victory_road | 2. Video

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2. Video

[Newt's second video to the feed is a lot different then her first. She's smiling for one thing. She also has two new pokemon next to her, a Cubone and and Absol. They're both very young and sticking very close to Newt. She waves at the camera. A little nervous still, but smiling.]

I've got two new pokemon now. This is Hudson

[She points the camera to the Cubone leaning against her. Not looking at the camera]

And this is Vasquez.

[A quick point to the Absol who is somehow glaring at the screen.]

They're both a little shy but that's okay. We're family now. Thank you Walter. I promise I'll take good care of them! I told Feathers to say hello to you for me when he left, too.

Um, I do have a question though. How do people decide what to name their pokemon? I named my two new ones after people who are ....gone now. I don't have that many names like that left that I want to use....so it's going to be harder to pick ones that fit them.

And....I'm not really good at picking names and I'll have to do that in the future...what do you guys do?

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[This is why Shiro is the best.]

Thank you.

I know some parts of planet or moon names but most of them are just numbers and letters, like the stars. They're hard to remember. They only get real names when people live on them and then name them with real names, I think.

What stuff from home do you name yours after?

Really? You don't have any names for planets where you're from? Besides the numbers and letters?

[That's odd, to him.]

Friends, mostly. Partners.

I don't think so....

[She stops to think.]

I was only in grade two though, so maybe we were supposed to learn about them later.

[Which didn't happen for obvious reasons. That also makes her pause because.]

I have two more names of friends that I can use.....I don't want to use any of the others.

[The idea of naming them after her family and dead friends....well it hurt too much still. At least Hudson and Vasquez had managed to stay alive long enough for her to like them. And they were marines which was different then ...her brother.]

Maybe we can talk sometime, about what space is like where I'm from. If you'd like to learn about it.

[If not, they can probably find other things to name them after. Easily.]

[He considers the next dilemma before swinging the camera around. There's a Tropius, casually rolling a Voltorb around a beach.]

Or, you can name them after anything you want. Like these two.

Big one's Green. Little one is... "Banana."

[THERE'S A REASON, NEWT, HE SWEARS.]

I would!

[She liked learning about her moon before well everything.]

Why is he named banana?

In that case, if we ever end up in the same town, we can do that.

[He will absolutely do this.]

Well... the big one has fruit that kind of looks like bananas. And I guess the Voltorb was weirdly jealous?

I dunno. The Voltorbs on this island are odd.

Okay!

[She's looking forward to meeting people she's only talked to on the screen.]

He was jealous that the first one had bananas?

Let me know when you hit another town? I can probably find a way there.

[He's been to most of them up to Goldenrod, hasn't he?]

It must have been. So... the Voltorb is "Banana" and the big one is "Green".

I will. It's getting warmer out so I should be able to start to travel soon.

[Camping road trip with her team! ...to train and get to new places and catch more teammates.]

That was nice of you to name him that. Did you ever have to change a name because they didn't like it?

Good. Just take care of yourself.

[That's the most important thing!!]

This is a first.

But they're both pretty new, so it's not a big deal.

[Serious nod.]

Don't worry, I'm good at surviving.

[....Someone should really check up on her version of 'care of self' and 'things bad enough to ask for help' at some point.]

Did you just get them?

Hey, that makes two of us.

[... someone should probably check up on both of them. In that regard. Which says A Lot about Shiro's sense of preservation.]

Yeah. Just got Green. Nan's been around a while.

[Part of him refuses to call the Voltorb "Banana" as much as possible.]

That's good. I don't want you to die.

[The way she says that it's clear that the thought has occurred to her once or twice. Mostly because part of her expects everyone here to die on her. The part that's still afraid.]

Hey, if I can survive a wildfire and space prison? This place has nothing I can't handle.

[Shiro, that's. Not even remotely comforting.]

People say things like that and then they die.

[There was a lot of, nothing will hurt us, we're marines we can handle anything, back home and it lead to a lot of dead people.]

But people say lots of things and then they die anyway. This place seems ....safer. I still worry though.

[That she'll be alone. It's a fear that she knows is silly but she can't help it. She has nightmares about it along with her normal ones of being on the colony.]

Whoa, it's okay. I wasn't being entirely serious.

[Except part of him was. But he doesn't want to alarm the poor girl.]

It's been pretty safe so far. Plus, our partners tend to keep us in one piece.

It'll be okay, Newt.

Oh....

Okay.

[Kinda just looks at her hands]

I know....I just. A lot of people said that before and...and I know this place is different and I have my team but...

I'm not good at not worrying anymore....

It's all right. I understand. I was... the same way for a very long time, when I got here.

I still am, a little.

[He's not good at Not Worrying either. Not at all.]

[She nods, her voice quiet.]

Heather and Walter say the bad dreams won't go away but they'll get better as time passes.

....I'm really tired of bad dreams. Do you have bad dreams too?

[Wellp, time to make this private. Just in case she doesn't want to talk about this out in public.]

I do. I did. Almost every night.

But... Haunter makes it so I don't, not anymore. It's a ghost type -- and they have the ability to eat nightmares.

[Probably for the best.]

.....really? But wouldn't nightmares taste terrible?

[They're bad after all.]

Haunter?

[He looks off-screen. Slowly, a Gengar sidles over, grinning at the screen. It waves at Newt, before giving a little bow, and miming like it's eating a giant sandwich. Still smiling.]

Apparently, no. They taste fine.

[Newt waves, a little shyer then normal given what they're talking about.]

Oh....I guess if they like it....

[She's still a little unsure. Her dreams are...well they're frankly night terrors at this point. But the idea of something eating them....is a little scary. Even if the ghost pokemon doesn't seem scary.]

Does it feel weird?

[And Haunter waves back. Bouncing cheerfully in place. Don't worry little girl!! Haunter is a fat purple friend.]

Yeah, it seems to. At least, it's kept it up for over a year now.

[So Haunter must enjoy it to a degree, right?]

Nah. Not at all. It's just quiet.

Oh....maybe I'll catch one. I have lots of nightmares they could eat.

[Waking up, screaming and clutching her chest as though something is going to burst out of it. Watching her family die in front of her again. And those are just a few of the many, many dreams she's had.]

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