[When Eleanor and Shoka arrive at the Canopy, ready for what Shoka playfully called a battle tutorial, their targets are immediately obvious: the skulk of Eevee and Vaporeon is relentless in their attack, on guard and focused on them in an instant.
Before hoisting her tail-stick up like a bludgeon, Shoka gives Eleanor one last piece of advice:]
Don't do anything stupid.
[Then she's off, lunging at the nearest Vaporeon and brutally knocking it aside with an effortless Wood Hammer. She's agile and blisteringly fast, battling like she's done it a million times—because she has, of course, with four years of fighting in the UG and one year of fighting as a Mimikyu under her proverbial belt.
Eleanor is relatively new to the Bay, so Shoka isn't expecting all that much from her, but Eleanor is new to her, too, and there's no way she'll be able to combat the entire skulk on her own. Maybe Eleanor has a few tricks up her sleeves, for all she knows.]
[ eleanor almost sounds too cocky in this assertation. after all, she hasn't been here long and due to all of the circumstances has barely had a chance truly hone this body's fighting ability. then again, she'd hardly had time with her old one either, and that had worked out perfectly fine. even if she still lacks the ability to teleport around - annoying.
still, she can take the closest eevee to her with a level of grace and poise fitting a ballerina. well, a sealion ballerina. regardless, that eevee is being smacked in the face with water gun. she's zipping around a fair bit, even without teleporting, whacking various eevees to stun them. she can't exactly take on the vaporeons effectively.
[It's a lot like how it was at the beach before: Shoka is ready for Eleanor to tread water or even start drowning, but she's a natural. When one of the Eevee tries to take a snap at Shoka, taking advantage of her broken disguise (now dripping wet and sagging thanks to taking a Vaporeon's Bubble Beam moments prior), Eleanor Water Gun's it away before it can reach her.]
Thanks...
[Then Eleanor is wheeling away again, twirling back into the fray like it's a dance. Shoka wonders: is that a Brionne thing, or just an Eleanor thing?
Either way, Shoka's happy for the assist. From then on, they're fighting in tandem, Shoka finishing off the Eevee that Eleanor stuns with quick Play Rough's and savage Slashes, and using Protect to shield her from the occasional stray move from the Vaporeon.
Eventually, inevitably, she starts to get worn down, dragging around her wet rag of a disguise, and her Protect only becomes less effective each time it's used. At some point, one of the Eevee darts past her defenses and lunges at Eleanor with its jaws wide open.]
On your left!
[Too late; the Eevee lets out a strange, wavering, piercingly loud shriek: Disarming Voice.]
[ would it surprise shoka all that much if the real answer were both? eleanor knows she's at a disadvantage with the vaporeon, and shoka is soaked, so if she can just--
her eyes go wide before she can really register shoka's callout, and by that point it's too late. she's immediately stunned by the flinching, before being sent comically flopping to the ground like a ragdoll. ]
[Shoka learned the hard way several months prior in a match against Conrad that Disarming Voice never misses. It apparently hits all nearby foes as well, because as she's rushing to Eleanor's aid, the Eevee's caterwauling sends a painful shudder through her, too.
With a catlike hiss, she descends on the Eevee, cutting its attack short by bringing her tail-stick down directly onto its head.]
Tone-deaf much?!
[Her strength is fading, but she has enough left to skitter over to Eleanor and try to help her up. The natural iciness of Shoka's spectral hands is only worsened by how waterlogged her disguise is, but hopefully an arctic creature like a Pokésea lion won't mind that much.]
Hey—you good? C'mon, we're getting out of here...
[Fortunately, they aren't the only team sent out to combat the Eevee and Vaporeon; it shouldn't be too hard to find an escape route with the skulk thinned out. As she's distracted searching for one, the same Eevee, dizzied but still conscious, staggers to its feet, chittering something under its breath about desecration and a moss rock before rushing at them once more.
It's valiant, but clearly weak; one last attack should do it.]
[ eleanor winces, mostly at her own tinnitus than shoka's soggy hand. the cold itself is hardly an issue, either, but that's being adjacent to artic species for you. the eevee begins to waddle to their feet out of the corner of her eye, muttering like they'd just lost an argument. seriously, what is with that rock?
she doesn't have time to think about it: they'd probably both end up in the clinic if it came over while shoka was distracted. through sheer desperation, eleanor blows a flamethrower at the eevee's face. don't question it, shoka. brionne can totally do that. ]
[Shoka has barely started moving when she feels the air grow suddenly, alarmingly hotter. On instinct, she braces for impact—only to realize a moment later that the source is none other than Eleanor. With the way she's keeping Eleanor propped up through the attack, it feels like she's wielding a literal flamethrower.]
Um—?
[There's no way Brionne can do that.
The scent of singed fur fills the air; the Eevee collapses in a comical puff of smoke, fainted. Once she's overcome her surprise, Shoka moves quickly, guiding (and half-carrying) Eleanor out of harm's way.
