"Uh… You'd better not underestimate me just 'cause I've only been Leader a short time! With the skills inherited from my grandfather, I'm gonna, uh, demonstrate the hot moves we've honed in this land!"
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Closed Flannery RP blog
Affiliated with Wild Encounters
“Damn, I didn’t realize what a superstitious bunch those guys were. All you had to do was stand there.” Brendan rested a hand on Nux’s head, fingers scratching beneath the fur languidly. He turned to admire his handiwork; the beach was empty -
“Brendan?”
Well, shit. It was a woman who spoke, the only person left on the beach. It didn’t take long to recognize her as she approached - no one else had the same wild flaming hair.
He grinned and relaxed almost instantly, mimicking her stance: cocked hips and a raised eyebrow.
A bemused smile tugged at Flannery’s lips at the kid’s cocky attitude. He’d held himself totally differently in the gym, but she was slowly realizing that most trainers did. It was a little jarring realizing that people treated her differently just because of her status as a leader but she was getting used to it.
“What can I say? I don’t like tourists. Not my fault they misunderstand Absols.”
She snorted, shaking her head. “Wow, I did not realize you were such an asshole,” she said, though her tone was far from scolding. In fact, there was even a little chuckle thrown in there. It was really the kind of stunt she herself would have pulled only a few years prior.. Whether Champion or Gym Leader, even the most prestigious people seemed to have a dickish side to them.
It definitely made her more fond of the trainer.
Soon his Pokemon all started coming out, most of which she recognized. A few of them were in their final evolved forms, where they’d been smaller and less experienced when she’d faced them. She couldn’t help but grimace a little at Pan. It was a common tactic for trainers to use type advantage Pokemon against her but still, it left something of a cheap sting looking at the water/ground type once more.
But then she saw one that she hadn’t seen before. A Typhlosion that hissed and retreated away at the mere sight of being summoned near the ocean.
This creature. It understood her. Now they were bonded for life.
Wide eyes filled with sympathy and she soon crouched down, giving the Pokemon distance while still offering up a friendly hand to sniff. “Hey pretty girl, well aren’t you beautiful? It’s alright girl, I don’t like the ocean either, but your trainer is right, the sand is nice and warm.” She smiled and gladly started petting the creature, if it so allowed. It wasn’t that she’d never seen a Typhlosion before. In fact, it was her grandfather’s oldest and most trusted Pokemon. This is honestly how she just treated all fire-types.
“What brings you to Lilycove?”
She glanced up at Brendan and sighed, though she didn’t move away from her new best friend in the whole world. She merely plopped herself onto the sand next to the Typhlosion, still petting her as she talked. “Eh, it was Gramp’s idea. He figured we should go on vacation to somewhere cooler. Hard to believe this is cooler but yeah, it is. Not my cup of tea but I wasn’t really given much of a choice...” She sighed, glowering at the waves crashing against the shore, louder now without the cacophony of tourists to drown it out. She looked up at him again.
“What about you? I haven’t heard much since you let ol’ Steve keep his job.” If this was all post-attempt, she had been one of the few not to hear about it. She wasn’t really one to stay in the loop of news and she didn’t really like gossip. Whether it was just an uncomfortable subject that the people she knew avoided talking about or she’d just managed to miss all the right people, she didn’t seem to know when she asked. She didn’t even look like she was trying to hide the fact that she knew, as did many people in Hoenn when they spoke to the recovering champion.
Boardwalk, Fashion Baby (Event) || Wallace and Flannery
Flannery had not agreed to this vacation to Lilycove City, but she’ll be damned if she wasn’t going to try and enjoy herself while she was here.
It had been a long (but interesting) day at the beach but it wasn’t really her thing. She and the ocean had never been on exactly good terms and she found herself pretty spent by the end of it. She needed something to rejuvenate her and prepare her for the rest of the week.
What she needed was a drink.
Night had already fallen by the time the redhead found herself on the boardwalk, separating Lilycove’s town and the sands of the beach. All of the shops were lit up in preparation for the oncoming nightlife. Kids ran up and down the planks in and out of arcades, couples strolled hand in hand sharing ice cream and kisses, families walked around soaking up the last of the fun before they’d have to retire to their accommodations. She personally was looking for the nearest bar she could find.
She knew they existed but it was hard to find them in between the cutesy shops and the thirtieth ice cream joint on the block. She’d just about given up and started to head back when she saw it: a little restaurant that just also happened to have a bar. Red eyes lit up as she made a beeline for the entrance when a certain teal-haired gym leader exited out of the store next to the bar, blocking her path.
