azume | Week 5.

WEEK 5

As of morning the next day, it seems the rain has stopped; with Azelf awakened and your newly-hatched companions by your side, it's possible that you're feeling a new sense of resolve regarding what needs to be done - and, perhaps more importantly, your ability to accomplish it.

The device Maylene gave you certainly does seem to work; activating it will reveal a dark portal crackling with energy, shades of pink and purple swirling brightly around the outer edges, and those of you that walk through it will find yourselves quite suddenly standing somewhere else - there's grass beneath your feet and an unfamiliar city to the west, and the place you're standing seems raised up in some way; turning around once the portal has closed behind the last of you will reveal a massive bronze statue depicting a Pokémon of some sort, though what it is seems to be a little difficult to tell...

The trip to Eterna City may leave you feeling a little dizzy and disoriented, and for a few uncomfortable moments you're likely very, very aware of your organs, but the effects will pass after a few moments and you'll soon feel right as rain.

Of course, it'll likely become obvious very quickly that you aren't alone near that statue...

Either way, it's a long journey up to Snowpoint City; you might want to take some time to make sure that you're prepared before you set off. It really does seem as though finding Azelf at Lake Valor has done the world some good, though, along with your combined effects on the world already; hopefully the Guardian at Lake Acuity in the north will be just as helpful...

CURRENT LOCATION: ETERNA CITY
POKEMON AVAILABLE: WITHIN CITIES

SUNDAY | MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY
[OOC: Welcome to week five of Azume; feel free to make as many top levels as you'd like and tag out to other characters! This post is for all of your interactions this week... at least until the weekend. Don't forget that a write-up is due this weekend!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Nervous laughter. It's not that he doesn't want to talk about it, just...]

It's kind of a long story...basically when I first started playing football, my team captain wanted to keep people from figuring out who I was so other teams wouldn't try to recruit me. So he'd made this fake identity for me - Eyeshield 21, ace runningback from Notre Dame, all that kinda stuff...it caused all sorts of trouble, honestly.

[Basically, Hiruma put so many words in this child's mouth. So many.]

The thing is, I thought he made it up out of nowhere...

That's patently insane, but go on.

[What, does he think a high schooler playing football is Superman?]

[Well, Hiruma sure did treat him like it was.]

Y-yeah, kinda...anyways, it turns out Eyeshield 21 is a real person. There really was a Japanese high schooler playing football in America, and their running style is...I've heard that it's legendary. I...

[He twiddles his fingers, looking shy...and yet there's a hardness slowly growing in his eyes, a light of passion. Determination.]

I want to make those lies a reality - I want to be the real Eyeshield. So, I can't do that until I surpass this other one...wherever they are. I heard they had come back to Japan, so...if I keep playing with my team, and we keep pushing towards winning the championship, I'll find them eventually, right?

[Sena laughs sheepishly, the sudden burst of will gone as quickly as it came. He looks just like a regular high schooler again, with the same bashful and slightly embarrassed expression you'd get if you asked most high schoolers about their dreams for the future.]

I mean, I think that's probably the best way to find them...so, uh, I don't really think I'd be fit to play in America if I can't surpass this person first. Aha...

[.....what the fuck]

Could always play for the Jaguars! [this whole thing was just him trying to lead up to a Jacksonville Jaguars joke tbh but okay let's dig in here] Are they in your same...high school sports league thing?

[sports, man. sports.]

The...huu? [Look he actually doesn't know many American sports teams or their reps or anything but okay! He'll go with it.]

I think so. I mean, if they're not in any of the Tokyo Tournament teams, then they might be from the west, so I'd fight them in the Christmas Bowl, right?

[Yes. The final tournament is called the Christmas Bowl. Sorry, dude.]

...sure. Yeah. That makes sense.

[It doesn't. But, as a demon, the part about defeating somebody in order to gain their position and prestige actually does, so.]

Well, I don't know a lot about the football scene. But at least you won't get out of shape, with all this hiking we've had to do. I'm sure you can destroy him and steal his identity just fine.

Destroying them...is a bit much, isn't it? I just want to win against them...

[well, Sena comes from a sports manga, so his reasoning Totally Makes Sense.]

Aha, yeah...It's kinda like the Death March we did back in America, but there's a lot more rocky terrain. [He grins brightly.]

Practicing with Monta and the others...at least I'm not forgetting anything.

Yeah. You have to win so hard that they're unable to be Eyeshield 21 anymore, and you're born from the flames as the new Eyeshield 21. Why is it Eyeshield 21, are there 20 other Eyeshields?

[what's an eyeshield]

You've done a death march?

[That...honestly sounds like something Hiruma would say, so Sena surprisingly takes that in stride with just a little bit of nervous sweating.]

Er, no... [He's only run into one other dude claiming the Eyeshield title so far.]

It's just the jersey number. They were number 21 on the Notre Dame team, so Hiruma gave me the number 21 jersey too.

[And an eyeshield is the stupid blue thing he attaches to his visor sometimes when they go hiking.]

Uh, that's what it was called. It was just a training hike in America...

["Just a training hike."]

I've overseen a few death marches in my day.

[He takes a moment to reminisce.]

Would not recommend it. In either capacity, even when you're supervising it gets pretty hot.

[Oh, right. He's speaking to an Actual Demon.

This is somehow still less scary than dealing with Hiruma.]

Yeah, I can see that...I mean, ours was just in America's desert, but I guess the ones you've done are hotter than that?

Oh, much more so. It's probably not a story worth telling...

[He lifts a hand to his mouth for a moment, a nervous motion not quite like him.]

But anyway. Good luck with running faster than the other mystery athlete.

Um...if you say so...

[Sena might not be too smart, but he isn't oblivious. It's not hard to see Michael acting unusually bashful about something, and it occurs to Sena that a Death March hosted by a real demon was probably...

...probably not something done to make anyone stronger. Or more confident. Or...anything beneficial, really.

Maybe he doesn't want to talk about it.]

Um...thanks! A-anyways... [How did they get on this topic again? Oh, right.] I think I might be able to help these guys use Double Team better, if it works the way I think it does...

[MMMMMMM

Well, once the topic's changed, Michael's very quick to shake off whatever that was.]

Sounds like it's worth a shot. Monta might be better at learning that, he runs more like a human.

Uh...you might be right about that.

[He glances down at his other Pokemon. No offense you guys, but he's not entirely sure how the footwork would work with more than two legs.]

I bet I can teach them while we're running - I learned the Devil Bat Ghost by doing that, anyway...

[Okay, but it can't have just been running. What else was it?]

Week 5.

:D

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