victory_road | 007

Entry tags:

007 - video

May 8th - Video

[Hank's near the Olivine Pokecenter when the vid comes on. He had to stop in and get a new Pokegear and check the date and generally make sure that he's not lost his mind. He's back in clothes similar to the ones he was wearing when he first showed up, his warm winter coat hanging over his arm because that is a doozy of a goddamn weather change.]

Hey uh... [He says awkwardly, squinting at the Pokegear.] So I think I missed a couple of weeks or a month or something? But uh... it's just been a few days for me. Fuckin'... [he makes a motion around his head] ...brain is pretty bleary right now. But my room is gone and I gotta go get my pokemon and it's a hell of a walk back to Goldenrod without a backpack.

[He doesn't know if Connor is even still around or not. Does he even still have a home? Who'd think just a few weeks would throw someone for a loop.]

Is my partner here? Is anyone I know even still here? Some of you have to be. You've been here long enough to get your Pokemon premed and residency requirements, so someone's gotta be.

[He's a little mentally thrown. And he rubs his temple.] Right, yeah, just gotta look at my contacts. [He rubs his head like he has a headache, settling in. God, if only this were a hangover he could deal with it. Right now Hank's just really confused about where he's at, why's it suddenly so warm, where's his stuff, where are his pokemon, and he knows all the answers but that doesn't mean he's not stumbling around the thought process.]

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Oh, hey. You came back.

[Hey remember that kid who was almost always really excited when he talked to you? Yeah, he's just trying not to sound sad at the moment. Because it's good you're back. He liked you.]

[He's got that 'a lot on his mind' type of voice. He can recognize that anywhere.]

Did things not go so well for you while I was gone?

This place sent my twin sister back again yesterday.

So....no. Not really.

Ah, Jesus.

This place can be a bag of crap on your doorstep on a good day sometimes. I'm sorry to hear it.

She okay back home?

[He was lucky. He was just fine there.]

Yeah....kind of ...it's going to be really, really bad for a while?

[He rubs his forehead slightly.]

She's...from before me in the timeline and I know everything ends up okay and that technically I'm going to be there too but....

Well the world almost ends and we go through a lot and....now she's back for that because she technically hasn't gone through it yet like I have.

It's good knowing for sure she's going to pull through in the end, but that's rough.

Maybe she'll catch up and come back. At least you have some idea of what to expect. You'll be ready if she does.

Not the most helpful thing in the world but it's something.

The end of the summer was....really bad and complicated and it ended well but it was really close. We almost died a lot.

[Bill is dead. But not for Mabel and that's ....not great. He's pretty sure it won't change things because it can't but....yeah.]

That would be nice.

I don't think I'm going to get my hopes up though. I tried not to last time and now it's going to be harder. So if she doesn't come back it'll just be worse.

I have however been talked out of my first idea of going to get lost in the woods, so I guess that's good.

Don't go get lost in the woods I don't want to catch a ghost pokemon with a pine tree baseball cap. [He uselessly tries to add some humor to the situation, but it's hard to lose anyone. Even if he's the one that was just lost, himself.]

Well, take it from me. You gotta hope for something, even if it's not for her coming back. If you don't hope for anything it just sort of starts eating you up. Takes all your joy away. Ruins all the happy memories you want to look back at. Fucks your potential to make new ones- excuse the language.

You're also allowed to miss time you spend with someone as much as the person themselves. Keep that in mind. You're not a failure or weak or anything for it. [Which he doesn't know if that might be a problem for Dipper. Kid has a better handle on his emotions than Hank ever has. But it was a problem for him and he thinks he should bring it up.]

....oh man. That would be my luck wouldn't it? I've already been a wooden statue and sort of a ghost before, back home. This would just be like both of them at once.

[This is his life. And yeah no. No one wants that.]

I guess. I mean, if I knew more about how people are brought here I could try and do something to bring her back. But I'm not sure how well that would go and I don't have anything to start with.

[Which is probably for the best. He is a Pines. He'd start building a portal.]

It would be easier to hope if I was actually doing something to make it happen I mean.

Yeah, you seem like someone with that kind of luck, so let's not tempt fate, right?

[Hank is in no position to ever talk to someone about isolating themselves when they lose someone they love. But he will absolutely tell someone they don't want to end up a Phantump 'cause that's the most what the fuck fate to have to explain to anyone.]

Yeah, they really screwed the pooch on giving us any control over whether we stayed or not. Did you guys ever talk about what if one of you left?

Not really. I think we didn't want to jinx it? I mean we did a little but just the stuff about how I'd look after her starter again. I've got Little Dipper with me, so I guess that worked.

What is Little Dipper?

[Just to check, before he poses any more what might turn out to be unwelcome ideas.] This is your second time with it?

He's a minior, just a second.

[And a moment later there's a pink Minior floating next to Dipper's head.]

I got him the last time she went home. We kind of named our starter pokemon after each other. ...her's a bit more obvious. With the actual name and the whole star thing.

[Little Dipper bumps into him slightly. He's cool being back with Dipper but misses Mabel.]

Me and my partner named a bunch of ours after TV cop partners. There was this old show called 'Miami Vice'?

[In terms of being from 2038, he might as well be talking about the Andy Griffith Show in comparison.]

Our starters are named Tubbs and Crockett. Growlithe and Magnezone.

...Wait, oh shit! [He puts his hand on his head.] I gotta go get Tubbs back. Give me a couple of hours and I'll get back with you. But, just trust. You need to find some hope in something, or it's going to eat you up.

Oh right!

[He hadn't realized that Hank hadn't gotten his pokemon back.]

Is he with someone or at the ranch? I know where the ranch is if you need directions.

[He was there last time with Mabel.]

And...thanks. I'll try to figure something out.

Yes, please, thank you.

[At least he's out of a place where it would be okay to pass his dogs on to someone else.]

I know some went to friends, but some went to the ranch. I'd like to get them back.

I'll send you the map we worked out.

[He nods.]

It's a good place. The people there are really nice and you can actually contact them before you get there and they'll let you see your pokemon so you can know for sure they're okay.

Thank god for that. I'd been worried. Apparently some of mine went to different people but I just gotta hunt 'em down. As many as I can, anyway.

[He opens his own breeder's handbook, which fortunately still has all its notes and the map he printed out at a Pokecenter, as if he could navigate with his pokegear.] Alright. Take a good picture of the map and I'll put it with this one.

[It'll take a few minutes for him to locate but he'll dig out the map and take a picture of it. Given the people who made it, it's very accurate and easy to follow. And also very decorated, with a big drawn heart around the end location. He'll send it before replying again.]

I bet once they find out you're back, people will send them back to you.

[That's actually pretty cute of her. And pretty sad. Not that he couldn't understand before, but sometimes those reminders of someone's unique personality can hit you hard. It must be rough for him.]

Thanks. I'm betting that's what will happen.

For the record? You're probably the best guy to be keeping her pokemon and not 'cause she's your sister. You're pretty responsible. You'll do it right.

[Way back before he was a drunken miserable pile of trash, he was a pretty good Lieutenant and could definitely recognize when someone was doing a good job.]

[Responsible is something he tries to be a lot so that's really helpful right now.]

Oh, thanks. I...uh, try to be.

And me and Little Dipper have travelled together before, so we'll be fine.

[Sad but fine.]

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007 - video

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