001 - [Video | un: Uravity]

[floatsaway]

[It has been...a long few days for Ochako Uraraka. A long, long few days. After arriving in Newbark Town, like everyone else, she was given little to no information about, well...anything, and left to her devices. Like. Everyone else. Honestly, you'd think that there'd be an actual system put in place for all these newcomers or something. Like a Welcome Center, with information and helpful things to know. Hell, and some spare clothes...one single pair of pants and a t-shirt, alongside her pajamas, are not going to last a grueling journey like this, seriously. Thank goodness Ochako is as frugal as frugal comes. She can most certainly make her money last, and knows all the tricks to ration her food and take care of her belongings.

One of the few perks of being dirt poor.

The first day or two was spent mostly just acclimating to the new normal. Getting to know her Pokemon - a cute and very pink Cleffa, which Ochako finally decided on a name for...Parfait. It was cute and sweet, just like her little, meeping partner. Next in line was, uh...actually training up the little thing. It was weird thinking that this tiny, pudgy, pink cream puff could fight, but...then again, a lot of people underestimated her, and Ochako had one hell of a punch, and her high kick was, by Gunhead's standards, top shelf. So, after a few fumbled first battles (Ochako learned quickly that birds are jerks in this world), she eventually got the hang of it, hanging around the outskirts of Cherrygrove (in the early part of route 29 and 30 respectively), battling Pokemon and looking to expand her growing team.

And boy did she find one hell of a Pokemon to add. The video feed comes one with Ochako looking quite disheveled, her hair standing up in a few spots and a spattering of...some sort of food item on her cheek.]

Mmh... H-Hello, everyone, um. M-My name is Uraraka. U-Uraraka Ochako... [She tries to smooth her hair down, but to no avail.] I-I'm new here and. Ehh...

I-Is it normal for Poke...Pokey...Poker--...for your critters to refuse to eat? D-Do they have preferences? Because, um... [Ochako switches her Gear's camera to show off a very petulant looking Espurr, sitting on its butt on a stone with arms crossed, a little bowl in front of it floating around and smacking on the side of the rock every few seconds.] Th-This one won't accept anything I've given her. She's like a picky child...

[Ochako heaves a big, heavy sigh, shoulders drooping.] I don't want to waste all my food, but I don't want her to not eat, either!! Mmmaahh...Eclair-chaaan...please eat something. Maybe some water? At least a drink?

Comments

[necrodentia]

Hmm... [ This sure is a predicament. Rainer was lucky to have a group of well-established friends and friends-of-friends who let her travel with them and helped her pay for things. She's definitely realized not everyone who comes here is so fortunate. ]

If I was still over in that neck of the woods, I would offer to lend you some gold, but... [ But one, that's not even the currency they use here, and two, she's halfway across the region by now. ]

What about an actual eclair? Maybe she's got a sweet tooth!

[floatsaway]

[Ochako technically does have this, too - all the boys from home that are here are a bit more experienced than herself, and further in their travels - but she didn't want to be a burden to them. If this type of world is going to be her 'new normal' she wants to experience it herself! The good, the bad, and the ugly. It's the only way Ochako will really learn, though of course she does have the foresight to ask for help, too, like right now.]

G-Gold?! [Wait, what. People just fucking...carry gold around in this place/! Is that a thing?! Just wait until Ochako hears about Nuggets. She shakes her head quickly, clearing her throat. Just gonna...move along.] Ah...weh...um. W-Well, don't those have sweet cream and chocolate on them? I mean...I know most animals can't eat chocolate, and dairy is actually bad for most animals to eat, too. Cow's milk, I mean...it's not great to give most animals that.

[She's no cat or animal expert, those are Aizawa and Kouda respectively, but Ochako knows enough from the cat cafes she sometimes goes to with her friends. You're not supposed to feed the cats any of the cafe treats, even if they beg.]

But I could try a few sugarcubes... Those are pretty cheap, and I can use them for tea myself, since sugar keeps forever unless it gets wet.

[necrodentia]

Is that... not the currency here?

[ Yeah, someone isn't really up to speed on the conversion rate between Poké-world money and Nua money. Precious metals and gemstones were how you measured wealth where she comes from. ]

Oh, yeah. That's probably a bad idea, then. [ She shrugs a little. ] It sounded like a fun idea, in theory! But I guess you know more about caring for a living animal than I do.

[ She's mostly used to caring for ones that are already dead. ]

[floatsaway]

Mm...no, I don't think so. I honestly don't know what the currency here is called, but I do have some - apparently our mama-- [She is using that terms very sarcastically.] --gave us all some when we arrived here. Like this...