Oh. Wallace.
Her first instinct was to flee but it was obvious the two had made eye contact. No avoiding interaction. “Heeeeey Wallace. What’re you uh-- what’re you doing here?” she asked, putting on her best smile. After his answer, she nodded a bit.
“Cool, cool. Me? I was just uhhh...” She thought about lying and telling him she was heading back to her motel. But then she was actually going to enter the building right behind him so...
And then it occurred to her: why lie to him at all?
“I was actually gonna head to the bar right behind you. It’s been a long day, was gonna have a cool down. Did you er-- wanna join me?” They had their spats and he wasn’t her favorite person but any drinking partner is better than no drinking partner. Plus, he could be her beard when drunk guys inevitably hit on her. (And the other way around though she had little knowledge of Wallace’s leanings).
Kimiko Glenn photographed by Jenny Anderson for Broadway Style Guide
I told my boyfriend, who wanted to see all the Oscar movies and was getting kind of frustrated because I never wanted to go to the movies with him, that if he could find a movie with an ethnic person in it, then we’ll go. It could be any movie, it doesn’t have to be a blockbuster, it can be an indie, just a movie that has ethnic people in it. And we ended up getting ice cream because he sent me an animation. It’s a bit disappointing.
when it gets loud, let’s turn it up ( event ) || brendan & flannery
He’d planned on spending a relaxing day on the beach with his pokemon. Though born and raised in Littleroot, he spent so much time in Lilycove that it might as well be his home city now. Heavily populated, sure, but easy to get away from. Yet the beaches were never crowded, allowing Brendan to spend as much time as he wanted laying in the sand, until…
Gym Leaders don’t take vacations!...Do they? Her grandfather had let out a laugh and told her that while he didn’t back in his day, he certainly wasn’t going to be wasting time in retirement. And he certainly wasn’t going alone either.
...But out of all of the places, did he have to choose the beach?
Flannery didn’t mind the tourists. She’d lived in Tourist Central her whole life, even though summer really wasn’t their season. Autumn and winter especially, but she was used to foreigners bumbling their way around and leaving a mess in her wake. She didn’t enjoy it, but she’d certainly learned over the years to accept it.
No, what she hated was the ocean.
It’s big, it’s mysterious, there are all kinds of unknown and dangerous Pokemon just lurking about waiting to strike, and oh yeah, it killed her mom. She could not fathom why her grandpa wanted to go there specifically to relax. He’d scolded her, reminding her that what happened to her mother was a freak accident and that the beach was a universally loved experience that brought happiness for everyone.
Looking at the crowds, disgruntled locals, and screaming children, she wondered if that was really true. But push came to shove, she was here, so she might as well try to enjoy herself. This took the form of her laying stomach first on a towel at the far end of the sand, as distant from the crashing waves as she could get. She had two buds jammed into her ears to drown out the clamoring tourists with the music of her PokeNav Plus. The hard strums and whiny calls of pop punk made an excellent playlist for her less-than-enthusiastic vacation.
Her grandpa had left her there, gone into the nearby town to pick up some lunch for them. While she had jumped at the opportunity to leave, he ordered her to stay there and watch their stuff. “You always get my order wrong anyway,” he’d grumped before shuffling off. Ah well, at least the shore had a nice breeze. As much as she loved her little town of Lavaridge, the sweltering heat became even more unbearable in the summer, when the sun was at its worst. The cool wind rolling across her exposed back sent tingles up her spine. A combination bikini and jean shorts would give her a nice tan too.
The peace was not long lasting. A rumble beneath her caused her to open one eye a crack and sit up. Although it took a moment for her sight to adjust to the light, she was met with the image of dozens of people fleeing from the beach. She yanked out one earbud, her senses flooded with the simultaneous cacophony of her music mixed with the terrified screams of the masses. She couldn’t tell what they were running from but her first thought--
She gasped and spun around, expecting to see a gigantic wave or hideous sea-beast rising from the depths. Instead, the steady waves merely edged and waned in rhythm, completely undisturbed by the panic. Her eyebrows furrowed as she stored her PokeNav Plus, slowly pushing herself to her feet. She confusedly scanned the area for the culprit until she saw it.
An Absol. Well, that explained it. The locals were terrified, but she’d never bought into the superstitions. The oceans being evil, sure, but a Pokemon couldn’t really bring on natural disasters. At least, not this one. It also helped that she’d faced Absols in her gym before.
