Anxiety Trials is a Pokemon Special sandbox RP. We are a friendly, no-fuss site where you don't have to worry about posting 24/7, but when you've got the muse. We are based loosely around the Pokemon Special/Adventures manga, though set in a slightly alternate universe. If you're looking for a fun place to explore what life with Pokemon would be like, hopefully we're the place for you!
★ Shoutbox ★
Come say hello
★ Recent ★
4th Feb 14
As those of you who have been with us for a while can see, we've done some updating on the site. To our new membes, welcome! We've reverted to our original name and are going to move forward with six month! See all our new, updated summaries in the "Need to Knows" section for a full run-down on what has happened!
★ Census ★
Our citizens
breeders
♂01
♀02
coordinators
♂00
♀00
dex holders
♂06
♀03
elites
♂02
♀00
gym leaders
♂01
♀02
knights
♂06
♀05
rangers
♂00
♀03
researchers
♂02
♀01
trainers
♂04
♀03
★ Weather ★
Feb, March, April
Snow is starting to melt in most regions, they are beginning to see Spring
ANXIETY TRIALS was created by Fate. The skin which includes the Board Mod, Mini Profile and Sidebar are created by Dorothia @ Adoxography. The tabbed sidebar was created by kimset of RPG D'. Plug ins were made by their respective PB Support member. All other information which includes but is not limited to, Character Plots, Character Applications and more belong to their rightful owner. Pokemon/Pokemon Special is the property of Nintendo.
The only thing he remembers from the day – so far short – was a flash of pain powerful enough to bring him to the ground, forcing him to curl up and clutch at his chest. Sitting around for the past two days has driven Hugh almost stir-crazy, so he got out of the house to help rebuild the damaged Aspertia however he can. He didn’t get far, though, only able to work for an hour before he over-exerted himself and pulled too greatly at the acid-burns on his torso. The pain had made him collapse to the ground, and his mind had rendered him unconscious for a few minutes to protect him until the pain subsided.
Hugh groans and finds himself laying on the ground, face-up under the roof of a picnic-pavilion-like structure a short distance away from the construction he had only just been helping at. He moves to sit up immediately, but too quickly. ”Agh!” His fingers curl into the bandages he knows are beneath his entirely-zipped jacket, and he shudders to force back the pain that flares out at him again. ”Go home, kid.” He looks up indignantly to the source of the voice, mouth open to complain when he’s silenced before he can even speak. ”You’re injured. Kids your age don’t just collapse and clutch at their chest so when we checked you out we saw. You’ll only hurt yourself if you stay.” Hugh bites back a ferocious retort, glancing briefly at his unzipped jacket and the revealed bandages underneath before turning his attention back to the man. He complains, ”But I want to help rebuild!” as though he can start making up for the time he’s missed in his city.
”No, go home. Can you stand?” The man lowered a hand towards him and Hugh pointedly turns away, rocking forward onto his knees before managing to shakily draw himself to his feet. ”Somebody can walk y –“ Hugh sticks his hand out, silencing the man immediately. He doesn’t need his wounded pride to be seen by many others. He draws the single pokeball on his person from his belt, calling forth his Samurott. ”Tallulah…” He says, extending his arm towards his pokemon. ”We need to go home.” She glances at him with worry in her red eyes before nodding slightly and ducking under her trainer’s arm as he leans against the curved, yellow shell on the back of her neck.
They walk slowly through Aspertia, his pokemon nearly dragging him some steps before Hugh gives a gentle tug on one of her whiskers to tell her to stop when he spots a familiar figure lying atop a pile of wood. He approaches quietly, as the young man lying on the planks of wood appears to be sleeping. Seriously? Man…never thought he’d be so…unsophisticated.
”Oi, Cheren.” he says, loud enough to be considered a bit more than simply talking. He reaches forward, giving a tug at his friend’s orange-red tie, ”Wake up. You’re on a freaking pile of wood.”
Never in his life could Cheren recall being so tired. Though the Aspertia cleanup was going well so far, there was still so very much to do, and, being the gym leader of the arguably small city, the young dex holder was determined to see it through to the end. Even if it meant ignoring sleep and running on caffeine alone. All of the volunteers had ordered the stubborn young adult to go rest, but he had adamantly refused, despite his exhaustion. Now, he was paying the price for his sleep deprivation.
