azume | Week 1.

WEEK 1.

As Cynthia had promised, the sun does indeed rise the next morning.

Whether you slept or not (and sleeping inside the Pokémon Center you were in before seems totally fine by the attendant), it seems Cynthia kept her word; she left sometime shortly before sunrise, and you haven't been bothered by Team Galactic and those that work for it in the interim.

It isn't advisable to return to the headquarters building, however. At least not for the time being.

However, a new day does dawn, and with it comes the knowledge that you're in an unfamiliar city, completely on your own. There are several things to be done before you can leave: gathering supplies and provisions, finding maps, obtaining new clothes...

Of course, your new "companions" are still with you, and they don't seem willing to leave your side; they'll follow you dutifully, but they still seem...wrong, horribly so, and it doesn't seem to be wearing off. Maybe if you work with them a little...? Try to talk to them, train them, teach them to do things... Who knows? It might do them some good.

CURRENT LOCATION: VEILSTONE CITY
POKEMON AVAILABLE: WITHIN CITIES

MONDAY | TUESDAY | WEDNESDAY | THURSDAY | FRIDAY
[OOC: Welcome to week one 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!

Feel free to investigate the city as you see fit this week; we ask only that you try to stagger investigations and be mindful of what's already been checked. If you wish to investigate, notify the mods in your comment subject for your top-level and we'll get on it as soon as possible!]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

So...I went into the gym earlier in the week. I thought it was locked, but...it looks like they just...all left and never came back. Everything's left like it used to be, but it doesn't really look like a full gym? There's just some boxing rings and tires and punching bags, and maybe some weights? There were some plaques in the back with some sayings on them, Michael said they were related to some guy named Liam?

[He shuffles nervously.]

I've been going back there to get some conditioning in before we leave town, but there's really not much to do in there...it's eerie.

Liam had a lot of books about martial arts with Pokemon. Maybe it's that sort of gym.

So...you train your Pokemon in the gym?

[He sent Monta through some makeshift tire structures? Does that count as training?]

I didn't really read all of it, I didn't care, but it sounded like training alongside them. Both of you do it.

Oh...

[Sena actually sounds...interested, in a weird way.]

That might actually be useful to know, if we're gonna be travelling with them...

Yeah. It's no good for me, I'm not going to be fighting, but some of you might find it interesting. I actually meant to take a few to give to people, but I got sidetracked with Liam.

Well, um...

[He's an athlete. And also did the Death March. And other various things that Hiruma and Doboroku have cooked up.

Training with Pokemon sounds like easy pickings compared to that. Or at least sounds like just another day on the Deimon football field.]

Martial arts are kinda like a sport, right? [I mean, they even used sumo wrestling to help train Komosumbi once. It's probably the same thing.] They probably at least have some, uh...basic excercises or conditioning in there that might be of use to all of us, if we all have to uh. Walk, and camp and stuff?

[blink blink]

Are you suggesting exercise classes?

[Um.]

I was thinking more like...training sessions?

[It's admittedly a little selfish on his part because he really doesn't want to get out of shape while he's here. But other people have said enough things that this might end up proving useful in the end?]

I...I mean, a couple of people have already said they're not used to um...camping...and stuff? So maybe they'd like to get some excercise done so they don't have as hard a time hikingandstuff...

[How does someone stand with such athletic poise and yet speak so timidly. How.]

Sorry, didn't quite catch that.

[He's not used to camping! Also, he hates anything that's gonna make him sweat.]

[Well, too bad. You're gonna have to get used to it. Sena seems to know it, too, if the way he decides to stiffen and stand straight up means anything.]

C...camping and hiking and stuff...it's really hard if you're not ready for it. Even a little bit of regular exercise to condition your body h-helps!

[He squirms a bit after that.] I'm definitely not gonna force anyone to do it, but...I wouldn't, uh...mind...helping out with that if they wanted to join me in learning it?

I've never really understood why people like doing things that get them all - [shudder] - drenched in sweat. Human bodies are already so...soft and moist. Camping can't really be that hard, can it?

[he's going to s u f f e r]

Well, I didn't really understand at first, myself... [Scared out of his wits, actually.] But the thrill of the challenge...testing your limits...it's amazing! You have to do things you might not want to deal with, you have to push yourself to your utmost, and when you reach the top, having done that...it makes the effort all worth it, you know?

[His eyes actually seem to reflect a burning spirit, and Sena almost seems like a different person as he says this.

Then he starts twiddling his fingers.]

I mean...that's probably how people feel about this kinda thing...I think...

[Whatever that was, it seems to have intrigued Michael. He leans forward as Sena gets more into his topic, eyes narrowing.]

No, no, I think I understand what you mean. I never thought about sports that way, but I get it. The most worthwhile things are, often, the most difficult.

[Sena nods vigorously.]

R-right! I want to play against strong opponents and win - it doesn't feel like I'll earn that title otherwise...

Which title?

Oh, er...it's kind of a long story...

[He scratches the back of his head.]

Basically, when I first started playing football, my team captain, he kind of forced me to play under a secret identity...it turned out later it wasn't something he made up, but an actual person - a football player who's considered to be the strongest runner of this era. S-so...my whole time playing football, I've been living a lie...

[Sena's sheepish grin slowly turns into a determined glare as he continues talking, staring off into the distance as he starts reflecting on everything that's happened so far.]

I decided...I want to make that lie into a reality. I want to become the real Eyeshield 21...and to do that, I have to find this player and win against him...I can't do that if I don't face off against tough battles, right?

....that's all completely insane. But your logic is sound.

[God. What is happening in his life.]

E...er.

[It's kind of a small noise of agreement, but also uncertainty. He's not sure if he'd call everything that's happened with him insane, but it sure is crazy.]

A-anyways, doing what we need to do to get home, restore this place...it's worthwhile...right?

Of course. I mean, those are two completely different goals. But the path forward is the same either way.

[so it's not worth debating, probably]

R-right! So, I think, uh...this kinda thing would help reach that goal, don't you think?

[Oh. He's still going on about the exercises. Okay.]

......oh, the exercise thing?

[He forgot that was even what started this.]

I guess it could. I mean, I hope we're all fit enough to do some walking to begin with...

If it's anything like my time in America - [which, okay, was pretty extreme-] I don't think it's gonna be just walking...

[The terrain probably isn't gonna be super smooth, is it.]

Week 1.

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