victory_road | Track 1 - [Video / Action for New Bark Town]

[ACTION FOR NEW BARK, MORNING]

_{[It seems that there is a Wheezing loose in town somewhere if one is to judge by the sound of labored breathing, coughing, and of course, wheezing. If you were to follow it, however, you'd find a very worn out young man instead of a poison-type Pokemon.]

[Maurice has been alive and human for a full two hours now and still hasn't quite caught onto this whole breathing thing. The pale man feels stupid for having been so spoiled by his brief undead condition. He can be found sitting on the ground and leaning against buildings or benches (never quite making it ONTO said benches) with a hand planted against his heart as he makes his way around town and attempts to explore.]

[His beating heart. This is like a wonderful dream and a terrible nightmare all rolled into one. His backpack lay half strewn before him as he tries to puzzle out the things he's been given along with the spiel Mom gave him. Some food. Some clothes. Ugh, a book. TIME TO TOSS THAT OUT! He sends it fluttering over his shoulder. Some weird...spray bottle thingies...probably breath spray. He's not entirely convinced he's not actually having a dying dream behind that Wendy's dumpster he remembers passing out behind.]}

This is crazy. This is all crazy. But. I don't even--_{[A choking cough.]} know if I wanna wake up from all this...

[VIDEO, NOON-ISH]

_{[Starter Pokemon? DISCOVERED. Bento box? DEMOLISHED. Now it is time for...TECHNOLOGY. Maurice has never used a 'phone' like this before and the feed is filled with his scrunched up, thoughtful face as he fumbles with the buttons. The man is pale--sickly pale with bags under his eyes that would absolutely not fit in any airline overhead compartment. His hair is faded and plastered to his forehead under the hat he's found in his backpack. Probably the most notable thing about him is the mouthful of steak knives that serve for his teeth--and the doofy little gap right in the middle.]}

God...God. Come on. Where is the--Ugh! I can't do this. I don't know how to do any of this. Maybe I shouldn't have thrown away that book...

_{[Suddenly a huge grey snout with a wicked horn on the very tip plants itself against his cheek and lets out a concerned rumble. The grouchy fellow's frown melts instantly. Sure Maurice is a little feverish, lost, and afraid, but at least he has a RHINO DINO to keep him company holy shit he loves this thing. Maurice turns, angling the gear so that only half of the duo is visible. He pats the Rhyhorn's rocky forehead.]}

Ahaw, Meatloaf, it's okay, dude. I don't need this dumb thing anyway. I got you!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

... Whoa.

_{[Heather's seen all kinds of people come to Johto. But never any who looked as... corpsey as this guy. The sharp teeth are honestly a little LESS noticeable than the fact that his complexion is more 'Beetlejuice' than 'average human'.]}

Are you... okay over there?

WU-AAUGH! OH GOD!

--Oh...I guess it is goin' thorugh! Ahahah. Hah. Hhhhh. _{[A wheeze.]}

I'm okay. Okayish. Howdy, uh, random...girl. I mean hello!

_{[He is very scattered, excuse him.]}

_{[--WOW this guy is jumpy holy shit.]

[She nods slowly, and blinks equally slowly at the frazzled greeting.]}

... Well, that's not the worst thing I've been called by a newbie.

Anyway, the technology won't bite, I promise.

_{[His modern clothing says otherwise, but the only times she's seen people panic that hard at seeing a talking head pop up on the screen have been people who are from like the early 1900's or something.]}

_{[Maurice hasn't been called a newbie in his whole life. He takes his turn to blink slowly before shrugging it off since it didn't sound terribly mean.]}

Sorry. I'm Maurice--and I've never used a phone like this. I'm still...learning...

_{[Red rushes into his pale cheeks. He feels dumb.]}

I didn't mean to broadcast this to the...oh god is this the whole internet?

--well, sort of. Technically, yeah.

But the channel you're on is usually only occupied by people like us. Folks who came here from somewhere else. So your embarrassment is at least a little contained.

_{[She says this wryly, but not meanly.]}

Oh...

_{[He manages a nervous smile, already struggling to chameleon himself to the reactions of others. He can't mess this up!]}

Hah, well...I guess it's not too weird then.

_{[A long silence stretches as Maurice is suddenly overwhelmed with wanting to know SO MUCH but having no idea how to ask for it besides just saying--]}

Help.

_{[He's upfront about it, at least! She can respect that!]

[Can't help but laugh a little bit, but it's the sympathetic sort.]}

Okay, well first of all, did you look through the book you got?

_{[HEATHER YOU ARE ALREADY ASSUMING TOO MUCH OF HIM.]}

_{[...yes, Heather, yes you are.]

[Maurice opens his mouth...and then he closes it, quickly averting his eyes.]}

I don't have one.

--What?

No way, everybody gets one! I still have mine from like-- ... years ago!

Did you look in your bag?

_{[Uh oh...that little book is something people cling to for YEARS? Was he going to die? Maurice swallows and digs into is bag to yank out the map he did manage to detach from it.]}

Nnnnnope, sure don't, but I do have a map! This place is enormous!

_{[NOW SHE'S SQUINTING AT THE SCREEN. THERE IS NO ESCAPE FOR YOU MAURICE.]}

--that's the one from the book!

Did you already ruin your book??

_{[Maurice crumples the map slightly in his grip as his embarrassed grimace turns itself into a right and proper frown.]}

No! I just don't have one!

_{[And now she has transitioned to just giving him a LOOK.]

[This dude totally ruined his book. >:/]}

_{[Oh, that look! Who does this girl think she is?]}

I gave it to a little kid, okay! Reading gives me a headache! If it's that important, I'll just buy another one!

_{[SOMEONE WHO YOU JUST ASKED FOR HELP, BUCKAROO.]}

Well, it's important to have if you want to know what's safe to eat so you don't wind up shitting violently in the woods at four AM every night.

_{[THAT shuts him up and good.]}

Oh my god. Has that happened to you?

No, because I: had my Trainer's Handbook!

_{[Maurice holds his horrified look a moment longer before it settles onto something perfectly blank.]

[He was going to have to READ. This wasn't paradise at all! He's been bamboozled!]}

Maaaaaaan. I hate reading. But I guess if it's life or shitting my brains out...

_{[YOU'VE BEEN DUPED]

[Heather loses the vaguely-psychotic 8D face for something a little more neutral, and her tone sobers up too.]}

Like-- look, the important thing is don't eat random shit you find in the woods. But it takes a good couple of days to get to the next thing remotely resembling civilization and it's gonna pay to know what to expect.

That's what the Handbook's for. It's not like a be-all-end-all info hub or anything, but it'll help you not wind up shitting your brains out in the forest.

And getting attacked by wild animals while shitting your brains out in a forest.

_{[His blank face settles into a resigned little frown. He knows better than to eat random stuff from the woods but...this isn't Earth. He doesn't know ANYTHING about the wilderness here.]}

You are really fixated on this shitting thing but I do appreciate the advice. I have some money, I think I'm gonna stock up and leave the foraging to my Pokemon.

_{[Maurice is quiet for a moment as he thinks about his future.]}

What's your name?

You'll thank me later.

_{[All bathroom-related warnings aside, she just spent the better part of a week subsisting entirely on what safe foods she could find out in the wild, and she wouldn't wish that on anybody. Her kingdom for a mouthful of freakin' trail mix.]}

Name's Heather.

I'll go ahead and thank you now. Thanks, Heather.

Hey, no problem.

At this point, it's probably straight-up my civic duty to help out the rookies.

Track 1 - [Video / Action for New Bark Town]

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