Pokemon: Champions of the Forgotten (Game of 'Thropes)

[weirdsound]

Miranda nods and accepts the drink, giving the bottle a slight sniff and swirl and swirl before pouring herself a glass. "Thank you then. I wasn't planning on doing anything worse than X-Rays, MRIs, and shining lights in their eyes for this study, but the fact that you are open to more intrusive research on your fighters if I can assure their safety does open doors for me."

"Do any of these fighters have substance abuse issues? That is kind of important for me to know," the taste of alcohol reminds Miranda to ask.

Miranda takes a deep breath, already feeling a bit more comfortable. Business people cared about results above all else, which made them somewhat predictable and thus easy to work with. A bit more confidence can be heard in her voice now, but her eye-contact is still poor. "I'll take it you have done your homework on me then? I mean... if you know I like messing with heads and wandering the desert."

[IrnBruAddict]

Miranda

'While I won't stand between an Orrean and a drink, and a couple smoke, no one has substance abuse issues. I wouldn't let a drunkard fight, and healthy lungs is a must when your chest is getting crushed. And if I find anyone taking anything they shouldn't, then they are no longer allowed under my roof. I run a clean company, intend to keep it that way. Of course, while you're here, that goes for you too.' She gives Miranda a brief hard look, before softening and going back to normal.

'I took a little look at your work, but can't say I understood it. I specialise in negotiations and numbers, not neuroscience or geology. Something about Ground types sensing stuff, being in tune with the earth? Sounds a bit new-agey for me, but I'm not one to judge. As long as you do your job and follow the rules, I don't really care if you worship the almighty Giant Bellsprout.'

Russ

Fury parries away Russ's grab, but missed his attack because of it.

The Servine backs up, and slams into the middle clone for 26 p normal damage.

[KujiUn]

Russ continues trying to end the match with a pin!

STR: (1d20+5)[15]

Spoiler: Old Action

Show

HEAD tries to end the match as well with a Fury Cutter!

HEAD goes down, leaving HAWK to take its place. He charges for a STRENGTH, but he misses. D:

AC2: (1d20)[2]
Damage: (1d4+19)[23]

[weirdsound]

"I drink, and I'll treat myself to a cigar if I'm celebrating something, but I haven't done hard drugs since some of my internet friends talked me into rushing a Sorority as an undergrad. Woke up in a pen full of Piloswine covered in... Piloswine Byproducts... and that was it for that."

Miranda stares at the ceiling and listens to her new boss for a bit, before downing her drink and standing up. She takes a few deep breaths and tries to tap into a new-found well of liquid social courage.

"Alright then... I'm going to go meet the team then," Miranda announces as she rises and makes brief but confident eye contact with Catarina before leaving the office.

---

Back in the main room of the gym, Miranda picks a spot on the wall and watches the others for a bit, trying to get a read on each one. In the researchers experience, given a large enough group of dumb muscle, at least one or two of the goons are liable to be smarter than they look, and as such, worth her time.

(1d20+5)[9] Wisdom Check, (If Needed), to observe the NPCs in the room.

[IrnBruAddict]

Russ

Fury was unable to break Russ's grab, and finds himself pinned, unable to attack.

The Servine attempts to wrap up HAWK, but the Scraggy jumps over the vines and evades the attack.

Miranda

Looking around the room, Miranda could see the two genetics from before were still in the ring, although it now looked as though they wee going over the technical aspects of a few throws and grapples. There was a woman in the corner who was wiping down the weights, while a younger girl sat in the corner sketching something, not paying attention to the rest of the gym. There was a Luchador who was posing in-front of a mirror, trying out poses, while a trio of men stood off to the side, one of them grinning as he collects bets off the other two based on tonight's matches. Finally, there was Terrance, who was sitting behind the desk at the front door in-case anyone else came in, and when he sees Mirands come out of the office he comes over and sheepishly asks if she needs a cup of tea or coffee.

[weirdsound]

Miranda pauses for a second when offered a drink, before formulating an answer. "Um... yes. I'll have tea please."

While waiting for Terence to return with her drink, the researcher considered the others. The only people who could be interpreted as doing something intellectual were the Genetics, the little girl, and the seedy fellow taking bets. Miranda enjoyed working with genetics as much as any respectable researcher, but she knew the feeling was rarely mutual; She would ignore them outside of her official duties, and wait for them to possibly come to her. The hustler taking bets had to at least possess a good deal of street smarts, but he was with two others, and one of the only things Miranda was worse at doing than introducing herself to a person was introducing herself to a group of people. The girl looked like she was more likely one of the wrestler's kids than a wrestler herself, and art was a far cry from science, but she was the only person in the room who seemed approachable and wasn't named Terence.

Although not good at interacting with others, Miranda was nothing if not a bit crafty about it. Making her way over to the drawing girl, Miranda waits until Terence finishes her tea and begins to come over to deliver it before striking up a conversation; That way there would be a natural interruption in several seconds should Miranda botch the introduction.

"Um... Hello miss. What are you drawing?"

[KujiUn]

Russ continues the pin, going for the count!

