The One Who Seeks the Right Path

Indie BW2 Cheren RP blog!!

[silverjohto-deactivated20140224]

Silver watched the bowlhead’s match. He, himself, would have participated but he had arrived in town too late to compete. Of course he beat himself up about it for hours but it was entertaining to watch the match.

But this guy had the luck of a loser being matched up to a fighting type team using only normal types. This guy needed some variety before he was ready to take on someone like that fighter chick. Maylene was it? 

Silver watched the shamed participate drag himself out of the PWT stadium. He flung himself onto the lobby chair. Even Silver was never that much of a sore loser. Sure he pouted for an hour but he was no cry baby.

"Great match, mushroom cut. Wanna try redeeming yourself, crybaby?" 

[aspertias]

Cheren heard a familiar and unpleasant voice cut in on his silent self-loathing and he looked up to see Silver standing smugly in front of him. Fantastic. Just what he needed. His fists clenched lightly into fists in his lap, grimacing at his unwanted companion.

"I wasn't crying. And there's... there's nothing for me to redeem. That was just... a bad type-matchup was all."

"What are you even doing here, anyway?"

[aspertias]

Cheren exited the doors leading into the PWT lobby with a feeling of slight frustration. Knocked out in the second round again. Well… That was only to be expected, with Maylene as his opponent this time around. Strategy only came so far when you were vastly overcome by type disadvantages. Better luck next time, he supposed.

Collapsing in one of the lobby chairs, Cheren buried his face in his hands, exhausted from the one-sided battle. He had no energy to see who else had made it through to the final round, or even to gain some sense of satisfaction by watching Maylene hopefully win the tournament overall. There was a little less shame in losing to the eventual victor.

For now, he’d just try and push away the feelings of frustration at his loss. He wasn’t a sore loser anymore. Or at least, that’s what he told himself.

[mythical-ecruteak-deactivated20]

Morty released a small sigh of relief when Cheren shot up to his feet. Glancing from his position on the floor, he saw that for the second time that night, both of the leaders attracted unwanted attention. People were starting to whisper again and he hoped to heaven's above that they didn't remember the mistletoe incident.

Speaking of which, he gingerly touched his lips. It doesn't seem like they made contact with another pair but he couldn't be so sure. Cheren's apologies cut through his thoughts and he peered up to see his outstretched hand. With an uttered no need to apologize, he used Cheren's hands for leverage, Morty pushed himself off the floor, standing on his own two feet...

..for all but two seconds before he stumbled forward, suddenly feeling absolutely dizzy with a touch of nausea bubbling in him. Did he hit his head harder than he thought? 

[aspertias]

Cheren immediately began to fret, seeing Morty stumbling and holding his head.

"M-Morty? Are... are you all right? I didn't hurt you or anything, did I?"

Immediately, Cheren reached out to try and support him, all the while looking from side to side as he tried to find who had pushed him in the first place. But whoever it was must have disappeared back into the crowd. Fantastic. Cheren would have a long discussion with Clay later about who would be allowed to come to these parties in the future. He turned back to Morty, who was practically leaning on him.

"...Morty? Hey, are you okay?"

[mythical-ecruteak-deactivated20]

To be completely honest, he didn't even remember his slight fatigue when they conversed. Perhaps it was the distraction talking provided that made his mind focused on something else. Now that Cheren mentioned it, he did felt a bit sleepy. Stifling a yawn that suddenly emerged from that thought, Morty shook his head lightly.

"You don't need to apologize. Talking with you has been really pleasant but maybe it's best if we retire for the night." Standing up from his seat, the blonde went to the table and picked a pair of sweats and a t-shirt. They looked to be about the same size, maybe a little snug but it will have to do.

"Thank you for letting me borrow this. May I know the direction of the bathroom, please?" He asked politely, slinging the clothes on his arm.

[aspertias]

Cheren nodded, standing up immediately and shining his flashlight down the hall. "It's right down here," he said, leading the way. Tam, his Stoutland, immediately hopped up as well, trotting sleepily along at his maser's heels. Cheren hoped that his clothes would fit Morty... He'd never had any reason to share them before. Hopefully they were good enough.

Opening the bathroom door for Morty, Cheren fiddled with the flashlight once more. He hoped the batteries would last the night. Wouldn't want another freakout.

[aspertias]

hello i am here!! sorry i've been really slow with replies! i'll get to the ones i need to! does anyone else wanna start a thread by any chance? you can just drop me an ask or something~))

[ceruleancitydiva]

Misty nodded, smiling slightly. “I just… I wish he’d be a bit more serious about his job. Maybe it’s just nostalgia, but I started running the gym really young. I mean, I had aid, but…” Misty sighed, swirling her straw in her glass. “I do understand why Marlon’s like that. Still… That’s no excuse for being so completely irresponsible.”

