Area K!

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice Hope was looking forward to the Kumquat gym challenge the most out of all of them, it had to be said. Not only was a double battle much easier in comparison to surfing on Slowpoke (hmm... And with these feet...), it allowed her to stay in Luana's very own five star hotel based in the island's luxurious resort area, with full use of service and their exercise areas. After all she and her party had been through, they certainly deserved it, and it would be fun to bust some moves in the dance suite.

After sorting luggage in her cabin, Alice decided that it was time to meet her new teammate. She rummaged through for her Heal Ball, feeling a little apprehensive, and brought out the Egg Move Stone as well. New Pokedex in hand, she released her Deino into the centre of the suite room.

She was a marvelous sight to behold: sturdy and green, with lovely black fur. Her eyes were impossible to catch, but that was alright, and the young woman smiled. "Hi there, Deino. My name's Alice Hope, and I'm going to be your trainer from now on. It's lovely to meet you." She smiled, offering the stone out as a gift to the new recruit. She hoped it would teach the creature fire fang, which would be helpful in combatting her weakness of ice and in dealing with other pesky types. "I really love Deino, and you're so gorgeous! Welcome to the team!"

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

Deino appeared in the minty green light, glancing around her surroundings through the bang like fur around her eyes. She let out a slight raptor-like screech as she yawned. Looking to Alice, she tilted her head before lowering it and growling at the girl. Her jaws snapped when Alice held out her hand.

Fortunately, they only managed to clamp around the hard stone. Deino retracted, trying to chew on the stone, making a clicking sound with every bite. The stone began to glow a white light, and then Deino in turn. It was short lived though, fading quickly back to normal.

The stone dropped out, shattering in its now fragile and used form. It was useless now, but Deino seemed to have learned something! She growled again, claws engulfing in small flames as she scratched toward Alice. Ivy hadn't been kidding when she said it was aggressive! Hopefully she would warm up to her - but with out the actual flames.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice was absolutely terrified of fire, and she shrieked, throwing herself out of the way. The manouver made her body hurt, and she shuddered, pulling herself up to look over at the dragon. "Listen, I know you're not very fond of people, but please give me a chance! I really like you, and I want to prove to you that I'm worth working with!" She insisted, "If you like battling, that's cool, we can battle together! Explore! Or you can relax, whatever you want to do, just please don't attack me!" The trainer pleaded. She paused. She still had that treat in her bag... "Deino, do you like chocolate? There's chocolate in my bag, you can have it if you want." She nodded to her shoulder piece on the bed, meaning the sweet Buneary that was in there.

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

Deino growled at Alice, almost enjoying the fear she was instilling in the human. However, when she began to dig through her pack a scent was caught on the wind. Raising her head, Deino's nostrils flared. The rich cocoa scent made her salivate, licking her chops as Alice pulled the delicacy out.

She was mildly stubborn, not wanting to take it. However, it just smelled too good. Well, maybe it would be alright. After all, this human could make an excellent minion to the dragoness. She approached, sniffing at the candy before quickly snatching it away. She retreated a few steps, tossing the chocolate Lopunny into the air before swallowing it in one bite.

She licked her beak again, approaching Alice with interest. She shoved her muzzle into the girl, sniffing around for more treats, before moving onto the pack. She stuck her whole head in, seeking to fish out any other goodies the girl might be hiding from her new God.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice watched as Deino responded by sniffing out the treat and devouring it in one go, much like how her trainer did when she had one of her favourite foods. At least that had worked, although when the shiny approached, she instinctively tensed up. Seeing that the Pokemon was just searching for more food, though, the young woman relaxed just a bit.

