victory_road | [Video]

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[Alright he's figured out how to do video at least. After being ousted from a home that he is pretty sure it got implied he lived in by someone named 'Mom' who certainly isn't his mother or look anything like him. The two toned hair being the one indicator. The fact that he remembers his mother and that this is not his mother is another good indicator.

Or maybe this is the culmination of how many times he's been knocked around. Maybe this is a fever dream.]

Good afternoon everyone.

A local man said he wanted to fight me and then presented a small rat. I think his implication was he wanted me to fight his pet. I don't condone animal abuse so I won't be doing that. However, any time I step near to pass by, he insists I should be battling "him". Each time it's the rat. Does anyone have a number or a contact for a humane society? I don't think I'm comfortable leaving it in his care.

Thank you.

[It takes one or two times of tapping at the screen before he shuts it off, but he gets there.]

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Yeah, that's right! OR, I think that's right, anyway. Ghosts in this world are a little different than regular spirits.

Um, kind of like the difference between a ghost and a poltergeist, if you know it?

[Her Sinistea seems quite pleased by the waves in response, making strange little bell noises in tandem with the Mimikyu.]

Both of these two are Ghost types, so they use a shadowy kind of power to fight with other Pokemon. As opposed to, like, fire, or water, or ice.

You would be surprised at how clever and resilient they can be.

[And, with all of his rats, how they can electrocute a man. But that's irrelevant currently.]

There should be a book within it... I believe studying that will help you a great deal. It explains battling fairly well, and what that means.

For most, this is nothing more than simple sparring, with you as their mentor, their coach.

[Gamble accepted. He's listening the whole time with a mostly unreadable look on his face until the word 'quirk'. That gets his attention and the pull of his eyebrows together. There's nothing in his memory from school, not that he cares to know everyone there but she's certainly using a word he's familiar with.

His eyes linger before he sits down, and picks through his bag for the book. It takes him only a couple moments with one hand and he opens it up. Pre-empting its travel companion, the Sinistea settles on his shoulder to look down at the book, too.]

It's a phantom teacup. I've been told it's a ghost. Are you someone who goes to UA Highschool?

I do know it, at least folklore wise.

[His voice is precise but there's no malice or hurrying her behind it, only the information most important to the point she's making. They're helpful and he appreciates it. Watching the exchange between both of these pets is also damn cute. However, keeping his eyes on his conversation partner is more or less what he's doing.]

So I should let this [Uh. Not thing. Thing seems like he doesn't like it, and he actually does like it.] ...Cup. fight the man's rat?

I heard they're highly trainable pets in Japan, but I didn't think you could train them to fight.

[He knows a man like that back home. Conspiracy about him being an electric rat, when? ~~Never but still.~~]

I see.

[To the book he's already getting out to give it a bit of a better skim with the thin knowledge he's obtained.]

In other words, these animals are helped by being 'Coached'?

[He's got a lot of friends who would've been hurt even more had they not had coaching. Looking at a certain person who's limbs wouldn't be so broken up.]

I assume they fight in the wild?

Nope! But I know a few who do. Figured it was worth seeing if the word meant something while bringing up powers. ... We're all from different dimensions, for the most part. The common theory is that one of the gods of this world brought us here, but for what purposes, we still don't know. It's... not out of malice, though.

So, as it's a ghost type it uses 'special' attacks more- probably darkness or shadow inclined, all things considered.

( a pause- )

Also, call me Jinx. I'm friends with a couple UA students here.

Well, likely, these particular variant are considerably different than the ones you or I know.

[Probably. But hey, if Shouto has rats that can chew through concrete in no time at all, more power to him.]

They do indeed fight in the wild... and, while you are traveling, you will likely be challenged by them - and by 'you', I mean you and your Palien companion, of course. Many of them are practicing to get stronger on their own, but some are also looking to see if you are a suitable trainer for them.

