Beginner RP: Zoro Haki (Chienguin)

Beginner RP — Zoro Haki — Non-Battle Post #1

A Ranger named Tella was pacing back and forth in front of the massive front doors of an old, abandoned power plant. The sprawling five-story building's old, filth-streaked concrete façade and sturdy tinted windows gave the impression of a looming beast, but the imposing aura of the place barely seemed to faze her as she waited with apparent impatience for her task— guiding a new visitor to the Park through some of the Power Plant's corridors— to begin.

Perhaps twenty years of age, the young Kanto native had almond-shaped, dull blue eyes, and stood with an easy grace that would tell a dancer that here was a dancer... Or a warrior that here was a dangerous foe in her own right, regardless of the Poké Balls at her waist. There were six Poké Balls: one full-sized and awaiting the return of her active Pokémon, while the other five were reduced to cherry-sized capsules and clasped securely into an understated but high-tech black belt that would eject them all at once in an emergency.

Tella's clothing was as understated and hyper-practical— almost combat-ready— as the belt that held her Pokémon partners. She wore a long-sleeved black jacket over a white shirt with what looked like a bulletproof vest in between. A pair of heavy-duty black polyester pants with perfectly fitted patches of Kevlar sewn onto them matched her black Tauros-leather boots, which were also strengthened with circular heavy-plastic reinforcements.

Watching Tella with significantly less equanimity was a female Machamp, sitting cross-legged; the anxious flexing of all four hands betrayed her nervousness as she looked up at the building.

"Champ?" she asked, looking at Tella, who paused long enough to nod briefly.

"Yes, we're supposed to stay in there for a while. If you prefer, I could bring Gallade out instead?"

The Machamp shook her head vigorously, standing up in a rush. "Champ! Champ Machamp!" Nervous as she was, she wanted Tella to know she could be counted on.

Tella's mouth quirked upward at the corner ever so slightly, a rare expression that only her friends— her Pokémon— could produce. "All right, suit yourself," she said, her tone very briefly wavering from its professional attitude to betray a little bit of amusement.

The distant shriek of engines alerted Tella to the approach of one of the spherical flying capsules that transported Pokémon Trainers from the Sky Platform to the various regions of the huge National Park. The capsules were fast, efficient, and safe; but they didn't allow Trainers to do the quintessential Trainer thing: travel the landscape on foot, capturing Pokémon. So they were used to deliver the Trainers to locations where Rangers would monitor them and make sure nothing altogether terrible happened (to the Park or to the Trainer.)

The capsule vehicle arrived about half a kilometre to the east of Tella's location, touching down with a jolting thud and an unusually loud cough from the normally quiet engines. It looked like this capsule was one of the ones they hadn't had enough supplies for, and had retrofitted with jet engines instead of the stock thrusters. The Ranger started jogging towards it, impatient to get started; and as she drew near, the door in the side of the vehicle began to open, allowing the Trainer inside to step out...


~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Zoro Haki
• Location: Abandoned Power Plant
• Remaining Encounters: 5
• Active Effects: None
• Pokemon Stats:

HP: 100%
Kumonga
Impish Joltik
Male / Compound Eyes

HP: 100%
Gojira
Hardy Pupitar
Male / Shed Skin

• Items:
  Park Ball x3
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!

 

The capsule finally landed with a loud thud. The door slowly opened allowing Zoro access to his destination. Zoro stepped out, stretched his legs, and looked around. Before him was a large filthy concrete building. Adorning the top of the building looked to be the crumbling remains of two smokestacks. It looked like no one had been inside for ages. The building's doors were still shut despite him requesting access weeks ago. He had filed the appropriate paperwork and he had gotten a response saying his request was accepted. So why were the doors still shut?

Zoro adjusted his sunglasses, reached for the two Pokeballs clipped to his belt, and pressed the button to release both balls. Out popped a tiny yellow spider and a gray-blue spiked cocoon. The spider leapt into the air and started skittering around the grounds. Zoro watched, but did not say anything. After a few seconds, the cocoon let out a belching sound "Pupa!"

The spider stopped, turned around and cried out, "Joltik!" It calmed itself and skittered back to Zoro's side. Zoro looked down at both creatures.

