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[ The warehouse-like structure above contrasts with the more natural, hewn rock flooring; it's a readily recognizable arena for anyone who's been to Brock's gym. A little graininess hints this is a recording of another screen, but the action is still clear enough. Over those stalagmites, the paradoxically rugged and serpentine form of a massive Onix rears up and dives down towards an arms-akimbo Machoke. Just before the point of impact, the Machoke leaps forward and up, landing a Cross-Chop beneath where the crest of rock juts out of the rock beast's head - right between the eyes.

While the Onix recovers from more of an impact than it was expecting with the ground, Machoke moves to use the stalagmites to his advantage for some cover. Here it can be seen despite his earlier cool demeanor, he's definitely been battered and scraped a good deal. Enraged, Onix's next move is to demolish part of the arena on the called order to Rock Slide and while Machoke braces himself, he still takes the hit and seems to fall back amidst the cloud of rising dust. This seems like it's going to be the end of things as Brock calls for a Bind and the rock snake delves into the particulates and the silhouette of it beginning to wind around can be seen.

"C'MON MACHOKE, THIS IS YOUR MOMENT! TOSS 'IM!" Comes the scream from the young man who is apparently the challenger's trainer and boy; but there's a bit of strain to his voice that has nothing to do with a lack of experience in yelling, almost as if not even he's sure his Pokemon's going to pull this off.

The silhouette begins to unwind faster than it can curl, and soon enough the debris is clearing thanks to the slow but momentous passage of a damn Onix being swung around by its tail. It's just a couple of rotations, but it's more than enough to break some more stalagmites and carve a furrow in the floor when Machoke finally lets the Onix go.

There's an eruption of a scream of triumph from the trainer which is, fortunately for everyone's eardrums, cut by a grey finger tapping a pause button. Pan out to a Machoke holding the camera selfie-style next to a television screen. As he touches the tiny Machoke on screen and then points to himself there's a self-satisfied rumble before the red eyes dart to someone off-screen, meaningfully.

The view pans out further as the camera is handed off, allowing the Machoke to pick up a broadcast schedule for various gym matches and indicate the place for 'Brock vs. Eijiro Kirishima'. A gravely yet nonetheless young male's voice finally breaks in, his tone holding wry amusement. ]

Machoke took on Brock's regular team by himself and he'd like to invite you to check out his whole match.

Pretty sure it's also a challenge for anyone who's interested in tryin' to take him on. I get that right, man?

[ The fighting Pokemon of the moment gives a cocky smirk, one little fang protruding. He reaches out towards the camera and beckons with his fingers - possibly a universal sign for bring it on - before the fingers ball into a fist and flexes the muscles of his arm. ]

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[Ochako is giggling and snorting to herself at the posing Pokemon, mimicking the poses with her arms and maybe even doing one that she remembers All Might doing at some point as well, when he was still able to get into his muscle form. But oh, there's her favorite rock-hard redhead to congratulate!]

I would love that!! All of you can come, and I'll tell you right before I take on the challenge and wait for you guys! I still have a lot of training to do for it, only a few of my partners are really any good against that type.

[Perhaps two? Three, maybe?? But then suddenly the topic changes and her smile falters for a moment. Just a moment. Ah...hah.]

I-It is a little, um...difficult, but I'm okay, Kirishima-kun, please don't worry. If I win the gym challenge, I'll be in a better spot too, I think. Plus, I'm teaching Eri-chan how to battle, little by little, so her friends can grow stronger and take care of her if for some reason I can't be there, or we get separated.

[ OH LOOK THANK YOU OCHAKO he did know private was an option but totally forgot because he does most of his dealings in the open. Here he is stupid and just thinking a low tone would work. ]

[ PUBLIC: ]

Seriously, I'd love to show up for you! I know how tough the Jhoto gyms can be. I mean if you get Bugsy you're definitely one up on me!

