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 Posted: Sat May 14, 2011 2:55 pm
"What?" Frost blinked. "No, far from it. I am merely... occasionally overly verbose. I get caught up in a train of thought and ramble about it... Thank you though. I am glad it made some sense, perhaps." The boy's approval was not required, but that didn't mean it wasn't nice. All humans enjoyed praise, whether they admitted it or not. Some might find it awkward at times - he had no idea why that was - but he highly doubted that anyone would honestly hate being told they'd done well at something.
"Xander was in the cafeteria, yes," he went on with a nod, "the blond young man with grey eyes who leapt to my defence when your Jolteon blew up my lunch. He is rather protective of me, but I suppose that is what friends are for. He is usually a very mild-mannered, good-tempered sort; I assure you his harsh words were an anomaly." Humm, so it had been obvious that he was skirting around talking about Dith, but the boy was accepting it and not pressing further? He approved of restraint like that. Even if he never became a powerful trainer or great asset to Team Rocket he might be reasonable company at least. He needed to make more friends, Xander was always encouraging him to be more sociable.
As the other eeveeloution moved over to sit by him Skiron smiled slightly and gave a small dip of his head. He supposed he couldn't really hold her temper against her if it sprang from insecurity; perhaps he could befriend her, help her become more confident in herself and slowly build her bond with her trainer as he became less wary of her. Perhaps. It was worth trying, certainly.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 9:17 am
Huh, so the guy was humble, too. Or maybe he just didn't want to be thought of as a poet. "Rambling about a train of thought? Yup. Sounds like poetry to me. Isn't that just what poets do?" Shawn asked, grinning as he tried to joke. Polite as always, Frost thanked him. "Oh, uh, yeah. No problem."
 Turning his partial attention back to his work, he continued to listen about Xander. He had to stifle a laugh at the wording of his Jolteon 'blowing up' Frost's lunch, as the mental image Shawn was getting was pretty silly (and, hopefully, not actually harmful to the grunt). Huh...so friends were usually protective? "I never thought of it like that," Shawn voiced. "I guess you're right, though. They usually help you when you're in trouble, don't they?"
He smiled. "Nah, I don't blame him at all. I was out of line, anyway; I was still getting used to the system. It's really cool you two get along so well." The boy wanted to know more, like how Xander and Frost became friends in the first place, but he decided if Frost wanted to follow his train of thought and share, he would. There...done with the floor. Moving on to the mirrors... Getting up, he dumped the contents of his soap-water bucket into the nearest sink and grabbed the glass-cleaner spray bottle from his long coat pocket.
On his way, he noticed Lindsay seated by Skiron and his brows shot up. He'd never seen her so passive alongside another pokemon before. "What the heck...?" Lindsay looked up. "Hey, girl...you doing okay down there?"
The Jolteon barked assuringly. "Jol." She glanced at Skiron and back at Shawn.
"...Um...that your new friend?" he asked, spraying the cleaner on one of the mirrors. "Sir," he spoke up, addressing Frost, "If I'm bothering you, just tell me, but what kind of pokemon is that?" It seemed to be very well-behaved, and its coat was so sleek. Shawn thought it could probably be considered beautiful, even, as far as pocket monsters went.
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 5:26 am
"Hummm..." Frost raised an eyebrow and studied Shawn calculatingly for a few moments before giving a small nod. "Well, I suppose you are correct on that score, but I assure you that my ramblings are seldom so... so..." he made a vague hand gesture as he searched for the right word before shrugging and settling for; "Poetic. Mmh. Yes though. The good friends I have had have always sought to protect me, and I them... Ah, and that is a good point. Three close friends, not two. Skiron certainly counts. I might not be able to hold a conversation with him but he has been my loyal companion these past fifteen years; that cannot be ignored."
Conversation wasn't everything. The silent understanding and affection his white-furred friend offered was something he sometimes forgot about and took for granted, simply because it was so unwavering. Quite an oversight on his part, but he supposed that Skiron understood his affection just as implicitly. It went without saying, which was fortunate as they couldn't actually speak to one another.
