victory_road | ⊕ 001 & action option

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⊕ 001 & action option

[ he's not into showing his face off. once he verifies there's a public network and an audio option, he begins to opt for that. but then he looks at all the videos of people and their pokemon, and decides o a different option.

the video opens on the sandy beaches of cherrygrove. his rockruff, bandit, is in the surf, chasing what looks like a stick. he brings it back to jack, who pets his head and then throws it again. his location will also ping as cherrygrove. ]

The name's Jack.

[ his voice is distinctly older, and very rough. it sounds like he may have damaged his throat at some point in his life. his hand, when he throws the stick or pets bandit, is gloved. ]

I've been looking around this place and it looks like the consensus is that people can't go home on their own. I'm not here to ask how to get home, since it seems like that's been covered pretty well.

I wanna talk to those of you that have gone home, or know people that did. And... for those that don't, how you're dealing with not being able to.

[ he ends the video on that note, throwing the stick again for bandit. ]

( cherrygrove )

[ for those actually in his vicinity, they can likely hear jack make the post. other than that, he's spending some time on the beach, playing with bandit and getting his energy out. he's just as open to a battle if you two have similarly leveled pokemon.

or maybe bandit, with all his energy, comes running up to your pokemon and headbutts them. at which point jack follows. ]

Bandit. Come back here.

[ the wagging of his tail doesn't amuse jack. ]

Sorry about him.

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[Well thank Arceus he's back in his normal body. Granted, the body with the dorky, rainbow fluff of hair in front, the body wearing ugly Alolan shirts. But still. It's him.]

When you say "have gone home"... what do you mean by that? There's two ways I've seen.

[ well, that's certainly a look. someone enjoying their vacation?

bandit brings a stick up for jack to play tug of war with, and jack indulges him as he replies. ]

I guess I'd have to ask what two ways you've seen, since I wasn't aware there was more than one.

[Wow, that Rockruff is cute. It's adorable, really. And enough to get his Umbreon nosing her way onto the screen. Hello?]

I've seen it happen physically -- where the person is just... gone. Their ID drops off the network, and there's no way to contact them. Sometimes their pokemon get transferred to other people. But it's as if you've blinked. And they're missing. No trace.

Or... It happens where you go home in a dream. You're still here, physically. But comatose. Your ID stays on the network, your body is still in this world. Everything else is home.

[ bandit chews on the end of the stick, but pauses when he sees an umbreon. then he yanks the stick and bonks it into the camera excitedly, where he can see them. friend?? friend?! ]

Ow - Bandit.

[ jack, who has been summarily smacked in the hands, chides his pokemon, who sits down with his tail wagging and the stick still in mouth. thankfully, jack has been listening to shiro, so he hasn't missed anything. ]

So they either go home entirely without a trace... or something else happens. Could they actually be separating the consciousness from the body?

[ that last part is murmured to himself. ]

What about things like scars?

[Nebula yips. Ducking under Shiro's arm to sit on his lap, studying the screen with her big ol' eyes.]

You've got an energetic one.

[There's a sympathetic smile on his end. Boy has he ever been there, buddy.]

I can't say. That's not my area of expertise -- Ford Pines might be the better person to talk to, for that. [Murmured or not, he's the kind to try and point you in the right direction.] But... what about scars?

Yeah, he's full of quite a few things.

[ like SHIT. but he doesn't say as much, merely giving his partner a look from behind the camera. bandit wags his tail more, tilting the stick up a little more as if offering it to luna. ]

She can't actually take it, champ.

[ disappointment abounds!

jack notes the name down - he's met ford pines, but he'll bring that up the next time they talk. ]

If someone gets their mind sent back but not their body, do scars or physical changes happen when they return?

Congratulations, then.

[He hears that unspoken SHIT, Jack, don't lie. Nebula flicks her ears at the offering -- she ends up chattering something in thanks, regardless. She's polite at least.]

Right... that. [Hey, at least he's got experience here...] They do. Me and a friend of mine woke up with new ones.

[ bandit drops the stick and gives a little bark back, clearly not minding that she can't take it. he takes off running into the surf, for a moment, and jack shakes his head, making the 'gear shake as well. ]

So that comes through, even if your body doesn't go with you.

[ damage being caused psychically, somehow? he's not sure. it's a subject he's no expert on, but information regardless will help.

he turns the 'gear around. shiro is treated to the face of someone a few decades older than him, with scars crossing over his face. he looks stern, and his hair is white (and receding). ]

... That's a cute dog you've got there.

[ it looks like a dog ergo it's a dog. ]

Something like that -- unless I fell on something when I passed out. And it left identical marks.