"Hey, Deino, there's nothing more in there... So let's just go, okay? I can get you more food in a bit, when we get to Kumquat Island. They have a fancy hotel and everything, it's all good." She assured. Deino growled in retaliation, only calming when Alice provided some fresh water to go through, gently and lovingly petting her back. It was a bit irritating, but the worship was appreciated all the same. This human could be manipulated for her ends. Taking out various diskettes, Alice worked with her Pokemon one by one to apply new ones she had picked up, and then returned Deino, working with Pachirisu on deck to help kill the time. They only had a few hours for their voyage, after all.

She started off her warm up in the usual way, although the young woman was now adorned in a cute, pink bikini instead of a full outfit. They stretched together, improving their flexibility in various yoga and pilate poses. It was a bit harder given Pachirisu's tiny limbs, but he made sure to work his tail and ears, too, keeping in balance as best he could. That lasted for fifteen minutes on the Pokegear timer, and then after a refreshing drink of water, it was on to the actual moves.

"Okay, Pachirisu, let's treat this as a contest-style appeal! Start off with your quick attack and jump into the air, then use swift!" Alice ordered. Her companion dashed forward. He was pink to a degree now, sure, but he didn't shine or sparkle like Zubat or Deino. Rushing impressively along the wooden floor, he sprung upwards, stars bursting forth from all paws, "Make them spin around you, and then use spark on the stars, Pachirisu!"

He did so, darker cheek pouches electrifying before releasing the sizzling move, aiming for the ones cast before. The stars crackled and fizzed as they spun around him, and then dispersed in all directions at Alice's command. "Charm to finish!" Alice concluded, and with some impressive rolls, Pachirisu landed in a sweet display. The trainer squealed and grinned, dashing to cuddle her Pokemon in congratulations, peppering him with kisses.

"Okay! Now, I wanna try and teach you a new move. Bear with me, it's really powerful, so it might be hard. It's called gunk shot." Alice explained, Pachirisu blinking, "It's poison type. You know toxic now, so it should be easier to master. Here, aim some shots of toxic out into the ocean." She said. The squirrel nodded, jumping up, firing some smelly, poisonous goo from his mouth and into the waves. "It's like that, but it has to be more intense. Use your electricity to lure garbage to you, then combine it with toxic and fire! Any gases, fumes in the air, anything gross! Combine it!"

Alice would focus on that move first. Maybe if Pachirisu could master gunk shot in that way, he'd be able to levitate off the ground with magnet rise, too! That depended on electro magnetic pulses the Pokemon created, after all. It was a lot of work, but by technicality, he was the weakest in her arsenal, and she was determined to fix that.

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

Pachirisu worked hard during the warm up and general training. Though he was still a relatively low level, the ambition and control he showed was stupendous. In fact, so much so that he appeared to have gained a level from so much hard work! His cheeks sparked a bit, as he seemed to have learned the electric move Nuzzle. They moved on to attempting to learn a new move.

The tactic Alice was employing wasn't the most eco-friendly one, but it was getting the job done. Pachirisu's cheeks sparked as it tried to charge its body magnetically. Unfortunately this way only a few empty cans were drawn to him, to which he used the toxic goop to hold it together as he threw it. It wasn't quite right, but with some more work they were likely to be able to learn the move with little problems. Perhaps one day Pachirisu would even be able to make a large bag manifest, like the Trubbish do, not that it was an aesthetically pleasing move.

After a few more tries, Pachirisu had the basics down, and had worked out some kinks. He had yet to fully understand the move, and so could only feign it for now. Alice would need to work a bit harder for the squirrel to learn a move so foreign to its nature.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice was ecstatic with Pachirisu's progress. Even if he hadn't really learned gunk shot properly, what he had achieved so far was enough for her, and she decided to move on to something a bit easier. "Let's try shock wave and thunder punch next." The trainer suggested. She didn't plan to use him in the gym leader challenge, so for now, they were alright. First, she suggested a fifteen minute cool down for them to drink and recover, doing the stretches once more, like lunges and moon-moves, crouching tiger and the rest of it. Deep breaths taken, she started off with the basics.

