What a strange medley of opinions to have. It was easy to respect her new master - she was rapidly learning more tricks than she even knew to be conceivable - but the fear was not abating. Today, they are fairly far north, in vicinity of the mountain, trees mostly of the evergreen variety. A glistening branch has led them across a river, cascading through the sloped forest in white rapids. A flat rock splits the stream - that same flat rock they are now both standing on. Salt, Dakarai's Parasect, currently one of his most prized pokémon, clambers resolutely but slowly off the end of the branch, chitin feet clicking against the stone ground, Dakarai stood with his delicate hands on his hips peering down at the two pokémon.
The glance is the same critical, analytic, inspective gaze that both pokémon already know from all the previous days. “Good,” he remarks, simply, single-syllable praise enough to excite the Parasect to clacking in rapid succession, its forelimbs together in restrained glee. His gaze drifts from the insect to the Marowak, though his words adress the Parasect. “Salt, SLASH the branch,” he remarks, voice level. It's an unusually direct order - he's been training them to deal with obscurity. Still, that makes it easy for Salt to react - hesitance had not been something Dakarai had been fond of seeing. As such, the branch whips to the side, half-split at their end, splashing noisily into the currents, parting the whitewater with ease, before being picked up into a twirl and downward cascade by the same. Gone.
Fracture looks up at Dakarai, nodding slightly and doesn't look away from him for long seconds before she lowers her gaze, flinching ever so slightly as she watches the branch break and go with the rushing water. She doesn't make a sound though and shifts slightly, shoulders twitching.
Thumbs slide into his pockets, expression unchanging. For a moment, he seems contemplatively held in this stance, before sliding his left hand out of his pocket and gesturing back to the shoreline they came from. “Today's assignment is to get back to the shore. Together, individually, either way. Individually scores more points.”
Fracture ducks slightly and eyes the fast flowing water then looks to the shore before back up at her trainer without saying anything; eyes wide and fearful. She lowers her gaze and chitters very softly to the large insect, stepping carefully closer even as her head tilts. Exhaling, she drags one forepaw across the bone helmet, frowning and feeling miserable.
The shoreline isn't that far away - but neither Fracture nor Salt are good at jumping. The gap's too large for them to just leap across. Dakarai, on the other hand? A swirl of motion, a gust of air, the sound of rubber soles on the shoreline - and he's stood looking at them from their destination. Meanwhile, Salt, foreclaws held together as if in a praying position - though it's nothing of the sort - blinks not-understandingly at Fracture.
Fracture actually whines but only very softly and just the once, shrinking back from the water's edge. She directs a glare at the insect, scowling before she folds her forepaws across her chest; resting the boneclub against her side and growls, softly without that she actually says anything. The ground pokémon is scared of her trainer but she is scared of water more and a shiver runs through her.
Dakarai takes a step back from the shoreline, right hand now resting, curled, in the palm of his left, being kneaded into. His gaze is on Fracture in particular, even as the Parasect unfreezes and scurries to the edge of the rock, only to dip its left claw into the water, holding itself still for long moments.
Fracture shifts uneasily, keeping her face turned away although she is alert to what is going on. She shakes her head then, eyes closing slightly before she opens them again and flexes both forepaws, glaring at her trainer, a soft growl emanating from her. A second glare is directed at the bug and she backs a little further away before crouching in the centre of the rock for long seconds.
Dakarai arches a brow in response to the Marowak's growl, but remains silent, watching the two pokémon on their island. It was interesting to watch them try and solve the problem so locally - that wasn't likely to get them far, after all. With a quiet sigh, he slides down to a sit, pulling his left leg up against his chest and propping his chin on it from the side, curious what they'd come up with.
Fracture scowls and pushes to her feet again, pacing around the rock dragging the bone after her. She comes to a stop then and looks around, eyes narrowed as she eyes the shore and where Dakarai is before her gaze slips sideways to the bug, thinking. Hefting her bone, she rolls her shoulders and glares at a tree not far from Dakarai. She growls a little louder then, directing it at the insect. “<Wait. Look,>” she points to the tree with the bone, then pulls back the arm holding it, eyes narrowing further.
Dakarai 's left hand detaches from his left leg's shin that it was loosely hugged against, finding a pebble and weighing it in his hand as he watches the pokémon and their activities. Salt peers sideways to Fracture, then follows - with some effort - her line of sight. Chittering ensues in response, slight irritation - not so much with her plan, but because by peering across, chance to fish out a fairly long twig has come and gone.
