Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jun 27, 2020 23:34:04 GMT
Evening had fallen, and Arris had just returned to Summerhill. Currently, he was in the Pokemon Center - he had turned Belle over to the receptionist for healing, and in the meantime, was waiting on a chair in the lobby. His mind was stuck on the Pokemon battle he had lost to earlier that day, against the young trainer Rebecca. He had called for Belle to use tackle... but something was surely wrong with how the battle had gone. Arris had the sinking feeling it was something he'd done wrong as a trainer.
Glancing up and looking at the counter, he sighed and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He thumbed through his contact list before pulling up Professor Yew's contact. Hesitant, his thumb hovered over the message button, before shaking his head and opening up the chat.
Good evening, Professor. I hope this doesn't catch you at a bad time... but something happened with Belle today, during a battle. I was hoping maybe you would have some insight?
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jun 29, 2020 16:15:13 GMT
Professor Yew Arris' message caught the professor at home, relaxing with Absol by her side and Oddish humming happily away in a planter. Reading Arris' message made her frown, and not because she was answering what was technically a work message at home -- she didn't mind that. She'd been relaxing by going through Pokemon news from throughout the region, anyway. Rather, she frowned because she didn't have an immediate answer for Arris. I would love to help, she wrote. Can you elaborate a bit on what happened?She hoped she'd have an answer for him -- that was her job, after all. On her tablet, she pulled up Bounsweet's Pokedex entry and began browsing through it for clues as to what might have happened. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jul 1, 2020 5:06:49 GMT
The rookie trainer jolted when his phone went off. He... honestly hadn't expected such a fast reply. And at least Professor Yew didn't mind hearing him out. He thought about how he should word what happened, or at least... how to say it succinctly. His leg was jiggling with anxiety while he typed, and he constantly had an eye on the counter even if he knew it would be a bit. People weren't super skilled with how to use these machines like they used to, yet.
So... How to describe it. We happened upon our first Pokemon battle this afternoon, as mentioned, versus a trainer and her Torchic. Belle tried her best, but she couldn't land a hit on our opponent at all. And... it's that failure that's the problem. It's nothing Belle did wrong, of course! But the way she was missing was... weird? It wasn't like the attack missed, or was dodged in movement.
Arris sent this first text, and then thought about it further, brows furrowed in thought. A few moments later he thought of a better explanation. It was an extremely wide margin of missing. Like entirely overhead, or entirely to the left. Or she'd bounce at the opponent, and then totter way too far. At first I thought maybe because she's never fought - to my knowledge, at least - or that she'd never had to use offensive moves before. But it was weird enough that I thought maybe I was instructing her incorrectly? Hopefully that helps explain.
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jul 2, 2020 16:46:59 GMT
Professor Yew The professor tapped a finger against her lips, considering Arris' description. If Arris said that Belle hadn't just missed the Torchic -- if he thought something was genuinely wrong -- she believed him. What could have happened? What move did you ask Belle to use? the professor sent back. Perhaps she doesn't know that particular move, and grew confused.While waiting for a reply, the professor scrolled through Bounsweet's Pokedex entry on her tablet, looking for their move list ... And when she found it, she stopped dead, staring at the list. Oh. Oh no. How could she have missed this? This was her fault, not Arris'. She picked up her phone. On further research ... it looks likely that the only move Belle knows is Splash. And Splash, sadly, does nothing.how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jul 5, 2020 22:10:54 GMT
Oh, Arris felt bad. He'd been trying to tell her to use tackle, but what if it was supposed to be a move like pound instead after all and he'd misjudged wrong? The trainer looked up at the center as a whole again - it was still fairly empty, like a not-quite-ransacked ghost town. It made sense - centers were still brand new, but the buildings were repurposed or reclaimed, so things didn't quite match up with technology and design. He hoped Belle was alright. Since no-one was around, maybe her treatment would go faster.
He was in the middle of texting the professor that he'd told Belle to use tackle when he got her second message and felt his heart and stomach drop into his feet. Oh.... Oh Arceus. No no no... not only had he told Belle to use a move she didn't know, he'd put her in a battle she was entirely defenseless in? Against a pokemon she had a distinct disadvantage to!? What the hell kind of trainer was he to do that? He bit his lip a little too hard, and felt a faint coppery tang in his mouth as he finished his text back, leg bouncing violently against the arm that rested on it.
