Though it was one thing to discipline himself, it was a whole nother to discipline his pokemon. Izaya was surprised he was even allowed to keep them, but he also assumed he was expected to strengthen whatever sort of bond he had developed with his team over the past several years. Maybe it was time to stop trying to rely so much on just his own power and start relying on theirs. He may not have loved them like he loved humans, but something Faleen had said to him made him think of them a different way.
If he could use his flickblade not as a separate tool, but as an extension of himself, why not pokemon? Naturally it would take more time, practice, and training, since unlike his knife, these monsters had minds of their own. However, those minds seemed willing enough to work alongside human ones if they had a certain amount of understanding between them. They had to be able to trust one another.
That was the sort of goal Izaya hoped to achieve that day through training. Trusting humans was one thing, but pokemon weren't humans, right? So it should have been okay for him to put his trust in them and them in him. This wasn't a matter of friendship or betrayal. He didn't need to worry that they would turn on him like humans might or wonder what they thought of him so long as they could work together. And if he could work together with a pokemon team, well...perhaps then he'd ultimately learn the secret to the teamwork of Rockets.
He was getting ahead of himself, though. First he had to start with his pokemon a few at a time. Celty was well-trained enough...which meant the twins were next, since he'd had them the second-longest. Releasing the Purrloin pair, he crouched in the training room and pet each of them silently. Mairu and Kururi were confused at first, since it had been some months since they had seen their trainer last. Even then, though, they couldn't recall him acting this somber or serious. The felines rubbed against him as he explained quietly to them what had happened during his absence.
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 10:02 am
Luxury had some majorly mixed feelings about today... It'd been quite a long time since she'd had much contact with Nakura/Izaya, and quite a lot had happened in that time. Of course, Luxury was in no hurry to catch up with him, as despite Calico's influence she still didn't like to be around men, so this day had nothing to do with humans and everything to do with Pokemon. Hence, the mixed feelings. On the one hand, she had no desire to be in a training room with the guy, but on the other... Chora hadn't had much time to see her friends, Izaya's twin Purrloin, and she knew she missed them.
In the time it'd been since they last got together, Chora had been through a ton of training and had finally evolved. Luxury had been worried for her cat... She wasn't sure if Chora would ever become a Liepard. Sometimes, though, Luxury had to admit she missed with she'd been littler... But only sometimes, as bigger cats were less likely to hide in little spaces and cause mischief. Of course, the girl had warned Chora that Mairu and Kururi were still Purrloin, and warned her a dozen times not to pick on them for it as there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than either knew of. Regardless of stage, though, today was sure to be fun for the cats.
By the time Luxury got to the training room, Izaya was already there and the twins already out. The girl couldn't help but just stand there for a second with a raised brow, as she wasn't expecting to walk in to find Izaya being so... She couldn't figure out the word for it, but it was odd. Again, though, a lot had happened...
Without a word, Luxury let Chora out, who instantly spotted the twins and let out her most ferocious-sounding big-bad-Liepard noise that was completely ruined by the giant grin on her face. Dork.
Mairu and Kururi's ears perked and they raced over to Chora and Luxury excitedly. Mairu circled the larger feline, admiring her changes from the last time they'd seen each other, while Kururi peeked out from behind Luxury's legs to look up at the girl.
Izaya stood when his cats ran past. He considered calling them back, as letting them go seemed like a bad start to disciplining them, but then he recognized who they ran to and relaxed. "Hisashiburi, Lux-chan - Long time no see," he told her with a tired smile. "Wow; your Chora's gotten big."
Posted: Thu Jan 28, 2016 11:13 pm
When the Purrloin ran at Luxury and Chora, both couldn't help but smile. Chora puffed out her chest proudly at being admired, and Luxury giggled at the one behind her legs. "Hey you two~ How ya been?" She reached down to scritch Kururi behind the ears before looking up to address her traitor. Trainer. Whatever.
