A Web of Experiences [Xander's Dojo]

[Xander Brandt]

The trip to the dojo was a longer one. Across water and on foot, he'd taken a good bit of time just to get there. The boat trip was unusually calm despite Atlas and Volt's own desire to be active. Xander's been careful to keep them playing around the center of the ship, which went better than expected. Volt seemed pleased with being able to crawl all over his body and let Atlas follow along, much slower than the other. As for the walk to the dojo, they'd gotten help walking to Hindors Town. Once arriving in town and going to the dojo, Xander met the owner who was a kind man. After talking for a couple minutes, he'd decided to ask for a agility course. Despite all the battling training Volt and him have done, it'd be better to let the little spider run around a bit.

After leaving the older gentleman, Xander opened the door to a room where walls were filled with rings and different floating balloons. Volt would have a good time from just a single glance. As Xander leans down to get Volt off his hat, the little spider chitters back at him calmly. Xander's voice comes out slowly as he starts to guide Volt. "Alright Volt, we're just going to have you go through this obstacle course. Pop each balloon and go through each ring. I think you can manage that." Volt speeds off so quickly, rushing around the area. Over the course of an hour or so, Volt goes around popping balloons and climbing walls to reach rings. The little bug chitters excitedly as it goes through the course. Zapping balloons with loud pops and Xander just relaxes with a book in hand as he watches quietly. At least, the spider's energy was going to be ran out.

"Xander" <"Volt"> <"Atlas">

Name - Volt
Level - 5 - as of 11/6/2022
EXP - 0/25

[Deleted]

Xander Brandt [dojo]avE3bCC|

[Xander Brandt]

The trip to the dojo was much shorter than before. Brain filled with a million thoughts as Xander approaches the building in which he'd already called ahead for a time. The routine would be useful for all of them. Training was important, especially if they were going to have problems in the future. Xander knew his family well enough. Team Rocket would come looking for him eventually. Right now, he needed to prepare Volt and himself for the worst. A shiver runs through his spine as he stands carefully in front of the desk, asking for some sort of shooting range. Something where substitute dolls could possibly move in different ways in a course, which surprisingly the older gentlemen had just the room for them.

Entering the room, Xander could see the dolls moving on ropes and mechanisms to signify specific types of pokemon. Swimming pokemon, flying pokemon, and regular pokemon on land. Xander steps up, lowering his hat for Volt to get down. Atlas rests in his pocket watching Volt and him carefully to see what's going on. Xander's voice comes through carefully to the little larva. "You'll get some training soon enough, Atlas. I promise." The chitter of the larva is enough for him to realize that the little bug seems happy to remain where he is. Shaking his head, Xander turns towards Volt on the ground now. The little spider is excitedly zipping around his legs. "Alright Volt, we're gonna do a game of subdue the enemies. I want you to use thunder wave, spider web, and string shot to try and slow down each of these dummies. You've got an hour, so let's start!" Working together, Xander could feel himself growing fond of these training grounds on his own. No family to tell him they're training wrong. As he leads Volt around, he knows this will be good for them, even if it's just fun rather than actually training. Though, he could care less. Xander was having a blast.

"Xander" <"Volt"> <"Atlas">

Name - Volt
Level - 7 - as of 11/20/2022
EXP - 14/49

[Primarina]

[dojo]0r9mOyxC

[Xander Brandt]

Xander's own schedule has been very busy. With getting two new pokemon on his team, he's found himself needing to practice with Volt again. There's a lot of work to do with Volt. Entering the dojo, Xander gives a small greeting to the old man who owns the dojo, moving past him to get a room that has a cannon of sort. The cannon was apart of his training for this week. Volt and him have trained way too hard before, but this would be less of that training his father made him do. Volt had been injured many times since he was forced to battle in fights that were clearly set up against him. Control over Xander and his partner pokemon is what his father always wanted. Grimacing at the memories of the little spider pushing through the pain to fight harder and harder, risking his own life.

There's been some close calls, but Xander wouldn't let it come to that again. Not anymore. Entering into the room, Xander gives a heavy breath before speaking to Volt. "Okay, this week is going to be a bit lighter, but we need to keep practicing. We both know why." The memory fades slightly as Xander stands a bit taller. "So, I'm gonna use this cannon to fire a net at you, I want you to break it using pin missile. We're going to do this for a little less than an hour. We've got a schedule to keep." Xander moves quickly as he fires the net, watching pins go through the threads and rip them apart. His eyes focus on the task at hand. Volt is quick and the two of them do this dance for the time limit. By the end, Volt and Xander are exhausted and breathing heavy. Damn, Xander really hated moving like that, but they had to be ready for whatever would come their way.

