[ NOTE: THIS BLOG HAS MOVED TO @coiledqueen. SEE YOU THERE. ]
Congratulations, you found me! Tiny lil' secret sideblog for PIKE QUEEN LUCY of the BATTLE FRONTIER. Penned by Dan (30, he/him.)
Follows from @avacynthia. Same general rules from that blog apply here as well. Above all: be cool. And please be patient with me!
IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER: I am currently planning to play Lucy in a tabletop game and created this blog to further immerse myself into the character and practice writing her. In addition, I will be planning to play Lucy primarily on DISCORD, though asks/threads will still be made available here. If you'd prefer 1x1 Discord, let me know. Lowish activity planned, threads/inspo pending.
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QUICK LUCY NOTES
(+) sharp, dedicated, honest, resilient/tough
(+/-) quiet, haughty/arrogant, blunt, chip on shoulder, thrill seeker
(-) dismissive, merciless, caustic
*A Clair/Eris fusion, if you will-
Late 20s. Tall, slender (but toned) physique. Small scars mark her body after years of field work with dangerous Pokemon.
One of Hoenn's most brutal (and reclusive) Frontier Brains. Queen of the Pike.
Obsessed with serpents and poison. Has a wealth of knowledge concerning poison effects and their antidotes. She's resistant to most toxins at this point.
When not at the Battle Pike, she can be found in the Safari Zone doing unofficial "field research." Or at another Frontier facility, sharpening her skills.
Reckless. Likes dangerous situations, pushing past limits, living life on the edge.
Pansexual. She's mean and has never held a romantic relationship for any period of time. The Pike seems to be her only true obsession.
Team: Seviper, Steelix, Gyarados, Milotic and Shuckle. Other Poison types on standby.
LUCY BACKSTORY (DEATH TW)
Born in the impoverished seaport districts of Lilycove. Lucy's father was a volatile sailor who quickly left the picture. Her mother found work maintaining the fledgling Hoenn Safari Zone.
Unable to afford childcare as a single parent, Lucy's mother would sneak her into the Safari Zone break rooms when she was younger. Lucy would routinely wander off, and grew up around Hoenn's rarest, wildest species.
It was during this time that she became enamored with serpentine Pokemon in general--inspired by their merciless hunting techniques, strength and guile. (During one fateful encounter, she was badly poisoned by a Seviper. Following a lengthy hospital stay that her mother couldn't afford, Lucy used the Seviper's own techniques to capture it with a 'borrowed' capsule. Her first Pokemon.)
Lucy was ten when her mother suffered a fatal allergic reaction to Vileplume poison while working in the field. One day later, with her sheltered world completely upended, an orphaned Lucy won Hoenn's Loto-iD sweepstakes on a desperate chance pull. It was then that she began believing in luck and fate, fortune and misfortune.
Instead of wallowing, Lucy turned her winnings into opportunity, enrolling in Mossdeep's most prestigious boarding school. Despite not attending any classes to this point, Lucy wasted little time tearing up the class rankings. It was a merciless ascent, and classmates labeled her as cruel and callous as she blitzed past them all. Her supreme work ethic landed her a full ride scholarship to further hone her battling skills (and toxicology studies) at university.
Lucy's battles were explosive, quick, and brutal. Her serpents reigned supreme, and an upstart entrepreneur named Scott couldn't help but take notice...
Years later, the Battle Pike is a brutal, fanged gauntlet demanding both skill and luck to pass. Only a handful of trainers have emerged from the coils to challenge Lucy, and fewer have succeeded.
She's braved storms and trampled flowers to arrive at this peak. And in this facility, the Pike Queen is the apex predator.
**art credits: Ken Sugimori and other official Pokemon artwork
A very banged-up Lucy slumps facedown into the waiting coils of her Seviper, her entire body--screaming muscles and bruised ego--seeming to sigh with relief.
Today was a good reminder. Never train with Greta, local karate master. (As Tucker once infamously said: you'll regreta it!! And don't worry--he had paid dearly for this pun.)
"Just a few sparring rounds, she said..." the Pike Queen groans, burying her face in the scales. "I'm an idiot and forgot...it's never 'a few rounds' with that monster. I can't feel my legs...I thought I could win..."
