[video]

[pidge_out]

[At first the feed is just... of Rover. Fluttering around the living room of the island house with a little santa hat on his head, trilling for what seems to be no apparent reason. Occasionally he lands on the end of the couch (where Pidge's feet can be seen, since she's lounging there with him), fluffs up his feathers and does some kind of rolling head motion to adjust the hat on his head, and then takes off again.

One can catch glimpses of the rest of Pidge's Pokémon, all hanging out in the same area. Her Minun seems to be chasing Rover from the ground, hopping up into frame every now and then, but the feed is mostly fixed on Rover.]

So I've got to ask. [And there's Pidge's voice, slightly deadpan as usual, but there's a definite note of confusion.] According to my gear, Rover's level is... really high. Like, up to 83.

[She stops there for a second, zooming in on the little Rowlet just as he turns to look right at the camera.]

Shouldn't he have evolved into something else by now?

Comments

Video;

[schachmeister]

It seems like pokemon have some control over whether they evolve or not. Circinus stayed a voltorb for the longest time until he finally found a reason to evolve.

Well, either that or he has eaten an Everstone. He hasn't been eating any rocks, right?

Re: Video;

[pidge_out]

Not that I've noticed... He does eat a lot of random stuff.

But you're saying that he maybe just... decided not to evolve?

[At this point, Rover decides to land right on Pidge's stomach ("Oof-") and peer right into the camera, tilting his head this way and that and trilling in apparent glee.]

Video;

[schachmeister]

[Armin can't help but smile at the Rowlet. Rover reminds him a bit of when Amadeus was still a small and round Hoothoot.]

Exactly. In Circinus' case, I think he never saw a need to, until he found out he couldn't learn Telekinesis unless he evolved into an Electrode. Though I'm pretty sure my dragonair has decline to evolve because she likes her current look best.

[Why be big, round and orange when you can be slinky and elegant.]

text;

[onebetter]

[ Sooooooooooooo, they haven't exactly left things off on a good note. Like, at all. But that's been months ago, and presumably they should try to move on. James is considerably calmer about the Paladins by now, if nothing else.

Still, video seems like overkill. ]

My Lillipup is the same way. She's Level 84 and absolutely won't evolve.

Re: text;

[pidge_out]

[Pidge frowns down at her gear for a second, having not expected to see James's name today. It has been a while since the last time they spoke, and even if it hadn't ended well she's sure her team would want her to be civil. It's the least she can do, and it probably isn't worth being as petty as possible.

That said, video does seem like it might be a bit much right now.]

Armin says that sometimes pokémon just decide they don't want to evolve. i get the feeling that Rover is out to prove a point

[onebetter]

What point do you think that is? If it's the 'I can fit in a lap' point, I think Lilly would relate. Or at least, I am guessing that that's her motivation, given how cuddly she is.

[ See, this is nice. Civil. Totally doable. ]

[video]

[captainash]

You have three options. One, he's aiming for a specific move he won't learn after evolving, but at that level it's unlikely. Two, he's just not interested. Three, he's waiting for the last possible level bafore he evolves, in order to make his transformation as dramatic as possible. If I were you, I'd hope it's not number three.

[He doesn't look particularly dramatic, but who knows?]

[video]

[pidge_out]

Yeah, I'm really hoping it's not---

[Pidge didn't even get to finish talking before Rover is descending on the camera with an over excited cry, filling the screen with his little Rowlet face and a flurry of feathers. It's a full on ruckus for a moment or two, but when the camera finally settles in place it has been moved from Pidge's hands to somewhere on the floor. Rover is still visible, hopping up and down, wings spread out in a proud, almost gleeful way.

BEHOLD. ROVER THE GREAT ROWLET.]

video;

[shiro2hero]

[... video from OUTSIDE probably.]

Nice hat, Rover.

But it's not unheard of, for one of them to just decide not to evolve. Europa never wanted to...

[As the spheal herself rolls past in the background.]

video;

[pidge_out]

[Shiro-- Shiro why don't you just come inside or something...]

[Rover does seem to preen at hearing the compliment, trilling happily and making another move to adjust the way it sits on his head. ARE YOU PROUD, LEADER OF PIDGE. HE IS HANDSOME AND STRONG.]

Yeah, Armin mentioned that. I hope he's not waiting to do something dramatic, though. That'd just be kind of a pain.

Video

[notyourgoddess]

That's not one of the pokemon that needs a special item to evolve is it?

Video

[pidge_out]

No, not according to the information in my gear.

Voice

[goldeneyeball]

Maybe you got a dud.

[pidge_out]

Weirdly enough, that doesn't really surprise me.

video;

[breakyourlife]

He's fine. My Mudkip took forever to evolve. Some Pokémon are just like that.

[Said like he's even been here that long...]

[pidge_out]

Level 83 forever?

[Because come on, Rover, if it's not on purpose it's getting weird.]

video

[quizzak]

I've noticed that some Pokemon like to stay as their pre-evolved form for...a while. James' Lillipup had that same issue, if I'm remembering correctly.

[ look who's made friends with lieutenant griffin!!! ]

[pidge_out]

[There's a short sigh, directed entirely at Rover because he's teasing poor Electron the Minun with his ability to fly.]

Yeah, he mentioned that. [Despite not considering herself a friend of Griffin, because grumblegrumble someone's petty.]

It's not that I mind him staying this way. It's just... weird.

» action

[spacebaloney]

[Everybody else is replying through the network, but why bother with that when Lance can just pop his head over the back of the couch and give Pidge a wet willy before she can stop him?]

Evolve into what? A bigger pain in the ass?

[pidge_out]

[Someone was definitely not expecting a wet willy. And that same someone is going to be reacting to it poorly. And by poorly, we mean that a certain someone else is going to be getting smacked by the back of a flailing, gear-holding hand.] LANCE!!

video;

[lioness_rampant]

My Klaizap is the same. [ Allura is holding the facing herself, but she looks briefly off-camera and pats her shoulder. A rattata hops up and chitters at the camera. ]

She's not as highly-leveled as your Rover, but could have evolved weeks ago. I believe she's chosen not to.

[pidge_out]

[Pidge smirks a little to herself, amused. Which will become visible as she switches to the front camera so Allura can see her.]

The more people I talk to, the more I realize that there are a lot of us sitting in the same boat.

video;

[marmoron]

[on his end of the feed, she'll see that he's sitting on a bed with a houndoom sprawled on top of the covers and a shiny haunter floating around behind him with a small notepad and some chalk. keith's also looking a little older than she'd ever remember him being thanks to a canon update.]

Maybe Rover just isn't feeling ready to evolve.

video;

[pidge_out]

[Talk about a sight for sore eyes. It's been way too long since Pidge saw that scar on Keith's cheek, and she definitely has to do a double-take when she sees him. But then her eyes light up (he's a very important friend and she's missed him, after all) and she turns the camera so that it's showing her face right back. She's smirking faintly, but the happy light in her eyes is genuine.]

That's the running theory. I don't mind him staying this way, I just thought it was weird.

[And then the smirk fades into a simpler, quietly content smile.] You look like you got sent home for a while.

video

[raygunner]

It seems you have an extraordinarily stubborn friend on your hands.