video;

[notvaljean]

[The video comes into focus, and it shows a Gallade in the doorway of a bedroom. The Gallade tilts his head at the camera, as if he's making sure it's on, then nods and turns into the room.]

[The camera pans around the room; there's an enormous Arcanine snoozing on the floor, all fluff and quiet snoring, and a pair of Spheals, one of them shiny, at the foot of the room's bed. They watch the Gallade with interest, and the blue one waves a flipper first at the Pokemon, and then at the camera.]

[Text suddenly scrolls across the bottom of the screen.]

We don't know what we're getting into here. There've been reports of movement and activity from this room, and we're going to investigate.

[The Gallade walks to the foot of the bed, and the blue Spheal offers a flipper to help him get onto it. He takes it and pulls himself up, and the camera follows him.]

There he is! What a fascinating specimen!

[There's a teenaged boy sleeping on the bed, with an Electrode tucked under one arm and an Alolan Meowth and Chikorita curled near his head. The Electrode glares at the Gallade, but makes no move to attack, and the Meowth simply narrows his eyes and flicks his tail back and forth as the Gallade and camera come closer.]

This is the rare Dumb Narrow, which normally isn't so sedentary. This one is in hibernation mode, which has allowed us to get so close! You can see the evidence of our previous expeditions on his forehead.

[Yes indeed, there's a bandaid on the boy's forehead, but it doesn't completely cover the faint outline of a drawing that looks suspiciously phallic in nature.]

We need to mark this specimen for further study. Blue, would you do the honors?

[The Gallade nods and smiles, pulling out a marker and creeping closer to the boy's face. The Meowth hmphs and turns away, curling into a tighter ball, and the Chikorita chirps curiously. The boy doesn't move or react, until the Gallade steps onto his chest. Then he snorts, making all the Pokemon jump, and opens his eyes.]

Huh?

[The Meowth yowls, loud and excited, and leaps up to rub his face against the boy's head, making his hair stand up in greasy little spikes.]

Sly, what the...?

[The boy sits up, dumping the Gallade into his lap.]

Blue, what are you...?

[The boy looks directly at the camera, and his eyes go wide.]

Zappy, NO! YOU BETTER NOT BE FILMING!

[The boy makes a move towards the camera, and the feed suddenly cuts out.]

Comments

action for Bertolt;

[notvaljean]

Zappy and Blue decide to strategically scatter when Jean wakes up, and he spends a minute sitting on the bed, blinking and trying to wake up fully. It's a bit challenging when he's getting mobbed by Pokemon; Fat Ice Dog and Triton start barking and rolling all over his legs, Blitz deposits himself in his lap as soon as Blue takes off, and Sly leaps onto his shoulders and yowls loudly in his ear. The Chikorita is a bit less enthusiastic with its affections, but it tucks up against his side and chirps.

"What is with you guys?"

The bed suddenly tilts to the side; Marcel has woken up and is adding his awooooooing to the cacophony, placing his front paws on the bed and making it lift up onto two legs.

"What're you doing here?"

Jean gently pushes Marcel off the bed and pets his head, absentmindedly stroking Blitz with the other hand and looking down at the Chikorita tickling his side. "Who are... didn't you belong to Anders?"

Sly jumps off Jean's shoulder and, in a rare show of affection, rubs his cheek on the Chikorita's head. Yes, they both belonged to Anders, but then that rapscallion disappeared! What a jerk. Jean picks up the leafy little Pokemon and gets a better look at it. "Bean?"

Bean squeaks in confirmation.

Jean looks at Bean, and then at Sly. His eyes start to slowly widen in dawning comprehension. Fuck. Then he glances down at Marcel, and his eyes go even wider. Double fuck.

He has never seen Marcel without Bertolt somewhere close by. If Bean, who used to belong to Anders and now belongs to Angel, is here, and Marcel is here...

FUCK.

Jean throws the blanket off himself and tries to leap out of bed. He fails, staggering with legs that are weirdly weak, and has to catch himself on Marcel. "Bertolt! BERT!"

Don't you be gone, you asshole. Don't you dare be gone!

action 5ever

[bertall]

It's Marcel's howling that makes Bertolt initially jump out of his skin and spill his mug of coffee onto the porch outside and onto his shirt in the process. Damn it, he just made that! Thankfully the mug itself was one of those goofy plastic travel mugs so beyond the spilled coffee nothing else of value was lost.

And then Marcel keeps singing the song of his people and he even throws in a good, strong boof. Go ahead and pull his fur all you want, Jean! He's a strong, independent fluff-beast. He can handle some tugs while those weird legs start working again!

Though it's what follows after Marcel's barking and howling that makes Bertolt's brows furrow, and he's certain he has to be hearing things. That... No, it couldn't be, could it? It can't hurt to go back inside and look in at the very least to see what has Marcel in such a tizzy.

Bertolt awkwardly pinches the front of his shirt and keeps it away from his body as he steps back inside, grimacing a little. Why, Marcel? Why? Why him?

When he looks up towards the bedroom he used to share with Jean, his heart nearly stops in his chest. The door is wide open, and leaning against Marcel-- Holy shit. He wasn't hearing things.

