Forgotten Paths, Chapter Three, Part Three
Here's the third and last part of chapter three. Chapter Three: Sentiency is pretty long, and it's a tie-up to the end.
A few things here:
I really appreciate the 108 spirits message from Fluffy_Kururu. It did a lot to design the theme.
I really try a lot to flesh out the characters as best I can. I can't help but think of Saif as a relentless snarker, Catalina as an impatient practical girl, Mina as giddy-yet-serious-at-times, Mark as ye generic angry character. While I do like this, I'm trying not to stick to these by the letter. I just want to know how genuine and honest the characters feel. Take time criticizing.
Oh, and there's this:
Pokemon aren't as common in this world as one thinks. They're more or less uncommon to see. That's why trainers are quite rare. There are also real-life animals here also, and they have ecological relations with Pokemon as well.
Why am I overworking myself?
Last thing:
I don't think it's acceptable in any case for Pokemon (especially young/small Pokemon) to be able to use the moves Earthquake, Flamethrower, Surf, or any mid-high level moves.
Enjoy!
Saif returned to his room by five O’clock. It was almost three hours.
He slid his key card in, and swept in, just to face Mark.
“You idiot! Where were you?” He shouted, grabbing Saif by the collar.
“Cool down, Mark,” Saif said with a small grin.
“Leave him, Mark,” Mina said. She, Catalina and Ielas were in the room. Even Jun was hovering by the ceiling.
“Where were you, Saif?” Mina asked.
“Hanging out with the enemy!” Mark exclaimed.
“How did you guys get in my room?” Saif asked with an arched eyebrow, as Mark let go.
“Ielas let us in,” Mina said.
“I see,” he said, turning a leer at Ielas.
“Sorry, boss,” Ielas sat down.
“What are you all doing here?” Saif asked, with no mirth in his voice. His head was cocked sideways and his eyes kept the leer.
“You had me to wait an entire hour in that gym for nothing!” Mark shouted, poking Saif. “I missed a show, and I thought I was doing something good for once!”
“I owe you an apology then,” Saif said.
“Yeah! I guess you do!” Mark shouted. He crossed his hands and waited.
“Sorry. Now go.”
“…whatever.”
Mark made a face, and then swept by outside.
Saif turned to see Mark leave, and then turned to Ielas and the girls.
“What do I owe you?”
“Calm down, Saif,” Mina said.
“You owe us an explanation,” Catalina said from her wheelchair. “What did you do downstairs? I thought we were just keeping an eye-that was our plan.”
“Change of plans. I did it,” Saif said with a thumbs-up.
“Did what?” Mina asked.
“Who do you mean?” Catalina asked.
“Who are we talking about? Diane,” Saif said.
Mina and Catalina exchanged glances.
“You…did…it with…Diane?” Mina asked slowly.
“That sure is a change of plans,” Catalina said, before whistling.
Saif hit his forehead with his palm.
“No! I mean I did it. It refers to the plan!” Saif said. “I now know what she’s doing here and why she snuck into Lake Valor!”
“Oh,” Mina said.
“Figures. I didn’t think she was your type anyway,” Ielas said, crossing his arms.
“Shut up,” Saif said. “What do you know about girls?”
Ielas didn’t answer immediately, but then said, “I think I know!”
“Back to our subject, please,” Catalina said.
“Yeah, this can end in a disaster,” Mina said.
“Well, anyway. I met her in the lift,” Saif said.
“You mean elevator,” Mina said.
“But how’d you meet her there-sounds a bit random,” Catalina said. “Did she know you were coming?”
“Something on those lines,” He said.
“What do you mean?”
Saif smiled. “Secrets of the trade.”
“So, we met up in the elevator. I then took the time so she could warm up to me,” Saif said. “It’s always better to give a person more confidence in a confusing situation by letting them initiate conversation first.”
“’A confusing condition’?” Catalina asked.
“Yeah…” Saif’s eyes strayed. “So I spoke to her a bit about workouts-”
Catalina made a face.
“You know, not everyone is anorexic. People get fat if they don’t do something about it,” Saif said.
“You just have to remind me every two seconds, huh?” she asked with no smile on her face.
“Just don’t consider everyone who works out is a petty and superficial person,” Saif said. “Regardless, we then spoke about Pokémon.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Mina asked with a grin, as she sat on the edge of Ielas’s bed. Ielas sat cross-legged on the floor.
“I chose this chance to learn what kind of trainer she is,” Saif said. “She’s a duel-trainer.”
“What types?” Mina asked.
“Dark and Psychic,” Saif answered. “That’s a curious combination. There’s also a reason why she came here, because I didn’t want to ask her straight out why she swam deep into Lake Valor.”
“Oh?”
“She was supposed to go apply for the Dark Master post, since Catalina is banned from becoming a trainer again, but there is something curious; most of the people there are being fired with or without a reason. She said that even Lucian is being critically reviewed.”
“This is serious.”
“I know. She didn’t head to the League because she was hunting for something here. A Pokémon whose trails took her from the League to Lake Valor. A Pokémon that we’re both hunting.”
Mina didn’t say anything.
Catalina smiled and asked, “Spiritomb?”
“Yes,” Saif said. “Ielas, tell us how the hunt for Spiritomb went.”
“We didn’t find much,” he replied. “The spirit that fell off in our room disappeared. It’s down to 107 temptations.”
“Temptations?” I asked.
“108 is the number of temptations a person must defeat before reaching Nirvana,” Mina said.