Oh No. So she was... I believe there has been a massive oversight on my behalf, for not knowing that. I'm glad she's being treated currently and as far as I've been told will be just fine... I suppose this begs the question: are there other growth problems I may have missed, so that I don't make a mistake like this again?
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jul 6, 2020 15:58:57 GMT
Professor Yew The professor rubbed a hand over her face. This wasn't Arris' fault, and she immediately sent back a message telling him so: No, this is an oversight on my part, not yours. I should have checked Bounsweet's data before sending you off with a Pokemon who could not battle effectively. I apologize, and I'll make sure to be more careful in the future.Now Professor Yew went over Bounsweet's Pokedex entry more thoroughly, looking for any potential problems. The good news is that she will learn offensive moves in time -- I believe the first one is Rapid Spin -- although it will take a while, so you'll need to put in a good bit of training. The other thing I believe it's important for you to know is that she will not reach her third-stage evolution unless she learns the move Stomp, which will occur naturally in her second-stage evolution. This means that if she seems interested in learning to Stomp, you should be careful not to skip it, unless you do not want her to evolve.With her message sent, the professor sat back and let herself feel culpable for Arris' difficulties for a long moment. She almost wanted to offer him a do-over -- to say that he could come back to the Lab and receive a more "useful" Pokemon. But that would be a bad idea: he and Belle had clearly already bonded, and she didn't want to set a precedent of devaluing Pokemon who weren't traditionally battle-ready, either. If Arris was the trainer she hoped he was, he would only be offended by the offer. how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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Arris Yule
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Trainer
Posts: 208
Gender: Male
Linked accounts: @artificiary, @farrah
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Post by Arris Yule on Jul 14, 2020 22:30:59 GMT
"Mr. Yule? Your Pokemon is ready for you! She's all good to go."
Arris sprung up from his seat, phone forgotten for a bit as he stepped up to retrieve Belle from the nurse, thanking her quietly. It was hard to keep his anxiety tamped down, but he managed with a small smile and gracious nod, before returning to his seat. He decided to keep Belle in her ball for now - it was getting late, and it would be rude to wake her back up immediately after being treated - he wasn't sure how that worked, actually. He blinked when he realized he'd forgotten his phone and immediately opened his texts again, wincing apologetically at the unanswered messages.
Sorry - they just finished and called me over. He started - he hoped it wasn't rude. From there he kept reading - oh no, he didn't want the professor to feel guilty... it certainly wasn't her fault! The only one who should really be faulted was him, for not noticing something was wrong in battle earlier... and even then... he hated to admit, but it was an accident. Carefully, he tried to word his messages to sound more... hm. Positive? He didn't want to push any more guilt or project his problems with himself on others.
No, no - it's not your fault either. Accidents happen - and they said she's just fine! So it's not bad, right? I'm glad that she will learn more, though - and that she'll be able to defend herself. He'd be sure to train with Belle thoroughly at least for a while each day... that way they could learn about one another more, and he could adapt to her style. If she's interested in Stomp, I'll be sure to assist teaching her the best I can! Though if she herself doesn't want to, I won't force it. ...Could pokemon be forced to evolve? Arris wasn't sure he even liked the thought.
I'll be sure to keep on top of these things - and to be more effective with questions! Belle might be okay, but I still feel bad. By learning more, and better, hopefully I'll be able to raise her right. That's the most we can hope for as trainers, I think, isn't it?
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Post by Professor Victoria Yew on Jul 17, 2020 18:35:26 GMT
Professor Yew Reading Arris' texts, the professor nodded thoughtfully. She appreciated Arris' care, his effort to keep her from blaming herself -- she wasn't actually too cut up over it. Unfortunately or not, Professor Yew had plenty of experience making mistakes, and she'd learned to shake them off fairly quickly, especially when -- as with this incident -- the consequences turned out to be light. If Belle had gotten seriously hurt, or if her oversight had put Arris in danger, the professor would have felt her own error more, but as it was, she simply made a mental note to do better next time. Yes, Belle still has plenty of potential; it'll just take her a bit longer to get battle-ready. I think you have a good attitude towards this. Especially when it came to evolution: the professor happened to know that Pokemon could be forced to evolve, and it was bad. Don't blame yourself -- we're all new to Pokemon training right now, and we all have a lot to learn. Including me! You're right: all we can do is figure it out as we go.The professor put her phone aside for a moment, then picked it back up, realizing she ought to sign off more effectively. I'm glad to hear that Belle's all right. Let me know if you need anything else, and have a good night!|FINISHED| how can we claim to understand something we've never experienced?
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