good grief,

かがやき しびれさせる スター. ★

[shiningandshocking-blog]

★★ Strings | Ivory & Volkner

[ivory-x-deactivated20200606]

Ivory’s eyebrows rose right up with genuine surprise. “Wow, she actually owns a villa around here? How cool!” Not to mention cool, she must have been really well off to actually own a villa in the area. Ivory always figured they were pretty expensive— they sure looked expensive! “It’s really nice of her to let you stay there while you vacation in the area.” The brunette wondered who his friends could be, and wondered all over again whether or not Volkner might be someone important. Darn, out of all the moments to forget information Cheren shared…

Ivory nodded excitedly, leaning over to pull apart the velcro strap that kept her attached to the now broken surf board. “It’s made thinner so that it’s lighter and easier to maneuver sometimes. It was my first time using something like it, so the speed I picked up with it took me by surprise.” The girl let out a small nervous giggle as she distangled herself from the string and held the remains of her board in her hand. Whoops. At least she knew better now. But she sighed, and her eyes filled with disappointment. “I guess I’ll have to pay for it though, I mean I did break it. I hope it doesn’t break my wallet— I used some of my money to get here, after all.”

Her blue eyes looked over to where the tiny fire pig was exploring, and her gaze softened with affection for the pokemon. “Yeah, he is. I was reluctant to let him battle, but he seems to like it now. So we’re going to try our luck with more gym leaders.” 

Filled with curiosity, and she rested her hands against her bare knees to lean down towards the electric pokemon as well. “Oh! All the way from Kanto? That sure is far.” Ivory grinned and laughed as the pokemon nuzzled her, glad that she seemed to like her already. It certainly lifted her spirits. “She’s beautiful, and I bet she was really cute as an Eevee.” 

She began to reach out to pet it, only with a twinge of hesitation. Volkner must have caught onto it, or maybe the issue with Jolteon’s spikes were a common enough concern that the blond was already used to explaining them to others. She smiled more confidently, and nodded, finally petting Jolteon softly. “I think Eevee’s are starting to show up around this region— the gym leader from my hometown might have mentioned it to me. Maybe I’ll be able to catch one too!” 

Straightening up, Ivory wished that she had been near her things to offer her a berry or two. “Oh!” Her eyes lit right up and she clapped her hands together as she bounced up onto her toes for a second before her heels came back down onto the wet sand.

“Why don’t you come over and meet my Tepig? I have some berries there that I’m sure your Jolteon would like.” She offered, holding the broken piece of surf board she still had against her chest.  

[shiningandshocking-blog]

He shrugged at her comment, not really thinking of it as much. "Well, considering the other favors we've both done for each other, this isn't much of a big deal. It is really nice of her though." He chuckled, staring at the other. His eyes went back toward the broken up board, nodding as she explained the built of it. "Oh. Well, it's a shame that happened." He sighed, looking at her. "I'm surprised you've never used a board like that before." Maybe it was because of her frame though; she was pretty small, and light looking, so why not use a board like that in the beginning? Eh'. He wasn't one for surfing though, so he couldn't really pinpoint why she wouldn't use that before. "I'm sure it won't be that expensive, but uh'.." The conversation changed though, and his eyes averted toward he Tepig. 

He had a feeling.

"Yup, all the way from Kanto." Volkner smiled, eyes focusing on the pair. "Well, thank you. As an Eevee, she gave me some trouble- considering they're pretty feisty, and lively at that stage, but after she evolved.. I suppose you could say she got a bit timid. If.. that's even the word used to describe her." He shrugged, watching as his Pokemon nuzzled against Ivory's leg. He reached down and patted his Jolteon on her side, watching her bask in the loving attention she was receiving from the two. "Oh?" Interesting. So Kanto Pokemon were migrating over to Unova? "I've never heard of that before. I mean, I know Kanto Pokemon have gone over to Johto, Hoenn, and Sinnoh, but.. not Unova. Huh." How the times were changing. "Hopefully you can catch one though. What would you want to evolve it into though?" The possibilities were endless now; with so many Eevee evolutions, you could literally almost evolve it to any type. 

Meet her Tepig, huh?

"Sure, why not. Jolteon would probably love to meet a new Pokemon, especially one from Unova." He chuckled, and ushered his Jolteon toward them. "How about uh', I carry that for you? It wouldn't be any good to have you carry around that broken thing." He reached out- his hands open for her to put it in his hands. "Only if you want me to, that is." 

Perhaps it would be nice it would be really nice to see a new Pokemon- especially a Tepig. They seemed nice enough, and the Unova starters had interested him. "How old are you, anyway?" Maybe it seemed rude, but he was curious. "I haven't seen someone your age with just a starter Pokemon." To be honest, he had seen trainers who looked her age with an entire team assembled, and had battled almost all the gym leaders in their region. "If that's a bit too bold to ask, you don't have to answer."