"Kumonga. Gojira. Today's the day. Show me your strength. Let me see if you are worthy." He pointed towards the building.

"And there is our testing grounds." Both Pokemon let out a cry of approval. Looking ahead towards the abandoned power plant, Zoro could see someone running towards him. He grunted and nodded his head towards the oncoming stranger. Both Kumonga and Gojira jumped into a defensive stance and readied themselves in case the stranger running at them proved to be a threat.

@Magikchicken

 

Beginner RP — Zoro Haki — Non-Battle Post #2

Tella skidded to a stop, her palms already held outwards and open in a gesture of peace, even as her Machamp sprinted up behind her and mirrored the other two Pokémon's ready-to-fight stance. "Easy, there," she told all three of the Pokémon. "Time enough for battles against wild Pokémon, once we're inside."

Once they'd settled down at least a little, Tella turned to Zoro and her demeanour changed abruptly— exceedingly abruptly— from placating to businesslike; the stark difference in attitude made her seem a little cold in contrast.

"Welcome to the National Park. I presume you are Zoro Haki, as you're here with the two Pokémon approved for this introductory tour of the abandoned power plant." Her eyes looked him up and down as she spoke, sizing him up: taking in his concealing clothing, gloves, beanie hat, and large sunglasses; but also the good condition of the belt that held his Poké Balls, and the way his two Pokémon still flanked him protectively.

"I trust you know the rules, so let's get started." She promptly turned away from Zoro and walked up to the huge, rusted metal doors that towered fifteen yards high above the two Trainers and three Pokémon. "Give me a hand with this, will you, Champ?"

The Machamp nodded briskly. "Champ!!" She took a position next to one of the doors, grabbed the handle— it fit in the Pokémon's four large hands perfectly, and would have dwarfed any mere human's— and began to strain backwards, muscles bulging as she pulled on the door. There was a metallic groan and the sound of rust grinding against rust, and the immense portal began to budge, though not nearly enough to get it free of the other door to which it was bound by rust and months (or perhaps years) of disuse.

Then, Tella, who had for some reason been spending this time performing a series of stretches and what looked like some kind of simplistic martial arts demonstration, strode up to the other door, wrapped both arms around it as if she were hugging it— her slender form looked ridiculous next to the massive handle— planted her feet, and began to pull.

Impossibly, the second solid metal door, which couldn't weigh less than three or four tonnes, began to move, too. With both doors being pulled on, the sound of rust grinding against rust drowned out every other noise for a few seconds; then, with a shuddering creak of hinges and a shower of rust flakes from the place where the doors met, they began to open ever so slightly.

Tella and her Pokémon, both sweating now and digging deep furrows into the dense earth with their feet, continued to pull until a solid four yards separated the two doors, leaving a comfortable entrance into the vast building. Tella wiped one sleeve across her forehead, and grinned over at her Pokémon; the Machamp grinned back, her mood apparently improved as much as Tella's by the simple pleasure of exertion.

"In we go," Tella called, not really looking at Zoro as she spoke— she could easily have been talking to her Pokémon more than to him, in fact— and then walking through the doorway.

Inside, dim emergency lights lit a long, wide corridor with black-and-white checkerboard tiling, a high ceiling, and doorways every so often. A quiet, omnipresent hum filled the air, the sound of electricity being generated somewhere deep in the centre of the plant.

At the moment when Zoro would enter the building, a single Zubat, flying low, would flee through the newly opened doorway, disturbed by all the noise and screeching its displeasure.

Possible Encounter: Zubat

(As part of next post: Ignore/Flee? Or initiate battle? Either will count as completing the encounter.)


~~Park Run Statistics~~

• Trainer Name: Zoro Haki
• Location: Abandoned Power Plant
• Remaining Encounters: 4
• Active Effects: None
• Pokemon Stats:

HP: 100%
Kumonga
Impish Joltik
Male / Compound Eyes

HP: 100%
Gojira
Hardy Pupitar
Male / Shed Skin

• Items:
  Park Ball x3
  Energy Powder x1
  Lava Cookie x1
  Poké Doll x1
  
• Total Captured Pokémon:
  None yet!