sakuraparty

[sakuraparty]

kibanafuji‌:

“somewhat, but it’s more ‘bout my height than anything.”

he flashes a grin.

“'course i would! after all, dynamaxing’s one thing, any pokemon can do that, but findin’ one that can gigantamax is a different story— and disregardin’ the differences, what better way to study 'em than seein’ 'em in action?”

raihan starts heading towards the entrance to the arena, waving a hand to signal momoko should follow.

“come on, then! i��ll take a gander at your pokemon when we’re out on the field, more room out there anyway, make sure they’re lookin’ up to snuff— even if i think it’d be a smidge dangerous for your pokemon, i could call and ask one of my gym trainers to lend you theirs. don’t think it’ll be a problem, though, since they sound like they’re already used to the more intense sort of battles and that.”

actually, now that he thinks about it…

he makes a slight detour, gesturing for her to stay put for a moment. when he comes back, he’s got a dynamax band that he holds out for her to take.

“here, have this— if you want to try dynamax yourself, at least. i’ll need it back afterwards, though.”

Momoko follows him dutifully, listening intently and making sure to take in as much of the scenery as she can. Hammerlocke really is beautiful and unique, totally unlike anywhere she has ever been before.

“Oh, well hopefully my team is up to snuff! It’s a lot easier to battle with partners who already trust you and know how you battle, you know...?” She doesn’t deny that they’re used to some pretty intense battles, though...

When he gestures her to wait, she does, and when he comes back with a bracelet of some kind, she’s only confused for a second before she remembers what they’re for. “These are what make your Pokemon dynamax, huh?” She puts the band on, holding her hand out so she can inspect it. She never thought she’d be wearing one... “I wonder who I should use it on...”

[sakuraparty]

kibanafuji‌:

“nah, not at all. so long as you’re not threatening to attack me, or amputate my legs, or coming at me with an ice pick saying you’re gonna climb me…” raihan laughs again, though somewhat dryly. “if you’re thinkin’ that those are all too specific to be a random example off the top of my ‘ead, you’d be right. i know it’s jokes and all, but jeez, terrifyin’ nonetheless.”

hammerlocke does have a long and storied past— and so do the burnhams, for that matter— but he’s not sure where to start, what she knows already.

“heh, well, a trainer and their pokemon are a team, yeah? and teams work best when you figure out who works best with who, and partner 'em together. when a trainer and a pokemon are in perfect synchronicity, they become significantly stronger, yeah? so then, if two pokemon are in perfect synchronicity with each other, and their trainer, and their environment, when the harmony of the elements and the bond of the battlers line up… when that ‘appens, that…”

a pause, and a sigh.

“… should render you unstoppable, but… seems like maybe i’m still not in perfect sync with my precious pokemon yet. there’s someone i 'aven’t won against once, but we’re not givin’ up.”

raihan pauses again, tilting his head.

“actually, if you like battling, we could start with the stadium— you 'aven’t seen a dynamax pokemon in person yet, yeah? plus, i got some galarian pokemon that are 'ard to find in the wild. 'course, i don’t like battling anyone who’s too inexperienced. not about it being too easy, just makes me feel bad… pickin’ on people weaker than you isn’t any good at all. not to mention, if the difference in strength is bad enough, weaker or younger pokemon can get really seriously injured, even just from the weather effects i employ.”

”galar’s system is different from other regions, see, so i don’t really 'ave any pokemon i keep at low levels for the local kids lookin’ for their first badge and that. all my pokemon are built for takin’ on people that 'ave already beaten all the other gyms. 'course, badges aren’t the only indicator of strength! not just 'cos some regions don’t 'ave em, some people just aren’t the type to challenge gyms, but are right powerful on their own.”

“… oh! hah, look at that, i rambled quite a bit there myself!” he flashes a grin. “in any case, if you fancy a battle, i’d be 'appy to oblige, but only if your pokemon are at least high enough a level that they won’t get badly hurt or anything.”

Momoko pockets her phone. “Wow, being a popular gym leader isn’t all it’s made out to be, I guess?” The fact that someone has threatened him with an ice pick is concerning to say the least. Momoko does not press this.

“Oh, yeah! The dynamaxing phenomenon... that’s another thing I really wanted to check out, I’m sure everyone back home will be really interested at looking at the data.” 

Seeing the stadium seems like a good start, and she’s excited to see Raihan’s battling style in action- 

wait...

did he just say...

“You’d battle ME?”

Her voice comes out almost like a squeak- from what she’s gathered,Raihan is an extremely talented trainer, stronger than anyone she’s faced before, and it’s been ages since she had a proper battle... but it does sound like a good challenge... 

“...Well, I’m not gonna say no! Oh, but I’d hate to disappoint you with a boring match.” She might have a decent chance because of their type matchups, but she’s experienced enough to know that it’s not a guarantee for success. It’d be an excellent assessment of her strength, though, knowing that Raihan could easily be champion in any other region. 

