victory_road | FOURTH WALL MINGLE LOG

[Blitz jumps when it feels the screech hit his back. What? What?! Who dares disturb the mighty Death Ball and rain such insults down upon him? Such belligerence cannot be allowed to stand!]

[The Electrode whirls around, leaving the poor beleaguered Pidgey to beat a fast retreat, and starts buzzing furiously at the Noivern. You wanna go? YOU WANNA GO?!]

Blitz, leave it alone.

[Jean sets the camera aside and stands up, approaching his doucheball.]

You can't get up there to get him, might as well just leave him be.

[The Noivern eagerly turns its head and angles its ears directly at Jean when he speaks. It's eyes are open too, but its hearing is far, far better than its sight.]

[Is this some kind of joke? A Ditto or something? His trainer didn't fraternize with Electrode, especially not one so rude, or that made such an irritating buzzing noise. He screeched again, in Jean's direction this time, and wiggled its ears when the echo rang back at him.]

[...That can't be right! It was shaped just like his trainer too, right down to his nose. This required further investigation!]

[The Noivern cautiously flew down, from one branch to the next, until he wasn't just a fuzzy shape anymore. It looked right too... Even his smell was the same! What gives? The Noivern would get closer to nose around in his bag for his favorite Liechi berries, but that Electrode looked ready to zap! Why would you do this to him, trainer? :(?]

[Jean winces as the Noivern screeches at him, and he expects it to fly away. Most Pokemon do, when Blitz starts acting up around them, if for no other reason than to get any from the irritating noises. But rather than fly away, it starts getting closer, until it's dangling right above him. Jean tilts his head back to look up at it, his brow furrowed.]

What do you want, buddy? Are you lost?

[It's not acting like a wild Pokemon, but Jean doesn't see a trainer around either.]

Hello?

[He calls out into the woods.]

Anyone out there? Your Noivern is acting weird!

Hey! Fuzzbat!

[A call came from the distance, and the Noivern turned its head around. There! The same voice! Was that his trainer? It screeched again in that direction, and there was a rustling in the bushes.]

Seriously, I'm not gonna let your out of your ball if you keep flying off like that!

[A midnight Lycanroc appeared first, as it slashed the undergrowth away with its big foreclaws. Following it was... Another Jean? That can't be right. No wonder the Noivern was confused.]

[He lifts his head to look away from his Pokemon and at the other trainer, and--]

The fuck?

Edited 2017-05-28 19:31 (UTC)

[For a brief second, Jean thinks it's Krieg coming through the bushes. Fuzzbat sounds like a name Krieg would give a Pokemon, and that would explain why the Noivern is acting so weird. But the voice is all wrong, and achingly familiar at the same time; even Blitz stops crackling and tilts to one side, confused.]

[Jean takes a step back when the Lycanroc comes barreling forward--seriously, those things are weird and creepy, why don't people just get Growlithes instead?--followed by...]

What the shit?

[What the hell is going on here? Jean gapes at the doppelgänger of himself for a couple moments, then his mouth sets in a firm, straight line.]

If you're a Ditto, you're not being cute right now. Knock it off.

[Really, Fuzzbat was more of it's name when it was a Noibat. It's not as fuzzy anymore, but Jean can't think of a better one. The Lycanroc and Fuzzbat look at each other for a moment, the Lycanroc shrugs, and the both of them stare at their Jean.]

I'm the Ditto? What about you? [Jean squints even more squintily than unusual at this poorly fashioned replica-- he looks older, and well, just not quite right.] What're those clothes? Where's your uniform?

[Jean is wearing his, right down to the belts and gear. Feel free to be jealous.]

I... I wasn't wearing it when I got here.

[And he's not exactly jealous of that, either, so nice try. While he misses maneuvering sometimes, a world without maneuver gear means a world without titans, and he'll take that in a heartbeat, thank you very much.]

[In unconscious imitation, Jean squints back at the fake Jean, sizing him up. Who is this imposter? He's way too young and bright-eyed, almost childlike, and Jean crosses his arms over his chest.]

Okay, so you're not a Ditto. Who the hell are you, then?

Jean Kirstein! Who the fuck are you?

[This was going to take awhile, wasn't it. Fuzzbat closed its eyes and yawned (it's nocturnal after all) and the Lycanroc sat back on it's haunches and ran its paws over its mane to make sure everything was in place. It was a little vain.]

No shit you're Jean Kirstein! How the fuck is that possible if I'm Jean Kirschtein?!

[Blitz rolls his eyes. Dammit, Dumb Narrow, you really are dumb as shit, aren't you? He rolls over to the Lycanroc and buzzes at it in a complaining manner. Trainers, is he right?]

