The Pokemon League of Sinnoh Elite Academy Trainer graduates are the movers and shakers of the Pokemon World. Few gym leaders, Elites, and frontier brains have earned their position without a certification from an Elite Academy. After receiving your acceptance letter to Sinnoh Elite Academy, it’s your turn to be the very best, like no one ever was.
Elite Academy is a statless, literate Pokemon college role play. Students are limited to one Pokemon at the start and may gain more as they progress. We strive to create a literate, collaborative, creative environment where people respect one another and have fun.
MAY 26TH, 2019
We just wrapped up our first Activity Check! As we move forward, the Fall Festival event will be up a while longer. Anticipate some exciting changes coming soon. Thanks for sticking with us!
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Post by Layla Bygrave on Mar 16, 2019 10:37:16 GMT
On an overcast, breezy Autumn afternoon, an everyday miracle occurred. A joyous celebration of the university timetable that can be appreciated by the stereotypical Sinnoh everyman, and one that an exuberant Layla cherished with all of her heart, like Spoink and its gem. Class was over for the day. No more lectures, nor jotting down notes at the speed of a voltorb preparing self-destruct. The intricacies of offensive typing vs. defensive typing, and how much it matters could wait until she was in her room, full of food, and perhaps a wink too tired. The schedule was still unusual, but it granted the chance to galavant around the campus; see new things, meet new people, try new things, see what's really in that meatloaf. You know, the little things.
On her agenda was the 'SEA Student Union' building. A hub of fun on campus; filled with every kind of activity a student would want to do; drunk or not. The halls were wide and expansive, pristine and impeccable; the fact she was going here was beyond her imagination. It was a much higher class than normal; it didn't mean she wouldn't enjoy it though. She passed through halls of various things to do. Basketball, soccer, gaming; all great fun, and something she'd check out later.
Something unusual entered her ears. Music. But it was... different. The quality of it was not that of a CD. Was there a music room? She couldn't tell how good it was, but it was a real instrument playing. A peek, and a peer, and she'd found it. The door to the music hall was ajar, if ever so slightly. The sound-proofing would be compromised if there was a single gap, and she was reasonably sure that most people playing would prefer to keep whatever goofs they'd made private; practice in private, rehearse in public.
She got closer to the door, ready to close it, but she stopped and listened. The vocalist was... good. Really good! Could hold tune well, had a nice range, and his playing was decent too. She counted the tempo in her head; he might have dragged a little at times, but the lyrics he was singing kept him on track well. Peering into the room, she didn't really know what to expect, but she did want to see the talent behind that piece.
"Memories consume, like opening the wound. I'm picking me apart again."[break][break]
A single strum that is left to ring out into the silence.[break][break]
"You all assume I'm safe here in my room, unless I try to start again." The strumming began in earnest, hands moving deftly across the strings. Gray eyes looked like quicksilver beneath the lights as they stared at something across the room, heavy and leaden. His white hair almost glowed from the lights, almost akin to the lights themselves.[break][break]
"I don't want to be the one that battles always choose, cause inside I realize...." He briefly let a stroke ring out into the silence. "...that I'm the one confused."[break][break]
He took a brief inhale, not quite seeing the sad, mesmerized eyes of the large orange salamander watching him. The lizard was seated in a corner holding its tail, eyes a sharp shimmering deep blue in the light and scales that seem to ripple between shades of orange and red, like dancing flames across its flesh or the steady flame on the tip of its tail.[break][break]
It seemed to perk up as the strumming came back, at a faster tempo this time. The man's voice became more emotional as he continued. "I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream. I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean. I don't know how I got this way - I know it's not alright." It wasn't quite visible through the man's thin jacket, but his shoulders tensed as the melancholy within the air seemed to weigh on him more than anyone else. "So I'm breaking the habit, tonight."[break][break]
With those drawn-out notes, he didn't quite notice that someone had peeked through the door a bit ways before. And the lizard hadn't either - not yet anyway.
A keen ear was trained on the tones coming from the room. A guitar played with space and a voice that was... unusual. It hung out in the middling registers, but it had the tonality of somehow who was starting to hit the higher registers. However, this seemed like a comfy place for him to sing, whoever it was; the door only allow viewing of an orange pokemon, and possibly a headstock? It didn't matter. She smiled a little, despite the meaning of the song. The meanings and intentions were dark, but the way he presented them seemed... Hopeful, somehow. A nice inversion of the norm.
Fluffee, popped out of Layla's bag, her usual napping space, not quite used to all the hard edges, despite being a literal ball of cotton. Jumping onto Layla's shoulder, Layla opened the door ever so slightly more so Fluffee could see. That, however, wasn't quite good enough for the fluffball.