[amorouscutepie-deactivated20121]

''Good afternoon''

[amorouscutepie-deactivated20121]

The characteristics of Sunyshore City seemed to be represented in the man standing before her; he had given her a bright and neat impression of his personality. Honestly, due his contagious good mood, it should be fun to be around him. Karen couldn’t help but wonder if his other moods are contagious too. Silently she listened to his words, only giving a little nod here and then as she studied his facial expression.

She frowned a little at his question, an understanding expression upon her delicate face. She had heard the exact same thing in her own region.

‘’Many gym leaders from my region have been recruiting Pokémon from other region, mostly because of their strength. I do not work like that, Volkner, I pick my Pokémon by their character not their strength. However, that does not mean that if I stumble upon a trustworthy and promising Pokémon during my stay here that I won’t catch it. I will.’’

She gave a little nod, a smile on her face as she answered his second question.

‘’I’d say that the gyms are even tougher, though naturally I would only be bragging. I suppose you can’t precisely compare power against one another, we all have our different specialities right? However, I’d say we’re pretty much equal. Some of the gym leaders here are stronger than the gym leaders in Kanto and Johto, but some of them are weaker too. It’s pretty much in balance.’’

[shiningandshocking-blog]

Well, at least she was being honest when answering him.

"Figures as much." The amount of foreign trainers, or gym leaders going into Sinnoh, or other regions was continuously growing. Gym leaders from all regions were going to other regions to find more Pokemon to fit their team, and their specialized type; it was an intelligent gesture, as something like that would help them to grow stronger. Karen, however, didn't view her team as that, or at least wanted to get stronger Pokemon to make her team stronger. She valued the Pokemon she caught, and picked them by their character. How.. interesting of her. "Well, that makes you, and me then." Volkner chuckled, shaking his head. It wasn't like he had the time to go out, and find specific Electric-types that were ridiculously strong; if they weren't, but caught his eye, he'd train 'em. He wasn't going to go out of his way to hunt for one so strong, but find it to be bland in personality. 

It was refreshing, to say the least. 

He knew that most would say their region was the strongest, or that there were no faults in their gym leaders; but, Karen, she.. acknowledged that some regions had stronger leaders, but also had weaker leaders than her own. Smart. "Equal, yes, I.. believe that statement to be quite true." The gym leader nodded, raising a brow at her. "The gym leaders in Sinnoh are the same; we have strong ones, and we have weaker ones. I can't really say too much about myself in terms of strength, considering I'm the last gym leader a challenger faces before they take on the league."

He was being facetious now. 

"Perhaps I may have the honor of facing you, or any of your colleagues in battle someday. I have had the chance to meet the gym leaders of Kanto, and Johto, though. They're all strong, and have a certain air about them- Lieutenant Surge being the most electrifying of them all." Volkner chuckled. "Is there, by chance, anything you wish to know about Sinnoh, or myself though? I'm surprisingly eager to answer things." Which may have been seen as out of character, but something about Karen sparked him a bit; maybe it being because she was a higher standing person in her league. 

[passionlessmasterofkanto-archiv]

Diner a Dozen (Open RP!)

[passionlessmasterofkanto-archiv]