“I did get about halfway through the gyms in Sinnoh when I was younger, but I got, ah, distracted... I still want to finish it up someday, but I haven’t found the time.” She taps her chin as she thinks about the offer. “If that doesn’t bother you, though, I think my team and I would have fun!”

[sakuraparty]

[sakuraparty]

kibanafuji‌:

jeez, she’s giving him quite a strange look.

he’s about to ask if she’s alright until she responds— guess she is, then?

“nah, nah, i should be the one thanking you for giving me the chance to show it off!” his handshake is equally friendly. “i never get tired of how beautiful the architecture around ‘ere is no matter how long i look at it. guess i might be a bit biased since this is my hometown and that, but i’d say it’s justified.”

after her second statement, raihan blinks.

and then he realizes.

“oh, THAT’S what you were givin’ me that look for, huh?” he gives a genuine laugh. “jeez, i thought i 'ad something stuck on my face or between my teeth or something!”

he’s had people get caught off guard with his height before, but it’s been a while— with momoko not knowing who he was, he supposes he should have expected to see that variety of reaction again, but it caught him off guard.

“yeah, sorry, it’s 'cos galar’s full of dynamax spots, innit. i’m actually only five years old, just got ground up wishing stars in my bloodstream and 'aven’t been able to go back to normal yet,” he jokes. “anyways, where do you wanna go first? up to you, unless you’d rather i lead.”

Momoko laughs, half amused and half nervous. “I hope I didn’t come off as rude! I was just surprised, is all. And I thought my friends were tall...”

His joke makes her laugh more genuinely, and she thinks on his question for a bit before giving him a bright smile.

“I’m up for anything! You’d know best, after all. I hear Hammerlocke has a lot of history behind it! I’m curious about your gym- your battle style is really unusual.” She pauses, and with a wave of her hands adds, “Not in a bad way, though! What I read was really, really cool!”

She takes out her phone, opens her notes, and scrolls through what seems to be a very long list of places and things she’d like to see.

“There’s also the surrounding routes- there’s a lot of Pokemon native to this region that you just can’t find in Sinnoh- the castle itself, and...” She trails off, stopping herself.

 “Well, I’m kind of rambling, aren’t I? I’m sure wherever you take me is bound to be great, so I’ll follow your lead.”

[sakuraparty]

kibanafuji‌:

the guards at hammerlocke stadium are a scrutinous bunch— and with good reason, too— but raihan, on the other hand, is an endlessly friendly guy. some of the guards have been there since his mother was the leader and they’re still not used to how sociable raihan is compared to yapita. or, at least, they’re not PERSONALLY accustomed to it. for their jobs, however, they have to be.

this person is not a gym challenger, they don’t even need to ask. they do, however, need to ask for her trainer card, and after a quick confirmation that it’s all in order, they now perform perhaps their most unnatural-feeling duty— telling raihan there is someone here to see him, without interrogating the visitor mercilessly about what the visit is for.

he jogs into the stadium lobby about two minutes later, face lighting up as soon as he spots momoko.

“there you are! welcome to galar, but more importantly, welcome to hammerlocke!” raihan greets enthusiastically and proudly. he approaches, and the fact that he is 6'8– 210 god damn centimeters– tall is excrutiatingly apparent when he’s actually standing this close to poor 5'2 momoko. “how are you liking the city so far? oh, also, nice to meet you in person!”

he thrusts out his arm in invitation to shake his hand, his other resting on one hip. literally every single one of these body parts is ridiculously high up compared to this poor girl’s own. who the hell made that allowed?

Momoko smiles when she spots Raihan, excited for a personal tour of Hammerlocke from it’s finest trainer, and her smile doesn’t falter even as he gets closer... and....... taller.............

...it dawns on her that in all the articles that she read about him when she’d first spoken to him, she never once read his height. Momoko only barely comes up to his chest. How can anyone be so tall?

She meets him halfway for the handshake nonetheless, grabbing his hand- which is also absurdly large, what on earth- and giving it a friendly squeeze as she greets him. “I expected it to be nice, but nothing compares to seeing it in person! Oh, and thanks a lot for offering to show me around...”

She stops shaking and tilts her head as she looks up at him, her smile turning into something like amusement. “You’re, uh... you are a lot taller than I imagined.”

[sakuraparty]

 [ @kibanafuji ]

Galar is much, much larger than Momoko expected. It’d take ages to get around on even a bike, let alone on foot. Luckily, there is a flying taxi service that makes it easy enough to reach her destination. Hammerlocke- she’d read about it and seen pictures before making her way there, but seeing it in person was completely different. 

But this was no time to admire the scenery! She has someone to meet, and she hates keeping people waiting. As quick as she can, Momoko makes her way to the gym. It’s easy enough of a walk, straight on from the pokestop, and she finds the gym with relative ease. A guard blocks the entrance. 

“Excuse me,” she says, getting the guards attention. “Sorry to bother you, but do you happen to know where I can find Raihan? I believe he’s the gym leader here?”