Upon seeing the trainer who came out to greet it, she’d realized she’d faced this same Absol before.
“Brendan?” She called, starting to approach him. She’d only met him once when he fought her at the beginning of her reign as gym leader. He’d been instrumental in helping her realize her identity as a leader, first by making her see that she couldn’t just emulate her grandfather’s robust and aggressive attitude. Since then, she’d heard about him quite a lot through the League, as he became champion of the region. But since he left his position to Steven, she’d hadn’t heard from him since. Until now.
Once face to face, she looked over the boy and his Pokemon, quickly putting the pieces together. “...Did you really just use your Absol to scare everyone off the beach?” A cocked eyebrow and two hands on her hips gave off the vibe that a harsh scolding from an established leader and authority figure was coming.
The quirking of her lips into a smirk and a headshake dismantled that notion. “Wow, I did not realize you were such a dick,” she laughed, turning back towards the now empty beach. She folded her arms. “Not bad though, pretty effective tactic. Uh-- still dick move, though,” she added. She didn’t want to condone the behavior but it was exactly the kind of thing she would have done at his age. Which granted, was only a few years ago, but still. She was learning. Slowly.
It had been a pretty long time since May rode her bike anywhere, and the cycling road was a great place to go to get that sort of exercise. But it wasn’t all going to be just her. Her Blaziken was itching for some more training practice. The two of them had been working on his strength lately, but his speed was important too. So after a couple days of deciding on what to do, they both decided to work on the cycling road. It was a great workout for her and him, and that was just what they were looking for.
When Flannery first returned to Hoenn, she never wanted to touch her motorcycle again. Every time she looked at the bike, metal worn and scratched in areas from her many adventures, all it could drudge up was bad memories. But as time went on, the newly appointed gym leader found herself missing it. She longed to feel the wind whipping through her hair, the vibrations of the engine humming across her skin, and the sounds of the world being tuned out entirely. She thought her first ride in her home region would be a disaster, but instead it just resparked a love that had been simmering in the back burners.
She hadn’t been allowed to keep her bike in Lavaridge. Even the slightest revving of the engine had at least four elderly people at her door complaining. So instead she had been allowed to store it in the shop by the Mauville Cycling Store, in exchange for allowing the bike loving owner to tinker with it whenever he wanted to. She was grateful for this, as mechanic junk was never her forte anyway. She was more than happy to let someone else do it.
But whenever she wanted to take it out for a spin, all she had to do was pick it up from Mauville and take it to Hoenn’s famous Cycling Road.
The Cycling Road was pretty much the only place that she could ride in peace. Unlike the Kanjoh area, Hoenn didn’t seem to have a plethora of motorcycles, a preference for regular old bike riding instead. Everywhere she went, she seemed to leave annoyance and bedlam in her wake. And that wasn’t her style (anymore). But Cycling Road was made for cycling of all kind and she gladly took advantage, even if it still left some Triathletes annoyed.
Having just finished another few laps up and down the road, she had her motorcycle off the side of the road. This “no cycling” lane was mostly reserved for Pokemon battles that broke out between eager trainers, or just cyclists who wanted to take a break. She was firmly in the latter. She placed both hands on either side of her helmet and wrenched it off her head, letting her bright red hair poof and frizz in its newfound freedom. She let out an exhausted but elated sigh as she scrounged through her bag, pulling out a water. With a pop, she opened the cap and downed it back, letting the relief travel down her wind parched throat.
A flash of orange caught her eye as it zoomed past her. She watched in surprise as the blur zipped one way and then the next. Was that--
It was! She brightened at the sight of a Blaziken making its way up and down the road. Admiring red eyes glued onto the beautiful creature, envy and desire creeping in her bones. She wanted one so badly but they were not an easy find, despite being Hoenn bred. Now if she could only find the trainer and maybe bug them...
“Hey Flannery, it’s me, May! Nice to see you here! Whatcha up to?!”
It seemed the trainer had found her first. She squinted to get a better look until recognition seemed to hit her and she met the young girl’s enthusiasm with her own.
“Hey, May! Long time, no see!” She heaved herself off of her bike, placing her helmet on the seat. She waved May over, so they could stay out of other cyclist’s ways. “I’m just taking a spin on the old relic here,” she said, patting her motorcycle fondly. “What about you?”
Her eyes fell upon the fiery Pokemon, a wide smile spreading on her face. “And hello to you! Look at you, you’re just as beautiful as I remember! And probably just as strong too, huh?” A fire beating fire type was no easy task, but May had had the advantage of battling a new Flannery, one who was still in the troughs of figuring out her identity. A travelling boy had earlier taught her that she couldn’t be her grandfather...but May had taught her how to be herself. Something about the girl’s fire had ignited her own and it was the push she needed in the right direction.
