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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[Dammit Shiro.]

[And at that awful joke, Pidge rolls her eyes with a little smirk.]

Ha ha, very funny.

[Though honestly, she's pretty sure she needs it. She's officially been out long enough to have gained about 5 dozen new freckles on her face.]

[He shoots her a quick grin. Something sharp and way too amused. Way too young for his face.]

I thought so.

[Skarmory flicks her wings a few times, and he nods to the screen, reaching to deactivate the call.]

I'll see you soon, Pidge. Okay? Just hang tight.

[He'll be out to where she is in a few hours.]

[The youth in that grin almost startles her. She's never seen that before. But at the same time, it's so good to see Shiro looking and feeling so relaxed and at peace. Maybe this place really isn't so bad. Maybe she really doesn't have to worry too much about getting them home.

What a strange thought.

Pidge just nods at him, giving him a little grin of her own.] Copy. I'll see you later.

[Both she and Rowlet wave before hanging up. And now all she can do is wait.]

[Be prepared, Pidge. Be prepared for that grin in spades. For the antics of someone who doesn't constantly have the weight of the world on their shoulders... and lets himself be human, sometimes.]

[But that's something to be seen in time.]

[Now, though, all that matters is getting to her. Seeing her in person again.]

[Hence why he's using Skarmory, not Green. Skarmory will get him from the Sevii Islands to almost anywhere in a matter of hours. With the added bonus of being airborne again. Like he's missed. Like he often still dreams about.]

[They'll be landing in New Bark Town, eventually. Ready to seek her out. Skarmory is fast, but she's also not quiet when she lands.]

[A few hours is plenty of time. Enough time for Pidge to find out that her little friend is called a Rowlet, to get Rowlet to stop running around everywhere like his head's been cut off, and to start settling into what life with the little guy might be like. He's a curious, stubborn, temperamental little thing - and Pidge actually finds it fascinating.

So she starts calling him Rover. Mentally she tacks on a 2.0 at the end, but that's just because Rover 1.0 still has a special place in her heart.

By the time Shiro arrives, Pidge is sitting under a tree with Rover, fiddling with all the new tech that had been given to her; specifically the PokéGear and PokéBalls. There are mysteries to be solved about how they work, after all. Rover just watches her from his new perch on her shoulder, head tilting this way and that, occasionally hooting at her questioning tones. Each time she just shushes him gently before continuing with her task.]

[Skarmory takes the moment of quiet to start looking for seeds or metal filings or whatever she eats, while her trainer hops down. Looking around for where his friend is located... It's been a while. Honestly. The one downside of this place is how difficult it is to get off the Sevii Islands to the rest of the world. There's no teleport pads handy. And the ferry takes a day or so.]

[But she said she'd be here. So--]

[There!]

[It's the hooting that gets his attention. And, without further ado, he strides over to the tree, waving at them both. Skarmory lifts her head, reluctantly hop-flapping along behind her trainer. Ugh, she doesn't want to see the grass orb. Why does she have to?]

Pidge! Hey!

[She looks up immediately when she hears her name, brightening when she sees her friend and teammate striding on over.]

Shiro!

[She waves over at him before starting to get up, Rover fluttering his wings a bit as she moves. She has to gather up the PokéBalls that she'd spread out nearby and tuck them away before heading over to meet Shiro halfway.]

Thanks for coming to get me. This whole thing is kind of a lot to take in.

[Yeah... yeah, it's her. There was no doubt before, and there sure isn't now. Not when she's sitting in a pile of scattered tech. That is Pidge, absolutely through and through.]

[So needless to say.]

[As soon as they're close enough, she's getting grabbed up in a hug. Maybe even spun around once or twice.]

Promised you I was going to be here!

[Getting lifted off the ground is definitely unexpected, but... Well, the fact that she doesn't really mind it just reminds her that Shiro is as much family as Matt is. She's grinning a little, even though Rover makes a noise of protest at having to dismount from his perch.

And you know what. She's going to hug him back. There's a lot on her mind at the moment, and giving Shiro a tight squeeze is the very least she can do for him.]

Oh man, I really am glad you and everyone else is here. [And with normal hair and everything!]

[Just... going to stand here with her. And hug her. Eventually kneeling down so her feet aren't off the ground. But... it's been too long. He's really, really missed her.]

[Give him a second or two. Maybe thirty more seconds. Because she's really here. They're all back together... almost.]

Me too, Pidge. You have... no idea how much.

[Okay, after enough time has passed she definitely starts to feel just the tiniest bit funny about being off the ground for so long. Fortunately it isn't much longer until he's letting her feet touch the floor again. Pidge has to let out just the tiniest breath of relief, which quickly devolves into a chuckle the longer their hug goes on.

Eventually she starts to pull back, just enough so that she can look up into his face and get a real look at him. The camera really wasn't messing with her. That's a tan on his skin and rest in his eyes and just- He looks so happy and healthy.]

So... It's really been two years for you, huh?

Two years... almost to the day.

[And she looks just like when he saw her last. Like nothing had changed at all. But that makes sense. Time really does stop back home, doesn't it? He looks relieved. At ease.]

[It'd be a nice picture, if it weren't for the awful Alolan Shirt he's wearing. And the "COMET ME BRO" tank under it. The ultimate in Beach Dad wear, at least in the islands.]

Everyone's back at the house. Almost -- Hunk went on a trip, but he should be heading back soon.

[The house. Hearing that makes something in her chest swell, and the smile on her face can't help but grow.