Ash was really glad to be able to see Volkner and his mother seemed to be having a good time. A part of him had wondered if he had been bothering the two a bit too much especially on Peony’s (‘or Miss Peony’s birthday,’ his mind corrected) birthday. But they did not seem to mind much as Volkner began to chat rather animatedly with him, which he knew was a bit of the first as blonde was rather reclusive and quiet when they had first meet but it seemed that the man was opening up to him. That thought alone made him rather happy. Plus, Peony herself seemed to enjoy being around as well, at least she appeared to be anyway. Upon Volkner’s question a knife of annoyance stabbed him, thankfully he ignored it. First thing was first, customers and their meals. “Okay, no allergies got it.” Ash wrote it down on the note pad, along with the Chef’s special and the two waters, though he wrote underneath a very special desert for the two.  After all, what was a birthday without any chocolate? Unova still brought up sores spots. But once again he ignored it. “I liked it,” He responded with a smile, reminiscing on the region as his eyes seemed to glaze over with nostalgia at his travels. “It’s definitely a very beautiful place,” His smile turned a bit forceful at the mentioning of the people but concentrated on the good parts such as his friends and the gym leaders. “They this Nimbasa they had this giant amusement park! But I have to Castelia City’s Gallery was by far the best, same with Nacrene’s museum.” Not many people knew or were aware of his love for art and history. Not that many people seemed to really care outside his family, Professor Oak, Gary and Tracey. He had developed a habit of doing sketches and painting when none was around, usually of a landscape and Pokemon in their natural habit while on the rare occasion he’d draw people. Mostly those he considered friends, or had close ties to. “You got it right the first time,” Ash stated with a smile nodding at the blonde. “Alder stepped down to due to family reasons, he didn’t really clarify the reason to us-ummm,” he didn’t want to come off as bragging….but, for the sake of Peony being in the room he’d omit the fact of the man’s….Brockish tendencies. “He helped my friends and I out of a tight spot, I was surprised upon hearing his decision to retire. But I can understand it. Family is important and should come first.” Listening closely and intently, Ash held onto the man’s words as a blush formed across his face as Peony’s interrupt. “I-I wouldn’t mind hearing more about it. In fact, I’d really love it if you told me more about it,” Ash interrupted with a small smile on his face. He hadn’t meant to interrupt, the subjected seemed to be something of great importance to Volkner and he was rather curious to what the man was building anyway. He almost chocked at the scowl that appeared on the blonde’s face and gave the man a sympathetic look. Ash understood completely what his friend was going through, it as in the nature of all mother’s perhaps. “Really? That’s great to hear! I’ve been training and added a few new team members as well,” Ash informed the man sincerely and couldn’t help chuckle at the blonde’s claim. “I don’t doubt that, you’re team is very intimidating, actually, after when you’re done eating. I can take to meet my Pokemon, if you want that it is.” His eyes softened at the man and smiled gently. “I’m glad to hear that Volkner, and besides you’re my friend. I’d help you out whenever you need it, and even if you weren’t. I’d STILL help you out. After all, you don’t need a reason to help someone, right?”

[shiningandshocking-blog]

At least he liked Unova. 

That was a plus, right? Not many people who visited the region seemed to enjoy it as much as others; then again, maybe it was because of the bias that others he knew, had. Almost everyone would say their home region was the best one, but Unova was one of the better regions he visited. That was his opinion anyway; it was a nice place, but it was nothing compared to Sinnoh. "Ah', yes Nimbasa." How could he forget that place? He visited there when he had went to Driftveil, and he met with the gym leader in Nimbasa. Her name was Elesa, and she was an Electric-type specialist as well, which was a refreshing thing to see. He had hardly seen that many Electric-type specialists now-a-days, so meeting her was lovely.. even if she did come off as a bit, er, eccentric for him. 

He guessed it had to do with being a model.

She was nice enough though. "Castelia, and Nacrene, huh? I can't say I visited them while in Unova." If anything, the other gym leaders went around the region as much as possible; trying to find new Pokemon to add to their teams, or possibly meet other gym leaders. He had no desire to meet them- if anything, he met them all at the Gym Leader Cup, or whatever the hell they had in Driftveil. He only really bothered to visit Nimbasa, and maybe one another city.

Oh yes, Undella. That was, more so because of Flint coaxing him into going, but..

Volkner smiled, watching as Ash explained the situation with Unova's now former champion. "Oh." Well, that was a shame- perhaps it was for the best though. Family was important, and it came above everything else.. still, to give up a title. 

"Oh, how right ya' are, dear!" Peony chuckled. "Family comes first-- ain't that right, Volkner, dear?" She reached over the table, and gave a light pinch at Volkner's cheek. He frowned, and twitched at the contact; not in pain, so much as embarrassment that this was all in public. "Mother.." He hissed out, looking back from Ash, and his brazen mother. She pulled away when she saw how annoyed he was getting, but waved his anger off. "Anyway.." Volkner cleared his throat, and fixed his position in his chair. "We can talk about the gym stuff, er, later." His eyes went to see his mother, watching as she just quietly listened to them speak. "We can save that for after lunch." 

The gym leader chuckled as Ash commented about how his team was intimidating. Well, most would say that his team was intimidating, but only if they weren't prepared for the challenge. His team was, quite frankly, a bunch of relaxed Pokemon with a spark of their own; on the battlefield though, they were completely different. They were ready to do whatever it took to prove their challenger that they had to truly fight for the badge they were battling for. "I suppose you're right though-- not about my team being intimidating though, heh'. You're right about the part of helping someone out.. Ah'.." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I think looking at how your team is now would be nice. I'd like to see how much they've changed since I last saw them." 

What would he exactly bring to the table? 

Ash was.. a different one, yes, but his team was usually the typically seen Pokemon in a region. Never too outrageous, or rare, but they did have a certain character to them. Perhaps it was from having Ash as a trainer that did that to them. "Anyway er, maybe we should continue this after we eat-- right?" 

