[PRP] Training Cats and Dogs

[wasluxy]

Training with Chora had been going really well, and most of that training was now out in the wild rather than in the safety of the base's training rooms, so Luxury was sure it wouldn't be long before she could feel confident adding her back to her active team. It had been tough the past few years... The first of which had been almost strictly dedicated to healing and physical therapy just so Chora could walk again. She was a small Pokemon, and so naturally a bullet to the abdomen -especially at point blank range- took a very heavy toll... To this day, every time Luxury looked at the cat, she felt relief that Chora had even survived...

Luxury had tried to get Chora back on the team at first, once she was able to run and jump easily again, but things had been rocky and both girls were constantly on edge. It didn't take long before Chora was pulled, and restricted to peaceful outings only and the training room. The past year, though, had brought about a lot of growth and improvement, and quite a number of wild Pokemon had been taken down by the ferocious little kitten. Chora remained more level headed than she used to be, but her playful and feisty spirit had returned, and so had Luxury's confidence in her. So, this time, when the pair entered the training rooms to meet with an Agent, it was with a different goal in mind.

This time, she was here to train her massive lap dog, Nioshii, and she wanted Chora to help.  

[TawnyAngel]

Today Aulus' schedule informed him that he was training a grunt called Luxury. The name rang a bell but he hadn't been able to trace the mental call as it were and so the bell had kept ringing on and off through the other tasks he had lined up before the session.

As he waited for Luxury to arrive - he'd turned up to the room a bit early - Aulus lent back against the wall opposite the door tapping away on the screen in his robotic right arm; there were messages to respond to, things to schedule, useful ways to kill a couple of minutes until he expected the other Rocket's arrival. Due to often doing things on his arm-screen Aulus didn't usually wear a uniform jacket anymore, black tank top with the rest of the standard Agent uniform was the order of the day and he was glad he had a proper excuse for it now rather than just trying to avoid the weird awkward jacket with lame ones.

When the door to the training room opened Aulus looked up from his arm and the light dawned. "Ahh, I knew I recognised the name." Closing the screen on his arm Aulus pushed off the wall and started to head across the room towards Luxury as memories flooded back to him; she'd been on the ill-fated mission to rescue Nyx that had culminated in the destruction of Deimos' 'Machine', his near death by falling off a collapsing platform, and Aila's actual death. Hu. He hadn't thought about her in a while. How were her pokemon doing? They'd all been reassigned but he'd never found out who they all went to.  

[wasluxy]

It had been so long that Luxury couldn't remember the last time she directly interacted with Aulus, but she'd seen him around base and since he was an Agent she couldn't ignore or deny his existence like she could with the Grunts. The fact that he had a metal arm, of course, helped him stand out even to her.

Word around base was he was one of the best Agents to train with, and despite him being a, well, /him/, Luxury knew she needed his help. Chora had been fairly easy to train without assistance, she grew up with her so they were close and understood the other nearly flawlessly. Nioshii, on the other hand... Well, he was loyal and a gentleman, but he was also a massive puppy who had trouble taking things seriously when he didn't fell he had to. Luxury also planned on putting him in a situation they'd never encountered before: a swarm of 'angry' Pokemon trying to throw him off his feet. The Grunt had to admit, when she rode on Nioshii she felt pretty invincible. KO had proved that wasn't the case, and Luxury had no desire to follow in his 'stabbed by a Tauros' footsteps.

As the Agent approached, Luxury held herself a little straighter. Male or not, he was still higher rank, and she'd heard more about Aulus than just his training skills. "Grunt Luxury reporting for training, Sir."  

[TawnyAngel]

"And you're a little early too," Aulus observed with a small nod that was quite possibly mild approval. It was in fact mild approval just for the record, both for her earliness and her attitude. "So you're wanting to focus on your Arcanine today I believe?" That's what the request that had pinged his arm had said anyway. "What aspects are you looking to focus on?" Perhaps that wasn't the most clearly phrased? Aulus shrugged internally - he'd have been really worried about poor phrasing once upon a time but these days he had some actual confidence rather than feigned bravado so a small slip wasn't a problem so far as he saw it. "I mean, what would you like to get out of today ideally?"  