"Izaya..." She greeted, nodding once. "Yes she has, though she's still every bit the Purrloin at heart. Er, well... mostly." Luxury gave Chora a concerned look, which was unnoticed by the feline as she was playfully pawing at Mairu's ears. "She's never been the same after that raid, but I suppose the change in attitude isn't for the worst..." Huh. Luxury frowned a little, realizing two things suddenly. The first was that when Izaya greeted her, he looked tired. That was... odd. Unusual. But then, if the rumors were true, she could understand why... Even if she didn't really know exactly how he got to be demoted. The second thing she realized, though, was that that was probably the most she'd ever said to him at once. Ever. But then, he'd set the topic to one of two things she cared about, so she supposed it was only natural that that would get more of a response than other topics. Still... It felt weird saying so much to this male.
Kururi purred loudly and pressed her head up into Luxury's hand when the female Rocket reached down to scratch her behind the ears. Mairu, amused at Chora's pride, decided to spoil it by pouncing on her tail the next time she was behind the Liepard. Longer tail, easier target. She meowed loudly as her ears were pawed and tumbled onto her back with Chora's tail still in her grip, nibbling on it.
"Never been the same?" the Izaya asked, watching the cats play. "Sorry, I haven't exactly been up-to-date with what's happened lately, being in jail and then the brig and all. What happened?" He took a couple of steps toward her and stopped, standing casually with his hands in his pockets. He continued to smile, but his weariness seemed to permeate his features regardless, especially his eyes.
Posted: Sat Feb 27, 2016 5:05 am
Chora let out a small, playful yip at her tail being turned into a chew toy, flopped over on her side, and opened her mouth as wide as she could to act like she was going to chomp on as much of Mairu as she could. The result looked more like a Dewgong trying to catch a bubble, as while on her side and reaching around she kind of swayed back and fourth. Luxury couldn't help but snicker at her, before nodding to the male again.
"Well," nodding, and then taking a deep breath that she tried to keep subtle as she noticed him stepping closer. Chill, Luxury. Freaking A, you've gotta get over this. The Grunt eyed Izaya for a second, wary of his changes, before replying. "Can't say I've been too awful up-to-date with your adventures as well... As for Chora..." Luxury chewed on her lip, watching the purple feline, and continued, "That bullet really shook her up. After we were certain she'd live, she still had major PTSD. Something as small as a door shutting would make her freak out badly. That of course took a long time to get over..." Again, she felt like she was talking way too much. Still... CJ was always encouraging her to open up more, trust more, and while she wouldn't trust Izaya as far as she could throw him, she did at least know him a little bit more than others she'd managed to talk to. "I had to take her off the team completely for a couple years, then we worked our way into gentle training out in the woods where it was quieter and more open. Just this past year I've been able to get her back on the roster, we've done more intense training in the woods, and oddly enough I was having her help train my Arcanine when she evolved. She's still... calmer, quieter, than she used to be... More aware of her surroundings, a lot less care-free..." Luxury frowned for a second, wondering if that must be similar to what Izaya had been going through...
Mairu meowed in amusement before batting a paw at Chora's nose. Kururi, crouching down, wriggled her behind and sprung onto Liepard's back.
"Heheh, can't say it's been much of an adventure," Izaya answered. "So, Chora was shot with a bullet? When was this? During that whole fiasco with the KSO finding the desert base?" He couldn't think of another time when Luxury's pokemon might have been injured by a human weapon as opposed to another pokemon's attack. "Poor thing. It seems like she's recovered rather well, though. Not to mention become stronger through her experiences and training with you."
Nodding slowly, he said, "That's a good idea, having your pokemon help each other train and evolve. And taking it easy, doing things a little at a time. Perhaps I should make a greater effort to exercise such patience with my own little monsters. It certainly seems to have paid off with yours." He cocked his head at Chora. "Do you think her change in demeanor is due to trauma, or perhaps a growth in maturity? It could be a good thing, couldn't it?"
