002 / text+video

[whymustifeel]

[Sometime early Monday evening, the following blunt, all-caps message pops onto the network:]

CAN ANYONE CONFIRM THAT THIS ISN'T ANOTHER HALLUCINATION FROM MY DEER? THANKS

[Attached is a photo of a massive net woven from vines, hanging from a rope attached to a tree branch. The creature inside is blurry- clearly attempting to escape and unwilling to sit still- but appears to be an Ultra Beast. From the looks of it, the photo was taken not far from one of the main structures at the Ruins of Alph.

A Stantler can be seen at the edge of the picture, keeping a wary eye on the Naganadel.

Several minutes pass. Another message, much shorter:]

jkl;hkhg

[Followed by another photo, far more blurry than the last, of a massive purple creature making a beeline for the camera; leaving behind a tattered green net in the background.

Some time passes with no further replies or posts from Fred- just long enough for it to feel uncomfortably long. Eventually, though, a third post emerges- a video this time around.

The video starts on a blurry closeup of Fred's face. He waves as the camera comes into focus, revealing minor scrapes and cuts on his hands and face- nothing major, luckily. His clothes and hair are ruffled, and theres a large tear in his shirt sleeve. The ascot is intact.]

Hiya! Wow, so- these guys are a lot tougher than the other Pokemon I've been catching with these nets, huh? I'm gonna have to go back to the drawing board- and find somewhere I can buy actual materials.

Doesn't help that Tyler here's been spending the last few days using those horns to- I dunno, make me think I've caught something when I haven't. Or the other way around! I don't get what his deal is.

[At the word "Tyler", Fred adjusts the camera to pan to the Stantler lying beside him, who flicks an ear in response. Two others things become clear in this moment; first, that Fred is sitting cross-legged in the grass, his free hand idly patting the Stantler; second, that the Naganadel from before hasn't left.

It's watching him from the forest.]

Anyway, it sucks that I caught that guy and it got away, but it's a learning experience, y'know? I still gotta figure what kind of traps work best for what Pokemon, and figuring out what doesn't work is just as valuable as knowing what does!

... Also, does anyone know if those things are venomous, 'cause he shot some stingers at me and I feel a little woozy.

[The Stantler tenses as the camera shuts off.]

Comments

[Video]

[cyan_maid]

[She's literally just making the face in her icon.]

...You're trying to catch Pokemon with nets.

[whymustifeel]

... Yes? Gosh, why is that so hard for people to understand?

[The Stantler looks pained.]

[cyan_maid]

You...were informed of the use of Pokeballs, yes? And how much easier the process is with those instead of...easily breakable nets?

[whymustifeel]

[HEAVY SIGH]

Yes, I know about Pokeballs. Why does that matter? I want to use traps.

And they're not usually that breakable- they're just not optimized for, uh, 12-foot tall dragon things.

Video

[starry_forehead]

[And here comes the exact opposite reaction.]

You managed to catch one of those with a net? ....That's awesome! You'll probably need something a lot stronger though.

[Don't mind him, he's flipping though a journal.]

I think some pokemon that look like spider can make super strong webs. Maybe that might work? It's a....Spinarak I think.

[whymustifeel]

Yes! Oh my gosh, I keep meaning to catch one of those guys but I haven't even seen one by my traps yet! I guess spiders know a trap when they see one and just keep to avoid 'em. Right now I've got my Carnivine, though, and her vines are really tough. I mean, not tough enough for that thing, but...

I'm definitely gonna need stronger, non-Pokemon-made materials too. Possibly military-grade, if I can get my hands on that. Or, uh, afford it? Back home, my dad- [There's an odd sort of wince as he says the word "dad", though he tries to brush past it.] -would pay for this stuff.

[starry_forehead]

It also depends on where you are. I think the giant park in Johto tends to have a lot of bug pokemon around there.

It's actually pretty easy to earn money here. You can earn money by battling, or winning gyms and some of the part time jobs here are really interesting so it's not so bad.

Military grade stuff though. I'm not even sure if they have a military here so that might be the hard part.

[whymustifeel]

A park full of bugs? I'll definitely have to check that out!

[For the record, he'll get thrown out by park security within the first 10 minutes for his "unconventional" approach to catching Pokemon.]

