victory_road | Network and action combo

Entry tags:

Network and action combo

Who: Mikasa Ackerman and ???

Where: Route 32, Union Cave, Route 33

When: After Snorunt event

Summary: When you small and your travel buddy just vanishes near a big dark cave

Rating: E for everyone, though might need some warnings later for grim children

Log:
The network part - video
[The recording had started before Mikasa had even centered the camera on herself. Catching the hustle and bustle of a group of pokemon, all seeming a bit antsy. In particular was one big boy that a few people might recognize. All of the others out were Mikasa's own pokemon, standing guard and near their master. The Luxio and Riolu sniffing at the remains of their campsite. The normal playfulness was missing as they got to work in the early morning light.]

Does anyone know about a sneaky pokemon near the cave on...route 32?

[Very stern. For the past few months she'd just started managing to emote again, but that progress was gone now.]

Yachi was sleeping, but now she's gone. All her things are still here.

[Just vanished into the night. Right near the big cave, Yachi wouldn't have gone in willingly but...]

Around, the nearby routes
[It felt like it'd been a long time since Mikasa had been optimistic. Yet it'd been less than a year. A mere year ago, she'd have thought Yachi was fine and left looking to the adults after sending her message. Not now though. Mikasa hadn't really seen aggressive pokemon, but she'd heard stories of wolves and boars back home.

It was enough to push her into taking her pokemon and Ume and looking for Yachi alone, in the hopes she'd find her friend. And that she'd find her friend fine and well and not a body. Ume would help. Yachi's Meganium hadn't wanted to return to his ball and Mikasa didn't have it in her to force him. Besides, he was carrying Yachi's pack. While Riolu and Luxio tried to find a scent, the latter's coat lit up when they ventured into the darker areas.

Mikasa was so determined, that she didn't even realise she'd scaled a near cliff. She'd just kept moving, one foot at a time.]

Union cave
[Eventually though, they'd ran out of options. The only place left to check was the cave that had been looming over the search. There had been no scent trail to it, but there was nothing to indicate Yachi was anywhere else. So in they went.

Not that she could go far. The dark she could handle, but the water and some of the large boulders proved too much. She couldn't swim very well and hadn't brought a pokemon that could with her and not matter how much she pushed. Those boulders weren't moving for her.

So she ducked, trying to find a gap that Yachi might have fit through. Not caring about the dirt, her clothes were already dirty, a little more was fine.]

Route 32 pokemon center
[What wasn't fine was the food situation. She'd had enough supplies to last her a few days without needing to go back to society. Not that she'd actually returned to society when she was running slow, she'd just gone to the nearest pokemon center. Hungry and covered in dirt and scratches, scowling as she stared up and worried Nurse Joy. Though Mikasa seemed mostly impassive to the Nurse's concerns, just standing there and waiting for her pokemon back.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

If she's hoping to get a look at his face, well, good luck with that. The kid's incredibly shy about his appearance and there's a reason he always wears a hood to begin with! But other than that, well, he doesn't look to be much older than about twelve, at the most, if his size is any indication. (It's not, but that's another matter....) Still definitely bigger than her, in any case.

Shrike watches intently as she climbs the cliff again, though, paying extra special attention to where she seems to find footholds. He's climbed stuff like this before back in his own world, he knows what he should be looking for! Yet when he approaches the spot where she climbed, even feeling around carefully with a hand (first with gloves on then--after a moment's hesitation--removing one) but alas, it's like there's nothing there to be found.

"I don't know... Could you climb the ones in the other routes, too?"

Maybe there's just something weird about these ledges...

Of course, she was going to try and see his face. Wearing a cloak up all the time was just shady, even if she had her scarf pulled up to keep her face warm. It didn't even dangle in the way as she climbed. It was like her feet just stuck to the wall.

"I've not been on the other routes for a while... I can climb in the cave."

She'd not left the area yet.

Between the hood and his own scarf (it is kinda cold out, you know?) there's not a whole lot to see without actually tanking the hood off. And there's nothing particularly unusual about his eyes. Still, if he catches her staring he'll turn away awkwardly.

"What about the ones before..."

Well, there might not need to answer that, seeing as there's the sound of... something, approaching. It's a very scurrying sort of sound, and there seems to be a lot of them....

... Is that a pack of wimpod?

"Ah, they're back again!"

Apparently the kid recognizes them, at that.

Mikasa had been able to climb near Violet City, before they'd left to go onto the next Gym. But she'd never really tried before, she liked walking through the trees and grass. And she didn't want to scare anyone about her falling, she'd gotten enough people worried as it was. That just didn't matter right now, it was an emergency.

She opened her mouth to speak. Only to close it at the sound of...bugs? Her head turning to blink in their direction.

"What are they?"

Unfazed. Bugs are cool.

"They're called Wimpod, and they keep following me...!"

He doesn't sound entirely happy about that. And sure enough, the bugs scurry right up to him, before dropping some objects near him. A few berries (not the ones edible to humans, sadly), a pine cone, a half-eaten package of instant noodles...

Wait, where they'd get the instant noodles out here, it's at least two hours' walk back to Azalea town--

... Actually, scratch that, who in the world eats half a package of dry instant noodles, anyway???

"I don't know what they're doing..."

If he didn't know, Mikasa didn't. She'd been here half a year and pokemon were still a mystery. So were computers... Computers were probably even more confusing. So she just stared for a moment, blinking.

"I think they're trying to feed you." They were bringing him food after all. And a pinecone, but bugs ate pinecones didn't they? So it counts. "Did you feed them? That's why some pokemon follow me."

"No, I never saw them before they started following me..."

Shrike finds the whole situation very bewildering. Though at least the Wimpod seem to be fairly harmless.

"They run away again if something scares them though."

