victory_road | Voice + Action for New Bark Town/Route 29

Entry tags:

Voice + Action for New Bark Town/Route 29

[Voice]

There's, well, mostly silence over the feed at first, with just some faint, indistinct background noise, until after a few seconds a voice finally pipes up.

"H-hello? Um."

Said voice sounds like it belongs to a kid, really, though of course it's hard to be sure without video.

"These... Pokémon, they really fight each other all the time? Won't they get hurt?

"And, uh... what's it mean by fairy type? Isn't it just a fairy?"

That last bit is spoken rather quickly, but from the sound of it the kid really is puzzling over the answer for that. In any case though, the feed doesn't end there, but rather continues on to more faint background noise, the occasional rustling of cloth, a quietly muttered "so now people can say things back...?" and generally every indication that someone forgot to hit the button to stop recording.

Fortunately, before this can drag on too long, there's suddenly an enthusiastic if distant Toge-togepiii! followed by "What? Hey, wait!" and the sounds of a Pokégear tumbling to the ground, then thankfully the feed finally cuts out.

[Action]

There's a new kid in town! Or, well, more specifically, hanging around the edges of town keeping his distance while trying to figure this crazy situation out. Alternatively, making his way down the trails of Route 29. Either way, for some reason he's always wearing a hooded cloak no matter how nice the weather may be at the moment, and doing his best to avoid populated areas. Or just people in general.

Well, except for when the Togepi that's accompanying him spots someone or something interesting and promptly starts heading for it at full waddle. Occasionally it even takes a while for the kid to notice, which inevitably ends with him dashing after the wayward 'mon trying to catch it before, you know, he might have to talk to someone or something!

Feel free to enjoy the show, or maybe try to strike up a conversation, if you're feeling especially bold!

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Ah, sounds like a newbie. It can be hard to tell sometimes - and Ryner doesn't pay as much attention to the network as some might say he should on the best of days - but usually those sorts of questions are the first to get answered. Someone will probably come along to help soon enough.

Still, he is a gym leader, so something something responsibility, something something he should try to be helpful, right? ~~...Also, given the sweet "Fairy~" in the background, he might have been poked into being social today, but that's neither here nor there.~~]

That's how this place tends to work, yeah. Some of the Pokemon like it better than others, but battles and competition are how things are. It's usually friendly enough, though. And the nurses at the Pokemon Centers make sure there are never any lasting injuries.

"Trying to hurt someone isn't friendly."

Said bluntly. Apparently someone has a rather narrow definition of 'fighting'.

I get that.

Most of the Pokemon, though... They aren't really looking to battle for the sake of hurting each other. They do it to make themselves stronger, or to prove themselves. Or for some of them, it's just exercise.

And it's not something you can really stop them from doing, especially if they're determined enough. They'll just go battle in secret when you're sleeping, and probably catch cold while they're at it.

[That last bit sounds a little pointedly directed at someone, probably the Clefairy that chirps up in the background with a cheerful "Clef~".]

There's a long pause before there's any response, almost long enough to make someone start wondering if the other person's even there, but eventually, he speaks up again.

"But why?"

He sounds so very confused.

Ahh, well... I'd guess all of them have their own individual reasons.

["Clef clefairy clef fairy fair!" Rose wants to be so impressive she'll make her dear partner proud, so that if he's proud of her then he's distracted from feeling bad about himself!]

Probably what Rose said. You could write it down and I could read it for you, y'know.

["Clef~" She knows.

Ryner sighs at Rose.]

As for why this world is like that... I don't know, there are a lot of weird things that you just come to accept after a while, I guess.

"... I don't like it."

He's having more than a little trouble wrapping his head around the idea of people--or anything else--fighting for fun and that being more or less okay.

Yeah, I get that.

[There's the quiet sound of stretching for a moment.]

You sound like a really kind person.

"Huh?"

He's... basically at a loss for words. That is not the kind of thing anyone says to him. Ever.

You've only just arrived here, right? And yet the first thing you're worried about is the Pokemon.

He's not sure what to say to that. Or if he should even say anything at all.

"... I don't like fighting."

Fighting, killing, people getting hurt. It's all one and the same, and the less of it the better, in his mind.

That's a good thing. I hope you can hold onto that.

And who knows, maybe you'll have good luck with the Pokemon you meet, and they'll be more willing to compromise on the matter than Rose was.

["Fairy~"]

"I guess so..."

He's still really unsure what to think of the direction this conversation went. And pretty unsure of this whole 'Pokemon training' thing, for that matter, but there's so much to take in that's kind of low in the priority of things to ask about.

[It's about here where Ryner realizes that oh hey, he should probably be trying to give more useful advice, huh. Something something gym leader, something something help the newbies.]

...Ahh, well, in any case, there are some options for avoiding too many battles, if you look around. You could get a job at a Center helping them with paperwork or stuff like that, that would earn you enough to get a room at the inn and food for the table. But there isn't one in New Bark Town, so you'd have to get to Cherrygrove first...

There's no response for a while as Shrike listens and then thinks over all that. The possibly-awkward silence continuances to stretch on for a while, making it hard to tell if he actually will say anything, but eventually he speaks up again.

"Does everyone have to stay in towns?"

More importantly, does he have to? He's not a fan of being around a lot of people...