Cheren was sorting through a pile of new plywood for some of the new buildings when he remembered thinking about how tired he was, counting the days where he hadn’t had sleep, how many cups of coffee he had had that day. Then, how very nice it would be just to sit down on that nice comfy pile of wood. Just for a moment. That was it. Surprisingly, the wood was quite comfortable…
What seemed like mere moments later, he slowly stirred at the sound of his name. “Just another moment…” he muttered in a sleepy daze. But when he felt a tug at his tie, he jolted awake and jerked out of the person’s grasp, blinking frantically. “Gah! I’m working! I’m working!” he sputtered, nearly falling off of his wooden perch. In a split second, he managed to pluck a pokeball off his belt and hold it up defensively, but lowered it just as fast when he recognized Hugh. “Hugh?!” he asked and blinked, still in a haze from his short-lived nap.
“How… what… I thought you were off in a different region somewhere…” he asked softly, still disoriented. He rubbed his eyes, trying to clear the sleep from them, though he knew that he wouldn’t be able to get rid of the ugly black circles that ringed them, another unpleasant side effect from lack of sleep. Regaining more composure with each passing second, he began to straighten his tie after Hugh had pulled it out of place.
“No matter. How have you been? Are you helping out with our little rebuilding effort here?” He gestured around him, not realizing that the volunteers had since moved on. “Oh, and hi there Tallulah,” he said as if just noticing the large water type’s presence. Stifling a yawn, Cheren pushed himself up off of the wood to a standing position. Or not. A sudden wave of dizziness forced him to sit down again with a huff. He stared unseeing at Hugh for a few moments, waiting for his vision to stop swimming. Two blinks later and he could see his spiky haired friend and his whiskered Pokemon once more. But he wasn’t about to try and stand up again. “Ugh, maybe I need to stay here a few more moments. Do you happen to have any coffee on you?”
[STYLE=padding: 20px; color: #303030; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: -20px;]#NOTES: ugh, this post is so bad, i'm sorry T_T #TAGS: kane as hugh #WORDS: 481
[STYLE=width: 375px; padding-top:4px; height:20px; font-family:georgia; font-size:20px; letter-spacing:1px; color:#ffffff; text-align:left; text-transform:uppercase; padding-left: 15px]to the new age ★[/style] [/style]
”Woah there…” Hugh murmurs, automatically unhooking his arm from around Tallulah’s neck when he sees his friend sway before falling back onto the wood he had only just been sitting on. ”Take it easy. Don’t go falling over because you stood up too fast.” he comments, partially because that would simply be bad in general, but also because in his current state, Hugh can’t catch his friend if he were, in fact, to fall over…at least not without falling over himself. He straightens and props his elbow on the side of the Samurott’s neck, leaning against it as he watches his friend slowly begin to wake up. ”I don’t have any coffee on me, no, sorry.” As he gazes carefully at the Gym Leader, he lowers his jaw slightly into the funnel collar of his jacket, the original purpose of the motion defeated since it remains unzipped from his earlier incident.
”I imagine your bed is more comfortable than a pile of wood.” he states, observing the dark rings beneath Cheren’s eyes. ”You should take to sleeping there rather than out here.” As though realizing his jacket is still open at the mention of volunteer work, he hastily zips it up, covering the bandages across his torso. ”I was helping out, yeah, but I was told to go home.” He simply shrugs and rolls his eyes, in an attempt to quickly cast the subject aside. ”That doesn’t matter, though…” he states, putting his free hand in his pocket, lowering the other to gently scratch at the rubbery, lightly furred skin of her neck. ”…it’s good to see you again. I’d barely even talked to my own parents while I was in Sinnoh. I haven’t seen much of anybody in years.”
He pauses a bit awkwardly before continuing, ”How has life as a Gym Leader been treating you?”
notes the thought just hit me that in their next thread Cheren should wear his glasses so Hugh can possimaybe break them when he punches him XD up to you though[/classy]
An expression of disappointment crossed Cheren’s face as he learned that Hugh had no coffee to offer him. Though he was mainly out of sleep’s sticky hold for now, caffeine normally helped him to maintain the high ground in that constant battle.