Well, it doesn't have to be military... Industrial'll probably work even better, now that I think about it. Just as long as it's all hard to break and really strong, that's what matters.

But for now- as long as there aren't too many other 12-foot tall dragons around- I think Aubrey's vines'll work just fine. And I can get Tyler to hypnotize stuff once they're caught in a net so they don't try to escape!

[He turns to look at the Stantler beside him, who looks pained as Fred comes close to making the connection and actually using his Pokemon to help him catch other Pokemon in a more traditional way.

Close, but not close enough.]

[be_notorious]

I'd not take chances, brother. I prefer the poison ones an' woozy ain't a good sign. Get to the pokecenter.

...Actually, I think that's a little out of the ordinary so uh... I reckon you were doing fine with the nets when you don't wanna catch some otherworldly mess.

[whymustifeel]

Aww. But I want to stay out here for a while longer, see if I can catch anything else... Maybe I can just spray myself with one of these Antidote things and that'll fix it.

[be_notorious]

You know what? We can't die here anyway so it's worth a shot. Just let me know how it goes.

[video]

[styxiedust]

...Are you...

[Sane?

Possibly not, but that's rude to ask.]

...All right? You seem a bit harried and also poisoned.

[whymustifeel]

[Sanity is heavily debatable when it comes to this kid.]

Oh, I'm fine. Never better! And I'm only possibly poisoned. Don't think I'm that harried, either.

Are you worried 'cause the trap failed? That's fine- see, it only really failed 'cause I wasn't trying to catch any giant dragons here in the first place. I didn't know to set a trap strong enough for that guy. So I'm not too torn up about it.

[styxiedust]

I'm worried because you reminded me, abruptly, of a dear friend back home who I only met because he decided to jump in front of a speeding car.

[In her friend's defense he was trying to save a kid, but still.]

...And traps like that don't work on Pokemon, to boot. Not that the thing you've got there--not Tyler, the other thing--isn't a Pokemon.

video;

[colorpalatable]

Using a net seems like way too much work when pokeballs exist. Like, you do you, bro, but I'm just saying.

But maybe go to a Pokecenter if you're feeling woozy. That's usually not a good sign.

[whymustifeel]

Doesn't matter how much work it takes, a net's more fun.

It's not that bad! I mean, I only get a little bit of vertigo when I try to stand up.

[The Stantler at his side nudges him, looking nervous. Sure, Fred may seem to (mostly) have a good grip on his senses, but Tyler would rather not have his new trainer pass out and have to lug him to the Pokemon Center himself.]

[colorpalatable]

You know, funny thing about vertigo? It's always just a little bit until it isn't.

[She notices the Stantler's nervous look, but there's not a whole lot she can do to reassure the big guy. Although so far she's not actually sure that reassurance is the correct action to take, here. More info is needed.]

So where're you at, anyway?

[Worse comes to worse, at least she'll know where to direct emergency services so poor Tyler isn't left on his own.]

video;

[marmoron]

What is that thing?

[Just staring at the video feed here trying to get a better look at the Ultra Beast lurking in the background.]

And you should probably go to the hospital. Aren't most the purple pokemom here poison types?

[whymustifeel]

I have no idea!

[He doesn't seem too concerned. Nor does he notice the fact that he's still being watched.]

I dunno if all purple ones are poisonous... And I don't feel that bad, I don't need to go to a hospital, gosh. That's overkill.

[marmoron]

Suit yourself, but you should go get yourself checked out if it gets any worse.

[Not like he can really drag a stranger to the hospital anyway, but then --]

You might wanna get out of there though. Whatever that thing is, it's watching you.

video

[liv_nye_the_science_pi]

...stunningly, I think you may have come closer to catching one of these things than anyone else.

[whymustifeel]

Really? That's so cool!

Take that, everyone who keeps telling me to use Pokeballs more!

[To be honest, the Naganadel probably only remained in the trap for so long before escaping because it was overwhelmed by the shock of actually getting caught in the first place, especially by an idiot teenager.]

video

[in4apounding]

...You should probably see a doctor if you're feeling sick. I mean- I guess I don't know for sure if those things are poisonous but it kind of looks like it should be? Actual wasps have poison, right?

[whymustifeel]

I mean, I'm not unconscious or dead, so I'm probably ok? I pulled all the stingers out and it only hurt a little.

[in4apounding]

How many stingers were there?