Time to Think (Mod/Open)

[Admiral Striker General]

It took Alaric a moment to realize just what had happened, due in part to the fact that prior to Shellos's release he'd gotten a bit off that shock as well, though he hadn't minded so much as just been, well, shocked. Pun intended. Looking up to see the suddenly-pathetic little creature in the mouth of his companion, however, his expression grew stern. "Honey!" he scolded. "Drop her."

Suddenly shy, Honey's mouth went slack, allowing the slug to fall to the sand with a thap. But.. but but but.. She'd just, and he had been--! Closing her mouth tight, she glared down at the Shellos with a warning growl. Oh, Alaric felt sorry now, but just wait.. This little monster would meet her standards, or his patience would grow thin indeed. It wouldn't be long until either she straightened up or Honey was able to exact some real retribution.

During this silent exchange, Alaric seemed to have notice what tatters she'd left his shirt in and removed it, stuffing it into his bag. He could probably fix it later. Turning his attention back to the Pokemon now, he asked the Shellos, whom he did not wish to name just yet, "Are you all right?" Finding her Pokeball, he held it in an offering manner. "Would you like to rest for now, little one?"

[Jay]

The Shellos who was far too dazed from the shock of things seemed only to manage a half nod at the suggestion before slumping forwards on the sand tiredly. After a moment, she found enough energy to move towards the pokeball and press it. After another moment, the red light seemed to consume and peace was restored.

Further down the beach, something was shimmering in the sand and casting an odd glare from the sun. It was hard to see what exactly it was, yet every few seconds, the light would rebound from some instance or another and cast more light rays off down the beach.

[Admiral Striker General]

Blinking, first repeatedly from the glare in his eyes and then in curiousity as it faded for the moment, the young man decided he may as well investigate. Putting away the PokeBall, he stood, brushed the sand from his pants and arms, and made certain his hair had not been messed up too much by the Shellos's glomping. First thing was first, after all.

Once that was done, he gave Honey a wicked grin. "Shall we?"

The Luxray, of course, could see from here exactly what was causing the glint, but it wasn't as though she could tell him and save the trouble, could she? So she shrugged as she always did, and followed her trainer.

[Jay]

The shimmering light proved to be coming off what appeared to be a circular red gem penetrating the surface of the sand. However, if one looked closer, they could see that it was actually the center part of a Staryu sticking upwards with the rest of its body hidden partially under the sand. It was, more or less, enjoying the idea of being inconspicuous there on the beach with only its center showing.

[Admiral Striker General]

It took a moment, but eventually Alaric realized just what the gem was and laughed. A brief feeling of concern crossed his mind for a moment, but the creature didn't really seem to mind the dryness at all, really. Or, judging by what he could remember about Staryu cores and lighting anyway. So he smiled and left it be, continuing along the beach. He already had a Water-type after all, and.... was Starmie Psychic, too? ...Yes? ..No.. Yes? Er, yes, he actually thought it was. ...But meh, he'd already passed by, and Psychics made him a little skeptic at times anyway. Besides, he preferred more expressive Pokemon.

....Perhaps not this-Shellos expressive, but he preferred even her to a Pokemon with no face. So let's see... What else was wandering around today...

[Jay]

Far out in the water, a few kids were playing a game which more or less involved splashing one another before one found himself splashed. This rather extensive game from the way the children had made it out to be appeared to be the only thing that caused any motion out in the water. However, this was only from sight. As one's eyes moved around the area, one could catch sight of some movement under the water. What appeared to be blue horns would rise out of the water a moment before falling back down again as a peculiar pokiemon made his way in the rather shallow water.


[This post is officially Jay's 1,000th post x3. And also, on a more random note >.> Dice are interesting...]

[Admiral Striker General]

Alaric smiled. Kids this age he liked. If it wouldn't make him seem like some sort of weirdo, he'd be very tempted indeed to go join them. ...Okay, he was tempted, but he may act on that if it wouldn't seem weird. As it was, he suppressed the slightest pout and-

Oh? Now what was that? Another of the children playing, perhaps with some toy, or..? "Honey.. That isn't just another kid, is it?" Her golden eyes looking through the water, her hackles raised and sparks began to stiffen her fur to give his answer. His expression growing more serious, he nodded. "Right. See if the flash off a Charge will taunt it up." He'd rather not attack until he could see it, if it could be avoided.

