victory_road | video;

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[The video starts with a view of the ocean, sparkling and blue, clearly taken from the deck of a ship. Winged Pokemon dip and wheel in the sky, and off in the distance, a friendly-looking Wailord surfaces, spouting water into the air before diving back under the waves.]

[Then the camera pans around, and shows the deck of the ship. It's the ferry to Vermillion City, and the deck has several beach chairs set up on it, all in a neat row. Lounging in each one is an Electrode, soaking up the sun and enjoying life. A little Lotad weaves between the chairs, carrying a tray of drinks on its back, and the Electrodes shift to the sides of the chairs to take a sip out of conveniently-placed straws before settling back in to relax. Are some of the Electrodes wearing shutter shades? Does a Bewear poop in the woods?]

[When Jean speaks, he sounds very pleased with himself.]

Does anyone recognize these guys?

[Well, they probably recognize the littlest one, who just rolled across the deck, all puffed up with self-importance, a Pokepuff hanging out the side of his mouth. Hello, Blitz.]

These are the Electrodes Team Rocket was using to power their cage. They don't even look like the same Pokemon, do they?

[They do not.]

We're taking them back to the electric plant. So if anyone was wondering what happened to them, they're going home.

[And with his civic diligence done, Jean turns off the video.]

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[Oh, man. Oh, man, this video is so good! A+ content, cinematography, framing, lighting, subject...! Krieg's face is real close to his device when he replies because even after months of using this tech he's still half convinced that the closer his eye is to the screen the better he can see. Or something.]

It's a spark ball holiday!

[Ugh, look at those champs. What a good, heartwarming scene.]

[Thank you, thank you. Jean would like to thank the Academy, his mother, and all his fans who believed in him during this production.]

Hey!

[Jean is delighted that Krieg is contacting him, so much so that he doesn't even notice that the biggest, roughest Electrode--who is currently sporting a swag pair of lime green shutter shades--perks up at the sound of Krieg's voice and rolls off his chair, approaching behind Jean's back.]

Look what hatched today!

[Jean bends down and scoops something up, before proudly holding a Torchic up to the communicator.]

Krieg, meet Death Chicken.

[And here Krieg was thinking this day couldn't get any better! The sight of that little Torchic causes him to grin widely under his mask, and he laughs approvingly at Jean's choice in name.]

Mnahahahaha! Like father like son! Look at that!

[His last statement is addressed to said father, and he pivots his own 'Gear and holds it out to his Blaziken, who - more than used to these shenanigans by now - leans in to peer dutifully at the screen. When he sees the Torchic in Jean's hands, his entire body seems to light up and he squawks approvingly before addressing a few short but no doubt important remarks to the baby.

Be sure to grow up smart and strong! Sparky's a good guy but he needs a lot of looking after - I know you'll do great!

...Krieg's pokemon sure have picked up their trainer's nicknames for other humans. Welp.]

[Death Chicken's little eyes go round at the sight of Murder Chicken, and he listens attentively to everything his father tells him, peeping and adding in his own thoughts.]

[There are fire cats and fire dogs here! And lots of big balls! Lots of friends to train with!]

[He inherited his father's work ethic.]

[Jean is so caught up in the interaction between Pokefather and son--it's fucking adorable, okay--that he doesn't notice the big Electrode sneaking up behind him. He definitely doesn't notice how it pauses about ten feet behind him, lining itself up with his legs, before suddenly charging forward at full tilt.]

[The Electrode collides with Jean, slamming into the back of his legs.]

Fuck!

[The momentum knocks Jean forward, and he fumbles the two things in his hands. He's going to drop one of them, and given the choice between the Torchic or the communicator, he chooses the baby. The communicator goes crashing to the deck, landing face up.]

[And moments later, it's filled with a looming vision of an Electrode face, huge and scarred up as the moon, rolling over the communicator and filling it with one huge eye.]

What the fuck, Beast!

[Wow, LANGUAGE, Jean! There are baby birds present!

Krieg flips his 'Gear back around at Jean's first exclamation, though he doesn't see his buddy's transformation into a human bowling pin, only the aftermath of the Electrode rolling up and get its eye on things. His own face is - as expected, probably - right up to his own gear, so that Electrode eye is getting an eyeful of Psycho mask.]

Pfmnuhuhu! The scruffy spark ball has something to say!

[Or, well, the Electrode sure looks like it has something to say. What is it, dude? Krieg's listening!]