Seviper hisses sympathetically as her trainer decompresses. This was always an important lesson to (re)learn, every now and then...
Oh dear... there's a small package at Lucy's doorstep. The box is frighteningly light, and stickered with all of the formality of the ENORMOUS toy manufacturer that it came from — she wasn't getting out of this one!
Lying on top of a single PLUSH TOY IN HER LIKENESS is a typed memo.
As promised, there are only TWO of these lil beauties in all of existence! One for you, and one for your biggest fan over in Sinnoh! What do you think? Pretty slick, right? Maybe your elusiveness is just what we need to push the rest of the line! Have I ever bragged about what a stone cold genius you are? Of course I have, I'm doin it right now! It takes one to know one, as they say! - Scott
"...Are you joking--"
Lucy's narrowed eyes widen upon opening the...ominous parcel. Lo and behold, Scott had actually delivered on his earlier pledge--fault the man all you want, but he always followed through, for better or worse. Unbelievable.
The plush in her hands is undeniably chibi, but Lucy can't help but be impressed by its lofty quality and intricate design. (Even the crimson highlights scoring her hair are present, a further testament to detail.)
As embarrassing as this is, the Pike Queen can't deny the inner warmth that she feels from Scott's gift, nor the flustered thoughts surfacing as she imagines her crush receiving a similar figurine regions away...oh, god.
Lucy has every intention of placing her plush on the mantle alongside her other Frontier trinkets, but Seviper has other plans. The giant serpent casually slides over to gently nudge the gift free from her trainer's grasp, coiling around the comfy toy in a show of protective security. And that's that.
" no need to exaggerate that small incident again, " the response is punctuated with a dismissive wave of a hand. " whatever they were looking to charge me on, they wouldn't have had any more concrete evidence than interpol back home. so i saved both mine and their time by not getting caught – like a good law-abiding citizen, mind you, " it is the same reasoning, almost word to word, that he'd given her that particular night. it's become a trend for him to show up at lucy's doorstep at the worst hour and still, he knows that she wouldn't have had an issue of leaving him in the rain if she wasn't intrigued.
" i'm very mindful of my luck. especially with you. "
there's a fine line between his subtle mockery and amusement, but she was always given the latter.
archer invites himself to sit on the chair by the table, legs crossed and a palm tucked underneath his chin as he watches her going through those bountiful cabinets. " surprise me. just mind that i would prefer being able to walk out by myself. i doubt you'd want to keep me around longer than necessary, " despite of their constant clashing, he holds more trust towards lucy than most people, evident by the lack of paranoia when it comes to being served literal poison from her stashes.
his lips shift into an upturn as the seviper slithers closer, the scales catching the flash of thunder from outside as a gentle brush of knuckles is given along them. " and you just keep getting prettier. "
Archer handles the Seviper with practiced confidence, and the giant serpent turns into a docile pet under his touch, resting her lethal head upon the executive's lap for even more attention, her jeweled scales and infamous crimson fangs glistening in the lowlight.
"Tch. That's funny--your little stunt back then saved everyone's time...except for mine. Thanks for that." Lucy drawls, miffed expression lost in the steam as she prepares their late-night tea. Still, the Pike Queen mercifully lets the matter drop, reaching up to procure a small jar from the recesses of her cabinet.
"Just Energy Powder tonight. Imported all the way from the Cianwood City pharmacy, off their 'secret menu,'" she explains, smirking as she dashes a bit into their drinks. "Don't want you falling asleep on me, so it's a bitter mix. And it's from your home region, too. Honestly, you're so spoiled here--it makes me sick."
Still smiling, Lucy brings the tea over and slides a seat out across from Archer. Despite the late, stormy hour, her narrowed eyes are gleaming expectantly. She's wide-awake now.
From the moment she reassumes her position atop the Battle Pike to leer down at Takehiko, Lucy can already sense a different intensity swirling around the serpentine arena. The reigning queen's glare is met with an unflinching stoicism, a fiery, smoldering confidence--an impression further reinforced by her challenger's extracted Dive capsule and casual barb. Queenie...seriously?
Lucy scoffs, though Takehiko's comments earn a grin. As prickly as the Pike Queen can be, she can still appreciate someone who can dish it out with a little attitude. This is going to be fun.