{{OOC: The two reasons for the delays.}}

Well, Mikasa was at a loss. She didn't really do animal behaviors, all she'd grown up with had been chickens. Which didn't really translate well to pokemon. Not only that, most pokemon seemed to do things that just made no sense.

So after a good minute of thinking about it, she took a step closer to the edge, so that she loomed over this guy and the swarm of Wimpod. Holding her hands up slightly.

"Roar..." It wasn't even loud, it was the most deadpan roar ever. She tried?

The Wimpod all freeze when they notice her approach and... yeah, whether it was the movement, the noise, or just the fact that there was another person there is enough to send them scampering away.

Not without a few of them trying to tug on Shrike's pant legs to come with them, mind, but fortunately he's able to dislodge them. Sometimes being a little stronger than one looks comes in handy! And really, it looks like he's probably had to do this before.

"... I think they're scared of everything."

She was terrifying. Yes, good. Mikasa gave a little huff as she watched them scurry away... It felt pretty bad scaring them though. It was small, but she slumped.

"They wanted you to go too...I think they like you." It was hard to tell with pokemon. Nor was Mikasa very sure, not when it came to bugs. Her Luxio was a lot easier to read.

Don't worry, something else would have scared them off sooner or later anyway. Like a sneeze. Or maybe a small gust of wind.

"Maybe..."

Shrike is unsure how to feel about the attention, really. It's kind of awkward.

"They'll probably come back again later, though."

Seriously, they've been doing this for days.

Well then. Mikasa wasn't one for small talk... Or even big talk, she was very good at staring though. Staring and being blunt.

"Even when you're inside?" Wasn't there a pokemon center nearby? It wasn't like they could go through the walls.

"They try to!"

Take just a little bit too long to close a door...

But, well, it's just another weirdness to deal with, as far as Shrike's concerned. He knows how to scare them away, so he can manage. In any case, another thought's occurred to him now.

"Are you going to Azalea Town? I'm staying there with Sandalphon right now..."

{{OOC:Computer is banned}}

Another person might have pointed out that it was bad if they got in. Unsanitary. But Mikasa was the type to pick food straight from the bush and eat it. She'd do that out here too... So she shook her head, she didn't need to go to town. Frowning again, serious.

"No, I'm looking for my friend. She went missing... Have you heard her? She screams a lot." And very loudly.

((oh no the cutest ban))

Well, probably no more unsanitary than any other Pokémon, really. But Shrike also literally lived in a cave for a few years until shortly before coming to Johto, so his standards for such things are also a little lax.

"Oh... I haven't seen anyone else today. Or heard anyone screaming."

There's a pause, then he continues.

"Did she just suddenly disappear, but her Pokémon were still here? That happened to Sandalphon before, and it was because he went back to his world..."

"Oh..." Her head fell as she looked behind her. Looking at how much of the route she still had to search. There were just so many places Yachi could be on this route.

"One of her pokemon is here..." The rest weren't. They must have been with Yachi, but Mikasa didn't get why the other girl's starter wasn't with her. Then there was his wording, 'disappear'. A few of the others had mentioned that when she asked on the network. Though she was ignoring that, she'd keep looking until she knew Yachi had gone home for sure. It was still too soon.

"Maybe she went home then..."

He pauses to think back on what people told him when the same had happened to Sandalphon.

"Oh, if she's still here, you can send a message on the Pokégear. But if she's not here, that won't work."

"It couldn't connect..." Which meant that he might have been right, that she was gone. But Mikasa didn't want to accept that. "I'm bad at using it." Because she really was, nothing like the gear existed where she was from. She wouldn't give up on Yachi, not until she knew for sure.

Not that she'd find anything to prove she was missing. There'd be nothing there. But Mikasa would look anyway.

"Why are you going to the city?"

"I think that means she's gone? If you could still talk to other people..."

Shrike is a bit... pragmatic about these things. But there's still a question to answer, too.

"The next gym is in Azalea town. And I think maybe Sandalphon likes to travel, too."

She wouldn't accept that. She'd keep looking until she couldn't anymore. Mikasa didn't care about most people, she'd lost too much to care about everyone. But those few people she did care about...

The mention of the gym got a small nod. He was doing that thing?

"Thats why my friend was traveling..." But she wasn't. Even if she'd gotten her first badge, that was just because.

"Did you battle the gym leader in Violet too?"

He's a little curious. He still finds the whole battling thing... weird, but on the other hand, there's definitely elements of a challenge to it that are interesting. Figuring out the best strategy to win, for example.

"Yeah, we won."

Tragically, Mikasa wasn't one for strategy. She preferred just to hit as hard as possible, but it'd worked. She'd gotten her badge, even with her complete lack of interest in competing. At some point she'd not have the type advantage, then she'd need to think.

"...A lot of people win." She really didn't get it. Why did people make a big deal about it like wining was exclusive, but so many people were winning.

Shrike hadn't had a single type advantage, himself, beyond his Togekiss knowing a rock-type move. So he'd had to be more careful to ensure a win.

"I guess so... But it seems like lots of people here don't have many Pokémon, or don't have them trained very much."

He's seen Sandalphon battle plenty of random natives. They tended to be curb stomp battles.

Mikasa shuffled her feet, getting antsy. Wanting to start looking again.

"This place doesn't make sense." People appear then they vanish. Everything seemed to revolve around the pokemon, jobs. Peoples' lives revolved around the creatures and yet people like her were doing better than the locals.

"I know!"

Even in all the months he's been here, there's definitely bits of Pokémon logic that Shrike doesn't see the point of.

"Um, if you're going to Azalea Town, I could tell you where things are there?"

Look at him, making an effort to be helpful!

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sorry again

Those are some very fair reasons for being delayed :)

gotta look after the babies

they need all the care and cuddles <3

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