One way to see if they are interested in such an allegiance is by using the small red and white balls you should have on you... At least a few. If you throw it at them, then it 'catches' them. If they truly struggle, then they can break out with ease, I believe... but any who are interested in working alongside you will eventually settle, whether quickly or after a moment.

That is the traditional way of things, however. There are a variety of ways this sort of encounter can go.

But by working alongside humans, it seems to be easier for them to grow stronger, or whatever other reason they decide to follow a person.

[ Nothing comes out of the pokeball??? Kirishima stares in bemusement and totally misses the Pokemon sidling on into frame until Todoroki points it out. ]

Oh! That's it! That's your Pokemon!

[ And while Kirishima doesn't know what he was expecting - maybe a water type since fire and ice? - he's still surprised! Though now he thinks about it, this does seem appropriate. Todoroki's one of the most traditionally Japanese people he knows and what's more Japanese than a possessed inanimate object? ]

Yeah, when we arrive in this place, we all start out with a buddy to go with us while we travel. The animals of this world are called Pokemon and they all have Quirks, so it can be dangerous to go anywhere outside of town unless you have one to protect you.

[ Because, and he's hesitating to be the one to break the bad news, Todoroki no longer has his own Quirk. Kirishima's told this to two or three of his classmates now and it's sucked every time; maybe Midoriya or Bakugou will get there before him... ]

[ Six-years-old to ten-years-old is definitely a pretty big jump in age, though she's still a child small enough to be easily picked up by most of the 1-A students, and she's still a six-year-old on the inside. Plus, her general demeanor and the way she carries herself as a six-year-old makes her seem younger than ten regardless. ]

M-Mm... you're Shoto-san, right?

[ Eri typically uses hero names... which isn't much of a difference considering how Shoto, like Nejire, just used their own names for their Hero Names. ]

It's a Paliens battle, not a people fight!!

[UGH, HONESTLY.]

Not the way he insinuated.

[That seems like a legitimate thing, considering the people he's talked to on this post and just how friendly a lot of his fellow UA friends are. The book is less interesting the more she goes on, in fact, the part about other dimensions seems pretty important. It's clear by the look on his face and the movement of his eyes along nothing in particular he's lost in thought a moment.]

Jinx.

[Alright he can do that.]

You can call me Shoto, there's no need for formalities. You're saying there's no way to even contact home? It's very important I let them know I'm alright.

So- this is where things get... weird. While we're here, time stops back home- we'll return to where we last remember like nothing happened, and no one remembers us being gone. I went home briefly myself, even- and woke up here again, with only a week passing here for the months I was there. We also won't remember our time here.

There's a lot that we don't understand still. Some of us have been here for ten years, though.

I know...I wasn't so sure about it either, but trust me. It'll make more sense once you actually do it a couple of times.

[Is Izuku actually condoning animal abuse? On god?]

You're in a place called Johto now, Todoroki-kun. How you ended up getting here is, well...nobody really knows just yet. I thought it might be a Quirk, but I haven't really learned anything else since I first got here. But I can answer any other questions you might have!

[Not rats, but he'd put money on a few of his friends. He's listening very carefully, anything that he already knows is only solidified by hearing it from someone else he presumes has been here longer. During the explanation his eyes dart to the pokeballs in his bag. Red and white balls, check. ...He honestly thought it was just someone taking a stab at him when he saw them at first.

This seems a lot like mentorship. That's a little easier for him to grasp on to.]

So it's symbiotic. If I take them in, it helps them grow into what they want to grow in, if they choose to stay with me. ...In these balls.

[Because that looks uncomfortable.]

Only these?

[He doesn't want to do it any number of time at all. He's pretty sure that his eyes will witness yet more murder of a poor cup. However, the one thing he also can live securely in is ~~dropping everything when Midoriya sends a text to root out why it wasn't about his day~~ not being steered wrong by Midoriya. He wouldn't be where he is today if he hadn't heard those words echoed from his childhood right into his angaryjerkdays.