[Not... that he has any small number of scars to begin with. But that set of claw marks was sort of distinct. In their own, awful way.]

[Nebula's ears flick, a little disappointed Bandit ran off. Not to worry. She'll make herself perfectly comfortable on her trainer while he blinks a few times into the gear. Surprised.]

She's an Umbreon... Her name's Nebula. [A beat.] I'm Shiro.

[ not to worry, nebula. bandit runs back to his trainer with half an abandoned clamperl shell in his mouth a moment later, holding it up to jack. this! this is a gift for a friend who can't get it yet.

jack gives a bemused look to bandit, holding the shell up into frame. ]

Heh, cute. Good job, Bandit.

[ there's an off screen happy bark. he looks back to shiro. ]

Jack. Also known as Soldier: 76, but Jack is fine. [ just to provide some context on those scars. ] An Umbreon? Do they start out looking like that?

[Nebula tilts her head to one side, a little too far -- more like a cat than a dog. But she lets out a happy trill once Bandit comes back, garnering an affectionate rub between the ears from metal fingers.]

I think you made a friend, Bandit. Thank you.

[Always thank the pokemon!!]

It's nice to meet you. Welcome aboard, more or less. And no. They start out looking like brown foxes, honestly. There are a lot of things they turn into.

Mine just went with the space theme.

[ jack takes a seat, allowing bandit to be in the frame with him as well - though he keeps his sandy paws off jack for now.

bandit gives a little chirruping bark at nebula and shiro, clearly pleased. ]

Interesting. I'll have to look them up, see what I can learn about them.

[ a concerned bark from bandit, and jack leans over to rub behind his ears. ]

Not right away, you're still my favorite, promise.

[ he looks to shiro. ]

You been here a while?

[The Umbreon swishes her tail in answer, angling her head around to absently groom herself. She may or may not take after the household cats than any other animal.]

They're called "Eevee". People tend to breed them pretty often, offer them up for sale.

[That's how he got his, anyway. Or, rather, his Gengar got it for him. Long story there.]

Little more than two years now. It's... honestly not a bad place, all things considered.

I'll keep an eye out and see if any come up. [ he pats bandit's head to head off any jealousy back at the start. ]

It doesn't sound like a bad place. I'm just not in the mindset for a vacation, if that makes sense.

[ he shrugs. ]

Doesn't look like I have much choice either way about it, though.

It does. I wasn't either, when I got here. But... it's grown on me. It helps a lot of the people important to me showed up after I did.

[A long time after. But that's beside the point.]

[His expression is sympathetic, regardless.]

None of us really do. In coming or going.

I think it'd be better for everyone if they didn't.

[ seriously, he'd have to avoid every single one except for two specific people. and one he really doesn't want to see at all. ]

I suppose I'll get used to that, too.

Now you really sound like I did.

[Because there was the war to think about. There was the fight. If the only people capable of winning it were all here...]

If nothing else, you've got someone to help you along.

[Spoilers: he means Bandit.]

It's complicated.

[ jack doesn't want to have to explain being alive to several people. ]

Oh yeah?

[ he seems to pick up on what he means, and bandit hops up with his paws on jack's knee, giving a gentle bork. ]

Fair enough.

[Some people don't like to talk about it. So he won't push.]

Yeah -- I think he's ready to lead your adventure.

[Nebula yips in response, swishing her tail... in Shiro's face. But still.]

[ jack grins a little when nebula whaps her tail across shiro's face. ]

Seems like you aren't getting any respect from that one.

[ he's teasing, of course. he leans down to scrub bandit behind the ears. ]

She's not so bad. Probably just needs a little more training.

[The Umbreon flat out whines. Sort of slumping into a puddle in the way only cats seem to be able to do.]

[... maybe she'd be more like a canine if there were more on the Island.]

[ bandit barks, wagging his tail. training? he could help her train!

jack chuckles. ]

More of a lap pokemon?

We've just had a lot of downtime lately. The real lap pokemon is Luna.

[And for that comment, Nebula hops down, trotting off. However, the aforementioned Luna is quick to take her place.]

Sorry. I guess you're getting a parade.

[ bandit gives a little noise that can only be called an 'aww' as nebula hops off. when he sees luna, though, he gives a greeting bark and pushes his nose into the camera.

jack has to pull him back with a chuckle. ]

Should I strap in for the whole gang? How many do you have?

Way more than can fit on screen at once. Most of them are too big to be on anyone's lap.

[Like his gigantic Aggron starter, for example.]

More than ten. And most of them just found me.

⊕ 001 & action option

video;

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