“To actually answer your question,” Frost went on after a pause that marked his brief musings, “I am not 'bothered' as you put it at all. I do not mind answering genuine questions even if the answers seem obvious to me... So yes, to answer that question he is a Glaceon, an ice type. You note the similarities in form between your Lindesy and him, and the similarities in their names? Jolteon and Glaceon both evolve from eevee, the former when exposed to a thunder stone and the latter when exposed to a frost stone. Extreme elemental conditions can also cause the evolution, it is an adaptation of Eevees that allows them to thrive in any environment. The other possible evolutions are: Flareon, fire type, fire stone; Vaporeon, water, water stone; Espeon, psychic, shiny stone; Umbreon, dark, dusk stone; and finally Leafeon, grass, leaf stone. Eevee is a very popular pokemon for this reason, it can be evolved to fit the needs of your team, and indeed personal preferences.”
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 12:25 pm
"Skiron. That's your pokemon, right?" He glanced over at the Glaceon. "So...you're okay with not being able to communicate with him?" Shawn asked. He never really understood that bond that some trainers seemed to have with their pokemon. Just having the creatures around was pretty much entrusting them with one's life. After all, most of them were probably capable of killing, Shawn figured, if they really wanted to. And fifteen years of trust? That was admirable.
The teenager smiled as he cleaned the mirrors in a circular motion, realizing how stupid his questions must have sounded to Frost. Now that it was mentioned, he did notice the similarities. Was that why Lindsay seemed to be okay with Skiron? No, before she seemed just as hostile toward him as other pokemon. Maybe they had reconciled somehow.
"Jolteon and Glaceon," he repeated. "It's an environmental adaption, huh?" He paused from his wiping off the mirror to inspect the pair. "So you two are survivors. I guess that's why you fit into Team Rocket so well." He thought about the other types that Frost mentioned and thought he may have seen a few of those before around Goldenrod. Maybe even around the Team Rocket base itself. He was at least glad to know that Lindsay had already evolved and wasn't likely to do so again. He was just getting used to her as she was.
"Thanks so much for helping me out with everything, sir," Shawn told the older grunt. "Heh, I know you said not to thank you because this stuff is practical advice, but it's a lot more than most people have been willing to tell me around here. I know I'm pretty ignorant when it comes to most pokemon; the average toddler probably knows more about them than me. But while everyone else is too busy to help a newbie learn the essential basics, it really means a lot that you have the patience to." He turned to the next mirror, laughing lightly. "I've got a long way to go, I know, and it's not going to be easy. But little things like that really help. Little kindnesses."
The Jolteon lifted her head, regarding Shawn with some curiosity. He was talking about them! He was interested? He was paying attention to her! And Skiron's human was helping. Lindsay rested her head back down.
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 3:10 am
"Correct," Frost nodded, "I named him after an ancient God of the northwest wind, a herald of winter... Communication. It is more than words. It is tone, gesture, action. I am the first to confess that I am poor at discerning what tone and gesture mean in most people but I have come to be able to read Skiron quite well. I know when he is happy, sad, bored, amused... Mmh, and for his part he can understand much of what I say which does make communication easier; he just has to play charades with me if he wants to get across an important idea. It can take a good while sometimes of course, but patience is a great virtue." What would it be like if they could converse in the same language? Would they be closer? He honestly had no idea; communication would be easier but... well, words could do harm as well as good. Perhaps things were best the way they were.
"Survivors indeed," the small blond went on after a pause, "and you are welcome. It is quite disgraceful that so many of my fellows lack the common courtesy to offer advice and information; it costs nothing more than a little time... But this is Team Rocket," he shrugged slightly, "I suppose in a place like this common courtesy will not be so very common. I have been here more than half a year now and I still have not fully adjusted to the culture." Not that he ever really adjusted to any culture, but there was no need for him to voice that.