“I shouldn’t be sleeping at all, thank you very much. Until the last brick in Aspertia is put back into place, or the culprits for its destruction suffer my wrath, I won’t rest but the bare minimum to function,” he declared stoically. But when he looked away, he muttered in a quieter, yet more vindictive tone, “It’s my responsibility anyway, I’m gym leader here,” though he tried not to linger on the topic. It would do nobody any good to complain of his shortcomings to Hugh.
Cheren narrowed his eyes as he noticed Hugh’s bandages and his stiff way of moving around. Though it was a fleeting glimpse, by the time Hugh had zipped up his jacket again, Cheren had guessed that the young hero had somehow injured himself (though he was not certain to what extent or how). Despite his sleep deprived state, the gym leader had regained much of his perceptiveness since his short reprise. “You’re one to lecture me on taking care of myself,” the normal-type specialist said with a wry smile, but he didn’t push the matter or deign to explain his comment any further. But he make note of his spiky-haired friend’s condition to bring up later. For now, an exchange of small talk would suffice.
Though Cheren found Sinnoh to be a rather dull region, he kept his opinion to himself as Hugh explained where he had been the last few years. He was sorely reminded of his own wanderings after the first Plasma fall, and couldn’t help but feel a bit jealous of Hugh’s freedom. But he had the gym (or what was left of it now) and that was all that he had ever wanted. “My job is going well, if you don’t count the storm,” he explained with a pleasant smile. “Challenges have been discontinued for the moment, so my main concern is continuing the education of Aspertia’s youth through the trainer school. I teach a class when I’m not otherwise indisposed,” Cheren said, making a nod towards the in-progress construction of the city. “Your sister is one of my pupils there, but you probably already knew that. She’s very… eager to learn. She is talented, but unsatisfied I think,” he said, and, resting his elbow on his knee and his chin on his palm, he looked as though he were pondering something for a moment. “The next generation will be exceedingly useful if the city gets attacked again…”
[STYLE=padding: 20px; color: #303030; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: -20px;]#NOTES: //ramblerambleramble. Yes, Hugh should punch those glasses right off Cheren’s face yessss xD haha, smack some sense into him! #TAGS: kane as hugh #WORDS: too much
[STYLE=width: 375px; padding-top:4px; height:20px; font-family:georgia; font-size:20px; letter-spacing:1px; color:#ffffff; text-align:left; text-transform:uppercase; padding-left: 15px]to the new age ★[/style] [/style]
Hugh managed to resist the temptation to roll his eyes at the Gym Leader’s stubbornness, but manages to contain the expression to simply his thoughts. He understood the other’s sentiment, though, with the feeling that weight of undeniable responsibility had landed upon his shoulders. Tallulah raised her head slightly to eye Cheren carefully before turning to place her muzzle beneath Hugh’s hand. He managed to keep the sharpness of the response out of his voice when he spoke, though his point remained remarkably clear. ”You’re the Gym Leader, yeah, but what good are you to the city if you’re running yourself ragged and falling asleep when you set out to work?” It was a bit on the blunt side of things but it was more from concern than being carelessly rude. ”The city needs you at the top of your game, not only halfway there.”
He’d narrowed his eyes and glanced to the side at Cheren’s comment, likely one spurred by the over-perceptive Gym Leader’s observation of his current condition in Hugh’s lack of diligence to keep it covered up. He said nothing – and as suggested by his friends’ statement he wouldn’t have been able to get away with playing the fool, so all he’d been able to do was stand silently and hope Cheren continued speaking to continue the conversation rather than dwell on the topic.
Hugh breathes a sigh of relief when his friend pushed the conversation forward as though he were simply answering the question asked. He glances at the Gym where the other holds his position in the City, as though to re-confirm what he’d seen earlier – part of the Gym had been damaged beyond cover-up repair in the flooding caused by the storm, but it seemed well on its way to reconstruction. He turns back to Cheren at the mention of his sister, smiling slightly. At least Cheren sees promise in her as well. he thinks, I’m not the only one, then.