She comes to a stop a safe distance away from all the fighting to give them both a chance to rest. Her disguise still sags in exhaustion, leaking shadowy particles from its several tears, but she manages to find an (only slightly bruised) Oran berry inside her half-deflated false head.]
Okay... First of all, eat this. [She hands the berry off to Eleanor.] Second of all, what the hell was that?
[ great news, shoka. she shouldn't be able to do that! eleanor gives out a heaving, sputtering breath - her mouth is so dry, yuck. she shuffles around to at least make shoka's hold more comfortable to the both of them before she is promptly put back down.
she takes the berry and bites at it with minimal fuss. ]
Uh, hell yes it did! Still doesn't mean that it should have...
[It isn't visible thanks to her disguise rag, but judging by the subtle ripples of movement beneath the black cloth, Shoka seems to be nibbling on an Oran berry of her own.]
I mean, since when can a Brionne learn Flamethrower?
[Well, on second thought... maybe they can, for all she knows. Her knowledge of Pokémon may have expanded significantly over the past year, but there's still plenty she doesn't know about them. She doesn't even know her own full learnset.
[ eleanor's quite content to just nibble at her berry, even if she hurts really bad. well. her pride hurts. she's still not fully used to having gone from extremely powerful to an extremely squishy little seal. flamethrower is nice, though. ]
I used to be able to throw fire at people - perhaps it's just that. [ shrug. ] Are you all right? Your disguise isn't ruined, is it?
[There's a bit of laughter in her voice. At the question, she blinks.]
Huh? It's fine. Just have to wait for it to dry out, then I can patch it up... [Faintly embarrassed (both by the acknowledgement of her disguise's waterlogged state and the acknowledgement that it is a disguise at all), she quickly changes the subject.] Back to you. The hell do you mean, you could throw fire at people?
[She probably shouldn't be that surprised to hear that, considering the fact that she could also throw fire at people herself when she had the right pins for it back in the UG... But it's still hilariously out of pocket, especially coming from someone so sheltered-seeming like Eleanor.]
eleanor tilts her head to the side, pondering how to word this. ]
...everyone could back home. I suppose it's not normal, is it? [ not normal all around in either circumstance, even though the fire lobbing is the most mildly unusual thing about all of it. ] I would offer to dry it out but I worry I'd disintegrate it. Sorry.
No big. I'll wait it out. [Or find a towel somewhere, or see if her Will-O-Wisp might help speed things up... But right now she's most concerned with prying,] But c'mon, you can't just say that without giving me some deets! Are we talkin' fireballs here, or what?
Well... spontaneous combustion. And throwing. I guess. [ throwing fireballs just sounds cooler and more like magic. so cooler all around. ] Still. I could set pe-- things on fire.
[ eleanor supposes it would be weird to someone unfamiliar with rapture. but still. ]
What's that supposed to mean? [She snorts.] And what do you mean, why? You just told me you could set people on fire on cue! That's not something any regular ol' human can do where I'm from... Not without extra tools, that is.
[The cloth on either side of her sagging false head lifts slightly in the approximation of a shrug.]
Just curious, I guess. Not that it's really any of my business.
Thank you, that means a lot to hear. [ she's not the most experienced to begin with, barely having had time to figure out combat in her own body. having to do it all again in a much smaller one - one without legs, no less - has been a curve. eleanor shifts a little, back onto her flippers. ]
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Before hoisting her tail-stick up like a bludgeon, Shoka gives Eleanor one last piece of advice:]
Don't do anything stupid.
[Then she's off, lunging at the nearest Vaporeon and brutally knocking it aside with an effortless Wood Hammer. She's agile and blisteringly fast, battling like she's done it a million times—because she has, of course, with four years of fighting in the UG and one year of fighting as a Mimikyu under her proverbial belt.
Eleanor is relatively new to the Bay, so Shoka isn't expecting all that much from her, but Eleanor is new to her, too, and there's no way she'll be able to combat the entire skulk on her own. Maybe Eleanor has a few tricks up her sleeves, for all she knows.]
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[ eleanor almost sounds too cocky in this assertation. after all, she hasn't been here long and due to all of the circumstances has barely had a chance truly hone this body's fighting ability. then again, she'd hardly had time with her old one either, and that had worked out perfectly fine. even if she still lacks the ability to teleport around - annoying.
still, she can take the closest eevee to her with a level of grace and poise fitting a ballerina. well, a sealion ballerina. regardless, that eevee is being smacked in the face with water gun. she's zipping around a fair bit, even without teleporting, whacking various eevees to stun them. she can't exactly take on the vaporeons effectively.
and what's this about a stone...? ]
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Thanks...
[Then Eleanor is wheeling away again, twirling back into the fray like it's a dance. Shoka wonders: is that a Brionne thing, or just an Eleanor thing?
Either way, Shoka's happy for the assist. From then on, they're fighting in tandem, Shoka finishing off the Eevee that Eleanor stuns with quick Play Rough's and savage Slashes, and using Protect to shield her from the occasional stray move from the Vaporeon.