"...I've been watching, and it isn't luck that's brought you here," the Frontier Brain retorts, readying her own prepared Pokeball. Though her tone remains equally casual, Lucy's glimmering eyes still narrow with focus, dialing in for their impending clash. "Also, between you and me, Gym Badges don't mean shit. The League system is stuffed with pushovers and their stupid guidelines. If you've gotten this far, you've earned every bit of it."
There's a flash of red light, and Lucy's Shuckle slumps innocuously onto the hilltop battlefield--a surprising first choice for the Pike's hyper-offensive monarch. She exhales, licking her lips in anticipation as that familiar electricity thrums through her veins once again. God, she's missed this feeling so much.
"I haven't gotten to battle anyone for a couple days, actually..." The Pike Queen trails off, nodding towards Takehiko with that fanged, ominous smile. "So, new strategy. I think I'll take my time putting you in your place..."
@crueliste sent: " surprise delivery! " he's standing in her kitchen beside the open window, his red pupils shining in the darkness of the apartment like halogen lamps. " sorry, i had to kind of break in. but your window's intact, so– either way, check this out, " proton drags out a vial of see-through liquid from his pocket, dangling it around excitedly. " a whole bottle of crobat poison! just like promised."
"How did...never mind."
Lucy shuts her eyes and breathes in and out. Slowly. Just like Spenser had taught her during those silly meditation courses atop the Palace. As much as the Pike Queen wishes this to be a dream, facts are facts: it's well past midnight, her window is somehow propped open, and--having just arrived with a much-too-cheery announcement--an unannounced guest is now looming in her living room.
The bleary-eyed Brain yawns, running a hand through her messy raven locks. She really needs to establish proper visiting hours. Or install an electric fence--
"Nice yield. Thanks," Lucy mumbles, too tired to be particularly venomous. Just as with Archer, she maintains an arrangement with Proton, but the two executives could not be more different. (Even so, Proton's...unpredictability never bothered Lucy much. She's plenty used to the unexpected by now--as annoying as it could be sometimes.)
"What do I owe you this time..?" the Queen asks, sparing a curious glance at the bottle as she pads across the darkened space to her bag. "I'm assuming you got all that Crobat poison from Nicro--if he's going to be that generous, then I will be too."
"I don't have more important things to do right now, actually," she huffs back, letting out a low draconic growl--a sign of her nature as the Archchosen of Rayquaza. "I can't think of many things more important than making sure someone as illustrious as a Frontier Brain isn't distributing dangerous poisons unregulated…Especially when I know that someone has been a problem in the past."
She steps forward. She may be shorter than Lucy, but she has the energy of a tiny little Bagon chasing around much larger dragons in so many videos that have now gone viral.
"Don't think I'm going to fully trust your story off the bat either. You might have been able to get away with tall tales in the past, but you surely won't now that I'm in charge. Right now it's just your word against the client's, and with your track record you shouldn't be surprised at the fact that my first inclination is to believe them. If it's really just diluted Gulpin acid, what are you going to do to prove it?"
As expected, Asteria comes at Lucy with fire blazing within her ruby eyes and growled words. Despite the Champion's assertive approach, the Pike Queen stands tall, acknowledging the lecture with a mere tilt of her head. The twirled vial of poison--proof of Lucy's 'crime'--continues to dance casually between her fingers, glass glinting in the Hoenn sunset.
"...A problem in the past? That's news to me," the Frontier Brain drawls, staring down at Asteria with a flicker of annoyance crossing her vision. The edge of a restrained smirk plays across Lucy's lips. "I'm careful. My buyers know what they're getting into. And I've had zero complaints, until now..."
The Pike Queen's eyes narrow, though her voice remains dangerously soft. "I'm telling the truth. But even if you don't believe me, I don't owe you shit. Remember your jurisdiction, princess--I don't exactly answer to you. You're lucky I'm in a playful mood today."
Lucy bears her fanged smile in full now, popping the vial open with her teeth as she easily swallows half its contents with an exhilarated shudder. Perhaps she is telling the truth...or perhaps her poison resistance is too damn high to feel anything.
"Proof," she concludes simply, unaffected and turning the glass tube towards Asteria with that challenge glinting within her gaze. "Want to try your luck...?"
