tabularasa_rp | December Prompts

Taking care of hundreds of Pokemon every day is enough of a work-out on its own that Samuel doesn't really have to 'exercise', and when he does, body-weight exercises are enough for him. But they've got all this nice new equipment, it'd be a shame not to use it.

While he wishes there were weight machines, Sam does make good use of the free weights: Heavy weight at low reps for strength, light weight at high reps for endurance. He's not exactly a professional strongman, nor is he trying to show off, but yes, he's definitely stronger than he looks, especially at his age.

When he's done, he goes to sort and organize his own weights and whatever others he can find, so everyone will have an easier time finding and using them, laughing softly at his own thoughts.

"I wish I had some proper work-out clothes," he comments idly to whoever might be nearby; the clothes provided here are meant for high-schoolers and don't exactly fit a stocky adult like him, after all. He turns his face down toward his shirt to check for smell, but of course without bacteria to produce odor, there is none.

Well, look at you.

[Iwaizumi, the kid Oak had first met with his Dragonite, then again in the hallway brawl with Seto Kaiba, observes the man with a cocked brow - an impressed expression.]

Taming dragons must be something of a work out then, right? Or were you some kind of athlete back in your day?

[“Back in your day,” he says as if the man’s in a nursing home or something - but hey, he’s just a kid, and Oak is...not.]

Sam laughs and sets the weight down so he can talk.

"Not just dragons. I take care of hundreds of Pokemon at my lab back home." Was he there when he introduced himself to Ann as a Professor of Pokeology? He stopped wearing his labcoat after the Smeargles 'ruined' it, so his profession isn't so obvious at a glance anymore. "But come to think of it, I did try out a few sports back in my college days."

He hears that 'back in your day'; he's like a fine wine, thank you very much, he only improves with age! But no, he's not really offended.

Edited (wtf self wrong word) 2020-12-04 08:38 (UTC)

[“Hundreds,” he feels like saying, but even one Pokémon is still a little much to wrap his head around, so he focuses on the sports (like a security blanket almost).]

Yeah? Like what?

He cocks his head curiously.

"You mean the Pokemon, or the sports?" He'll tell him about either, of course, but you can guess which one he'd be more excited to talk about.

I mean, either I guess. [They’re on two different pages though.] I’m wondering what you used to play though. Back in college like you said.

Sam rests his chin on his hand, thinking.

"Well, let's see now... first I tried swimming for a while, but I ended up getting kicked out of that. Apparently my body is built for strength and endurance, not speed." But you could probably tell that just by looking at him; he's stocky enough to rival a dwarf. (The fantasy kind, with the beards and the mining, not the real kind.)

"Then I tried boxing, but when I found out how many head injuries boxers get, I figured I'd better get out of there before I was able to count my brain cells. My coach was very upset about it." He laughs a little at that; he was a natural, apparently.

"Then I got into rowing, and stuck with that until I graduated." He shakes his head with a good-natured smile.

"But athletics isn't my real passion. I just needed something to channel my competitive spirit into when I quit Pokemon training." He still raises Pokemon, yes, but doesn't train them for battles as much anymore.

Edited 2020-12-05 01:16 (UTC)

Oh yeah? So you can throw a punch or too, eh? [He almost adds an “old man” to the end, but then remembers that...he really doesn’t know this guy like that.]

I heard something about you guys battling those things. I guess that would be kind of like a sport in and of itself, right?

[He really doesn’t want to equate it to dog fighting or anything like that - maybe more like being a horse jockey instead?]

Or am I way off base with that?

"I guess I remember a few things, but it's been almost 30 years since then and I wasn't at it for long." How to throw a punch, how to get out of the way of a punch coming at you, things like that. Though funnily enough he's a very peaceful man out of the ring; it's rare that he gets mad enough to want to hit someone, and even rarer that he actually does it. (Ending fights is another matter altogether, but he doesn't start them.)

He nods eagerly at the mention of Pokemon.

"Oh, yes! I'd say it's our most popular sport. It's more of a intellectual sport than a physical one, at least on the trainer's end; battles aren't nearly as physically taxing to them as the Pokemon. A trainer uses instinct and strategy to help their Pokemon win battles, not muscles. But don't worry, serious injuries are rare and the Pokemon enjoy it -- they let us know if they don't!"

So while it might be physically similar to dog-fighting, on a moral and ethical level it's completely different, since the Pokemon can consent to it and the whole thing was their idea in the first place.

Edited 2020-12-08 04:27 (UTC)

[Like chess but with monsters - neat!]

So I guess these things—- er, Pokémon, I mean - must be pretty smart.

[Dogs is the first thing he thinks of. Dogs are pretty smart, right? Or dolphins? He’s heard dolphins are smart...?

[But these are monsters. Monsters have to be way smarter, right?]

He nods again.

"They vary in intelligence, some are even more intelligent than humans," Alakazam and similar Psychic-types come to mind, "but they're all at least smart enough to be trained and to be our companions. And of course, they all have their own personalities." Because it takes intelligence to have different personalities, right? Dumb animals, the ones so dumb they can't even be said to have feelings... do they really have personalities?

