victory_road | [video]

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[video]

[Unfortunately for the current residents of Johto, they might be unfortunate enough to find what might be one of the worst video feeds ever on the network. It seems to cut in and out at first, and even after it manages to stay on for longer than ten seconds, the video is really just... the world spinning endlessly. Ground, leaves, sky, ground, leaves, sky -- Occasionally a tree is visible for half a second and the direction of movement seems to change, but other than that, it's an endless loop of ground-leaves-sky.

It might eventually be obvious that the camera appears to be attached to something that is rolling quickly down a hill. It probably helps that the entire feed is accompanied by the sound of what's clearly a Pokémon "hooting" over and over - rather excitedly, at that - and a voice somewhere in the distance. Pay close enough attention and the words being yelled out are things along the lines of--]

Wait!! Come back!! Just-- Spread your wings and stop rolling already!!

[Does that sound like a new trainer in need of help? That's probably because that's more less exactly what it is.]

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[Okay, well that was terrifying and very rude, disembodied Pokémon voice. Enough that Rowlet does in fact spread his wings, more out of surprised reflex than anything else. Which of course means that he's no longer rolling in quite the same way as he was before.

Which means Pidge can now catch up to him. Except she's kind of ended up running a bit too quickly down the hill and doesn't exactly have enough control to stop herself properly.

Which means Pidge is crashing into Rowlet with a sharp yelp. At least she manages to grab hold of him...]

Gotcha!!

[...as she goes back down to the ground. And rolls down the hill just a little bit more.]

[... okay, neither cat expected that. Both their ears pin back. Their expressions startled. Both of them look back and forth between each other.]

[And then Luna darts off to go find their trainer.]

[While Red the Incineroar tries her best to roar again, and startle the Rowlett into calming down enough to release the poor kid.]

[They don't roll terribly far this time, at least. Pidge has actually managed to get a decent grasp and curl around the Rowlet sort of protectively, even though it does mean getting a bit hurt. Not like pain is anything new, at least.

They eventually come to a stop, sliding the last foot or so until Pidge's back bumps up against the trunk of a tree. And then, almost simultaneously, they both let out a breath of relief.]

...Man, I hate the outdoors.

[Red is nodding, trying to go for helpful and reassuring. But she's also a giant muscle cat. So who knows if that comes across very well. She does butt her head against the 'gear, purring and huff-ing loudly.]

[There there strange child, it's okay.]

[... fortunately, though, they aren't alone for long. A little bell jingles in the background, gradually getting closer. Luna returns! Accompanied by--]

What is it, guys? What are you doing with my 'gear?

[-- a drowsy-sounding voice!]

[And this is officially the first Pidge even notices that the PokéGear is transmitting to the network. There are sounds coming from it, and it has her pulling the device from Rowlet's little bird claws so she can get a better look.

Oh look, more of these... creatures. Pidge kind of just blinks at the sight of them.] ...Huh.

[Rowlet just hoots softly, echoing his new trainer's sentiments. Other Pokémon. Meh.

Pidge is just about to turn the feed when she hears a painfully familiar voice, one that makes her eyes widen slightly in a combination of surprise and hope. It would just be really nice to know she has a friend on this... weird new planet.]

Shiro??

[Both cats duck abruptly off-camera, the second their trainer walks into the room. Drowsy or no, they're well-trained, and know they probably shouldn't be playing with the 'gear. But hey!! Blue took it out here to text Zappy! They were just watching it.]

[All of that drowsiness just vanishes, though, the moment he hears that voice.]

[The 'gear is grabbed in an instant, and he's just straight up beaming at her. Looking like a kid on Christmas morning.]

Pidge!

[At first she's just filled with complete and utter relief to see him. He's here! She's not by herself!] Oh, thank quiznak you're here, too! I have no idea what's going on, but maybe with you here we can figur---

[She cuts herself off abruptly, blinking in confusion. And then she squints at the screen slightly, head tilting slightly. It must be quite a sight, since she's kind of still laying in the dirt and she's got twigs and leaves tangled in her hair.]

Wait- When did you dye your hair back to normal?

Easy, easy... Breathe for a minute, and I can try to explain what's happening. Are you hurt at all? Can you tell me where you are?

[Because this is Shiro and of course his first thoughts are taking care of his teammates, and getting them together again. His only thought. There's so much to tell her.]

[Except...]