[thekristalstar]

[shiningandshocking-blog]

★★ Strings | Ivory & Volkner

[ivory-x-deactivated20200606]

Ivory was certainly out of it, blinking somewhat dumbly at the blond in front of her even though she had been watching the foreign Jolteon since she approached her. The pokemon sure seemed happy,  but her eyes finally noticed the hand that the young man had extended towards her, and his remark about wiping out.  

 Flustered, Ivory blushed. ”O-oh man, you saw that?!” She stammered, and then mumbled her next few words more to herself than to him. “…How embarrassing!” Her eyes flickered from the wet sand back up to his face, and she nodded a few times. “Um, yeah! Don’t worry, I’m fine. I mean, a little shaken up, but I’m still in one piece!” The teen assured him, her hands balling up into fists in front of her chest. 

A sincere smile lit up her face and Ivory introduced herself as well. “Ah, I’m Ivory. It’s nice to meet you.  I’m actually from Aspertia though, I just come out here every once and a while for the beach.” She explained, tilting her head as she picked apart Volkner’s words in her mind. “So I take it you’re not from around here either, huh? Though your name sounds kinda familiar…” Her eyebrows knitted together as she tried to figure out why that was so, but she was blanking out. Next Ivory flailed her arms about, shaking her head. “Oh- no, no, no! I’m fine, really, really!” 

Ivory finally took his hand and accepted his help to try and get herself back on her feet. Waves lapped at the remains of her surf board and she laughed. Her laughter was light and untroubled, despite the circumstances. “To tell you the truth Volkner, it wasn’t really my board to begin with. I just rented it since I left my own back at home before I started traveling with my pokemon.” She looked out over to her left, searching for her adventurous Tepig among the rocks. Once she found him, she grinned a little and pointed over at him. “It’s that one over there, that little Tepig.” She explained. “He’s supposed to be keeping a watchful eye on my stuff, but it seems like the tide pools are more interesting to him. Oh well.” Ivory laughed again,  feeling more steady on her own two feet by each passing moment. “Y’know I don’t think I’ve seen your pokemon around here too often, is it from a different region?” She asked curiously, blinking down at the Jolteon with wonder.

[shiningandshocking-blog]

"Yeah, I.. saw that, alright." Volkner raised a brow, face mixed with curiosity, and amusement. How funny. She seemed more concerned about how she appeared, than the actual state she was in now. "You sure?" He asked again, eyes wandering back over her to make sure she was okay. No physical injuries, at least from what he saw. That was good enough for him. If she said she was fine, well, what else could he do? "I can imagine." Wiping out that badly, then washing up on shore was sure to make you shaken up.. but at least she seemed alright, despite it all. 

"Ivory huh? Well, it's nice to meet you." He sighed, shaking his head. "Yeah I'm.. not from around here. I'm actually only visiting. I'm here with my best friend, and a few other colleagues of mine. She owns a villa back over there." The blond nudged in the direction of the grand villas that were right near the beach. Of course Cynthia, and Caitlin would have something as marvelous as that.. But it came in handy when wanting to vacation, he supposed. Asperita though? He never really heard of it.. maybe through passing since Unova went through that weird freeze in some parts of the region. Oh well. 

As he helped her up, his eyes went back to her debacle of a board. "Oh, really? Well, no wonder it looked.." What would the right word be? Ah', it was on the tip of his tongue.. "Flimsy." Sure. Easiest word to describe something that wasn't up to par. Perhaps she had a better board at him.. He at least hoped so. 

His eyes followed to the direction she pointed in- watching as the little Tepig had his own sort of fun. "Figures." Volkner let out a light laugh, and looked back to Ivory. "I take it he's your starter Pokemon then?" Most seemed to be rather rambunctious, and joyful; careful, and not really concerned with the impending dangers that would lie ahead for them on the journey. He couldn't remember the amount of times he had seen happy, and young trainers just run about in the city.. not even sure as to what would soon happen to them once they took the league challenge. He shook his head though, and looked toward Ivory. "Oh." As if on cue, Jolteon nuzzled against his leg. Smiling at the brunette, Volkner leaned down and patted Jolteon on the head. 

"I'm not surprised, to be honest. She's a Jolteon. She's originally from the Kanto region, but I was lucky enough to get her as an Eevee. She's really nice." The blond Pokemon leaned in and sniffed at Ivory's legs, before she nuzzled against them. 

"Also er, don't worry about her spikes. They won't hurt unless she feels she's in danger, or if you brush them the wrong way. They're prickly, but they won't hurt." 