Skiron too turned to regard the pair of humans too, and gave a soft chirr of approval. he said as he looked back at Lindsey,
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 6:25 am
"A god, huh? Heh, you must think highly of him." Yes, Shawn thought. Maybe it's true communication is more than words. He couldn't possibly imagine being able to read a pokemon like Frost claimed to, but after years of being together, maybe there was some truth to it. Maybe.
To Shawn, though, pokemon were just animals; as likely to rip your head off as look at you if they weren't properly domesticated. And who was to say when they were fully tamed? He'd heard some were even smarter than humans, so what was to stop them from just pretending?
"Say...do you think maybe those techs down at the labs will figure out how to make us understand pokemon talk some day?" the boy asked, half in jest. "I...well, sorry for saying so, but I just find it so hard to comprehend how everyone can just trust these creatures just like that. Even when they're powerful enough to not take orders from anyone, they still listen to us. At least we think they do." He glanced at Frost. "You don't think that's a little...you know. Anthropomorphic?"
The street kid laughed at the grunt's assessment of his team members' courtesy. "Nah, it's fine. I didn't really expect anyone to help me at all in a criminal organization. And for some people, time is everything. You just seem to have a little more patience than most." Smiling, the trainee ran a hand through his spikey hair. "Aw, don't say that. If you can't adjust, then there's no way I'll be able to."
Maybe that's a good thing though, he pondered silently. For all of us. If we get too used to things around here, we may end up being like everyone else. I'm glad, at least, that Frost is different. I hope I can stay myself like he's stayed himself. Almost done with the mirrors. Nap time would only have to wait a little longer. Time was passing remarkably fast with someone pleasant to talk to. He'd even forgot to be afraid of Lindsay and Skiron for the most part. After all, if they decided to attack him, he felt safer with a Rocket Grunt around.
<...Hmph. I don't need his help,> the Jolteon sniffed. The older eeveeolution's last words seem to have an effect on the electric-type, however. She looked up at Skiron thoughtfully, wondering what had caused him to assume such a thing. Now that she considered it, wasn't it true? she added, glancing up at the pair of humans.
Rising to her feet, she gave him something equivalent to a fierce smile.
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Posted: Tue May 24, 2011 3:01 am
"Mmh," Frost studied Skiron thoughtfully for a few moments, "yes I suppose I do. I didn't as such when I named him, it took time to become attached, I just felt that it was... I suppose I just liked how it sounded, and that fact that it was more or less apt..." Humm, Shawn did ask some interesting questions; he might be ignorant, but he obviously wasn't stupid. Ignorance he could live with, if said ignorant was willing to be educated at any rate.
"I suppose they might in the end," the small man nodded, "though I have no idea if it's something they're working on or not. Mm. Why should we trust them? It seems to be implicitly accepted that they do as we tell them, that they fling themselves into battle for our entertainment. If humans were forced to fight merely to pass the time, would that not be considered barbaric? I have always used Skiron to defend myself from wild pokemon, and from trainers who refused to leave me alone without a battle. Now I use him to further Team Rocket's agenda. We had little choice in coming here. We must both do things that we would not have done before, merely to survive... Anthropomorphic though? No, I do not believe so. I would not imagine a human behaving so, and therefore it is not anthropomorphic. It is... peculiar though. Accepted as something that has always been, presumed that once in a pokeball they live to serve us. To be our friends too in some cases of course, but how many young trainers would tell their humans friends to fight for their amusement?" A lot of interesting questions certainly, ones that it was difficult to answer.
"I presume I will fully adapt in the end," Frost went on after a pause in which he continued to ponder the problem of pokemon, "and presumably you will too. Enough to get along in any case." So long as he could get along that was what mattered, so long as he fitted in well enough to be seen as a good candidate for promotion. Agent first, and then Elite. Hopefully. Most Rockets never got so far.
said Skion with a slight bow of his head, he smiled slightly,
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2011 4:27 pm
Shawn laughed good-naturedly. Maybe he was just over-anayzing things. People named pets and things just because they liked the sound of the name sometimes. He reminded himself that there didn't always have to be profound meanings behind each name.