[wasluxy]

Was she early? Luxury hadn't meant to be, but then it was probably very easily her subconscious wanting to make sure she wasn't late. Late was never good, especially when she needed his help. The small nod she got confused her a tad, though, and she wasn't sure how to take it. Was it merely a nod of acknowledgment, or a nod of approval? She'd assume the former to be safe.

"Yes, Sir, my Arcanine is my main focus currently. It's come to my attention that, in the event of a swarm of angry Pokemon, anyone riding on top of Nioshii might be seriously injured if he loses his footing." Seriously injured, or killed, or not killed? Were she a little more comfortable with KO she might call him a zombie, but she was still strictly on a given/code name basis. "I'd like to be able to walk away from training today with more confidence in my Pokemon, and he with more confidence in me." Trust was highly important, and one thing that had crossed Luxury's mind was that if Nioshii did fall, she'd certainly be so startled she wouldn't even think to try to hang on. The second she hit the ground, knowing her big mutt, he'd care more about getting her back up than anything, which could put them in more danger than necessary if he forgot there were angry Pokemon trying to kill them both. What good was a well-trained Pokemon if the trainer was clueless?  

[TawnyAngel]

"Ahhh," Aulus said with a small nod of understanding. "So you got the details on the last big mission then. Yes, you're right, falling from a pokemon you're riding is a notable risk in the field, but often overlooked."

So what was he going to do to help her? Aulus was quiet for a minute, his brows knitting in what looked like a rather vicious scowl but was in fact just his 'thinking' expression.

"Alright," he nodded, "we'll work on that with the two of you, and getting your Arcanine used to strange terrain and unexpected obstacles and attacks will be important as well so we can look at some exercises for you to practice with him to improve that. If you want we can also work on safe falling.... Not that it's ever safe to fall from a pokemon going at speed but you can try to mitigate it at least." He'd come off Phaeth plenty of times and no matter what if you were going at any speed you were going to get bruises to brag about. The point however was to try to avoid breaking any bones so that you could keep fighting and or running.  

[wasluxy]

Luxury felt herself perk up a tad when Aulus called the risk 'overlooked'. Granted, she'd overlooked it for way too long but felt a small bit of pride that she wasn't overlooking it anymore. That bit of perk up, however, turned to concern when the Agent's face screwed up a bit. Was that a normal face for him? Did she say something wrong? Luxury did a quick mental scan of every single word that was exchanged and came up short. What on earth had she...

Oh. Ok. Well... maybe it was his thinking face? Luxury could easily see why others were nervous around this guy; she herself was trying not to shake like a newborn Lillipup.

Luxury nodded to what the Agent was saying, then something crossed her mind about the falling. "Sir, for what it's worth, my sister grew up on a ranch and informed me the best way is to tuck into a ball and roll from the shoulder. Is this correct?" She'd naturally discussed the training with CJ, who, to her disappointment, acted like she knew all about falling and had no interest in training with her. However, Luxury supposed the cowgirl really had had her share of spills, and if she confident already, well... She just hoped that confidence was never put to the test when lives really mattered.  

[TawnyAngel]

"Humm?" Aulus' brows rose, lifting his scarred face out of its dark looking mien. "Yes that's right. Have you had a lot of practice at it?" Knowing was half the battle but if you fought half a battle you were going to bloody well lose. Still, she knew what to do and possibly her sister would train with her? Heh, making TR a family business were they? People and their terrible, terrible life choices. People like him for example.

Anyway.

"But yes," Aulus nodded, "why don't you let him out and tell me a bit about him? How you two met, how long you've been training together, that sort of thing." As he spoke Aulus reached to his belt to retrieve a pokeball; its occupant turned out to be a pink Heracross. Aulus gestured to the bug. "This is Juno. If your Arcanine wants to add anything she can translate for me, I understand fighting types."

Juno grinned and waved. <>

Aulus looked down at Juno with one eyebrow raised.

The bug kept grinning. <>

Aulus looked back at Luxury, his eyebrow dropping back into normal alignment. "She says hello, and she thinks your hair is interesting." There, he could be tactful when he really tried. It was a bit of a weird haircut but as somebody who'd gone through his own quasi goth/punk/biker/whatever phase he really wasn't in a position to judge others in terms of style... Much.  