Eventually, inevitably, she starts to get worn down, dragging around her wet rag of a disguise, and her Protect only becomes less effective each time it's used. At some point, one of the Eevee darts past her defenses and lunges at Eleanor with its jaws wide open.]
On your left!
[Too late; the Eevee lets out a strange, wavering, piercingly loud shriek: Disarming Voice.]
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her eyes go wide before she can really register shoka's callout, and by that point it's too late. she's immediately stunned by the flinching, before being sent comically flopping to the ground like a ragdoll. ]
Ow... shit.
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With a catlike hiss, she descends on the Eevee, cutting its attack short by bringing her tail-stick down directly onto its head.]
Tone-deaf much?!
[Her strength is fading, but she has enough left to skitter over to Eleanor and try to help her up. The natural iciness of Shoka's spectral hands is only worsened by how waterlogged her disguise is, but hopefully an arctic creature like a Pokésea lion won't mind that much.]
Hey—you good? C'mon, we're getting out of here...
[Fortunately, they aren't the only team sent out to combat the Eevee and Vaporeon; it shouldn't be too hard to find an escape route with the skulk thinned out. As she's distracted searching for one, the same Eevee, dizzied but still conscious, staggers to its feet, chittering something under its breath about desecration and a moss rock before rushing at them once more.
It's valiant, but clearly weak; one last attack should do it.]
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she doesn't have time to think about it: they'd probably both end up in the clinic if it came over while shoka was distracted. through sheer desperation, eleanor blows a flamethrower at the eevee's face. don't question it, shoka. brionne can totally do that. ]
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Um—?
[There's no way Brionne can do that.
The scent of singed fur fills the air; the Eevee collapses in a comical puff of smoke, fainted. Once she's overcome her surprise, Shoka moves quickly, guiding (and half-carrying) Eleanor out of harm's way.
She comes to a stop a safe distance away from all the fighting to give them both a chance to rest. Her disguise still sags in exhaustion, leaking shadowy particles from its several tears, but she manages to find an (only slightly bruised) Oran berry inside her half-deflated false head.]
Okay... First of all, eat this. [She hands the berry off to Eleanor.] Second of all, what the hell was that?
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she takes the berry and bites at it with minimal fuss. ]
Fire. It worked, didn't it?
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[It isn't visible thanks to her disguise rag, but judging by the subtle ripples of movement beneath the black cloth, Shoka seems to be nibbling on an Oran berry of her own.]
I mean, since when can a Brionne learn Flamethrower?
[Well, on second thought... maybe they can, for all she knows. Her knowledge of Pokémon may have expanded significantly over the past year, but there's still plenty she doesn't know about them. She doesn't even know her own full learnset.
But still!]
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[ eleanor's quite content to just nibble at her berry, even if she hurts really bad. well. her pride hurts. she's still not fully used to having gone from extremely powerful to an extremely squishy little seal. flamethrower is nice, though. ]
I used to be able to throw fire at people - perhaps it's just that. [ shrug. ] Are you all right? Your disguise isn't ruined, is it?
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[There's a bit of laughter in her voice. At the question, she blinks.]
Huh? It's fine. Just have to wait for it to dry out, then I can patch it up... [Faintly embarrassed (both by the acknowledgement of her disguise's waterlogged state and the acknowledgement that it is a disguise at all), she quickly changes the subject.] Back to you. The hell do you mean, you could throw fire at people?
[She probably shouldn't be that surprised to hear that, considering the fact that she could also throw fire at people herself when she had the right pins for it back in the UG... But it's still hilariously out of pocket, especially coming from someone so sheltered-seeming like Eleanor.]
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eleanor tilts her head to the side, pondering how to word this. ]
...everyone could back home. I suppose it's not normal, is it? [ not normal all around in either circumstance, even though the fire lobbing is the most mildly unusual thing about all of it. ] I would offer to dry it out but I worry I'd disintegrate it. Sorry.
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[For a living human, that is.]
No big. I'll wait it out. [Or find a towel somewhere, or see if her Will-O-Wisp might help speed things up... But right now she's most concerned with prying,] But c'mon, you can't just say that without giving me some deets! Are we talkin' fireballs here, or what?
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[ eleanor supposes it would be weird to someone unfamiliar with rapture. but still. ]
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[With her Oran berry finished, she lifts her hands to start wringing out her ears.]
You said that's just normal where you're from. Were you human before, or...?
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As human as a mermaid can be, I suppose. [ she tilts her head to the side. ] Why?
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[The cloth on either side of her sagging false head lifts slightly in the approximation of a shrug.]
Just curious, I guess. Not that it's really any of my business.
You feeling better now, by the way?
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[ she chuckles dryly at that. ] I really should have seen that coming.
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[It may be a backhanded compliment, but coming from Shoka, it's genuine praise.]
I mean, we totally wrecked most of those 'Vees!
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We so wrecked those losers!