[The Lycanroc, once finished with its mane, barked gruffly in agreement. He liked a fight as much as any other Pokemon, but boy, this one was just all fights all the time. He needed to learn to chill out! His freckled friend was a lot better at that.]

I don't know! This whole place is fucking bizarre! I swear I'm not from here, but I remember these guys for some reason.

[Jean pointed back at his Pokemon friends. The Lycanroc flipped its mane to look extra cool!]

Edited 2017-05-29 17:47 (UTC)

[His freckled friend? Blitz's eyebrows shoot up at that, and he turns to call into the woods. Moments later, Fat Ice Dog the Spheal comes bounding out, all cheerfulness and happy barking, and Blitz turns back to the Lycanroc. A freckled friend like this one? Do you have a Spheal too?]

I'm not from here either, but I ended up here six months ago.

[That's one extra cool Lycanroc, man oh man. He's so cool it's making Blitz wish he'd taken Jean up on those shutter shades he was passing out a few weeks ago.]

Do you have any other ones?

[Other Jean has already met Blitz, and now Fat Ice Dog has made an appearance, but the party has quite a few more members. Maybe Other Jean would enjoy Eren Farty Trashfire the Trubbish next?]

[No, no, a human freckled friend! And nice hair. Lycanroc approved! He barked hello at the Spheal though. There was a small resemblance there... Aside from the fact the Spheal still had his left fin and eye.]

Six months? [Say whaaaat.] No shit. I, uh, got one other...

[He put his fingers in his mouth to whistle, and there was an answering nicker in the distance. Hooves clop clopped their way over. Soon, a rather magnificent Rapidash appeared from the brush. It shook its head and nosed at Jean's shoulder. It seemed very fond of him.]

This girl here is Wildfire. The other two are male. The Lycanroc's name is Terre.

[A human freckled friend with nice hair... Blitz's eyes go wide. He knows about that friend! That's the one Dumb Narrow needs to go into the woods and cry about sometimes! The one that fainted and then never got revived! He's alive for the Lycanroc's Dumb Narrow?]

Yeah, six months. And not just me, either. Armin, Bertolt, Sasha, Krista, and [nose wrinkle] Eren are here too.

[Jean gets distracted by the sound of hooves, and then the appearance of the Rapidash.]

You have a fire horse...

[He takes a step forward, wanting to get a better look at her.]

She's beautiful.

[He died? Terre shook his head. No, he got hurt really really bad, but he didn't die. Trainer takes care of him now, but not like someone takes care of a Pokemon.]

Damn, that's practically everyone. [Jean reached over his shoulder to pet her velvety snout.] Sounds better than fighting Titans... Tho' I bet that Eren still wants to, the dumbass.

[There, a subject on which they could commiserate! Jean was always ready to talk about how much he hated Eren, no matter where he was or what kind of weird shit was going on.]

[Terre growled and stomped over to Other Jean, and tossed his mane again. Everyone was always saying how Wildfire was so beautiful, but that was just because she was made of fire and stuff! He was the real handsome one here! Pay attention to him! Jean sighed at his typical behavior.]

Sorry, he's kind of an attention whore.

Edited 2017-05-30 03:35 (UTC)

[Yes, good, common ground. Jean rolls his eyes in agreement.]

He's changed to wanting to fight other Pokemon now, mostly, but yeah. You can still get him going about titans without too much work.

It's... it's a lot better.

[Jean sounds almost a little wistful there, but then the Lycanroc stomps over and demands attention. Jean reaches down to comb his fingers through his mane.]

Yes, you're very handsome. That's a fine mane you've got there, much nicer to pet than fire.

[What's this! Attention being given freely?! Blitz wants in on that! He rolls over to the Other Jean and bumps up against his leg. Admire him, Other Dumb Narrow! Admire his deadliness and perfect spherical shape!]

I don't think he'll zap you, if you want to pet him.

What, with his bare hands? Is he too dumb to catch any Pokemon? Or do they all hate him?

[If that were true, it would be great. Fuzzbat hissed a snicker from his spot up in the tree. It looked like that one had picked up on Jean's mannerisms the most.]

[But hey, this Other Jean wasn't so bad at all! Terre raised his paws to his cheeks and rumbled happily as he took notice of his perfectly coiffed mane, completely breaking any illusion of "scary" his species might carry. Good thing Wildfire doesn't seem to mind. She has a genteel demeanor, unlike the other two.]

