[Video]

[heir_conditioned]

[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.]

Comments

[heir_conditioned]

[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?

[mightdoriya]

[Oh Shoto...Izuku, unlike most, can tell just by the way he's acting that he's not pleased by this news. He can't exactly blame him though; Izuku hadn't taken it all that well either, and that was on top of...well. Everything that was going on back home when he arrived here. It...wasn't a good time, for the first few weeks.]

I'm glad I am too, if only so you're not dealing with this alone.

[He sounds genuinely sympathetic when he says that.]

Oh- t...teacup?

[TEACUP?? What on earth kind of Pokemon do you have Shoto...]

Well, whatever your Pokemon is, it will be fine battling the rat, I promise. I assume if it's an early route he probably has a Ratatta...

But you don't have to battle if you don't actually want to. It's just good for your Pokemon, and a good way to make money.

[heir_conditioned]

[Pleased is the opposite of what he is. He certainly could do without all this happening in the least. Really, if he thinks about it he hasn't even had time to breathe and take it all in if he wants to leave this particular part of the town. Maybe when he figures out how and where he's supposed to rest he'll have time for it.

His look softens from it's place of unrest. Midoriya just has a way of saying things that he wants to rebuke wishing maybe they were home doing important work but... They're all 'paused' here as he comes to understand it, which still makes no sense and really. As much as he loves that Kirishima, Bakugo, Ochako and the rest are here. Midoriya makes it more familiar. So, for that reason his jaw had opened to say something and then it closes with a soft sigh until the questionnotquestion.]

Teacup.

[He leans down and picks up the small, four inch cup to set it on his shoulder where it's got a good vantage point and hides mostly in his red hair.]

Bakugo made a similar point.

[No he didn't he yelled and it sounded like friendly Bakugo encouragement to him.]

If it's something I have to get used to, then I have to get used to it. I'll call you back with the results.

[mightdoriya]

[Ah...oh no. Oh no it's so cute...]

Oh! I've never seen that Pokemon before. Maybe a ghost type...? Or psychic...

[...]

Hah? W-wait, wait, don't go yet! Do you have any other questions...?

[heir_conditioned]

[It's a few minutes before he gets back to Midoriya and when he does he answers the other boy's muttered questions as well.]

Ghost type. It's called Sinistea. That's all I know, aside not to drink it or it could kill me. Though, there was a very kind looking lady asking if I wanted to come in for tea that I hope wasn't about... This pokemon.

[Which he was not going to do, drink poor Hojicha, but you know.]

I have a lot of questions. Where do they expect us to stay while we're out? How do we let someone know if there's an emergency to get help? Where's the nearest hospital should I have to take someone there? How do I feed this creature? Does it need a certain amount of sleep? If it gets hurt what sort of attention should I give it? There's a lot to go over. Much of which I think is in this book, but I have barely had time to scratch the surface.

I also learned about the mating habits of these things today. How to battle them, what they are, what struggle does and that a ghost and a rat can't hit each other unless they accidentally do.

[That's a lot of words for him, and he's still not worded out. He is, however, stressed out.]

...I think I'll just go back to the village and take the woman up on her offer to have tea. I'm sure with the weather getting hotter, I could help cool her and her pets down. She can't be worse than the woman claiming to be my mother and insist that it wasn't an issue we look nothing alike.

[mightdoriya]

[...yes please don't drink your Pokemon Shoto, that would be bad. It's a little confusing sometimes...since some Pokemon legitimately can be eaten, and not exactly in the way you'd think.

Everything is edible if you try hard enough etc but that isn't what Izuku is thinking, here.]

Oh no, don't worry...she wouldn't have asked you to do that.

[He...doesn't think.]

Uh-

[Oh, wow, okay that. IS a lot of questions. Give him a second to parse and go through everything one at a time.]

Trainers travel, for the most part. We've been staying in inns as we get to each town, but otherwise we camp on the routes. Money isn't too much of an issue when you're battling, since you make a lot battling against the locals...your Pokegear that you're using to talk to me on right now should be plenty enough for calling for help. It acts like a cell phone, and while there is a police force here...I wouldn't exactly say it's not needed? But...trainers are usually more than capable of taking care of themselves with their Pokemon.

[And there are plenty of hero types around beyond just Izuku and co.]

The Pokemon Centers with the red roofs in each town act as hospitals for Pokemon, but the nurses there are more than capable of helping people too. It's going to sound strange, but...it's not possible for people to die here, so getting seriously injured isn't as much of an issue as it could be.

[Izuku takes a breath.]

Pokemon eat things like Pokemon food that you can buy from stores, berries, curry, poffins....but poffins are more like treats than anything. Your Pokemon is a ghost type, but they can still eat just like any other Pokemon. No, I don't know how that works. Your Pokemon rest inside of their Pokeballs, so if you're worried about him needing to get some sleep, you can return him to it. But it kinda depends on the Pokemon as to whether they'll be awake during the day or not. I have some Pokemon who are nocturnal.

[ANOTHER BREATH]

Again, the Pokemon Center is where you take them when they get injured or their energy gets low. And you're right, a lot of that should be in your trainer manual.

And uh- you're...probably not going to be able to do that. Once "Mom" kicks you out, she doesn't let you back in.

[heir_conditioned]

[There's Izuku coming through again. It's nice to have him coming through again, actually, and Shoto has more than just what's going on in this world to take into consideration. Luckily for them both, there've been other people explaining various things to him. Either way, he summarizes verbally to memorize it.]

Stay at inns or camp, battle with locals, use the Pokegear for communication, take Hojicha to the hospital—

[No please, go on because he's stuck on this particular construct. No death. He's listening but his listing to make sure he has them right has stopped as he continues to replay what Midorya said.]

I meant the elderly lady—

[Shoto takes a breath of his own but it's obviously a palate cleanser of a breath because he also just learned he doesn't have his quirk.]

I really appreciate your information, everyone's information, but I need a while to go through it. I wasn't convinced before, but when I wake back up in a hospital I at least want to be able to write all this down. It sounds like it might be something you'd enjoy hearing later when I'm awake. Though Iida may be upset he wasn't in it. I'll construct something for him too.

[mightdoriya]

[...wait. Does Shoto think he's dreaming all of this? Or hallucinating it, maybe? Izuku can't exactly blame him...it is all a lot to be expected to believe.

So he's not going to discourage that line of thinking, at least for now. He just smiles, sadly, the gesture not quite reaching his eyes.]

Of course. Take all of the time you need, okay? I've been here a while, and it's still a lot for me to process.