think my eyes always look tired, because of the dark circles… I don’t get a lot of rest… [/color]
{After the short ramble, he shrugs, running a hand through his oddly-cut hair before shifting again, this time sitting on his legs, one hand resting on each knobby knee. You move on, since he doesn’t seem to have anything else to add to the subject. Not that there was much to describe before, anyway.}[/color][/i]
***
My emotional disposition?
{He tilts his head slightly, expressive eyes shining confusion. You pause, thinking that yes, that was a little strange to word it like that, and rephrase it to better get your point across, although he still looks a bit puzzled about the question.}[/color][/i]
Personality…? I don’t know how to describe myself like that…[/color]
{He pauses and looks distinctly uncomfortable, frowning at his lap in concentration.} [/color][/i]
I… uh… I guess I’m a little quiet, and sort of shy, since I don’t meet new people very often. It’s not always that I don’t want to, but… It’s like everyone is moving on without me sometimes… I always end up back here while everyone else is out exploring. I think it’s maybe more lonely to know a lot of people but never see them than… to be completely alone. Does that sound strange? [/color]
{He asks, but his focus remains elsewhere, thinking deeply about himself, head bowed.}[/color][/i]
But… But I do have friends. My Pokémon, and Ruby. They’re my closest friends and I would do anything for them! I try to be brave and helpful, and a good trainer – I want to make my Pokémon proud of me and strong, so that they can do all sorts of things; like Ruby’s Pokémon! But I don’t always do a good job… I get sick, or get hurt, and I’m always afraid that I’ve… disappointed them all, so much, and I don’t know how to fix it other than keep /trying/ but even that…[/color]
{He stops again, voice hitching and picking up speed as he is clearly getting upset. He takes a deep, shuddering breath, collecting himself before starting anew, shoulders shaking this time around.} [/color][/i]
But… I’m not helpless… I can do things too, and I have! I've traveled all over with my Pokemon, and we've fought all sorts of people... I don't think there's a single place in Hoenn we haven't been through once; even Ever Grande City and Victory Road! Places like that were a lot tougher to deal with than others, b-because of all the strong trainers and the terrain... But we did it. I have a lot of confidence in my Pokemon to help me navigate through areas like that, when I can't do it by myself![/color]
{He smiles proudly, glowing a bit before another cough breaks in, but he continues.}[/color][/i]
I worry a lot about being strong, so I can take care of my Pokémon and be a good trainer who is worthy of them… But I… I wonder if maybe I overdo it sometimes? I can’t ever forget about my condition, but I keep thinking… Maybe I can overcome it, if I try a little harder! If I do this or that without my oxygen mask, maybe my lungs will grow to be a bit stronger! I try and try but I only ever hurt myself, and by extension my Pokémon… I burn myself out and then have to rest until I get better. My parents and my aunt and uncle still want me to go back to Verdanturf and stop being a trainer… But I can’t. I can’t give up my dream! I’ve already done so much, and I can’t just… just quit! What about my Pokémon, and all we’ve accomplished together? Would they think that all the time we spent together… meant nothing to me? What would Ruby say?[/color]
{His breathing is labored again, and he lifts one hand to gently rest upon the buttons on the front of his suit, and you think maybe the question was too much. Even while his fingertips brush the shining buttons, he seems anxious, either on the verge of tears or anger, though at what is uncertain. Maybe himself?}[/color][/i]
D-does… Does that maybe mean I’m a little bit of a coward? I’m so afraid of failing my Pokémon and my friends, I work myself up over nothing a-and hurt myself getting stronger so I won’t ever have to see disappointment… I don’t know… what that makes me, ultimately… I told you I wasn’t very good at judging my own character.[/color]
{And then he’s curling back into himself, and he really does look so sad and tiny – a lost little kid. You could probably tell him all the positive words of encouragement that you like, but they would likely be ignored at this point. Instead, it seems prudent to change the subject, so you ask about some things that would cheer him up.} [/color][/i]
***
Things that are Groovy:
{The boy begins to cough, but even after he catches his breath, his face doesn’t light up quite like before, a subtle grin slowly growing and tired eyes watching the ground as he thinks and recounts the information.}[/color][/i]
I like Pokémon… and battles. Those are fun, but training is good, too! I like spending time with my Pokémon training, even if we don’t get a lot done… And even when we aren't training, it's nice just to relax with them. And, uh... Traveling is good too, I suppose; we get to go places I never would have imagined I could go to before! It's sort of slow, because I have to take breaks when we walk for a long time, and we can't Surf over the water or Fly to new places... But I think the all the walking and climbing is probably best for me, anyway, since it builds up my lungs.