[He blinks. Touches his hair. What is she talking about?]

My... hair? [Did Blue do something while he was dozing?] It hasn't changed at all?

I'm fine, really. Kind of took a tumble in dirt, but it's nothing...

[And then Pidge blinks again, confused, leaning in closer to the screen until her nose is practically pressed against it. Is it a trick of the camera lens?

Nope. Nope, that hair is definitely different.]

Shiro... Your hair's black again. Except for that fluffy part, anyway.

Do you know where you are?

[Because he's already making plans to come pick her up. And bring her to the island.]

[He fluffs his hair around a bit, though, trying to see it. Of course, this doesn't work.]

It's... always been like this? Since I got back to Earth.

[What is happening.] I-- Yeah, but it literally just turned all white.

[This is confusing.

And Rowlet agrees, moving in to stand on Pidge's face and get inbetween her and the 'gear, head tilting a full 90 degrees to the side, feathers ruffling up slightly.]

Gah-- Sorry, I- [Feeble attempts to remove the bird go here.] I don't know where I am. I was in someone's house, they gave me some stuff and threw me out, then I was trying to figure out what to do next when this bird decided to go rolling down a hill.

It -- what?

[Oh, great. Something finally happened to just wipe out every last shred of patience he ever had. Either that, or some kind of awful head injury happened.]

[He... almost wants to hope for the former.]

Off. [Sorry, Rowlett, you get the Dad Voice.] Okay. Can you head back up the hill? Back to the town?

I can come get you there.

It turned white. [She repeats this like it's really obvious, frowning a little.] How do you not remember that?

[Leave it to the Dad Voice to get things done. Rowlet blinks at the screen, head tilts the other way, and then finally hops down from Pidge's head so he's not sitting on her face.

He instead kind of. Nuzzles into the floof of her hair on one side of her head.]

Yeah. It'll probably take me a few doboshes to get back up there, though. [She frowns again, directing an angry look toward the general nature around her.] Stupid forest slope thing...

... What did Lance do? [That's. What he assumes happened anyways. Sorry, Lance.] It -- hang on, Pidge. Last I remember, we were leaving the prison we bailed Slav out of. Where you found the footage of Matt.

[Score one for dad voice. It has very little effect on his end, because Luna hops up onto his shoulders, purring.]

Don't worry. It'll take me and Skarmory longer to get there. It -- it's really good to see you.

[Pidge almost wants to laugh at that. It's kind of just hilarious that he immediately assumes Lance did something. Of course then she has to go and remember what actually happened... Which she'd tell him about if he hadn't just said something that sounded... incredibly odd.]

What..? Shiro that was... ages ago. [Is this some kind of weird side effect? Did he start losing his memory again?

At least Pidge gets moving, though. She starts to pull herself off the ground - Rowlet deciding to with her the lazy way by fluttering up to the top of her head - and begins the trek back up the slope. After all that running she's just a bit worn down, but progress is still being made.]

Hey.. Are you okay?

[He weirdly doesn't look all that surprised when she says that. Probably because he's heard that before.]

That's what Hunk said. [He pauses for a moment, before looking her video feed in the eye for a moment, and, with a little half-smile, adding:] And Matt.

[Do you get what he's saying, Pidge? If not, he's willing to spell it out for her.]

Me? I'm fine, why? [There's an annoyed rumble from off-screen.] Actually fine, Red. She knows when I'm just saying that.

[He may not be surprised, but Pidge sure as hell is. She's giving him such a look over the network, that shock pretty much becoming the dominant emotion right now.]

Hunk and Matt are here?? [That's actually more of a relief than anything else, honestly. More science brains means better chances of figuring out what's going on and how to get back, right? So Pidge smiles back; if Shiro was expecting a bigger reaction than that, he's going to be mildly disappointed.] Good. I'm sure they can help find a way to get back.

[Her eyebrows come together for a quick second while she processes that response. Yes, it does sound like he means he's actually fine-- Which is probably the thing that's strange.] I don't know, you just seem... relaxed.

Hunk, Matt, Lance and Keith. We were just missing you and Allura.

[It... is surprising, yeah. But Matt also let it slip that she'd found him. If Pidge is from anywhere around that time, then, it makes sense she'd know. And maybe makes it a little easier to drop this bomb.] There's not a way back, Pidge. No one's found any. And I know people who've been here for more than five years.

