eggs and nulls [video]

[ohmylord]

[The setting: a rooftop garden, that some people will be able to recognize as being part of the penthouse suite of one of the fanciest hotels in Saffron City. In this garden, a host of pokemon are milling around, some that may or may not be recognizable as belonging to their trainers. The camera pans to show a quartet of Type: Nulls. One has incredibly short legs, like a corgi might. Another seems to be sweating and a stream of Durants is crawling towards it--only drawn by some unseen magnetic force against the body of yet another Null, a nervous-looking one who (along with the Durants) has a fair number of other Steel-types stuck to it, as well as some forks and spoons. The fourth Null turns to face the camera and says, in a perfectly clear-sounding voice that sounds remarkably like Rick Gastly: We’re no strangers to love.

The camera then pans to Claudia Kishi, in a long, baggy, cream cable-knit sweater and leggings patterned after Milotic scales. A fan-shaped hair ornament holds up her high ponytail. She waves at the camera. Behind her are a plethora of eggs--something like three dozen of them.]

Hi! As you can see, everyone got kind of busy while we were out doing tourist stuff in Saffron! Speaking of which, it’s really sad that people order these special pokemon to be created for them with science and they decide they don’t want them after all and basically send them to the Null pound. If my friend Dawn were here, she’d be so mad. She’d probably be picketing Silph Co right now, but we just settled on adopting a bunch of the pound Nulls ourselves.

[She walks over to where the Nulls are standing, the camera panning to follow her, and gestures to each in turn.] These are Beep-boop, Mercury, Gilgamesh, and Clover! They’re all really sweet--could you believe that anyone wouldn’t want them in their home?

[You know the rules and so do I, Beep-boop intones. The stream of Durants heading toward Clover thickens. Mercury shudders as another Durant is magnetically drawn to its side. Short little Gilgamesh makes a sound half-squawk and half-bark.]

And there’s a bunch more Nulls that need families! If no one else is going to adopt them and bring them home from the Null pound, maybe we should.

[Claudia shakes her head as she walks toward a low table with an oversized sketchbook on top of it.]

Anyway. The other reason I made this post is to let everyone know that I’m selling eggs again and Shinobu’s helped me figure out what’s in each egg by talking to all the parents to see who they made their eggs with--did you know that boy pokemon can make eggs with more than one pokemon at a time? They also gave us their best guess on what’s inside the eggs. I made a new egg listing for what I think I’ve got--Shinobu even spellchecked it for me.

[Which seems to be her cue to open up the sketchbook and let the camera zoom in as she goes through her listing of eggs one breeding pair at a time. Each page of the sketchbook has been lavishly illustrated by the pair of parents and the number of available eggs they have.]

Catra and Thace already claimed some and I promised Dr Pines one of the Feebases, but I wrote them down already. And I’m gonna keep one of the Probably Espurrs for me. But otherwise, I’m gonna give you guys first chance at everything else, before I post about them on the local breeding boards, okay?

Comments

Action

[worthallthis]

[Winter is not great at "vacation". He either trails around behind someone else doing whatever they're doing, he sits somewhere and watches people, or he finds work to do. This trip, he's found work to do, just filling in part-time at the pokecenter. So he's at work when this message goes out. Winter spends a moment with his head in his hands, then he pleads off a little early so he can come home and rescue poor Mercury. He can't bring the poor thing with him, or the magnetism wreaks havoc with the pokecenter tools and visiting pokemon, but he'd hoped it'd be safe enough there.

He shows up early at the garden and beelines straight for the Null, who is sitting as hunched small as it can get, helmet low and still layered with squirming pokemon and silverware.]

Hey now. Hey now, it's okay. I'm here.

[un_oiseau_rebelle]

[Shinobu has discarded the camera and made his way over towards the unfortunate Mercury as well, gently pushing Durants out of the way, talking softly to the Type: Null and generally trying to be comforting, in hopes of being able to get close enough to pull at least some of the Durants and debris off him. When Winter shows up, he backs off, since Mercury is more apt to take comfort in his actual person than a stranger like himself.]

[ohmylord]

[Now that her video post is done filming, Claudia is attempting to coax Clover away from Mercury, both to possibly give him a bath and just to redirect the stream of Durants away.]

Winter! Oh my lord, Winter, I need your help! Mercury got super magnetic and I don't know how to fix it!

[worthallthis]

I don't know how to fix it, either.

[The best he can do is try to calm Mercury down. The Null doesn't unhunch, but it doesn't shrink away when Winter crouches down next to it, stroking from neck to shoulder carefully. With the flesh hand, resisting the tug he can feel on the metal hand.]

It might be stress? It's okay, Mercury, you're okay.

[un_oiseau_rebelle]

[While Winter is doing that, Shinobu is going to shove shoo the Durants away from Mercury, since he doubts they're enjoying being stuck to him either. Of course, that doesn't answer the question of what to do with so many.