[ Just... because... he skipped and hasn't tried yet but man, he's up for letting Ochako take a win early. He's sure she's going to be a force to be reckoned with eventually! ]

[ PRIVATELY: ]

Look, I remember it was hard enough just between Bakugou and I when we were where you are, and we both had a somewhat steady income between us.

If you know gyms can win you big than you get I just got a big payday from Machoke. So let me send you this money, okay? We're good over here.

[ He frowns, gently. ]

You're really strong, taking on Eri like this... If I weren't a whole continent away I'd say let me and Izuku take her for a while. I'm not sayin' we won't either at some point, but....

Let me send you some funds, huh? You can call it a loan if you really have to.

[In all honestly, Ochako had to do a bit of fiddling with the Gear late at night to find the damn privacy settings. Her little pink flip phone is pretty archaic in terms of smart-technology and the Gear as a whole is completely damn different, too. Thank god she can do this while Eri is napping or asleep, too.]

Kirishima-kun...

[Ugh, she knows he's trying to help, and my god does Ochako appreciate it, she really does, but it's still hard for her to accept. Maybe it's stupid of her, but Ochako has always been pretty financially unstable, and she's never once asked for any sort of help and just grit her teeth and kept on trucking. She was always under the mentality that working hard and keeping a positive attitude would work out eventually. It's...sort of a mark on her pride, too. Kind of. Always struggling, always scrounging for pay, always saving...she doesn't want to just be The Poor Girl™ accepting help from people. She wants to earn things herself. Stubbornly, maybe, but it's hard to break that cycle she grew up with.]

I'm fine, I--...I'll be fine. You don't need to give me any of your money, r-really. I'd hate to make you do something like that. I just have to train a little bit more and beat the Gym, then I'll have enough to get by for a while!! I plan to stay in the next city for a while, too - since it's the biggest one. I can try to save up money, or get a job there, and I remember that that's where those maneki-nekos are!! Um...I don't remember what they're called. [Meowth.]

But if I catch one, I should be able to have it collect a lot of money, so...d-don't waste anything on me. If I really, really need it, I promise I'll reach out.

Uraraka.

[ It's a stern, but altogether concerned voice. ]

Listen, I've been where you are right now. The road you're on is built to be hard on one person. So realistically, you ought to just be lookin' out for yourself and your Pokemon.

But you're taking on a whole other person and-- and I've been here, you know? Almost a year now. I've got savings, and if I don't use them to offer my friends and Eri a better life, what am I?

Think of it like this. We're pro heroes and we both find Eri at the same time. Are you really gonna try to take it all on you or are you gonna let me help give her the best chance in this place? Which one's better for her? Or if I came in here with Eri and you had the ability to throw me some cash, are you saying you wouldn't do it?

[Ugh...he's right. He's right and Ochako knows it, which is why she sort of sinks a little bit and glances aside to hide her expression. That last sentence strikes a little bit harder (critical hit?), and she actually winces because...well--]

'Course I would...

[It's literally what she's been doing back home, for her mom and dad. Working her butt off, saving money, skipping a few meals here and there before she started living on campus, becoming a Hero - that was and still is mostly for them. To get earn a good wage as her rank as a Pro Hero increases and give her mama and papa the easy and comfortable life they deserve. She feels her throat tighten up a little bit, eyes getting glassy, and swiftly turns off her Gear's camera. She's a bit too embarrassed to remain on video, sorry.

Is this what she sounds like she talks to her parents about their financial trouble? Ochako wonders...]

Fine. You can send me a little bit, but...I promise I'll be okay. I've been through stuff like this before, I-- [She pauses. Kirishima doesn't exactly know she's stupid, crazy poor back home, does he? That actually makes her hesitate.] ...I know what to do, it's okay. Believe me. And, um...p-please don't think I'm not grateful, Kirishima-kun, I am - you're an amazing Hero and friend - but I-I just... I wanna do it on my own.