STR! (1d20+5)[14]

Spoiler: After Ser goes

Show

HAWK, meanwhile, does a hop, and skip, and a headbutt!

Headbutt AC2: (1d20)[7] Flinch 15+
Damage: (3d8+24)[37] P-Norm

[IrnBruAddict]

Russ

The man is still held by the pin, while the Servine's whips fail to connect.

Miranda

The girl jumped a little in surprise, but giggled when she looked up to see Miranda. 'Oh, heh, sorry about that. I was off in my own little world. I was, uh, just trying to draw a few outfits for a couple of the guys.'

She flicks her book round, and shows a pencil sketch of a large man with a square jaw and a barrel chest, standing tall. While the man himself was only in pencil, his outfit was drawn in oil pastels, currently he was drawn in a pair of black spandex pants with a neon green design on it, but next to him were two more similar designs, one in red with white detail, and one a solid grey with only a small black stripe running up the side of the legs. Underneath were a couple designs for boots and knee protectors.

'These are a couple I have for Vaun. I wanted to get some drawn for the new guys, but not had a chance yet. How, were you wanting me to sketch something up for you? Going for a "Doctor Death" vibe? Well, it's been done before, but mostly by men, so I'll give you props for not picking a slutty nurse outfit.'

[KujiUn]

And Russ goes for the three count!

(1d20+5)[9]

Finally, HAWK smashes into the Servine with a Brick Break!

AC2: 16
Damage: 51 P-Fight

Rolls in the OOC.

[IrnBruAddict]

The Servine falls, and soon a Quilava takes it's place opposite HAWK.

Spoiler

Show

Speed 12

Fury pushes Russ off him, and aims a blow to Russ's arm, hitting for 37 p fighting damage.

[KujiUn]

Russ slams into Fury one more time, while HAWK goes for a headbutt on the newcomer!

Slam AC6: (1d20)[6] No EVA or AC modifying effects apply
Damage: (3d10+22)[39] P-Norm

Headbutt AC2: (1d20)[8] Flinch 15+
Damage: (3d8+24)[44] P-Norm

[weirdsound]

Miranda blinks. And here she was thinking that the goofy themes were reserved for the fake fighters in Kalos. "Umm... thanks for the... offer? I'm not actually a fighter though. Just here to run a Concussion Study on Champion league fighters. I'll be around for awhile, so I just figured I'd introduce myself. Dr. Miranda Freud... Thats my name. You can call me whatever you like... I guess."

She pauses for a second to give the sketches a closer look. "...If I did fight though, I'd either pick either a Sandman-Nightmare type theme, or go out as a cheap Indiana Jones knockoff. My main specialties are dream research and archaeology. I guess... yours would be fashion design... right?"

[IrnBruAddict]

Miranda

The girl blushes. 'Umm, well.... kinda. I mean I came here to learn fighting, but I never won a match. Instead of cutting me loose, Cat says I could stay if I designed some costumes for the guys. And yeah, I do enjoy it. If I can't be good in the ring, I want to at least prove helpful outside the ring. I'm a bit of an amateur Fahion Designer, so hit me up if you ever want something sewn together Doc. Eh, umm, Miranda.'

She looks over Miranda, and snaps a quick photo on her phone. 'I could see you rocking an adventure style outfit, but maybe more Quatermain than Indy. You'd pull off the classic look, and it's less overdone.'

Russ

The Quailava slams into HAWK for 24 p fire damage.

[KujiUn]

HAWK shakes off the fire and punches the Quilava with a Brick Break!

AC2: (1d20)[19]
Damage: (3d10+32)[39] +4 from ATK CS

[weirdsound]

Miranda nods, failing to make eye contact and continuing to stare at the sketch pad. "I... I read those books when I was about your age actually. I was going to major in Astrophysics before stories like that inspired me to take Archaeology as a second major instead. Would be a pretty neat look... I'll hit you up if I feel a need to refresh my wardrobe."

She pauses, and gives the girl a quick lookover. "Cat... as you call her... told me I was free to drag her 'boys' out on my hikes. I may find use for a good... sketch artist... from time to time. I mean... you can tag along sometime... if you are interested."

Dr. Freud's voice wavers a bit. Asking favors was far from her strong suit.

[IrnBruAddict]

Russ

The Quailava falls down, leaving Fury out of usable pokemon. Seeing his pokemon go down, Fury delivers a nasty chop to Russ's ribs, hitting for 35 p fighting damage.

Miranda

The girl turns to Miranda with great big Growlithe eyes, and a look of excitement n her face. 'Really? Oh,pleasepleaseplease let me come! It'll be totally awesome! I can draw stuff for you, like ruins and all that! And you can excavate and research and hypothesise and be all brainy and badass! It'll be awesome!'

Suddenly realising she was freaking out a little bit, the girl coughs, trying to regain her composure. 'Oh, um, I'm Jewel. Jewel Martel. I go by Power Gem when I'm in the ring, but it sounds corny when people call me that outside, so just Martel or Jewel or whatever.'

[KujiUn]

Russ grins, going for one last attempt at a pin! That's how all wrestling matches need to end!