"Xander" <"Volt"> <"Atlas">

Name - Volt
Level - 9 - as of 11/26/2022
EXP - 1/81

[Gardeon]

[dojo]bcOvnUU4

[Xander Brandt]

Xander's life seems to just be getting crazier and crazier by the week. Honestly, the fact that he had a Shuckle was incredibly wild to him, but the way he managed to get this Shuckle was even wilder. For now, he's just happy Indica seems to be happy with where she is. The chill shelled pokemon was currently at his feet, following along a bit slower than he had expected, but he didn't mind slowing down a little for a walk. Speaking carefully as they go, he lets himself relax a little. "So the dojo is a fun place. We're gonna get you trained up for the team, but also, it'll be fun to just see what you can do. Promise, once we're done, you can get back to relaxing." Indica only stares blankly at him, her smile widening as she nudges along pleased.

Once inside the dojo, Xander had already planned for an interesting task for Indica. Walking up to the gentleman at the front, he asked for his room. The key was given to him. Xander gives a soft smile as he enters the room with Indica slowly following. The room itself was normal, except for the wooden beams that seem to rotate and turn with large poles sticking out of it. The idea was to hit own and it'll hit the pokemon back. For Indica's training, he wanted to see how much damage she could take and dish back with Bide. It'd be a rough time, but he believed in her capabilities. Indica immediately was bored of the room already. <"Can't I just make you a smoothie instead?"> Xander only looked at her for just a second before she moved towards the position. "Alright good! No worries, let's just got for a half hour and see where you're at!" Over the course of the half hour, Indica kept her shell strong and unleashed fury whenever the pole would spin and hit her. After a bit of time, he waves his head, ending the session.

"Xander" <"Indica">

Name - Indica
Level - 5 - as of 12/8/2022
EXP - 0/25

[Gardeon]

[dojo]S|ZNzITn

[Xander Brandt]

Xander had known it was time to help train up Gus. The way the caterpillar had crawled around his shoulder and desperately pleaded to take him with Xander was evident. A clear sign of wanting to grow and get stronger, Xander decided it was the best course of action. So, early in the morning, he set out to bring Gus to the dojo. Upon entering, he knew what he wanted to train the little caterpillar in. Gus, who also shared a similar niche with webs, wasn't as good as Volt and Xander wanted to change that. Two pokemon that can weave a web to catch others wasn't a bad plan at all. A smile is all he gives to the gentleman behind the counter as he gets the key to the room he'd messaged about ahead of time.

Once in the room, he sets Gus down and stares at the dummies hanging from everywhere. The ceiling, the walls, the floor. They were absolutely everywhere. His eyes scan the room before going back to Gus. "Alright! So today, we're going to practice your string shot with some tackles. I want you to try and pull dummies towards you and then tackle them. The faster you get at it, the more confused an opponent might be if you hit them hard enough!" Gus' eyes widened in excitement as he gives a solid nod. There's a clear desire to grow coming from the caterpillar. He'd have to continue to build that growth up with Gus. Truly, he was excited to see where the two of them would go. A smile on his lips as he tells the caterpillar to start. Over an hour or so, they practice. The sound of thuds as dummies hit the ground. It's refreshing to see a bug that desires to be stronger. In some ways, Gus reminded him of Volt when they'd first met all those years ago.

"Xander" <"Argus/Gus">

Name - Argus "Gus"
Level - 5 - as of 11/21/2022
EXP - 0/25

[Primarina]

[dojo] 2GY9yWIW

[Xander Brandt]

Atlas had proven himself to be a tough pokemon. Originally, Xander didn't want to bring the little larva to the dojo because he wasn't going to force the little guy to fight. Except, when they had made it back from his first fieldwork task, Atlas had chittered away about wanting to get stronger. Despite the worries he had, Atlas had asked to go with him and Xander had agreed to take the little guy. In the end, the two of them had travelled to the dojo in Hindors Town. Atlas chitters excitedly from his shoulder, voice willed with interest. <"S-Strong P-Pokemon come h-here."> Xander nods in acknowledgement as he opens the dojo's door. There was a certain training regiment he'd decided on days ago, A smile resides there as he nods to the older gentleman behind the counter.