[Taking out a wad of bills and coins, Ochako shows off the currency to Rainer. It all looks so strange to Ochako, and she she still has no goddamn clue what the exchange rate is in this world from yen to...whatever the hell this is. Not like it matters now, anyway. No one in this world probably even knows what yen is. Ugh...what an annoyance. At least she's super duper good with her finances, and will probably catch on to that extremely quickly. Such is the life of a poor girl, scraping to get by on most days.]

Mm...I just remember what's been told to me. One of my classmates is really good with animals. [Kouda. He has a pet rabbit, and his quirk literally is the ability to talk to animals and insects, so it makes sense he knows how to take care of them to an outstanding degree.] ...But now I'm more concerned about money, when you brought it up. I now know there's a guidebook that was packed with us as well, but I have no idea if that's mentioned...

I'll have to really start budgeting until I figure it out, and how to actually get more money... [She sighs, reaching out to her whiny Espurr who has been sulking off to the side. Eclair grunts as she's picked up, but sensing her Trainer's distress, curls in close, purring softly, though her face remains Grumpy™.] I'm sorry, but I really can't have you being picky for a little while. I'll get you some of those berries people are taking about...and when I have enough money, something really tasty, okay?

[necrodentia]

[ Rainer catches that sarcastic note in Ochako's voice and rolls her eyes in sympathy. ] Oh yeah, don't get me started on how weird it is for some woman to start claiming to be my mom... First off, I don't have a mom, secondly, if I did, I'd like to think she'd have a little more to say to me than just, "here's a backpack with some bare necessities, now here's the door, out you go!"

[ Someone's still a little bitter about that.

But the currency thing is interesting. Now that she's well on her way through this country, she knows she's going to have to make and spend money, so she really ought to start paying attention. She'll have to ask Fitzroy later if he knows the conversion rate to gold and silver.

Rainer leans into her camera, and smiles at the little Espurr. ]

That's right, 'Clairie! Your trainer's gonna work hard to keep you fed and happy, so you should be nice to her, right?

[floatsaway]

[Oh. Well that sure got a bit awkward. At least Rainer seems not to be too bothered by the fact she doesn't have a mom, so Ochako lets it sort of roll off her shoulders a bit. Man, this place can be super insensitive like that, can't it? Jeez... Ochako nods her head, because seriously. Her mama would never treat a soul like that, let alone her own daughter. It's downright insulting, honesty...and a bit bittersweet, since Ochako keeps thinking back to her own mother, who is warm, kind, and loving, and it makes her heart ache more than she'd like to admit. What happened to them? Her parents? Will she see them again? Are they worrying about her? Ugh. Just...gonna move on, lest she dwell.]

Oh, I don't think it's really me he dislikes...maybe a little bit right now, because she's hungry, but she's actually very sweet, d-despite...how she looks sometimes. [Literally a Grumpy Cat.] I just don't think she trusts or likes being around too many people at once, honestly... I'm sure she'll come around eventually, though. Especially when I get her something tasty in her tummy!!

[Spoilers: she won't.]

[necrodentia]

[ Don't worry, Ochako! While there is some tragedy in Rainer's backstory, her life after her dad adopted her was largely peaceful and happy. So no, she isn't bothered about not having a mother. Her dad is a single dad, and he's doing a great job. ]

Ahh, she's an introvert! A hungry introvert. That explains it.

[floatsaway]

Ehehe...she really kind of is, isn't she?

[Angry, introverted, loathes a certain green boy, actually very power in terms of brute strength... Honestly, Ochako is starting to make a few connections here with her little tsun-catte and another someone she knows.]

I got a few suggestions from other people, so I'm...going to try all that and see if any of it works. I don't want it to get to that point, but...if she gets hungry enough, I know she'll eat about anything. [But the look on Ochako's face shows that she really doesn't like that idea, even if she's not really able to control what her kitty puts in her mouth or not.]

Mm...a-anyway, Rainer-san, how are you doing? And your, um...friends?

[necrodentia]

Oh, we're all good! We've been traveling, which is I think pretty standard for this place. I've caught a few more creature friends! I've got four of them now!

[ Three of which are ghosts, so she'll just spare Ochako their spooky visages. ]

[floatsaway]

Oh, that's wonderful!! Congratulations! Eclair-chan is my only other Monpoke [So close...but no.] right now, but I really want to get more! It's a bit difficult to get the hang of fighting with them, though, ehehe... I-I always tend to panic and knock out the ones I want to catch before I can...do that.

[Ochako's so used to the mentality of 'beat up the villain until they go down, then capture them', so she...um. She tends to go all out in fighting and the Pokemon she wants usually faints. And fainted Pokemon can't be caught in balls. She's...tried. They just bounce off the poor, unconscious bodies and make her feel really bad.....]

B-But I'm doing my best!! I'll get used to it soon!