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[lordofthefries]

[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?]

Comments

[Video]

[cyan_maid]

Oh, dear! She won't eat at all?

[Because first let's make sure the worried girl can somehow get her Pokemon not to starve to death. Meet the basic needs, then move on to the training.]

I don't think it means you're a bad trainer, just...perhaps...you might need to go about befriending her in a different way? If she's that obstinate, there must be a reason...

[Video]

[lordofthefries]

Not if I give it to her. If I put it where she doesn't see me putting it down and leave the room, then she'll eat it. It's like she thinks I'm going to poison her!

[So the Pokemon is eating, just not to Sasha's satisfaction which basically equals to starvation in her eyes. Who could blame her for still being concerned?]

I'm used to regular animals. Usually if you feed them, you can gain their trust after a while. I'm not getting anywhere with her, so what else do I try?

[Video]

[cyan_maid]

Okay - okay, that's better than not eating.

[Jane frowns, tries not to nibble her bottom lip. Her own Pokemon can be difficult, but never outright disobedient.]

Hm...well, Pokemon aren't just like regular animals. They're just as smart as we are - the Psychic ones even smarter. I think, if you try to spend a little time with her each day, just...talking, or offering to play, even if she won't take up the offer? That might help. Where did you find her again?

[Video]

[lordofthefries]

She's not eating enough. She's practically starving!

[Is Bacon going to waste away, never to taste her namesake? No, but Sasha's worry isn't tampering down in the least bit. Pokemon behavior is way out of her jurisdiction.]

I know, they aren't. I mean, back home we just ate the animals anyway. We didn't keep them to battle them and get badges and stuff. And that's what I'm been doing but she just keeps running away and turning her back on me when I talk to her.

[Sasha holds out another berry, a different colored one that all the others on the floor and therefore a different flavor, and nope. Bacon still doesn't want it and bounces farther away, almost to the other end of the room.]

The Team Rocket hideout? Where they had all those Pokemon in cages. I found her and my Electrode there.

[Video]

[thenightsky]

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.]

[Video]

[lordofthefries]

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.]

[Video]

[thenightsky]

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?

[Video]

[2hellwiththe1stlaw]

Maybe bacon is just a jerk?

I mean...one of my pokemon is a total jerk.

[She points the camera at a Pachirisu who is currently trying to zap a Beldum out of the sky. The Beldum looks positively bored the way it's dodging. When the Pachirisu realizes they're being watched they turn on Gaige and run at the camera much to Gaige's cursing and some shouts of pain as more electricity crackling can be heard.]

See what I mean? Asshole!

[lordofthefries]

She's not a jerk!

[Look, maybe the Pokemon has a bit of an attitude, but that's no reason to call her names and Sasha will not stand for anybody insulting her team. Insult her, fine, but these innocent creatures? No way.

She watches the scene with narrowed eyes and then frowns strongly at the foul language.]

Maybe if you didn't call them names, they wouldn't misbehave like that.

[2hellwiththe1stlaw]

Alright alright, your Pokemon is just stubborn then. We all get like that.

[She rolls her eyes.]

And my pokemon has been misbehaving since I met her. Calling her a name based on how she's behaving is not making it better or worse.

Trust me I tried to be nice. Tried to be patient...

[For about a day]

But she just likes being a jerk. That doesn't mean I don't love her and want her on the team and plan on making her the strongest little bitch squirrel I can. It just means that's the part of her personality she's showing off right now.

Little does she know I can be WAY bigger a bitch then she can. And I am WAY more stubborn. So eventually one of us is gonna fall in line.

Video

[bent_the_world]

Pokemon are a lot like people. They've got all different personalities and like all kinds of stuff. It doesn't mean your a bad trainer, you just might have to try something different.

What does she seem to like to do when she's on her own?

[lordofthefries]

I'm not sure. If I leave her alone at camp, she'll eat a bit, but only if I'm not around at all. As far as I can guess, she just... bounces. All day. And night.

[bent_the_world]

Huh...

Well, considering where she comes from, she's probably not used to people being nice to her. It might take a lot of time for her to get used to that idea.

[video]

[charcoalfeather]

Oh no, was she one of the pokemon Team Rocket had in those cages?

[She really feels for Sasha on that point at least. She had been underneath the resort in Tohjo falls, she had seen the cages stuffed with the poor creatures.

Her sympathy towards both Sasha and Bacon was through the roof.]

I-I don't think you're a bad trainer, but... these pokemon were really hurt by what they had to go through. I have one from back then, and he's just as hard to command sometimes.

[lordofthefries]

[Sasha nods, humming an answer. Maybe she should have left the Spoink there, but that would have been just as cruel as letting Team Rocket take all the Pokemon. There was no food and finding an exit was hard enough for the humans. Who knows what would have happened if Sasha turned her back on Bacon?]

Has he gotten any better at all?

[charcoalfeather]

Mm... [She pulls the camera away from her face for a moment, pointing it towards the large fishbowl in her room that a Dwebble is sitting inside of, currently just... chilling in the water.]

He's doing alright, for the moment. I think, sometimes, he gets nightmares.

[Sasha wont need to see her face to know the concern in Rakka's voice.]

[Audio]

[findingbeasts]

Perhaps it might be best to let her spend some time out and about without anyone trying to stop her from doing anything? Constant confinement could remind her of whatever situation she was in before.

No creature is fond of repeating similar experiences, even if the new experience is not meant to mimic the old.

[lordofthefries]

That's what I thought. I don't force her back into the ball. Usually I just let her bounce around wherever we make camp, but maybe that's still not enough.

I just want her to not look at me like I'm evil or something.

[findingbeasts]

Give it some time. I have no doubts she'll realize how much you do truly care.

It may be worthwhile to try and get her to engage in games of some sort. Something to help her find some enjoyment. Perhaps involving your other Pokemon would help as well.

action because same camp

[notvaljean]

She's probably mad that you named her after food.

[Someone is still salty about the whole Jean 2.0 thing.]

[lordofthefries]

[Well if he and the Deerling didn't have the same shitty hairstyle...]

None of my other Pokemon have a problem with their names.

[Stay salty, Jean. She's never changing it.]

[notvaljean]

[It's a great hairstyle! Sasha just doesn't understand fashion.]

Just saying.

[Okay, it's probably not that. Jean looks over at the other side of the camp, where Bacon is sproinging around.]

Let's start at the beginning. She's a Rocket Prom Pokemon, right?

[Video]

[garbagechild]

Give her a pudding cup!

<sub>[The only word to describe the tone with which this advice is being given is 'bombastic'.]

[Further punctuated by Wrath pounding his fists on the counter with each word.]</sub>

Give! Her! A pudding cup!

[Video]

[lordofthefries]

A what?

[Wrath, simmer down and explain to Sasha the glory of a pudding cup!]

[Video]

[garbagechild]

A pudding cup!

It's a cup, with pudding in it!

You can buy them in large boxes that have a glass front on them!

_{[AKa he gets his from the vending machine, and doesn't really know how else to get them. Lust buys them from the grocery store to have in the house but he's never seen it happen so he just sort of assumes they appear in the fridge via. magic.]}