I kind of like contests. They’re fun to watch, sometimes, and Wanda took me a to a few that were hosted here. I don’t think I would be able to participate, though – it’s all so confusing! I don’t know how to judge my Pokémon’s natures and determine what they’d be good at, like Ruby… I think I’m better off training, and maybe just watching contests.[/color]
***
Things that aren't so Groovy:[/size] [/b]
{While he doesn’t frown, he doesn’t maintain his spacey grin, looking contemplative once more and leaning back slightly.}[/color][/i]
I really don’t like hospitals… I have to go to them a lot, sometimes even when I still feel healthy. It’s so white a-and cold and scary… And at night, it’s so quiet and dark, I can’t sleep because I’m too scared… And it smells, too, like antiseptic. It’s… The doctors are nice, but everything else isn’t. I especially don’t like it when they have to put an IV in… The needle really hurts! [/color]
{He shudders, rubbing the inside of his thin arms a few times, as if imagining the needles piercing his skin once more.}[/color][/i]
And when I have to stay… that’s the worst. I’ve had to sleep in the hospital for a long time before, and my Pokémon didn’t have anywhere to go… They had to stay in their pokeballs all day, and I could tell they were getting restless… A-and maybe a little worried about me, but I was more worried about them! It’s so boring in the hospital – I’d rather be outside. B-but when I get that feeling in my chest, and I can’t breathe and it hurts too much to move, I know… I’ll have to go back again…[/color]
***
But..I'm afraid![/size][/b]
{It seems he’s already revealed quite a bit through your previous questions about what he fears, and yet there’s something he might have withheld, so it might be worth asking. Maybe he’ll even have a regular phobia, like of bugs or the dark. He continues to look unhappy discussing these things, a light breeze whipping through the grass and cooling him enough to elicit another shiver.}[/color][/i]
I don’t want to imagine…what it would be like to never leave. The hospital, I mean. Just staying for a week or two is horrible, but being… being chained to the bed, unable to go outside and battle with my Pokémon ever again… T-that’s a nightmare… I-I don’t even know what I’d do if that happened…
That’s why I… try so hard to make myself stronger. I want to be able to visit the hospital on my own terms, n-not when I have to. I want to get better, so I don’t have to go. Not ever again.[/color]
{The final part was said with such determination, his blue eyes shining and alight with a hidden fire as his bony fingers clutched the fabric of his pants. It was hard to imagine such a frail kid like himself would ever be fully cured, but maybe…}[/color][/i]
***
I like to...
{He looks at you sideways, the sudden shift in the mood of the questions perplexing. He pauses to consider it, fingers loosening.}[/color][/i]
I like training, and battling, but I guess you already knew that… Uhm… I like reading books, too. About all the different Pokémon from different regions. I really like this one book that talks about ‘differently colored’ Pokémon that have this sparkle to them… Most people call them shinies? I have a book at home full of pictures of them, and they’re all so pretty… I’ve always wanted to find one! …But they’re also really rare, so I might never even catch a glimpse of a shiny Pokémon…
I also like music. After I came to live with my aunt and uncle I was bedridden for awhile, and my aunt would play this really soothing music for me… Mostly piano stuff I think, and a woman singing… It was so calming, it really helped me sleep more than the silence, since the silence reminded me of the hospital. [/color]
{He pauses to think of something else, then briefly glances about the field before turning back to you, his normally pale skin flushing a bit.}[/color][/i]
D-don’t tell anyone I told you but… I also really like gardening! You know, with the berry plants? A nice lady gave me a Wailmer Pail and taught me how to grow my own berries, so I started planting and taking care of some of the wild berry plants whenever I passed by them… And it’s helpful, too, ‘cause some of the berries are good for my Pokémon to hold – I’ve even made a few pokeblocks out of the berries I grew, but I don’t think they liked them very much. M-maybe it just wasn’t to their taste? …I still take care of the plants when I see them, but for the most part I think they would still be alright without me.[/color]
***
My reason?[/size][/b]
{He gives you a puzzled look at this question, as if you were asking the color of the sky or something equally obvious.}[/color][/i]