Fluffee, curious about the music, popped into the room through the door, jumping off of Layla's shoulder. "Fluffee, noooooooo," escaped from Layla as a low whisper, easily slipping under the notes and chords ringing out. "Fluffee, come back!" came out again in a similar tone, but to no avail; she was parked just behind the... Charmander? Yeah, Charmander. That was the audience, which had now doubled in size.
This wasn't ideal. Layla had to get Fluffee out, without causing a scene. Maybe if she were quiet, and moved slowly, no one would notice her being in there. Opening the door more, slowly enough that if there were, by some miracle, a creaky hinge, it wouldn't make too loud a sound. Stepping through with light footprints, she tried to make her way to where her pokemon was, hoping that he was too absorbed in his playing that he wouldn't notice someone else there. She didn't want to impose on such a personal session, but Fluffee did not belong there.
She looked over to the musician as she crept through, surprised by the face of the talent. It was... Zernebog? Huh, go figure.
"Clutching my cure, I tightly lock the door. I try to catch my breath again."[break][break]
The Cottonee went unnoticed by both the man and the pokemon as the song session continued. His voice and his guitar easily drowned out the light steps, not to mention that they were looking in another direction entirely away from the door.[break][break]
"I hurt much more than anytime before. I had no options left again. I don't want to be the one that battles always choose, cause inside I realize that I'm the one confused." The music was slowly starting to build as he continued on. He hadn't noticed that a certain pinkette had followed after the sneaky fluffball....[break][break]
...but the Charmander certainly did out of the corner of his eyes. His blue eyes gleamed in curiosity as it glanced over at them, but he didn't quite do anything or say anything to their presence yet. "I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream. I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean. I don't know how I got this way - I know it's not alright."[break][break]
Meanwhile, it seemed as though the tension in the air seemed to hit a peak as the man really began to give it his all. "So I'm breaking the habit, tonight." The last word had a hint of a growl, which then transitioned to the next lines being growled out at the end. "I'll paint it on the walls... 'cause I'm at one at fault.... I'll never fight again... and this is how it ends...."[break][break]
The intensity continued and the Charmander was visibly torn at keeping watch on them or fully dedicating himself to listening to this song. And so, the man continued on at this intensity as he straightened up and gained a determined glint in his eyes. "I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream, but now I have some clarity to show you what I mean."[break][break]
"I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream, but now I have some clarity to show you what I mean." There was a brief, almost unnoticeable shaky breath. "I don't know how I got this way - I'll never be alright. So I'm breaking the habit... breaking the habit...."[break][break]
He took a deep inhale. "I'm breaking the habit... tonight!" With one final strum, he let it ring out into the room before he slumped his shoulders.[break][break]
The Charmander nodded at the two to leave before his trainer noticed, before looking pensively at his trainer.
Post by Layla Bygrave on Mar 18, 2019 11:37:22 GMT
Her steps were light, not even the vibrations would disrupt the atmosphere of the room, blending into the tempo of the strums. The care she took into moving through everything was astonishing; if only she were like that with her room back home. Even still, she had to move quickly, before her drummer's feet started tapping to the music; then she'd never get out of here.
She motioned for Fluffee to return to her, but the cottonee was too transfixed by the music; something the Charmander did not fall prey to, his blue eyes begging for them to go, torn between them and his trainer. She felt bad. This is precisely what she wanted to avoid. Its a shame she wasn't invited; she would have loved to jam with him, or just listen to him sing, but that's something for... well, he seemed slightly aloof, from the impression she got of him.
She picked up the fluffball, slightly cross at her actions, but she had her prize, just as he was finishing up his bridge. Hoping above all hopes, she'd make it out, that'd he'd embellish the end like most singers and guitarists do.
In the silence, Zernebog allowed himself to relax for a moment. He slumped into the backrest of his chair, letting the guitar rest on his lap as he let himself savor the catharsis singing that had given him. It was certainly not what was requested - but it was what he needed.[break][break]
However, he then heard a step within the now-quiet room and his head turned towards the source of the sound. His eyes widened when he saw one of his classmates -Layla Bygrave...? A girl from Unova- carrying her sheep and... was she trying to be quiet? [break][break]
His eyes then narrowed, mouth pressing into a thin line. "How long have you been in here? And how much did you hear?" His voice sounded level -perhaps even a little tired- than accusatory or angry.[break][break]
His gaze then flickered over to his companion, who was looking at him sheepishly. "And you knew they were there? Why didn't you poke me about it?" He sounded a little more exasperated now.[break][break]
Hyperion shrugged in response while waving his tail happily. He was enjoying the music too much despite asking for a happy song, not one like that. Sure it wasn't like the original, but still....[break][break]
Zernebog squinted at his Charmander for a moment before looking back over at Layla, waiting for that answer.