At least until another thought wiggles into her mind, and her eyebrows twitch closer together for a second.]

How long has everyone else been here?

[He sits back on his heels. Watching her reaction. The smile is a welcome sight. And the way her face scrunches up --]

[-- Seriously. It's funny how when you're used to seeing someone everyday, you miss them all the more when you're separated. Pidge had been like family for a long time already. The relief at seeing her just solidifies that.]

It's ... July, I think. So Matt and Hunk have been here about six months? Keith just a couple, and Lance just got here.

July. [She echoes the word back in awe, her gaze shifting to somewhere in the distance. July. Months.] ...I honestly can't remember the last time I heard that word.

Sounds like we all just started piling in one right after the other, huh?

I know. It took me forever to get used to, too.

[So many weeks and months. He had to get used to reading the date on the 'gear, too.]

Yeah. You guys sure did. But I'm not even remotely complaining. [A nod back toward where Skarmory is idly pecking at the grass.] She needs a little rest, but, whenever she's ready, we'll get you back.

[Pidge grins.] Days, hours, and minutes, too. I was just getting used to quintants and doboshes.

[She follows the direction of Shiro's nod, idly looking over at the great big metal bird. Rover does the same, except he seems much more indignant about it.] I guess we could use the time to catch up?

[And Rover will flutter down to the ground from where he'd been perched, and start marching over to Skarmory. His chest's all puffed out and everything as he comes over, clearly ready to start some shit.]

Better get used to it, quick. Otherwise no one's going to understand you.

[He's mostly teasing. Pidge is nothing, if not adaptable. She always has been.]

Sure -- now seems like as good a time as any if you want to ask questions or meet some of the crew.

[Because of course he grabbed his pokemon. They wouldn't have stayed behind, even if he didn't.]

[Speaking of which, Skarmory pointedly shuffles around, away from Rover. Continuing to peck at the ground like she hasn't even noticed the little owl orb.]

[She shrugs, still with an easy, nonplussed smile.] You guys would.

[They're kind of the only people that really matter to her, after all. But she knows that falling back to the Earth system will be easy.

She starts to go back to her spot under the tree, letting Shiro follow if he wants to and leaving Rover to his own devices.] So what's it been like around here? It seems like you've been really happy.

[Meanwhile, Rover's moving right into Skarmory's line of sight, trilling at her and puffing up his feathers. FIGHT ME.]

Most of us. [Since Keith would probably look at her like she'd grown a second head. Which isn't really anyone's fault, all things considered.]

[He falls into step behind her, trusting Skarmory to stick around, and behave herself.]

It's quiet. Really quiet. There's been a crisis here and there, but most of the time, it's ... it's like having a second chance at normal. [Which is something he never thought they'd have. Any of them. He shoots her a wry smile.] I've got a couple on my crew who make it their mission to put me to bed and keep me there. So that probably explains why I look all right.

[That and the tan.]

[Skarmory just. Turns again. Absolutely ignoring the owl orb.]

[She shrugs one shoulder.] Meh. I'd make him learn.

[It's a joke, really. It'd be too much work to make him learn.

Pidge sits down cross-legged in the grass while she listens, head tilted ever so slightly as the information is carefully absorbed and mentally filed away.] So... No space war to worry about? We could actually sleep in on weekends and just play video games like other earthlings? [She snorts, giving an amused, playful smirk.] Sounds fake.

[Okay Skarmory that is just rude. Rover's gonna flutter back into view again and hoot louder. DON'T IGNORE ME.]

Oh really now?

[He's mostly kidding. He gets the idea it's just a joke.]

No space war. [He sinks down next to her, sitting cross-legged too. Some old habits never die.] You can do anything you want to. Sleep, research... heck, Matt's even working in an observatory. Lance has a job in a coffee shop.

[Despite the more "mundane" job titles, he still sounds as proud of them as ever.] It's amazing, what we can do here.

[Skarmory... keeps turning around.]

Yep. [But no, not really.]

[Mundane actually sounds amazing to her right now. She can't help but smile a little, imagining what her friends must be like when they aren't scrambling around the castle to get into their giant robot lions.]

An observatory sounds like fun. And a barista job totally sounds like Lance. [She then turns a curious look on Shiro.] What about you?

[So rude, Skarmory. Rover's just gonna have to fly up and land on your damn head. :|]

I'll warn him. Ahead of time.

[A shake of his head, the slightest laugh. It took a lot of adjusting to, originally. But now... now it's actually... it's like a dream come true, sometimes.]

It is -- he's probably the smartest person they have over there. One day, he's going to discover something no one else has. [There is literally no way to keep the fondness out of his voice. The affection.] Me? I train my crew. Make sure the house stays standing.

[He's a fucking stay at home dad.]

[No, you're rude, Rover! Skarmory rears her head back. And snaps at him instead.]

[That makes Pidge snicker a little. Pre-Voltron Keith will be fun to talk to.]

[And don't think Pidge doesn't hear that tone in Shiro's voice when talking about her brother. She's not sure if he's always sounded like that when it came to Matt, but... She can't quite tell what it means. For now, she'll just direct her energies into teasing him.]

Holy crow. You're like an old-fashioned stay at home dad or something. [Which is equal parts amazing and hilarious.]

[ROVER IS ON A MISSION HERE. He moves out of the way of that snappy beak with an indignant hoot, backs up a bit, and... Leafage.]

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--> ACTION???

HELL YEAH ACTION

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