victory_road | video; A Blitz Kirschtein Production

[The communicator comes on with an audible zap. It’s obvious why a moment later, when a very cranky, very round face peers down into the screen. It’s Blitz the Electrode, terror to all who know him, looking exceptionally disgruntled, even for him. He makes some annoyed crackling sounds, and someone moans off screen.]

Go chase wild Pokemon if you need something to do, just stop making noise…

[Blitz rolls his eyes at the camera, then ducks down to pick up the communicator in his mouth. The image jars around a bit as the Electrode moves it, showing, amongst other things: a startled Torracat face; a pair of sneakers discarded under a bed; a backpack that has very clearly been dug through by some greedy Pokemon looking for treats. It finally settles on a bed, with its blankets all tossed and crumpled. The bed’s inhabitant isn’t visible, except for a shock of tangled, ashy blond hair, and one long, skinny arm sticking out from under the covers.]

[Blitz crackles again, and the blankets shift.]

I said go away!

[The blankets move, and Jean peers out from underneath them. His hair is standing up in all directions, his eyes are so puffy they’re almost swollen shut, and his nose is bright red and dripping.]
 The hell do you…

[His voice trails off and his eyes widen, as much as they’re able, when he sees what Blitz has.]

Blitz, no! That better not be recording, I swear to…

[Jean reaches for the communicator, and Blitz makes a smug sound as he rolls backwards, out of reach.]

Jean?

[Another voice, this one equally weak and clogged up.]

Jean, what’s going on?

[Jean shoots a wild-eyed look over his shoulder, and Blitz helpfully hops up to show there’s another bed in the room, similarly inhabited by another teenager and a curled up Arcanine.]

Nothing! Nothing’s going on!

[Jean turns back to Blitz, and there’s pure murder on his face now.]

You give me that communicator, you fat ball of plastic, or I swear to the gods…

[OOC: Sharing is caring and Bertolt gave his plague cold to Jean, so answers could come from Jean or Bertolt or both! ~~or even Blitz, if anyone wants to talk to him~~]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Anythin' with vitamin C. Dunno how y'tell if it's got it, though...read the label?

I'll ask for one with Vitamin C.

[Pathetic sigh.]

Do squids in the ocean get sick like this?

[Well they don't live in the ocean anymore but-]

Mhm. Get colds 'n stuff. Germs're tiny, anybody gets sick from 'em. Had t'get sick a lot when I was little...t'get immune t'stuff. But, got shots in the city, so, I'm immune t'more stuff now.

[Thida's parents were not anti-vaccers. They just lived in the flippin' mountains.]

Wait, germs?

[Say what now?]

What are germs?

[Microbiology = not a thing where Jean is from.]

[Are you ready to learn it from a kid who's never been to school before]

Tiny, tiny stuff! Living things, but so tiny y'can't see! Makes y'sick, 'n your body fights 'em 'till y'get better!

[It's probably still better than Jean's vaguely 18th century understanding of things.]

Whaaaaat? So it's little bugs or something that are making me sick?

[Dammit, Bertolt, keep your gross bugs to yourself.]

How do I make them get out of me?

Rest a lot, 'n juice with th'vitamin C! 'N medicine! Should be some at th'store. Or...th'Joy ladies have some? Got some for Pokemon, gotta have it for us!

That's a pretty good idea. [He thinks for a moment.] Do you think if I wrote a note, gave it to Blitz, and sent him to the store with some money, they'd send medicine back?

If he goes for real, prob'ly.

[Though how's he gonna hold that stuff without arms and hands?]

[That's what his mouth is for! Jean is also not above jury-rigging a backpack onto Blitz, although that doesn't work as well since he just rolls over it.]

All right, I'll do that.

[ . . . . ]

If he's done being a pain in the ass.

[Well how will you know that unless you ask him? Thida peers a little closer into the feed.]

Blitz! Y'done bein' a butt?

[Crackle crackle crackle!]

He is not.

Stop bein' a butt! Jean needs you!

[Yeah this is not going to convince him is it]

[The communicator falls to the floor with a clatter, and suddenly there's one large, looming Electrode eye, staring down ominously into it. Then Blitz crackles merrily, and the communicator is back in his mouth.]

[He is definitely not convinced.]

He's going to be a butt for however long he wants to be a butt.

Aaaugh, c'moooon! Butts're stinky! Why d'you wanna be one! C'mon, c'moon!

[She's doing her best for you, Jean, but she's fourteen and a bit childish.]

[It's okay, Jean is only fifteen himself, and butts are still hilarious.]

Yeah, Blitz, you stinky butt, why are you being this way?

[At least he looks like a teenager and isn't SHORT]

C'mon, c'mon! No butt-bein'!

[If it's any consolation, it used to drive Jean insane that his best friend was an inch or so taller than him. Now, he'd give anything to see that dumbass looming over him.]

Do you want to be a butt forever, Blitz? Do you?

[Blitz considers that for a moment, then crackles again. No, he's fine with being a butt forever, nice try.]