It also helped that she had a Pokemon that Flannery wanted more than anything else.
Winona is sitting on the bathroom counter in her small Fortree home (contrary to popular belief she does not actually live in her gym), retouching the roots of her hair with that light lavender shade that made her easily identifiable. She’d decided to try it out shortly after she joined the Hoenn league–more specifically, after meeting Wallace and admiring the incredible teal of his hair. It was a way to make sure challengers remembered her, and once she started making a habit of it, well she loved it way too much to ever stop.
That’s hardly the point now, though. Winona is simultaneously trying to be careful with the touch-up while rushing for time. She’s on the verge of running late for her outing with Flannery. The invitation to accompany her to Mauville for a night on the town–clubbing and drinking and the like–came as a bit of a surprise, but she wasn’t about to decline at the time (she was too happy about it, honestly).
Flannery would never claim she missed her old life. There were people she missed for sure, and people that she definitely did not, but she was glad to have closed that chapter of her life. Still, it did come with its benefits--mostly that of having friends. When you’re one of the youngest people living in your town, things can get kind of lonely when you want to go out and have fun. There’s only so many times you can go to a club by yourself.
But this time she wasn’t going by herself! She’d managed to convince colleague and fast friend Winona to accompany her on this journey. The excitement had been bubbling ever since she got that confirmation text and as the time drew nearer, she felt herself at a boiling point.
She wished she could play music. There’s just something about getting dolled up in front of a bathroom mirror that makes you feel like you should be playing some old school rock and roll. But the last thing she needed tonight was the headache she’d get arguing with her grandfather over her particular brand of sound. So instead, she hummed quietly to herself as she put in some Pokeball earrings (not actual Pokeballs of course, but you know. #aesthetic.) Fingers infected by rhythm drummed against the countertop before reaching for the hair product.
She doused her hands in the stuff, clapping and smearing it through her hair as she styled it. It would be no use in the end, most likely frizzing up the moment it made contact with the hot Lavaridge air but she’d still fight it through and through. Once complete, the process of doing her makeup began. Her cell rested screen first against the counter. She didn’t glance at it once or even bother looking at the time. After all, if it were time to go then Winona would be here!
And then Winona was there. A doorbell ring jolted her out of her process and she scrambled to collect her things together. She threw some makeup, her wallet, her keys, all into a small black purse that she slung over her shoulder. Then she raced out to the door to beat her grandfather.
“Don’t worry, I got it!!” She called out in anticipation. Since her grandpa’s transition from leader to poet, he’d truly calmed down--a blessing for everyone. Unfortunately, it meant that whenever the two former colleagues met up again, they’d have long, slow, agonizingly polite conversation. Flannery didn’t have time for any of that tonight.
She heard her Gramps call out to her, barking at her to be safe and to be home at a decent hour. “Yeah, I will, don’t worry about me!” She yelled back as she opened the door. “I’ll see you tonight!”
“Oh my god I meant to tell you I was running late, I hope you didn’t think I forgot or something–I’d never do that! Uhm… I hope you still want to go…”
When her eyes turned out to see Winona, they widened and rather obviously traveled up and down the lithe figure of the flying master. Mere seconds later, she brightened and pulled her friend into a quick, greeting hug, completely ignoring her rambling.
“Hey!! Wow, you look totally cute, look at you!” She complimented, stepping back to look her over once more. Winona’s outfit was simple, but adorable. Meanwhile, Flannery’s expansive experience in the nightclub scene spoke heartily to her own outfit. She wore a small but supportive red bandeau around her chest and a low cut, loose tank top (if you even wanted to call it that) over it. There seemed to be some sort of design printed on it but it was so worn and faded that it was almost impossible to tell what it was originally supposed to be. A red, studded belt held up a pair of jeans--surprisingly skinny in her normal sea of flare. That was because a pair of tall black boots were zipped over them, with a slight heel extenuating her already massive height. Through all of it, she also wore a beaming smile.
“Oh, and don’t worry about all that. I wasn’t even ready when you rang! I’m just gonna finish my makeup once we get to the club,” She said, waving off Winona’s worries.
“So, I usually just ride Dashy to Mauville, but I figured you’d want to take a more aerial route. I’d say let’s go together but you need a certain level of comfort to ride a Rapidash without getting burned. So we could fly together, or go separate, race maybe?” She asked, a devilish smile spreading across her lips.
ahah but you're not giving a yes or a no! Honestly, you two would look really cute together!