Misty looked up at Cheren. He was re-arranging the silverware, forming perfect parallels with the knife, spoon, and fork. “So, tell me about yourself, Cheren. After all, I should know about fellow Gym leaders too,” Misty said, relaxing in the seat.

[aspertias]

Cheren stopped in the middle of his fork-arranging to look up at Misty. "Er... There's not much to me, really," he said. He was always bad at talking about himself. He'd often been told that he was pretty boring, which he believed wholeheartedly.

"Well, I work as a teacher at the Trainer's School that doubles as my Gym. It's a lot of work maintaining both positions, but... I figure all the leaders around here have second jobs. ...Except for Marlon, but... yeah."

"Anyway, I do independent research in my spare time. It came in handy a little while ago with Plasma running around again. ...My friends and I have a history with them. Long story."

[delightfulassistant]

Once Cheren looked to her she smiled and began to sing ‘Santa Claus is coming to town.’ It was just one simple song for each house, that’s what she decided on. Nothing more nothing less. It had been a while since she sang so this was a pleasant treat for her.

Once she finished the song, the people at the door clapped and then closed the door after a quick thank you and goodbye. Bianca smiled at Cheren as she began walking with him to the next house. "See Cherry? Not so bad right?"

She began to look at the ground in a bit of embarrassment, Cheren hadn’t heard her sing since they were children. Maybe he was upset about going because he didn’t like her singing. 

[aspertias]

As Bianca took his arm and began leading them towards their next destination, Cheren couldn't help but muse on her enthusiasm. She had a nice little voice (which he hadn't heard in quite a while), but he still couldn't fathom her insistence on caroling tonight.

Turning towards her to reply, he opened his mouth but shut it again upon noticing her sudden embarrassment.

"...Is something wrong? I thought you liked singing."

[thunderbolt-girl]

Elesa shook her head and looked down. “It’s not a problem at all, darling. I suppose it’s in my nature to want to take care of people.” She returned her gaze to him and smiled. She sat quietly for awhile, watching the flames of the fire, and then she yawned. 

"So… Cheren. How have your friends been? Bianca, Touya, and Touko. I haven’t seen them in a while."

[aspertias]

Cheren wrapped the blanket further around himself, letting the welcome warmth of the nearby fire wash over him, the lazy cafe atmosphere causing his own eyelids to droop slightly.

"Oh, uh... They're doing all right. At least to my knowledge. Touya and Touko went off abroad... and Bianca's been busy with her new job with the professor. You know. ...It's been a little lonely without them, but... I have my students."

[mythical-ecruteak-deactivated20]

Morty felt their faces smashed into each other painfully (he was going to feel that the next morning) when they crashed down. The blonde let out an oof as he felt the wind got knocked out of him followed by a sharp pain behind his head as it collided with the floor. Momentarily dazed, Morty failed to notice the warm, fleshy body pressed against him before the pressure loosened slightly.

A bit dizzy, he opened his eyes to come face to face (quite literally) with Cheren, who gingerly touched his face. From his position, however, it looked like he was covering his mouth. Eyes widening in horror, the Ecruteak Leader assumed the worst. They were in a compromising position as it was and the way Cheren acted didn't abate his worries at all.

"Uh, Cheren," he squeaked, a massive blush burning his face. "C-Could you p-please...g-get o-off m-me?"

[aspertias]

Cheren was momentarily too confused, in pain, and annoyed at his unknown assailant to be embarrassed, but Morty's frantic plea brought him around.

"Uh... oh! Oh, yeah, uh... r-right. S-sorry." Immediately, Cheren got to his feet, reaching down to help Morty up.

"S-sorry! Sorry!!"

[mythical-ecruteak-deactivated20]

Morty bit his lips, resisting the urge to face palm. Good Lugia, Cheren was as innocent as a newborn Pokemon. That meant that he had never faced the horror that was a fangirl. How was he going to get them out of this mess?

"Not...exactly. Yes, she's probably a fan...but not mine. Probably," he gulped, licking his lips. "She's a fan...of us, or men in general, being...together." His face was burning up with each word. He was almost sure that explaining what a fangirl is was almost as hard as giving the Pidgey's and Beedrils Talk.

After that embarrassing explanation, he noticed a bit too late that the girl was right behind Cheren, a devious smirk on her face. "Cheren, lo-" Morty's warning was cut off when Cheren suddenly careened forward, tumbling into him and sending both crashing towards the ground.