[He's just sort of accepted it by now. If only because it's very, very clear time really does pause back home.]

It's amazing what sleeping habits do. When you actually have them.

[That's why he's so relaxed, honestly.]

[Her expression brightens some more as he lists off all the names. Her team. She's not even entirely sure she knows how to express how happy she is to know that everyone's there. She'll have a million questions to ask each of them when she sees them. Fortunately for Shiro she won't go bombarding him with all of it at once.

For now.

Of course, Shiro has to go and say that there's no way back home. Which really just gets Pidge to stubbornly shake her head, not believing that for a second.] Then I'll find out what's been tried already and build off of that. If there's a way to get here, then logically speaking there has to be way to leave.

[That comment gets her to laugh a little though, giving Shiro an amused but skeptical look through the camera.] You? Sleep? No way.

Hey, that's your call. I'm just saying, there's probably better things to look into while you're here.

[Things that won't be as frustrating for her. Like the Rotoms. Or the observatory. Or literally anything Ford delves into. She might actually like those adventures. As long as they're not outdoors.]

[But he's not going to shoot down her notion there, not just yet. She just got here, and there are more important things to deal with.]

Yes, way. Haunter -- [Which has the ghost, a Gengar, phasing in behind him. He's clearly aware of this, and just nods toward it.] -- has been helping out with it since it came on board with us.

There's... a lot to tell you, Pidge.

[Inwardly Pidge has to huff a little bit. Mostly because she still doesn't really like being told what she can and can't do. But also because she knows she'll take his comment into account because it's Shiro.

She lets the whole thing slide for the moment when that... ghost? Creature? Ghost creature? Whatever it is just appears on the screen behind Shiro. She kind of just stares at it for a while, a concerned look on her face, while Rowlet fluffs up and hoots at it in greeting.]

...And that includes telling me about all these animals, right? And why you seem to have... so many of them?

That includes telling you everything about the pokemon, yes.

[Which also includes... why he has so many, yes. Pidge hasn't even seen all of them yet. Just three. He nods to her, absently reaching up to rub Luna behind the ears as the Meowth makes herself comfortable on his shoulders.]

I've been here almost two years now, Pidge. And I know, you're going to say that's not possible. You've seen me. But... the closest I can explain it is that it's like a wormhole.

Time works differently here than it does where we're from.

[Haunter bobs its head area at the little Rowlett. Hello friend!]

Pokémon. [That must be the word that lady used earlier before she got ushered out of the building. Pidge hadn't known what in the world that meant at the time, but it sort of makes sense now. Pokémon are what the animals of this planet are called. She can roll with that.

What is surprising her is what Shiro says next. Two years? And on top of that he completely calls her out on the questions that sat at the very tip of her tongue, leaving her sitting there wide-eyed and slightly slack-jawed, staring at the camera.]

...You're-- You're not joking, are you. [It's a statement, not a question. Shiro can probably see the way her eyes wander a bit, taking in details that she must've missed the first time. The slight tan. The relaxed shoulders. Is his scar even slightly more faded than she remembers it being?]

But Allura hadn't-- I don't remember-- We couldn't have-- [Was she walking before? Because she's stopped now, back pressed to the nearest tree while she processes.

Rowlet doesn't seem to care about her current issues, though. Ghost friend!]

Easy. Sit down if you need to.

[Maybe he should have waited until they were face to face for this conversation. He'll just do what he can to reassure her in the meantime. Keep his tone even. Level. It's a lot to take in. It had been even more for Lance, since they were closer in timeline.]

I'm not joking. You can search my user ID in the 'gear if you want. [Which probably means she's going to see every embarrassing thing he's ever done while he's here, but oh well. That might help her.]

It's okay to feel disoriented. That... happens a lot when people get here. [And now time for the other bombshell.] You're in a better place than Keith. He doesn't even remember finding the Blue Lion in the first place.

[Pidge shakes her head again, stubborn even when she knows on some level that he's right. She should sit. But standing feels better, because then she can walk, and walking could get the blood flowing and help her think. Maybe.

Or it'll just fluster her more. One or the other.

Her gaze snaps back to the 'gear when Shiro mentions Keith, her eyes somehow even wider than before. Before the Blue Lion? Before Voltron. Before- Before everything. She doesn't even know what Keith was like before all of this started.]

What about everyone else? What do the others remember? Does anyone remember- or know about Lotor?

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