"Entertainment?" the boy repeated, looking over. "Well...some of them seem to like fighting," he thought, casting a sideways glance at Lindsay, "and so do some humans, but it's still barbaric. Defense is another thing altogether, but I don't like the idea of having to rely on one dangerous monster to protect you from another dangerous monster. Sometimes, I've heard, they don't even do what we say. And isn't it true that some even turn to attack their trainers?" He didn't even know how anyone would keep such powerful wild beasts around them with even the slightest risk that the creatures could choose to disobey and turn on them.
"I guess I can understand if it's a matter of survival. I mean, if that's the case, then we don't really have much of a choice but to put our trust in at least one of the things. Er, pokemon." He shook his head. "Isn't it true some of them are smarter than us? What if they're the ones who are using us? Who says they're our friends? Calling them our friends is what I think makes us anthropomorphic. At best, I think humans and pokemon might just have a symbiotic relationship." He could never think of the creatures as his friends. He would not be fooled by them or anyone else. In the end, the differences in power were far too great.
"...Doesn't it bother you or anyone that we just mindlessly take for granted things that have been accepted for years? Generations, even?" He finished wiping up the second last mirror. All he had left was the one Frost had been using, but he didn't want to move too close to the older man in the case he didn't react well to the closer proximity. The blonde was definitely someone who needed space, and Shawn respected that.
"Yeah. I hope so," the kid replied in response to adapting enough to get along. "Um, sir, mind if I finish with that mirror?"
do expect to battle you some day.> Lindsay replied, actually listening to reason for once. And when it was pointed out by another pokemon, no less. She usually hated being corrected or told she was wrong, but Skiron had earned enough of her respect for her to heed his advice. The smile from the ice-type caught her off guard and she blinked at him with a vacant look.
A pause. she asked. She dipped her head briefly. Raw power, yes, she could give off. It was control she needed to work on. Up until then, however, she hadn't really had a desire to harness control. For some reason, talking with Skiron made it seem more important now. Perhaps it was because raw power seemed unsophisticated, or that, as the Glaceon had said, it was likely to get their trainers in trouble.
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Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2011 4:19 am
"Oh? Of course," Frost nodded and stepped out of the way of the mirror, "carry on... It is true, some of them enjoy fighting a great deal, my Spiritomb for one. I have no doubt that she would disobey and possibly attack me if I wasn't giving her the best offer she is going to get: do as I say and engage in controlled destruction, or disobey me and be shut in storage forever. As you can deduce from that example not all pokemon can be befriended, or co-existed with peacefully if you prefer to think of it that way, some must be controlled carefully to ensure they don't hurt anyone... Don't hurt anyone they're not told to hurt in any case. On that score it is a matter of trust I suppose, trust that they will not turn against you. I trust Skiron, but I do not trust Persephone and therefore I watch her closely." For now the Forbidden pokemon obeyed him because she lacked better alternatives. Should one arise... well, he would just have to rely on Skiron to subdue her.
"I can understand not enjoying the difference between your strength and the strength of a pokemon," Frost went on, "but we have little choice other than to rely on them. Others will not avoid using them just because you do, forgoing the protection of a pokemon is most unwise... Using us. Humm. It is true that some pokemon are more intelligent than humans, and possible that they are using us somehow although it is difficult for me to envisage how they would be going about that... And as I say, I do not believe all pokemon can be befriended any more than I believe all humans can be befriended. You of course may think as you wish, but there is no doubt in my mind that Skiron is my friend; our relationship fits the definition of friendship and so I see no reason to call it anything else just because he is not human." How could they be anything else? They protected, supported and cared for one another. They enjoyed one another's company. They were friends, and that was that.
"I do not just 'take it for granted'," Frost went on, now looking down at Skiron, "I have given the matter thought... and come to the conclusion that there is no way to change the status quo, nor any reason to do so. Associating with pokemon benefits us greatly and although care must be taken in dealing with them as I have said, pushing them out of our lives because we fear their power would be foolish. If we cease to associate with the ones we can trust, that are willing to help us, what would we do about the ones such as Persephone would would very much like to slaughter us?"