Uh, hey... [How exactly do you pet a giant pokeball? Jean gave him a couple of solid slaps on the top of Blitz's dome. He sounds disturbingly hollow.] What's its name? Cueball? Connie?

No, he just throws his Pokemon at them. It's someone else who fights with his Pokemon.

[Seriously, watching Krieg go head-to-head with an Electrode had been... enlightening.]

[Jean keeps petting the Lycanroc, smiling a little as he does the cheerful growl thing. Meanwhile, Blitz rolls his eyes at Other Dumb Narrow's crap petting technique, and nudges him again.]

His name is Blitz. Sasha has a Pokemon named Connie, though. [Smirk.] And I have a Trubbish. Three guesses as to what I named him.

[Terre will just let you do that all day, thanks. His tail is wagging like mad. Jean tried a different approach to petting, and rubbed instead of patted. His hand made squeak squeak noises on his clean, metallic body. He felt like he should have a cloth and some cleaning soap...]

No way. Eren? Please tell me it's Eren. Please.

Edited 2017-05-31 03:07 (UTC)

[This is much better. Other Dumb Narrow can be taught, and Blitz closes his eyes to enjoy the petting.]

Of course it's Eren! What else was it going to be?

[Such mature young men.]

His full name is Eren Farty Trashfire.

[Jean hoped that the petting wouldn't build up any static electricity. Wild Electrode were always blowing up at the slightest provocation; even a small shock might set one off.]

Haha! Poor Trubbish! It probably smells better than its namesake...

[It made Jean want to get his own ridiculous, gross Pokemon to name it Eren too.]

[It might build up a little static electricity, but Blitz won't explode. He might zap a little, but his Self-Destruct at random days are behind him. Mostly.]

It washes a lot more, that's for sure.

[Look, getting ridiculous, gross Pokemon and naming them after your friends is just a time-honored tradition, okay? Sasha has a Deerling named Jean because they, quote, 'have the same hair.']

Why do you only have three? Haven't you been here very long?

Like I said, I feel like I just got here. But I've got memories of these guys for some reason... [And Pokemon in general.] It's pretty messed up.

[These three were fine with it only being them though. Too many cooks spoil the kitchen! Fuzzbat flapped down from his perch to stand next to Jean (where it was more obvious it was undersized, normally a Noivern should be a bit bigger than an adult human) and started to claw at the bag on his back.]

Okay, okay! Greedy little... [Jean let the pack fall off his shoulders, and dug around a pocket for a Leichi berry twice the size of his fist. Fuzzbat screeched in delight, took the berry with its surprisingly dexterous forelegs, and carefully ate it by peeling off one segment at a time.] Those are supposed to be for battle you know. Don't waste them all just because you want a snack.

[It's okay, Blitz is little too. It's hard to tell when there aren't other Electrodes around, but glaringly obvious the moment a larger member of his type comes rolling up.]

[Jean snickers as he watches the little scene with the berry, but not for long; Blitz has watched the exchange and rolls back to his version of Jean, clearly wanting a snack of his own. Jean pulls a Pokepuff out of his bag and gives it to the Electrode, who starts devouring it noisily.]

Looks like we've got the same problem when it comes to treats.

[IE, being giant pushovers.]

Hey, what's the last thing you remember from home?

Yeah... I just can't tell 'em no. [Thankfully, Fuzzbat was the only treat-grubber of the three. Terre was too concerned about keeping his svelte figure, and Wildfire was content with nibbling at grass and plants whenever she was out of her ball.] Uh, what just happened...

Well, capturing Annie was a nightmare. And we still can't figure out how to get her out of that damn crystal. What's worse though, is that it looks like Titans have breached Wall Rose somehow. Me'n'Marco had just saddled up with the rest of the Corps to ride to castle Utgard and try and figure out what the hell's going on.

[There are two things in those sentences that catch Jean's attention. The first is the whole 'capturing Annie' thing; Armin had shared a theory that Annie might be the Female Titan, but it hasn't been proven yet. This is prime intel, and something Jean knows Armin would want to know.]

[Unfortunately, it gets completely lost in the next thing the other Jean says, the thing that makes Jean's spine stiffen and his eyes widen as he slowly, very slowly, turns his head from looking at Blitz to look at the other Jean.]

Wait... Marco?

[Blitz perks up; ah yes, he knows that name! That's the name Dumb Narrow says sometimes when he's feeling sad and they need to go out in the woods and play fetch the stick. Does this other Dumb Narrow know who that person is? Blitz keeps waiting to meet them, but they've never been introduced.]

Marco is... what?

hello hello, fancy meeting you here

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squints even more squintily than usual, I love you

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