Posted: Tue Apr 26, 2016 5:23 am
Chora acted as if to snap at the batting paw, her teeth never coming close to actually shutting, but squeaked when the second twin landed top of her. She waved her paws around, and let her head drop to the floor. Of course, it was hard to really pretend to be squished when she couldn't get the grin off her face.
"Īe," Luxury shook her head, "Way before that..." So much had happened during that raid, that even though the three cats had worked together at one point and Chora not falling back with them is what led to her injury, it was understandable that it wasn't something Izaya had remembered. After all, they'd come back to their own base with one less Agent, and Luxury still remembered how her heart had skipped a beat when she'd seen Izaya pulling that Agent to him, and thinking 'No no no, Nakura didn't act like that. Something was really wrong.' So... how did she even tell him this was the same day that Chora had been shot? She could just give the date, but she felt it might just hit him like a ton of bricks. Of course, anything she said to enlighten him on the time of it would hit him like a ton of bricks. Taking another deep breath, this time allowing it to be visible, she shook her head slowly. "Iza... it was when we went out to get Nyx back, and destroyed the Galactic's machine... Tethys shot her..." Not wanting to see any kind of realization or remembrance on his face, she looked towards the playing cats and chewed on her lip, before going on in a bit of a rush. "But yes, she has recovered well, physically, and as for her change of mentality... It could very well be due to growing up, though I think that growing up is due to being so badly injured. Either way, it means a lot less stray items I have to worry about finding." The girl let out a bit of a laugh, hoping she could move past the memories of the raid before they caught up to him. "And she has yet to steal from a higher-up, so that's good!"
Kururi tried to cling without using her claws but ended up slipping sideways when Chora began to wave her paws around. Mairu was laughing hard watching the two. The lighter Purrloin tugged lightly on the Liepard's ear. Kururi agreed quietly.
Izaya blinked when he recognized the gentle way with which Luxury began to speak. It was like she was trying to tell him something that she thought would be difficult for him to take, but what could have possibly - oh.
Schooling his expression into one of impassiveness at first, he then tried to smile, but it felt fake even to him. "Ah...that time. I, um...apologize for not remembering. There was a lot I wasn't paying attention to that day."
He nodded thoughtfully as the young woman continued, glancing back at Chora. So she had been there, too, huh? She and her trainer. How had he not remembered? Probably because he had tried so hard to wipe the whole thing out. Of course the only thing he hadn't been able to forget was the one thing he wanted to forget the most. Typical.
"Well, you know how the saying goes. 'What doesn't kill you makes you stronger', ne?" He beamed at her. Despite the stupidity of his actions that day, the fact that it was he who had gotten Aila killed, Luxury still treated him with the consideration of a victim who had lost someone dear to them through no fault of their own. How odd. "At least I hope it wasn't me who caused her to get shot, heh..." Kuso. What a stupid joke to make.
"So anyway...since the girls seem so eager for a brawl, do you think Chora might be up for a battle?" He smirked and raised a brow, tossing up his twins' Repeat Balls into the air before catching them simultaneously.
Posted: Wed Apr 27, 2016 7:52 pm
By the time Mairu had tugged on her ear, Chora had her eyes closed and tongue lolled out to the side, still grinning. For effect, she stayed like that for a second, then sprung up -carefully making sure she didn't accidentally hurt either twin- and landed on all fours, letting out a playful growl down at them. Her ears perked, though, when she heard their trainer mention the same thing they were talking about. Grinning devilishly with her eyes twinkling like stars, she looked back at the two.
