victory_road | [Video] backdated to May 29th!

_{[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...]}

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.

_{[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.]}

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.]}

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I'm gonna bet on the latter.

They probably had one of those huge ugly ice sculptures and a chocolate fondue fountain.

Those hedonistic bastards.

They splurged on those bottles of expensive champagne and wine that taste the exact same as the regular ones, but didn't buy any food other than the chocolate.

...Which would lead to the state of mind necessary to design a Type: Null, now that I think about it.

... Yeah, you know, these things do kind of smack of something a wasted geek would draw on a napkin right before passing out in someone else's cubicle.

Which means they have a lousy PR crew, a lousy project vetting process and a lousy sense of ethics. I mean, I'm sure your Snitter will be happy and loving, but you can't tell me he was designed with his own comfort in mind.

YEAH... believe me, I'm under no illusions.

_{[Heather is hardly the kind of person who soapboxes. Or thinks particularly hard about the various ethical questions about this world. But she ain't blind.]}

This is some shady bullshit.

But now there's one less who's stuck there, dealing with their shady bullshit. That's about as much as anyone can do right now.

Yeah.

If they're gonna be making 'em anyway... I'd rather let 'em see what life's like outside of some creepy lab.

_{[She continues stroking Snitter's shaggy coat-- it appears to have finally calmed down into something like a sleepy state.]}

Maybe that knowledge will be the start of a future Type: Null revolution. Once they learn more about the world beyond their lab, they won't be content with it anymore. They just can't go back to that mindset.

[That sort of feeling is one he can understand all too well.]

We'll see.

I... know firsthand how hard it can be to adjust to how things should be when you're coming from a place that shouldn't.

_{[And she's been painfully reminded of it ever since the arrival of Walter Sullivan. Breaking free involves so much more than just physical escape.]}

And hell, maybe I'm just overreacting. I want to be wrong, you know?

But either way, well... Snits is in good hands. ... Or capable hands, anyway. 'Good' might be subjective.

[Video] backdated to May 29th!

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