Once they enter the room, there's dummies everywhere. Xander looks to Atlas as he sets the little larva down. As he looks from dummy to dummy, he smiles and begins to talk. "Okay, so the plan is to use infestation and struggle bug on these dummies. I want you to rip them apart if you can. We're testing to see how strong you really are. I believe in you and so does Volt and the others." Atlas shakes nervously, but also nods excitedly. There's a moment where he's watching the little larva move from dummy to dummy, tearing bits and pieces of the dummy apart. His voice comes through with a loud chittering. <"I-I a-am st-strong!"> Xander laughs as the little larva tears apart some of these dummies one by one. After an hour of training, he can tell the little larva is learning the best ways to move and strike with the moves to do some damage in the correct spots.

"Xander" <"Atlas">

Name - Atlas
Level - 8 - as of 12/18/2022
EXP - 11/64

[Primarina]

[dojo] 9Nyr5j|q

[Xander Brandt]

The preparations were made for this weeks training with Atlas. The bug had chittered away about evolution and strength to him. The little guy wanted to get stronger like Volt and really give it his all. Silva had been kinder to him. A sort of protective nature that Xander wasn't really expecting when he caught her. She still doesn't quite listen to him, but it's enough for him. A sigh from his lips as Atlas sits on his shoulder, shivering in a sort of nervousness, but excitedness. <"W-W-Wanna b-be s-stron-strong li-like V-Volt... Silvy..."> A nod is all Xander gives as he takes the keys from the guy at the front. The room he'd prepared was filled with spider webs. Today, he had plans for those webs and Atlas. Volt had been around them both for a long time, but Atlas never experienced battling Volt. It would be good to show the little bug how to escape from a web.

And so that's what they were going to do. Xander crosses his arms as he looks around the room. Atlas' wide eyes glance around with him, a shiver going through him. Xander speaks carefully with a soft smile to the little guy. "Alright, Atlas. We're going to train your ability to break free from webs. Also your speed at maneuvering through difficult terrains!" Atlas shivers nervously, but the little bug excitedly moves from side to side. Xander smiles as he raises his hand and starts to guide Atlas through the environment and explaining ways to best escape from sticky webs. A smile on his face as he's so proud of the little bug. After a small time together, he's seen so much strength in the little bug. One day, Atlas was going to be strong enough to handle himself. Xander wasn't sure how to feel about that. There'd be a new care to be had and in the end, he knew he'd always worry about Atlas a bit more than the others. The little bug was so scared the first time they met and now the bug was pushing through this with all his heart. Xander smiles as the hour ends, noticing a difference in the bug. Over time, he can see both of them improving. Together, he'd be strong just like Atlas.

"Xander" <"Atlas">

Name - Atlas
Level - 8 - as of 12/20/2022
EXP - 61/64

[Gardeon]

[dojo]_un52t4g

[Xander Brandt]

Xander by far had worked so hard at becoming a good ranger overall, but there was a lot of things he's not figured out yet. The little Nincada was not a fan of him at all. Truly, he understood why, but he'd been helping stop the swarm in the area. As for the little bug, she'd not been happy to be in his care, but slowly, he's been getting her to warm up to him a little bit. Sure, there was still some animosity in the air, but he'd worked hard to at least make things calm for a bit. A sigh falls from his lips as he speaks when they enter a room. "I know that we're not exactly uhhhh.... on good terms... But I think we should practice at least a little bit. So we're gonna just train your silver wind and hope to improve your speed with it. You're a tough one, so this should be interesting."

Silva looked at him with an annoyance before tearing at the dirt around her. Xander sighs as he walks around the room and starts to set out dummies for Silva. Instead of her attacking the dummies, there's a pause as she comes out of the ground and sends waves of wind towards him. He screams in a sort of high pitched tone as he jumps around. There's a certain feeling beating in his chest that he knew this was the only way he was going to get her to train. So, he strays from the original plan and starts practicing her movements to get the silver wind to go in different directions. Over the course of an hour, he's tired and slightly bruised by the few times he was hit.

"Xander" <"Silva">

Name - Silva
Level - 7 - as of 12/8/2022
EXP - 0/49