[video]

[candyapplechild]

[ Video messages or voice messages are easier for Eri, who is still learning how to spell and whatnot. First off, let's list off how Eri's time here has been so far. She arrived at 'Mom's' house like everybody else, got plopped down outside with her starter (A Galarian Ponyta), somehow made it to Cherrygrove (helped by the fact that it's a very simple route), and met up with Ochako.

Honestly, meeting up with Ochako was the best thing that could have happened. There was no way this poor six-year-old was making it anywhere past that on her own. With this, she was at least supervised and not on her own... and boy, having someone familiar with her definitely made this whole thing much better on her.

In any case, though, it would be good to make it known that she was here, right? Since apparently Deku-san and a few others from home were here as well, after all. So, with Ochako holding the Pokegear and recording her... ]

Um, hello! I'm Eri, and I'm here now! So, um... hello!

[ She just said 'hello' twice, and you might hear Ochako trying and failing to hold back giggles in the video's background audio. Eri definitely notices it, though, being the one looking directly at her, and pouts a bit... which is honestly cuter, to be honest. Still, whatever, they need to finish the video. ]

I'm six years old, here with Uravity-san, and—AH!

[ She's suddenly cut off by her own surprised yelp as she spots her Applin off to the side... but only after it's found a way to try and catapult itself offscreen and into Eri's arms. Unfortunately, it's aim isn't the best, and it's actually headed straight for Ochako.

There's a brief moment of shouting, the mixed voices of Eri and Ochako filling the audio for a brief moment, but long story short... there's a loud THUMP as Applin collides with the Pokegear in Ochako's hands, and after the screen blurs as the camera flies out of Ochako's hands, the video cuts out.

And that's the post, everybody. Say hello to the newest baby here in the Pokemon World, and... surprise for all the MHA's! ]

Comments

/gently threadjacks

[floatsaway]

[Uravity is listening! Ochako has actually been quietly monitoring all the interactions and responses Eri's been getting on the feed here, ready to jump in as needed to keep her safe from anything that may be overly sensitive or harmful to her. She may indeed be just a kid, but Ochako has a certain responsibility to want to take care of the girl. Perhaps it's the bond they have being part of the rescue mission, having failed Nighteye when he was in her arms, or just a spark of familial instinct to protect and nurture a small girl who needed her...but Ochako isn't at all bothered by having to look after Eri.

Which is why she greets Hawks with a big smile and a wave from the background of Eri's camera before turning on her own Gear to respond more clearly.]

Hi, Hawks-san!! Ehehe, I heard you, thank you. If we need anything, I'll definitely reach out, I promise. Now that the boys know she's here, too, I think we can all coordinate together if we need to...in case I have to be somewhere alone or something. I'd rather not take Eri-chan anywhere that's especially dangerous, you know? Her partners are still growing, and...I-I'm not so sure I want her to fight that much. [At least until she's more socialized and opens up more.] I'll teach her how, so her friends can protect her, but it feels kind of weird to imagine...

[feathersfly]

Yeah...I'd offer to take her, but I'm gonna be traveling a whole lot, and, well, you know me. I don't really know how to slow down. I'm worried that'd be a bad pace for a kid. [It's not a great lie, but it's the best Hawks has. He doesn't actually think he'd be great at looking after a kid, that much is true, but he ought to be more capable of it than some schoolkids themselves, being an adult. It should certainly be something he steps up to do. And instead...he has to leave a child in the hands of teenagers who shouldn't be burdened with an adult's responsibilities, because he's once again forced into the role of double agent.

The fact that he isn't stepping up, that he's deferring this responsibility...he has a sneaking suspicion the kids won't pick up on that as being shameful, but honestly, they should lose some respect for him for that. And if they do, he'll have to live with that. Although the thought that they may still admire him anyway, not even realizing it's a problem - is that better or worse?]

I don't even have an actual place yet, or really the money to get one. [Technically true. He certainly doesn't have a place outside HQ.] I don't know whether or not you're set up better than that already. Are you? Either way, though, once I at least have enough money to start getting hotel rooms or something, I can at least play babysitter sometimes if you need it. My team's still low level enough that I wouldn't want to just camp out in the wilderness with a kid.

I know what you mean about having her fight, though. Has she ever played a video game? You might be able to compare it to that, if it helps her any. Or like a competition. The unfortunate truth is that she's a kid who's seen real violence between people trying to hurt each other - but the flip side of that is that she should be able to easily recognize the difference between real violence between people, and what amounts to practice sparring between pokémon. If she knows it's training the pokémon want to do so they can get stronger, she might be okay with that.

I'd hope she never has to battle or protect herself, though. Or even be protected by her team. I hope that if she ever does any battling, it's only because she wants to.

[floatsaway]

[Ochako is, sadly...not hard to fool. Considering she's already put a lot of her faith into Hero Society, and the Pros she knows and loves, it's easy for her to just take Hawks' word at face value and not question them very much. Besides, she actually agrees with a lot of what he said, and even nods her head a bit to it.]

Mm, I understand completely, Hawks-san, and I appreciate you trying to help at least, but I think you're right. Ehehe, I know how you are, and I don't think Eri-chan would be all that comfortable around you - n-no offense!! But she really knows me and my classmates a lot better, and I don't want her to get too nervous or scared going out to places.

