victory_road | o9

So, uh... I was going through some of the pictures I first took on my Pokegear and the first one was labeled for today. A year ago. It's almost hard to believe that I've been here for that long, and I only realized in May that I don't want to go back home. It probably sounds selfish, but things are, um... They're better here, and...

_{[Bertolt seems to hesitate for a moment, then he swings his camera around to focus on his Arcanine sprawled out on his back and taking up the entire space on the floor between his bed and the other in his hotel room.}

I couldn't leave him behind. It's even harder to believe that he was barely thirty pounds and didn't even reach my knee when I got here, and now he's got to be around five-hundred and even taller than I am.

_{[One of his Arcanine's feet kick and he shifts around so he's more or less completely upside down, his jowls flopping out to show off his big ol' pearly whites. He's sort of smiling for the camera in his sleep now!]}

I think if I was given the choice to go home or stay here, I'd choose the latter. _{[Bertolt stretches his leg out and now he's rubbing his Arcanine's chest with his foot, which earns a low, content rumble that sounds more bear than dog. Gods, why are these Pokemon so ridiculous?]}

If you had the option, uh... What would you choose? And why?

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[Bert is treated to a rare video response from Vanitas, the young man currently back on Mt. Mortar with Yuri in tow this time. Flopped over his shoulder munching--messily--on a berry is his Axew, Blaster.]

I wouldn't go home even if I got the chance.

_{[Bertolt can't help it - the shot of that little Axew making a mess of his food is almost too precious, and it reminds him of his Aggron whenever he decides to steal his trainer's food. It gets everywhere.]}

W-Well, with that little guy, I can't blame you.

[Vanitas snorts softly, glancing at the Axew that pauses in it's berry devouring to chirp-growl at his trainer.]

..I didn't think I'd care about any of them but...I kind of do.

[It's very hard for him to admit that.]

...That's not a bad thing though, I think. I didn't think I'd get so attached to my Pokemon when I got here, but now some of them feel like my best friends.

_{[They'll never take the place of his human friends, but gods if they don't come close.]}

[His instinct is to call Bert a loser for saying that. To rag on the other young man because that sounds absolutely ridiculous.

But then Blaster is letting out a little snort, berry now decimated, and the Axew shifts on his perch so he can press his berry stained face against Vanitas's cheek.

And yeah that gets a slight grin out of the little asshole.]

...It's better than not liking the ones you've got, I guess.

[Aka he totally agrees, Bert.]

_{[Bertolt is like his Aggron, really - he's big and he can look tough, but he's a huge softie.]}

...Come to think of it, I don't think I have any that I dislike. There've been a few where I was a little wary of at first, but they've grown on me a lot.

I have a few that are annoying but...they're okay, I guess.

[He still didn't care much for his Woobat but he'd been less aggressive towards the little guy in the past few months which seemed to be making things better between them.

Surprisingly.]

They can't be that bad, can they?

Depends.

[On the day of the week. On how he's feeling.

Okay so it really has nothing to do with his Pokemon.]

I guess they could be worse. At least they all get along..mostly.

They can't be any worse than Reiner and Galliard. They, uh... They're two of my bigger Pokemon and Galliard tries to start a lot of fights with him over small things. They never get violent-violent, but the noises they make are scary enough.

I have a bunch that fight over...stupid stuff.

[Him. They fight over him.]

So it's a lot of dominance crap. Thankfully none of mine are huge, though.

I'm not sure if any of their issues have been from dominance, thankfully. ...Though I've only heard of Aggron getting territorial over mountains they claim as their homes.

_{[Although...]}

...Actually, I'm not sure if we've been around any mountains for him to get possessive over.

Maybe they're fighting over a female or something. Or you.

[He can't be the only one that has Pokemon who fight over him, can he?

Please tell him he's not.]

I, uh... I don't think Herja's remotely interested in them long-term. M-Most of the time when Herja gets involved, she ends up pinning my Aggron down and he ends up crying.

_{[It's both sort of funny and sad at the same time. His big Pokemon are such babies.]}

I-I don't know why they'd be fighting over me either, if that's the case.

....That...huh.

[You know, he's not even going to touch that one because Bert's been nice and he doesn't feel like making fun of the guy's Pokemon.

This time.]

Because they like you? Or think that you're theirs and no one else's.

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