[Like Death Chicken wouldn't be learning those words from Blitz before the end of the day anyway.]

Beast, come on, why'd you do... ow!

[Whelp. A certain Electrode didn't want to be touched, and Jean just got zapped. Little electric currents run all over the Electrode's surface, and it draws its brow down as it studies Krieg. Leave him alone, Dumb Narrow, he's talking to Big Hose Face! Or rather, he is now, as a long stream of crackles and buzzes emerges from the Electrode, very clearly directed at Krieg.]

Oh gods...

[Jean isn't getting that communicator back any time soon, is he?]

[Oh, shit, the Electrode really does have a lot to say! Too bad Krieg can't understand any of it. Murder Chicken can though - and he has since scrambled over to lean on his trainer in the wake of his disappearing son. The Blaziken is somewhat disappointed that the 'Gear's screen is now full of Electrode eyeball instead of his tiny adorable offspring, but he's nothing if not polite, and he listens attentively to everything the spark ball says. After some back and forth between the two - which Krieg listens to curiously but without any inkling of what's being said - Murder Chicken turns his bright gaze to his trainer and squawks excitedly.

He's more than used to his Blaziken's propensity for making new friends at the drop of a hat, but for some reason Murder Chicken seems even more excited than usual at the acquisition of a new buddy. Krieg shifts his gaze back and forth several times between the bright-eyed MC and the squinty yet...hopeful? Electrode on his 'Gear's screen. He may not be privy to all of the fine details, or even inclined to pay attention to them if he were, but even he can get a general sense of where this is going.]

You're not gonna knock me over as easily as you did Sparky!

[Actually it probably will, but shhh. Beast's round body bristles with even more static at that remark, and it spins in place once while crackling delightedly. Challenge accepted, Big Hose Face! Krieg chortles in amusement at that reaction, and draws his face away from the 'Gear's screen to a more civilized distance.]

Let me talk to Sparky.

[Jean watches the little display from a safe, non-zapping distance. Beast has always been one of the snottier Electrodes, the least likely to let Jean touch him and the most likely to deliver a healthy zap when Jean displeases him. And unlike Blitz, Beast doesn't pull his zaps, and those zaps hurt. The first time he got Jean, his arm was numb and immobile for half an hour. Blitz had bitched out Beast after that, and he doesn't zap to kill now, but still a lot harder than any of the other ones.]

[Jean lifts an eyebrow when Krieg asks to speak to Sparky, and then Beast rolls back, looking pointedly from Jean to the communicator and then back again.]

Are you going to let me pick that up now?

[Beast rolls his eyes--yes, OBVIOUSLY, go ahead and pick it up, Dumb Narrow Sparky! Jean keeps an eye on the Electrode as he snatches the communicator up off the deck.]

So I guess I'm Sparky now?

[There are worse nicknames.]

[Eeeeey, there's Jean! In response to his question, all Krieg has to offer is an amused chortle.]

Pffmnuhuhu...You've always been Sparky.

[It's just a testament to how infrequently Krieg calls anyone by their name - or their nickname - that Jean's only discovering his nickname for the first time now.]

Save the grouchy one for me! We're gonna fry the bird gym!

[Sparky, huh? There are worse nicknames, Jean supposes, although now he's going to have to rethink the name for his Growlithe puppy. There can't be two Sparkys around here!]

[He brightens significantly at Krieg's request.]

You want to keep him? Krieg, that's great! He will help you destroy the bird gym!

[Beast gives a self-satisfied crackle beside Jean. Yes, he will be very good against birds.]

Are you going to Violet now? I can take a warp pad and meet you there with Beast... or should I start calling him something else?

We're here! It's a beast of a spark ball - call it what you want.

[Krieg's gonna be calling it "Spark Ball," but Beast fits the scruffy guy, too. No reason it can't have more than one name.

Beside Krieg, Murder Chicken squawks loudly. After glancing briefly over at his Buddy, Krieg looks back to Jean and adds:]

Bring the baby chicken, too!

All right! Give me a day or so to get settled once the ferry lands, and then we'll come see you.

[Knowing Krieg as he does, Jean assumes the Electrode is going to be named Spark Ball, so that's what he'll start calling it. That's a better name than Beast anyway.]

And I will definitely bring Death Chicken.

[Jean angles the camera so it's pointing towards his chest, where he's cradling Death Chicken in his other hand. The Torchic peeps excitedly when he sees his father, waving his little wings in the air and fluffing his butt feathers. Hi, dad!]

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