”She did mention that she takes classes with you, yes.” he states, ”But I should hope that because of her talent you’re trying to get as much from her as possible?” Too often has Hugh seen good talent go to waste, and he’s unwilling to watch his sister go down the same path. ”I think, though, we shouldn’t rush the rising generation.” he murmurs loud enough for Cheren to hear after a moment of silence, ”Our generation still has a bit of kick in it. We're not that old yet.” Hugh half-smirked at Cheren, ”We need to put up the good fight while we still can. I dunno about you but there’s still a fire in here.” He lands the side of his fist over his heart, blinking to cover up the wince from his forgetful action, ”And I don’t think it’s going to be burning out anytime soon.”
One would be hard-pressed to find someone as aloof or headstrong as Cheren, but Hugh’s accusation brought him down to (Poke)earth. The fall hurt. His friend’s perspective was very highly valued by Cheren, even if he would never admit it directly. He avoided Hugh’s eyes for a moment as he contemplated the validity of what he had said. What use was he if he was half-dead? His stolen nap was a testament to that. It was hard for Cheren to admit that he had made a poor judgment call.
Of the countless excuses that ran through Cheren’s head, none were good enough. He digressed. “You’re right,” he admitted, taking the blow to his pride. He said nothing more; else he might betray his wounded hubris. And Cheren just couldn’t do that, now could he? “You surprise me with your insight sometimes, Hugh.”
Unfortunately for Cheren, it was probably neither the first nor the last time that Hugh would be able to correct him.
His friend seemed enthusiastic to talk about Kalula, even if talk of his injury made him uncomfortable. The gym leader smiled. “She’s very talented, though sometimes I feel as though I’m a bit too rough on her. I have high expectations for her, maybe it’s a bit unfair for her. She is your sister after all.” Cheren made a move to fix now-absent glasses, though he realized too late that they were absent and instead attempted to make the motion look more sophisticated by brushing stray strands of his hair out of his face.
“Very passionate, my friend. As of late, however, I feel old and past my usefulness, full of regrets and dry responsibilities,” Cheren said, clearly missing any and all of Hugh’s light-heartedness. “But you are right. So very right. Again. I’m too young to feel old. But even if it isn’t as clear as yours, my fire burns bright still. Let’s not let the others take all the credit from the heroes,” for the first time since waking up, Cheren’s life energy seemed to return in full. His eyes gained back their sharp fire and his face seemed less ragged than before.
He still looked tired, but this didn’t stop him from attempting to stand again. This time, no wave of dizziness overtook him, but he felt awfully stiff after his ill-placed nap. One does not simply fall asleep on a pile of wood without consequences after all. Cheren sagged a bit in his normally-proud posture, inwardly wishing that he had raised a Pokemon like Tallulah that could be leaned against. But unless Cheren wanted to release his volatile Haxorus in an already pretty torn up place, he was going to have to support his own weight.
Finally, Cheren was able to look Hugh in the eye. The dark-haired boy shrugged. “If you can stand in your condition, surely I should be able to as well. I’m only sleep deprived after all. There are far worse conditions, as I’m sure you can imagine.”
[STYLE=padding: 20px; color: #303030; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: -20px;]#NOTES: cheren is a lot dumber than he likes to think he is cheren- *sadface* “now i can’t see anything…” hugh- “it’s not my fault you’re an idiot.” #TAGS: kane as hugh #WORDS: 499
[STYLE=width: 375px; padding-top:4px; height:20px; font-family:georgia; font-size:20px; letter-spacing:1px; color:#ffffff; text-align:left; text-transform:uppercase; padding-left: 15px]to the new age ★[/style] [/style]
Hugh can’t help but smirk at Cheren’s final acknowledgement of his words. I can’t believe that actually worked... he thinks, still unable to fully believe he’d actually spouted something like that. It wasn’t normal for him. Then again, what all was happening wasn’t normal, either. I guess I know what to say when the time calls for it...even if it’s something like smacking Cheren with a few words upside the back of the head. That’s something he can add to his list of useful skills. His smirk fades to a content smile when his friend brings up Kalula again. He bites his lip to prevent the bit of pride that sparked up in him – Kalula was turning into quite the successful teenager. He lowers his jaw into the funnel of his collar, hiding the smile on his face that he’s sure would otherwise embarrass him if Cheren took note of how much hearing about Kalula’s progress pleased him.