"Well, you’re not wrong but--”
“I mean--!! Listen I don’t even know if Winona would be into that, I don’t even know if she’s into anything so-- maybe you anons should go bother her instead!”
“Lava cookies, of course! They’re great for you, your Pokemon, and is a cure-all for practically anything! I hear they’ve been selling them in other regions but there’s no way you can beat the ones sold by Mrs. Maron up on Mt Chimney. Totally worth the trip just for those!”
Okay but rumor has it Winona liiiiiiiikes you... What do you think of that? :0
“She does??”
She clears her throat, trying to hide the blush and excitement on her face. “Oh, uh, I mean-- and by who’s authority am I supposed to believe this rumor, hmmmmm?”
The breeder had only been half wrong in his assessment of a bird in the brushes. He’d just been wrong about its weary trainer trying and failing to sneak up on it in the brush.
“Oh, ah, I um… s-sorry to disturb you..!”
“Hhghh! Shh!!” She hushed harshly, putting a finger up to her mouth. She then used that finger to point at a clearing near the bush, where a Talonflame was picking away at the dirt, trying to dig out some sort of bug Pokemon that had just narrowly escaped. Flannery slowly reached behind her to pull out a Pokeball. Concentration and determination twisting her features, she pushed her arm forward.
“Haiyaaaa!!”
The bird was too fast for her. The beam of light shot from the Pokeball but the creature was already gone, taking off into the air with lightning speed. It circled above their heads once or twice before landing on the high branch of an old tree. With a rustle of its wings, embers fluttered from its feathers, showering towards the two below. Luckily a recent rain kept the damp wood from catching, and the fire master barely even noticed. Sucks for Yasuo.
“Agh, you--!” The gym leader tried several more times to withdraw the Pokeman back into its ball, but each time it dodged the stream of light, hopping from branch to branch. She threw her arms up into the air in defeat.
“Yeah, no problem, just blatantly defy me and embarrass me in front of strangers! Make the new leader look like she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing, good job! Thanks for that Loni, I really appreciate it!” Her yelling did not seem to effect the bird one bit, who proceeded to preen its feathers.
Flannery let out a long, aggravated sigh, letting her arms drop to her side. For the first time, she seemed to remember that there was someone there with her, and looked towards Yasuo. “Sorry you have to see th--” She cut short when she saw a grey Pokemon poking from his bag. Red eyes flickered between the creature’s and its master’s face until realization dawned on her.
“Hey, wait a minute. I know you! You’re that breeder guy who comes to check on the sand nests.” In all honesty, there were a lot of breeders who made their way in and out of Lavaridge, but she remembered the fact that this guy had that Pokemon she didn’t really recognize. He’d told her it was from the Alola region. She had yet to pester him about what kind of fire types were there. In due time.
how do you feel about the new champion of hoenn, brendan?
“Brendan helped teach me a lot about what it meant to be a gym leader when I was first starting out. I was trying too hard to be Gramps instead of being myself. He’s a cool kid, I hope he’s doing alright.”
“But I’m glad he let Steve keep his job. I mean, what would that guy do if he wasn’t Champion huh? Poor dude wouldn’t last a day.”
“Uhm, all of them? No, I’m serious, all of them. It’s not just a wish either, I’m going to collect as many as I can! So if you have any tips on the best places to catch ‘em, lemme know!”
"It feels like it's been a while since I last asked about her, how is Loni doing? I trust she's doing well under your care... She's not too much of a handful, is she?"
“A handful? Pssshhhh, naaah! She’s great, she’s doing super well! Not a single problem!”
In reality, the Talonflame only listened to her half the time and the other half was her chasing after the bird to keep it from causing trouble and hurting others. But she wanted Winona to think she was a good gym leader who had her shit together, so lying it is.
"Heya! Th' folks 'round here told me that yer th' Gym Leader an' I wanna ask if ya know any good undiscovered spots 'round these parts."
“Huh? Yeah, that’s me...I mean-- yes, I am the Gym leader around here! Here to help anyone who may need it,” Her gusto trailed off and she cleared her throat.
“Undiscovered? I uh, would think me knowing about it would make it discovered.” Who was this guy anyway? “I'd say Mt. Chimney but with all that garbage from Magma and Aqua, we’re trying to keep the mountain safer and more guarded.”
Wouldn’t she be excited to learn that Magma made a hideout out of it.