Aw crap. She'd been spotted, and he... well, he could be much more infuriated than he currently was, which was a welcome surprised unlike the dynamic duo of Layla and Fluffee. Tensing when the singing turned to speech, but relaxing in the silence. While she would have preferred to have made off without consequence at the moment; maybe this was better? There was no idea how long she could hold a secret like that hidden.
"Um... Not very long," her back still facing the slightly indignant musician, Fluffee now on her shoulder. "Maybe most of that last song?" mustering up the courage to face him, and his rather adorable Charmander. She had no idea how long he'd been playing. If it was for a while, then it wouldn't be so bad, but if that was his first song then it wouldn't be as pretty. "If it makes any difference, I spent most of it trying to get Fluffee here!" her hands up in a flighty surrender. "I'll, uh... Leave you be," not wanting to impose. "You do have a really nice voice though, and you do play really well; in time too. It'd be nice to hear it with more instruments, but... yeah," starting to turn to leave. It'd be interesting to try to work around a voice like that, but it'd probably never happen.
Most of the last song? Zerne's cheek twitched just a tad at that. She managed to hear him in a vulnerable moment and that definitely made him tense. No, it didn't make a difference that she was trying to chase down and catch a giant cotton ball like people trying to catch dandelion fluff in the fields. Overhearing was overhearing in his mind.[break][break]
Still, he was glad that she was leaving. He relaxed a bit at the compliment, his face settling into a neutral expression instead of the exasperation he had a little while back.[break][break]
At the mention of additional instruments though, he noticed that his Charmander perked up and tilted his head over at the two. He couldn't blame the little guy - he was a little curious as well despite the small invasion of privacy and that brief and all-too disconcerting feeling of being exposed.[break][break]
"What do you mean by more instruments...?" He called to her. He'd rearranged the song to only really need one instrument, two at most if he was adding percussion to it. More embellishments seemed... rather garish and off with the vibe that he was going for.[break][break]
He probably should have just let her leave now so that he had the room to himself to think on that, but sometimes a man was just too curious.
Despite her prior line of thought, his body language went over her head. Quite soundly too. “Yeah, like… Drums, or…” spying something out of the corner of her eye that might lend a practical element to what she was talking about. “Hang on a second…”, ducking into a small pile, albeit organized pile of instruments and noisemakers, Fluffee on her shoulder, who was waving at the slightly intrigued duo. Reaching in, she dragged out a box drum, lightly dusting the instrument, before bringing it over, and sitting on it.
A quick run of hammering fingers slammed into the top of the main face, ringing out a beat of hollow sounds as the snare inside couldn’t fulfil its purpose. It repeated a few more times in different places on the various faces of the drum, Layla familiarising herself with the various sounds and strange intricacies of the public instrument.
“If I just have the drums, and my voice, like so…” tapping a rather basic 4/4 beat on the main face as she tried to place a starting note, with every second beat hitting the snare side firmly. “It’s my life, and it’s now or never~…” a sweet singing voice, not polished by any means, but it kept its purpose. “It has good time, but without a harmony, such as a guitar, it kinda… Yeah, doesn’t work too great,” shrugging her shoulders.
Zernebog didn't think that she would actually go back in and make a beeline for the instruments as soon as he asked. Was he just baited into letting her stay in for a bit longer...? He resisted the urge to twitch - it seemed like it was the case. Well, this shit had better be worth the intrusion at least... and later he'd have to give himself a reminder about keeping doors locked because Hyperion couldn't even reach the doorknob right now.[break][break]
He began to get more and more curious as she tested out the box by tapping it in different places before she went on to explain herself. His eyebrows furrowed when she demonstrated with a... different song? He could see the potential - and not just the pretty voice.[break][break]
"Are you proposing a mash-up with It's My Life to the song I sang or is that just a demonstration of the point you were making?" Zernebog couldn't help but ask as he readjusted the guitar on his lap. His hands were already idly moving to play the beginning chords of the aforementioned song, albeit slowly as he tried to remember exactly how it sounded like.[break][break]
Hyperion stared for a long moment at Zerne already playing out a new song, but he wasn't going to argue if he was going to get to listen to more music. And pinky had a pretty voice and a good rhythm, so why not? He subtly gestured for the fluffball to come sit by him because this might seem like a longer session than he thought, since Zerne was actually entertaining this beyond a sentence.
Was he just baited? Maybe. Not intentionally though, she didn't have the heart to play someone like that. What was obvious, however, was the glee on her face when he showed interest, no matter how small. Her ability to hide how she was going or feeling was something she never possessed, not in the slightest. The percussive pinkette hoped he didn't mind playing with someone with an expression that didn't fit the mood he created in the room.