"Jean?"

[notvaljean]

It's a good thing Marcel is here, or Jean would go flat on his face. It's also a good thing that Marcel is huge and powerful, or Jean would also be going flat on his face. He's so weirdly weak right now, like he hasn't used his legs in awhile and the muscles have gone all soft and slack.

That's nonsense, though. He's only been asleep for a day or two, right? No one sleeps for longer than that.

"BERTOLT!" Jean tries to move forward to him, but just manages to lurch and nearly lose his balance. Someone better catch this dumbass before he really does fall all over the place.

[bertall]

Jean, no.

It's what Bertolt wants to say when he starts to teeter forward, the words dying on his tongue as he lunges forward to grab Jean and hoist him upright. Should he get his Machoke? But that'd mean he'd have to trek all the way to the Pokemon center and get him out of the PC-- No, staying here right now is a better idea.

"H-Hey, easy-- Y-You've been out for awhile, so don't try to push yourself."

» action

[lordofthefries]

Dumb Narrow?

[Well that's pretty much all Sasha pulled from the text, but it's clearly the most important part. She'll just stick that in her pocket for potential ammo later.

That aside, she looks relieved to see Jean up and at 'em, enough that when she shows up in the doorway to tease him, she has a tray of two sandwiches, some fried chicken, juice, a cob of corn, and three dinner rolls. Surprisingly, it's not for her.]

This room smells funny.

» action

[notvaljean]

[Dumb Narrow is the name Blitz gave Jean, way back when they first met. It's maybe not the most flattering description, but it's hard to argue with its accuracy.]

[By the time Sasha comes in, Jean has gotten the Pokemon quieted down, and is sitting in the bed, pinned down by Blitz, Fat Ice Dog, and Triton. Sly is curled on his shoulders and purring loudly, and Marcel is awake and sitting up, his chin resting on Fat Ice Dog's head.]

[Jean's eyes widen when he sees the food, and he's suddenly, inexplicably ravenous.]

Food.

[Give it here, lady!]

» action

[lordofthefries]

[Wow, Jean, at least give her a thank you for thinking ahead and maybe especially for not nibbling on any of it. Do you know how much willpower that required?

One she hands over the tray, her hands immediately go to pat Marcel and the rest (excepting Blitz because he's still an unpredictable quantity to her) and then into her pockets where she pulls out a handful of berries, offering the Pokemon one each.]

I figured you'd be hungry after sleeping all month long.

[Sasha has a lot of questions to ask Jean, some prompted by her conversation with Armin earlier, but she figures that with the possibility that the topic will be heavy, it's better to wait after Jean has a full belly.]

» action

[notvaljean]

[It's fine, Blitz doesn't want to be petted anyway. He only has eyes for Jean right now, and even allows Jean to rest the tray on top of his head if it means he doesn't have to vacate his lap.]

Woz wa?

[Hold on, let him try that again without half a sandwich stuffed in his face. Jean swallows, then boggles at Sasha.]

I was asleep for a month?

[That explains why he's got Pokemon all over him, at least.]

action

[shiro2hero]

[Hope you don't mind sudden intrusions into the room, because no sooner does the video feed air, than someone is busting in the door, with the intent on retrieving his wayward Gallade.]

Blue-! Leave him alone -!

[And then it registers.]

[Jean is awake. Aware. He's sitting up and he's awake. Shiro's face abruptly goes from Angry Dad Mode to Elated Dad Mode. Honestly, he almost looks like he just woke up as a kid on Christmas Morning.]

Jean!

action

[notvaljean]

Hi, Shiro.

[Jean rubs at one of his eyes, clearly not all the way awake yet.]

What's going on?

[Because you seem weirdly happy all of a sudden.]

action

[shiro2hero]

[Nope, we're not talking just yet. Because he's sitting down on the bed, and just straight up hugging Jean. It's a little ripe, but who cares? He's just so glad to see him again.]

[See him alive.]

You were out cold. For a long time.

action

[notvaljean]

[This is... unexpected. Shiro is apparently completely over his fear of his arm taking over and shocking anyone. Jean freezes for a moment, then gingerly hugs back. He's not going to lie and say he doesn't like this, it's just caught him by surprise!]

Like, I took a long nap or something?

[He feels stiff enough that he'd believe he crashed out for a few hours.]

[forsaintcecilia]

Good morning, Jean!

[Kazuki is hiding a snicker behind his hand. This is the closest you'll ever see him get to sarcasm.]

audio;

[notvaljean]

Hi, Kazuki.

[Jean is sticking to audio here, since he still has a poorly-rendered dick on his forehead.]

Guess I was out for awhile, huh?

[forsaintcecilia]

It looks like something that's going around! I found a guy named Shiro out cold on the floor of a Pokemon Center about a month ago. He said he'd been gone for awhile!

[notvaljean]

You met Shiro?

[It could be another Shiro, but let's be real, the Disaster Dorito is probably the one Kazuki is talking about.]

I'm glad he passed out in a center instead of out in the middle of the woods somewhere.

[You know... like Jean did.]