[aspertias]

Cheren folded his arms he listened to Morty's flustered explanation, trying to make sense of it. As he finally put the pieces together the predicted blush came to his cheeks as he opened his mouth to give an "Oh" in embarrassed understanding...

...but then, quite unexpectedly, Cheren suddenly felt himself get shoved forward and, unable to stop himself, he crashed right into Morty. Both of them lost their balance and tumbled to the ground, their faces smashing into each others painfully.

Dazed for a few moments, Cheren didn't move, but then quickly came back to his senses, pushing himself back up sightly as he gingerly touched his face.

"...Ow. ...What the...?"

[mythical-ecruteak-deactivated20]

Morty turned to Cheren, eyes widened slightly in disbelief. He was kidding, right? Surely someone as attractive as him would know what a fangirl was? Looking at Cheren's quizzical expression and honest answer, he refrained from letting his jaw dropped in shock.

He...He doesn't know, does he? Innocence in a topic like this was rare, as far as he knew. The blonde only knew one person who was like Cheren and his inability to know the dangers led to sleepless nights (determined ones are extremely scary. They don't know the meaning of personal space) and stress induced days.

"Cheren," he began slowly, treading on dangerous waters. "Do you know...what a fangirl is?"  

[aspertias]

Cheren raised his eyebrow at Morty, then turned back to the girl who had been watching them. She inched a little closer through the crowd, but Cheren still wasn't sensing a threatening vibe from her.

"Er... they're just girls who are... fans of people? I assume? Is she a fan of yours?"

Cheren had heard of certain Gym leaders who had wild fans. Roxie and Elesa both had plenty of male fans getting themselves arrested at shows, from what he'd seen on the news, but he'd never dealt with anything like that himself.

[ceruleancitydiva]

Misty sighed and nodded, reaching out to take a sip of water from the glass on the table. “He’s going to some competition in the Sevii Islands. Something about prize money and ‘hot Kanto booty’. Regardless, it’s the fifth time this year. I swear, I hand out more Wave Badges than Cascade Badges.” 

Misty relaxed in the chair, sighing once more. “I mean, I understanding wanting to be carefree, yet… I mean, I remember when I had to cover for him and those Team Plasma goons kept bothering the gym. Where was Marlon: abroad in Unova looking at new boards. I just…” Misty rolled her eyes and groaned, her face heating up from embarrassment.

"Sorry, I’m sure that’s not what you wanted to hear."

[aspertias]

Cheren's lips drew thin as he listened to Misty complain about Marlon. The very idea of a fellow Gym leader being so completely irresponsible... you'd think he didn't want the job at all. Unbelievable.

"Mm... nah. It's all right. Best for me to know my fellow Gym leaders and their... habits, right?" he shrugged, fidgeting with the silverware on the table as he aligned it all perfectly.

"In any case, there's hardly any room for me to judge you for your little vacation now after hearing that, hm?"

[mythical-ecruteak-deactivated20]

"Wait, did you say a girl? Where?" He asked, stopping just short of sounding demanding. Perhaps not wanting to look rude, Cheren subtly jutted his thumb under the pretense of loosening his shoulder. Morty faced the direction of the point, pretending to adjust his bandana. It was brief, a blink and you'll miss it moment but he saw her. An unidentifable young lady with unassuming black hair and dull grey eyes.

What he saw in her eyes, however, unnerved him greatly. Despite the plain appearance, she had the same look that those girls had when they saw him accidentally without a shirt that one time. Predatory like hunger mixed with crazed fantasies that would surely scarred him for life. Good Lugia, she was one of them.

"Cheren. Would you believe me that you're wrong with that statement?" he spoke slowly, eyeing possible escape routes.

[aspertias]

Cheren didn't understand Morty's fear in the slightest. Did... did he know the girl or something? If she was dangerous, surely they wouldn't have let her into the party.

...Or maybe it was a crazy ex of Morty's or something.

"Did you want me to go talk to her or something? If she shouldn't be here, I can tell Clay. I'm sure he'd be more than happy to kick crashers out of his party."

[mythical-ecruteak-deactivated20]

With his eyes closed, a small, knowing smile fluttered to his lips. One can tell a lot from just the tone and way someone speak on a subject. Spending a lot of time training Gastly till she evolved to Gengar, understanding how she felt was crucial during the growth period as it will determined the Pokemon's attitude later on. Pokespeak, as trainers aptly nicknamed, was a bit more difficult to understand as a Pokemon cannot effectively convey their thoughts into words, creating communication barriers. Years with Gengar had taught Morty more or less on how to tell her feelings through tones.