Skiron agreed with a bow of his head, He wouldn't have it any other way, and despite the hardship that joining Team Rocket had brought he didn't think he would choose to leave even if he could. Frost was happy surrounded by technology and innovation, and he was happy surrounded by other pokemon. He might not enjoy some of the things they had to do, but in the end he felt the trade off was worthwhile.
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Posted: Wed Jun 29, 2011 8:36 am
A Spiritomb? He'd never heard about that pokemon in Johto, let alone Goldenrod. Still, from the sounds of it, it seemed safe to assume it was a ghost-type. As Frost stepped aside, Shawn moved forward to clean the glass of the mirror, speaking as he worked. "So...that's the best we can do? Give them a good offer?" He thought about Lindsay and how she had been shut up in storage for a while. That hadn't seemed to have changed her attitude towards humans much, if the reports from her previous Rocket trainers were anything to go by. It wasn't very reassuring. Animals were still animals; it was hard to trust them to be 'reasonable' about things, and Shawn still considered them to be unpredictable.
He didn't figure it was a matter of 'not all pokemon can be befriended' - more like 'How can any pokemon be befriended at all? How can we co-exist with them peacefully if they have the power to, and in some cases, actually killed humans? How can we even foster the illusion that we could control them if they actually chose to unleash their full power on us?'
"What if your...your Persephone decided she hated you enough to not mind being shut in storage forever if it meant she could kill you first? How can we assume they'll listen to reason when they're not like us? Even with Persephone, you seem to trust her enough to believe that she values her freedom outside of storage over chaotic, indiscriminate destruction." He paused in his work to spray on some more cleaning solution and cast Frost a meaningful glance.
"Where do you get that trust? How do you know she's intelligent enough to understand the 'offer' you're giving her? How do you know she's not crazy enough to do something dangerous anyway?" Of all pokemon, ghost-types where the ones Shawn had spent the most time around. They were the ones he thought he knew best of all. However, in spite of that - no, maybe because of that - he trusted them least of all. There was just something so unstable about them...beyond just their tangibility, as if their physical presence was connected to the wavering stability of their sanity. Assuming they had any sanity to begin with.
 "Okay, okay, so pretend Skiron is an exception. What makes you keep Persephone around? She could attack you in your sleep and you'd never know. She could eat your dreams or suck your soul or even possess you, and no one else would know either; at least not until it's too late." The kid supposed he was lucky to have such a devoted pokemon like Lindsay - or at least one that seemed devoted. It was definitely safer than having something like Frost's ghost-type around.
"There you go, comparing humans to pokemon again...I still don't get why or how you can do that." Although Frost seemed to have no doubt in his mind, Shawn wondered how he felt so sure that his pokemon enjoyed his company just as he did his pokemon. Even if it was content, was that just perhaps a master and slave relationship? Did it just prefer to be in Frost's posession because it didn't know any better? So many questions, but how could anyone truly understand without reading a pokemon's mind or being a pokemon? As it was, though, Shawn figured his guess of a pokemon's feelings was just as good as Frost's. There was no point in arguing a point that couldn't be proved one way or another.
"At least someone doesn't," Shawn sighed in relief as Frost assured him he had given the matter some thought. He took in the older male's following words gravely, but found truth in them nonetheless. He still didn't like the fact that there wasn't any way to tell the pokemon they could trust apart from the ones they couldn't or even if a pokemon could be trusted at all. Still, though, Frost was right on the account that some seemed to be willing to help. Lindsay was proof of that. "...I guess as a matter of defense, it's okay..." he murmured, though he visibly cringed at Frost's use of the term 'slaughter'. "But I still don't get why you keep the thing you named 'Persephone' around. Especially if she'd like to slaughter us as much as you say." He shuddered. God, please don't ever let me meet that pokemon. Please, please, please.