She ummed and ahhed, as the cottonball bounced next to the fiery lizard, resting far enough away from the fire while still being sociable. "Oh... Well... Like..." pausing for a brief moment, rapping her fingers against the soundboard. "It was just an example, but if you want to give it a go, we can probably look up how to play it," a subtle hint that she didn't quite know all the words... Or any past the hook of the song. It was a good hook, but for the life of her, only the melody itself was in her head.
She whipped out her phone, hopefully with a decent amount of data still on it. With the default browser on the main screen, she quickly whipped up the song, with a chord chart and lyrics. She, however, had no idea if this was a good key. "Does this seem right?" show the musical man her phone screen, a few chords visible.
Look up how to play it? Did she not know how to play it? Granted, he only knew how to sing it from hearing it and could only recall the chords of the chorus at the moment since it was a popular song on the radio, so he couldn't really judge her for forgetting. Memorizing chords for songs not played often was a hassle.[break][break]
He exhaled slowly as he stood up from his chair and gave Hyperion an absentminded soft pat on the head. He adjusted his guitar strap and pushed his instrument to his side as he walked over to her. He looked at her phone, eyeing it thoughtfully before nodding.[break][break]
"Yes, it's that one." He hummed thoughtfully for a moment, internally warring with his reserved nature and his natural curiosity and urge for a nice distraction. "...okay. Your idea it's interesting and this part looks easy enough to learn. I'm not sure if this song can be put in a mash-up with the rearranged version I made up, but... you never know until you try, right?"[break][break]
All the while, Hyperion's tail waved cheerfully at the sight of Zernebog still being friendly. And he looked on at the fluffy sheep thing and made an inquisitive noise as he pointed at the two humans, asking if this was normal for its trainer.
Score! She’d managed to find a decent version on the first go. There was plenty an occasion where an impromptu jam sesh was brought to a screeching halt due to a crappy tab or the wrong chords. If he said it looked good, then it must be so. The excitement was almost palpable, at least to an easily entertained drummer. The stern musician across from her might not be as much of an outward fan as she was, but at least she was having a good time. Fluffee too, bouncing like with rhythmic glee.
“Oh, ye of little faith,” a broad, playful grin on her face as an idea formed in her mind. “We can make it work; I have an idea. I’ll let you know when we switch, so just start like how you did last time,” a playful wink and nod being sent his way. She gave her phone to the adoring Charmander, hoping it would remember to keep it up the right direction and to not fling it at the awesomeness it was about to experience.
Layla tapped on her instrument, fingers scurrying across the thin panels, percussive notes ringing out. She was ready to rock.
Zernebog quirked an eyebrow at her exuberance. For a moment, he wondered if it was too late to back out and leave with Hyperion, but then he saw Hyperion's excited grin out of the corner of his eye and he knew that he couldn't.[break][break]
Not yet, anyway.[break][break]
"Fine." With an almost amused-sounding snort, he went off to another open seat and sat there. He adjusted his guitar and did a few test plucks before starting again. He took a deep breath to help get himself in the right head space -it was harder when there were other people around- before he started to sing.[break][break]
"Memories consume, like opening the wound. I'm picking me apart again." He let the pause linger, his guitar's sound fading before he started again. "You all assume I'm safe here in my room, unless I try to start again"[break][break]
Now he was just waiting for her to enter as he continued at his usual pace, letting the song carry him back to the raw emotional turmoil bit by bit. "I don't want to be the one that battles always choose, cause inside I realize... that I'm the one confused."[break][break]
Here they go again. Zernebog was already getting emotional. "I don't know what's worth fighting for or why I have to scream. I don't know why I instigate and say what I don't mean. I don't know how I got this way - I know it's not alright."[break][break]
He inhaled shakily as he pushed on, getting into the song well and truly. "So I'm breaking the habit... tonight."
Her part was coming up very soon. How to let Zerne know..? Easy. She held back on the drums, providing a basic beat for the start of each bar of the chorus to give him the space he needed, as well as give the song some dynamics that she could capitalize on. As he finished the chorus, her presence in the song became more pronounced, tapping on the one and the three, before it became a 'four-on-the-floor.' She made eye-contact with Zerne, the intent clear.
She drew deep, trying to find a comfortable ground between playing and singing; not the easiest when you're hunched over. "It's my life... And it's now or Never..." her first note or so being a little shaky, but quickly finding stride as her beat became a bit more intricate, fitting her song's tone while trying to match his. "I ain't gonna live for-ever, I just wanna live while I'm alive..." building up to the change, nodding at Zerne, who was hopefully keeping up well enough.
"It's. My. Life," tapping the beat before transitioning into Zerne's song again by returning to a basic tap on the start of each bar, bringing the energy back down. For all it's worth, at least Fluffee was enjoying herself, although she did get a bit too close to the fire once or twice so far with all her bobbing, and maybe dancing? It's hard to tell if they don't have legs.