[Jay]

Under the water, a pokemon spotted the Charge attack and seemed to take some interest in this new comer. It appeared someone quite different from the children he had watched previously, and the curiosity was what finally drew the Kingdra's head above the water. The children remained rather oblivious and continued on their game while the water dragon appeared to come forwards towards the electricity with a half smirk.

[Dice are very interesting]

[Admiral Striker General]

(WHOO!! I was HOPING it was Kingdra and not Gyarados. )

Alaric straightened up a bit in surprise. "OH. Well then." He looked to Honey, who gave him a look that seemed to say 'not on your life'. In reality, that was probably literally the only way. Laughing, Alaric sweatdropped a bit; Honey was NOT fond of water. And having no legs, well... Her special attacks were not so great as physical, either. So then.

Alaric shrugged and smiled again. No matter~ He had a Pokemon who didn't need to go in the water to reach the dragon. Granted, he may also suffer a bit more from the dragon's attacks, but he honestly didn't seem to mind pain that much. Alaric still disliked putting him in it, of course, but he had always admired his friend's perseverance. Tossing the Luxury Ball from his belt, he chimed, "Let's go, Glydre~"

"GLI-GAR!" the bat scorpion called, eyes narrowing with delight at the sight of his new prey.

"NOT yet," scolded his trainer, rolling his eyes. He just wanted to make sure something was out for a quick block if the Kingdra attacked or tried to run. It hadn't been aggressive thus far, though, so...

Cautiously approaching the water's edge, he knelt down, grinning at the Kingdra. "Now what is such a rare Pokemon doing just wandering around in shallows like this?" For that matter, it could be somebody's, he supposed. Yet another reason not to open with an attack.

[Jay]

The Kingdra looked up at the man with a rather curious look as one often gives something new or odd that they cannot put fully to words yet remain staring at. After a moment, he leaned backwards and seemed to almost sit upwards a fraction more out of the water. "Dra," was more or less the answer before the blue dragon turned his head a fraction and eyed the man more carefully.

The question as to why he was in the shallows could possibly be lost in translation, so the rather intelligent dragon pokemon simply resumed staring at the man for a moment before nodding his head a bit as though finally coming to some sort of conclusion about the man.

"King-dra king," he said aloud once again forcing his chest upwards and staring at the man as though more or less sizing him up. After a moment, the dragon pokemon was finished and appeared to decide to go back to playing spectator to the children whom, in all honesty, he found more interest in.

[Admiral Striker General]

Alaric pouted just a bit. "Hey now-" He began to follow, Glydre hovering behind him, then stopped just a moment at the water's edge before deciding what the hell. He had dry pants in his bag, right? And speaking of..

He tossed his backback behind him on the sand, telling Honey to keep an eye on it. The lioness, meanwhile, just yawned and sprawled out, happy to stop worrying about him for a few minutes. She was close enough to interfere if he went and did something stupid like try to drown, and Glydre always took good care of him.

Alaric followed Kingdra out into the water then. "Where-" Following his gaze, the young man smiled to find it in the direction of the children. "Ah. Is one of them your trainer, then?" He gave a wry smirk. "Or... do you just want to play?"

[Jay]

The Kingdra shook his head at the question on the trainer and simply made a motion towards the children who continued to splash and play the odd games that only certain aged children could find to make up. He had been watching them for quite some time, in all honesty. They were rather innocent and simply out to have fun which was what caught the eye of the Kingdra in the first place.

Looking back at the man a moment, he made a motion over towards the kids once more before using a water gun and squirting the back of a child's head lightly. Said boy turned around and waved before making a half attempt at beckoning both man and pokemon that were in the water over to come play in the game. The Kingdra looked back at the man for a moment, smirked again, and started forwards towards the kids with the full intention of joining in their fun.

[Admiral Striker General]

Pausing just a moment, it was all Alaric could do not to squeal like a five-year-old. ...If anyone said anything, the Kingdra was his, and he'd wanted to play, so Alaric had just done the generous thing and let him. ...You know, keeping an eye on the dragon just in case he got out of hand. Who was gonna tell anyone otherwise? Grinning madly as he swam behind Kingdra, he said over his shoulder to Glydre, "You might want to keep a distance; I know you don't like getting splashed."

Glydre stopped dead, though not for fear of water. That Kingdra--! He'd. Just. Stolen. HIS. ALARIC. The Gligar said nothing, made no move. His eyes simply narrowed and set on the fellow male Pokemon, unblinking, as he hovered and seethed, plotting his revenge. If he started a fight now, Alaric would scold him. But that bastard couldn't hide forever... His unwavering gaze studied every scale on the dragon, memorizing it, and searching for every smallest weak point.