[galactictalent-deactivated20130]

The Most Dangerous Kind of Person is a Bored One... (Jupiter And Volkner)

[galactictalent-deactivated20130]

“Thank you.” The commander replied, being polite just for the formality of it. The male’s voice sounded somewhat familiar, although she wasn’t completely paying attention to his face when she accepted the offer.

But then when she took the lighter from the male, she happened to look up, freezing as she realized that she did know this man. Well, not directly, but she was familiar with the fact that he was a gym leader. Luckily, she wasn’t wearing the standard uniform with the golden G emblazoned on it. Hopefully, he wouldn’t be able to recognize her. Although, he did seem somewhat passive, so maybe even if he did know who she was, he wouldn’t care enough to do anything about it. Then again, most league members she ran into didn’t seem to say much about it either, as if they didn’t acknowledge Team Galactic’s existence anymore or were too scared to say anything to her. She unfroze then took the lighter, lighting her own cigarette, then handing it back to the gym leader.

“I’m from nearby…” No matter what it was, it was always the same pattern. One of them formally says hi, she somehow gets asked where she was from, and in response she gives a vague response to keep people from catching onto her. It was getting boring - she preferred not being so polite, but it was probably better off this way. At least until Master Cyrus returned. Whenever that would be. She pulled the cigarette to her mouth and inhaled.

[shiningandshocking-blog]

"Yeah, it's no problem." He commented, letting his hand withdraw back to his side as she took the lighter. Volkner was honestly surprised to even see someone out here on the beach.. It seemed a bit dead as of late, so that's why he enjoyed going there even more. Lo' and behold though, there was a person he had yet to meet that was relaxing. He supposed it was because she wanted to get out, and enjoy herself; like smoking at the beach by yourself was fun, but, who was he to judge? That was a form of relaxation to him, so maybe she was doing the same. The gym leader watched as she lit her own cigarette up, before handing it back to him. 

From nearby, huh? 

Wonder what that meant. "Interesting." He muttered, shifting his cigarette to the other side of his mouth. Shrugging, Volkner took a seat next to her on the sand- watching as the ocean water rose, and receded down. "So I'm guessing you're just visiting Sunyshore for vacation or something, right?" That was what people usually did; come to the city, stay for a week or a little longer, then go back to their normal lives. 

He had no qualms with that, as the city did seem to be in a projectile summer year round. "Unless you're here to challenge the gym leader?" A brow rose as he asked that, staring at her to see if she had the eyes of a trainer. He could usually tell if one was willing to take the challenge of facing him in battle.. but typically they would lose. Most would underestimate him for his appearance; he was blond, a guy, and just had a bunch of electronics.. but he was the last gym leader in Sinnoh for a reason. 

The blond blew some smoke out, sighing as he looked back to the water. He scratched at the back of his head, frowning as the water splashed against the rocks that surrounded the beach. "You have an interesting hair style, by the way." Way to sound interested. "I've never seen a woman with that big of hair before.. not like it's a problem, but it's just.." Blue eyes focused on the height of her hair. "Kind of reminds me of Fantina; she's another gym leader here in Sinnoh. Maybe you know her, maybe you don't. Depends on how much you read into the gym leaders."

[amorouscutepie-deactivated20121]

''Good afternoon''

[amorouscutepie-deactivated20121]

A delightful grin washed over his face, gracing his manly features and unwillingly causing Karen to grin herself. The man’s good attitude was contagious: his mere presence cheered the young woman up. It was impossible for her to know what exactly Volkner was thinking about, although when his eyes scanned her form she could make a pretty good guess. Being a woman she instantly became a bit shy and uncomfortable, although she had done the same with him only a few seconds ago. Maybe it was because women wanted a man’s approval? Maybe it was because she respected this man dearly? Honestly, Karen didn’t know. Clearing her throat, Karen’s blue eyes wandered off towards the offered hand before she gladly accepted it, her harmonious laughter filling up the silence around them. She shook his hand firmly, wanting to make an impression and stating the fact that she wasn’t as fragile as she looked, before releasing him, a grin spreading across her lips.

‘’I’ve been to the Sinnoh region multiple times, for either training or other elite four related business. Sunyshore City was always a great place to visit, the sun really does shine there and everyone seems so happy.’’

[shiningandshocking-blog]

At the firmness of her handshake, Volkner smiled. It was nice to at least see that someone wasn't afraid to show a bit of their strength- especially someone as delicate looking as Karen. Then again- never judge a book by its cover, even if it is adorned in bright pastel colors. "Have you now? Well, that's good to hear." Volkner chuckled, finding her laughter contagious. Normally he was a bit more aloof in introductions, but seeing as how she was such a high ranking member from another region, well.. he couldn't help, but want to at least stand up to the introduction she was giving him. "Well, it's a happy place, that's for sure.. Can't imagine a day where it wasn't happy." 

