victory_road |

[When the camera powers on, there isn't a person's face on screen, but the view of one Spoink that, contrary to its energetic bouncing, looks positively angry. There's a few berries scattered at the bottom of its spring along with a couple Pokepuffs as well, but they are all untouched and obviously uneaten. The Spoink has zero interest in this human's bribes.]

What does it mean when you can't get a Pokemon to listen to you?

[Sasha speaks up from behind the gear before turning it around to catch her in its frame, positioning her not too far away from the Spoink, sitting on the floor as well, legs crisscrossed and a small container with more berries in them. Her hair is in its customary ponytail and has been washed with actual real soap for once, but she still looks like she's been through the wringer.]

Bacon won't do a thing I ask of her. I even said please and thank you! I don't even yell at her! I've had her since that prom thing and I can't get her any stronger because she won't obey, she won't eat anything I feed her, won't stay around my other Pokemon, and does this mean I'm a bad trainer?

[Or who knows, Sasha, maybe it's because you busted the dang thing out from Team Rocket and it's scarred for life. But what's psychiatry to a child soldier?]

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So she was one of the Pokemon that Team Rocket had?

[That..could definitely have something to do with it. Noctis really hadn't dealt with too many issues when it came to Cluster, his now Crustle.

But, having seen a lot of others that had been at Prom or captured by Team Rocket in general, he knew that Cluster was one of the few that probably hadn't dealt with the same level of bad.]

Are there any of your other Pokemon at all that she seems to like?

[From behind Noctis a pair of green ears appear followed by a green face with a red gem on the forehead. Carbuncle blinked then twilled in greeting, focused on the Spoink as he propped his paws on Noct's shoulder and hung over it slightly.]

Yes. She was in those cages in the hideout they had. Do you think they did something bad to her?

[Sasha can't imagine what they could do to Bacon to make her to distrustful in any clear detail. Bacon wasn't the only Pokemon her and her friends busted out from the cages, but the Spoink seems to be the only one giving her trouble. Maybe they beat her? There weren't any bruises... do Pokemon bruise anyway?]

She doesn't run from Meatball. I found him at the same place too with all the other Electrodes, but he doesn't act like Bacon at all.

[Speaking of the devil, there's a soft crackle and a strange whirr as Meatball the Electrode rolls into the room, gobbling up the berries on the floor like some kind of round vacuum cleaner. Bacon bounces away from him which is less of a run and more of just getting out of the shocky ball's way.]

Maybe. I've seen some Pokemon that came from Team Rocket that are in pretty bad shape.

[All he can think about is Ash's Lapras and it makes him cringe to think what might have been done to the little Spoink.]

If she trusts Meatball, maybe you can have him help you get her to eat. Maybe give him stuff first and then he can share it with her? It'll show her that what you're giving them isn't bad.

[A pause.]

He trusts you, right?

Yes. I think he does. He wanted to stay with me when we took all the other Electrodes back to the Power Plant. I didn't ask him to or anything, he just wanted to on his own.

[Sasha still sounds a little unsure about how easy Meatball made it to take him onto her team. Granted, the fact she always has berries for him helped, but still, Sasha isn't used to creatures coming to her that easily.]

Well, maybe that'll work. When I first met Meatball, I used my friend's Electrode to feed them, so I'll try it. Come here, Meatball.

[Another crackle and the Electrode rolls towards Sasha, eyes full of expectation that those snacks in her hand will go into his belly.]

Take this to Bacon. [She places a whole Poffin on top of his... head. Yes, let's go with his head.] Don't eat it. Take it to her and share with her. You take half and give her half.

[Sasha doesn't know if he fully understands her directions, but what else can she try?]

There must be something about you he really liked then.

[He says it with a soft grin, watching as the Electrode rolls over to Sasha. That expectant look is kind of hilarious, he can't lie.]

He's really food motivated, isn't he?

Probably because I had food when I first met him.

[She can't really say there's something about her herself that attracted Meatball. There are no badges, no trainer achievements to her name that she can brag about like her friends have, she isn't battle strategy smart like Armin, she's no breeder like Bertolt, and most of her Pokemon were given to her with the exception of the one she caught on her own. All Sasha has is a bevy of food choices to entice Pokemon her way.

Meatballl does understand her request and slowly makes his way to Bacon, balancing the Poffin carefully because unlike him, other Pokemon probably don't enjoy eating off the floor. Bacon still watches the both of them warily, though for whatever it's worth, she doesn't bounce away the closer Meatball gets to her.]

I don't think Team Rocket fed them much.

[It's alright, Sasha. If there's one thing that Noctis has learned since coming here it's that everyone finds their own niche. Not everyone is a battler. Not everyone is good at breeding. But there's something for everyone.]

Yeah, Cluster was pretty small when I got him and overate at first. I had to take him to a Pokemon Center because I was worried he'd made himself sick with how much he ate.

[She'll find it eventually, but she's still questioning her lot in life. She's never been at the top of anything really, not without some imperfection of hers dragging her back down. So being middling at best is mostly what Sasha is used to, but being middling won't help Bacon. Sasha has to find what place she fits in sooner rather than later.]

What kind of Pokemon is he?

He was a Dwebble when I got him and then he ended up evolving into a Crustle. He's..really rough and tumble. Sometimes too rough and tumble. And he likes to be held like I use to do when he was little.

[Insert a bit of a wince here as he rubs the back of his neck.]

Considering how huge he is now, it's not something I can really do and it irritates him sometimes.

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