meteorman | (no subject)

(no subject)

✦ Victory Road Battle Post ✦
Meet me in the parking lot behind the Dedenny's in thirty minutes if you want an asskicking.

This is a catchall for the purpose of allowing for more Pokémon battles! Think of it kind of like an IC inbox post, except instead of interaction over the Pokégear it's in-person battle threads. Go ahead and let me know below if you want a battle and any specific ideas you might have (you can also contact me any time at

mister_inkwell). You're also welcome to just go ahead and post a top-level if Ford and your character are in the same general area and you want to jump directly to a call-out. I don't mind spontaneous battles! Someone jumping out at you from the shadows unexpectedly and trying to kick your ass is kind of a staple of the franchise after all.

I've also put together a little form you can fill out if you want to quickly get across the kind of battle you're looking for and/or need a jumping-off point.

Preferred Pokémon Levels: I personally prefer a close level gap so the battle isn't super one-sided, unless it being super one-sided is the point of the thread.
Preferred Team Size: I like three on three or two on two best for roleplay purposes (a six on six battle would take quite some time!), but I'll roll with whatever.
Items Allowed: I'm good with both held items and healing items but it's very easy to find a reason for Ford not to use them if you don't want them.
Mega Evolution Allowed: I'm fine with this whether or not Ford has his Abomasnow with him.
Other Specifics: Ford's location and current team are both open to tweaking. He'd be willing to take a couple of warps or swap out some of his team members to be more level-appropriate in cases where the battle is agreed on beforehand. For random challenges on the street, what you see is what you get. I'm also totally fine with Rockets attempting to steal his Pokémon, though actual success will need to be discussed.

✦ Currently in Saffron City ✦

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

i need your help

That's what Maurice's text read nearly two months after he received the little bundle of buggy joy from Ford's Monster Factory. He'd asked to meet in the park (both so that there were witnesses if he died and because there was plenty of room to run away if things went badly) and apologized about six more times before he finally stuck his 'Gear in his pocket.

And there he stood. Maurice waited under a tree wearily staring down at the pokeball in his hands. He was wearing plastic bags wrapped around his hands.

Of course he was. Why wouldn't there be plastic bags around his hands. Ford notices this detail when he rolls up to the park, wonders at it for a moment, and then moves on. He's seen weirder.

"Maurice! You needed me for something?"

Frankly he's just curious about what it is exactly he's supposed to be helping with, because while it's not unusual for people to ask him for help with things (surely one of his PhDs will cover their issue) it is unusual for them to be reticent to give full details.

Maurice tries to give the older man a smile but it turns into more of a grimace.

"Hey, Mr. Pines," Maurice mumbled with the same kind of ducked-head tone one would address a teacher. "Uh, it's about Grubbin. It's not fair to her to never get to come out of her ball but I can't--I don't know how to deal with her. And I thought--since you raise them, you could show me how to battle with her."

Ah. Aha, ha. It's bugs again, and this time Ford can't really just confidently bulldoze forward with 'exposure to the fear helps to alleviate the fear over time'. He has barely been taking Bug Zapper out of his ball since the unfortunate incident Chloe witnessed over the gear a while back. It's not that that incident was Bug Zapper's fault, it's that Ford Pines is notoriously bad at facing up to things that make him feel weak and vulnerable. It's easier to be avoidant.

Which also means he doesn't really have a good excuse for saying no. Oh, boy. Time to fake it til you make it, grandpa!

"I could certainly try. How much work have you done with her thus-far?"

"Uhm..." Maurice turns the ball over a few times as though he's carefully handling a bomb. "I can get her to stay. But that's about it. I haven't even pet her yet. It's destroying me, Mr. Pines." He looked up, composure coming apart at the seams, oblivious to Ford's own internal conflicts. "Am I a bad trainer?"

WHAT IF IT'S THE BON JOVI SITUATION ALL OVER AGAIN?

HEY WOW THIS SUCKS

"No. No, I don't think you are." That at least he isn't faking. There's a lot to unpack about this situation but Maurice being a bad trainer isn't one of them. Frankly Ford wouldn't have been been offended if Maurice had found that Grubbin a new home with someone more equipped to care for her, but he understands the need to keep chewing on a problem until it's fixed.

"Battling together may be good for you, actually; I think your instinct was correct there. It may help the two of you form a connection. And she'll be focused on her opponent, so you needn't worry about her getting too close to you."

Ford's words manage to keep Maurice from breaking down right there in public but he still looks guilty.

"She's only level one. If you don't have any Pokemon close to that, there's some grass at the end of the bike trail."

He stops beating around the bush, swallows, and holds the ball up. In a flash of light, the little grub appears between them and Maurice lets out another unflattering sound. He holds up one of his bag-clad hands and shouts, "STAY STAY STAY STAY!" as he cowboy waddles backwards away from her. Like a good girl, she stays though she does lift her head in concern and flex those pinchers of hers.

"S-see...she knows that one."

Grubbin wiggles on the spot and looks up to Ford. Oh, hey! She has...a really blurry memory of that face!

Yeah, this is about how it was the last time he saw the two of them in one place. At least she's well-behaved; Ford can only imagine if she'd come from stock like Phoebe or Scylla. Maurice would probably have had a heart attack by now.

He crouches down, the better to be on her level, and reaches out almost like he's going to give her round body a pat before he thinks better of it and withdraws that hand. Mm. Better not. He can just greet her without pets.