Also, it helped that Cheren acknowledged whatever talent Hugh himself apparently posessed as well. ”Even if you feel as though you’re rough on her, she can take it.” he informed his friend, ”As you just said, she is my sister.” Hugh raises his eyes from their downward angle to look up at Cheren when he speaks again, though keeping his jaw and mouth lowered beneath his funnel collar. His red eyes narrowed under the shadow of his bangs with his friends’ apparent pessimism for his usefulness at first, though the slight aggression in his gaze vanished when Cheren seems to take more of an up-beat. ”That’s more like it.” Hugh murmurs, more to himself than anything. ”If you took defeat that easily there’s no way in hell you’d be as good a Gym Leader as you are.”
Hugh moves forward when Cheren makes a move to stand, his hands forward and ready to catch him incase he falls; only lowering his hands when he made sure the relaxed posture wasn’t him staggering. Still, Hugh keeps his eyes on Cheren out of mild concern for his well-being. His eyes widen slightly at the sideways mention of his injury, before blinking to tear his gaze from Cheren, looking off to the side. He’s at a loss for words briefly before he turns his eyes back to the Gym Leader, narrowed edgily.
”It’s nothing.” he says, his voice close to a growl. He curls his fingers in the fabric of his jacket, still against his chest from his earlier gesture, ”It will heal up.” Getting the feeling he won’t be able to satisfy his inquisitive friend, he gives him just a bit more to work off of, in the hope it satisfies him. ”I was volunteering earlier.” He jerks his head in the direction of the construction going on, and is almost too humiliated and frustrated with the situation to continue, ”...but I didn’t last more than fifteen minutes.”
He chews on his lip slightly, finding himself at a loss of what to say in an attempt to avoid the subject smoothly.
It was a proven fact that Cheren was not the best at reading people. As if this wasn’t enough, when Hugh sunk down into his jacket like he often did Cheren felt as though he was flying blind. This forced him to have to listen very carefully to the fellow dex-holder’s words, often with a slightly squinty expression.
Having little difficulty telling exactly how much Kalula’s talent pleased the spiky-haired teen, Cheren grinned a bit, happy that his pupil was so well-supported by her brother. “Kalula can be rather difficult at times, but she has her heart in the right place. You should consider helping her to prepare for her next gym challenge. I think she would be quite flattered if you showed up to watch, I know how much she looks up to you,” Cheren took a pause, waiting for his words to sink in. “Whenever we get the challenges up and running again that is,” he finished, the date for the resumption of normal city activities was still up in the air which bothered Cheren to no end. He liked to have dates solidified as soon as possible, much to the chagrin of everyone in the reconstruction project. One can only take so much micromanaging after all.
Looking up at the slightly overcast sky, Cheren wondered if it was going to rain again. That would not be good. Not at all. The city had already had its fair share of rain for a while, thank you very much. He glanced down at Hugh again, pursing his lips in a thoughtful way, trying to work out the logistics of such a possibility. He took a couple of wobbly yet confident steps away from his wood pile and out onto the cobble stone streets of the area. “Where were you headed before you stopped for me?” he mused aloud. “Were you heading back to your place or just wandering? If it doesn’t bother you, I could use a walk. My legs ‘fell asleep’ so to speak and it would do me well to escort you to wherever you’re going,” the gym leader eyed his friend warily, not sure if Hugh was being brave standing around or if he was currently in pain. It was hard to tell sometimes with him.
Cheren being Cheren, he nearly missed Hugh’s slight signs of anger at the mention of his injury. “You know… you don’t just have to volunteer physically. I mean, I have most of my Pokemon out either delivering messages or working to rebuild with their physical strength, so you could do the same if you wanted. Or you could help me to organize the effort. That’s what takes most of my time, seeing as I’m not exactly the most physically inclined person around,” he admitted with a chuckle, but his offer was sincere enough. Arceus knew that he didn’t need Hugh making his injury even worse, especially in the event of another attack on the city. One person collapsing around the construction was quite enough already.
Now that Cheren was on the subject of Hugh’s condition, he was not about to let his friend wriggle out of the situation. And the gym leader was curious.“But dude… what happened? I mean, to knock you of all people out of commission… You didn’t get shot, right? Or fall off of a cliff? Or pick a fight with a Sinnoh gang or something?” Though he didn’t want to say it, Cheren could see Hugh doing the latter of the three the most. Even if it was an extreme example, based on how the teen had handled Team Plasma, it didn’t seem too far out of the range of possibility.