I mean, you don't have to. It's generally easier to. Wild Pokemon that want to battle live in the tall grass between towns, but it's usually safer in them. And in towns, you have access to stores where you can buy supplies, and also the Pokemon Centers. And while you can forage for food, the wild berries aren't exactly meant for people to eat...

But there's nothing saying you have to. There are enough people who move from town to town on a regular basis that it's pretty normal to see someone wander into town for an hour and then wander back out. No one would mind.

Okay, there's one part of that which sticks out to him more than all the rest.

"The wild ones always want to battle?"

He sounds... perplexed by this.

Usually, yeah. Ahh, a lot of the time, for them, it's that they're looking for strong trainers who can help them grow stronger, and so they battle to test anyone who passes by. Not always, but it's a trend.

[At least, that's what he's gathered from what he's read, and what he's observed.]

Well that's going to give him something to mull over for a while. Not that it's easy to tell, given that the conversation is voice-only and he's not exactly saying much.

"So they still want to fight after?"

He's just struggling to understand all this.

[It takes a bit for Leonardo to find the voice setting on his gear, and when he does, the voice that comes out is very... well, very Italian. And there's a smile when he speaks.]

Yes, people can say things back. And I am not particularly fond of battling with these creatures, but they do seem to enjoy it. Sometimes it can be a struggle making them stop!

Edited 2021-04-14 12:46 (UTC)

"Is everything in this place crazy?!"

Normally such a statement might sound rhetorical, but no, his tone indicates he's genuinely surprised and dismayed. To say he's not a fan of fighting is putting it very mildly.

Not particularly, no. The creatures here are just... different from the ones you might be used to.

There's silence for a long moment, though thr faint background noise shows that the feed hasn't been cut off, at least. Finally, the boy speaks up again, sullenly:

"I don't like this place."

He's not been having a very good day.

It... takes a little getting used to, yes. But there are flying machines here, so it isn't all bad.

Another of those pauses, albeit this time for rather different reasons.

"What?"

Congratulations, if he wasn't dumbfounded before, that last little tidbit of information definitely did the trick.

[He's not sure if that's a good pause or a bad one but too bad, Leonardo is proceeding as if it is.]

Flying machines! Real ones that actually work! They're made of some kind of metal that is sturdy enough to carry many people but lightweight enough to lift off the ground. The airport is far from here, so you can usually only see them up in the skies as they travel, but I promise you, they are there.

"Some kind of enchanted metal?"

That's the only thing he can think of that makes sense. Not that he knows anything about metalworking, mind. Or more than rudimentary magecraft, which he hasn't even been able to make work since arriving. But still, there has to be some explanation, and that's the first he thinks of.

Well, I suppose you could call it enchanted, in that it is constructed with a lot of skill and using very advanced methods. More advanced than the methods I know of from home, at least.

"I see..."

His tone suggest he doesn't really get it, but it is a lot to take in.

I do not fully understand how these flying machines work, myself, but it is a wonderful thing to see, all the same.

Edited (ediiits) 2021-04-14 22:48 (UTC)

There's yet another possibly awkward silence--this kid is really not good with social skills--though at least it's relatively brief this time.

"You know a lot about this place? Um, though... Guess I don't have anything to give you for information..."

Oh, no, you don't have to give me anything, as I'm always glad to give out information freely.

What I can tell you is that the creatures here are called Pokemon, of which there are many different kinds, including these fairies you mentioned. Not far down the road, there are towns and cities with people in them, most of whom are very friendly.

He's not even getting a chance to protest that he'd find a way to repay a favor, is he? Though oh, well, at least it's probably a little different talking to someone via a strange box than face to face.

"... What about outside towns?"

There's a lot more questions he has, but that's the most pressing one. He'd much rather avoid people as much as possible.

You may have been given a backpack when you arrived, and it has a tent and some things for camping inside. So you can stay outside cities and towns if you like.

Oh, that hit upon something important. Or at least, important to Shrike.

"Doesn't all that stuff belong to someone?"

Perhaps it once belonged to someone else, but now it belongs to you.

"I'm not stealing anything!"

Not intentionally, anyway, nor does he want to.

It isn't stolen, as far as I'm aware, but something more akin to a gift.

"From who? Why?"

The kid's very not used to the concept of no strings attached gifts. Especially from anonymous strangers.

I do not know from who, exactly, but I suspect it is so that we would feel welcome here, as well as be able to travel easily in this land.

He's not at all sure what to think of that, it's so beyond his experience. Which means he once again goes quiet for a good while as he attempts to digest all this information.

"Doesn't make any sense..."

He's more muttering to himself, but it's just loud enough for the 'gear to pick up on.

[Leonardo isn't sure if he was meant to hear that, but he thinks that perhaps Shrike has had a very long day already and he doesn't need to make it longer.]

My name is Leonardo. If you need any help, or just want to talk for a little while, you can contact me using this device.

"... All right."

Who knows if he'll even take him up on that, though.

It also totally doesn't occur to him to even introduce himself.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Voice + Action for New Bark Town/Route 29

[Voice, to match]

Perma-voice unless stated otherwise!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[voice] lemme know if you want me to switch to prose

Perma-voice, and no need to match, s'all good :)

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject