[02] video

[lightningfang]

[The young man who starts up a feed appears unsure of himself, in more ways than one. For one, his camera is very unsteady in his hands, so... sorry to any viewer who gets motion sickness! At least it can't get too bad, considering he's quite firmly planted on the floor in the corner of a room, surrounded by various puppy Pokemon.

It takes him a moment to speak up, and longer still to gain confidence in speaking a lot of words all at once.]

Um... How do you... So... many "types." Some make sense... Lightning strong to Water. Fire strong to green things...

But... Cryo and Fire don't make Melt. Fire and Lightning don't explode... Wind is weak to Lightning? Geo is weak to green stuff? I don't understand. Makes no sense.

And many other Types. Fairies, Dragons, Iron, Spirits... So much. Makes me... so tired. How do you remember so much?

[And don't even get him started on how he's supposed to memorize all of the individual moves. Can't Pokemon just... you know, use them without being told?]

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[gautsome]

Heya Razor. [Sylvain waves into the camera, all charm and enthusiasm.] Don't even get me started on typing, it's a whole mess. I hated the idea of being a breeder here until I learned how complicated battling was!

Did you meet Chip while you were visiting? They could probably explain type breakdowns way better than anyone. They're super familiar with this kind of thing.

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[machismost]

[ Oh no... Razor looks pretty young but is obviously an old man with tech all at once???

When Kirishima responds, he does so flanked by his own puppy Pokemon - a seemingly common Rockruff and a shiny ( yellow ) Riolu. The Rockruff is draped over one of his shoulders facing the camera while the yellow Riolu pup is mostly filling the frame with his face. Kirishima is a teenaged boy with spiked, cherry red hair and a wide smile full of sharp teeth, flanked by these Pokemon. Every one of them exudes the energy of a puppy in some way. ]

Man, I hear ya! Type advantage can be real weird and a lot all at once. My advice? Just start with what makes sense and start learning the rest as they come up.

Like where are you now, man? What town or city?

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[nastyboy]

[Ah - it's Sylvain and Jinx's friend. King Dimmy Tree opens up his own video feed with a slight smile.]

Since I was taught some manner of tactics, learning type advantages is just one more aspect of that, for me. Still, it is a lot to learn so suddenly, isn't it?

Fortunately, if you use your Pokedex, it will remember for you, and tell you these things.

That said... Some of the types make sense, but you have to think a little bit on them. For example... "Geo" and green things.

Green things have roots, don't they? So they can go straight through the ground, through Geo, with no trouble at all. Does that make sense?

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[epitaffio]

[Doppio has a look on his face that somehow walks the line between "intensely focused" and "not home right now, try again later." His Politoed, a little closer to the camera than it probably ought to be, looks up at him with what is probably mild concern.]

... Why... don't Fire and Lightning explode? I never thought about it before, but lightning strikes cause fires... Oh, but I think Lightning is good against, uh... Wind? You mean birds, right? I think it's good against birds because, um, since they're in the sky...

[... Actually, he feels like if lightning striking birds were a common occurrence, you'd... hear about it more?

Welp, he's confused now.]

[lightningfang]

[Razor nods in recognition, though admittedly it's... pretty odd seeing Silver Vein all tiny inside the Gear. There's still a disconnect between it and reality that sort of makes it feel like an out of body experience.]

Breeding? Um... What..? [Does that mean Sylvain is the leader of his group? Even higher status than the King? Humans are so weird.]

"Chip?" No...

[lightningfang]

[Okay, attention diverted. This kid is suddenly full of wonder, not at all exhausted looking like he was two seconds ago.]

Your Blue! It's -- um... yellow! And you have a Geo Pup! [Razor has just met Kirishima, and already he knows he is good people.]

Okay... That is smart. Look for ones that make sense...

Um... I'm in the city... Violet. I think.

[lightningfang]

It remembers? [Razor takes a moment to turn the Gear every which-way, effectively creating a nonsensical rollercoaster with his video feed. He'll probably have to mess with it later, in private, so that he can go at his own pace. For now, he listens intently to Dimitri.]

Makes sense... Yes. I understand.

[He seems to hesitate for a moment, then tilts his head.]

Are any hard for you to learn?

[lightningfang]

[That is one big frog! Razor and his Rockruff both watch it intently through the Gear, partly oblivious to the existential crisis Doppio seems to be having.]

They make big explosions in Teyvat. Even bigger than just fire bomb. Very good for fighting.

Wind is birds, and... well. Lightning hits grass, too. And trees, and lakes... [Everything should be weak to lightning, at this rate. At least now Razor doesn't feel quite so silly and alone for being this confused!]

[nastyboy]

I'm glad. I imagine many of them are like that... It just takes a bit of thought.

That said, are they any which are hard for me to learn... [Dimitri curls his hand at his chin.] I suppose Fairy is difficult for me to understand properly. I do not know of any in Fodlan, my homeland, not really. It is hard for me to remember as easily what affects them.

[lightningfang]

I will try to learn more. [Unfortunately, Razor doesn't find himself the most... creative thinker, hence resorting to asking others for hints and mnemonic devices.]

Never met a Fairy at home either... But Sugar Cloud isn't very strong to SoulSteelClaw. She's... a sword.