Action;

[schachmeister]

Oh for heaven's sake--

[Ever since Jean fell asleep, Armin has been trying his very best to keep Zappy and Blue out of his room. The last thing Jean needs is them adding more crude doodles to his face. And sometimes he is successful, managing to chase them off (usually with Blitz's help) for a few days, but like glitter, they are never truly eradicated.

When Armin spies the door of Jean's room open at a crack, he knows what that means. They must be in there again and seeing as it doesn't seem like Blitz has thrown them out yet, the Electrode is probably either asleep or feeling particularly patient.

Right. Time to get back to work.

Armin pushes the door open wider, stepping in as he surveys the room for the dastardly duo.]

I keep telling you two, you can't be in here. It's not--

[Sadly, we'll be forever guessing what exactly it is not, because the moment Armin's eyes fall on Jean --an actually awake, scruffy mess of a Jean-- he falls quiet. Considering everything that has gone on the last few days, this was definitely the last thing Armin was expecting to find.

Armin just stares for a moment, before crossing the room in a few big steps, weaving around the assorted pokemon, dropping his skinny rear onto the edge of the bed so he can do something truly unprecedented: he reaches over and wraps his arms around Jean, clutching the back of his grubby shirt in his fists. His head ends up pressed against Jean's shoulder, but Armin doesn't even care how rank it smells there.]

Jean. Oh thank god.

[His voice is a pitched whisper, a little rough. He's been worried, okay?]

Action;

[notvaljean]

[By the time Armin arrives, Jean has figured out a few things. Number one: he's weirdly weak and out of sorts; Sly feels heavy on his shoulders, and Blitz and the Spheals are quite literally pinning him down. Hefting Fat Ice Dog and Triton is normally a challenge but he can do it; right now, they might as well be lead bricks. Number two: he smells terrible, like he's done a week of Shadis' most brutal workouts and never showered in-between. Number three: his hair is so greasy it's laying flat on his head, except where it's sticking up in weird spots and smelling suspiciously of Incineroar spit. Number four: he's ravenously hungry, and has to pee.]

[All of that falls aside temporarily when Armin comes into the room and then just... freezes in the doorway. That's weird, even by Armin's standards of slightly odd behavior, and Jean is about to ask if he has anything on his face when Armin comes into the room, plops onto the bed, and hugs him.]

[It's Jean's turn to freeze. He's tossed an arm around Armin's shoulders from time to time, or given him a friendly elbow to the ribs, and even hugged him once or twice, but Armin has never initiated. Come to think of it, Jean has never seen Armin initiate a hug with anyone; not Eren or Mikasa, not Shiro, not Bertolt, anyone. He'll hug his Pokemon, but usually only when they're demanding affection from him. This right here? This is unprecedented.]

[Slowly, Jean reaches an arm around Armin and pats him clumsily on the back.]

Hey, Armin.

[What else is he supposed to say?]

Action;

[schachmeister]

[Armin has been known to initiate hugs from time to time, but it is a rare thing. He's just always been someone who doesn't show a lot of physical affection. Not that he mislikes it; he's just more into simple, understated displays of affection. Sitting next to someone with their shoulders brushing is every bit as good to him as a hug. Maybe even better.

Armin squeezes Jean's shoulders for a few moments more, before he realises what he is doing, drawing back looking slightly ashamed.]

Sorry about that.

[Now that he has drawn back --though he is still pretty close to Jean-- he can take a good critical look at Jean's face, his own brows furrowed with worry. His face still looked the same --minus the crudely drawn dick and scruff-- but that was no guarantee that Jean's mind hadn't experienced new things back home.]

How are you feeling? Do you... do you remember where you are?

Action;

[notvaljean]

[It makes him hard to read sometimes, for Jean. Marco always had that touchy-feely-big-family thing going on, and until fairly recently, that was what Jean expected. Someone who's less demonstrative takes some getting used to.]

It's okay.

[Before Armin can get away completely, Jean curls his arm around him and gives him a real hug back. It's not as strong as it would normally be, but it's heartfelt. Maybe he missed Armin's dumb face more than he's willing to admit.]

I'm in Pokemon world. Sevii Island number four, in my room.

[That's a weird question.]

Why?

VIDEO

[gobblewonked]

Eh!

Eheheh! Well, look who's decided to finally rise and shine! It's about time, I been keepin' Gulliver in my beard so long I think my beard hair is startin' to grow around him!

[He holds his beard up to the camera to demonstrate.]

VIDEO

[notvaljean]

[After all the weirdness of finding out he's been asleep for a month, and that everyone was worrying over him, it's a great relief to see McGucket's cheerful face, and hear his slightly manic, screeching voice.]

Hey, Fiddleford.

[Jean's voice is full of warm, simple affection.]

Thanks for taking care of him while I was out. Did he behave himself for you?

video

[lionroll]

Jean?! Where the heck have you been, dude?! Are you all right?

video

[notvaljean]

Sleeping, I guess?

[Jean has had a little time to get used to the idea by now, so he's not as startled as he might have been.]

I'm fine. I took a shower and got something to eat, so I'm doing all right.

video

[lionroll]

Sleeping? How long were you asleep for?