Well, maybe he could, but where was the point in telling her that?

Sunyshore was a happy, and sunshine type of place; it had its problems, yes, but it was still a very tourist friendly area to visit. It had the beach, the lighthouse, the wonderful housing, and cuisine.. It was like a little beach resort, if you will. Only it.. also had the Sunyshore gym. "You wouldn't happen to have any Pokemon from the region now, would you? It seems like a lot of trainers, and gym leaders from Kanto, Johto, Hoenn.. even Unova are starting to recruit Pokemon from our region to join their team." He was just joking of course, but it did seem like a lot of leaders were beginning to mix their teams up.

"I have to ask though," Volkner started, "how are things in the Kanto, and Johto region? I can't say I really visited there before, but it seems nice. Is the league as tough as any other?" He grinned, and tilted his head at her.

[passionlessmasterofkanto-archiv]

Diner a Dozen (Open RP!)

[passionlessmasterofkanto-archiv]

“Not a lot of people do, Peony. While the Diner is one of Pallet Town’s, and Kanto’s best diner, it can be over looked at time due to Professor Oak living here,” Ash replied wearing a tiny smile on his face struggling to prevent the blush that began forming on his cheeks nearly instantly. Bowing his head down as his body filled with pride and joy. “I really hope so too, there’s still so much that I need and want to learn before I take over.” That was true. It wasn’t that Ash wasn’t completely confident in his skills, but even he realized that there was a lack of experience and understanding that was required for the job plus, his mother wanted him to continue his journey. He was grateful for her letting him being able to travel and see the world, while she remained at the diner by herself. “I’m glad that the two of you like it,” Ash said with a large grin on his face, feeling relieved.”And you’re very welcome, Peony!” As he lead them to their seats. “Not many people know about my family business, I don’t advertise. I think it’s better for them to come on their own free will and hear about it themselves,” He shrugged dismissively. “Do the two you have any type of allergies at all?” His gave a chuckle at the blonde man. “Don’t worry about it, you’re one of my friends Volkner.” His smile was sincere and true. “And don’t worry, we don’t do any singing at all.” The smile on his face slipped and shifted uncomfortably, folding his arms against his chest. “I’ve….been alright. I came back from Unova to prepare for the League,” His smile strained a bit, forcefully. The year had been difficult and long, not because of the journey and obstacles but rather the racism he had encountered while being in the region. At first had it been nothing, mostly coming from Trip, however, the longer Ash travelled through the region the insults had become worse and more to do with where he came from rather than as a person. It hadn’t helped that Iris had also been selected as the new Champion of Unova. Despite the fact that she lazed around all day, and hardly even trained becoming arrogant at her newly required Pokemon, that hardly listened to her. It had frustrated him to no end. But, he didn’t want to voice his complaints to anyone.

“W-what about you?” Ash asked. “What have you been up to?” His eyes softened, as he had noted the blonde’s rather silent tone.

[shiningandshocking-blog]

Well, it made sense that Ash's family diner wasn't the first thing that was spoken about when visiting Pallet.. As, probably mean as that was, it was hard to rival the famous Professor Oak's lab. Almost everyone in all the regions knew who he was, and knew how important his research, and dedication was to the Pokemon world; so the fact that he was located in such a tiny town, meant that it was the literal landmark for it. But at least they were still getting booming business, right? That's all that mattered; that they were being recognized, and still getting customers daily.. 

.. But that was probably because of how well made the food was. He had yet to have any, but he had high expectations. Maybe it was because of his mother's hounding words about how 'great this place would be,' or because of his own hunger now, he just.. wanted good quality cuisine. He had a feeling they would be more than happy to provide that though. "Ah'." He merely replied, nodding to Ash's words. "No, I don't have any, and neither does my mother." Peony nodded, smiling at Volkner's words. "Don't cha' worry, dear. We're all good to go! Just give us whatever the chef wants to make~!" 

Unova, huh? "I've been there before." He quietly stated, blue eyes focusing on Ash. "Well, sounds like fun. I've heard nothing but good things about Unova." He cleared his throat. At least the other was doing good. He seemed like it, anyway. Unova was a nice region, and though it wasn't his cup of tea, he still enjoyed the visits he paid there. 

"They have a new champion, right? I heard Alder, or Adler- whatever his name was stepped down, right?" Volkner's brows furrowed. He had only heard through the grapevine though. It was an odd thing to hear though; the League wasn't used to having Champions step down for no reason, much less replace them that quickly. It was just.. odd to him. Perhaps it was because he was so used to Cynthia as the Champion of Sinnoh; she had no intentions of stepping down any time soon, and he acknowledged that.. But who knows. Maybe Alder was a different person.

