victory_road | 2nd [video network post]

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2nd [video network post]

Ah! Is it on now? Hi! Hi everyone!

[Someone's far more chipper than they were on their first use of this device! Kazuki is sitting on a bed in what is mostly likely a small hotel room. Beside him is a Brionne, who waves cutely at the camera.]

It's great to see you all! Or whoever wants to watch! Either way...

I'm in Ecruteak now. It's a really beautiful city! It reminds me a lot of the middle school trip I had to the historic centers in Kyoto. I've only been here for a day, but I've seen some girls in kimono walking around, and I took a trip to the Bell Tower. I suggest it to everyone that happens to stop by!

But more than anything, I'm glad to have a bed again! [He laughs.] Camping was fun, but I don't think there's much that beats a hot shower and a soft pillow!

[The Brionne next to him cries softly, and nudges him with her flipper. You had something else to say today, didn't you?]

Oh, right! Thanks, Honky Tonk!

[Kazuki angles his camera towards the Brionne.]

Like I said, this is Honky Tonk! He evolved! [And the Pokemon bows with a flourish.] He got super cute! And then there's Maestra and Xylo...

[He fishes in his pocket for a two Pokeballs, and releases a Furret and a Kricketune.]

They evolved too! Here, Honky Tonk, hold this up, okay?

[The Brionne obligingly takes the camera, gives the audience a wink, and then turns it around in his flipper to show Kazuki, who is holding the Furret against his chest, his arms crossed. It's nearly as big as he is!]

Look! She's so big! And Xylo-- he's even more amazing than before! I had no idea Kricketo-- Kricketune were such amazing musicians! I've been working with him ever since he evolved... Xylo, do Pachelbel's Canon! You remember the opening notes, right?

[The Kricketune nods, and stands up straight and proud as he pulls his arms slowly against each other with a sound that is strikingly like a cello. Both Kazuki and the Furret clap excitedly.]

Pokemon are so amazing!

[As Kazuki stops to listen, Honky Tonk turns the camera towards a corner, where a Swirlix is rooting through a bag. It comes up with a pastry in cellophane wrapping, and starts to try to rip it open by worrying it's head back and forth like a dog. The camera pans back to the Kricketune, then Kazuki. From this angle, it looks like... There's something in his hair?]

[Xylo plays a few more notes, before another Pokemon bursts out of it's ball unannounced. It's a tiny little Chingling! It rings loud and discordant of Xylo's peaceful performance, rather like an alarm clock. Xylo stops and looks up at the little upstart crossly.]

Ack! Sorry, Xylo! Tin Tin! What did I say about ringing like that indoors! You'll bother people!

[Kazuki lets Maestra go and starts to chase the Chingling, trying to grab him in his hands and mute the annoying ringing. Tin Tin is super quick, and keeps dodging. Someone next door yells for him to pipe down, and Honky Tonk giggles from behind the camera, before everything is abruptly cut off. Looks like a fledgling breeder has his hands full!]

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[Link had been browsing the network and ended up watching Kazuki's post, the music coming from his 'gear--and the sounds in general--drawing the attention of his Pokemon. Gem the Carbink is perched on his head while Teba the Fletchling sits contently on his shoulder. Behind the blonde is Pumpkin the Floatzel and Wolf the Lycanroc, both looking quite amused and impressed by all the music.

The last two members of his current party--Greens the Sewaddle and Cabbage the Fomantis--had been dancing about in the background to the music in their usual tango style.]

That was amazing! You guys are really talented!

[It's Gem that addresses them, the little Carbink bobbing back and forth on Link's head as said young man smiles brightly and nods.]

[Kazuki has his hands full at the moment, so the Brionne turns the device back around in his flippers so he can address their new guest instead. Meanwhile, the commotion in the background is still totally audible.]

Gotcha! [The ringing abruptly stops, but that's not the end of it.] Oh no, Sticky! No more snacks, I just fed you!

[There's more thump thump thumping around as Kazuki chases a second Pokemon.]

Come on boy, that was my dessert for tonight! I'll give you some more sugar cubes, okay? Please!

[The Brionne giggles at Link and his Pokemon. Just a moment, Kazuki will be with you shortly!]

Edited 2017-11-07 00:44 (UTC)

[What an energetic bunch.

Link muffles a laugh as the antics continue, shaking his head in amusement as Gem let's out a echo-y giggle.]

At this rate, he's not going to have any snacks, is he?

[From his perch, Teba let out a twill of agreement which only got another muffled laugh from Link.]

There! Okay, let it go now!

[Kazuki catches the Swirlix and frees his an-pan from it's gooey mouth. He makes an euuuugh noise as his (namesake) sticky, candyfloss fur gets all over his shirt and arms.]

I'm gonna have to take another shower...

[Bleck. The Brionne hands the gear back over to it's trainer.]

Oh, hey! Sorry about that, a couple of my Pokemon are real troublemakers!