"Okay, Pachirisu, don't use any of your electricity. Just punch my palms." Alice instructed, sitting down and holding them out. The squirrel curled his little hands into fists, pounding them to the 'one-two' rhythm that Alice made. As they continued their reps, she would move her hands and instruct Pachirisu to hit harder, and then made Pachirisu use the move while also moving himself - to leap into the air, to dash and punch, to bring it from or to a slide.

"Now, manifest all of your electricity into your paws, and make it a thunder punch! Draw on as much of it as you can!" Alice inspired, and her Pokemon gave it several good attempts, continuing his work for a while until she suggested a strategy for shockwave.

"This one's a bit tougher. Your accuracy has to be top notch, it's gotta be something the opponent can't miss." Alice explained, "It's got to be quick, too. So I thought, how about we combine several moves at the same time? Act like you're using nuzzle, thunderbolt and thunderpunch, then release everything at once to your target! In this case... Aim off the boat again, like before, so nobody gets hurt! Quick and strong, don't give your invisible energy a chance to escape! You ready, dude?"

"Pachi, pachi!" Her faux shiny nodded. Alice grinned.
"Okay, then! Let's start off with thunder punch, and then shockwave!"

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

With Pachirisu having learned Thunder, it only made the rest of their training that much easier. He summoned the move, channeling it through his paws as they crackled, then BOOM! A crash of thunder was heard as the move discharged. Thunder punch seemed to be quite the success! It wouldn't be the strongest move right away, but the more he uses it, the stronger it would get.

Shock Wave was a bit harder to muster. He knew how to produce a thunder wave, and at first released something along those lines. However, it fizzled out as it was only enough to paralyze a foe. He narrowed his eyes, taking deep breaths to prepare himself. He dug down deep into his energy, summoning everything he could. Thunder, Nuzzle, any electricity his little body could spare he held onto tightly.

Between his paws, an arc of electricity began, his body making a circuit. He stared intensely into the sea, clapping his paws together. A wave of electricity shot out, rocking the boat a bit. A successful shockwave? It was certainly felt, anyway!

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice grinned, clapping her Pokemon excitedly as she scooped him up, "Aren't you a perfectly smart boy? Yeah, you are!" She assured him, nuzzling the creature. Pachirisu practically giggled in return, the human's hair standing on end all over her head and arms. She let her team out from that point, risking Deino, too, as she claimed a spot under the parasol and played in the outdoor pool until they were warned the trip was nearly over. It was time to sort herself out and get going.

Deino insisted on getting under her feet as much as possible and on leading the group, but other than that she wasn't too badly behaved. Alice simply brushed her hair and plaited it, sticking on a pair of shorts and sandals, leaving only the bikini and sunglasses on top. Disembarking, the trainer admired the resort, feeling nostalgic for the holidays she and her parents used to take to Spain with all of the resorts. Luana's gym, much like Shawn's favoured hotel, towered above them all.

"Well, at least it won't be hard to figure out where we're going." She said. Deino had refused to go back in her ball, so Alice walked with the newest recruit down the pier and along the boardwalk, aiming for the prettiest hotel of Kumquat Island, anticipating the battle ahead.

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

The beach resort was glorious. The sand, the surf, the boys. It was all a beautiful sight, for sure! The waves lapped against the shoreline, songs of Lapras lightly ringing in the distance. They were known to be social creatures, and highly intelligent at that. Some people were laying out in the sun, half shaded by parasols on the beach as they dozed off.

It was around this time that a curious little Pokémon approached Alice. It was about a meter tall, with a heavy duty tortoise shell. It was a deep blue, almost purple hue with blue-ish white ears and tail that looked almost like the froth from the crashing surf. "Wartortle," its voice was gruff as it looked over the trainer and Pokémon curiously.