Maybe the title became too much for him. 

"I've been doing alright. I've just been working on fixing up my gym, and adding new things to it." For the first time in the conversation, Volkner flashed a somewhat large smile. If anything could brighten his mood, it was the thought of his products. It was nice to see Ash again, but he wasn't sure how he would take hearing a whole spiel about what he was working on next. "I actually started building thi--" "Oh Volkner honey, I'm sure your friend doesn't want to hear about you going into all these equations, and mechanicals talk!" Peony interjected, snickering as she saw the scowl on Volkner's face. He knew she was joking, because he could see that glint of interest in her own eyes, but.. "Very funny, mother." 

It almost seemed like she'd always give him a hard time, even if she was interested in hearing him speak as well. 

"I've been training my Pokemon team, and keeping up with them. I've added new members since you've last battled me. Mind you, I don't use my complete team in gym battles because I don't want to leave the competitors screaming, but.." He chuckled, "I still give them a hard time. It's a lot easier to battle now, than it was in the past. You really helped me get past that rut, Ash." 

[shiningandshocking-blog]

[ Ignore ]

Volkner ignores a lot of his problems.

Maybe it's because he wants to not worry about them, but he just.. does it. He doesn't really address them unless they're really bothering him, but he just likes to ignore them. He actually likes to ignore a lot of things.. like working, interacting.. but when he does find someone of interest, or something that catches his attention, he's sparked. 

[shiningandshocking-blog]

Hatred

Hatred's a bit of a strong word.

Volkner's never truly hated anything. He's disliked things, got frustrated with things, but he's never outright hated something. Perhaps it was because he was raised by a therapist, but he finds that hatred is .. too extreme, and almost too petty. He has had his days though, where he's dramatically stated he 'hated' something, but that was fueled by anger when he was a kid.

To him, hatred still implies you care.

If he truly doesn't like something, he won't 'hate' it, he'll just be detached from it.

Apathetic. 

[shiningandshocking-blog]

Initiative

Volkner isn't really much of a leader.

Honestly, he hardly makes any drastic, or leader-like decisions.. if anything, he just tries to get by with little thought in his decisions. The blond though, has acted on his own accord, and has made hard decisions..

But those are hardly worth mentioning. 

Sometimes he wonders how he even got the position of 'Gym leader,' when he doesn't even try to take that much of an initiative.

[shiningandshocking-blog]

Protect

Volkner is.. very protective about his inner feelings. He likes to protect them, and is very selective in who he shares these things with. Call him insecure, or perhaps paranoid, but he.. just doesn't enjoy talking to others about he even feels. It took a long time to even open up to Flint about his inner feelings, and what he really felt like. He's very protective of that, but he's more so protective over the few friends, and loved ones he has. 

He would do anything to protect Flint, his parents, and his Pokemon; should anything happen to any of them.. well, hell would be the price to pay for it. 

The gym leader also likes to protect the things he's created, you know, seeing as how they were made by him, and took many hours to make. Those, however, he isn't as strongly protective of; if anything, he would rather have something like his computer be broken, than a loved one harmed. He could easily repair a broken item, or just re-make it..

.. A person, or a Pokemon, however, is something you can't

[pxgtails]

[shiningandshocking-blog]

★★ Strings | Ivory & Volkner

[ivory-x-deactivated20200606]

The sun was high up in the sky and beaming down rays of warmth and light against the sand and sea. It made the water around her sparkle, and the sounds of the waves hitting the sand was constant and familiar. Ivory sure had missed being just near the beach during her travels. In fact, she hadn’t been back to Undella since before she challenged Cheren! That was a whole three badges ago. After earning her most recent badge from Burgh, the girl thought that it was time to make another trip back to the beach, since it felt so overdue. 

Sure, she was near the ocean when she took the ferry to Castelia, but it wasn’t the same at all. All there was there was ports, ports, and more ports for ships, and the water there was probably as freezing as it looked, even during this time of year. 

Luckily, Undella was different. The water that lapped against her thighs and around her as she floated along the coast while sitting on her rented surf board was warm enough and cool enough to still be refreshing. The beach itself seemed relatively empty today, so when a pair of dots in the distance appeared moving across the sand, she blinked with interest. The red head walked away in the end though, leaving his(?) companion behind, which she could make out as a blonde from this distance. Ivory even tilted her head when she noticed a pokemon she couldn’t quite make out appear beside the one who was left behind. 

Ivory’s blue hues moved along the beach towards the reefs, where she had left her belongings, and could see Tepig venturing around the tide pools. “Okay, he’s fine. Time to catch another wave!” The girl murmured to herself, turning her board to face away from the beach. She floated around for another few minutes, and then she began peddling towards the wave that was rolling in towards her. 