[wasluxy]

Well, at least the kid knew what she was talking about. In the moment between asking and receiving a response, Luxury had decided to lose a boot up her little sister's rear if she had given her information that made her look stupid in front of this Agent. Or any Agent. Mainly this one though, this one frightened her more than usual.

Luxury nodded at Aulus's request, and then waved back to Juno. "I have not had practice at it, no. Hi Juno, and thank you~" She wasn't sure if 'interesting' was good or bad, but either way she styled her hair only for her. The only Pokemon that could ruffle her feathers over it were her own, and they'd all grown tired of it quite a while back.

As she thanked the pink bug, she flicked out Nioshii's Pokeball. The massive hulk of green and white fur gave a little 'wuff' as the beam faded, then grinned like a goof at first Aulus and then Luxury. He considered licking his girl, but a 'don't you even' look made him suck his tongue right back in pretty quick. Before he could too sad, though, Luxury threaded her fingers through his fur and ruffled his side, and he leaned ever so slightly towards it with happily closed eyes.

Right, be a dork in front of an Agent. Thank you. Luxury made a mental note to work on respect and conduct later... "A couple years back, Agent Panther was sent on an information mission and requested that I assist him. While at the location, we heard massive footsteps and discovered this big hunk of fluff guarding the place. Naturally, he wasn't happy about our presence, and a battle broke out, but we were able to subdue him and locate his Pokeball." Luxury smirked affectionately at Nioshii. "Luckily, he's so loyal that when he found I was the new owner of his 'ball he just went with it. I've had him on me ever since, it's been... Over three years now, I believe." Time had really flown by...  

[TawnyAngel]

Awwww. Well the Arcanine clearly liked her a lot and honestly that put Luxury up a fair amount in Aulus' consideration. If nothing else could be said for her - which remained to be seen - she clearly treated the giant fire puppy well. Aulus however wasn't in the habit of easily smiling at people who weren't his friends and so his expression remained quite neutral as Nioshii appeared and Luxury spoke. Panther? Did he know a Panther?.... He'd been on that mission too, right? Right.

"I see," Aulus nodded when Luxury had finished, "so you've had time to build up a good personal bond of trust, but what you want to work on is more serious situations if I understand right? You can't really stop to think and discuss a lot of the time in the field, you have to be able to act and trust your partners will act with you." This was stating the blindingly obvious so far as he was concerned but it seemed to be beyond some of the people he'd worked with so he stated it anyway. "A solid relationship is needed before you can do that though so far as I see it, so I'm pleased you two already seem to have that down," he concluded with a nod at how the pair were standing together.  

[wasluxy]

Luxury nodded, then had to dig her nails into Nioshii's side a bit as he started to lean too far. His eyes popped open and he straightened back up, giving an apologetic look before puffing his side out for more scritchens. The Grunt turned her attention back to Aulus quickly before she laughed at her mutt, her hand automatically petting him some more. She called him 'lap dog' for a reason...

"We have, and yes that is certainly the concern. I haven't been called on a large mission since we rescued Elite Agent Nyx, but I found out on that mission just how quick one has to be to stay alive. Panth-err Agent Panther and I would have been in a lot more trouble had it not been for Nioshii, actually, as well as a couple of fine Pokemon of his own. And, th-thank you..." The Agent's nod to the connection between herself and the Arcanine surprised Luxury a bit, she wasn't expecting it from someone like him. What was with guys throwing her off lately? All men were awful. They'd always been awful. Why was this suddenly changing? Luxury was not pleased with the feeling of the unfamiliar, and even less pleased with her slip up of dropping Panther's rank so casually and then stuttering at the end. Get a grip, Grunt.

Nioshii had heard a familiar word, 'Nyx', and then an even more familiar 'Panther', so his attention was drawn from the affection. He tilted his head as Luxury had spoke, and then he connected those words with the purple feline that had been sitting calmly behind Luxury's feet. Boom. It had been years, but Nioshii still remembered the events of that mission all too well. For the first time since he was released, he actually looked around the room and realized where he was at, and what they were doing there. <> He looked at Chora, then the pink Heracross across from them. <>

Luxury had noticed the change in Nioshii's demeanor instantly, and was watching him like a Braviary out of the corner of her eye. You ok, buddy?  

