victory_road | video;

[It's the Indigo Plateau. Still cold, still looking as chilly and mountainous as ever. With a notable exception - namely, a bedraggled-looking Shiro and his equally bedraggled team of pokemon. They're all crowding around him, trying to get a look at the camera.]

[Shiro is... grinning? Widely. He looks happier than he's looked in a long time, with one arm slung around his Aggron's broad neck, the other holding the camera out as far as possible.]

- Okay, okay! Come on. It's recording, guys, get in here.

[Umbreon hops up onto his shoulder, fur a little singed, sticking up in weird places. Marowak peers up from the bottom of the screen - helmet dinged and nicked in places. Gallade wiggles in, Gengar waving delightedly - lifting its hand up over the top of Gallade's head. Which... means Incineroar just flat out picks up Gallade to get in on this too, all of them squishing in with their Trainer like it's a big class photo.]

Hi everyone. Long time no chat. We've been busy up here... had a bad run first off, but the team pulled it together. They pulled it together really well.

[With a chorus of Pokemon agreement.]

And that means?

You're looking at the 13th Champions of the League.

[More loud, boistrous Pokemon cheering. Incineroar ends up dropping Gallade to scoop Shiro up instead. There's not much else he can do - and ends up fumbling the 'gear. It lands face-up, thankfully, for more shots of celebrating Pokemon.]

[Celebrating pokemon and Shiro's bemused, final statement - ]

... guys, we need to go back and apologize to Bruno again. Calm - calm down a minute! You didn't let me say it on the recording - !

[/END FEED.]

[Except for a final text.]

Formal apology goes to Bruno. Again. I swear I can count to four.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Here.

It's secured now.

[There are... uh. Several things he can think of that aren't The Food Issue. And is hoping this isn't something new.]

[Poor Sasha doesn't deserve that.]

Thanks.

I just found this out the other day. Apparently, after being here for so long, and with so many people coming and going, she thinks that it's her fault? Like... She thinks there's something she's doing wrong that's making her friends leave.

[Jean obviously feels guilt over this. He'd been here for more than a year before he found out about this. He'd just assumed that she'd made her own life here, and was doing okay on her own, but that turned out not to be the case. She seemed desperate for his company.]

So, she was trying to stay away from me, because she thought that I'd end up leaving over something she did. Or maybe that her getting close to someone was the reason why they end up leaving at all.

Ah...

[He doesn't know what to say for a hot second or two. Dragging his hands over his face, before he starts moving. There's a bench over this way, and this feels like a sit-down conversation.]

I knew she felt... some kind of way about everyone disappearing. I feel like we've had a conversation about this before. Not to that extent, though.

[It might have come up last year. After one of his own major losses here. But after that? He'd... tried to distance himself from the others.]

I didn't know it'd gotten so bad.

It all came out of her at once. It totally caught me off guard. I tried to tell her that that can't be it, but she was really, really convinced.

I've been trying to hang out around your place as much as I can since then. I think it makes her anxious, but I can't just leave her alone like this.

Yeah. Once she starts, she doesn't stop. That's probably good - that she gets it out, I mean.

I'll let her know I'm on my way back, personally, then. But I think... I think that's all we can do. Just keep reassuring her. Keep reminding her.

Yeah... Yeah. I just thought I should let you know. She likes you a lot, and you've both been here a long time. You're better proof than I am that her theory isn't correct.

No, I appreciate it. I needed to know.

[Since he's uh. Attempting to Dad the poor kid.]

I wouldn't say that much, though. Jean, you came back.

I'm not the same. You know that. I came back a stranger to her. And then I spent a whole year hiding out in the woods, thinking she wouldn't want me around...

I've been an idiot. I've contributed to this.

But you still came back.

Jean, did you know this was happening when you were in the woods? Did you have any idea this was an issue for her?

She's one of mine. I should have at least tried to talk to her.

Did you think you were doing the right thing by giving her space?

It's a serious question.

I think I was avoiding how awkward it might've turned out.

Okay. I can understand that. I can see why that'd... that would weigh on you.

But I stand by what I said, too. That you had no way of knowing how it would contribute to her anxiety.

I know, I know. I just... She's one of the only people I've got. Back home, you know. It's more than tough out there. All we've got is each other.

I have to do better by her.

I... think she'd appreciate it. She might not know what to do with it, at first, but I genuinely think that would help.

Just being around her more. Letting her know you're still here.

I hope it is...

[Jean sighs. He sounds burnt out. Not in a "I'm tired of this," way, but in a "this makes me feel too many ~emotions~ at once and I don't know how to cope with that," way.]

It will be, okay?

Just take it slow. One day at a time.

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