[bestswordmaster]

[Oh. It's Wolf Boy. Felix hasn't properly met him, but there must have been some reason Sylvain befriended him, and he trusts Felicity's judgment, so the kid must not be so bad. And he apparently has some experience with swords, despite having been taught to fight among wolves, as far as Felix knows. Strange, but Razor probably knows some very unique techniques as a result. Hmm!]

Some of them require context that not all of our home worlds can provide. Or knowledge of natural phenomena. Flying Pokemon have fewer options against Electric attacks because lightning strikes things at greater heights first, for instance.

It's not so different from learning weapon and terrain advantages in combat. Jinx tells me you know how to fight with a sword. If that's true, you're probably aware that lancers have a natural advantage over swordsmen due to their weapon's reach. Pokemon types are much the same.

[epitaffio]

[Boy, just wait until it opens its mouth.]

That's true, but... If lightning hits a rock, it's not going to do much to it. So... Wait, no, it'd definitely set a tree on fire. That really doesn't make sense.

[He sighs, remembering what Carly and a few others have told him.]

I guess it's just like they say... Since it works kind of like a videogame, you shouldn't think too hard about it.

[gautsome]

Yeah, I guess it's a thing here? [He shrugs.] You basically assist and... cultivate relationships between your Pokemon and care for their eggs? People make money off of selling the babies but... I don't know if I'm into that exactly.

[Another shrug, before he's launching into a completely separate tangent.]

Chip is one of the kids we travel with -- Grant's kid to be exact. They're familiar with something similar back home. I think you would like them, even.

[nastyboy]

Oh - [Dimtiri straightens up, realizing something.] You know, Grant has said that fairies, of a sort, exist in his homeland. Give me a moment, and I will ask if he may have an idea.

[Give him like five minutes... and then Dimitri comes back, looking pleased.]

Hello again, Razor. I asked Grant about Fairies, and your... SoulSteelClaw. He said that, in his land, fairies are weak to a certain kind of metal. It is not 'steel', exactly, but then I do not think Paliens are 'steel' either, so perhaps that is the connection.

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[stardiving]

Tree roots will break earth and stone. Fire melts ice. Not all of them make sense, though you are correct--the number of alignments is ridiculous.

[Eight is sensible. Eighteen is too many.]

[machismost]

Huh?

[ A little blink from the teen before the camera seems to pan out on the yellow face. More aptly, it seems Kirishima has scooped up the invasive Pokemon with one arm and cradles him up against his own broad side. The Pokemon seems to accept this insomuch like it never even happened, continuing to focus on Razor and his own companions on the other side of the screen. ]

Oh yeah! This is Banana! He's a shiny Riolu! Looks like you have one too! Is yours called Blue?

This is Gauntlet, he's a Rockruff, but I bet you probably knew that too. [ The other hand comes up to rub Gauntlet between the ears. The Rockruff's fluffy tail wags and he gives a soft 'boof!' of a bark, which might sound a little strange. ] I'm Kirishima!

[lightningfang]

Oh! Like Sugar Cloud! He came from an egg. [He didn't pay for it, though, and he's with Sylvain -- it seems... exceedingly weird to treat babies as property to be sold. The whole concept of money in general doesn't sit right with Razor, anyway.]

Okay... I will talk to Chip. [Of course, he doesn't have the first clue what they look like.] Um... Would you show me?

[lightningfang]

[Razor's matching -- or nearly matching, in Riolu's case -- take interest as well, Rockruff in particular wagging her tail furiously and repeatedly smacking Razor's face in the process. He hardly seems to notice.]

Shiny...? [He does have a sort of sheen to his coat.] Yes, Blue. He is good. All my pack is good.

I am happy to meet you, Kir... Krishi... [Uhhh, quick! Think!] ... And Banana, and Gauntlet. I am Razor.

[lightningfang]

[Thankfully, Razor doesn't need much to entertain himself through Dimitri's absence, considering he is blessedly covered in puppies. The information is definitely new to him, but he does his best to commit it to memory.]

Fairies are weak to metal. I'll remember. Thank you. Grant, also. [Although... Something doesn't add up.] Paliens? Is that a 'mon?

[lightningfang]

Many 'mons don't make sense...

[Poor Doppio, completely unaware that he is only confusing the feral child more.]

What is viddy oh game? How does it work?

[lightningfang]

[This man... uses way too many words, and a lot of them are big. It's everything Razor can do to simply keep up, and there's a delay in his response as he processes it all.

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Lightning... strikes high. Yes. [That finally makes sense, at least. On the other hand, though...] My steel claw is very long.

[lightningfang]

[That's true, when Razor thinks about it. Like trees growing out of the sides of cliffs.]

Ridiculous. [He agrees, nodding.] What ones do you not remember?

[bestswordmaster]

[Oh, right. Felix forgot what Jinx told him about Razor's grasp of language. Then his brows lift with interest.]

By 'steel claw' you mean sword? Interesting. What kind of blade is it? Most become unwieldy beyond a certain length.

[lightningfang]

[What kind? Didn't Razor just say, and Felix confirm? "Sword" is what everyone else calls his steel claw.]

Um... Black and red?

[bestswordmaster]

I didn't ask what color it was. Is it a long, thin blade or a heavy one that requires two hands to wield? Is it curved or straight? Are both sides sharp or only one side?

Who taught you swordplay without explaining any of this?

[He seems almost offended.]