[STYLE=padding: 20px; color: #303030; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: -20px;]#NOTES: i don't even know what this post is, blargh. BUT FEEL THE GUILT HUGH. #TAGS: kane as hugh #WORDS: 615
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Hugh had nodded at Cheren’s recommendation to watch Kalula’s challenge of Cheren’s Gym. That was a good idea, wasn’t it? Hugh knew he would enjoy it, however, the thought of his presence making Kalula nervous amused him slightly as though it was one of the more entertaining things he had heard recently. The smile behind his funnel-collar had been hidden, and quickly dissolved with the quick change in attitude the teen experienced when focus gravitated more toward himself and the injury he sported.
He stares at Cheren unblinkingly over his collar when his friend presses the matter further. He’s not sure if he should be annoyed in this situation or relent and simply answer the Gym Leader’s questions. Rather than making a decision that instant, he gestures with his head to the right, down the street that will eventually lead the pair to the road which Hugh’s house sits on. ”C’mon Tallulah...” he murmurs, leaning against the Samurott for support though giving the appearance the pokemon is an oversized armrest that happens to move.
He keeps his steps slow, wating for Cheren to move beside him before he finally speaks again, attempting to lighten his own mood with the comment, ”Lucky me, getting the Gym Leader’s escort.” Truthfully, it does make him smirk. ”Just know that if you fall over I’m gonna drag you by the collar or have Tallulah carry you by the scruff.” He silently adds to himself, Make a comment about considering that option myself and I swear to Arceus I will trip you.
Hugh allows silence to lapse between them, finally sighing in defeat after he considers his options. He can either play the stubborn game while beating around the bush for however long with Cheren determinedly prodding at him with questions or make it easier on both of them and give in and put up with the questions for as long as his pride will allow.
”Please.” he says, trying to keep the note of desperation from his voice, ”Anything I can do to help out while I’m still like this will be more than enough. I’ll do it, just give me an assignment.” he looks to Cheren, red eyes burning with his determination to aid the rebuilding of Aspertia however he can.
He forces his jaw out from behind the funnel-collar to speak now, as much as his instincts shout at him to go back and “hide” behind his jacket while discussing a weakness of his person of any sort. ”I almost wish it was a Sinnoh gang.” he tells Cheren, a short, humorless laugh accompanying the words. ”But no...burns. You could say this is a fine example of why you should look before you leap.” He rolls his eyes slightly at himself, ”Truth be told I actually didn’t know about the disasters happening everywhere until a month ago. Call me ignorant but I had no contact with anybody save for the hikers that passed me in the mountains. One just happened to tell me about it so of course I took off running to get down the mountain.”
To this day he still doesn’t know why he didn’t just fly straight off the mountaintop with Zephyr.
”I didn’t look where I was going and I may have stepped on the tail of an Arbok and pissed it off.” He shudders with the memory, biting down on his lip to hide any fear that tried to show, ”It attacked me...knocked me against some rocks and pinned me down with its tail. I fought it off with one of my pokemon but not until after it sprayed its Acid on me. I managed to block it from my face with my arms – they mostly got splashes which is why they’re already healed. But...” he taps his sternum lightly, ”Pretty much all of it landed on my chest. You’re smart enough to know what acids do to a human’s skin after they eat through clothing, much less the acid from a pokemon.”
He silently grumps a finishing response, Told you. Happy?
Gray clouds covered the sky over Aspertia, neutrality in the color stating that they could go either way: rain on the ruined city or shield it from the sun for a while. Cheren’s mind wandered, as it often did, at the sight of the clouds. Hopefully, they would not mask the arrival of a new storm, legendary fueled or not. But if it was any indication, the day of the storm had been without a threat. A sunny afternoon had been consumed in mere minutes by the sudden onset of angry clouds, all memory of the brightness of day seeming like a hopeful dream. And, well, what was left of the city attested to what had happened next.
Memory of that day was stark in every damaged building that surrounded Hugh and Cheren, distracting the city’s gym leader with sleep deprivation-fueled thoughts of what could have been and what had to be done. It was enough to make a steady person’s head spin, and for Cheren it was enough to make him stumble on any unevenness of the pavement. Not that it deterred him though. Wobbly though his steps were, his legs allowed him to keep up with the trainer and his Samurott’s pace. It was a manageable pace too, and for that Cheren was thankful. He wouldn’t have been able to keep up otherwise.