A sharp hiss meant agitation, a whine that ended with a whisper equaled to guilt and so on. From what he could gather from Cheren's description, subtle as it was, joy first came to mind. Endearment, awe and being impressed followed suit. Opening his eyes, from the mere lighting of the flashlights, Cheren looked relaxed. Perhaps he was wrong but the other's shoulders drooped down just a bit and a small, genuine smile lightened his expression.

"I have to say they're an impressive bunch. I wouldn't mind having a battle with anyone of them. They sounded like they went through thick and thin with you."

[aspertias]

Cheren shifted slightly in his seat, making himself more comfortable as he played around with the flashlight beam.

"Yeah... They really did. A lot of trouble happened during our journey and we four got caught up in it... I'm just glad everything worked out for the best."

Looking up at the clock, Cheren realized just how late it was getting. He hadn't expected to stay up this long talking. Looking over at his guest, he tried to determine whether or not he was tired.

"...I'm sorry. I've been rambling this whole time when you probably want to get to sleep. You've traveled pretty far, after all."

[venoshocker-deactivated20140224]

"Well shit, sure, if ya wanna get technical about it.” Roxie stretched again, rising to her feet. Sure, teasing him was entertaining, but this was starting to get long. Time to cut it off.

"So! Got it? Good. Out ya go. Come back when you’ve lived a lil’. ‘Til then…" she gestured towards the door. The couch was calling her. Soon that nap would be hers again.

[aspertias]

Cheren blinked. Was she... dismissing him?

Technically, she outranked him and it was within her jurisdiction to tell him to leave her Gym... and under normal circumstances, Cheren wouldn't dare disobey a senior leader.

But this was simply unfair. The very idea of someone younger and (in his opinion) less suited to the position than he could simply deny him what he'd worked so hard for for such a ridiculous reason was just too much for him. It was time to take a stand.

Further entrenching himself on her couch, Cheren crossed his arms.

"No, I don't think so. I came here to get a signature from you, and I'm not leaving until I get it. Whatever it takes. I think you'll find, Miss Blair, that persistence is one of my strengths."

Staring her down the best he could, he continued.

"So... what is it going to take for these papers to get signed tonight?"

[delightfulassistant]

Bianca walked along happily with her friend, sure he didn’t like the cold but she was happy to have him with her. Smiling along as she watched the snow fall. Unlike Cheren she enjoyed the snow quite a bit, it was pretty to watch fall, and she couldn’t help think it was a perfect night when something like this happened.

She stopped a little in her tracks as her friend questioned her. "Well I was planning on doing this all night, or at least until I got tired!"

"Come on Cherry! Smile more!! It’s going to be fun!!" She bursted out cheerfully as she hugged his one arm. If he was worried about the cold the blonde would keep him warm. She continue holding onto his arm as she walked forward to the first house they were going to visit and rang the doorbell. Bianca was determined to get Cheren to have a fun time by the end of tonight.

[aspertias]

Cheren sighed as Bianca held his arm, leading him down the street towards the first house. He was absolutely sure that, in fact, it would be no fun at all. For him at least.

...But he couldn't very well dampen Bianca's spirits. It was Christmas, after all. So when the door to the first house opened, he hitched a smile on his face as Bianca had told him to... but he was absolutely not going to sing. Nope.

"Hello," he greeted the people at the door politely, before turning to Bianca to do the rest. His job was to stay with her and smile. That was it. Smile and try not to catch frostbite.

[ceruleancitydiva]

"Dude, it’s alright! Ease up, I’m teasing you," Misty said, chuckling. Her face fell once again, serious. "I can stop if you’d like. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable."

They walked towards the city square, the air filled with soft voices. Misty looked around, inhaling the cool air. "…You like seafood, right?"

Instantly, Misty paused.

Misty smiled wide, her charming, playful personality back full force. “Yes, I love seafood!” She blushed slightly, kicking the ground. “A lot of people find it peculiar that I do, but… Well, I just can’t help it!” She squealed and wrapped an arm about Cheren’s shoulder. “Let’s go buddy!”

[aspertias]

Cheren had only ever been referred to as "buddy" by Touya before, so it was slightly disconcerting to hear it come from Misty's mouth. But he made no mention of it as he led her towards the restaurant, allowing her to keep her arm around his shoulder. No need to be flustered... no need.

Opening the doors, the hostess, who recognized Cheren as the Gym leader, lead the two of them immediately to their seats and after they had ordered, Cheren fiddled with the tablecloth nervously. It wasn't a date, but he still wanted to make a good impression on Misty.

"So... so you're covering for Marlon?" he asked, trying to drum up conversation and thus avoid awkward silences. "What, is he spending another week underwater or something?"