[It takes Jean awhile before he feels like he can respond to Kazuki. He isn't sure if his voice and the sight of him will be welcome or not; Kazuki had to see the utter shit that was Jean's dreams, including a ripped apart corpse that might have even been wearing his face, and that's not something a person can forget easily.]

... that's a nice song it's playing.

[That's pretty inoffensive, right? If Kazuki doesn't want to talk to him, Jean will understand.]

Yeah! Isn't it? Canon in D is my favorite on the cello.

[Jean got to Kazuki after he sorted out his impish Pokemon, so he didn't have to watch him run around like a chicken with it's head cut off. And even though he remembered the nightmare, he replied with all the friendly cheer he would show anyone else.]

Xylo's really something else. I hope we can collaborate someday!

What do you play?

[Talking with Kazuki is... soothing. He's just so happy, and clearly comes from such a softer, gentler world, and seeing him run around with his Pokemon and get excited about the noises they make is refreshing.]

Do you play a... cello?

[Don't mind how Jean was clearly unsure about the pronunciation there.]

Oh, no! Haha, I'm hopeless with stringed instruments. [You have to be so precise with your fingers! Kazuki never got the hang of it. It took too much concentration.] My major is the trumpet! Do you know what that is?

[Jean doesn't seem to know what a cello was, so maybe they didn't have instruments at all in his world? That makes Kazuki profoundly sad for a moment-- but just a moment. If he has to,he'll teach him all about music himself!]

Oh! Yeah, I know trumpets!

[They use them to wake up soldiers in the barracks!]

Do you play one of the long ones or the short ones?

One of the short ones, I think! [If he's talking trumpets versus trombones.] Here, I'll show you...

[Kazuki ducks out of view for just a second to grab his, and then brings it up to show Jean.]

It's a little more complicated than a bugle, since it has valves and a small slide. [He pushes them up and down in example.]

Oh! It's all folded up!

[The bell shape and gold color are recognizable, but not the way it folds in on itself.]

The ones I know don't have buttons on them.

[Valves, Jean. Kazuki just said the word, they're called valves.]

Then what you're thinking of is probably a bugle. They're short and have a straight neck, and you can't reach as many notes without the valves. They're used to call times at camps and stuff.

Yeah, bugles!

[If Kazuki doesn't want to mention their shared nightmare, Jean isn't going to bring it up. Instead, he'll warm right up to this conversation about music.]

Our drill instructor Shadis would blast one every morning to wake us up.

[Jean sounds weirdly nostalgic about getting woken up by bugle blasts.]

[It was such a sad, intimate moment, Kazuki felt like he was intruding to begin with. If Jean looked like he needed help, or wanted to talk about it, Kazuki would be glad to. But if he could make Jean happy now, in the moment, he'd rather focus on that.]

Did he play Reveille? It goes like...

[Kazuki brought the mouthpiece to his lips, and nearly began, but then remembered--]

Oh, whoops, can't do that indoors! I think the neighbors are already mad about Tin Tin. I wish I had a mute.

It's the one that goes duh-duh-DUHDUHDUH-duh-duh-DUHDUHDUH-duh duh duduhduh duh DUUUUUH duh!

[Jean has a surprisingly pleasant singing voice; the boy can carry a tune.]

That one!

Yeah, just like that! And then Taps at night... Duh duh daaaaaaaaaah duh duh daaaaaaaaaah, duh dah daaaaah duh dah daaaaah duh dah daaaaah...

The going to sleep one!

[Shadis hadn't played that one with quite the aplomb as he'd played Reveille, but it's still familiar.]

Can you play both of those?

Of course! Those are simple pieces that you learn when you're a novice, because they're pretty easy and familiar. But as long as I have sheet music, or even just some time to listen to and practice the song, I can play pretty much anything!

Edited 2017-11-20 01:26 (UTC)

Wow. You must be really talented.

[Who has time to focus on things like music back home?]

Do you play anything else?

[Kazuki chuckles sheepishly.]

I probably do have some talent... But it's mostly hard work and dedication! It takes hundreds of hours of practice to get to this kind of level. You really have to give it your all.

I can play the piano too, but only on a basic level. Pretty much everyone learns it alongside their major to supplement their sight reading.

Oh, I know what that's like.

[Except with the maneuver gear and not with something fun like music.]

We spent hours learning the maneuver gear back home. If you didn't really pay attention and work hard at it, the courses would kill you.

[Sometimes literally!]

[Kill you? Yeesh! Goosebumps crawl up Kazuki's arms and the back of his neck.]

Was that, uh, the stuff you were wearing...?

[Shoot, he didn't want to bring that up again. He shakes his head.]

If you don't mind talking about it!

Yeah, that stuff.

[Jean falters for a moment, remembering the reason why Kazuki knows what his gear looks like, but then keeps going. He's proud of his ability with the gear, and that's nothing to be ashamed of. He worked hard to get as proficient as he is!]