Fracture scowls then snarls, letting loose the bone, it curving towards the slender tree even as the Marowak stamps one foot and scowls with distaste at the water. “<You really want wet?>” she says, coolly before hunching her shoulders and watching the bone get closer to the tree.
The bone strikes against the tree's trunk at height of a branch, just barely missing to strike it where intended, ricochetting back at a slight angle - threatening to fly past Fracture, just out of her reach, and land in the water behind her.
Fracture snarls and stretches out her forepaw attempting to grab the bone and looking very angry, a snarl rumbling from her as she glares at Dakarai. She fears him, yes but at the current moment in time, she is more angry than anything else. She shakes her head again, shape tight, jaw clenched.
Instead, the bone strikes against the shell of the Parasect - knocking it a slight bit further toward the edge of the smooth rock. Even as Fracture's forepaw locks around the bone at one of its ends - a lucky catch - the Parasect's feet scramble across the smooth surface trying to get a grip as gravity pulls it in abrupt yank down toward the water.
Fracture scowls a little more and drops the bone and lunges forwards to grab one claw before she pulls backwards, trying to help the Parasect back on to the rock. Stumbling a bit she whines as she tries to counterbalance the weight of the insect and her own weight and not fall in the water herself.
It's too much. That barest second of a moment ends in her shape being seized by the pull of gravity, nudged by the momentum of her lunge, and a loud splash can be heard as Salt smashes into the unfortunately fairly shallow waters, against jagged rocks, furiously consumed by the rapids trying to pull it down. Her shape follows the tilt, tugged by the weight and a split second's too late reaction toward the water's surface. The threatening roar of the water is in her face one moment - and then it's gone, and she finds herself in disoriented stagger cast back out of the pokéball on the dry shore, finding the isle off to her left somewhere, Salt collapsed in pant between Dakarai and the shoreline just behind her.
Fracture gasps heavily, her head lowered before she steadies herself, coughing a little. Straightening she exhales and growls lowly at Dakarai, her eyes narrowed and glittering dangerously. Walking towards her trainer, the angry sound grows in volume and intensity, the ground type beyond angry as she hefts her bone, not looking away from him. “<Not. Like. Water,>” she grinds out.
Fracture comes to a stop in front of him and stares up into his face and though she's scared, she's angry. “<You not nice.>” Her free forepaw glows yellow, sparks radiating from him and she attempts to THUNDERPUNCH him, not caring whether it hurts him or not, she's that angry.
Apparently, it catches him off guard - the crackling forepaw darts forward, displacing the air, striking against his right knee and abruptly causing him to crash down on that side, snarling. She doesn't get much of an opportunity to see his face twisted by a fierce sensation of pain - she's recalled before she's even fully aware he's still holding her pokéball; and then the red engulfs and consumes her. Nothing. Timelessly - so to her, it's not even an instant between being recalled and the next time she is called forth… but Dakarai holds the ball in one hand, rolling onto his back to remove his knee from anything touching it but the leg of his trousers, hissing, bringing his right hand up to dig fingernails into his thigh.
“Fuck,” he snorts, pulling his lower lip into a bite between his teeth, his nose wrinkling as if in emphasis of his emotions, grip on the pokéball tightening, nostrils flaring as he forces himself to breathe steadily. Salt scurries to him, wearing an as worried expression as is possible for an insect pokémon of that species, being gestured to distance by its master.
The pokéball crashes down against the ground, grip unrelenting, grinding against the ground. Fortunately, it has no effect on Fracture as Dakarai uses it to lean against and push himself to a rise, slowly, surely, angled slightly awkwardly. Some part of his mind analyses the damage - a fracture of the knee cap? If he's lucky, that's all it is. Grimacing, he props himself up into a sit, left leg angled beneath him. Snorting a breath, he peers past Salt toward the churning waters, before narrowing his gaze, steadying himself, ensuring he's sat sturdily. Silence. Motionlessly, he lets a few moments pass as he collects himself.
Then, in abrupt decision, he brings up his left hand, wielding the pokéball, outstretching that arm, before summoning Fracture with the press of a button, making sure she'll materialise in or immediately above the water.
