pinnedbangs | 3rd Struggle [Video] Pokemon Center

Hey. ... You know, until this morning I thought I was still dreaming. This place is full of amazing things and so many different animals - pokémon!

[Yes, that's Rin, sitting inside of the pokemon center. If the tell-tale music wasn't enough of a giveaway, then certainly the decor was enough to tip off even the least observant of viewers. Rin doesn't seem too different than before. His hair is still unkempt, his clothes as clean as he could keep them, and even his smile was just as sunny. Despite appearances, he still looked far too tired. One could say he almost looked sad.]

I went to challenge that Falkner guy and he defeated my team pretty badly. [And there it was - that small flicker of something wrong -- ] Nurse Joy's taking care of them now. Falkner's looked so cool in flight! They were amazing! Poochy, Pidgey, and Blue did their best out there. Even before that we walked through that cave and saw so many other pokémon! I know Shi-- .. .. a friend of mine would have liked a few of them. [Rin becomes quiet for a moment. Bellsprout would be the sort of pokemon Shiemi would like, he thinks. He did look sad now, but he fought his frown with a smile.]

[Shit, he was stalling now, wasn't he? Rin shrugs his shoulders, suddenly unsure of what he wanted to ask in the first place.] ...These pokémon aren't just for fighting, are they? They're like animals. Hell, they're the closest things to animals Johto has. If I had to get a badge, why can't I fight that Falkner guy myself?

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You know I thought the same thing when I got here. [It's why he doesn't go after many of the badges. It doesn't strike him as sporting.]

But it's more like training troops. If they were out in the wild they'd have to fight even more, but this way they learn better techniques for it.

[He's glad to hear that he's had the same thought as someone else but besides that, only one thing sticks out to him.]

You've trained troops before?

Yes. I'm a marine vice admiral. Though I still prefer one on one fights.

Wow, a marine vice admiral... What's it like to be a marine?

[He's never met an army man. Would saluting be a good idea? Most likely]

[Oh god Rin you'll kill him with cute if you do. No one salutes Smoker, not even his own men. They call him cutesy insubordinate nicknames instead.]

You couldn't ask for a better life. Fighting for justice, sailing all over the world. So long as you don't mind the danger involved.

[No no Rin's an "adult" he can't be cute anymore ~~even though he can't escape the stigma of cute~~]

That sounds so cool!! What sort of danger do you face? Rough waters? Mutiny? Pirates?!

Yes. Pirates, sea monsters, storms, typhoons -- the Grand Line is a truly insane place, and the New World even more so. It makes Johto look perfectly logical and reasonable in comparison.

[ -- it's like a pirate movie...] Your world sounds awesome. I want to go there instead of staying here in Johto! Have you fought a lot of pirates? Did they win? Are you a master of the seven seas?

Hn. It has its moments.

I have fought tens of thousands of pirates. They're more a nuisance than a challenge. [For Smoker.] If they won I wouldn't be alive. But they're almost always too weak to even scratch me. [Points to the scar above of his eyes that seemed poised to take off half his skull.] Almost always. I'm a Vice Admiral now. Which is just under the 3 admirals. It's the best someone can do as young as I am still. And any higher and I wouldn't have the free reign I want. Aokiji used to practically be a desk jockey or have to oversee stupid things when he was an admiral. Garp probably had it right with sticking just to Vice Admiral.

Edited (fail typing from being sleepy /headdesk) 2012-04-27 10:42 (UTC)

[Smoker, can you feel the unbridled admiration radiating off of this kid?]

That's so cool!

[Where does he even start -- he has no idea who Aokiji or Garp are but it doesn't matter because this man was on another level of awesome. Not as cool as his dad, but still, there might be room for him on Rin's list.]

Your home sounds like something right out of a manga! Where I'm from, the higher you climb the ranks, the more you get to do. I never heard of a high level exorcist doing paperwork. [Or, rather, he never wants to hear that an exorcist would submit to such a mundane activity.]

Sometimes that's the case with marines. You can't be an admiral or fleet admiral without being exceptionally strong, and if you're only a Captain or lower, there are a lot more rules you have to follow, but vice admiral is the highest you can get while still spending most of your days chasing pirates. The admirals still have to fight pirates now and again, but that's not their average day. A lot more of it has to do with dealing with troops the higher you get.

Your military is different?

I have no idea. Exorcists aren't really military. The wars they have are known only to some people.

[That might have been discussed real Japanese military in middle school but it's not like he never paid attention... Exorcists he knows a little more about.] I do know that exorcists are sort of like military since they protect people too. It's more like behind the scenes sort of work.

[Which he can't explain because that's all book work. And since it is book work, it makes it difficult to remember.]

Hm I see. So more like Cipher Pol? Err, Secret Police that is. [Which makes sense given Rin's age.]

I don't think so? I guess, since not everyone's running to sign up.

No one signs up for Cipher Pol.

3rd Struggle [Video] Pokemon Center

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