Finished with the last mirror. He was finally done. He could nap now, but...he wanted to finish talking to this grunt first. Besides, he didn't think he could go to bed just yet having been left with unsettling thoughts of the Spiritomb called Persephone.
Listening to Skiron, Lindsay felt she had more in common with him than ever. She intended to protect Shawn no matter what threatened him or whatever dangers she had to face herself. With that goal in mind, she was certain she could never lose. She would draw her strength and power from Shawn just as she hoped he would use their friendship and her power to make it through his own obstacles. It was more than just being a part of Team Rocket - it was about being pokemon and trainer, loyal to the end.
the Jolteon began in an abnormally calm voice, seating herself on her hindquarters.
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Posted: Sun Jul 31, 2011 8:01 am
For some moments Frost remained silent, looking down at the pair of eeveeloution pokemon with a very slight frown on his face. Eventually, he said; "Odds. Call it a gamble, if you will. From what I have observed of her personality... or call it beheviour patterns if you would rather not think of them as having personalities, I believe that she will not harm me. There is a chance that I am incorrect and will pay for my mistake but I believe it is a small chance and that the risk is worth taking, is balanced by how useful she is to me." Clearly he and Shawn had every different points of view, but he was still enjoying the discussion. So long as the person who saw the world differently to you was civil and truly tried to explain themselves, and provided you did the same such discussions could be interesting and enlightening even.
Sighing softly to himself, the ice type attempted to put events together in his head in order to give a fair explanation. he concluded with a shrug,
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Posted: Thu Aug 11, 2011 3:58 pm
"So you admit that you're taking chances," Shawn replied. "That's...pretty brave. I guess that's what separates the trainers from the masters, heh." It made sense; what Frost was saying. It was especially helpful when he put it that way, in terms like 'behavior patterns' that avoided implying anthropomorphism.
The kid hoped he could be as confident in pokemon as Frost and other Rockets seemed to be without deluding himself into being dependent on them, assuming emotions of them, or just plain taking them for granted. To do that, though, he would first have to get over his paranoia. He had a long way to go, but for Team Rocket, the work seemed worth it. They were the reason he had a fresh new start in a brand new life.
Lindsay listened quietly, imagining those first early years when Skiron was first beginning to trust Frost. She tried to imagine what experiences might have brought them closer together, perhaps to the point of romanticizing about it. It sounded like her personal dream to share a genuine bond with a human trainer who loved and cared for and trusted her.
The jolteon felt a stab of jealousy towards the glaceon for having been lucky enough to have experienced that, but she quickly pushed it to the back of her mind, not wanting her emotions to get the better of her; at least for now. Whatever the case, Skiron and his trainer were now no more free than she and Shawn, caught in the inescapable grasp of Team Rocket. Even so, Lindsay was touched by the thought that Skiron and Frost didn't mind this fate of theirs so long as they were safe together. the electric-type responded to Skiron's story.
The teenager yawned and his pokemon looked up at him. "Thanks again for your time, Grunt Frost," Darrow told his blonde superior. "I think I understood a lot more today...thanks to you..." He put his hand up to his mouth to stifle another yawn. "C'mon Lindsay...nap time..." The drowsy trainee gathered up all his cleaning supplies and tried to remember which way the janitor's closet was. "Hope to see you around," he told Frost with a sleepy smile.
With a final, respectful nod to Skiron, the jolteon got up and trotted along after her trainer's heels. she called.
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Posted: Wed Sep 28, 2011 2:43 am
"Not at all," Frost nodded politly to the young trainee, "I enjoyed our discussion. Presumably I shall see you again sometime." With this said Frost turned his back on Shawn and headed towards the showers. Skiron meanwhile sat and watched the young pair go, a thoughtful expression on his face. As the door closed behind them the ice type gave a pleased huff, got to his paws, and trotted over to sit outside Frost's shower cubicle. They would, he decided, have to seek these two out again, partially so that he could have his battle and partially because it was nice to see his trainer sort of vageuly getting on with somebody.
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