"Pickpocket is only level four." It's a little bit of a discrepancy, but Pickpocket also only knows three moves. "And she's not overly concerned with winning."

Maurice squinted from his safe vantage point. He saw that hesitation. Phobias make you hyperfocus and he called Ford out here to help him get over it since he loved the things so damn much. Hmm.

"Let's try that. Grubbin? Y-you wanna do a fight?"

Grubbin lets out a little croaky sound as Ford withdraws his hand and turns to face her trainer. He's talking to her and not screaming so she gives him a little affirming wiggle.

"Okay. Let's do it then. One v one."

See? Look at those wiggles. She's a good girl. A good girl who can wield the power of electricity, who possibly doesn't have a full handle on controlling it yet thanks to being almost entirely untrained. It's fine.

Ford straightens up. He doesn't remove a ball from the strap across his chest. Instead, there's a jingling sound and the Klefki peeks out of his coat. She's claimed a pocket as hers and that's just where she lives now (when she's not in other peoples' pockets, but he's working on discouraging that).

"What do you think?" he asks, and she jingles affirmatively. Half the things hanging from her arms aren't even keys. She's a hoarder among a species of hoarders.

"Alright!" He takes a few steps out, leaving space between them for whatever's about to go down. Definitely not to get out of the range of any potential discharge. Does Grubbin even have electrical attacks that early? He's not taking chances.

As usually happens once he begins a battle with someone, that music starts up.

When the music changed, Maurice perked up. It had been a long time since he fought anyone who had their own music. He wanted that! And for an instant he looked a little more like the cheerful adventurer he had become in Johto.

He whips his 'Gear back out and quickly reads off Grubbin's single attack.

"Okay, use those horrible pinchers of yours. VICE GRIP!"

Grubbin snaps to attention, lining up the Klefki between the points of her pincers and makes quite the lunge for a little red bug.

This is the best episode of Baby Fights ever produced.

Grubbin's horrible pincers grab right onto Pickpocket's 'horn' (really? That's what the Pokédex calls that thing on her head? Huh). She jingles in alarm and wiggles, trying to shake her opponent off, but they don't call it Vice Grip for nothing.

Alright. Fairy Lock is pointless, and it'll be hard for her to Tackle given she's in the middle of getting grappled.

"Pickpocket! Toxic!"

Maybe don't put something that can secrete poisonous fluids right near your mouth? This will also ensure the battle isn't over too fast. Gotta get Grubbin that experience!

When the fat purple blob of poison splashes her in the face, Grubbin lets go and squeaks in protest. Maurice, to his surprise, found himself also making a noise of protest. He never thought he'd feel sorry for a bug but she was only a little baby! When her red face deepens to a queasy purple, Maurice balls his hands into fists.

"Grubbin, Vice grip! SHAKE IT AROUND!"

Grubbin hiccups but turns to look back at her trainer again. He wanted her to grab that yucky thing again? She did kind of want to give it a good hard pinch but...she felt so bad now!

"Please, Grubbin! You can do it!"

Trainer had never talked to her like that. Grubbin whips back around and narrows her little eyes. With that blessed 100% accuracy that Vice Grip granted her, she grabbs hold of one of Pickpocket's precious baubles and starts shaking her like a dog shakes an old shoe.

Pickpocket makes a very distressed sound and tries to pull back, but she can't pull back too hard for fear of breaking the delicate charm Grubbin has hold of. This is very much not ideal.

For her, at least. From Ford's perspective this is going pretty well. For all Maurice's talk of not knowing how to deal with his Grubbin they seem to be meshing incredibly well.

"Tackle! Make her let go!"

It's not an ideal angle, but Pickpocket can't really miss from this close a range. She just sort of bops her little round body forward and downward and hopes that's enough.

And sure enough it is. Grubbin releases Pickpocket with a squeak and actually topples backwards, waving her stubby little legs in the air.

Maurice feels a strange mix of something in the pit of his stomach. Sorrow for his tiny baby Pokemon that's gotten flipped over and bopped...and repulsion because TOO MANY LEGS TOO MANY LEGS THEY WERE HARDER TO SEE FROM BEHIND.

"Uh...uh!"

He's faltering. Is it because he's losing or because of the legs? Hard to tell.

"Pickpocket-- help flip her over. It's not fair if she can't fight back."

Not that he's particularly intense about honor or fairness, but this is a friendly battle for a friendly purpose so it matters here more than it would elsewhere. Here, he doesn't really care about winning. If Maurice were Misty things would be very different.

Pickpocket floats over and delicately nudges against Grubbin's side, trying to help flip her back onto those little legs.

Slide-whistle noise.

Once Grub found her feet she blinked curiously up at Pickpocket. Weren't they supposed to be duking it out? She looked back to Maurice who was furiously rubbing his arms to chase away the crawly feeling.

"Thanks, Mr. Pines," Maurice said as he got a hold on himself. He could recognize good sportsmanship when he saw it. This was to help him with his Problem after all. "O-okay, Grubbin. Sorry t'sound like a broken record, but VICE GRIP!"

Grubbin turns to look back at the floating keyring but hesitates. Pickpocket helped her! Biting her would be MEAN!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

(no subject)

Something BUGGING you, Pines?

if there is i ANT gonna talk about it

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