sculpted | MISSION 008 [VIDEO/ACTION FOR JUST OUTSIDE GOLDENROD CITY]

[The feed opens to the sight of a rather frazzled-looking Alex Louis Armstrong, who is in the middle of placing his Gear down on a flat surface. He’s shirtless, squatting down in front of the camera with a bemused expression on his face.]

Greetings, my friends! I was wondering if any of you had advice for dealing with a Pokemon who doesn’t really-

[Suddenly, Armstrong rises quickly, twists, and opens his arms, just in time to take a rather furious charge from a rather furious Mamoswine. Digging his feet into the earth, Armstrong fights to keep the Pokemon from trampling him, managing to stay standing and refusing to budge. Grunting and growling, the two struggle for a minute before the beast backs off, galloping away to prepare for another attempt.

Wiping sweat from his brow, Armstrong places his hands on his hips and turns back to the camera, exasperated.]

-doesn’t...really seem to like you all that much. I raised my dear Seldi from an egg, but she’s never taken to me.

[In the background, Seldi is scraping a foot against the ground, kicking up a small cloud of dust as she prepares to charge once more. Armstrong’s frown deepens; he doesn’t appear scared, just frustrated.]

I must admit that I am at a loss at what to do. Nothing seems to help! So, if any of you have been in this situation before and have any advice, it would be most appreciated-!!!

[The next charge is far faster than the last and far more aggressive, the Mamoswine roaring angrily as she pounds towards her trainer, who grimaces and prepares to intercept her, fists flexing. Again, she slams her tusks into him, but even with all her force he manages to stop her cold, dirt piling up around his boots as he forcefully digs his feet into the ground, sweat pouring down his back as he fights to stay up, teeth clenched and (exceptionally beautiful) muscles straining.

For a moment it looks like she might have overwhelmed him, as Armstrong drops to one knee, but it’s all part of his plan; suddenly unbalanced by the lack of force from one side, Seldi stumbles, allowing her trainer to hurl her sideways onto the ground. Once she’s down, he collapses onto hands and knees for a moment, panting, before straightening up and returning his eyes to the camera.]

Thank you very much for listening.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Armstrong is shaking his head - he knows what Jeane means (having been in the military, and all) but he disagrees with that line of thinking.]

I understand what you're saying, my dear, but that's just not how I train my Pokemon; I don't want them to fear me.

[Well. That and the fact that he knows he's absolutely terrifying when angry, but details...]

My other nineteen Pokemon have responded well to this particular manner of training so I'm....really at a loss when it comes to my Mamoswine. I don't want to have to start yelling at her, however.

I never said she should fear you. What I said was that you should try asserting authority over her, there's a difference.

[She pauses. There's a bit of an edge to her words, but as she continues it vanishes.]

You need to make her realize that you're her trainer, and thus you know what's best for her. A person isn't going to listen to someone they don't respect, neither will an animal or a Pokémon. You can't just "be nice" to these things all the time and expect everything to work out, discipline is a necessity on occasion. A child doesn't get rewarded for punching their parent in the face, after all.

Edited (typos are my one weakness) 2013-03-15 01:08 (UTC)

Ah, I think I see what you mean! Earning obedience through respect rather than fear, and all that.

[That makes sense! Now he's just. got to work out how to get her to respect him...which may be difficult due to the secret Rocket microchip embedded in her brain, but he's anything if not persistent!!]

I suppose the problem starts when it comes to disciplining a Pokemon of that size; as beautiful as these muscles are, I don't think I'm capable of cautioning her.

[He'd rather not, anyway!]

Right, that's the idea.

[From the looks of things, he's going to need that persistence.]

Have you tried taking some of her freedoms away? When she starts behaving you can give them back, and if she acts up again you can take away different ones to keep her on her toes.

Hmmm...well, I suppose I could keep her in her Pokeball for lengthier periods of time...but I worry that if I do that, I won't be able to monitor her progress.

[This is a rather tricky problem, particularly for someone as soft-hearted as him.]

I....well, I...could restrict her food, or how far she's allowed to wander from me....but that just seems so....cruel...

[....this is gunna be hard....]

It's even crueler to let her do what she wants. That's going to bite you and her on the ass in the long run.

[A shrug. Honestly, it's not like she really cares if he listens or not. She DID try to give him some advice, the rest is up to him.

...besides, Mammoth Wrestling is better than cable in this place.]

But hey, it's your call.

Edited 2013-03-20 03:03 (UTC)

[Armstrong's feed tends to be entertaining even when he's not addressing it, so....yep....]

Your advice is appreciated, my dear; perhaps it is necessary for me to....ah, 'harden up', as they say.

[....yeah it's not happening]

I'm sure it can't be that hard if I think of it as being for her own good!

[it's definitely not happening]

Might be a good idea. Honestly, it's not that hard.

[As you can imagine, that's said as enthusiastically as possible.]

Anyway, my name's Jeane; so if you could cut it out with the "my dear" crap that'd be great. Thanks.

MISSION 008 [VIDEO/ACTION FOR JUST OUTSIDE GOLDENROD CITY]

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