Surely enough Ivory rose smoothly along with it, gliding over the water in curvy sweeps, shifting her weight as she did so. This board wasn’t hers own, and it was much lighter than what she was used to— meaning it picked up a whole lot more speed than she had real time to get used to as well. She tried to ignore it as she zoomed right under the wave and into the hollow part, crouching down low to keep her balance and… wobbled, loosing her control of the surfboard against the wave. 

Ivory went crashing down into the water, which was nothing new, she had wiped out in the past too. But the moment was so sudden that a flare of panic rose up and she almost forgot how to swim. Kicking out her legs, she propelled herself to the surface, fighting against the rip current that threatened to ensnare her in it as well as drag her further underwater and further out to sea. The very thing that Ebony and Hue were always warning her about and keeping a protective eye over her for.

With a loud gasp, she finally broke through the surface, ending up much closer to the shore than she was before. So she had managed to escape the rip current, that was good. While she came up to shore, Ivory’s legs shook from the adrenaline and maybe some left over shock over the small bit of panic she had felt when she fell. Her board washed up with her, dragging along from where it was connected to her ankle. Well, whatever was left of it anyway. It snapped in two apparently. 

“Oh man…” Ivory let out in a sigh as she slumped down onto the wet sand. “I should have known that board was too light for me to handle…” The girl mumbled, not trusting herself to walk at all, let alone stand again just yet. 

[shiningandshocking-blog]

"This is getting boring.." Volkner grumbled, yawning right after. Wasn't there going to be anything entertaining here? He went all the way from Sunyshore City, just to be stuck in a barren beach town. "I'm gonna kill Flint for this, remind me to do that, girl." He muttered to his Jolteon, who simply let out a happy cry. "That's right, you remind me to do that, girl." The gym leader chuckled, and ruffled at the Electric-type's head. He began to lean into the sand- basking in the glory of the sun. Maybe he'd get a tan here at least.. something that'll help to get his mind off of this already boring trip. 

Oh, wait. 

He couldn't tan that well.

Grunting, he sat back up, but raised a brow as his Jolteon began to stir around. "What's up, girl?" But before he could even receive some sort of vocal answer, she ran off down the shore line. "Hey, come on girl, where you running off to?" Volkner grunted as he started to get up, but paused as he heard her happily barking as opposed to yelping. Huh.. Well, if she was having fun, there was no point in stopping her. He rolled his eyes- at least one of them should have some fun, right? "Maybe .. I'll just sit here, yeah." The blond sighed, returning back to a sitting position. At least maybe the ocean would.. keep him company, and give him some entertainment. Maybe Jolteon found a friend to play with while here.. Good for her. Now if only he had someone, or something to at least keep him occupied.

What in the world.. 

He raised a brow as he heard a huge crash, and wondered if something was going out in the ocean. "Uh'.." Soon, he saw a teenaged girl come washing up on the shore with her broken up surf board. 

Well then.

Volkner stood up, and quickly rushed over to the beached teen. "Hey uh'.. you alright there?" He asked, holding a hand out for her. "You uh'.. wiped out pretty bad there. Are you hurt?" He quickly looked over her wet form, not really seeing any evident bruising, or bleeding. Volkner tried his best to slowly help her to at least a sitting position, and attempted to smile. "Uh'.. my name's Volkner- you from around here? I can take you to get help if you need any.. or if your.." Blue eyes looked down to see the split in half board, "surf board needs any repairing." He joked.

[shiningandshocking-blog]

Is there a Pokemon that you always want to have?

"A Quagsire, or a Gastrodon. They're actually.. kind of cute. Actually, really more so a Gastrodon. They seem pretty cool. A typing like that would be fun to train, and to have."

[shiningandshocking-blog]

Fuck Marry Kiss and why: Flint, Lucas and Ash.

"Oh. One of these? Ugh.. I guess I'll answer it. Here's my list:

Fuck: Lucas. Sorry kid, I can't see myself married to you, but might as well do that. You're a good kid, but.. yeah.

Marry: Flint. He's the only one I could ever see myself married to out of these three. He's my best friend.

Kiss: Ash. Quick, and painless, kid. 

Happy now?"

[shiningandshocking-blog]

ooc: I apologize for the lack of replies on Ariana, and Volkner; all on Thursday/Friday/Saturday/Sunday I was busy, and occupied with an anime convention. Thursday wasn't much, but it was more so prepping for it, and having a friend over for it; Sunday, and Monday I spent recovering from it, and working on other things. I'll be sure to get to his, and her replies tonight, or by tomorrow morning. Thank you for understanding.