After a moment, he inhaled deeply. In an instant, he sprayed water all over the both of them, effectively soaking Alice! "Waaarrr tort, torle," the Pokémon laughed, chuckling obnoxiously at his prank. Just as he had appeared, he began to run down the crowded beach on his stubby little legs.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice's eyes were wandering for sure. Women in bikinis and various uniforms or light, fashionable attire... The men essentially the same, except for trunks instead of the female swimwear equivalent. She was more perverse than her innocence let on, although most people didn't suspect her of it or notice the short female, so she got away with it.

At the sight of the Wartortle, the rookie grinned, "Oh, cool! A--" She cut herself off, blasted in the face by a water gun attack. It was refreshing, at least, and the trainer sighed. "Seriously? I don't really run, dude. Especially not right now. Man..." Glad that her hair had been tied back, and ignoring the obvious amusement of her Deino, Alice progressed towards the hotel. It wasn't far from the coastline, and she headed for the desk.

"Hi! My name's Alice Hope, and I was hoping to apply for a gym challenge with Luana either today or tomorrow?" The blonde asked hopefully, Deino sniffing around in close proximity. She could smell Pokemon, and food. Her two favourite things. Feeding, and a brawl.

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

The woman behind the counter looked up, giving Alice a once over, scoffing silently at the girl's state. "I'll see if she's free..." She trailed off, gritting her teeth in a minor frown as she gave Alice another look over. She shook her head, turning and typing a few strokes into the computer.

"Alright, it looks like she has an opening tomorrow at 2 in the afternoon," the woman said, avoiding looking up at Alice. "Name?" She asked blandly, as she took down Alice's information and locked in the appointment. She was given a room, albeit a bit reluctantly by the stuck up desk clerk. She was on a high floor, though it couldn't beat the penthouse suite back on Navel. Still, it had a gorgeous view overlooking a more calm part of the beach, where she could easily watch the sun set from.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

The clerk's attitude didn't go amiss to Alice, who decided to regard her with open sourness. She didn't care if it offended the woman, and she responded to each question in a well-spoken, obviously irritated voice. As she walked away, she was happy to be critical where it could be overheard, complaining to her Deino about how important manners were, and that it was a shame that such an establishment had to be brought down by horrible first impressions. A gym leader deserved better and more honourable staff, after all!

She dropped her things off at the room and then decided to explore. There was an exercise and dance room somewhere, and a jacuzzi for people and Pokemon as well. Two the next afternoon felt like an age to wait, but Alice figured that she could train and explore in the meantime.

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

As Alice walked through the halls, a few people glanced at her state. Though her clothes had dried, you could tell they had recently been wet down. Not to mention her hair, a few strands having been pulled loose from the ponytail from the attack which were now frizzing from the heat.

Approaching one of the rooms, there was a large window outside the door. It was the dance room inside, where many trainers and there Pokémon could be seen training. However, what was more interesting was the boy standing outside looking in.

Boy probably wasn't the right word for him. He was an adult, certainly, but had cute boyish features. Somewhat effeminate, but more in the way a model might be rather than the girlish boys. His body was small, not having an overly deep chest or thick arms. However, it was clear based on what could be seen from his light blue t-shirt and khaki cargo shorts that he was toned well. He had shaggy dirty blonde hair, emerald green eyes gazing on the dancers fancifully as he leaned against the sill.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice blushed, self-conscious of the negative attention, bringing back memories of bullying and open judgements made by many that she knew. However, she said nothing, even as Deino growled at passers by or nipped at their heels, startling them. They'd probably complain about her being a useless trainer or the dragon being out of control. Instead, it was that she wouldn't have minded her shiny tearing them apart or devouring them whole, so long as she got to mug them of their valuables first. Much evil, very Team Rocket? Perhaps, or perhaps just a woman harbouring a lot of resentment and a few lethal triggers.

