[video]

[beastofasister]

Look, isn't he cute?

[The speaker is off-screen, leaving the viewer an unobstructed view of the 'he" in question: a Woobat, a tuft of hair tied up on the top of its head with a Bellsprout-themed ribbon.

Manaka is in Violet City, and she'll be damned if she doesn't use her time outside Goldenrod to buy cutesy touristy accessories and put them on her Pokémon.

Despite Manaka's bubbly enthusiasm, the Woobat seems flustered by the attention, tucking its head down and covering its face with its wings. Manaka giggles, and then the view spins. When it comes to a stop again, Manaka is beside her Pokémon, affectionately bumping her cheek against its.]

If I haven't spoken to you before, my name is Manaka! I still haven't been here for very long, I don't think, so I wanted to ask everyone something: Out of all the Pokémon you personally have, which one do you think is your cutest? And if you have any fun pictures or stories about them, you should definitely share those, too!

Comments

[thedifferencebetween]

He's been on a diet.

[Of floor food and table scraps.]

Ha, well, one time he rolled down a hill. Literally. He lied down on an incline and gravity took over and before I know it, he's halfway down the friggin hill...

[beastofasister]

[She'd like to ask what that "diet" entails... But, instead, she giggles.]

Oh, no! Did he mean to do it?

[thedifferencebetween]

I highly doubt it. But he's so round it just happens on an incline.

You should see what happens when I put him on a treadmill.

Nothing. The answer is literally nothing. He lies down and rides it to the end then sleeps at the foot of it.

[beastofasister]

[That gets another laugh out of her.]

Have you tried playing fetch with him? Maybe that would have better results... But then again, if he's that round, it might be just as silly to watch.

[thedifferencebetween]

Yeah, no, fetch doesn't work.

We uh, we wrestle? I mean, it's not exactly an equal thing, but I roll him around and try and get him into it and he...kinda does.

[beastofasister]

Maybe if you get him one of those tug-o'-war ropes? [But then she shrugs.] I don't know a lot about owning a dog, to be honest. Back home, the only animals we had around were the birds in the garden.

[...Birds that were absolutely not pets, and were regularly beheaded as part of their magecraft, but.]

[thedifferencebetween]

Yeah, honestly, I'm a horse guy. I like horses. I gotta horse back home. Well, a diamond unicorn, actually, but...basically a horse. Just made of living diamond and she's got two horns. She's friggin sweet.

Dogs...my girlfriend was the dog person.

[beastofasister]

[All at once, Manaka's casual, smiling disposition disappears, and her eyes go wide.]

Ah, you mean... A real, live unicorn? Made of diamond...?

[thedifferencebetween]

Well, a Pandoracorn, but yeah! Crazy rare, totally awesome.

She's got a purple mane and tail, she sparkles when light hits her...there's nothing else like her!

Her name's Butt Stallion.

1/3

[beastofasister]

[Jack had never struck her as the kind of guy who would be into unicorns, but as he lists off his description, Manaka instantly believes him. While her father had done his best as a parent, he was not precisely warm, and she had no other male relatives to concern herself with; the idea that this could be avuncular teasing or story-telling or even just a lie is so outside her expectations that it doesn't occur to her. Her wide eyes widen even further, expression lighting up with something akin to awe as she listens, until—]

[beastofasister]

[—...

...

...

what]

[beastofasister]

[And just like that, the magic is gone. A bad name doesn't destroy the fact that he has a unicorn, though, so Manaka blinks, trying to arrange her expression back into a smile.]

I, I see. Did you name her yourself, or...?

[thedifferencebetween]

Ahh, yeah. It's kind of a joke. It's a long story. There were these jerks, it was a whole big thing...

[beastofasister]

Ah, I see! I guess I just wondered why you named her "Stallion," if she's a girl.

[Sure, let's go with that.]

[thedifferencebetween]

Yeah, it's just a joke. Kind of. I get a kick out of it, anyway!

I miss her.

[beastofasister]

I think most people would miss their unicorn, if they had one! [Her words are punctuated by a little giggle as she adds:] I know I would.