(1d20+5)[10]

[weirdsound]

Miranda can't help but smirk a bit, both at the girl's willingness and her name. Jewel was almost as good of a stage name as her actual stage name was. "Well okay, you can come, I did ask after all. But do try to lower your expectations. Sometimes I find things, sometimes I don't."

[IrnBruAddict]

Miranda

'That's fine. It's like wrestling. Sometimes you win, sometimes you don't. It's mostly "don't" for me though, hehe, heh .....' She trails off in embarrassment.

Russ

The man counters, and attempts to pin Russ himself, getting an 11 on his pin check.

[KujiUn]

Russ struggles to take control of the grappling, both of them at odds with each other, with both of them not giving up any ground.

[IrnBruAddict]

Since Irn is tired of dragging this out

With both wrestlers near battered and broken, seemingly unable to pin the other, and the pokemon having finished fighting some time ago, the ref calls for the bell, and the match ends. Since Russ's pokemon won, he wins the match despite not beating Fury. While it was his first victory, most of the crowd looked bored since the match dragged out so long. Russ receives a smattering of applause as he leaves, and Terry, who comes in to take next match, receives even less.

After the matches came a long and silent train ride home. The wrestlers didn't exactly seem in a happy mood, since other than Vaun, most of the matches went badly. Terry lost in under 2 minutes, Eclipso had to forefit due to a busted ankle, and Kreig only won after his opponent got himself disqualified by pulling an illegal move.

As the group drags themselves back to the dojo, Vaun splits off to go report to Catarina, while Kreig and Eclipso both hit the showers, Eclipso having to be helped by one of the other girls. Terry elbows Russ in the ribs. 'Hey, Russ-senpai, who is that in the lab coat? Think she's a doctor?'

[KujiUn]

Russ tried to cheer everyone else up, but to be honest he was exhausted from the match. He pretty much slept through the whole train right back to the dojo. But back at the dojo, he was pumped up and ready to take on anything! He almost started lifting weights again until Terry called him. As he looked up, he finally noticed Miranda. "Well, yeah, Terry! She's gotta be! ...what's a doctor doing here?" Russ scratched his head, before deciding that the best way to tell is to ask. "Hey, miss! Are you new around here?"

[weirdsound]

Miranda looks up at the man approaching her. At least he wasn't as awkward as Terence. "Yes. I just got in today... I... I was hired to preform a study on concussion and... brain injury on Champion League fight-"

It clicked. The guy looked to have just got back from a match, and he looked familiar. Pulling out her phone, she brought up the instructions she had obtained from the agency that hired her, and saw his picture and name. "You are... Mr. Alkame... Are you not? Dr. Miranda Freud... is my name. Glad I caught you right after a match. You have a minute right? Hey Jewel... do you want... would you like... to learn how to check for concussion?"

[KujiUn]

"Huh? Concussion? I don't think I have any. At least, dad never told me I had one." Russ thought about it some more. "Well, it can't hurt to go check! Yeah, I got a minute or two."

[weirdsound]

Miranda sighs. She had at least hoped that somebody had briefed the fighters on the danger of concussion at some point in their career or training. "Its... not something you are born with. A concussion... well... it is something you can get from a blow to the head, which from what I understand happens from time to time in your trade. Now answer the following questions. Any headaches? Any Nausea? any unusual sensitivity to light or sound?"

[KujiUn]

"Nope, nope, nope." Russ was sure he didn't have any of that... but it was a good thing he knew what they were. "Never had that kind of stuff."

[weirdsound]

"Good. Good. and Good." Miranda nods along. "You are... likely fine. I'll just test your pupils and balance then, and you... can go. There are other tests that I will be running, but I'm not equipped to run them at the exact moment. Now stand on your left leg, count to ten, and then switch to your right..."

As soon as Russ starts, Miranda digs through her pockets for her flashlight so that she can perform the eye test next.

[KujiUn]

Russ knew the procedure. He lifted his leg up and counted to ten, and then dropped it, lifting his other leg, a bit bored with the process.

[weirdsound]

Miranda notes that Russ had passed the simple work balance test, and moves on to the eyes as promised, shining a flashlight in them, checking to see if his Pupils reacted correctly...

Spoiler: A roll just in Case

Show

(1d20+7)[9] Int check to make sure concussion test was done right. -2 if you think WIS is the more appropriate stat. This only of course matters if Russ actually has a concussion, or the dice say natural 1.

If Russ actually has a concussion, Or Miranda fails so bad that she thinks he does, she wont tell him straight up. She dosn't have the balls break bad news. She'll make a note on the file, and perhaps tell Cass when Russ isn't around.

"You are good... You pass... the field test anyway... But there are other concussion signs that I am... unqualified to check for. Changes... Emotion and personality changes. I'm going to have to... know you well enough to notice if those things change after a fight. Perhaps we can spend some time together tomorrow? You... You keep Pokemon, right? We could visit the gym together, or just have a battle or something."

[KujiUn]

"Huh? Yeah, alright. Hey, we could go to that Battle Hall thing! You've been there before?" Russ had no idea how new Miranda was to anything here really. And he hadn't been in a battle hall in a while. He's less likely to lose there.