Seeing the man admiring the dancers, she checked him out as she had with many others, impressed by what she saw. He was definitely the prince type in her eyes, or a flower boy as they tended to call them in the idol world. Her blue eyes fell on those inside, and she wondered if it would be okay to go in and join them. "Are you waiting for someone, or are you thinking of going in?" Alice asked him casually, sociable enough to be able to just talk to strangers that way. Alice could dance a few things. Ballet and salsa were her best styles, but she was apt enough with a pole and could awkwardly pull off a few street moves. Well, 'pull off' might be exaggerating...

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

The man lifted his head, slightly surprised at Alice. He had been so absorbed in the dancers that he hadn't noticed her approach! His wide eyes twinkled handsomely, lips lightly parted, "Oh," he expressed, removing one hand from the window sill as he turned to partially face Alice. "Uhm, I'm not really waiting for anyone. I just think dancing is really beautiful..." He said, turning his head to gaze back into the room for a moment.

"But to go in there?" He ran his fingers through his thick hair. "Hah, not a chance. I'd fall flat on my face!" He announced, blushing lightly as he tried to laugh it off. How could someone so beautiful be so ungraceful? "What about you? You look like you could dance," his voice was smooth, and somewhat sweet.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

"Aww, I'm sure you'd do fine!" Alice cooed, her lips pulling into a bashful grin, "Yeah, I can dance actually! I'll even show you if you want. It's not natural to me, actually, I usually learn the moves slowest in my classes and I can be a bit clumsy sometimes. I used to have a scar on one knee from when I fell over just powerwalking, but it's sort of faded now."

Strangely, there was no mark on her left knee at all when she looked, and even she looked surprised by it. Making a small noise of disbelief, Alice shrugged it off, standing closer and opposite the stranger. She held one hand lower, to her left, the right one higher, suggesting she was left handed, before making some motions and small bits of footwork. It was nothing fancy, but due to her belly dancing ability, Alice had a certain shimmy to her round bossom and wide hips. Listing of numbers to show the male the rhythm, Alice continued on.

"See? Y'just start out simple. I know guys are meant to lead, but nothing says you can't do things another way, and eventually you pick things up!" The trainer chimed. Deino snapped her teeth in disgust, planting her butt onto the floor as she sulked and glowered at those in the other room. Foolish human mating rituals. Her trainer supposedly had better things to worry about than this.

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

The man glanced over Alice and her form as she danced for him. One hand met his chin, elbow resting against the other arm crossed over his waist. A slight grin crossed his lips as he watched her move. It was somewhat amusing, taking notice how she let her natural instincts guide her form rather than proper etiquette. The music changed, classes switching over to classical ballroom dance.

"That's fine and all, but isn't it supposed to go more like this?" He asked, swiftly stepping forward and grasping her hands firmly, but gently. He readjusted them to proper form for a ballroom dance, staring down into the girl's eyes as he went through the basic steps that anyone who watched enough dancing could pick up.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice squealed with surprised, blushing as she giggled and laughed, "I learned a few steps of the waltz, but I can't really remember it now." She confessed, moving with him, careful not to stand on his toes, "I never learned ballroom dance, but I wanted to." The trainer added, "Anyway, you're a total liar. You can dance just fine! Get your bum in that room and join in!" Alice scolded teasingly, although not loud enough so as to disrupt the class.

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

The boy gave Alice a twirl to end their dance, before laughing off her statement. "Nah, I really can't dance. Not like them, anyway. This is just basic stuff, whenever I try anything harder I really do fall on my face," his cheeks were rosy as his eyes darted to the floor. He leaned against the wall, one foot firmly on the floor and the other against the wall in a nonchalant fashion.

"But you seem to be able to dance in different styles. Why aren't you in there?" He queried, looking up to the girl with those eyes. THOSE EYES! "Tell you what, I'll go in there if you'll be my partner," he offered, smiling as he held out his hand.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice pursed her lips to try and contain a grin. She wondered if Danny could dance, and decided to call him after the afternoon's gym battle tomorrow, and bring up that subject in conversation. "Okay, sure, I can do that. Come on, Deino, it'll help your exercise and footwork." She encouraged, the dragon frustrated at her demand of it. However, before the Pokemon could protest further, the humans had gone into the studio hand-in-hand, occupying a quiet spot at the back while they got into their groove.