[It's complicated, and she can't put her feelings into words well, but. That's the gist of it. She wants to do this for herself, and even if it's hard, she has done something similar before.]

Almond--eh, I mean...my Pachirisu, sometimes finds items around and brings them to me. Like an actual squirrel gathers nuts back home! A lot of the time I end up selling them, too! Once she found something worth a ton of money!! So just...please. Don't worry too much, okay?

[ I just wanna do it on my own.

Anyone who knows Kirishima ought to praise him since he swallows his first response, stands up, and paces the room a bit. He doesn't want to take away his friend's agency. Uraraka is a damn good hero in training and he's empathetic enough to question how he'd feel if he was in her place. It just...

All their training came down to dealing with helpless civilians. None of it had to deal with showing solidarity to your fellow hero. Kirishima is ill-equipped here professionally, though he's fortunately got good sense emotionally. He understands he can come on too strong sometimes. He's just got to go with his gut. After a couple of laps and a few minutes in a wall-sit, he's ready to talk again. ]

Last Halloween, a Meowth followed Bakugou around. We made rent off that in Goldenrod before we got jobs.

Uraraka... I think everyone who's already been here a while from our world just wants to let you two know we support you. I'm sure you can make ends meet if you had to. We just, you know... We're all heroes. We can't do nothing.

And we care about you! That's not the same as thinkin' you can't do it on your own.

[ He pauses and there is maybe a little snuffle from his end. ]

Please? Let us send you something? You can throw it out or donate it if you don't really want it...

[Ochako knows a bomb is about to be dropped in her lap the moment it goes quiet on the other end of her Gear, and she can hear her friend moving around wherever he is, probably to just collect himself and find the right words to say. She feels bad, Ochako really does feel bad that she's working people up like this, and a part of her is tempted to just hang up and not pick up if he tries to contact her again, but...Kirishima is one of her best friends. She knows that he's coming from a place of love, and the affirmation of that, when he voices it, makes Ochako choke up enough that she actually has to remove herself from the area where she is, for fear of being caught by Eri. There's no way she's not going to be an absolute mess of emotions right now, so best to try and save face to one person.

There's a lot of strain in her voice, and it sounds high-pitched and tight. She's definitely crying, because...well.]

I know. I-I know...you do. All of you! And I get what you're saying, and...I-I'm r-really grateful to have you g-guys as...a-as f-f-friends. You're all so kind, a-and good, and...s-so nice to me. [She chokes a bit, clearing her throat and sniffling hard.] S'why it's so hard, 'c-cuz I wanna be that same person in y-your eyes, t-too, y'know? I don't wanna ask for help all the time, or make you guys feel like you need to take care of me! I-I can do it, I know I can do it!! Being poor, and budgeting, and managing things like this is something I'm used to... I have a plan, I have stuff saved up still, and I can get a job. The next gym, too, if...i-if I win again, I'll have more money.

I won't throw anything you send me away, I...couldn't bring myself to do that, ever, but. [She takes a deep breath, because Ochako is shaking a little bit, and she knows this might come off a bit mean, but it's just the plain truth.] Having all this stuff thrust at me like this makes me feel like no one believes in me. It makes me feel really little...and I don't like that.

I'm a Hero too, Kirishima-kun, and...if I can't rely on my own strength sometimes, then...what kind of Hero am I?

[ Man, he was strong before when he said what he said, but hearing Uraraka cry through her reply makes Kirishima brim over too. It's been a long, hard road for him, even with Bakugou basically taking care of the financials every step of the way. It's been hard thinking about the world he's left behind against his will. He's had to re-evaluate what it even means to be himself without his Quirk.

And she's doing all that with someone wholly dependent on her? It's hard. It's hard for him to hear what Uraraka is actually telling him about her self-worth when all he wants to do is help and make sure his friend isn't suffering like he has suffered on the road in this place with deceptively cheerful background music. ]

I believe in you, Uraraka.