Alright, he's quietly listening while Midoriya throws him the things he needs to know. At least at base level and that's getting somewhere and saying something. There's only one question weighing on him at the moment, because even if a rando said it, he wants to hear it from someone he trusts.]

How do I contact my brother, my mother and my sister?

This.

[It's obvious 'this' and the tone of his voice is affirming more than questioning. Good okay. That's one thing down at least. This is a pokemon and that's step one done for him. All steps actually. Animals with quirks... isn't that just...]

I don't need protecting, it's a teacup. I've dropped them before and I've seen what happens when they get hit. If these creatures have some form of High Spec or not I'd rather it not shatter.

[Said shatterable teacup is busy rooting through his bag, which Todoroki seems none too fussed by. He really likes this cup. One day he'll learn, the hard way. Probably when it gets too hot or too cold somewhere.]

Do you rely on them, Kirishima?

[Izuku opens his mouth to answer. Closes it. Opens it again.

Oh dear.]

You...can't. None of us can contact anyone from home right now...much less actually go home.

But, I can at least promise you that time works differently here. It won't seem like any time at all has passed back home, so...it's like we never left. The reason I know this is because a few others that are here have gone home and come back, before.

[At least she knows his name/hero name and that's good enough for him. But with so many of them here, there's got to be a way they can figure out how to get back.]

Yes, that's right. You're not alone, are you?

[Surely at least one of them would've gone to find her if this world is as dangerous as some are trying to tell him.]

[An actual answer isn't necessary. The working of the other teen's jaw in an attempt to consider what words should come out of it say much more than the actual words that do and much earlier for that matter.

Shoto's eyes trail again and he draws in a deep breath, letting it out slowly before the word 'but' is snapping his attention back to the screen. It wasn't much of a 'but', however, at least his family wouldn't worry. In short fact, Shoto is damn sure that he's never heard one of them go off about being transported to a fakemom, shoved together with an animal and belittled by some asshat on the side of the road for not wanting to falcon punch his pet rat.

That's definitely something he would've remembered them saying in passing.]

I understand.

[Which is all he can muster for a few seconds.]

I'm glad you're here, at least. [Despite that it's obvious he's already unhappy he can't contact them. Maybe people not as nuanced in Todoroki-ese wouldn't know, but someone like Midoriya might have a fighting chance to know.] That a few others are and that no one back home is going to worry.

[Just them, here. To make sure that it's not dwelled upon, he quickly adds:]

One more question.
You're sure in your heart of hearts I should let this teacup try to fight a rat? You're certain?

[This is all very, incredibly solidifying in the idea that his mother won't be out of her mind worrying where he is among other things he has to worry about in recent tim--

Pardon.]

Ten years? An entire decade?

[Did he hear right, he just wants to make sure.]

Well, the thing is... it's actually a ghost, not a cup. It's just possessing the cup.

[ He's actually never seen a Sinistea before now, but how else would you explain what he's seeing? Fairy type? Anyway, before he can ponder over if the cup can even break, there's another question.

It provokes a wry grin. ]

I like to think we rely on each other most of the time. But when it comes to things like flying or surfing over the water, yeah. Without a doubt.

[ But thinking about fighting Pokemon with his bare hands - which he has done, and often if you count sparring with his fighting types - brings a little chuckle. ]

Actually, I fought the first Pokemon I got. In my defense the first thing he did was punch me in the gut!

Yep. I've only been here for a few months myself, though. But if the people here longest were to go back home today, they'd resume where they left off- like... pausing a show on netflix and switching to something else, and then coming back to the first one.

No, you're just dumb.

[He's paused shows before but he's not really sure what a netflix is. Another word he'll look up later in the book people are telling him to consult.]

At least no one back home will be worried, or hurt, or need help.

[Give him a second, he doesn't enjoy the idea of not being able to talk to his family at all.]

Thank you for giving me this information.

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[Video]

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Staying super vague to avoid spoilers ♥

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👌👌👌

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