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

The two danced for a while, the boy teaching Alice the basics of Ballroom dancing as they went along. Whenever they tried a new move, or something more complex he would falter, often tripping over his own feet. However, he mildly improved over the session. Deino on the other hand looked severely pissed as she did little more than march in place to the beat of the music. The expression on her face was nigh priceless, and if only Alice could have seen those eyes, glaring at the two of them menacingly.

Once the class was over, the two had worked up a good sweat. Dancing of all types was a good workout, especially in such a room filled with other bodies generating heat. He walked over to the water fountain, getting a sip and taking a handful to splash on his face before turning to Alice.

"So, this is awkward, but I never caught your name," he laughed, skin shimmering with dew. "Mine is Hunter, by the way." He grabbed one of the clean towels off a rack, drying his face off. "I think I might need a shower though...hey, do you want to meet up later? I know this great little place to eat on the pier."

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice wasn't the best with complex moves, either, so at least she had somebody to fail with once the difficulty was ramped up a bit. Glancing over to Deino revealed that her shiny was being admired and fawned over by others, but the Pokemon herself wasn't enjoying this. Maybe it was more suited to her fairy or his best friend. Even Zubat would've been able to muster some elegant swirls in the air better than this one!

Taking a deep drink from a bottle of cold water that she filled up, the blonde nodded along, "Shower, yeah, first priority." She agreed with a breathless laugh. Her body felt painful, like it had experienced its first hard workout since the mountain climb. She was going to need to get a massage or at least use the jacuzzi somewhen, too. Her feet were in agony, and Alice was stood awkwardly to ease that.

"My name's Alice Hope, it's cool to meet you, Hunter." She answered. Deino was constantly nutting her ankle, uncaring if her owner was taken off kilter. It'd be a fitting punishment, and she cringed, ushering the creature to settle down, "And yeah, I'd love to meet for dinner! Give me about an hour and a half, if it's cool with you? And then we could meet in the lobby?"

Posts : 782 Location : Water's Edge

"Yeah, that sounds good to me," Hunter agreed, grinning ear to ear. "I'll see you in an hour and a half, then!" He gave a slight wave, as he turned and headed off toward the elevators. It gave Alice a great view from the rear, but she had to think about Danny, right?!

The dance classes were beginning to switch over again, to a more up-beat jazzercise. The female instructor was wearing a leotard and sweat guards, looking an awful lot like she jumped straight out of a 1980's exercise video. As she warmed up, it became quickly clear that this was a more rigorous training that Alice should perhaps sit out.

Posts : 1696 Location : England

Alice did think about Danny, once the arse was gone, but not for long. She whimpered and leaned against the side to soothe her feet, Deino following her scent to keep up. "Come on, Deino, I can't do all of these now." She said, taking a Slugma pace to leave the room with her things, and then get to the lift. From there, the bellboy was good to get assistance for her, and therefore an arm to hold onto until she reached her room.

"Deino, be good with the other Pokemon, alright? They're your friends, remember." She pointed out, releasing the rest of her team while she took a shower, covering herself in a sweet body milk after for the aroma. Hair dried and curled at the ends with a brush, Alice picked out a fancy outfit: a cream ruffle cropped top with a royal blue miniskirt, her height lifted by pink pumps. Finishing off with accessories and the Diamond Only perfume, Alice fussed over her critters for a time before going to meet Hunter.

Zubat was her assistant this time, able to react quicker and less of a handful behaviour-wise. The trainer didn't have too far to go, at least, taking a seat in the lobby while she waited, petting Zubat who sat on her arm, giggling as she hung upside down and then fluttered to perch properly again. Under her breath, between little coos and comments with her shiny, she sang sweet lyrics to the summery 'Sayonara Crawl', waiting patiently.

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