I’m a trainer because… I love Pokémon, and I like battling! I…I guess I also wanted to become a trainer because… all the trainers I know, they’re so strong and brave and they get to do so much, and I was always confined to my bed… I wanted to be free like them, and I figured… if I became a trainer, I could! …Even now though it’s not what I thought it would be, and I still… need help now and then. But I am getting better, and my Pokémon have gotten stronger, too! [/color]
***
Mandatory Angst:[/size][/b]
{His cheeriness fades back and he stares at you for a moment, eyes openly expressing his confusion at the sudden request of his whole background. He fidgets, frowning and looking just over your shoulder at your grassy surroundings, and for a moment you think he might deny your request, but he eventually opens up, shaky as a nervous Clamperl.}[/color][/i]
I was raised in Petalburg, and ever since I was little, I’ve been sick… I couldn’t play outside with the other kids, and I spent a lot of time alone in bed, reading or sleeping or watching TV. I didn’t like being cooped up, I thought it was boring, but I couldn’t get very far without assistance, because my chest would start aching and it would hurt to breathe. My parents would try to arrange play dates for me so I could get to know the other kids, b-but that never worked… So I spent more time reading, and finally I got… a little bit addicted to the Pokémon battles I watched on TV.
I had always liked Pokémon – or at least the idea of having a friend. Pokémon were, from what I knew, supposed to be good companions, even for kids like me… And when I watched those trainers on TV, commanding them to great victories through fierce competitions while still being the best of friends with this… unshakable faith, I knew I wanted to be one.
…But my parents would never let me. I know now that they were right; I really was too sick back then to try and travel. I probably wouldn’t have even made it past Petalburg Forest… But I wanted to be a trainer so bad, and when I was finally able to get up and walk around, one of the first things I did was find the Gym Leader, Norman, and convince him to help me catch a Pokémon of my own. He agreed at first, I guess because I seemed healthy enough, but after he spoke to my parents he refused to help me.
Even though I was really sad, I did have this… stroke of luck. Norman’s son, Ruby, had found me earlier, after I had tried to catch a wild Pokémon on my own. He let me borrow his Ralts, Ruru, and I caught a Kecleon! I was so happy – Ruby became my first friend, and I was anxious, because I thought catching Kecleon meant I could finally go to Ever Grande City… Unfortunately, there had been a lot of earthquakes, and Ruby fell into the sea and disappeared before I could give Ruru back, and I passed out from all the excitement… Ruru brought me back to town and my parents shipped me off to live with my aunt and uncle in Verdanturf, in the hopes I would get better.
I stayed here for awhile, in the hospital. I was worried about Ruby, even after Ruru confirmed he was still alive…
I got to leave the hospital eventually, and I got away from Verdanturf as quick as I could, before my aunt and uncle could stop me... I-it wasn't the best thing to do, but I didn't want to end up bedridden again. I needed to go and find Ruby and return Ruru. I could tell Ruru really missed him, and I know he probably misses her... I still haven't found Ruby yet, even after all my traveling, and if Ruru didn't keep telling me he was alive I... I think I would really believe he was killed when he fell into the ocean. But I haven't given up hope! I'll find him soon, I know it![/color]
***
Oh and by the way... [/size][/b]
{At the mention of contests, you begin to realize how much time as passed, and Wally watches you for a moment before mentioning that it is getting late – wouldn’t the Contest begin soon? Glancing at your watch, you realize that yes, you’re going to be late unless you hurry, and quickly stand and apologize for having to vanish so abruptly. But the pale boy smiles, coughing into his hand and mentioning that it’s no trouble at all, and that maybe he should go watch the contests the next time he’s in town. With literally no time left to lose, you sprint along the field towards the Contest Hall, kicking up dirt as you go.}[/color][/i]
***
I'm just a proxy for.. [/size][/b]
{Rushing through the fields, you notice a girl sitting in the grass, with short, dark hair and what looked to be a sketchbook balanced on her lap, watching the trainer you just spoke to and occasionally drawing and jotting down notes. Upon noticing you, she raises the pad so you can see what’s written on it as you rush by: the name Cristy, with several Pokémon doodles littering the paper all around it. Weird.} [/i]
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