That smile didn't fool Luxury for a second, even though she only caught a glimpse before looking away. After his half-arsed attempt at a joke, Luxury gave her own forced smile. "Nah, there was so much going on... things I myself should have paid attention to but failed." After all, it was her fault, and she knew it. She just couldn't say it out loud, for fear it might break her to bits, even all these years later. She didn't call Chora back. She didn't watch what she was doing. She didn't follow Izaya's lead. She'd been so used to the cat doing her own thing, that when she did such in the heat of battle it almost got her... Luxury cleared her throat before her thoughts got too carried away, and put on a more believable smile. "I think the girls are always eager for something energetic, and a battle sounds like a good idea~" She turned to Chora, only to see that Chora was already looking at the two of them and probably already very aware of what they'd just mentioned. "Ready, Chora?"
"Lie lie!" She grinned back at the twins before bouncing to Luxury's side, more than eager to romp with her friends after so long of not seeing them~
us?> Mairu repeated, grinning right back. She looked to the darker Purrloin.
the more soft-spoken twin answered, nodding as she took a stance beside Mairu.
The younger twin beamed and looked back at Chora. sure you still want to take us both on?> Her tail twitched eagerly.
Izaya was too busy regarding Luxury's forced smile and her words to pay attention to his girls. When she was done, he opened his mouth to say something. However, Luxury was already clearing her throat and preparing for battle, so whatever he had been about to say didn't leave his lips.
"Ah...right." He followed the other trainer's gaze back to the felines. "Did...you want to do a team battle, then? I know they're weaker, but it seems a bit unfair to have Chora go up against the twins in a two-on-one fight, doesn't it?"
Posted: Sun May 01, 2016 3:40 am
Before Chora could reply, Luxury was already discussing their battle with Izaya.
"Haha, yeah, it might be a good idea to bring out another. Chora may have had a lot of training lately, but even numbers make for a better match." With a slight flick of her wrist, Luxury sent out her Flareon, Trae, who beamed happily and wagged her tail. "Though, I'll probably keep Trae back for the most part, to see how Chora does when she's facing multiple opponents. Is that ok with y'all?" The Grunt asked her Pokemon, with her sister's accent coming out a little at the end.
"Flare flare!" "Lieee~ee~"
Luxury smiled back at Izaya and nodded. "Guess it's time to have a bit of fun?"
Chora stuck her tongue out playfully at the twins and smiled at Trae. It'd been a little while since they'd battled together, but for the most part they got along quite great. Trae wasn't entirely thrilled to be a back-up Pokemon, but she fully understood the reasons behind it. After all, while Chora had been recovering, Trae had been training. Now it was time to help out, not shine in a spotlight. Trae gave a quick smile to the twin Purrloin before putting on a serious face. It was show time!
Nodding at her reasoning, Izaya took a step back to allow the pokemon more room to battle. "Very well. Shall we begin?"
Mairu cheered, crouching down as if preparing to pounce as she regarded Trae.
"I suppose I'll go first since we're the less experienced ones here," the informant mused aloud. "Mairu, use Scratch on Chora. Kururi, help Mairu with Assist."
Excited, the twins sprung into battle, ready to obey. Kururi's Assist turned into another Scratch attack so that both were targeting Chora with their claws. They surprised their trainer with their eagerness to comply as he wasn't used to them listening to what he said or asked. Perhaps this was what happened when their interests all aligned.
Posted: Mon May 02, 2016 2:00 am
Trae was just about to reply when the battle begun. Chora allowed herself a snicker, but then the two Purrloin were on the attack.
"Shoot, should have used Sand-Attack first..." Izaya muttered to himself. He forgot that some attacks like Swift could attack multiple targets at once in a double battle. It was something to keep in mind during a fight with no rules like if they were on a mission.
Mairu winced at the Fury Swipes, especially since it was just after the Swift attack from Trae. Kururi looked at his sister with concern, wanting to help but not sure what to do.
"Kururi! Sand-Attack that Flareon! Mairu, you too, but aim at Chora!" The Dark type trainer was on edge because he knew his unevolved pokemon were already at a disadvantage against Luxury's evolved pair.
However, he had had his girls a long time and he knew what they could do. He would just have to have faith that they could pull through with their team work. Together they were more than the sum of their parts.
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