We use it to fight back home, but you can do a lot of other stuff with it too. It'd be great to have here, to play with the flying Pokemon.

You can actually fly with it?

[All bad thoughts are pitched out the window at this wonderful discovery.]

That's so cool! So it's like some kind of jetpack? It might be hard to use, and dangerous, but... Is it fun?

Yeah! I mean, not like a bird or anything, but you do go zooming through the air. Hold on, let me just...

[Jean ducks out of the camera frame. There's some rustling around, some muttering from Jean, and then he pops back up, holding a sketchbook and some pencils.]

It's like this... [he starts drawing as he talks] We have this series of belts, and you use your own weight to control where you're going. We have these lines that are attached at our hips, and we can fire those out to attach to other things. Then we've got gas canisters that power us forward.

[He holds up his sketch.]

It's so much fun. It's about the only thing I miss from home.

You're really good at drawing! [Because that needs to be said first of course!] Yeah, I remember those belts and those other things! So one's like, a grapple, and the other's a jet? That's so cool! It's like... Like a superhero would wear! Like Batman!

[Who knew that drawing in Armin's ~~nerd book~~ journal for him would yield such tangible results?]

Yeah, that's the basic idea. You grapple with the lines and then use the canisters to propel yourself forward.

[A pause, before Jean asks the question of all questions.]

Who's Batman, and what is his Pokemon equivalent?

Oh! Batman is a comic-book hero from our world. He's like... He doesn't have any superpowers, but he had a lot of cool gear and gadgets that he uses to fight crime! He's also really stealthy and really good at martial arts. He usually beats up bad guys with his fists.

I don't know many Pokemon yet. What kind of Pokemon is like that?

He sounds cool!

[Jean would totally be into Batman.]

No no, I mean, a lot of things from other worlds are here too, but they're like Pokemon instead. One of my friends told me about an author from her world named Stephen King. His books are here too, but he's called Stephen Kringler and all the books have Pokemon in them.

Oh yeah, I've noticed that too! So then maybe there's something like a Zubatman out there? I've haven't seen it yet myself though.

I'm going to check the next time I'm in a bookstore.

[Which is now a fairly regular occurrence in Jean's life. Who would have guessed?]

[There's something about the cacophonous chaos in the last minutes of the video that brings a smile to Rakka's face. Maybe it's just the way things are around here? She'd seen so much in this world, that something like this could even be charming.

So. Sorry about the small chuckling at your expense, Kazuki.]

Hehe... It looks like Pokemon really have a thing for music, and they seem to like you too!

[It's okay! People often laugh at Kazuki, because he's a self admitted goofball, so it doesn't bother him. He smiles right back at Rakka once he gets his party back in control.]

They're a fun bunch! I'm really impressed-- I've never picked up anything nearly as quick as they do! I just started teaching Xylo Canon in D a few days ago!

[Those sure are some words that Rakka doesn't understand, but she'll nod enthusiastically nevertheless.]

Wow, that must be pretty hard then. But I guess Pokemon are pretty special in their own way too.

[As she's come to definitely understand.]

Learning music though... wow.

Edited 2017-11-15 10:31 (UTC)

I was just expecting them to all like fighting because that's what a lot of people do with them, but most of mine are more interested in music-- or being troublemakers!

Do you play anything? Oh, and my name's Kazuki! What's yours?

Ehehe, my name's Rakka. It's a pleasure to meet you, Kazuki!

[Another name to add to the list...!]

But that's okay! Pokemon can do all sorts of things, and people actually use them for a whole lot more then just battling. [...] I mean, the troublemakers part might be a little bad... hehehe.

It's okay-- they mean well, and I can make some trouble myself sometimes!

Do you have any Pokemon friends? Can I say hello?

Huh? Oh yeah, of course. How silly of me. Hold on-

[The screen jostles for a moment, shaking enough that there's just a blur of movement as Rakka seems to be rummaging around for something.]

Aha! [There's a sound of accomplishment, followed by the tone of a Pokeball opening. And finally, the screen comes back to focus on Rakka, now crouching on the ground beside a rather sleepy looking Houndoom.]

This is Unmei. I uh, guess she was having a nap in her ball.

Haha, aww. Sorry to wake you up buddy! [There's something wicked-looking about the Houndoom, but that was probably just its species. Noting you can do about that!] Some of mine like the ball, and some of them don't as much. I wonder what it's like in there?

[At least this one doesn't seem too wicked. In fact, it looks like he's going right back to sleep... leaning against his trainer.]

Hehe, I think it's alright. [She pauses for a slow yawn. Hold on there, buddy.]

Hmm, I'm not sure. I think I heard somewhere that it's like they're... sleeping? So maybe it's cozy?

Huh! Well, that would explain why some of mine don't like it so much. Sticky would rather be eating, or Tin Tin would rather be ringing... [Kazuki laughs again.] But Honky Tonk just likes to hang out with me, right bud?

[The Brionne yaps happily from off screen.]

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