[Iwa would probably argue that most animals have personalities, but then again, he’s probably say the same for different volleyballs too.]

That’s insane. [More intelligent than a human?] Not gonna lie, but I think I’d kill to have one of my own.

I’m pretty decent with strategy, I think. At least on the court. Might make a halfway decent trainer if I could.

[If only...]

"Well, you don't have to kill for it. The jewelry store sells Pokeballs," kind of? It sells jewels that can be turned in for random Pokeballs, "and the creatures here are close enough to Pokemon to use them. Do you know how to use one?" He's seen him throw one, of course, but there's a bit more to using a Pokeball than that. And speaking of things not being as simple as they seem....

"There's more to being a trainer than battling, you know. You have to take care of your Pokemon too; feed them, groom them, take them for check-ups, make sure they're healthy and happy." Not that he doubts the boy would do all of that, nor is he trying to discourage him -- just reminding him that there's a lot of responsibility involved in being a trainer, too.

[Iwaizumi’s eyes widen a bit at the mention of Pokéballs in the jewelry store.]

Really? I mean, I only used one that one time, but—-

They can catch the weird things wandering around this place? Those are kind of like Pokémon, right? [Not as big as this guy, but Oak did say there were all sorts of different ones in all shapes and sizes.]

I know, I know - just like you would with a pet, right? [Enough about that.] Would you show me?

He laughs lightly and good-naturedly, but nods. He picks the weight he was using back up, though.

"Sure, but I have to put this away first." He frowns over at the bins that all the sports equipment is being stored in. "It's all a disorganized mess... we need to get shelves or something in here so we can store everything properly."

Hm. [Iwaizumi observes the mess as well, lips twisting into a frown.] Yeah, maybe at the beach or something.

I’ll go looking when I have a minute. [First, Pokémon please - he doesn’t say it, but he definitely thinks it.] This gym...

I’m pretty sure it came from some of my memories, but it’s not exactly like it was at home. [Still, it leaves him with some sense of responsibility to take care of it.] I’ll get it together somehow.

"Yes, that's the case with everything here, even the creatures. Whatever's creating things from our memories is mashing them together, I think, that's why everything isn't quite like how it is at home."

He stands up to put the weight somewhere it won't be in the way or get tripped over. "If you'd like some help organizing this place, you can always call on me, I don't mind." He's already helped moved a couch, and there's not much demanding his time here anyway.

But sensing the boy's eagerness, he starts leading the way to the jewelry store; they can talk more on the way.

Yeah, okay. [He probably won’t call on anyone, he thinks - this feels a little personal, after all - but if he were to, Oak wouldn’t be a bad option. Maybe he’ll see how this trip to the jewelry store goes.]

So, what you’re saying about memories - that kind of would make the animals here mish mash Pokémon too. Is that what you mean?

"Some of them, yes. A few of them have traits that definitely come from Pokemon, but others are completely new to me." Even the ones that don't have any traits from Pokemon remind him of Pokemon, like the winged giraffes and the biting trash cans, but that's probably because Pokemon are so diverse that just about anything could be a Pokemon and he wouldn't be surprised.

"Remember that little creature you were trying to make friends with when I found you? That had some traits from a Pokemon -- the face and wings of a Pidgey." He's shown him his sketches by now, right? He had a drawing of a Pidgey in there.

Oh yeah, like that bird you showed me! [Pidgey - he’ll have to remember that.]

You think we could find ourselves one of those? [Not exactly a giant dragon beast, but cool nonetheless, and pretty...cute too.

[But he’s getting ahead of himself. First they have to get one of those Pokéballs.]

"They're common enough, and I think they'd make for a good first companion." Them or the Smeargles; the various robots will likely be harder to tame, and are more suited for someone with more experience.

Oh, look, they made it to the jewelry store!

"Take some of those colored stones," he gestures, "and put them in one of those machines over there."

Yeah, okay.

[Iwaizumi observes the stones, and seems to take his time deciding which would be the right to take - this has gotta be an important decision, right? Eventually he plucks a blue one from off the display, holding it up for Oak to see.]

Will this one work?

Sam shakes his head with a gentle smile.

"I don't think it matters which one you take, just don't take the colorless ones." Those are diamonds and might have some actual practical use outside of trading for Pokeballs. "You might want to take more than one, Pokeballs can fail." It depends on what method he wants to use to capture a creature, really -- but they can talk about that in a moment.

Oh. [Iwaizumi looks a bit perplexed at that, be he supposes it makes sense, and why not have a couple on hand anyway? All this stuff is pretty much free as it is. He plucks a couple more gems off the table - all blue.]

Alright. What now?

Again, he gestures at the machines along the wall.

"Put them in some of those machines and turn the handle. Have you used that kind of machine before?" He'd be surprised if he hasn't. His clothes look pretty modern, and machines like that (usually selling cheap toys) can be found in all sorts of stores; maybe when he was younger...?

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bluecastleace - 2020-12-29 15:10 (UTC) - Expand

December Prompts

2. Mens Sana in Corpore Sano (Underground Gym)

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this is entirely headcanon btw but if the show/games aren't going to fill in his backstory I will!!!

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