[Video] backdated to May 29th!

[foolishwren]

<sub>[The scenery rushes by in a blur-- Heather and co are aboard the MAGNET TRAIN, because guess who woke up in Saffron after that weekend? Normally it wouldn't be a big deal-- but for once, Heather actually has obligations. The circus extravaganza is still on for a few more days.]

[But... the convenience had been too tempting to pass up.]

[Heather flashes a grin at the camera once it's on, and wastes no time in spinning it around to reveal...]</sub>

Soooo... this is Snitter.

_{[The Type: Null, roughly large-dog-sized, is hunkered down on the floor, luminescent eyes blinking deep inside the helmet. It's bobbing gently to the rhythm of the train's chugs. Not just the head-- its whole body.]}

... They, uh... weren't lyin' when they said these guys had quirks.

Hey, Snitter!

_{[The chimerical Pokemon's head snaps up, eyes locking onto the camera, but its bobbing doesn't even miss a beat. It's half-cute, half-spooky.]}

Do the thing, Snitter.

C'mon!

_{[It blinks. And bobs. And doesn't do anything else.]}

--c'moooon, buddy. You were doing it a second ago.

<sub>[Just at that moment, a loud mechanical squeaking can be heard as the hot beverage cart is wheeled past... and apparently 'Snitter' SUPER DOES NOT LIKE THAT NOISE because it stands up so quickly that its legs almost seem to be spring-loaded, and then... runs backwards, directly into the wall of the train and, in its panic, tips right over and slams to the floor so hard that it makes the seats rattle.]

[Heather's tone goes from cajoling to alarmed.]</sub>

Whoa!

It's okay, bud, it's okay! Bud--

_{[The 'Gear is dropped down onto the seat as Heather hastily leaps up to try and assist the mechanically-thrashing creature back upright before it damages something.]}

Comments

video;

[shiro2hero]

Um. Is he okay?

Are you okay?

video;

[foolishwren]

Yeah, I'm fine! Just a little... startled.

Him and me both.

I think he must've heard something and gotten spooked.

video;

[shiro2hero]

Is he supposed to be... jittering like that?

[foolishwren]

Not a clue.

I mean, I think he's still kinda rattled.

_{[She keeps patting the poor thing. It definitely doesn't shy away from the attention, but the jittering doesn't really lessen.]}

[shiro2hero]

Yikes.

He's one of those pokemon they just announced, right? The ones the company was producing.

[foolishwren]

Yeah.

After that weekend, my boyfriend, his brother and I wound up in Saffron, so... we decided we'd stop by that place to see what it was all about on our way back.

Needless to say, they're... interesting.

[shiro2hero]

That weekend... yeah. I know what you mean.

Did you all pick one up?

[Next question: Are they all like that?]

[foolishwren]

Yeah, we did.

_{[ANSWER: YES AND NO??? They're all... odd, but not... totally in the same ways...]}

[shiro2hero]

Are they... they look almost mechanical.

But they're totally organic? As much as these guys get, anyway.

[Because he's the proud owner of Kuro, the apparently half-metal Aggron.]

[foolishwren]

Well, I mean, I don't think the helmet part is.

But the rest feels normal. ... Or, well, you know, it feels like an animal, anyway.

_{[She's not sure any part of the "Type: Null" can really be described as normal.]}

[shiro2hero]

Yeah. I get what you mean.

... I'm not really sure how I feel about lab-created pokemon. Does this happen often? Or is Null the first one you know of?

[foolishwren]

It's the second, as far as I know-- that company is apparently famous for making Porygon.

Which is, like... a little bird. That is also a computer program.

But that was made with like... coding.

Not, uh.

Whatever Frankenstein shit produced these guys.

_{[SHE DOESN'T WANT TO SPEAK ILL OF HER NEW POKEMON. HE IS PERFECT AND SHE LOVES HIM. But, well, she's not the only one who has Concerns (tm).]}

[shiro2hero]

So we have a robot type thing? And now this guy.

[That's sort of an alarming progression.]

[Heather is really not the only one with Concerns (TM).]

That seems like a ... really sudden and sharp progression. You know?

[foolishwren]

Well... it's hard to say.

I honestly don't know when they made Porygon-- but it was already in the Pokedex when I got here, and that was seven whole years ago.

I'm no scientist, but... I mean, I guess seven years is probably a pretty long time to be developing something this big.

Right?

[shiro2hero]

Maybe.

I don't know anything about engineering, the biological kind. Maybe it's not that long. Maybe they made some kind of advancement?

What does the Pokedex say about it? Anything?

[foolishwren]

I didn't honestly check.

_{[There's a couple of beeps as she pulls up the Dex function, and hits 'unmute'.]}

Type: Null: the Synthetic Pokemon! Due to the danger that this synthetic Pokémon may go on a rampage, it wears a control mask to restrain its power. The heavy control mask it wears suppresses its intrinsic capabilities. This Pokémon has some hidden special power.

... Maybe I should've checked it earlier.

[shiro2hero]

So...

You have what's basically... a genetically engineered version of a time bomb. In pokemon form.

[That's kind of. Really. Disturbing.]

And they made it that way on purpose?

[foolishwren]

Well that's sure not the pitch they gave in the commercial or when we went to sign up!

... I mean, then again, some Pokedex entries are really weird.

[shiro2hero]

Would you have signed up for one if they had?

I'll believe that -- but maybe I'm just being cynical here. Or used to expecting the worst-case scenario.

[foolishwren]

--I dunno. Maybe? Like, I've got a full team of level 100's and I've fought crazier than a weird laboratory dog. I'm pretty sure I can handle whatever this thing throws at me.

But like... for example, the Gengar Pokedex entry says that it hides in your shadow and drains your life force out of you.

My Gengar just likes to slap peoples' butts really hard and call them "hoes". He's a piece of shit douchebag but he's never tried to murder anybody.

[shiro2hero]

I hope you won't have to use those skills.

[He hopes the Bad Feeling is wrong.]

It... does?

[This suspicious side-eye is intended for his Haunter, who has apparently shunned its own pokedex entries in favor of practicing Pokemon Hamlet in an illusory spotlight.]

On second thought, you might be onto something there. Maybe it does exaggerate.

[foolishwren]

It super does.

Anyway, all I'm saying is... don't put TOO much stock in the Pokedex.

... But I'll keep an eye on Snits here, just... just in case.

[shiro2hero]

[He takes this moment to look directly at his Haunter.]

Don't ever turn into a Gengar.

[The response is just a peal of ghostly cackling.]

... right. Yeah, that sounds like a plan. If you happen to need backup at all... I'll be in Goldenrod for a little while.

[foolishwren]

You will?

What happened to beating Whitney and moving on?

[shiro2hero]

Hey, I'm not banking on beating her in one go. That's just asking for trouble.

So... I'll be there as long as it takes us to get strong enough. Then -- yeah. Sticking to the plan.