Mmh...I don't think she has played a video game, no. Eri-chan was still learning to really read and write back at UA, she's been neglected so much that her education just...didn't exist past a certain point. [Because why would it? Chisaki saw her as a tool, a weapon, something to be used, not an actual person. It makes Ochako's fingers grip her Gear a bit tighter and she exhales slowly.] But I'll teach her to the best of my abilities. There are daycares and preschools in the towns and cities as well, and I'm sure she could learn a little bit from there, too, if I can't get any of you all to look after her for a day or two. Battling is so ingrained into the culture here, that I can't see her not picking it up a little bit over time. But I agree, I'd rather she never have to rely solely on that.

And, um...I-I don't have a place, n-no...but thankfully a lot of the inns, motels, and places around offer a really good discount for traveling trainers embarking on the gym challenge!! You should take advantage of that sometime too, Hawks-san! But...I would like to have a place to stay in some day, o-once I get a lot of money.

[Or catch a Meowth or two...or literally anything that can learn Pay Day, to rake up that free money.]

[feathersfly]

[Honestly, all the better for Hawks. He's not really enjoying this act; having it be hard to maintain logistically as well as emotionally would just be an extra layer of punishment.]

It might've been an accident, but I think Eri fell into the perfect situation already. Considering everything the kid's been through, her comfort should definitely be first priority.

Still, practically taking on parenting duties when you're not even an adult yourself yet is going to be tough. Especially things like seeing to her education. Don't be afraid to reach out for help - your idea about checking out daycares and preschools is on the right track, I think. You can't go wrong reaching out to some experts when you need to.

[He chuckles.] And it's fine if you don't have a place yet, so long as Eri-chan doesn't have to be camping out on the ground every night. I've been meaning to look into the gym challenge for a lot of reasons - one of which being that I could use the money - but I'm still holding off. My team's a little...one-note, due to my preferences. I think they need to be pretty strong before I go tossing them at gyms, since I'm forgoing a certain amount of strategy in the name of aesthetics. I'm not quite sure they're there yet.

[PRIVATE now. Sorry Eri, no eavesdropping for you]

[floatsaway]

I'm aware of that.

[Ochako is very much already crunching numbers hard in her head and going over her...very limited funds and how to properly budget for food, clothes, necessities for their Pokemon, travel expenses, hotel and inn stays... and yeah, teaching Eri as much as she can on her own. Ochako's not a teacher, either. It's going to be very, very hard and she's going to have to fight and actually win against opposing trainers on her journey to make money until she can fight the next Gym, pray to whatever Poke-God she wins again, and get more money.

There's also the very real possibility of falling back onto bad habits, too. Skipping meals, letting Eri eat when she doesn't, just so the girl can have proper nutrition. Meal prepping while she sleeps so they have time the next day to study, practice reading and writing... It's...not something Ochako is unfamiliar with, unfortunately. Growing up poor as she has instilled these sort of skills into herself from a young age. It's shameful, but it's what she's got to do until she can get a savings going, or a steady way to earn money and simply make time to sit down with Eri one-on-one. In fact, this is more incentive than ever to get her hands on a Meowth when she gets to Goldenrod. It...may actually have to beat out getting an Eevee there, in fact. She needs the money more.]

I will, I promise. [Ochako lowers her voice a bit, moving to step away a bit so she's not right in earshot of the girl.] Thank you, Hawks-san. If it gets too much, I know I can count on you all - my Heroes, ehehe. I really appreciate it. I think taking a little break in the city after this one might be a good idea...just so Eri-chan can get some time to learn essentials there.

[Reading, writing, all that sort of thing. It's going to put her behind the others but...it's not like this is a competition. There's no time limit to the Gym Challenge. Besides, Eri's needs come before Ochako's desires. That's just how it is.]

[feathersfly]

I figured you would be, but hey, I'm an adult. I've got a daily quota of fussing to meet. [He cracks a grin.] But I know no one who's training to be a hero at a school as prestigious as UA is going to be clueless here. And you guys already have some experience with Eri-chan, right? You probably know better what's best for her than I do.

A break would probably be good for you, too. Just to settle into how you're going to handle things under the new circumstances, you know? [The new circumstances, of course, being Eri.] So I'm going to agree with your instincts again. You've got good ones.

[floatsaway]

Mm, she was being held by the faculty there - mostly Aiz--ah, I mean...Eraserhead was seeing to her education and training with her quirk. Togata--er...Lemillion was her caretaker sometimes as well as other members of the Big Three at UA.

[It's weird referring to people she knows fairly well by their Hero names when not on a mission, but Hawks probably knows these people better by referring to them that way. He's not exactly an alumnus of UA after all, he'd be more aware of who she's talking about on the Hero Network by their aliases.]

She comes to stop by our dorms sometimes, but not often, since, um...since we still have our own work to do, too, but...a lot of us do have siblings, sometimes even younger ones around her age, that they used to look after when we were still living off campus. I don't have any myself, but...um. I-I'm going to do my best!! [FIST. PUMP.]

[feathersfly]

[Hawks appreciates the effort. She's right, too - Hawks knows these people by hero names, not really knowing them on any personal level at all. It makes it much easier to follow what she's saying.]

Don't worry, you'll be great. [He says this with confidence. A girl with the kind of grit he saw at the sports festival - with that level of determination and inventiveness - is one who'll make a good showing out of tackling any challenge. Full-time babysitting is a high hurdle to clear, but then, so is becoming a pro hero. The way Hawks sees it, they may not be the same skill sets, but they're probably comparable in difficulty.

So if he thinks she's got what it takes to tackle one of those things, he'd need some pretty compelling evidence to the contrary to doubt that she could tackle the other.]

So what about your pokémon? You have any that could help you out with all this in any way? Seems like there's one for almost everything you could imagine as it is, so I feel like there have to be a few with some useful talents as far as looking after kids.