Coming to the edge of the group, Alaric's grin turned sheepish. "Er.. Hi~"

[Jay]

The Kingdra went so far as to swim under several of the children and appear between them before squirting small bouts of water at them causing a laugh to escape many of them. After a moment of high pitched squeals of light laughter, a few of the kids turned their heads and acknowledged Alaric with a light wave. "Hi!" said the boy that had been squirted by the water dragon earlier. "Did you come to play Sharpedo and Remoraid with us?" It was a basic game of water tag, yet a few of the older kids in the group had twisted it around to the point that there was no 'home base' at which point one was safe from being tagged. Instead, it had become more of a free for all.

Already knowing a few of the children, the Kingdra squirted them with water and then dove under the water as though beginning the game already.

[Admiral Striker General]

And now he felt silly and sort of wanted to hide as easily as the Kingdra could. Never mind that wasn't actually what Kingdra was doing. "Er.." He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck. "How do you play?"

Of course, he had no way of knowing whether the children had made up the game ten minutes ago or if it was fairly popular and he just hadn't heard of it. He'd never had a chance to do this sort of thing when he was a kid, really, and it wasn't as though his sisters were one for such games. (Not that that had ever stopped him from trying, but that was more "splash Linza and giggle when she screams at me" than a game with rules.) He felt just as lame either way, though.

He suppressed a small laugh as he thought mockingly, Damn kids and their fancy water games and their funny names and their Pokeymon fighting and...

[Jay]

In all truths, the boy was very happy to explain the game and talked rather quickly through it. "Basically one of us is the Sharpedo, and everyone else is a Remoraid. If you're tagged by the Sharpedo, you become a Sharpedo and have to tag other people. The last Remoraid who remains a remoraid wins and becomes the Sharpedo in the next round!" he said in a fast paced voice that caused him to only have to breathe once between the entire mass statement. Several of the other children nodded at this and then looked down at the water below them to note the Kingdra that was still mildly swimming around.

[Admiral Striker General]

...That didn't even make sense! You did your best to avoid being tagged to earn the reward of becoming what you were trying to avoid becoming? ....Sounded fun! ^^

Alaric grinned and laughed. "All right~ But I'm not going to go easy on you!" he declared with a mildly evil laugh.

This was a lie, of course. For starters, he didn't have to, getting beaten by several places consistently for some time. DAMN, these kids were good! Once he got the hang of things, though, he was still sure not to actually win... more than a few times, anyway. He couldn't let them think he was just that bad, after all! ...Well, that and he just wanted to win, but shush. It wasn't his fault he felt competitive even towards pre-High-School-aged children. ... Maybe it was. Shush, dammit.

Completely forgetting his entire "let's start planning ways to help the country" idea for the day, he played with the children and Kingdra for as long as they'd let him.

[Jay]

Time elapsed lightly and made for a fun few hours before the children began to heal the general call towards the beach from parents or guardians and the like. A few would leave at a time and then finally there was only one left who turned, waved, and went off after his mother called. That left both the man and the Kingdra still in the water. The Kingdra eyed the man and smirked a bit surprised that the man had actually managed a fun game. After a moment, the Kingdra squirted the man with water and dove underwater wondering if the man would follow.

[Admiral Striker General]

Well that wasn't much of a question! Laughing, Alaric gathered a chestful _{( which is a real word according to my spellcheck, though spellcheck still isn't)} of air and dove after him, squinting in attempt to fight some of the sting from the salt water as he tried to spot the blue Pokemon in the darkening blue waters.

On the surface, Glydre hadn't moved more than the few inches the winds had blown him in all this time, but now meeped as both his trainer and competition disappeared. DAMN that Luxray getting the x-ray eyes instead of him and his kind! What could they be DOING down there? NNNnnnnnn....

Heeere, Kingdra Kingdra Kingdra... A bit of air escaped as Alaric fought a snicker at his realization- he was hunting a dragon. ...Yes. Just yes.

[Jay]

The Kingdra moved in and around the bottom of the seal floor area with ease and only stopped to look at Alaric for a few seconds befor continuing on with an easy swim. He found it more of a game rather than anything else, just like how he had swam with the children and teased them as well. Weaving up through a coral area, the Kingdra froze in place and hid rather well.