“You should be flattered. I don’t spend time escorting just anyone,” Cheren said, half-jokingly, though he knew very well that Tallulah was much more the escort than he would ever be. But all jokes aside, he listened intently to Hugh as he explained the history of his condition. The gym leader could tell that it was hard for the younger trainer to relive the experience that had caused him so much pain and suffering. He half-wondered what he would have done in the same situation, but the situation could hardly have played out differently. Hone their skills as much as they wanted, no trainer would ever be able to match a Pokemon in adaptation to a physical confrontation.
“Ouch,” was all Cheren could say in response, though he half-pitied the Arbok at the thought of the wounded trainer having taken his anger out on it. There was no forgetting Hugh and his Pokemon’s skills. But of course, the dex holder knew that his friend had come out far worse. He gave Hugh a sideways glance, wondering if the injury was bothering him at the current moment or if just talking about it brought the pain to light. “Hm, Arbok venom contains a variety of toxins, though I’d think you’ve discovered that for yourself. The stuff is quite corrosive; I think Kanto doctors use diluted versions to burn away unwanted tattoos, Cheren mused out loud, looking up at the cloudy sky with a thoughtful expression. “At least it didn’t hit your face or other vital organs. I don’t think anyone would recognize you if you came back from Sinnoh looking like Two-Face from the Crobat-man comics.” Cheren looked at Hugh as if he was trying to imagine him with half of his face melted off. “You’d make a damn scary villain,” he commented in all honesty. “Though I think your hair would ruin the effect.” It was a poor attempt to cheer Hugh up, or at least get his mind off of such a depressing topic, but it was an attempt nonetheless. As soon as he said it though, Cheren took a nonchalant step to the side and out of Hugh’s reach. If he had learned anything about Hugh since he’d known him, it was that his hair was a sensitive topic.
[STYLE=padding: 20px; color: #303030; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: -20px;]#NOTES: muse works in mysterious ways sometimes. #TAGS: kane as hugh #WORDS: 606
[STYLE=width: 375px; padding-top:4px; height:20px; font-family:georgia; font-size:20px; letter-spacing:1px; color:#ffffff; text-align:left; text-transform:uppercase; padding-left: 15px]to the new age ★[/style] [/style]
Hugh snorts at the mention of his hair. ”Oi…” he growls, only half the ferocity that normally would have accented his voice present. He glances to Cheren, noting that the Gym Leader had moved a bit further away, ”…you’re lucky I feel like I might wind up on the ground again if I stop leaning on Tallulah.” There’s a weak laugh at the end of his statement, adding a bit of a light-hearted note to his diluted aggression. ”Otherwise I’d shove you into that bush.” Hugh nods slightly to the shrubbery on his friend’s side.
He rolls his eyes, deciding to let the comment about his hair slide. Cheren hasn’t seen him in years; after all, it was only to be expected. ”I think I would very much hate to end up looking like that guy.” he notes, ”I’m no next Mr. Unova but I think I’d prefer being a bit rough around the edges than having no edges at all.” He chuckles a bit, shrugging some. ”If you hear anything about doctors finding uses of diluted venom for like, I don’t know, dissolving scar tissue, that’d be pretty sweet as well.” The fingers that had tapped his sternum now curl into his jacket, clenching up the fabric within his fist. The injury is burning, now, as though he never took medication earlier. I guess passing out from the pain used all of the last dose up. the trainer thinks, his moth turning downwards slightly in an annoyed frown.
Shaking his head, he thinks of something else to say before his insightful friend uses the silence to try to figure out what his thoughts were set on at that moment. ”When we get to my place, you should have some tea. My mom recently got some that has a bunch of caffeine in it to keep she and dad going.” He pauses before adding, ”That’s non-negotiable. No passing out on the job like me.” He smirks slightly before turning the corner. The house is only a half-block away, now.