[TawnyAngel]

<> Juno said with a grin. She then tilted her head, shrugged and amended to; <>

Judging from the Arcanine's manner and from what Juno had said all was not entirely well with Nioshii's, or at least he wasn't entirely relaxed. Aulus could sympathise, s**t happened on missions and some of it stuck and stayed with you no matter how much time passed. It was something Nioshii would have to cope with probably rather than get over.

"Mm," Aulus nodded to Luxury's thanks, "I wasn't saying it to be nice though, just being frank. Anyway, yes, I'd have ended up as a sad splat at the bottom of the machine if my Charmeleon hadn't chosen an apt time to evolve and come rescue me." Char was very good at saving his sorry arse, and other people's sorry arses as well.

"Alright let's get started then," Aulus continued, heading over to a control panel on the wall of the training room and starting to tap in some commands. "Have you ever used the obstacle course settings in one of these rooms before?" he asked with a glance over his shoulder at Luxury.  

[wasluxy]

The Arcanine shook his head a little. <> He cut off as he was suddenly mounted, and flicked a massive ear back at Luxury.

Not to be nice? Good. Luxury didn't like 'nice' from men. It was... Unsettling. She much preferred professional acknowledgment, and gave a nod of her own in understanding. She wished she could remember what the Agent was talking about, but at the time everything was so blurred together and slowed down at the same time that she couldn't keep track of half of it. Normally, not being able to keep track of everything at once would be something she'd scold herself for, but considering things were exploding and bodies were breaking and it was a wonder they all got out alive... Well, all but one, at least. It was a mission of pure chaos, and she couldn't beat herself up for being human.

What she could do, however, is train and prepare so the next time something went horribly south she was better equipped to handle it. "I have," She called to the Agent as he moved to the wall and she leapt up onto Nioshii's back, "But it's been quite a while. Chora." The little Purrloin wriggled her butt before doing a scampering jump onto Nioshii as well, and tucked herself in the Grunt's lap. Luxury wanted Chora to feel the Arcanine's muscles, to be completely familiar with how he moved, in case they needed to work together and Luxury couldn't ride with her. "Nioshii, we're going to do some agility training ok? I want to work hard so that if things rush at your feet you won't fall."

Nioshii gave a nod, his face growing serious and determined. Work hard? Didn't have to tell him twice.  

[TawnyAngel]

<> Juno asked curiously.

"Good," Aulus said meanwhile as he deployed a couple of ledges near the ceiling. "We'll start slow and work up the pace then. I'll also send out some of my pokemon to run interference that you, Nioshii, are going to have to avoid. They'll be pulling their punches but it'll still smart if you or your trainer get hit, alright?"

With this information imparted Aulus let out the rest of the pokemon he'd brought with him. A slight gesture with one hand sent the brown Pidgeot fluttering up to perch on one of the ledges and Juno took another while the other four - a Zoroark, an Absol, a Gengar, and a Charizard - stood looking around, awaiting instruction. "Alright you lot, we're helping with agility training today. I want all of you to watch me closely because I'm going to be using small signs to direct you, like we've been practising. Remember to pull your punches, we're not in a training battle here."

Right then. Aulus turned back to Luxury and nodded to her. "Okay, I'll start the moving floor running when you're ready and then I'll start the obstacles coming up. Any questions?"  

[wasluxy]

Nioshii finished his sentence, <>, before nodding at the sharp looking Agent. Big blue eyes surveyed the changes in the room around him, then each of the new additions. He wanted so badly to say 'bring it', but he also didn't want to bite off more than he could chew right off the bat and end up hurting the two riding him. Priorities...

Luxury listened intently, then nodded. "If Nioshii shows he can handle this, I'd like to add my own team if that's alright? Other than that..." She threaded her hands through the long green fur of his mane and leaned lower, Chora pushed her body down and spread her paws for balance, and Luxury nodded. "We're ready."

Nioshii could sense the change in his riders, and knew it was show time. He hunkered down a little and let out a low rumbling growl. Ready? Oh, he was so ready.

<>