[ He says after a moment. ]

I believe you can do everything on your own if you had to, I just... I dunno. [ Sniff. ] I feel like... I'm a bad friend if I don't offer you anything since I've been here so long now. I know how hard it was for me just starting out. I don't think any one of us is... is trying to pave your way or anything like that.

I mean can you look at it from our perspective? I show up with Eri and next to nothing except a few Pokemon. You really don't wanna send me at least one thing that can help?

[I believe in you, Uraraka.

Ochako hiccups, covering her mouth with her hand to quiet the little sobs that bubble up from her throat when she hears that. It's bittersweet, hearing those words right now, because she knows Kirishima means them with complete honesty and sincerity, and he's just doing this because he's a good friend and a good person. It's out of love, she knows that...and he would never, ever, look down on her because of her financial situation in this or any world, but it's hard to shake that kneejerk reaction when people offer help she doesn't explicitly ask for. When she becomes the center of attention because she can't afford something, or needs someone to pay for her, or can't come along to a paid event... It's embarrassing, sometimes even shameful, and she just can't shake that. She probably won't ever be able to shake that until she's a high-ranking Pro Hero and adult.]

I know...I really do, and you're not a bad friend for offering - you're a good friend, Kirishima-kun, one of my very best friends, ever...a-and I feel really bad making you upset and-- [Ochako's turn to sniff, wiping at her face.] And you're right...I-I'd drop everything to help. I know I would.

[She's doing just that for her parents, right now, back in their world. Almost everything she makes from her Work Study is given back to them.]

M'sorry...I-I'll take what you s-send. I don't m-mean to seem ungrateful...

Yeah... Exactly. I'm your friend, Uraraka... Ochako... [ Another little sniff and he tries to clean himself up with the swipe of a hand. ]

It doesn't make you any less strong, y'know? Acceptin' that a lot of people care about you. But this is all that's gonna come from my end, promise. You got this.

[ He'll send the little care package he gathered from the other heroes through Jack the Noivern which, honestly, is a trial unto herself. After all, she screams her arrival and practically lands on Ochako before delicately placing the parcel. ]

[Oh. Oh. Hearing her name like that makes Ochako choke up again, even more, and she sniffles hard. He's such a good friend, he really is, and she kind of wishes Kirishi--no, Eijiro was here right now to give him a huge hug. She feels a bit bad for declining so much at first, but it's just...really hard. She's got a lot of pent up feelings about this kind of thing she has to overcome, and her friends are just trying to help. It's always come from a place of love.]

I-I know...I really do, it's just. I-It's not easy. I don't know why, but it's not sometimes. But I;ll try to get better, p-promise! [She scrubs her face free of tears again, trying to compose herself.] Thanks for being my friend, Kirish--...eheh, Eijirou-kun. You're the best. R-Really.

[And even though Jack flies in like a literal bat out of hell in a few hours, Ochako is a little too strung up still to be overly scared of the big thing. She mostly just sniffles, smiles, and gives the Noivern a big hug in place of its trainer, snuggling up close (if allowed), and sending her off with tons of scritches and affection. She may be a shrieking banshee of a Pokemon, but Ochako appreciates her efforts to help, too.]

You have a really, really good trainer. And I know because you're a good girl, too. Please take extra special care of him, okay?

[ Jack the Noivern, in spite of her hellion ways, is only in the business of scaring people for good fun, not maliciousness. She accepts the hug with a sag of her wings and a soft chitter; the fluff on her chest is so soft, a nice cushion for Uraraka to lean against. She'll carefully shift her wings to enshroud Uraraka and give her nuzzles and little licks from her large tongue until the tears are gone, and the laughter is at least forced, if not genuine. Her large ears give little flickers and soft, soothing pulses of sound like a purr. She is a good girl, just a little... odd. Her trainer gets that. And when all is said and done, when Ochako seems done with her, she'll lumber her way off to a clear space to take to the skies once more. ]

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