Cheren eyed the shrubs, then looked back to Hugh with a skeptical expression. “Hmph,” was all he said, though he knew full well that Hugh was more than capable of sending him flying if he ever felt like it. In a Pokemon battle, however, Cheren had convinced himself that they were more evenly matched. After all, a skinny nerd like the dex holder was, he had to have some sort of defense mechanism besides his wits or he’d be eaten alive by every buffed up gym monkey or evenly remotely aggressively-inclined person who walked the streets.
Fixing his tie absentmindedly, the trainer listened to his friend’s words, remaining grateful that Hugh didn’t seem to be in a particularly angry mood. Really, what had he been thinking, insulting Hugh like that? Black was the one who was able to get away with jokes, not serious old Cheren. “Don’t be so hard on your looks, I’ve overheard plenty of my students talking about how ‘dreamy Kalula’s brother is,’” the gym leader offered his friend a grin. “But I’ll keep up to date on the medical journals and if I hear anything, I’ll let you know. Pokemon medicine really has taken quite a leap in the past few years.”
Talk of tea spared Hugh Cheren’s rambling on the subject. If there was one thing the young adult enjoyed more than fascinating scientific discussion, it was tea. Especially when he was so sleep deprived. Even so, the dark haired trainer didn’t want to impose on the Treasach family. “Are you sure that’s okay?” he asked half-heartedly, imagining that Hugh’s parents wouldn’t much appreciate him dropping in on their house unexpectedly, let alone drinking their special caffeine-enhanced tea. But there was no arguing with Hugh once he had his mind set on something. “If you insist…” Cheren said, defeated. The offer of tea and caffeine was a hard one to resist indeed. “Thanks, I owe you. No more falling asleep on construction materials, I promise!” By this time, Cheren could see Hugh’s house and it was rapidly drawing nearer. When the two trainers and the Samurott reached the front stoop, Cheren stood politely to the side to allow his friend access to the door.
[STYLE=padding: 20px; color: #303030; text-align: center; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; margin-bottom: -20px;]#NOTES: this lateness is inexcusable, sorry! #TAGS: kane as hugh #WORDS: 369
[STYLE=width: 375px; padding-top:4px; height:20px; font-family:georgia; font-size:20px; letter-spacing:1px; color:#ffffff; text-align:left; text-transform:uppercase; padding-left: 15px]to the new age ★[/style] [/style]
Hugh had flushed at Cheren’s mention of his students. Oh Arcues. He’d sunk back into the funnel-collar of his jacket to hide the flush that spread over his face. He hadn’t been sure if he was to be flattered by the fact that apparently a number of his friends’ students admired him in some way, or if he should feel awkward because of their ages. Most of them are younger, right? Around Kalula’s age? he’d questioned himself, not wanting to dwell on the topic verbally and instead tossing around possible ages in his head. What was the deal with adolescent girls and men (or in his case, boys) that were older than them?
Hugh smiels, satisfied with Cheren’s answer as they draw up to his house. ”It will be fine, really.” he responds easily, finally forcing the heat that had risen to his cheeks away, ”My parents are actually out of town for a conference. Have been since I got back.” Tallulah stops just in front of the doorway, giving enough room between herself and the building for both trainers to stand comfortably before turning her head to gaze intently at her trainer, who almost to grimaces at the thought of letting go of his pokemon’s support to unlock his door before doing so, leaning forward slightly and unclenching his hand, flattening his palm against his chest.
Damn. He’s vaguely amused, if not irritated, by his state. I’m trembling from my fit earlier.
Tallulah lets out a low, concerned growl for her trainer, noting his hesitation. He digs for the key in his pocket, not looking back at his pokemon as he speaks to her. ”I’m fine, Tallulah.” He finds the small object quickly and unlocks the door, pushing it open and returning his starter to her pokeball. ”Come on in, Cheren...make yourself at home.” He steps through, glancing back at the Gym Leader and nodding, as though to reassure his friend that it’s fine for him to stay for a cup of tea before walking further into the room.
”Kalula!” he calls, pausing momentarily to listen for any response around the house, be it his sister’s voice or her footsteps. There’s nothing, except the raising of Kleoparda’s head from the couch, the Liepard yawning some before looking at each trainer in turn.
A thought hits Hugh after a moment, and he turns to look at his friend. ”It just occurred to me – you’ve never been here before, have you?” He makes a note not to get too side-tracked and get the tea in a moment after Cheren’s settled.