Either way, he's just going to try to give Mercury as much space as possible in hopes of him feeling less trapped.]

Did they say anything at the agency about what would cause Mercury or Clover's issues?

[ohmylord]

[The Durants seem to be naturally attracted to Clover, so if they can get Clover away from Mercury, they'll be less likely to get stuck to him.]

Nooooo. They weren't any help at all. All I know is that it's probably the weird sweating that Clover does that's probably got the Durants coming for them and that's only 'cause I tried to towel them down.

[And sure enough, a subsidary of the stream of Durants branches off from the main one to pile on top of a discarded towel, lying on the floor of the rooftop patio garden.]

[worthallthis]

Only said it was a sometimes thing. I think it might get worse when they're stressed.

[At least, he's thinking Mercury's stress affects it. Mercury unbends enough to lean into the petting, though there's not a lot of room to pet, between the things stuck to it.]

I can't use my other hand. Can one of you...?

[At least the pokemon. Having moving things stuck to it can't be helping any.]

[un_oiseau_rebelle]

Why am I not surprised at that.

Give me a moment to lure Clover a bit farther away and I'll help.

[It won't do much good to take off the Durants if there are more Durants.]

[worthallthis]

Okay. Thank you.

[He manages to gently sweep one of the Durants off, as part of the petting, but there's five more, and all the silverware. And, as he alternates petting with magnetic removal, holding the metal arm as far away as possible, he tries to say:]

Your message was good, Claudia. Trying to help them. The Nulls.

[forsaintcecilia]

Oh wow, four of them? You're made of tougher stuff than me! My Sarge is a handful on his own... Tho' he gets along much better than he used to!

[ohmylord]

They're not all mine! I'm just pokesitting while their owners do other things. Shinobu's here keeping me company.

[forsaintcecilia]

Oh, okay! I was thinking, wow, that'd be a lot of work!

That's really nice of you though. Sometimes Type: Nulls need special attention.

[ohmylord]

They definitely do! And sometimes you have two of them where their special things don't mix well, like Clover and poor Mercury.

[forsaintcecilia]

Yeah, especially when they're so totally random too. My Sarge likes to herd things. It's been a hard habit to try and break... He doesn't exactly terrorize my small Pokemon, but they don't appreciate him barking orders at them all the time.

[ohmylord]

I wonder if it's got something to do with their type. Mercury's a steel type and he's magnetic. And Clover's a grass type and her durant stuff kind of feels and smells like sap.

What kind is Sarge?

[forsaintcecilia]

Oh, he's Dragon Type. I dunno if that really correlates...

[ohmylord]

I mean, maybe he's supposed to hoard things, but he's not very good at spelling? Which, I mean, I'm not either, so it happens.

[insidegalra]

Thace had gone out, but he sees the post and immediately turns right around. Helping Clover take a bath hadn't done enough, apparently. So he comes into the door not long after, sighing and checking on how the situation has developed in the time since.

"I saw that things were getting sticky again." He so didn't say it that way on purpose.

[ohmylord]

That startles a little laugh out of Claudia. "Yeah," she admits. "I'm starting to think that maybe she likes having the Durants around."

(Claudia has not sexed Thace's Null. Claudia just figures being named 'Clover' probably means she's a girl.)

Clover, by now, is far enough away from Mercury that even though there's a fair amount of Durants surrounding them, none of said Durants are stuck to the other Null.

[insidegalra]

"I have a theory, but it will need more evidence. They don't seem to be harming Clover, at least, even if they are a bit of a nuisance."

Thace gentle herds some of the Durants farther from Mercury, just in case, and watches them eagerly eating the nectar.

"I wonder if there are others that would be drawn to the smell or taste."

[ohmylord]

"Do I get to know the theory?" Claudia asks. "Or do I have to wait for the evidence?"

If the theory is that Clover is doing it on purpose because she likes Durants, then Claudia agrees.

[insidegalra]

"I'm wondering if attracting the Durants is some kind of spontaneous reaction to having ser abilities removed. I've seen one get protective since Clover join us, but it's not enough evidence to be sure."

Almost all Pokemon seem to be well able to protect themselves, usually, so Thace can see attracting allies for protection a way around not being able to.

[ohmylord]

"Oh!" Claudia says, nodding as if this makes sense to her. "Because she can't fight or do that stuff anymore, she just gets friends to do it for her."

[insidegalra]

"That is the theory so far, yes. We'll have to see if it's proven or disproven as things continue."

Thace is mostly being cautious because he doesn't want to encourage it if it's a different type of relationship. Mutualism is one thing. Parasitism is something else entirely and much less desirable.

[ohmylord]

Claudia sighs. "This is when I'd actually want Janine here. Uh, Human Janine, not Pokemon Janine. She's actually good at this science stuff. I can guess Parasitism is like when you've got a tapeworm, but what's Mutualism?"