Fracture appears then drops into the water with a startled yelp before she snarls and attempts to wade back out of the water, shoulders hunched. She doesn't get far before the current sweeps her off of her paws and down river. Struggling and terrified and she yowls piteously before she coughs, spluttering and swallowing some of the brackish water.
Salt cringes in on itself, gaze tracking Fracture as she's washed down the river by the sheer force of the rapids, shredded against and across the sharper pebbles that have yet to be worn down by water, a painful downhill ride, further emphasises by her weakness to the element. Dakarai pulls in a breath through his nose in distaste of her behaviour that spawned this, watching her tumble; before abruptly recalling her just before she is out of range. The pokéball twirls, re-aligning with the height of the river they're at, and she's cast back out into the water, Dakarai's nose wrinkling in silent contempt.
Fracture whines as she's dumped back into the water, blood streaming from a myriad of small cuts scattered across her small shape before she coughs again, barely conscious due to the pain and tiredness. A shudder wracks her shape and she splutters then sags, eyes half closed, barely any strength left to keep struggling as the river sweeps her away again.
A moment later, the world around her disintegrates once more - only to be replaced by the sight of Dakarai leant across her, right hand raised. A moment later, the palm cracks down against her skull, reverberating horribly through the bone. His jaw, meanwhile, is set, expression full of resentment. “What the fuck was that about?” he snarls, not looking very human at all, eyes glinting with a fierce, demonic energy. He's still sitting as he was while she was tumbling down the river - but not because no time has passed since. In fact, Salt seems to be back in its pokéball.
Fracture whimpers and cowers as she is smacked, cringing away from him without that she looks at him. A shiver runs through her and she trembles, not daring to say anything although she shifts backwards away from him before she is still, held rigid by fear. Her eyes roll closed and she sags a little more, coughs up a little of the river water.
“Answer my question,” he narrows his eyes, kicking his left foot out behind him and to the side slightly, against the ground, eliciting a grinding sound as he pushes himself after her, slightly, with aid of his hands on the ground. It doesn't fully close the extra space she's made for herself, though. A snorted breath. “Answer, now.”
Fracture whimpers and cringes, skidding backwards a little more before she raises her head and stares up at him. “<You mean.>” She blinks slowly then adds: “<Water hurts.>” She wails softly in pain then, the sound edged with fear. “<I not do it again. Be good now,>” she whispers, cringing and pressing herself into the ground even though it hurts.
A guttural snarl surfaces from him, fingers of both hands flexing, the edges of his palms on the ground. He still doesn't really understand pokéspeech, but he can make out the tone of an apology without knowledge of her precise statements. “That was totally,” he snarls, “Totally uncalled for, you little bitch. Do it again and I'll fucking drown you,” he growls, his eyes glinting; all the while trying to ignore the fierce ache in his knee.
Fracture whimpers. “<Won't do it again,>” she whispers, her eyes squeezing shut as she curled slightly, pressing herself further into the ground, shuddering hard. Her fear of her trainer now is her strongest one and she whines with pain, her blood starting to coat the ground beneath her red. The shallow wounds are that serious but there is a lot of them and she swallows hard, raising her head again and opening her eyes to look up at him.
Dakarai slowly pushes from his sit to his feet, wincing silently, holding his breath as he puts weight onto the damaged knee. A silver trail of a tear runs down his right cheek, but no sound is associated with it. Gradually, he exhales, tension lining his body. “We're heading home early,” he remarks, voice noticeably controlled, just barely removed from a tremble as he glares down at Fracture. “That means early rising tomorrow.” Said matter-of-factly, it no longer suggests any malice toward her, even if his gaze is still burning into her.
Fracture lowers her head and nods without that she says anything even as she she pushes herself to her feet with a shudder and a whine of pain. She doesn't make any other sound though and she doesn't move unless he does and she doesn't look at him either.
He lets his shoulders slouch slightly, most of his weight on his left rather than right leg, and his gaze warily tears from Fracture, drifting through the landscape as if looking for something. Another snorted breath finalises whatever thought he was having - and then he begins to walk back down the path they came from, expression bitter, not bothering to look at Fracture, but very much aware if she follows or not.
Fracture walks after her trainer, silent and after a short distance she starts to limp, but not badly. Shivers of pain wrack her shape and but she doesn't make a sound, her eyes half closed. If she had the energy and wasn't scared to death of him she'd run but since she is scared and has no energy left or very little she keeps trudging after him silently.