“One soul for each temptation,” Saif said slowly. “One fell off when Spiritomb came to our room, and it was dispersed by psychic power.”
A few things here:
I really appreciate the 108 spirits message from Fluffy_Kururu. It did a lot to design the theme.
I really try a lot to flesh out the characters as best I can. I can't help but think of Saif as a relentless snarker, Catalina as an impatient practical girl, Mina as giddy-yet-serious-at-times, Mark as ye generic angry character. While I do like this, I'm trying not to stick to these by the letter. I just want to know how genuine and honest the characters feel. Take time criticizing.
Oh, and there's this:
Pokemon aren't as common in this world as one thinks. They're more or less uncommon to see. That's why trainers are quite rare. There are also real-life animals here also, and they have ecological relations with Pokemon as well.
Why am I overworking myself?
Last thing:
I don't think it's acceptable in any case for Pokemon (especially young/small Pokemon) to be able to use the moves Earthquake, Flamethrower, Surf, or any mid-high level moves.
Enjoy!
Saif returned to his room by five O’clock. It was almost three hours.
He slid his key card in, and swept in, just to face Mark.
“You idiot! Where were you?” He shouted, grabbing Saif by the collar.
“Cool down, Mark,” Saif said with a small grin.
“Leave him, Mark,” Mina said. She, Catalina and Ielas were in the room. Even Jun was hovering by the ceiling.
“Where were you, Saif?” Mina asked.
“Hanging out with the enemy!” Mark exclaimed.
“How did you guys get in my room?” Saif asked with an arched eyebrow, as Mark let go.
“Ielas let us in,” Mina said.
“I see,” he said, turning a leer at Ielas.
“Sorry, boss,” Ielas sat down.
“What are you all doing here?” Saif asked, with no mirth in his voice. His head was cocked sideways and his eyes kept the leer.
“You had me to wait an entire hour in that gym for nothing!” Mark shouted, poking Saif. “I missed a show, and I thought I was doing something good for once!”
“I owe you an apology then,” Saif said.
“Yeah! I guess you do!” Mark shouted. He crossed his hands and waited.
“Sorry. Now go.”
“…whatever.”
Mark made a face, and then swept by outside.
Saif turned to see Mark leave, and then turned to Ielas and the girls.
“What do I owe you?”
“Calm down, Saif,” Mina said.
“You owe us an explanation,” Catalina said from her wheelchair. “What did you do downstairs? I thought we were just keeping an eye-that was our plan.”
“Change of plans. I did it,” Saif said with a thumbs-up.
“Did what?” Mina asked.
“Who do you mean?” Catalina asked.
“Who are we talking about? Diane,” Saif said.
Mina and Catalina exchanged glances.
“You…did…it with…Diane?” Mina asked slowly.
“That sure is a change of plans,” Catalina said, before whistling.
Saif hit his forehead with his palm.
“No! I mean I did it. It refers to the plan!” Saif said. “I now know what she’s doing here and why she snuck into Lake Valor!”
“Oh,” Mina said.
“Figures. I didn’t think she was your type anyway,” Ielas said, crossing his arms.
“Shut up,” Saif said. “What do you know about girls?”
Ielas didn’t answer immediately, but then said, “I think I know!”
“Back to our subject, please,” Catalina said.
“Yeah, this can end in a disaster,” Mina said.
“Well, anyway. I met her in the lift,” Saif said.
“You mean elevator,” Mina said.
“But how’d you meet her there-sounds a bit random,” Catalina said. “Did she know you were coming?”
“Something on those lines,” He said.
“What do you mean?”
Saif smiled. “Secrets of the trade.”
“So, we met up in the elevator. I then took the time so she could warm up to me,” Saif said. “It’s always better to give a person more confidence in a confusing situation by letting them initiate conversation first.”
“’A confusing condition’?” Catalina asked.
“Yeah…” Saif’s eyes strayed. “So I spoke to her a bit about workouts-”
Catalina made a face.
“You know, not everyone is anorexic. People get fat if they don’t do something about it,” Saif said.
“You just have to remind me every two seconds, huh?” she asked with no smile on her face.
“Just don’t consider everyone who works out is a petty and superficial person,” Saif said. “Regardless, we then spoke about Pokémon.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Mina asked with a grin, as she sat on the edge of Ielas’s bed. Ielas sat cross-legged on the floor.
“I chose this chance to learn what kind of trainer she is,” Saif said. “She’s a duel-trainer.”
“What types?” Mina asked.
“Dark and Psychic,” Saif answered. “That’s a curious combination. There’s also a reason why she came here, because I didn’t want to ask her straight out why she swam deep into Lake Valor.”
“Oh?”
“She was supposed to go apply for the Dark Master post, since Catalina is banned from becoming a trainer again, but there is something curious; most of the people there are being fired with or without a reason. She said that even Lucian is being critically reviewed.”
“This is serious.”
“I know. She didn’t head to the League because she was hunting for something here. A Pokémon whose trails took her from the League to Lake Valor. A Pokémon that we’re both hunting.”
Mina didn’t say anything.
Catalina smiled and asked, “Spiritomb?”
“Yes,” Saif said. “Ielas, tell us how the hunt for Spiritomb went.”
“We didn’t find much,” he replied. “The spirit that fell off in our room disappeared. It’s down to 107 temptations.”
“Temptations?” I asked.
“108 is the number of temptations a person must defeat before reaching Nirvana,” Mina said.
“One soul for each temptation,” Saif said slowly. “One fell off when Spiritomb came to our room, and it was dispersed by psychic power.”